my crib and my ride

greetings from cabin #2 at the koa in abilene texas! i am hunting for college students to be a part of our summer internship program at the church of Christ in falls church.here is the plane that flew me from national airport (dca) to the dallas/fort worth international airport (dfw)here is cabin #2 with my ride from dallas to abilene in the front.here is my ride for the next few days german engineering is in the house!

rocketeering!

me and austin took a rocket he got for christmas up on the hill behind our house to launch his rocket! ashley was our camera girl and she did a great job.

click here to go to sparkyphilms to see our 3rd and final launch of the day.

losing your salvation!?!

Hebrews 6.4 - .11

Hebrews 6.4 - .6 maybe the harshest and most controversial part of the book of Hebrews. Take a moment and read those few short verses and you will see what I mean. The controversy seems to focus on the fact that someone can lose their salvation. There is a debate as to whether these were true believers or not. To me the most astonishing part of these verses is not that we can lose our salvation but that someone would walk away from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The author of Hebrews reminds the readers what these people have walked away from. First, they walked away from the heavenly gift. Then they walk away from their share in the Holy Spirit. Next they spit out the word of God after tasting its goodness. Finally they leave behind the powers of the coming age. By doing this they once again crucify the SON of God and subject him to all the disgrace he already suffered on their behalf.

They have no means of return. There is no repentance left for them! They have experienced all the blessings that the LORD has to offer us in this world. They had the heavenly gift of salvation that the Son bought us. They had a share in the Holy Spirit, that part of God that lives in each of His people. The tasted the goodness of God’s word and enjoyed it teachings. They experienced the power of the coming age. Instead of remaining faithful and holding on the all this goodness they walk away from it. In doing that they punish the LORD Jesus Christ again. How could someone do this!

This wasn’t an accident, they did not just slip away from their faith on the other hand they deliberately rejected their only hope! The author makes an agricultural analogy to help describe what they are like. (Hebrews 6.7 & .8) It is as if they were ground that received rain daily but instead of producing a useful crop they only produce thistles and thorns. They received the blessings from God and instead of producing a good crop they produced weeds. The blessing weren’t the problem but they were.

But, the author is confident that the readers are not like this! (Hebrews 6.9 - .1 The author looks at their lives and sees them producing a good crop. They are taking the blessings of God and are growing. They have repented of their past sins and are changing the direction of their lives. They received the heavenly gift and walk in it not away from it. They rely on the power of their share of the Holy Spirit, to have the wisdom and courage to live a life pleasing to the LORD. They not only tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the coming age and they are eating it up. They are not humiliating the LORD Jesus Christ again instead they are glorifying him with their lives.

Who are you? Are you walking away from the blessings of God? Are you producing weeds, thorns and thistles? Are you crucifying the Son of God all over again?

Who are you? Are you walking in the blessings of God? Are you producing a useful crop? Are you crucifying your old self and bringing glory to the Son of God?

The choice is yours but after experiencing all the blessings the LORD has shown me I will always walk in the way of the LORD and nothing will cause me to walk away from Him!

at which table are you sitting

At Which Table are You Sitting?

The Adult’s Table or the Kid’s Table

Hebrews 5.11 – 6.3

At most family gatherings there are at least two tables: one table will be for the adults and parents; while the other table is for the kids. This way the adults can have mature conversations without having to worry about the children interrupting. The kids are able to eat as the please and have immature conversation without parents telling you to stop. If you sit at the adult table you are considered to be mature and old enough to behave like an adult. If you sit at the kid’s table you are considered to be immature and not old enough to behave like an adult. The goal is to move from the kid’s table to the adult table. There are two ways to make this move. First you can grow up and this takes little effort. The second way is to become very mature. This can take a lot of effort but it can be worth it!

Those who first read Hebrews were sitting at the kid’s table spiritually even though they were supposed to be at the adult table! They are still drinking milk and eating baby food when they should be moving on to steak and coffee. (Hebrews 5.12b – 14) Milk and baby food is for infants and spiritually immature who are not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. (Hebrews 5.13) Coffee and steak are for the spiritually mature who by constant use of the teachings about righteousness have learned to tell good from evil. (Hebrews 5.14)

They are warned that they have gotten slow, lazy and have stopped trying to understand. The author wants to teach them about Jesus as the Great High Priest in the Order of Mekchizedek and what this means to them but they aren’t ready for it! (Hebrews 5.11) In fact they should be ready to teach but need a refresher course! (Hebrews 5.12) They are stuck at the kid’s table but should be at the adult’s table instead.

The author wants to move them from the kid’s table to the adult table. The author wants to move them from elementary teaching to some advanced teachings. Using the elementary teachings as a foundation to build on. Leads to understanding the advanced teaching the author has for them. (Hebrews 6.1 - .3) It also leads to them being the teachers they should be.

We face the same challenge. Many in the church have grown lazy and just stop trying to learn when they should be teachers themselves. They do this by stop coming to Bible studies that challenge them to think deeper. They do this by continually going to milk and baby food Bible classes when they should sit down to a big piece of Bible study steak. They do this by not putting the teachings into use and training themselves how to tell good from evil. They do this by not teaching when they are perfectly able too.

Our challenge is to listen to this warning! Don’t just sit at the kid’s table where it is fun and safe. Move to the adult table where you are challenged and learn to use what you learned. Teach others to move from the kid’s table to the adult table. I have been going to Bible classes since I can remember and many of you have too. Isn’t it time to move on and teach or at least sit at the adult table?

card board man

i got creative with an old cracker box one morning and this is the result! i think i might use the head shot for my buddy icon for ichat.

by the way i am now on facebook so i can be kewl!

i seem to be the only 1990 graduate from north springs high school on facebook

merry christmas from the byrds

Click to Play

merry christmas from the byrds

music is "utah" by the predictors

snow screen saver on my ibook

me and austin on the roof

the other monday i cleaned the gutters and then austin came up on the roof to help me hang the last of our Christmas lights. we now have colored lights on the roof, white lights in the bushes and along the walk, two white snowflakes hanging on either side of the door and a white light christmas tree out in the yard.

visit to the national christmas tree

here we are at the national christmas tree across the river in washington dc.
its located on the elipse in front of the white house.
we went on saturday the 9th

hebrews: the job of a priest

06 Hebrews

Hebrews 4.14 – 5.10

What was the job of the high priest in ancient Israel? Essentially he had two jobs. First he represented the people of Israel to the LORD. When the people had a concern or needed guidance they asked the high priest to consult the LORD on their behalf. The high priest stood between men and God. He stood before the LORD and represented the people. A prophet on the other hand represents the LORD to the people. The priest takes our message to the LORD and brings His answer back but a prophet brings us the message of the LORD and takes back our response.

The second job of the high priest was to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. It was his job to make the yearly sin offering for the people. He was the only one who could go into the holy of holies and stand before the Mercy Seat on the Arch of the Covenant. Before he could make the offering of sin on behalf of the people he had to first make and offering for his own sin. His own sin made him unworthy to offer the sacrifice for sin. So he had to have a sacrifice for himself and then for the people. He did all this in the temple in Jerusalem and before that in the Tabernacle both were pale reflections of the True Temple.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest. His job is similar to the original high priest but with some significant changes.

First our Great High Priest has gone through the heavens. As the Great High Priest his does not go to a temple or tabernacle made with human hands out of the stuff of this world. Instead He goes to the True Temple to perform his priestly duties.

