I just finished reading through the Bible in 2007. It's not my first time. I have done this a few times before. The question, I ask now is where do I go from here? Well, it's time to start over and do it again in 2008.
When I was in Seminary, I remember a professor telling our class that we had better know God's Word better than anyone else in our church. I have taken that word to heart and have made it a priority to read through the Scriptures each year.
Looking back at 2007 it has been a good year and a difficult year. God has brought many blessings into my life this last year. It was the first full year in our new home in Maple Park. Our daughter Abby grew in so many ways, and is so fun to be around. She is continually taking on a new adventure in life.
2007 has been a year of refining. I see 2008 as a year of transition. I envision some big changes on the way. Some are pleasant and others may not be so pleasant.
As I shared in my Christmas Eve sermon, I am praying for disappointment in 2008. What I mean by that is that I am praying that God would take my small plans and replace them with his bigger plans. Not my will be done, but his.
I am praying for faith. I envision there are some steps of faith to be taken in the next year. I pray for a strong trust to take the steps that need to be taken.
Whatever will come to be in the next year, I know it will be good. I know that it is all part of God's plan whether I like it or not.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
God's Word in 2008
As 2007 comes to a close, we have got two more great worship opportunities at Lord of Life. Sunday morning our Lord of Life Youth will be leading worship and we will also welcome back a special guest, our former worship leader, Chad Negley. And finally, on New Year’s Eve we’ve got worship at 7pm as we look to move forward in 2008.
Speaking of 2008, I hope that you will consider joining me in reading through the Bible. For the last few years I have used the popular One Year Bible reading plan (www.oneyearbibleonline.com). I will be using this plan once again, and invite you to join in this journey through the Word. I will also make sure to post the listed readings for each day in my blog (www.pastorpr.blogspot.com) and also in our Sunday morning bulletin at Lord of Life.
If you have never attempted to read through the Bible before, my suggestion would be to set a goal in 2008 to read through just the New Testament and not the entire Bible. The entire Bible is a big investment and when you get a little behind it becomes easy to get frustrated and give up. The New Testament is something that is very manageable and if you get behind it doesn’t take that much to catch up.
Another option for going through the New Testament would be to use the audio Bibles that have been distributed at Lord of Life the last few weekends. The “You’ve Got the Time” listening plan is a 40 day plan that takes 28 minutes each day. There are still a handful of copies available in the Fellowship Center.
God’s blessings in 2008,
Phil Ressler
Pastor
Lord of Life Church
(630) 513-5325 ext. 39
web: www.lolchurch.net
email: pressler@lolchurch.net
blog: www.pastorpr.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------------------------
Readings for Next Week:
January
Tuesday
01 Genesis 1:1-2:25
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Psalm 1:1-6
Proverbs 1:1-6
Wednesday
02 Genesis 3:1-4:26
Matthew 2:13-3:6
Psalm 2:1-12
Proverbs 1:7-9
Thursday
03 Genesis 5:1-7:24
Matthew 3:7-4:11
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 1:10-19
Friday
04 Genesis 8:1-10:32
Matthew 4:12-25
Psalm 4:1-8
Proverbs 1:20-23
Saturday
05 Genesis 11:1-13:4
Matthew 5:1-26
Psalm 5:1-12
Proverbs 1:24-28
Speaking of 2008, I hope that you will consider joining me in reading through the Bible. For the last few years I have used the popular One Year Bible reading plan (www.oneyearbibleonline.com). I will be using this plan once again, and invite you to join in this journey through the Word. I will also make sure to post the listed readings for each day in my blog (www.pastorpr.blogspot.com) and also in our Sunday morning bulletin at Lord of Life.
If you have never attempted to read through the Bible before, my suggestion would be to set a goal in 2008 to read through just the New Testament and not the entire Bible. The entire Bible is a big investment and when you get a little behind it becomes easy to get frustrated and give up. The New Testament is something that is very manageable and if you get behind it doesn’t take that much to catch up.
Another option for going through the New Testament would be to use the audio Bibles that have been distributed at Lord of Life the last few weekends. The “You’ve Got the Time” listening plan is a 40 day plan that takes 28 minutes each day. There are still a handful of copies available in the Fellowship Center.
God’s blessings in 2008,
Phil Ressler
Pastor
Lord of Life Church
(630) 513-5325 ext. 39
web: www.lolchurch.net
email: pressler@lolchurch.net
blog: www.pastorpr.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------------------------
Readings for Next Week:
January
Tuesday
01 Genesis 1:1-2:25
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Psalm 1:1-6
Proverbs 1:1-6
Wednesday
02 Genesis 3:1-4:26
Matthew 2:13-3:6
Psalm 2:1-12
Proverbs 1:7-9
Thursday
03 Genesis 5:1-7:24
Matthew 3:7-4:11
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 1:10-19
Friday
04 Genesis 8:1-10:32
Matthew 4:12-25
Psalm 4:1-8
Proverbs 1:20-23
Saturday
05 Genesis 11:1-13:4
Matthew 5:1-26
Psalm 5:1-12
Proverbs 1:24-28
A Christmas Eve Sermon: Disappointing Blessing
One of the most interesting emails distribution lists I subscribe to is from a website called spaceweather.com. The emails provide alerts to interesting astronomical phenomena that are visible in different parts of the world. Meteor Showers, Aurora Borealis (also known as Northern Lights), Comets. When God decides to put on a show, I get an email to alert me in my inbox. I think these things are fascinating. If I didn’t receive these emails, I imagine I would miss out a great majority of these phenomena just the same as most other people.
I received an alert recently that tonight, in the spirit of the Christmas star, God had a surprise up his sleeve.
The Christmas full moon, here is a picture of the moon.
A beautiful image. NASA is currently making plans to once again return to the moon. While most of us will never set foot on the moon, this Christmas is one the best looks we will ever get of it. In the sky is the highest, brightest full moon that will be visible until the year 2023.
What is more, the planet of Mars, you know earth’ next door neighbor, the little red planet, here it is on the screen, is in perfect opposition from the sun with the earth right in the middle. And because of the orbits of both Mars and Earth, Mars will be closer to earth tonight than it will be in the next nine years. It is only a mere 55 million miles away. Just a hop, skip, and a jump away. I was reading that even amateur astronomers may be able to see some of the geographical features of the red planet with a good telescope.
It’s God’s little surprise and I don’t think it is any coincidence that he set these astronomical occurrences to take place on this night of all nights. It brings to memory another sight he put in the sky that first Christmas. I recently wrote in my blog online about this ‘if we don’t cry out this Christmas, at least the heaven will.’
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1
It all got me thinking what it must have been like to have seen that first Christmas star when it appeared in the sky. When we visualize the Christmas star, many of us likely visualize an image that looks something like this:
We visualize this star shining almost as brightly as the sun, radiating directly down upon the tiny stable in Bethlehem, illuminating the holy family and the baby Jesus. But was this reality?
