Angkor Wat

I just got back from speaking in Bangkok, Thailand, and since I was so close to Cambodia, I had to take a couple of days to go to Angkor Wat.

Branded Faith

Check out this video from my friend and fellow pastor, Kumar Dixit.

Branded Faith Film part 1 from Dixit Media Group on Vimeo.

Rescue

I thought you might find this interesting...I am not sure how I feel about some of the comments made...

Adventists Claim Credit for Chilean Miner Miracle

by Jared Wright

 

As dramatic rescue efforts continue in Chile, where thirty-three miners were trapped deep inside a San Jose mine for 69 days and counting, Adventists are vying for recognition as the ones responsible for the miracle.

According to a report from the Guardian, "Evangelical, Adventist and Catholic clerics are vying to stamp their own faith on the expected rescue of the trapped men."

The report notes that each denomination is taking credit for what many Chileans perceive to be divine intervention in the miners' two-month survival.

An Adventist pastor who oversees the northern Chilean district of Copiapo has claimed direct involvement: "God has spoken to me clearly and guided my hand each step of the rescue," said Carlos Parra Diaz, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor at the San Jose mine. "He wanted the miners to be rescued and I am His instrument."

On August 31, the Adventist News Network reported that Parra Diaz coordinated the delivery of small Bibles with accompanying magnifying glasses to each of the trapped miners.

Each Bible is labeled with the words, "We are praying for your return." [A Brazilian news] magazine also said that Psalms 40 is highlighted in each Bible. The passage reads, in part, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit ... and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps."

The church also gave a copy of the Bible to the ministers of health and mining, as well as to each of the families at the rescue site. Parra is acting as the camp's chaplain, local Adventist leaders said.

According to the Guardian, however, the Adventist minister has competition. A litte bit further up the hill of Camp Hope, the improvised settlement of miners' families, rescuers, government officials and media, an evengelical preacher, Javier Soto , wandered from family to family with a guitar and songs of praise. "He listens to the music," said the pastor, gesturing to the azure sky.

Still, the Advantage may belong to Parra Diaz, who was granted permission to speak to the miners' families on a regular basis, the Guardian reports. Diaz stole a march over his rivals by obtaining permission to give a 10-minute talk to the assembled 33 families before their nightly briefing by government officials. "I do macro work. I am pastor to all." The other churches, he said, did "micro" work.

A Catholic cleric on hand refused to be drawn into the competition for religious prominence. Bishop Quintana, after concluding a mass in which TV cameras outnumbered worshippers, declined to be drawn on the subject of competition but said he had received supportive emails from all over the world. "What matters is that God is acting through human ingenuity to rescue these men."

It seems evident that the successful conclusion to this crisis situation is a boon for religious organizations including the Adventists in the area. However, given the routinely high mortality rate of miners in Chile's extremely dangerous privately owned mines, perhaps the religious leaders involved would do well to expand the scope of their petitioning for divine intervention. To include the hardworking poor and unprotected in prayer would be no minor miracle.

Hospital for sinners

"Church is a hospital for sinners, not a country club for saints."


Ever had that statement before? The truth is that in the church, everyone has a common problem, it’s a sin problem. It’s not just that we sin, the real problem is that we were born with a sinful nature, which means whether or not we are committing acts of transgression against God’s law, we are still sinners.
Unfortunately, many pretend they don't have a problem. In many churches stories are told about people who used to sin, and that’s OK as long as those people give testimonies that have happy endings, “I used to have a problem, but then I met God, and now I'm doing much better.”

Imagine seeing a counselor and saying, "I only want to talk about problems I used to have. Don't ask me to acknowledge having any current problems, okay? I mean, it's embarrassing. I'm afraid you might reject me." Why would anybody go to a counselor to try to convince him/her that they don't need a counselor?

Church is a place to come with your struggles, addictions, dysfunctions, doubts, fears, and victory over sin through Christ. The church needs to be the place of greatest safety and healing. The church needs to be a place where we enter into relationships that will encourage us and hold us accountable. The church should be a place where we can have conversations with other sinners, conversations that lead us to repentance, forgiveness, growth, healing, and change

So, let us do our best to remember that the church is a hospital for sinners. And, let’s extend God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness to all that come through those doors.

Just Courage

A couple of years ago, I heard Gary Haugen speak at the Leadership Summit and learned about the International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM is a human rights agency that works to get justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression all over the world. I was moved by the presentation and the reminder that God is at work all over the world, using a variety of different means to bring relief and salvation to the poor and oppressed. Sometimes we think God only works through one group of people and in only one way, or that God is most concerned about what we know instead of what we do. Not so!

After the presentation, I bought the book, "Just Courage" by Gay Haugen. If you are looking for a read that will inspire you to be used by God to help and serve people, then you might want to check it out.

Also, check out the IJM web site at http://www.ijm.org/

Walla Walla University church

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to worship at the Walla Walla University church. We were there to drop off our oldest daughter for college. Two things caught my attention.

One...was the excellent and timely message by the pastor. One of my church member's non-SDA husband came with his wife to drop off his son at Walla. He told me he had not understood why his son wanted to attend an Adventist college so badly. That night, we had supper together and he told me he now he gets it. Awesome!

