Blog Archives - River of Life Church

Selling a Home Entertainment System at a Tire Repair Shop

8/30/2013

The day before, I had dropped off a skidsteer tire for a new tube Steve’s Tire, a local tire repair ship in our community. The tire was fixed and had I just loaded the repaired tire into the back of our pickup when a newer Suburban pulled up alongside of me. I overheard the person in the passenger tell the driver to “just ask them”.

The driver then asked me if I was interested in purchasing a Home Entertainment Sstem. I told him I was not and the follow up question asked if I new what a Home Entertainment System was. I told him I did and was not looking to purchasing one. Off they drove.

My wife was with me and I asked her what just happened. We are in a tire repair shop parking lot. The shop did not have a “side” electronics business. I wondered what the response would have been if I had told the person that I was just parked at the tire repair shop hoping someone was going to drive up and offer me a great deal on a home entertainment system.

I am still scratching my head trying to figure that one out.

I used to share Jesus much like this person trying to sell or unload the home entertainment system. I would pull up alongside a person and immediately talk about Jesus. I would unload about Jesus; it was random and out of place. The person must have wondered why this guy is trying to “sell” me Jesus here in the parking lot. It raised suspicion, made them defensive and was not productive.

Boldness still has context and timing.
Ephesians 6:19-20
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Paul, the author the request above, was bold in the public, in private and in prison. He spoke boldly from a relational platform built .

Build and be bold, today.

Holy Spirit Rain

8/29/2013

During the month of August, our area has gotten little to no rain. It been dry, dry, dry and this week temperatures have been in the 90’s. This morning, in the pre-dawn darkness, I awoke to thunder and the sound of heavy rain on our windows. In just a few minutes we received 3/10” of rain.

While this amount is not enough to end our dry conditions or lift the risk of fires, it completely changed the atmosphere around us. The air is cool and has the fresh smell that follows a rain shower. The short rain burst settled the dust and rushed in new hope for new life.

This is what happens when a person lets the Holy Spirit rain on their life. Without the Holy Spirit, life gets dry, hard and shriveled. Emotions get tinder dry and risk erupting at the smallest spark. When the Holy Spirit is in a person’s life, new hope rushes in like a fresh fragrance. The entire atmosphere around you is changed by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you are feeling dry and dusty, ask for the Holy Spirit to fill your life with a fresh shower.

50th Anniversary of a Dream

8/28/2013

Martin Luther King spoke on August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. A crowd of more than 200,000 people had gathered on that day to March on Washington for jobs and freedom. It was one of the largest demonstrations at the capital at that time. Martin Luther King was a key leader for the Civil Rights Movement. His passion helped ignite significant changes of equality in our nation.

Today, as the country celebrates, President Obama will give a speech marking this significant anniversary. A new poll from the Pew research Center finds that one in four African Americans say the situation of black people has gotten better during the Obama Presidency; one in five said things have gotten worse.

I take that as an indication of some progress and some work still needed. I wonder what King’s reaction would be today with the progress since his speech 50 years ago. I wish I knew what his response would be in those areas that have gotten worse.

The county I live in is 96% white. There are more ethnic groups making their home in our community than previous years. You and I have a role to play in making the dream a greater reality in our communities. Showing respect and honor to all people regardless of race, status or gender is one of the simplest ways of making the dream have a greater impact in the world around us.

Celebrate this important anniversary by committing to give practical application to equality because of a deep current of love running through you.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

The Walking Dead

8/27/2013

Two of my grown sons were watching a movie that I had heard was quite popular about zombies. I learned that The Walking Dead is a series on cable television which was developed by Frank Darabont. Surprisingly, this horror series is based on a comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The lead character is played by Andrew Lincoln as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by flesh-eating zombies. The Walking Dead is in its fourth season and zombies are still running amuck.

The few minutes I watched of the show, oddly enough, made me think about problems in our world today. How does one improve our world without harming our world? How does one help the diseased and hurting without hurting them? The medical community is searching for treatments that can effectively kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells or weakening the person. The counseling community is looking for effective ways of bringing positive change that lasts to people who have abused others.

There are people who are walking dead spiritually. They go about emotionally or physically harming those around them. God sent His Son, Jesus as a cure that sets them free, yet the world is still running amuck with spiritually diseased people infecting those who are healthy.

There are Christians who try to escape the world and find a disease-free area to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. That is not the role we are called to live. Jesus prayed that we would NOT be taken from this world, but point people to the one cure.

John 17:15-18
My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Thankfully, our world does not outwardly look as creepy as the portion of the program I viewed. You can make a difference today by pointing people to Jesus.

"I Have a Dream" Anniversary March

8/26/2013

William Allison,92, came to the march with same sign he carried in 1963.

