School projects

Here are some pics of DJ and Micah with their school science projects, and of Micah's most recent projects that I helped him with. Oh, and then there's Cameron with a dishsoap bubble gotee.

Christmas 2005!!

OK, so it wasn't exactly ON Christmas. The boys tore into their gifts during the day of Christmas Eve. Sorry the pics are a bit fuzzy. They were taken with my camera phone. It's the best I could do. If someone buys me a good digital camera, i'll take better photos! :)

Lukewarm?

I found myself over the Christmas holidays in prayer asking God some seriously self-revealing questions about me. Am I becoming lukewarm? If not, how would I know if I was? Would I have to depend on someone else informing me, or would I finally recognize it as an "oh my gosh, i've grown lukewarm over the past few months!" after-thought that should have been avoided in the first place?

All I know is I want to stay sensitive to God - to His Spirit - in my life. I want prayer to not be a nuisance or some chore. I don't want to have to have someone like Londa approach me and tell me i'm not what I once was spiritually. So, how do I do this? How do I avoid that in my life? Well, I think it's the same principle as not becoming a lazy couch potato who becomes unhealthy and fails to even see his own condition. It's called DISCIPLINE. I need to stay pro-active in my walk and relationship with my Lord.

My personal understanding of the whole lukewarm, hot, cold thing that is so frequently quoted in scripture is a bit different than is usually taught. Based on my studies of the root meanings of the original language and culture that is was spoken in, to be lukewarm is to be useless to God. Being hot or cold is useFUL. Hot water and cold water can be used for many things, but lukewarm is just plain nasty. That's the implied meaning here! That's why Jesus said in Revelation that He would rather the Church be hot OR cold. If He only wanted us to be hot, then why would he include cold as one of the preferred options? You see? he wants us to be useful to Him for His glory and for His Kingdom. So, be like hot or cold water and be something He can use. Don't become lukewarm / useless.

That's my prayer for me and for my family - and for you. How can we do that? How can we remain useful? Discipline. Stay focused on Jesus. Read and study and digest the scriptures. Listen for His voice. Pray and seek Him daily. Remain pliable in His hands. Those are just a few ideas to gnaw on.

Blessings,
-David

The Presence of God

I've been thinking a lot about the presence of God. I've thought a lot about how we go to church to be in the presence of God. I love going to church and being with other people worshipping God together, there's something so special about that. But if we depend on that for the presence of God in our lives we are missing out on so much. There are times right now that I can be out in a store or whatever and I begin to feel the presence of God more than I ever have in a church building. David wrote something similar to this earlier, but it's on my mind so I want to write about it. We have to begin to understand that we are to be carriers of the presence of God. If I am really saved there should be light in me that shines bright enough in the darkness that people's eyes are opened and they begin to want that light. If I only display this when I'm in a church building, what good am I to the Kingdom? No good at all!

I sincerely want to understand that there is nothing good inside of me except for Jesus, and the fact that I am covered and purchased by the blood HE shed for me. I must have His increase in my life that I may decrease.......so that I'm not seen and HE is! I must truly understand that HE is with me all the time. I want to have nothing in me that is an offense to Him. I want to know Him. I want to open up His Word and have Him speak to me. I want to know Him more and more every day. I want this year to be the greatest year I have ever spent in his presence. I want my selfish desires to go away, and His desires to fill me up, that I might do the will of my Father. I want to be poured out as an offering that others my become hungry and thirsty for righteousness when they are around me.........for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Even as darkness increases in this world, His light will shine all the brighter......His presence will grow. Light is so much brighter when it shines in the darkest of places. Let your light shine this year........spend time in the presence of God, and let Him change you from glory to glory!

Londa

Merry Christmas!!

I just want to tell all our family and friends Merry Christmas.

May your holiday be filled with memories of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. It's all about Jesus! If He had not been born, He would not have lived to die. Had He not died, He would not have rose again and ascended, and we would not have the hope we have today.

-David

What's that smell??

The Aroma of Jesus

2 Cor. 2:14-16

It’s been said that an aroma is the fragrance of activity, and it’s true.

-if you exercise, you get the natural odor that accompanies it

-if you eat garlic, everyone gets the benefit of what you ate from your breath

-if you’ve had coffee, people can smell it on you and your breath

-if you take a shower and wash with soap, you get a clean scent on your skin

-if you put on perfume, you smell either cheap or attractive

-if you’ve been in a certain kind of restaurant, people know where you’ve been because they can smell it on you.

