Walking As Jesus Walked

It's been quite the adventure hosting Hank (the cow dog) over the holidays. He is currently living in a pen where the kitchen table once rested. I wasn't really able to work Hank into the sermon but just wanted everyone to get a look at him before he grows to his adult size of 50-60 lbs!

Willie, on the other hand, provided a wonderful example for the sermon. At last we've solved his pulling tendencies by the use of the "Gentle Leader." This collar places a strap across his nose which only applies pressure if he runs ahead of his master (PC alert! Formerly the adopted parents of dogs were called masters. Gasp!)
If Willie would simply trust his Master, he would happily walk beside him without any type of collar or lease.



When God calls us to "walk as Jesus walked" he gives us total freedom. We can (foolishly) choose to walk in darkness (and suffer the consequence) or we can joyfully walk in the light (and enjoy all the benefits!). The blood of Jesus makes it possible for us to follow the desire of our heart to live obediently to God in spite of our sins. The only "requirement" is faith! As the old hymn says, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus; but to trust and obey."

Do Not Be Afraid

Whew! What a day yesterday was. The two sermons were designed to emphasize the topic of Fear on Sunday morning and Peace Sunday night during the candlelight service. To aid in communicating we pulled out all the stops and employed lighting, decorations, video, drama (that angel really did look frightening with his wig :-), music (were you shocked to hear Buffalo Springfield play during the slide show?), power-point, candles, cardboard testimonies, and two choirs (adult and children). David Layman did his usual fantastic job of making it all come together (where would we be without him?).

One person asked for a copy of the contrast between being controlled by one's Faith or one's Fears that I read during Candlelight. Here it is, and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Fear is destructive; Faith is constructive

Fear causes doubt; Faith brings confidence

Fear leads to reactive decisions; Faith leads to redemptive decisions

Fear pulls one inward; Faith leads one outward

Fear makes us protective; Faith makes us bold

Fear can freeze us; Faith activates us

Fear says "You can't"; Faith says "God can"

Fear says "Satan is strong"; Faith says "God is stronger"

Fear creates panic; Faith creates love

Fear makes us weak; Faith makes us strong

Fear makes us anxious; Faith makes us courageous

Fear brings disorder; Faith brings peace

Walk in the Light

Today's sermon is one of my all time favorites. I actually preached the sermon at Clear Lake back in early January of 2000. After the sermon, someone at church commented that in the margin of 1 John, chapter 1 she had formerly written, "Direction, Not Perfection."

It really is good news that Jesus saves us from sin. Not only our past sins, but also present and future. How wonderful it is that when the goal of our lives is to please God the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us from sin, thus enabling us to grow in our Christlikeness. As a result we become more involved in loving and serving others instead of trying to find life by focusing on ourselves. What a Savior!

Real Life

My opening illustration this morning was taken from Dr. James Dobson's book, Hide or Seek. Since my children were small the book has been revised and reprinted. I highly recommend anything Dr. Dobson has written on child rearing.

One point that I decided not to make it my sermon (I may later in the series) has to do with the last verse of 1 John, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (5:21). At first glance it appears to be out of place; as though as he finished his letter John added an addendum. Upon reflection, however, it becomes obvious that this has been his warning throughout the letter. Jesus, eternal life in the flesh, has appeared. Everything else that promises life is an impostor or, to use the phrase most common in John's day, an idol. We are to keep ourselves from thinking and acting as though beauty, intelligence, money, athletic ability or anything else can give us life. "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11)

Helping Others Know Jesus

Today was a fun way to preach a sermon. I enjoy having conversations with my father about topics like evangelism where we talk about the past as well as the present. My hope was that by including others in our "private conversation" the conversation itself might continue after the service. Hopefully, the point was made that by working together we all play significant roles in helping people come to know Jesus. While the teaching role is vital to the process, it will go nowhere unless others are involved making friends, building relationships, drawing others into their circles of acquaintances, etc....

One thing that has impressed me in the book of Acts is that no one is ever converted to Christ without another human becoming involved. You don't see angels preaching or an audible voice from the sky teaching the Gospel. For some reason God has ordered things so that the message of his son must be communicated by one human being to another. What gifts has God given you to help others come to know him?

Give Thanks in All Circumstances

As I have often said before, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's wonderful to have a day devoted to being with family and giving thanks to God for all his blessings. I thought today's worship service was a wonderful way for the family of God to prepare their hearts and minds for the week ahead. The singing was heartfelt, upbeat, and meaningful. We got to celebrate the wedding anniversary's of two couples who have set the bar high for the rest of us by their long term faithfulness to their wedding vows. We shared in the Word together as well as our weekly "Table of Thanksgiving" where we come each week to meet with our Lord and rejoice in his love for us. Finally, we got to join in our special contribution. We were going to announce the amount given at the end of the service but it took longer to count than anticipated. However, when the total is announced next week it will be somewhere over $50,000. May you all have a Thanksgiving Day that is filled with gratitude to God for the blessings he continually gives to us.

The End Result of Praying

After church Sunday I left to take a study retreat. Internet access is limited and I am currently sitting outside something called the "Activity Outpost" since it is not yet open and is the only place around here (Flint, Texas) that has wireless service. My fingers are feeling a little stiff and I have to keep retyping my letters! I will be studying the whole concept surrounding the Second Coming of Jesus (resurrection of the dead, judgment, Heaven, Hell, etc.). Next year I would like for us to focus our attention on Jesus' return and what that means for how we are to live in the present. I think I will preach a series with a title slightly modified from one of Stephen Covey's principles: "Living with the End in Mind."

