Breath Mints - Adjective Overkill

I was looking at a church's website today and noticed that in the name of being "real"(otherwise called truthful) they used so many adjectives it almost became comical.  Words like relevant, authentic, engaging, intentional, interactive, catalyst, strategic, and many others have become the staple of advertising for churches and church leaders.

I used them and they rolled off my tongue like butta.  It was innocent enough at first for me, but before long I was a major user.  I couldn't make a sentence without throwing in an all too familiar adjective like "relevant" or "authentic".  It became a crutch for speaking and before long all I wanted to do was hang around other people who used the same words.  Sadly, I was a member of a little known cult called The Contemporarys.  Yes, this group had sucked me in to their little group and fed my addiction with timely emails, newsletters, and free David Yurman cross cufflinks (to be worn on the inside not showing the cross because it would not be relevant in today's societal needs)  Before long I quit associating with Bible Thumpers who read from anything less than The New English Relevantly Hyperdrived Apologizing version of.........The Bible  If not for a group of Christian friends who made a commitment to intervene on my behalf, I would still be tied to the inner circle of the cult, known as "The  Inner Circle"  (It was tough for them to get a cool word for the inner circle)  As I distanced myself from their hold I began to see that what they were doing wasn't really anything new at all .......THEY WERE JUST WORDS!!

Of course, I am kidding, but this may be closer to the truth for some than they are willing to admit.  When I went to college I pledged a fraternity my first semester and joined the next semester.  I made some fairly good friends and actually felt like I was a Big Man On Campus.  But what made me a Big Man On Campus was not who I was, but who I was associated with in my fraternal membership.  It looks like the fraternal need of many Christian Men is still there and the best way to fill that need is to be a part of a hierarchy group of people who have all the answers to right the wrongs of past mistakes made in the modern day church.  To them the Bible is a reference book to be used with the latest bestseller from the hottest new Christian Author, instead of the other way around.  Over the years I have had many churches approach me about coming to serve in their fellowship and it is tragic to have one or more of their leaders ask me, "What book are you reading now?" as a litmus test as to whether I am up on my modern Christianity.  One such leader called a while back and when asked I just had to stop this whole thing, so when he asked what book I was reading I replied "Romans."  He laughed and said, "No really, what book like Visioneering or Blue Like Jazz?"  I didn't laugh and once again said, "Romans."  He didn't call back.

You can always tell when we have drifted too far from God's Purpose when we don't need Him or His Word to function anymore.  When Fortune 500 companies start to generate the vision for reaching out to people for Christ, something is wrong.  I'm not against adjectives that I mentioned earlier in this blog, but it causes me to think if we need to use those words, then we may have a problem  Are we not relevant?  Did you know that trends that used to take 3 years to establish are now established and gone in 6 months?   If that's the case, then who is relevant?  Talk about riding on a relevancy roller coaster! If we aren't authentic(def. having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence) then the problem could be in our source and that source is probably not God's Word.  If we aren't in a vision mode then we need what catalyst God can provide, not what catalyst Wall Street can provide.   I think right now in the church we are a product of unfulfilled fake Christianity.  As a youth pastor, I saw it coming years ago in the lives of students who were trying to live their faith through their parents.  I had to purposely try to get them to forget about living second hand faith and try to convince them to live a real faith one on one with Christ.   I also saw many kids who "got it" and deepened their walk with Christ, but there are many from the 70's and 80's who are the disgruntled preachers and church leaders of today.  Their opposite mindset about what their faith was like as a child and youth is driving their well meaning agenda, but it isn't helping the church move.  It's just a distraction.  And now adjectives are driving the course of modern day churches and we think if we say it enough it will get better, but it won't.  If you take Christ out of the Gospel, you have no gospel.  If you take the Holy Spirit out of discernment, you have no direction,  If you take God's Word out of authentic teaching, you have no truth.  If you take sacrifice out of service, you have no workers.  If you allow the World to control your church, you have no church.   If you want to be relevant, authentic, contemporary, and many other words that describe our desire to serve God, then be a Christian or Like Christ.  He is never ashamed of associating with us.  May we never be caught being ashamed of associating with Him.  In fact, I think this whole style of living shouldn't be allowed to leave a bad taste in our mouth when it comes to lifting up the name of the Lord.  When I have a bad taste in my mouth, I usually don't notice it is bad breath until someone brings it to my attention.  Then I have the option to either deal with it or not.  I usually get a breath mint and that takes away the bad taste for me and the bad smell to whoever I am talking to.  I think it's time to evaluate if this whole thing tastes good or not, and then see how it is affecting those we are influencing.  If it has even a hint of bad taste to us, then it probably smells even worse to others.  Remember, you cannot get anymore real or relevant than the truth.  Psalm 20:5-8 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.  Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.  They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

