"Immediately, the boy's father said,' I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief'" Mark 9:24.

What has God convicted you of today, this week, this hour? It is like a light bulb going on. Suddenly, the Spirit grabs hold of an idea and plants it in your life over and over again, through different sources. Currently, God is convicting me of how God changes lives. 

So many young people were raised in the church and walk away. I have seen this blamed on many things including science, boring church, worldly enticements, overprotective parents, etc. These are all great ideas, however, this is group speak. Each young person is an individual and I balk at the Christian community lumping them all together. Each precious one is loved by God. He has not abandoned them. Each one is working through lots of issues. The bottom line is they are plagued with doubts. It is time to be honest about doubt. God uses doubt in powerful ways. If we abandon doubt - we abandon curiousity. We no longer have the desire to learn more about the God of the Universe.

I see young people raised in the church being inundated with rules. We feel if we point out sin in an obtuse way - everyone sins - that they will "ask Jesus into their heart" and from then on easy sailing. When things are not easy, the world steps in to tell them they have been sold a bill of goods. All the church ever did for them was make them feel guilty or superior. 

I love this father in Mark 9 when Jesus asked him if he believed, he said yes. Answering that question is often easy - yes, I believe God exists, I believe God loved the world and sent His Son. But, where this father went is humble and beautiful. He admitted, his belief was not strong. He desired to be all in. He desired to love Jesus and surrender to Him more! 

How does this relate to young church -raised doubters? We have not allowed them to admit that they are not all in. I believe many know the lingo, they know how to pacify those in the church so they will be left alone until they have slipped away and can do their own thing. By that time, they have a foothold in the world. It is hard to let go of that. They do not want to give up the fun, the friends, etc. What they don't know is that God does not want a robot. He wants the follower that learns to follow through surrender and love. One was never saved by cleaning up their act. One is saved through faith. That is the group speak I can agree with. 

I am reminded of the beautiful father of the prodigal son. He loved and,  I believe,  he prayed for his lost son who had embraced the world. When he came back asking for love, the father hugged him smelling like hogs and all. The shepherd chased after that lost sheep where that sheep was - gone astray.

Trust God to help the unbelief. Trust God to reach the heart. Then when the heart turns toward humble submission to ask God to help with unbelief, trust God to finish what he has started. 

1. You often use the term "stumbling block". I have spent 20 years in the church and those that want to limit the freedom that was bought by Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection often site this phrase. I have yet had explained to me how someone who professes Christ that say chews tobacco, drinks wine with dinner, overeats,(Guilty!) works on Sunday(Guilty!) etc causes someone else to lose their faith in Christ. Of course, I believe that God does not want us to be so influenced by these vices such that these habits control our thoughts and behaviors. But it seems like as long as someone did these things when no one is looking, according to this logic, God would be ok with these "sins". Heaven forbid that a new believer would see that a seasoned Christian had a glass of wine with dinner, they may get the idea that loving Christ is not a list of rules that need to obey but a relationship that grows and molds one to be more Christ-like. Let's have an honest discussion of sin and those sins that have been made "acceptable" to the modern American church. Is it OK to lie to the government in the running of your business in order to not pay taxes? Is it OK to speed on the highways? Guilty! Is it OK to lie about your income to get credit? Speaking of credit - is it OK to borrow money to buy a boat or camper or other unnecessaries? Of course, most of these things are not seen by the new believer so cannot be a stumbling block. Therefore, they are fair game.  Every freedom that is bought with Christ should be disciplined so that it does not lead a new believer to abuse that freedom. However, to rebuke others that they are a stumbling block is tricky territory and should not be used as a new set of ceremonial laws.

2. You don't think you have much to ask forgiveness for. You find yourself in a Sunday school class on prayer and someone goes over the ACTS acronym for prayer and you realize that you are pretty good at the A, T and S but can't remember the last time you did the C ( confessions). (Guilty!)You think you are basically a pretty good person.  When the pastor's sermon leads you to look around the church to see if that person is there that really needed to hear what he is saying is here today. Even Paul said, "Why do I do the things I do not want to do." God's standard is so high that if I reflect on my behavior and thoughts over the last 24 hours, He will lead me to confess. The key is IF I do this - Why do I not?! 

3. You question the faith of those that socialize with unbelievers. Matthew 9:11 "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" We are in the world to be light. Light in a bright room does little to change the brightness of the room. Light in a dark room changes everything.