Our Great High Priest also make and offering for sin. Jesus Christ offers himself as that offering for sin. He doesn’t need to offer a sacrifice for his own sin because he was sinless. He was tempted in all the ways the human high priest were. He was tempted in all the ways we are today. Yet he was and is without sin. In spite of the fact that He is sinless because he faced temptation like us He is able to sympathize with our struggle against temptation. With Jesus as our Great High Priest a door has been opened for all the people of God to approach the throne seeking grace and mercy. No long is it just the high priest who enters the throne asking for grace and mercy on our behalf. Now we walk in ourselves with confidence.

Finally like the human high priest our Great High Priest represents us to the LORD. In these last days the Son being our representative has given us direct access to the Father. The Son, Father and Holy Spirit are one. Access to one is access to them all.

Neither of these high priest claimed the job for themselves instead they were appointed or called by the LORD. They are high priest because the LORD wants them too. Jesus is our Great High Priest by the desire of the LORD.

Hold on tight to the faith we profess. Jesus is our Great High Priests goes to the True Heavenly Temple. He offers a sacrifice for our forgiveness alone because He is without sin. Our Great High Priest sympathizes with us as we struggle with sin, because he has been tempted in every way. As our representative before the LORD he has opened the door for us to approach the throne of the LORD with confidence seeking grace and mercy.

10 years and sad news

me and lisa with our 10 year anniversary cake

this weeks marks my 10th year as the youth minister at the church of Christ in falls church. Back in 1996 i had no idea that i would be here this long but God has blessed me and my family here.

---

sad news
on a sad note a homeless man that has been a regular at our food pantry was found dead on monday morning. a worker went to the laudry room at and apartment complex and found him there. the worker thought he was sleeping there and called the police. the police found that he was daed. they believe it was a murder.

we called him dave, his name was david r. feliz, and he was a lost soul who had made some really bad choices in his life, with drugs, alcohol and in his relationships. as far as i know he has no family in the area and was completely alone. from time to time he would disapear and then reapear clean shaven and clean from the time he spent in jail for some petty offense.
here are two stories about dave

String of Murders in Fairfax County (he is the first story in this clip)
String of 3 Slayings Startles Authorities (his story is near the bottom of the page)

the promise of rest

The Promise of Rest
Hebrews 3.7 – 4.13
Long ago the LORD promised the His people Rest. They were promised a true Sabbath Rest in the Promised Land. At the time they were slaves in Egypt toiling away with no rest. Slaves who were toiling away with no mercy. They had no hope. Then the LORD brought up a man to lead them out of slavery. With His mighty arm the LORD crushed the most powerful nation in the world at the time. With His mighty arm the LORD led His people out of slavery into the desert on their way to Rest. They were on their way to the True Rest the LORD had promised they would find in the Promise Land. At Mount Sinai His people agreed to the Covenant that would insure that they received rest. Shortly after this they arrived on the border and what should have one of the most glorious moments in human history is squandered. Spies, sent to explore the Promised Land, discovered it would be impossible to take. The LORD’s people hardened their hearts and rebelled against the LORD and rejected the Promised Land. In His anger the LORD sent them into the desert to wander until all those who had hardened their hearts were dead. He swore an oath that they would never enter the promised Sabbath Rest.

After witnessing the LORD’s mighty power crush the gods and power of Egypt. After walking thru the sea on dry land. After they received mercy for stumbling away with the golden calf. After accepting the promise of rest and the covenant with the LORD. They forget and squander it all. They would never enter the Promised Land. Instead they died out in the desert wandering with no rest and no land of their own.

What a bleak and depressing story! The LORD saved them from slavery and promised rest only to have them turn it down. They had a promise, more than that they had a covenant with the LORD and they walked away from it. But, the Promise of Sabbath rest is still out there (Hebrews 4.1). The Promise for True Sabbath Rest is for us. There is a promise to us as the LORD’s people thru the blood of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

The author of Hebrews reminds the readers that the Promise of rest is still out their and that this promise is now to us! But we must not be like those whom the LORD rescued from Egypt. We must not harden out hearts. We must not rebel. We must not be sinful. We must no have unbelieving hearts. If we do we will lose out on the promised Sabbath Rest the LORD has promised. (Hebrews 3.7 – 19)

We need to hold on tight. We need to have believing and faithful heart. We need to be obedient to the LORD. We need to walk in His ways. If the first Israelites lost out on the earthly rest that would have been found in the Promised Land what makes us think that if we are disobedient, hard hearted or unfaithful we will not lose our promised Sabbath Rest? The mercy of the LORD opened the way for us to this promise thru the blood of His Son. We need to hold on tight to that mercy and not lose hold of it. We don’t save ourselves but we can let go of our salvation if we have unbelieving, unfaithful and sinful hearts/lives.

mike cope sings the classics

mike cope is the preacher at the highland church of Christ in abilens texas and a blogs at preachermike.com. if you aren't a member of "the church" this might not be as funny to you as it is to me but no matter what name is on your church's building this is very funny!

sermon: jacob: wrestling with God

click here to listen
to my latest sermon
about the early life of the patriarch jacob
and what we can learn from it!

Church of Christ in Falls Church
Sermons Preached @ the Church of Christ in Falls Church Podcast

04 Hebrews 3.1 - .6

What is your focus? Where do you find your identity? These are vital questions for you and me as one of God’s people. Do you find your identity in what you do at work? Are you focused on your family? Do you have to have he latest and greatest technological gadget? Are focused on being the center of attention? What ever our focus is becomes our god. Is our god the true living God or a false dead idol?

If your focus is on the stuff of this world, your job/work, your family, technological gadgets, being the center of attention then you are focusing on stuff that will vanish in the end. You are storing up treasures here and not in heave. Your fate will be the same as the treasures you are collecting. By fix our thoughts on Jesus we will share in the heavenly calling!

Does this sound familiar? It should because it is not my advice but what the author of Hebrews tells the readers after talking about the incarnation of Jesus. The Son of God became flesh and blood like us and because of that we need to focus on Him. By fixing our thoughts on Jesus we become holy brothers and sisters and share in the heavenly calling. (Hebrews 3.1) We become the house of God! (3.6) Jesus and Moses were servants in this house. Both of them were good servants. The difference is that Moses is just a servant while Jesus is the Son and heir of the house. He is the faithful Son over God’s house and we are the house. (Hebrews 3.2 - .6)

We are only the house is we hold onto the courage and hope we boast about! (Hebrews 3.6) The courage and hope we boast about is the Good News of Jesus! The hope and courage is that the Son of God became flesh and blood to save us. The hope and courage we have is that we have a heavenly calling, a heavenly destination. As God’s House we will live eternally with the Father, thanks to the Son for making us holy and thanks to the Spirit that gives us the strength to live as one of God’s people.

A few weeks ago during our 3^rd-6^th grade class on Wednesday night I had the students write on a card something they treasured. Next we went to another room to act out our parables for the night. While we were in the other room I sent someone to the other room to rip up the cards! When we came back and found their cards ripped up they students were not happy but they will never forget that our earthly treasures no matter how special will be destroyed. The only thing that is permanent in our world is God. Our continued focus on Jesus the Apostle and High Priest will assure us that we will share in our heavenly calling.

now i am having a happy thanksgiving

georgia beat tech so i am having a happy thanksgiving!

