The Heart of The Matter

Multiplying Your Life

2010-06-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes old truths can become routine and neglected. Here is an old truth that is as young as today's news: It is God's intention for His own to be multipliers. We are to receive the Truth and then take the Truth to others by reproducing the life of Christ in others.
I never was a whiz at higher math; calculus sure wasn't my favorite subject. But I do understand multiplication. Our LORD uses basic multiplication to build His kingdom. You see, this relationship called Christianity isn't intended to be a theoretical religious exercise. It is about multiplying new disciples.
Here's how Chuck Swindoll explains this multiplication: "Jesus chose a few people with whom He could build a relationship and in whom He could pour His life so that when He was gone they could turn the whole world upside down."
However don't assume that this is easy multiplication. Making disciples is difficult. It can be messy and long-term. Everyone is part of this big dysfunctional family called the human race. Each person brings their personal baggage to the multiplication process. That is why relying on His Spirit is essential in reproducing followers of Christ.
I love how Chris Adsit says it" "The primary objective of discipleship is to bring your disciple to the point of "digging his own well" (to drink from the Word) and lose his dependence on you."
May our multiplication skills increase.
Now that's the Heart of the Matter.

What People Really Want

2010-03-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Over the past three years I have been conducting an admittedly non-scientific, yet reliable poll. I frequently ask persons who may be struggling with some life issues this question:

" What do you want that you don't have?"

The overwhelmingly most frequent answer might surprise you. Do you think the answer might be "More money"? Wrong. How about, "Better health or a bigger house"? Nope. Maybe, "A trimmer waistline or better physical fitness"? Wrong again. Is the answer "A better portfolio or financial security"? Likewise no - not even close.

Far more often than not, when I ask this question the answer is, (drum roll please)...

"Peace"

Odd huh? Of all the answers to that question, "peace" is by far the most frequent. People most desire peace. It's a fleeting possession with millions of people who may be well healed, well positioned or in well health. Yet they long for peace. When peace is absent in any relationship, even our inner relationship with ourselves, life becomes miserable. Perhaps that's why, when Jesus appeared to the disciples in a locked room after His resurrection, the first thing He said to them was, "Peace be with you" (John 20:19). Jesus knew what they most wanted above all else: Peace. We all need peace. It can't be bought, traded for, inherited or earned.

Do you like the origins of words? Interestingly the New Testament word for "peace" is nearly synonymous with the salvation brought by the Messiah. If you want peace it can be found only through Him.

Peace be with you during this Easter season.

The Obsession With The World's End

2010-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

A mega trend of our time is the interest in the end of the world. Both Hollywood and pop culture have recognized this trend as they capitalize on the "End Times Market". Global thermonuclear war ... a collision with a giant asteroid ... an invasion by menacing extraterrestrials ... Hollywood and television producers never lack for creative ideas about how the world will end. A popular current myth is that the Mayan people predicted the world's end in 2012. (Interesting that the Mayans themselves are now extinct.)

I grew-up in a similar time; during the Cold War, when Americans were preparing for a Russian nuclear invasion. At age ten I watched neighbors dig bomb shelters in their backyards, prompting me to be a little nicer to them - just in case the big blast came. We had "bomb drills" at school, and practiced sheltering under our desk tops when the bomb was launched. I never understood how that desk was going to save me from destruction, fallout and death, but we practiced nonetheless.

Amid all those fears about the end then, my mother uttered some profound logic: "Why are so many worried about the end of the world? After all when you die, it's the end of the world for you, so you better be ready."

That was good advice then and is good advice now. Don't want to spoil your day, but we are all in the process of approaching the end. We need to be ready. Contact me if you aren't sure if you are ready.

Now that's the heart of the matter.

Hurry Up by Slowing Down

2010-01-27T11:52:00.000-08:00

Here's the way John Maxwell says it:

"A minute of thinking is often more valuable than an hour of talk or unplanned work."