It’s not you that people are recognizing; it’s the scent on you because of what you’ve done or where you’ve been or even who you’ve been with.

You don’t have to tell people when you’ve stepped on something in the yard. They know it because they can smell the aroma of nature on your shoes.

So it is with our relationship (or lack of) with Jesus.

When people are near you, what do they come away with?

Knowledge of God that they didn’t have before? (vs. 14)

Or a bad after-taste that makes them not want what you claim to have?

It was St. Francis of Assisi (of the 12^th century) who said something that eventually came to be quoted as, “Preach the gospel at all times; only use words if necessary.”

He was talking about the aroma of Christ. Is it on you? Can people smell it on you?

We’re obviously not talking about a literal smell. We’re talking in spiritual terms.

We’re talking about the essence of Jesus being on us and in us and being obvious to those around us.

According to chapter 3:6, He has made us “ministers of a new covenant”, which carries with it great responsibility to represent this new covenant – and Jesus – correctly.

An illustration of not having the aroma of Christ, and of not representing the Lord right, is in Gen. 34.

Jacob’s had bought property outside the gates of the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan and pitched camp there. Jacob’s daughter, Dinah went to visit the women of the city, and was seen by the king’s son Shechem. Shechem kidnapped her and raped her and wanted her for his wife. When Dinah’s brothers found out about the incident, they secretly devised a plot to get revenge making use of the king’s desire to intermarry and mix. They lied and told them that in order for their people to intermarry with their daughters, the men would have to be circumcised like the Israelites. Otherwise, they would take Dinah and go and the King’s son could not be married to Dinah. So, the King and his son agreed to this condition, and had all the men circumcised. While they were recovering, and still in pain (three days later), Jacob’s sons attacked every man in the city of the king – including the king and his son Shechem. They took their sister, Dinah and looted the city and went back to camp. Jacob’s resonse to this was, “You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.” (vs. 30)

This story in the old testament sets the stage for us as Christians of the new covenant. Do we make Jesus a stench to the world we live in because of our actions or do we present Him as a sweet, savory aroma that tempts them and draws them in?

So, again I ask you, are you as an ambassador for Christ – a minister of the new covenant – effectively spreading His fragrance?

-Is your life so filled up with Him that His aroma seeps thru your pores?

-Or do you so resemble the world around you that your lifestyle combined with your so-called witness for Him actually repels the world like a stench – much like garbage does our senses.

The world can sense the difference between the aroma of life and the selfish, compassionless, loveless.

As you live for Him a life of separation to Him, knowing Him and loving Him, do not think that every person who comes in contact with aroma will be pleased with it. Even though the aroma of Christ is sweet and fragrant, we’re told that for some that we come into contact with, it will be the fragrance of life, but to others it will be an offense – the smell of death (2:16).

I believe this is warning us of the response we can expect to receive from those those who are religious, but not spiritual – without a true relationship with Jesus. – like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.

The smell of life is the smell of freedom and victory and love and peace and joy when a person is “being saved or perishing” (vs. 15), but start messing with people’s religious routines and legalities, and it smells like death. Why? Because the life of a Christian is death to the world, it’s systems and it’s religious lies. It’s liberating for those that are searching, but not to those that deny the risen savior.

Are you wearing a cheap imitation of the real perfume? Have you settled for second rate? It will be apparent to those whom you come around daily.

Do you only save your perfume for special occasions? Do you put on the perfume of Christ – the aroma of Christ – on Sundays only? Do you like to put it on before you go to meet with other Christians because it makes you look knowledgeable of God? After all, the fragrance of Christ tells those around us that we have the knowledge of Him. If you use it in that way, you are wasting something that is precious and priceless!

Don’t you dare use it in that way. The fragrance of Christ on you should be that thing about you that points the way for others to something you have and that they need. It should be like the aroma of fresh baked bread as you walk by a bakery – it should make them want it.

There were people who found Jesus’ fragrance appealing;

-Mary Magdalene, delivered of demons – His aroma was life

-The woman at the well – He was an appealing scent that awakened in her the desire to live

-The Gadarene man possessed with the legion of demons loved the scent of life on Jesus

-Peter – who exchanged the smelly life of a fisherman with the pleasant aroma of following Him - and the other 11 disciples who gave up everything to follow Him, smelled -the scent of life on Him and followed that aroma the rest of their lives

As these people started following Jesus, His scent got on them and they started giving it off too. They experienced what Jesus experienced. Mary, changed for ever, passionate about her savior and Lord and willing to follow Him anywhere, had later offended people by breaking the expensive box of perfume open and anointing Jesus with it. It wasn’t the smell of the perfume from the box that offended them, it was the scent of life – the scent of Jesus – that she put off.

