Humble Servants of the Humble King

we heard today that Jesus did the humble thing in order to serve us. This is true when he was baptized, when he was tempted, when he came to this planet in lowly circumstances, when he submitted to death on a horrendous instrument of death, and countless times during his earthly ministry.

So are we willing to humble ourselves and serve God? It doesn't take much humility to attend church (at least in our country at this moment) or even to put a fish icon on the back of your car. I believe that at this time in history, though, there is a big need for humble service:

In a society that is increasingly anti-Christian, we ought to humbly declare God's truth. We don't need more people with signs and megaphones on street corners, but we need Christians who show a different and better way to live through our marriages, friendships, workplace ethics, and finances.

Our world also needs more Christ-followers who give humble service to our world. There are so many needs to be met in our neighborhoods, across town, and across the world. Are we willing to do even small things to ease the burden of another? Do we have a pattern of life that is looking for needs to meet, rather than asking if our needs are being met? Are we willing to do an act of service even if nobody recognizes our effort or gives us a pat on the back?

"I want to be like you, Jesus, to have this heart in me. You are the God of the humble. You are the humble king."

Reflections on September 28

I share the following with you from Jamie Howen:

Today my friend Pastor Brian shared with our church family about “the adventure” he has been on with God since his 44-year-old wife Sheila passed away unexpectedly this past March. He shared many ideas that resonated with me. I hope these few will bless you as well:

• We live thinking we are “self-sufficient” until God allows a trial in our lives that makes us realize how utterly dependent we are on Him. We live in a fallen world and will encounter hard times, but the Lord promises that He will always be with us and help us in every situation.

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

• Do you really believe his Word is true?

Romans 8:28-29 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

• God has made each one of us unique and we are not here by accident. We are here to do His work all the days He has ordained for us. The day Sheila died, God was not taken by surprise. (Our days are numbered and I truly praise the Lord that He has been merciful to my mother and sister, specifically, who danced on the edge of death, yet are still with us. I pray they will see His mercy and grace and receive the eternal life He has for them through Jesus our Messiah)

Psalm 139:13-16 For You formed my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.

• God will use everything in our lives to further develop our character, to form patience and faith and trust in Him.

• God does not want us to be stuck in our painful past, but to move on or we will miss the opportunities of the present to help others and share His power and love with those that need to hear His message of love and reconciliation. How do we respond to our trials? With trust in God? With anger or bitterness? You cannot move on to accomplish the work the Lord has prepared for you to do, unless you give your hurts and bitterness to Him.

Ephesians 2: 8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Messiah Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

A Champion of [greater than] Olympic Proportions

I love watching the Olympic games. I'm not sure why I start to care so much about sports and players I have never before followed (except perhaps four years ago). But suddenly, I must return to the TV screen to watch the finals in badminton, trampoline, rowing, lawn darts (OK, not lawn darts...maybe in 2012). And for me at least, one of the most intriguing parts of the Olympic coverage is the athlete bios. I love the intriguing stories of obstacles overcome, grueling training regimens, and victories won in spite of overwhelming odds.

As I mentioned in service this morning, Jesus has won a victory even greater than an Olympic champion (even an 8-time champion). We all know that he died on a cross and rose to life again, but perhaps we aren't familiar with thinking of Christ as a "Champion."

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 tells declares, "'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Jesus Christ won the victory over death by dying and rising to life again. This is different than when he raised others to life while he was alive (for example, Lazarus or the daughter of Jairus). These people died, were raised to life again, but then they died a natural death some time later. When Jesus rose from the dead, he rose to eternal life, never to die again. This fact confirms our belief that we, too, will join Jesus in heaven and live there eternally, if we are his people. That's why Paul says that "Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Cor. 15.20)

Jesus' victory over death is, without a doubt, an even greater triumph than beating 7 competitors across a pool, or sticking the landing on a triple flip with a double twist.

So let's enjoy the great stories from the Olympics, but let's let them remind us of the greater Victor, the Champion of Champions, the one who has won the greatest race of all. And he calls us to join in the race, and finish as champions ourselves, with his help.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Una Mas

Hello to those of you in the pacific time zone. Well today we are getting ready to debrief with our group and spend an afternoon walking around Nashville. Pray that decisions that were and are being made will be cemented "down the mountain".

We have seen a different way to live life, one that will make us have compassion for all others.

Please ask these kids how God changed their life this week.

See y'all in church on Sunday.

Joe

Wednesday

So today we were able to go back to 2nd harvest food bank to pack more meals for kids, today we packed 5016. That is over 9000 in two days. That is a lot of meals.

Again the kids worked really hard and we never heard them complain at all. So if they complain about making their own lunches you can refer back their time in Nashville and the over 9000 meals they helped make.

