Here’s a topic you won’t hear a lot of people talk when they refer to Jesus. But it is true! Jesus was always picking fights. Just read the accounts of His life looking for it, and you will find it was His lifestyle. Not something that just happened or that He couldn’t avoid. It was what He did consistently, along with the teaching, miracles, healings, etc. Yet even in those, He often used them to start a fight!!
Jesus even did so in His home town. First time back from His baptism, desert temptation and beginning of His public ministry, He immediately picks a fight. Seems like it would be the time to let people know that the kid they watched grow up had actually been the Son of God incognito. But, NO! He picks a fight. Look at it…
1Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 4Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7And the man got up and went home. 8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men. 9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew 9:1-9 (NIV)
At first glance it appears He was picking fights with people, but really He was picking fights with wrong beliefs that led to wrong actions. Picking fights with falsehoods was actually the loving thing to do! Imagine that! God is showing me that we must be doing the same. If we do not follow Jesus’ example to reveal falsehood by our words and actions, we are, by omission, allowing lies to stand unchallenged. And that is not living lives of truth, being salt, light and fragrance of Christ. Nor is it “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), which is our mandate.
So… go pick a fight to for Jesus!
Boldly, Herb
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To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Thursday, October 28, 2010
It Doesn’t Work
Imagine for a moment you wanted to learn how to pop really, really good popcorn. You come to me because you know that I am a pro. I am thrilled to show you because we all love to show others that in which we find enjoyment.
“What do you do now?” I inquire.
“I do this,” you reply as you take a small pan, put a cup of oil in the bottom and 2 kernels of popcorn and turn the stove on low.
“Yeah, um…” I mutter, trying not to call you something inappropriate. “Let me show you.” I cover the bottom of the pan with oil, turn the stove on medium high and add ½ cup of popcorn. “Every minute shake the pan until the popping slows to less than a pop every 5 seconds.” I empty a perfect pan full of popcorn into a bowl and you enjoy it. “Got it?” I ask. “Got it!” you enthusiastically exclaim.
You return the following week, despondent. “It doesn’t work.”
“Okay, show me what you did.”
You pull out a pan, put a teaspoon of oil in the bottom of the pan, add 3 cups of popcorn and turn the stove on high. In a few minutes the smoke detector starts screaming. “See, I told you it didn’t work!” you growl.
Being a patient man and giving you the benefit of the doubt that I didn’t explain well, I say, “Let me show you again.” I cover the bottom of the pan with oil, turn the stove on medium high and add ½ cup of popcorn. “Every minute shake the pan until the popping slows to less than a pop every 5 seconds.” I empty a perfect pan full of popcorn into a bowl and you enjoy it. “Got it?” I ask. “Got it!” you enthusiastically exclaim.
You return a week later, angry. “It doesn’t work!”
“Alright, show me!”
You rip a pan out of the cupboard, turn the stove on medium high, put 3 cups oil in the pan and add 10 kernels of corn. I cover my ears before the smoke alarm taunts you again. “See!” you scream, clearly mad at me. “It doesn’t work! You must not know what you’re talking about!”
“Look!” I try to respond without sending the message that I think I should call the padded truck for you. “It does work. It has worked every time I have done it.” I even show you one more time. You settle down a little as you enjoy the perfect bowl of popcorn. “Now just do it that way and it will work.”
You stop coming around and I assume you’ve started doing it right. Much later I hear that you are spreading the news that popcorn doesn’t work and Herb has no idea what he is doing because you tried to follow my instructions and IT DIDN’T WORK.
Sound silly? Sure. When it is about popcorn.
But when it is about God, it’s not silly. It’s TRAGIC! We don’t do that, do we? Yep!
So many people have come to the conclusion that God and church don’t work because they hear His instructions over and over. They even see peoples’ lives that clearly demonstrate Jesus’ peace, joy, contentment, healthy relationships, good attitudes and more.
But they walk away to try do life their way instead of God’s way and angrily blame God and church for their lives not working.
How about you?
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link
“What do you do now?” I inquire.
“I do this,” you reply as you take a small pan, put a cup of oil in the bottom and 2 kernels of popcorn and turn the stove on low.
“Yeah, um…” I mutter, trying not to call you something inappropriate. “Let me show you.” I cover the bottom of the pan with oil, turn the stove on medium high and add ½ cup of popcorn. “Every minute shake the pan until the popping slows to less than a pop every 5 seconds.” I empty a perfect pan full of popcorn into a bowl and you enjoy it. “Got it?” I ask. “Got it!” you enthusiastically exclaim.
You return the following week, despondent. “It doesn’t work.”
“Okay, show me what you did.”
You pull out a pan, put a teaspoon of oil in the bottom of the pan, add 3 cups of popcorn and turn the stove on high. In a few minutes the smoke detector starts screaming. “See, I told you it didn’t work!” you growl.
Being a patient man and giving you the benefit of the doubt that I didn’t explain well, I say, “Let me show you again.” I cover the bottom of the pan with oil, turn the stove on medium high and add ½ cup of popcorn. “Every minute shake the pan until the popping slows to less than a pop every 5 seconds.” I empty a perfect pan full of popcorn into a bowl and you enjoy it. “Got it?” I ask. “Got it!” you enthusiastically exclaim.
You return a week later, angry. “It doesn’t work!”
“Alright, show me!”
You rip a pan out of the cupboard, turn the stove on medium high, put 3 cups oil in the pan and add 10 kernels of corn. I cover my ears before the smoke alarm taunts you again. “See!” you scream, clearly mad at me. “It doesn’t work! You must not know what you’re talking about!”
“Look!” I try to respond without sending the message that I think I should call the padded truck for you. “It does work. It has worked every time I have done it.” I even show you one more time. You settle down a little as you enjoy the perfect bowl of popcorn. “Now just do it that way and it will work.”
You stop coming around and I assume you’ve started doing it right. Much later I hear that you are spreading the news that popcorn doesn’t work and Herb has no idea what he is doing because you tried to follow my instructions and IT DIDN’T WORK.
Sound silly? Sure. When it is about popcorn.
But when it is about God, it’s not silly. It’s TRAGIC! We don’t do that, do we? Yep!
So many people have come to the conclusion that God and church don’t work because they hear His instructions over and over. They even see peoples’ lives that clearly demonstrate Jesus’ peace, joy, contentment, healthy relationships, good attitudes and more.
But they walk away to try do life their way instead of God’s way and angrily blame God and church for their lives not working.
How about you?
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Don’t Feed the Animal!!
As I stood in the shower, an enlightening and profound thought popped into my head. The concept was not new, but the statement caught me in its simplicity and profundity.
DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!!
If I don’t want the stray kitten to hang around, grow, become attached and impossible to excommunicate – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!! So simple, yet so true.
“Why,” you might be saying, “Is this so profound to you, Herb?”
Because I look around in my own life and others and realize the reason we struggle is because we are FEEDING THE ANIMAL!! And in the shower it occurred to me that we are being dense.
If I don’t want to have thoughts and behavior hang around, grow, become part of my life and impossible to excommunicate – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL that is my thought life!!
If I don’t want hurt and anger to consume me – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!!
If I don’t want to struggle so hard with temptations of any kind – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!!
If I don’t want to be negative – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!!
And then, on the flip side, DO FEED THE ANIMAL you want to hang around, grow, become part of you want to be part of your life and impossible to excommunicate…
… right thoughts and behavior
… the opposites of the temptations that threaten
… forgiveness, love, patience
… positive thoughts
So simple, yet so profound and CHALLENGING to actually do.
Which animal will you feed today?
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link
DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!!
If I don’t want the stray kitten to hang around, grow, become attached and impossible to excommunicate – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!! So simple, yet so true.
“Why,” you might be saying, “Is this so profound to you, Herb?”
Because I look around in my own life and others and realize the reason we struggle is because we are FEEDING THE ANIMAL!! And in the shower it occurred to me that we are being dense.
If I don’t want to have thoughts and behavior hang around, grow, become part of my life and impossible to excommunicate – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL that is my thought life!!
If I don’t want hurt and anger to consume me – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!!
If I don’t want to struggle so hard with temptations of any kind – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!!
If I don’t want to be negative – DON’T FEED THE ANIMAL!!
And then, on the flip side, DO FEED THE ANIMAL you want to hang around, grow, become part of you want to be part of your life and impossible to excommunicate…
… right thoughts and behavior
… the opposites of the temptations that threaten
… forgiveness, love, patience
… positive thoughts
So simple, yet so profound and CHALLENGING to actually do.
Which animal will you feed today?
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Not so Random Thoughts on Trust
May 12, 2010
Trust comes from going through insecure situations and experiencing God coming through for you.
The path to deep trust is one of fear, uncertainty, challenging all we rely on … and it is very painful.
The natural response is to resist and cling to what we can see even though we THINK and SAY we believe what we can’t see. That is not trust.
Trust is CHOOSING to do what is against our natural inclinations, what causes us fear, what seems to make no sense, to let go of control and OBEY God’s invitation.
Trust goes against everything we understand to give us all that we really desire but cannot grasp.
Trust requires that we obey BEFORE we understand – and then we understand AFTER we obey.