Tens of thousands marched at our nation’s capital on Saturday marking the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech given on August 28, 1963. I was four years old when MLK gave his historic speech. I do not remember the occasion, but I do remember the civil right movement that continued beyond the speech.

Comments posted from numerous articles and blogs written about Saturday’s march was as divided as our nation. Many praised the advancements made towards MLK’s dream. Many grieved that there is still a powerful current of racism in our nation. Others wrote openly and hatefully toward the black community.

Much was accomplished through the civil rights movement.

Much is yet to accomplish.

Will we be the generation that will value all people regardless of gender, regardless of race, regardless of age and regardless of status?

Christians are to lead in this treatment that all are equal because of our unity in Jesus Christ.

Galations 3:26-29
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

What can you do to make the dream a reality in our generation?

Why is My Knee Being Healed?

8/21/2013

I believe in healing. I have had a remarkable healing in my past and I have had more times of not being healed in my past. I still believe Jesus Christ heals today. This past winter my knee got roughed up playing broomball and hockey. When the ice went off the outdoor and indoor rinks my knee was getting better. This past June, I did the MS 150 bicycle ride with four of my kids doing about 75 miles each day Saturday and Sunday. On the next Tuesday, I played softball and tweaked my knee.

I had tweaked it about 4-6 years ago and it worked out over time. This was a more significant injury that stiffened quickly. Even sitting short periods of time I would get up and hobble painfully about. I had gotten prayer for my knee and it got a little better. I was at a couple church services and felt that I should get prayer for my knee if they had prayer ministry during the service. They did, but I did not go for prayer.

I decided that I was going to believe Jesus for healing until the end of August. If I was not healed by then I would see a doctor. A pastor of a church I visited (stealing all their good ideas to use at our church) was having meniscus surgery the next day. I called him up a week later. He told me how well it went and it relieved the pain right away the first day. My symptoms were identical to his. It took all my faith away for Jesus healing me and got me thinking about meniscus repair.

I forced myself to go back to my plan of prayer through August and got prayed for the past two weeks at our service. My knee is not completely healed, but this week I can do things I have not been able to do at all or without significant pain for the past two months.

Why?
Why is God healing now when I had more faith for previous healing s that never happened?

It seems that I did everything wrong. I lacked faith. I did not go for prayer when I should have gone. I was double minded – God is going to heal, I am going to see a doctor.

My conclusion: God is a good and gracious God. He always wants to do good for His children who love Him. Even in my poor faith position, God shows Himself strong. His works are not limited by my lack of trust in Him. I can identify with the father of a boy afflicted by demons and his struggle with believing Jesus can help.

Mark 9:21-26
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, He rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

Maybe you have an illness, injury or relationship you want healed in your life. Pray like the father did, "Jesus, I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief. "

Pan Millenialists

8/19/2013

Sunday, I shared the various biblical views of how the world ends. I shared pre, post and amillennial views, great tribulation and rapture views. One of our senior members came up to me at the end of the service and said that I did not give the “Pan” view. The “Pan” view is that it will all “pan” out at the end. She is correct in one sense and very mistaken in another.

When Jesus returns to this earth, I do not believe that I am going to cry out, “This is exactly how I pictured it happening!”. Each view has scriptural support and yet they cannot all be correct. To the close and passionate follower of Jesus, it will all pan out in the end.

However, it would be a tragic mistake to live as though nothing matters here and now because Jesus is coming back and with a snap of His fingers everything wrong will be made right. When Jesus was on the earth, He told His disciples that if they see Him heal people, raise people from the dead and have authority over demons, then the Kingdom of God has come. And they saw Jesus do all of the above.

Jesus gave His disciples and all followers the authority He had to do even greater things than what He did while on the earth. Every Christian is to be involved in kingdom activity while waiting for the return of Jesus. Even now, there are more people totally committing their lives to Jesus than ever in history. There are more prayer watches, more people fasting and praying, more miracles, and more restoration of the kingdom than ever before.

John 14:12-14
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it.

There is a day when Jesus returns and there is a dramatic shift of life as we know it. Until then, there is a great deal Christians can accomplish in preparation of that amazing day.

Better than the Perseid Meteor Shower

8/13/2013

I heard about the Perseid Meteor shower and wanted to know what direction to look in the sky to see the shower. I did not want to be standing outside late at night or early in the morning trying to figure out where to look. No worry now, I missed it.

