by christi | Apr 3, 2019 | Newsletter
Take a look at your hand. Your hand, like everything, came from somewhere. Your body and who you are on the inside, also came from somewhere. Have you ever wondered where YOU came from? What things took place in order for an advanced human life like yourself to exist.
I was looking at my hand recently and was thinking about all the other hands that came before mine. All the hands of my ancestors were unique in how they looked and the work they performed. I was thinking about how my family tree is small at the end and gets exponentially huge as it goes back in time and then gets small again as it proceeds to the first people from which we all are descended. But, where did they come from. From whose hand did they originate?
Some say creation took a literal six days. Others say it took millions of years. The time it took is not the miracle of creation. The design, from the laws that govern the universe, to the life that dominates our planet, to the souls that are housed in our amazing bodies, that’s the miracle of creation. Everywhere we look, we see miracles. The tragedy is that we take so much of it for granted.
We don’t realize how incredibly unique the earth and everything it contains is. If we did, we would be keenly aware of the purpose of it all. Maybe we would realize that we are the purpose. To an outsider, it would be obvious. Humans are at the pinnacle of it all. It seems that everything was created to serve us. Yet, we even take our own lives for granted. We don’t recognize the importance of our existence. We live as if we have no purpose.
The scripture says that all things were created by Him (Jesus) and that He came to His own people and His own people rejected Him. What a shame. The hands of the creator which are now scarred from the death that belonged to us are open. Will you accept His invitation to the real life you were created for?
by christi | Mar 27, 2019 | Newsletter
Jesus didn’t talk about it much at all. When he did talk about sex, it was in relation to marriage and adultery. I’ve always wondered why the gospels are so silent about something that the whole world seems so preoccupied with. Sex was created by God to be a beautiful and intimate way in which married couples share their love for each other. As the only form of procreation, the whole human race depends on it for survival. But as in all things good and pure, the enemy has twisted it and distorted it and now presents his version to us in order to hurt and destroy people.
If you think that sinful sexual behavior is bad today, it was even worse in Jesus day. The Apostle Paul addressed this out of control sinful behavior in the first chapter of Romans and he wasn’t the only one. There were many writers and historians who described the depravity of those times as being the worst the world had ever seen. Some now, say that it was the worst in human history.
So, why did Jesus not preach sermons dedicated to singling out this sin? I think there are very definite reasons why. And, while Jesus did not expound on the subject, I think we can learn a lot from what He didn’t say and how He treated those who were engaged in this particular sin.
The person who asked me to talk about sex was sincerely curious about how God views it and how those who are engaged in sin can get help. Most of us have committed sexual sin and many of us are still in bondage to it and the guilt and shame that comes along with it. But, there is forgiveness, freedom and healing that awaits all of us who desperately need God’s help. I can’t wait to share this message with you!
by christi | Mar 20, 2019 | Newsletter
I don’t guess I’ve thought about this much at all over the decades since I became a believer. I was a little surprised when I first read this suggestion by one of you that I talk about what constitutes sin. “How do I know if what I’m doing is sinful?” But, that’s a great question! Many times, I do something or say something which at the time seems either harmless or innocent or justified only to examine my motivations later and find that whatever that thing was, it was in fact sinful. Of course, it doesn’t always happen that way. Some people are at this moment, in turmoil because they don’t know whether the lifestyle they are currently engaged in is pleasing or distasteful to God.
If you find yourself examining your own life in this way, I think it is probably a good thing. You are asking whether you should make a change that will please God. Many of us are so caught up in making our lives fit what we want, that we fail to even ask what God might want. What a shame, because what he wants for us is so much better than what we want. We miss out on the best by pursuing something that we think is good. Someone said, “Good is the enemy of best”. There is a lot of truth in that.