Just how do we get that aroma of Christ on us?

-By rubbing up against Him

-When my wife has on good smelling perfume, and she gives me a hug, I can smell her perfume on me the rest of the day

-By spending time in His presence

-By the reading of the gospels and spending time in solitude and prayer.

-You read the bible because God is in there. You get alone with Him in prayer and solitude because that’s how you rub up against Him. These are an absolute necessity for a daily walk with Jesus.

-Dwelling with Him not only imparts vision; it imparts His virtue into us. That virtue is detectable like a scent you’ve rubbed on. The woman with the issue of blood that threw aside caution and customs of the day went after Jesus, touched the hem of His garment and His virtue came out of Him and into Her. She went away with not only a healed body, but the obvious signs that she had touched Him.

-By becoming like Him. To love what He loves and hate what He hates.

-By living out our belief in Him and the teachings of the church – which, when it’s lived out, looks and smells like Jesus.

-By following Him, and this is not always easy. The words of Jesus are often hard but always true. If he says forgive, we forgive. If He says turn the other cheek, turn the other cheek. If He says don’t hold a grudge, don’t hold a grudge.

These things don’t come naturally. Carrying the aroma of Christ isn’t natural.

In the natural, it’s easier to conform to society. Haven’t you noticed that you have to fight to NOT conform to society? Haven’t you noticed that if you don’t actively pursue God on a daily, regular basis, your fire can die down?

Just like perfume eventually fades from the body, so too does the aroma of Christ if you don’t spend time rubbing up against Him regularly.

Listen, going to a church meeting once or twice a week isn’t going to get it for you. You will come away with only a trace of Him. You want more than a trace – you want to bathe in it.

Just like Esther had to bathe in the precious perfumes in preparation for being presented to the King as His bride, we must bathe in His presence regularly in order to come away smelling like Him to the point that people will recognize that something is different.

There is action involved in attaining the aroma of Christ.

Do you think that men like Smith Wigglesworth and George Whitfield and John and Charles Wesley and others in church history just innately had the ability to sit down in a train car or walk into a factory and have people immediately recognize that there was something about them? No! It was the essence of Christ – His aroma. It was a witness spoken without words!

The wonderful thing about that is that the witness of spreading the aroma of Jesus is simply setting the stage for further ministry and more outspoken, bold and effective ministry.

If we don’t smell like Jesus when we go out into the world, then chances are we’re putting off a counterfeit aroma – another smell – that makes Jesus a stench to the world. Don’t do that. Don’t allow the world to shape and mold you and cause you to end up with its aroma.

Don’t miss the opportunities He brings your way to spread His aroma. When an opportunity is gone, it may not come your way again.

Remember, the aroma you give off is also affecting someone else – God.

Is your life; are your thoughts, your ways, and your motivations – are they a pleasing scent of sacrifice in His nostrils? Does it smell sweet or does it turn His stomach?

Consider Esther, the Jewish girl who was taken into the King’s harem to be considered among many other beautiful girls to be the next queen. Part of the preparations she had to undergo was 12 months of beauty treatments – 6 of which was devoted to soaking daily for a certain amount of time in perfume. By the time the treatments were completed, her body was perfumed in a way that it was always ready to be in the presence of the King whenever he demanded it. She was always ready, with the aroma of perfume, to please the king’s senses.

You will either be pleasing incense to God or you will cause Him nausea.

Which is the aroma you’re offering God? Do you smell like the world or have you prepared yourself for Him?

This is a call to consider two things:

First, be the aroma of Christ – the knowledge of God. Does your life reveal the character of God or do you smell more like the world to the world? Does your life make others curious about Him or desire Him because of what they smell on you? Is the aroma of Christ an offense to those who oppose Him, or are you so much like them that they couldn’t care less about your so-called witness?

Second, what is the incense you’re life is offering up to God? Have you neglected the beauty treatment provided thru Christ in preparation for God? Do you need to soak in the presence of the King? You will take on His aroma. That smell is a pleasing one for God.

Understanding true holiness

The message below was originally an article I wrote, and then it developed into a message I preached/taught in our home church I was pastoring. Today, I felt inclined to resubmit it again, with slight revisions, in written format. I hope it speaks to you. As I studied and prepared it back then, my own understanding of God's expectations, and my concept of holiness took on new meaning. I'd love to hear from you!

