Bless the Lord!

Psalm 103:1
Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless His Holy name!

Lately I can't get enough worship. The more I listen, the more I want, the
more I sing, then the more I want to listen to it. God is so continually
amazing and good. He amazes me. Driving my kids to school everyday
is quite a distance but thankfully its made time for me to enjoy praising
and worshiping.
In His presence I am experiencing fullness of joy. It's the whole principle
of giving and receiving. I don't worship to get from God but when I do He
blesses me back. It seems everyday since the New Year when I read my
devotional it is exactly what I need to hear. He just keeps blessing me
back. He continually amazes me. Bless His holy name!
May each one of us be blessed in God presence as we spend time enjoying Him.

Undivided Hearts

We have chosen different ways to participate in this fast. Some of us are fasting from certain foods, some from Facebook or other electronic distractions, some from caffeine or alcohol. No matter what the chosen item is, the purpose of the fast is the same: we are trying to become more focused on God. We are either denying ourselves something we enjoy as a way of reminding us that God is our sufficiency and our highest desire. Or we are trying to eliminate things in our daily lives that take time and energy away from our communion with God. We are trying to become more single-hearted.

Our hearts are the center of who we are. When the scriptures talk about the heart, it is not just the seat of emotion, but of our wills and our intellect. We are to, above all else, guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life—for out of it are the issues of life. (Prov. 4:23) So our commitment to fasting in order to become more single-hearted is addressing what God considers to be of utmost importance. And He doesn’t leave it up to us to achieve on our own. He has promised to help us do this. In Jeremiah 32:39 He says, “I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good.”

What a gold mine of gifts! God promises to give us singleness of heart and action so that we will delight in worshiping Him and He will rejoice in showering us and our children with goodness forever! And He repeats that promise through Ezekiel: “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them…They will be My people and I will be their God.”

“Heavenly Father, please give me that undivided heart; a heart that believes You are better than anything this world has to offer. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.”

My New Position Requires New Clothes

Colossians 3:12-14  The Message (MSG)

"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it."

I have given up some entertainment time and filled it with more physical activity, prayer and reflection.  When I go to the gym, no matter how holy the thoughts, the exercise clothes ... well, they just don’t smell holy.  Funny thing about that, merely changing the clothes doesn’t make me clean, I need a shower plus the clean clothes in order to be clean.

Paul in Colossians talks about being chosen by God for a new life of love, dressing in the wardrobe God picked out for you, putting on compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength and discipline.  Chosen by God for this new life, what does that mean?  Should I put on new clothing Paul describes in order to obtain this new life?  Do I change my outer image, my clothing, my actions, my words, in order to somehow become acceptable to God?

No, I think what Paul is saying is just the opposite.  I have already been chosen by God and cannot earn His favor.  God has chosen me, and picked out clean, fresh clothes for me to wear after He washed my stinky sins away through the blood of Jesus.  If I try to put on the clothing without the washing, then I merely speak the words and do good deeds in order to win God’s favor or the favor of other Christians.  That would be like going to the gym and putting on clean clothes without a shower.  But once I have been made clean, do I really want to put on the old stinky clothes and the habits I had before Christ washed me?

I was reminded again that I do not need to impress God to win His favor: accepting Christ’s work on the cross has already made me acceptable to God.  Our new position in Christ requires new clothes, which Paul has described for us.  And that last one - love - that is like deodorant.  As Paul said, never be without it!

Sing me an old hymn...

I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. I'll admit, it was a bit of a shock after two weeks of palm trees, ocean breezes and warm sunshine, but it looked beautiful. Of course, then the reality of an icy, 25 mile commute with a bazillion crazy drivers playing bumper cars on I-94 set in. Fortunately, I was only delayed (a mere!) 30 minutes by one accident that did not, thankfully, include me!

So, what does all that have to do with fasting and prayer?

Well...nothing.

As I mentioned in my last post, I have not been fasting. But I have been praying for a deeper relationship with God that would bring me closer to Him. And what I discovered is that prayer may deepen my relationship with God, but it won't bring me closer to Him. It can't. He's already right in front of me! And beside me! And deep within me! He couldn't be any closer than he already is!

God is everywhere. He is in the warmth of the bright sunshine, the sound of crashing ocean waves, the whisper of snowflakes, the shiver of the Cardinal in the cedar tree outside my kitchen window, the roar of the snowblower, the cacophony of rush hour traffic, the wail of the ambulance siren, the bustle of the skyway, the hush of the elevator. He is in all things - those that are comforting, annoying, wonderful and tragic. Most importantly He is holding me in the palm of His Hand; soothing me, guiding me, protecting me, and listening to my cries of contentment and distress, of anger, joy and fear, of desire and resignation. He listens to my prayers, He gives me hope, He understands what I need and when I need it and He delivers His promise that He, above all, is the One Thing that will shepherd me through this earthly life until He is ready to bring me home to Him in Heaven. His Love is the gift that buoys me in the stormy waters of life. His Son is the gift that saves me from my sinful ways. He is The Way, The Truth, and The Light.