I thought Saturday's prayer retreat and Sunday's service were just outstanding. The retreat was truly the culmination of having a year where we were devoted to prayer. We all experienced a taste of the unity I talked about in the sermon. When we unite our hearts in prayer, opening ourselves to one another and to God, we share in the unity of Father, Son, and Spirit. We were made to enjoy these kind of relationships.

Ending the sermon time focusing on the addition of our new administration deacons and the partnership we have with Hilltop, hopefully emphasized that God answers our prayers by giving us opportunity to join Him in his work. I am so thankful that He has given us the eyes to see what he's doing and allowed us to take part. I never would have thought I would see a church reorganization in such a positive light, but it has become obvious to me that what we are currently involved in will truly allow us to focus on the truly important matters instead of being continually focused on the urgent.

Well the sun is now bright, my fingers have thawed and it's time to go back to my studying!

Powerful Praying

Two comments about my sermon that were pointed out to me more than once:
1. "Did you know that you said, 'Eat more and exercise less' at the end of your sermon?"

I knew that I said something wrong but was not sure what it was. When in doubt, my preferred option is to just keep moving forward. But thank you to the people who came and told me what I had said. Otherwise I might have never known why the conclusion to my sermon was so funny.

2. "Talking about overeating is not appropriate on the Sunday of the monthly pot luck."

There is no Sunday in America when it is appropriate to talk about overeating. I was going to save today's sermon for the U.S. national day of fasting - but realized that we have no such day on our calender.

In spite of the above, I thought it was a wonderful day. There was an encouraging prayer time at 8:15. The chorus included some of our teenagers for the first time, and sounded wonderful! We had a great visitor/new member lunch after church. And now I think I'll take an afternoon siesta before a busy evening.

Praying in Community

One cannot read the book of Acts without being impressed at the amount of corporate prayer in which the church is engaged. In fact, the two priorities of Acts 6:4 are seen everywhere in the book: "the prayer and the ministry of the word." When these are working well, things like, an internal benevolence program, can really be beneficial.

I have often wondered if the reason the church today is not impacting society the way the early Christians did, is because of the lack of attention given to community prayer. The first disciples viewed prayer as priority. They prayed as if they really expected God to do something. Prayer was for them their connection to their leader - the Lord Jesus Christ! What blessings is God holding in reserve for his people when we learn to call upon Him as they did?

Persistence in Prayer

We humans are so impatient. We don't like to wait at traffic lights, drive through windows, restaurants, the DMV, the post office, or any place else! We live in a fast paced society and expect things to move along quickly. It's difficult enough to make time to pray, but when we do we expect God to respond with the same rapid speed which we expect from everything else. God, however, moves at his own pace.

Patience is one of the essential elements in learning to pray effectively. However, Jesus does not expect us to wait passively but passionately! We are to be persistent in prayer believing that God will do his will on earth as it is done in heaven. And as we pray and plead with God to accomplish his will, we are to look for ways he is seeking to work through us. How often does God use our prayers to develop us so that we might become the very answer to our prayers.

Such is the case in the wonderful story of William Willberforce's life. The one weakness of the recent movie portrayal of his life is that it does not spend enough time showing this remarkable man's dependence upon God through prayer. However, knowing that as a historical fact, makes this movie a tremendous portrayal of how God works in answer to persistent prayer.

To Dream Again

The bell curve I used in Sunday's sermon was from Robert Dale's book, To Dream Again: How To Help Your Church Come Alive. I had actually read the book back in the early 90's. When going through the material Dr. Siburt left with us I was reminded again of the "life cycle of a congregation" and decided to work it into Sunday's presentation of our congregational vision.

Robert Dale wrote that there are four ways to revitalize a church. The easiest is policy change. You simply adjust the way you do things. A second strategy is to change personnel. In Churches of Christ this typically means fire the preacher or get some elders to resign! Another approach is to create new program structures. Change policy. Change people. Change programs. Each might have a place in the process but the most basic, fundamental approach must first be to clarify purpose. Dale writes, "the best way to revitalize a church is to define and act on its fundamental purpose. A new dream awakes a congregation."

Some other quotes from To Dream Again:

"A church need to be committed primarily to its dream goals and only secondarily to its program structure. Programs too weak to extend the dream should be allowed to die: new programs refreshed by the dream must be planned."

"Goals and budget are closely intertwined. But goals precede budgets. Goals are set first, then budgets are developed. Otherwise the budget becomes the accidental goal system of the church. Either we fund our dream or we probably just dream of funds."

"The ministry you want to provide or the goal you want to attain determines the structure you use. Formal organization is important because it either helps you reach your ministry goals or creates a barrier which frustrates ministry and dulls the dream."

Wrestling in Prayer

Throughout the reel prayer series I have used clips from roughly three dozen movies. Of these movies there are few that I would highly recommend for all ages. Evan Almighty, however, is a movie that you can watch with your whole family. It is lighthearted and fun, but it also raises some wonderful questions that would be good for a family to discuss together.

I get less excited talking about the patriarch Jacob. I grew up hearing the stories about his red stew and how he pulled the wool (almost literally) over his old man's eyes. However, I was an adult before it hit me how incredibly selfish Jacob was. Jacob lived for himself and didn't give much thought to how his actions affected others. God had big plans for Jacob and his descendants but first he needed to get Jacob's attention and his allegiance.