03 Hebrews: He Became Flesh and Blood

03 Hebrews: He Became Flesh and Blood

Hebrews 2.5 - .18


One of the great wonders of the universe is the incarnation of Jesus. The Son of God became flesh. He lived as one of us. He smelled like us. He had to go to the bathroom like us. He was hungry like us. He could get sunburned like us. He was tired like us. He was for a moment trapped and confined by the limits of time and space. Before the Son became flesh and blood like us he was everywhere all the time. He had none of our weaknesses such as hunger, smells, bathroom breaks, being tired or having to wait in line. The Son gave up all that when he came down and put on flesh and blood like us. This is not just a wonder it is also a mystery!


The author of Hebrews picks up on the incarnation. At the beginning of the second chapter he writes about the future world being subject not to angels but to the SON. (Hebrews 2.5) The Father has put everything under the Son but at the present we cannot completely see His lordship. (Hebrews 2.5-9) We live in the overlap between the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God. The Son, Jesus was made lower than angels for a short time (Hebrews 2.9) to suffer and bring glory to himself and to his brothers. (Hebrews 10.10 – 13) We are the ones for whom the Son made holy thru his suffering and the holy one (Jesus) and the ones who were made holy (us) are brothers!


Then author writes:

Since the children have flesh and blood, Jesus too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

(Hebrews 2.14 - .18)


We can see that Jesus became, flesh and blood like us in order to destroy the fear of death and the one who had the power of death. God’s people, Jesus’ brothers have nothing to fear from death. We should not fear death. If your life is threatened you have nothing to fear because Jesus defeated the Devil. By becoming flesh and blood like us, Jesus also becomes our high priest. A high priest who is merciful and faithful that stands between the Father and us. As a high priest he makes atonement for our sins as his people. He also suffered temptation so he can help us when we are tempted.


That is an amazing and wonderful truth! Jesus became real flesh and blood. He didn’t appear to be flesh and blood. His spirit didn’t inhabit someone else’s body. The physical form the first disciples and apostles saw and touched, the physical resurrected body was or is the true flesh and blood of the Son of God. Now that is a true mystery!

hebrews part two

Recently I began what will be a yearlong series on the Book of Hebrews. This book is not a letter but instead is more than likely a sermon. We will explore this sermon together and see how wonderful and awesome Jesus is and the message that he brought.


The author of Hebrews begins (1.1-.3) by telling the reader about God’s indirect communication thru prophets and other ways to the direct communication thru the Son. He then goes on to describe the Son ending in verse 4 with the Son being over the angels. Why this initial focus on angels? Angels are the spiritual messengers of God. God uses angels to speak to prophets such as Moses, Isaiah and others. They seem to be the first ones after sin entered the world to bring God’s message to humanity. They are important and powerful spiritual beings but do not compare to the Son.


The relationship between the Son, God and angels is described in the next 10 verses of chapter 1. (1) The Son’s name is greater than the names of angels (Hebrews 1.4). Don’t think of this as his first or last name. Instead this is referring to his “title” or position. His title is “the Son” while, as we will see the angles are servants. The relationship between Jesus and God is a father son relationship. No angels, has ever been called the son! (Hebrews 1.5 & .6) (2) Angels show their inferiority to the Son by worshiping him and show him the respect that he deserves (Hebrews 1.6). (3) Angels the Son’s Servants and ((Hebrews 1.7) 4) he is their master (Hebrews 1.8 & .9). (5) Unlike the Son who is eternal and has always been, angles are created being and part of creation. (Hebrews 1.10 - .12) (6) The Son sits are the right hand of the Father and rests until his enemies are made his footstool. (Hebrews 1.13) The author sums all this up in verse 14 by describing angels as ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. If you turn this verse around you discover that angels are sent by their master and are to serve and minister to God’s people. They are not all powerful beings who decide when and where they will go but are the LORD’s servants.


The reason for the comparison becomes obvious at the beginning of chapter 2. (Hebrew 2.1 - .4) It begins with a warning not to drift away but pay careful attention to the message we have heard from the Son. The message the angels brought was binding and people were punished for violating it. Now the message comes straight from the Son! If the servant’s message was binding how much more so is the SON’s message? What is the message the Son brings? It is the message of a great salvation. The LORD himself first announced it. It then was confirmed to the readers by eyewitnesses who had heard the message from the Lord. It was also confirmed and testified to by signs, wonders and miraculous signs from God. Finally gifts from the Holy Spirit confirm the message.


Just like the original readers we too need to be careful and not drift away from the great salvation that was announced by the Son. The message of this great salvation is the SON himself. We need to not drift away. This is the image of a ship drifting away because now one was paying attention. We need to pay attention to the message we have heard and we need to hold on tight to this wonderful message of salvation we have heard!

hebrews begins

Last week I began what will be a yearlong series on the Book of Hebrews. This book is not a letter but instead is more than likely a sermon. We will explore this sermon together and see how wonderful and awesome Jesus is and the message that he brought.


The author of Hebrews begins (1.1-.3) by telling the reader about God’s indirect communication thru prophets and other ways to the direct communication thru the Son. He then goes on to describe the Son ending in verse 4 with the Son being over the angels. Why this initial focus on angels? Angels are the spiritual messengers of God. God uses angels to speak to prophets such as Moses, Isaiah and others. They seem to be the first ones after sin entered the world to bring God’s message to humanity. They are important and powerful spiritual beings but do not compare to the Son.


The relationship between the Son, God and angels is described in the next 10 verses of chapter 1. (1) The Son’s name is greater than the names of angels (Hebrews 1.4). Don’t think of this as his first or last name. Instead this is referring to his “title” or position. His title is “the Son” while, as we will see the angles are servants. The relationship between Jesus and God is a father son relationship. No angels, has ever been called the son! (Hebrews 1.5 & .6) (2) Angels show their inferiority to the Son by worshiping him and show him the respect that he deserves (Hebrews 1.6). (3) Angels the Son’s Servants and ((Hebrews 1.7) 4) he is their master (Hebrews 1.8 & .9). (5) Unlike the Son who is eternal and has always been, angles are created being and part of creation. (Hebrews 1.10 - .12) (6) The Son sits are the right hand of the Father and rests until his enemies are made his footstool. (Hebrews 1.13) The author sums all this up in verse 14 by describing angels as ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. If you turn this verse around you discover that angels are sent by their master and are to serve and minister to God’s people. They are not all powerful beings who decide when and where they will go but are the LORD’s servants.


The reason for the comparison becomes obvious at the beginning of chapter 2. (Hebrew 2.1 - .4) It begins with a warning not to drift away but pay careful attention to the message we have heard from the Son. The message the angels brought was binding and people were punished for violating it. Now the message comes straight from the Son! If the servant’s message was binding how much more so is the SON’s message? What is the message the Son brings? It is the message of a great salvation. The LORD himself first announced it. It then was confirmed to the readers by eyewitnesses who had heard the message from the Lord. It was also confirmed and testified to by signs, wonders and miraculous signs from God. Finally gifts from the Holy Spirit confirm the message.


