Take The High Road

I like this picture.....
It's not in focus.....
It really doesn't make much sense....a businessman climbing up a hill with his briefcase....
But yet the picture speaks volumes....

Revelation 4:1
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.

An open door in heaven.....
An invitation to enter in.....
A promise to reveal things to you.....
That is the heart of my God.


He is an inviting God. 
He is a forgiving God. 
He is a God of love, but also a God of justice.
He has a standard to which all of us are called to....but he also provides the means and the ability to come to that standard.


The business man in the picture seems so out of place climbing up that hill. Especially when you think about him carrying his briefcase. That could be me. Not that I'm a business man, but that life and sin and hardship and misery is represented by that hill.  Life is a hard climb indeed, and it grows even harder when you throw addiction into the mix. There are bodies strewn all along that hill of people who simply could not make the climb. People who gave up and laid down to die. The invitation to life free from the darkness that comes with sin. To live free from the constant battle waged in your mind always whispering and telling you not to start up that hill. 

Think how much easier it would have been for that businessman in the picture, if he'd dropped that briefcase....let go of the baggage he was carrying. We have a tendency to do the same thing. We hold on to the baggage of our past, trying to make the journey, hindered all the while by the weight of guilt and shame.
Hebrews 12:1 reads: ....let us lay aside every weight and the SIN which so easily ensnares (entangles) us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Get rid of the baggage.......and run.

Notice that nowhere does it mention the race being for the swiftest or fastest. It is a race for endurance. It is about not giving up or falling out.
It is all about laying hold of the promises of God and then moving forward. Such action is called "obedience" and God will empower you through the faith he has given you to make this journey.
For every excuse your addiction whispers to you on why you won't be able to complete this journey....
I can give you the ultimate reason as to why you can.
God called, you answered and He will see you through.
Simple as that.


It begins with a simple, single desire to stop the madness.
A recognition that you cannot make it happen on your own.
You need help. Not a doctor.....not a philosophy....not a quick fix.
God is the Power you have been searching for that will help you make sense of all the madness....
Turn to Him.
He will come to you.
You will stand in the light of this new life you've only heard about, dreamed about.
It can be yours.

God on you...
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Love Me Some Grace

Romans 6:14
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Taken from Rod Hembree's Daily Devotional:

The word excuse means to offer an apology in order to seek to remove blame.
In our society, we use this word and its meaning as a pillar of truth holding up the foundation of modern religious thought.

We seek to excuse our sin and lean hard on the grace of God for forgiveness. With little or no effort to change, we chug along gleefully, not realizing that we are doing violence to the Gospel. 
In Romans 6, Paul confronts the "live easy faith" phenomenon. It is not new to the church because we, the people, always try to humanize our faith.
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What I see in the sixth chapter of Romans is that God's grace is freely given, but is very powerful and costs us our life. In other words, when we come to Jesus and surrender, our life is no longer our own, but His. I know this sticks in the craw of some, but the truth is, Jesus can show us and guide us better at living than we can on our own. Jesus won't send us down a path that He knows is filled with destruction and danger. He will help us navigate such path's, should we find ourselves in such places.

Much talk about grace so far, so here is my definition of grace, as taught to me by James Ryles.
Grace is the empowering presence of God, in my life, that enables me to be who God created me to be, and to do what God has created me to do.

So, with that definition, here is what Grace can do when we allow it to work in us.

1.) God's grace gives us a chance to change, not an excuse to keep living like we want to.

2.) God's grace is gives to us that we might break the chains of sin that hold us in bondage to our old lifestyle. Grace is not given so that we might simply polish those chains and wear them like jewelry.

3.) God's grace is given to us that we might rightly be able to give ourselves to Him.
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The law...God's ten commandments given to Moses.
Is the law null and void now? Does it no longer matter in the life of a believer?
I think it does.
The law keeps me mindful of the debt that Jesus paid that I might have this life I currently live, and the one to come after I leave this old world.
God gave 10 commandments to show humanity their need for a Savior.

Once Christ died to pay for the sin of humanity, then sin no longer has dominion over those who are saved. No longer has dominion over us because the grace of God has broken that link and set us free to live in Him and for Him. I think I might could muster up a little gratitude and "thank you Jesus" if I think on this long enough.