We are growing together and learning about the word compassion a lot. Compassion is not a wimpy word to us anymore, just look at the Greek definition.

Keep praying that we will put our expectations aside so we can be CHANGED by God from the inside out. Pray the kids would really be challenged by the messages and worship that is being presented every night. Pray for Matt Wilkes as he is really praying through his messages and he told me last night, that he has pretty much thrown his manuscripts away and gone a new direction. God is really leading him, pray it will continue.

All of the kids are doing really well in less than two days we will be on the way home.

Joe

Dinner Post

Here is what some of my team says about the day at the food bank.

Danae - "I like knowing that I am making a difference in someone's life and making a difference. Allowing a child to eat that wouldn't normally."

Kelsey - "It made me realize that working with people you don't know is hard but having a loving heart to show compassion. "

Ashley - "I felt good about helping 1000 kids by just filling up bags. And now I can work in a grocery store as a bagger."

Michelle - "Knowing that in 3 hours, I helped so many people and satisfied their hunger, made me feel happy. Something so small is going to help so many people."

Kelly - "Sweaty! just kidding. ummmmm. I felt honored to be a part of an organization that helps children, go home with food for the weekend."

We are headed to worship and a challenging word from our speaker Matt Wilkes, who was helping us today at the food bank, that was cool too. Pray Pray Pray.


Joe

2nd Street Harvest Food Bank

WOW!!

What an amazing day of service at the 2nd street harvest food bank. We,(our group of 50 people we are partner with) pack 4086 bags of food. The bags will be used to feed 1000 children every weekend for one month. You see 2nd street takes bags of food to schools to give out to children who would normally not get to eat on the weekends. So on Friday before they leave school there teacher will put the bag of food in there backpacks for them to take home. How cool is that?

I will try to get some responses from our kids at dinner and update you. But I will tell you our kids worked really hard today to pack those boxes. Not one time did we have to tell anyone to get going or move faster. Our host from 2nd street, Matt, was amazed at what we got done in such a short amount of time.

I was so excited I couldn't wait til dinner to post, but I will try to post at dinner.

Joe

101 degrees

So the start to our week came with scorching southern heat and time spent in the cleaning the streets of Nashville. Our students came home red faced but smiling the whole time. God is speaking to the kids in many ways. Since I am with the guys, we will start with them.

Parker - "I need to be more open to looking at situations differently."

Brandon - "I need to accept people I don't know for being a child of God. "

I will try to get more from the girls tomorrow.

Joe - "No matter what God is calling you to do, or where, or how hot, we need to do it 100%."

Our speaker is challenging us to be a part of God's story, to contribute to God's story and to accpet His love for us. Tonight was an amazing time of worship and Matt Wilkes really helping us see God in a new way. Keep praying. Lives are being changed.

Joe

Al Gore

So as we are sitting on the ground waiting for other people to board with us to Nashville, guess who walks in and sits down, Al Gore. It created quit a buzz as people started to come on, you could see them all say to themselves, "that was Al Gore".

Well, we have arrived here in Nashville and Vanderbilt University, our home until Friday. This campus is very beautiful and we are glad to have a day to get focused before we start our week.

This morning we are eating breakfast at Panera Bread and waiting for our ride to church. We are going to attend Highland Park Church.

Emotions on the team are very high. We did some team building stuff last night to get them to see their strengths and weaknesses. There were some frustrations but I think they realize the point of the exercise and are ready to put what they learned to practice.

This afternoon we are going to do some site seeing downtown and then take a (long) stroll home through centennial park.

Thanks for praying, I will update you all later.

Joe

Nashville Beginnings

Nine of us are embarking on a journey to Nashville, Tennessee. We are sitting here in the airport with nervous anticipation of what God is about to do in our lives. This experience is going to be more unique than anything we have ever had. I know that the lives of our one Junior High student and six High School students will change forever if we allow ourselves to be open to HIS leading.

Please pray for us: Joe Broesamle, Kelly Broesamle, Brandon Ivy, Parker Fox, Kelsey Walters, Nickole Martinez, Danae Sym, Michelle Rusher, Ashley Tassano

Look for more...

Joe

Prayerful Planning

This morning we heard that Nehemiah had both prayer AND planning going on as he addressed the situation in Jerusalem. Lots of planning with no prayer can easily lead us out of God's will as we enact our own ideas without any input from God. Conversely, praying about a situation but not engaging our minds and putting together a plan can lead us to spin our wheels and not move forward. Of course, our plans need to be subject to change if God says so, but if we don't use our God-given intellect and skill we will be less effective than if we let godly planning go hand-in-hand with praying.

I am reminded of James 4:13-15:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

As James indicates, it's not wrong to have a plan. It's just subject to "the Lord's will." His will is discerned by prayer and the counsel of godly people.