When we go through really tough times, God is offering opportunities to develop deeper trust that we think we even want but the kind of trust that God knows will deliver what we really desire.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link
Trust comes from going through insecure situations and experiencing God coming through for you.
The path to deep trust is one of fear, uncertainty, challenging all we rely on … and it is very painful.
The natural response is to resist and cling to what we can see even though we THINK and SAY we believe what we can’t see. That is not trust.
Trust is CHOOSING to do what is against our natural inclinations, what causes us fear, what seems to make no sense, to let go of control and OBEY God’s invitation.
Trust goes against everything we understand to give us all that we really desire but cannot grasp.
Trust requires that we obey BEFORE we understand – and then we understand AFTER we obey.
When we go through really tough times, God is offering opportunities to develop deeper trust that we think we even want but the kind of trust that God knows will deliver what we really desire.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
What Wavelength Are You On?
Why do we hear requirements instead of promises? Demands instead of unbelievable offers?
HOW we hear is as important as WHAT we hear.
And it seems to me we are hearing WAY wrong when we listen to the instructions of God. Let me try to paint this picture…
Suppose you have a stern, distant, demanding, finger pointing teacher who seems to delight in reminding you of the monumental amount of work required for class. Every day she reminds you “If you want to get a decent grade in this class you will have to do better than you’re doing.” Toward the end of the school term she makes a different statement, “If you score well on the final exam you will get an A for the year.” What do you hear in that statement? A demand filled warning or a promise? That you had better study well because you’re not doing well or the promise that an A is in your future if you will only study well? Because of the way of hearing she has created, my bet is on the first choice.
Somehow most of us have developed the picture of a stern, distant, demanding, finger pointing, scolding, unhappy-with-us, nothing is ever good enough God. From the time you’re born he schemes to create that image and does so in many, many ways so don’t worry about HOW we got there. We’re there. With that picture in our heads, how in the world will we hear anything other than demands and requirements when we read the Bible? And why will we want to read the Bible?
God has been showing me that we’re missing His incredible promises and the unfathomable depth of His love because we are hearing wrong. That in this “if…then…” covenant relationship with God, we’re focusing on the “if” (requirements and demands) when He wants us to experience the “then” (promises). And it is KILLING us, causing us to live with the hole in our souls that God soooo wants to fill with satisfaction that comes from embracing Him. For example…
John 8:31-32 (NIV) 31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
What did you hear when you read that? That we had better work harder at holding on to Jesus’ teaching, that our efforts are not good enough, that we’re sad excuses for disciples? That’s the way I’ve typically read it. But I’ve come to believe that instead Jesus is making the promise of freedom – that He soooo wants us to have freedom and is showing us the way to accept the offer – hold to His teaching. IT’S A PROMISE FROM A LOVING, GIVING, SACRIFICING, DOING ALL THAT HE CAN FOR US GOD!!!!!
Or…
Matthew 6:12, 14-15 (NIV) 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
What did you hear? That you had better do better at forgiving people, no matter how much they hurt you or you’re in trouble? Yet instead Jesus is pointing us to the promise to cleanse us from anger, bitterness and hurt, that He soooo wants us to experience the exhilarating release from emotional chains that He is showing us how to accept the offer – let go of the hurts people have inflicted on us just like He let go of the hurts we inflicted on Him. IT’S A PROMISE FROM A LOVING, GIVING, SACRIFICING, DOING ALL THAT HE CAN FOR US GOD!!!!!
Or…
Malachi 3:10 (NIV) 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
Did you hear a demand from God to give him 10% of your income? That He wants your money and does not understand how hard it is for you to pay your bills? Yet instead God is pointing us to the promise to provide for us in flood-like ways, that He soooo wants to give us what we need and He is showing us how to accept the offer! IT’S A PROMISE FROM A LOVING, GIVING, SACRIFICING, DOING ALL THAT HE CAN FOR US GOD!!!!!
I challenge you to read the Bible this week looking for the promises of the real God of the Universe, who actually died for us so we can experience true life and crush that warped, ugly, twisted image.
Then WALK INTO HIS ARMS. You will never do anything to make Him happier!!!!
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link.
HOW we hear is as important as WHAT we hear.
And it seems to me we are hearing WAY wrong when we listen to the instructions of God. Let me try to paint this picture…
Suppose you have a stern, distant, demanding, finger pointing teacher who seems to delight in reminding you of the monumental amount of work required for class. Every day she reminds you “If you want to get a decent grade in this class you will have to do better than you’re doing.” Toward the end of the school term she makes a different statement, “If you score well on the final exam you will get an A for the year.” What do you hear in that statement? A demand filled warning or a promise? That you had better study well because you’re not doing well or the promise that an A is in your future if you will only study well? Because of the way of hearing she has created, my bet is on the first choice.
Somehow most of us have developed the picture of a stern, distant, demanding, finger pointing, scolding, unhappy-with-us, nothing is ever good enough God. From the time you’re born he schemes to create that image and does so in many, many ways so don’t worry about HOW we got there. We’re there. With that picture in our heads, how in the world will we hear anything other than demands and requirements when we read the Bible? And why will we want to read the Bible?
God has been showing me that we’re missing His incredible promises and the unfathomable depth of His love because we are hearing wrong. That in this “if…then…” covenant relationship with God, we’re focusing on the “if” (requirements and demands) when He wants us to experience the “then” (promises). And it is KILLING us, causing us to live with the hole in our souls that God soooo wants to fill with satisfaction that comes from embracing Him. For example…
John 8:31-32 (NIV) 31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
What did you hear when you read that? That we had better work harder at holding on to Jesus’ teaching, that our efforts are not good enough, that we’re sad excuses for disciples? That’s the way I’ve typically read it. But I’ve come to believe that instead Jesus is making the promise of freedom – that He soooo wants us to have freedom and is showing us the way to accept the offer – hold to His teaching. IT’S A PROMISE FROM A LOVING, GIVING, SACRIFICING, DOING ALL THAT HE CAN FOR US GOD!!!!!
Or…
Matthew 6:12, 14-15 (NIV) 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
What did you hear? That you had better do better at forgiving people, no matter how much they hurt you or you’re in trouble? Yet instead Jesus is pointing us to the promise to cleanse us from anger, bitterness and hurt, that He soooo wants us to experience the exhilarating release from emotional chains that He is showing us how to accept the offer – let go of the hurts people have inflicted on us just like He let go of the hurts we inflicted on Him. IT’S A PROMISE FROM A LOVING, GIVING, SACRIFICING, DOING ALL THAT HE CAN FOR US GOD!!!!!
Or…
Malachi 3:10 (NIV) 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
Did you hear a demand from God to give him 10% of your income? That He wants your money and does not understand how hard it is for you to pay your bills? Yet instead God is pointing us to the promise to provide for us in flood-like ways, that He soooo wants to give us what we need and He is showing us how to accept the offer! IT’S A PROMISE FROM A LOVING, GIVING, SACRIFICING, DOING ALL THAT HE CAN FOR US GOD!!!!!
I challenge you to read the Bible this week looking for the promises of the real God of the Universe, who actually died for us so we can experience true life and crush that warped, ugly, twisted image.
Then WALK INTO HIS ARMS. You will never do anything to make Him happier!!!!
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/ and click on the sermons link.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Can’t Believe How God Hangs With Us!
January 15, 2010
The other day my wife, Sheila, got excited. “Herb, did you see my baby?” she asked. My mind reeled. We’re way too old to have kids and I was pretty certain she was not pregnant. Let alone ready to deliver.
“No… where is it?” I asked tentatively. She pointed to a shelf by the hallway window.
“Look! Isn’t it exciting? It’s growing!” she enthused as she gently touched a tender shoot.
Sheila bought a plant two years ago. An orchid plant. She has nurtured, cultivated, watered, protected, and moved it from window to window. It is a spoiled brat! And it has given her NOTHING. Not one bud, not one bloom, not one aromatic fragrance. Nothing.
“It will only have one bloom a year,” she informed me.
ONE BLOOM! I thought (but did not say out loud), “You’ve got to be kidding! You’ve been caring for this green thing for two years and when it finally blooms it will only give you ONE flower? What a waste of time!” I kept my mouth shut, nodded and smiled. (Hey, I’ve been married a long time!)
“But when it blooms, it will last a long time,” she assured me. Rats, she saw through the smile.
“And when it blooms, it will be BEAUTIFUL!” Sheila continued. Obviously, it is worth it to her. All the time, effort and care put into something with great possibilities but no guarantees.
The “baby” continues to grow; Sheila continues to care for it and wait in anticipation of what is coming.
A lot like US. A lot like GOD.
God looks at us in the same way Sheila looks at the orchid plant. Full of great possibilities but no guarantees. He cares for us, nurtures us, protects us, gives us the best shot at becoming something beautiful. And then He waits. And waits. And waits. And waits some more. Knowing that if we turn to Him, we will bloom into something of incredible beauty.
Can’t believe how FAITHFUL God is with us. I would have given up on the orchid and us long ago. But not God.
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)
Is your life beautiful? Can be. Turn to Him and He guarantees to transform us from a lump of green leaves to a magnificent creation.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
The other day my wife, Sheila, got excited. “Herb, did you see my baby?” she asked. My mind reeled. We’re way too old to have kids and I was pretty certain she was not pregnant. Let alone ready to deliver.