I can think of several times in my own life where God made it painfully obvious that I was trusting in myself rather than in Him. Mercifully God has never physically afflicted me but I've had my pride bruised, my ego shattered, and my self reliance exposed. I proudly (is that the right word?) walk with a limp today realizing that without God all my labors are truly futile. Perhaps that is what Paul means when he wrote, "When I am weak, then I am strong."

Honest Prayer

Someone asked about the name of the last movie clip I showed today during the sermon. It is called the Apostle. After seeing the movie some told me they felt the preacher, named Sonny, was a fraud. I had a different opinion. To me he was an honest man who had a terrible time dealing with the deeper sin issues in his life. While it is never attractive to see a person give in to sinful temptations, I found the movie to give encouragement to a person who's heart wants to serve God, but continues to fail. My hope is that such a one would not stay stuck in the same cycle of temptation and failure, but find the true freedom that God has made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Walking the path of freedom is often difficult. The most difficult parts of the journey require the most honest of communication with God.


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Bruce Almighty - Chapter 5 - Send Me A Sign
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The Apostle - Shouting At God
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For Such a Time as This

As I reflect on the past two weeks I feel so proud of our church. People have showed up at just the right time to do the things that needed to be done. You have served, loved, and encouraged so many through your hard work and acts of kindness. As we begin our partnership with Hilltop Rescue and Relief I am confident that you will continue to provide the necessary support for this effort. Exactly what that support may be I do not know. However, I do know that we have been faithful to do what God has called us to so far in this tragedy and am confident that he will continue to give us the guidance and provisions necessary to finish the work we have begun.

How Do You Spell Relief?

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:10)

Two teenagers told me that today's sermon was the shortest I've ever preached. That was by design. We met in the gym (FAC for the initiated) this morning because we have had no A/C for most of the week. Our plan was to have a quick but meaningful worship service. We planned to go 45 minutes with an option to shorted it to 30 if the heat became unbearable. Instead, when we arrived this morning the A/C power had been restored. It was still warm because we didn't have sufficient time to cool the building.

How good it was to be together again! How wonderful it was to be able to recount the many good deeds this church has done in the past week. I didn't mention any names (except one brief reference to David Layman) because I knew I would not be able to remember everyone who pitched in and helped.

If you were not there the sermon will hopefully be posted to our web page on Monday. Incidentally, if you didn't hear the sermon, God spells relief C-H-U-R-C-H.

Update on Relief Efforts 2

These are pictures from a house belonging to one of our church members. We are slowly ending Phase I of our relief efforts. We have attempted to contact all of our members (twice!) to determine their needs. Some are still not in town. A lot of work has been done and our people are tired! Thankfully, things around Clear Lake are showing signs of improvement. The stores are being restocked and there is plenty of gasoline. However, there are still sections without power and only a few traffic lights are working. Our teenagers are organizing themselves tomorrow to do more clean up work and I'm sure many adults will join them. Immediate needs have mostly been addressed so we are now planning for the next phase of our work. Hopefully, we will be able to announce what we are planning on Sunday. Stay tuned!

Update on Relief Efforts

Yesterday a semi truck from the Church of Christ Disaster Relief organization was unloaded into our church gym. Today we took many of the supplies to Bay Place Apartments. We set up a distribution center and gave people much needed supplies of food, water, and cleaning supplies. Bay Place is still without electricity and the people were very appreciative. Several of the residents helped us in unloading and carrying the supplies to people's apartments. Since many are still evacuated we filled a store room at the apartments with boxes for people to receive as they return. We have worked with the Bay Place Apartments for several years in a variety or ministry capacities.

This afternoon we divided into teams and are working to help clear people's yards (and rooftops!) of trees and branches. Travel around the area is terrible with most of the traffic lights still not working and many people trying to get from one place to another. I took a generator to an elderly lady who is still without power. She has a serious heart condition and never evacuated. Finally, she has a 'fridge and a fan. Thankfully, it has been unseasonable cool (meaning less hot) with highs in the low 80's.

Our church building's roof has been repaired and we will be holding some form of a worship service this coming Sunday at 10:30. I say, "some form" because we do not know if we will have electricity and even if we do, we don't know if we will have enough power to run the A/C. There will be no Sunday School.

We are still accepting financial contributions which you may send to the address on the post below. All money collected will go directly to help with the relief effort. We currently do not need supplies or workers. When our situation is more stable we will then be able to use groups that would like to come and work.

Thank you for your interest and especially your prayers.

Ike Relief

The following is a letter that has been sent to churches who might be interested in helping our relief effort. The picture is of some of the damage our church building sustained.

September 15, 2008

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am the preaching minister for the Clear Lake Church of Christ located in the southeastern part of Houston, Texas. Many of you have asked about ways that you can help us after the damage caused by Hurricane Ike. Many of our church members, including myself, were under mandatory evacuation and have yet to return to our homes. However, those who are there are currently encouraging us to stay away until the situation has stabilized. There are long lines at the gas stations and limited gasoline available. People are waiting for hours at grocery stores where there are limited supplies.

Thankfully, our church building has power, however, it did sustain some roof damage and water damage. Most of the homes in our area have no electricity; water pressure is not yet fully restored, and some areas are experiencing sewer problems. We are currently calling all members of our church to determine their needs. We already know of some members who sustained damage to their homes. Most, however, will not know the condition of their homes until they return to the area.

We are in the process of expanding our pantry to help people with non-perishable items. Our resources are limited and in order to help the greatest number of people we are asking for financial donations. Our priorities will be: 1) help our members in need (especially our members with low incomes who are unable to work due to the hurricane); 2) repair our building; and 3) help others. Some of you may remember that we gained considerable experience in this kind of relief work helping evacuees from Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. We will have a complete financial accounting available after the crisis so that those of you who can help us might know the good works your contributions helped to provide.