Let's keep both prayer and planning in focus as we examine how God might use us to restore the rubble around us.

And don't forget to check out the other blog site and share your stories with us!

From Rubble to Restoration

I hope you're nearly as excited as me about our new sermon series in the book of Nehemiah. One aspect we're hoping to involve the congregation in is this: telling your stories of restoration. We'd like for you to share with us stories of something God has restored, or is in the process of restoring, or something you'd like to see restored in your life.

There are two ways to get involved in this ministry: one is to post an actual piece of paper on a "wall of restoration" we will be constructing in the foyer. You will hear about this in the next week or two. Another opportunity is to email us with your story of restoration and have us post it to a new blog I've set up. I think this is a great way we can "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10.24)

A grace-filled reputation?

In his sermon on stewardship this morning, Pastor Perry mentioned that our testimony as Christians is at stake as the world looks at how God's people handle money. This isn't news to any of us: we know that the world is always watching Christians. And unfortunately, many of us give them many good reasons to reject the faith. Our words and our actions often don't line up. Our declaration of faith doesn't translate into a changed life in their eyes. Those outside might be thinking things like "Why should I consider the claims of Christ? There's nothing different about Christians, and there's even lots of things I see in their lives that I don't like, like hypocrisy."

Not only is the world watching Christians, they're all watching each other. And the area of finances and how we deals with possessions and our "stuff" can be a very visible thing to observe. That's why the phrase "keep up with the Joneses" holds true. People notice what other people do with their stuff and their time. This presents God's people with a great opportunity to display a changed life. Rather than seeking after every dollar we can earn, owning every new toy and giving our time to please ourselves, we can display God's character and priorities by giving our time and money away. This is acting like Jesus.

Perry mentioned that those in the Church have the same track record with over-spending and living in financial bondage as the rest of the country. This is a sad fact because not only are we missing an opportunity to show the world our changed priorities, we're missing a key element of discipleship: learning that life isn't about us but is about God. This is a foundational starting point for our walk with God: taking ourselves off the throne of our life and placing Christ there. Saying to God: "You're the boss!" If he is really our boss, he will be the boss of our pocketbook and boss of our day planner.

So I urge us to diligently work at getting out of financial bondage. This isn't always easy: it took years to get where we are now, and it may take years of hard work to get out of. But when we're free from financial bondage, we can be free to obey God. If we're not weighed down by car payments and the downward spiral of credit card interest, we can go where God asks us right away, or give to a need he lays on our heart.

The Church is supposed to be a grace-filled community that gives God's grace to each other and the world. We hinder our ability to do this when we're over-committed in our finances or time schedule. Let's obey God's word when it comes to stewardship, and be free to show God's character to the world.

I Surrender All? That's outrageous!

We sing a lot of things we don't really mean. I have thought many times, "Should I really be singing this? I'm having trouble living it out." There are a great many outrageous claims made in our songs. For instance: "Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold." (For your information, "mite" refers not to a tiny insect, but is an archaic word meaning "a Flemish coin of very small value, a third of a penny.") Have you ever sung this song before? (It's from "Take My Life and Let it Be.") Have you ever withheld something from God that you know he wanted you to give?

Whether referring to money or more generally to giving ourselves to God, what should be our response to these kinds of claims? Should we refrain from singing those verses if we can't fully say we're there yet? Some may feel led to do so, and I respect that choice. I even know one person who will change the lyrics they sing in church to reflect their heart. On the song "The Heart of Worship" there is a line that goes "I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made (worship)," which is a confession that worship has become something it should not have been. This person will sing "I thank you Lord for the thing you've made it" as she sings. This is certainly a creative solution.

However, I want to make a case for "singing outrageous claims." Let me begin by stating that it is only by the grace of God that we can obey him. I believe that even the ability to have faith in Christ is a gift from God. Sure, we need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as he works in our life, but our obedience to God ought to be credited to God himself, not any of our own goodness. In light of that, it is an outrageous claim to say that we are followers of Christ. But we ought to do so, relying on his grace to keep us safe. That's why Jesus says "I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day." (John 6.39). It is by Jesus' power that we will not be lost.

It is also by the Spirit's power that we can obey him. Again, our role is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, so that we can obey and become more like Christ. So when we say (or sing) "I give myself to Jesus Christ" we are really saying, "Lord, I want to cooperate with you as you desire to work in my life." Seen in this light, "Take my silver and my gold" can mean for me, "Lord, help me to be as generous as you. I want to give whatever you ask of me. Help me to be more in tune with your promptings."

The danger of singing outrageous claims like these is when we sing them, but never intend to fulfill it. When we sing mindlessly or vow to do something without really intending to follow through with it, God is grieved. Ecclesiastes 5.4-5 says, "When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it." If you don't really believe what you're singing, it's better not to sing at all.

