The End Will Come (But not the way some idiots teach!)

C'mon Man!

For all of those who have been teaching that Saturday, September 23, would have been tbe the end of the world, please stop with the idiocy! Wake up call fellas! Jesus said that the Gospel must be preached before the end, “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; AND THEN THE END WILL COME.” Matthew 24:14

Why don’t these so-called “prophets and numerologists read contextually?!! There’s a long way to go before the end ever happens because there’s a huge challenge that’s in front of the Christian community.

And that challenge is Unreached People Groups. According to Global Frontier Missions, here is the definition of the challenges:

[Unreached People Group (UPG)] or [Least Reached People Group]: an identifiable group of people distinguished by a distinct culture, language, or social class who lack a community of Christians able to evangelize the rest of the people group without outside help. The only opportunity for the people group to hear about salvation is through an “external witness.” Most missiologists consider 2% of the population becoming Christ followers as the “tipping point” at which the group is generally considered “reached” with the Gospel.

[Unengaged Unreached People Group (UUPG)]: According to Finishing the Task, there are 1510 remaining unengaged, unreached people groups numbering over 46 million souls that are still beyond the reach of the Gospel. These 1510 ethnic groups are perhaps the neediest of the needy as they are unengaged, which means that no church, no missionary, no mission agency…no one has yet taken responsibility to tell them about Jesus Christ.

Obviously, this will take some time. So PLEASE, don’t be swayed by anyone who ever teaches that the end will come on a specific day or hour. Even Jesus said, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” Matthew 24:36

God help us to be passionate about sharing The Gospel of Jesus! And may we be the answer to our own prayers.

Check out these two videos (and a UPG List at the bottom of the page) that will help your understanding of the challenge and false claims of the idiots:

What is a UPG?

Unreached People Groups - The Christian's Call

UPG LIST

Unorganize Religion

“Organized religion has domesticated the crucified Lord of glory, turned him into a tame theological symbol. Theological symbols do not sweat blood in the night.” Brennan Manning 

I need to add a disclaimer to this quote. There are many churches that “get it right” when living out the mandate of the Gospel. They are preaching and teaching God’s Word with unction. They are reaching out to the poor and outcasts. They are loving and sacrificing for each other, holding themselves in non-judgmental accountability. In Ephesians 3, Paul sets to establish the purpose of the church (note: not what we know today as “organized religion.”)

“His (God’s) intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ephesians 3:10-11) 

The church is supposed to be displaying the manifold wisdom of God…according to His eternal purpose! Wow…have oh so many missed the boat! Somewhere along history, much of organized religion has sterilized the Gospel and made people look more at what they think the truth of religion is really all about. What happens is they get weighed down in legalism, tradition, rules of man, judging others, and even Phariseeism. Some organized religions blind people to the wonder, glory, reckless love, and grace of our resurrected Lord Jesus! Let’s not be a people who have succumbed to “tame theological symbols,” but rather people who live exciting, imperfect, vulnerable, Spirit-filled lives radically in love with the Savior who cries out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7) We need to let those rivers flow and splash on anyone with whom we have contact. So, organized religionists…drink up!

2017 A Happy and Blessed New Year!

December 31, 2016

Isaiah 43:19 – “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

Here’s a cool promise for 2017. Some of us have been through hard times in 2016…a sort of wilderness experience, where we lost our focus or felt like God was hiding from us. He wasn’t! Some may feel like 2016 was a dry wasteland, like your life has been a waste; your soul was dry and God seemed far away; you feel like you added nothing to and have nothing to show for 2016. Give your 2016 an “It’s a Wonderful Life” perspective and you will be encouraged…even in the worst of times!

Don’t believe the 2016 lies! Believe that God is the God of new things! The God of second chances! Believe that He will make a pathway through the wilderness in 2017...that He will lead and guide you with a renewed purpose. Believe that He will create rivers in the dry wasteland. We just have to stay in the flow of His Spirit…the Rivers of His Spirit, sit back in the raft, and allow Him to take us wherever the will of His Spirit flows!

A year ago, I could have said all that I just wrote about 2015. And in 2016 I watched God work in my life to fulfill these promises in Isaiah. Desire an endless depth of intimacy with Jesus, have a ruthless trust, and watch Him do amazing things in your life in 2017. I pray He will!

Pile Drivers of Life

December 30, 2016

Florida State Road 87 is what I drive to work every day. It is currently under construction and that includes about a one mile Yellow River Bridge expansion. (I know…it’s really called Yellow River Bridge and it wasn’t built by I.P. Daily!!)

I have been fascinated to watch the bridge expansion develop. They position these huge concrete support beams (up to 75 feet high) into the river by a crane that sits on a barge. Then the beams are pounded into the river about 30-40 (maybe more) feet deep by a pile driver. The other day as I was driving by, I heard the sound of that pile driver pounding against a beam as it was driving it into the riverbed. It was a booming noise.

Then I thought about the “pile drivers” in life.

