where are you going?

Seeing those two fish swimming in the opposite direction than all the fish in the tank at the Aquarium restaurant in Nashville really got my attention. It made Matthew 12 come to life. As I said in yesterday’s blog, I have always been different. I think differently than most people, especially when it comes to “church.” To put it as simple as I can say it, “I’m sick of the way churches have become.” Not all but most, it seems, have become social clubs. You must have a certain amount of money in your bank account, dress a certain way, and you must follow certain “rules” if you want to hang around. (I’m know we have to follow the Bible, but I’m talking about our own “personal rules” that we have and force them on someone else.) Like the Pharisees and the other religious leaders in Jesus’ day. Sure, they had the law and the prophets to govern by but they also put their own twist to things. They had all of these traditions that they made law and forced others to live by them as if God Himself had said it. If one didn’t look like them or act like them they were looked down upon and the Pharisees, who were suppose to be an example of God to the people, would shun them and label them “publicans and sinners.” They would have nothing to do with those individuals. They would go out of their way to avoid any communication with these types of individuals. Yet they stood in the streets and prayed beautiful prayers and they showed off their phylacteries so people could see how much Bible knowledge they had. I have learned that people don’t care how many scriptures you or I can quote. They want to know how we can help them. It does no good to slam someone with scriptures…in fact, it turns them off. If, however, we get involved in their lives and help with a need, the door to share the Bible with them will open and they are more likely to listen!
The Pharisees are like the school of fish swimming around the tank in one direction. They prayed, did daily rituals, made sacrifices, sang their chants, etc. Although it looked great in the eyes of man, it became a routine. Jesus said that “their hearts are far from God.” (Matthew 15:8) Jesus represents the two fish swimming in the opposite direction. He did things different. For example, He said things like, “Moses said to you…but I say to you…” Jesus touched lepers when no one would. He challenged the very thoughts of people. He sat in the homes of “sinners” and ate supper with them. Jesus chose to swim in the opposite direction…to break the mold of how things are “suppose to be.” What’s more important: wearing a suit and tie to church or a lost soul? Wearing my beanie while I eat with a bunch of youth or a lost soul? I think Matthew 12 and other passages make it clear…the lost soul. When our churches grasp this concept, then we will “have the attitude of Christ” and then, we will begin to see growth and not decline.
One thing that really stands out to me in Matthew 12 is verse 7, But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. This is the second time Jesus has mentioned this passage to the Pharisees (see Matthew 9:10-13). This passage comes from Hosea 6:6. Rick Rusaw, in his book, The Externally Focused Church, gives a great explanation of this passage:
Mercy, most simply put, is God’s attitude and action toward those in need or distress. Mercy goes beyond pity (to feel sorry for) or compassion (to feel sorry with). Mercy is always expressed in actions. The Good Samaritan is an example. The Samaritan distinguished himself from the priest and the Levite not just because he “took pity on him”(Luke 10:33) but also because he “had mercy on him” (Luke 10:37). Mercy is love with legs on it.
It’s time we, church, show mercy. It’s time to put the legs on our love and truly show Christ. Randy

Be different.