HE is all I need. And He has shown me that in so many ways over the past month, during a time when my earthly world seemed like it was about to implode. Through Grace, He saved me. Just like He saves us all, every day, if we let Him.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.

-Helen Lemmel

I miss my games...

So over the last 3 weeks I have been fasting video games. The first two were for a class I am taking, and the last one is for the all-church fast. I have noticed a few things. The first being, I have not had the urge to play this many video games in quite a while! I usually only sit myself in front of the television when I don't have any family, work or school responsibilities - and lately I have had a lot of responsibilities.

Why then, you may be asking did I choose to give up video games? I chose them because I wanted to give up something that would be a sacrifice for me when I was alone. There are all sorts of personal reasons for this, but the most important one is that, often times when I am alone I choose to do something to distract myself. I honestly felt that being reminded and taking time to pray and hear from God during these times of solitude, instead of just distracting myself would be a good idea. So far I was right, or maybe more realistically, HE was right. God has been showing me all sorts of things about myself, my relationships, and how I use my "alone" time. It has been convicting and encouraging, which is a rare combination - but one I am really thankful for right now.

As I prepare for fatherhood, my time alone has never seemed more precious, but even now God has been reshaping my priorities. How can I use it to pray for others? How can I bless others even when I am not right there with them? How can I improve myself and my relationships? All of these are questions I have been seeking answers to, both from God and from my past experiences. My prayer for all of us is that God will speak to us and change us "individually" in the ways we need Him to. For me, it's what I use my free time for, for you it might be something different. Whatever it is, I'd encourage you to listen, when God speaks, it's worth taking the time to hear what He has to say!

Love that satisfies.

Over the past year I've been in contact with many people that have such a
need to know how much God loves them. I pray "Lord please give them a
revelation of your deep deep love". I know many of these people know about
Gods love in their head but it doesn't seem to have reached their heart.
As I think about the times in my journey when God's love has become so real and
tangible - it was during times of desperation. When God was literarily all I had.
I don't hope for anyone that they have to become all alone so they can experience
Gods deep love. What I've been praying lately is that I myself and others
would have increased hunger for God and His presence in our lives. That we
would be in places of desperation for Him.
When we are desperate for His love to touch our lives I believe He will.
On this love day may we all hunger and thirst for the ONE that can only truly
satisfy our need for love.

May Christ through your faith dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints the experience of that love, what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it;
That you may really come to know practically, through experience for yourselves the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge; that you may be filled through all your being into all the fullness of God, may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself. Eph. 3:17-19 (amplified)

Fast From Fasting? (Rick)

1 Samuel 15 22: But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

It seems that every year I have a vision, dream or word from God a week or so before our Cornerstone fast starts. Then during the fast I give something up, spend more time in prayer and listening for God only to not hear anything for the 21 days of the fast. I have thought, am I trying too hard, did I hear/see wrong on the vision or is there a disobedience that is getting in the way? Am I like Samuel and God is not listening because I have a disobedience that has restricted me from hearing from God? I end up being frustrated and distracted that I'm not hearing from God for the 21 days of the fast.

This year I have decided not to fast for fasting sake. I have prayed about what I should fast for or from and heard nothing from God so I have decided to not fast from anything unless directed by God. One word that has stood out in Cornerstone sermons lately is the word "intentional" as Scott has talked about us being intentional in our service and or worship to God. I have the thought that I don't want to spend 21 days again fasting and then at the end of the 21 days lapse back into old habits and less time with God. My hope is to make an intentional change in my daily time with God that will go beyond the 21 days and be a lasting life change.

I'm not saying the idea of a community fast is bad or wrong, I'm just feeling for me that unless God has instructed me to fast, doing so is like Samuel offering a sacrifice when all the Lord wanted was obedience. For the remaining fast I plan to be obedient to God, the vision he gave me before the fast and anything else he instructs me to.

And may my heart become like David's. 2 Samuel 7:22 How great are you O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
Thanks, Rick

Treasures

Matthew 6:19-21   Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for your selves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

In these past few days I have been challenged on “what” I treasure.  In my head I say, yes, I am storing up treasures in heaven, but my actions often speak differently.   

The question I find myself asking is; How can I say I am storing up treasures in heaven, when so much of my time is spent focusing on the cares of this world? If I really do value and desire all that God wants to do in my life,  and if I want to see the fruits of the spirit in my life, then my actions need to line up.   Am I always worrying about my job, money, or the thousand other activities that can fill up my time? 

So for this fast time I am asking in prayer what it is that God treasures, what does He value?  I pray that we as a church would all begin to see the treasures around us.    Father, open our eyes.  

Obedience and Expectation

One of the things I look forward to each day during my commute is listening to the radio—to listen to the news, enjoy the lively banter between the hosts, and get updates on the weather and traffic every 10 minutes! I never drive without it. So I decided that turning off the radio would be part of my fast. I would try to stay in conversation with God, focusing on praise or gratitude or intercession. And I would use the words of favorite hymns to worship when my own prayers began to drift.