Until more of the infrastructure is restored we are not encouraging anyone to travel to the area to provide assistance. In the near future however, it will be helpful for people to come bringing non-perishable pantry items, chainsaws, and workers. Financial contributions can be made to:

Clear Lake Church of Christ
c/o David Layman
938 El Dorado
Houston, TX 77062

Thank you for your concern and support.

Byron Fike
281-797-6459 (cell)

A hard day's night

Well after definitely deciding not to leave on Wednesday evening we awoke Thursday to a mandatory evacuation of our zip code. We packed a few things and took off for Abilene to stay with our son Ben for what we thought would be only a day or two. We arrived at 10pm and are still uncertain when we will return. Preliminary reports are that our house was not damaged. However, we heard the same report about our church building and by looking on the web site I see that there is roof damage and the water has damaged part of the sanctuary. I will probably return when I hear that power has been restored to my house.

Yesterday was my b'day and so we invited our fellow Clear Lake evacuees over for cake and ice cream. They were joined by others we have known through the years who are here in Abilene. It was great to get away from the news reports from Houston and laugh for awhile.

Today I preached for Ben at the Mary Neal Church of Christ and went to church with Elizabeth tonight at Hope Church here in Abilene. What a blessing it is to be able to share those worship services with our children.

I'm getting scattered reports about various church members. So far serious damage appears to have affected only a few and for that we are thankful and yet concerned about the few. I am sure that when we return there will be plenty of work for all of us to do.

View Movie Clips!

Here are the clips from the last two sermons in the Reel Prayer series. If you would like to see all the clips I have shown so far you will have to scroll back a page or two and read the posts from Jan 13 - March 2 of this year. Enjoy!

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Bruce Almighty - Prayer of Surrender
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Flywheel - A new Beginning
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Hoosiers - He'll Come When He's Ready
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Be Faithful in Prayer

Was it just me or did the assembly seem especially alive this morning? Perhaps it was the combined praise team and choir up front which made the sanctuary fill with the sound of voices praising God. Or, maybe it is just the climate that is being created in our church as we plan our next steps of movement into the future. Whatever it was, it was certainly a joyful assembly!

Several commented on the idea I mentioned during the sermon about "Praying First." Several years ago I wrote that down on a post-it note and stuck it on my computer monitor. Seeing the note reminding me to "Pray First" every morning was a good reminder to take everything to God in prayer before acting or deciding. Someone once said that 90% of preaching is just reminding ourselves to do what we already know to do. Having preached for over 25 years now I would say that is probably true. How often I need to be reminded of the basic truths of the Gospel and the implications of that truth for my life. Praying first is one of those implications.

The Prayer of Surrender

I have been excieted about preaching this sermon on surrender all week. It was not as much about what I planned to say as it was what I sensed God wanted to do in people's hearts. What would a revival of our church look like? Perhaps we caught a small glimpse this morning as a small group knelt around the cross praying individual prayers of surrender. Of course this group represented all those standing around the sanctuary praying the same prayer.

I'm convinced God wants to do much more to draw us closer to him. During my prayer week I will be asking him to continue this new beginning he is giving our church. I will be asking for his guidance in fulfilling my role among us and urge you to pray for me as well.

Don't forget to sign up for the congregational prayer retreat, Sat., Sept. 13! What will God do among us when we open our hearts to be filled with his Spirit?

Tactical Training

Based on the comments I received after church today, this sermon was on target with where we are as a congregation. How often I need to be reminded that we are in a spiritual battle. I need to keep the lines of communication open between myself and my Lord; as well as continuing to talk with my fellow laborers in the field. Two things happened after the sermon that were meaningful to me. The first was a dear sister who came during Family Prayer Time to pray over me! I had revealed during the sermon that I have been hearing the voice of the enemy and struggling with a dark cloud of doubt. She came to ask God to help me move through this. What a blessing! The second thing happened after service when I was in conversation with another person. We were talking about some people problems when a comment was made that could have easily taken us down the path of gossip and slander. The person caught what was said and instantly remarked, "We can't let the enemy take us down that road" (or something to that effect). How wonderful it is when we all work together to recognize the tactics of the evil one. "We are not unaware of his schemes" (2 Cor. 2:11).

Get Some Rest

The command to "get some rest" (Mark 6:31) is as old as the 7th day of creation. Taking a sabbath rest is an essential part of being human. We disobey it to our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual peril! We simply were not made to run and run and run. Since this is so; I'm going to keep this post short so that I can get some rest. I'm tired!

Impact Week in Four Words

I like things that are simple. How much simpler could it be than to reduce a BIG idea like Impact Week into four simple words? Seeking, Loving, Serving, and Teaching are easy concepts to grasp. Building an entire worship service around these words was not difficult. There are many songs and scriptures that could have been used. However, as simple as these words are, think of what it cost God to actually do them? All of the Trinity is involved in these activities and God has graciously called us to join him as well. May we shine as brightly as our yellow t-shirts this week to let our neighborhood know that God loves them and wants to be in relationship with them.

Developing Faith

After the sermon I had a great conversation with someone about the need for church to be a place where one can explore faith so they can move from "affiliative" to "mature" faith. He said that he could recognize himself in each of the stages of faith development described in the sermon. However, when he entered the "searching" stage, church was not a safe place for him to bring his questions. When church wasn't open to exploring his questions he finally just said, "forget it" and his faith development went out the window for a few decades.

