Hey, what are you looking at????

^7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sa 16:7, NIV)

I wish so hard that you and I could see people the way God does.  We judge before someone ever speaks a word, or before we even know them.  We judge them based upon nothing more than appearance.

The Lord had sent Samuel to Jesse's house because He said that the next king would come from there.  Jesse was excited thinking it was one of his older son's.  All of them passed by, and each one Samuel said this is not him.  He then asks Jesse if this was it.  Jesse responded no that there was one left, his youngest, but he was the runt and didn't seem to be "qualified" to be the next king.  To his (and everyone else's) surprise when David arrived, Samuel said this is the one and they anointed him as the next king.

Point being no matter how someone's appearance is, don't discount them.  They may look, act, or think differently than you or I, but that doesn't mean they are any less capable.  Start by getting to know them, make that change from judging from first look.

God took a look at my insides and saw who I could be, would you take that same time??

Chris

We the People...

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I remember having to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution in Elementary School (just don't remember which grade).  I don't think I really realized at that point in time the importance of such a document.  I am just now beginning to grasp the concept of the greatness of the vision of our forefathers as they penned and signed our great Constitution.

I'm quite sure that not everyone who signed the document agreed 100% on everything.  I'm quite sure that not EVERYONE who was on the second Continental Congress that voted to pass the Declaration of Independence was a follower of Jesus Christ, but that is what makes this country great.  We live in a country that is full of diversity, and diversity is what makes us great.

Sometimes I think we get too caught up in "me the people" instead of "we the people".  It's not just about what I think or what you think, Its not just about what Democrats think or Republicans think, and It's not about what Liberals think or Conservatives think.  It's about what this great document says and what it represents.  Freedom.

You and I are free to think and believe what we want, you and I are free to live as we want, and you and I are free to be the person you and I want to be, to the extent that we don't harm anyone else.  It's what makes this country beautiful.

We run into problems when you and I try to define what the constitution says based upon our perspective.  It has to be defined from the perspective of the ones who created it, not according to what we "think". 

I have the right, and my children have a right, to believe what we want.  We choose to believe that Jesus is the Christ, that He was crucified, He rose on the third day, and that because of His great sacrifice now I can have eternal life.  I believe that life begins at conception.  I believe that a biblical marriage is man and woman.  I believe my children have the right to pray when they want and how they want.  These are my rights, this is my freedom.  I'm not forcing what I believe on anyone, my children are not forcing what they believe on anyone.  We are expressing our right to be free.  Why can't liberal media, liberal politicians, and civil rights group grasp that.  You will never convince me that abortion is right, you will never convince me that marriage should be redefined, and you will never convince me that removing the name of God from government will accomplish something great.

I don't raise a ruckus if my children have a teacher that is homosexual, agnostic, atheist, or different religion.  So why do people raise a fuss if they or I choose to exercise our faith, it's our right. 

It's also your right to disagree with me, and you know what?  I'm OK with that. 

In the name of religious freedom, Christians are losing religious freedom....yes, it's happening.

We the people....

I am "we the people" and so are you...

Chris.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Life has a way of hitting us, and hitting us hard.  When things seem to begin to go right, that's when it all starts to go extremely wrong.  So what do we do?  How do we deal with it?  How do we stay strong?  How do we not give up hope?


^33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33, NIV)

Jesus has not held any news back from us.  In John here He forewarns us.  He doesn't say life is going to easy, in fact He tells us straight up that there WILL be trouble.  Just because you and I believe in the God that has everything under control, doesn't mean that you and I will live a trouble free life.  Now I'm with you, why can't it all just be good.  Why can't the troubles just disappear.  I can't count the number of times that I have prayed for them to "go away, and never come back".  There has been a lot of times over the last 17 years of being a Christian that things happened that I would have much rather not gone through.

That's the bad news....

So here is some good news.....

It will get better.

Jesus follows telling us that "we will have trouble" to telling us to "take heart".  It's almost like He is saying "cheer up", or keep your "chin up".

Hold up, in troubled times Jesus is telling us to "cheer up".  Yes.

I know in troubled times we don't want to hear this, but the reality is there is someone out there that is a believer that is worse off than you and I are.  So yes, Jesus is saying we need to keep our chin up and keep marching forward.  The hope that we have is that Jesus has promised that He has already "overcome the world".  Any problem that has happened or will happened, Jesus has overcome it.  All things where created for Him and through Him, so there is nothing He can't handle.

You and I on the other hand, we don't handle things very well.

So here is some practical ideas on how I have dealt with some problem times in life (and no I don't have it perfected, these are just suggestions).

