A Virtue You Have To Have…

Well, Marilyn just left for 4 days and 3 nights at The Walk To Emmaus.  For those of you outside the southern Indiana area, the best way to describe this is a weekend experience that completely saturates the “pilgrims” with the love of Christ and His body.

It was hard for Marilyn to go though.  The longest she had been away from Josiah was just one night.  The only way she was able to leave was one foundational virtue…TRUST.

Trust is one of those virtues that is hard to get and priceless to have.  When you trust someone, you’re telling them that you believe that they will not attack your vulnerability.  In order to fully trust someone, you have to be vulnerable.  Too many of us never place our trust in the right people because we’ve placed our trust too many times in the wrong people.  These people betrayed our confidence…they took advantage of us during our biggest moments of vulnerability.  If that’s you, YOU MUST LEARN TO TRUST AGAIN!

It won’t happen overnight.  Remember, trust takes time.  But Christ demands our trust in Him.  Hebrews 10:38 tells us “the just shall live by faith:  but if any man draw back, my [God] soul shall have no pleasure in him.”  It’s tempting to pull back any time we’re given the slightest reason to doubt, but there’s no reward in it. 

So think about this.  How are you doing with trusting God with your…

• Salvation?
• Family?
• Career?
• Finances?
• Future?

Marilyn had to trust me to take care of Josiah while she was gone.  She had to trust me to be faithful to her.  She had to trust God to protect us and care for us.  God wants to teach you how to trust again.

Partial Obedience

“Rules are meant to be broken”.  That’s what a lot of people think these days.  But have you ever stopped to think about this life view from God’s perspective?  Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  That statement alone leads us to believe that there is no time limit.  If we love Christ, we do not say, “I’ll stop doing ___ today, but tomorrow is a new day.”  Being obedient is a continuous thing!

We’ve all been guilty of this.  But it’s SO important that we remain biblically faithful.  It would be great to think that Christ could easily overlook our continuing sin because we asked Him earlier to forgive us.  The old saying I always hear is “No one’s perfect!”  This is just a cop-out for those of us who refuse to look at the damage our sin can cause.  THE BOTTOM LINE IS SIN BRINGS A PENALTY!  Jeremiah 34 proves this out. 

Christians should not spend their time pointing fingers at the sin and shortcomings of others.  If we would instead spend that time on our face before a most Holy God, confessing our sin to Him, a spiritual REVIVAL would break out across our land!

“If my people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their land.”  Take some time in prayer today to ask God to clear your heart of all sin.  Partial obedience is not obedience.

WOW…My Legs Hurt!

Hard work in specific areas of life pay huge dividends in the end.  The reason for no blog entry yesterday was that I took a big family day.  We were going to go with my sister and bro-in-law to the zoo.  When we figured that 40 degree weather wouldn’t make for a very pleasurable day outdoors, we modified the plans a little. 

1.  Nagasaki–THE BEST Japanese food period.

2.  The Vineyard–I could spend all day in here…and NO, it’s not a winery.  It’s a Christian bookstore!

3.  The Mall–I absolutely would rather take a beating than spend hours shopping.  But my wife REALLY enjoys it and I REALLY love her, soooo….we do what we have to do

4.  Chuck E Cheese–This was my first time and Josiah’s first time.  It was a BLAST!  I loved watching Josiah have such an awesome time.  He played for hours and was so tired at the end that he fell asleep moments after leaving the parking lot.

5.  Krispy Kreme–All I can say is that the RED LIGHT was on!  Hot, fresh krispy kremes….does it get any better???

When it comes to the ministry, I’ve found that when my wife and son feel loved and appreciated, I feel better as a husband and father, and they’re more than encouraging when it comes time to do ministry.  So many ministers have it backwards.  They think that God asks the family to sacrifice for the ministry.  And honestly, there are some sacrifices that they make.  BUT, I am thankful for both my family AND my ministry.  The Stevens crew are the ones that give me the courage to press on, to step out, and to keep on reaching farther. 

So, to my wonderful family…thank you for an awesome day, and for the privilege of being a part of your life.  You’ve made me a better person and a better pastor!

Dangers For Pastors At Easter

Well, we’re here…the busiest time of the year for Pastors.  Easter is one of the two biggest holidays out of the year for newcomers visiting your church.  If we’re not careful, we can run the risk of serval things:

1.    Not making time for your family.  Here’s one that I really watch.  Especially with my son being so young (3), a little girl that’s not yet born, and a hot wife that really needs to spend time with her husband.  Pastors…MAKE TIME FOR YOUR FAMILY!  Using the excuse, “It’s Easter…Just one time a year”, won’t cut it.  Your family deserves your best.