One doesn't have to think very much at all to come up with half a dozen or more topics that make people sweat (myself included) when brought up in Bible class. This long term member remarked that we as a congregation have become a safer place for such exploration than perhaps we have been in the past. To me that is evidence that we as a church are still adding rings of maturity to our faith tree! May we continue to grow.

Checking Our Vision

I thought the video we saw at the end of the service today was a good reminder of why we have initiated the project "Checking Our Vision." As we watched images of Clear Lake it occurred to me that God really has placed us in this strategic location on purpose. What are the works that he has "prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10)? As the present body of Christ we are to be about the same things Jesus was committed to doing when he was in his earthly body. But what are those works that God has specifically called us to focus our attention upon? We can't be expected to do every good work possible. Surely he has uniquely gifted and equipped us to accomplish some very specific works. I want to encourage everyone who is a member at Clear Lake Church to give your prayerful input and perspective so that together we can discern God's desire for our church. If you're ready to put your input into words click here. If you would like some more instruction into what we are doing and why, click here.

Motivation for Doing Good Works

Here's the picture that technical difficulties kept me from showing this morning. Now that is a fish who is completely in his element! I was talking with a visitor after the services about "doing good" to others. He made the remark that when he does good things for others it makes him feel good. That is not surprising since, as we saw from Ephesians 2:10, we were made to do good works. When we live the way we were made to live it just feels right. We were made to live a life characterized by doing good.

By the way, someone suggested that the reason we had video problems this morning was bad karma. Hmmmmmm. (To understand the humor behind this comment, please listen to the sermon at clearlakechurch.com)

Do-Gooder vs. Good-Doer

I heard a public service announcement today that was encouraging people to do good to others. They recommended things like working at a soup kitchen. I was glad to hear a radio advertisement that was promoting the concept of doing good deeds. The announcement was encouraging people to be "good-doers" so that they could receive good karma. While it is always proper to do good to others, Jesus offers us much better motivation than the personal good feelings one receives from such service. Jesus said, ". . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) You are to "let your light shine" not to "shine your light". The difference is that when a follower of Jesus lives out his or her true identity the light of God shines through their good deeds. Doing good, therefore, is simply a Christian allowing Christ to live his life through them.

Keep Swinging

With today's post this blog has been up for exactly one year. It was last Father's Day that we experimented with doing a service exclusively focused on men. Because of the success of that sermon we decided to do it again. It appears it may become a tradition for us.

"Man church" appears to be a bit hit but I'm not sure of the effectiveness of continuing the blog. It gets around 50 hits a week even if the comments are very sparse. For those of you who read the blog let me know if you think it is worth continuing.

Speaking of this morning's sermon, I know it's hard to believe this cute little scout went .000 one season in little league baseball but it's true. One entire season without a single hit.

The Secret of Being Content

The concept of recognizing desires and setting proper goals has truly been life changing for me personally. When I catch myself becoming angry or depressed I can almost always, upon reflection, trace the source of my frustration back to blocked goals. God has even limited himself to follow the concept of "goals and desires". His Desire is that no one would "perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9). However, since God will not force people to choose his way against their own will, there will be many that do perish. This is not because God does not desire them to be saved -- but because they do not choose Him. However, because his desire to see all saved is so strong His Goal was accomplished in sending his Son, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Contentment comes when we can separate our goals and desires. We work to accomplish our goals and pray for our desires. In this way we can keep perspective on what our true responsibilities are without carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders.

Peace that Transcends all Understanding

I don't know how many people told me that after last week's sermon they rented "Facing the Giants". If you have not watched the movie I highly recommend it. In a couple of weeks we will be returning to the series "Reel Prayer" where I show movie clips with each sermon. However, there are not many movies I can recommend without at least some reservation. "Facing the Giants" is a wonderful family movie where you will never find yourself struggling to quickly fast forward over a scene or hit the mute button.

The Apostle Paul really set the bar high when he calls on us to have the mind of Christ. It is so unnatural that it does not "feel" right; at least initially. Over the long haul however, having the mind of Christ is the only true path to joy, peace, and contentment. Someone spoke to me after the sermon and described some of the persecution they endure on a regular basis. On their job they often suffer humiliation, insults, and unjust criticism. Responding with gentleness instead of retaliation is sure to be noticed. In the end it will be those who are full of hatred and criticism who will be miserable; the one with the mind of Christ will be able to sleep at night with a heart full of peace.

Joy that Can't Be Taken Away

Joy in the midst of sufferings sounds like nonsense until one ponders how often it occurs in everyday life: having surgery, giving birth to a child, preparing for an athletic contest, agonizing over information before a big test, pushing your muscles to climb a mountain, and on and on. We recognize that in each of these it is not suffering nor joy that is being pursued. Rather, one has set a goal and is doing what is necessary to achieve it. The "Joy of the Lord"comes when one sets his goal to grow in knowledge and imitation of Jesus; believing the promises of God and committing one's self to walk in obedience to God's commands no matter what the consequences. The writer of Hebrews points us in the same direction when he wrote: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Sharing in Christ's Sufferings

Nobody gets excited about the prospect of suffering. It's only when we see suffering as an unavoidable path to our goal that we gain the courage to walk the path. In a religious culture where God is often viewed as wanting nothing more than to make our dreams come true, talking about joining Christ in his suffering and death is a tough sell. However, when we align ourselves with the purposes of God in bringing his kingdom into this world, suffering for Christ becomes an honor and a privilege. This is why Paul could write, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, . ." (Philippians 1:29).

