Jeffrey Smith's Blog

Tebow or not Tebow? That is the question.

God does not control the outcome of football games. I know this. I am a Cowboys fan. We have not won a playoff game since 1995 and the Cowboys are obviously God’s favorite team, as He had a hole built in the roof of Texas stadium so He could have an unobstructed view of every game.

 

I am also a rabid Florida State fan.  I’m the kind of fan that not only knows more about FSU than 99% of fans, I know more about my rivals than 99% of their fans. I watched nearly every Florida Gators game that Tim Tebow played in. Why? I wanted them to lose. I was well aware of his faith. On a purely human level I thought he was a very nice guy. On a spiritual level I respected him for his faith. I even got kind of choked up during his Heisman speech, but make no mistake…I did not want him to succeed on the field while he was wearing my rivals uniform.

 

Now that he is wearing a less repugnant orange and blue uniform my thoughts on him have changed. (When a player leaves college you are allowed to like him if he’s from a rival team) It cracks me up to see so many Christians cheering for Tim Tebow. I have become one of them. Why is it happening?

 1.    He is bold and authentic about his faith.

 

I have yet to hear someone call him a hypocrite. I don’t think anyone questions his sincerity and even many who disagree with his beliefs still respect him.

 2.    He is a hybrid between Arnold Schwarzenegger, Andy Griffith, and Billy Graham

 

It’s not often that you see a 6’ 3’’, 245 lb., muscle-bound athlete with an “aww shucks” demeanor and a succinct mission in life.

 3.    People love an underdog.

 

When Tom Brady led the Patriots to their first Superbowl, the thing that stood out was how unheralded he was. In Tim Tebow’s case he is a different kind of underdog. Most underdogs don’t have these qualities:

 

1. #1 ranked 5* high school quarterback
2. 2 national titles
3. Heisman trophy winner
4. Davey O'Brien Award winner
5. Maxwell Award winner
6. Sporting News Player of the Year
7. #1 draft pick
8. $11.5 million dollar contract (With the new rookie wage scale in 2012 only 5 million or so less than Andrew luck, the probable #1 overall pick will get)

 

The nature of Tebow’s underdog status is related to his critics, mostly members of the media who do not appreciate his unorthodox delivery and playing style because it defies all conventional wisdom about what an NFL quarterback should be. There are also critics that persecute him unfairly because of his passionate faith.

 

 4.    He loves to compete

 

It’s great to watch someone who simply won’t give up. Favre made a lot of bad plays but his fierce competitive nature and love for the game is what made people love him.

 

There are probably many more reasons for the Tebow mania that is exploding.  I think it is fun.

 

The opening sentence of this blog did not say “God can not control the outcome of football games”. I have been unable to figure out the method to get Him to answer my particular football related prayers. Once I was driving down I-75 and I was praying. As a matter of fact I had tears streaming down my face as I was worshipping God, thanking Him for His faithfulness in my life. I looked in my rear view and I saw a Florida State Trooper pulling me over. Uh oh. As he wrote me my ticket for speeding I shamelessly explained that I was praying to which he replied, “well, I guess you need to pray harder”. ZING! I did not receive the ticket because God was unpleased with my worship. I received a ticket because I was speeding.

 

I played football for 10 years and I probably can’t think of a game that I did not pray before, during, and after. Thousands of athletes pray during games. Many athletes of exceptional faith have stood boldly for God while playing on losing teams. To me it is trivializing God to suggest that He is affecting the outcome of each play.

 

The Bible says is Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” It also says in Psalm 37:23 “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

 

Knowing that our lives are pleasing to God is the most important thing. It is really great to see a young man like Tim Tebow acknowledging God and being used in so many great ways outside of football as well. To infer that God is causing all the good plays would also infer that He is either causing the bad ones or allowing them. There are victories and obstacles in any profession. What we ultimately celebrate is that our lives are pleasing to God and we are on His path.

 

If you are a Tebow fan enjoy watching someone with such a positive attitude who is in the limelight. If you are not, that’s ok too. One of my friends who is a Cowboys fan told me last night, “Well as a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan, I will say go Denver and Tebow mania only because a Cowboy rides a horse and the Bronco is the closest to it so, Denver all the way just for the rest of this season!”.

 

I lol’d.

