"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.

CPYU, Download, and Cultural Soup

 I love what the people at CPYU are doing. It is especially helpful for youth pastors like myself. If parents would take advantage of it, it would be for them also. After all, CPYU does stand for Center for Parent/Youth Understanding.

Recently I took our teenagers through their neat little study called "Download."It is a 3(D) approach on using your mind to guard your heart. The three D's stand for Discover, Discern, and Decide. It was a great study in which Walt lays out a clear cut plan on discerning what media we should be taking in and also avoiding as followers of Jesus. The coolest thing about it is that it's not just for music. His principles (or "D's") apply to all media including TV shows, advertisements, movies, internet intake, etc. Learn more about this little three week study here.

In one of the latest blog posts from CPYU's founder, Walt Mueller, he identifies 8 ingredients of today's "cultural soup" that our teenagers and children are swimming in. The more I think about what he has laid out, the more I realize how true it really is. The article is full of amazing insights from this "student of culture." It is really a zoomed out view. He hits the broad topics, some of which you may have never thought of as influencing who your children are turning out to be. He has really informative things to say about each one. I hope he develops each one more fully at a later date. But for now you and I can learn a lot from what Mueller has identified. You will definitely learn something from this. Check it out here.

Date Your Wife Book Review

I have been married for 9 1/2 years now. My wife, Lindsey, and I have 3 small children. The oldest is 5, the middle just turned 2, and the youngest is 15 months. Life is good. Marriage is good. But most everything could always stand some improvement. I'm certain my marriage is no different. Two grown sinners plus three small sinners plus busy lives plus ministry basically equals what seems like total chaos some days.

I recently finished reading a book titled "Date Your Wife".This book was exactly what I needed! I love what Justin does in this book by taking us back to the Creation account. He even gives a new vision of just exactly what it means "to work and keep" the Garden (Genesis 3:15). This is the foundation and backbone for the entire book. He even gives a little more life to the language by saying "these Hebrew verbs can be better translated: cultivate and guard"(41). He continues with these verbs throughout the book and that was really helpful to me.

One great thing about this book is the fact that it is grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Over and over Justin takes us back to not only the Cross, but also to grace. He encourages all men to have grace-filled marriages. He rightly says, "Every husband has a belief system that drives his life and drives his marriage. Religion destroys men and marriages, but the Gospel makes men new and marriages new" (79). I also love how the book parallels the same pattern as the Bible does, as it relates to man. "The Good. The Bad. The New. The Perfect." (124)

Most men I know don't do a whole lot of reading. And big books oftentimes scare people off, especially men, including me sometimes. That's why I love how Justin has set this book up. It is a very easy read. I love the ease of the short chapters. I think he has made this book very readable for all men. It is also loaded with personal stories and experiences, which I always love while reading. And perhaps the best part of all is the "Take Action" section at the end of each chapter. Justin clearly has given us more than an idea and some information. He gives men everywhere ways and ideas to think deeper and apply what he has laid out in this book.

The most life changing portion of the book for me was chapter 4. I think it will wake many men up to the current state of their marriage. Justin makes a fresh discovery (fresh to me at least) in Genesis about Adam and his wife. I don't want to ruin it for you, but I will simply ask you this question: Do you think that since you are a "committed" husband, who isn't going to leave your wife, you have completed your duty as a husband?

This book is a must read for any man who is married and truly desires for his marriage to be how God created it to be! Now you and I have to make time to date our wives!

"Family Ministry Field Guide" Book Review

Finished my second book of the Moscow trip. It is called "Family Ministry Field Guide". It was written by Timothy Paul Jones, who is professor of leadership and church ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. What wisdom this man has revealed in this terrific, church changing work!

First of all, this book is definitely written for pastors, deacons, and other church leaders. Not that laymen wouldn't benefit from it, it is just a ministry foundation type of book. Dr. Jones has written to pastors and leaders urging them to mold churches into what God intended them to be in the first place, gospel-centered, disciple-making and family-equipping.

There is quite a bit of discussion in this book about youth ministry, programs, and segregation within the church. He goes so far as to say, "the purpose of student ministry is to gain and retain youth by entertaining them until the time comes for them to serve the church as an adult" (pg. 54). He points to the fact that our "standard of success becomes attendance and retention, and the central focus becomes finding the right ministers and methods to attract the highest numbers" (pg. 54). He is not bashing today's church or youth ministry, only calling for a reformation back to what we find in the Bible.

With much biblical evidence, the entire book is driven by a conviction that parents should be the "primary disciple-makers in their children's lives", as opposed to the church or pastors. He uses this phrase several times to support his argument, "the gospel is rehearsed in families and reinforced at church so that God's truth can be revealed to the world". That is some stone cold truth if I've ever heard it!