Suffering is certainly not the end in itself; as though we make it our goal to suffer! Rather, suffering is a means to an end. Jesus suffered that we might live. We suffer that God might be glorified in us. May God grant us the courage and faith to join Jesus in his sufferings whenever obedience to the Name calls us to walk that path.

Ben's Engaged

Last week Liz and I went to Abilene to celebrate Ben and Laura's engagement. Ben is quite the romantic and planned a very special evening for Laura on the night he proposed and graciously included his and her family after he "popped the question". Laura is a wonderful young lady and she and Ben make a great couple!

On Sunday, while you at Clear Lake were being blessed to hear from Jeremy Pierce, Liz and I went to church at the Maryneal Church of Christ (about an hour west of Abilene) to hear Ben preach. He is preaching there part time while he works on his Masters in Theology at ACU. It was a special time and we are proud of the man Ben has become.

Three Great Young Preachers

Two weeks ago we heard from Jeremy Glover. This past Sunday we got to hear Renzo preach in Spanish and next week we will hear from Jeremy Pierce. I am currently in Abilene and am taking the week off. I'll be back in town next Monday.

Growth In Christ

I met a person the other day who told me how he had lost his job. He said that he worked in an environment where deception was necessary in order to survive. The workers would fudge on details in reports made to superiors because the work was stressful and people felt like they couldn't accomplish everything expected of them. My friend, who is a Christian, tried to be honest in his dealings with people and his reporting. However, one situation arose where he failed. During a meeting he was confronted about a difficult situation he had been involved in. He looked his superior straight in the eye and told a lie. What he said was what the supervisor wanted to hear, but it wasn't the truth. My friend left that meeting and was seized with remorse. He had done the very thing everyone else was doing, but it wasn't the way of Christ. He went back and confessed. The end result was he lost his job.

Later in our conversation he asked what I was preaching on Sunday. As I described the difference between "growth in confidence" and "growth in Christ" he asked a question about the concept of joining Christ in his suffering and becoming like him in his death. I told him that his returning to his supervisior was a perfect example of "dying to self" so that Christ could live through him. Although he lost the job, he grew spiritually. Because of his willingness to humble himself he came to know Christ better and thus was able to imitate him.

A Novel Idea!

I recently finished reading Tim Woodroof's wonderful novel based on Paul's letter to the Philippians. The first edition is called A Distant Presence. Although the book is out of print, one can still find used (or should I say pre-owned) copies available for purchase. The first 2/3 of the book contain the story of Paul's relationship to the Philippian church including reasons for writing them a and the reaction of the church upon receiving it. The second part of the book contains a commentary of the book of Phillippians where the author explains why he included what he did in the narrative. As one who has devoted his life to studying the scriptures and helping people understand and apply that information; I loved this book! To read my review look to the left on my blog and click on the link, Byron's Brief Book Reviews. You will also be directed to where you can order a used copy or a new copy of The Messenger, which is the same novel without the commentary.

Spiritual Role Models

Thinking about role models this week made me want to begin the sermon talking about actors, models, athletes, and musicians. It seems that we often limit our talk of role models to high profile, high paid entertainers. We marvel whenever they are "good role models" and whine when one of them is a terrible embarrassment to the human race and call them "bad role models". Thankfully I resisted the urge to include such rambling in the sermon (sorry I can't say the same for my blog :-).

I find Paul's use of Timothy and Epaphroditus as "spiritual role models" for the Philippians as an insightful, pastoral way to help these new Christians have some "flesh and blood" examples of how to follow Jesus. If the greatest goal of our lives is to become like Jesus we must find those who are serving him well and imitate them as they imitate Christ. They are seldom found among the high profile, wealthy, influential individuals often held up as "role models." True spiritual role models will usually be found among the low profile, humble, selfless servants who go about their business of following Christ whether anyone is watching or not.

The Attitude of Love

"If only we could live the words that we sing." This sentiment might have been on the Apostle's heart as he penned the words to a familiar hymn in Philippians 2:6ff. This afternoon as I reflect on the morning sermon I am thinking of a different sentiment, "It's easier to preach on Sunday than it is to live what I preach on Monday."

How do I live my life so that I Act in love rather than React in fear? Who are the people and what are the situations in my life that need a healthy dose of "love in action" rather than my animal instincts of "fight or flight"? As God reveals these things to me I pray that he will do so for you so that we may all "shine like stars in the sky."

By the way, isn't Bear a handsome dog? If you come to my house I'll show you how he can hold a treat on his paw until I tell him to eat it. Good boy!

Reflecting Instead of Reacting

Preaching to rocket scientists each week is not an easy assignment. Especially for someone who is mathematically and scientifically challenged! It appears that stars do not reflect the sun as I erroneously stated in today's sermon. Apparently stars are on fire just as the sun is and the image we see is of them burning. Who would have thunk it?

Of course someone suggested that I simply pretend to have added that scientific faux pas to make sure that people were listening critically. Alas, perhaps I could have done so 6 or 7 years ago but I am afraid that my reputation as a scientific expert has already been tarnished beyond repair. I hope that my skill as a Biblical exegete and communicator of the gospel surpasses my knowledge of science and math.

Don't forget to read Philippians each week for the duration of the series! I, in turn, will try to research my illustrations before using them.