 

 

Injustice Beware

It is nearly impossible to try and explain the vastness of the world of sports. From physical fitness, competition, and teamwork, to leadership, merchandising, and downright national pride, sports is big business…huge business. The professional sports industry alone is twice the size of the auto industry and 7 times larger than the movie industry.

 

Sometimes an issue arises in the world of sports that transcends sports itself. The blog I am writing today will be considered by some as sports related. Although it is within the realm of the sports world, I feel it is more human related.

 

The dreadful story that has been developing at Penn State for the last week or so has been in my head for days. For those that may not be aware of the story I would suggest reading about it before reading the rest of this blog. Be warned it is graphic and sickening yet it is a story that cannot be avoided.

 

 Within this real-life horror story we find a man in a position of authority and influence that used his power to prey on innocent, at-risk children. We also see legendary leaders above him forever tarnishing their own legacies for failing to respond to the injustices in an appropriate way. Instead of talking about this story directly, I am choosing to make 3 critical observations based on these events.

 

 

1.            There will always be people in positions of authority that will abuse their power and influence to get what they want.

 

2.            There will always be people that prey on the innocent for their own benefit.

 

3.            There will always be people that know injustice exists, yet do little or nothing to prevent it.

 

I want to take these three heartbreaking statements and ask myself how I plan on responding to each of them in my own life.

 

1.            There will always be people in positions of authority that will abuse their power and influence to get what they want.

 

 

Other than Jesus my favorite Biblical personality has always been David. David had a tremendous love for God yet he was very human. David taught us how to worship yet he also showed us how far we can fall when we don’t cling to the one that we should be worshipping at all times. David used his authority as king to obtain Bathsheba, the object of his desire, he also used authority as commander-in-chief to have Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, murdered on the battlefield. David had one key element that I desire to have. He always turned to the Lord when he failed.

 

As a senior pastor I have a great deal of autonomy. Sure I have elders and a board of directors and I willingly submit myself to spiritual authority, but none of those people see my heart. It is my responsibility to make sure at the end of each day my heart is pure before God.

 

Having a pure heart before God is the only way to insure that we don’t use authority for my our benefit.

 

We can’t go back and rewrite history or change past events but we can make a decision to lead in a way that brings dignity and honor to whatever position of leadership we may hold.

 

2.            There will always be people that prey on the innocent for their own benefit.

 

My wife is one of my heroes. Not only is she an extraordinary woman of faith who inspires thousands weekly, she is a great mom, wife, and friend. Her faith is nearly unshakable. Few would assume this incredible woman grew up in an environment of sexual abuse. We have been together for 16 years and I stood beside her as she literally went through heartbreaking trials trying to overcome the devastation she endured for so many years growing up as a young child. The abuse she went through began when she was younger than my 9 year old daughter. To imagine someone taking advantage of a child is unconscionable…yet people do it daily. As a matter of fact every 2 minutes someone is sexually assaulted in America.

 

Deuteronomy 18 actually warns people not to sacrifice their own children to false Gods! That is so messed up I can’t even comment. We have to be aware of these types of people in the world. They exist!

 

Without becoming a jaded person I believe we can try our hardest to prevent abuse from occurring in the first place. Make it tough on these jokers!

 

For instance, our kids don’t spend the night with anyone. I don’t care who it is. Do other parents criticize us for that decision? Yes. Do we care? We couldn’t care less. Some of the atrocities that take place against children in particular are created when kids are put in awkward situations and they don’t know how to respond. I was sexually abused as a child myself, once with a relative and once at a friend’s house. I believe we should teach our children how to recognize inappropriate behavior and how to respond.

 

Sidenote

I am generally referring to American culture although statistics show that 75% of Aboriginal girls under the age of 18 were sexually abused. 75% of Aboriginal victims of sex crimes were females under 18 years of age. 50% were under 14 years of age. Almost 25% were younger than 7 years (Alliance of Five Research Centres on Violence, 1999).

 

We must be aware that these atrocities exist.

 

3.            There will always be people that know injustice exists, yet do little or nothing to prevent it.

 

It will be a great shock to many when they stand before the throne of God someday and they are judged equally as harshly for what they DIDN’T DO.

 

We are all very aware of sins of commission. We are taught from the time we are children that taking the Lord’s name in vain is a sin, stealing is a sin, murder is a sin. We get that. What we do not seem to get however, is that we are equally accountable for what we fail to do. We are accountable for not worshipping, for not honoring God with our finances, for not speaking up when people are talking negatively about others.