The Pilgrimage continues......

David Warren

What Kind of Crucible Are You?

As believers we are blessed to live a life of hope and peace that DOES pass all understanding. Philippians 4:7  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That peace and hope will many times be tested and that testing helps us now and in the future as God is developing our faith and sanctifying our hearts.   That testing is something that I many times question and  struggle with to the point of letting it get me down or allowing it to be a distraction to my walk of faith.  Of course, then I wake up and see that God's hand is preparing me for a task or ministry where a stronger faith and perseverance will be required.  In the middle of the testing it is tough and at times distressing, but if I can get a glimpse of what is beyond the test, it gives me strength to allow the result of that test to be good and affirming.  I'm not saying that I handle all of the tests in my life with great strength and understanding because I don't.  But if I can see God's Hand in the testing a sense of true peace will come over me that helps me wade through it and get to where God is leading me. James 1:2-4  Consider it pure joy, my brothers,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

In the second Indiana Jones movie, Indiana and half pint, a boy tagging along for the adventure,  had gotten stuck in a room that was sealed and the ceiling was dropping from above, so as to crush them.  A trip lever had been stepped on putting the whole thing in motion and it was not looking good.  For just a split second though, the doorway out was open and Indiana got caught between staying and helping his young friend or getting out.  He stayed and now they were stuck.  What to do?  Fortunately,there was a mechanism through the wall, that when tripped would stop the ceiling from coming down and open the escape door.  His female companion, who had made it out, stuck her hand into an insect infested hole in the wall and tripped the safety switch to allow them to get out. Saved!!  Whoo Hoo!  What a test!  They had to react quickly to their tough situation, but they DID react properly and they were saved.

As you go through your many tests in life allow God to develop your faith by trusting Him, seeking His will, learning to think on your feet, and looking for that better day ahead.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." On the pathway of life we really don't know the way without God's direction.  So God gives us tests along the way so we will be able to handle things further down the path.  Just keep in mind that God's tests are for our good and they grow us closer to Him.  The tricks of satan are for our bad and his plan is for us to stop and quit.   Stay on God's path, even when things seem so desperate and there is no hope.  If you will look up to Him He will give you a glimpse of a better day and His blessings will start to be seen and experienced.  It's like the heating of gold.  Gold heats at approximately 1063 degrees, but getting to that temperature burns other impurities out of the gold itself until it is pure. A crucible is a melting pot used to hold the gold when it is being heated.  The crucible has to be able to handle the heat or it will melt along with the gold and the process will be spilled gold, impure gold.  God has formed each of us to be a crucible, by giving us the Holy Spirit and enabling us to handle the extreme heat while our faith is being purified.  At the end of each process what used to be compromised, impure gold, is now pure in form and the crucible still holds it without cracking or splitting.  The pure gold is the end result of the heat, but the crucible is the vessel that must stand the heat in the process.  With the Holy Spirit in our life we are able to be the crucible God needs us to be to allow the purification process to be complete.  The Lord is the one who keeps our crucible or vessel from cracking under pressure.  It doesn't mean we won't feel the heat.  It does mean the heat will not overcome the cricible's ability to hold the gold.  Faith refined by fire is lasting faith.  1 Peter 1:6-7 says, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

What kind of crucible are you?  I hope I am the kind of crucible, or vessel, that through the power of the Holy Spirit will continue to trust God when the heat is turned up.  2 Timothy 2:21 says, "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel (crucible) for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

I want to be that kind of crucible.  Don't you?

