Work: Reflections on Genesis 1 - 11

Reflections on Genesis 1 - 11

Reflection - Work

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. - Genesis 2.15

It is clear from this verse that we had a job in the garden of Eden. The LORD creates everything and in the midst of all creation a garden is created. We are left wit the task of tilling and keeping it. I can tell you that gardens don’t maintain themselves. It takes work on the part of the gardener. The gardener needs to prune, pull weeds, fertilize, mulch, plant seeds, transplant seedlings and the list goes on. This hard work keeps a garden from being over grown and becoming wild. This was our task in the garden of Eden to be gardeners. As part of Adam’s “dominion” over creation was the task of caring for where he lived. If he didn’t till and keep the garden of Eden it would eventually become over grown, wild and not the place the LORD had made for him to live and work in.

Two important concepts come out of this.

1. Work is not a curse but a blessing. Gardening can be enjoyable but it is hard work. The work the LORD gives us to do is a blessing for us. The New Testament makes it clear that we have work to do. Our work consists of continuing Jesus’ ministry on the Earth. We are given gifts from Holy Spirit that allow us to do the work we have been called to do.

2. We are still stewards of this world. For the foreseeable future this is the only planet we have to live on. Since this is the world the LORD put us on to live on we need to take care of it. Just as Adam and Eve had the job to caring for the garden of Eden we have the task of caring for the Earth.

Reflections on Abraham Part Two: Blessing or Not

Reflections on Abraham
Part Two: Blessing or Not
Genesis 12.10 - .20

The LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you don to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” (Genesis 12.17 - .19)

Shortly after calling upon the LORD at Bethel a famine strikes the land Abraham is living in. In order to find relief from the famine Abraham decides to take his family to Egypt. Abraham is afraid the Egyptians will see his wife, want her, kill him and taker her for their own. In order to save his life he tells the Egyptians that Sarah is his sister. Pharaoh sees Sarah wants her, makes a deal of some kind with Abraham and takes her. This causes trouble. Pharaoh's household gets diseases and Abraham has to return to the famine stricken land.

Earlier the LORD made a promise to bless and protect Abraham. As a result of the blessing and protection of the LORD all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through Abraham. Abraham is to be a blessing not a curse to the peoples of the earth. Unfortunately in his dealings with the Egyptians he is a curse! The entire household of Pharaoh is cursed with serious diseases because of Abraham’s lie about Sarah. His choice does not lead to a blessing but a curse.

What about us? We can be a blessing to those around us or we can be a curse. We can allow the blessings and love the LORD gives us pass through us onto others. Or we can be like Abraham in this case and stop the blessings from passing on. The choice is yours.

Reflections on Abraham Part One: The Call

Reflections on Abraham
Part One: The Call
Genesis 12.1 - .9

“Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” - Genesis 12.1 - .9

After the LORD appeared to Abram with this promise and command Abram obediently leaves. He has a choice. He can stay home where everything is comfortable and familiar. He can continue to live in his father’s household and protection. He can continue to live among his own people with the people who know him. He can continue to live in his own country where the landmarks are familiar.

Instead he leaves. He leaves it all behind to go into the unknown. That was all he was asked to do. In return for a wonderful promise from the Creator God, Abram is simply to be obedient. The LORD promises to bless him. When the LORD blesses someone that person finds himself being cared for, protected and favored by the LORD. There are promises of a new home, blessing and protection.

There is more going on here than meets the eye. Once again the Creator God takes the first steps into a relationship with His creation. We, humanity, have no idea how to have a relationship with the Creator. Look at all the goofy religion in our world. People desperately trying to get in touch with the Creator. Trying to do it on their own terms and with their own ideas.
The good news is that the Creator God makes the first step and shows us how to have a relationship with Him! We are not left on our own. He wants to be in relationships with us because we are loved more deeply than we can imagine by Him.

I love stylophones!

Snow and Wind Storm

As I was shoveling this evening (February 10th 2010) the wind was amazing!

Blizzard 2010 Video

Here is a short clip of the conditions at the Byrd House the morning of February 10th 2010. This clip doesn't do the wind and snow justice, it is pretty crazy out there.

View from the Front Porch Day #2

Here is an updated front porch view. Note the amount of snow on the park bench on the bottom right hand side as compared to yesterday's photo.

View from the Front Porch

Panoramic shot from the Byrd House.

Snowmageddon 2010 Begins!

The snow has started here at the Byrd House.

#2 Cain and Able: Reflections on Genesis 1 - 11

Reflections on Genesis 1 - 11

Cain and Able

“Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” - LORD God (Genesis 4.6 & .7)

Cain and Able are Adam and Eve’s first two boys. Cain works out in the fields. Able works with livestock. One day both of them bring an offering to the LORD. Cain just brings some of the fruit of the soil. Able brings the fatty portions of the first born. The LORD accepts Able’s offering because it is the choicest parts being sacrificed. While Cain’s offering is just normal everyday food. Cain is upset by this and the LORD warns him that sin desires to have him but he must master it. What a warning!

Now if the LORD spoke directly to me with a warning like that I think I would listen to him. If the LORD spoke directly to me every time my own evil desires were tempting I think I would listen. I think I would know better after some help like that.

But to often like Cain we ignore the warnings and walk through temptation and into sin. We knew better but went ahead. We knew the Holy Spirit was pulling us away but we did not control ourselves. We allowed sin to master us.

Self-control is not easy but I believe it is a defining characteristic of a follower of Jesus Christ. Self-control is about being self-aware and thinking ahead. When we master ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit then the LORD is our master not sin.

All You Need to KNow in Life You Will Learn From D&D

This is an awesome short talk about all you'll need to know in life.

All I Need To Know About Life I learned From Dungeons and Dragons. An IgniteOKC Talk. from Chad Henderson on Vimeo.