God on you....
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My Ge-ge-ge--generation

Judges 2:10
When all the generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.
Israel had marched out of Egypt after the night of passover when the first born of Egypt was slain. They had marched out draped in gold necklaces and earrings.They marched out with the spoils of Egypt in their possession. But because their hearts were not turned to God, as the Bible states, they wound up going from "marching" to "wandering". Quite a difference in these two words.
Marching gives the connotation of having purpose and order. A governmental hierarchy to aid in the trip. Leaders and elders to help govern the people. Everyone on the same page. A beginning and a destination.
Wandering seems to point to a journey with no purpose. We pack up and move because that is what we do. We are moving but with no destination in mind. By the time we get to the verse I've written above (Judges 2:10).....the first generation to come from Egypt has all died. What we have are 2nd generation children who are preparing to enter into the promised land.

In these verses we see the bleak and dreary picture of a people who found no value in God or His promises. The parents who came out of slavery in Egypt did nothing to pass on to their children stories and teachings about this wonderful God who used nature to defeat the gods of Egypt. The did not share any of the deeds of God that they personally saw during the 40 year wandering in the wilderness. The children were woefully taught and knew nothing of this God who had brought deliverance to the people.

In fact, the very last verse in the book of Judges spells out the moral and spiritual condition of the people.
Judges 21:25 -- In those days there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
I see this as the perfect example of what is going on in our nation today.
Because there isn't any moral standard or absolute truth, whatever each man decides as being right, so be it. It will be considered to be right.
This idea will follow Israel all the way through the Old Testament as they repeatedly fall away from God to chase after the pagan idols and religions of the Canaanite's. God would warn them to stop and to return to Him to no avail. Finally Israel forced God's hand and He brought judgment on the people and the land. This would bring a period of revival and a return to Him, but eventually would lead to another falling away by the people.
Oh that we, as a nation, would learn from what we read.
That our eyes would be opened to the folly of our ways.
Repent and return to the Lord.
God on you today............
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The Inner Net

How quick we are to embrace technology.
We do so and it becomes such a common place thing in our midst, that we forget what life was like before it was introduced.

we tune our TV's to watch as the President speaks on the issues facing our nation's future..
When he finishes, we get up to do some searching on the Internet.
The pundits have already posted their insight into what the President had said.
Seconds after he had finished, the info on his speech was going to the world over the Internet.
We forget about how it used to be.
We would have waited until the next day to read about it in the newspaper.
Or tuned in to the 10 p.m. newscast to see what they had to say. No longer though....
Blammo! It's there.

In an age of speed to disseminate information, true or false, we forget about the greatest source every given to mankind. The Bible. God's word, written down for all to read. And more than read, we have been called to digest it. To take it into the very core of our being. Here it becomes fuel for the  Holy Spirit to direct, and to guide into all truth.

Psalm 119:130 reads:
The unfolding of Thy words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple.
The unfolding.....
God's word is always being seen and taken into our spirits on new levels as we become students and "digest" or take the work into our souls and heart. It is the only book that I know of that when you read it, you can come back and read the same portion at a later date and see something new that wasn't revealed the first time you read it.

God's word gives light. It illuminates within us the dark places where we hide sin (or so we think). It gives us an opportunity to shed ourselves of motives, attitudes, behaviors that are contrary to God's path He has called us to walk. In other words, I am being changed, my character is being changed because of the Holy Spirit who brings this illumination to me.

In an age where information comes like a tidal wave, it is comforting to know that the words of Malachi have not been relegated as useless. "I am the LORD God! I do not change."
God is not outdated.
God is not irrelevant.
God is not a myth.
He is life.
He is peace.
He is the portion that fulfills your inner hunger.
A hunger that we have tried to feed with sex, drugs, money, power, greed....insert what ever you want. Only God can satisfy.
How can I say this?
Because He has done this for me.

God on you......

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A New Kind Of Church

Matthew 16:18
......"And on this rock (the fact that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

Out of the ashes, a new work will rise...one that has been touched by the fire of God, birthed from His heart. A Church....A People who are on fire for the Kingdom.

Wise man once said that if you go fishing with minnows and the fish aren't biting, you might want to change bait. I think somehow this could apply to the way we view planting churches. Just because you have a model that you think will work, doesn't mean that you will catch anyone. You've got to find out what the fish are biting on and then use that bait.  Strange analogy you may be thinking to yourself.

Well, I see a vast number of people who are searching for truth and a life-change that is real, but there aren't enough places they can go to where they can find this message. If you know me, then you'll know that I am referring to those who are trapped in the horror of addiction.

Unfortunately, most churches are not equipped to deal with those who are seeking a way out of their addiction. Now let's be clear, there are Celebrate Recovery meetings, as well as A.A. But your average Sunday morning church is ill equipped to deal with the emotional, spiritual, physical problem that comes with someone who is addicted.

The accepted view of most traditional churches is that they really believe that if they can get these folks in the door of their church, whip a little Bible on them, get them to sign a salvation card after shaking the preachers hand, then the job is over. A friend of mine told me once that when an addict finally gets sober, the hardest thing for them to do is find a church where they can fit in.