Here are some main issues in the book that really stood out to me:

1. "Discovering who your children really are." This is in light of God's big story, the story Dr. Jones argues that we generally only see half of when it comes to parenting. The big story is this: creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. Jones says, "God's creation and humanity's fall have positioned parents as providers and disciplinarians. Through redemption and consummation, parents are called to be disciple-makers as well" (pg. 79). Also under this heading of "discovering who your children are" is the idea that we view our children as not only children, but also brothers and sisters in Christ. To me, this was profound!
2. "Parenting with my grandchildren in mind" (pg. 87). If you view your children as brothers and sisters, you are able to disciple and "guide their spiritual formation" so that your impact and the gospel's impact "outlast [your] time on this earth".
3. "Family Worship." Unfortunately, most families don't have this time together. Usually for two main reasons, they don't make time and they don't know how. This is the focal point of the entire book. Much time is spent addressing this problem.
4. "Faith Talks, Faith Walks, and Faith Processes." This is the answer for family worship. It's not difficult, however, it is intentional and never happens by accident. A faith talk is a time, at least one night a week, where all members of the family come together, read and discuss Scripture, and pray. It could even be about the sermon or Sunday school lesson from last Sunday. It's that simple. It doesn't have to last an hour and it will look different for all families. Some may do it in the morning after breakfast, some before supper or some at bedtime. The point is to actually do it....consistently. Faith walks are times in daily life where you intentionally turn the conversation toward the gospel. It may be a homeless man on the street. It may be a momma bird feeding a worm to her babies. Just anything in your daily activities to teach your child about the Word of God. Faith processes are plans and/or goals for your child's spiritual growth. They are specific to each child depending on their age and understanding. They could be anything from baby dedication to memorizing the Lord's Prayer.
5. "Building a 'Family-Equipping Church' takes years." This does not happen overnight. It is almost completely foreign to most of our churches and especially to our parents. My prayer is that soon all churches will be working toward a fully biblical model as laid out in this book by Dr. Jones.
6. Dr. Jones has not just written a bunch of information and theory. He gives many questions for discussion. He lays out a plan. He has found others implementing this same philosophy of ministry. And most importantly, he has practiced this himself.

In conclusion, I highly recommend that all leaders in every church dive into this book. My book is full of underlined gems. However, I must warn you to be ready to have your toes stepped on. Be ready to think outside of the typical contemporary (or traditional) church of this day that has every program and age separated out. Most of all, be ready to start this transformation in your own house. I will leave you with the most powerful words in the entire book. They are intended for leaders but implied to all parents throughout the book. They are not just for pastors. You could easily replace the word "pastor" or "ministry leader" to "parent" as you read.

"The problem for a significant proportion of pastors and ministry leaders is that they see their churches, and even their communities, in light of the people's need for the gospel, but they fail to see their own families from this same perspective. They see the needs of those who are far, but they don't see the same needs in those who are nearest to them. (Here is where it really gets down to business!) The student minister spends six months mapping out every detail of a weeklong youth camp. The volunteer in middle school ministry meets early every Monday morning to pray with a half dozen sixth graders about their week at school. The pastor is present at every community outreach event, and everyone praises his clear vision for the church's future. Yet the student minister can't seem to carve out a half hour each week to talk with his family about living in light of the gospel. The middle school prayer leader hasn't prayed with her husband in more than a decade. And, outside of keeping the children in church and hoping none of them does anything that causes a public scandal, neither the pastor nor the pastor's spouse has any clear vision for his children's spiritual formation. In most cases, the root of these patterns is not deliberate rebellion against God. It is a misplaced perspective that fails to see the home as the ministry leader's first context for ministry. As a result, ministry leaders try to do ministry in their churches and communities without first becoming ministers in their own households."

 

"Orphanology" Book Review

One thing I really love about traveling is all the reading I get to do. A couple of weeks ago I started a book called "Orphanology" by Tony Merida and Rick Morton. I finished it on the way over to Moscow (and got halfway through my next book). I would love to start to do some book reviews/summaries of some of the books I read and really enjoy. I can think of no better one to start on than "Orphanology".

Most of you probably know mine and my wife's heart about adoption. In fact, within 12 hours I should be seeing my second adopted son, Heath, again. This makes the second time seeing him. The first time was in April. I really felt like it was my responsibility to read this book due to its nature.

This was a very good read for anyone going through an adoption, wanting to learn more about adoption, orphan care, orphan hosting, or foster care. Also for those trying to find ways to tangibly help the fatherless outside of actually adopting. I would also highly recommend the book for anyone in ministry. It has a theological beginning and then works its way into the practical ways any church can get involved with bringing justice to the fatherless.

The first chapter was my favorite because of the discussion of the doctrine of adoption as found in the New Testament. They communicate an understanding of both "vertical" adoption and "horizontal" adoption. Horizontal adoption is when people adopt other people. Vertical adoption is when God adopts us into His family, by grace, through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. You would be amazed at all of the similarities between the two.