1. Don't blame God for your situation.  We spend a lot of time trying to blame God for all of our troubles, and then we get mad and walk away.  Make a decision to not blame Him, but instead draw closer to Him.
2. Reflect on what is going right.  Now I know this is EXTREMELY hard, because when things are going terribly wrong, it is hard to focus on what is going right.  However, if you and I will actually think about it we will find some things that are actually going good.
3. Find your John.  Jesus had that one "beloved" disciple.  You and I need someone that we can depend on during these times to vent and encourage us.  You need someone that will not sugar coat things, in other words if your wrong about something they should be able to tell you.
4. Surround yourself with "positive" people and not "negative" ones.  Negativity will suck the life right out of you and I.  If you are having trouble, having someone around that is always negative will not help you at the time.
5. Laugh.  Find ways to make yourself laugh.  Watch a totally off the wall ridiculous movie or show for the sole purpose of making you laugh.
6. Exercise.  We can work off a lot of trouble or stress in our lives by simply getting out and walking, jogging, or whatever just get off the couch and do something.  I prefer not to be indoors in a gym, so I go jog outside and deal with the elements.
7. watch your diet.  Fried fatty foods can make your mood worse.  Eat fresh fruits and veggies.
8. Read your Bible, when you read biblical stories it enables you to see that God has helped many through harder times than you or I have dealt with.
9. Spend ample time in prayer.  How much is ample?  Depends on the person and your relationship with God.  If your relationship is good with God then you won't be watching the time.
10. Worship.  Get involved in your church.  worship the one that created you.  It takes the focus off you and helps you to see the "bigger picture".

Hope these help, they have helped me in the hardest times in my life.

Chris

The open door

“This man receiveth sinners.”

— Luke 15:2

Does Jesus EVER draw a line as to whom He chooses to welcome in?  NO!!

I for one am extremely happy for that.  I was THAT guy.  The guy that everyone had given up one, the guy that ran with the wrong people, the guy you WOULD NOT want your daughter to hang out with, and the one you WOULD NOT them want to marry.  I was the one that was always doing the wrong thing.  The guy that thought "religion" was for someone else, the guy that thought "church" was a waste of time.  Yeah, I was that guy.  Was.  Then I met Jesus and He changed my life.  He "received" me, a sinner.  He welcomed me.  He opened the door for me.  He gave me a wonderful life that I now have.

"Received" means to not only welcome, but to also partner with.

In Luke 15, the "religious people" where furious with Jesus because He went after the "sinners", he went after the ones that where either not welcomed in the church, or not wanted in the church.  He went and sat down and ate a meal with them.  Can you imagine this.  The Son of God went and ate with the ones that had no interest in "religion" or "religious people".

The problem here was that the Pharisees "aka religious people" where worried that if Jesus was the Son of God and if these sinners came to know God there is a possibility they would enter the "religious people's" hangout (aka the church).  You simply CANT have "sinners" mixed in with "religious people" that's not going to work (said sarcastically). 

Jesus changes lives, never forget that.  I am living, breathing proof of it.  Don't give up on the ones that we look at and call "sinners", because God doesn't.

Three things:

1. Don't be a Pharisee, don't sit back and think you "deserve" God more than anyone else.  You don't and I don't.
2. Be like Jesus, love on those that society has given up on.  Their messed up for a reason, and you could be that glimmer of hope that God uses to change their life
3. Never forget that if it wasn't for grace you wouldn't be bound for heaven.

I'm going after the ones that need Him.


Have a great weekend, and invite someone to worship with you this weekend.

Chris

He is Jealous for me

“God is jealous.”

— Nahum 1:2

God is jealous

He is jealous of your love
He is jealous of your trust
He is jealous of your time

God loves you so much that he wants your love, your trust, and your time.

So when was the last time you gave Him all three.

He deserves all three.

To think that the God that created all things and sustains all loves me so much that when I don't give Him all my love, all my trust, and all my time that He is jealous is fascinating. 

When we don't give Him those, He pursues us.  He comes to us asking for love, trust, and time.

Would you give Him that?

He deserves it.

have great day, Chris

why does it matter?

I'm often asked as to why it matters how we as Christians act.  It's a legitimate question.  It's also a question that most Christians should know the answer to, but unfortunately don't. 

Biblically there are several answers:

• because we are representing Christ ( 2 Corinthians 5:20)
• it means our faith is real and alive (James 2:14)
• Christ is the example ( 1 Peter 1:15)

I want to speak to the logical reasoning as to why we should.  I think we mean well by the way we act and I think we should stand for what is right.  I think we have the desire to want to see the world changed, but I also think we are going about it the wrong way.  The unfortunate after affect is that people know more about what we are against than what we are for.

