Building a Godly Memorial (FOR YOUR FAMILY)

JOSHUA - “These stones are to be a memorial to Israel…”

This weekend we celebrate Memorial day. It is observed on the last Monday in May every year to remember all of those who died in the wars our nation has fought. This is a very special day in the life of our country. As you have opportunity, I hope you will commit to join us for worship. We will consider the call of God to be faithful in “Building godly memorials for our families”. (Joshua 4)  In Proverbs 22:28 the Bible teaches that we should  “Not remove the ancient landmarks, which your fathers have set.” (NKJV) As leaders and parents we have the awesome privilege and responsibility to establish “boundaries and landmarks” to pass on to the next generation. Joshua called on the leaders of each tribe to take a stone from the river as “a sign among you” for the future generations that they might never forget how God brought them out to bring them in to the Land of Promise. 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord…These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." Joshua 4:6-7 (NIV) What do these stones mean? Tell them about your love for your great God! Pass on your love, devotion and living faith to the Lord as your God!

Memorial day is one example of the “landmarks” established by our country set aside for us to remember and never forget those who have given their lives for our freedoms and the greatness of our country. As believers in the Lord Jesus we must do the same thing. We must be careful to establish the landmarks from which our children and God’s people will find their way to honor God and fulfill His purposes in our lives. May the Lord help us to remember and never forget. I believe we do this every time we worship together.

Thankfully,

Garry  

Launching out into the Deep... don't be afraid.

I find myself fixated on thoughts about this new season of life. Maybe its because it caught me by surprise. I have said I did not see it coming, but He did! One era has come to an end. Wow! It came faster than I ever imagined. The end did not come as I imagined. I was kind of launched out into the deep... unsuspecting. But now by faith, the future is wild with anticipation. Like most of us have come to realize, every season of life is more a beginning that it is an ending. It is indeed the beginning of the rest of our lives.

       In Luke 5:1-11, the Bible describes an experience where Peter, James and John are launched into a new season of their lives into their destiny. They go from being mere fishermen to becoming “disciples”. A disciple is simply a “learner”. A powerful lesson from this passage is that Jesus captures mere men with an invitation to become life-long learners. We call them “Disciples”. With His invitation and guidance, these disciples learned to “launch out into the Deep”!

              John Eldredge writes “We have grown dull toward this world in which we live; we have forgotten that it is not normal or scientific in any sense of the word. It is fantastic. It is fairy tale through and through. Really now. Elephants? Caterpillars? Snow? At what point did you lose your wonder at it all? Even so, once in a while something will come along and shock us right out of our dullness and resignation.”    (Adapted From EPIC – John Eldredge)

       Please note Luke 5 is NOT a story about a fantastic fishing trip. This is one of those experiences that “shocked these men right out of their dullness and resignation”.  Could it be that one of God’s greatest gifts is to be a life-long learner? To always be on the edge of “discovering” a brand new world? So our Lord comes along and invites these men (and us) to step out into the deep and forever be learning from him. What did Peter “see” that day? Did Peter just “see” a huge catch of fish? Was “this”  (v8) what he saw that would cause him to pull his boat onto the shore, to leave it all behind and to follow after another? And don't think so. What did he “see” (and the others with him) that captured his heart and his imagination and dreams? What was it that shocked them right out of their dullness and resignation to move them past just being normal fishermen?

       I suggest that he saw and learned that there was nothing to fear in following God (Jesus) and His Call on his life! (V 10)  You see, learners don't have to fear the future or failing. Their purpose and goal is to learn!!  So Jesus says to Peter, “Don’t be afraid!” Jesus will say that a lot to Peter and any true disciple. :)  Jesus calls Peter to accept His invitation to launch out into the deep, to become a life-long learner. A disciple is just simply someone on a journey of learning and discovering. These men would never stop learning! The next thing you know Peter is learning to walk on water!! :) (Matthew 14:27-31)

Through this experience, I believe Peter learned that the highest adventure in life is knowing Him. HIM a person, not an ideology, or philosophy or some formula. Here is the truth: Life is in a PERSON!!  Nothing else compares to HIM!! How do you know? Watch them!  Whatever they “saw” and “learned” that day caused them to pack up everything they knew, to leave it ALL behind to follow HIM!! AND don’t miss this: He would lead them OFF every MAP they had ever known to learn things they could never imagine!!!  This is what He DOES for those who truly follow HIM!