I won't spoil them all but just to get your wheels turning, here is one. Adoption is costly. I can vouch for that! Depending on what country you go to, you can pretty much guarantee spending between $20,000 and $50,000. That's a lot of cheese!!! Thankfully God provides every step of the way because horizontal adoption is His will. One of the ways He has provided for my family is by putting awesome people like YOU in my life! Practically everyone I know has contributed to our adoption in some way or another and I THANK YOU for that! In a similar way, vertical adoption is costly (and God's will) also. In fact, it cost God so much that He sent His only Son to take the punishment you and I deserve, which is physical death and eternal suffering. Jesus did die for us. But He also bore that suffering we deserve in a moment's time for every man, woman, boy, and girl in the entire world on the Cross at Calvary. And now because of that high price paid by Jesus, "it is finished" (John 19:30), and we can be joint heirs with Him in eternity (Romans 8:17). Tell me that wasn't a high price!

The book touches several different aspects of adoption and orphan care. Here are a few:

1. The theology of adoption.
   
2. God's concern for the fatherless as revealed in the Scriptures.
3. What our concern should look like for the fatherless, individually and corporately.
4. Adoption as "Plan A", not "Plan B".
5. Leading and creating a local church culture that reaches out to orphans.
6. The church partnering with orphanages locally and globally, even if it is not through mission trips, but through giving and prayer.
7. Training for church laypeople on adoption and orphan care.
8. Starting an adoption funding program in your local church.
9. Supporting all aspects of an adoption.
10. The church and its need to reach out to local orphans through foster care.
11. Supporting those who are in the transition of bringing home an adopted child or a foster child.
12. How to do orphan hosting, which is the opposite of a mission trip. It is actually where orpahns come to you for a period of about two weeks.
13. Also at the end of each chapter is a personal adoption story. Those are always good to hear!

In conclusion, I will quote Tony Merida's words that I couldn't have said better myself. They brought (and still bring) tears to my eyes. (By the way, Joshua is the child in Ethiopia he was adopting at the time he was finishing up writing this book.) "We wrote this book because there are more than 140 million Joshua's in the world today. I know I'll see some of them in a few days. In fact, the hardest part about adopting for me isn't living in a different country, eating different food, spending a lot of money, or rearranging some things in my home and life to make room for another child. The most heart-wrenching aspect of adopting Joshua will be leaving behind other kids. I still remember the day we left Ukraine, and the sight of the wonderful children watching us drive away. It was a sobering reminder that the world is not as it should be."

I will see, with my own two eyes, something very similar tomorrow in the heart of Moscow. Satan has those kids right where he wants them.

I pray that you would find your place in "bringing justice to the fatherless" (Isaiah 1:17) sooner rather than later. It's what the Gospel is all about, you are living proof (Ephesians 1:5).

 

Bring Justice

I just changed the name of my blog to "Bring Justice". That is the portion of Isaiah 1:17 regarding the fatherless. God has always been concerned for the fatherless. It is not only a James 1:27 principle.

Maybe I can leave the title like this forever! I am just so fired up about leaving! We leave for Washington DC at 1:15. Then as soon as we land, we are off to catch another flight to Moscow. We are actually going to be cutting it pretty close catching that flight. I hope we make it!

We are heading over to go to court in Moscow for our second adoption. This is the second out of three trips for us on this journey. Although he will not be coming home with us this time, we will be back on Thursday, Lord willing, as the proud official parents of Heath James Carney. This is the most important trip of the three because of the court appearance. It is there where we will go before the Russian judge and be questioned about our motives for adopting, capabilities of providing for him, and so on. He or she will either grant us custody or not right there on the spot. When we adopted Hudson, this was a pretty anxious time as the judge was concerned about our young age. Hopefully this time will be a little smoother, but it is definitely not guaranteed.

Please pray especially for our court on Wednesday. Pray also for our travel and safety! Don't forget to pray also for Lindsey! She has a hard time both ways. She hates leaving our two at home for several days in a row. And then hates leaving Heath over there in the orphanage for another month until we are allowed to go back to get him. Not that it's easy for me, it's just especially hard on a GOOD mother. Thank you!!!

You can follow me on Facebook or Twitter for occasional updates! Jason Carney on Facebook, @jasonwcarney on Twitter, or you can also subscribe to the blog by entering your email address in the box that says "subscribe via email" on the side of this page. You can also find (probably better) updates on Lindsey's blog, www.carneyadoption.blogspot.com!

 

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

It's five o'clock somewhere! At least every hour on the hour that is true. Alan Jackson's song echoes a theme of the everyday working man and woman this day in time. That theme is "Let's go to the house! ASAP! I need to get this work pressure behind me and get on with real life! 'Pour me something tall and strong,'" as the song goes. It is not hard to see that relaxation, recreation, and entertainment are highly valued in our culture and hard work, responsiblility, repetition, and consistency out the window.

In the series I have been doing with the teenagers at church, I have been addressing some the things that culture has a backwards view on. KROW is one of them. Work is a burden, a distraction, and just flat out holding people back from what they really want to do. But is that the picture of work we see in the Bible?