2.  The stress of being perfect.  Let’s face it…none of are perfect.  As best as we can plan our services for this weekend, something will not go according to plan.  THAT’S OK!  The people coming to your service aren’t expecting perfection.  They’re wanting a way to connect (to God and others).  While most churches now have a core value of excellence, we must always remind ourselves that excellence is not the same as perfection.  Excellence is doing your best with what you have.

3.  Making this weekend commercialized.  We know that “commercialized” is a dirty word when it comes to ministry.  No one likes to liken the saving power of Jesus Christ to a simple product that we sell only on weekends.  But if we’re not careful, that’s exactly what we will end up with.  Pastors, we cannot take others to the foot of the cross, if we don’t wear its path down from our own daily trips there.  Take some time EVERY DAY and go back to the cross.  It will help keep things in perspective, and keep your heart where it needs to be. 

HAVE A GREAT RESURRECTION WEEKEND…LET’S CELEBRATE THE BLOOD-STAINED CROSS AND EMPTY TOMB WITH AWE, EXCITEMENT, AND THANKS!

Wanted: Gopher Wood

Our area has just been drenched with 7-11 inches of rain in the past three days!  I feel like Noah…minus all of the animals, the ark, world-ending judgement through flooding (you get the idea )  Because of all of the rain, the internet has been down in our area…it’s running off of satellite.  We’re so far out in the country that dial-up or satellite are the only options.  I had a brief connection yesterday and had an entire post ready to go until the rain picked up…now it seems to be lost!  I’ll see if I can find it.

In other news, Marilyn and I just got back from the doctor.  Our baby girl is doing just great.  Due date still is hanging around June 25-30.  God is TRULY AWESOME! 

We’re getting ready to go to my Father-in-law’s to celebrate his 45th b-day.  I’ll try to get on here tomorrow and leave something intellectually stimulating!

Samaritan, Disciple, or PLUGGED IN?

Yesterday’s message really pumped me up!  If you missed it, the bad news is that it didn’t record.  The good news is that I’m going to go back into the booth this week and record it again.  Here are the highlights of the message that was based out of Luke 9:51-56…

• There is a danger of falling into one of two groups, neither of which understand the heart of God…1)Samaritans–Those that have been burned by the church or those that called themselves Christians and now reject Christ.  Or 2)Disciples–Those that have become a little arrogant in their walk with the Lord and have lost a heart for people and have become a little angry at God because He didn’t work in the way, or time frame, that you wanted Him to.

• The way you treat others is a reflection of your perception of God.  (i.e. If I serve God onlyout of fear of hell, I will treat others as though I have become their judge and tend to point out flaws….If I serve God out of love, I will portray His love for others through my actions that have been saturated with care and affection.

• The palm branch represented something prophetic.  Historically, the palm branch was a sign of “victory over your enemy”.  We each carry two palms that hang from our shoulders, and when you wave these in the air, you in essence declare to the Lord, “Thank you for making me victorious over my enemies!”

So with all of this being said, you must understand that life makes it hard at times to “wave your palms” and praise God during your worst times.  I have found through experience that surrounding yourself with the right people helps you from falling into the trap of becoming as one of the Samaritans mentioned in this text.  When  you’re unable to see the silver lining through the fog that has encompassed your life, a Christ-following friend can help encourage you to go forward.  They can also help you to understand the truth of Scripture and the person of God in ways you may have never seen before.  This way your chances of falling into the same trap as the Disciples shrinks significantly. 

Get PLUGGED IN with a small group of believers!  God designed you with a need for relationships.  My group has helped me tremendously, and helped me not to take myself too seriously…

I went golfing SLAPPING A GOLF BALL ENDLESSLY THROUGH THE WRONG FAIRWAYS with one of my small group friends yesterday.  Scoring 71 would be good in any other sport BUT golf!

Some Things You May Not Know About Me…

  OK…for those of you who either A) don’t know me OR B)Know me but only on a superficial level, here are some facts about myself.  I’ll admit, at times I’m a little weird and even a little complex.  Let’s just be thankful that there’s only one Chris Stevens (umm actually there’s another in Martin County, but you get my drift!).

1.  I’m a big fan of spicy foods and I love mixing mashed potatoes and cottage cheese It’s an awesome hot/cold sensation!

2.  I’m a wanna-be outdoorsman.  The passion is there, but very little skill!

3.  On my 1st date with Marilyn, I took along a guy that was head-over-heels in love with her.  We were going to a high school basketball game and he “didn’t have a ride”.  I was too stupid to tell him “TOO BAD!!!“

4.  Sometimes I have an uncontrollable gag reflex when I change dirty diapers.  (I know ladies…I’m a big wimp!)

5.  I don’t read fictional books.  I can get through the movie faster and not feel that I wasted so much time.  But I love church strategy books!

6.  If not for Marilyn, I would hardly ever spend money even on new clothes for myself.  If not for her, I’d probably be the guy in a few years that the kids would all make fun of for being so out of style…my wife tries hard to make sure that never happens.  But I don’t mind spending good money on food!

