There is evil in this world... What can I do?

There is evil in this world. We must admit that. So what do we do about it? Well, here is what a few friends are doing about one of the worlds worst criminals.

You may have seen this since it has been passed around the internet quite a bit this week.  But not all evil is as big and bad as Joseph Kony.  Most of us don't know war criminals and terrorists, but we do still come face to face with evil.

Sometimes, we probably don't even notice it. Sometimes it is small things, comments that eat at us, things in our past, looks from people that make us uneasy...

What kinds of evil do you struggle to face in your life?
Are there bigger evils in the world that you want to fight against?

Please Rescue Me

Falling on my knees in worship

Giving all I am to seek your face

Lord all I am is yours

My whole life

I place in your hands

God of Mercy

Humbled I bow down

In your presence at your throne

I called you answered

And you came to my rescue and I

I wanna be where you are

In my life be lifted high

In our world be lifted high

In our love be lifted high

- Written by Hillsong United  

- Performed by Aaron Gillespie

Sometimes we need rescued.  During this season of Lent as we prepare to remember the sacrifice Christ made for each of us, let us all remember, that if we need rescued... He is there.

Every year I play out the Jesus Christ's life story in my head as we go through the holidays.  At Christmas time we celebrate the amazing birth of our Savior.  I like to think of this as the part of the movie where the world doesn't even know that it is going to need a hero.  There is always plenty of joy and celebrating.  As we approach Lent, this is when we start to see the gritty dark parts of the story.  Things are starting to fall apart.  And the Good Friday comes and it is a dark and stormy day and the hero dies to save us even though we are undeserving and some of us even condemn him.  None the less, he dies for all of us.  Then Easter arrives and the hero concurs death.  Amazing.

So during this time of year, when I'm remembering the broken world that sent Jesus to the cross, how am I broken?

How do I need rescued?  Am I placing my whole life in His hands?

Lint and Lent

Well as many of you know, we have had our share of bumps in the road recently... water heaters, clothes dryers, sick kids...  I think we have made it through the this round of life detours.  The water heater is working great, the kids seem like they're getting better (except for Dylan having some breathing trouble this week), and the dryer is back working.  And all just in time for Lent!

Coincidentally, we have begun paring down around our house.  After writing the Consuming post a few weeks ago, it seemed like I was hearing God speak to me through radio news stories, and bits and pieces of conversations, that we needed to slim down out accumulation of stuff, and slim down our bills.

So we have been going through the house and getting rid of things.  This has been mostly (almost exclusively) Jodi, I am working on getting better at this.  And we are going to be canceling our cable and home phone.  It feels liberating.  We are breaking chains that bind us to this world.

So with Lent upon us, I am invigorated and ready to sacrifice the things that I hold onto that are keeping me from you Lord.

What things hold you back from a relationship with Jesus?
What keeps you from growing in your relationship with him?
What things bind you to this world?
What things could you not live without? Why?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him -Proverbs 3:5-6

Sinner

What is a sin?
How do you define sin?
How does the Bible define sin?
Are some sins worse than others?

If you start looking for answers to questions like this on the internet, you see lots of different view points.  You will find some people that are trying to reason if being homosexual (and discussing if that is a sin) is less of a sin than killing someone.  You will find lots of verses in the Bible that talk about sin.  First let's try to define what sin is.

If you look the word up in the dictionary you will find that sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.  I define sin in a much broader manner.  Sin is anything that goes against the will of God.

So once you dig through what sin is and are left with discussion after discussion trying to rank sins you realize that the Bible does not give us an all inclusive list of what sins there are and which ones are the worst, and maybe some others that aren't that bad.

What you will find if you keep searching for answers in the Bible is that we are assured that we are all sinners.

FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD - Romans 3:23

If you are reading this, you are a sinner.  If you never read this, you are a sinner. But, keep reading...

YET GOD, WITH UNDESERVED KINDNESS, DECLARES THAT WE ARE RIGHTEOUS. HE DID THIS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS WHEN HE FREED US FROM THE PENALTY FOR OUR SINS - Romans 3:24

Yes, God sent his son to pay for your sins and set things right.  Even though none of us deserve this grace, we all receive it if we believe in the Lord.  It doesn't matter which sins you have committed, or how you rank them, or if you rank them.  You have been given the same gift that the sinner next to you has been given.

God love each and every one of us with the same unconditional love, so do you really think it matters to figure out which sins are worse than others???

Faith Like A Child

Wow...

How do we keep a child like faith?

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.  Luke 18:17

As we mature in our faith and in our life, sometimes we make things harder than they should be.  We over think, we second guess, we doubt.  Christ knew that we would do this and made a point of it (Mark 10:15, and Luke 18:17). How do we make sure to grow and mature in our faith, but not out grow that awe and wonder that we had as children?

I love seeing my kids discover and learn about Jesus Christ.  The amazement in their eyes as the hear how much Christ loves and care for them is inspiring.

Do I still have the look in my eyes?  Or have I lost it because I have made my faith too complicated.

How do you keep your faith fresh and uncomplicated?

Do you still say wow when you hear John 3:16?

A New Year, A New You, A New Relationship

Once again, it's that time of year when we all start thinking about New Year's Resolutions.  Getting fit, losing weight, eating healthier, saving more money...  We tend to talk a pretty good game, but by February (or maybe even early January) we have often already fallen short of our goals.

Why do we do this to ourselves?  I think for probably six or more years in a row I have resolved to get in shape and lose weight.  I have even done pretty good a few years, for at least the first half of the year.

This year I need to take a different approach.  Jodi and I have a big goal that we are about to tackle, and I know that it will be a really great thing for us if one year from now we can sit back and have almost finished.  Or goal - NO EATING OUT FOR ONE YEAR.  Yep, that's a big one.  But this year I am very confident.

The difference -

This year I have made sure to include someone else in all my planning leading up to this.  I think you know Him.  God really likes to be involved in us setting goals in our lives, and when we pray and involve him as we set goals, they seem to become much more achievable.

So this year, as you resolve to lose weight, get in shape, eat right... get God involved.

A great way to involve him is also to set goals regarding your relationship with him.  I find the years I have resolved to read my Bible more, or set aside time for devotion, achieving my other goals went a lot smoother too.

So what are your goals this New Year?

Who's Party is this?

Photo Credit

This is a great post that sums up a lot of what Jodi and I talk about this time of year...

A Holy Experience: When Christmas Gets Radical: Whose Birthday Is It Really?

Thoughts???