4. You point your finger at others for little things. Matthew 12:2  - the Pharisees accused the disciples and Jesus pick some grain to eat. This is one of the hardest things for me. Do I have a log in my eye and am pointing out the sliver in anothers? That person hasn't been to church in awhile. That person doesn't help with things at church. That person this and that person that. Does it make me feel better to find fault in others? (So guilty) This is why people have a bad taste for church. They don't want to go to church because they feel judged. Sure we must have standards but we cannot forget grace. Circumstances affect others behaviors and we do not know those circumstances. I pray that I can have more grace.

As I write this it occurs to me that I must admit that in several cases I am a Pharisee. The Pharisees crucified Jesus 2000 years ago. To act like one is a terrible charge! This pharisical (is that a word) behavior is no joke. Thank you Jesus for opening my eyes! 

"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity." Ecclesiastes 5:10

"For everything in heaven and earth are yours. Yours, oh Lord, is the Kingdom. You are exalted as head over all." 1 Chronicles 29:11

It happened again this weekend. Someone asked me why I worry about money so much. My initial response is how rude. I don't go around asking people why they waste so much money.  However, I feel the need to explain my thoughts on this. After listening to my logic, you may say I am all wet, but please just let me and my family live like we choose. Or you may say I have a good point. If that is the case, I urge you to join the frugal bandwagon. It is a great and freeing way to live.

I don't think I have actually worried about money in the last 20 years. What is often misunderstood as worry is actually - care. I care about money. I care about where the money the Lord has allowed me to decide how I will use on this earth is used. Worry would mean I didn't think I had enough. I didn't think I would be able to pay for my heat, home, food, medicine, retirement etc. Quite the opposite is true. I don't have to worry about money because I care for the money I have. The Lord has put on my heart that he has a greater use for this money than Starbucks , Ugg boots, or designer pursees. I get really excited for the future to see how He will use this money.

The argument started over Keurig coffee machines. I think Keurigs are a fantastic idea. For people who only want to brew 1 or 2 cups at a time it a great way to save. If I brew a pot of coffee at home ( 6 cups) it comes to $.04 per cup. If I brew a cup of Keurig and buy my K cups at Sam's it is $.50. So people say fill your own K cup. Well, those take quite a bit of coffee to fill to make your coffee strong enough. I know from experience you cannot use Folger's. So you can get your price down to $.30. You get the idea. They couldn't believe that I didn't have a Keurig. Anyway, the point is to be intentional. I have seen many that just have to have coffee shop coffee. I choose not to do this. Why? Because, over 1 year,  my family can easily save $500 on coffee. 

My family can support a Compassion Child for less than that. We can send one of our kids or ourselves on a mission trip every other year for that. We can help support a young student in the seminary  or a local food pantry. The possibilities are endless. Somebody's money is needed for many of the good works that the Lord asks Christians to do. 

I  also have great compassion for those that do have difficulty paying those bills. To "keep up with the Joneses" is a burden created by peers. I believe we shouldn't make people feel like they are missing out by not consuming the latest trends, we should be emulating those that refuse to be swayed by Madison Avenue. 

I often hear Christians claim that they will not drink alcohol because it is a stumbling block for those that have trouble with alcohol, yet they rarely think about spending as a stumbling block. Most people make unneccesary purchases because someone they know has purchased that item. The  "I have to have that" mentality is the goal of advertising and they have plenty of consumers that will urge their neighbors to covet these items without paying them anything. 

Maybe that could be some people's New Year's Resolution. Be intentional on where your money( God's money) goes this year. Think of your money as belonging to someone else's money.

"Whoever has been given much, will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who is given more." Luke 12:48

"But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won't help him--- how can God's love be in him?" 1 John 3:17

It was the early American Church that helped the poor, the orphans, the widows in this country. Were there people who abused this? Yes, but overall, it was a huge part of churches to reach out and help those that needed help with their physical needs. Some examples on larger scales were the establishment of the Salvation Army, various soup kitchens, church ran orphanages, and homes for unwed mothers. In small communities it was the church that the needy went to for help. The church successfully combined social justice with evangelism. Children grew up with a heart for mercy for the less fortunate. In the early part of the 20th Century that changed. The government began to take over the welfare state and care for the poor. Some churches turned to establishing a more intimate relationship with Christ. This led to the evolution of 2 types of Protestant churches in America. One that championed social justice by becoming political and encouraging Americans to support the government's welfare state to grow. By giving our tax dollars to the government, we could help the poor and fulfill our Christian duty. A relationship with Christ and especially evangelism was not emphasized. The other group returned to theology and felt that the social justice church dropped the ball on preaching the Gospel. This church championed an individual relationship with Christ. This group seemed to emphasize individual accomplishment and economic success. The American dream was heralded by this church but helping the downtrodden was not emphasized. Often the young people raised here felt the church was hypocritical.