Sometimes I feel like that beam getting pounded into the muck and mire of life. There seems to be no end. The pain is excruciating. And then the pounding stops. Little did I know that God was using that pounding to not only plunge me into a deeper relationship with Him, but to prepare me to be the bridge that supports those on their journey who need to get to the “other side” safely. Not unlike Simon and Garfunkel’s song, “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” I will lay me down to support that “bridge.” Don't fear the pounding! We must always be willing to support others on their journey. Thanks to those who have been my support through the years!

Raindrop in the Fog

It was ominous morning on April 1st as I was driving to the prison for work. Dark clouds, fog, and a sunrise panting to break through enveloped me. The last couple of years I have been using a term to describe my emotional and psychological state: brain fog.

Suddenly, about a third of the way through my drive, one lone raindrop splashed on my windshield. I was kind of surprised by it as it was about the size of a nickel and made a noticeable, dancing, thwap sound. And it was alone. Just one. No more. It was like God’s drop of living water in the fog. He was reminding me that on this road of life, He is the well that will never run dry. His solo raindrop is one of love, compassion, and mercy. A raindrop that said, “Drink from Me.” That raindrop was for me. 

“Rain can ruin your weekend or rain can spare your life…Depending on who you are and what your thirst is like.” Mark Heard

His rain has spared my life. 

Psalm 42:1-3

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”

I long for God. I thirst for my living God. Even through the tears. 

From this one drop can flow a river:

John 7:37-38

“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” Jesus

I  want this living water to flow through me. 

John 4:14

“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Jesus

I want this bubbling spring to spill over and splash on everyone with whom I have contact. 

God affirmed through this one raindrop that no matter what I go through in life, through the darkness of the fog and the dry times, to always thirst for His living water. As long as I drink, I will never thirst again. 

Snapshot vs. Big Picture

Well, today I finished reading the entire Bible in a year for the thirtieth year. Sounds pretty spiritual doesn’t it? Not really. I’m a desperate man, desperately in need of a Savior, and desperate to hear from God on a daily basis. No matter what happens in life: to claim His promises, accept and learn from His chiding, be encouraged and comforted, be loved and love, and most of all live in the faith of affirmations that Jesus is sovereign and with me through it all. And through it all He is meeting my needs.

I’ve always been somewhat of a simple man; yet a spiritually needy (poor in spirit) and a fully human man with imperfections, shortsightedness, faults, regrets, bias’s, opinions, distrusts, wavering’s, emotional ups and downs, and one who is constantly fighting his own demons and often feeling defeated.

But one thing I do know and am learning is that God loves me as I am, not as I should be. If He did love me as I should be, that would be conditional love. I’m also learning to finally treat people the way I want to be treated…loving all without judgment. I’m understanding Jesus more and more when He said, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17

2015 has been one of the hardest years of my life. Stripped of everything. Financial ruin. Family turmoil. Seasons of hopelessness and despair, loneliness and depression, physical anomalies, abnormal stresses and anxiety, humiliation, worry, and a term I coined…mind fog. Yet I hold on to Jesus. When I am naked before God, I come to the realization that I must clothe myself with the garment (the presence) of Jesus Christ. (Romans 13:14) And there is no better way to live in His presence than to be a student of His Word (in prayer and meditation), and allow it to do its work in my being and through my lifestyle.

THE SNAPSHOT

Early in November, I read an interesting passage from the book of Job. Now I’m not saying I am anywhere near the man of God that Job was, but suffice it to say, on many levels I can relate.

Job 6:8-13 “Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire.  I wish he would crush me. I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.  At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One. 11 But I don’t have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for.  Do I have the strength of a stone? Is my body made of bronze?  No, I am utterly helpless, without any chance of success.”

When I read this passage again, God reminded me of something He showed me years ago. “You feel this way right now as Job did then, but Chapter 42 hadn’t been written when Job felt that way…stop looking at the snapshot of your life when I possess the big picture of your life. And today, like Job, I can say with all integrity: “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.” Job 19:25

One of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning, wrote: “Nothing can harm you permanently, no suffering is irrevocable, no loss is lasting, no defeat is more than transitory, no disappointment is conclusive. Jesus did not deny the reality of suffering, discouragement, disappointment, frustration and death; he simply stated that the kingdom of God would conquer all of these horrors, that the Father’s love is so prodigal that no evil could possibly resist it.”

THE BIG PICTURE

CHAPTER 42

Job 42:12 “So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.” This is what Job could not fathom in Job 6.

Each moment of each day is the gift of a snapshot…whether blurred or focused, it’s only a snapshot. I can’t live in the future because God is the only One who holds those keys. To live life’s journey in the Big Picture is where ruthless trust abides as I trust in Him to unlock the doors to my future.

So yes…2016 will be another year to read through the Bible in a year and live life to the fullest in the Snapshots while ruthlessly trusting my Savior for the Big Picture.