Never in the history of humankind has there been so much access to so much information in so little time. A byproduct of the incredible technology revolution is that information and opinions on any topic are literally at our fingertips. There is no information that can't be immediately accessed on your computer or the world wide web on your cell phone. Nor is there a shortage of voices that can tell us just about anything we want to know on any subject. (If you don't agree with me, ask yourself when you last visited the research section at your local library to find information on a topic. Or....when was the last time you opened a World Book or Encyclopedia Britannica to learn some information about a topic?)
Living in the midst of this wave of information sure has its advantages. Yet as with most good things, there can be a bad side to all this. Independent thinking is quickly vanishing. Taking time to think through a matter almost seems wrong in light of the new emphasis that we have on the speed of gathering information. When God spoke through the psalmist the words "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10, He was saying it's good to cease from personal efforts and frenetic schedules and simply take time to slow down. When we do that He makes Himself known to us. One minute of quiet thinking can rumble with the thunder of good decisions.
Now that's the heart of the matter.

"Now I Get It"

2010-01-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

C.S. Lewis once said that the first words we will utter in heaven will be, Oh! Now I see! Lewis understood that there are events and issues in our lives that are part of an unknown, divinely planned, bigger picture. There are some things, according to Lewis, we won't understand until we are glorified in heaven.
We want explanations for everything. I often encounter people looking for a key answer for why bad things happen in lives. My best advice is that on this side of heaven we may never know. That goes for personal tragedies and yes, for national tragedies, such as what we are witnessing in Haiti. In recent days there has been a plethora of possible explanations for the horrific death and destruction left by the earthquake in Haiti: Global warming, a Haitian pact with Satan and the neglect of the 3rd World are a few of the desparate attempts to explain how 200,000 people could die in this tragedy.
Here's what we know: We don't know why it happened, but we are called to help. Later on we might "get it"; right now our response as Christ-followers is to be a part of the soloution, not the explanation.
Now that's the heart of the matter.

Monuments To Ourselves

2009-12-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

King Saul of Israel was one impressive dude. He came from one of the best of families and possessed the best of looks. Considered the most handsome man in Israel, his good looks were impressively accentuated by his tall stature. 1 Samuel 9:2 says Saul stood head and shoulders above everyone else. When you took-in Saul, you looked up, and his appearance didn't disappoint.

Had there been an Israelite Idol television show, Saul would have been the hands- down winner. When the people demanded a king, there was therefore little surprise that it was Saul that the prophet Samuel anointed. It was as if this gifted and skilled military victor was destined for that role. He was "The Man".

When we read about King Saul in 1 Samuel 14, he has his priorities strait. After some early successes as Israel's leader, Saul does the right thing: He builds an altar to God (1 Samuel 14:35). Saul knew who was responsible for his achievements - God alone.

Saul soon neglected the Source of his success however.

Twenty-eight short verses later, in 15:12, King Saul built a second monument. This monument wasn't a monument to God, but a monument to .....well .... Saul. Success can cause us to build personal monuments - perhaps just in our minds, but monuments nonetheless. Saul got caught-up with himself, his great victories and the hero worship of those around him. His personal dependence on God was replaced by his personal pride. He went from building monuments to God to erecting monuments to himself.

Sadly, Saul's success dropped like a rock from that moment forward. His genius lost its luster. His popularity suffered. His emotions got out of control and his reign became a total disaster. He lost his blessing, his success and his life as a result of his pride. It all started when the first brick of his monument to himself was put in place.

May we learn from Saul's mistakes.

Now that's the heart of the matter.

People Pleasers

2009-12-08T07:52:00.001-08:00

Looking for a sure recipe to failure and frustration? Try being a People Pleaser. It's a dead-end street. These sad folks have an insatiable and habitual desire to try to please everyone --an impossible quest. They eventually become approval addicts who may even try to become someone other than who they really are in order to please others. They obsess with seeking approval, which in turn compromises their convictions and leaves them with unhealthy boundaries. The ultimate outcome for people pleasers is misery.

The Pulitzer Prize winner, Henry Bayard Swope said, " I cannot give you a formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: Try to please everybody."

The root cause of people pleasing and approval addiction is a misplaced effort to satisfy deep needs. Everyone is created with 3 God-given needs - the needs for love, for significance and for security. All of us have those needs. Guess what? People can't meet those needs; only God can:

"God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:19)

So how to move from being a people pleaser? First admit the truth to yourself and significant others. Second accept personal responsibility for your happiness and peace - Don't let your happiness be dependent on others' happiness. Third, stop focusing on what the other person is doing and focus on what you are doing, (that can be a little scary-- especially the first time). Fourth move to emotionally safe relationships. Finally and most importantly, get your approval priorities straight:

" Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?
Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to
please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
(Galatians 1:10)

May we all care less and less about what people think, and more and more about what God thinks.