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Give Him a Hand!!

The hand is an amazing part of the body and it serves so many important functions in our daily life.  From birth and throughout our lives we see how hands can be used for so many good and bad things.  Think about it, a finger on a hand can pull a trigger on a gun and end a life, or it can reach out to a drowning person and barely grab them and save their life.  A hand can be raised up to wave "hi" or a thrown forward to say "phooey."  A hand can hold water in it's palm, or spill it by turning it over.  A grouping of fingers when applied to specific musical instruments can make beautiful melodies that stir hearts. A clinched fist can be used to take a stand by bringing it down hard on an object while making a point, or when thrust forward in a punch can knock a person out. We put rings on our fingers denoting many different things, but the most frequent rings you see are wedding rings.  Those rings can be used to show that you have given yourself in commitment to someone else, or taken off to flippantly think that commitment is over because you only have a faint tan line.  Hands can be used to hold onto something and lift enormous amounts of weight when given strength throughout our body, or they can become lifeless when a person's life has ended.  A hand on a shoulder many times will bring peace and comfort, or make us feel distant when not reached out.  Doctors prick our fingers to get blood and put a pulse monitor on our finger to get a heart rate.  Our Savior's Hands are famous for the image of serving, comforting, admonishing, and sacrifice.  We are called to extend our hands toward heaven to lift up the name of Jesus and outward to lift up the afflicted and needy.  Our hands can cover our eyes, ears, and mouth seemingly to shut out the world.  A parent's hand can calm their children's fear and anxiety with a very gentle stroke, and be used to inflict a minor degree of pain for correction.  A prisoner's hands can be tied with handcuffs one day making them bound for their crimes, and when released they have the ability to feel freedom again.  Hands! A pretty awesome part of our body that when used the right way or wrong way can impact any situation for good or evil.  I've been in many situations where someone would perform and at the completion of their performance be rewarded with the clapping of hands.  Rhythm in music is many times represented by clapping our hands.  And of course, you can always tell those who don't have rhythm.  Whatever the use of our hands, they are pivotal in a Christian's life.Exodus 9: 29  Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD's. Exodus 17:12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.   Exodus 32:15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. Psalm 19:1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Psalm 28:2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.  Psalm 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  Psalm 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. John 20:24-28  Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." ²⁶A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."²⁸Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Acts 8:17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.  Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."  Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" 1 Timothy 2:8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.  Of course, the scriptures goes on and on using the word "hand."  The best use of our hands is to give them to God and allow Him to use them in the way He intended.  All of the right ways to use our hands are chronicled in His Word and helpful for instruction for now, and in the future.  Hands are front and center when it comes to uses for good and for evil and when we place OUR hands in HIS hands they become what God intended, an extension of our heart.....his heart.  They are the difference maker in almost every situation and God wants to use your hands for His Glory and His alone.  Put your hand in the hand of the one who has the scars that show ultimate sacrifice, and see what good can be done.  Give Him a hand.....Give Him your hands.  

The Pilgrimage continues......

David Warren

Scriptural References for The Parable, The Priceless Prize

The Priceless Prize

Part 1 The Call Scripture References-  John 3:1-2, Romans 6:23, 10:13 (The explanation of born again to Nicodemus and salvation as explained by the Apostle Paul) Ephesians 6:10-18 (The battle of the flesh and the spirit)is ongoing, but when you commit to God's way He protects you and guides you through it) John 6:60-67 (Some followers desert Jesus) John 14:15-21 (The promise of the Holy Spirit is real and lasting and that power is the catalyst for more and more growth) John 15:5-15, Luke 9:23 (The disciples are called friends and in this special relationship He calls us not only friends, but calls us to give our lives to Him)