There are lots of different theories about what the Christmas star was – a comet, a convergence of planets, or maybe a nebula (the formation of a star). Yet, another possibility is that God just put it in the sky. It was just simply the light of God shining down on the earth.
The Christmas star certainly drew the attention of the wise men, also known as Magi, who were astronomers. But while it drew the attention of these ancient scientists, and likely made them all giddy, it likely went unnoticed to the general public. Just like today, a lot of things that make astronomers excited, really don’t get the general public all that enthused.
The Christmas star is probably was a little disappointing compared to the grand vision of the star that we carry with us. But that reality was that there was a lot that was disappointing things about that first Christmas. If we were to really see it for what it was, it really failed to live up to the expectations of so many.
Such an important figure to be born in such an unheralded way! The fulfillment of more than 1500 years of prophecy. The long expected Christ. The long expected Messiah. He wasn’t born in a palace. There were no trumpets sounded to announce his birth. He was born and life just kind of went on. No one really took notice, except for a few shepherds.
I would imagine that the first Christmas is not the only thing that is disappointing in the world. For many of you, the holiday, is a bitter disappointment. Maybe you don’t find that present under the tree you hoped to find. The perfect family gathering you spent weeks preparing for was a disaster.
It seems to me that every year that all the hype leading up to Christmas remains so unfulfilled. I chuckle when the radio station that has been playing Christmas songs since the end of October suddenly goes back to their regular music before Christmas day is even over. All the hype, leading up to such an anti-climatic ending. All this in spite of the fact that the 12 days of Christmas is now just beginning and will conclude in the beginning of January.
Maybe you have experienced a more significant disappointment. Maybe this is the first Christmas that you will experience apart from a loved one. Maybe as this year draws to a close, you realize that what you hoped 2007 would have been, did not come to be. Or maybe there is a relationship that you had high hopes for, just crumbled and fell apart.
Life is filled with disappointment. And there are certainly times when life does not meet our expectations. Times where we say, “Is that it?”
It’s only a little baby in a manger, in a stable. Is that it? Couldn’t God have done better? We expect the extraordinary from God! Not the ordinary!
So why doesn’t God meet our expectations?
First, he doesn’t meet our expectations because we are not Him.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
In our humanness we do not even begin to grasp the mind of God. He is just on an entirely different plane and level.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 1 Corinthians 1:25
There is really no comparison of our minds to the mind of God, even our grandest thought or ideas we can’t even begin to compare with God, we are not even on the same scale.
Another reason God does not always work in the way that we expect is because it gives us an opportunity to put our faith in him.
Anyone thirsty? If you need a drink, you might go to the vending machine. Pop your quarters into the coin slot. Make your selection and out pops your drink.
But that is the way that I think a lot of people view God. We perceive him operating much in the same way a vending machine operates. We put our change in, we make our choice, and then out pops what we have chosen. Sometimes the wrong item comes out of the machine and we get upset, and we blame the machine that it is broken.
In much the same way, we send our prayers and requests up to heaven. When God hears our prayers he answers our prayers according to our request. But when God’s answer doesn’t match our request, we feel frustrated and upset at God for not meeting our expectations.
I can almost here God saying when he doesn’t match our expectations, trust me, trust me. You may not understand right now at this given moment. None of this may make sense. But trust, down the road, looking back everything will be so clear.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. John 14:1
A few weeks back when we had our first big snow, I wanted to take my 2 year old daughter Abby sledding for the first time. She was all excited and we got our snow suits on.
But when we got to the hill we started to climb to the top, but I could tell that Abby was starting to get scared. Now I didn’t say it in those exact words, “Trust me.” But that was essentially what I was saying. I assured her that everything would be ok, that her daddy would be there to protect her, and that it would be a lot of fun.
She went reluctantly, but she went. When we got to the top of the hill she didn’t want to sit down on my lap on the sled. No daddy, no daddy, I don’t want to. But I grabbed her anyways and pushed off down the hill we went.
Yeah, wee. We got to the bottom. Daddy, that was fun, can we do it again. I could have said, you see, just trust me!
I imagine God does that a lot with us. Just trust me. It my be scary, it might be difficult, I might not be doing this the way you want to do it, but just know that my way is higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.
I think of Mary and Joseph. Certainly things did not work out the way that they planned. It all started when she was found to be with a child that was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Then there was the census that took Mary and Joseph from their hometown to Bethlehem and even later down into Egypt, before retuning to Nazareth.
But God had a plan that no one could fathom on that first Christmas night. God had plans for this baby that would change the world forever.
Years later, Jesus would die upon a cross. For those who followed Jesus it was something that they had not expected or anticipated. Certainly they were disappointed with what had happened.
After Jesus had died one the disciples on the road to Emmaus was quoted as saying: "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Luke 24:19-21
You see their plan was not God’s plan. But the bitter disappointment of Good Friday, made possible the great surprise of Easter Sunday.
In 2008, I have got a prayer. My prayer is that God will bitterly disappoint me. I pray that he will replace my plans with his plans. My ways for his ways. I pray that he will take me out of the driver seat and that he will assume the proper place.
I pray for faith to trust, that no matter what may or may not happen, that I will know that God has a plan to bring blessing into my life and your life.
I received an alert recently that tonight, in the spirit of the Christmas star, God had a surprise up his sleeve.
The Christmas full moon, here is a picture of the moon.
A beautiful image. NASA is currently making plans to once again return to the moon. While most of us will never set foot on the moon, this Christmas is one the best looks we will ever get of it. In the sky is the highest, brightest full moon that will be visible until the year 2023.
What is more, the planet of Mars, you know earth’ next door neighbor, the little red planet, here it is on the screen, is in perfect opposition from the sun with the earth right in the middle. And because of the orbits of both Mars and Earth, Mars will be closer to earth tonight than it will be in the next nine years. It is only a mere 55 million miles away. Just a hop, skip, and a jump away. I was reading that even amateur astronomers may be able to see some of the geographical features of the red planet with a good telescope.
It’s God’s little surprise and I don’t think it is any coincidence that he set these astronomical occurrences to take place on this night of all nights. It brings to memory another sight he put in the sky that first Christmas. I recently wrote in my blog online about this ‘if we don’t cry out this Christmas, at least the heaven will.’
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1
It all got me thinking what it must have been like to have seen that first Christmas star when it appeared in the sky. When we visualize the Christmas star, many of us likely visualize an image that looks something like this:
We visualize this star shining almost as brightly as the sun, radiating directly down upon the tiny stable in Bethlehem, illuminating the holy family and the baby Jesus. But was this reality?
There are lots of different theories about what the Christmas star was – a comet, a convergence of planets, or maybe a nebula (the formation of a star). Yet, another possibility is that God just put it in the sky. It was just simply the light of God shining down on the earth.
The Christmas star certainly drew the attention of the wise men, also known as Magi, who were astronomers. But while it drew the attention of these ancient scientists, and likely made them all giddy, it likely went unnoticed to the general public. Just like today, a lot of things that make astronomers excited, really don’t get the general public all that enthused.