 

King Ahab did nothing to prevent the murder of a man that refused to sell him his property. His wife did most of the dirty work in arranging this man’s death but ultimately what we fail to prevent or intervene on behalf of, we become responsible for.

 

It’s not that people don’t realize that something is wrong. People don’t want to be inconvenienced. We all have been faced with awkward dilemmas where a child was being spanked a little too hard in public and we try to decide whether to say something or not or maybe someone is demeaning another person publically and we want to say something. We are not called to be Batman. We are called to be messengers of hope. People that are being hurt deserve to know about God’s love and hope. If that means intervening at times, so be it. Sometimes that is picking up the phone and calling the police.

 

I was in a theater in 1995 when a dad was cursing and slapping his son in the face before the film in front of everyone. A very large African-American gentlemen approached him and kindly said, “sir if you slap that boy again in front of me I’m gonna slap you in front of him”. The arrogant father told the man to mind his own business, proceeded to slap his son again and then got his jaws nearly slapped off for 5 minutes straight.

 

There is a difference between vigilante justice and vigilant justice. One seeks to punish the criminal personally, the other is committed to not only awareness of injustice but actively pursuing justice through legal means.

 

This year City of Life had an awesome opportunity to partner with Love146.org, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to ending child slavery and exploitation. A song I wrote was featured on their fundraising CD. One of our friends, Leigh Ramsey spearheads an incredible outreach called She Rescue Home. I am so thankful that there truly are committed people that dedicate their existence to the eradication of injustice.

 

I believe each person should try and find something to be a part of that makes a difference.

 

 

Here are my personal responses to the original statements I made.

 

1.             I always want to leverage my own authority for the benefit of the one’s I am leading.

 

2.            I want to value those that cannot help themselves and make life tough for those that would abuse them.

 

3.             I want to be a part of not just proclaiming what is good and right, but defending it as well.

 

 

We shouldn’t allow events like this to make us bitter in life. It doesn’t mean all leaders are bad. It doesn’t mean charity organizations can’t be trusted. It doesn’t mean you can’t trust anybody. It means we must reflect on our own lives and how we can make the greatest difference for God that we can in this short time we have on earth.

 

As much as our own hearts break for injustice, God’s breaks infinitely more.

 

Psalm 33:5
 says, “The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

 

Christ was sent that through Him ultimate justice could be eternally established.

 

I want to end my blog with the lyrics of “You Stand”.

 

For the brokenhearted

For the ones who are alone

For the weary stranger

For the ones without a home

You stand, You stand

 

For the ones who’ve been oppressed

For the ones without a voice

For the hurt and the abused

For the ones without a choice

You stand, You stand

 

Your arms are open wide

Your love is abounding

You are our hiding place

With the enemy surrounding

You stand

 

My sisters, my brothers

All nations, all colors

Lord, for every soul
You stand

The hungry, abandoned

Will someday see You standing Lord

You Stand, You stand…

 

 

So I Tweet, Yeah

 

That’s right, my title is biting off TLC a little. That’s aight. At least this thing ain't called "Red Light Special".

 

“I have tweeted 4 times and updated my Facebook status twice today”. Ten years ago only a modern day John the Baptist or Nostradamus would have any idea what the heck that statement means. Social networking is simply a game changer when it comes to the way people communicate and relate to one another. “Oh my gosh, I follow you on Twitter” is definitely an awkward way to introduce yourself to someone you’ve never met face to face. Today, you can instantly connect with anyone in the world. I just Skyped on my laptop with my friend in Australia who was on his iPhone in his front yard.  Texting allows us to skip the formalities of hi, how are you, and get right to the point. By the way, Texting surpassed phone calls in 2007 and it will never go back again.

 

Since it is inevitable that technology will keep connecting people on almost unimaginable levels in the coming years, it brings up important issues for Christians regarding proper protocol when using social networking or technology.

 

One in five divorces occur as a result of Facebook. That’s a lot. Although I have read statistics that indicate the total percentage of affairs have not drastically increased in the last 20 years it is still significant that the way they are occurring is so prevalent.

31% of internet affairs turn into physical affairs.

I have counseled many people that have fallen as a result of Internet affairs. It is heartbreaking.

 In a recent totallifecouseling.com article 3 main reasons for affairs using technology or social networking are listed.

• Easy Access
• Lack of Boundaries
• Refusal to take Responsibility

This article is not a Christian article. If the secular community recognizes the danger of social networking I believe the Christian community should be even more aware. The generation that is emerging is doing so never having known any other world without instant connectivity.