Just like the original readers we too need to be careful and not drift away from the great salvation that was announced by the Son. The message of this great salvation is the SON himself. We need to not drift away. This is the image of a ship drifting away because now one was paying attention. We need to pay attention to the message we have heard and we need to hold on tight to this wonderful message of salvation we have heard!

she's back

my as of yet unnamed ibook is back up and running and the screen looks great!

this morning i get to post the church's podcast and work on a project for the mid-atlantic fellowship.

guiness bar & prayer

my ibook is at the shop for the second day. the cable that connects to the screen is broken and needs to be replaced. mega bummer. i have cloned the hard drive using carbon copy cloner so i have been booting my old imac dv at home and my old imac dv+ at the church building as my lap top. osx 10.3.9 runs pretty well from a firewire drive at 400 and 450 mghz on 512 or 192 megs of ram. itunes 7 doesn't work but everything else seems to run fine.

i should have it back by tuesday!

a prayer for healing

LORD,
listen to me
hear me my God
i am broken
i am injured
repair my brokeness
heal my injuries

make me whole once more
thru you Son's power restore me.

-amen-

hebrews begins

i am going to start a series of post based on the letter of hebrews. these are adapted from an ongoing series of bulletin articles i am writing this year. hope you enjoy them.

Hebrews Part One (1.1-3)

The book of Hebrews begins with this simple statement:

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1.1 & .2) This simple statement reveals an incredible and awesome truth. The truth is this that God speaks directly to us thru His Son. He no longer uses a third party to speak to us like prophets or donkeys or angels instead it is direct communication from the Son. The long period of the absence of God’s direct communication is over. This simple statement also reveals that we are in the “last days.” The end is now closer than it was. The time of this world is coming to an end and in this end time God speaks directly to us.

If the Son our direct link to God, who is the Son? The author of Hebrews describes the Son in this opening in 7 ways. First, (1) the Son has been appointed the heir of all things. He is the Lord of the universe and this world is his. (Hebrews 1.2) Not only is the Universe his but (2) the Son is also the one thru whom the God made the universe. (Hebrews 1.2) The Father some how used the Son as the instrument of creation. (3) The author goes on to describe the Son as the radiance of God’s glory. (Hebrews 1:3) (4) The Son is also the exact representation of God’s being. (Hebrews 1:3) If you want to know what God is like you look at the Son. (5) The word of the Son sustains all things. (Hebrews 1.3) All things were created thru the Son, all things are the Son’s and the Son’s keeps all things going. (6) This world is broken and dirtied by sin and the Son became the provider of purifications of those sins. (Hebrews 1.3) (7) After providing purification the Son sat down at the right hand of the Majesty of Heaven and rested. (Hebrews 1.3) The author of Hebrews lays a foundation for the greatness of Christ, which he will expound upon as the book continues.

This first section reminds of the awesome greatness of our LORD Jesus Christ. I feel that sometimes we get comfortable with Jesus. We think we know who he is and we don’t think much of that. It is no big deal when people use his name in vain. He is just Jesus. The author of Hebrews writes to remind his readers of the awesome greatness of Jesus. He is not to be taken for granted. In fact how could you take the Son for granted, how could you get comfortable with the Son when you stop and look at who he is! This opening shows us a Son, it shows us a Jesus far beyond any flannel graph character, far beyond any portrayal in a movie and far beyond anything in our imaginations.

When I stopped and thought about these first three verses they blew my mind away at the picture of Jesus I saw. I hope you take the time to reread them and meditated on what they mean and allow you r perception of our LORD Jesus Christ to be expanded.

dent

whoever dent is he has been tagging the area around my church's building, (Church of Christ in Falls Church) along with this truck he has hit some bridges and other structures.

a prayer for guidance

LORD,
i am unsure of where
to go.
my directions are
unclear.
i do not know the
way.

open my eyes,
so i may see where
i am going.
take my hand
so that you may
guide my way.
speak in my ears
so i may hear
your directions.

i ask for your guidance
in your Son's
Name
amen

community: safety, danger and Jesus

on september 24th i preached about the community of God's people. it is both the safest place in the world and the most dangerous. community is very important to Jesus too. after you listen to it tell me what you think.

click here to listen or download

i used a short video clip title me|church it is an igniter video click here to watch it

Sarah's Show

sarah's show is posted on sparky philms

click here

new video on sprkyphilms

go to sparkyphilms.blogspot.com and check out my latest vlog post!

i preached the worst sermon

last sunday night i preached what i titled "the worst sermon" but a better name was suggested to me by friend jim "it's about the worst sermon."

it centers around the worst of all sinners and what he or she seeks when they become one of God's people.

click here to listen

me at my theater

last week i was at the richmond work camp with my teens and on thursday night we went to the byrd theater!

why i am a proud acu alumni!

recently soulforce's equality ride stopped at acu. this is a bus of lesbia, gay and bisexaul college students protesting religious based vilonce against lesbians, gays and bisexuals. the other "christian" colleges and universities they visited gave them the cold shoulder and their bus was vandalized at some places.

acu's reception was different. they invited them on campus and had discussion forums withe the equity riders and acu students. the riders were invited to chapel and worshiped at the univeristy church's sunday night communion service.

acu policy on the sinfulness of the homosexaul lifestyle and sexual practices have not changed but they showed the riders love instead of the hate they had been recieving else where. for more info chech out these websites

http://www.acu.edu

the optimists

soulforce's report on thier visit to acu

preachermike.com

The Last Meal of Jesus

The Last Meal
His Words not Ours!
Mark 16.14-20

In what is sometimes called the long ending of Mark we find our last meal. Jesus appears to the 11 remaining apostles and takes them to task for still having a hard time believing the reports of his resurrection.(Mark 16.14) They like us are stubborn and lack faith. In spite of their stubbornness and lack of faith Jesus has a job for them to do. He tells them that they are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation. (Mark 16.15) They are to go everywhere and tell everyone the Message of Jesus. People who believe this message and are baptized will find salvation. (Mark 16.16) There are also signs which confirm the message and the salvation. (Mark 16.17 & .18) We see all of the signs mentioned here (ecept for drinking poison) in the story of the early church we find in Acts. The believers will drive out demons in Jesus name (Acts 8.6-.8,16.16 & 19.12), speak in tongues (Acts 2.3, 10.46 & 19.6), pick up snakes with no harm (Acts 28.4 & .5) and heal people (Acts 3.1, 5.12 & .15-.17, 8.6-.8, 9.34, 14.8-10 & 28.7-.9)

After sending the Apostles out Jesus is taken into heave and sits at the Right Hand of God. (Mark 16.19) The Right Hand of God is a place of power, rest, authority and salvation. In the Song of Moses after the Israelites have crossed the Red Sea he tells us that the right hand of the Lord is majestic in power and shattered the enemy. Psalm 118.15 & .16 as well as Isaiah 62.8 describe the power of the right hand of God. The right hand of the Lord is described as bringing salvation in Psalm 20.6 and 98.1. Finally it is a place of rest Psalm 110.1 describes the Lord (Jesus) sitting at THE LORD's (The Father) right hand until his enemies are made the Lord's footstool. Jesus gets to rest while the enemies are his footstool by the Father. This passage is also quoted in Matthew 22:43-45, Mark 12:35-37,Luke 20.42-.44, Acts 2:34-36 and Hebrews 1:12-14 to describe Jesus Christ our Lord.