When you look at the life of Jesus, He spent His time loving people and not condemning them for what they did wrong.  He loved people instead of preaching about what HE  was against.

We teach our kids to memorize John 3:16, which is great, but if we knew John 3:17 too it would make a world of difference.

^"17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Jesus told his disciples the importance of how they acted:


"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

Think of the importance of this...

We want people to know that Jesus loves them.  We all should agree to that.  However, at what point did we ever imagine that yelling at people, picketing them telling them God hates them, and fighting against fellow Christians was going to show love.

Should we be against moral issues?  Absolutely.

Should we be loving?  Absolutely.

The two have to meet.

The unfortunate thing is that I as a Baptist minister get labeled under the same umbrella as this guy:

 

So how did this:

become this:

I think it's because our passion is misinterpreted for anger.  I think it's because we think we can fix the world through trying to protest and change things on our own.

I also think its because if we point out other people's sins we don't have to deal with our own.


Our sin and my sin:  Learning to Love instead of condemning.

I saw no love in the above video, the "preacher" even said I love you.  I'm not here to condemn the man, but "Faith and works" have to meet, "Words without action" are empty.  Saying you love but treating with condemnation is a waste of time.  I read an article that stated the guy that the preacher said "wasn't worth 15 cents" had never returned to the church.  Hello?  maybe, just maybe there was a logical and medical reason why the guy hadn't been to church in awhile.  If he where my preacher, I wouldn't come either, just saying.

If you want to see the world changed, let's work differently then what we have been.  Let's give the model of Jesus a chance in our lives.  Let's love one another, Let's get along, and let's make a difference together.

The fact of the matter is that it's not about you and it's not about me.  It's not about what I'm against or what your against.  It's not about what denomination you are or what I am.  It's not about what translation you use or I use.  It's not about whether you are contemporary or traditional.  It's not about whether you have a choir or a praise team.  It's not about whether you are a small congregation or large congregation.  It's not about whether you are a democrat or republican.  It's not about whether you are black, white, Hispanic, or Asian. 

It's about Jesus and your relationship with Him.

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

This is the ONLY way to change the world.  Think about it:  if people just fall in love with Jesus, there won't be moral issues.  However, if they don't see love in us then they won't ever see the love of Jesus.

It's time for a change,

Chris

For my wife on our anniversary

There is a lot of things about my memory that often fails me.  However, I remember September 4, 1999, as clearly as this morning.  I was a couple of weeks post surgery on my esophagus, and was still having to wear a half body brace because of the fusion that was done to my spine a month earlier.  That day as a beautiful sunshiny day in beautiful Western North Carolina.  I remember pulling up to the back of West Asheville Baptist Church with my heart racing with excitement as the hour approached.  I remember standing off to the right behind the door with Pastor Ken Lewis and my pops.  Pastor Ken looked at me with a smile and said, It's time brother.  I remember standing there awaiting the bridal march, and when it started the doors opened and there I thought was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen.  Now 14 years later, She still is....

It has been quite a journey we have been on for 14 years.  Ten years ago she became pregnant with our first child, whom we lost at the five month mark.  Tried and tried for another, then prayers are answered and in November of 2006 along came the twins (Rebekah and Samantha).  We decided we wanted another, and then came Olivia in March 2010.

It's wonderful to have to help mate that I have.  So supportive when I told her early on that I felt like God was calling me into ministry.  Helped more than I could ever repay when I went back to college.  Encouraging and supportive when we took the step of faith and I let my career at Ingles go in order to pastor a small church in Fairview.  Strength when I needed to make the decision to leave the church in Fairview to be where I am now.  A pastors life is not easy, and being the wife of a pastor is even harder.  I would say by far I have the best one you could possibly have as a pastor's wife.  The hours are long and my attention is constantly being distracted by the needs of others.  She has been so understanding all theses years of ministry when the call comes and I have to leave or when I first began here and our children where to young to travel (and she had to stay at home with our children while I'm away).

I try to live what I teach couples when I counsel them before marriage.  I always remind the guys this:  Treat your woman like a queen because if you don't someone else will.  I am so blessed to have the wife I do, I may not always treat her like a queen but I try my darnedest to.

I'm not the easiest guy to love, I'm not the easiest guy to live with, I'm not the best at being a father, I'm not the best at being a husband, I'm not the best at being a friend, I'm not the best listener in the world, I'm not the most patient person in the world, I'm not the best at being affectionate,  and I have many many flaws.  So all I can do is say thank you to my bride that loves me anyway.