“I’m a Guru” – Gurus 2011 Rap

Posting to Facebook Wall test!

I just found out my RSS feed wasn’t updating therefore my blog wasn’t posting to the right places! Frustrating, but the Battle belongs to the Lord!!!

Good Friday – Luke 23

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

¹ Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. ² They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”

³ So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

⁴ Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”

⁵ Then they became insistent. “But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”

⁶ “Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. ⁷ When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.

⁸ Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. ⁹ He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. ¹⁰ Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. ¹¹ Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. ¹² (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)

¹³ Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, ¹⁴ and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. ¹⁵ Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. ¹⁶ So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”^[a]

¹⁸ Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹ (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) ²⁰ Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. ²¹ But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²² For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”

²³ But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. ²⁵ As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.

The Crucifixion

²⁶ As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,^[b] happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷ A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. ²⁸ But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ ³⁰ People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’^{[c] 31} For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?^[d]”

³² Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. ³³ When they came to a place called The Skull,^[e] they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”^[f] And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.^[g]

³⁵ The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. ³⁷ They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

³⁹ One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

⁴⁰ But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? ⁴¹ We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

⁴³ And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁴ By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁵ The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. ⁴⁶ Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”^[h] And with those words he breathed his last.

⁴⁷ When the Roman officer^[i] overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.^[j]” ⁴⁸ And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.^{[k] 49} But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

The Burial of Jesus

⁵⁰ Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, ⁵¹ but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. ⁵² He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³ Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. ⁵⁴ This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation,^[l] as the Sabbath was about to begin.

⁵⁵ As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. ⁵⁶ Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.

Staff Outing and Christmas Eve Invite!!!!

I have to be honest … I was very skeptical about this staff outing.  I love inviting people to church and even sharing with others about Christ, but for some reason, I felt this had a Rob Bell “bullhorn” video written all over it from the first time I heard about the idea for a staff outing.  However, much to my surprise, our team had a great time!  We got to pass out some Starbucks gift-cards, invite people to our Christmas Eve Service and ask some random Christmas questions.  I feel like the morning went well and we avoided the turn or burn approach that pushes people away from church instead of inviting them to it!  Here is just a quick video of some of the things that went down this morning!  Enjoy!

Another Grace Christmas

Well tonight we really kick off the Christmas Season at Grace Community Church with a special Christmas Tree lighting service that takes place tonight at 6:30pm. Hope you are planning on being there!!!! Should be a fun time for all. If you are there, make sure to say hi!!!

On a not so serious note. Over in Fusion, we like to be serious when we need to be serious, but we like to have a lot of fun the rest of the time. Last week, I was inspired by one of our students who created a jibjab card of two of our staff guys. It was so funny I had to create a special jibjab Christmas Card that we could send out to our volunteers and other church staff just to let them know Christmas is here! Enjoy the laugh and from all of us at Fusion, Merry Christmas!!!!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Easter at Grace Community Church

What a weekend!  It actually all started on Thursday with our Holy Thursday Service.  It was so fresh seeing the history played out with live Disciples and Jesus sharing the Last Supper, as Steve shared the connection and significance of this Last Supper during Passover.  It was an awesome way to kick off Easter weekend.

On Saturday was the Family pic-nic.  So good to see families having fun together as the church.  We had a great turnout and gave away 3 family trips to Disney World.  So awesome!!!

We held three Easter services this weekend.  The worship team consisted of two people involved in our Students Band.  They did awesome.  It was great connecting with families this weekend and being in the services with the adults.  I missed teaching in Fusion today, but I value families being able to be together on Easter Sunday.  Here is the outline from the Easter Message:

What it means to follow Jesus?

Follow His Example!
-who are you following?
-if you don’t decide someone will decide for you.
— James 13:17
— John 8:12
— Matt 7:24

-Two benefits of following Jesus:
— clarity
— stability

Accept His Grace!
– grace = god giving me what I need, instead of what I deserve
— Romans 5:17
— Romans 3:22
— Mark 10:15

Invest My Life in Him!
— Romans 6:13
— Matt 25:14-29

Trust His Wisdom and Strength
— Colossians 2:6
— Romans 8:28
— Philippians 4:13
– when you start worrying you stop trusting.

Hold on to His Promise!
— Hebrews 6:18
— Romans 8:38-39
— John 11:25-26
— 1 Peter 1:3-4
— Psalm 90:12

Hope you had a great Easter!  My family sure did.  We spent the day at friends house eating, laughing, playing guitar hero, jumping on the trampoline, and watching a little golf.  Fun weekend for sure and great way to remember and celebrate all that Jesus has dome for us.

Rock Star Preacher

Just met a guy at church in the hallway of all places.  As we talked I learned a little about him.  He introduced himself as  Randy from rockstarpreacher.com That website has a pretty cool ring to it.  Come to find out that Randy has a teenage son who doesn’t attend church for a number of reasons.  Hearing his story opened the opportunity for me to share my story of how I came to know the Lord.  It’s amazing how God can use stories to connect strangers but he does.  After sharing I learned that Randy has a teenage son, so I gave him a quick tour of the student center, and made sure he had some info.