The Christmas star is probably was a little disappointing compared to the grand vision of the star that we carry with us. But that reality was that there was a lot that was disappointing things about that first Christmas. If we were to really see it for what it was, it really failed to live up to the expectations of so many.
Such an important figure to be born in such an unheralded way! The fulfillment of more than 1500 years of prophecy. The long expected Christ. The long expected Messiah. He wasn’t born in a palace. There were no trumpets sounded to announce his birth. He was born and life just kind of went on. No one really took notice, except for a few shepherds.
I would imagine that the first Christmas is not the only thing that is disappointing in the world. For many of you, the holiday, is a bitter disappointment. Maybe you don’t find that present under the tree you hoped to find. The perfect family gathering you spent weeks preparing for was a disaster.
It seems to me that every year that all the hype leading up to Christmas remains so unfulfilled. I chuckle when the radio station that has been playing Christmas songs since the end of October suddenly goes back to their regular music before Christmas day is even over. All the hype, leading up to such an anti-climatic ending. All this in spite of the fact that the 12 days of Christmas is now just beginning and will conclude in the beginning of January.
Maybe you have experienced a more significant disappointment. Maybe this is the first Christmas that you will experience apart from a loved one. Maybe as this year draws to a close, you realize that what you hoped 2007 would have been, did not come to be. Or maybe there is a relationship that you had high hopes for, just crumbled and fell apart.
Life is filled with disappointment. And there are certainly times when life does not meet our expectations. Times where we say, “Is that it?”
It’s only a little baby in a manger, in a stable. Is that it? Couldn’t God have done better? We expect the extraordinary from God! Not the ordinary!
So why doesn’t God meet our expectations?
First, he doesn’t meet our expectations because we are not Him.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
In our humanness we do not even begin to grasp the mind of God. He is just on an entirely different plane and level.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 1 Corinthians 1:25
There is really no comparison of our minds to the mind of God, even our grandest thought or ideas we can’t even begin to compare with God, we are not even on the same scale.
Another reason God does not always work in the way that we expect is because it gives us an opportunity to put our faith in him.
Anyone thirsty? If you need a drink, you might go to the vending machine. Pop your quarters into the coin slot. Make your selection and out pops your drink.
But that is the way that I think a lot of people view God. We perceive him operating much in the same way a vending machine operates. We put our change in, we make our choice, and then out pops what we have chosen. Sometimes the wrong item comes out of the machine and we get upset, and we blame the machine that it is broken.
In much the same way, we send our prayers and requests up to heaven. When God hears our prayers he answers our prayers according to our request. But when God’s answer doesn’t match our request, we feel frustrated and upset at God for not meeting our expectations.
I can almost here God saying when he doesn’t match our expectations, trust me, trust me. You may not understand right now at this given moment. None of this may make sense. But trust, down the road, looking back everything will be so clear.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. John 14:1
A few weeks back when we had our first big snow, I wanted to take my 2 year old daughter Abby sledding for the first time. She was all excited and we got our snow suits on.
But when we got to the hill we started to climb to the top, but I could tell that Abby was starting to get scared. Now I didn’t say it in those exact words, “Trust me.” But that was essentially what I was saying. I assured her that everything would be ok, that her daddy would be there to protect her, and that it would be a lot of fun.
She went reluctantly, but she went. When we got to the top of the hill she didn’t want to sit down on my lap on the sled. No daddy, no daddy, I don’t want to. But I grabbed her anyways and pushed off down the hill we went.
Yeah, wee. We got to the bottom. Daddy, that was fun, can we do it again. I could have said, you see, just trust me!
I imagine God does that a lot with us. Just trust me. It my be scary, it might be difficult, I might not be doing this the way you want to do it, but just know that my way is higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.
I think of Mary and Joseph. Certainly things did not work out the way that they planned. It all started when she was found to be with a child that was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Then there was the census that took Mary and Joseph from their hometown to Bethlehem and even later down into Egypt, before retuning to Nazareth.
But God had a plan that no one could fathom on that first Christmas night. God had plans for this baby that would change the world forever.
Years later, Jesus would die upon a cross. For those who followed Jesus it was something that they had not expected or anticipated. Certainly they were disappointed with what had happened.
After Jesus had died one the disciples on the road to Emmaus was quoted as saying: "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Luke 24:19-21
You see their plan was not God’s plan. But the bitter disappointment of Good Friday, made possible the great surprise of Easter Sunday.
In 2008, I have got a prayer. My prayer is that God will bitterly disappoint me. I pray that he will replace my plans with his plans. My ways for his ways. I pray that he will take me out of the driver seat and that he will assume the proper place.
I pray for faith to trust, that no matter what may or may not happen, that I will know that God has a plan to bring blessing into my life and your life.
A Stewardship Sermon on the Parable of the Talents
Entrusted
We are going to look at the story of the talents this morning. It was a story Jesus told about a master going on a journey. When the master leaves, the NIV text in Matthew 25:14 says that the master entrusted his property to his servants.
Entrust! That is an interesting word. The very word itself conveys the idea of trust. We talk a lot in church about putting our trust in God.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
So put your trust in God! But have you ever thought about this in reverse? Have you ever thought about God putting his trust in you?
You have been given what you have – everything – because God trusts you. He trusts you with your children, your money, your body, and your time. It is all God’s in the first place, but he trusts you enough that you will make the best use of all these blessings that you possibly can.
So when we mismanage what God has put into our lives, we are betraying God’s trust in us, and we are letting him down. Just as the master entrusted his servants with his property, so God entrusts us with what is his.
Richly Blessed
In 25:15 it says that the master gave one servant 5 talents, to another servant 2 talents, and a third servant 1 talent. Now I want you to know what a talent was. A talent was a sum of money in the ancient world in Jesus time.
A talent was no small amount of money. It is really hard to give you a modern day equivalent of just how much money this was, because of inflation the shifting value of money.
But let me do my best. In Jesus day, the common form of money was a denarius. A denarius was one single days wage for the common laborer. So if you worked a 5 or 6 day work week, you would earn 5 or 6 denarii.
A talent was equal to about 6000 denarii. So what the master entrusted these servants with was more than 16 years worth of wages for each talent. This is a truly significant amount of money to look after. It truly demonstrates the trust that the master is putting into these servants.
What is the point here? God is not in the business of giving insignificant gifts. Yes, there are some people who have more, some people who have less, but every single person is blessed in some significant way by God.
Contentment
It might have been very easy for the guy who had only been given one talent to look at the guy with 5 talents and to have been a little jealous. We do that often. We are jealous of what we don’t have, rather than recognizing the great blessing we do have. This servant had been given a talent. A tremendous sum of money.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6
It is when we start to compare ourselves to others that we loose any godliness and contentment we might possess. Because the problem is that we usually compare ourselves with those who have more, rather than those who have less.
Rather than have a heart of compassion towards those who have less, we develop a heart of jealousy towards those who have more.
If we don’t enjoy what we have got, we are not going to enjoy what we don’t. When we receive more, there is always more. There is always someone out there that has more than us.