 Between 1991 and 2006, the numbers of unfaithful wives under 30 increased by 20% and husbands by a whopping 45%. This was before the social networking explosion that would occur later that year. These numbers come from a study conducted by David Atkins of the University of Washington Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors.

 

Now what can we do?

Romans 14 rules. In a nutshell it is saying what is good for you might not be good for everyone. Be careful that what you do is not just good, but be careful that it appears good.  Check it out…

 

Romans 14:16-17

16            Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.

 

1 Corinthians 10 keeps going deeper.

 

1 Corinthians 10: 23-24

23            “ I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

24            No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

 

I love this so much because I believe we spend too much of our time trying to fit everything in life into two categories that we think are the only two important things in life:

 

1. Sin

2. Not Sin 

First of all there is an unseen concept that complicates these two…sins of omission. What we fail to do at times makes us equally as guilty as what we do. It is certainly important to know whether we are in sin or not but I believe we leave out two important categories:

3. Is this good for me?

Just because something is not a sin doesn’t mean it pleases God. R.A. Torrey so eloquently describes where this truth can lead us. “If we make it our study to find out and to do the things which are pleasing to God, He will make it His study to do the things which are pleasing to us.”

We wonder why God doesn’t move in our lives when we are occupied with things that are not necessarily a sin, but neither are they pleasing to Him.

 4. Does this look good to others?

 This flies in the face of the “be yourself, who cares what anyone thinks” attitude that is so prevalent in the world today. We actually should care about what people think when it comes to the way we represent Christ. We should also be constantly cognizant of the way our decisions could affect others.

 

In order to keep this blog from exceeding the length of the combined works of Homer I am going to give some principles for married couples to consider and some principles for single people to consider when connecting with others through technology. My commentary on each will be brief, as I will let you investigate and formulate the reasoning behind each.

 

1.    Carefully consider the picture you upload, including your profile pic.

 

• You may have a body that looks like it was carved out of marble (probably not) but your pictures send a clear message to others.
• Some people will stumble because of your picture.

 2.    Private messages (or excessive public messages) to members of the opposite sex should always be minimal.

• The line between teasing and flirting can be nearly indistinguishable. It is easy for people to get the wrong idea.
• Married people should consider drawing clear cut lines as to what is acceptable for their social networking behavior.
• When I receive messages from members of the opposite sex I rarely answer them. I’m not being a prude, I just want to be safe.

 3.    Be careful who you “follow” or become friends with.

• There are many different uses for Facebook and Twitter. Some “friends” are certainly made for business or marketing purposes, but if people post questionable material on their pages or statuses not only could it be compromising for you, it also could reflect poorly on your witness.

 4.     Never, under any circumstances, speak negatively about your spouse or                         significant other and do not talk about how lonely you are.

• This is a cattle call for inappropriate “comforting” from the opposite sex

 5.    Never, ever, ever, ever, play Farmville.

• No comment

 

The worst kind of bondage imaginable is adding ridiculous, legalistic rules to our lives that God could care less about. This blog is meant to encourage free people to continue living free by guarding against potential hurt or damaged caused by carelessness.

These are not rules, they are ideas that can help us bring more glory to God and our relationships.

Oh, BTW TLC, the "down low" always takes you lower than you want to go.

Now excuse me, I have to update my status.

 

How Should We Feel?

I am a Christian. I am a husband, father, son, and friend. I am a pastor. I am an American. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the source of my feelings on a particular issue because I am complex. We all are. Because I am a Christian, I strive every day to make sure that I have a Biblical worldview, that is to say, a view of life that is entirely seen through the lens of God's Word. This is not always an easy task. Why? Well, because as I mentioned I am a husband, a father, a son...etc... there are so many things that make up who I am. Plus, I am just straight opinionated. 

Last night it was announced that one of the most evil men of recent history was killed. Is there an appropriate way to feel when you find out an evil man has been killed? The reason for my question is pretty straightforward. The responses to the news on Twitter and Facebook seemed mixed within Christian circles. Granted I would say that nearly 80 per cent of the reactions were some level of relief or joy, there were some that were uncomfortable or offended that people were rejoicing over this man's death. 