-David

Holiness is not an option

It’s been said that you must pray to be holy, but it’s possibly even more true that you must be holy to pray.

The word "Holy" is mentioned in the Old Testament over 500 times, and in the New Testament, over 100 times.
The word "Holiness" is mentioned in the Bible 43 times.
The word "Sanctification" is mentioned in the Bible 70 times.

God inspired all the writers of scripture throughout 1600 years to include these words in the Scriptures.
Yet, some churches and believers are intimidated and even angered by these words.
Some pastors never preach on these subjects.
Some Christians become defensive as soon as these words are mentioned.
Yet God Himself ordained that these topics should be the longed for and he expects it of His people.

I am compelled to discuss the necessity of personal holiness.

God has called us "unto HOLINESS" -1 Thessalonians 4:7
"He hath chosen us...that we should be HOLY and without blame before him in love.." - Ephesians 1:4
God commands us: "Be ye HOLY even as I am…" 1 Peter 1:16
Holiness is required for admittance to Heaven..
"Follow peace with all men, and HOLINESS, without which no man can see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

"That He might present it to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing: but that it should be HOLY and without blemish.." Ephesians 5:27

Hebrews 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and HOLINESS, without which, no man shall see the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto HOLINESS.

2 Corinthians 7:1 Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting HOLINESS in the fear of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in Him.

Romans 12:2 Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

James 4:4 Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1 John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:17 Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you...

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even our sanctification (purification, holiness), that ye should abstain from fornication that everyone of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.

3 John 11 Follow not that which is evil.

Psalm 97:10 Ye that love the LORD, hate evil..

Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie. (enter into what? The city of God)

1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Every verse mentioned above, and numerous others that I didn’t mention makes mention of “holiness” or the word “holy” – sometimes indirectly or implied.

I want to show you that for the Christian, the act of being made holy (salvation) by the sacrifice of Jesus’ own blood and body and our faith in Him, and the act of perfecting and pursuing holiness on our part go hand in hand.

The holiness of God, and the holiness required by God are intimately linked together in the Greek and Hebrew.

puritan William Gurnall

“Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins and art born of God,”
“unless thou canst prove thy pedigree
by daring to be holy.”

Holiness is broken down this way - The word in many of the references above, as a descriptive definition of God describing Himself comes from the Greek word “qâdâsh”, meaning “cut off” or “separate” or even “otherness” (which means odd or strange). By applying that to who God is, it means He is unique – there is none like Him. Everything about Him is different from everything else He has made.

In the other references, the word holy is used meaning sacred, pure, blameless, but it also means consecrated, which means separated.

So, if you use this description of Himself, and compare it to his commandment for us to “be holy as He is holy” (1Pet 1:16; Lev. 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7) then it has not just to do with perfection, but has as much to do with meeting His expectations. If God is cut off, separate, unique, and there’s nothing like Him that’s ever been created, then that’s exactly what He expects us to be. Of course, this was originally an expectation He put on His chosen people, the Israelites (the Jews), but since we are given the honor of being grafted in (adopted) to that relationship, it is no less an expectation for us as well. As God’s adopted children, we should be cut off from the world, separate from other people, unique and should not resemble anything else He has created (meaning people who don’t know Him).

Considering this understanding of the word holiness, and putting it all together to apply it to our lives, it really has nothing to do with “doing things to attain anything” in the sense of legalism, (because we know that to be “holy” or blameless and pure is impossible without a perfect atoning sacrifice, and that’s Jesus) but it does have everything to do with what we do, how we do it, why we do it, in order to prove who we are in relation to God. To call ourselves Christians is to be a separate people with a notable, obvious difference about us, which proves we are who we say we are. It’s part heart and part obedience. We obey and appear to be something different than those around us because there’s been a heart change in us. That’s holiness! It’s actually a beautiful understanding when it all comes together!

The holiness provided us by Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection creates the holiness of lifestyle in us as proof of what He did for us.

So, apply this understanding of holiness back to someone who makes the claim to be a Christian, but whose life doesn’t reflect that they are different or unique from those around them. There’s just no denying it – a heart change MUST mean a life change. A refusal to change points back to a lack of heart change.

Nowhere are we given a license to sin or hang onto certain areas of worldliness at all. Some people call that “grace”, but it’s not! Applying holiness in the way we’ve discussed actually gives us even greater responsibility to make sure our lives meet up to His expectations – and it is possible – by a combination of the Spirit and the fire of God in us, and by an act of our will and discipline.

