Keeping it Pure

After a month of purity teaching, talking and praying with several people, and the fall of yet another prominent leader, I am reminded how hard it is to keep things pure in our life. It seems that everywhere we turn the world is trying to draw us in. From television, to billboards, to magazines at the checkout, to the ever-increasing load of trash on the internet, temptation abounds. We live in a world that is morally sick, and yet Jesus said we are in the world, but not of it. It's not easy to keep our lives pure when everything around us is so full of filth, but with the Lord it is possible. It may seem like we're trying to dance through a mud puddle and still come out clean but with the Lord I believe we can keep ourselves pure. It was once said that "lust is like athletes foot of the mind" but Romans 12:2 tells us that our mind can be renewed through the Word of the Lord. In other words, the Bible can scratch the itch. So the bottom line is this, the world may not honor marriage and purity, but the world isn't our standard, the Word of God is. So keep your eyes on Jesus, stay in the Word, and keep it pure in the name of Jesus.
P.S. Check out the youtube video: Doctor Love and Pastor Dan

One Missing Rib

Ge 2:21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man."

Well it's Valentines month once again and our hearts are drawn to that special person in our life. Little boys and girls are giving out the cards and candy. Boyfriends and girlfriends are looking for that special gift to say I love you as they plan for a special dinner at their favorite restaurant, and husbands and wives hopefully just won't forget altogether - HA! But this past week I've been reminded in a very unique way of just how close man and woman truly are and how meaningful one rib can be. A week ago I was in a little sledding accident, but because I'm a guy I didn't want to go to the Doctor. And even after I had made an appointment for Tuesday, I cancelled it and played tough. However, the Lord works in mysterious ways and on Thursday I wound up in the hospital anyway. And low and behold, it was because I choked on a hot dog! Yes, you read me right - I choked on my second bite of a fabulous coney dog - what a waste. Since I couldn't get it to come up or down, I wound up spending 9 hours at the hospital waiting for a surgical procedure, only to find out that I not only had a shrunken esophagus, but when I crashed on the sled I also separated my shoulder and broke my 3rd rib proving once again, I'm not a teenager anymore.

They say that many times we don't value things until they're gone and through this experience I have learned the value of one missing rib. I understand the value of that rib every time I'm awakened from my sleep when I turn over. I understand the value of that one missing rib everytime I turn the wrong way, or pick up something a little bit too heavy or I go to sit up. Sometimes we don't understand the value of what we have until it's gone or broken, but may that never be the case with our wives and husbands. May we never wait till our marriages and relationships are broken or gone to understand their value. Have a great Valentines' month and be sure you tell that special someone in your life how much you value them.

A Blow Torch in a Blizzard

Wow - what a blizzard. It seems like everytime we get ourselves shoveled out there is more snow on the way and I have to admit, there are things I would rather do with my time than shoveling snow. But as with everything, when we take time to reflect, there is usually a lesson to be found. The Bible talks about snow 20 different times. Of course there is Moses who puts his hand in his cloak and pulls it out leprous like snow. Then he puts it back in and it's restored. Then as we know our sins are washed as white as snow which is a miracle when you consider our lives are like filthy rags outside a relationship with Christ. But then there is the picture of Jesus. Even though he was a Jew, it's funny because we tend to picture Christ like some long haired, blond, GQ model which is completely inaqurate. But I wonder - Have you ever pictured Christ like a blow torch in a blizzard? The Bible says in Rev 1:14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. Let's face it - a blow torch in a blizzard could do some serious damage. I mean talk about a hot knife in butter. You could immediately pierce through the ice, and that's exactly what Christ does. He is the creator and the judge and on that day - He will not only be the reflection of purity as white as snow - but he will also pierce through to the core of our very being. For those of us in Christ, it will be the Bema seat judgement of reward, but for those who never received the Lord - it will be a time when they are melted in his presence. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.
So the next time your shoveling snow - think of the Lord in all his purity with eyes of blazing fire.
Think about the blow torch in the blizzard.

Party Righteous

Well Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great time counting down till midnight. My family and I were privileged to bring in 2009 with some old friends in the Youngstown area and it was great sharing laughs, eating all night, and partying it up. And it was nice to know that we would actually wake up without a hangover, without regrets, and with the ability to remember the night. I think a lot of people feel that partying has a worldly connotation and I suppose it does to some extent. But does it have to? Shouldn't Christians have the most fun of anyone? And shouldn't we be able to have fun and party it up without sinning? According to my Bible laughter and fun and joy are a good thing. So why then do some people act like we have to be staunch and stuffy to be Christians? I think we should be showing the world what real fun is all about and let them see that they don't have to sin to be in. It's like an old pastor friend preached one time; If you've got the joy of the Lord then let them see it on your face. PROVERBS 17:22 says "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine!" However, that same verse goes on to say, "but a broken spirit drieth the bones." In other words we can either bring joy to people's lives or we can burn them out. So I don't know about you, but in 2009 I want to strive to be the kind of person that is a good medicine for people. I want to be the kind of person that rubs off the joy of the Lord on everyone I meet. I want to party righteous this year and I hope you'll join me.