Now that's the heart of the matter.

Old Fashioned Narcissism

2009-12-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

In recent years the word "narcissism" has increasingly woven itself into our everyday discussions. Everywhere we turn we can hear or read of a self centered person being referred to as a Narcissus. But we stretch in overuse of that word. Until recently narcissism was a psychological term used to describe a person diagnosed with a serious disorder called Narcissistic Personality Disorder. These dysfunctional folks make others around them pretty miserable because of their excessive sense of self importance, fantasies of unlimited success, personal grandiosity, lack of empathy or sympathy and obsession with themselves. They can pretty much suck the oxygen from the room by their obsessive sense of entitlement and personal arrogance. With them it truly is "All about me".

You might remember the original Narcissus, who was a son of a god in ancient Greek mythology. He was a strikingly handsome youth who really got caught-up in his own beauty. Girls adored him, but he paid no attention to them; (he was far too smitten by himself). The legend says he fell deeply in love with his own reflection in a pool, and he became so obsessed with his image, he couldn't move from staring into the pool.

Whether we admit it or not, we are born with a self love that firmly places us at the center of our universe. We perhaps don't become as shackled with our self love as Narcissus, but we are born with some narcissism. Our fallen nature can cause us to interpret everything through ourselves. Erwin Lutzer says, "Our narcissistic natures say, If you show yourself to be better than I am, I will sustain narcissistic injury and will consider you an enemy. I will be jealous of you. I will resent you."

Following Christ moves us from our self obsession. One of the remarkable byproducts of the Christian journey is that the Holy Spirit gradually distances us from preoccupation with me, my and mine. The purpose of the cross was to repair the irreparable. That includes our narcissism. That dreadful part of the human condition fades more and more as we walk with Jesus.

Now that's the heart of the matter.

Living Messengers

2009-11-24T10:56:00.001-08:00

In his book, Lifestyle Discipleship Jim Petersen makes the case that "Our basic strategy for connecting with an unbelieving world is going to have to change." In the past we've assumed that if we opened the church doors, sooner or later the world would come to us. That is no longer so. We live in the first unchurched generation in American history.

Our task is to bring Christ to them - whoever and wherever they are. We are called to serve Christ as insiders in an unbelieving world. That becomes impossible if we segregate ourselves from non-Christians, hunkered down with Christians in holy huddles. Petersen holds that we have "abandoned a post" that was uniquely ours by leaving the world to simmer in its' own stew. You see, Christians often have the mistaken impression that becoming an insider in the kingdom of God means being an outsider to the world. Jesus never avoided the world, even when grossly criticized for rubbing shoulders with sinners (Luke 15). Neither should we.

I like the way Bible teacher, Theodore Epp says it:
"Live as though Christ died yesterday,
rose from the grave today,
and is coming back tomorrow."

Now that's the heart of the matter.

When Heaven Throws a Party

2009-11-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

When Jesus described the significance of a sinner on earth accepting Christ, His words shifted to heaven of all places. Jesus offered an intriguing glimpse into heaven at the moment a sinner repents:

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Lk 15:10

Let's see, the angels in heaven actually rejoice and celebrate when one person accepts Christ? Well...yes. I suspect if you or I scripted this phenomenon we might entertain the thought of angelic rejoicing if a nation, city or continent would turn to Christ. But heaven throws a party when one person makes that decision!

Earlier this afternoon a 24 year old man prayed with one of our counselors and accepted Christ. As soon as he left the counseling office he told our administrative assistant what happened. She repeated what his counselor had already told him: Luke 15:10. His response was, "That's awesome! It's hard to believe!"

Yet it's true; we are that important to God -- He values each of us that much.

Max Lucado asks: "When you hear of a soul saved, do you drop everything and celebrate? Do our chests burst with joy? Do we feel an urge to call out the band, and cut the cake and have a party?"

Heavenly angels did that very thing earlier this afternoon ---They joyously had a celebration. May the same be said about us.

Now that's the heart of the matter.

