Ten Questions

In today’s message I referred to Don Whitney’s blog, biblicalspirituality.com. As promised, I am providing in today’s blog the list of ten questions he believes you should ask yourself at the beginning of each year and also at your birthday. I provide them for you, hoping you will take time on this last day of 2006 to prepare for every day in 2007.

As I said in my message this morning, I am not big into New Year’s Resolutions. However, I am big on the critical evaluation that comes naturally as the result of entering a new year.

Take time today to wrestle with these questions:

1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

Giving Grace with Being Gracious

Just when some thought Donald Trump had figured out the gift of grace, he proves them wrong. It appears Mr. Trump’s “second chance” opportunity with Miss USA Tara Conner was more for pumping his image than it was for promoting grace.

Where is the proof?

Surely by now you have heard of Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell exchanging verbal barbs over his act of grace. It started when Rosie O’Donnell said on her morning television show “The View”:

"Because his show ‘The Apprentice' is starting again in January, he held a big press conference to see if he was going to allow Miss USA, such a prestigious title. It's basically a model competition . . . They have one question in Miss USA, yeah and they're like ‘I'd like to cure cancer and end world hunger – and then I'd like to go to Studio 54 and do some crack.'"

“There he is, hair looping, going everywhere; everyone deserves a second chance. He's the moral authority? Left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair, had kids both times, but he's the moral compass for twenty year olds in America. Donald, sit and spin, my friend."

She also said she expected him to sue her but added "he'll probably be bankrupt by that time so I won't have to worry."

To that Trump retorted:

"Rosie's been a loser for a long time," he told Access. "Her magazine failed, she got sued. She folded up like a tent."

"Rosie is somebody out of control who really just doesn't have it and she ought to be careful because I'll send one of my friends to pick up her girlfriend and I think it would be very easy," he said.

Just a few days ago many were giving Mr. Trump kudos for his act of grace toward Miss USA. You will recall I asked some serious questions about his motive and intent. Today, I think some of those questions have been answered.

Once again, the Donald has prompted me to ask some questions and provide some thoughts about grace.

Here is a good question: can someone extend true grace to another human being with being gracious? That is what Mr. Trump has pulled off. He extended grace to Tara Conner, yet did so without being gracious. For if he was truly gracious, he would have withheld his comments about Rosie O’Donnell.

Here is another question worth asking: how can someone seem so merciful on Monday and yet turn so callous two days later? Were they actually being merciful or was their mercy a mere act?

If I were one of Mr. Trump’s advisers I would suggest he let Rosie O’Donnell’s words fall by the wayside. Rosie accomplished much when Trump decided to respond with his own spiteful comments. By lashing back, Trump gave credence to Rosie’s thoughts. If he had remained silent, no one would care what she said by this weekend. Often times the best response to a vengeful word is to respond with silence.

While watching this scenario unfold over the last few days, I started comparing Mr. Trump’s and Miss O’Donnell’s tirade to the words Jesus gave us in Matthew 5:1-12. In case you have not heard, if the Lord is willing I want to preach the Sermon on the Mount for much of 2007. The message series begins January 21 as we examine each of the eight beatitudes.

Read what Jesus said as you think about Donald and Rosie’s outburst:

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter
all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:1-12

Can you imagine the kind of stir Trump would have created if he had remained focused on his motives from Monday? Better yet, what if he responded with one of the Beattitudes instead of with vengeance? There would be no way possible to measure the response according to hype and ratings. Instead, it appears Donald extended grace without being gracious. Again, I ask, is that possible? Is it possible to give grace to others without being a gracious person? Perhaps it is in Donald Trump’s empire, but I know it is not true in the kingdom of God.

Second Chances

So, what did you think of Donald Trump giving Miss USA Tara Conner a second chance amid stories of her bar hopping and underage drinking? (By the way, she turned 21 on Monday!)

I would be curious to read your thoughts. I have a few questions followed by some thoughts.

Did you hear Trump’s rationale for the decision? Trump said of Miss USA, “Tara is a good person. Tara has tried hard. Tara is going to be given a second chance.” Okay, what is it in Trump’s mind that makes Tara Conner a good person? Is it that she showed genuine remorse for her behavior? What would distinguish Tara as a bad person? Better yet, why was she given a second chance?

Here is another question worth asking: is it a bit duplicitous for Donald Trump to be making a moral judgment about someone else’s behavior?

