"Wisdom" Game

A few weeks ago, I tried attaching a link to this cool game we played in class the other night. We talked about "Back to School Wisdom" from the book of Proverbs. I never could successfully get it to where other people could download it. Well, I think that has changed and this is the link.

This game is so simple. Just advance to the next slide and a quote will appear. Try to guess who said it: Mark Twain, Phil Robertson, or Si. Click again to advance the next slide and a pic of who said it will appear. The next click will give you a new quote. Tons of fun!

Hopefully you will be able to download it and play it with your teens at church!

Btw, this game is the geniousness of Jon, so you know it's gonna be good!

Did Jesus ever go to Hell?

 

As a follower of Jesus, we all must confess that the human soul lives forever. We must agree that when the soul is separated from the physical human body it goes somewhere. We must also confess that it goes one of two places: heaven or hell. As a christian, we understand the bible teaches all those who trust Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, are made new to love Jesus, and have a relationship with Him go to a place the Bible calls "heaven". Alternately, those who never turn to Jesus in faith go to a place the bible calls "hell". The bible is extremely clear on this matter. The question at hand is "did Jesus Himself ever go to hell?" "What happened those three days between his death and resurrection?"

I believe the bible also plainly gives us the answer to these questions. Let me share two reasons with you of how I know Jesus did not go to hell:

1. "It is finished." (John 19:30) I spent several years in the fencing business. During that time, I put up all types of fences, everything from chain link to privacy to livestock fencing. Usually when you're talking about the cost of a fence, you're talking about a significant amount of money. Let's just say $1,000 won't go very far (pun intended). The process between the customer and myself for a fence job was relatively simple. Customers calls. I go measure and give an estimate. Customer approves. Customer signs contract and pays 50% of total job. I install the fence. Customer pays the remaining 50%. Notice how the customer pays the fence off when I'm done. If I were to go to a customer for my final payment on a fence that was going to keep their favorite dogs in, but I haven't put up the gates yet, what do you think they would say? Well....let me tell you what they would say, "Where are my gates?! This fence won't keep my dogs in!! I'm not paying you until my fence is FINISHED!"

Finished means finished. When Jesus was on that cross and He said "it is finished", He didn't mean "I'm almost done but I still have to go hang the gates." The job was complete. The debt was paid. Sin atoned for. Salvation accomplished. It. Is. Finished.

2. "Today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) A couple of things about this verse stand out. "Today" for one. Today is not yesterday. Today is not tomorrow. And Today is certainly not in three days. When Jesus told the thief He would see him today, that's what He meant. If that's not true, Jesus is a liar. If Jesus is a liar, Jesus wasn't God and He wasn't the Lamb without blemish. If He wasn't without blemish, He couldn't pay for our sins. If He didn't pay for our sins, no one has. If our sins aren't paid for, we're all eternally separated from God in a place the bible calls Hell.

"Paradise." When I think of paradise, I think of a nice quiet island somewhere out in the ocean. The sun is out. The skies are blue. The water is clear. The only thing I hear is the crashing of the waves and a couple of seagulls. It's peaceful.

However, when I read about hell, there are no blue skies. It's a place of "outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12). I see no blue skies or clear water. There is a "lake of fire" (Rev 20:10). I hear no waves and no seagulls. I hear "weeping and gnashing teeth" (Matthew 8:12). There is no peace, but only "torment day and night forever and ever" (Rev 20:10).

If Jesus "paradise" is hell, I don't won't to go there. And I'll bet that thief didn't either. Don't worry, the thief didn't go to hell. And Jesus didn't either. That very day they both went to Paradise.

Jesus didn't need to go to hell, it came to Him on that cross.

 

Decorating the basement for VBS!

VBS starts Monday! This year's theme is "Crown Him King". The lessons are written by my good friend Jon Forrest. He also shares the stage props with us. It doesn't get any better....churches working together for the glory of God!

Hope to post some pics of the stage next week!

Here are a few of our VBS decorations for the basement of our church! Can't wait until Monday!

Coolest bulletin board ever!