THE BEST ONLINE SHOPPING

This year it’s evident that people are not shopping the stores and filling the register lines as much as they have in the past. Many people are getting their Christmas deals from the web. After all, why fight all the long lines when you can hit one of the millions of sites on the internet and quickly compare their products and prices. As a matter of fact, 77 per cent of shoppers plan to do at least half their gift shopping via the web this year, which is up from 56 per cent in 2007. Well I must admit that yes, we too have succumb to shopping from the couch this year for some of our girl’s gifts. But the best online shopping deal this Christmas isn’t going to be found on ebay, slickdeals, dealnet, or any other of the world wide web stores. The best shopping will come from the giver of all good gifts – Jesus Christ. It’s not only the fastest connect and download speed, but it’s also the best deal every time because everything Jesus has to offer has already been paid for in full. As a matter of fact it says in James 1:17 that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” The economy has slowed down some of the shopping this year, but imagine what it would be like if there were no spending limits. There would be a shopping craze if money were no longer and issue. So why don’t we put that same enthusiasm into pursuing the gifts God has for our life? Why don’t we go online with Jesus, connect with him through prayer and intercession, and begin to unwrap the gifts he wants to bestow on us spiritually? After all the Kingdom gifts are the only ones that we can take with us into eternity anyway so shouldn’t they be the ones we value the most now? So what are you waiting for? Get on your knees, go online with Holy Spirit, and start asking Jesus what he has for your life. Merry Christmas!

The Annual Reminder

Well today I woke up to an annual reminder that life is short and I'm another year older - yes it is my Birthday! This week we are traveling to Iowa to spend Thanksgiving with my wifes Family but we stopped in Indy last night to celebrate with my brother Dave, who's birthday is also tomorrow. No my mom didn't take 24 hours to give birth to twins. His B-day is the day after mine but we're also 14 years apart. And now you might be saying to yourself "What was his mom thinking?" But if you think that's bad I also have a sister 17 years older than me and my nearest sibling is 11 years my elder. CRAZY! But I guess it took them all those years to figure out how to get it right with me! HA.....at least that's what I say? Well today may not be your birthday, but we all need to be frequently reminded about the brevity of life. Maybe your hairs not falling out like mine, but the reality is that with every breath we take we're one step closer to seeing Jesus and we all have to be ready. Birthday's are a reminder of the day we were born into this world, but the most important thing is being born again into the Kingdom of God. In the book of John Jesus talked about this and he said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). He then told Nicodemus, "Ye MUST be born again" (John 3:7).
So today the most important question isn't whether you'll make it to see another birthday. The most important question is whether you've been "born again" through a relationship with Jesus Christ and will you be ready when your time on earth is done. Whether you die, or if Jesus comes back, either way the time is coming when "Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord." My prayer is that this be a reminder to you that life is short and sweet, so if you haven't given your life to Christ and been born again, do it while you can.

Worship in Spirit and Truth

Jesus said in John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” So how can our worship be in truth when we’re putting on a front for the Sunday morning crowd that is inconsistent with our daily walk of worship? I believe the Lord is wanting to take us deeper in our worship experience but let’s be sure that we seek Him and worship as hard on Monday as we do on Sunday. Let’s be the real deal and allow him to be real in us.

It says in John 4:24 “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit & in truth.” What does it mean to “worship in spirit”? Well first of all we must understand that worship is much more spiritual than it is physical. Although the Bible does talk about certain postures, raising hands, clapping hands and even dancing before the Lord, God is concerned more with the posture of the heart than anything. We have to remember that we are a spirit in a body and God birthed his spirit in us the minute we were saved. This is like our connection to the heavenlies and our worship should be spirit led and spirit empowered thru the gifts and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

But Jesus said our worship should not only be "in spirit" but also in "truth." Worship is definitely a spiritual experience. However, Jesus is also the “the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through him.” John 14:6. So while we worship in Spirit, we must also worship in truth coming to the Father by worshipping Jesus, the son. Worshipping in Truth also means we must think about how we worship and make sure it remains Biblical in our expression, and Biblical in our message. For example; when you sing songs of praise think about the message you’re speaking and let it minister to your heart. Just as the words of truth in scripture can edify your soul, the words of truth in the songs we sing should bring glory to God and edify our spirit man.

Finally, let's never forget that worshipping is so much something we do but a worshipper is something we become. That's why we're told to let our lives be a "spiritual act of worship," Romans 12:1. Everything we do and say in our life should be an expression of worship, adoration, and glorification of God. Just as it says in Hebrews that Jesus Chrit was the "radiance of God's glory," we are now the body of Christ and I believe that we too need to radiate His glory. So let's worship Him in spirit and in truth for these are the kind of worshippers he's looking for!
For the King,
Pastor Dan

P.S. check out the youtube video I posted on worship and pass it on. God Bless!