God Made Me! (and my lips :)

NLT Psalm 139: 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

What does this tell us?

•I am a work of God’s artistry. I am not a deformed freak of nature because God doesn’t make junk.
•I am an expression of God’s attention to detail. I am unique. No one else is quite like me.
•I am God’s child. Yes I have parents who conceived me, but it is God who superintended the process of knitting me together in my mother’s womb.
•I was not an accident or unwanted child. God intended that I live and not die in the womb or through abortion.

These are vital truths not only for children to grasp, but adults as well. So many grown-ups feel inadequate and constantly strive for acceptance. The Biblical truth is that God Made You Marvelously! He knows and loves you. It doesn't mean our behavior is perfect, but we are accepted even as we grow in God's grace.

So don't let Hollywood define your beauty and don't let Wall Street determine your worth. God Himself made you and is on your side! -Pastor Randy

If they praise Him, then why don't we?

I wake up and hear the birds chirping outside my window.

Song lyrics come to my mind: “If they praise Him, then why don’t we?”

We run our rat race. Is His praise on our lips? Are we known for speaking praise or for grumbling, complaining and whining?

More song lyrics come to mind: “The earth has no voice. I have no choice but to magnify God unashamed.”

The birds can do what they can do (namely tweet and chirp) but they cannot with words praise the Lord above.

We can! We have a voice! Beyond a nest to live in and worms to eat, we have been given thousands upon thousands of necessities and luxuries that should result in praise. But to go even further, we have the ultimate reason to praise Him. We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We who claim salvation through Jesus’ name should be the first to be praising that Name. If salvation alone doesn’t put a song in our hearts and praise on our lips, something is broken within us.

If the birds are praising Him, there is no reason why we aren’t doing the same… only louder!

-Shannon <><

Jesus' 2nd Coming- Return of the King

King Jesus will return to collect His own people and to judge the world. His 2nd Coming will be unmistakable.

NIV 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,…

In an instant it will be clear to all that Jesus is back. Both the living and the long dead will know that the King has returned. Some will welcome His arrival while others will mourn knowing judgment will soon fall on them. All will acknowledge that He is Lord, there will be no mistaking that fact, but it will not be a saving knowledge for most.

Why, you may ask, does He take so long in coming? Will He really return or is this just religious-speak?

NIV 2 Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.

The reality is this long break between Jesus’ 1st and 2nd Coming is a reflection of God’s patience. God’s greatest desire is that everyone would come to repentance and a saving knowledge of His Son our Savior Jesus Christ (but most won't). From eternity’s perspective 2000 years is about like 2 days. He is not sloughing off His promises. Instead, He is patient with us.

When the King returns, will He find us faithful? Will we welcome His 2nd Coming?

Jesus' 2nd Coming - The Two Towers

The 9/11 terrorist attacks on our country, including the Twin Towers, were simply the latest example of warfare that has gone global in nature. No longer confined to specific geographical regions, wars are pulling more and more countries into conflicts throughout the earth.

NIV Mark 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Jesus indicated, nearly 2000 years ago, that the end times would see an escalation in the number of conflicts. Indeed it is much easier for us in this age of technology and global communications, to be able to hear about many rumors of wars from the far-flung corners of our globe. All of these are precursors, indicators, of the coming of the Lord.

Rather than prognosticating an era of universal harmony and peace where all nations live in tranquility, there will be a rise in wars. The insatiable desire to conquest and control will continue unabated until His glorious return. As in the Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers novel, the condition of the people of our planet is teetering on the brink. The Bible makes it clear that the state of the world prior to Return of the Lord of All Things—Jesus Christ, will be distressing, to say the least.

What do we do in light of these indicators? We continue to fight for righteousness, keep our own “lights lit,” and place our ultimate hope in the Lord’s return. We spread the good news of salvation, work hard for justice, and keep our relationship with Jesus Christ close.

Jesus' 2nd Coming - The Fellowship of Believers

NIV Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This week we looked at the state of believers awaiting Jesus’ 2nd Coming. Among other things, the family of God should continue meeting regularly in fellowships for mutual encouragement and agape love.

Despite the Bible’s teaching in this area, many churches in the USA have had to scale back their programs and expectations to the point that they are doing well to see most of the congregation for about an hour once a week. Which is to say, that out of the 168 hours available in a given week, many Christians will only be in fellowship for one “1.”

Jesus is saying that we need to be gathering MORE not LESS, especially as we see the Day of His return approaching. From my understanding, Christians in the USA are making fellowship and loving one another less of a priority than in any previous generation.

Jesus gave believers one another to encourage each other in the meantime while He was away. He sent His Spirit to teach us, to give us gifts for mutual edification, and has promised to be wherever two or three gather in His name. While He saves us as individuals, He then places us in families of believers for our safe-keeping until the Day of His Return.

Are you around? Are you there for other people when they need you or do you only show up when you want something? Are we showing consistent love to one another or just crisis compassion?

2nd Coming of Jesus Christ

Join us for a 3 part series on the second coming of Jesus Christ. Sundays 9:30am @ FCC

With Freeedom and Justice For All?

The movie, “Slumdog Millionaire,” swept the Oscars this past February taking many awards including Best Picture. Based in the slums of Mumbai, India, this Bollywood (not Hollywood) production showed the struggles of children living in shanty towns and of one who went on to win their version of the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” At the time I had never heard of the movie and was surprised that a foreign film had won Hollywood’s Oscar awards. The adult recipients all seemed pleased and many celebrities and media types were lavish in their praise of the film.

I viewed this disturbing movie a month later while flying to Nepal, via India, and then saw many of the realities while in Nepal. The more I thought about Hollywood’s reaction to the film, the more irritated I became. The movie showed incredible poverty, child exploitation, child prostitution, bigotry, and hopelessness. Yet there was no cry equivalent to Darfur, there was only wonder at the love story. In fact, it just came out recently that while the adult stars of the movie are apparently doing well, the two main child stars, children they found on the India’s streets, are not so fortunate. Although better homes are promised them, they continued to live in a squatter village. In fact, they don’t even have that now as the government just came in and bulldozed the entire community, leaving them all homeless.

Jesus once described a generation as wicked and adulterous (Matthew 12:38-45). As I reflected on this passage and the cruel realities of life both here at home and around the world, I was reminded again that we must not surrender to a self-centered Christianity that cares only about my own freedom, my peace of mind, my health, and my salvation. We are called to be salt and light in this dark world, to be people of action who make a difference.

What is your reaction in the face of human exploitation? Does it do more than make you glad you live in a free country? Does it make you want to stand up for the abused and neglected?