Here is an equally painful question: what motivated Trump to make this decision? Was it an attempt to generate positive publicity? If this were not a public issue, but a private one, would he had said, “You’re fired!”?

Did you hear Miss Conner’s response to Trump’s second chance opportunity? Fighting back tears, she said, "In no way did I think it would be possible for a second chance to be given to me." Then she commented directly to Trump, "You'll never know what this means to me, and I swear I will not let you down.”

Don’t you wish she followed James imperative to “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes” and your ‘no’ be ‘no’”?
Let’s take a minute to think about forgiveness and second chances.

First, the Bible defines forgiveness as a pardon. To pardon is to choose not to punish. Donald Trump, as the owner of the Miss USA Pageant chose not to punish Miss Connor for her behavior. I think that is noble. However, I think we should also realize that every sin has its consequence. And even though we may be pardoned for our sins, we will never escape the consequence of our sin.

One of the key ingredients associated with true remorse is to accept the consequence. Otherwise, it appears you are just trying to get out of paying your wrong.

I believe a strong indicator of true remorse and repentance includes SAYING you intend to do differently in the future, and also ACTING differently about that behavior.

Thus, the true test of Miss USA’s remorse is whether or not she actually means it and shows it by her actions. And the validity of Mr. Trump’s pardon will be seen in whether or not he holds this act over her head.

Finally, and most importantly, aren’t you thankful the Lord Jesus Christ gives us second chances? And let me add third chances, fourth chances, fifth chances, and sixth chances and…I think you get the picture. If it were not for grace of Jesus Christ, none of us would have a shot at a first chance, much less a second chance; not Trump, not Miss USA nor you or me.

A Christmas Prayer

What can I say about last night? It was a truly worshipful experience. If you were part of the standing-room-only crowd, you know what I am talking about. Steve Parr and I are already thinking about offering a matinee next year to accommodate the crowd.

I am so proud of Bryan Haskins, our children’s choir, adult choir, orchestra and media team. I commend everyone for making the evening a time of true worship.

Just think, last August CrossPoint officially formed its first ever choir. And last night that choir communicated the birth account of Christ through a powerful demonstration of worship.

I know I am prejudiced when I say this, but I think I would rather hear our choir sing than any other choir. When Bryan and his choir lead in worship I am always conscious of the presence of God.

Wow, we should be thankful. Again, last night was tremendous.

This Weekend and Next

The next two weekends are big weekends of celebration for CrossPoint. This Sunday, Bryan Haskins, along with our orchestra and choir will be presenting “A Christmas Prayer” at 6:00 PM. I walked through the worship center last Wednesday night and the rehearsal sounded awesome. The choir ministers to CrossPoint once a month, and this Sunday night promises to be their best and biggest ministry opportunity yet. I hope you have invited a friend to worship with us. You will be glad you did.

The next Sunday is Christmas Eve. We have decided to offer two Christmas Eve Celebrations in order to compensate for the overflow crowd. The first worship is at 9:30 AM, followed by the second worship at 10:45 AM. A very special guest has been invited to sing for us that morning. Some of you know this guest, many of you do not. After you hear them sing, you will be glad you know who they are. Even though they live in another state, I consider the guest and their entire family CrossPointers at heart.

After that, the next two weekends slow down a bit for CrossPoint, and rightly so. The next big celebration on the horizon will be Sunday, January 14, 2007, when we celebrate our second birthday as a church.

It’s fun being a part of a choice church like CrossPoint. Even when we slow things down, it is still exciting!

They Get It!

My baby girl, Kelsey, is in the ninth grade this year. School for Kelsey is more of a social experiment than a learning exercise. I am not saying she is a bad student. Kelsey does well in school, and works hard for her good grades. What I am saying, however, is that school for Kelsey is a place to mix and mingle. She is my social child. Kelsey loves people. (I wonder who she gets that trait from.)

The other night during supper Kelsey related a story from school that motivated me mightily. She said her English teacher wrote three words on the chalkboard—omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. Then the teacher asked if anyone knew what those words meant.
Kelsey confided that she knew their meaning, but was embarrassed to raise her hand. The teacher paused, and then asked again if anyone could provide a definition. Kelsey finally raised her hand after no one else responded and said, “Those are three words used to describe God, meaning He is everywhere, He can do anything and He knows everything.”

I am positive our neighbors thought we were cheering for a football game when her mother, brother and I erupted with applause and cheers. Taylor gave Kelsey a big “high five”. I responded with “You go girl!” Her mother called her our “trophy child!”