 Part 2 Remember What the Gift Really Is Scripture References - Proverbs 119:66, 2:9, Hebrews 5:11-6:1 (God's Wisdom give us the ability to discern.  That is acquired by spending time with Him in His Word) Philippians 1:9-11, Proverbs 111:10 (He gives us the gift of wisdom to live our life and sets us on a path that is focused on His ways) Proverbs 18:1 (The gift is not shiny, but worth far more than any shiny thing.  We don't trust in things of the world, but trust on the promises of God.  Knowing that those promises give us to keys to hope, peace, joy, and many other wonderful things) 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 (This is only our temporary dwelling.  Even though our bodies are wasting away, our lives are being renewed day by day.  We see the things that are seen, but we fix our eyes on the things that are unseen)

Part 3 The Engine Still Runs Scripture References - Luke 18:18-30, Matthew 6:19-24,33, 7:7,8 ( We are seekers when we receive our new nature.  Our engine runs on seeking by faith and it runs good)  1 Corinthians 15:54-58, 1 John 5:1-5 (We live our lives out of VICTORY.  We don't worry about things that others do and it changes our perspective on how to live our life.  The Engine that powers us is one that never loses....ever.) Acts 13:49-52, Ephesians 3:14-21 (Our supply of fuel comes from spending time with God, but also serving God and seeing His hand moving in a powerful way in our lives and the lives of those He changes) 1Corinthians 2:6-16 (God enables us to view life in the same way He does.  He enables that through the Holy Spirit)

Part 4 More Precious Than Imagined Scripture References - Mark 4:31(What seems like an insignificant seed is actually a very important start to great growth) Luke 8:4-16, 2 Corinthians 9:10, James 3:18, 1 Peter 1:23 (The seed needs to grow to full maturity, so the plant can bear more fruit for the kingdom) Romans 3:25, Hebrews 10:19-25 (The power of the blood draws us closer and closer to God and in that relationship we find that this salvation is much more precious than ever imagined.  Had we not accepted Christ and been given access to the Father in this way, we would have never known how precious it is) Matthew 13:44,45, Psalm 119:72

Hope this helps.  These verses will probably bring other verses to mind that you already know.  If that happens, then the parable and all this writing has done what it needed to do.

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

The Parable Explained - Part 4 More Precious Than Imagined

 He backed out of the garage and headed to town.  As he drove into town everyone was looking at him in the roadster.  He couldn't believe the attention he was getting in this old car.  He just had to know more about the car that had been his grandpa's for so many years.  He knew of an antique car restoration place downtown and drove there to see if they could tell him anymore about his new, old car.  As he pulled up, the whole staff walked outside and the owner said, "Well, I've only seen pictures of this car.  I thought they were all gone."  The young man said,  "So, is this car worth a lot?"  The man said, "Oh yeah.  I have a dealer who would give you five for it today."  The boy thought the man was kidding when he said it was worth $500.00.  Surely, it would be worth more than that.  He said, "It may be only worth $500.00 to you, but to me it's priceless.  This was my grandpa's car and he loved it."  The man laughed and said, "Son, I didn't mean Five Hundred Dollars, I mean Five Million Dollars!  The young man couldn't believe his ears.  "Five Million Dollars!"  The dealer said, "Would you be interested in selling it?'  The young man told him, "No, it's not for sale.  It's worth much more if I pass it down through the family."  He got in the car and drove away, thankful for the ageless gift that continues to gather more and more worth as it gets older.  His grandpa's prize possession became his prized possession.  He suddenly sensed a great amount of responsibility to keep the car in the best shape possible.  It was not only his gift, but now it was going to be his legacy to those who would come behind him.