Given a free will and the ability to choose right from wrong, we certainly have the opportunity to either live “holy” or not. When we supposedly “slip” and curse or get depressed and drink, watch filth, lie, compromise in some way, it’s done totally out of our own free will – we weren’t forced to do it, and we have to take the blame. That being the case, why should he not expect better from us if we have the ability to do it?

In summary:

I. Why do I believe you can lead a holy life (not a legalistic life)?

1. Because God commands it, would He ask something of us that was not possible?
2. Because our High Priest is holy and He is ever interceding for us and praying that we be perfected in holiness.
3. Because the Holy Spirit who is supposedly living in us, is by name and by His very nature holy. He will lead us in ways of righteousness and holiness.

II. Why is it important?

1. (1Peter 1:10-16) Because we are part of the time period which will experience the glories that would follow the sufferings of Christ. Our participation in these glories come at a price – obedience (holiness). Glories = dignity, honor, praise, worship
2. (vs. 11,12) These glories serve to glorify God in the eyes of unsaved men, but only if they can’t accuse us.

I invite everyone to ask God to search your hearts. Does your life prove that you are one of His children? Does your life cause you or others who know you to question your salvation experience? Is He calling you to a deeper relationship with Him?

Do you have His Spirit dwelling in you and does He possess you? Have you experienced Him in a way that Jesus and the apostles spoke of? Has He baptized you and filled you? Do you have the fire of God in you working in you? Do you know Him in a way that compels you to live in such a way that pleases Him? If not, then much of what you do will be done out of legalism. You will find yourself striving and working for something you can’t attain or maintain.

Insight from the Wisdom Hunter

A few years ago, a book entitled The Wisdom Hunter impacted me profoundly. It's a Christian novel written by Randall Arthur about the trap of legalistic Christianity. It's not necessarily a book that will go down in history as a classic, but the insights one can glean from it are priceless. I took the liberty back then to paraphrase and quote some of those insights, and occasionally I read back thru them. They still speak to me now as they did then. I found, after reading them again that they dealt (even if indirectly) with my prior post, To Church or not to Church. Enjoy! -David

Paraphrased Notes From Wisdom Hunter

1. STUDENT ATTITUDE vs. AUTHORITARIAN ATTITUDE

Most are taught, directly and indirectly, and professionally and nonprofessionally, that a preacher should be an authority, and that he should clearly, and forcefully if necessary, display the attitude of an authority. It goes like this, “No one should ever develop the idea that the preacher is weak or doesn’t know the answers.”

There are few things more counterproductive, self-defeating, and utterly destructive than a mortal preacher with an authoritarian attitude. That kind of attitude is the cause of countless and uncalled-for offenses. Those who leave a place from not being able to tolerate that attitude are probably people who have more potential for dynamic Christian growth than those who stay. The ones who stay are the simple-minded “yes” people, while the ones who leave are the “thinkers,” the people whose active, creative, and hungry minds were being suffocated by that style of leadership.

Instead of that authoritarian, flagrant attitude, work to cultivate a student attitude in it’s place.

Open the mind and let the world be the classroom, and to keep from swinging to the other extreme and becoming a philosophical anarchist, let the Bible, objectively interpreted, be the filter that governs what is soaked up in the quest for true wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and insight.

The only group of people whom Jesus could not and would not tolerate were the self-righteous and know-it-all Pharisees. Even Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, could not enlighten them and expose to them their extreme and distorted beliefs. Their authoritarian attitude prevented him from penetrating their minds with the facts. Fed up with their foolish know-it-all attitude, Jesus told them outright that they had discarded knowledge, and had locked up the room where real learning takes place, and thrown away the key, and both they and their followers were on the outside of that room. That had closed their minds to learning because they already “knew it all.”

2. HONEST QUESTIONING vs. BLIND BELIEVING

Many blindly believe everything their older peers feed them, without ever questioning the validity of anything they say. Many are in this gullible condition because they have never been asked, encouraged, or taught to learn by the process of questioning, disagreeing, challenging, or thinking. Rather, they are left to assume (whether intentionally or unintentionally) that all teachers are masters of their subjects and could neither teach nor believe anything wrong. Consequently, they learn by being programmed like a computer. They are not taught how to think, they are taught what to think. As a result, they become pathetic little parrots who all his life simply repeats what he hears.

Many on the other side of this scenario are convinced they are preaching the inflexible truth, and expect all their followers to blindly follow what they are passing down to them. They carry out a pastoral crusade of “Believe exactly the way I believe or be damned.”

