Life .. New Life .. Abundant Life

April 13, 2011

Life .. New Life .. Abundant Life

 RiverWalk Church of Christ Wichita Ks Minister

Last night I was privileged to participate in the baptisms of three generations of one family; father (grandfather), son-in-law, and two adult grandchildren. I’ve known and loved the father (and mother) for years. We’ve become friends and enjoyed many activities together. They’ve passed on their values and faith to their children and grandchildren. Being part of such an important evening made me think about what I could share with them that would be of value as they all embarked on this exciting new journey. My mind kept going back to a scripture I recently read as part of our daily Bible reading. It comes from Deuteronomy 30:19 and says in part…”I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life…” Jesus said in John 14:6 that He was “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” and then in John 10:10 He said, “I have come to give them life…abundant life.” Life is what God wants for all his followers; Jesus came to make that life available. Paul says in Romans 6:4 that this “new life” begins when we are buried with Jesus in baptism.

Life…new life…abundant life; what a great future this family has together, in Jesus. As the scripture in Deuteronomy says, we all have choices. But one choice leads to LIFE. We can only live life to its fullest by making God our choice. Once that choice is made, loving God, listening to God and holding fast to Him becomes our way of life. Life, that word just keeps coming up. This great life is available to all because Jesus conquered death, when raised from that tomb. We can have LIFE; aren’t you glad?

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A Fragment Society

April 12, 2011

A Fragment Society

 RiverWalk Church of Christ Wichita Ks Minister

You may have noticed this trend…in fact, you may be contributing to it. Media sites such as NPR are reporting it. We don’t do whole things any more–we do things in bits and pieces.

We don’t read complete books–we simply skim or catch excerpts. We don’t listen to whole CD’s–only the songs we most enjoy. We don’t sit through entire sporting events–we show up late or leave early. We don’t write whole sentences–we “tweet” in 140 characters or less or text in unknown abbreviations. You probably won’t even read this entire blog entry! As an NPR story recently noted, we are not only a fragmented society, but a fragment society, caring more about the parts and less about the whole.

Think about it…do you read all the newspaper (if you still subscribe to one)? Or the entire magazine? Websites make it possible to get the news in headlines and brief sentences. You can find summaries for whatever your interest might be and not have to read entire articles. We don’t do whole things any more.

It’s a trend that will no doubt continue, which is why our year-long emphasis of reading through the Bible is so important. Whether you are reading both Old and New Testaments, or focusing on one over the other, the discipline of staying with the text day after day is powerful. The combination of listening to God speak through His Word, and looking for God in our daily activities, has the potential to make us stronger Christ followers. As the apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17– “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The goal is whole character shaped into the likeness of Christ, not just bits and pieces.

Stay with the daily Bible reading plan…not just bits and pieces, but all of it. Reflect on it, think about it during the day, listen to what God is saying to you through that day’s Scripture. Cooperate with God’s Spirit in the hard work of building whole character.

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More Than Conquerors

April 12, 2011

More Than Conquerors

 RiverWalk Church of Christ Wichita Ks Minister

As we head into the final week of LTC (Leadership Training for Christ) I have been trying to focus on the theme for this year’s convention – “More Than Conquerors”. One of the reasons I don’t like LTC is the fact that it always falls on Easter. This year, however, the theme relates to Easter.

We can overcome the world because of what happened on that first Easter. Christ’s resurrection conquered death. The angel’s proclamation “He is not here. He is risen, just as he said!” forever changed the world. (Matthew 28:1-7) No longer do we live in fear of death because the Son of God died for us. We sang a chorus this past Sunday, “Amazing love, how can it be that You, my God, would die for me?” It is something we cannot comprehend, but we know it happened. We live in faith that Jesus died for us and rose again from the grave. Thus, we know that we are more than conquerors. Hallelujah, He is risen!

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It’s Opening Day!

March 31, 2011

It’s Opening Day!

