12.26.09

The Day After Christmas

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Ah, the day after the big holiday. The kids  can now play with their toys. The adults can sit around or play with the kids. The shopping and feast preparation stresses are done. In many ways my family enjoys this day after peace more than the event filled Christmas day itself.

This calm reminds me that the acknowledgement and retelling of the Christmas story are important, but what about life after? Has the Christmas event, and the Easter event, really made a difference? That depends on us. Have we received God’s gift of love? Have we in turn given him the gift of our hearts. The newborn king is now the Kings of Kings. Are we submitted to Him? Does he have our loyalty and obedience? The gospel is good news to those we receive it. The Kingdom of God is here and is coming. The Kingdom of God is near yet delayed. For those surrendered to the King he is truly the Prince of Peace. I pray that you know him and that this season after Christmas is rich with His presence.

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12.21.09

Fourth Sunday of Advent 2009

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I love this season! We had the annual Christmas pageant yesterday at church. It was fun to see my grandkids, all 4 of them, and so many other members of the church family work together to retell the story of Jesus’ birth. I love how the youngest generation is learning the story. God is good and His Kingdom continues to advance. Herod, Rome, the Jewish leaders in the 1st century, even satan himself cannot prevail. Merry Christmas and maranatha!

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05.08.08

40 days of faith, week 6 day 4

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The topic today is authority versus power. Gary Best reminds us that Jesus’ mind-boggling authority flowed out of his relationship with God the Father. So, for us today the invitation to draw near to God includes the invitation to walk through this day with all the authority of heaven behind us. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you,” James 4:8. I love the scripture that’s highlighted in the devotional for today. From Luke 10:21-24 we read, “ At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.  “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. 24 I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.” Together on the journey,Craig

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05.07.08

40 days of faith, week 6 day 3

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:55 am by Admin

The difference between authority and power is the topic today. I was reminded of an old illustration. A policeman carries a gun with the permission of the municipality for whom he works. The gun represents power. His badge and the rest of the uniform represent the authority granted him to carry and use that gun when necessary. Seeing the whole package, uniform, badge and gun causes most of us to take notice. If we’re told to pull over while we’re driving we do it. The size and physical strength of the officer don’t matter. The authority represented in the badge, together with fear of the power in the gun, cause most citizens to do what they’re told by a policeman. Let’s look again at the great commission. “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Matthew 18-20. Then from 2 Cor. 5:20 we read “So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Today you, we, have the authority of the great God of the universe behind us. We are sent as His ambassadors to advance His kingdom. Together on the journey,Craig

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05.06.08

40 days of faith, week 6 day 2

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The reading for today is really one of those “where the rubber meets the road” messages. Gary does a good job describing the tension of the already of the kingdom with the not yet. The call is for us to persevere. I am reminded of Ron’s word for us on Sunday. He said that the keys to persevering are to 1) embrace weakness, 2 Cor. 12:7, 2) focus on truth through Bible reading and prayer, 2 Tim. 3:16-17; John 5:19, and 3) engage, i.e. pray for people, participate in the kingdom. Today I want to encourage you to stay engaged. Remember, “Jesus wasn’t just committed to a short-term win; he was dedicated to them (his followers) ultimately winning the war against Satan.”  Together on the journey,Craig

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05.05.08

40 days of faith, week 6 day 1

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:54 am by Admin

I would like to quote from page 213 of Naturally Supernatural. “Satan’s domination is not so secure or extensive that your situation is hopeless. In fact, the kingdom is already upon all and our salvation is at hand! Every time we cast out a demon or pray for physical sickness or injury, we are making this statement of faith: Though in some ways it is delayed, the rule of God has come and will come and the gates of hell will not be able to prevent its fulfillment. Every time a body is healed, every time a life is freed, the spell of Satan’s despair is weakened, the crack in the door to his dungeon is widened and light streams in. When we pray, we are reaching for the kingdom and proclaiming that it is within reach. If I don’t see it today, I may tomorrow or the following day. If I cannot pray from faith, I pray from hope. When I am relatively hopeless, I pray out of principle – the strong man has been fatally wounded and his time is short. I have been commissioned to take the plunder (Luke 11:21-22; Matthew 28:18-20).” 

I love this message. Today let’s be engaged. Let’s look and listen for what the Father is doing around us. His kingdom has come. 

Together on the journey,Craig

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07.09.07

Can you learn anything at a graduation ceremony?