Here are three quick points from the Bible that teach us about work. I hope they are fruitful for you personally as you fight the same war all believers fight against "the course of this world" (Ephesians 2:2).

1. God created you to work. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." We have the account of God creating all that exists in Genesis Chapter 1. Shortly after, in Genesis chapter 2, we have a "zoom in" (as I like to call it) on the day He created man and woman. One thing we see from that day is that God put the man in the garden He had created earlier (2:8). And verse 15 goes even further to say that God "put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it". One thing we must be careful to remember about this particular passage is, the Fall had not yet happened. This was when the creation and everything in it was still perfect. So, we see that in God's perfect plan for creation, man had a purpose and a job. I don't think it was exactly like what you might think though, because we see the sweat, thorns, and thistles come in later in verses 18-19 of chapter 3. The point is, man worked before the Fall, showing us that work is a good thing.

2. Your health demands you to work. It's no coincidence that there is a higher demand for psychologists and psychiatrists than ever before! There are a great deal of people in America who are unemployed. Some of them are not by choice, but I would say well over half of those are by choice. They probably wouldn't confess that openly but their actions prove otherwise. People who don't work lack purpose, stability, and meaning in their life. This is why many people end up depressed and/or going down roads of alcohol, affairs, drugs, addictions, etc bringing them to the offices of these psychologists. The Proverbs are full of instrucution to avoid idleness, laziness, and not working. My favorite is probably 24:30-34. There are many more. Another strong one is found in 28:19.

Also, not only does our spiritual and emotional health demand us to work, so does our physical health!

3. Your family needs you to work. Paul told Timothy, "if anyone does not provide for his realtives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8). God requires you to take care of others in your family.....simple as that.

Even though there is very little discussion on these points, I hope you can see that the Bible clearly values work and the need for all people to work and have purpose in their life. Hopefully, in the near future I will write the practical side of all this that was part two of the lesson.

As always, your comments are welcome, both positive and negative!

 

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Springsteen

My daughter absolutely loves the new Eric Church song, "Springsteen" (listen to it by clicking the song title). She calls it "my song" because we all have our own favorites. For example, one of Hudson's favorites right now is "Every Move I Make" by Great Worship Songs for kids. She especially loves the Eric Church song because at the end there is a little melody that he sings without words (if that is possible, maybe hums is a better word). Listen to the song. You'll figure out what I'm talking about.

Eric Church communicates something in this song that I have been wanting to put into words for quite some time now. It is definitely worth our pondering. First you need to listen the song above in blue letters if you haven't.

Don't pretend like you don't have fun with that part Hollynn likes either! It's so catchy!

In this song, Eric Church goes back in his past to a concert he went to with a group of friends. During the course of the night he falls for one of the girls (1st verse) and the concert turns into his first date with her. Although the relationship only lasted about two weeks, he admits "to this day when I hear that artist's song, I think about her. I don't even think I could tell you her last name, but I still see her and think about her." Thus the chorus, "when I think about you, I think about 17, I think about my old jeep, I think about the stars in the sky. Funny how a melody sounds like a memory, like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night."

I know this is true in my life and your life as well. You can hear one song that could take you back a couple of months. You could even hear another that takes you back ten or twenty years. Peter Zavadil, director of the short film ("Mixtape") about this song, says it "reminds me of the songs that we listened to as kids that were the soundtracks to our lives. I can still listen to certain songs and be instantly brought back to periods of my life.” Can't you relate?! If "Back Where I Come From" by Kenny Chesney came on right now, I would take a trip down memory lane so fast I wouldn't know what hit me!

Some of these songs take us to a good place. Others take us to a not so good place. Only you can determine that. Only you and the Lord know where you should and should not go. Be obedient.

Music is powerful. It always has been and always will be. The Bible testifies to this truth. We find songs all throughout the Bible. Many of them are recorded in the Psalms, however, there are a few others like the song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 and the song of Deborah in Judges 5. These songs were sung at significant times and undoubtedly were sung over and over to intentionally take the people back to those good times to remember what the Lord had done for them.

Even Mary cried out in song (Luke 1:46-55) praising "God my Savior" upon visiting with Elizabeth. Shortly after the birth of Jesus "there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased'" (Luke 2:13-14). Do you think the angels just mumbled that in some boring, monotone voice? I highly doubt it! Do you think the creatures around the throne that never cease to say "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come" (Revelation 4:8) are about to fall asleep they are so tired of saying that? I think not! These are songs that are significant. These are songs that can take people to those places.

God made us this way. He made us to "praise Him with trumpet sound, lute, harp, tambourine, dance (yes the Bible does say to praise God with dance!!!), strings, pipe, sounding cymbals and loud clashing cymbals" (Psalm 150:3-5).

I hope you know that music matters. You can choose to listen to whatever makes you feel good. You can choose to listen to music that takes you back to those nights filled with sin and disobedience or you can choose to listen to music that takes you back to memories of what God has done in your life. One of these songs for me right now is "Live Like That" because it is the song that we put Heath's slideshow to. (As soon as he gets home I will be able to share that slideshow online but I can't right now unfortunately.)