Wow, my baby girl gets it! She does more than experience God in worship; she actually knows who He is.

Many other CrossPoint students get it as well.

For example, the other night I was leaving a high school basketball game when one of our students informed me that he had not sworn all week. He said, “I either say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I have not said, ‘I swear’ all week.” I hugged his neck and then gently informed him I would continue praying for him, especially since it was only Monday.

One more example of our kids getting it, and I am done.

I spoke with another CrossPoint student this week. He wanted me to know why I had not seen him recently in worship on Sunday mornings. He said, “My dad has moved to the other side of town. And I feel like I need to go worship with him until he finds a church he likes. I still come here every Wednesday night. As soon as he finds a church home, I will be back at CrossPoint on Sunday mornings. I feel like if I go with him each Sunday I can help him get involved somewhere soon.”

CrossPoint’s student ministry and her parents must be doing something right. We’ve got too many kids who get it. They have learned who God is and what He expects from them.

Do you get it?

Only A God Like You

Wow, as of Sunday afternoon our World Missions Offering reached $65,553.68. I am most positive that amount will approach $66,000 by the day’s end. Who knows what the total will be by the end of the week, or by the end of the year. This I know for certain: our goal was $45,000, while our Father’s goal was much higher.

While reflecting on such a record-shattering accomplishment, the Lord put Tommy Walker’s song “Only A God Like You” in my heart. I sang it several times Sunday afternoon as a testimony to what God did Sunday morning.

“Only A God Like You”

For the praises of man

I will never ever stand

For the kingdoms of this world

I'll never give my heart away

Oh shout my praise

My allegiance and devotion

My heart's desire and all emotion

Go to serve the Man

Who died upon that tree

Only a God like You

Could be worthy of my praise

And all my hope and faith

To only a King of all kings

Do I bow my knee and sing

Give my everything

Only a God like You

Could be worthy of my praise

And all my hope and faith

To only a King of all kings

Do I bow my knee and sing

Give my everything

To only my Maker my Father my Savior

Redeemer Restorer Rebuilder Rewarder

To only a God like You

Do I give my praise.

Only the God Who left His throne above

He came to live with us

Came to be one of us

Who stopped to heal that blind man

Took the time to save that one last lamb

To only the King Who wore that crown of thorns

So I could wear the crown of life

And to only the One Who conquered sin and death

So we could be set free

So we could stand here and sing

Only a God like You

Only a God like You

Only a God like You

To only my Maker my Father my Savior

Redeemer Restorer Rebuilder Rewarder

To only a God like You

Do I give my praise

I give my praise.

Running and the Will of God

One of the reasons I enjoy running is that it allows me uninterrupted time to meditate on Scripture. Reciting Scripture helps me concentrate. In addition to great physical exercise, I receive great spiritual exercise as well.

During my run last Tuesday evening the Lord returned my thoughts to the 1 John 2 passage that spoke so loudly to me early Monday morning (see “Do Not Love the World”). After meditating on the word for an hour or so, this is what I learned.

God commands us:

Do not love the world or anything in the world.
1 John 2:15a

Why? Why does God command us not to love the world or anything in the world?

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15b

Is there any other reason God commands us not to love the world?

For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
1 John 2:16

What else? Is there any other reason why God commands us not to love the world or in anything in world?

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:17

That last sentence is provocative, isn’t it?

The world and its desires pass way. The world is transitory. Everything in the world is short term. The world is like a vapor or a mist that appears for a time and then evaporates.

On the other hand, the man who does the will of God is not momentary. He (or she) who does the will of God is enduring. The person who does the will of God lives a life that matters.

I don’t know about you, but I want my life to count. I want what I do to matter. The secret to living a life of meaning and purpose is to live a life sold out to doing the will of God.

And the People Gave...

We can never stop being amazed at what God does!! The yearly goal set at CrossPoint for world missions was $45,000. The total given year-to-date was over $28,000. This Sunday morning, CrossPointers and guests alike gave to the World Missions offering to bring a grand total of $64,896 to World Missions. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

For God’s Glory and Our Good

Today is a strange anniversary for my family, particularly for my mother. It was one year ago today my mother’s house caught on fire.

I will not go into all the details of that particular day one year later. However, I do think it is important to remember a moment from that experience that stands above all the others.

About an hour or so after the fire had been extinguished, all of mom’s kids and grandkids gathered around her in the driveway like a bunch of baby chicks around the mother hen. Standing in and around us also included some thoughtful neighbors, firemen and dear friends from CrossPoint.