Back to the whole Biblical worldview thing. I make a decision every day to let the old me die and to allow the one to live who has been redeemed by Christ. It is not easy but it is necessary. One thing that deeply bothers me is when something happens and people respond by throwing out random scriptures to build an argument. For instance I've been seeing a lot of this:

Proverbs 24:17

¹⁷ Do not gloat when your enemy falls; 
   when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, 

BOOM! (as someone wrote on Facebook last night) Argument over. Not so fast my friend. Notice there is a comma there. I realize that punctuation is not inspired but common sense tells you there is something that follows.

¹⁸ or the LORD will see and disapprove 

   and turn his wrath away from them.

If you gloat over your enemies you are doing God's job for Him. He is about ready to execute judgement. Don't get in his way by having some premature celebration when they stumble. It is the same principle as bragging about fasting and other spiritual disciplines that are best kept secret. Whatever reward or praise from men you receive you should enjoy because God certainly is not going to give you any more. This is also referring to enemies that are ALIVE. Let's keep reading.

¹⁹ Do not fret because of evildoers  or be envious of the wicked, 

²⁰ for the evildoer has no future hope, 
   and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

The lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. This is the ultimate end for all evil. To be snuffed out. People who only want to talk about God's love fail to realize that God's justice is what makes His love real in the first place. There can be no true love without justice. I wonder if people were happy when they found out Hitler was dead. If people actually rejoiced was that unchristian? I mean, he only killed about 6 million people. I believe it is important to credit God for all of our victories. This insures He will keep fighting our battles for us as He did for Jehoshaphat. Let God fight for you, then rejoice in Him.

As a husband I mourn for the 10's of thousands of widows who lost their spouse because of this man's wickedness. As a father I mourn for the 10's of thousands of parents who lost children because of this man's wickedness. As a son I mourn for the 10's of thousands of children who lost parents because of this man's wickedness. As a friend I mourn for the 10's of thousands of friends who lost friends because of this man's wickedness. As a pastor I mourn for the 10's of thousands of souls who are lost forever because they didn't know Jesus, including Osama bin Laden. As an American, I mourn for the victims of 9/11 and their families. Surely this brings up old pain that has been tucked away. I not only mourn though, I celebrate this symbol of victory over one of the most painful moments in US history. As an American I am proud of our armed forces and their dedication to finish the job. 

I believe this could potentially be a polarizing moment for Christians but I hope it is not. I hope everyone has a little grace for others that just simply don't see it the same. 

 

 

 

Where Hope Lives

You will not pray for something you have no hope for.

 

 

What else is prayer, especially effectual fervent prayer, than putting your faith in God and believing that He will do what only He can do. Anything else that falls beyond the realm of hope, people simply give up on.

 

How many dreams have been trashed? How many lives have been discarded? How many destinies have been abandoned? How many sicknesses have won a battle in which they should have been defeated? All because someone lost hope.

 

Psalms 27:13

13 I had almost given up my hope of seeing the blessing of the Lord in the land of the living. (Bible in Basic English Version)

 

The KJV says, “I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” I grew up in an organization that used to sing way more about heaven than this life. I’ll Fly Away and Beulah Land are great old songs, and I do believe that where your treasure is there your heart is also, but what is life if we have lost the hope that makes us who we are as believers? The hope that we will lead thousands to Christ, the hope that we will see miracles and signs and wonders, the hope that God will give us “life in the fullest” as He has promised.

 

Many of us have lost the hope in Christ that produces the miraculous. There is a thin veil between hope and faith. It is almost indistinguishable. I often refer to Luther’s commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (verse 5) for some of my favorite distinctions of these differences.

 

“First, hope and faith differ in regard to their sources. Faith originates in the understanding, while hope rises in the will.

 

Secondly, they differ in regard to their functions. Faith says what is to be done. Faith teaches, describes, directs. Hope exhorts the mind to be strong and courageous.

 

Thirdly, they differ in regard to their objectives. Faith concentrates on the truth. Hope looks to the goodness of God.

 

Fourthly, they differ in sequence. Faith is the beginning of life before tribulation. (Hebrews 11.) Hope comes later and is born of tribulation. (Romans 5.)

 

Fifthly, they differ in regard to their effects. Faith is a judge. It judges errors. Hope is a soldier. It fights against tribulations, the cross, despondency, despair, and waits for better things to come in the midst of evil.