Like the Catholic hierarchy of old, they indirectly their followers to blindly believe them, and then socially punish them in the name of “church discipline” if they do not.

To blindly believe any teaching is treacherously wrong. The Pharisees blindly believed the manmade and traditional teachings of their forefathers, equated them with the Scriptures, and guarded them with tenacity. Jesus told them that their blind adherence to those impotent teachings, and their insistence upon revering them, made their worship of God utterly vain (Mark 7:1-13).

Instead of blindly believing, we must honestly question every so-called Christian teaching. We must do it to weed out the irrelevant and wasteful manmade teachings from that which truly has eternal value. In Acts 17: 10-11, the Bereans even tested Paul’s teaching against the Scriptures, and were considered noble for their wise approach.

To question and test everything, even the fundamentals of the faith, and to put them on trial without the slightest bit of mercy, will prove the fundamental truths to be indeed true, and will do nothing less than substantially reinforce ones basic faith. It will also cause one to see that a lot of the other beliefs and ideas, especially extra-biblical ones, have to go.

Questioning is good, and not one dogma, theory, or interpretation should be exempted from its demolishing attempt. Truth will not be destroyed by questioning or scrutiny. It will always stand unbeatable, because questioning only confirms truth and makes it visibly stronger; not crumble it.

On the other hand, the manmade distortions of truth – those that we sometimes hold to be so valuable, and use as a criteria for fellowship, and are even sometimes willing to die for – will fall apart under such honest questioning. And anything that is destroyed by honest questioning is obviously spurious and deserves to be junked. By crumbling and falling apart, it proves to be vain.

One should never be asked or expected to believe blindly anything that a preacher says. They should be encouraged to honestly question and challenge everything they are told. One learns through the process of honest questioning, objective thinking, and respectful challenging is more apt to know in the end what is really true. He will also know “why” he believes it.

3. BIBLE TEACHING vs. BELIEVERS’ TRADITIONS

The premise of the Christian faith is the Bible, not passed-down provincial traditions. Many beliefs in the Christian community are held to be valuable not because there is any inherent biblical value in them, but simply because the former generation held them to be valuable.

We must give these “traditions” their lesser place. We should not be guilty of equating these provincial traditions with the teachings of Scripture. Jesus refused to tolerate this gross error among the Pharisees. And he refuses to tolerate it today among the hard-core legalists, despite the fact that most of them have hearts that are hardened to that notion, just was the Pharisee’s heart.

Separate bible teachings from believers’ provincial traditions. Do not give the latter any universal value, and any value at all. Never be guilty of misinterpreting the Bible because of looking at through the filter of believers’ provincial traditions. Endeavor to the best of your ability to strip away all traditions and look objectively at the Bible – the raw and naked Word of God.

4. SPIRIT PRESSURE vs. PEER PRESSURE

Do not be guilty of failing yield to the pressure of God’s Spirit. Don’t yield to the peer pressure. Many are so calloused to the pressure of God’s Spirit that the only pressure they feel in any real, effective, and decisive way was the sly but powerful pressure of peers.

Don’t misunderstand the peer pressure, and automatically feel it is God using it to keep you on track. Don’t confuse pressure from peers from God’s inner guidance. There is no such thing as pastoral peer pressure. Pastors using such methods and influence on their followers need to get out of the forest to see the trees. Unfortunately, pastoral peer pressure does exist where it should not exist at all. It can be just as harmful and destructive as worldly peer pressure. It can be rightly argued that pastoral peer pressure can be a positive motivational factor, but it can also be argued with just as much evidence that pastoral peer pressure can be a motivational factor in the “wrong direction,” especially if all your peers are going in the wrong direction.

If each of the peers is fearful of changing direction because of the risk of being condemned and ostracized by the others, the whole group is locked into an unchecked path. If one dares to break free to question the legitimacy of the group’s direction, he is quickly classified as a liberal, and thus ceases to wield any inside influence. None of the other pastors – again because of peer pressure – will give the guy a sympathetic or attentive ear. None of them will listen to his reasons or arguments. They will refuse to be associated with him, lest they, too, lose their acceptance.

Most pastors are influenced more by peer pressure than Spirit pressure. It’s obvious they are not listening to God’s Spirit as long as they continue to preach and believe their extreme and senseless traditions with a self-righteous and know-it-all attitude. They have become the Pharisees of our day, and their inner-circle peer pressure keeps them blinded to that fact.

To church or not To church?