The Age of the Spirit

All of those languages being spoken at once made quite an impression this morning. My daughter commented afterward that she wished we could dramatize all Biblical stories. Indeed I have read the account of Pentecost Sunday from Acts chapter 2 all of my life, but today it came to life! Peter's sermon made so much sense in light of the events that were occurring. "These men are not drunk as you suppose, it's only nine in the morning!" That caused a chuckle from some in the crowd today just as it must have the first time Peter spoke those words. His sermon was not a well rehearsed, carefully thought out presentation. Rather, he was interacting with the crowd; passionately reasoning with them to accept the Lordship of Jesus who had so recently risen from the dead. The age of the Spirit has come! May we all learn what it means to let the Holy Spirit live though us.

God's Strange Answers

This will be the first time in over 20 years of preaching that I have paused a series of sermons in the middle, with a plan to preach the remainder later in the year. Usually when I preach a series they build on one another but this particular series is different. Each sermon seemed to stand alone. The topic of prayer is so vast and all inclusive I found that instead of having a logical progression of one sermon leading to the next, we were looking at prayer from a different angle each week. It is like examining something so huge one is unable to grasp it in it's entirety and must settle for breaking it into smaller sections for examination. I hope people have been encouraged to pray and that these sermons will become a kind of springboard to developing a deeper relationship with God. When we return to the Reel Prayer series we will talk about such topics as:

• The Prayer of Surrender (Bruce Almighty, Flywheel)

• Shouting at God (The Apostle)

• Wrestling in Prayer (The Passion)

Let me know if there are things you would like to hear me address when the series returns.

The Following Videos use Real Player, If you do not have real player or if your current video player will not play a real media file then you can download Real Player for free Here!

The Preacher’s Wife
The Collar
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The Car
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Prayer and Thanksgiving

I have long loved this picture. The old man's weathered face, in my mind, indicate a hard life. However, his bowed head and folded hands indicate a thankful heart. The question the picture asks of my life is, "How much stuff do you really need?" A Bible, eye glasses, a simple meal, a warm shirt, a table, and a room provide plenty for the man to give thanks. I want to grow to be more focused on the blessings I've received than the burdens I have to bear. May all of my requests be made to God enveloped in thanksgiving for all He has already provided.

The Following Videos use Real Player, If you do not have real player or if your current video player will not play a real media file then you can download Real Player for free Here!

Sister Act
Prayer Before Meal
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Prayer and Humility

For those who would like more information concerning Ruby Bridges I have three recommendations. The movie, "Ruby Bridges" is an accurate portrayal of the events that I described in the sermon. It appears to be largely based on the information found in the children's book, The Story of Ruby Bridges, by child psychiatrist, Robert Coles. The book is wonderfully illustrated and would be acceptable to read even to young elementary children. Ruby tells the story in her own words in the book, Through My Eyes. Although still found in the children's section, the book contains pictures of the events it describes and would be better for older elementary school children. All of these can be obtained from the Freeman Public Library.


Finally, here is the picture that I showed this morning that caused such deep reflection in my own soul. Look carefully and see if you can see yourself in this crowd. God have mercy on me, a sinner.
The Following Videos use Real Player, If you do not have real player or if your current video player will not play a real media file then you can download Real Player for free
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Ruby Bridges
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Scene 10
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God Answers Prayer

Finding illustrations of answered prayer from the Bible is a relatively easy thing to do. For one thing, the Bible stories come with a narrator who tells us information from "behind the scenes." For example, the narrator is the one who tells us that God relented (or repented) in the Jonah and Moses stories we talked about in the sermon this morning. In everyday life answered prayers are more difficult to observe. I have prayed for financial help more than once in my life and have been amazed at the unusual ways God has answered (such as someone giving me a car or my child being awarded a full tuition scholarship). I have also been amazed at the common ways the prayers have been answered (such as getting a raise or something costing less than I thought I would). Through both the unusual and the common answers to prayer there is often the question in the back of my mind, "How do you KNOW this was God answering the prayer?" The answer, of course, is that I know only by faith. If I ask God for something I need, when the need is supplied I am going to credit God with answering my prayer and offer a prayer of thanksgiving. I don't believe in God because he answers prayer; I believe in God and therefore pray, trusting him to supplies what I need.

The Following Videos use Real Player, If you do not have real player or if your current video player will not play a real media file then you can download Real Player for free Here!

It's a Wonderful Life
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Partnering with God

This sermon was a real struggle for me to preach. How do I preach a sermon that motivates people to "always pray and not give up" while, at the same time, teach that prayer doesn't work? (If you missed the sermon my point is that prayer does not work, God works. Prayer is a partnership with Him to accomplish His will in this world. Thus, our faith is in God not in prayer.) The answer came to me as Liz and I watched the movie Bucket List yesterday. Even though the sermon was written my mind was still mulling it over trying to make sense of it so that I could communicate it on Sunday. In the Bucket List there is a wonderful scene when Carter, a Christian, is talking to Edward, an unashamed atheist, about faith. Carter asks Edward how he can live without faith. Edward offers some forgettable line when Carter simply says, "I just have faith." I leaned over to Liz and said, "That's it! That's the point I want to make tomorrow." Watching how the two men lived and died in the movie made the point that living with faith is far preferable to living without faith. Thank you Rob Reiner for preaching an excellent sermon to me!

Here's today's clips! The Following Videos use Real Player, If you do not have real player or if your current video player will not play a real media file then you can download Real Player for free
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Shenandoah
We Done it all Ourselves
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Through the Shadows
Praying for Results
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Praying for Direction

When did it happen that church became primarily a religious organization to which one belongs instead of a people who live lives of reckless devotion following a God who loves adventure? I have long wrestled with the question of what it means to be a Christ follower in this culture. In what ways have I become a cultural Christian instead of a sold out follower of Jesus? How can I keep from being a go-through-the-motions Christian and instead be a Holy Spirit filled, people serving, God loving, Jesus follower? I know that a large part of the answer lies in praying for God's leading and direction in my life; followed by repentance and obedience.