I was raised in a religious setting. My family went to church every time the doors were opened I guess. My dad had started a bus ministry at the Baptist church and it did well from what people tell me. My brother went on mission trips when I was a kid and now he has started a men’s ministry. My mom is heavily involved at an Assembly of God where I used to play drums at. I’m a youth minister at a church in TN. I was raised Baptist and, as mentioned earlier in a blog, I played drums at an Assembly of God for about five years. When I was twenty-two years old I met a girl who was raised Church of Christ. At the time I was attending another Baptist church and playing drums for a Southern Gospel group. We eventually married and started attending a Church of Christ church. While there the minister encouraged me to preach. After all, this was a desire that God had given me so I went to college and got a degree in Bible. I got my first “preaching job” at a church in Iowa before I even graduated. The reason I’m telling you all of this is so you will know my background. Trust me, it has something to do with the two fish from the restaurant (see yesterday’s blog). Unfortunately, church is very different when you are in an administrative position. Many times I wish I was still a member and didn’t know anything that went on behind closed doors. Don’t miss understand me, I love doing what I do but sometimes the road is tough, especially when you are like those two fish swimming opposite from the rest of the crowd.
I am different. I’ve always been different. I was a skateboarder in High School and wore the weird clothes. I don’t believe in wearing suits just because I’m at church or standing behind a pulpit. I wear a beanie (stocking hat, toboggan) all the time, even when I’m eating! I buy my clothes from Goodwill or one of the other consignment shops in town. I’m different. And when it comes to “church” I have some different opinions about things and it drives people crazy, not to mention that it also gets me in trouble sometimes. When I started the teen center I painted a sign that reads, “It’s OK to be different…Jesus was different.” It’s also painted on one of my old skateboards and this theme is on my business cards. This has been my motto my whole life! And that’s what God was showing me with those two fish at the Aquarium restaurant. The next morning after seeing those fish, I read Matthew 12 again and the first twenty-one verses came alive. It all made sense. Jesus was different. He challenged the “church” people of His day and the way they thought. They wanted to kill Him. They were supposed to be pointing people toward God but instead they spent their time trying to kill Him! Jesus didn’t fit their mold and He surely didn’t fit the description of the Messiah according to them. No. “We are all swimming this way around the tank. You are supposed to be like us. This is the way we do “church.” I can’t speak for you, but as for me and my house, we will…NOT fit into your mold! We choose to be different. We choose to be like Jesus, to reach out to the broken hearted, the lost, the drunkard, the outcast, the cutters, the sexually impure, and the list goes on and on. Jesus came to save those who are sick. We won’t find them in our church buildings during “worship” time on Sunday morning. We have to go into their territory. Remember what Jesus said? “I have to go through Samaria!” Jews didn’t dare set foot on Samaritan soil but Jesus did. And because He did so, many people were converted. Dare to be like Jesus. Don’t just fit the mold of “church.” But if you do dare to different, let me warn you, you will be challenged, even by the “church” people! Randy
Matthew 12:1-8 (The Message) One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples through a field of ripe grain. Hungry, the disciples were pulling off the heads of grain and munching on them. Some Pharisees reported them to Jesus: "Your disciples are breaking the Sabbath rules!" Jesus said, "Really? Didn't you ever read what David and his companions did when they were hungry, how they entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat? And didn't you ever read in God's Law that priests carrying out their Temple duties break Sabbath rules all the time and it's not held against them? "There is far more at stake here than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—'I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual'—you wouldn't be nitpicking like this. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath; he's in charge."

Lord, help me to understand...

It seems like every time I read scriptures lately Matthew 12 keeps coming to my mind. I remember the first time I read it, which was about five or six weeks ago, I didn’t really get anything out of it. I have read this chapter several times since with no major revelations. I had been and have been praying for God’s Will to be done, to help me listen for His voice, give me understanding, and to guide my steps so I know God is trying to teach me something. Just what that is I haven’t figured it all out but this past Friday something happened that helped in my endeavor.
I had been to a missions conference in Nashville to prepare for an upcoming trip to Mexico. On the way home we stopped at a restaurant that my wife had heard about and wanted to see—The Aquarium. So we went to the mall but instead of going to the Aquarium, we went to one called the Rain Forrest Café. My five year old was horrified because the gorillas were “staring at him” and when the thunder hit, it was all he could take! After all, we had just been through those tornadoes that hit in West Tennessee last week. So we decided to go to the Aquarium and eat. We sat in there for hours it seemed but in reality, it was about two. It was cool. They have an aquarium in the center of the restaurant that reaches from the floor to the ceiling. It was filled with sharks, sting rays, and all kinds of fish. They even had a diver who got in the tank and waved at the people! As I watched this fish tank I noticed that a school of fish was swimming around the top of the tank, all of them in one direction. In fact, all the fish were swimming in the same direction. They just swam around the perimeter of this huge tank almost like clock work. Every few seconds they’d come back around with their group. I didn’t think too much about it at this point except that it was neat how they stayed together in a big clump like they ruled the tank and dared anybody to mess with them. But then something happened in that tank and I immediately pointed it out to Kim. The Lord does work in mysterious ways and He uses many things to get our attention and to teach us lessons. The reason why it caught my attention is because this particular thing stood out like a sore thumb. There were two fish, the same kind of fish that were in the school, that were swimming in the other direction! I told my wife to look at those fish. It was so weird to me that I grabbed a napkin and a crayon (they gave these to my kids when we came in to eat and it was handy to write with) and wrote the experience down. I didn’t yet know why it struck me so, but it did. And the next morning it all came together and Matthew 12 came to life! God had used some fish to teach me some valuable lessons. I’ll share them with as the week goes on. Just remember this, if we let God speak, He will. If we will slow down and listen, we will hear Him loud and clear. Get that wax out of your ears! Randy
Matthew 11:15 (and others) He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Like a thief...