I am excited to get to know Randy and his son better.  I am hoping to grab some Starbucks and chil with his 15 year son in the next couple of days!  In the meantime check out rockstarpreacher.com!  It’s something that is just hatching and Randy’s dream that God will  use it to influence those turned off by church but possibly open to God!

NO SMALL GROUPS TONIGHT FOR FUSION

Since School is Canceled today we are canceling small groups tonight!!!  Enjoy the break and we will see you Saturday at the Grace Fusion Bowl or Sunday for Weekend Worship!!!

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Today I have the privilege of introducing Brad White as a guest writer.  He is a member at Grace and founder of Deeper Bible Studies.  Make sure you check out the site after you read this post!!!

Many non-Christians and agnostics reject God and Christianity by posing this seemingly unsolvable question…positioning God as mean, unforgiving, wrathful, and apparently devoid of love and compassion. You’ll hear statements like “I can’t believe in a God that is that cruel”. The question is actually easily answered and souls can be saved by answering it with confidence. However, before you can answer that question, you must first ask who is good and who sets the standard for what is good?

Popular culture and non-Christians would suggest that if you aren’t a thief or you don’t go around killing people…then you are basically good. And “IF” there is an afterlife, you’ll probably get a free pass; a “Go directly to heaven” card.

That’s a nice thought, but it’s simply not biblical truth. If that’s what you believe…then who or what is the source of your truth? Who makes the decision of who to pass judgment on and who says you can go to heaven?  Do YOU decide? Hardly! That would be like a convicted criminal making the decision regarding whether he can be let out of prison.

So, who makes the call? God does! It’s God’s heaven (or home) and He makes the rules. Ever hear the saying “My house, my rules!” In heaven, God sets the standard for who and what is good.

So, what is God’s standard for who and what is good? The Ten Commandments are a good start. But read the words of Jesus Christ who adds in John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” If you don’t love one another, then you have broken a command of God.

Jesus adds in Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” If you look at the opposite sex with lust in your eyes, you have already committed adultery, and broken a command of God.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:23-24 that “…if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. ” This passage suggests that repairing relationships and resolving conflicts between family members and neighbors is GOOD, and even more important than offering gifts to God.

In other words, your good works, gifts, donations, and tithes are worth nothing if you hate or envy your neighbor or harbor resentment for another person. In this way, Jesus helps us define “Good” in God’s eyes as getting along with and resolving differences with other people. If you are angry with someone else, or harbor resentment, or neglect to repair a broken relationship….you are not acting in accordance with God’s will and favor.

So, do these things make you a “bad” person, or can you still be a basically “good” person?

Christians believe there is only one person who ever walked the earth that was PERFECT: Jesus Christ. The Pope, Gandhi, Buddha, Jesus’ Mother Mary, and Mother Teresa all have one thing in common…they were not perfect. Only Jesus Christ was perfect.

So, what does Jesus Christ say on this issue? Mark 10:17-18. “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good–except God alone.’” So, if the only perfect human said that no one is good, what does that suggest about us?

The answer? None of us are good in God’s eyes. Only through Jesus Christ are we made acceptable to God. Jesus Christ holds the key to our eternal salvation and eternal life with God in heaven.

OK, so back to the question. If God sets the standard for what is good. And by this standard none of us are good. Then, the question actually needs to be re-phrased: Why do bad things happen to bad people?

Answer: God’s judgment on a selfish, Godless people, is just and true. When people don’t live according to His holy and perfect standard, his judgment is holy, sovereign, and true. Just as good and responsible parents discipline unruly and defiant children, so God disciplines his children. And this is an act of love, not hate.

So, is God mean, unforgiving, wrathful and devoid of love and compassion? Certainly Not!

John 3:16…. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” God loves you and me so much that even though we are completely hopeless and unworthy in our own right, he died for us, to save us, so he can be in intimate relationship with us. That is the biblical definition of love.

1 John 3:16… “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” God IS love and the source of all love.

So, what’s a better question to ask? God, will you please forgive me of my sins, through your son Jesus Christ? Lord Jesus, I accept the sacrifice you made for me on the cross, and I believe that you are resurrected from the grave so that I can have a new life in you. Lord will you come into my life and work to make me holy, clean, and acceptable to God almighty? Lord, I give you my life! Amen!

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Christmas Eve at Grace

As Christmas winds down, the kids are sleeping and it’s the first time I have had a chance to write in the last 48 hours.  Christmas is always a busy time for us, but this year, adding 5 days of rehearsals because I was asked to play Joseph for the Nativity at Grace Community Church and then 8 hours on Christmas Eve, with 3 services,  made it even busier.  However, this Christmas will definitely be one I will never forget!  It truly was humbling to play the role of Joseph, and really brought a different perspective to Christmas for me this year.  Even though the rehearsals seemed long, and I tended to get in trouble, or be a distraction, and I had to grow the beard and hair out, I had a great time.  I pray that God was able to use it to bless all that attended the services on Christmas Eve!  Here are some pics from the 6:00 service