“No… where is it?” I asked tentatively. She pointed to a shelf by the hallway window.
“Look! Isn’t it exciting? It’s growing!” she enthused as she gently touched a tender shoot.
Sheila bought a plant two years ago. An orchid plant. She has nurtured, cultivated, watered, protected, and moved it from window to window. It is a spoiled brat! And it has given her NOTHING. Not one bud, not one bloom, not one aromatic fragrance. Nothing.
“It will only have one bloom a year,” she informed me.
ONE BLOOM! I thought (but did not say out loud), “You’ve got to be kidding! You’ve been caring for this green thing for two years and when it finally blooms it will only give you ONE flower? What a waste of time!” I kept my mouth shut, nodded and smiled. (Hey, I’ve been married a long time!)
“But when it blooms, it will last a long time,” she assured me. Rats, she saw through the smile.
“And when it blooms, it will be BEAUTIFUL!” Sheila continued. Obviously, it is worth it to her. All the time, effort and care put into something with great possibilities but no guarantees.
The “baby” continues to grow; Sheila continues to care for it and wait in anticipation of what is coming.
A lot like US. A lot like GOD.
God looks at us in the same way Sheila looks at the orchid plant. Full of great possibilities but no guarantees. He cares for us, nurtures us, protects us, gives us the best shot at becoming something beautiful. And then He waits. And waits. And waits. And waits some more. Knowing that if we turn to Him, we will bloom into something of incredible beauty.
Can’t believe how FAITHFUL God is with us. I would have given up on the orchid and us long ago. But not God.
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)
Is your life beautiful? Can be. Turn to Him and He guarantees to transform us from a lump of green leaves to a magnificent creation.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Thursday, December 31, 2009
It’s Amazing What a Decade Will Do
December 31, 2009
Exactly 10 years ago we were bracing for the worst as we faced uncertainty resulting from glitches in original computer language. Can you remember the level of insecurity ten years ago? Who should we believe, the “experts” who said the glitches were fixed or those who identified all the possible things that could go wrong? On what should we base our judgment as this was completely new territory? Would planes really drop out of the air, power plants shut down and modern comforts disappear?
Some folks were mega-doomsayers, predicting the end of civilization as we know it. Others were saying there was absolutely nothing at all in any way whatsoever to be concerned about so go about life as normal. Most of us were somewhere in the middle. In fact, our family still has a white “Y2K” cupboard in the basement where we stored some food, water and gas masks (just kidding). After ten years we’re still calling it that. Hey, habits die hard with us!
Turns out about the worst thing that happened was 150 slot machines in Delaware shut down and bus validation machines in Australia failed to operate. Guess we didn’t need all those generators and caches of supplies after all. Oh, well, at least we still have a perfectly good cabinet in our basement with a very cool nickname.
Today we approach the beginning of another new decade and that serious fear is nearly forgotten. Amazing what a decade will do! Amazing what perspective will do. It’s easy to look back, laugh and wonder what the fuss was about. But on December 31, 1999 that perspective was hidden. It’s all in how we look at it.
Though the Y2K threat is history and amusing, the past decade has given us a host of real threats that could cause us to shut ourselves into that Y2K cupboard and never come out. Really. Or we can stick our heads in the sand and pretend that the threats are not really there, that we still live in Mayberry with Andy Griffith and everything will turn out right at the end of the show. Appears to me that neither works very well. Besides, there’s not enough room in the Y2K cupboard anyway.
There is another choice as we step into the new decade. Another perspective. Another way of looking at life. You see, it all depends on what we see is biggest. If the threat of terrorism, worldwide hunger, disease, illness, or economic disaster is the biggest thing in our lives we’ll run for the cupboard. But what if just maybe there is something bigger than it all. Something so big that it dwarfs all threats?
Job came face to face with the Being Who is bigger than all. (Read Job chapters 38-42 to begin the New Year.) After questioning God, God shows up! In the biggest bit of Biblical sarcasm I know, God challenged Job’s perspective, verbally pinning Job to the wall. As you read the account we hear God reveal how big He is and how very, very, very, very small all else is. And that GOD IS ON OUR SIDE WHEN WE CHOOSE HIM, dwarfing all else in our lives.
Job 42:1-2 (NIV) 1Then Job replied to the Lord: 2“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
Job saw differently after that. I’m guessing Y2K and any other threat would never faze him again. My prayer for you is the same. That you will really see God and allow all else to fade.
Happy New Year! Happy New Decade!
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Exactly 10 years ago we were bracing for the worst as we faced uncertainty resulting from glitches in original computer language. Can you remember the level of insecurity ten years ago? Who should we believe, the “experts” who said the glitches were fixed or those who identified all the possible things that could go wrong? On what should we base our judgment as this was completely new territory? Would planes really drop out of the air, power plants shut down and modern comforts disappear?
Some folks were mega-doomsayers, predicting the end of civilization as we know it. Others were saying there was absolutely nothing at all in any way whatsoever to be concerned about so go about life as normal. Most of us were somewhere in the middle. In fact, our family still has a white “Y2K” cupboard in the basement where we stored some food, water and gas masks (just kidding). After ten years we’re still calling it that. Hey, habits die hard with us!
Turns out about the worst thing that happened was 150 slot machines in Delaware shut down and bus validation machines in Australia failed to operate. Guess we didn’t need all those generators and caches of supplies after all. Oh, well, at least we still have a perfectly good cabinet in our basement with a very cool nickname.
Today we approach the beginning of another new decade and that serious fear is nearly forgotten. Amazing what a decade will do! Amazing what perspective will do. It’s easy to look back, laugh and wonder what the fuss was about. But on December 31, 1999 that perspective was hidden. It’s all in how we look at it.
Though the Y2K threat is history and amusing, the past decade has given us a host of real threats that could cause us to shut ourselves into that Y2K cupboard and never come out. Really. Or we can stick our heads in the sand and pretend that the threats are not really there, that we still live in Mayberry with Andy Griffith and everything will turn out right at the end of the show. Appears to me that neither works very well. Besides, there’s not enough room in the Y2K cupboard anyway.
There is another choice as we step into the new decade. Another perspective. Another way of looking at life. You see, it all depends on what we see is biggest. If the threat of terrorism, worldwide hunger, disease, illness, or economic disaster is the biggest thing in our lives we’ll run for the cupboard. But what if just maybe there is something bigger than it all. Something so big that it dwarfs all threats?
Job came face to face with the Being Who is bigger than all. (Read Job chapters 38-42 to begin the New Year.) After questioning God, God shows up! In the biggest bit of Biblical sarcasm I know, God challenged Job’s perspective, verbally pinning Job to the wall. As you read the account we hear God reveal how big He is and how very, very, very, very small all else is. And that GOD IS ON OUR SIDE WHEN WE CHOOSE HIM, dwarfing all else in our lives.
Job 42:1-2 (NIV) 1Then Job replied to the Lord: 2“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
Job saw differently after that. I’m guessing Y2K and any other threat would never faze him again. My prayer for you is the same. That you will really see God and allow all else to fade.
Happy New Year! Happy New Decade!
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
It’s a Long Time Between Promise and Delivery
December 9, 2009
It’s embarrassing. It really is.
Been thinking about the many people in the Bible that were given promises and how long they had to wait for God to deliver on the promise.
Abraham: 25 years between the promise of a child and the (literally) delivery.
Moses: 40 years (at least) herding sheep in the wilderness from calling to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt to actually confronting Pharaoh.
Peter: 3 years of hanging out with Jesus, and a lot of embarrassing statements and actions, until he was fully ready to go fishing for men.
Joseph: 13 years of being a slave after seeing God’s vision of being a ruler until God miraculously moved him from the dungeon to the palace.
Israel: 400 years of silence, not even a peep from a prophet, prior to Jesus being born.
Jesus: had to live in a human body for 30 years after Christmas before going about His purpose.
And we get impatient when God doesn’t deliver in a day!!
I think I’ll go apologize to God and try to get some perspective.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
It’s embarrassing. It really is.
Been thinking about the many people in the Bible that were given promises and how long they had to wait for God to deliver on the promise.
Abraham: 25 years between the promise of a child and the (literally) delivery.
Moses: 40 years (at least) herding sheep in the wilderness from calling to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt to actually confronting Pharaoh.
Peter: 3 years of hanging out with Jesus, and a lot of embarrassing statements and actions, until he was fully ready to go fishing for men.
Joseph: 13 years of being a slave after seeing God’s vision of being a ruler until God miraculously moved him from the dungeon to the palace.
Israel: 400 years of silence, not even a peep from a prophet, prior to Jesus being born.
Jesus: had to live in a human body for 30 years after Christmas before going about His purpose.
And we get impatient when God doesn’t deliver in a day!!
I think I’ll go apologize to God and try to get some perspective.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Thursday, December 03, 2009
What We Can Do for Tiger Woods
December 3, 2009
What do you do when nothing thrills anymore? When you’ve pushed, worked, sacrificed, sweated and finally reached that which you believe will satisfy, and it does… for a while… then it doesn’t?