I recall wondering what to say. Being the preacher in the family I thought it was my duty to speak. Before I could think of what to utter my mother spoke up.

She said, “Ryan has been teaching us at church that everything happens for two reasons. First, kids, everything happens for God’s glory.” Then she pauses, as if to keep her composure. “Second…” she says, with another pause.

I could sense she was searching for the right words. Then, she looked at me and asked, “Ryan, what is the second reason for everything that happens to us?”

With tears streaming down my face, I replied, “Mom, everything that happens to those who love God happens for God’s glory and for our good.”

“That’s right kids. Everything that happens to us happens for God’s glory and for our good.”

That day will always stick out in my mind as one of great loss, but it will also serve as a day of great faith. That day I could see how God was using the house fire for His glory. So many people could see and hear of my mother’s great faith. One year later, God is still getting the glory and we can now see how the fire worked for my mother’s good. She is living in a brand new house, with everything she needs for her comfort and security.

Although it costs my mother a lot of keepsakes, she knows personally the purpose for every occurrence in life—whether good or bad. She knows firsthand all things happen for God’s glory and her good.

Do Not Love the World

So, what did you think of Shane Clark from Laughing Child International?

Shane is a unique visionary, isn’t he? It is obvious the Lord has developed an exceptional vision through Shane to reach the children of South Africa. God will not deposit that much experience, education and wisdom in an individual without expecting a huge return on His investment.

Below are a few of his thoughts that spoke to me. I list these praying one or two sentences will stir your heart:

• “God is too big to be squeezed into your world. By His grace, He invites you to participate in His kingdom.”
• “God wants you more than you want Him.”
• “God wants to use you more than you want to be used by Him.”
• “Missions is not a program; missions is the heart of God.”
• The question is not whether God loves the world. The pressing question is whether we love the world. If we love the world, prove it.”
• “To be effective you must understand the big “T” Truth of God’s Word and the little “t” truth of God’s world.”
• “Faith is not about asking God for a new car. Faith is asking God if you need to sell your car or give it away for missions.”
• “The greatest failure is life is not that you are unsuccessful. The greatest failure in life is that you would be successful at something that does not matter.”
• “When I stand before God, I want to stand before Him with empty pockets.”

I expect I will be inviting Shane Clark to return again as our guest in the future. He and I plan to remain in contact with one another as the Lord broadens his Laughing Child Ministry into Latin America in 2007.

At the conclusion of the worship celebrations yesterday morning I informed you that I mistakenly thought God brought Shane Clark to CrossPoint to speak to directly to you. I did not realize God brought the man to CrossPoint to speak to specifically to me.

I can tell you without reservation that the Lord got my attention yesterday, and He did it on so many levels.

While reflecting on the events of yesterday, God spoke directly to me through His Word this morning. Like a bolt of light, God opened my eyes to the following words recorded by John:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:15-17

Sometimes as believers and followers of Christ, we fall back in love with the world, don’t we? We are drawn into the trap through the “cravings of sinful man.” As James says so precisely says, “…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (James 1:14).

This morning, I am both appalled and surprised by my worldliness. I know this “love for the world” did not happen over night. However, the conviction I am experiencing this morning seems to make it feel that way. Somehow, some way, I have allowed areas of my life slip back into a shallow worldly condition. There are earthly things I have been clinging to that have no eternal value. There are worldly agendas I have created that are not of God. There are secret sins I have committed and concealed, thinking God does not see them.

A fellow CrossPointer said the sweetest thing to me Sunday morning. He said, “Ryan, I can tell you are wrestling with something today. I promise to pray for you as you find out what it is.” What an encouraging word!

I want that CrossPointer to know his prayer has been answered. I now know what it is that I have been wrestling. I have been wrestling God. God confronted me with my worldliness yesterday and today. And every time we wrestle with God, He always wins.

There is so much more I could write about this morning, but I will stop for now. My confession of sin is starting to create a huge hole of vulnerability within me, and that makes me extremely uncomfortable.

As John implored us in 1 John 3, I now implore each of you—“Do not love the world!”

Does anybody have an explanation?

This morning I purchased a tank of gas for $2.08 a gallon. I drove to the other side of town to run a quick errand. When I returned one hour later, the same gas station now had the same fuel priced at $2.15 a gallon. The price jumped seven cents in one hour. What is up with that?