I see the American church just beginning to wake up. New preachers are championing James writings of "faith plus works is dead" while emphasizing a personal relationship with Christ. Isn't this how the early church operated? How would American look if these two forces of the Christian church in America quit judging each other and embraced the other's ideals and realized there was room for both. Christ never sacrificed his love for his Father, his time of private prayer and his love for the scriptures for his outpouring of mercy for those that suffered. 

Our goal should be to be more Christ-like. Christ emphasized to His followers mercy for the poor. (Matthew 25:35-40) As a follower of Christ, I need to ask myself. "What have I done to help the poor? this week? this month? this year?"  As Christians lets make our answer more than pay our taxes. Christ will open up a whole new world to us and we may be feeding, clothing and quenching the thirst of Christ himself.

I have heard it already this season, "I hate Christmas". What? Who could hate Christmas? I can understand that one can hate what Christmas has become. We cannot change how the entire country treats Christmas, but I can choose to sit back and love Christmas for what it truly means. I am not angry with those that say "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings". I just know that is what I should expect. Talking about Jesus is not popular. People do not want to hear about Jesus and then smack dab in this wonderful season of festivities someone put "Jesus". Are we celebrating Christmas or are we celebrating some generic holiday or season?

Many no longer know why we celebrate Christmas. "It is a family tradition". "I love getting gifts". " I love giving gifts". " It makes me feel so good to bake for my family"."It feels good to put money in the kettle." " It is a time when the crazy world is kinder." " My family gets together to spend time together."

All great reasons to hold a celebration. But this Christmas, I choose to slow down and be in awe that the God of the Universe sent His precious Son to Earth to fulfill a promise He made in His wonderful plan. Many scoff and say  "that doesn't make sense." Why make the rules then know we will break them?  Then give up your most precious (a part of yourself) in order to forgive us - the rebellious, the ungrateful, the mean-spirited, the murderers and the thieves? 

What system would be better? To look past all transgressions and love everyone even if they never acknowledge he exists and never learn from a loving Father's discipline? I think we know how we feel when someone gets away with hurting us with no consequences. We want justice. We also know that  those that hurt us will not change unless they do suffer consequences for what they do?

God is just, God wants us to grow. God wants us to learn about a love that  loves enough to mold us into better beings. Beings which love each other as much as we love ourselves. The standard is high and He knew we could not do it on our own. Trying to be good enough is impossible so He carefully set in motion - Christmas.

This season try to forget all that "religion" has taught you. Pick up the real story and move past Jesus birth. He came to Earth, He taught love, He showed love. And in the end He offered Himself willingly like a lamb as a sacrifice ( a penalty) for all the things that man has done. A way for imperfect man to have a relationship with the Father whose ways are above our ways. His crazy form of justice. We are forgiven not by anything we have done.We don't get the punishment we deserve, someone innocent has paid it. That is the most wonderful gift. After that gift, how do I give back? Love, fellowship, worship, growth. Not perfection.

Christmas has been hijacked by materialism. Christianity has been hijacked too. The gospel is Christ's message. The lesson is love God and love each other. Get to know Him better from what He says - the Gospel - not what someone, including me is telling you.

Honor Christ this Christmas --JOY   PEACE   LOVE----- Because of Him.

"And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices." Mark 12:33

At Camp Daniel, a camp for mentally and physically disabled children and adults, God put on my heart that we (the Church) spend too much time preaching to children and youth about obedience. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of obedience because Jesus did say,"If you love me, you will keep my commandments," in John 14. However, I began to wonder if we preach too much obedience and not enough love to young people.

Which comes first in the Christian life: love or obedience. I think if one reads the New Testament, they would have to admit - Love. What did Jesus spend time talking about - following the ten commandments or love? He knew that the obedience would follow, after one loved Jesus, as Jesus loved him.