The story ends with the disciples going everywhere and preaching and the Lord works with them. Jesus confirms his word by the signs that accompanied it.(Mark 16.20) It is not the word of the disciples or of other men that they preach but is it the Lord's Word! This is the same Message we take with us as well. When we share the Good News of Jesus it is not our words but it is his word. He works with us to confirm what we are saying. We are not left alone in this world to do the Lord's work but he is working with us. Imagine that the Lord is working with you to confirm His word. It is not our power. It is not our word. Instead it is the Lord's power and the Lord's word!

Meals of Jesus: Come and Eat

Meals of Jesus: Come and Eat
John 21.1-.25
This sermon was delivered on the evening of November 27th 2005, there is a video clip of of John 21.1-.25 from the movie The Gospel of John.

The Meals of Jesus: Resurrection, Witnessing and Waiting

The Meals of Jesus: Resurrection, Witnessing and Waiting
Luke 24.36-.49
Acts 1.3-.5

    Luke is in a hurry to end his Gospel account so he wraps things up fast leaving us with just one meal after the resurrection.  This meal takes place immediately after Cleopas and his traveling companion return from Emmaus.  They had traveled all day with a stranger who turned out in the end to actually be the resurrected LORD Jesus Christ.  Cleopas and his friend leave Emmaus immediately and return to Jerusalem.  They find the 11 Apostles to share what had just happened to them.  As they are all talking the LORD Jesus Christ appears in their midst. (Luke 24.13 - .36)
    The 11 and those with them are troubled, full doubt, full of joy and amazed!  Can this really be Jesus returned or it is a ghost?  Jesus makes a very strong point to show them that he is not a ghost or an illusion but that he is an actual physical person.  To do this he has them touch him and see his wounded hands and feet (Luke 24.39).  Then he eats some fish in their presence (Luke 24.41).  He is not a ghost.  He is not an illusion.  This is not a body double or a pretender.  This is not a counterfeit resurrection or tall tale but the real thing!  Jesus is physically resurrected.  The raised body is the same body that died.  It bears the scars of the death he went thru!
    After they touched him.  After they saw his hands and feet.  After they watched him eat.  He reminds them that he had been telling about this the whole time (Luke 24.44).   He tells them that all this was to fulfill what was written about him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms (Luke 24.44).  The suffering, death and resurrection of the Christ/Messiah was not something new but part of god's the plan the entire time.
    At the end of this visit Jesus does something interesting.  First, He opens their mind so the can understand the Scriptures (Luke 24.45).  Then he tells them that they be witnesses and will go preach repentance and forgiveness (Luke 24.46 & .47).  Finally he tells them to wait (Luke 24.48).  Instead of sending them out immediately to bear witness they are to wait till they are clothed with power from on high (Luke 24.49).  They are waiting for the Holy Spirit.  They can not be witnesses without God's power.  They cannot preach without God's power.  They must wait for the Holy Spirit to come and give them the power, courage and strength they need to be witnesses.
    We are witnesses of Jesus too.  Each of us has read the gospels, or been in a class about one of them, or had listened to Mike preach out of Matthew.  Thru all this we become witnesses too.  We also have a commission to preach but we need the Holy Spirit to give us the strength courage and power to be witnesses.  We are witnesses to the life, death and resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ!


--
gmail
from
josh byrd
youth minister
@ the church of Christ in falls church, va.

zoom in all the way!

if you zoom in all the way on google moon you discover what the moon is really made of just click the link and see http://moon.google.com/

--
gmail
from
josh byrd
youth minister
@ the church of Christ in falls church, va.

the angel tyler

skipped meal: unclean hands

The Heart of the Matter.
Mark 7.1-.23

The Sunday Morning of Power House (back at the beginning of november) I was sitting in the auditorium of the Fairfax Church of Christ worshiping when Bruce Black got up to preach. His sermon was on being clean and holy as one of God's people. As the text was read I realized that I had missed a meal. I am not talking about breakfast but about one of the Meals of Jesus I have been writing about. So today I am going to explore a missed meal.

The story begins with some Pharisees and Teachers of the Law come down from Jerusalem and are gathered around Jesus. They notice that Jesus disciples are eating with unclean hands. Not that they didn't wash the dirt of their hands but that their hands were not ceremonially clean. Concerned about this they go to Jesus and ask him two questions. First they ask him why his disciples eat with unclean hands? Secondly they ask him why they don't keep the traditions of the elders.

Jesus turns to them and instead of answering the questions they ask he goes to the issue under the questions. Their concern for ceremonial cleaness and traditions is a sympton of the fact that the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law have set aside the commands of God for the traditions of men. He says “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”

He confronts them about their hypocrisy of worrying about the disciples keeping a tradition of men. While they ignore God's direct command for children to honor their parents. In doing so he tells them that they are nullifying the word of God by their traditions.

All churches have traditions. They are the forms in which the commands and teachings of the LORD and his son Jesus Christ give us. The traditions are not the commands but the forms we give them in our churches. For instance, it is our tradition to serve the LORD's Supper on trays with men carrying them down the aisle to everyone. Other churches have people come up to a central table and take the elements for themselves. While other churches have you go to a station and have the LORD's Supper their. Which of these is commanded by God? None of them and all of them at the same time. The forms are not commanded but the act of taking the LORD's Supper is commanded.

Each of us has our own traditions based on the commands and teachings of our God and his Son Jesus Christ. For instance we are commanded to be holy but how do we live that holiness out? Somethings are taught to us but somethings we have to figure out for ourselves. So have creat our own form and tradition. So some of us abstain from seeing rated r movies, some don't read romance novels, some of us only listen to Christian musice and some of us don't watch any tv. Are these specifically commanded for us to do? No, but they are forms we use to be holy.

One of the things Jesus is teaching us in this passage is that we need to keep perspective. The commands of God are paramount over the traditions we use as a church and as individuals.

sparkyphilms!

if you are looking for my video blog it has moved. i am going to use this blog to do "traditional" blogging and use the other site as my vlog.

so if you want to see my vlog got to sparkyphilms.blogspot.com and check out my first vlog of 2006

Fwd:

From: Josh Byrd
Date: Jan 24, 2006 3:57 PM
Subject: phun @ the apple store in tyson's corner



phun @ the apple store in tyson's corner

--
gmail
from
josh byrd
youth minister
@ the church of Christ in falls church, va.

The Meals of Jesus: The Road to Emmaus

here is my sermon on the meal that happens at the end of the journey to emmaus by two disciples and unknow to them Jesus. enjoy!

(Quick note these articles were adapted from the weekly article I write for my church's bulletin.)

The Meals of Jesus
Passover Supper with the Disciples Part Two
Matthew 26.1 - .30
Mark 14.12 - .26
Luke 22.1 - .38
John 13 – 17
1 Corinthians 10.14-.22
I Corinthians 11.17 - .34

Yesterday we explored what we traditionally call the Last Supper. Jesus takes elements from the Passover Meal and makes them new. He takes the symbol unleavened bread and makes it represent his body broken for us. He takes the wine and changes it to represent his blood poured out for us to seal the new covenant. As I mentioned then this is a meal that we still eat today. Instead of calling it the Last Supper, we call it Eucharist, or Communion or the LORD's Supper. You are either about to participate in this meal or you already have depending on when you read the Family Life on Sunday. The big question is why did Jesus want us to keep eating this meal? Here are three of the reasons I see for his desire for us to eat it.