Lately, I've been doing some deep reflecting on my attitude about what many are now calling the "institutional" or "organized" Church. Regardless of what we may label it, this is the bride of Christ. I concede that she may be tarnished, tainted and sickly in many ways. I even believe she is what I call a paraplegic bride, meaning (according to Webster's) the body does not work correctly or suffers paralysis. In my analysis, the mind (brain or head) is functioning as it should. The head is Jesus. It's the body that is suffering and malfunctioning. Something is wrong. The body is sick. That's what I mean by paraplegic bride.

Yes, you would have to be blind to not see that the body is divided against itself thru many numerous factions, denominations, sects and divisions. The general attitudes towards others within these variations is not healthy. The variations are expansive and the gaps are widening. Each thinks they are doing it right, or that they have something the others don't. Each one thinks the other is missing it. On the extreme side, there are even groups who believe they are the true Church, and everyone else is deceived and headed for eternal destruction. Then you have our many charismatic circles, who even have their own magazine which caters to a certain population of Christianity. In the area of doctrinal beliefs, we don't agree on whether or not God still does miracles, or if there are modern day prophets or apostles, or if the gifts of the Spirit have ceased or not. Are you filled with the Spirit at salvation or later as a "second work of grace"? Are you saved eternally or temporarily? Are you holy or legalistic? Can a catholic be charismatic or are they all deceived and headed to hell in a handbasket? Should we still practice the Levitical feasts and observe the law or are we free under the new covenant or is there a happy medium? The latest debate i've seen getting major playtime is the battle over end-time events and how and when it will all take place. Are you pre, mid, or post-trib, or are you pan-trib believing it will all "pan out" in the end? There are books and best-selling novels marketing each of these beliefs. I could go on and on and on and on......

If we were really interested in helping one another with issues such as these on our journey, that would be one thing. However, with so much division and animosity within the ranks of Christiandom over these and other issues, is it any wonder the secular world looks on with a smirk and disinterest? According to scripture, we're to be known as disciples of Jesus by our love for one another (John 13:34,35). I believe that is speaking about showing one another love within the body, and we seem to be seriously lacking in that area. Until we get that right, our "witness" to the world of God's love will be seriously lacking.

Let me go on a bit further. I also know the gripes against the Sunday morning routine, and to a large extent I agree and struggle with much of it. Our tightly scheduled services are so precise and programmed that there seems to be hardly any room for God to move by His Spirit unless He agrees to do it during our 3 fast songs and 2 slow songs. Let's pencil the creator of the universe into our schedule of events and give Him a few minutes, and we'll call it "waiting on God". You know, it's that 2 or 3 minutes of total silence that lasts until someone feels prompted to speak a message in tongues or prophecy. There are more programs and activities than the normal attendee can possibly hope to be involved in, and if you don't plant your financial "seed" faithfully, you can't expect to receive your "inheritance" that you so richly deserve as King's kids. How much of our tithes get lost in the abyss of building expansions, and how much really gets used to help the hungry and the needy in our midst and in our communities?

I know! Believe me, I know! I understand all of these things, and I am troubled about much of what I see - or don't see. Much of this is what prompted Londa and me to launch out and start our own fellowship around 2 years ago. We were hungry for the presence of God, and we wanted to provide a place where He could come and dwell in a setting that wasn't quite so structured and programmed. For a while it was good too! We have seen God move in and among us in some extraordinary ways, and it was refreshing. We have seen some people grow spiritually in phenomenal ways. However, we started feeling like we were starting to become more inward and maybe even critical, and this concerned us. It was time for change - seasons were changing again. We felt God was calling us to scatter and spread out and take what we have learned and experienced into the world and back into the mainstream Church body. It's one thing to recognize the various problems with something, but it's another to proactively do something about it.

As I said at the beginning, I have been reflecting on my attitude toward the Church. I want to be part of the solution, not the problem. For me, I see that as getting back into it, and affecting change from within. It means I may have to simply acknowledge things that tend to bother me on Sunday mornings, but rather than sit in my seat and criticize them I will seriously pray about them and ask God to show me how to deal with them. It may be that He tells me to sit down and shut up, or He may tell me to lovingly confront something and then let Him take it from there. One thing I believe he is telling me is that if I am coming to church on Sunday morning expecting the well-oiled machine to meet my spiritual needs, then I am putting my trust in the wrong thing. I can't hope to have my relationship with God depend upon 3 fast songs and a slow song one morning per week. I can't hope to grow by doing no more than listening to a 30 minute message by the pastor. I must be a worshipper 7 days a week. I must dig into the scriptures and pray for understanding, and build my relationship with God everyday. The Sunday morning meeting is a way to meet corporately with others of like-mind and similar understanding, not the answer to all my personal needs; a way to be built up and to encourage one another with psalms and spiritual songs - sort of a quick recharging for the week to come. It's a place of refuge and being amongst people who are all mystically connected to Jesus - the Head.