Very cool between the posts! Tablecloths and banners

Plastic tablecloths, torches, and homemade shields on the walls

Gold posterboard and red duct tape

Still have to cut out the doorway here

Adoption, sharing stories, and that BIG question in the mind of some

My mind has been one track here lately.......adoption. I have no idea why. And, NO, we're not starting another adoption now or in the very near future (but we do plan to adopt again in the not-so-very-near future, let's at least get the three we have out of diapers and talking decent haha)! 

It seems like everything I'm reading lately has to do with adoption also. I must admit that I love it! I love hearing about people who are thinking about adopting, who have started adopting, who are traveling to get their children or for court, who are bringing kids home, I love it all. As a tears roll down my cheek (literally), I love the thought and the reality of there being one less orphan! My heart leaps with joy over one less person being fatherless and motherless! The truth is,  God's heart does too. It is always the Father's will for us to "defend the orphan" (Isaiah 1:17 NASB) and "to visit orphans..... in their affliction" (James 1:27 ESV). 

Having said that, I want to share two quick things.

1. If you or someone you know of is thinking about adopting or is in the process of adopting or you have adopted children in the past, I would love to hear your stories. Nothing is too small. Nothing is insignificant. I would love to hear about blogs you follow, travel experiences you've had, fundraisers you did, orphanages you've visited, books you have read, or whatever you would like to share. Also feel free to ask any questions you might have about adoption. I might not be able to answer some of them, but I'm sure my wife could if I can't (don't tell her I said that, I don't want her getting the big head or anything haha).

2. I read a really good article this morning. It is an excellent read for anyone who has had thoughts or interests about adopting but didn't take them seriously for whatever reason. There could possibly be this one thought or question, in particular, in your mind and it's holding you back. Although I never "struggled" with this, it definitely crossed my mind in the beginning and I can say the exact same thing that Pastor Jason Helopoulos says in this article. Check it out!


http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2013/04/17/adoption-a-real-question/

You can always reach me by commenting here on the blog. You can also find me on Facebook and  Twitter (@jasonwcarney). Or just shoot me an email at jasonwcarney@yahoo.com

8 reasons why Christians (and others) don't come to church.

One of the most frustrating things for me in the entire world is that pastors, and faithful church members, spend so much time trying to convince "Christians" to come to church. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I wouldn't have to beg or convince a basketball player to go to the gym. I wouldn't have to beg a fisherman to go to the lake. Why in the world the world do I have to beg a Christian to come to church? Think with me as I explore some possibilities.

1. They are scared. Not to be confused with "scarred". I'm sure you've heard the expression about the roof falling in on the guy's head as soon as he walks in the church because of his horrible lifestyle. Although it is a bit of an exaggeration, I think some people literally believe that. They actually believe God is displeased, even angry, with the life they are living and the first chance He gets, He's taking them out. Little do they know, if that was the case, God is not limited to church walls. The psalmist says it best in 139:8, "If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go down to the grave, You are there" (NLT). Fortunately for us, and them, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Maybe they are afraid of funny looks or being underdressed. I don't what else, but I'm certain that some people are literally afraid to come inside.

2. They are scarred. They went to church for years as a child, but then they realized the deacons went to a strip club every Thursday night. Those guys who were so "holy and nice" on Sunday turned out to be only "whitewashed tombs" (Matthew 23:27), filled with evil and hypocrisy. They went to church for years, then their parents died early. They went to church for years, then the preacher ran off with the piano player. They went to church for years, then caught their spouse cheating. They went to church for years, then a fistfight broke out in a business meeting and caused the whole church to split. They are scarred. They had a horrible experience and don't plan on giving any second chances. Reopening the wound isn't worth it. And neither is creating an opportunity for another one.

3. The church is known for judgment, not grace. They got convicted of murder. They got convicted of theft. They used to be a stripper. They have tattoos up one arm and down the other. They think they know what the people are going to say, "you don't belong here"or "you're not welcome here". Maybe it's not even through words, just those looks out of the corner of their eyes while they whisper to their neighbor in their Sunday best. People see the church as more of a prison, than a hospital. They see the church wounding and not healing. They see condemnation and not freedom. They see the law, but never the Gospel.