Whatever or wherever music takes you back to, make sure it is pleasing to the Lord Jesus. One song leads to one memory, one memory leads to one mistake, and one mistake could turn your life upside down. It's funny how a melody sounds like a memory, like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night.

 

 

 

Compliments of Bro. Tim Lewis

The last 24 hours have been both humbling and challenging. In the past 24 hours I have rediscovered a few things. I have realized how small I am and how big God is. I have realized how hard following Jesus really is. I have realized how often I think I can do things without Jesus. I have realized how much I do need Him, not just for salvation, but for every last breath.

After a song we sang last night at church, preaching from Luke 9:23, some news I got today, a book I have been reading, a thread on Facebook, and this great article written by an amazing man of God (Bro. Tim Lewis), I am broken. I don't mean that in a bad way either. Its in the way I ought to be constantly......broken laying at the feet of Jesus, my Lord.

I could not help but repost what is below. I feel like I either just looked into a mirror or maybe Bro Tim saw into the depths of my soul.

Near the beginning of James' letter in the New Testament we're told that a "double-minded" man is unstable in everything that he does. I sometimes feel like that double-minded man. I want to be fully submitted to God. I really do. I want to do what God wants me to do with my life. I want my passion to be about God's kingdom. I want my actions and words to be honoring to Jesus 100% of the time. I want to trust Jesus completely in any and every circumstance of my life. I want to have faith that can move mountains. I want to trust Jesus enough to attempt difficult things. I want others to see Jesus in me. I want to be a godly Father to my children, a loving Christlike husband to my wife, and a godly example of leadership to my church. But I'm double-minded. I want to serve Jesus as long as His plan mirrors mine. I want to give Jesus my all as long as it doesn't involve too much sacrifice. I want to attempt big things for God as long as it is easy. I want my life to be Kingdom centered as long as it doesn't hurt my reputation or pride in any way. I want to be a godly Father, husband, and pastor as long as it isn't painful or doesn't cost me too much in the way of effort. I want to have God's approval and the world's at the same time. I want "me" time and get frustrated when Jesus' call to be disciple interferes with what I want to do. If I am completely honest, what bothers me the most is that I sometimes like my double-mindedness. I want to be a follower of Jesus and enjoy the grace he has given me, but I also like being able to do my own thing when I want. It bothers me that this doesn't bother me. I want to have my cake and eat too. I want to enjoy everything Jesus has to offer without ever having to make a sacrifice for His sake and for His Kingdom. James said, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:7-8 God has given us the answer to our double-mindedness. I'm just not sure that I like it. Submit... Resist... Come near... Wash... Grieve... Mourn... Wail... Humble... I'll be honest. None of those things sound like very much fun. I want to know God's presence, I just don't want to submit in order to do so. I want to experience victory over sin, but I want it to be easy. Resisting kind of sounds like it might be difficult. I want God to be near me when I need Him, but I'd kind of like to keep Him at arms length the rest of time. Grieving, mourning, and wailing kind of sounds like there might be tears and heartache involved. Being humble sounds like a great idea as long I still get to be in charge. There is a biblical word for all of this that is largely missing in our modern Christian vocabulary:REPENTANCE. How is it that we manage to live day after day giving Jesus lip service while our hearts are far from him? I realize that Jesus gives grace for all our brokenness and sin, but why doesn't that same sin even bother us? Why do we gripe and grumble about any and every sacrifice Jesus asks us to make? How is it that we keep going to church on Sunday only to be unchanged on Monday? Why do we avoid even minor inconveniences for the name and cause of Christ? Why do seek the world's approval more than the Savior's? Could it be that we have forgotten how to repent? Is it possible that we go through life with a sense that something is missing because something actually is? If the Holy Spirit were to remove His presence from our church, our families, our hearts--would we even notice that He had left? Do we even know what it means to grieve over our sin? To truly submit to God? I realize this may all sound a little heavy-handed. That's okay. I don't think repentance is meant to be fun. That's the reason we don't hear much about it anymore. That's why I tend to avoid it. On the flip side, we can't afford to miss the awesome promises accompanying our repentance. When we resist, the devil will flee. But we will have to resist. Take my word for it, it will be a battle. Spend some serious time on your knees getting right with God, and I can guarantee you the devil won't like it. You will be attacked. There will be battles. It won't be easy. But Jesus never said it would be. We've forgotten that ultimately we aren't called to be Baptist or Methodist or Non-denominational. We aren't called to be religious. Neither are we called to be superficial perfectionists who spend all our time trying to impress others with our religiosity. Ultimately, we are called to be disciples. Followers. But we can't follow without submission to the Master. We can't be disciples who do our own thing. By definition a disciple must humble himself before his Leader. And when we do that there are awesome promises to claim. Yes, repentance is painful, but don't miss the good part. Come near to God and He will come near you to.... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up... Our error is in thinking that we can play both ends against the middle and still somehow be happy. We delude ourselves into thinking that we can live for God and for ourselves at the same time and somehow make it all work. At best our double-mindedness leads to a shallow, empty faith in which we are saved but never experience God in His fulness. At worst is leads to a false faith in which God is given nothing more than lip service. Our double-mindedness is not something that we need to learn to live with. It is a sin from which we must break free. It calls for and demands our repentance. If, like me, you have sensed this duplicity in your own life, I encourage you to take some time this week to get on your knees before God and truly repent. If necessary, ask God to convict you for your lack of conviction. Pray for brokenness over the callousness and sin that has so easily crept into your heart. Ask for a true sense of revival in your heart. Humble and submit yourself before the grace and goodness of a God "who gives us more grace" (James 4:6) to match even our worst failures. Pray for a heart that longs to be obedient. St. Augustine famously wrote, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." May that be our prayer as we seek to find our satisfaction in the only place it can truly be found. "Lord, make us restless. Cause us to be uneasy. Stir us. Trouble us. Convict us. Help us see our sin for what it is--rebellion. Give us a sense of grief over our lack of grief. Break our rebellious hearts and humble our proud spirits. As we kneel give us a vision of Your holiness that despises our sin and Your grace that forgives the very double-mindedness through which we bring dishonor to Your Name."