Many of these campers at Camp Daniel are babies in Christ. Some have not come to Christ yet. They appear to me to have the purest of thoughts that a person can have. They are not plotting how they can have more attention or fun at another's expense. They are open to love. Their worship time is pure and loud and happy. They sing with enthusiasm to Jesus. They open their prayers with " thank you Jesus for being there for me." 

I thought about how we lose so many of our youth to the world as they enter college. I wonder if all they saw of the church was a set of rules. That some of them think that church is just a way for parents to coerce their teens to not drink, not smoke, not to engage in premarital sex. I thought of the oft repeated,"show me your friends and I'll show you your future." Is that Biblical? Sounds judgemental and not in a good way. It sounds like - if you follow all of these rules, including having the correct "friends'", you will fit into our little club and we will accept you. That little saying does not give any credit to the Love of Christ who loves His children. No credit to the process of sanctification of a new believer which takes many years. 

How about if we radiated love? If we taught how Jesus loves you in your sinful state. That He wants to transform you. That you come to Christ all dirty and yucky like we did. That through Jesus' love of us, we first love Jesus, then we can then work on obedience. We can learn what obedience looks like. That obedience actually looks alot like love - not obeying each and every commandment. That obedience is service and sacrifice not simply avoiding alcohol and cigarettes and premarital sex. No one can be obedient without loving Christ. Without Christ, obedience is just a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

"And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." Genesis 2:18

I made my second trip to Camp Daniel at the end of July. It is magical, spiritual, unique and wonderful place. It is nothing like I have experienced before. God teaches me many things while I am there and I highly recommend to anyone to give yourself away for 1 week to another person. Give God a chance to teach you. 

When we arrive at Camp Daniel we have about 20 hours to prepare for the arrival of our campers. Campers are from 7 - 70 years of age. They have a wide range of disbilities (mental and physical). They are vibrant, loving, feeling, emotional, and yes, they need help. We are prepared for our particular assigned camper the night before. All of the campers have special needs that their counselor must assist them with while they are at camp. Many campers have attended camp yearly for numerous years. It is great to talk to their previous counselors to learn of the camper's particular needs/ desires which cannot be covered on paper. 

We attend chapel as a group of eager counselors. Our speaker Tony, speaks from the heart - what does God want these people, who have gathered to give themselves to service this week, to learn? Tony spoke from Genesis 2:18. One of God's first discussion with Adam was that it is not good for him to be alone. Adam needed a helper. God did not say a mate. He said a helper. This week our campers are going to teach us how important companionship is. These campers have lived with disabilities for decades. They need another person to help them with many things you and I take for granted. I like to be in control. I like to have companionship but I do not like to be needy. I am so thankful that God, who knows each and every one of us, recognized this need and provided for this need. We are created in His Image. I don't think of God as needy but he created us for companionship.

When our lives are facing the end, what will you remember? What will you cherish? Companionship? Relationships? The question I must ask myself, will I let others in. Will I recognize that I cannot do it on my own. I need others and they need me. I see my camper and other campers at Camp Daniel and they are not too proud to ask for help. They ask for it and you know, I am honored to be able to help them. Too many times we ( the proud control freaks) keep others at a distance which does not allow the relationship to grow. If you are hurting or just need a hand - please reach out to someone else for help. You will be doing them some  good. You will be fulfilling God's plan for our lives. Working together to love one another just as Christ loved us.

"But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "who is my neighbor?" Luke 10:29

I am going to attempt to put in words my thoughts about a current event. I do not want this to sound political, because it is not meant to be. America faces an influx of young children, sent by their families from Latin American countries to the United States of America, looking for a better life. We cannot comprehend this act. Who would send their children on such a dangerous journey. I won't send mine to Ames without a cell phone ( and they are 17 and older.) I can partially answer that. I have been to Haiti which I am sure is much like these countries where these children come from. I  have seen the poorest families and how they love their children just like us.Before I went to Haiti a friend of mine said," I don't understand these people, I would do anything to get my children out of such poverty." I was angry when she said it, I felt she was blaming these people for the situation they were in. I went there and I learned that though they suffer greatly, it is all they have ever known. They were not starving, it is amazing how little you can survive on. One thing they lacked the most was a job. A hope for a way to provide for their family. A place to go with a purpose every day.