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Recently I was privileged to attend Annie’s graduation from her family practice internship at Camp Pendleton’s hospital. Suzanne Lewis is now officially “Dr. Annie” to all of us. During the ceremony an Admiral Jeffries spoke to the graduates, their family members and friends. The admiral, Richard Jeffries, is the Medical Officer of the Marine Corps. He’s in charge of medical care for the Corps. A large part of his speech was meant to remind the graduates of the importance of their job. To illustrate he told a story of a marine sergeant who on his third tour of duty in Iraq was severely wounded. An IED explosion took off his legs and damaged at least one hand or arm; I don’t remember all of the details. The hero of the story was a navy corpsman who immediately began to treat the wounds. The corpsman was frantically applying tourniquets and doing whatever it took to stop the bleeding. The admiral told how the corpsman kept encouraging the sergeant to hold on. “Don’t leave me. I’m taking care of you. You’re going to make it.” These and other expressions of commitment and care were just as important, or more so, than the efforts to stop the bleeding. The sergeant did survive the trip to a hospital unit. There US Navy surgeons were able to save his life and send him home where he can recuperate and can live life with his wife and kids. The story would be touching enough if it ended there but it doesn’t. Admiral Jeffries told us about the sergeant’s first trip away from Bethesda Hospital. It was a trip to the national cemetery in Arlington, VA. You see the corpsman who’d saved this sergeant’s life later died trying to save others’ lives. The sergeant felt compelled to attend the corpsman’s funeral. At the funeral the family of the dead corpsman introduced themselves to the sergeant and his family. The corpsman’s mother said something like “your kids are now part of our family too”. Saving lives, keeping families together, even at the sacrifice of their own lives, were understood to be the essential mission.

As I listened to Admiral Jeffries, and tried unsuccessfully not to cry like baby, I was struck by his clear sense of purpose. I felt like God was talking to me. In the middle of making a living, surviving the latest crisis, longing for some peace and quiet, I too frequently forget the real priorities. We are at war. There is an enemy of our souls who’d love nothing more than to kill us off. If he can’t accomplish that he wants to distract us from God’s purposes for our lives by keeping focused on ourselves. As followers of King Jesus we too have been given orders. In Jesus’ name and by the power of God the Holy Spirit we are to save lives, keep families together, even at sacrifice to ourselves. Jesus modeled for us kingdom living. When Jesus ascended to the Father the Holy Spirit was sent to guide and empower us to advance the Kingdom of God in the earth. We are not all called to be doctors or corpsman on a foreign battlefield. We are all called to share the good news of God’s love expressed in Jesus. We are all called to heal the sick, raise the dead and set the oppressed free. We are called to minister to the poor, the broken, and even our enemies. Join me in asking God to keep me, us, from distraction. Let’s give God permission to send us back out where pain is real but God is powerful.

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05.01.07

Two Kings

Posted in Uncategorized at 4:34 pm by Admin

I’m working in Naples, Italy right now. I’m staying in a hotel in the nearby town of Caserta. Near the hotel is the Grand Palace of Caserta. The palace is huge!! It was built from 1752 - 1799. The palace was comissioned by then King of Naples, Charles the IV. Before he ever got to spend a night in the new castle he left Italy to become Charles the III, King of Spain. I’ve been struck by ole Charles’ reasons for having this huge thing built. He wanted to get away from Naples for 3 reasons. One was that the castle in Naples was right on the coast and vulnerable to an attack from the sea. Another reason to leave Naples was to get out of the range of the very active Mt. Vesuvius. The third reason the king wanted to move away was to get away from the crowds, poverty, and noise of the people of Naples. As I learned these facts today I was immediately struck by the contrast between kings Charles and Jesus. Jesus left the throne room of glory to be near the dirty, needy, ungrateful crowds of humanity. The beginning of God revealing his kingdom rule is his self-revelation to Moses at the burning bush. He is I AM. I AM is an english translation of the hebrew YHWH. This name for God can mean “I was who I was, I am who am, I will be who I will be”. It can also mean the “being present one”. As God calls himself I AM he is revealing himself as the God who interupts the affairs of men and women to help them. He is the being present one, especially in times of need. A narrative started at the burning bush where God called himself the being present one. The climax of the story was when Israel celebrated the escape from slavery and the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea by singing that YHWH was powerful, that he was with them and had rescued them from their enemies. As I see a monument to a king who tried to get away from people I am filled with gratitude and wonder at the king who is present. King Jesus’ promise to never leave me or forsake me feels very personal here. Today I believe that the foundation to kingdom living begins with trusting in the being present God. That trust starts with knowing him. He is with us. He knows what we’re going through and he cares. What do you think?

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04.17.07

The Veil is Torn

Posted in Uncategorized at 2:44 pm by Admin

Sunday I used the story of the temple veil being torn during Christ’s death as the text of my sermon. What excites me is the powerful picture created by that event. The Holy of Holies is now open. We have access to intimate relationship with Almighty God. What a great invitation into God’s presence and family.

This Easter season the torn veil has an added significance for me. Now I see that the barrier between this sin-sick world and the kingdom of God is ripped open. Jesus taught us to pray that the kingdom would come, that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. The barrier between God’s glory, joy, beauty, power, compassion, fellowship and our present age with it’s disappointments and tough circumstances is torn. Over the coming days and weeks I’d like to explore the implications of that torn barrier. In the book of Hebrews Christians are described as those who have tasted of the powers of the age to come. Let’s taste together.

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04.11.07

Welcome to my blog!!

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I’ve set up this blog as a way to discuss issues related to the Kingdom of God. If  Jesus is Lord, and I believe he is, what difference does it make? Should my relationships, finances, ambitions and goals be any different if I’m a disciple of Jesus? Has the Kingdom of God come to earth already, or do we wait for some other event?

Feel free to respond to my ramblings with your own thoughts, questions, comments.

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