4. They simply aren't saved. The church is for christians. Are those outside of Christ welcome? Absolutely! But we come to worship the One True God. We come to exalt and lift up His name, the name of Jesus, the only name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). We come to serve Him, to be His hands, feet, and mouth. We come to use our gifts that He has freely given (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12). We come to testify to the truth of the Gospel and it's saving power. We come to be fed by the Bread of Life, which is God's Good and Perfect Word. We come to love on others, the "brothers" as the apostle John calls them repeatedly in 1 John. People who aren't saved don't have any desire to do any of these things, in fact, they "cannot" according to Romans 8:7.

5. They feel guilty. Since "there is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10), all people experience guilt. Not just any guilt, but specifically guilt over sin. Guilt comes from breaking the law of God. It could be one of the Ten Commandments, it could be something from the Sermon on the Mount, or it could be any failure to obey one of the many principles laid out in the epistles. The totality of the Bible is God's Word and makes up the law of God. When we break any of them, we feel bad because we were not created to break them, but instead we were created to live by them. People think they can run from guilt by staying away from God's church and His people. Thankfully, we all "show that the law is written on [our] hearts, while [our] conscience also bears witness" (Romans 2:15). There is no outrunning guilt.

6. They are selfish. (Also known as lazy.) "Listen I work from 7-5 Monday through Friday and from 7-12 on Saturday. The last thing I want to do on my day off is have somewhere else to be." "It's my only day to sleep in." "It's my only time to go grocery shopping." "My kids are gone to their dad's and this is the only alone time I have all week." How many times have you heard these? Sometimes people simply love their self more than Jesus.

7. They are ignorant. I am by no means calling anyone stupid or dumb. Ignorance could also be thought of as "uneducated". It simply means, they don't know any better. No one has taken the time to sit down and teach them about their need to be involved with a local congregation.

8. They think they can make it alone. "I meet with God everyday." " I pray everyday." "Me and God, we got our own thing worked out. He knows how I am and that I don't like to be around many other people." Some people actually believe that God cuts deals with individuals, contrary to His revealed Word. Others think as long as they have a time where they talk to God on a regular basis, everything is ok. Many say "just because I don't go to church, doesn't mean I'm not a christian". What they don't understand is this, most of the New Testament letters are written to the church and can only be understood and interpreted in that context. They apply specifically to the church. If people weren't supposed to gather together as a church, we wouldn't have a New Testament in our Bible.

I don't know which one of these is you. I hope none of them. But if one of them is you, let me encourage you to find a church and attend it regularly. Not just any church, not just the one closest to your house. It doesn't even have to be the one your grandmother goes to. Just find a church that teaches the Bible. Find a church that preaches the Gospel. Find a church where you can feel God's presence. Find a church where you are welcome, where you are loved, where you can serve. It might not even be the first one you go to. If it's not, keep going to others, keep looking, keep searching. Don't miss a service. The first time you do, it will get easier and easier to miss more and more until eventually you find yourself on the couch watching Joel Osteen (God forbid!).

Trust me, you cannot maintain a healthy, vibrant, growing relationship with Jesus Church without a local church family. You need grace, accountability, love, friends who are likeminded, a place to serve, biblical preaching, and biblical conversations. You need a church family. It will change your life!

What about you? Why don't you go to church? What are some reasons or excuses you have heard others use to stay out of church? What are the ones you used yourself in the past?  

As always, I would love to hear from you! Comment here, reach me on Facebook, or write me by email at jasonwcarney@yahoo.com .

6 Reasons You May Not Be Trusted

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." If you are a student of the Bible you probably know this verse by heart. Of course it's Proverbs 3:5. It was actually the text God led me to preach my very first sermon ever on (or maybe it was the only one I was capable of trying to explain at the time lol). It's one that, as followers of Jesus, we stand on continually. Sometimes we don't know what's going on in our life, we don't know where to turn, and we don't know what's next. We only hold tight to this word from God Himself. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's easy. The same is true when we are dealing with people. Sometimes it's easy to trust them, sometimes its not. Although we are commanded to trust God in many places in the Bible, no where are we commanded to trust one another. We may expect it, but never receive it. Why is that? I want to suggest a few reasons why there is a lack of trust among people, maybe even you.