#1 Don't Follow god but Follow God

Don’t Follow god but Follow God
First in a Series of Reflections on Genesis 1 - 11

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” - Narrator (Genesis 1.27)

“You will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” - The Serpent (Genesis 2.4 &.5)

The truth of the first 11 chapters of Genesis is not just that they happened that they still happen. Each and everyday the same temptations, righteousness, sin and victory occur. We are given a choice. We can either follow god or the LORD GOD.
The Serpent tempts Adam and Eve in the garden with the idea that they can be like god knowing good and evil. They see this temptations as something they desire. The desire to be like god gives birth to sin. The sin to pridefully and selfishly be like god leads to death. This is a death of their, and our, relationship with the LORD GOD. Death of their life in the Garden. Death of the joy they were to experience. Death of who they were created to be. Eventually, their own deaths as they were cut off from the Tree of Life.
What they forgot was they were already like God. When the LORD GOD creates us He created us in His image and (wait for it) LIKENESS. We were already like God but we believed the Serpent’s lie! The lie that we can be like the god of our creation not the God of creation
We were created by the LORD GOD to be in His image and likeness. We will only find who we are truly created to be when we stop following god and follow GOD.

What I Learned From 2 Lego Cars

What I Learned From 2 Lego Cars

During a recent Upper Room Teen Ministry’s Sunday Night Live we built Lego cars! Two teams each had one small Lego car to build with one small twist. The twist was that the instructions were across the hall and only one team member could look at the instructions. She then had to tell her other team members what to build. The one who looked at the instructions could not build the car, that wasn’t their job. The other team members were the only ones who could build. Amazingly it took more than 30 minutes for a group of 7th - 12th grade students to build these cars.
So why did I do this to them? So they would learn 3 important things.
First, I wanted them to learn that instructions are important. If we want to know how to build something right we need to look at the instructions. In life we don’t have an instruction book but we do have the Bible that gives us guidelines as to how the LORD calls us to live. If we want to know how faithful followers of God live, we read their stories in the Bible. If we are called to follow Jesus, we need to know how Jesus lived. We need to read those stories in the Bible. Instructions also need to be interpreted. Sometimes it isn’t really clear what the Lego instructions are showing us. The Bible is similar. We have to take what we read and ask, “How do we live this?” We need to carefully observe our lives, the stories we find in the Bible and merge the two into a life that is pleasing to the LORD.
The next lesson I wanted them to learn was that they are needed as part of the church. No member of the construction team was more important than another. The one who looked at the instructions was just as important as the ones who built. The same is true in the church. The church is the Body of Christ and each part of the body is needed for it to continue the work of the LORD. The church is the Family of God. Each family member is needed to complete the family and for the family to function. For this Family of God or Body of Christ to function properly, we need teachers for Bible classes. We need people to volunteer to lead singing, pray, give a Communion devotional and introduce visitors. We need people to volunteer to set up tables and chairs for fellowship meals and other activities. If the parts of the Body or the members of the Family don’t do their part it won’t function.
The third lesson is closely linked with the second, not only are you needed as part of the Body of Christ or the Family of God but you need to be present when they meet. In our Lego car building if one of the construction team members decides not to participate, the team would have been able to finish the task. If the person who looked at the instructions decided not to do their job, the rest of the team would not know what to do. If the builders decided not to do their job, the instructor would not have anyone to build. If we don’t show up when the Family of God meets then the family is not complete. If parts of the body don’t show up when the Body of Christ meets, then the body is incomplete. The Family, the Body can not be what it is called to be if the parts or members are absent.
Isn’t it amazing what you can learn from a small Lego set.

The Spiritual Implication of Play-Doh (Romans 12.1 & .2)

I really enjoy Play-doh. When you open the little yellow container to that wonderful smell a whole world of opportunity opens up. I dump out the lump and begin to shape it. With my hands, I can make abstract shapes, little people, creatures, plants, vehicles or buildings. These things aren’t going to make themselves. I have to shape them and mold them. I have to take my time to form what I have in my mind to create.

Play-Doh has no choice but to conform to how it is shaped. It can’t ask me to be a square, a car or a little kid. It is going to become what I want to make. It will conform to the shape of a cookie cutter. It will conform to the shape of various tools that come with Play-Doh kits to make spaghetti or tube or stars. It has no choice but to conform to the outside forces placed upon it.

We, on the other hand, are not like play-doh. We have some choices. We can choose to conform to the patterns of the prevailing culture. We can choose to look, act, talk and think like the culture, the world, around us. If we choose to conform ourselves to our culture we will only find sin and death.

But...

We can also choose to cut across that culture and live differently. We can’t do this on our own. We can only be transformed into something new through our faith and obedience in the LORD Jesus Christ. It is our participation in His sacrifice, through baptism, that our relationship with God is restored. It is only then that the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit directs how we live our lives. When we choose to be conformed into the image of Christ we becoming a holy, pleasing and living sacrifice to God the Father each and everyday.

You are not a lump of clay to be shaped and molded by forces outside or your control.
If we choose to be conformed to our culture we will only find sin and death. If we choose to be conformed into the image of Christ we will find grace, love and life. Which choice will you make?

What is love?

check out my latest sermon it is about love! click here to listen

A Prayer of Thanksgiving after meditating on John 3:16 - .21

A Prayer of Thanksgiving after meditating on John 3:16 - .21

LORD
We come before you tonight confessing our love for lies and our love of darkness.

BUT

You out of your great love sent your son
who is the light
who is the truth
into the world

You gave him so that we will find eternal life through our belief in your Son.

Your Son, who came into this world not to condemn us but to save us all.

THANK YOU LORD

THANK YOU LORD

Thank you for giving us your Son who calls us out of our darkness into his light.
Thank you for giving us your Son who calls us out of our lies into the truth.
Thank you for giving us your Son who call us out of our condemnation into salvation.

Salvation that only comes thru the name Jesus Christ.
It is in his name that we praise you in this prayer.