You conclude that you were mistaken, that what you were expecting to fill the hole inside you was the wrong thing and thus it must be something else. You step back, evaluate (consciously or unconsciously) and aim for the new target. You push, work, sacrifice, sweat and finally reach it. To find that it satisfies… for a while… then it doesn’t.
What do you do now? Take new aim and give it another go. Some people repeat it over and over again their entire lives, always reaching for something different because there is always something else to reach for. Others get tired of chasing a new target and give up by emotionally shutting down, medicating with something that dulls the pain or just end it all.
There are a very select few who run out of targets. They reach all that there is to reach and find that they there is NOTHING else to aim for. What do you do when you still want to pursue what satisfies and THERE ARE NO MORE TARGETS?
We hear about these rare people in the news. We common folk are baffled because we think, “If I had wealth, success, fame, family – all I could ever want and more – I WOULD BE HAPPY!” And we would be stupid to think so.
I don’t know any more about Tiger Woods than you do, probably less. But I’m guessing this has something to do with his recent struggles. What do you do when, at 33 years old, you have everything you’ve been told all your life would make your life meaningful… and it doesn’t? The human soul cannot live with that and will drive a person to do something, sometimes anything, to gain relief.
Many are angry because they would like to have what Tiger has.
Others are hurt that he has plummeted from the pedestal they had him on.
Some are mad at the hurt he has caused to his family and friends.
What would Jesus do if He showed up in visible form at Tiger’s house?
I have a Bible based hunch that He would put His arm around him and say, “I’m your friend, I am here for you and will not walk away. I am not your friend because of your wealth or success. I would be your friend if you were nothing by the world’s standards because you can’t earn or loose my friendship.
Now, what’s really going on? Whatever has happened (and we don’t really know) are symptoms, not the real issue. No matter how stupid your choices have been, we can deal with them. Let’s dig underneath it all to get to the hole in your heart, figure out how to fill it and restore your life and family.”
That’s what Jesus did in the Bible and still does. For Tiger or for you.
Instead of gossiping about Tiger and all the lesser known people we hear about, how about if we pray for them. Let’s put our arms around those that are close to us and help them figure out that the only piece of life’s puzzle that fits into that hole in their hearts is Jesus. If that happens, tragedies turn into the greatest triumphs.
“6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV)
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
What do you do when nothing thrills anymore? When you’ve pushed, worked, sacrificed, sweated and finally reached that which you believe will satisfy, and it does… for a while… then it doesn’t?
You conclude that you were mistaken, that what you were expecting to fill the hole inside you was the wrong thing and thus it must be something else. You step back, evaluate (consciously or unconsciously) and aim for the new target. You push, work, sacrifice, sweat and finally reach it. To find that it satisfies… for a while… then it doesn’t.
What do you do now? Take new aim and give it another go. Some people repeat it over and over again their entire lives, always reaching for something different because there is always something else to reach for. Others get tired of chasing a new target and give up by emotionally shutting down, medicating with something that dulls the pain or just end it all.
There are a very select few who run out of targets. They reach all that there is to reach and find that they there is NOTHING else to aim for. What do you do when you still want to pursue what satisfies and THERE ARE NO MORE TARGETS?
We hear about these rare people in the news. We common folk are baffled because we think, “If I had wealth, success, fame, family – all I could ever want and more – I WOULD BE HAPPY!” And we would be stupid to think so.
I don’t know any more about Tiger Woods than you do, probably less. But I’m guessing this has something to do with his recent struggles. What do you do when, at 33 years old, you have everything you’ve been told all your life would make your life meaningful… and it doesn’t? The human soul cannot live with that and will drive a person to do something, sometimes anything, to gain relief.
Many are angry because they would like to have what Tiger has.
Others are hurt that he has plummeted from the pedestal they had him on.
Some are mad at the hurt he has caused to his family and friends.
What would Jesus do if He showed up in visible form at Tiger’s house?
I have a Bible based hunch that He would put His arm around him and say, “I’m your friend, I am here for you and will not walk away. I am not your friend because of your wealth or success. I would be your friend if you were nothing by the world’s standards because you can’t earn or loose my friendship.
Now, what’s really going on? Whatever has happened (and we don’t really know) are symptoms, not the real issue. No matter how stupid your choices have been, we can deal with them. Let’s dig underneath it all to get to the hole in your heart, figure out how to fill it and restore your life and family.”
That’s what Jesus did in the Bible and still does. For Tiger or for you.
Instead of gossiping about Tiger and all the lesser known people we hear about, how about if we pray for them. Let’s put our arms around those that are close to us and help them figure out that the only piece of life’s puzzle that fits into that hole in their hearts is Jesus. If that happens, tragedies turn into the greatest triumphs.
“6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV)
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Grace That Turns Us into Puddles
December 1, 2009
I am blown away by the way Jesus reached into Peter’s life when he was at his worst. Jesus KNEW that Peter would betray Him, denying Him three times. At the time when Jesus needed His close friend most, Peter turned his back on Jesus in every way. Jesus KNEW Peter would but believed in Peter anyway.
Jesus erased the evidence that could have gotten Peter the death penalty when He replaced the guard’s ear.
Jesus prayed for Peter so he would have the strength to return rather than hang himself as Judas did.
Jesus made eye contact with Peter as the rooster crowed signaling the third denial, reminding Peter that Jesus KNEW it would happen and reminding Peter of Jesus’ instructions: 31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32, NIV)
If Jesus had spoken anything, He risked Peter being taken prisoner as well. Mark Batterson states that Jesus’ was not scolding or saying “I told you so!” Rather Jesus’ look said, “Peter, look at Me. I forgave you before you even denied Me. I just want you to know that I haven’t given up on you. We’re still in this thing together!” (“Wild Goose Chase”, Mark Batterson, p. 108)
Following His resurrection, Jesus specifically restored Peter (John 21:15-19) with unconditional grace. And then the Holy Spirit used Peter and others to turn the world upside-down.
UNCONDITIONAL GRACE.
What is it within us that resists grace?
The undeserved, unearned favored position with God that causes Him to pour out His love, mercy and forgiveness without end. We don’t understand it, we can’t comprehend it, we have a hard time accepting it when it is extended and so we try to earn it. Often we reject or try to alter it because we believe it must somehow cost us something.
We grow up believing that you get what you earn; nothing is free in life; “If it sounds too good to be true it is;” there is a cost for everything and if someone is offering you a free gift you better check around for the catch. That’s true in the human world and works well in school, purchases and jobs. Not so good in relationships.
In relationships most of us have experienced conditional love – that if we want someone’s love there are conditions (act right, give back, live up to it, do what I want, etc.) It’s not that our parents tried to love us conditionally; it’s just what the whole human race understands and lives out.
That’s why it is so hard to catch, believe and embrace God’s grace. We have no point of reference for it. We have no experience that prepares us to accept it.
But when we see it, it takes our breath away. It will turn us into a puddle or make us run. Peter was a puddle; Judas ran. There was nothing short of total rejection that could prevent Peter from experiencing the incredible grace of Jesus. All he had to do was stay in the vicinity with Jesus. And grace washed over him like nothing he had ever known. When he expected Jesus’ rebuke, he got His unconditional grace. Jesus instruction was not how badly Peter blew it but was simply, “Follow me!” (John 21:19).
It’s the same for you.
God’s grace really, really, really is free and better than anything we can imagine. It is too good to be true, yet it IS true. For YOU!
I’m a puddle.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
I am blown away by the way Jesus reached into Peter’s life when he was at his worst. Jesus KNEW that Peter would betray Him, denying Him three times. At the time when Jesus needed His close friend most, Peter turned his back on Jesus in every way. Jesus KNEW Peter would but believed in Peter anyway.
Jesus erased the evidence that could have gotten Peter the death penalty when He replaced the guard’s ear.
Jesus prayed for Peter so he would have the strength to return rather than hang himself as Judas did.
Jesus made eye contact with Peter as the rooster crowed signaling the third denial, reminding Peter that Jesus KNEW it would happen and reminding Peter of Jesus’ instructions: 31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32, NIV)
If Jesus had spoken anything, He risked Peter being taken prisoner as well. Mark Batterson states that Jesus’ was not scolding or saying “I told you so!” Rather Jesus’ look said, “Peter, look at Me. I forgave you before you even denied Me. I just want you to know that I haven’t given up on you. We’re still in this thing together!” (“Wild Goose Chase”, Mark Batterson, p. 108)
Following His resurrection, Jesus specifically restored Peter (John 21:15-19) with unconditional grace. And then the Holy Spirit used Peter and others to turn the world upside-down.
UNCONDITIONAL GRACE.
What is it within us that resists grace?
The undeserved, unearned favored position with God that causes Him to pour out His love, mercy and forgiveness without end. We don’t understand it, we can’t comprehend it, we have a hard time accepting it when it is extended and so we try to earn it. Often we reject or try to alter it because we believe it must somehow cost us something.
We grow up believing that you get what you earn; nothing is free in life; “If it sounds too good to be true it is;” there is a cost for everything and if someone is offering you a free gift you better check around for the catch. That’s true in the human world and works well in school, purchases and jobs. Not so good in relationships.
In relationships most of us have experienced conditional love – that if we want someone’s love there are conditions (act right, give back, live up to it, do what I want, etc.) It’s not that our parents tried to love us conditionally; it’s just what the whole human race understands and lives out.