One reason is remembrance. On the night Jesus was betrayed he began the meal and we are to eat it to remember his life, crucifixion and resurrection (Luke 22.19 & 1 Corinthians 11.24-.25). He tell us to eat the bread and drink the vine to remember because we are forgetful. We forget things all the time. Where we put our keys, what our anniversary date is and even what our phone number is. We need a reminder so we have daytimes and palm pilots to help us remember. Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper to remind us what he did for us and what we need to do for him because of it. Every time we eat Communion together we proclaim the LORD' s death and his returning (1 Corinthians 11.26).

Another reason is anticipation. The night the meal started Jesus tells those present that he had anticipated eating the Passover meal that night with them and that he will not eat it again until the Kingdom of God comes (Matthew 26.29, Mark 14.25 and Luke 22.14-.16). He wants to eat it again not just with the small group gathered that night but with all of his people. We are also anticipating eating it with him in what some call the great Messianic Banquet. Some day off in the future we will all sit down with our LORD and he will break the bread and hand it to us. He will pass the cup and we will drink it with him a new in the Father's Kingdom.

The next reason is participation. When we eat the bread and drink from the cup we participate in the body and blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 10.14-.17). In eating the bread we participate in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord's body. When we drink from the cup we participate in the blood that was poured out for us. In addition to participating in the LORD's life we also become one as a community. From the one loaf we all become on body and that body is the church (1 Corinthians 10.17). When we eat the bread and drink from the cup we remember the life death and resurrection of our LORD. When we eat and drink, we are anticipating and proclaiming the coming of our LORD. When we eat and drink we are participating in the life, death and resurrection of our LORD.

This article and the last one about the LORD's Supper are incomplete explorations
of this meal. These are my reflections and thoughts compressed into a one page format. So if I missed something important it is because I don't have the space in this format.

The Meals of Jesus
Passover Supper with the Disciples Part One
Matthew 26.1 - .30
Mark 14.12 - .26
Luke 22.1 - .38
John 13 – 17
I Corinthians 11.17 - .34

Everything that happens today, right now, changes everything that will happen in the future. The choices we make this moment change and shape our future in dramatic and minute ways. Some events and choices are more life altering than others. For instance the shirt you are wearing is a choice that will have less impact on your life than the wife you choose. In the meals of Jesus this is also true. All of his meals impact us but today's meal is huge! In fact we are still eating this meal. No other meal impacts the future of our world as the Passover Meal he eats with is disciples on the night he was betrayed. We traditionally call this the “Last Supper” but I don't think that is a good name for this meal. Following this meal Jesus eats at least 4 more times with his disciples.

This meal begins with Jesus showing his disciples that he is in control of what is happening. He sends Peter and John into town to find to make preparation for the passover. (Luke 22.8) He sends then with specific instructions on how to find the room for the passover meal. They are to look for a man carrying a water jug and follow him.

They find things just as he said. (Matthew 26.18 & .19, Mark 14.13 - .15 and Luke 22.10-.12) The Lord has provided the place for the meal. When they all arrive in the upper room and begin to eat Jesus sets the mode with a terrible announcement that one of them will betray him. They all begin to question who this might be and to deny that it is them. (Matthew 26.20 - . 25, Mark 14.17 - .21 and Luke 22.21 - 23) This betrayal is key to understanding this meal. When Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for the way it celebrates the Lord's Supper he describes it as the meal Jesus ate the night he was betrayed. (1 Corinthians 11.23)

At the beginning of this Passover meal Jesus takes the unleavened bread they were to eat to remind them of their forefather's hasty escape from Egypt and changes the meaning. Now it is his body! He tells them to take and eat the bread that is his body
which is for you. Jesus body is no longer for himself but now it is for all of us. (Matthew 26.26, Mark 14.22, Luke 22.19 and 1 Corinthians 11.24) The betrayal will lead to his body being offered as a sacrifice.

Then towards the end of the traditional passover meal he take the cup of wine and changes it too. Now it represents his blood of the new covenant which is going to be poured for us. The blood is the life of the body. The blood is sacred. The Old Covenant between the Israelites and the Lord was cemented thru the sacrifice of lambs, goats and bulls. Now this New Covenant we live under is brought about by the blood sacrifice of God's only and unique Son. (Matthew 26.27 - .29, Mark 14.23 - .25, Luke 22.17 - .18 & .20 - .22 and 1 Corinthians 11.25)

The betrayal that happens much later that night is another history changing event. Those who had been looking for away to stop Jesus had their opportunity to put him on trial and kill him. They failed! His arrest, trial and crucifiction were all part of his plan to save us all by creating a New Covenant between humanity and the LORD. Jesus was in control the entire time. He provided the place for the meal and now he provides the sacrifice for the Covenant that brings forgiveness and salvation to all.
This is just a short examination of this meal. We will look at it again next week to examine why it is a meal that we still eat. This is the only meal of Jesus that we actually take part in.

harvest festival 2005

Every Fall here at the Church of Christ in Falls Church, we do a big restock of our Food Pantry, we maintain, distributing food to those who walk up with need. Click here to watch this years Harvest Festival.

Trunk or Treat

i know this is about a month late but it is still good!
click here to watch Trunk or Treat

this is so kewl!

this may be the coolest thing i have seen in a long time!

A Thanksgiving Miracle

click here to watch A Thanksgiving Miracle

leaves w/o fruit

Leaves without Fruit
Mark 11.12 - .26
Matthew 21.12 - .22

In Mark 11.12 - .26 (also in Matthew 21.12 - .22) we find Jesus hungry and walking from Bethany towards the Temple in Jerusalem. He sees in the distance a fig tree with leaf. He approaches it to see if it has any figs and he finds none. This should have been no surprise to Jesus because it was not fig season. Instead of using his power over creation to make the tree produce figs he curses the tree so no one will ever eat figs from it again.

Why does he do this?

He is making a point by using a dramatic prophetic act. Prophets in the past have done this to make there points as well. What point is Jesus making? He is making one about the Temple! From a distance when one saw the Temple it looked like a place to worship and pray. Unfortunately when you get into the temple you discover it had become a market place. Like the fig tree the Temple is producing the leaves but has no fruit.

Jesus' dramatic prophetic actions don't end with the fig tree. When he enters the Temple he begins to throw people out! He over turns the tables and benches of the money changers and sellers of doves. He doesn't even let anyone carry merchandise thru the temple. Following the chaos he begins to teach the people who gather around. Part of his teaching is that the Temple was to be a place of prayer for all nations but it has become a den of robbers (Mark 11.17, Isaiah 56.7 & Jeremiah 7.11). His prophetic action against the fig tree and Temple become clear.
The fig tree represents the Temple. It is a place of prayer and worship, that is no longer producing fruit, in fact it has become corrupted. So what do you do with a fruit tree that produces no fruit?

You cut it down! What is the LORD going to do with the Temple that is no longer a house of prayer and worship? Destroy it! That is exactly what happens in the AD 70 at the hands of the Roman army.