I came across this verse last week from Proverbs. It says:
Give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread. Proverbs 30:8
There is great, great wisdom in these words. The writer of Proverbs is asking God to give him just enough, but not so much that his life spins out of control. He goes on to say: “Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’”
So often we want more. But God knows that we don’t need more, but rather we need to learn to be content with what we do have and also to learn to properly manage that which we do have in our lives. He does not want us to go beyond the point were we begin to rely more upon our money and our things rather than him.
It says he gave to his servants, each according to his ability. God is not going to give us more than we can handle! Remember, the Scripture says, that he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. Sometimes this means giving us less rather than more. The more we have, comes greater temptation! Thank God that you don’t have more than what you do have, and that you have just the right amount to nurture your relationship, faith, and trust in him.
Failure is not an option
25:16-17 The first two servants went off and it says they put the money to work. What is the result – they discover a profit. Here is the point – if we put to work, what God has entrusted us with, we cannot fail.
I always wondered about what would have happened in this story if one of the servants had put the money to work, but produced a loss. What would of happened if the first servant put his 5 talents to work, and ended up producing only 3?
Why does Jesus not address this potential situation in this story? I believe here that Jesus silence is the key! When we invest in the kingdom there is always a payback. We say it often, that we cannot out give God.
We give God our minutes, he will multiply our minutes. We give God our skill and he will enhance and refine our skill. We give God our treasures to God, and he just has this way of removing expenses.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10
Investing in the kingdom will bring back a return. There is no doubt about it!
Keep in mind, we don’t give to God in order to get something back in return. The reason we give time, treasure, and talent to Jesus is because it is a way that we honor him and thank him for what he has done for us and how much he loved us to die on the cross for us. We give because we want to do what is best with that which he has entrusted us with.
Advance or Defend
25:18 - This third servant goes off and hides his master’s money. He hides what has been entrusted to him. For the longest time I read this, and it really didn’t make much sense to me. It seemed that what this servant did with the money was not all that bad. He focused on preserving what he had been given.
But that was exactly the problem. God is not as interested in us preserving what we have, but rather using what we have, sharing what we have, and building the kingdom.
We are not called to hide our faith, but to show our faith. In another part of Matthew, Jesus says:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
Did you catch that? It cannot be hidden.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Letting your light shine is an investment. There is a cost involved in letting the light shine. But as you shine that light, there is a return. They will see! They will hear! They will praise your Father in heaven!
Return of the King
25:19 So after a long time the master returns. We have been waiting awhile now for Jesus to return. Almost 2000 years! But we know he will return. It is important we be ready.
We wait now and it seems Jesus may never return. And many live their lives as if Jesus may never return. They live there lives as if there will certainly be a tomorrow and a day after that. They live their lives as if there was not a master, there was not God.
But as Pastor Barry shared with us last week – there is coming a time called “too late.” A time when there is no taking back and what is done is done. No second chances.
On Friday night I officiated a funeral for a 17 year old. We never know when our life might be taken from us. All it takes is a drunk driver, a slip on the ice . . . the lives we live our delicate. And keep in mind Jesus might just return.
Faithfulness
It says the master will settle his accounts with his servants. So the first servant brings the before the master what he was entrusted with, but also the increase he had been blessed with. The second servant does the same.
Both men are complimented, and are promptly entrusted with more. The master says, “you have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many more things.”
Remember 5 talents is a tremendous amount of money, but the master said he would put them in charge of more. Do you want God to entrust you with more? Well it starts with being faithful with what you have now.
Are you managing what God has entrusted you with in a way that honors God? Because if you are not using what you already have in a God honoring way, there is no guarantee that God will give you more.
Debt
Studying this parable I began to think about the tremendous amount of debt that so many Americans are burdened with. Often times this debt is a result of poor choices and mismanaging what God has entrusted us with.
It is a time of the year when many people put themselves in debt buying Christmas presents and other expenses. We have given into the marketing that tells us we need to buy all this stuff in order to show other people that we care about them and to make us happy. All of those holiday offers to buy now and pay later, that entice us because why, because we are not content with what we have. I recently read that 10% of adults still have to pay off what they owe from last Christmas.
Do we really honor Jesus, when we put ourselves in debt to buy so much stuff that we so often don’t really need in the first place? I think it really saddens Jesus, what so many Christians have made his birthday about.
Many of us need repentance in this area of our lives. We need to cut up our credit cards. We can’t pay off our debt when we keep adding to our debt. We need to learn to be content no matter what our situation or circumstances might be. We also need to tithe.
I was listening to a preacher recently who was talking about tithing out of debt. If we believe tithing honors God, and that God will bless us in areas of our life where we honor him. How can we not tithe?
The greatest debt we have is the debt that Jesus purchased on the cross. And so we put that debt of salvation to be first and foremost in our lives. When we honor our debt to Jesus first and foremost just begin to fade away.
I am not saying that Jesus is going to pay your credit card bill. But to seek God’s blessing in a certain area of our life, it starts with honoring God in an area of our life.
In just a moment we are going to be receiving the offering. We have used this prayer in the past here at Lord of Life. I really like what it says, because it puts it all into perspective.
As we receive today’s offering we are believing the Lord for:
Jobs . . . and better jobs.
Raises and bonuses
Benefits
Sales and commissions
Favorable settlements
Estates and inheritances
Interest and income
Rebates and returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts and surprises
Finding money
Bills paid off
Bills decreased
Blessing and Increase
Great relationships with family and friends
A great relationship with Jesus.
Thank you Lord for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Amen.
In conclusion, there is something very important to point out. Ultimately, what Jesus is talking about in the parable of the talents is not time, treasure, or talent. What he is talking about is faith.
Each of who believe in Jesus as Savior has been given a certain measure of faith. Today we have a choice. To put our faith to work, to use our faith.
I would imagine that as we enter into a new year, that God might be calling you to take a step of faith. I am not certain what exactly that step of faith might be. For each of us it is unique.
The choice is yours to hold your ground, plant your feet in the ground and stay right where you are at or to take that step of faith and to let God give you increase.
We are going to look at the story of the talents this morning. It was a story Jesus told about a master going on a journey. When the master leaves, the NIV text in Matthew 25:14 says that the master entrusted his property to his servants.
Entrust! That is an interesting word. The very word itself conveys the idea of trust. We talk a lot in church about putting our trust in God.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
So put your trust in God! But have you ever thought about this in reverse? Have you ever thought about God putting his trust in you?
You have been given what you have – everything – because God trusts you. He trusts you with your children, your money, your body, and your time. It is all God’s in the first place, but he trusts you enough that you will make the best use of all these blessings that you possibly can.
So when we mismanage what God has put into our lives, we are betraying God’s trust in us, and we are letting him down. Just as the master entrusted his servants with his property, so God entrusts us with what is his.
Richly Blessed
In 25:15 it says that the master gave one servant 5 talents, to another servant 2 talents, and a third servant 1 talent. Now I want you to know what a talent was. A talent was a sum of money in the ancient world in Jesus time.