1) New. You're the new guy. Hardly anyone trusts the new guy. No matter what the position is. Sure there is a basic level of trust extended to most all humans, but Donald Trump isn't going to hand a money bag with $50,000 cash in it to someone he hired yesterday to take it to the bank. Likewise, most people don't go over to their new neighbor's house spilling all their martial problems. Sometimes the reason you aren't trusted is simply because you are new.

2) Unexperienced. I mowed this one yard down at the golf course for probably 8 years. It was the trickiest yard I have ever mowed on a weekly basis. It was steep all the way around the entire house. The worst part was in the back. There was a strip of grass in the back we maintained that was about 50-60ft wide in the skinniest part. It was between the house and about an 80ft drop off that you can barely walk on. At the bottom of the drop off was a pond and the pond was full of snapping turtles. The snapping turtles weren't really the bad part. It's the fact that if someone made one mistake on the mower, they would go down that drop off into the pond below. One mistake and it was bye bye employee and mower, hello workers' comp and general liability insurance claims. Needless to say, I was the only one to mow that part for quite some time. Eventually, when I had more experienced help, I allowed them to mow that part. However, I would never ever allow someone who had never been on a zero turn mow that part. It's not necessarily that you can't do whatever needs doing, its more that people want to feel comfortable and confident that you can do what needs to be done. Sometimes people don't trust you because you are unexperienced.

3) Failure. Some people have messed up and everyone knows about it. They've lied. They've cheated. They've stolen. People know it. Sure it may have been in the past. Sure people may have forgiven them. However, they still aren't willing to trust them. They aren't willing to leave their car unlocked with the person around. They've been proven "untrustworthy". Sometimes people don't trust you because of your failure.

4) Reputation. Some people are known for a string of failures and/or mistakes. And it wasn't just once. It has been time, after time, after time. You and I both know of people who have not just one DUI, but two, three, or maybe even four. And because of multiple offenses, they have now made a reputation for themselves. They are known as a drunk driver. The police know what they drive. They know what bar they hang out at. They probably even know who they were there with. Why? Because of their reputation. Sometimes people don't trust you because of your reputation.

5) Position. Raise your hand if you trust every politician in government office right now. Raise your hand if you trust any politician in government office right now. I didn't see any hands at all. My point exactly. The unfortunate part is it's not only politicians. (Many times this "position" distrust is directly tied to personal experience also.)

Maybe you have been to three different doctors in the past week and received three different diagnoses. Which one do you trust? You trust the one who you find out was right. The other two.....you tell all your friends and family about how wrong they were and about how that medicine he gave you resulted in really bad gas.

Several months back I ran into a family who wouldn't allow their kids to come to church on the church van but I knew the kids wanted to come. So what did I do? I did what every good youth pastor should do....I went to their house. After probably an hour of conversation about everything from the weather to Free Will Baptist doctrine (and never being invited inside on a really cold night), I got to the bottom of the issue. The youth pastor at the church where they had previously attended got caught with one of the teenage girls doing inappropriate things. He was fired. They haven't been to church since. Sometimes people don't trust you because of the position you are in.

6) Self. Some people don't trust others because they don't trust their own self. They know their own wicked thoughts. They know their own shortcomings and struggles. If I couldn't trust myself to tell the truth, how could I ever trust someone else to tell it? You can't. One key to being able to trust others is trusting ourself. It's repenting of sin in our lives. It's minimizing our failures. It's getting our reputation back to one of integrity. It's doing right no matter what others in our same position are doing. When we do these things, we can trust ourself and that allows us to trust others.

These are just a few thoughts that come to my mind about why people may or may not trust you. Some of these can be avoided, some can't. It all depends on the territory and nature of your situation. I hope you are trusted. I hope I am trusted. And no matter what, trust Jesus. He never fails.