Amen

A Prayer of Blessing

LORD

We ask that you will put your name on us.

We ask that you will...
guard us against temptation.
guard us against the Evil One.

LORD look at us and bless us.
Look at us and give us your grace.
Look at us and give us your peace.
Look at us and give us your love.

Open our eyes so we may...
Look at others and give them grace.
Look at others and live in peace with them.
Look at others and show them love.

As we wear your name make us a blessing to the world.
We ask this in your Son’s wonderful and holy name.
Jesus the Christ
Amen

Mobile post sent by phyrebyrd using Utterli. Replies. mp3

Mobile post sent by phyrebyrd using Utterli. Replies. mp3

on the border between real and fake virginia

tyler and i make a run for the border and as you can see things got a little wild!

Guys Weekend Part One

The girls are at a Girl Scout Encampment so me and the boys have a weekend together. Here we are a Ruby Tuesdays for diner last night.

one reason i love twitter

twitter and the earthquake

EARTHQUAKE!

well about an hour ago (1:48 pm) i thought the roof here at the church's building was going to fall on my head. it only took an hour to find out it was a 1.8 magnitude earthquake.

usgs info on earthquake

wtop news on the earthquake

i'll post more information as soon as i have it.

webcast slides

In order to help you follow along with tonight's class the slides can be downloaded as a pdf by clicking here

check out the webcast of my class tonight at 7:30 pm (edt)

You can tune in here each Wednesday night at 7:30 pm (edt)to view our webcast or visit http://live.yahoo.com/churchofchristinfallschurch to watch it there and participate in the chat room.

Birthday Tree Transplanting

On my birthday we dug a big hole and transplanted a tree from one part of our yard to another. I am happy to report that a week later the tree looks healthy!

for all you tron fans this is awesome

Tron
by freres-hueon

white house easter egg roll pictures

thanks to the generosity of one of the members of my church the kids and i were able to attend the annual white house easter egg roll. we didn't see bush 42 but we did get to see the jonas brothers.

first post in 2008 from abilene texas!

i am here looking for summer interns once again. here are some pictures of my trip so far.

a famous abilene brick
my kabin and rental car at the koa in abliene, tx.
just the rental car

my sermon on grace from last sunday

last sunday morning i was privileged to present the sermon during the morning worship service. i also presented the evening message it will be posted soon.

Sermon for Sunday Morning December 23rd 2007
Click Here to Listen

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family around the world!

Geeking Out

Geeking out at the apple store test driving an iPod touch!

tyler enjoys doritos

See my Tabblo>

two new video!

hey ya'll

cruise on over to the family life section at the church of Christ in falls church or to sparkyphilms to check out my latest videos. these two were part of a keynote presentation i gave as part of a report on this summer's mission trip to torrington, ct. it was a great trip but the coolest part of it was one of my former students who is now involved in our mission's committee was in charge of the trip. i just went along as eye candy.

busted head!

me and the family went on a long bike ride on the washington old domion trail to the town of vienna. we met up with some friends who live there and ate doughnuts and kettle corn popcorn at the farmers market. during the fun tyler ran and tripped into a bench hitting his head just above his eye. needless to say he cut it open and bled a lot at first. lisa used her first aid skills and stopped the bleeding with a band aid. then we cycled back to the van after some lunch and i took him over to the urgent care center for 3 stitches. he is doing fine and was very very good as the doctor put 3 stitches into his eye brow. never a good experience holding your child still as he cries as they stitch him up or give him a shot.

here are some pictures i took with my phone so the boy could see what he looked like.

My Psalm 46

This Tuesday (September 11th 2007) at the area wide minister's/leader's meeting, in remembrance of September 11th and the on going conflicts, Mike Anglin, of the Silver Spring Church of Christ, read Psalm 46. With this Psalm in mind every minister, elder and church leader present prayed. It was a powerful morning and one I won't soon forget. As I listened to all the prayers around me two thoughts came into my mind. First was that the LORD had entrusted us all with a sacred trust to be ministers in His church. A minister is not just someone who works for a church but every believer is called to be a minister. Every believer has been blessed with ministry. We just have to open our hearts and ears to see whom we are to minister to or how we are to minister.

The second thought was to personalize Psalm 46. It is one thing to read an encouraging piece of scripture like Psalm 46 it is another to put yourself into that Scripture. So I rewrote Psalm 46 with "I"s and "mine" instead of "us" and "ours". The truth of this psalm was not just for those who first wrote and or read it. No, the truth is for me and you today.

God is my refuge and strength,

my ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore I will not fear,

though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

I know there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

I know God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

I see the nations are in uproar and kingdoms fall;

God lifts his voice and the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with me;

the God of Jacob is my fortress. Selah

You need to come and see the works of the LORD,

see the desolations he has brought on the earth.

Look He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear,

He burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with me;

the God of Jacob is my fortress. Selah

pre-labor day camping trip

the byrd family went camping at the end of last week just before the labor day rush and the beginning of school. it was awesome and i am going to post some more pictures soon but i wanted to put this one up tonight. it is my favorite one from the trip. just me and tyler over looking east across a valley in shenandoah national park.

Follow Me and Leave it all Behind

Follow Me and Leave it all Behind

"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." - Luke 9.62 (NIV)
"No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." - Luke 9.62 (The Message)
"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9.62 (KJV)

Jesus calls us to leave and follow Him. What do we leave? We leave our ideas of how a "good" person lives. We follow the pattern Jesus shows us of how a child of God lives. (Matthew 5.1 - 7.29 & Luke 6.20 - .49) We leave the idea that a job is our identity. After accepting the call of Jesus to follow: Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew would no longer see themselves as simple fishermen or a tax collector. From that point on they left their old identities behind and would identify themselves as disciples of Jesus who follow. (Matthew 4.18 - .22, Mark 1.16 - .20 & Luke 5.1 - .11) We leave the comforts of home and family, leaving that behind for a life that follows Jesus wherever He leads. (Matthew 8.18 - .22 & Luke 9.57 - .62) The path He leads us on may lead to danger and uncertainty or it may lead to joy and success. My experience shows me that we find both on the path on which He leads us. We are called to follow and leave ourselves behind. No longer do we, as followers, belong to ourselves but now we are His.