The pastor is not the pope or priest. He does not have a corner market on access to God that we can't attain. His calling is not to babysit us or to go to God for us, but to help equip and protect us. If we look to him for anything else, we are in danger of placing him on a pedestal that no man belongs on. We are each priests under a new and better way, and if we would start to act like that is true, the pastor's role in the local church would be so much easier. As a person who has pastored people, and who has repeatedly hit on these issues, I see that I have an opportunity once again, to practice what I have preached for the past couple of years.

Go after God on your own. You want presence? Don't wait on anyone else - go after Him! You want to grow spiritually? He's available and waiting for a deeper relationship. He's not some force that it always just out of reach. He wants to be pursued and caught so much more than we want to catch Him. He is waiting for us to satisfy our hunger in Him. Don't wait on your pastor or your church or your home group to do this for you. Do it yourself, and then be the shining example of what it's all about. Provoke one another to jealousy by enjoying the divine romance with your creator. Be outspoken about it - in church! Be proactive about it - in church! Share your personal experiences - in church! Then see what happens.

For us, we see ourselves still having people over from time to time in an informal way just to fellowship, worship and enjoy the presence of God in our home - maybe as a "home group" but probably not. Why do we have to label it? We have found that some of the best meetings with God and friends we've ever had were spontaneous and informal - not necessarily attached to any one brand of denomination, but just a bunch of God's children coming under the banner of Jesus to enjoy His presence.

Listen, the answer is not to discard the "traditional", "organized", "institutionalized" church, and hide away in closets and private home meetings, although I am NOT against home churches. Actually, I love them and I think they have their place. But someone needs to affect change within the structure so that it can once again be a force in the earth affecting change for the glory of God. Jesus is our common denominator. Let's focus on Him, not on the other numerous secondary issues of doctrine that divide. Hey, i'm not a universalist, and i'm not looking for a one world religion. I'm also not neglecting the importance of certain issues of doctrine, and I know that we will have divisions as long as humans are involved. I just think we need to focus a bit more on the one thing that truly matters above all else - Jesus. Simplistic I know, but if we're going to be divided over something, let it be over Jesus. After all, He promised that He would be the cause of division. If i'm going to have something come between me and someone else, let it be that I believe Jesus is King and is the only way to God and is coming again for His bride one day, not whether or not T.D. Jakes is a bishop. I don't want to be known as a religious watchdog, but rather a Jesus Freak.

-David

To be continued...

Change, change, change...

Anyone that knows us knows that we desire to be in the will of God for our lives. That means we are constantly aware of change in seasons. Sometimes this is not so easy.

The latest news is that we are no longer pastoring the church we planted two years ago. For a while, we were feeling change was in the air, and just a few weeks ago, we made the difficult decision to initiate the change. This was not an easy thing to announce, but we really feel God's purposes will be revealed.

Since then, we've joined another local church called Church on the Rock. The boys will really enjoy the youth group, but they really miss their own group which was led by Brian.

I have two more weeks for this semester of my college experience. I have been stretched to the limit, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! After summer, I have one more course and then I graduate. It's gonna be worth the sacrifice.

Londa's job as Office Manager at Kingdom Preparatory Academy (KPA) is going well. She enjoys working there, and being able to work at the same school our kids attend is a blessing for us.

more to come...

More than 16 years and still In Love!

Thanksgiving 2005

Crazy! 

The Hankins Boys

As of Thanksgiving 05, their ages are:

David (DJ) - 15

Cameron - 13

Micah - 10

David is itching to get a part-time job and start driving. Yikes! He still loves to draw and read and spend time on the computer researching the latest Christian music or doing computer graphics. He's quite good! He still plans on being a missionary to Africa. That's not too far away now (Yikes!).

Cameron is a skater with an image. His life is about perfecting kick-flips, Christ-air, Ollies, and so on. He is still playing guitar (accoustic and electric) and continues to surprise us with his talent.

Micah still lives in "Micah's world". He's happy, content and just enjoys life.

First blog!

Hey there! This is the first official blog on the Hankins Clan blog site!
Testing, testing, 1,2,3...