 

Without hope faith cannot endure. On the other hand, hope without faith is blind rashness and arrogance because it lacks knowledge. Before anything else a Christian must have the insight of faith, so that the intellect may know its directions in the day of trouble and the heart may hope for better things. By faith we begin, by hope we continue. “

 

Don’t you see why we need hope? One of the saddest things in life is experiencing the loss of hope. Too many people I know have done so in many areas and I am tired of seeing it happen. Our God is too great. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 encourages us to not be as “others who have no hope”. Let hope rise!

 

I believe true hope has a slight edge of joy to it…the kind that can almost erupt into a smile at any moment, regardless of the circumstances.

 

When we changed the name of our church to “City of Life”, there was so much to that. In fact I believe that God will reveal more about what that means in the coming months as He begins to unfold another miraculous chapter of this story in Osceola County. During that season of change my family went to Utah on a little vacation. On the way home I was sitting on the plane with my boy, Jude in my lap and my little girl, Mia sitting next to me and the Lord just whispered to me. He said, “Where Hope Lives”. I turned to Mom and Aim and I said, “Where Hope Lives. That is the phrase we will use for our church. City of Life: Where Hope Lives”. It so perfectly described what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives that we just praised God right on that plane.

 

At one point in my life I had lost hope…hope that someday I could ever be the kind of man that I wanted to be, that I thought I would be when I was a kid. I was rescued by Love three years ago. I had been in ministry my whole life, yet God wrapped His arms around me and that Love has led me to the greatest hope I have ever known in my life. I am sick of giving up on things. I have hope for Osceola County. I have hope for those who have been given up on and I especially have hope for those that have given up on themselves. God’s love gives me this hope. David’s beautiful words give me this hope. We WILL see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I already have and it is becoming addictive.

 

This is not just for people at COL. This is for all people that find hope in Jesus. Anywhere you go should be "Where Hope Lives".

 

Mirror

I'm not huge on poetry but I wrote this a couple of years ago after I went through a huge test of my faith. I may have failed the test in some ways but God's love has a way of running into me wherever I go.

 

The weight of failure presses on my shoulders

My crimes leave stains on my skin

Heavy laden with regret

Discoloration…nothing pristine anymore

I feel something like a magnet

Drawing my emotions to a realm unseen

A hope mixed with sadness and joy

I remember how much I love You

All You’ve done to love me

Pressure turns into an embrace

My skin dissolves as my spirit becomes material before my eyes

Restored.

Renewed.

It’s not about me.

I remember You.

This mirror has reminded me…

 

Be Careful Little Eyes...

Proverbs 4:23

23             Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

    Having a family with 2 small kids (soon to be 3) it is very important to me that the content of what media we consume is not only age appropriate for my children but also edifying as well. There are plenty of shows that have an age appropriate rating that seems to be satisfactory but do not have the kind of message or spirit that we want our family to take in.

    I'd like to offer a few websites that we use to help evaluate movies. I'm recommending kids-in-mind.com and movieguide.org. They are great resources to evaluate the content of films before u see them. 

    Kids In Mind does not review the quality of the film simply the content.Here is the kids-in-mind rating explanation. It has a 3 number rating. The first number is for sex and nudity, the second is violence and gore, the third is profanity. For instance the recent Justin Beiber movie received a 2.1.1. As you can see pretty safe.

    Movieguide has similar ratings but also reviews the quality from a filmmaking AND Christian worldview (separate ratings) standpoint. Movieguide gives up to 4 stars for the quality of the film regardless of the content. There is also a content rating from -4 (the lowest rating for morality and negative content) to +4. Dr. Ted Baehr is behind Movieguide. He has been in the movie industry for over 40 years as a bold Christian, championing morality in Hollywood. Similar to Kids in Mind, Movieguide also rates the specific content of the film on a scale of 1 to 4.

    One of the things I like about Movieguide is that they typically review all films and try to fairly assess the quality of the film regardless of the content. This actually legitimizes the site more in my opinion that many Christian sites I've seen that review a movie terribly if it does not have Christian values. Movieguide isolates the various ratings to give as much information as possible.

    I love movies, I have since 1978 when my uncle took me to see Grease and I walked down the center aisle toward Olivia Newton John during "You're The One That I want" at age 6. Even though there are brilliant films that I might thoroughly enjoy, I understand the value of protecting my heart from injurious material that could damage what the Lord is trying to do in my life. I don't want to be a prude but I certainly don't want to settle for raunchy either.