So I invite you to join me. Step out of the dullness and quiet resignation and accept His invitation to launch out into the deep. You need not fear the Lord but trust Him in accepting God’s invitation to become life-long learner.

Garry JordanGraduation 2013

Mothers Day 2013

Our world and culture is spinning out of control. How does one even identify NORMAL any more? If normal is the natural standard or common type that serves as a governor for the kind of “norm” for a culture, then how is a family going to define what is the norm for our families today? The world would have us believe and accept there is a "new normal" for family. As we celebrate Mother’s Day this month and then Father’s Day in June, I want to identify and embrace the norm of God’s standard for the family and family relationships. I believe there is a Normal Family from God’s perspective but "The new normal is neither normal or new".

Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 1:9 - "there is nothing NEW under the sun".  So, where can we go to find normal? I invite us to turn to God. In Deuteronomy 28:1-7:

     "If you fully obey the Lord  your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord  your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord  your God..."         

                     

It is normal for those who trust God's standards to experience His blessings. In Matthew 12:13, Jesus heals a man's hand and the Bible reads, "And he stretched (his hand) it out, and it was restored to "normal", like the other. (NASB) The word here for normal is the word that describes "wholeness". I believe this is the key. That God would restore our families to His normal  = to "wholeness". 

This Sunday May 12, we celebrate Mothers Day. Almost 100 years ago, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” This Mothers Day I want to consider Hannah, a model of a "normal" godly mother.  Hannah stands out as a model of a godly mother in the Bible. (1 Samuel 1-2) Hannah lived a life of persistence through her faith in God. Her life impacted and influenced the course of an entire nation. Because Hannah trusted in the Lord through faith, God used Hannah’s inability to have a child as the starting point to work a miracle and be a blessing for many.

 
Our inability and hopelessness are no barriers for God to work in our lives. They are not barriers to His blessings but may be the very pathways He uses to bring us in brokenness before His throne of grace that we might EXPERIENCE His BREAKTHROUGH and blessing! I believe this is God's normal.    

Thanking God for the awesome wonder of our "normal" mom's.

Garry

The Chief Evidence of Grace is Love

The Ultimate Freedom is the Freedom to Love God and others.

LOVE = “Acting in the best interest of OTHERS”!  (1 Cor 13) 

LOVE is always First about OTHERS! No more performance based living with the focus always on me, now we are free to productive, fruit-producing, grace-filled living. (Galatians 5:1-26)

How can that BE? In a world that revolves around ME, how can others come first? Because God has taken care of me. I am His son. I am loved. (See Galatians 3:26-4:7) SO now that is done and settled, I am free to love YOU! Concentrate on You!  

SO The chief evidence that The Gospel is operative in us is that we are LOVING. The profound truth is that THE Fruit of the Spirit is relational and moral. The Spirit’s fullness is marked by healthy growing relationships with God and others!! The Christian focus should NOT be about supernatural Gifts!! Watch and see if when the focus is on the Gifts, then it is still not just about ME?!! The Gifts are giving so that OTHERS might be Built up! Warning: This should not lead us to diminish the gifts!! We must understand they are given to us to build up OTHERS!! If they are not being used to build up others in love, then we can determine they are not gifts from God through the work of His Spirit!! This is the truth! J

AND Watch this: Although the main evidence of being filled with the Spirit might not be in supernatural gifts, it does not diminish how powerful and miraculous is the Spirits power! This is evidenced in the fact that we can put a man on the moon, but we cannot get along with our neighbor!! :-)  We need God’s enabling to love one another!! The Spirit Enables Us to Produce the Fruit of love which issues into a changed life and healthy relationships. It is not law on the outside, but LOVE on the inside that makes the difference. We need an enabling power within, that changes our focus from me to others! This is the powerful work of God! J ONLY God can shift the focus from me to others! That’s what Grace Does!

Now grace filled, we are free to love and serve others! No more conceit and vain glory. No more comparing and competing for worth and value. No more deceiving no one but ourselves. (Gal 5:25-6:5) Now free to love and carry others burdens, restoring others in Love.

You be the judge on your activities and efforts, especially religious activities. What "fruit" is being produced in your life? Rules and regulations or love? Comparing and competing or serving and caring for others?

The chief Evidence of Grace is love...