 RiverWalk Church of Christ Wichita Ks Minister

That’s right, baseball fans (all seven of you out there), today is opening day for major league baseball. Eight teams take the field sometime today–in just a couple of hours the Kansas City Royals will open their season at home. Often a local celebrity will throw out a first pitch, then the umpire will instruct the teams to “play ball,” and the season will be underway. I remember as a kid when my dad and I took in occasional opening day games in Kansas City–back then, they were the KC Athletics, and most years they proved to be pretty inept when it came to actually playing baseball. The owner, Charlie Finley, was always looking for ways to entertain fans, which was good, because the level of talent on the field usually wasn’t all that entertaining! But opening day was always different. There was always hope on opening day.

For most baseball fans, this is the day of glorious optimism…opening day. Today, every team has a chance to come in first place. Today, every team believes this will be the year they break through and contend for a divisional title–maybe even the World Series. Today, rookies and veterans believe the best about their abilities and their teams. Today fans will show up at the ballpark believing that their team will actually compete this year on the playing field. Opening day…a day of amazing optimism, a day for hope.

As I’ve thought about opening day 2011 and what fun it would be to join several thousand fans at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City this afternoon, I opened my Bible this morning to Lamentations 3:22, 23, where God reminds us that for those who put their hope in Him, every day is like opening day of the baseball season. Every day is a day for hope and optimism. Jeremiah writes, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Every day is like opening day when it comes to God’s love and mercy. Whatever measure of His grace we required yesterday, the supply was not depleted. In fact, it didn’t even make a dent! God’s compassions and mercy are inexhaustible. They are new every morning.

For those who put their trust and hope in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ, every day is like opening day of baseball season. Every morning we start with a fresh supply of God’s grace and mercy. Every morning is reason for hope and optimism because of the unlimited supply of God’s mercy and love. And you don’t have to be a baseball fan to appreciate that!

For baseball fans today, the sound of “play ball” fills us with optimism. For the Christian, the experience of God’s mercies being new every morning fills us with a hope that will not fluctuate with wins and losses. Great is His faithfulness.

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Love Wins

March 16, 2011

Love Wins

 RiverWalk Church of Christ Wichita Ks Youth and Family Minister

Rob Bell\’s new book Love Wins teaser

Rob Bell’s new book, which is set to be release on March 29th, has been a very controversial topic over the last couple weeks.  There are some who are excited about the release of the new book, and there are others who have been speaking out against Rob Bell via the blogging world and Twitter.  It has been interesting to see how judgemental people have been over a book that has not yet been released.  What are the judgements based on?  How can people get so enraged over a book teaser?  Anyways, I can’t wait to read the book.  I look forward to read what Rob’s thoughts are when it comes to God’s love for his people.  Click on the link above and check out the video and respond with with your thoughts.

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Trust Beyond Trust

March 4, 2011

Trust Beyond Trust

 RiverWalk Church of Christ Wichita KS Youth and Family Minister

I was watching some christian drama routines on YouTube yesterday.  Out of all the videos I watched the one video that is still on my mind today is the very first one I watched.  The video was called Trust Fall.  At first I was skeptical because trust falling has been a popular visual aide since I was a little kid.  Therefore, I figured there was nothing there for me to gain.  However, I decided to watch it anyways and it turned out to be really interesting, funny, and convicting. 

A synopsas of the video is Jesus trying to get this lady to trust him.  She of course has trust issues and she was having a hard time trusting Jesus “at all”.  So Jesus suggests a way of helping her through her trust issues and so they go through a routine of the typical trust fall. Jesus is behind her about ten feet and asks her to fall.  She is hesitant to fall due to her trust issues.  Finally, she falls backwards and Jesus catches her and she is so happy.  You could say her trust meter went up a few notches.  Well, Jesus was happy about that, but he wanted to challenge her a bit more.  Jesus stays in the same spot he has been the whole time and he has her stand where she has been the whole time accept this time he has her facing him, and he says, “fall backwards”. 