Sometimes, when I’m praying, I’m asking God to do a certain thing and my thoughts are suddenly redirected as if I’m not doing the thinking anymore but God is doing my thinking for me. I’ll be asking for one thing and suddenly in my mind, I see God doing something else. Then I have the small revelation that my motives were wrong. I was asking God to do something that I had a desire for and I include something in it for Him. It’s like me asking you to make me a sandwich and saying, “while you’re at it, make one for yourself too”. Our motives are what’s important to God. People see you from the outside but God looks at your heart. He sees what’s at the root. What is at the root of your motivation?
by christi | Mar 13, 2019 | Newsletter
Where do you find your peace? Maybe I should ask where you find your security. Is it in your bank account, investments, family or is it in God? The answer honestly is probably that you find security and peace in all those places. We make bold statements through the songs we sing and the messages we bring on Sunday mornings like, “My hope is in Christ alone.” But in most cases, the truth is, we are torn between finding our sense of worth, our security, and peace in this world and finding it in our Lord. The more we have of the worlds things and its peace, the harder it is to find the greater things and greater peace that Christ offers.
It’s when we find ourselves suddenly thrust into the pain of loss or failure or some other calamity that we suddenly realize that our hope really is in Christ alone. I pray often, not for what I deserve, but for God’s mercy. “Please be merciful to me Lord, I know I need You more than I realize. Help me to stay focused on You”. I’ve had some experiences with calamity and I don’t want my faith, hope, trust, and peace in God to be limited to only one avenue, mainly some type of upheaval or disruption of life that brings me crashing to my knees. I’d much rather voluntarily fall to my knees and ask God to reveal my need for Him. He is so faithful. He loves us so much that uses His shepherd’s staff to pull us back into line when we lose sight of Him. But if we follow closely and keep our eyes on Him, He is merciful.
I’m not saying you won’t have any trouble if you keep your eyes on Jesus. I’m saying that you won’t have to endure the correction of God in addition to the trouble life brings. And His grace will always be sufficient for the trouble life brings. If you practice this kind of fidelity to God when skies are clear, you will have peace when the storms rage.
A new and different type of peace will be our topic this week. You may be surprised at what the beautiful New Covenant offers us if are willing to make a change.
by christi | Feb 20, 2019 | Newsletter
I’ve been in jail many times. I spent a year and a half doing jail ministry in the early 90s. I went in every Sunday afternoon and sang, spoke and prayed for the inmates. Jesus said that if we visit those in prison, we are visiting Him. God cares about people who are imprisoned, constrained, bound, locked up, confined or enslaved by any number of restraints.
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. There are many of us who are enslaved by things that no one can see from the outside. We are restricted to a way of life that controls us. God is not in control of our lives. We are not even in control. The enemy is controlling us. He’s leading us by our desires and our weaknesses. But there is a rescuer!
We all know Jesus as our Savior, but do you know that His nature is to save? He will save you from hell but He will also save you from the circumstance, habit, weakness or relentless thought that keeps you cuffed to your sins.
Paul and Silas were in prison, singing and praising God at midnight when God shook the place and the doors opened and their chains fell off. You may feel as if you are in a type of prison. But, God can shake you in a way that will cause your chains to come off as well. Jesus has a way of doing that. And when the Son sets you free, you are really free!
by christi | Feb 13, 2019 | Newsletter
The first miracle, turning water into wine, Mary says, “Do whatever He tells you.” The second miracle, Jesus says to the official that his son will live, “The man took Jesus at His word and departed.” The third miracle, Jesus delivers a demon-possessed man and says, “Be quiet, come out of him.” On and on as Jesus heals the sick, changes the weather, and even raises the dead, He uses words, “Let down your nets. Give them something to eat. Peace, be still. Lazarus, come forth.” These are just a few phrases that set heaven and earth into miraculous motion.
His words are powerful! They are spirit and they are life. They are sharp enough to divide soul and spirit and they are discerning. His words create! They heal, rescue, light the way and lead us in the paths He has marked out for us. The apostles also had this unique ability. They spoke and miracles happened.
After the apostles died, the miracles, for the most part, died out with them. Why? Do miracles still happen today? Is there something we are missing? Is there some reason our words do not carry the same power as those of that first generation of believers? What must we do in order to speak powerful words that matter and release the miraculous?
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