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When we receive Christ in our life we think we know just how precious the gift is and we navigate life by that impression.  That impression is Life Eternal, Forgiveness of Sin, Hope for the Future, and many other phrases that aptly describe the benefits of salvation.  But our Heavenly Father offers much more than those initial promises received at the new birth.  The forgiveness we receive takes the shackles of guilt and heaviness and throws them aside.   The freeing power of the new birth in our life opens the door to a way of life that is found by all who know Christ, but understood by few.  Why is it understood by few?  It 's a seed, earth, weed, growth thing.  He plants the seed in each of us and then the enemy, who seeks to steal and destroy,  lures us into thinking much differently than God  intended.  He wants us to live guilty, negative, defeated lives WITH the new birth in place.  When that happens it lessens the effectiveness of our testimony because we don't seem to be ANY different and that is a problem.  The seed doesn't grow much and the weeds are a constant problem.  Our stunted growth makes us miserable and then everyone around us is miserable..... Do you get the picture?  This in a small form is the picture of today's church.  Defeated, visionless, and worst of all.  Anemic!  You say, "What do you mean anemic? Here is the adjective definition of the word....lacking power, vigor, vitality, or colorfulness; listless; weak.  We have weak blood!!  The same blood that was shed for our sins is not the blood we are trusting in for a victorious life.  His blood has been weakened in our lives because we quit believing.  If you want to see the red blood cells start to rise in our faith, then start trusting God with all  your life.  His blood will start to take hold once again and the effect will be awesome.  Things like taking up your cross daily, immersing yourself in the Word, serving with a passion will be more evident in your life as you learn to follow God.  The seed will GROW!!!

Throughout the parable the young man could not grasp, first of all, how precious his grandpa was to him until his grandpa was gone.  His memory was jogged though, and he had not totally forgotten his grandpa and that relationship tie was enough to keep him looking for more answers.  His perspective about what was valuable in life had become skewed because he had gotten further and further away from the place where his identity was formed.  In other words, the world had become the source of his reasoning and that had affected his faith, instead of the faith being his source of reasoning and that affecting his world.  He was living upside down!  He turned the tide when he walked into the back room of the garage.  One step of faith and hope changed his whole perspective and brought him back to his true source of belief.  His Grandpa.  He was so overjoyed with finding the old car, that he drove it to town immediately.   He was proud of this new, old car.  He was amazed that everyone was looking at it.  It's amazing that when those we come in contact with see the foundational faith of the Bible lived before them, they are drawn to it.  Why?  PURITY!  God's Word doesn't age like everything else.  In fact, as things of the world get older and less dependable, our faith gets newer every day and more and more dependable.  It is a pure source from a spring that never runs dry.  Limitless!

The young man still had not caught on to what he had received, so he went to town to see if he could get a second opinion from someone who knew cars.  When the owner came out and told him the car was worth five million dollars, he was amazed.  But not so much surprised.  Why?  Because of his grandpa's promise of it being the best he could give.  The process was complete when the car collector offered to buy it and he turned it down because he suddenly realized it was worth far more than any money he could ever get.  It was priceless.  Through the years I have seen many fall to the lure of the world and all of it's compromise.  Sadly enough, I have at times compromised my faith, just to be quickly drawn back by God to a place of balance.  When I was a young man I would listen to older men and women of the faith and hear of the blessed pilgrimage realized by long life.  It was that kind of faith that caused me to draw closer and closer to God and let Him be my source of energy for living.  Even in my failure God has enabled me to stay close and grow in Him and to that I say, "Praise God."  There were times when I was offered a lot of money to "sell out" just like the young man and the temptation was almost more than I could stand.  But God wouldn't let it happen.  Because He cares!  This parable ends with a challenge to all who read it.  Do you have the right power source?  If you do, how is that power source working through you?  Have you lost your way and let the world lure you into mediocrity?  Perhaps you have forgotten where you put your vehicle for living a vibrant, powerful, passionate life.  Walk into the back room and uncover it.  It still runs.  When you start to drive it again, you will see that it's not old, but new.   Then after just a little time you will once again see just how much more precious it is than you ever imagined.  Or.....you can stay the same way, with the same faith, with the weak blood, that is not powered by God at all and fall into line with the world's way of living..... If you have Christ in your life, like the young man, you know what to do.  DO IT!

The Pilgrimage continues.....