The sirens sounded and my kids were scared. We had already prepared for a time like this. It was half time of the TN-FL basketball game when the sirens sounded for a tornado in the area. We have lived here for one and a half years without using our tornado shelter but I sure am glad we had it. School had let out early anticipating these strong storms that were to be coming through our area. They had arrived. Our NOAA radio kept sounding its alarm every few minutes. This time it was for our home town. The sirens were screaming outside for us to head for safety. I went to the neighbors and invited them to come to our shelter. Fortunately for us, the tornadoes went south and north of us. But about 45 minutes south of us, Jackson, TN, wasn't so fortunate. There was major damage to that city including Union University which is where my brother and sister both attended many years ago. Praise the Lord nobody was killed which is nothing short of a miracle! (watch the video) There are 31 reported deaths just in TN alone and over 50 throughout the the storms path. I remember listening to a girl being interviewed and she said, "When the sirens sounded we didn't think a whole lot about it because we live in West Tenessee and it happens all the time. We went to check the weather and we couldn't open our door so we headed for cover." We do have a lot of storms and we get a lot of warnings. We are guilty of taking it for granted.
The Bible tells us that one day we will stand before God in Judgment. This is something we take for granted as well, both Christians and non-Christians. Most of us don't wake up each day anticipating Christ's return or death. We get busy living our lives, carrying on our daily routines, and boom...it happens (or it could happen). How many people do you know that has died unexpectedly, so young? Think about this...we are only one breath away, one heart beat away from eternity! If we don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and His blood is not washing our sins away, then it will not be good when we stand before Him in Judgment. What about you friend? Where do you stand today? You never know when your time will expire here on this earth. Are you living in sin or in Christ? Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were effected by these storms. Randy
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

TEAM concept

Unity is a powerful thing. When every body does there part, great things happen. Listen to this video, especially Tom Coughlin, who is the coach of the Giants. He talks about how the Giants bought into the "Team" concept and forgot about themselves. Listen to the clip below and listen carefully to the words Eli says. He uses "we" and "team" often.

It's no doubt this team, the Giants, have done something very significant. They knocked off an undefeated team, the Patriots, who were looking to go down as the only second team in history to have a perfect season. They were a two touchdown underdog and yet they won by three! They accomplished something no one else could during the season...they beat the Patriots.

The Bible talks about the power of unity over and over again from Genesis to Revelation. I don't need to make any comments. Just read for yourself.

Genesis 11:5-6 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.

Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:46-47 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Acts 4:24, 31-32 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them...31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

These are just a few examples of the power of unity. Before Jesus went to the cross, John records one of His prayers on behalf of His disciples and us.