A talent was no small amount of money. It is really hard to give you a modern day equivalent of just how much money this was, because of inflation the shifting value of money.
But let me do my best. In Jesus day, the common form of money was a denarius. A denarius was one single days wage for the common laborer. So if you worked a 5 or 6 day work week, you would earn 5 or 6 denarii.
A talent was equal to about 6000 denarii. So what the master entrusted these servants with was more than 16 years worth of wages for each talent. This is a truly significant amount of money to look after. It truly demonstrates the trust that the master is putting into these servants.
What is the point here? God is not in the business of giving insignificant gifts. Yes, there are some people who have more, some people who have less, but every single person is blessed in some significant way by God.
Contentment
It might have been very easy for the guy who had only been given one talent to look at the guy with 5 talents and to have been a little jealous. We do that often. We are jealous of what we don’t have, rather than recognizing the great blessing we do have. This servant had been given a talent. A tremendous sum of money.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6
It is when we start to compare ourselves to others that we loose any godliness and contentment we might possess. Because the problem is that we usually compare ourselves with those who have more, rather than those who have less.
Rather than have a heart of compassion towards those who have less, we develop a heart of jealousy towards those who have more.
If we don’t enjoy what we have got, we are not going to enjoy what we don’t. When we receive more, there is always more. There is always someone out there that has more than us.
I came across this verse last week from Proverbs. It says:
Give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread. Proverbs 30:8
There is great, great wisdom in these words. The writer of Proverbs is asking God to give him just enough, but not so much that his life spins out of control. He goes on to say: “Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’”
So often we want more. But God knows that we don’t need more, but rather we need to learn to be content with what we do have and also to learn to properly manage that which we do have in our lives. He does not want us to go beyond the point were we begin to rely more upon our money and our things rather than him.
It says he gave to his servants, each according to his ability. God is not going to give us more than we can handle! Remember, the Scripture says, that he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. Sometimes this means giving us less rather than more. The more we have, comes greater temptation! Thank God that you don’t have more than what you do have, and that you have just the right amount to nurture your relationship, faith, and trust in him.
Failure is not an option
25:16-17 The first two servants went off and it says they put the money to work. What is the result – they discover a profit. Here is the point – if we put to work, what God has entrusted us with, we cannot fail.
I always wondered about what would have happened in this story if one of the servants had put the money to work, but produced a loss. What would of happened if the first servant put his 5 talents to work, and ended up producing only 3?
Why does Jesus not address this potential situation in this story? I believe here that Jesus silence is the key! When we invest in the kingdom there is always a payback. We say it often, that we cannot out give God.
We give God our minutes, he will multiply our minutes. We give God our skill and he will enhance and refine our skill. We give God our treasures to God, and he just has this way of removing expenses.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10
Investing in the kingdom will bring back a return. There is no doubt about it!
Keep in mind, we don’t give to God in order to get something back in return. The reason we give time, treasure, and talent to Jesus is because it is a way that we honor him and thank him for what he has done for us and how much he loved us to die on the cross for us. We give because we want to do what is best with that which he has entrusted us with.
Advance or Defend
25:18 - This third servant goes off and hides his master’s money. He hides what has been entrusted to him. For the longest time I read this, and it really didn’t make much sense to me. It seemed that what this servant did with the money was not all that bad. He focused on preserving what he had been given.
But that was exactly the problem. God is not as interested in us preserving what we have, but rather using what we have, sharing what we have, and building the kingdom.
We are not called to hide our faith, but to show our faith. In another part of Matthew, Jesus says:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
Did you catch that? It cannot be hidden.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Letting your light shine is an investment. There is a cost involved in letting the light shine. But as you shine that light, there is a return. They will see! They will hear! They will praise your Father in heaven!
Return of the King
25:19 So after a long time the master returns. We have been waiting awhile now for Jesus to return. Almost 2000 years! But we know he will return. It is important we be ready.
We wait now and it seems Jesus may never return. And many live their lives as if Jesus may never return. They live there lives as if there will certainly be a tomorrow and a day after that. They live their lives as if there was not a master, there was not God.
But as Pastor Barry shared with us last week – there is coming a time called “too late.” A time when there is no taking back and what is done is done. No second chances.
On Friday night I officiated a funeral for a 17 year old. We never know when our life might be taken from us. All it takes is a drunk driver, a slip on the ice . . . the lives we live our delicate. And keep in mind Jesus might just return.
Faithfulness
It says the master will settle his accounts with his servants. So the first servant brings the before the master what he was entrusted with, but also the increase he had been blessed with. The second servant does the same.
Both men are complimented, and are promptly entrusted with more. The master says, “you have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many more things.”
Remember 5 talents is a tremendous amount of money, but the master said he would put them in charge of more. Do you want God to entrust you with more? Well it starts with being faithful with what you have now.
Are you managing what God has entrusted you with in a way that honors God? Because if you are not using what you already have in a God honoring way, there is no guarantee that God will give you more.
Debt
Studying this parable I began to think about the tremendous amount of debt that so many Americans are burdened with. Often times this debt is a result of poor choices and mismanaging what God has entrusted us with.
It is a time of the year when many people put themselves in debt buying Christmas presents and other expenses. We have given into the marketing that tells us we need to buy all this stuff in order to show other people that we care about them and to make us happy. All of those holiday offers to buy now and pay later, that entice us because why, because we are not content with what we have. I recently read that 10% of adults still have to pay off what they owe from last Christmas.
Do we really honor Jesus, when we put ourselves in debt to buy so much stuff that we so often don’t really need in the first place? I think it really saddens Jesus, what so many Christians have made his birthday about.
Many of us need repentance in this area of our lives. We need to cut up our credit cards. We can’t pay off our debt when we keep adding to our debt. We need to learn to be content no matter what our situation or circumstances might be. We also need to tithe.
I was listening to a preacher recently who was talking about tithing out of debt. If we believe tithing honors God, and that God will bless us in areas of our life where we honor him. How can we not tithe?
The greatest debt we have is the debt that Jesus purchased on the cross. And so we put that debt of salvation to be first and foremost in our lives. When we honor our debt to Jesus first and foremost just begin to fade away.
I am not saying that Jesus is going to pay your credit card bill. But to seek God’s blessing in a certain area of our life, it starts with honoring God in an area of our life.
In just a moment we are going to be receiving the offering. We have used this prayer in the past here at Lord of Life. I really like what it says, because it puts it all into perspective.
As we receive today’s offering we are believing the Lord for:
Jobs . . . and better jobs.
Raises and bonuses
Benefits
Sales and commissions
Favorable settlements
Estates and inheritances
Interest and income
Rebates and returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts and surprises
Finding money
Bills paid off
Bills decreased
Blessing and Increase
Great relationships with family and friends
A great relationship with Jesus.
Thank you Lord for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Amen.
In conclusion, there is something very important to point out. Ultimately, what Jesus is talking about in the parable of the talents is not time, treasure, or talent. What he is talking about is faith.
Each of who believe in Jesus as Savior has been given a certain measure of faith. Today we have a choice. To put our faith to work, to use our faith.