Instantly she is freaking out because she can see that Jesus is in front of her and that there is no one behind her.  She began to doubt all over again once she lost control or understanding.  I don’t do this video justice, so here is the link.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9sPVwmbBD4

I was doing some research on the word trust in the Bible.  Trust is used many times, but in particular, it is used a lot in the Book of Psalms.  I find it interesting that David uses this word so often in relation to his trust in God.  After all, at this point David has done everything God has asked of him, and yet all these men are trying to kill him.  In Pslam 116:10 David says, “I trusted in the Lord when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted.’”  Through all the trouble David has been through, he was able to trust in God.

I fear I am more like the woman in the video.  She trusted Jesus when she knew he was behind her, but was skeptical of the unknown.  Jesus calls us to a higher level of trust; trust beyond trust.  We are to trust God even when we cannot tell if he is there.  That should not even be a concern of ours because we have been told he is ALWAYS there.  He is always with us.  I encourage you, as I do myself, to try trusting beyond trust.  Trust even when there is an unknown.

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What You Celebrate You Become

March 4, 2011

What You Celebrate You Become

 Rick Cline

I’ve seen this idea expressed before in slightly different words, but this week it was this phrase that caught my attention: “What you celebrate you become.” The brief article acknowledged that the Christian community-at-large has become “known” for what we are against…and you can fill in the blank with a dozen different things. The point isn’t to ignore clear Biblical teaching regarding behavior and lifestyle. But is it possible we might be more effective if we placed an even greater emphasis on what we are “for?” And then back it up with actions? “What you celebrate you become.”

Our vision at Riverwalk is to “become a church compelled to saturate our community with the boundless love of God through words and actions.” In order to make this more than words on a page, we have been nudging ourselves to get outside the walls of our church building to join God in His mission in our city. We want to be His hands and feet in our neighborhoods, partnering with God as we engage people in our community with the good news of God’s love and grace. Every once-in-awhile we need to celebrate the ways this is being accomplished through our RiverWalk church family, because “what you celebrate you become.”

This weekend we will celebrate these “outside the walls” moments with a dinner and a nudge. The dinner is Saturday night, open to all RiverWalk members, but targeting all those who are engaged in our community outreach ministries. The nudge will come from Charles Kiser, who will speak at the dinner and join us for worship and Bible class on Sunday morning. Charles is a church planter in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, leading and encouraging Christ followers to be on mission with God. His experience and his words will motivate us to move to next levels of service and ministry in our neighborhoods.

This weekend we are celebrating our opportunities to be on mission with God, because “what you celebrate you become.”

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A God Who Fights

February 23, 2011

A God Who Fights

 RiverWalk Church of Christ Wichita KS Youth and Family Minister

I am one of those people who like to plan things out ahead of time and who takes pleasure in executing what has been planned.  Recently, I have made plans for my wife and I and the plans keep changing.  For me, this is very annoying and unacceptable.  However, I really don’t have a choice in the matter, so I am forced to learn how to be patient and let things fall into place without my help.  I guess you could say that I am a type A personality.  If you know what that means, then you will understand how hard it is for me to be still and let things happen on their own.

Unfortunately, there are times when being a type A personality gets the best of me.  I think this happens to many of us; even those who are not necessarily type A personality.  We have been raised to get what we want when we want it.  We have been taught that anything less than that is unacceptable.  The truth of the matter is even though things don’t always turn out they way we wanted them to, generally speaking, everything turns out okay.  See, as Christians we get to rely on a higher power.  A higher power who is far more powerful on his weakest day than we are on our strongest day (1 Cor. 1:25).

If you find yourself frustrated, like I do many times, when life throws you curve balls, think about how there is a mighty God who is behind you and who will fight for you.  In Exodus 14:14 it says, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.”  God is always there.  When we feel afraid, or angry, or even frustrated, we need to remember that that is when God is at his best.  We need to be still so that God can do what he wants to do; fight for us.  Something I have had to learn through the recent events in my life is to sit back and let God have control.  Every time I try to take control I only slow things down.  Remember to be still and let God fight for you.  He is willing to go to battle for you!