That’s why it is so hard to catch, believe and embrace God’s grace. We have no point of reference for it. We have no experience that prepares us to accept it.
But when we see it, it takes our breath away. It will turn us into a puddle or make us run. Peter was a puddle; Judas ran. There was nothing short of total rejection that could prevent Peter from experiencing the incredible grace of Jesus. All he had to do was stay in the vicinity with Jesus. And grace washed over him like nothing he had ever known. When he expected Jesus’ rebuke, he got His unconditional grace. Jesus instruction was not how badly Peter blew it but was simply, “Follow me!” (John 21:19).
It’s the same for you.
God’s grace really, really, really is free and better than anything we can imagine. It is too good to be true, yet it IS true. For YOU!
I’m a puddle.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sheep Dung or a Burning Bush
November 17, 2009
Interruptions. A negative image. The phone rings… the email alert goes off… an annoying co-worker plants himself in front of us… the pile of laundry threatens to destroy the home… the alarm clock buzzes… Like a child who insists on attention, “Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, MOMMY” interruptions interrupt often and loud.
There is a different breed of interruption.
A neighbor stops by, interrupting your busy day, “C’mon, let’s go. I’m taking you out for some fun.” Before you can object, the friend continues, “I’ve made arrangements for a babysitter and hired somebody to do your chores. The day is on me.” Would you welcome that kind of interruption? In a HEART BEAT!!!!
Those are God’s kind of interruptions. Really. If we open our lives to embrace them. Sometimes they don’t look like it on the surface, but if we give ourselves to what God has in mind (don’t whine, complain, resist) we will experience satisfaction and adventure.
Moses was in a comfortable routine and I’m guessing he didn’t like interruptions any more than we do. I don’t know when his 401K was due to kick in, but it had to be close with 40 years of service at 80 years of age. Then one day God interrupted, lit a bush on fire that kept glowing like a gas light, spoke to him from the bush, told him to give up his security and fulfill his life’s purpose. Moses balked, threw up objections and finally asked to be excused. To no avail. Reluctantly he went on the adventure of a lifetime – of several lifetimes. Never in his wildest dreams could he have concocted what God delivered.
An interruption.
I wonder how many adventures we miss because we refuse to go see what the burning bush is about. That’s all Moses did. Nothing heroic, he simply saw something that made no sense, “Hmm, that’s new,” and walked to where God was up to something. Interrupted. Could have been too zeroed in on his routine to see it. Or if he saw it, been too busy to leave the sheep. Or if he walked to the bush he could have been so enamored by the phenomenon that he missed hearing God’s voice. Or if he heard God he could have simply walked away.
What do you do when God interrupts? Dodging sheep dung or talking to burning bushes? Your choice.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Interruptions. A negative image. The phone rings… the email alert goes off… an annoying co-worker plants himself in front of us… the pile of laundry threatens to destroy the home… the alarm clock buzzes… Like a child who insists on attention, “Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, MOMMY” interruptions interrupt often and loud.
There is a different breed of interruption.
A neighbor stops by, interrupting your busy day, “C’mon, let’s go. I’m taking you out for some fun.” Before you can object, the friend continues, “I’ve made arrangements for a babysitter and hired somebody to do your chores. The day is on me.” Would you welcome that kind of interruption? In a HEART BEAT!!!!
Those are God’s kind of interruptions. Really. If we open our lives to embrace them. Sometimes they don’t look like it on the surface, but if we give ourselves to what God has in mind (don’t whine, complain, resist) we will experience satisfaction and adventure.
Moses was in a comfortable routine and I’m guessing he didn’t like interruptions any more than we do. I don’t know when his 401K was due to kick in, but it had to be close with 40 years of service at 80 years of age. Then one day God interrupted, lit a bush on fire that kept glowing like a gas light, spoke to him from the bush, told him to give up his security and fulfill his life’s purpose. Moses balked, threw up objections and finally asked to be excused. To no avail. Reluctantly he went on the adventure of a lifetime – of several lifetimes. Never in his wildest dreams could he have concocted what God delivered.
An interruption.
I wonder how many adventures we miss because we refuse to go see what the burning bush is about. That’s all Moses did. Nothing heroic, he simply saw something that made no sense, “Hmm, that’s new,” and walked to where God was up to something. Interrupted. Could have been too zeroed in on his routine to see it. Or if he saw it, been too busy to leave the sheep. Or if he walked to the bush he could have been so enamored by the phenomenon that he missed hearing God’s voice. Or if he heard God he could have simply walked away.
What do you do when God interrupts? Dodging sheep dung or talking to burning bushes? Your choice.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Friday, November 13, 2009
When God Shows Off
November 13, 2009
It is incorrect to say “God shows up.” He is “omnipresent” (theological term that means God is everywhere all the time). God is always around us so it is impossible for Him to “show up.”
But sometimes God SHOWS OFF!
There are times when He makes it unmistakably clear that He is present. And it seems to me that He touches every part of us when He shows us that He is showing up when He shows off.
It’s one thing to know it with our heads. It’s quite another to EXPERIENCE it with all our being. I mean, you can “know” that God is in the room because He told us He is and not feel like it. In fact it can feel like God has stepped out for a divine coffee break just when everything comes unglued.
But there are those wonderful times when God shows off. That He is not only in the room but putting His finger on us. This week I watched God show off in our monthly prayer gathering. We sang. We read scripture. I started to share and something happened. I stopped talking (a VERY good thing to do when God is peeking around the corner ready to show off), and invited people to pray.
God reached out to touch our whole beings. Physically some knelt, some bowed, some raised hands toward Heaven and we all felt physically lighter afterwards. Mentally there was confirmation that this is God. In our spirits the Holy Spirit resonated like a singer who makes drinking glasses ring. Emotionally there were tears and laughter. Relationally we sensed a deeper closeness with one another and a stronger commitment to others in our lives.
God SHOWED OFF.
I felt so honored and privileged to be in the room when He did.
Those times cannot be manufactured or forced, but we can put ourselves in a position to experience them when God decides to show us that He is showing up in tangible ways by showing off.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
It is incorrect to say “God shows up.” He is “omnipresent” (theological term that means God is everywhere all the time). God is always around us so it is impossible for Him to “show up.”
But sometimes God SHOWS OFF!
There are times when He makes it unmistakably clear that He is present. And it seems to me that He touches every part of us when He shows us that He is showing up when He shows off.
It’s one thing to know it with our heads. It’s quite another to EXPERIENCE it with all our being. I mean, you can “know” that God is in the room because He told us He is and not feel like it. In fact it can feel like God has stepped out for a divine coffee break just when everything comes unglued.
But there are those wonderful times when God shows off. That He is not only in the room but putting His finger on us. This week I watched God show off in our monthly prayer gathering. We sang. We read scripture. I started to share and something happened. I stopped talking (a VERY good thing to do when God is peeking around the corner ready to show off), and invited people to pray.
God reached out to touch our whole beings. Physically some knelt, some bowed, some raised hands toward Heaven and we all felt physically lighter afterwards. Mentally there was confirmation that this is God. In our spirits the Holy Spirit resonated like a singer who makes drinking glasses ring. Emotionally there were tears and laughter. Relationally we sensed a deeper closeness with one another and a stronger commitment to others in our lives.
God SHOWED OFF.
I felt so honored and privileged to be in the room when He did.
Those times cannot be manufactured or forced, but we can put ourselves in a position to experience them when God decides to show us that He is showing up in tangible ways by showing off.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Get-To’s or Got-To’s?
November 10, 2009
As the holidays approach, let’s serve a helping of honesty to one another.
Who are the people in your family that you “got-to” visit? C’mon, you know the people that empty you of emotional energy. Like human vacuums they suck the life out of everyone in the family. The initiated play “rock-scissors-paper” in the kitchen to figure out who has to sit close. The newbies soon learn (the hard way) to jockey for position so as not to be the last one in the room one on one, captured. You feel emptied and bored by a “got-to” person.
But…
Who are the people in your family that you “get-to” visit? You know, the people that cause everyone to light up and smile? Like a human IV they pour life into all around them. The family collects close to them. When laughter echoes through the house or someone needs a caring touch he/she seems always to be in the middle of it. You feel more alive and energized by a “get-to” person.
You would travel great distances to be with a “get-to” person and (except that you are a person of character) would avoid a “got-to” person if they lived next door.
When you think of your religious experiences, is it “got-to” or “get-to”? When you think of worship, prayer, Bible reading, serving others or other spiritual experiences, what does you gut say? Do you make excuses to avoid or do sacrifice to experience them?
HERE’S THE DEAL: when we experience Jesus, the real Jesus, (not the plastic imitation that some have confined Him to but the REAL Jesus), He is the #1 “get-to” person ever. Ever. EVER!
Boring was never a word those who physically walked with Jesus would even THINK of. He spoke words that resonated with their souls and they walk away ENERGIZED. He put them in adrenalin spiking experiences and they walked away THRILLED. He stirred them to tears when He healed and they walked away HEALTHY and MOVED. Their jaws dropped when He did His miracle thing and they walked away with HOPE. They bent over in gut wrenching laughter when they tried to picture a camel going through the eye of a needle and they walked away LIGHTER.
Jesus has not changed.