I would imagine that as we enter into a new year, that God might be calling you to take a step of faith. I am not certain what exactly that step of faith might be. For each of us it is unique.
The choice is yours to hold your ground, plant your feet in the ground and stay right where you are at or to take that step of faith and to let God give you increase.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Heavens Declare
Sounds like the heavens are putting on a display for the celebration of Jesus birthday. If we don't cry out, at least they will.
I am sure the timing of all this is just coincidence, just like the Christmas star. =) I also think God is the one to thank and not Fido.
From nasa's website:
I am sure the timing of all this is just coincidence, just like the Christmas star. =) I also think God is the one to thank and not Fido.
From nasa's website:
Dec. 24, 2007: It's Christmas Eve, and you're snuggled cozily in your den. A glowing fire gently crackles and pops in the fireplace, and your head starts to droop as you nod off. Just then, something cold and wet nudges your cheek. You open your eyes to stare directly into a large black nose. It's time to take the dog for his walk.
Grumbling in vain, you put on your coat, snap the leash onto the wiggling dog's collar, open the door to a rush of cold air. You step outside and enter a magical landscape.
The night isn't dark, it's glowing with a silvery-white light. Up above, the 98% full moon looks huge and clear in the azure sky. It just might be the brightest moon you've ever seen. That's because it's the highest-riding full moon until the year 2023.
Above: The Moon photographed by P-M Heden of Vallentuna, Sweden.
And not far from the beautiful moon glows fireplace-red Mars. This Christmas Eve, Mars is at its closest to Earth for the next nine years. Mars is also "at opposition." That's astronomy-lingo for "directly opposite the sun." It means Mars is up whenever the sun is down: on Christmas Eve, the Red Planet will be visible all night lon
As Christmas scenes go, it doesn't get much better. Gliding in formation across the sky, the moon and Mars seem so close you could almost reach up, grab the pair and bounce them down the street for Fido to retrieve.Or maybe you could lasso them, as George says in the movie It's a Wonderful Life. "Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey! That's a pretty good idea! I'll give you the moon, Mary...."
In the years ahead, NASA is going to lasso the moon. NASA's giant Ares rocket, still on the drawing board, will take form and then take mankind back to that brilliant silver orb where scientists will learn how to harness the moon's powers.
Plans are to establish a lunar base for exploration and use the moon's surface as a springboard to even further destinations. At the moon's poles there is evidence of hydrogen and perhaps actual water frozen in the soil. Furthermore, ordinary moonrocks are made of minerals that contain more than 40% oxygen. These are resources that can be used to produce rocket fuel, breathable air and a welcome drink on a dry, dusty world.
Maybe on some future Christmas Eve, one of us will step outside of our cozy lunar cabin and walk our space-suited dog with long, floating steps down some dusty lunar road. We'll look up and say, "There's a pretty full Earth tonight!"
But on this frosty Christmas Eve, your feet crunch Earth's cold ground with a crisp clear sound as you walk back toward the house looking up through the silvery stillness at the lovely moon and its bright partner, Mars. The only other sounds you hear are dog tags jingling like sleigh bells. Suddenly a shadow flits across the moon. A cloud? A plane? A sleigh! Maybe those were sleigh bells you heard!
Smiling to yourself, you open the door to go back inside, taking one last glance at the night sky and one of the loveliest heavenly sights you’ll see for years.
Don't forget to thank Fido.
Careful thought
I pray you will join me in reading through God's Word in 2008. I will be using the One Year Bible plan. You can find a copy of it at http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/
-----------------------------
Christmas time is a time of plenty. There is plentiful food. There is plentiful to do. There is plentiful consumerism. And plentiful anxiety!
Christmas time is an important time to guard our relationship with Jesus. Even though this holiday is all about him, it is so easy to neglect our time, our thought, and our worship of him. In all the busyness Jesus sometimes get lost.
As I come to the end of my 2007 reading plan of God's Word, I spent some time in the book of Haggai this morning. It is a short book, only two chapters long.
In the book of Haggai, God’s people have returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The problem was that they spent most of their time building their own homes rather than the house of God.
Haggai writes: Now this is what the Lord Almighty say: “give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” Haggai 1:5-6
They had spent all their time, money, and effort on themselves – but it failed to satisfy them. Without making Jesus part of our Christmas, it will fail to satisfy us. Without Jesus we will plant much, but harvest little. What that means is a lot of work with little reward.
Give careful thought to your ways. Take some time to build up your house, but do not neglect the house of God. Take some time to share your gifts and love with others, but do not neglect giving God the precious gift of your time and your devotion.
Have a great Christmas,
Pastor Phil Ressler
Just a reminder: There is only one worship service this Sunday at 9:30 (no Sunday School).
Christmas Eve Worship is at 5, 7, and 11pm.
Christmas Day Worship is at 9:30am.
Hope to see you there and don’t forget to invite a friend.
-----------------------------
Christmas time is a time of plenty. There is plentiful food. There is plentiful to do. There is plentiful consumerism. And plentiful anxiety!
Christmas time is an important time to guard our relationship with Jesus. Even though this holiday is all about him, it is so easy to neglect our time, our thought, and our worship of him. In all the busyness Jesus sometimes get lost.
As I come to the end of my 2007 reading plan of God's Word, I spent some time in the book of Haggai this morning. It is a short book, only two chapters long.
In the book of Haggai, God’s people have returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The problem was that they spent most of their time building their own homes rather than the house of God.
Haggai writes: Now this is what the Lord Almighty say: “give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” Haggai 1:5-6
They had spent all their time, money, and effort on themselves – but it failed to satisfy them. Without making Jesus part of our Christmas, it will fail to satisfy us. Without Jesus we will plant much, but harvest little. What that means is a lot of work with little reward.
Give careful thought to your ways. Take some time to build up your house, but do not neglect the house of God. Take some time to share your gifts and love with others, but do not neglect giving God the precious gift of your time and your devotion.
Have a great Christmas,
Pastor Phil Ressler
Just a reminder: There is only one worship service this Sunday at 9:30 (no Sunday School).
Christmas Eve Worship is at 5, 7, and 11pm.
Christmas Day Worship is at 9:30am.
Hope to see you there and don’t forget to invite a friend.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Catching Up
I am a little late on my weekly email this week. I have been technically challenged. My laptop computer died on Tuesday, and it has taken me a bit of time to get up and running with a new computer. I am happy now that everything is well.
With my problems this week I have gotten a little behind in more ways that one. I am in the process of playing catch up. It happens to all of us.
I have even gotten a little behind in my devotions. I am going to need to do a little extra reading in the next couple of days to complete my reading of the entire Bible in 2008.
It is a good time of the year to play catch up in more ways than one. For some of us, maybe it is time to catch up with some old friends or some family members we have grown distant from. Maybe we need to catch up on some of those resolutions we made way back at the beginning of the year. Or maybe we just need to do some catching up with our heavenly Father.