Jesus does not leave us alone. Even though we leave family, job, comfort, safety, certainty and ourselves behind we have been given so much! We have Jesus with us here and now. He is not only the one we follow but He is our fellow traveler as well. We also have each other on this path. We, as followers of Jesus, are walking together. Sometimes our paths take us in different directions, but we are all following the same leader. As we run and walk this path with Jesus and each other, we also have a mission. We leave behind our own agendas and the agendas of the world for Jesus' agenda. He calls us to continue His work and ministry here and now! We are to take the message of the Kingdom of God to this world. It is a world full of bad news. Isn't it wonderful that we have the true Good News to share? (Matthew 28.16 - .20, Mark 16.14 - .20 & Acts 1.1 - .11)

Jesus warns us that if we start to follow but don't leave things behind we are not fit for the Kingdom of God. We can't follow and not leave the things of this world and ourselves behind. It is like someone who starts to plow a field and continues to look back. Instead of nice straight rows that are fit for planting you end up with crooked overlapping rows that ruin a good field. So the choice is yours and mine. Do we leave and follow or do we stay behind and care for the things of this world? I choose to leave and follow and I pray that you will also!

Follow Me Right into Danger

Follow Me Right into Danger

Danger is something most of us try to avoid. We naturally avoid danger. If yellow caution tape is up we know that beyond that tape is danger. Some dangers we accept. We have “normalized” the dangers of traveling in a car or an airplane. Some dangers we have not normalized. For instance you are more likely to get into a serious car accident than hurt in a terrorist attack. It is natural for us to fear and avoid danger.

Unfortunately this natural instinct to avoid danger is not the path Jesus leads us to on when we decide follow him. An excellent example of following Jesus into danger can be found in the second half of the 8th chapter of Matthew. (Matthew 8.14 - .34) Jesus leaves Peter’s house after healing his mother in-law and the many people who were brought to him. (Matthew 8.14 - .17) Then he crosses the lake to get away from the crowd around him. When he lands on the other side of the lake several people ask to follow him. The first person is a disciple described as a teacher of the law. The teacher of the law tells Jesus he will go where ever Jesus goes. Jesus’ tells him that unlike foxes and birds the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Following Jesus will take you away from your comforts of home. (Matthew 8.18 - .20) Another disciple comes forward and wants to follow but first wants to bury his father. Jesus calls this man to let the dead take care of themselves but you are to “follow me.” (Matthew 8.21 & .22) We are not told if they follow or not that is up to us to decide. By following they leave their comfortable lives because Jesus is about to lead his followers into danger.

The first danger Jesus and his followers face is a storm on the lake. While the disciples struggle to keep their boat a float Jesus sleeps. In fear they wake Jesus to save them from the danger. He rebukes them for their lack of faith and calms the storm completely. The followers are amazed and astonished at the power of the one they follow. (Matthew 8.23 - .27)

The second danger is a pair of demon possessed men. Immediately after they get out of the boat these two men come at the followers from the tombs. The text describes these two men as being so violent and dangerous that no one could travel in that area. The demons beg Jesus not to torture them but to let them go into some near by pigs. Jesus commands them to “GO”! They go and the pigs run off a cliff and drown in the sea. The locals come out and beg Jesus to leave their region and he does. (Matthew 8.28 - .34)

Following Jesus is not a safe path to walk. His disciples follow him into a boat that takes them into danger. The storm could have killed them. The demon possessed men posed both physical and spiritual dangers. Demons could have left the men and possessed the disciples or the men could have severally hurt or killed the disciples. Jesus lead his followers into these dangers and lead them out! Ironically the dangers were themselves in danger. Jesus stops the storm. Jesus commands the demons. Jesus is a danger to dangers because he is the LORD of all.

He is still leading us into dangers today. He is still leading us thru dangers today. We must have faith and follow. The disciples were warned up front. They will have none of the comforts of this world if they follow the Son of Man. We are given the same warning but we know that even if the Son of Man leads us into danger he is with us. He did not leave us alone but walks into the dangers with us.

saturday at the pool

what more can i say while lisa enjoyed the women of faith confrence the kids and i enjoyed the pool.

eyeball skeleton

so i was talking to my dad on the phone the other day and the subject of music came up now ya'll probably know my dad is a guirtarist and has played in a bunch of bands from the glenn philips band to the predictors but he mentioned the group eyeball skeleton and with a little bit of googleing i found this videoon youtube. so for you musical enjoyment i present eyeball skeleton

woodley warriors!

austin gets some refreshments after his first swim meet! he swam the freestyle ok for a first timer. i am proud of my woodley warrior!

good article by a friend from college

i have many friends who blog and my friend todd from college posted one about ecclesiology and pink floyd you should give it a read
Kinda back to ecclesiology, and Pink Floyd

ps the series on the book of hebrews will return soon.

at the pool yesterday

the boys enjoyed an afternoon at the pool yesterday following austin's swim practice. this will be one of many afternoons, mornings and days at the pool

07 Do - Over

this is my final installment from my series in the family life on God, sex and sexuality. this was part of a class i did for my teens during sunday night live based on a youth specialties curriculum titled "good sex"

Do - Over

Remember the worst sin you every committed with all the guilt and shame that followed? Remember the consequences of that sin? You May still be dealing with them today! Now imagine you have the opportunity to go back and stop yourself from committing that sin. You have the chance to right the wrong you committed. You have the chance to do the good you should have done. We all have sins like this in our lives. Sins that make us nervous that anyone would find out. They are secrets that we have. These secrets hurt us and can hurt others. These secrets make a rift between us and God. We may see no way to make things better.

