Even though I was there to lead, I am not sure I did any leading.  In fact, I had the opportunity to do a lot of observing.  I saw men from all walks of life and all age groups sharing their faith and their struggles.  I was moved by the transformation that began in some of their lives.  But what moved me the most was seeing the dedication in many of their lives.

I have struggles just as everyone else does, but as a pastor, I am often a bit insulated from the struggles that some people face.  As I listened to the stories of some of the men, I was reminded that God works in the midst of some pretty dark places.  There were men there who have struggled – and are struggling – with all kinds of addictions.  There were a couple of men there that have just recently been released from prison.  Others that have had serious family struggles for years.

But in the midst of all their struggles, these men made an intentional choice to follow Jesus.  I was reminded of a very important truth.  When we are faced with struggles, we often pray for God to deliver us – to get us out of this mess.  But many times, Jesus does not remove the struggles but rather walks with us through them.

Remember that today – even if your struggles are not removed from you – that does not mean that God is not walking with you through them.  It is a day to day thing – a journey.  Transformation does not happen overnight.  It is a progression.  The New Testament teaches us that these present struggles are refining us and being used by God to form us.

So this past weekend, the leader was led.

Be blessed today!

That is why this book is so surprising to me.  The book is written from a very negative perspective – in fact, you could even say it’s a bit depressing.  So much so that I am reluctant to commit to spending the next several weeks studying it.  The overarching theme of the book is the vanity of this existence.  One translation uses the word meaningless.  While I wholeheartedly believe that each page of the Bible is included because that is how God intended it to be, I have to admit that spending the next several weeks digging into 12 chapters of one person’s pessimistic view of just how pointless and meaningless this life is does not sound like a good time!

BUT . . .

What  I learn from what Solomon has to say is a reminder of a simple fact:  if this life here on earth is all there is then there isn’t a point to our existence – no meaning at all.  But we know better.  What we see now is not all there is.  Our hope is not placed in what we can attain here in this life time.  Our hope is in Jesus.  Our focus is on him and living to please him.

So when life seems to cave in on you today, remember that there is more – so much more!

Take heart!

Here is what I mean by that question.  Often times, with good intentions, we begin to put our faith in the system and not in the person.  And this is not a new problem.  Case in point, my scripture reading this morning was from the Gospel of Mark.  As this story unfolds, Jesus has a run-in with a group of Pharisees and scribes who have a real problem with the disciples not washing their hands before a meal.  You can read the story here.

Now, on the surface, we might say that the Pharisees made a good point.  It is a good idea to wash your hands before you eat.  It’s just a sanitary thing to do.  But when you dig down to what was really going on in the story, the words the Pharisees were using were religious terms.  They were complaining that the disciples were eating with “defiled” hands and not paying attention to the “traditions” of the elders.

What was meant, many, many years before as a good thing – a common sense thing – washing your hands before a meal, had become a ritual.

There was an entire book written to interpret the Bible.  This book, the Midrash, was an attempt to explain the law and develop practical systems for keeping the law.

Again, not a bad idea to have some practical steps for keeping the law.  But what was meant as an aid, became the new “law.”  In the story from Mark, Jesus explained to the Pharisees that they had forgotten the law and had become focused on the tradition.  Over time, their faith had been moved from what God intended to what man had created.

So back to our question for today, Where do you put your faith?  Is it in Jesus and his teaching?  Or do you put your faith in the traditions we have created?  Is following Jesus about a set of rules?  Or is it about a relationship?

Now that you are thinking about this, I need your help.  I am planning on developing this thought into a sermon.  I would love some feedback from you that might just make it into the sermon.

Take a few minutes and respond to this question:

What are some ways today that we in the church have taken our focus off of what God intends and put our faith in the traditions we have created?

You can reply here or send me an email at bhill33@me.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Be blessed today!

But do you ever want to see it – experience it?

I read about amazing spiritual renewals in our nation over 100 years ago and I think, “Why not today?  Why not now?  Why not here?”

Today, I am praying the prayer of Habakkuk – the Old Testament prophet:

LORD, I have heard of your fame; 
   I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. 
Repeat them in our day, 
   in our time make them known; 
   in wrath remember mercy.

I know of God’s power and ability.  I have read of God’s mighty works.  I pray that we will see them in our time.

Will you join me in this prayer?

William Wordsworth is one of my favorite Romantic Period poets.  He was a lover of nature and had the ability to pull back the veil of human understanding with his words.  As I sat and pondered the complex simplicity of life today, his words came ringing back to me from a poem he wrote entitled, The Tables Turned: An Evening On the Same Subject.  The last two stanzas say this:

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;

Our meddling intellect

Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things: – - 

We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;

Close up those barren leaves;

Come forth, and bring with you a heart

That watches and receives.

Isn’t it true that we often ruin things when we try to over-analyze and make them more complicated.