My favorite meetings each week are the prayer groups I attend. There I meet with small (always small regrettably) gatherings of similarly desperate people seeking for God to lead, guide, heal, strengthen, encourage, and in others ways---ACT in this world for His own glory. How else can we expect God to lead us unless we first humble ourselves and become devoted to prayer? Is that not the first step of obedience?

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Cool Hand Luke
Needing Direction
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Facing The Giants
Call Upon The Lord
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Ritual Prayer

I listen carefully to comments made to me after a sermon. After preaching I wonder what people heard while I was preaching, what resolutions they made in their own mind, what questions were raised, etc... I received several interesting comments today. One person expressed disappointment that I did not use the King James version when we said the Lord's Prayer in unison at the conclusion of the sermon (I used the New King James version). They were not so much averse to the version used as longing for the nostalgic familiarity of the King James. Another person mentioned a prayer clip from the movie Patton that they thought might have fit well with that sermon (I'll check into it for future sermons in this series). Yet another asked when I'm going to show the meal time prayer from Sister Act. The answer: probably in a few weeks; I'd like to space out the meal time prayer as much as possible since that is the most frequent prayers to be found in the movies. However there was one comment that especially caught my attention. One person expressed appreciation for the sermon since it answered the question he has been asking for the past few weeks: Is it really o.k. to pray the words of others? This person has been involved in our Wednesday evening prayer sessions, praying daily through the Face to Face book, and spent an hour praying for our teenagers during our recent prayer chain. Thank you Lord, for working through me to answer a real heart question from one of your intercessors! This is what makes preaching worthwhile.

Here's the clips shown from this week's sermon:
Christmas Vacation
Aunt Bethany's Prayer
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Fiddler on the Roof
Sabbath Prayer
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Pray Continually

While working on this sermon this past week, I was reminded of how many things distract us from praying. I wrote a section in an early draft of my sermon to address this subject of distractions. We seem to be in a constant flurry of mind numbing activity: Ipods, blue tooth, email, texting, television, and video games come to mind. When are our minds ever simply at rest? The psalmist writes, "the heavens declare the glory of God, . . . day after day they pour forth speech;..." But, who is listening?

As I got in my truck to drive home from the office, I mindlessly turned on the radio. As the voice coming through my speakers rattled on about things that will have no relevance tomorrow, not to mention next year or ten years from now; it occurred to me -- what a perfect time to practice what I preach! I turned the radio off and had a few minutes of simple conversation with God.
Thanks Tevia, for reminding me that prayer can be continual when we allow ourselves to simply remember God.

Here's the clips from this week:

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Fiddler on the Roof
Lame Horse
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Fiddler on the Roof
Rich Man
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Fiddler on the Roof
Chosen People
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Fiddler on the Roof
Troubles, Troubles
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Watch the Clips!

If you would like to see the two film clips that were part of the sermon "Teach Us to Pray" preached on Sunday, January 13; click on the appropriate link below.

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Catch Me If You Can
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Meet the Parents
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Teach Us to Pray

I have spent the past 31 years seeking to learn how to pray. I have read more books on prayer than any other subject. I have done more Bible study on this topic than any other. I have participated in a plethora of prayer methods and disciplines seeking to develop my prayer life. Why then do I still feel like the disciples in Luke 11:1 asking Jesus for help in learning how to pray? In one sense prayer is as natural as breathing; yet in another it feels like speaking a foreign language. How can this be?

Jim Woodroof once advised young preachers not to preach on anything which God had not yet taught them. Good advise. I have long felt that God teaches me just enough so that I have something to share with the congregation while, at the same time, continually reminding me that I'm not that far down the road myself.

As we enter into the "Reel Prayer" series, I am excited to teach what God has taught me, while fully realizing that I too am part of the flock of God at Clear Lake. I join the rest of the body of Christ looking to the great Shepherd of the sheep for guidance and direction. May he truly, "guard, guide, and direct" all of us as we seek to follow him.

On another note, I am hopeful that my techkie friends will enable me to post the movie clips I'll be showing each week. Check back later in the week and see if we've been able to get them up.

The Recurring Choice

In this morning's sermon I referenced Israel conquering the land of Canaan. In spite of the fact that the previous generation of Israelites said it would be impossible to defeat the Canaanites, Israel did in fact win! The point I made was that we will never fail when we are faithfully obedient to God. After the sermon I got into a discussion about what it means to never fail. I realize how easily that statement could be misunderstood or misconstrued.

One of the problems associated with being a public communicator is being misunderstood. Some try to avoid that by giving disclaimers for their statements. For example, "The sky is blue" is a statement that would not seem to need any qualification except for those who might point out that sometimes the sky is gray, black, red, overcast, etc..... To give a disclaimer one would say, "The sky is blue, unless of course it happens to be raining, cloudy, nighttime, dusk, or dawn. Disclaimers tend to clutter communication.

Jesus, it appears, was not a big fan of disclaimers. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, . . ." was a statement made without qualification. Jesus liked to make people think. If you read his statement in the context of all his teachings you would have to conclude that he meant something like "love less" rather than "despise" by his use of the word "hate".

I'm a far cry from communicating like Jesus but if I made anyone think this morning that's good! By the way, what I meant by the statement I made about never failing, is that one will never fail in doing the things that God wants done. I certainly don't mean that God will give you whatever you want or think you need just because you act or ask in faith. Faith, by it's very definition, is trusting God.