Two...the church members who greeted the new students outside of church on their way in were AWESOME! They welcomed the students, took their names and numbers down, invited them to their homes to eat and to join their weekly home group for college students (which includes freeding them).
 
Again, I was impressed and left assured that my daughter is in good hands. I love it when the church works!
 

Poem by William Earnhardt

I Am Not Afraid
I am not afraid of bigotry and hate in the terrorists’ hearts.
I am afraid of the bigotry and hate in MY heart.
I am not afraid to die as a Christian in a terrorist attack.
I am afraid to live without Jesus even in times of peace.
I am not afraid to die at the hand of a terrorist tomorrow, having shared God’s love with someone today.
I am afraid to live to be a hundred and ten, never having shared God’s love.
I am not afraid to walk through the valley of death with my Jesus.
I am afraid to walk over the highest mountain without Jesus.
I am not afraid of my loved ones dying in an explosion tomorrow.
I am afraid of my loved ones living without Jesus.
I am not afraid of a terrorist taking my life away from me.
I am afraid of me taking my life away from Jesus.
I am not afraid of terrorists exhibiting hatred.
I am afraid of Christians not exhibiting love.

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:18 -21 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Psalms 91:5 tells us if we love God we do not need to fear terror. There were some that day who died, knowing they were saved and would see Jesus. For these precious souls the would be terrorists totally failed to terrorize.

Book Review: Outlive Your Life

Outlive Your Life, by Max Lucado
This is another excellent book by Max Lucado. The premise of the book is that Christians are called to make a difference in this world. Doing so not only can have a huge impact on someone’s life, but also represents Jesus well. Lucado, in typical fashion, uses his down home illustrations and stories to remind us that God can use each of us “common folk” to accomplish uncommon things for him. He did it in the First Century and he can still do it today. Our tendency is to doubt ourselves, to ask if we can really make a difference, but after reading this book you will be inspired to ask yourself, “Whose life will I change?”

The book calls us to share the good news of Jesus, to have compassion on those who don’t know him and need him desperately, to be willing to be bold even in the face of potential persecution, to do good to others quietly, to care for the poor and less fortunate, to never give up on anyone, and to pray more and more each day.
I highly recommend this book. It will remind you that we have the opportunity to have a huge impact on this world, and will inspire you to be the kind of Christ follower that will represent Jesus well.

Herny Blackaby's, Experiencing God

Recently, I was looking through a book I read a long time ago, Henty Blackaby’s, “Experiencing God.” The book is all about the benefits of having a relationship with God. This brought a few questions to mind…
What does it mean to “have a relationship with Jesus Christ?”

What decisions have to be made to make the relationship with Jesus happen?

Can you have a relationship with God and not go to church?

How do I begin a relationship with Christ?

What are the differences between being a Christian, being a Seventh-day Adventists, and being a Christ-follower? What are the similarities? Does it matter?
Just some questions for thought…If you would like to respond, I would love to read what your thoughts are.

I like it

This picture was taken outside of Bloomington, IN. Notice the image of Jesus with the thorn of crowns. I find this to be a striking statement from the driver to other motorists. I love the tool chest and ladders attached to the truck, as they create a parallel between the driver of the vehicle and Jesus. I like it!

Check out what Joel Osteen says about pork...

The Victory Mosque

Next week is the 9th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Lately, the “Victory Mosque” (which according to reports is to be built on Ground Zero) has been in the news and caused a lot a discussion.

If you are interested in hearing what James Standish, who represents the Seventh-day Adventist Church to the United Nations and is Deputy secretary general of the International Religious Liberty Association, has to say, check out:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/james_standish/2010/08/the_great_ground_zero_mosque_hoax.html

Musings

As I sit here writing some thoughts for this week's message on Daniel, chapter 3. I think of the three young men in the story. I think of how they faced death....by their own admission they were not sure if God would deliver them.

And, I think of how could they stand up the most powerful man in the world, who was obviously easily enraged? A man who had uncontested power to take their lives by just a word from him. And, I think, what was their secret? How did they do that?

Think about it, obedience was more important than their life. Hmmm...

Kiva

Have you ever heard of KIVA? Kiva is an organization whose mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Basically, Kiva empowers individuals to lend money to an entrepreneur across the globe. Starting at $25, you can lend someone money to start a business which will help them support themselves and their family. The most amazing thing is you can read the story of how your loan (and other) have had an impact. The individual pays you back a little at a time and when you get your money back, you lend it again. I decided to do this a while and it has been rewarding to see the impact a bit of money can have on someone across the world.

Chesk it out at http://www.kiva.org/

Friend of Sinners

David Kinnaman’s recenlyt wrote a book titled, “UnChristian,” in which he writes about how many non-Christians view Christian; that we are hypocritical, inauthentic, anti-homosexual, and incessantly judgmental.

When I think of Christianity I think of Jesus. Jesus touched the leper, was found alone with a Samaritan woman of ill-repute, allowed a prostitute to touch him, did not condemn an adulterer, partied with tax-collecting sinners, and dared to heal a man who had been sick for 38 years on the Sabbath day! Did Jesus like prostitution or adultery or leprosy? Of course not. But he so loved these people that he never gained our reputation. In fact, it was the opposite, he was called a friend of sinners.

To me, to be a follower of Christ is to love people no matter what labels they are tagged with. After all, isn’t that how Jesus treats us?