This could easily happen to us! If you or I do not produce fruit as one of God's people we will be cut off. If the church is no longer a place of prayer, fellowship, worship and learning it will be treated like the Temple or the fig tree. It is a warning to us to be fruitful so
that we won't perish like the fig tree.

graduate course of the devil!

the number for the graduate level course on the book of revelation at abilene christian univ is 666. click here to see

experiment one

click here to watch experiment one

i haven't had a chance to vlog in a while but here are some experiments i have been doing with a demo version of istopmotion the first section is out my window looking up the hill the middle section is me working on my sermon last sunday (the road to emmaus it is coming soon) and the last section is just straight out my window. the car is lilly (named by the kids) the ford we bought back in 95 while still in abilene texas. she is a blessing.

the sound track is something i put together in garageband it is a cut down of a longer song i call "08 techno"

A Dinner for Jesus

A Dinner for Jesus
Matthew 26.6 – 16; Mark 14.1 – 11 and John 12.1 – 11

In the town of Bethany lived some people Jesus loved deeply. I would venture to say that these 3 siblings were Jesus’ best friends. You will remember the sisters from an earlier meal but the brother has a fame all his own. Martha invited Jesus to her house for a meal earlier and her sister Mary was there too (Luke 10.38 – 42). Martha busied herself with the meal, while Mary just sat and listened to Jesus. You know the rest of the story but Lazarus has an even more amazing story. He was dead for at least 4 days when Jesus arrived and raised Lazarus from his sleep (John 11.1 – 44).

Now sometime later a dinner is being held in honor of Jesus at Simon the Leper’s house. If you read the accounts in Matthew and Mark you do not learn the name of the women who anoints Jesus but John gives us her name. She is Mary! This is the very same Mary who sat at the Masters feet to learn and whose brother was raised from the grave. We again find Martha serving but this time she does not complain, while Mary worships Jesus. Lazarus and the rest of the guest enjoy the meal.

When Mary pours half a liter of expensive perfume on Jesus feet the entire house if filled with the fragrance (John 12.3). I feel that she does this in appreciation for Jesus raising her brother from the dead and because she like her sister believes that he is the Christ, the Son of God. This is an act of worship on her behalf. She had been saving it for his funeral but feels compelled to anoint him with it now.

One of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, watches this and comments, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” (John 12.5) John tells is that Judas’ motivations were not pure because he kept the moneybag and would help himself to its contents (John 12.6). Jesus not only defends Mary but also rebukes Judas. “Leave her alone! She was saving this for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Essentially he is saying, she is giving me a wonderful gift and I will not let you diminish it! He is also telling Judas that he is a hypocrite. There are poor all around you should be helping instead of complaining about what Mary is doing.

Matthew and Mark tell us that following this rebuke Judas goes to the chief priest (Matthew 26.14 – 16 & Mark 14.10 &11). He agrees to betray Jesus. The chief priests are delighted to hear this.

You and I need to fill our houses with the fragrance of our worship. People in our lives need to smell worship when we are near by. They can smell it thru our actions, thru our words and thru our attitudes. Our lives will not be perfect of easy but like many of the Psalmists we can worship the LORD in the midst of our pain.

Judas is rebuked by Jesus and instead of deciding that Jesus is right and he needs to make some changes in his life. He decides to turn his back on the LORD. When we read the Bible or another believer challenges us we need to listen to what we read and what they are saying. Instead of shutting Jesus out of our lives like Judas, we need to open ourselves up to be changed into something better than we are. It won’t be easy but it will save us!

sabbath supper at the pharisee's house

click here to listen to "sabbath supper at the pharisee's house"
I gave this sermon the evening of Sunday, August 21st 2005 at the Church of Christ in Falls Church, Va.

a prayer for the gulf coast

A Prayer for the Gulf Coast

My Lord, My God
Holy is your name.
As I watch the suffering and hardship in the wake of hurricane Katrina I know that I am helpless to do anything.
I ask that you, my God, will bring comfort and grieving.
I ask you to feed the hungry.
I ask you to clothe the naked.
I as you to shelter the homeless.
I ask that you protect and care for the orphan and widow
Lord,
There are many who are dong their best to help the victims of the Gulf Coast.
Give them mercy
Give them strenght
Give them patients
Give them wisdom
Give them home
They need these so much in this difficult time.
I can only imagine how hopeless they feel. You are the only hope. I pray that you will show them your hope and glory thru Your people.
Open our hearts
Open our eyes
Open our hands
To show Your hope, love, grace and mercy to those who need it so badly.
Lord,
Move Your Holy Spirit in Your people to contenue Your Son's ministry here and now. Make us to humbly serve.
Show me the best way I can help.
I pray this in the awesome and powerful name of Your Son Jesus Christ
Amen

click here to watch a prayer for the gulf coast

austin draws

click here to see austin draw

a prayer in memory of imogene byrd

this is the prayer that i gave as the grave side service, at the bethel united methodist church in dawsonville, ga., for my memaw's funeral. she passed away a week ago monday and her funeral was last friday at tillman united methodist church. i will be posting my comments from the funeral service soon.

Heavenly Father
We gather here mourning the lose of our Memaw
our sister
our mother
our cousin
and our friend
we do not mourn as those without hope but because of your Son we mourn and grieve with hope.

As we share our memories of Memaw's life and our time with her we are filled with hapiness and sorrow
we are filled with saddness and joy.

Sorrow and saddness because of the dark times we shared.
Saddness and sorrow because our time with Memaw has come to an end for now.

Happiness and joy because of the good times we all shared together.
Joy and happiness because of the hope that we will all be together again in the resurection.

We know that this is not the end of Memaw life with you. But it is only the end of the beginning of her eternal life with You.
She started her eternal life with You long ago when she became one of your children and she has been a shining example of your great and steadfast love in this dark world.

She has been a light to all of us quietly living a life that glorifies you.
Encouraging us by actions and words to live a life that glorifies you.

As she leaves us now to join that great cloud of witnesses. Help us to folloe in her godly footsteps and live as shining examples ofyour great love in this dark world.

Contenue to fill us with your grace, mercy, hope and love.
We pray this in the wonderful and beautiful name of your resurrected Son.
Jesus Christ
AMEN

sad news

my memaw passed away last night at the age of 90. she had been in a coma since saturday and had not been keeping food down for a while.

as much as i will miss my memaw i am happy that she had a great life and was a great spiritual example to me as to how to live a christian life.

i will be leaving for atlanta on thursday.

i missed my 2 year anniversary!

i missed my 2 yr anniversary as a blogger. i know i should have something deep and profound to say about that but i don't right now accept thank you all for reading and i hope you enjoy the blog.

the worst dinner guest ever part two

The Meals of Jesus: The Worst Diner Guest Ever
Part Two Luke 11.37 – 54

As Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees for tithing but forgettin justice and
the love of God (Luke 11.42); seeking honor from people and not God
(11.43); and finally for being unmarked graves that look good on the
outside but on the inside are dead and decaying (Luke 11.44). In the
middle of this an “expert of the law” spoke up and said “Teacher,
when you say these things, you insult us as well.” (Luke 11.45)

So the “expert of the law” steps into the line of fire and Jesus lets him
and his collegues know what is wrong with them. First Jesus rebukes
them for loading people down with burdens and doing nothing to help
them (Luke 11.46). Their teachings are hard to follow and it is
difficult to live out what the experts are teaching. To make matters
worse the teachers are unwilling to help people live out what they
are teaching. They have forgotten that we, as teachers, are called to
challenge people to live a life that glorifies God. We can not forget
that it is not easy. We need to help those who are new to Christ or
are struggleing to live a life pleaseing to God. We need to show
them forgiveness. We need to show them that we also struggle to live
a God pleasing life. We need to bare each others burdens.