You see, your average person in recovery is very street wise. So they can cut through all the smoke and mirrors and see the reality of what's taking place in church. Most addicts have spent their lives learning how to size up people. They know how to spot someone who is real, as opposed to someone who is merely putting up a false front. People who are serious and sincere about their recovery desire a rigorous honesty that would cause some church goers to feel uncomfortable. Why? Because addiction thrives in the secrets that people try to hide.

Now lets get real honest here.
Most churches want to reach those who stand outside the salvation relationship that Jesus offers. But they aren't real comfortable with the ones who need this salvation offer showing up on Sunday. The one's they want to reach dress a lot different....their language may be a bit salty...The truth is, the view  of the traditional church is that these folks are not civilized enough to become "real" Christians. I remember speaking at a Sunday morning breakfast meeting at a church. I was approached by several men after it was over, thanking me for coming and sharing my story about recovery. One gentleman came up and shook my hand, thanking me for working with addicts. He went on to say, "You know, if we can get them saved, clean them up and get them to cover up all those tattoo's, then they could really turn their lives around." There it was, plain as day. "We want you to come to our church, but we want you to look like us....sound like us....and act like us.

Here's a quote from the book Celtic Evangelism:
"The typical church ignores two populations year after year.
      1.) People who aren't refined enough to feel comfortable with           those who attend church.

      2.) The people who are too out of control for those who do               attend. Such people make them feel uncomfortable."

I've written this post not to shame or condemn the traditional church. They do serve a much needed place in the Kingdom. What I would like to point to is that in an age where the church is trying to decide how to be relevant, why not consider a new type of church.
Why not consider a Recovery Church. A vehicle that is more than a recovery meeting, like Celebrate Recovery. A church that is birthed to meet the spiritual needs of those who are coming out of addiction. More than a recovery meeting, the church will go one step further in introducing those who come to the real HIGHER POWER, Jesus.

Before you get all excited about this, you need to understand something. You cannot take your average Sunday morning service and transplant it to another time, and place, and call it a Recovery Church. It will require a new way of looking how to deliver the Gospel message. It will require leaders who can hear God on the fly, so to speak, to meet the demands that will come. There will be things to face that your average pastor has never had to deal with. What kind of things? Well let me give you some that I have had to deal with. How about fist fights that break out during the teaching. We had a man show up who was going through treatment. He had not idea that his wife, as well as his baby's momma would show up at the same time. Let's just say that doesn't make for good vibes. How about having the offering stolen as the baskets were being passed around.  Then there was the time that we had Lysol spray in the bathrooms to help with any odor. Turns out that you can "huff" the spray and get a pretty good buzz. These are just a few that I have encountered over the years. It will take a new-kind of pastor to take on a Recovery church.

God will have to raise up these churches.....
And God will have to call those who move into the position of Pastor. You will not be dealing with the typical problems that most pastor's find themselves dealing with. Such pastor's will have understand the life and darkness that people in addiction move through daily. 

It will require a kind of "Unlearning" of everything that we thought would drive a church to be successful. Even the term "successful" will have to be re-defined and measured in new ways. If ever there was a population ready for the harvest,and to hear the message of hope and new life,  we will find it in this segment of society.
Whoever answers this call to build a Recovery Church will have to totally rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit, mainly because there aren't any models out there, and I'm not so sure that copying someone else's model would work. You will have to seek God to find out what will reach those who are living in addiction. No longer can you rely on man-made programs and short cuts to church growth. In fact, I would go on to say that if you are strictly in this so you can count nickles and noses, you are going fail miserably. Recovery church will be measured by the quality of people it produces, not the number.

One thing you will find that those who have embraced recovery are a lot more dedicated than your average Sunday morning attendee. A person in  recovery will usually attend upwards of 5 meetings a week. Five!! Why so many? Because this is where they find community and real life. It is a life line that helps them to keep moving forward.

I have started praying that God would raise up recovery churches, and the men and women who understand addiction, not just religion, who have a call to this segment of society.
Thanks for letting me ramble a bit...

Here again, I think the future of the church lies in answering God's call to those who are hopelessly living in this thing we call addiction. I chose the picture at the top of this posting for a reason. I see Recovery churches as being places that have been set on fire by the Spirit of God. A fire that will light up the darkness and attract others to find out for themselves what is going on at this place. Come, Lord Jesus and set us all on fire!

God on you....
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Save Me from Me

Psalm 51:4

Against You, and You alone, have I sinned. I have done what is evil in Your sight.....