As the year draws to a close, I would just encourage you to consider some of those things that you have neglected this past year. Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today. It’s called finishing well.
At the end of the year, let’s be able to say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
In close, please keep all the Christmas preparations at Lord of Life in your prayers. It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating the Saviors birth in about a week and a half. Also, please keep Pastor Barry (and Nancy) in your prayers as he considers this new call to First Lutheran in Texarkana, TX.
With my problems this week I have gotten a little behind in more ways that one. I am in the process of playing catch up. It happens to all of us.
I have even gotten a little behind in my devotions. I am going to need to do a little extra reading in the next couple of days to complete my reading of the entire Bible in 2008.
It is a good time of the year to play catch up in more ways than one. For some of us, maybe it is time to catch up with some old friends or some family members we have grown distant from. Maybe we need to catch up on some of those resolutions we made way back at the beginning of the year. Or maybe we just need to do some catching up with our heavenly Father.
As the year draws to a close, I would just encourage you to consider some of those things that you have neglected this past year. Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today. It’s called finishing well.
At the end of the year, let’s be able to say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
In close, please keep all the Christmas preparations at Lord of Life in your prayers. It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating the Saviors birth in about a week and a half. Also, please keep Pastor Barry (and Nancy) in your prayers as he considers this new call to First Lutheran in Texarkana, TX.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Proper Use of Email
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that your joy may be complete. 2 John 1:12
I am loving technology right now. To give you the short story my computer is dying and is on life support. I have kept this computer running for a year and I am about to give up. It is virus free runs like top, but it is physically failing me. The power supply keeps surging, shorting, and over-heating the computer.
First and foremost, I pride myself in my knowledge of the Bible, but I also pride myself in my knowledge of computers. There are certainly people who know much more than me. But for someone who has absolutely no training, I do fairly well. When people have problems with their computers, I am happy to help them out as long as it is not too time consuming. I recognize I have better things to do with my time and so if it takes more than 10minutes I recommend they get professional help.
But the time has now come for me to make a new decision on a computer. I am tired of fixing and maintaining my computers. I am looking to enter the world of the Mac. Window Vista scares me. And from what I have been told, it should. I recently spoke with someone who is "in the know" who spends all day fixing PC's. They have a Mac at home, because they don't want to spend their time at home fixing their computer like they do at work. I have been using PC's for more than 20 years now. This is going to be a big change.
What does this have to do with anything? The point is that I am frustrated with technology. And I am frustrated with email. Actually, I should say that I am frustrated with the misuse of email. Email is something that is very beneficial, but is something that is very dangerous when it is misused.
When John wrote his second epistle, I doubt he envisioned email. But his point is clear! Nothing beats a face to face, heart to heart conversation. Email has its time and place, but it should never substitute the personal touch.
So here are some simple rules of thumb for proper email etiquette:
1. Never forward and email that tells you to forward this email to all of your friends. This is one way in which viruses are transmitted. Beyond that, most people get more emails than they really want. We are overloaded with information. These supposedly cute, funny, informative emails are often designed to waste people's time and productivity. If you are like me, you know the usual suspects: "An interview with God", "New dangerous virus discovered", "Watch out for syringes in the seats at movie theaters."
If you are really interested in these "Urban Legends" and such, visit www.snopes.com. There you can find the Hottest 25 Urban Legends. The top three legends today are: 1) Sears maintains benefits for military reservists, 2) The Golden Compass movie's anit-God bent, and 3) Watch out for the "Life is Beautiful Virus."
If for some reason, you do choose to forward one of these emails. Then please clean it up before you forward it. Get rid of all the addresses of people it has previously been forwarded to. And make sure that no one needs to open up an attached email to be able to read it. When you open an email the text should be right there.
Always, always verify that the information you are forwarding is indeed true. Even if it says that it has been verified on snopes, does not mean that it actually has been. As Christians we are called children of the light and children of the truth. If we begin to forward and pass on untrue information to others. We will be seen as gullible and people will begin to question the truest message we have about Jesus the Savior. Don't allow others to be able to question your ability to discern the truth.
Finally, never, ever, ever forward an email that is being sent out as a petition. Bill Gates is not going to give you a million dollars for signing and forwarding an email. Have you ever thought about how is this email going to get back to the person who originated the petition to be signed. Just so you know, Madalyn Murray O'Harra or whatever her name is, she is dead, and ABC has already taken Touched by An Angel off the air a long, long, long time ago.
The best thing to do with most all of these emails is delete them before you ever read them. Don't waste your's or anyone else's time. I will tell you now, people rather receive a message from you personally rather than something your are passing on to perpetually fill all our in boxes with spam.
2. Do not use email to criticize anyone or to express a concern. Email will inadvertently distort what you are trying to communicate because there is a lack of body language.
Always think twice before you hit the send button. It is often too easy to hit that button. Make sure you fully consider how the message will be received on the other end. I remember awhile back I read that George W. Bush never uses email. It is not because he doesn't like technology. Rather he does it so that his email will not be taken out of context, used against him, and used as ammunition for his dissenters.
3. Do not use email to resolve an issue. If an email requires a sequence of more than one reply, you are better off picking up the phone.
4. Do not use email to personally recruit. This applies very much to the church. Sure it is ok, to send out generic, general invitations for others to be a part of something. But the best invite is the personal invite. Email is not a substitute for the personal invite. Pick of the phone, or better yet, do it face to face.
5. Do not expect a reply to your email or that your email got through. There are many, many people who own a computer and have email, but that does not mean that email is a part of their world, like it is a part of your world. We all communicate in different ways. Email is a good form of communication but it is far far from perfect. Also keep in mind that technology fails. There are virus scanners and spam blockers. Sometimes the wheat is thrown out with the chaff and there is no guarantee the email got through unless the person actually replies to you.
6. If you receive an email that is critical of you or points to a difficulty in your relationship. Do not respond. Remember that it is unlikely the person really meant what you are perceiving as an attack. Your replying by email will add fuel to the fire. Pick up the phone, or better yet, do it face to face.
7. Use email for announcements, reminders. Keep emails short and specific. I personally do not often read emails that are more than a paragraph or two long. Sometimes! If it captures my attention, but more often than not, I don't have the time to sit there and read all these long emails.
8. Use email to compliment and thank people. I would not have email replace a thank you note in the mail. But we all appreciate have a quick line of appreciation sent to us.
9. Do not use email to send ecards. This is a well known way to disseminate viruses. Unfortunately, a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch.
10. Use email to communicate items for prayer and special occasions such as the birth of a child. But be careful not everyone appreciates getting an email announcing your child has been potty trained. (BTW- Abby is now officially potty trained as of two weeks!!!!!!!)
11. Send emails to those who would desire to receive emails from you. Don't send unsolicited emails unless your have permission or have a relationship that allows you to do so. Don't send anything that you would not talk about with that person face to face.
12. Use group emails for their intended purpose. If participate in a group email. Make sure that the emails you send are in line with the intended purpose of the group.
There is probably more, but that is enough for now. I've need to go and check my email!