Whatever our response, we ought to engage our minds in what we're doing. We ought never shut our minds off when we come to church, or in our private worship. Let's give him all of our emotions, minds, and wills so that he can do beautiful things through us.

All to Jesus I surrender
All to him I freely give
I will ever love and trust him
In his presence daily live

Do we really care?

Mark Cahill posed a great challenge to me, and I trust to you, this Sunday morning. Given that heaven and hell are very real places, do we really care enough about lost people to do something about their eternal destiny? We may come up with myriad excuses, but none of those holds water in comparison with the command to simply go and share something. It's not my job to "win" people, that's God's job. It is not my job to shape the perferct "presentation," but merely to engage people in a "conversation" about matters of eternity. This can be freeing, because I often want to stall and put off sharing because I'm not sure I'm "ready" with answers to any potential questions a particular person might ask. (This is rediculous, because I've got a Master's Degree from a seminary. When am I ever going to be ready if I'm not now?) I bring this up to highlight how weak some of our excuses can be. The point is that we need to get busy obeying God, responding to the opportunities around us. May you find the courage to start a conversation with someone God has layed on your heart this week!

To find out more about Mark Cahill's ministry, visit http://www.markcahill.org

Run away from sin!

This morning, Perry spoke about ridding oursevles of sin, and especially running from the dangers of sexual sin. On this topic, I can think of no better Biblical example than Joseph. He was sought after by the wife of his boss Potiphar, and had plenty of opportunities to act on her advances without anyone knowing. Yet time and time again he resisted, saying "How could I do such a wicked thing against God?" (Gen. 39.9)

One day, the story continues, Potiphar's wife insisted that Joseph have sex with him, and here's what he did: he ran away. She grabbed ahold of his cloak, but he left it right there in her hand.

Now many of us know how the story ends, how she falsely accused him of trying to come after her, but I love the fact that Joseph ran away from sexual sin. He didn't hang around, trying to rationalize his actions, or talk her out of it. He was faced with temptation and ran.

Paul says there should not even be a hint of sexual immorality among us. Like the dead mouse Perry wanted to throw out of his house, let's "throw out" sin from our lives each day. We ought to be ruthless when it comes to getting rid of sin. May God give us the courage to run away from temptation. Let's not court it any longer, thinking we are strong enough to resist it.

Big-Picture Living

I was fascinated by Pastor Perry's image last Sunday about grazing animals. In case you missed it, it went something like this: Usually, when grazing animals get lost it's not because they run headlong away from the pasture, but because they have their head down grazing for food, and gradually lose their way. This is an interesting but sad picture of what a "dumb animal" can do when it stares at the tiny patch of grass in front of them.

Like these kinds of animals, we can easily become too focused on what is right in front of us and get sidelined in our faith. Things we want to achieve or get, whether a promotion or a new vehicle or the romantic attentions of another person, can blind us to the big picture.

Let's live with our heads up, aware of what God is doing around us. Let's live with an awareness of what things are really important to God, and try to make those things important to us as well.

Suffering

Much has been written about suffering over the centuries, and I'm not going to try to offer a treatise on the subject, but I was struck by Pastor Perry's first sermon point this morning, that Christians suffer joyfully. I've always struggled to understand the Apostle Paul's perspective when he talks about suffering, for he almost seems to enjoy it. However, I know Paul is not just a glutton for punishment. As we learned this morning, though, Paul sees himself as participating in Christ's sufferings when he suffers. And there is nothing like suffering to bring the body of Christ together in support of each other. It can even draw us closer to God as we depend on him.

All of this sounds rather trite, though, coming from someone whose most common form of "suffering" is having to stand in a long line at the grocery store, or wake up in the middle of the night to answer the cries of a child (well okay, my wife usually does that). So I wonder how this idea of suffering applies to the average TBC member? Many of you have dealt the aches and pains, broken bones and broken hips, or bodies that are slowing down. (These are reminders that our bodies were not meant to live forever, though our souls can live eternally with God!) Perhaps some of us face teasing or taunting from family or co-workers about our faith. But little suffering comes our way because we follow Christ.

Perhaps an application for me to think about is how I can react differently to the "stuff" that does come my way. When I do have to stand in that long line or follow a slow driver, how can I change my instant reaction of frustration to one of patience? Whatever I go through, how can I point to Christ during that time? I am encouraged when I hear stories of people walking through a crisis who use their circumstance as a chance to minister. Whether it's the patient in the hospital encouraging those who care for them, or someone who has suffered a loss who then turns around and comforts someone else who has lost someone, these are wonderful examples of how we can find joy in our suffering.

Any other ideas out there? I'd love to hear them.