More on Grace
Above is a link to a short video on Grace. When the link opens there will be a video that starts, look below the video and click on next (–>) There will be two more pictures appear under the video box above the second one is Dr. Tony Evans. Click on his picture and then his video will begin to play.
I hope that it is an encouragement to you.
To me “Grace” is the one attribute of God that we pretend that we understand so much more than others. I think that is because we like what it does for us, and that it is not connected directly to some human emotion of “Guilt”! Mercy, compassion, unfailing love, unconditional forgiveness, and consuming fire are also all attributes of God; but they each bring up in me negative emotions about myself and who I was(am)!!!
Grace is a beautiful thing, but we must understand that it is connected to God’s power and majesty. It is part of the mystery and the display of His amazing Love.
Now it’s time for you to weigh in and comment.
More next week!
God’s Grace
Ok, I am just going to start a discussion that I will not finish today. It’s all about God’s Grace and how it is that we view it.
To start, if any of the attributes of God truly describe who God is, then wouldn’t it stand to reason that any one of the attributes of God is as indescribable as He is Himself?
I heard a pastor in a video blog, state that some pastors preach about Grace as a peanut butter covering that was the same for all mankind. He then went on to say, “That type of Grace takes away from the sovereignty and power of God to reach down to one human, and that there is nothing special about God’s love towards that person if it is all the same.”
My question then is, “Isn’t God’s Grace so amazing, that the greatest outpouring of Grace is not reserved for only people that He chooses, but is also extended to those who don’t even acknowledge Him?”
I really don’t believe God’s Grace is only reserved for those that He knows who will acknowledge Him. I believe that His Love is so great that he would even extend the same ENDLESS Grace to the hardest of hearts.
Ok, Your turn. Please comment, and then next week we will add the verses
Prom Season
Ok! Maybe it’s because I am a parent, or that I am a student minister, either way I am now focused on Prom Season. Oh yes, it is that time of year that dads ask, “How much for what?” New shoes, a new dress, flowers, tickets to the dance, and dinner all come with the territory. And with the new dresses comes the variety of the styles, colors, length, and modesty of the dresses. And what is popular all changes from year to year. If you have been around teenagers as long as I have, over that time you learn that the complaints and the criticisms (from the parents/teachers) never seem to change. And now I find myself looking at Prom through the eyes of a Dad.
I am in a weird “Love / Hate” relationship with prom. I love how it makes the young ladies feel to be all dresses up and to have their hair done just right. And I like the formal, beautiful aspects of Prom for the young ladies. It’s also not such a bad idea to have the young men dress nice and smell good for nearly one whole day. But there are those that will always take advantage of the opportunity, and turn something nice and innocent into something leud and inappropriate. Me, I still like to view it as dress rehearsal for the weddings that are to come down the road.
And I must confess, as much as I love flip-flops and the beach, there is just something about spending the evening at a black tie affair, with the one that I love.
But let us not forget, Prom is not a formal event to practice proper conduct when in the presence of Royalty. Prom is by the way all about the DANCE. I have attached a link to youtube for everyone to watch. It just happens to be my favorite dance.
May the DANCE live on!
Have a great day!
Mateo
Gene Gene, the Dancing Machine on YouTube
Your World
It’s amazing to me how often my little world collides with the same people and circumstances over and over again. I know will understand what I mean. Let’s see, like when you meet someone for the first time and they remind you of someone else that you know. Another one of those times is when you have already made a friendship with a person, and then you find out all the things you have in common.
I am convinced that God allows these little things to happen in order for each of us to find our comfort zone in our “own little world”. I guess I am more aware of this, having just moved and in the middle of making so many new relationships. But we should be careful in our comfort.
This past weekend, some of our students were able to serve with KARM. They came back and had so much to talk about. They had a great time, and enjoyed getting to meet so many new people. They moved out of their regular routine and from their “own little world” to interact with another person in “their little world”. In doing so, they found that they are indeed blessed, and were able to discover that they have so much to give.
So, if I may speak for those students for a minute. Take some time to move out of your “own little world”, your comfort zone, and interact with others. You may be surprised of all that is in store, and the blessings that you may find.
The Fire
Ok, Mateo is taking the easy way out. I have posted this link. I hope that it will play on your computer, wherever you are.
If you have facebook you can add it to your page to share with others.