    Take your time when making decisions on what you will watch or what you will allow your family to watch. Do the research. Its ok not to see a movie that everyone has seen. Hey, I've never seen The Sound of Music and I'm still ok ;) Your spirit is so much more sensitive than you realize. Let's honor the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives by guarding our hearts more than ever.

 

 

 

Word to Your Mother

We think in linear fashion. God does not. The name Alpha and Omega buries that notion. That is why Jesus is seen in the book of Revelation as a slain lamb by John and is later referred to as the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. How can He die before there was anyone to die for? I think you get the point. That is why Gods Word is to be viewed as a complete work. God did not give Moses instructions to start out the first page of his book with the words "Old Testament". God did not give Matthew instructions to start out the first page of his book with the words "New Testament".

 

John 1:1 tells us that Jesus IS the Word. Not just the New Testament, the whole thing. Some people do not hold a very high view of scripture. If someone holds a very low view of scripture, they are likely to change God’s Word, interpret its meaning so drastically wrong that it becomes invalid, or just write part of it off. God’s written Word is the single most incredible thing we possess as believers. It is a miracle. You can’t fully understand one part of the Bible without the rest of it. It is inseparable. Jesus obviously held scripture in high regard.

 

1) “For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:18-19 RSV

 

2) "It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid."  (Luke 16:17 NAB)

 

3)"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.  I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place."  (Matthew 5:17 NAB)

 

So did Paul and Peter.

 

4) "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness..."  (2 Timothy 3:16 NAB)

 

5) "Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God." (2 Peter 20-21 NAB)

 

Jesus came to fulfill the law. He did not come to abolish it. To not make a distinction between abolishment and fulfillment is to err.

 

There are 3 main types of Old Testament law.

 1.    Ceremonial Law- This has been fulfilled in Christ and as we participate in communion we look back on what all these laws looked forward to, the victorious Messiah.

2.    Civil Law- The civil codes have lost their context now that salvation is in Christ because we all live in different countries with their own civil laws, in a spiritual kingdom, and not in Israel, a temporal nation.  They are transformed into the practical application of church discipline.

3.    Moral Law- This law reflects God’s changeless character. It remains unaltered, although in Christ we are no longer condemned by our sins against it.

 

I’ve heard it said that “passages like Deuteronomy 28, don't apply to us any more. If they did, we couldn't get the blessings without also getting the curses.”

 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

”Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us… “(Galatians 3:13 NKJ)

 

He became the curse. If while redeeming us from the curse He also nullified us from the blessing, we’d all be up the creek. He fulfilled it.

 

The shadows, though dimly lit, of the Old Testament become the white-hot light of Christ that illuminates such blessing that we are literally called “co-heirs” with Him.

 

It is discouraging to see trends that seem to be occurring around Christianity where people insert and remove serious doctrinal issues of the Christian faith at will. This shows a very low regard for scripture and it is dangerous to say the least. God’s Word is a miracle. It is life, it is hope, it is salvation for those that believe and it is to be held in high regard.

 

 

 

 

 

No Angel

During a time of loss or tragedy you hear people offer a lot of sympathy. When I was much younger I would try and say something profound to people who were grieving with the hopes that I could bring some peace or resolution to their suffering. Many times I ended up making things worse so over the years I have tried to let people know how much I love them and also let them know that despite how things may appear, God is always good.

 

Sometimes people say things out of habit though, that are just not true. One of the things I have heard lately is that Dave was an angel and God needed him now. I want to address that.

 

First of all, I had the privilege of putting my hand on Dave’s shoulder the first time he ever felt the presence of the Lord when was 13 at our youth conference. I watched hip weep as this quiet introverted boy became a man of rock-solid faith. From that moment forward I was able to experience nearly every facet of his life. For that I am grateful. When someone passes away we tend to make them much larger than life. One of the things that made Dave so impactful in this world is that he was extraordinarily faithful. 

 

When Dave was 16 he worked for his dad at Ranger aviation. The church had just bought a $40,000 video editing system and the only person that knew how to use it was me. I wanted to hire Dave to learn editing. I called Ranger and asked for Dave. (I used a fake New York accent and told him I worked for the IRS and I needed him to fax me 2 years worth of unreported income or I would have to schedule a meeting.) After that tomfoolery I asked him to work for the church. He knew nothing about editing. He learned. I asked him to make a graphic for me. He knew nothing about graphics. He learned. I could go on and on about things that Dave simply worked at faithfully that ended up becoming something he was known for. One day he asked me if he could play in the youth band with me. I didn’t know he could play an instrument. It seems he had been teaching himself to play guitar. Get it? He was a regular guy that knew the importance of hard work.  