Here is what I learned this morning from http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide
“The Perseid meteor shower is perhaps the most beloved meteor shower of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. The shower builds gradually to a peak, often produces 50 to 100 meteors per hour in a dark sky at the peak, and, for us in the Northern Hemisphere, this shower comes when the weather is warm. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn. They radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero, but, as with all meteor shower radiant points, you don’t need to know Perseus to watch the shower; instead, the meteors appear in all parts of the sky. They are typically fast and bright meteors. They frequently leave persistent trains. Every year, you can look for the Perseids around August 10-13. In 2013, the Perseid meteors will streak across the short summer nights – August 10-13 – from late night until dawn, with little to no interference from the waxing crescent moon. Plus the moon will be near the planet Saturn in the evening hours, giving a colorful prelude to late-night Perseid show. Best mornings to look: August 11, 12 and 13.”

So, I will have to wait until next August to see this meteor shower. I learned a little more from http://www.space.com/22332-perseid-meteor-shower-peaking-now.html:
“The Perseid meteor shower occurs each year in mid-August when the Earth passes through a dusty trail of leftovers from Comet Swift-Tuttle, a comet that orbits the sun once every 133 years. Most of this comet debris, which is made up of bits of ice and dust, is more than 1,000 years old, according to a NASA description.
As the Earth passes through the Swift-Tuttle debris stream, the ice and dust fragments slam into the atmosphere and burn up, creating one of the best meteor showers of the year for stargazers.”

Because I did not want to be inconvenienced trying to figure out where to look, I missed an opportunity to watch a meteor shower. The truth is that all I would have had to do was look up.

There is a bigger opportunity that I am not going to miss; the return of Jesus Christ. All you have to do is look up.
Acts 1:9-11
After He (Jesus) said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”

Jesus will appear in all parts of the sky, but you do need to know Him to join Him.
Matthew 25:11-13
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

Jesus return will be incredibly more spectacular than the Perseid meteor shower. Are you ready and watching?

$448 Million Powerball Jackpot Won By Three

8/8/2013

Last night the Powerball drawing was held and three tickets shared the winning numbers. Two are from New Jersey and the third is from my own state of Minnesota. All those who bought tickets are checking their numbers to see if they are starting the day much richer than they were yesterday. There were a total of 4,051,009 winners in yesterday’s drawing according to the Powerball website.

Powerball officials talk about the purchase frenzy that occurs when the jackpot gets high. Ticket prices doubled from $1 to $2 the beginning of last year doubling the amount going into the jackpot. Because the jackpot gets so large very quickly, many people wait until the prize reaches over $100 million before they buy a ticket.

The success of Powerball and any lottery is based on always having more losers than winners. Most of the over 4 million winners yesterday spent more money in tickets than they won. Most people know that formula is present at casinos, quilt raffles and the lottery, yet continue to dream of one day getting very, very lucky.

The Bible records a very lucky day for a woman. She meets Jesus without realizing who He is. She had questions about spiritual matters. Jesus answered them with such wisdom and clarity that she went to tell others about this remarkable person.

John 4:28-30
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward Him.

The luck of those from the town were about to change because of their encounter with Jesus.

John 4:39-42
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

There really was no luck involved. The Bible says that anybody who pursues, believes and trusts in Jesus Christ will live a dramatically different life – guaranteed.

Alex Rodriguez and Dishonest Scales

8/6/2013

Alex Rodriguez was booed when his name was announced in the starting lineup as New York Yankees third basemen. Major League Baseball suspended Rodriguez and a dozen other players for using performance enhancing drugs. The other players began serving their 50 game suspensions, but Rodriguez was given a 211 game suspension for intentionally covering up his involvement with Biogenesis, the Miami clinic that supplied him with the drugs.

Rodriguez had not played this season until last night because of a hip surgery. He chose to play his first game as cleanup hitter in Chicago because he intends to fight the suspension. A decision will not likely be made before November making it probable that Rodriguez will play the rest of the season while drawing his $28 million salary. The baseball fans at Chicago booed loudly when they heard his name announced.

Last month, the MLB suspended Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers for 65 games because of his involvement with Biogenesis Clinic. Braun was the National League’s most valuable player. The fans are frustrated, dismayed and bewildered why players with outstanding talent violate the league rules by enhancing their performance with banned drugs.

One of the rules in the Old Testament was to use scales that measured accurately. Using different scales or weights were banned because it gave an unfair advantage to the person selling their product. People were caught having weights that were heavier or lighter than standards and God was not pleased.

Proverbs 20:23
The Lord detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please Him.

God gives each of us talents and abilities to be used to bring honor to Him. Trading protected company information, manipulating stocks, or violating trusts are unfair scales in today’s world. There are ways you and I can gain an unfair advantage over others and people around you would boo you if they discovered you were utilizing something banned to gain this advantage. While we boo Alex Rodriguez, let us be certain we are living and working fair.

What ways have you seen people can gain an illegal advantage or cheat in the workplace?