No matter how many times I say it, it still rings with truth. It is not merely words that are spoken for effect. Words spoken to arouse some feeling in others that I might feel good about myself. I don't say them to draw attention to myself in an effort to get others to view me in a particular way. I say them because they are true. Simply that! They are true.

The words are true in spite of the fact that I wish they weren't. I wish this because when I confess them, I see how small I am. I see how inept I am. I see how corrupt I could be if I threw off the restraints and gave wholly into my sinful nature. What words could hold such power over my life? Simple...

"I am in need of being saved. I am in need of a great savior."

The admission that even after years of being a "Christian" I still find myself in this place. A place, I'm not so sure, we ever truly move from. In moving, I am fully aware that I would grab the reins from God and proclaim myself to be the driver of this carriage. 

Every time I read of Peter's denial of Christ, I know that such exist in me, and will escape if I don't guard myself. I know that in my salvation God has given me His Holy Spirit, and it is this Spirit that stands guard over my heart and mind and soul. But still from time to time the old "voices" come around. I don't know if they are testing the door to see if they can get back in to corrupt me, or what. I just know that they return ever so often. Praise God! He strengthens me in such times.

In view of God's great mercy, I see the "true" me. In light of God's nature and grace, I am brought to the place of seeing myself as I truly am without God's grace . I am in need of being saved.

Saved from what?

From myself?
From my own selfish, self-centered desires that would use others to get and have whatever was desired.

From the power of sin.

From the penalty of sin.

From the pull of sin.

From hell.

From eternal separation with God.

The list goes on and on.

In all of this, I am in need of being saved.
As John Newton so aptly put it..............

"I am a great sinner............and He is a great God."

Herein is the perfect view of humanity. One that we should never try and escape from. This is the place of humility and healing.

Like the picture above, I stand in a less than sea-worthy craft, adrift on a stormy sea. I cannot, nor will I, survive in such a place. I am in need of being saved.

Thank you Lord for Jesus, your son.

For his death and resurrection.
For the offer of eternal life to me, a sinner.

He is a great God.

See you tomorrow......

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It was A Good Night At Cornerstone.

Psalm 107:20
He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.

Went to C.R. downtown at Cornerstone Church.
Steve Brewster is the leader of the group, and he has himself something pretty special there every Friday night.

How can you not like a worship team that has a sound reminiscent of the 70's when Southern Rock ruled the airwaves. The band that took the stage to lead us in worship had that same feel and vibe, only now it is filled with the presence of the Lord. If you didn't feel it, you probably need to take your pulse. Song's that pointed to Christ as the answer to this addiction that is killing so many. 

Saw a lot of folks that I had not seen in some time. It was good to catch up and find out what's been going on with them. Lot of good stories....Lot of GOD stories. God has blessed me beyond anything I could ever think or imagine, by letting me be a part of such an incredible community of people that you find in Recovery.

I started off my part by talking about seeing the same folks at every meeting I go to speak at. Last night....then I'll see the same bunch over at Catalyst Recovery......then they will be at Vineyard ReCovery on Saturday.....I've seen them at North Glencoe C.R....I told them,"You guys are either the most dedicated people I know to attend all these meetings....or you're stalking me. I'm not sure which it is!" All kidding aside, these are dedicated folks. These meetings are where family gathers. Where the person sitting next to you knows fully well the struggles you may be going through. Grateful for every meeting that is raised up 

I am grateful for all the "Flavor's" of recovery meetings that God has created. It would be pretty dull if every one of them looked alike and sounded alike. This is the beauty of the God we have chosen to serve. He plants each meeting with a specific bent and slant to lead others to back to Him for the ultimate healing.

As I drove home last night, thinking back on the meeting and what had just occurred, once again I found myself asking that age old question that has followed me for twenty years. "How are you going to top that, God?"
Well, I rest in the knowledge and understanding that He will.

God on you...
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(Last night's meeting was videoed and posted on line. You can see it at Vineyard ReCovery Facebook page.)

Who Are We?

Joshua 1:2
....Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them....the children of Israel.

I went back to take a look at the very first posting of this blog. January 2008, and the things I wrote then are as relevant today as when they were first posted.

People in transition.
People who have crossed over into "new" life.
A work in progress.
Straining forward to the Upward call of Christ. 
We are a nomadic people in some ways....
We have lived in a land, and a life filled with darkness.
Because of our heart-change, we are drawn to the light of Christ. The tug and pull of a new life, far out weighs the siren's call that leads to destruction. Sin is always a "downward" descent into madness, destruction and death. The call of Jesus always leads us upward to His presence and Power to restore us and give us a new life.