Amazingly, the LORD has provided a way to make things right. We are given a chance to start over and leave the sin of our past behind. We can not travel back in time and stop the sin, but we no longer need to live as a slave to our dark secrets. How is this possible?

Through the blood of Jesus, true forgiveness and repentance can be found. Jesus paid the price for us to be forgiven. His death on the cross brought us grace and mercy and purchased us back from sin and death. Jesus, our Savior, has done His part. Now it is our turn. Our part is repentance. Repentance has two parts. The first part is confession. We are to confess our sins one to another. We need to tell a trusted brother or sister in Christ our sin secret. Once the secret is in the open the next part is for us to turn our back and walk away from that temptation. We need to identify what the cause of the temptation is and eliminate it from our lives to neutralize its power in our lives. If you are struggling with pornography, install some monitoring software. There is software that will email an accountability partner with a report of any inappropriate websites you visit. If you lust after a classmate in school, ask your teacher if you can change seats or create something you can wear, like a bracelet or ring, to remind you to stop your lustful thoughts. If you and your boyfriend or girlfriend have crossed the line and are sexually active, turn around and come back across the line. Communicate with the other person in the relationship so they know why you need to cool things down. If they reject your desire to have a purer relationship, you should probably break up with them because they aren’t respecting you. If have a “friend with benefits” stop providing the benefits or seeking them out. The other person isn’t really your friend but is using you for sexual favors or you are abusing someone else for sexual favors. If you are the victim or someone else’s sexual sin (through incest or rape) don’t let the damage of that sin create sin in your own life. You didn’t choose what happened to you and you don’t need to be it's slave. This is a fight against sin, sexual sin in our lives. Thank God we don’t fight alone. We have the Holy Spirit inside of us. The Holy Spirit is that part of God that is in all His people that gives us the power to live as His people. Without the Spirit we would not have the courage to say no to sin and live pure and holy lives! Lives that please the LORD.

This may sound pretty simple on paper but it is a difficult path in real life. It is not easy to tell another person about our sin. To admit we were wrong and need to change. It is not easy to change relationships we are in to make them pure and holy. It is not easy to turn away from selfish desires that we have been saying yes too for so long. It is not easy to deal with the pain and consequences we may have caused through our sexual sin. It May not be easy for a long time but in the end it will be worth the reward that we as the children of God have been promised.

Responsibility

06 Responsibility

Over the last 6 weeks during the Upper Room’s Sunday Night Live we have been talking about sexuality. We are exploring God’s written word to discover how the LORD wants us to live out our sexuality. The first sessions laid the foundation for the ones to come. Two weeks ago we discussed boundaries. When do our actions become sin. Last week building on that we discussed our responsibilities in terms of our sexuality. We looked at the three groups we are responsible to; The LORD, others and ourselves.

Our (teens and adult) sexual responsibilities begin with the LORD. The Ten Commandments begin by telling the Israelites that the LORD is their God and they will have no other gods but the LORD. (Exodus 20.1 - .17) As God’s people today this remains true! Paul, when he writes to the Corinthian church, reminds them (and us today) to honor the LORD with our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6.18 - .20) We were bought with the Blood of the Lamb. We no longer belong to ourselves but we belong to the LORD and can not take what is His and use it as we please. We are to be obedient to the LORD. We sin when we choose to walk away from the LORD and follow the evil desires in our hearts.
We are not only the LORD’s but He is the one who created sex. He created it as a gift to us. He created it to join a man and a woman into something new. (Genesis 2.24) The two individuals become one flesh. They become married people. When we misuse sex or our sexuality we are misusing a wonderful gift from God.

We are also responsible to others. When Paul writes to the Thessalonian church, he tells them not to take advantage of each other sexually but to live self-controlled lives. (1 Thessalonians 4.3 - .8) Jesus teaches us not to physically commit adultery and takes it a step further. He teaches us not to commit adultery in our hearts. We are not to view each other as sexual objects to be lusted over. (Matthew 6.27 - .30) No, we are to see each other as human beings created in the image of God and bought with the Blood of the Lamb. The words we use to describe men, women and sexual activities need to be respectful of each others. Using derogatory or demeaning terms for men and women changes them in our minds from human-being to an object. We need to respect the boundaries of others and we need to maintain our sexual boundaries as well to not take advantage of others.

Finally we are responsible to ourselves. Again, we are not our own but we were bought with a price and belong to the LORD and need to live that way. (1 Corinthians 6.18 - .20) We are called to be self-controlled and not to fulfill the desires of the flesh. Paul tells the church in Rome to clothe themselves in Christ and no to fulfill the desires of the flesh. (Romans 13.12 - .14) They are told to put aside the deeds of darkness and to put on the armor of light. One of the ways we do this is to live self controlled lives that bring glory to God. Jesus tells us that we are to control our lust (Matthew 6.27 - .30) and no longer dwell on our sinful sexual desires but control those thoughts and put them aside.
In class, our discussion was much more involved than I have the space for here. We talked about specific ways we can be responsible to ourselves, others and how others can be responsible to us.

turn off the mobile phone!

this is only the second youtube video i have posted but it was just too good not to share!

Boundaries

here is another installment of my series on sexuality connected with the special series i am doing for the upper room on sunday night's these have all been published in the family life of the church of Christ in falls church

Boundaries

This is the 5th in a 7 part series re-capping the discussions we are having on Sunday nights in the Upper Room about God and sexuality.

I realize this is a "family program" so this morning I am going to strive to stay as PG rated as possible.

A question that many teens struggle with is "How far is to far?" What is the line? When does it move from appropriate displays of affection between a boy and girl friend to it being something that they should not do? What is ok for two single people to do together before it becomes a sin? The answer is both a simple one and complex at the same time.