Does Uncle Sam have on a Blindfold?

Maybe I am alone in this, but I seriously cannot figure out how this kind of stuff actually happens. Read this article and see what you think (click the yellow word "article" to read it and if that doesn't work, copy and paste the web address at the bottom of the post into your url).

It seems like there should be some sort of application process or a system that checks to see if people are actually telling the truth. Maybe there is and it stinks. Maybe there is and the person letting this stuff slip by gets a cut. Maybe there is but there are loopholes. I don't know. All I know is this is absolutely ridiculous!

There is so much wrong with this story. Allow me to point out my two biggest problems.

1) Why is someone on food stamps playing the lottery? I have heard that people that receive food stamps today don't really receive "food stamps," they actually receive a debit card where they can walk into any store and buy whatever they want with it. If this is true she could have bought this winning lottery ticket with your money. HA! That's messed up if you ask me!

2) Why was she not kicked off of food stamps? I thought they were for low income families, not millionaires. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it would have been quite easy for this woman to lie and/or cover up until the next tax time, but still you would think there would be a red flag come up somewhere in the system. This just goes to show how disconnected different parts of our government really are with each other. I'm not a politician or economist but shouldn't the income dept (the ones tracking our income to make sure we pay our taxes, IRS) have some communication with the outgoing dept (the ones who pass out government assistance, housing, welfare, food stamps, unemployment, disability, etc)? Isn't the lottery ran by the government?

There are surely more issues here but thinking about this any longer will probably make me vomit. If I was in any kind of position that deals with these things I would be embarrassed......and should be. What do you think? Am I overreacting? Am I crazy?

 

http://consumerist.com/2012/03/michigan-woman-who-won-1-million-in-lottery-stays-on-food-stamps.html

 

 

Home Alone

Over the Christmas break (or rush, whatever you want to call it), I had just a little bit of free time. So, I decided to be intentional about giving some of it to my son. Little did I know, I would be wishing for some of it to have never happened.

I thought I would be a cool dad and watch a funny movie with my son. I even thought maybe we could start some sort of tradition by watching the same movie every year. Naturally my mind starts playing through the Christmas movies I watched as a kid. (If you have read my post about Santa, you would guess that movies about Santa, Frosty, or Rudolph were pretty much thrown out right off the bat. lol!) All of the sudden, I think of that hilarious, innocent child who outsmarts the robbers in very clever ways.....Kevin McCallister. Little did I realize how long it had been since I watched that movie and how little I remembered about it.

I'm almost certain my face looked just like Kevin's did above when we got just a little bit into the movie. The entire movie was filled with what is unfortunately today's young child. He called his mom a "dummy." He was very rude, disrespectful, and irresponsible (imagine that). The entire movie continued with this as a theme, including the young Kevin cussing the robbers in the scene where he has set up all the traps.

Although the robbing scene is pretty violent and has that one cussing part, I would have to say that is the cleanest part of the film (it is definitely the funniest), especailly when you take into account Kevin's attitude and his family's attitude toward him. 

Needless to say, Home Alone will not become our father/son Christmas movie tradition!

The Man who made no sense

Most things in life make pretty good sense. In fact, there is a law that states something about that. It is called Newton's Third Law of Motion. It says, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."  When I was in high school I used to play alot of pool. I actually got pretty good at it after many all night episodes of doing nothing but shooting pool with one of my buddies. I can remember shooting for what must have been 8 hours straight....maybe even more a few times. This was a regular event for weeks.