We have lived in the darkness far longer than we care to remember.
Now the dawn of hope breaks over us everyday through the Word of God and the presence of His Holy Spirit in us, over us, around us.Greater is the call of Christ, than the call to addiction. But sometimes we allow the lie to overpower us....blind us....and dull our spiritual sense of hearing. We live this way for so long that it seems to be normal. That is a scary place to be in.

It's all about Surrender.
Giving up.
We has spent our lives giving up.
This time it is a surrender to one greater than us that has the power to restore us to sanity.
Sanity?
The ability to make sound decisions that lead to good consequences.
Sanity!
We have surrendered ourselves to the rock.
We have surrendered ourselves to the needle.
We have surrendered ourselves to the joint.
We have surrendered ourselves to the bottle.
We chose to bow our knee and worship the high.
Repeatedly we performed this ritual so many times that it became second nature
We did it out of habit until it became a habit.
A habit that consumed the very focus of our lives.
There are some who are of such mind that they can will themselves into sobriety. They are few, but they are out there. But no one.....no not one can create a new life of Joy, Peace and Mercy. That comes from being filled with the Spirit of God.

Vineyard ReCovery Church is a community that is seeking answers to life that can only be found in Christ.
Our Theology? Simple.
I Corinthians 2:2
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Christ at the center of our life, gives my life purpose and strenght to be lived and walked out everyday.

We are a community of hope.
Our worship is simple and direct.
We sing "to" God and not about God.
Our services are every Saturday Night at 7 p

God on you...
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Trading "ME's"

( A reprint from October 2009)

I want to get "me" out of the way.

But "me" keeps trying to worm its way back into control of everything.

I even spend energy trying to deny "me" and press on with this pursuit of Jesus.

"me" keeps popping back up.

Oh if there was just some way I could kill "me".

Trade my "me" for Jesus' "Me"

He (Jesus) does make the offer in Matthew 11...

"Come to "me"....Jesus cries out!

Maybe that is it.

The secret step.

The hidden destiny.
The keys to unlock the future.

The next plateau.

Trade "me's"

If I understand anything on this side of heaven

it's that when you do business with Jesus

you never trade down....

you always trade up...

Whatever you surrender to him,

he will replace with something

much better...

more complete...

than what you had.

Trade your old nature in

and see how much better the new nature is that

Jesus works into your life.

Truth be known......when I came to Jesus

I had to die.

All of "me".

I, me, mine....

all had to die and surrender to the work

of God's Holy Spirit.

Die to "me" and be resurrected to new life

in Christ.

The power of sin in "me"

and

The power of sin through "me"

was destroyed when I was born again.

The old "me" died.

The new "me" was created.

Created?

yes!

"If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation."

being this new creation

my "me" has to learn how to live in an entirely

different manner.

This is where direction and guidance

from the
Holy Spirit

comes into play.

I only follow Him.
Do what He tells me to
(yes! He does speak and instructs)

and follow where He says to go.

New "me"

New life

New way of dealing with the world.

Not bad....
this dog will hunt!!!

God on you.........

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Little Life? Or Big LIFE?

Great story in the news today about scientist (gotta love these guys and gals) are doing a study to determine what death really is and if there is "Life after death."
I guess the question I would have to ask is......................"Is there life before death."
What I see is that a number of people run around trying to find life.
They don't find it in a job, but they put in their mandatory 40 hours and then use the remaining off time to "experience" life on some level.
To them, life is anything that happens outside the sphere of their normal everyday existence.
They take up skydiving....("It makes me feel alive!").
They take up mountain biking ("I feel alive when I'm blasting down that hill!")
They climb mountains ("I conquered a fear and I'm alive!")
But the life they claim to have found fades and becomes a memory causing them to seek out even greater thrills and experiences.

Jesus, in John 10:10, says, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." The inference there is that Jesus is the source for this life, and He goes on to state that "He has come." His presence and His willingness to enter our time and space is the vehicle through which this abundant life flows. We cannot get it on our own, that is why He chose to bring it to us. We cannot seek it out and lay claim to it. He offers it as a free gift to those who would receive.

This abundant life is not for a later time. It is not found within the "sweet bye and by." It is found in the "nasty here and now." Life..............now! Life............that is above whatever the standard is that the world has offered. Life that is eternal. Life that pays dividends on this side of heaven as well as the other. Jesus said that He had come to offer to sinners this gift of life abundant.
To offer life would be to say that, "what you are currently experiencing that you would claim to be life, is less than what He has to offer."

Why not trade today?
Why not look into Jesus, as Larry Norman would sing?
He's got the answer.....
Jesus, not Larry.

God on you........
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