First the simple answer. Last Sunday night I had a line for progression of "activity" that a boy and girlfriend might engage in. It started with holding hands and ended with sexual intercourse. Along the way you have hugging, massaging, kissing, caressing and so forth. I drew the line at kissing! As you move from kissing along the line, body parts that are normally considered private parts start to be exposed and touched. This touching awakens feelings, desires and hormones that are hard to control. Lust starts to grow and lust is a dangerous sin.

The complex answer to the above question centers around lust. Jesus teaches us that lust is a sin. Lust is not a physical action but a mental activity. It is a desire for something that is not ours. David and Bathsheba give us an excellent example of how lust is dangerous. David while on his roof sees a woman taking a bath. If at that moment he turned and went back into his castle the story would be over and no sin would have been committed. Instead David lingers and allows his lust for Bathsheba to control him. He commits adultery in his heart and then in his bed. His sin started when he lusted after her. He had not held her hand or even spoken to her but he saw her with his eyes. The lust line is different than the physical line. The lust line is something we must control by relying on God's power at work in our lives. It is ok for a guy to think a girl is pretty or a girl to think a guy is cute but if they linger and allow their minds to thing about what it would be like to make out with him or to undress her with his eyes the thoughts have moved to sin.

Why? Why is there even a line? Again two reasons really. First, we are called to live pure and holy lives. Our bodies are not our own but we belong to God because we were bought with the blood of the Lamb. Our bodies are temples to the Holy Spirit. We are not to take our bodies, our temples, or someone else's temple and use it for temporary pleasure. Secondly, it is through relational and sexual intimacy that a man and a woman are united in marriage. The LORD created sex to unite a man and woman. If you are uniting in a temporary relationship with someone you are miss-using a wonderful gift the LORD has given us.

Finally, I know that there are people who are reading this who have crossed the line or are actively crossing the line. I hope this encourages and challenges you to get yourself and your relationship back into a proper relationship with the LORD. He offers us grace, mercy and forgiveness with all our sins, even sexual ones. The LORD, through the Holy Spirit, gives us the power to live pure and holy lives. Even if we allowed our own desires to lead us into sin, He calls us to a new life and to leave our sinful lives behind.

Next week: Responsibilities!

desire & self-control

this is my 4th in a 7 part series on God, sex and sexuality i am writting for the family life at the church of Christ in falls church

04 desire vs. selfcontrol

Desire is like a coin. It is a coin with a positive and negative side. On the positive side you find healthy desire. Healthy desire generates commitment and propels accomplishment. It is healthy desire that causes us to be unsatisfied with the life we live and strive to live as the LORD desires. On the other side of the coin you find unhealthy desires. Unhealthy desires fuel lust, addiction and destruction! It is our own unhealthy desires that cause us to sin.

The authors of the texts in the Bible have a lot to say about how our evil/unhealthy desires lead us to sin. I feel that the letter written by James puts it best

"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." - James 1.13 - .15 (TNIV)

This text shows us the cycle that sin takes in our lives. Sin is started by our own evil desires. When we give into those evil desires it leads to sin. The sin grows and matures and gives birth to death! Sin is serious business.

So what can be done? Two things, first turn your life over to Jesus Christ and let him rule in your life. Let the blood of Jesus wash you clean of your sins. Let the Holy Spirit fill you and give you the strength to overcome your evil desires through self-control. The second thing you can do is to live that self-controlled life. The writings of Paul are full of encouragement to live a self-controlled life that will give glory to the LORD. We are not to live lives guided by our own selfish desires and wants but lives that are controlled.

In our discussions on Sunday Nights dealing with sex and sexuality, the importance of self-control is critical. It is easy for people to allow their sexual desires to control them. It is easy for people to allow a sexual situation to go farther than they intended by not staying in control. We are human beings created in the image of the LORD. We are not animals who have no self-control. God's intent for sex is not simply to make new human beings, but to bring a man and woman together into a union. This union is what we call marriage. Using our self-control to wait until we are married to have sex is what the LORD wants. We also use our self-control to keep our marriages pure by not committing adultery.

It is important to remember that if you have already surrendered to your unhealthy desires and committed sin that the LORD offers us grace and redemption. We have to repent of the sin we have committed and live a self-controlled life through the Holy Spirit.

03 intimacy

03 Intimacy

People seek intimacy. People need intimacy. We are made to live in a community, a community where we can be ourselves and not be judged. We were created to live in relationships, relationships that are mutual and allow us to be vulnerable without fear. We need a place to be real and share our deepest dreams, desires, hopes, fears and thoughts. This is true intimacy. Unfortunately, sometimes it can be hard to find true intimacy and people sometimes settle for whatever they can get. They settle for intimacy lite.

Why do they settle? Intimacy, true relational intimacy, can be hard to find and hard to accomplish. First it takes energy and attention. A close intimate relationship doesn’t happen by accident and you don’t just stumble into them. No they are intentional! You have to devote energy to make this kind of relationship work. You have to pay attention to it and keep it alive through open and honest communication. This all takes time. You have to spend time and energy together. It requires “face time” one on one time in the same actual physical space and not just on the phone or instant messaging someone. (I am a big web 2.0 fan but I know that I will not find true community or intimacy through a social networking sight, on Second Life or in a chat room.) Finally, you have to be willing to be vulnerable. In an intimate relationship each person has to be open and honest and take the risk! You will never know people for who they truly are unless you allow them to see you for who you really are. The masks come off. Time together builds the trust the relationship needs for vulnerability to exist.

Many think this is too much to risk, so they take short cuts. The most used short cut is to use sex as a substitute. Sex is not intimacy. It makes people feel intimate and close but it does not create true openness, honest and vulnerability required for true intimacy. Our society has sexualized intimacy and fed the lie that you can substitute physical intimacy for the real thing.

Our society has perverted the word intimacy by making it mean something that it is not. Intimacy is not a physical act. Intimacy is a relationship where you can be real and vulnerable. It is a relationship that costs each member time, energy and attention to make it work. It is a relationship that opens us up to the biggest risks but it offers the biggest rewards.