7.  I’m actually a pretty introverted guy until its time to preach/teach.  I love just watching people because you can learn so much more by watching them than by listening to what they’re saying.  If I come across snobby or rude, I don’t mean to…I’m just taking in all of the info and processing it before I comment.

8.  I’m a very driven person when I know something could have eternal consequences.  This goes for my relationship with God, my family, and my church.

9.  I’m HORRIBLE at finding things.  So if you lose something PLEASE save us both some frustration and don’t ask me!

10.  When it’s my night to cook, I really begin to flex my culinary muscle…THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HAMBURGER HELPER!!

Passionate Friendship

Friendship is one of those topics that the church could really learn from non-Christians.  Watch any beer commercial, look through the contact list of a non-Christian’s cell phone, watch the comraderie that develops among some of the best sports teams on the planet, and you’ll discover they have an ingredient in their life that most “Christians” are lacking…PASSIONATE FRIENDSHIPS!

Have you ever noticed that pastors are the worst at getting invovled in lasting friendships?  This is something that I struggled with for years.  I was always playing the part of the “lone ranger”…always feeling that I couldn’t get too close to others…never willing to let others close enough to see I needed some comraderie. 

I have gained so much strength from my small group.  Honestly, I started leading this group to help young married couples.  While I think I did help a little, they’ve helped me more than they’ll ever know! 

If you’re reading this and you’re a Christ follower…You need fellowship outside of church.  You need people to do life with!

If you’re not a Christ follower…You need to get plugged in to the Body of Christ.  Don’t judge the whole body by those that claimed to be a part of it!  One of the greatest signs of a Christ follower is someone that’s humble enough to admit…”I NEED OTHERS!“  Your life will get better when you get PASSIONATE ABOUT FRIENDSHIP!

Humbleness And The Dangers of Life Without It

Whew…I just had the wind taken out of my sails this morning as I was reading my morning blog list.  Jonathan Herron shared about a friend of his, and a guy I’m familiar with that got caught up in sin.  It breaks my heart to hear this happen to anyone, but even more so when it involves a pastor.  You can read more about it here, but please keep the man and his family in your prayers.

The crazy thing about sin is that no one is immune from it.  Everyone of us could potentially fall prey to it’s temptation.  The result?  Ruined reputations, damaged relationships, and emotional scars of hurt, anger, bitterness, and guilt. 

During my devotion time this morning, God showed me a pretty powerful scripture that at first glance would be easy to overlook.  You can read it here in Romans 11:16-21.  What I realized this morning is how humbleness plays into the very foundation of our relationship with God.  Being humble occurs when you realize that you don’t deserve something.  And this principle is true even at the foundation of our faith…salvation. 

This scripture tells us that we were not even part of the original plan for redemption.  God’s chosen people were the Jews (and for those of you who hold a “Replacement Theology”, they still are His chosen people).  But these verses show us that we were graffed into the plan of salvation.  So in essence, nothing we do would be good enough to cause us to deserve the sacrifice that was made on our behalf through Christ.  This is a very humbling revelation!

So let me throw this out at you…If we didn’t even deserve salvation, then how much less did we deserve…

• Healing? 
• Financial prosperity? 
• A loving family and faithful friends? 
• The ability to have a RELATIONSHIP with the God of all the universe? 
• A position of leadership in the body of Christ?

The list could go on and on!  Humbleness is at the foundation of our faith and is not just a virtue to be sought after, but a requirement for the life of a Christ follower.  Without it, we will eventually fall into sin, hurting us and those we love the most.  SO WITH ALL OF THIS BEING SAID…HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR “HUMBLENESS”?

When Men Meet God

For some good scripture reading, check out Galatians 1:10-12

Let me start off by saying that I thank God for Christian television and radio.  I’m thankful for awesome Christian authors who share their insight of spiritual truths.  I’m thankful for online sermon streaming and for pastoral blogging (hopefully you are too!).  I get a lot of awesome insight, strategies, and methods from these resources, as do many others.

But with all of these tools out there (and they ARE JUST TOOLS!), never forget that Christ did not die just so others could tell you what God is saying.  Christ died so that He could have a relationship with YOU!  His heart is to reveal revelation knowledge to YOU!  He wants to use YOU to help reach out to the lost adn to encourage teh church.  But if the only revelation we get comes through other people, we will end up playing the the puddles of yesterday’s big move of God instead of riding today’s new wave!

• Have you had a meeting with God today?  It’s through His revelation knowledge that we can begin to see life change in ourself and others.
• Amazing things happen when men meet God!  New revelation is discovered.  A closer relationship is formed.  Sin is exposed and repented of.  God finds someone He can trust and use to ride the next wave of His glory. 
• The most important item on your schedule today is this meeting.  So what are you waiting for?  Start thinking, “What could happen when I meet God today?”.