Now, back to one of those holiday servings of honesty. How come so many of us have the knee jerk reaction of “I’ve got-to .. go to church… read the Bible… pray… serving… sharing… learning...” Instead of “I get-to be with Jesus by going to church… reading the Bible… praying… serving… sharing… learning…”
Is it possible we have propped up a plastic Jesus in our lives that bores and empties us instead of truly experiencing the life of the party Jesus that the Bible actually describes?
Problem’s not with Jesus.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
As the holidays approach, let’s serve a helping of honesty to one another.
Who are the people in your family that you “got-to” visit? C’mon, you know the people that empty you of emotional energy. Like human vacuums they suck the life out of everyone in the family. The initiated play “rock-scissors-paper” in the kitchen to figure out who has to sit close. The newbies soon learn (the hard way) to jockey for position so as not to be the last one in the room one on one, captured. You feel emptied and bored by a “got-to” person.
But…
Who are the people in your family that you “get-to” visit? You know, the people that cause everyone to light up and smile? Like a human IV they pour life into all around them. The family collects close to them. When laughter echoes through the house or someone needs a caring touch he/she seems always to be in the middle of it. You feel more alive and energized by a “get-to” person.
You would travel great distances to be with a “get-to” person and (except that you are a person of character) would avoid a “got-to” person if they lived next door.
When you think of your religious experiences, is it “got-to” or “get-to”? When you think of worship, prayer, Bible reading, serving others or other spiritual experiences, what does you gut say? Do you make excuses to avoid or do sacrifice to experience them?
HERE’S THE DEAL: when we experience Jesus, the real Jesus, (not the plastic imitation that some have confined Him to but the REAL Jesus), He is the #1 “get-to” person ever. Ever. EVER!
Boring was never a word those who physically walked with Jesus would even THINK of. He spoke words that resonated with their souls and they walk away ENERGIZED. He put them in adrenalin spiking experiences and they walked away THRILLED. He stirred them to tears when He healed and they walked away HEALTHY and MOVED. Their jaws dropped when He did His miracle thing and they walked away with HOPE. They bent over in gut wrenching laughter when they tried to picture a camel going through the eye of a needle and they walked away LIGHTER.
Jesus has not changed.
Now, back to one of those holiday servings of honesty. How come so many of us have the knee jerk reaction of “I’ve got-to .. go to church… read the Bible… pray… serving… sharing… learning...” Instead of “I get-to be with Jesus by going to church… reading the Bible… praying… serving… sharing… learning…”
Is it possible we have propped up a plastic Jesus in our lives that bores and empties us instead of truly experiencing the life of the party Jesus that the Bible actually describes?
Problem’s not with Jesus.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Friday, November 06, 2009
Fort Hood
November 6, 2009
My heart ached as my friend Steve told me about the tragic news of the Fort Hood shooting yesterday. What a waste! What unimaginable sadness for the families! What a heartrending irony!
I awoke to more details of the appalling attack and the efforts of so many to DO SOMETHING in response. But most of us are too far removed to really do anything about such nightmares.
That’s a big part of why these events hit us so hard. FRUSTRATION because we feel helpless as we hear the ongoing news. FRUSTRATION because it makes us feel vulnerable. FRUSTRATION because things like this are not supposed to happen. FRUSTRATION because we want to do something, anything to help others and relieve what we feel inside.
WE CAN. Problem is that the thing we can do is something that we don’t really think makes a difference or we would not be feeling such deep frustration. We have come to believe it is something you do when you can’t do anything else. Instead we should believe and practice it as THE thing to do first… THE thing that makes a difference… THE thing that makes us powerful no matter the distance.
PRAY.
Be honest, if someone looked at your knee-jerk reactions and all the things you do before you pray, would they conclude that prayer is something you do when you can’t do anything else? Yet, it is THE MOST POWERFUL thing we can do. And should be the first thing we do.
We should pray first because it is POWERFUL. Prayer mysteriously moves the hand of God and transforms us at the same time. It is the one most powerful activity a human being can do.
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has GREAT POWER and produces WONDERFUL RESULTS.” James 5:16 (NLT)
We should pray first because it will LEAD us to what we should do that will make a difference. When we act first we often do things that are not helpful or make matters worse. By praying first our actions can be most effective.
Let’s pray for the victims and families of the shooting at Fort Hood. And for all other circumstances. FIRST.
Let’s be powerful.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
My heart ached as my friend Steve told me about the tragic news of the Fort Hood shooting yesterday. What a waste! What unimaginable sadness for the families! What a heartrending irony!
I awoke to more details of the appalling attack and the efforts of so many to DO SOMETHING in response. But most of us are too far removed to really do anything about such nightmares.
That’s a big part of why these events hit us so hard. FRUSTRATION because we feel helpless as we hear the ongoing news. FRUSTRATION because it makes us feel vulnerable. FRUSTRATION because things like this are not supposed to happen. FRUSTRATION because we want to do something, anything to help others and relieve what we feel inside.
WE CAN. Problem is that the thing we can do is something that we don’t really think makes a difference or we would not be feeling such deep frustration. We have come to believe it is something you do when you can’t do anything else. Instead we should believe and practice it as THE thing to do first… THE thing that makes a difference… THE thing that makes us powerful no matter the distance.
PRAY.
Be honest, if someone looked at your knee-jerk reactions and all the things you do before you pray, would they conclude that prayer is something you do when you can’t do anything else? Yet, it is THE MOST POWERFUL thing we can do. And should be the first thing we do.
We should pray first because it is POWERFUL. Prayer mysteriously moves the hand of God and transforms us at the same time. It is the one most powerful activity a human being can do.
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has GREAT POWER and produces WONDERFUL RESULTS.” James 5:16 (NLT)
We should pray first because it will LEAD us to what we should do that will make a difference. When we act first we often do things that are not helpful or make matters worse. By praying first our actions can be most effective.
Let’s pray for the victims and families of the shooting at Fort Hood. And for all other circumstances. FIRST.
Let’s be powerful.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Walking to Your Own Funeral
November 5, 2009
Imagine you get the dreaded phone call – your son/brother has been killed in an auto accident. Grief overwhelms you. Relatives go to the morgue to identify the body, glance, turn away, horrified at the brutal injuries.
The next day you stand in front of the casket, tears streaming down your face, thinking, “What a waste! We didn’t even get to say good-bye.” As you mourn, looking at the body, arm in arm with your closest loved ones, you look up toward the door to spot a man walking purposefully toward you. You blink, look at the body, look at the man, look at the corpse, look at the man, look at the dead, look at your son/brother walking toward you!
Your mind struggles to comprehend, “How does a person WALK to his own funeral? Is there a twin you didn’t know about? Is there a clone?”
Flip the story.
Imagine you are driving your truck home from another part of the country. You decide to stop, visit and spend the night with friends. You’re an adult; you don’t bother to call because no one is expecting you home. You get home a day late to discover that your family is at the funeral home. “For who?” you ask. “For you!” Realizing there has been a terrible mistake and your family is distraught (at least you hope), you hurriedly WALK TO YOUR OWN FUNERAL!
“Dead man walking.” True story about 59 year old Ademir Jorge Goncalves, a bricklayer from Brazil.
You don’t have to go to a funeral home to see dead people. They are walking all around us every day. Maybe you are one of them. Hearts are beating, lungs are drawing air several times a minute but they are walking around dead. They go through the motions but have lost purpose, joy, meaning, fulfillment, LIFE! Sometimes they are hard to spot because there are so many of them around. Other times you can see the glazed look and apathy. Maybe you see it when you brush your teeth. The walking dead settle for things that temporarily provide pleasure and then return to living graves.
Jesus said, "I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." John 10:10 (The Message)
Don’t walk to your own funeral. Choose life. Real life. More and better life than you’ve ever dreamed.
Choose Jesus. Not once, but every day. Discover LIFE.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up at on the right info bar or go to: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Imagine you get the dreaded phone call – your son/brother has been killed in an auto accident. Grief overwhelms you. Relatives go to the morgue to identify the body, glance, turn away, horrified at the brutal injuries.
The next day you stand in front of the casket, tears streaming down your face, thinking, “What a waste! We didn’t even get to say good-bye.” As you mourn, looking at the body, arm in arm with your closest loved ones, you look up toward the door to spot a man walking purposefully toward you. You blink, look at the body, look at the man, look at the corpse, look at the man, look at the dead, look at your son/brother walking toward you!
Your mind struggles to comprehend, “How does a person WALK to his own funeral? Is there a twin you didn’t know about? Is there a clone?”
Flip the story.
Imagine you are driving your truck home from another part of the country. You decide to stop, visit and spend the night with friends. You’re an adult; you don’t bother to call because no one is expecting you home. You get home a day late to discover that your family is at the funeral home. “For who?” you ask. “For you!” Realizing there has been a terrible mistake and your family is distraught (at least you hope), you hurriedly WALK TO YOUR OWN FUNERAL!
“Dead man walking.” True story about 59 year old Ademir Jorge Goncalves, a bricklayer from Brazil.