My point is this: men and women can have a close intimate relationship without being sexual active. It is normal and healthy for men to have close relationships (not sexual) with other men just as it is normal for women to have these close relationships as well. This is how we were created and what we need. The LORD created us to live in a community or friendship where we can be our true selves. He does not want us to settle for something that might feel good for a moment but is fake.

Facebook trumps news in VT incident - Opinion

Facebook trumps news in VT incident - Opinion

virgnia tech shootings

just a moment ago i posted that my friend chris is ok. he is a student at virginia tech where the shooting happened earlier today.

bbc new on vt shooting
wtop news on vt shooting
abc news on vt shooting
npr news on vt shooting
npr: blog of the nation on vt shooting

chris is ok

i recieved a text message from chris letting me know that he is ok and so are his friends!

02 sexual identity

here is the second article on the subject of God and sexuality from the sunday evening class i am teaching to the teens here at the church of Christ in falls church.

02 sexual identity

Who we are as sexual beings is not an accident but our sexual
identity is formed over years. Sexual identity is more than just if we are
just gay or straight but it is who we are as sexual beings. How we behave
as men, women, boys and girls. What forms our sexual identity?

One factor that forms our sexual identity is our physical
form. This is the body we have. Our hair color, our eye color, our
height, our weight these are factors we can not control but that we are born
with. If one is blind or has a physical handicap either from birth or
later in life due to an accident or illness. We inherit some of these from
our parents and some of them are changes that take place later in life.
Depending on your physical form will help shape how you see yourself as a sexual
being.

Next there are our experiences, things that have happened to
us or that we have done in our past or present. Rape or sexual molestation
have a big impact on people sexuality. A prolonged illness. A teen
or young adult who has had a bad break up or was in an abusive
relationship. Consentual sexual activity in the past or that is on
going. This experience factor is one which we have a little more control
over.

Then there is our families. Boys look to their father
as models of what it means to be a man. Boys look to their mothers to see
what to expect a woman or girl to be like. Girls look to their mothers as
models too. They also look to their fathers to discover what to expect
from men or boys. An absent parent either physically or emotionally absent
can be damaging. Unfortunately many time people have to unlearn what they
learned about sexuality from their families.

Our culture is another influence. We live in a culture
with a broken idea of sexual identity. Our culture is saturated with
sexual messages. Girls are seen as sex objects more and more in-spite of
the feminist movement. Our culture labels sensitive and caring boy as gay
or not manly. Boy grow up with an image of a man as someone who is tuff,
chiseled, gets the girls and is self reliant. Girls and boys are faced
with “perfect” men and women on billboards, movies, tv and the internet.
These “perfect” people are all illusions. There is no way we or our young
people can live up the illusions our culture presents.

The final and most important factor in forming our sexual
identity is the LORD! HE is the creator of men and women. He created
sex. He created sexuality and our sexuality is a gift from Him. He
also gives us the power to over come the brokenness of the other factors that
form our sexuality! He redeems us from our sinful nature that pulls us
away from the beautiful sexual identity the LORD has for us!

The teens and students in the Upper Room are at a stage where
their sexual identity is still forming they are in the process of becoming what
they will be! The choices they make now may not affect them right away but
will down the road! That is why this class is so important. This is
why parents talking to their teens about sex and modeling a healthy sexual
identity is so very important. They need to know they can make good
choices now that will help them form a healthy sexual identity in the future.

01 sex talk

here is the first in my series of articles i wrote for our family life at the church of Christ in falls church that i am posting here for you all to enjoy

01 sex talk
Our culture is filled with sexual messages. These messages come from our parents and our friends. These messages come from the movies we see, tv shows we watch and the magazines we read. Messages are sent from schools and the church. Some of these messages are positive and some are negative. Unfortunately many of the messages I see tend to be on the negative side.
For example, many popular tv shows portray causal sexual activity among friends and coworkers as something normal. It is shown as something to be expected. It is something that is harmless and doesn’t hurt anyone at all. This is a lie! Casual sex outside marriage is harmful. People’s feelings are hurt and expectations are not lived up too. If it involves a boss and employee, all kinds of problems can happen. Usually a tv show uses this for humor or glosses over the reality of an office affair.
Another negative message I see comes from the school system. Instead of treating teens and students like human beings with self-control and feelings, they are treated like animals who have no self control. They are given the mechanics of sex but not the truth. With this mechanical knowledge they are simply told to be careful because they could get a disease or pregnant. (On a side note it is tragic that pregnancy is equated to an disease.) The truth is we, are not animals who have no self-control but we are humans created in the image of the LORD. It is one thing to know the mechanics of sex but it is a different story to know the spiritual and psychological ramifications of sexual activity.
A final negative message comes from an unexpected place: the Church. Now I am not talking about the Church of Christ in Falls Church specifically, but the Church in general. For too long, this has been a subject we have neglected to discuss openly and honestly or it has been a topic we answered simplistically. The simplistic answer is “Don’t have sex until you are married or you’ll burn!”
In the Upper Room’s Sunday Night Live, we are discussing the topic of sex and sexuality openly and honestly. We are discussing the fact that the LORD created sex. He created it not just for procreation, but to bring a man and a woman into a wondrous and mysterious union. We call this union marriage. It is for marriage and in marriage that the LORD created sex to take place. Sexual activity outside of this context is not what he planned. It is a sin. We are called to live sexually pure lives not because of some disease we may contract, or because of some psychological damage we may face, but because we are the LORD’s people, striving to live the life he has called us to. If you have strayed from this path, the good news is you can find forgiveness, grace and renewal.
This is part of the positive message about sex and sexuality we are communicating in the Upper Room’s Sunday Night Live during our 7 week series on sex and sexuality we started last Sunday night.

sex

in my sunday night class i am teaching about God and sexuality. i am using some curriculum designed by youth specialties that i highly recommend but as usual adapt it to your group. the name of the series is "good sex"

i am also writting a series of articles in the our bulleting (the family life) i am also going to post the articles here during the next 5 weeks or so.

igniter video volume 5

i just ordered my igniter video volume 5 these are the same peope who brought us me|church!

here is some more info on the video

guiroo made me do it!