 

I also had the honor of mentoring Dave and being in an accountable relationship with him.  Our men’s Richer Life group has talked about so many issues in our lives in an open way throughout the years. I want to make this clear.

 

Dave was no angel.

 

In contrast to me he was, but he absolutely would not want to be perceived as one. He had incredible character but he was a man that through his flaws understood the value of God’s love and grace and the significance of holiness as a result of a life lived openly before God. Dave’s passion was igniting a generation for God’s glory. We talked openly about seeing that generation materializing right before our eyes. We talked about how committed a generation like that would have to be to live lives of integrity, open before God. Dave was smart, practical, and fiercely passionate about his faith.

 

Ok, I’ve established that Dave was no angel. I say that respectfully I thought the world of him. The last text I sent him said, “There are only a handful of men that have ever lived that have made the impact on this world that you have for Gods kingdom. Your destiny transcends any event. It cannot be tainted, stolen, killed, or altered.” Now let me move to a theological idea for a moment. Revelation 22:3 paints a picture for us about an interesting aspect of heavenly life.

 

3            And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:”

 

verse 5 says:

 

5            …and they shall reign for ever and ever.

 

Reigning and serving are both work. Yes, that’s right, heaven is not sitting on the clouds, playing harps, and wearing white choir robes. It will be about work. What work? God’s work. However mysterious it may seem to us now, it is going to make perfect sense someday. But work gets a bad rap down here on earth. We can blame Adam and Eve (AKA ourselves). Part of the curse was unfruitful work. Originally work was supposed to be peaceful and enjoyable. But  the curse of Genesis 3 jacked that up…  

 

17            Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

18            It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

19            By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food 
until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; 
for dust you are and to dust you will return.

 

Work in heaven will be the greatest honor imaginable. No toil, no wasted energy, we will enjoy an eternity of purpose loving every moment of our serving and reigning with Jesus.

 

We do not become angels when we go to heaven. Angels are God’s heavenly helpers but they have not been redeemed by the blood of Jesus like we have. There will be angels in heaven but we will rule over them as we have been made co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).

 

I am mourning my friend. I love him so much but I want people to remember him accurately. We are writing a book together. We have been since this sickness started. He wanted people to know what his life was about. I want to help him accomplish that.

 

Dave was not an angel. He is in heaven now and he is still not an angel. He is a redeemed servant of the Holy Throne of God. He is a man that became great because he understood the power of faithfulness. We said we wanted to always work together.

 

We will.

 

From the Inside Out

Today I have had an opportunity to sit back and truly think about what happened at City of Life through our Blink: The Door production.  It is one of the largest evangelistic outreaches in the history of our county. Since Blink began I have been getting dozens of messages every day from people who have found hope in Christ and that truly makes me happy.

 

One mom wrote me and said that her daughter had been taking boxing lessons before she knew the Lord at Blink. She came home after practice the next day and said, “Something doesn’t feel right anymore. I don’t want to hurt anyone now, I’m different”. Now I’m not coming down on boxing or other violent sports, (like football =)) but I think it is such a powerful thing when God turns people’s hearts and their outward life begins to reflect the inward change they have experienced.

 

One young man said that he was addicted to pills for two years and he hasn’t even had the desire since he accepted Christ on opening night.

 

Another satisfying element of what just happened is the powerful sense of purpose our church members have felt to reach others with the gospel. People do not want this to be the end of inviting people to church and telling them about Jesus in day to day conversations. I believe that is why we have experienced a true revival here in Osceola County. People are changed from the inside out. Now we move on to the beautiful task of trying to help these people grow in Christ and finish the race that they have just begun.

 

I’ll write more extensively about this amazing season very soon but I will leave you with a story that touched my heart. Before the Saturday night performance a couple approached me. They introduced themselves and told me that they were married and worked for Campus Crusade For Christ. As we began to talk the lady told me that they were so excited to see Blink again because she saw Blink 10 years ago when she was a devout Muslim that had just moved here from Iraq. Her life was radically transformed and now they are over the Middle East ministries for Campus Crusade. Joy just overflowed from her heart. It overwhelmed me at how good and gracious the Lord is.

 

It got me excited for what stories we might hear 10 years from now.