WARNING! The material in this video has come from Scripture, and has been known to change lives on a grand scale.
Praying that you have a great week.
Mateo
Fat Tuesday
Fat Tuesday is English for the better known day called “Mardi Gras”. Yes, today is Mardi Gas. People from Lake Charles, Louisiana all the way to Key West, Florida are celebrating at parades with floats, costumes, moon pies, king cake, and beads.
I grew up in a Christian home in Louisiana. So, celebrating Mardi Gras was not big on the list of things to do. Sure, lots of people have fun at Mardi Gras. It is also true that many tourist go to the gulf coast and have good clean fun at many of the celebrations. But this is not just your average holiday, and it is often a Rated-R type of celebration.
I have attached a link for those who would like to know a little more of the history and the origins from a religious perspective.
The basic idea is that I will live for today, so that I can sacrifice tomorrow. This logic sounds good at first, but be very aware that this is man’s logic that is rooted in “Self”. This is why I put back on all the weight that I loose every year. I will be conscious of my diet and exercise for a time, so that later I can eat all that I want.
For me this yearly ritual translates directly into self-induced torture. The same can be said of us as Christians today in the American church culture. We are very willing to sacrifice, but only for a time or if the reward is worth it. It seems that we are stuck in the cycle of doing great things for God, so that we can be blessed. Or we are willing to “surrender all” to God, to only take back things that we really desire to have. My pastor use to always say, “We are to be a living sacrifice, but the problem is that a living sacrifice can still crawl off of the Alter”.
The greatest challenge that we have as believers today, is our own desires. Good news is that this is nothing new or unique to our generation. The difference today is the number of distractions that we have that can take our focus and/or our time. I don’t have a magic solution for this one. I know that over the next few weeks Bro. Mark will continue our Sunday morning study in Philippians, and the hard answers for us can be found in the chapters of this book.
From Scripture we can find solutions to this destructive pattern that we all posses, but we still have to make a choice to do what it takes to find freedom from our selfish nature. And if any of us apply the logic that is as the root of Mardi Gras, then we are doomed to repeat the same cycle of pain and regret that comes with living life for our own pleasure.
Fat Tuesday will always be a part of me as long as I continue to eat some king cake each year. But the holiday that is celebrated in New Orleans each year, will also be a reminder to me of just how easy it is to give in to self.
Hopes and Cheers
This Friday, February 12th, 2010 is the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. I don’t know if the “Wide World of Sports” had a great affect on you, but it did me.
Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport! The thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat! The human drama of athletic competition! This is ABC’s Wide World of Sports!
The opening video of the skier crashing off of the jump in Winter Olympics had my attention. And now that time is upon us again. With all the events: Alpine sking, bobsleigh, figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, snowboarding, and ski jumping.
What gets me the most is that we will cheer and yell for athletes we don’t know, in all the different events (some we don’t even understand), because they wear the Red, White, and Blue. These athletes that will carry the of hopes of Olympic victory for the whole country are nothing more than teenagers or young adults.
In all other walks of life, we would tell these young people, that they have not had enough education. Or, maybe they have not had enough experience.
“They have not lived enough life. They’re Kids,” some would say.
Really? They know their sport inside and out, and have the physical ability to go for days without a need of a day of rest. And we want to question them? Why? What are we even questioning? Their talent? Their abilities? Or do we feel that we should be suspect of youthfullness?
Throughout history teens, youth, or students have lead the way for great change, and have done the most amazing things. Paul told Timothy not to let anyone question his youthful drive for life and ministry.
Here is my point. Should we not celebrate and cheer on the hopes of the next generation now? Yeah, while they are young and full of youthfulness. Encourage them to go do the things that we never thought we could do. To break all of the human limitations on greatness. To follow God in an way that would transform our culture.
They can do it! The students could lead us in ways that we would never thought possible, if we help them. We have to support them, train them, and then go out with them.
Eighteen year old snowboarders have coaches, families, and friends that will be there to support them in the Olympics. But the reality is those people have always been there to support them.
So what about it, can we together as a Faith Family, come together to support our children and students in order to see them do great things for God? I know we can.
Our students do carry the Hopes and the Cheers of our hearts. It’s why we do what we do, as parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts. I am so glad to be here as a parent to join you in this call to greatness for ourselves and our children.
Mateo