You don’t have to go to a funeral home to see dead people. They are walking all around us every day. Maybe you are one of them. Hearts are beating, lungs are drawing air several times a minute but they are walking around dead. They go through the motions but have lost purpose, joy, meaning, fulfillment, LIFE! Sometimes they are hard to spot because there are so many of them around. Other times you can see the glazed look and apathy. Maybe you see it when you brush your teeth. The walking dead settle for things that temporarily provide pleasure and then return to living graves.
Jesus said, "I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." John 10:10 (The Message)
Don’t walk to your own funeral. Choose life. Real life. More and better life than you’ve ever dreamed.
Choose Jesus. Not once, but every day. Discover LIFE.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up at on the right info bar or go to: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
GRACE
November 4, 2009
GRACE
He was probably fulfilling a life-long dream, riding shotgun with his friend in a fighter jet! As the plane rolled, he grabbed for something to brace himself. Turns out he did more than brace himself – he fulfilled a nightmare. Instead of the side of the seat he accidently grabbed the eject lever. In a nanosecond he was shot through the canopy 300 feet into the air by his rocket powered seat.
Now, what would you be thinking at that moment? Unless you were very familiar with jets, I believe you would be thinking, “I’m a dead man! I’m in the air on a SEAT with no wings or landing gear!”
After his ascension peaked, a parachute automatically deployed, gently lowering him to earth. Experts say he was lucky to escape unharmed, that if his posture had been slightly different at ejection he could have sustained severe spinal cord injuries or death.
GRACE
How many times in life do we grab what we think will help us, provide security, buffer life’s jarring maneuvers only to find ourselves falling? How many times do we discover too late that the things that promise stability actually send us into helplessness? It’s not that we are trying to get into trouble; it’s just that we have not yet learned what we should be grabbing on to.
God shakes His head, smiles at our confusion, and provides a parachute to get us back to reality safely. There’s still a pretty jolt when we hit the ground, but we realize we survived that which we had no business surviving. Left to ourselves we should be walking away with serious injuries or worse. And He asks, “Now, what have we learned here?”
GRACE
The undeserved, unearned, unwarranted, unmerited, unjustified favored position with God.
What will you do with God’s grace today?
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
GRACE
He was probably fulfilling a life-long dream, riding shotgun with his friend in a fighter jet! As the plane rolled, he grabbed for something to brace himself. Turns out he did more than brace himself – he fulfilled a nightmare. Instead of the side of the seat he accidently grabbed the eject lever. In a nanosecond he was shot through the canopy 300 feet into the air by his rocket powered seat.
Now, what would you be thinking at that moment? Unless you were very familiar with jets, I believe you would be thinking, “I’m a dead man! I’m in the air on a SEAT with no wings or landing gear!”
After his ascension peaked, a parachute automatically deployed, gently lowering him to earth. Experts say he was lucky to escape unharmed, that if his posture had been slightly different at ejection he could have sustained severe spinal cord injuries or death.
GRACE
How many times in life do we grab what we think will help us, provide security, buffer life’s jarring maneuvers only to find ourselves falling? How many times do we discover too late that the things that promise stability actually send us into helplessness? It’s not that we are trying to get into trouble; it’s just that we have not yet learned what we should be grabbing on to.
God shakes His head, smiles at our confusion, and provides a parachute to get us back to reality safely. There’s still a pretty jolt when we hit the ground, but we realize we survived that which we had no business surviving. Left to ourselves we should be walking away with serious injuries or worse. And He asks, “Now, what have we learned here?”
GRACE
The undeserved, unearned, unwarranted, unmerited, unjustified favored position with God.
What will you do with God’s grace today?
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Sometimes God just doesn’t make sense
November 3, 2009
I’ve heard religious people attempt to refute this, but their reasoning clunks to the floor of the laboratory of life in pieces.
There simply are times when God does not make sense.
Tell me this thought has not occurred to you! Name the situation, the baffling circumstances, the challenging intellectual argument, the scientific deduction, the inexplicable relationship issue. I don’t care what anyone says; sometimes God does not make sense.
What are we to do with that? Let’s think for a second.
Are there things that make sense to you as an adult that did not when you were a child? Sure.
Are there ideas that have cleared up after you got more information? Yes.
Are situations that make sense in hindsight that were baffling when you were in them? Of course.
Even Garth Brooks sings “Thank God for unanswered prayers.”
Here’s the deal: there are some things that make no sense while we’re in them because we are not yet capable of understanding them at the time but make sense in looking back. Because God is timeless He can see the future but it would fry our circuits if He tried to explain.
A second line of thinking… Are there things that make all the sense in the world to you but others cannot grasp? And are there things that you cannot “get” that others seem to understand without trouble? Ever had a conversation with a rocket scientist? My eyes glaze over after about 30 seconds. Yet when I talk about relationships with them, it appears I am talking about, well… rocket science.
Here’s the deal: there are some things that make no sense to us because we don’t have the education and capacity to understand. Same with God – while we’re in the middle of stuff, it is not that He is incapable of explaining them. We are incapable of comprehending if He did.
BACK TO GOD: Would you really want a God who would make sense all the time. Think about this because it is a trick question. On the surface, we would say “Yes! Absolutely!” However, that would mean …
Our God would not be able to see the future nor would His knowledge be greater than ours.
We could be our own God because He would be our size, no greater than us.
God would not love us any better than our ability to love. (Uh-oh!)
God would not have any greater mercy and grace for us than we have for ourselves or others.
Seems to me that the fact that God sometimes does not make sense, that sometimes we cannot understand Him is actually A GOOD THING.
What do you think?
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
I’ve heard religious people attempt to refute this, but their reasoning clunks to the floor of the laboratory of life in pieces.
There simply are times when God does not make sense.
Tell me this thought has not occurred to you! Name the situation, the baffling circumstances, the challenging intellectual argument, the scientific deduction, the inexplicable relationship issue. I don’t care what anyone says; sometimes God does not make sense.
What are we to do with that? Let’s think for a second.
Are there things that make sense to you as an adult that did not when you were a child? Sure.
Are there ideas that have cleared up after you got more information? Yes.
Are situations that make sense in hindsight that were baffling when you were in them? Of course.
Even Garth Brooks sings “Thank God for unanswered prayers.”
Here’s the deal: there are some things that make no sense while we’re in them because we are not yet capable of understanding them at the time but make sense in looking back. Because God is timeless He can see the future but it would fry our circuits if He tried to explain.
A second line of thinking… Are there things that make all the sense in the world to you but others cannot grasp? And are there things that you cannot “get” that others seem to understand without trouble? Ever had a conversation with a rocket scientist? My eyes glaze over after about 30 seconds. Yet when I talk about relationships with them, it appears I am talking about, well… rocket science.
Here’s the deal: there are some things that make no sense to us because we don’t have the education and capacity to understand. Same with God – while we’re in the middle of stuff, it is not that He is incapable of explaining them. We are incapable of comprehending if He did.
BACK TO GOD: Would you really want a God who would make sense all the time. Think about this because it is a trick question. On the surface, we would say “Yes! Absolutely!” However, that would mean …
Our God would not be able to see the future nor would His knowledge be greater than ours.
We could be our own God because He would be our size, no greater than us.
God would not love us any better than our ability to love. (Uh-oh!)
God would not have any greater mercy and grace for us than we have for ourselves or others.
Seems to me that the fact that God sometimes does not make sense, that sometimes we cannot understand Him is actually A GOOD THING.
What do you think?
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Balloon Boy
October 31, 2009
It ticks us off when we get fooled.
It REALLY ticks us off when someone touches our hearts, gets us to pull for them and THEN fools us.
It REALLY, REALLY ticks us off when someone touches our hearts, gets us to pull for them, fools us and THEN we find out they did it for their own selfish intentions.
That’s what ticks us off at the balloon boy’s family. Thousands of people across the country were pulling and praying for this young fellow and his family, thinking he was frightened to his toes and in danger of losing his life. Then we discover that it was all a sham to get publicity and probably money for his parents. “How low can you get?” was a question being asked.
Sad. What must be going on in their hearts to go to all that trouble, risking everything for a moment of fame that would lead to money?
Same thing that goes on in our hearts. Okay, maybe we don’t send up a balloon claiming our kid is soaring into local flight patterns, but how many things do we do to get what we want at the expense of others? There’s a hole in our hearts we try to fill and we’re blind to it. You and I may never get the United States Air Force in our efforts, but it really is the same issue.
What are you doing to fill the hole in your heart?
Try this from Jesus: Gospel of John chapter 10, verse 10. (The Message) 10A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
And check with someone you trust before you launch the balloon.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
It ticks us off when we get fooled.
It REALLY ticks us off when someone touches our hearts, gets us to pull for them and THEN fools us.
It REALLY, REALLY ticks us off when someone touches our hearts, gets us to pull for them, fools us and THEN we find out they did it for their own selfish intentions.
That’s what ticks us off at the balloon boy’s family. Thousands of people across the country were pulling and praying for this young fellow and his family, thinking he was frightened to his toes and in danger of losing his life. Then we discover that it was all a sham to get publicity and probably money for his parents. “How low can you get?” was a question being asked.
Sad. What must be going on in their hearts to go to all that trouble, risking everything for a moment of fame that would lead to money?