What about you? What is a reason you don't trust a certain person or group of people? What is a reason you found yourself not being trusted by others?

Jesus vs. Luck

I always feel guilty every time the words "Good Luck" leave my lips. In fact, I now am so aware of it that I rarely do it anymore. You are probably thinking "What is the big deal? Everyone else says it. Why don't we just say it too?" You might be right. It might not be a huge deal, but on the other hand, it might be bigger than you think. Let me ask you this question, what exactly are you saying when you say "Good Luck"?

Most people know that right before my wife left to bring our newest son, Heath, home, we took advantage of moving into the parsonage at the church where I am assistant/youth pastor. It was a hectic time indeed. Not only was my wife and her sister preparing to make the final trip to Moscow for this adoption, but we also were moving the stuff out of our beautiful 2,700 sq. ft home in Sango. You never realize how much junk you accumulate until its time to move!

On top of all that was the hardest part of all......leaving that home vacant while we waited for it to sell. Going from our home in Sango to the parsonage was about a 50% cut in square footage. With three small kids, that is not exactly what any person in their right mind would want to do. However, as God's children, He oftentimes asks us to make sacrifices for Himself, His Kingdom, and His Glory, so that's what we did. After all, were it not for that move, I wouldn't have this awesome story to tell you!

After about 3 months of having our house on the market, we moved out. During that 3 month period of time, every other house in our neighborhood that was for sell was sold and we never even got an offer. People kept telling me things like "maybe you will get lucky soon and sell it," "Good luck selling your house," "Now is just not a great time to sell a house, but good luck with it," etc. Don't misunderstand, I appreciate those people saying that and I even know what they meant by it. The question is do we really know what we are communicating to others and ourself when we say things like that?

I refused to leave it up to luck or chance. Daily I would approach the throne of grace to ask God, and sometimes beg God, to send us a buyer for our house. He did. And it had nothing to do with luck. It had everything to do with God.

After praying for weeks about it, God began to deal with me about selling my landscaping business. I didn't want to because it was my safety net. If ministry didn't work out, I could always fall back on it to support my family and give me a job. (Keep in mind that statistics show only 1 in 20 pastors that begin in ministry retire from it. The other 19 either take breaks or leave it all together.) 

So there I was fighting against God. I finally surrendered. I talked with my brother-in-law about buying it. Over a period of about a month we worked out a deal. In the deal, I told him I would keep the company through September. So on October 1 he took over. The company was no longer Carney Lawn Care. It became iMow. I was not the owner, Will was.

That very same day, October 1, we got the very first offer on our house after five months on the market. We went back and forth a few times countering the offer. So two days after the offer and the business not being mine, we had a contract. Then, on October 31 we closed on the house. It's gone. And it wasn't luck, it was God.

That's a personal and very real story in my life. It's one of the biggest ever in my life. It's also one of the clearest to me that proves there is no luck and there are no coincidences. I don't know what that looks like in your life. Maybe it was a job, a raise, a relationship mended, but whatever it was, it wasn't luck. Luck is a nonexistent, false power. It is an empty, worthless hope.  

When you say "good luck" to someone, you are really saying: "I don't trust God." "I don't know if God has a plan." "I don't know if God will take care of you." God is not sovereign." As believers, these really aren't ideas that we want to be spreading or communicating, even if it is by accident.

Luck is chance. Luck is uncertain. Luck is indefinite. Luck changes. However, God never changes. He is faithful, loving, and sovereign. His promises are true. We never have to wonder "if," we only sometimes wonder "when."

We aren't lucky to have a Savior. We aren't lucky when we get an opportunity to share the gospel or lead someone to Christ. We aren't lucky to have food on our table. We aren't lucky when we go outside and our car starts. I wasn't lucky to sell my house. We are blessed by a perfect, holy, and faithful God.

Let me remind you Christian, we do not believe in luck. Next time you wish someone "good luck," think about what you are saying.

I'll take Jesus over luck any day.