John 17:20-21 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

If it's God's desire and there's so much power in unity, why can't we, as Christians, grasp the concept? Let me encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Paul tells us that we are Christ's body and that we are ONE, not many! Just like a football team that is made up of people who play different positions, we all have our part to play. For the sake of lost souls pray about unity, pray for unity, study the scriptures about unity, and ask God to give us unity. We need His power! Randy

Taking on Goliath

It was the most watched Superbowl ever. Super Bowl 42-The Giants verses the Patriots. It was David and Goliath all over again. Think about it...David was a kid who really didn't fit the mold and nobody would ever think he could defeat Goliath. After all, he wasn't invited to the party when Samuel was choosing the next king for Israel. Nope. He was left home to "tend the sheep." The only reason he even knew about Goliath was because his daddy sent him on a mission to take food to his brothers that were fighting in Saul's army. Look at the lines given, look at who predicted what...very few said the Giants could beat the undefeated Patriots. After all, they've already beaten the Giants once. The Patriots have too many weapons they said. Their offense is unstoppable. They have set numerous records this year and they were undefeated! Just like Goliath. Goliath was the Philistine's champ. He had never lost a battle and his weapons were unmatched. He had someone to carry his shield for him which freed both hands to fight with. He had a spear that weighed around 60 pounds (shaft + spear head) and huge sword. His armor weighed around 200 pounds! He, himself was over 10 feet tall! Now compare this to a kid around the age of 12-16 years old who has NEVER been in a battle in his life, armed with some rocks and a sling shot. His brothers told him to go back home to daddy but David wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to take on the giant! If you read 1 Samuel 17:40-51 here's what you'll find out. Goliath did alot of taunting. He mocked David and God but David was not intimidated at all. When Goliath came toward David he took off running toward the giant! As he approached him he took a rock from his pouch, hurled it toward Goliath, and smacked him right in the head. Down he went...knocked out cold. Since David was armed only with a sling shot, he grabbed Goliath's own sword and beheaded him. David prevailed that day. Going against all odds, when nobody believed in him, David put his trust in God and won. The undefeated giant Goliath was now dead and the people sang David's praises. Another undefeated giant went down in defeat this past Sunday -the Patriots, which shows us, yet still, that anything is possible. I found a video on youtube of the last drive of Superbowl 42. The plays the Giants pull off in this final two minutes make goosebumps every time I watch it. Enjoy! Randy Mark 10:27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Shake it off

Did you see that Super Bowl? Very few people gave the G-men a chance and boy...what a game! I'm a Colts fan so since Peyton wasn't in it, I was rooting for the Giants. Since my wife had jury duty today I played babysitter. While my oldest son and I played the game "LIFE" I watched ESPN because I wanted to see if I was dreaming or not. But it's reality. The Giants pulled off what some are calling the biggest upset in history. But as I watched and listened to the commentators something one of them said really caught my attention. They said when Eli broke out of the sack and scrambled right to throw the pass to David Tyree late in the fourth quarter on the game winning drive, it was if he "shook off three Patriot defenders like he was shaking off all those negative comments earlier in the season." If you follow football at all, then you know how Eli Manning and the coach, Tom Coughlin, of the Giants took a lot of harsh criticism during the season. There were people calling for Coughlin to be fired and Manning traded. Manning and Coughlin could have buckled under the pressure but they didn't! They kept cool and endured much affliction and now Eli is the Super Bowl MVP and Coughlin will be recognized as one of the greatest coaches to ever coach the game. "Shake it off," that's what we are to do. When things are not going exactly according to the game plan, when life deals us uncertainty, when friends are few and far between, when the world screams at us that we are nothing but "losers" we have to stay focused. Manning said he just kept staying with a positive attitude and he wasn't going to quit fighting and it paid off. The victory is his. It's the same way with us as Christians. We cannot give up and we MUST stay focused...on Jesus, on our mission, and reaching our goals (get people saved and get to heaven). If we listen to all the distractions that the world and the devil scream in our ears, we will never gain the victory. Who are you listening too? Who has got your attention? Randy Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.