I would love to be able to report that I’ve heard from God or received new insights. So far, that has not happened. Perhaps as we go further into the fast, I will have spiritual insights to pass on. Right now, I see my participation in the fast as an act of obedience with an expectation that God will meet me there regardless of whether or not I hear Him. And for now I have found that I am seeing Him from a larger perspective than I do when I sit at home to pray. (Being less introspective is always a plus!) I have been taking more time to pray for our church as a whole, for the pastors, for our Leadership Team and for individuals in our body. I arrive at work with the joyful sense that I have been in a delightful carpool with a dear Friend.

Cornerstone friends, I do pray that this time of fasting will create in all of us a thirst for a closer walk with Jesus. May God bless your obedience to this call to fasting and seeking Him, and may we become a church that finds her greatest joy in Him.

Trust and Check

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

“Trust and check, always trust and check.” said my supervisor one summer at a Christian camp.  His motto encouraged us to trust the people we worked with, trust the kids to do what was right, trust him, but always check on the results.  As you check and see that all is well, trust those more and check less.  When you find results different than you expected, trust less and check more.

Jesus talks in Matthew 25 about a man who goes on a trip and entrusts differing amounts of money to three servants.  While the man is gone, the first two servants invest the money entrusted to them and double their master’s investment.  The third, who was given the least, dug a hole and buried the money because he was afraid of losing it.  After a long time, the master returned and checked on the money he had entrusted to his servants.  He rewarded the servants who invested well, but punished the servant who hid his money out of fear.

No matter our resources, we fail unless we use them according to God’s plan.  As we study God’s Word and seek Him in prayer, let us consider how we can invest what God has entrusted to us.  In Psalm 34:8 we are even challenged to “try before we buy” by declaring “Taste and see that the Lord is good”.  God has been checking in on my life and I am realizing that I have not trusted enough.  What about you?

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”   Luke 6:38

What is Fasting?

I'm feeling a bit hypocritical posting on the blog since I am headed out for a two week vacation tomorrow and fasting will most likely be the last thing on my vacation agenda! But I was searching for a meaningful post to share with you and I found these words written by John Eastman that I took to heart:

"In the days of the Apostles, fasting was connected in one way or another to great signs and wonders, miracles, mighty works and doors being opened for the Gospel. Likewise, I do not believe that the body of Christ, his true church, will go forth in power to do the work of God unless it also becomes a fasting and praying church. Yes, God commands Christians to fast, and true Christians will desire to fast for God's righteousness in their lives."

What I take away from this is that in order for Cornerstone to truly be open to all that God has planned for us in the work of His Kingdom, we need to be praying and fasting. I may not be fasting with you in the next few weeks, but I certainly will be praying fervently for great signs and wonders, miracles, mighty works and open doors for Cornerstone.

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13

All-Church Fast 2012

It's that time of year again! Cornerstone church is participating in our annual all-church fast. I'm really looking forward to this year, even more than years past, for some reason. I'm anxious to spend some significant dedicated time to prayer during these next three weeks, some time really listening to what God has to say.

The last couple years I have fasted from lunch during the week. This year, I'm changing things up. I am giving up my caffeine during the day, and for those of you that know me, you know that's a significant thing. Not that I always need my cup of coffee, or 5 hour energy, or anything, but you will often find me with a Coke Zero in my hand, on my desk, or within reaching distance. My hope is that every time I think about getting one, I will be prompted to spend some prayer time instead. And if every day is like today has been, that is going to amount to quite a bit of time.

For me that time will be spent praying for the individual members of our congregation, and also time listening for where God is leading us to next. I feel a little like we are leaping from stone to stone across a river, and we're watching for God to show us the next stone in the line.

Some of that has already occurred, as people have heard God's voice in their own lives. I have had a number of conversations with people who have a heart for doing ministry, or for being the church out in the community. I'm already excited to see how God is moving among his people.

If you'd like to share, feel free to leave comments below about what God is pushing you to set aside for the next three weeks. How can we pray for each other along the way? And what do you hope to hear from him?

Pastor's Corner: Selective Listening

This week's upcoming sermon is going to be about listening to God, and once again, my own boys have managed to capture the essence of our relationship to God.

How often are my boys doing only what they want to be doing, whether it's reading a book, or playing a game, or whatever, and then Big Bad Dad comes in and ruins all their fun by asking them to accomplish some task? Usually something they've already been asked to do before. But there's one sure-fire way to get out of it: Selective Listening.

Selective Listening means that you only respond when you want to respond, and that you hear only the things you want to hear. Extremely frustrating as a parent, especially a task-oriented one, because you feel ignored.

But how often is this the case with us and God? How often is he asking us to do something, or to be something, and we simply can't hear it because we don't want to hear it? Or because there was too much going on around us for us to concentrate on what really matters? In a few days, Cornerstone will be headed into our annual All-Church Fast. And my prayer is that we will learn how to remove those distractions, and really listen. And not only listen, but then get up and do what God us telling us to do, or go where he is telling us to go.