Same thing that goes on in our hearts. Okay, maybe we don’t send up a balloon claiming our kid is soaring into local flight patterns, but how many things do we do to get what we want at the expense of others? There’s a hole in our hearts we try to fill and we’re blind to it. You and I may never get the United States Air Force in our efforts, but it really is the same issue.
What are you doing to fill the hole in your heart?
Try this from Jesus: Gospel of John chapter 10, verse 10. (The Message) 10A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
And check with someone you trust before you launch the balloon.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Just because it's hard or painful doesn’t mean it's bad
October 29, 2009
Our generation has a problem. Well, okay, we’ve got more than one, but a problem that seems to get us into emotional knots is that we have adopted a couple of incorrect life formulae. The first one: pain = bad. The second is not as blatant, yet can be even more detrimental to balanced living is this: hard (as in difficult) = bad. One of the worst parts of that formula is that it lies underneath the surface, unspoken yet driving our lives.
“Wait a minute, Herb,” you might say. “I’m okay with some things being hard.” You’re right. We’re okay with it when we can choose what is hard such as athletics or education. But when we don’t get to choose – relationships, physical heath, financial struggles, (name yours), we default, consciously or unconsciously, to the formula: hard and painful = bad. We want to choose the times when life is and is not hard or painful; we want to be in control. But life (grrrr) somehow doesn’t give us those choices.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Part of the problem is that we have defined “good” as easy, comfortable, pleasurable… what we naturally like. What is your gut response to this scripture?
James 1:17 (NIV) 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Here’s my guess: when you read “good and perfect gift” your kneejerk reaction was “a raise, a promotion, a nicer house, a better car, kids’ success, health…” Am I close? I’m betting no one said, “pain, difficult times, hard things.” Am I right?
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
This week we’ve seen that one of the loving processes of Jesus is to disorient us to reorient us to truth (thanks Mark Batterson for that phrase!). Disorientation, without exception, means some kind of pain – emotional, physical, social, financial, circumstantial or otherwise. It also means it is hard.
Since God gives good and perfect gifts AND He sends us through painful and hard things, the conclusion we have to draw is that pain and hard times are sometimes His gift for our ultimate, greater good even though they cause temporary angst.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Have you noticed that a child who is exhausted, in desperate need of sleep, will often fight to stay awake? She cries, fusses, fights being held or rocked while we adults shake our head in wonder. “Man, I’d like to take a nap!” we muse. Why doesn’t she give in to this wonderful gift of rest? Because she doesn’t realize by trusting the “big people” to go where she doesn’t want to go and do what she doesn’t want to do she can experience something very good. Much better than how she is feeling now.
We are often like that child when we pain or hard things come. We fight against the very thing we need most, pushing against or pulling away, thinking it is bad. We don’t realize that by trusting the “big Person” to go through what we don’t want we can experience something so much better. We must give in to the journey that Jesus has us on even when it feels bad, TRUSTING Him in the middle of the pain and hard things.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
I have a hunch (no Biblical proof), that the storm Jesus and his disciples ran into (Gospel of Mark, chapter four) was Satan trying to keep Jesus away from His destination because even the devil could see the indications of all the good Jesus was going to do there. If Jesus had allowed the painful circumstances or the hard things happening to deter or distract, the good on the other side of the storm would have been lost.
Don’t let pain or hard things deter or distract from the good God wants to do in your life. Ride out the waves, endure the high winds, trust the One Who controls it all because…
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Our generation has a problem. Well, okay, we’ve got more than one, but a problem that seems to get us into emotional knots is that we have adopted a couple of incorrect life formulae. The first one: pain = bad. The second is not as blatant, yet can be even more detrimental to balanced living is this: hard (as in difficult) = bad. One of the worst parts of that formula is that it lies underneath the surface, unspoken yet driving our lives.
“Wait a minute, Herb,” you might say. “I’m okay with some things being hard.” You’re right. We’re okay with it when we can choose what is hard such as athletics or education. But when we don’t get to choose – relationships, physical heath, financial struggles, (name yours), we default, consciously or unconsciously, to the formula: hard and painful = bad. We want to choose the times when life is and is not hard or painful; we want to be in control. But life (grrrr) somehow doesn’t give us those choices.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Part of the problem is that we have defined “good” as easy, comfortable, pleasurable… what we naturally like. What is your gut response to this scripture?
James 1:17 (NIV) 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Here’s my guess: when you read “good and perfect gift” your kneejerk reaction was “a raise, a promotion, a nicer house, a better car, kids’ success, health…” Am I close? I’m betting no one said, “pain, difficult times, hard things.” Am I right?
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
This week we’ve seen that one of the loving processes of Jesus is to disorient us to reorient us to truth (thanks Mark Batterson for that phrase!). Disorientation, without exception, means some kind of pain – emotional, physical, social, financial, circumstantial or otherwise. It also means it is hard.
Since God gives good and perfect gifts AND He sends us through painful and hard things, the conclusion we have to draw is that pain and hard times are sometimes His gift for our ultimate, greater good even though they cause temporary angst.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Have you noticed that a child who is exhausted, in desperate need of sleep, will often fight to stay awake? She cries, fusses, fights being held or rocked while we adults shake our head in wonder. “Man, I’d like to take a nap!” we muse. Why doesn’t she give in to this wonderful gift of rest? Because she doesn’t realize by trusting the “big people” to go where she doesn’t want to go and do what she doesn’t want to do she can experience something very good. Much better than how she is feeling now.
We are often like that child when we pain or hard things come. We fight against the very thing we need most, pushing against or pulling away, thinking it is bad. We don’t realize that by trusting the “big Person” to go through what we don’t want we can experience something so much better. We must give in to the journey that Jesus has us on even when it feels bad, TRUSTING Him in the middle of the pain and hard things.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
I have a hunch (no Biblical proof), that the storm Jesus and his disciples ran into (Gospel of Mark, chapter four) was Satan trying to keep Jesus away from His destination because even the devil could see the indications of all the good Jesus was going to do there. If Jesus had allowed the painful circumstances or the hard things happening to deter or distract, the good on the other side of the storm would have been lost.
Don’t let pain or hard things deter or distract from the good God wants to do in your life. Ride out the waves, endure the high winds, trust the One Who controls it all because…
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Process
October 28, 2009
I love the scene in the movie “Evan Almighty” when Evan’s wife, Joan, and kids are sitting in a restaurant distraught and disoriented after leaving Evan because they believe he is certifiably crazy. The kids go to the bathroom and “God” (looking an awful lot like Morgan Freeman) shows up asking Joan what is wrong. God shocks her by observing that her crisis looks like an opportunity to him. As Joan sits stunned, he continues to ask how she thinks God answers prayer.
"If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If they pray for courage, does God give them courage or does He give them the opportunity to be courageous? If someone prayed for their family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings? Or does He give them opportunities to love each other?"
— Morgan Freeman in Evan Almighty
I’ve noticed that is EXACTLY what God does.
PROCESS. Disorientation to Reorientation. From where we are to where God wants us to be. Painful and thrilling. Frustrating and fulfilling.
When God wants to do something in our lives He takes us through a process rather than zap us. He starts with circumstances that are opposite of what we want, seemingly ignoring or abandoning us. Though we feel that way, it is NOT TRUE! In those moments God is closer than we can imagine, rooting us on to exercise our spiritual muscles to seize the opportunity to experience what we really want. Those feelings are intended to disorient us so that we are open to His reorientation.
Joan Baxter, Evan’s wife, was floored by this truth. Then she pulled herself together and went back to seize the opportunity God presented to experience what she prayed for. (Okay, it is a movie but is exactly what God does!). God is doing the same thing in YOUR LIFE. What will you do?
What are you praying for? What are the opportunities to experience it that God is offering that look like crises? I challenge you to get up and seize the opportunity TODAY!
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
I love the scene in the movie “Evan Almighty” when Evan’s wife, Joan, and kids are sitting in a restaurant distraught and disoriented after leaving Evan because they believe he is certifiably crazy. The kids go to the bathroom and “God” (looking an awful lot like Morgan Freeman) shows up asking Joan what is wrong. God shocks her by observing that her crisis looks like an opportunity to him. As Joan sits stunned, he continues to ask how she thinks God answers prayer.
"If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If they pray for courage, does God give them courage or does He give them the opportunity to be courageous? If someone prayed for their family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings? Or does He give them opportunities to love each other?"
— Morgan Freeman in Evan Almighty
I’ve noticed that is EXACTLY what God does.
PROCESS. Disorientation to Reorientation. From where we are to where God wants us to be. Painful and thrilling. Frustrating and fulfilling.
When God wants to do something in our lives He takes us through a process rather than zap us. He starts with circumstances that are opposite of what we want, seemingly ignoring or abandoning us. Though we feel that way, it is NOT TRUE! In those moments God is closer than we can imagine, rooting us on to exercise our spiritual muscles to seize the opportunity to experience what we really want. Those feelings are intended to disorient us so that we are open to His reorientation.
Joan Baxter, Evan’s wife, was floored by this truth. Then she pulled herself together and went back to seize the opportunity God presented to experience what she prayed for. (Okay, it is a movie but is exactly what God does!). God is doing the same thing in YOUR LIFE. What will you do?
What are you praying for? What are the opportunities to experience it that God is offering that look like crises? I challenge you to get up and seize the opportunity TODAY!
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
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