9/11 A Reflection

Back in 2001, I was the Youth Pastor for Mendham Hills Community Church in NJ. Below is an article  I wrote for the church newsletter regarding 9/11. I'm glad I revisited this prose because it brought back all the emotions of that day. Here it is:

YOUTH TRUTH

November, 2001

A Different Kind of Turkey

As far as individuals, families, towns, cities and country go, it’s been a difficult couple of months.  I know that you have probably heard it all in regards to September 11.  “Let it go” you say.  I can’t and I won’t.  Our world and our country will never be the same.  My children will not grow up with the same freedoms that I had growing up.  Maybe He will come again in our lifetime.

On September 23, I had the privilege and opportunity of taking Ben DeWitt (a Senior High student) into NYC.  The intent was to minister.  The result was life changing. 

When we arrived in Penn Station and onto 7^th Avenue, I was expecting the “smell” that I heard so much about.  But I noted nothing out of the ordinary smells of the city….exhaust fumes mingled with the stench of urine, subway steam, hot pretzels and roasted nuts still had their grip!

First we headed downtown to go to Nyack College Manhattan Campus (NCMC) (on Worth Street and Broadway).  When we came up the subway stairs at City Hall, on Park Row, the smell of the tragedy hit me in the face like a dirty, used dishrag.  All I could think about was Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 2:16.  “The smell of death.”  I’m sorry that I’m using the verse is totally out of context, but that is all I could think of.  And all I kept muttering to myself…..”It smells like death….it smells like death….Oh Jesus…..it smells like death…it smells like death because that is what it is!!”

I used to work at Pace University, right across the street from City Hall.  I used to walk down Park Row almost every day during lunch.  But today, walking down Park Row was like walking in a surreal nightmare.  It was very ominous.  The smell and the soot and the debris and the people…..their silence was deafening.   Everything looked so gray.  We were able to get about 1 block from “Ground 0” looking in from Broadway.  I couldn’t believe it.  Words could not describe the sense of shock and vulnerability!

The streets where familiar dual shadows loomed were now well lit by the rays of unwelcome sunshine.

When we walked a few blocks up to NCMC, we met up with people from 1^st Alliance Church who were also going out to minister.  They gave Ben and I a case of books by Luis Palau titled, “Where is God When Bad Things Happen.”  We were to give the books away to people we thought would appreciate it.

Our plan was to go back down to Ground 0 for one last look, before we headed up to Union Square Park on 14^th Street. 

On the train back to NJ, I wrote that I was speechless, shocked, and numb.  Here are the points I pondered in regards to “Ground 0”:

·        The “smell of death” is eternally singed in my nose.  Indescribable smell…literally. 

·        The absolute horror of the distance that the billowing smoke rolled.  The fear people must have had for blocks beyond the towers.  Dust and debris seemed endless but lasted for at least 5 blocks in either direction, but mostly north and east.

·        The people who were there to see the destruction and the horrified and shocked look on their faces as they gazed at “Ground O” and the surrounding area.

·        As Ben and I were circling around to go back to the subway, we headed uptown on Nassau Street.  There was an art gallery/frame shop.  It seemed like it was one of the only stores opened for business.  A vertical picture of the World Trade Center caught my eye and I went in.  When I went in, it was obvious that the proprietor was from the Middle East. The hurt and shattered look on his face spoke volumes.  When I asked how he was really doing, he said, "not so good…" He was from Turkey and he told me that people weren't treating him very nicely.  It was obvious that he couldn’t speak English too well.  So I gave him a copy of the book and bought a copy of the WTC poster.  I told him to read the book and that God would speak to him.  His countenance changed and he was so appreciative….appreciative of the fact that I didn’t profile him. 

The Different Kind of Turkey!

Later that week, (on Friday, the 28^th) I had the opportunity to take 3 other youth pastors into the city to show them around.  After looking at the devastation, one kept stuttering, “It’s…It’s….It’s….”  I finished his derailed train of thought exclaiming, “It’s not a movie anymore!”  My friend replied, “Yeah, that’s it…it’s real!”

As the 3 pastors and I walked back up Nassau Street, I knew I had to go visit my new friend (I won’t even attempt at trying to spell his name!) from Turkey in the art gallery.  As soon as he saw me, he lit up.  I asked if he read the book, he said no, couldn’t read English.  Then he said that his brother had been reading it and translating it for him!  He said that they both never heard about God that way!  I then gave him a booklet titled “Your Most Important Relationship.”  It’s a gospel presentation.  He said he would have his brother read and explain it to him.  As I’m trying to review the booklet with him, his brother walks in.  I said, “Oh, is he the one reading the book?”  “No, other brother read book,” he replied.  So, my friend introduces me to this yet another brother.  As I shook his hand I told him that I was going to pray for them and especially their business.  Tears welled up in the brother’s eyes and he quietly said, “thank you.”  My friend just smiled.  When I came out of the store, the same “stuttering” youth pastor (who was eavesdropping in the front of the store!) said he couldn’t believe the reactions of these two Turkish men.  He was amazed at how softened they were just by someone caring.

Lesson learned?  Don’t profile. Love with Christ’s love.

Thank you Jesus for Your unconditional love that crosses all boundaries in this country and abroad!

REV 5:9 And they (the elders) sang a new song: "You( Jesus) are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.