We can try and interpret God’s grace.  We can strive to understand it.  We can debate it, research it, question it and even doubt it.  But the reality is that God extends it to us even though we don’t deserve it.  It is a free gift.

All we have to do is accept it!

Be blessed today!

She heard that Jesus was going to be in her village and so she made it a point to be looking for him.  Here is the story out of Mark 5:

 A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.  ³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”  ³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”  ³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

What incredible faith!  As she approached Jesus she did so with such humility and faith!  She was not thinking, “I need to get his attention and if I can tell him my story, maybe he will do something for me.”  She wasn’t even thinking, “I need to get him to touch me.”  In fact, she wasn’t even thinking she needed to touch Jesus.

No.  She knew that if she could just get close to him – just touch his clothes – then she would be healed!

I am not sure I have that kind of humble faith.  I pray for God to touch me every day.  I pray for God to intervene in my life and in the life of our 1st B family on a daily basis as well.  Maybe my focus should be on the unimaginable power of the supreme God.

All we really need is to get close to God – that is all it takes.  God’s power is sufficient!  God’s love is all we need.  God’s grace is life-changing!

Draw close to Jesus today – he will make all the difference!

So for the past two weekends I have been trying to get our house painted.  The process has taught me a few things.

1. There is a reason why a lot of tool rental places don’t rent paint equipment – and for those that do, why they charge an arm and a leg.  If the unit is not cleaned properly after it is used, it will be almost impossible to use again.  So I have spent almost as much time cleaning the unit as I have actually using it.
2. What goes up also comes down.  When spraying ceilings, just remember that not all the paint will make it onto the surface.  Much of it will make into your eyes.
3. Just because you are painting in the dining room does not mean the kitchen is not also getting some paint.  The way the gun works is that it takes normal paint right out of the can and turns it into a fine mist.  This mist drifts where ever the draft carries it (there is a sermon there I think).
4. Masking is your friend.  Even though it takes longer to mask the room than it does to paint it, it will be time well spent. (Masking one’s self is also a good idea).
5. There is only one way to put the filter into the gun and still have it work and it is not the way that makes common sense.  After a couple of hours I learned this by frustration.
6. You know you have been painting with a paint gun when you wake up the next day and there is paint in the corners of your eyes.

These are just a few things I have learned while using an airless paint gun.  But at least the house is almost painted.

Have a  great day!

He assured Timothy that he believed Timothy possessed strong faith.  He shared that he had seen this faith in Timothy’s grandmother and mother and now sees it in him.  But then he said something very telling.  He says, “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.”

He goes on to explain that this gift is a spirit not of fear but of power, love and self-discipline.  I was reminded that I don’t always live with a spirit of power or of love or of self-discipline.

But the point of encouragement for me today from Paul’s words is that, as a believer, I already possess this gift – I just need to fan it into flame!

If this describes you as well, take some time today to think about this fact.  As a believer, you already possess this gift but maybe it has died down to a smolder.  Fan it back into flame.  Realize that God is a mighty God.  God is fully aware of everything in your life and is ready to provide for your needs.  God is still in control.  Regardless of what lies in your path today, God is saying, “I’ve got this.”

There is noting impossible for God.  There is nothing too big (or too small) for God.

As a believer, you know all of this.  So fan this gift of power, love and self-discipline into flame today.

Go impact your world!

If this describes you as well here is my challenge for us today:

Take 10 minutes to be still – to settle your mind and your heart.  Open your eyes to God’s movement.

Come awake!

Be blessed!

What distinguishes the Christians whose faith is deep, burning, powerful, and luminous is . . . seriousness.  Seriousness is not the opposite of joy but of superficiality.

He then went on to use Francis of Assisi as an example saying that he was fun-loving, light hearted and whimsical.  But that was only a part of his character.  He was also committed to a “relentless search for truth and reality.”

And then he made this statement about Francis of Assisi.  He said Francis was a “Jesus-haunted man who gave up all to obtain all.”

Jesus-haunted.  I don’t guess I have ever thought of it that way.  I interpret this idea as being unable to rest in our pursuit of Jesus – pressing ever forward toward knowing him more fully and deeply and living out of that increasing knowledge and growing relationship.

I have been challenging our 1st B family to be the church outside the walls.  Yesterday, I made the point that our community would forever be impacted if each family member were completely tuned in to the same unified focus of becoming more like Jesus.

So often, our biggest problem is superficiality – we don’t take the whole “Christian thing” seriously.  I can’t even imagine all the ramifications of what our world would look like if we all lived a sold-out existence for Jesus.  Can you?

I challenge you to dream with me.  What would it be like?

I would love to hear your thoughts.  Please take the time to comment here or on Facebook or even email me at bhill33@me.com.

Let’s put our heads together and dream of a world in which Jesus followers were sold out for Him.