Then he rebukes them for honoring the prophets with fancy tombs
but not honoring the teaching or life of the prophet. Their “fathers”
killed these prophets and didn't follow the teachings of the prophets.
Now the “children”, the teachers of the law are not honoring the
prophets teaching or life but are simply paying lip service to the
prophets lives. The teachers of the law are just as guilty as their
fathers. This is a warning to us as well. As Christians we get caught
up in the birth of Jesus and his crucifiction but we forget about his
life. When Jesus is born he is a small and safe little baby that makes
us all feel good. With the crucifiction Jesus dies, forgives us, raises
from the dead and then ascends into heaven. His life on the other
hand is full of uncomfortable teaching and activity that we need to
honor with our lives.

Finaly Jesus wraps up with the teachers of the law and puts the two
woes together, jut like he did with the pharisees. The teachers of the
law have taken the “key to knowledge” away from the people. Not
only that but they don't use it themselves. The teachers lived in a
time when very few people had access to the written word of God.
The teachers were keeping it to themselves and not sharing it with
the people. They were also not using the key themselves in allowing
the Word to work in their own lives. Unlike the teachers we live in a
time when anyone can buy a copy of the Bible and read it. Many
people will not understand what they read. We need to help them to
understand the messages found in the Bible. The story of God's
wonderful love for us. The story of Jesus' life with us. The teachings
that Jesus, Peter, Paul and others leave for us to help us live in a way
that pleases God.

In conclusion, the woes against the Pharisees and teachers of the
law can apply to us as well. Like the Pharisees we are trying our best
to live a holy, righteous and pure life that pleases the LORD. Like the
teachers of the law, we have access to the Word and are struggling to
understand the Word and its teachings. Like the Pharisee and
teachers we can sometimes be guilty of pride and hypocrasy that lead
us to drift away from God and lead others astray as well. Our
challenge like theirs is to be aware of these pitfalls and to rely on
God's power to stay out of them.

oreo night

click here to watch oreo night

the worst dinner guest ever parts one

The Meals of Jesus: The Worst Diner Guest Ever Part One
Luke 11.37 – 54

Imagine you have invited a very important person to diner. This person comes to your house and begins to eat but he never washes his hands. Now you may think this is pretty disgusting there is no telling where his hands have been or what they have touched. You don’t say anything but he knows what you are thinking and confronts you about it! With a lecture about your own hypocrisy! How would you feel?

Now you know how the Pharisee in Luke 11.37 - .54 felt. He has invited Jesus to eat after of day of teaching and healing. They all recline at the table when the Pharisee notices that Jesus has not washed his hands! (Luke 11.37 - .38) With Jesus we have a good idea that he has touches sick people to heal them. All those germs and all that dirt were on his hands. This washing was not just for hygene but also to be ceremonially clean before you ate. His hands were unclean literally and religiously. Now if you read the text carefully you will notice that the Pharisee never says anything but Jesus knows what he is thinking and responds to that with a strong rebuke!

First he confronts them with a general rebuke (Luke 11.39 - .41). The Pharisees are so careful to make sure they look righteous and clean that they have forgotten to clean the insides. Jesus uses the anlogy of a cup or dish. If you have cup that is dirty all over you wash all of it so you can use it but the Pharisees were only cleaning the outside of the cup so that they looked clean but were really dirty on the inside. He tells them they need to clean both the inside of their lives and the outside. You need to care for you wicked and greedy inside like you would take care of a poor person.

Then Jesus gets specific with three “woes” against the Pharisees (Luke 11.42 - .44) and then three against the teachers of the law (Luke 11.46 - .52). All 6 woes are important for us to listen to because they can apply to us today as well. We are going to explore the first three today and then finish out the last three tomorrow.

First He rebukes them for getting the tithe right but forgetting to show justice and the love of God (Luke 11.42). He is accusing them of being hypocrites. They should have done them all! They got tithing down perfect but they forgot to get justice and the love of God right. We face the same danger. We may have baptism, communion and worship down perfectly but do we forget to show justice. Are we neglecting the love of God?

Secondly he rebukes them for loving recognition and honor from people (Luke 11.43). The Pharisees love to sit in the important seat at the synagogue and to be greeted in the market. They sought honor and recognition from men and not from God. They suffered from the oldest sin, pride! We face this danger too. Who are seeking approval from? Do we seek the approval of other people? Do we want to be seen with important people? Or Do we seek to be humble and be satisfied with the status we have? Do we seek approval from God by living the life he calls us to live?

The third woe deals with the consequence of the first two rebukes (Luke 11.45). Pride plus Hypocrisy in a religious leader leads to them being unmarked graves! Instead of showing people how to be holy and live a life that pleases God, the Pharisees, unknown to their followers, were actually making people unclean! Are we leading people astray as we try to live a holy life? If we only get our actions right and not our heart and attitudes we are hypocrites. If we seek the approval of other people rather than living a life that pleases God our pride has gotten in the way. The result is that we make people unclean instead of helping them to be holy.

Part Two Tomorrow!

driving the rest of the way home

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driving home

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be or do

Be or Do

Of all the famous siblings one finds in the Bible as far as I can tell there are only two sisters who make that list Martha and Mary. These two sisters seem to be very important to Jesus. They first show up in Luke 10 where Martha opens her home to him. Then in John 11 where Jesus raises their brother Lazarus from the dead. Mary may show up again but since there are so many Marys in the Gospels and Romans it is hard to tell if it is her or another Mary.

When we first meet these sisters when Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem (Luke 10.38 – 42). He has only recently revealed to his disciples that he is going there to be put to death. They arrive in Bethany where Martha has opened her home to Jesus and his disciples. She is so busy with all that has to be done Luke tells us she is “distracted” with all the preparations (Luke 10.40). On the other hand Mary is quietly sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to everything he has to say (Luke 10.39).

Martha knows this and goes to Jesus and says “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10.40) She is expecting a positive answer instead Jesus has a gentle rebuke. “Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be take away from her.” (Luke 10.41 - .42) The story ends there.

There are many lessons that have been taken from this story. Some say that it is better to be like Mary and just listen to Jesus’ teachings and not get distracted by doing a lot of things. Some have said that this is and example of how worldly concerns can crowd out spiritual concerns. They try to make a big point or teaching from a small thing.

Here is one thing I think Jesus is saying. Martha is making an offering to the Lord Jesus Christ. She is offering her home and hospitality. Her sister is also making an offering to the Lord. She is offering her mind and heart as open vessels to be taught. Both of these are worthy offerings and the Lord wants both services and devotion. Where Martha goes wrong is that she is worrying not about her offering but about her sister. She feels that the Lord doesn’t care that she is working hard to make things right while her sister is just sitting there doing nothing. At that time one thing needed be done and that was for Mary and Martha to sit at his feet and learn. At another time Mary should have been helping but not at that time.

It is a timing issue. We need to have a better since of timing. We need to know when it is time to “doing” or to be serving and when it is time to be “being” or spending time in devotion. Martha was doing, she was serving, when it was a time of devotion a time to just be! This is a challenge. We live in a world that doesn’t value taking time to stop. We live in a society that values “doers” more than “be-ers.” The challenge is to know when to be and when to do. The only way to know is to listen to the LORD just like he told Martha He will also let us know as well.

forgotten bread

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