You Are 35% Left Brained, 65% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

hebrews: Jesus the High Priest

10 Hebrews

Hebrews 7.1 - .28

The primary job of a Levitical priest was to connect the Israelites to the LORD. The priest stood in as our representative. He offered sacrifices for us. He asked the LORD to forgive us. Unfortunately the priests of old died so a new priest had to come along and take his place. Over the centuries the Israelites had thousands of high priests and probably millions of “regular” priests. Their priesthoods were temporary. Long before the LORD set up the Levitical Priesthood thru Aaron there was a priest named Melchizedek. The Aaronic priests were priests because they were born into the tribe of Levi. Melchizedek had no such heritage. He was a priest without genealogy, without mother or father. The LORD made Melchizedek a high priest. (Hebrews 7.1 - .10) Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek.

The author of Hebrews refers to the fact that Melchizedek resembles the Son of God as a high priest. (Hebrews 7.3) Neither of them are descendants of Aaron or come from a priestly tribe. Both of them are kings. Both of them are greater than Abraham and by proxy the Levitical priesthood. (Hebrews 7.4 - .10) This is not to say the Melchizedek was supernatural in any way. He walks into the story of God’s people in Genesis 14 and then walks out*. It is Jesus who is the focus of what is being written.

The text quickly shifts to Jesus as the High Priest who truly meets our needs. Jesus is eternal and therefore he is the permanent high priest. Unlike the other priests he will always be there interceding on our behalf to the Father. Unlike the priests of old who had to offer sacrifices for themselves and the People of God over and over again, Jesus offers himself once and for all as a sacrifice for sin. He saves us completely. He is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinner and exalted above the heavens. (Hebrews 7.23 – 28)

He became the true High Priest by way of an oath that the LORD made. As we saw earlier the oaths and promises of the LORD are always fulfilled and are greater than any oath or promise we can make. Unlike the People of God in the past who had to rely on other people to represent them before the LORD we have the Son who is the permanent Great High Priest Jesus Christ. Unlike the People of God in the past who had to rely on continual sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins, our sins have been forgiven by the once and for all sacrifice the Son made on our behalf. This is a great and awesome comfort to know that we have security in our life as on of God’s People and don’t have to fearful but should live pure and holy lives as his people. For a world with so much darkness and bad news this is light and truly good news.

Melchizedek Take One

09 Hebrews
Hebrews 6.13 - .20

Everyone has made promises. We have made promises to our children. We have made promises to our spouse. We have made promises to our friends. We have made promises to our parents. We have made promises to ourselves. We have even made promises to God. We have people make promises to us as well. We have all kept our promises and we have all failed to keep our promises. That failure to keep our promises is the main characteristic of promises made by us. That is why we make oaths, sign contracts and make legal agreements. These documents spell out the punishments we will suffer if we do not live up to our obligations. We break promises and we need a higher power to make sure we honor our agreements or promises.

The LORD on the other hand never breaks His promises! We have a certainty about the promises and covenants of God that we do not have about the promises people make to us. The author of Hebrews after warning the original readers to not walk away from the salvation they had reminds them to wait patiently for the LORD to fulfill His promises. (Hebrews 5.11 – 6.12) The author does this by referring to the LORD’s promise to Abraham. (Hebrews 6.13 - .15) Makes two promises to Abraham: a promise of a blessing and a promise of many descendants. To do this the LORD made an oath by swearing on Himself. Since there is nothing greater than the LORD and to reassure Abraham, He swore on Himself. The promises the LORD made to Abraham have been kept but he had to wait patiently and faithfully to see the fruit of the promise. This example of patiently waiting for the final salvation is for us as well. It has been nearly 2000 years since the Lord Jesus Christ promised to return and take us home but His return is taking longer than we expect. Like Abraham we need to wait patiently and faithfully because the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY never lies.

The author goes on to explain how people need to make an oath on something greater than then to keep the accountable to the promise but no one is greater than GOD. (Hebrews 6.16) The LORD swore by himself to make the unchanging nature of His purpose or promise clear to the heirs of the promise. The purpose or promise are the promises to Abraham and we are the readers of Hebrews were the heirs as well as us today. (Hebrews 6.17) So it is clear to us that God’s promises and purpose have been fulfilled. Abraham was blessed in his life. Abraham does have many decedents by faith and by blood. These decedents or heirs include us today.

Then the author writes some really interesting stuff. First he writes about God making this oath to show us He cannot lie. There are two unchangeable things, which are evidence of the impossibility of God to lie. (Hebrews 6.18) Those are the promises to Abraham. We have fled or run to take hold of this hope that encourages us. This hope or certainty in the LORD’s promise is an anchor that helps the soul stand, hold firm and be secure. This hope, Jesus, entered the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in the Tabernacle. Jesus our hope is our forerunner who goes ahead into the Most Holy Place on our behalf and becomes the High Priest forever. (Hebrews 6.19 & .20) He leads and we are to follow the one true High Priest. In the past only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and only then once a year on the Day of Atonement. These high priests were in the order of Aaron but Jesus the true High Priest is in the order of Melchizedek.

What does it mean the Jesus is the true High Priest in the order of Melchizedek? The author of Hebrews will expound on that in the following sections of this letter but we will see more about that in the next few weeks.

Today leave with the knowledge that you and I can be certain in the LORD’s promise and that it is impossible for Him to lie to us. We have security in that knowledge. Leave today with the knowledge that our hope is not some vague idea but our Hope is the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Hold on tightly to the HOPE cause nothing else can save you in the end or bring the blessings of God to you today!