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You Have More Power Than You Realize

February 22, 2011

You Have More Power Than You Realize

 Rick Cline

Here’s another thought to add to last Sunday morning’s thoughts  about losing the weight of inadequacy (from the current sermon series, “The Biggest Loser”). We talked about first, admitting to our limitations or inadequacies; and second, claiming God’s power. We went on the note how this power is identified clearly in Ephesians 1:19, 20 by the apostle Paul as he prays for our first century brothers and sisters to know “His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Jesus Christ from the dead…” This is the power that courses through our spiritual veins when we are in Christ–the same power that brought Jesus Christ out of the grave! But it’s power we often fail to realize we already have. It reminds me of a moment from the movie, “The Incredibles.” Maybe you remember it…

Bob and Helen par are superheroes–the Incredibles–trying to live a normal life, raising their children in the suburbs. They find themselves pulled back into the world of superheroes in order to save the world. The children have untested powers inherited from their parents, but it was up to mom–known as “Elastigirl” in their superhero world–to nudge them into using that power. She had discouraged her kids to use this power before, in the attempt to life a “normal” life. But the current crisis meant the time had come to tap their hidden power. Her speech to them went like this: “Things are different now, and doubt is a luxury we can’t afford any more. You have more power than you realize. Don’t think, and don’t worry. If the time comes, you’ll know what to do. It’s in your blood.”

You have more power than you realize…It’s in your blood…That sounds a bit like what the apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 1, doesn’t it? We often set such low expectations for ourselves, based on our human limitations. Our view of God is often downsized, because our faith will not allow us to think or dream any bigger. The truth is, we have what it takes to overcome barriers and obstacles in our lives; we have the resource we need to help us become what God wants us to be, even with our weaknesses and limitations. Inadequacy is a weight we can lose because we have God’s presence and power in us, through the Holy Spirit. It’s in our spiritual blood, flowing through our spiritual veins.

As you go through the week, remember: You have more power than you realize…it’s in your blood…because the Holy Spirit is in you to give you what you need, when you need it.

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Fall Elders’ Message

November 14, 2010
We are enjoying a wonderful fall climate this year.  So many different colors and hues in the trees, grass, and flowers that are all around us.  God certainly loves variety and diversity in his creation.
At this time I would like to be thankful for all the different gifts God has given to his children at RiverWalk.  It was great to have so many choices at our brunch after services in October.  The skill of our chefs and cooks, (thank you Brother Rodgers) the array of different foods surrounding us on different tables.  The many ways people share their love and time with and through our RiverWalk congregation in the Homeless shelters and works of Benevolence.  The front steps of our worship assembly was filled a few weeks ago by all the teens and adults who participated in the campout at the Nolan’s (grateful at not being really homeless) .  Brother Scott  remarked that none of the adult sponsors had children in the teen group.  This shows an Agape love of the brotherhood that reaches past our immediate family.
Remember to keep praying for the Lewis family as they prepare to join us in the Delano/Downtown mission work.  It was so rewarding to see all the great work and preparation that has been going on at the Franklin School Festival last Wednesday.  Eric, to you and all your helpers congratulations.  What a turnout!
We have been reminded these past six weeks of Missions and Missionaries we support around the world with our Mission giving.  Standing firm in the Lord was addressed from the pulpit by our guest speaker, Brother Doug Wheeler, as he encouraged us to support our Missions on Mission Sunday.  I want to commend the RiverWalk again for how they continue to be faithful in their giving through the  Now Is the Time Campaign.
So much of the world is fearful as changes or disasters strike.  But we have an eternal hope and promise from our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who has conquered Death and Sin.  At this very moment Jesus intercedes for us continually with our Heavenly Father.  He is  preparing that home where every tear will be wiped away, every fear or care will be laid on him, and we will enter in to that heavenly peace and joy.  So again stand firm in the Lord and rejoice, the Kingdom of God is here and now.
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