Look Up

2009-11-10T07:01:00.001-08:00

Where we keep our focus is where we will live our lives. That means that there is a vital connection between where we gaze and how we live. Let me explain what I mean:
In Colossians we are challenged to move our eyes from focusing downward-on the dirt of the ground, to upward-on the greatness of Christ. Here's how it is paraphrased in The Message:

"Don't shuffle your feet along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to the things going on around Christ -- that's where the action is. See things from His perspective." Col 3:1-2

Several years ago a researcher traveled with a mountain climbing party as they attempted to reach the top of a treacherous mountain. What he concluded about their gaze is amazing. He found that there was a direct correlation between dark clouds and discontentment. When the mountaineers looked up and saw grey clouds obstructing the peak, they became frustrated, short-tempered and selfish. But on sunny clear days, when the peak was clearly visible, the climbers were upbeat and energetic.
We're like those mountain climbers. When our eyes are on Him, we have a passion in our lives and bounce in our steps. But if we hold our heads downward to focus on the rocks and dirt, we become grumblers. Magnify Him with your gaze and the rocks on your path will crumble.
Now that's the heart of the matter..

Successful Marriages

2009-11-03T06:14:00.002-08:00

The number of "Marriage How-To" books grows each year. Visit your local bookstore and you'll find racks full of marriage books and manuals devoted to everything from how to make your marriage work; to daring one another, to giving more, to listening more, to communicating more, to loving more (not sure how that one works), and talking more. Whew!
Once in a while a book is published that gives strait-up, bottom-line, facts about marriage; success factors that can be incorporated into any marriage.
"The Necessary Nine" by Dan Seaborn et al, offers nine critical indicators of successful marriages. They are real, understandable and doable:
1. Establishing Cherishing Attitudes (Cherishing isn't something my spouse has to earn, it is something my spouse has to learn.)
2. Pursuing Financial Security (The # 1 reason couples argue)
3. Discovering Sexual Satisfaction (For men sex means sex; for women sex means moods, emotions and everything else.)
4. Spending Time Together (Marriage is a bicycle built for two...what replaced you on the seat?)
5. Developing Genuine Friendship (being chums, companions, comrades and confidants)
6.Valuing Physical Attraction ("I'm going to take care of myself for my spouse.")
7. Chasing Emotional Connectedness (In marriage you are a blend of 2 different things.)
8. Guarding a Peaceful Home (Be the ringleader of bringing peace to your home.)
9. Creating Spiritual Fusion (Bottom-line: All marriages need Jesus as the Head of the home.)

Incidentally, that #9 is most important: Recent research done at Fuller Seminary reveals that the probability of divorce for couples who pray together is 1 in 1052!
That's the Heart of the Matter.

Forgiveness - Easy To Say...Hard To Do

2009-10-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

C.S. Lewis had it right:

"It is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive we shall not be
forgiven. There are no two ways about it." - from Mere Christianity

There are 125 direct references to forgiveness in the Bible. Almost all of these references have to do with divine forgiveness. Yet the biblical precept is clear: If we are forgiven then we should be forgivers!
Joseph forgave his villainous brothers when he could have settled the score for their evil treatment of him. Esau surprized Jacob when he demonstated forgiveness rather than revenge. In the great Parable of the Prodigal Son, the forgiving father, (symbolic of our heavenly Father), showed human forgiveness that is a picture of God's forgiveness.
Alas there is a tough part to forgiveness: Jesus commands us that we are to forgive a person "seventy times seven." That means that we are to be a people who are forgivers; willing to forgive over and over again.
A few years back Stanford University conducted major research on forgiveness. This "Forgiveness Project" concluded that those who forgive others lead healtier and more fulfilled lives. We Christiuans knew that all along.
Who do you need to forgive?

Shakespeare Wrote It; Christ Lived It.

2009-10-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

Here's how Shakespeare waxed poetically about mercy:

The quality of mercy is strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven...
And earthly power does then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. The Merchant of Venice

Old Will described mercy well: Mercy does indeed fall like a refreshing heavenly rain, and when we earthlings show mercy we are reflecting God. The poet described what Jesus of Nazereth lived. Here's what I mean:
When eternal God zipped-on human skin and appeared on earth, He did so in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was mercy personified. Mercy is related to compassion in God's Word, and the best definition of mercy I've come across is "Compassion in action." Indeed Jesus constantly revealed an activated compassion toward society's least worthy and most marginalized - the "down and outs", condemned sinners, oppressed women, the lame, blind, prostitutes and even nefarious tax collectors. As one reads the gospel accounts of this merciful Savior, time after time, from every quarter, come the words; "Have mercy on me!" He never ceased in doing just that....having compassionate mercy on all who called out to Him. He still does today. You need only ask.