child of God

Chaos, confusion, control, conflict, and peace!

2020 has been a year unlike any other for those of us alive today. Seems like an understatement, right?

I have spoken to people in their 90s who say the same… The world is in chaos, economies are collapsing, businesses are closing, there are peaceful protests, armed conflicts, destructive riots, shootings, bombings, a global pandemic, and fear mongering.

Government officials at all levels are trying to exercise control over individuals in ways our forefathers revolted against…and just wait until the American people have to pay back, through higher taxes, all the money our government has borrowed in order to pay out all those stimulus packages.

Borders have been closed, travel has been halted, states and cities are quarantining people who travel to and from hot spots, even when their spot is hotter than the ones they are so worried about…hello, Chicago??? In the meantime, here in the good old U S of A, you’ll get COVID at church, at school, a small business, a fitness center, or a restuarant; but not at a protest rally, Walmart, Menards (where I work), or a political rally. Go figure!

It all makes us wonder…is God still alive? Does God even care? Can we have peace, when the world has gone crazy?

YES, YES, and YES!!! The answers are YES!

YES, God is still alive! YES, God does still care! YES, we can have peace!

Jesus may have died on the cross and remained in the grave for 3 days two thousand years ago, but He was resurrected and He is still alive today at the Right Hand of the Father. He is still intervening on our behalf moment by moment. The Father is still offering forgiveness for all our imperfections through our faith in His Perfect Son. His Son is still bestowing Holy Spirit upon us believers to be our Indwelling Comforter and Teacher. The Church is still on Earth and in heaven to act as Christ’s Body and Bride. However, we need unity now, more than ever!

Only God can heal this world, only Jesus can unify our divided spirit, only Holy Spirit will convict us and call us to turn from our selfish desires and grow the Fruit of the Spirit within us. Do you want love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to abound in the world? Let His Fruit grow in you, plant His Fruit in others, nurture His Fruit and watch it grow around the world!

In spite of the insanity in our world today, we can have peace… So, may the peace of God rest upon you. May the blessings of God live in you. And, may the love of God abound all around you.

What It Means to Be the Church: Churches Filling Needs as Lock-Down Continues

https://churchleaders.com/news/372794-be-the-church-filling-needs-lock-down.html

This is what the body of Christ should be doing…

Not closing our doors for public safety, but engaging the sick, hurting, and afraid with the love of Christ and meeting needs, just as our Lord and his disciples have always done!

You Cannot Serve Both God and Theology

Excellent and balanced article. Knowing God better and loving him more. So often, knowledge gets stuck in our heads but never travels to our hearts.

I have known people that could quote chapter and verse, talk about relationship, prayer, and grace; and yet miss the heart of God… Then, others who couldn’t even quote John 3:16, yet had a more profound faith and understanding of mercy, grace, forgiveness and love, than one with a PhD in Theology.

God promised to write his Word on our hearts, not just on the pages we can read.

https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/247944-cannot-serve-god-theology.html

Promises

As I have been reading through the Bible again this year, and teaching in our home church’s children’s ministry; today it hit once again,

Punishment and blessing, everything God promises comes true! He is faithful to keep his Word!!!

I am reading through Leviticus and today, we studied Obadiah… All the blessings and punishments God promised Israel in Leviticus, played out later in the story of Scripture.

God said it, and he kept his Word a thousand years later… he has made promises of both blessings and punishments for us today as well. We can choose to obey and be forgiven and blessed for eternity, or choose to deny him and be punished for eternity. The consequences of both are clear.

On this day, which will you choose? God will always keep his promises.

The Dominion of Drunkenness

For all my Christian brothers and sisters in recovery…and, all those who might need to be!

https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/371061-the-dominion-of-drunkenness.html

Rhett & Link, YouTubers Popular With Youth, Deconstruct Their Faith

Extremely sad, these men had such a shallow idea of faith and worse, that they could drag so many down with them…

https://churchleaders.com/youth/youth-leaders-articles/371115-rhett-link-youtubers-ear-biscuits-popular-with-youth-deconstruct-their-faith.html

Managing Mistakes

This is from a devotional email I receive from the ministry, Christians In Commerce. christiansincommerce.org

It illustrates a great point!

Managing Mistakes

By Joe Cramer

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9

It’s easy for mistakes to be made. In today’s business world, it may seem common practice to hide your mistakes, or even blame someone or something else. The way we handle mistakes can set us apart as Christians and allow us to lead by example.

In my early years as an advisor, I would learn by watching my mentor (who I no longer work with). Whenever a mistake was made, he always found a way to spin the truth to protect his credibility and maintain the perception that he was an expert and a trustworthy advisor.

It‘s important to do our work with excellence and try our best to avoid mistakes – but mistakes do happen. Everyone makes mistakes, but it takes a certain kind of humility and integrity to honestly admit to them. My clients have respected and appreciated when I was honest about a mistake, and this has created more trust in turn.

By admitting to our mistakes with integrity and turning a negative situation into an opportunity to better serve those around you with excellence, we can continue to set good examples of what it means to be Christ in the workplace.

On a recent trip, my luggage was lost on a direct flight to Chicago. The baggage claim attendant, Sonja, apologized (even though it wasn’t her fault), updated me every 15 minutes, and promised me she would find my luggage and deliver it to me. An hour after I left the airport, she found my luggage and told me she would have someone (a nice guy named Herb) drive it to me in South Bend, two hours away. The world needs more people like Sonja and Herb, working with excellence and going the extra mile to take care of people in the marketplace.

CHALLENGE: What holds you back from being honest about your mistakes?

The 10 Stubborn People Nobody Can Help

Unless they have a true and transformative spiritual shift that helps them overcome this ingrained tendency…

https://churchleaders.com/outreach-missions/outreach-missions-articles/174489-people-nobody-can-help.html