 Now imagine you live in these conditions and an advertisement says, America will accept your children and give them a better life. They see the television shows, they have the internet. They know that the world is made up of the haves and the have nots and America ( no matter where you live here)  is the haves. I was reminded of the movies I have seen of England in the Middle Ages. The property owners treated the serfs terribly. They were wealthy, they deserved what they had and if the peasants got out of line - they paid, and paid dearly. Well, pretty soon, the peasants figured this out. 

How can a society avoid this? What is the Biblical reaction to these kinds of discrepancies? We have been greatly blessed in America. I think how the mindset in my corner of America has changed. In the 1800's farming was community based. Farmers owned small plots of land. They farmed their small land, they fed their family, educated their children, passed the land on so the next generation could continue on. This continued until the late 1970's. What does farm country look like now? Landowners rent to large farmers who pay large rents, they buy huge equipment in order to farm more and more land. Many families had to leave the farm and move to cities because the landowners (who paid alot for the land) needed large cash rents to justify their purchase. Most large farmers and landowners are now millionaires. Most of their children do not farm. I believe this is how much of America looks. Small business owners or blue collar workers, worked to feed their families, educate their children, live a good life. That was the past.
 

Somewhere, the American dream went from own my own home to own a bigger home, a bigger boat, let my kids pay for their own education, etc.The American standard of living greatly increased. The countries around us could see this. Is America a generous country? Of course, we have sent tons of money overseas to other countries. We are the greatest givers of foreign aid. But to the poorest of the poor, it has made little difference. Less than 1% of the Federal Budget is spent on foreign aid. I state this statistic not to say the government should spend more. Just because I think we tell ourselves we do enough because our government is so generous.I feel the government is a terrible way to distribute foreign aid. US Citizens have made a huge difference in the world, but could we do more. 

Jesus answered this man's question with the story of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan helped his cultural enemy, put his own life in danger, and paid the bill.  He invested his time, effort and put his life at risk for a man he did not know. But he did also invest his money (not the government or his neighbor's money). Is this the example we are to follow? 

What does that look like for the thousands of children at the border? Does that mean we care for them while they are here and send them back to their families? Then what can we do to help these countries? The job is daunting and we will not end poverty - Jesus promises that. I do believe it may take a wake up call to our own lifestyles. As Christians, we can no longer just shut our eyes to the rest of the world. They are coming to us. "They" are our neighbors. 

I am sure you are saying," you haven't solved any of these problems." No, I haven't. I am just searching for the way to look at the problem, not from the right or the left but with an open heart.  God will have to lead from there.

"And he will delight in the fear of the Lord, and he will not judge by what his eyes see, nor make a decision by what his ears hear." Isaiah 11:3

I have been bothered lately about what is truth and what is not. Those that know me know that I like to keep most things in black and white. Things are either good or evil, they are either of God or not. I have a great godly friend who thinks the opposite. He is a lot better at peace keeping, trying to lovingly explain the subtle complexities of a situation and seeing how another can come to the opposite conclusion. I sometimes wish I were more like that but then again, I can't let something go until I feel confident that the issue is laid to rest.

Some items are red flags to me right away. I sometimes feel an immediate reaction - this is not right. That is how I felt about "Heaven is For Real." I cannot understand at all how Bible believing Christians can believe that God in Heaven allows humans  a little trip to heaven to see what it is like. Their visions often contradicting what is in the Bible. Why would he do that? Is He hoping to "convince" someone that they surely need to believe in Him or they might miss out on heaven or to comfort that race of humans that heaven is waiting for all when we get to the end of this life? God surely wouldn't want to scare anyone with things like judgement after death. This story is not new. Repeated many times throughout history.

Dr. Eben Alexander wrote "Proof of Heaven". He was the darling of interview shows. He even offered his comfort to the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre on Fox and Friends. He now sells meditation advice online for $60 each. He believes in reincarnation. His story very similar to the child in "Heaven is for Real." 

Am I accusing Colton Burpo of lying for profit? Heavens no! I have no doubt that this child believes he saw the things he says. Could he have been prompted? Could he have had a vision that is not of God? Could his father be a crook, lying for money? I cannot rule any of these things out. I just don't see this account of heaven as profitable for anyone who believes them. If I already believe what the Bible says about the afterlife, why do I prefer to believe a young boy and his father? Why isn't God's word enough?