Pool is a game of skill. Sure, any Joe Blow can come in, knock the poo out of a few balls and get lucky a few times. But I am talking about the pros (unfortunately I was never a pro). They have skill. Its as simple as that. They depend on Newton's third law. Whether they know it or not, they have studied and mastered it also. It takes just the right amount of strength from the cue stick. You have to hit the cue ball exactly in the right spot. Then the cue ball must hit the other ball in presicely the right spot, sending that ball on a predetermined angle to make its way into the pocket....lots of geometry (which I hated in school). It's all based on the fact that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It makes sense.

We can look at the court system. We see people getting in trouble and we see people receiving punishment. We can see here the same principle again. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Makes sense to me. If a man is convicted of rape, it makes sense that he should be punished and locked up. If a man is convicted of murder, it makes sense that he should be punished and locked up. The action is breaking the law, the equal and opposite reaction is punishment. Makes sense to me.

Then we can go on to relationships. A man is caught cheating on his wife with another woman. The equal and opposite reaction is divorce and she's gone. Makes sense to me. A relationship is built on trust. If you break that trust, as is the case with adultery or anything else, you can expect an equal and opposite reaction. Of course, that is the lack of trust. It is a devastation to character. You get the point. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It just makes sense.

Everything just makes real good sense until we get to the New Testament. There we are told about this Man named Jesus. Allow me to tell you just a little bit about this Man. He is the one who healed the blind on the Sabbath. That may not sound like much but understand that Jewish people are not allowed to do anything on the Sabbath that has to do with work. To this day, that is why the most conservative Jewish people live so close to the synagogue. They cannot get in the car, start it up, and drive it. That's too much like work. They don't flip on light switches. They don't cook. They don't clean. And they certainly don't harvest food. Remember when Jesus was walkng through the field and His disciples started picking the grain because they were hungry. The Pharisees hated them for that! And they hated Jesus even worse because He allowed them to do it! It just didn't make any sense!

Jesus was the King of not making any sense to people, especially religious people like the Pharisees. Let me give you a rundown of a few more things Jesus did or said that didn't make any sense......and still don't to the world: He was born of a virgin (Luke 1). He left the 99 to go find the 1 (Luke 15). He said if one "doesn't hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14). When questioned about how many times we should forgive others, he said "seventy times seven" (Matthew 18). When people were caught in the very act of sinning, He let them go (John 8). He ate and talked with the people who had the worst reputation in the whole area (Matthew 9). He took the job of the lowest person in society.....washing feet (John 13). He came back to life after He was killed (Luke 24).

Time and time again Jesus amazed people by the words He said and the things He did....mostly because they didn't make any sense. Why should we look any different? Are we not called to be followers of Christ? Did Paul not encourage his listeners to "imitate me as I imitate Christ?" Are we not called to show the same exact love and grace that God showed sinners while He walked the earth? Has He not shown you that very same love and grace over and over and over? I know He has shown it to me. He has shown it to you too. The question is......do you even realize it?

To me, the beauty of the Gospel is that it makes no sense whatsoever. Holiness demands that I be sent to hell because I am not holy. That makes sense. But the fact that I get to go to heaven based solely on what Jesus did.......that makes no sense at all. I don't have to pay for what I have done wrong? That's crazy! Everyone must pay for their mistakes....at least that's what makes sense. But Thanks be to God for His loving Rescue Plan, Jesus Christ, who took my sin and your sin and paid for it fully, so that we need not do anything except reach out by faith and accept His forgiveness!

So how about it? Do the things you do and say look like what everyone else is doing? Or do they look like what Jesus did.....and still does to this day? Do they make sense to the rest of the world? Or do they make sense to Jesus?

As always, thank you for reading! I would love to hear from you on anything I write. Many things that I have written are also available to view at http://www.plunkett1.wordpress.com/. Right now Ben, the editor of the site, is posting a paper that I wrote on marriage and cohabitation in series form. Feel free to call me stupid or smart. You can say I'm right or wrong. You can tell me to jump off a cliff or encourage me to keep writing.....or you can just bite your tongue and not say anything at all. If you would like to, contact me through the blog, facebook, or email (carneylawncare@yahoo.com). Merry Christmas!

The Truth about Santa

  When I was growing up, I was a huge fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Heroes in a half shell, turtle power!!). The technodrome was the base for the TMNT's villans, Krang (the little brain guy) and Shredder, the leader of the foot clan and partner with Krang. Who could ever be able to fully play TMNT with only the turtles?! In order to really go all out you must also have the bad guys, along with their base. I will never forget waking up one morning to get the Technodrome from Santa. That was one great morning!

I remember making Christmas lists for Santa. Also, getting my picture made in his lap at the mall. Santa was a pretty big deal in my house as a child. Not huge. But it was big enough that I can remember wanting to go to bed really early so the morning could hurry up and I could get back up to retrieve my presents. But before I went to bed, I always remembered to leave out the milk and cookies. I just knew that jolly ol' Santa would be extremely upset without his milk and cookies.