I am loving technology right now. To give you the short story my computer is dying and is on life support. I have kept this computer running for a year and I am about to give up. It is virus free runs like top, but it is physically failing me. The power supply keeps surging, shorting, and over-heating the computer.
First and foremost, I pride myself in my knowledge of the Bible, but I also pride myself in my knowledge of computers. There are certainly people who know much more than me. But for someone who has absolutely no training, I do fairly well. When people have problems with their computers, I am happy to help them out as long as it is not too time consuming. I recognize I have better things to do with my time and so if it takes more than 10minutes I recommend they get professional help.
But the time has now come for me to make a new decision on a computer. I am tired of fixing and maintaining my computers. I am looking to enter the world of the Mac. Window Vista scares me. And from what I have been told, it should. I recently spoke with someone who is "in the know" who spends all day fixing PC's. They have a Mac at home, because they don't want to spend their time at home fixing their computer like they do at work. I have been using PC's for more than 20 years now. This is going to be a big change.
What does this have to do with anything? The point is that I am frustrated with technology. And I am frustrated with email. Actually, I should say that I am frustrated with the misuse of email. Email is something that is very beneficial, but is something that is very dangerous when it is misused.
When John wrote his second epistle, I doubt he envisioned email. But his point is clear! Nothing beats a face to face, heart to heart conversation. Email has its time and place, but it should never substitute the personal touch.
So here are some simple rules of thumb for proper email etiquette:
1. Never forward and email that tells you to forward this email to all of your friends. This is one way in which viruses are transmitted. Beyond that, most people get more emails than they really want. We are overloaded with information. These supposedly cute, funny, informative emails are often designed to waste people's time and productivity. If you are like me, you know the usual suspects: "An interview with God", "New dangerous virus discovered", "Watch out for syringes in the seats at movie theaters."
If you are really interested in these "Urban Legends" and such, visit www.snopes.com. There you can find the Hottest 25 Urban Legends. The top three legends today are: 1) Sears maintains benefits for military reservists, 2) The Golden Compass movie's anit-God bent, and 3) Watch out for the "Life is Beautiful Virus."
If for some reason, you do choose to forward one of these emails. Then please clean it up before you forward it. Get rid of all the addresses of people it has previously been forwarded to. And make sure that no one needs to open up an attached email to be able to read it. When you open an email the text should be right there.
Always, always verify that the information you are forwarding is indeed true. Even if it says that it has been verified on snopes, does not mean that it actually has been. As Christians we are called children of the light and children of the truth. If we begin to forward and pass on untrue information to others. We will be seen as gullible and people will begin to question the truest message we have about Jesus the Savior. Don't allow others to be able to question your ability to discern the truth.
Finally, never, ever, ever forward an email that is being sent out as a petition. Bill Gates is not going to give you a million dollars for signing and forwarding an email. Have you ever thought about how is this email going to get back to the person who originated the petition to be signed. Just so you know, Madalyn Murray O'Harra or whatever her name is, she is dead, and ABC has already taken Touched by An Angel off the air a long, long, long time ago.
The best thing to do with most all of these emails is delete them before you ever read them. Don't waste your's or anyone else's time. I will tell you now, people rather receive a message from you personally rather than something your are passing on to perpetually fill all our in boxes with spam.
2. Do not use email to criticize anyone or to express a concern. Email will inadvertently distort what you are trying to communicate because there is a lack of body language.
Always think twice before you hit the send button. It is often too easy to hit that button. Make sure you fully consider how the message will be received on the other end. I remember awhile back I read that George W. Bush never uses email. It is not because he doesn't like technology. Rather he does it so that his email will not be taken out of context, used against him, and used as ammunition for his dissenters.
3. Do not use email to resolve an issue. If an email requires a sequence of more than one reply, you are better off picking up the phone.
4. Do not use email to personally recruit. This applies very much to the church. Sure it is ok, to send out generic, general invitations for others to be a part of something. But the best invite is the personal invite. Email is not a substitute for the personal invite. Pick of the phone, or better yet, do it face to face.
5. Do not expect a reply to your email or that your email got through. There are many, many people who own a computer and have email, but that does not mean that email is a part of their world, like it is a part of your world. We all communicate in different ways. Email is a good form of communication but it is far far from perfect. Also keep in mind that technology fails. There are virus scanners and spam blockers. Sometimes the wheat is thrown out with the chaff and there is no guarantee the email got through unless the person actually replies to you.
6. If you receive an email that is critical of you or points to a difficulty in your relationship. Do not respond. Remember that it is unlikely the person really meant what you are perceiving as an attack. Your replying by email will add fuel to the fire. Pick up the phone, or better yet, do it face to face.
7. Use email for announcements, reminders. Keep emails short and specific. I personally do not often read emails that are more than a paragraph or two long. Sometimes! If it captures my attention, but more often than not, I don't have the time to sit there and read all these long emails.
8. Use email to compliment and thank people. I would not have email replace a thank you note in the mail. But we all appreciate have a quick line of appreciation sent to us.
9. Do not use email to send ecards. This is a well known way to disseminate viruses. Unfortunately, a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch.
10. Use email to communicate items for prayer and special occasions such as the birth of a child. But be careful not everyone appreciates getting an email announcing your child has been potty trained. (BTW- Abby is now officially potty trained as of two weeks!!!!!!!)
11. Send emails to those who would desire to receive emails from you. Don't send unsolicited emails unless your have permission or have a relationship that allows you to do so. Don't send anything that you would not talk about with that person face to face.
12. Use group emails for their intended purpose. If participate in a group email. Make sure that the emails you send are in line with the intended purpose of the group.
There is probably more, but that is enough for now. I've need to go and check my email!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Weekly Email - Spiritual Solitude
Christmas time is an extremely busy time of the year. We have extra demands upon our schedule that are not there at other times of the year. We have additional activities at home, at work, at school, and at church. Take for example the morning I experienced today:
My morning today started with a breakfast meeting at 6:30am which in turn rolled into a second meeting when I arrived at my office which then rolled into a third meeting. It was around 11:30 by the time I finished these meetings. I literally had no time between these meetings. My morning was packed. As a result, I did not spend any time this morning in God’s Word.
This happens to all of us. One activity leads to another and then to another and our schedule becomes over-packed and overloaded. It is in these times that it all the more important for us to retreat, to rest, and to recharge the spiritual batteries.
Jesus saw the importance of times for spiritual solitude. If Jesus needed it, then certainly we need it as well.
"After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone..." (Matt. 14:23)
"After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land" (Mark 6:46-47).
Jesus withdrew again to a mountain by himself... (John 6:15).
There are other times in the Bible when God powerfully speaks to others in solitude:
God called Jacob to become
Moses encountered God when he was alone, in the burning bush (Ex. 3) and on
God called to Samuel only when he left Eli and was alone (1 Sam. 3).
Elijah couldn't hear God's soft whisper until he was separated from other turmoil (1 Ki. 19).
John received his great Revelation when he was alone on
This Christmas season, make sure you set some time aside for just you and God!
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