I don't remember how the terrible news came to me that Santa wasn't real. I don't even remember how the next Christmas went. One thing is certain though, Hudson, nor any of my children will ever have to wonder what is was like. My wife and I made the joint decision to never do the whole Santa routine. You probably think I'm a jerk, a terrible father, and no fun. If you do, I hope to change your mind (or at least get you to thinking) by the end of this. If you don't do Santa either, I hope you will agree with most of what I'm about to say. Here are some of the reasons we don't do Santa:

1. I need my beauty sleep. It's not easy keeping up this charming appearance that you are blessed to see each day. It would be devastating to have to get up in the middle of the night. Santa is obviously not concerned with his figure and appearance like I am.

2. It is a lie. I know it's just being creative, using your imagination, and going with the flow, but the fact is, its simply not true. There is no Santa, no north pole, no flying reindeer, no elves, no rudolph, no toy factory, no sleigh, and no delivering toys all around the world in one night. I'm sure I left some stuff out but you get the picture. One lie leads to the next. Its not just one little lie (although that wouldn't be alright either), it's a big, elaborate system of lies........to your very own children. The ones who trust you, look up to you, and want to be just like you.

3. It breeds receiving, not contentment and not giving. Children that are at this age soak up everything like a little sponge, not just words either, but also behaviors and actions. How many letters do they write asking for more things when they already have more than they could ever play with? The Bible is very consistent on its teaching to be content and to live a life full a service and giving. In fact, Paul goes so far as to say "God loves a cheerful giver." How are we going to teach our children to be cheerful givers if all we ask them is "what would you like from Santa this year?"

Paul also says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." This is probably the most commonly misused verse in the Bible. This doesn't mean that we can fly off the couch like Superman or that we can hold our breath under water for three days because Jesus will give us the strength to do these supernatural things. The context of the verse is Paul in prison...suffering. This passage is one of being content, being happy with what you have, learning to make do with much or with little.

4. It's message communicates the exact opposite of Christ's. Santa has two lists......the naughty list and the nice list. If you are good enough, if you behave, if you earn it, then and only then will Santa bring you presents. Otherwise you will be getting switches and coal. The consistent teaching of the Bible is that we are saved by grace through faith "and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one may boast." Children earn Santa, but in reality no one can earn Christ.

5. Santa is not biblical, if anything, he is an idol. He comes before Jesus every Christmas. How many letters have children written to Jesus? How many times have they prayed to Jesus? I would be willing to bet its no where near the number that Santa gets. How many times do children bring up Santa in conversation around Christmas? How many times do they bring up Jesus? What about you in your conversation with children and not just your own? Chances are when you see a child you never say the first word about Jesus, but its "What is Santa bringing you for Christmas this year?" It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Santa is the focus (or idol) this time of year.

6. Santa is the world's way of taking Christ out of Christmas. The world always wants to take anything having to do with Jesus out of the spotlight. The Ten Commandments, the Pledge, Tim Tebow, you name it, they want it gone. Christmas is the time of year when we celebrate the Incarnation, God "becoming flesh." He left the heavens to "dwell among men." He came "to save the world." The One who "grace and truth were realized through." What better way to distract everyone than to take the focus off of Him and onto someone who brings us anything we want if we behave. Is it not the same with Easter? A time that should be spent celebrating the Resurrection, is spent hunting for eggs laid by a rabbit! Another example of how the world takes out Christ and replaces Him with something else.

7. I don't like milk. My wife hates it when I eat a bowl of cereal and waste all that milk at the bottom. Of course I need my beauty sleep, but besides that, why would I want to disturb my beauty sleep to drink something that I don't even like?

8. Santa Claus originated from St. Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was born in the 200s in what is now the modern day country of Turkey. In his day the area was primarily Greek. His family was very wealthy. His parents died while he was at a young age. However, they were Christians and they raised him to be one who follows Christ. Upon inheriting a very large sum of money at the death of his parents, he chose not to blow it all on fancy things for himself, but rather to give all that he had to the poor, the sick, and the needy. I am certain he had James 1:27, 2:14-26, Luke 12:13-34 and many other passages in mind when set out help those in need. America has done an outstanding job of perverting what St. Nicholas intended to use to reach out as the hands and feet of Christ.

I am not trying to be holy or religious by not playing Santa, just wise. I never want to hear my children say, "Dad, is Jesus like Santa? A person you just made up?" I want to hear my kids say, "We are so thankful that Jesus came down to earth and made us a way to heaven and a way to restore our relationship with God."

I am not saying that playing Santa is sinful. I am asking you what Santa communicates to kids and to the rest of the world? I am asking you where your focus is during Christmas? I am asking you why you look so much like everyone else?

 We still put up a tree. We still send Christmas cards. We still give gifts....even to our kids. We still have dinner with our families. The difference is we do it as we keep Christ at the center, not an old, fat man, who lives at the north pole, flies behind reindeer and only shows up one time a year.

Joshua bravely says it like this, "Fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." We are far from Egypt and the River. You don't live in the land of the Amorites, but you do live in the land of the Americans. They aren't much different from the Amorites. You have a decision to make in this land......choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve!