I'll tell you where the action is. Right outside my office at North Campus are the Preschool, Pre-K and Kindergarten bathrooms and drinking fountain. The traffic is heavy, and it can get exciting; if you know what I'm talkin' about.
One time, recently, Olivia from Preschool was coming out of the girls bathroom, and I noticed she was limping down the hall. She didn't look hurt, but foot, ankle or knee were not working right. Woops - she saw me. Without hesitation she said something like, "Hey Pastor Wilson, you better fix my shoe." She stuck it out.
It wasn't any easy fix. She had a "tongue in shoe" problem. It wasn't just wiggle the heel around; it was goin' to require the surgery of a full shoe removal and a tongue relocation, followed by "puta-shoe-back-on-icus" and a full "velcro-on-again-icus." Yep, I had to get on the floor.
In the process I memorized Olivia's name, and we became friends.
Of course, something like this happening always gets me to thinkin'. Olivia had the courage to approach me boldly with her need. Do most of us do that with people we love or with God. Well, I have to admit...not usually.
The Bible says, "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16)." That's a pretty awesome verse; isn't it?!
Why don't we just ask for our needs like a preschooler? Too proud or don't understand God - one or the other.
Some of us think, "I know how to do this myself; I don't need God or anyone else!" And guess what? We miss getting to know God or someone else He has sent to help us.
Others of us think, "God doesn't have time, nor does anyone else have time, to help me; I'll just suffer through this alone." Now does that sound like God or His people? No, No, No! They always want to help. In fact, they want to "get on the floor", so that in the process we'll get to know one another better.
Olivia asked for help. How about you and me?
Let's pray over it! Dear Lord, teach us to talk to You about everything. Help us to learn to just come up and ask You about things we need. We know that You present us with situations; so that when we talk to You about them, we will get to know You better and better. Thank You that You are willing to involve Yourself, and Your people, in the things that are happening to us. We love You, Lord! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Ps Hey, another milestone! We made it to 2,500! Let's get back to bloggin'!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
My Running Buddy
One of my good friends got sick a few weeks ago.
His name is Don; some of you know him as Dr. Lichi. Many know him as counselor, teacher, author, preacher and friend. For me he's Running Buddy.
Running Buddy is the guy who gets up at 4:30 am, so he can meet me at the trail at 5:00 am. Running Buddy doesn't care how I smell. He doesn't brush his teeth before the run, and he doesn't care whether or not I brush mine. It doesn't bother him if I puke on the trail, cuz' he knows he just might puke on the trail.
Running Buddy shares. He brings an extra bottle of water just in case I forgot (I always forget). He'll give me his other dry T-shirt after the run on rainy or very hot days. When it's dark, running buddy shares his flashlight; so we don't go splash in the Cuyahoga River. Sometimes Running Buddy buys breakfast at Hamburger Station. Yes, he even shares his vaseline if necessary; that's true friendship! (you'll know why that's important once you are forty).
My Running Buddy gives sacrificially. If I can't make it all the way, he runs to the car and comes back to pick me up. He runs on days he doesn't really feel like it, because it'll make me and other friends run too. Running Buddy never quits. I told him it would be wise to do so a few times - not my Running Buddy - nope!
The fact that my Running Buddy got sick got me to thinkin'. My thoughts were not very helpful at first. I asked God just exactly what it was He thought He was doing to allow my Running Buddy to get sick.
God responded by talking to my spirit; sometimes He does that. He asked me if the Running Buddy was mine or His. I had to admit that I didn't own my Running Buddy and that God did.
Then He ask me who it was that could take better care of my Running Buddy, me or Him. "Well...You can, God, " I had to admit.
Finally, He asked me, "Would you trust Me with your Running Buddy, since I love him more than anyone else can?" "...OK," I said with some hesitation.
"After all," said God, "Wasn't I the One who gave you the Running Buddy as a gift in the first place?" I had forgotten that.
So I trusted the Running Buddy God gave me back to Him. That got me to thinkin' some better thoughts, like a Scripture verse we've talked about before. Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take."
God has really been helping the Running Buddy in recent days. And in the process, He is teaching me more about prayer, so we better have one!
Dear Lord, teach us all what it means to trust You. Help us know that You love most and best. Continue to be with my Running Buddy by "strengthening Him with power by Your Holy Spirit in his inner being." So be it, Lord! Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Ps Sorry I haven't been writing here as much over the last month. I will get back at it!
His name is Don; some of you know him as Dr. Lichi. Many know him as counselor, teacher, author, preacher and friend. For me he's Running Buddy.
Running Buddy is the guy who gets up at 4:30 am, so he can meet me at the trail at 5:00 am. Running Buddy doesn't care how I smell. He doesn't brush his teeth before the run, and he doesn't care whether or not I brush mine. It doesn't bother him if I puke on the trail, cuz' he knows he just might puke on the trail.
Running Buddy shares. He brings an extra bottle of water just in case I forgot (I always forget). He'll give me his other dry T-shirt after the run on rainy or very hot days. When it's dark, running buddy shares his flashlight; so we don't go splash in the Cuyahoga River. Sometimes Running Buddy buys breakfast at Hamburger Station. Yes, he even shares his vaseline if necessary; that's true friendship! (you'll know why that's important once you are forty).
My Running Buddy gives sacrificially. If I can't make it all the way, he runs to the car and comes back to pick me up. He runs on days he doesn't really feel like it, because it'll make me and other friends run too. Running Buddy never quits. I told him it would be wise to do so a few times - not my Running Buddy - nope!
The fact that my Running Buddy got sick got me to thinkin'. My thoughts were not very helpful at first. I asked God just exactly what it was He thought He was doing to allow my Running Buddy to get sick.
God responded by talking to my spirit; sometimes He does that. He asked me if the Running Buddy was mine or His. I had to admit that I didn't own my Running Buddy and that God did.
Then He ask me who it was that could take better care of my Running Buddy, me or Him. "Well...You can, God, " I had to admit.
Finally, He asked me, "Would you trust Me with your Running Buddy, since I love him more than anyone else can?" "...OK," I said with some hesitation.
"After all," said God, "Wasn't I the One who gave you the Running Buddy as a gift in the first place?" I had forgotten that.
So I trusted the Running Buddy God gave me back to Him. That got me to thinkin' some better thoughts, like a Scripture verse we've talked about before. Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take."
God has really been helping the Running Buddy in recent days. And in the process, He is teaching me more about prayer, so we better have one!
Dear Lord, teach us all what it means to trust You. Help us know that You love most and best. Continue to be with my Running Buddy by "strengthening Him with power by Your Holy Spirit in his inner being." So be it, Lord! Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Ps Sorry I haven't been writing here as much over the last month. I will get back at it!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
And A Prayer Meeting Broke Out
Another CHCS Hoops season is complete. The Red guys and the Purple girls got the last "W" of the season - that means they won.
There was a lot of good playing by Teal and Purple in the first game. I'm really glad Leah has not challenged me to a game of one-on-one; I'm not real sure how that game would come out.
The Red against Tan game was a "nail-biter!" That means it was close. Red came out on top by one point, and they had to come from just a little behind to win in the fourth period. CJ was the man! What a great game he played, and he kept his cool under pressure. The neat thing was that CJ, Caleb and Andrew have been talkin' about winning a boys CHCS championship for three years, and they did it! Good job Red guys!
Red against Tan, like I said was very close. When a game is that close, it can also get very tense for the players, coaches and even us spectators, you know, us watching the game. When the final buzzer sounded, our ref, Mr. Calhoun breathed a sigh of relief, a few of us wept, some of us laughed for joy, some hugged and some did all of the above and couldn't decide which one to stay with.
One guy had a job to do. John P. Yep, that's what his teammates called him this year. He had decided on his own that a prayer after the game would be a good way to end the season. He had Coach Sumner call all the boys together with the coaches, and he prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing for both teams. There were a lot of great feats performed in the gym that night, but that was the greatest and the hardest. It made me very proud, in a godly way, to be related to Chapel Hill Christian School!
And of course it got me to thinkin' about how I am supposed to live my life. One author has said, "With God, prayer is not everything, but everything is by prayer!" Talking with God should be like breathing. Yes, our lives should be lived like a prayer.
Ephesians 6:18 may say it best. John Stott, who just went home to see His Lord, called this passage the four alls of prayer. Pray 1) all in the Spirit 2) at all times 3) with all kinds of prayers and requests 4) for all the saints.
Thanks, John P., for letting a prayer meeting break out at the end of a basketball game. Yep, it was in the Spirit at that specific time. It was a kind of prayer and it was for us basketball saints. You got all four!
Well, since we're talkin' about prayer, we better have a good one. Dear Lord, thank You for making Yourself available to us 24/7! And thank You that before, during and after even a game of hoops YOU ARE THERE! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
PS Mrs. Calhoun wrote me today. She is asking for prayer for Mr. Calhoun. He is at the Cleveland Clinic and needs God's help in his body. Let's do the "four alls" for our favorite referee, Mr. Calhoun.
There was a lot of good playing by Teal and Purple in the first game. I'm really glad Leah has not challenged me to a game of one-on-one; I'm not real sure how that game would come out.
The Red against Tan game was a "nail-biter!" That means it was close. Red came out on top by one point, and they had to come from just a little behind to win in the fourth period. CJ was the man! What a great game he played, and he kept his cool under pressure. The neat thing was that CJ, Caleb and Andrew have been talkin' about winning a boys CHCS championship for three years, and they did it! Good job Red guys!
Red against Tan, like I said was very close. When a game is that close, it can also get very tense for the players, coaches and even us spectators, you know, us watching the game. When the final buzzer sounded, our ref, Mr. Calhoun breathed a sigh of relief, a few of us wept, some of us laughed for joy, some hugged and some did all of the above and couldn't decide which one to stay with.
One guy had a job to do. John P. Yep, that's what his teammates called him this year. He had decided on his own that a prayer after the game would be a good way to end the season. He had Coach Sumner call all the boys together with the coaches, and he prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing for both teams. There were a lot of great feats performed in the gym that night, but that was the greatest and the hardest. It made me very proud, in a godly way, to be related to Chapel Hill Christian School!
And of course it got me to thinkin' about how I am supposed to live my life. One author has said, "With God, prayer is not everything, but everything is by prayer!" Talking with God should be like breathing. Yes, our lives should be lived like a prayer.
Ephesians 6:18 may say it best. John Stott, who just went home to see His Lord, called this passage the four alls of prayer. Pray 1) all in the Spirit 2) at all times 3) with all kinds of prayers and requests 4) for all the saints.
Thanks, John P., for letting a prayer meeting break out at the end of a basketball game. Yep, it was in the Spirit at that specific time. It was a kind of prayer and it was for us basketball saints. You got all four!
Well, since we're talkin' about prayer, we better have a good one. Dear Lord, thank You for making Yourself available to us 24/7! And thank You that before, during and after even a game of hoops YOU ARE THERE! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
PS Mrs. Calhoun wrote me today. She is asking for prayer for Mr. Calhoun. He is at the Cleveland Clinic and needs God's help in his body. Let's do the "four alls" for our favorite referee, Mr. Calhoun.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
What's In A Name? - Again
What a blessing it is to have the Okoye Family from Nigeria as a part of our Chapel Hill Christian School Family!
In a past blog entry you may remember that I got pretty excited about the real meanings of the real names of Mr. Okoye and his sons Paul and Joseph (who attend our Green Campus). I told you then that Mr. Okoye's name means the "power of God." Joe's name means God is my strength, and Paul's name means God is my guide.
Yep, I get excited just thinkin' about the sermons that could be preached from those names!
And do you want to know what else? The other day Mr. Okoye sent me an e mail that told me the other names in his family and what they mean. You want to know, right? Well, okay then, here we go!
Mrs. Okoye's name, Ifedinma, means "No one is like God's Son for He is good." Mr. and Mrs. Okoye's first child's name is Ebelechukwu Nkiruku (not even gonna try to pronounce that one for ya); it means "God is my mercy, so my future is greater." Very cool, right?
Soooo, this has got to get us to thinkin'! Let's put them all together, shall we?
If God is powerful and almighty, it is very important that He is also good. If He is almighty, but not good, you and I are in trouble. "Why?" you ask. Because the Bible says that the penalty for disobeying God is death. And guess what? You and I have sinned.
But GOOD NEWS! God is good! When His goodness and power come together, we get His mercy through His Son, Jesus. But wait, there's more! His mercy allows us to be in a friendship with our good and powerful God. And in this friendship He gives us His strength and His guidance. It's amazing; isn't it?
It is so awesome; we better just stop and pray now! Dear Lord, thank You for being powerful and good. And thank You for giving us Your mercy, instead of wrath - and Your guidance and strength. We praise You this morning! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
In a past blog entry you may remember that I got pretty excited about the real meanings of the real names of Mr. Okoye and his sons Paul and Joseph (who attend our Green Campus). I told you then that Mr. Okoye's name means the "power of God." Joe's name means God is my strength, and Paul's name means God is my guide.
Yep, I get excited just thinkin' about the sermons that could be preached from those names!
And do you want to know what else? The other day Mr. Okoye sent me an e mail that told me the other names in his family and what they mean. You want to know, right? Well, okay then, here we go!
Mrs. Okoye's name, Ifedinma, means "No one is like God's Son for He is good." Mr. and Mrs. Okoye's first child's name is Ebelechukwu Nkiruku (not even gonna try to pronounce that one for ya); it means "God is my mercy, so my future is greater." Very cool, right?
Soooo, this has got to get us to thinkin'! Let's put them all together, shall we?
If God is powerful and almighty, it is very important that He is also good. If He is almighty, but not good, you and I are in trouble. "Why?" you ask. Because the Bible says that the penalty for disobeying God is death. And guess what? You and I have sinned.
But GOOD NEWS! God is good! When His goodness and power come together, we get His mercy through His Son, Jesus. But wait, there's more! His mercy allows us to be in a friendship with our good and powerful God. And in this friendship He gives us His strength and His guidance. It's amazing; isn't it?
It is so awesome; we better just stop and pray now! Dear Lord, thank You for being powerful and good. And thank You for giving us Your mercy, instead of wrath - and Your guidance and strength. We praise You this morning! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Got Soft Hands?
Felt pretty cool the other day. Cool does not happen very often once you are over fifty years of age. Wanna know why I felt cool? OK, I'll tell you.
The sixth grade boys let me in the pickup basketball game at recess. Now the problem with cool here is that I might have become very uncool. "Why?" you ask. Well, first of all, I am slow. Second, I cannot shoot anymore, and never could dunk. Third, as I have mentioned before, there is no jump left in these legs.
Good news through - I can still pass. I can make the "no-look-behind-the-back" pass. Yes I can, if I can get the ball entirely around my waist. Or a cute way to say it would be, "Get the ball around the entire 'tire'." Still one problem though - someone has to be able to catch the "no-look-behind-the-back" in order for it to be cool.
So here's the way it played out. I was dribbling with the right hand left of the key. Martice was three feet from the hole and had shaken free of the man guarding him. The ball went "around the tire" and into the air. Martice made eye contact and shot his hands out and over his head. The ball came to rest in Martice's soft hands, and he made the catch! He proceeded to soar high from the ground and make a thunderous, 360-degree, tomahawk slam-dunk (OK, I made up that part)! No, he actually scored from the left side on a two-foot layup.
The key to it all? Soft hands. Martice had to be able to catch that pass. As always, Martice's catch got me to thinkin'.
I remembered Judges 6. "Really, what's in that chapter?" you ask. Well, it's a good one to read; it's all about Gideon. It seems God was trying to get the nation of Israel's attention, but no one was listening. They were not "catching the nice lob pass" God was throwing to them. He wanted them to tear down their idols and worship Him alone.
No one was listening, that is, until God talked to Gideon. God was using the Midianites to call Israel back into a close friendship with Him. When Gideon listened, and listened closely, and then obeyed, God used him to miraculously defeat Midian's army and bring Israel back to Him.
So here's the question for us today. Are you and I "catching" the things God is saying to us? He is always talking to us through His Word, by His Holy Spirit, through His people (like teachers, pastors, parents and grandparents) and through things that happen in our lives. Hard hands or a lack of attention cause a very special pass to bounce out of bounds. God is speaking; are we listening?
Let's ask Him to help us! Lord, make our hearts soft and open to all You want to say to us today. We're listening! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
The sixth grade boys let me in the pickup basketball game at recess. Now the problem with cool here is that I might have become very uncool. "Why?" you ask. Well, first of all, I am slow. Second, I cannot shoot anymore, and never could dunk. Third, as I have mentioned before, there is no jump left in these legs.
Good news through - I can still pass. I can make the "no-look-behind-the-back" pass. Yes I can, if I can get the ball entirely around my waist. Or a cute way to say it would be, "Get the ball around the entire 'tire'." Still one problem though - someone has to be able to catch the "no-look-behind-the-back" in order for it to be cool.
So here's the way it played out. I was dribbling with the right hand left of the key. Martice was three feet from the hole and had shaken free of the man guarding him. The ball went "around the tire" and into the air. Martice made eye contact and shot his hands out and over his head. The ball came to rest in Martice's soft hands, and he made the catch! He proceeded to soar high from the ground and make a thunderous, 360-degree, tomahawk slam-dunk (OK, I made up that part)! No, he actually scored from the left side on a two-foot layup.
The key to it all? Soft hands. Martice had to be able to catch that pass. As always, Martice's catch got me to thinkin'.
I remembered Judges 6. "Really, what's in that chapter?" you ask. Well, it's a good one to read; it's all about Gideon. It seems God was trying to get the nation of Israel's attention, but no one was listening. They were not "catching the nice lob pass" God was throwing to them. He wanted them to tear down their idols and worship Him alone.
No one was listening, that is, until God talked to Gideon. God was using the Midianites to call Israel back into a close friendship with Him. When Gideon listened, and listened closely, and then obeyed, God used him to miraculously defeat Midian's army and bring Israel back to Him.
So here's the question for us today. Are you and I "catching" the things God is saying to us? He is always talking to us through His Word, by His Holy Spirit, through His people (like teachers, pastors, parents and grandparents) and through things that happen in our lives. Hard hands or a lack of attention cause a very special pass to bounce out of bounds. God is speaking; are we listening?
Let's ask Him to help us! Lord, make our hearts soft and open to all You want to say to us today. We're listening! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Did You Hear About First Grade?
Something exciting happened in one of the awesome first grade classes! "You wanna know?" you ask. OK then, I'll let you in on it!
Fortunately, it was the "get your eyes checked" day at North Campus, so for the morning I got to walk around with all of you. I walked some of you upstairs and some of you back downstairs for some of the morning.
While I was walking up or down, I don't remember which, I looked in on one of the first grade classes. Our teacher, Mrs. Seery, was waving at me to come on in. I did.
I heard a wonderful story that goes like this. It seems the kids were working on words that rhyme with "bell." Mrs. Seery was writing the "rhymers" on the white board. One word in particular got quite a bit of attention. It starts with "h" and, of course, rhymes with bell.
Mrs. Seery told us later that she sensed God's Spirit speaking to her about talking to the first grade about Heaven and Hell and how God has made a way through Jesus for us to go to Heaven. Well, first grade had some very good questions. At the end of all the questions and answers was when I poked my shiny head into the door.
By then about ten of the students were quite sure that they would like to ask Jesus into their hearts. I was so thrilled to get to pray with them right then about Jesus becoming their personal Savior! I reminded them about Jesus saying that the angels in Heaven rejoice when just one boy or girl prays like they had just prayed.
And this gets me to thinkin' about where that verse is in God's Word, the Bible. Do you know where to find it? I had to look it up again. It comes in when Jesus is telling stories about things that are lost. Jesus had three great "lost stories" in the book of Luke chapter 15. The stories were about a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. After the stories about the sheep and the coin, Jesus says this very important sentence, "I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (15:10)."
Repent. That word got me to thinkin' again, because our character trait for next month is "being repentant." "What does that mean?" you ask. OK, I'll tell you.
It means changing our minds about sin and God. Instead of loving the ways I disobey God, I change my mind and hate them. And instead of ignoring God and acting like He doesn't exist, I love Him and want to obey Him and spend time with Him. It all happens when I accept the forgiveness of God through what He has done through His Son, Jesus.
Isn't it amazing? By His Holy Spirit, Jesus found some "repenters" in first grade that morning! I wonder if the angels are still rejoicing in Heaven about what happened in first grade...?
It makes me want to pray. Dear God, thank You for inviting us into a friendship with You. Thank You for looking for us while we are lost. And thank You for giving us a peek into Heaven by what Your Word says about the joy there when just one of us turns to You through repentance. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor John
Fortunately, it was the "get your eyes checked" day at North Campus, so for the morning I got to walk around with all of you. I walked some of you upstairs and some of you back downstairs for some of the morning.
While I was walking up or down, I don't remember which, I looked in on one of the first grade classes. Our teacher, Mrs. Seery, was waving at me to come on in. I did.
I heard a wonderful story that goes like this. It seems the kids were working on words that rhyme with "bell." Mrs. Seery was writing the "rhymers" on the white board. One word in particular got quite a bit of attention. It starts with "h" and, of course, rhymes with bell.
Mrs. Seery told us later that she sensed God's Spirit speaking to her about talking to the first grade about Heaven and Hell and how God has made a way through Jesus for us to go to Heaven. Well, first grade had some very good questions. At the end of all the questions and answers was when I poked my shiny head into the door.
By then about ten of the students were quite sure that they would like to ask Jesus into their hearts. I was so thrilled to get to pray with them right then about Jesus becoming their personal Savior! I reminded them about Jesus saying that the angels in Heaven rejoice when just one boy or girl prays like they had just prayed.
And this gets me to thinkin' about where that verse is in God's Word, the Bible. Do you know where to find it? I had to look it up again. It comes in when Jesus is telling stories about things that are lost. Jesus had three great "lost stories" in the book of Luke chapter 15. The stories were about a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. After the stories about the sheep and the coin, Jesus says this very important sentence, "I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (15:10)."
Repent. That word got me to thinkin' again, because our character trait for next month is "being repentant." "What does that mean?" you ask. OK, I'll tell you.
It means changing our minds about sin and God. Instead of loving the ways I disobey God, I change my mind and hate them. And instead of ignoring God and acting like He doesn't exist, I love Him and want to obey Him and spend time with Him. It all happens when I accept the forgiveness of God through what He has done through His Son, Jesus.
Isn't it amazing? By His Holy Spirit, Jesus found some "repenters" in first grade that morning! I wonder if the angels are still rejoicing in Heaven about what happened in first grade...?
It makes me want to pray. Dear God, thank You for inviting us into a friendship with You. Thank You for looking for us while we are lost. And thank You for giving us a peek into Heaven by what Your Word says about the joy there when just one of us turns to You through repentance. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor John
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
What's Integrity?
Some of our sixth grade boys let me hang out with them a couple weeks ago. We got to talkin' about what it means to be a man and about things we could do to help our school.
A couple of things we decided that make a good man are 1) to see what needs to be done, make a plan and do it, and 2) to always do my part without making excuses. It's called integrity!
Several of the guys thought that starting a boys Bible study would really help the school. They started to make some beginning plans for starting the Bible study.
I'm thinkin' like, "OK... nice talk."
I guess the sixth grade boys were thinkin' like, "Let's do this thing!"
The next thing I knew, I heard that not only had they organized the Bible study; but they'd already held it twice. Yep, they were spending Friday lunch times to study God's Word together. It's called integrity!
All this talk about integrity, as well as, the acting out of integrity by the guys, got me to thinkin' about Jesus. Three times in both the book of Matthew and Mark, Jesus told His students that He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified on a cross (See Mark 8-10 or Matthew 16-20). It would have been a bit easier for Jesus to say, "OK, guys,... nice talk." And then He could have avoided going to the cross. On the very night of His arrest He said, "Father, let this cup pass from me, but not My will, but Thine be done!"
God provided eternal life to all who would believe, because Jesus did what He said He was going to do with making excuses or blaming anyone else.
It's called integrity! Kinda like those sixth grade boys - the ones we look up to.
Let's pray for God to help us. Dear Father, in Heaven, we know that we don't always follow through on our word. Give us Your strength, Your courage and Your integrity so that we follow Your call on our lives! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
A couple of things we decided that make a good man are 1) to see what needs to be done, make a plan and do it, and 2) to always do my part without making excuses. It's called integrity!
Several of the guys thought that starting a boys Bible study would really help the school. They started to make some beginning plans for starting the Bible study.
I'm thinkin' like, "OK... nice talk."
I guess the sixth grade boys were thinkin' like, "Let's do this thing!"
The next thing I knew, I heard that not only had they organized the Bible study; but they'd already held it twice. Yep, they were spending Friday lunch times to study God's Word together. It's called integrity!
All this talk about integrity, as well as, the acting out of integrity by the guys, got me to thinkin' about Jesus. Three times in both the book of Matthew and Mark, Jesus told His students that He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified on a cross (See Mark 8-10 or Matthew 16-20). It would have been a bit easier for Jesus to say, "OK, guys,... nice talk." And then He could have avoided going to the cross. On the very night of His arrest He said, "Father, let this cup pass from me, but not My will, but Thine be done!"
God provided eternal life to all who would believe, because Jesus did what He said He was going to do with making excuses or blaming anyone else.
It's called integrity! Kinda like those sixth grade boys - the ones we look up to.
Let's pray for God to help us. Dear Father, in Heaven, we know that we don't always follow through on our word. Give us Your strength, Your courage and Your integrity so that we follow Your call on our lives! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Leaving It All On The Floor
I was watching an exciting game a couple nights ago, Chapel Hill Black against Chapel Hill Maroon. The game came down to the last quarter, and there was only a four point difference with about four minutes to go. There was a lot of excellent playing. Eric hit some one-hand jump-hooks, Jonathan had several excellent drives to the hole, Skyler got a bunch of rebounds and the Nathans (three of them (2 black team and 1 maroon team) and Kyler were hustling all over the place.
David was unbelievable. He was scrapping on the floor for loose balls. He was taking on guys way taller than him and winning the rebound battle. He was driving down "among the trees" and "kissing the rock off the glass." He had a bunch of takeaways on defense and he was shooting from inside and outside on "O."
What a game! Back in my day we would have called it "unconscious."
I sat near David's dad and mom during part of the game, and I'm not sure they even knew David had this kind of game in him. At one point I simply had to take my hat and whack David's dad over the head with it.
After the game I walked over to congratulate David, and his mom said something like, "This is David's last season to get to play at Chapel Hill (David's a sixth grader)." In other words, David doesn't want to have look back at his last season of B-ball at CHCS and think, "I didn't give it my best." He wants to leave all his hustle and effort on the floor and walk away knowing he gave everything.
A famous basketball coach named John Wooden would never let his players compare themselves to other players. He always asked them to give their own "personal best" night after night. David would have made Coach Wooden smile on Monday night.
All this "personal best" stuff got me to thinkin' about Jesus. In II Corinthians 5:21 the Apostle Paul was talking about how Jesus gave His "personal best:" "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus died for our sin; He took on our sin; and He took all the wrath of God against sin. He did that after living a perfect life - a "personal best."
Now how should we respond to that? Sort of like - how should we "congratulate Jesus after His game?" Paul wrote about it just above the verse I was just talking about: "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us."
What's all that mean? Just this. We are to respond to Jesus by entering into a friendship with Him. We do this by accepting what He has done by His death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Then we live our lives to tell others the good news of this! We are His agents on His mission!
Better pray! Dear Jesus, thank You for giving Yourself for us. And thank You for giving Your "personal best." Live inside of us and live Your life through us, so we can look back knowing we too, gave our "personal best" as a way to show You our love. Then send us out onto "Your floor to play in Your big game of life as Your player." Help us leave it "all on the floor!" In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of You,
Pastor John
PS At the end of His life Jesus prayed, "Father, I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do." Wouldn't it be great to be able to pray that?
David was unbelievable. He was scrapping on the floor for loose balls. He was taking on guys way taller than him and winning the rebound battle. He was driving down "among the trees" and "kissing the rock off the glass." He had a bunch of takeaways on defense and he was shooting from inside and outside on "O."
What a game! Back in my day we would have called it "unconscious."
I sat near David's dad and mom during part of the game, and I'm not sure they even knew David had this kind of game in him. At one point I simply had to take my hat and whack David's dad over the head with it.
After the game I walked over to congratulate David, and his mom said something like, "This is David's last season to get to play at Chapel Hill (David's a sixth grader)." In other words, David doesn't want to have look back at his last season of B-ball at CHCS and think, "I didn't give it my best." He wants to leave all his hustle and effort on the floor and walk away knowing he gave everything.
A famous basketball coach named John Wooden would never let his players compare themselves to other players. He always asked them to give their own "personal best" night after night. David would have made Coach Wooden smile on Monday night.
All this "personal best" stuff got me to thinkin' about Jesus. In II Corinthians 5:21 the Apostle Paul was talking about how Jesus gave His "personal best:" "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus died for our sin; He took on our sin; and He took all the wrath of God against sin. He did that after living a perfect life - a "personal best."
Now how should we respond to that? Sort of like - how should we "congratulate Jesus after His game?" Paul wrote about it just above the verse I was just talking about: "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us."
What's all that mean? Just this. We are to respond to Jesus by entering into a friendship with Him. We do this by accepting what He has done by His death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Then we live our lives to tell others the good news of this! We are His agents on His mission!
Better pray! Dear Jesus, thank You for giving Yourself for us. And thank You for giving Your "personal best." Live inside of us and live Your life through us, so we can look back knowing we too, gave our "personal best" as a way to show You our love. Then send us out onto "Your floor to play in Your big game of life as Your player." Help us leave it "all on the floor!" In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of You,
Pastor John
PS At the end of His life Jesus prayed, "Father, I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do." Wouldn't it be great to be able to pray that?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Kindergarten "Convo"
The kindergarten class let me come in to chat last week. It was way cool. I got to sit on the rocker; they all sat on the reading rug. We were rappin'! No, not nappin; that's what they did in the afternoon after my visit.
The kindergarten class had been talkin' about things like receiving Jesus and what heaven is like. Mrs. Wise invited me in to hear their thoughts and have a "convo" with them. I started in on these topics and as kindergarteners will do, they listened for a while. I realized after a bit that it was their turn to talk, because several of them had their hands in the air. They wanted the "convo" to go two ways.
Their topics for the day were not heaven and Jesus; their topics centered around the loss we experience when a pet dies and...rainbows. It may not be easy to see how those two subjects are related, but on that day they were for our kindergarteners. God seemed to be in our conversation, though, because it kept coming back to Him and his Word.
This conversation or "convo" with these awesome kindergarteners got me to thinkin' about prayer. I've been reading about prayer lately, and it may be that our kindergarteners are onto something. Prayer is not so much about coming to a talk with God with a definite set of things I need to tell Him and then walking away from the "convo." Prayer is much more two-way. It is talking and listening and listening and talking.
Prayer is not thirty-five minutes of talking over requests and five minutes of praying. It is more soaking in the company and presence of God. And prayer never ends with me as the result or focus; it always goes back to God and His will and purposes as recorded in His Word.
Soaking in the presence of these kindergarteners was the best part of last Friday for me. They had to teach me how to do it; but once I put my speech away, I saw how patient and kind they could be with me. After that it was easy - listen and talk and talk and listen.
Let's pray about prayer! Dear Lord, make us people of prayer. Instead of "request-ers", we want to be "pray-ers." Thank You for being patient and kind with the praying we do now, but don't let us get stuck just speaking at You. Help us learn to converse with You in awe and wonder! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
The kindergarten class had been talkin' about things like receiving Jesus and what heaven is like. Mrs. Wise invited me in to hear their thoughts and have a "convo" with them. I started in on these topics and as kindergarteners will do, they listened for a while. I realized after a bit that it was their turn to talk, because several of them had their hands in the air. They wanted the "convo" to go two ways.
Their topics for the day were not heaven and Jesus; their topics centered around the loss we experience when a pet dies and...rainbows. It may not be easy to see how those two subjects are related, but on that day they were for our kindergarteners. God seemed to be in our conversation, though, because it kept coming back to Him and his Word.
This conversation or "convo" with these awesome kindergarteners got me to thinkin' about prayer. I've been reading about prayer lately, and it may be that our kindergarteners are onto something. Prayer is not so much about coming to a talk with God with a definite set of things I need to tell Him and then walking away from the "convo." Prayer is much more two-way. It is talking and listening and listening and talking.
Prayer is not thirty-five minutes of talking over requests and five minutes of praying. It is more soaking in the company and presence of God. And prayer never ends with me as the result or focus; it always goes back to God and His will and purposes as recorded in His Word.
Soaking in the presence of these kindergarteners was the best part of last Friday for me. They had to teach me how to do it; but once I put my speech away, I saw how patient and kind they could be with me. After that it was easy - listen and talk and talk and listen.
Let's pray about prayer! Dear Lord, make us people of prayer. Instead of "request-ers", we want to be "pray-ers." Thank You for being patient and kind with the praying we do now, but don't let us get stuck just speaking at You. Help us learn to converse with You in awe and wonder! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Soccer Invitational
Yep, they let me in the soccer game this week. This was no ordinary game of soccer; this was stereo soccer. I want you to imagine it! There were two games of soccer, one a fourth grade game and one a fifth grade game, going on on the same field! But that's not all; in the northeast corner of the same exact field a very active game of kickball for all comers was going on as well! Rumor has it that sometimes, just sometimes, a game of sixth grade football breaks out in the midst. Oh my!
I watched for just a little while, and noticed that the fifth grade boys were letting two girls play. I thought, "Wow, that's nice of those boys; maybe I'll join the team the girls are on to help them out just a bit."
Guess I was about to be "schooled." I should've watched a little more closely. These girls didn't need my help. Oh yeah, sure, they let me play and kick around with them, but they didn't need me on their team.
Yep, Kenzie and Claudia didn't need me to play, but they wanted me to play. Sure, they could stop the ball on a dime and change directions, and they could pass directly to each other's feet. They could, while moving quickly down the field, fake a kick, moving the goalie to one side; and then put the ball in the net. While I'm the type that shoots the ball directly at the goalie's chest, so that if he remains perfectly still and closes his eyes, he will typically stop my shot. Even so, Kenzie and Claudia, George, Nick and Aaron invited me to play.
This got me to thinkin' about the wonder of God inviting us to do His work. Did you know that God, who has all power and knowledge and who is everywhere at all times, doesn't really need us to do His work. Even though He doesn't need us, He invites us to join Him in the marvelous things He is doing. Some of the great things He is accomplishing are going on right here at Chapel Hill Christian School.
Do remember when God was teaching Moses about humility and honesty? Moses asked God what His name was. God said, "Tell them I AM THAT I AM." Do you remember the three things we talked about that this name means? 1) God exists. 2) God exists at all times. 3) God exists by Himself or without help.
No, He doesn't need you and me, but because He loves us He invites to be in a friendship with Him and to join Him in all the amazing things He is doing. Isn't that awesome?!
Let's thank Him for that this morning! Dear Lord, Thank You for the invitation of Your love. Thank You for allowing us to join You in the great things You are doing. As another group gets ready to go to Guatemala, we pray for the members of the team for protection and for a sense of joy that each one is getting to work with You in all You are doing there. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
I watched for just a little while, and noticed that the fifth grade boys were letting two girls play. I thought, "Wow, that's nice of those boys; maybe I'll join the team the girls are on to help them out just a bit."
Guess I was about to be "schooled." I should've watched a little more closely. These girls didn't need my help. Oh yeah, sure, they let me play and kick around with them, but they didn't need me on their team.
Yep, Kenzie and Claudia didn't need me to play, but they wanted me to play. Sure, they could stop the ball on a dime and change directions, and they could pass directly to each other's feet. They could, while moving quickly down the field, fake a kick, moving the goalie to one side; and then put the ball in the net. While I'm the type that shoots the ball directly at the goalie's chest, so that if he remains perfectly still and closes his eyes, he will typically stop my shot. Even so, Kenzie and Claudia, George, Nick and Aaron invited me to play.
This got me to thinkin' about the wonder of God inviting us to do His work. Did you know that God, who has all power and knowledge and who is everywhere at all times, doesn't really need us to do His work. Even though He doesn't need us, He invites us to join Him in the marvelous things He is doing. Some of the great things He is accomplishing are going on right here at Chapel Hill Christian School.
Do remember when God was teaching Moses about humility and honesty? Moses asked God what His name was. God said, "Tell them I AM THAT I AM." Do you remember the three things we talked about that this name means? 1) God exists. 2) God exists at all times. 3) God exists by Himself or without help.
No, He doesn't need you and me, but because He loves us He invites to be in a friendship with Him and to join Him in all the amazing things He is doing. Isn't that awesome?!
Let's thank Him for that this morning! Dear Lord, Thank You for the invitation of Your love. Thank You for allowing us to join You in the great things You are doing. As another group gets ready to go to Guatemala, we pray for the members of the team for protection and for a sense of joy that each one is getting to work with You in all You are doing there. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Mas Hoops
Well, you had to know that sooner or later I'd come back to basketball. Those Chapel Hill teams are just about to finish up their regular seasons, and some pretty exciting things have been goin' on on the court!
The most exciting thing for me, personally, was that Coach Sumner needed a substitute for one game. Yep, you guessed it; I got to sit on the bench with the Tan Titans. I hadn't coached for a long time (four years), so Julie Schipper volunteered to be my assistant coach.
The Tan Titans, however, did not need much coaching. "Why?" you ask. Well, one of several reasons has to do with two players and three words. "Explain!" says you. OK. Decatur Brothers Defense or DBD. Yep, Miss Julie and I basically had very good mid-court seats for the game because of DBD.
What is DBD? Well, you may have to see it to believe it, but it works kind of like this. If someone tries to dribble, like a flash DBD steals the ball. If someone tries to pass, DBD intercepts. If the ball gets loose on the floor, DBD get there first and moves immediately from defense to offense. And if someone from the opposite team stands still with the ball, Oops, DBD has stripped him clean and is goin' the other way with the "rock."
Sitting on the sidelines speechless, I got to doin' some serious thinkin'. "What kind of defense are we supposed to be playing in our friendship with the Lord Jesus?" I asked myself. You didn't know we were supposed to play defense. Yep, it's called "standing firm with armor or SFWA." Wow, sounds pretty cool; you want to know more? OK.
You can read all about this in Ephesians 6:10-18. These Bible verses tell us that we have an opposing team to our friendship with Jesus. The verses call him "the evil one." God has given us a plan for our defense to deal with him. Let's make a list. First, we have to recognize that we have an opponent (verse 12). Second, we must make a choice by our will to "be strong in the Lord and His mighty power (verse 10)." And third, we must put on every piece of the armor God offers to us (verses 13-18).
"What armor is God handing out?" Let's make another list. 1) Being truthful and honest, 2) Living by God's right rules given in His Word, 3) Keeping Jesus' command to go tell others the Good News about Him, 4) Believing in faith that all God's promises are true, 5) Keeping our minds set on God's free gift of eternal life through Jesus' death at the cross and coming back to life, 6) Using God's Word to destroy any arguments of our enemy and 7) Talking to God all the time through prayer.
SFWA (standing firm with armor) always works. It will protect our friendship with Jesus and allow it to grow stronger each day. Now, armor pieces one through six all go to work for us when we do armor piece number seven. So let's pray!
Dear Lord, we thank You that You've given us a great defense. We choose to live this day by the strength of Your mighty power. We take up the armor You are offering to us, yes, every piece of it. And we will keep the lines of talking with You open all day through prayer. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
The most exciting thing for me, personally, was that Coach Sumner needed a substitute for one game. Yep, you guessed it; I got to sit on the bench with the Tan Titans. I hadn't coached for a long time (four years), so Julie Schipper volunteered to be my assistant coach.
The Tan Titans, however, did not need much coaching. "Why?" you ask. Well, one of several reasons has to do with two players and three words. "Explain!" says you. OK. Decatur Brothers Defense or DBD. Yep, Miss Julie and I basically had very good mid-court seats for the game because of DBD.
What is DBD? Well, you may have to see it to believe it, but it works kind of like this. If someone tries to dribble, like a flash DBD steals the ball. If someone tries to pass, DBD intercepts. If the ball gets loose on the floor, DBD get there first and moves immediately from defense to offense. And if someone from the opposite team stands still with the ball, Oops, DBD has stripped him clean and is goin' the other way with the "rock."
Sitting on the sidelines speechless, I got to doin' some serious thinkin'. "What kind of defense are we supposed to be playing in our friendship with the Lord Jesus?" I asked myself. You didn't know we were supposed to play defense. Yep, it's called "standing firm with armor or SFWA." Wow, sounds pretty cool; you want to know more? OK.
You can read all about this in Ephesians 6:10-18. These Bible verses tell us that we have an opposing team to our friendship with Jesus. The verses call him "the evil one." God has given us a plan for our defense to deal with him. Let's make a list. First, we have to recognize that we have an opponent (verse 12). Second, we must make a choice by our will to "be strong in the Lord and His mighty power (verse 10)." And third, we must put on every piece of the armor God offers to us (verses 13-18).
"What armor is God handing out?" Let's make another list. 1) Being truthful and honest, 2) Living by God's right rules given in His Word, 3) Keeping Jesus' command to go tell others the Good News about Him, 4) Believing in faith that all God's promises are true, 5) Keeping our minds set on God's free gift of eternal life through Jesus' death at the cross and coming back to life, 6) Using God's Word to destroy any arguments of our enemy and 7) Talking to God all the time through prayer.
SFWA (standing firm with armor) always works. It will protect our friendship with Jesus and allow it to grow stronger each day. Now, armor pieces one through six all go to work for us when we do armor piece number seven. So let's pray!
Dear Lord, we thank You that You've given us a great defense. We choose to live this day by the strength of Your mighty power. We take up the armor You are offering to us, yes, every piece of it. And we will keep the lines of talking with You open all day through prayer. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Monday, October 17, 2011
MAS RAKSAB
Well, all of you take Spanish, so you know that "MAS" means "more." So what's happened is I have another really cool example of a Random Act of Kindness or a Senseless Act of Beauty that I wanted to tell you about.
Yep, someday, you don't have to worry about this yet, but someday you'll get a new job. When you do, you'll wonder if you're doin' your job well. You may even worry about it some. It may cause you to stay awake just thinkin' about it. This kind of thinking will cause you to pray (the Bible says to pray with thanksgiving) and quote God's Word in your prayers. That is the only thing that seems to help (Philippians 4:6-7).
Well, I was thinking thoughts like this about a month ago, and guess what happened? A RAKSAB that's what! A girl named Myra, who is one of our awesome fifth graders, sent me a note. The note included some of her art work. The words she wrote down there were very special to me.
She told me that she really appreciated all I was doing to make our school a good place. She also said that she thought I was doing a really good job. So Myra's note was a gift from God to me and an answer to my prayers, because it talked about exactly what I had been talking to God about. A RAKSAB from Myra and a RAKSAB from God all at the same time!
Now if you've read other blog entries at this site, you know that this kind of thing gets me to thinkin' about God and His Word. So I got to thinkin' about verses in Proverbs written by King Solomon, who was very wise. He wrote a lot of verses about the power of words that help us think before we speak and then use our words for God's purposes.
We can always ask ourselves, "Are the words I am about to say or write kind?" If we would just ask this simple question, we wouldn't say anything hateful or mean. Proverbs 12:18 and 25 go along with this; listen: "Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing." And "Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up."
You see how it works? Myra wrote kind words to me, a RAKSAB. Her words were used to encourage me and build me up. They are the kind of words that help someone keep going if he or she is tired or discouraged.
So here's what I want you to do: speak or write something kind to someone today or tomorrow. Can you do it?
Let's pray that we will! Dear Lord, will You bring someone across our paths that needs to be encouraged? Then give us the courage to speak kind words into his or her life. And remind us Lord, to always ask, "Is it kind?" before we speak, write or type. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Yep, someday, you don't have to worry about this yet, but someday you'll get a new job. When you do, you'll wonder if you're doin' your job well. You may even worry about it some. It may cause you to stay awake just thinkin' about it. This kind of thinking will cause you to pray (the Bible says to pray with thanksgiving) and quote God's Word in your prayers. That is the only thing that seems to help (Philippians 4:6-7).
Well, I was thinking thoughts like this about a month ago, and guess what happened? A RAKSAB that's what! A girl named Myra, who is one of our awesome fifth graders, sent me a note. The note included some of her art work. The words she wrote down there were very special to me.
She told me that she really appreciated all I was doing to make our school a good place. She also said that she thought I was doing a really good job. So Myra's note was a gift from God to me and an answer to my prayers, because it talked about exactly what I had been talking to God about. A RAKSAB from Myra and a RAKSAB from God all at the same time!
Now if you've read other blog entries at this site, you know that this kind of thing gets me to thinkin' about God and His Word. So I got to thinkin' about verses in Proverbs written by King Solomon, who was very wise. He wrote a lot of verses about the power of words that help us think before we speak and then use our words for God's purposes.
We can always ask ourselves, "Are the words I am about to say or write kind?" If we would just ask this simple question, we wouldn't say anything hateful or mean. Proverbs 12:18 and 25 go along with this; listen: "Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing." And "Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up."
You see how it works? Myra wrote kind words to me, a RAKSAB. Her words were used to encourage me and build me up. They are the kind of words that help someone keep going if he or she is tired or discouraged.
So here's what I want you to do: speak or write something kind to someone today or tomorrow. Can you do it?
Let's pray that we will! Dear Lord, will You bring someone across our paths that needs to be encouraged? Then give us the courage to speak kind words into his or her life. And remind us Lord, to always ask, "Is it kind?" before we speak, write or type. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Got "RAKSAB-ing?"
Hey before we get going today, I have an announcement. We reached 1,000 together! Sometime over last night "O The Places You Will Go!" blog site was clicked for the 1,000th time. Thanks for joining me here. I am hoping you've smiled, been made to think and come to know our Lord Jesus better because of the time you've spent here meeting me and meeting one another.
Well, I'm wondering if you've RAKSAB-bed lately? You don't know whether you have or not, you say?
Why don't you know? Well, cuz' you don't exactly know what it is, you say?
You want me to tell you? You don't know, cuz' it sounds kind of dangerous, you say?
I'll tell you what; let me tell you a little story about it, and then I'll tell you what it is - OK?
I've been making friends with Devin. He's one of our awesome third graders at North Campus. Well, we were "hanging out" on the gym floor in afternoon daycare a couple of days ago. We weren't talkin' about much. You know the kind of talk: "How ya doin' D-Bomb (I call him that sometimes)?" "Pretty good," he answered. "Anything goin' on?" I asked. "Not really," said he. "Had a good day, bro?" I keep trying. "Not too bad," said the D-Man.
Then it happened. Devin pulled out a three inch salamander. No, not a live one, but one he had been very careful to make out of clay. It was brown with a definite tail, head and body. Yes, it had all four legs. But the most awesome parts of his brown salamander were its huge fluorescent green eyes.
"What ya' got there, bro?" "It's a salamander I made for you" comes back Devin. "For me; are you sure?" I asked. No answer. He just held it out for me to take it.
That is a RAKSAB! Is it dangerous? Well yes, in some ways. It is the risk of making friends. Could you be a friend to someone like Devin was a friend to me?
What happens if I try, and the person to whom I'm trying to be nice doesn't be nice back, you ask? You may never know unless you try by taking a risk to be kind.
So what's a RAKSAB anyway, you ask? A Random Act of Kindness or a Senseless Act of Beauty. Acting out love for someone expecting nothing in return - that's what it is!
Devin did a kindness for me without any thought of getting something from me. Now - have you RAKSAB-bed lately?
All this talk of RAKSAB-bing has got me to thinkin' about the greatest RAKSAB ever. God gave His one and only Son to die on a cross so that you and I might live forever with Him. While Jesus was dying for us, He looked down upon those responsible for His death and said these words, "Father, forgive them because they don't know what they're doing." Yep, RAKSAB all over the place!
When Jesus lives inside of us by His Holy Spirit, we'll find ourselves RAKSAB-ing all the time. And guess what? We won't be afraid. Why not? I John 4:18 that's why! His "perfect love" in us "expels (gets rid of) all fear."
Better pray! Dear Lord, thank You for loving us perfectly! Fill us with yourself, so that we will RAKSAB without fear. Then give us the pure joy of serving You and others freely without looking for anything in return! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Well, I'm wondering if you've RAKSAB-bed lately? You don't know whether you have or not, you say?
Why don't you know? Well, cuz' you don't exactly know what it is, you say?
You want me to tell you? You don't know, cuz' it sounds kind of dangerous, you say?
I'll tell you what; let me tell you a little story about it, and then I'll tell you what it is - OK?
I've been making friends with Devin. He's one of our awesome third graders at North Campus. Well, we were "hanging out" on the gym floor in afternoon daycare a couple of days ago. We weren't talkin' about much. You know the kind of talk: "How ya doin' D-Bomb (I call him that sometimes)?" "Pretty good," he answered. "Anything goin' on?" I asked. "Not really," said he. "Had a good day, bro?" I keep trying. "Not too bad," said the D-Man.
Then it happened. Devin pulled out a three inch salamander. No, not a live one, but one he had been very careful to make out of clay. It was brown with a definite tail, head and body. Yes, it had all four legs. But the most awesome parts of his brown salamander were its huge fluorescent green eyes.
"What ya' got there, bro?" "It's a salamander I made for you" comes back Devin. "For me; are you sure?" I asked. No answer. He just held it out for me to take it.
That is a RAKSAB! Is it dangerous? Well yes, in some ways. It is the risk of making friends. Could you be a friend to someone like Devin was a friend to me?
What happens if I try, and the person to whom I'm trying to be nice doesn't be nice back, you ask? You may never know unless you try by taking a risk to be kind.
So what's a RAKSAB anyway, you ask? A Random Act of Kindness or a Senseless Act of Beauty. Acting out love for someone expecting nothing in return - that's what it is!
Devin did a kindness for me without any thought of getting something from me. Now - have you RAKSAB-bed lately?
All this talk of RAKSAB-bing has got me to thinkin' about the greatest RAKSAB ever. God gave His one and only Son to die on a cross so that you and I might live forever with Him. While Jesus was dying for us, He looked down upon those responsible for His death and said these words, "Father, forgive them because they don't know what they're doing." Yep, RAKSAB all over the place!
When Jesus lives inside of us by His Holy Spirit, we'll find ourselves RAKSAB-ing all the time. And guess what? We won't be afraid. Why not? I John 4:18 that's why! His "perfect love" in us "expels (gets rid of) all fear."
Better pray! Dear Lord, thank You for loving us perfectly! Fill us with yourself, so that we will RAKSAB without fear. Then give us the pure joy of serving You and others freely without looking for anything in return! In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
What Happens When You Go "Bump"
Alexandra and Malik were running around in the same group in after-school daycare. After all they’re both in Mrs. Truthan’s preschool class, which is totally awesome. By the way, have you seen their cool t-shirts? I want to get one of those!
Well Malik was running around one of his preschool friends one-way, and Alexandra was running around the same girl the other way. BUMP! They smacked right into each other. Malik stood there kind of stunned; Alexandra went backwards and bumped her bottom.
Malik immediately tried to comfort Alexandra with a hug. By this point in the day Alexandra needed a big person, so I elected myself to pick her up and go for a walk. When she had cried out most of her shock from the bump and her exhaustion from the day, I walked her over to Malik. In his very kind voice Malik told Alexandra that he was sorry for the bump.
Guess what happened? Alexandra and Malik were ready to play together on the playground!
This got me to thinkin’ about how we all should act when things do not exactly go our way. You know – when people or the things of life “smack right into us,” how do we act? What comes out of you and me when we are “bumped?”
Well it’s always important to have a goal so you know where you’re goin’. Then you can figure out how to get there. What’s the goal when I’m bumped, you ask? The Apostle Paul wrote it down for us in the Bible. He said, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:2-3).”
The goal is unity or, as we would say in preschool, to be able to be “kind to our friends.”
When anger or “playing get backs” come out of us when we’re “bumped,” we usually say or do things that keep us from the goal.
God has given us one another as a gift to make us more like Jesus. Maybe we should take a lesson from Malik and Alexandra.
If we “bump” or get “bumped”, 1) first, we should try to comfort one another through the tough time. Next, 2) we may need to have a good cry with a friend to let out the sadness. 3) Then it may be time to apologize and offer forgiveness. We do all this so we can get back to the serious business of playing on the playground together. Bigger people might say, “4) So we can live together in harmony.”
Let’s ask the Lord to help us: Dear Lord, we know that You died for us on the cross, so that we could not only be forgiven, but so that we could forgive one another. Help us remember that “bumping” is going to happen; but when it does, we can still be friends (have unity) through the kindness of Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Under-Doggies
One of the best parts of being at school is the swing set. Every-once-in-a-while I take a break from paperwork and go out to the playground to push some of you as you swing. Yesterday during afternoon daycare was one of those times.
“Smaller children get to swing first” is the rule. Malik, Kaitlyn and Jonas were “up to bat.” One problem though: they can’t quite get their bottoms up to the level of the seat of the swing yet. Yep, they have to “belly swing.”
There are a couple problems with “belly swinging.” First, you don’t get very high and you’re always lookin’ at the ground. That’s right; you don’t get the feeling that you’re about to take off into the big blue sky.
The other problem is that when you do try to go high, a lot of times you’ll find yourself too far forward on the swing. What happens next is not too good at all. Yep, you go head first off the swing. And while you’re happy that the rubber mulch is there, you didn’t really want to eat it for your after-school snack.
Malik, Kaitlyn and Jonas were all smarter than to involve themselves in the problems of “belly swinging.” “Hey Pastor Wilson,” they called out, “Give me a push! I wanna’ go high!” Next thing they knew they were laughing with their eyes wide open lookin’ up into the big blue sky. They had been given an “Under-Doggie.” You know the kind. It’s when someone pushes you and runs underneath your swing, so you can get really high. And of course, when they started to slow down, only one word was necessary, “Again!”
“Belly swinging” and “Under-Doggies” got me to thinkin’ about our friendship with God. So often we try to be to be friends with God in a silly way. We don’t talk to Him like He is a person, so we leave Him out of the friendship. Yes, yes, we may be going to church and to Christian school to learn about God, but are we really getting to know Him?
God wants to be involved in every part of our lives. We let Him in by talking to Him. The Apostle Paul wrote this down in his letter to the Ephesians: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).”
Now when we let God into every part of our lives, we have to remember who He really is! He has all power; He is everywhere at once; He knows everything! And He wants to share all He is with us!
None of us want to be in a friendship with God that is like “belly swinging.” You know - always looking at “earthly things”, not feeling like we’re getting very close to Him and worried constantly about falling out of our friendship with Him.
No! We want to ask Him for His life in every part of our life, so that we “soar high” with our eyes looking ahead to being with Him in Heaven! He is willing to give us His strength; all He asks is that we talk to Him in prayer.
Yep, sort of like asking for an “Under-Doggie.”
Let’s talk to Him about it. Dear Father, thank You for wanting to be in a friendship with me. I want to include You in every part of all I do. And while I know that You may “push me high”, I ask You to give me Your power and Your love and Your thinking so that I can “soar high” with You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Proud of You,
Pastor Wilson
PS: some good verses: Isaiah 40:31, II Corinthians 12:9, Colossians 3:1-4
For God SO Loved
McKenna came to Green Campus Chapel on Friday, September 30th. It was a big day. One of our armed servicemen was being honored and welcomed home from Iraq. It was also Zoo Day for several of our classes, and we were handing out awards for Entertainment Book sales. The school was buzzing with activity.
In the midst of all the excitement, McKenna wanted to talk with me about something she'd memorized. Now most two, three and four year olds are just a bit (and some are "a lot a bit") shy of bald-headed guys who are school administrators. Not McKenna. She confidently recited John 3:16, not just in words but in song as well. "WOW!" I thought, "That was awesome!"
I decided to "press my luck" with McKenna. I mean after all she wasn't hiding behind her mom or dad like most small children, so I popped the question. "Hey McKenna," I asked, "What would you think about singing your song for the whole school?"
She looked at me for about two seconds, and then surprised me by agreeing to do it! We worked it out about me picking her up, so the other kids could see her. She also agreed to sing straight into the microphone.
The moment of truth came, and there we were in front of about 250 people at chapel. McKenna belted it right out: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
And of course, all this got me to thinkin' about a verse from the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes... (Romans 1:16)"
In the midst of all the excitement, McKenna wanted to talk with me about something she'd memorized. Now most two, three and four year olds are just a bit (and some are "a lot a bit") shy of bald-headed guys who are school administrators. Not McKenna. She confidently recited John 3:16, not just in words but in song as well. "WOW!" I thought, "That was awesome!"
I decided to "press my luck" with McKenna. I mean after all she wasn't hiding behind her mom or dad like most small children, so I popped the question. "Hey McKenna," I asked, "What would you think about singing your song for the whole school?"
She looked at me for about two seconds, and then surprised me by agreeing to do it! We worked it out about me picking her up, so the other kids could see her. She also agreed to sing straight into the microphone.
The moment of truth came, and there we were in front of about 250 people at chapel. McKenna belted it right out: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
And of course, all this got me to thinkin' about a verse from the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes... (Romans 1:16)"
So here’s the question: “Why do we adults and teenagers become so hesitant about sharing the Good News (Gospel) about Jesus?” Maybe, just maybe, we begin to value what other people think about us, more than what is true and more than what God has done for us in Jesus.
What’s that mean? Just this: we start thinking it’s more important to be liked and comfortable than to be honest and Christ-like. Now there are a couple of things that happen when we start to think like this.
First, we become selfish with what God has given us in our friendship with Him through Jesus. In other words, I care more about me than I care about you. I think this really silly thought, “As long as I have my friendship with God, it doesn’t matter if He loves anyone else or not! And it doesn’t matter if anyone else knows about Him or not!” This idea is the beginning of all kinds of wrong thinking and wrong behavior. The idea is called: self-centeredness. It means that I act like I am the center of everything
But, there’s a second problem too: we begin to be afraid. Yep, we start to spend a lot of time worrying about what other people think of us. This can really get in the way of being interested in what God thinks.
WOWIE! How do we stay away from those two really horrible problems? Simple! Remember McKenna’s Song, and “sing it out loud” like she did! We have to live as though what God has done for us through the gift of His one and only Son, Jesus, is not only true, but also that it is the most important thing. Read Hebrews 12:1-2; it says that we are to “fix our eyes on Jesus.”
We’ll need help to do this, so let’s pray about it! Father, in Heaven, we don’t want to be selfish and afraid. We admit that sometimes we are. Forgive us. Help us live today thinking about Jesus who died at the cross so that we could be in a friendship with You. And help us, dear Lord, to share, by how we live and what we say, that You are the most important thing! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
PS: Hey McKenna, thanks for the song!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Stuck on Hoops
As you can see, I’m talkin’ CHCS Hoops this week. Well, I would, because games have begun, and next week I get to be a substitute coach for the tan team. I even got to practice with the tan team this week. And I noticed a couple things during practice that I found interesting.
Number one: It doesn’t look like I am ever going to dunk. I always thought that if I would just grow a few more inches or improve my vertical leap about a foot that I would jump from the floor and “bring the thunder” with a smashing dunk. I don’t think so. I would be hard pressed to slide a piece of notebook paper between my sneakers and the floor when I’m really jumping these days.
Number two: “I got no shot.” I can barely hit the backboard, much less the rim. Putting the ball in the hoop? An impossibility. During practice I was what I refer to as an “o-fer”. That means I put zero shots in the basket for however many I attempted to shoot.
Codie, one of our tan team players, however, couldn’t seem to miss. While I was hard-pressed to get the ball anywhere near the backboard and rim, Codie was scoring from everywhere. He made layups; he hit short shots; he scored from fifteen feet away; he was on fire from 3-point land. I said, “Yo Codie, you’re unconscious, dude (cool hoop lingo).” He was experiencing what basketball players call being “in the zone.”
Thinking of the “Codie-zone,” I couldn’t help but get to thinkin’ about the “God-zone.” Oswald Chambers, in his classic devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest, wrote about the “God-zone” when he was discussing the prophet, Isaiah. In chapter six of Isaiah’s great book of the Bible, he stepped into the presence of God, and some unbelievable things happened. He saw God sitting on a throne and large birds were flying overhead and they were calling, “Holy, Holy, Holy…! And, finally, the floor started to shake and the room filled with smoke.
Isaiah responded by confessing his sin, receiving God’s forgiveness and asking to be sent out as a person who speaks for God! Wow, a lot happened in the “God-zone!” The idea of being “In the zone” in the Bible is not quite like basketball. It’s not about just every-once-in-a-while a player shoots the ball better than he normally would. God would like for us to live our entire lives in His zone or in His presence.
Jesus talked to His students about “abiding” in Him in John 15. Listen to this: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man abides (or remains) in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).”
Now why couldn’t I make a shot a shot at practice this week? Easy – I haven’t practiced shooting for the past thirty years. Codie, on the other hand, has obviously been “throwing the rock at the hole” pretty often lately.
God wants us to “practice His presence” or live our lives “trusting in Him with all our heart” and “acknowledging Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6).”
Let’s ask Him to help us: Dear Father in Heaven, we confess that we get distracted from living in and practicing Your presence. Thank You for making Yourself available to us every moment of every day. Strengthen us, dear Lord, to stay at the source of our strength – YOU! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Shot to the Face
As I was saying, I love to watch Chapel Hill Christian School basketball. I was watching the purple play the orange the other night. It was a fun game. There were really good players on both teams.
One of our sixth grade girls named Maddie obviously loves to play. Whenever she is on the floor, she has the biggest grin on her face. It didn’t seem to matter what was happening in the game; she was enjoying it. She could be scrapping for the ball on the floor, shooting a layup or taking a hard foul; it was all the same: smiling!:)
Along about the third period Katie, one of our fifth graders, was in for the orange. She was fighting under the board for a rebound; yep, she was fighting pretty hard. Then it happened – a “shot to the face.” Not on purpose mind you, but it was a hard shot nonetheless. Down on the floor she went, and I thought, “Nope…don’t think poor Katie will come back from that one.” I’m pretty sure stuff was running out of her eyes and nose. What stuff? You know the stuff; it’s the stuff that comes out when you take a “shot to the face.”
But then she began to move and got knee high off the floor. Shortly she was waist high. And wonder of wonders she stood to full height! Right after that Katie was given a technical foul shot. You know the kind. It’s when they clear the floor, and you get to shoot one by yourself. Guess what?! Katie’s face looked like Maddie’s face :)!
Of course this got me to thinkin’ about Rocky Balboa, who said: “It’s not about how hard you can hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep movin’ forward!”
Jesus’ brother, James, said it even better in the Bible: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds (take life’s “shots to the face”), because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Let’s look at it backwards. If we want to be “complete” in our friendship to God, we have to keep trying and not give up. It’s just like getting up after a “shot to the face” or movin’ forward after getting hit. In this life we will take many “shots to the face.” If we remember that these tests will make our friendship to the Lord more complete if we go through them, we can have joy in the midst of the trial! Or, like Katie, we can stand at the free throw line and grin.
Can we pray about that? Dear Lord, we all go through hard things. Some of us are going through something difficult right now. Will You, even today, begin to show us how this particular trial is drawing us closer to You? And as our friendship to You becomes more complete, could You give us Your joy in the midst of the struggle? In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
B-Ball Grace
I went to the basketball games at our Green Campus last night. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed watching Chapel Hill b-ball. As I recall, and I don’t recall much, I sat on the bench coaching basketball teams at CHCS five or six times. What a blast!
All the teams have really good players, and the players who are learning how to play this year are really trying hard. Everyone played with enthusiasm, heart and kindness.
I loved our referee Mr. Ernie. He was careful not to call everything. Sometimes he let a double dribble or a travel just slip by his whistle. He let the ball bounce off the ceiling several times without stopping the game. “Why?” you ask. Grace.
Mr. Ernie knew that if He called everything, we would’ve been at the Green Campus gym all night. Why? Because he would’ve had to blow his whistle about every fifteen seconds. He also understands that in order for the game to be fun, and in order for the girls to learn how to play, he has to let the game keep moving. A game filled with judgment, criticism and starts and stops, to talk about rules too often, means no fun and no learning. In effect – no b-ball.
Mr. Ernie, on the other hand, smiles a lot and gives the girls compliments. Ya’ gotta’ like that. He created a combination of learning and discipline mixed with the joy of getting to play.
It got me to thinkin’ about how God treats us. He has given us His Word as a love letter with instructions. He doesn’t come into our lives each time we make a mistake to criticize us or shout at us about what we’ve done wrong. Instead, the Bible says that God unconditionally loves us, that His mercies are new every morning and that His faithfulness is great! When we are in error, He simply asks us to tell Him about our sin, to turn away from it and to trust Him for forgiveness.
Further, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For you are saved by grace through faith – and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8).” I like the acronym that many people use: G.R.A.C.E.: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. God chose to apply the penalty for our sin to His Son. That’s what is meant by “Jesus died at the cross for our sin.”
This gift is offered to us for free. We do not pay or work for it. We receive it by faith or by telling God that we believe in what He has given us. That’s grace! The Bible says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God… (John 1:12).”
Wowie! We ought to thank God for that, huh? Father in Heaven, thank You for not giving us what we deserve for our sin, but for applying that penalty to Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for giving us the gift of grace by forgiving us and giving us life that lasts forever with You in Heaven. We are so grateful for Your faithfulness and mercy! In Jesus name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor John
Friday, September 30, 2011
"The Queen of Iowa"
Do you remember John, one of our sixth graders? He likes to think up ideas for the blog and then work on the scriptures and prayers to go with them. Those Chapel Hill sixth graders are something, aren’t they?
Well, John and I have both been listening to the music of a Christian singer named Andrew Peterson, who, by the way, I highly recommend. Mr. Peterson writes music that tells some kind of story about the Bible or about his own experiences with Jesus.
One of his songs has the title “The Queen of Iowa.” It’s about a woman from Iowa who was at the very end of her life. The song finds her lying on her couch, and Andrew and his friend, Ben, are singing songs to her.
Now I need to tell you that what Andrew and Ben noticed as they sang their songs to the “Queen of Iowa” is very true. I have seen the same thing many times when I have visited people in their homes or in the hospital that were getting ready to meet Jesus in Heaven. Andrew and Ben noticed that even though the “Queen” was about to give up her very tired and sick body, she was becoming more alive in her spirit than ever before.
A part of one of the lines in the song says, “…she was more alive than the others.” So those words got John and me to thinkin’. We were asking the question, “How can someone who is dying be more alive than the people who are going about their normal lives?” Only ONE way! John, not the sixth grader, but one of Jesus’ students, wrote this, “In Him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it (John 1:4-5).” Again he wrote, “I (Jesus) am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).”
When we know and love Jesus, we look forward to seeing Him. The truth of the wonderful hope we have in our friendship with Jesus is that we will live forever in a place called Heaven with Him! Several of our first graders understood this for the first time this week when they asked Jesus to come into their lives and be Lord.
Can we thank Jesus? Lord Jesus thank You for Heaven, the place where we will always get to be with You! Thank You that we can become more and more like You as Your life takes over our lives. And thank You so much that many of our CHCS students are asking You into their lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Mending Fences
If you can remember many stories ago, I was telling you about my very big black dog named Hoss. Do you remember him? That’s right; he’s the one who runs around in his new fenced-in backyard. He is the best dog we’ve ever had even though I have to clean up after him before I cut the grass. Yes, he still leaves his piles for me to pick up.
Well, Hoss has been walking around testing his new fence. He’s been trying to see if there is any way he could get outside the fence into the woods behind our house or into the yards of our neighbors. And guess what? Hoss found one loose board along the picket fence in a corner of the yard we cannot easily see from the house. He must have pressed against that board pretty hard with his nose or with his big paws, cuz’ he knocked it completely off and got out.
Now, I can’t imagine how Hoss got out, cuz’ the hole seemed too small for his very big, wide body. But he did. I went looking for nails, but couldn’t find the right size. This gave me an excuse to go where all men secretly want to go: Lowes. I found my nails (and a few other things I did not need), and started across the back yard with my trusty hammer in my hand.
I was so set on the job at hand that, of course, I was not watching where I was walking. Yep, I stepped in one of Hoss’s piles. This is the only time I become mad at Bill Bowerman, the inventor of the waffle sole for running shoes. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t get all the dog pile out of those “nooks and crannies.”
While I was pounding nails into the fence for Hoss’s protection, I got to thinkin’. I remembered that we had compared the fence to the rules or commands God gives us in His Word. They allow us to be free, as long as we stay inside them.
When we start to test God’s rules, He will come along and remind us of His Words with love and discipline. Many times He uses parents and grandparents or teachers to “mend the fences” of His rules for us. But in the end we have to choose to stay inside the love and protection of “His fence.”
And another thing…when we break God’s rules, or break through “His fence”, it won’t just hurt us. It will hurt the people around us. Our friends and family members, who love us, are always hurt by our sin. As they try to help us follow God or follow our example and break God’s rules themselves, they may step into the messes we’ve made. Sometimes these messes are difficult to clean up.
Best idea? Stay inside the fence of God’s love and protection by knowing and following His Word and by listening to the leading His Holy Spirit. And remember: God is using your parents, grandparents and teachers as those who are showing you what His Word and Spirit may be saying to you!
I like John 10:27-29 when thinking about His love and protection: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from Me, for My Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.”
Can we pray about it? Dear Father in Heaven, thank You for loving me. I know I test Your rules over my life at times. But I want to live inside the “fence” of Your love and discipline, so that I stay in a close friendship to You at all times. Keep me in Your powerful hand! In Jesus name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Friday, September 23, 2011
Talkin' Names Again
Were you at the Green Campus picnic? That was a pretty fun night! First, there was a whole bunch of us there. Second, there was a really cool playground at the place where we had the picnic. Third, the parents seemed to really enjoy meeting each other and talking. It seemed like some of us would have stayed all night if we had been allowed…like a campout or something.
Well, at the picnic I met a new friend who has two boys at our Green campus. The friend I met is Ike Okoye. The boys’ names are Joe and Paul.
But can I tell you something really cool about these three new friends? These names are ones they use for us, so we can pronounce them. They have super cool names that come from a country in Africa called Nigeria. Do you want me to tell you the real names? I’ve been very excited to tell you these names and what they mean!
Well, Mr. Okoye (pronounced “okoyay”), that’s the dad, does have the name Ike, except they don’t say it like we do. They pronounce it “eekay.” And in Nigeria they can add a word onto their first name that makes it mean something very cool. So Mr. Okoye has added the word for God onto his name, which is “Chukwu.” His full name, then, is Ike (eekay), which means power, and Chukwu, which means God. Ike Chukwu: The Power of God! Is that cool or what?
Now if you’re like me, you can’t wait to know what Joseph and Paul’s names really are, right? Ebuka (pronounced “aybooka”) Chukwu and Nedum (pronounced “naydoom”) Chukwu. You want to know what those names mean, right? They mean “God is my strength” and “God is my guide.”
Could this get me to thinkin’? You better believe it! From the power of God we get God’s strength and way for our lives. Our school verse talks about this perfectly: “But they who trust in the Lord (the One who is almighty) will find new strength (God is my strength). They will soar high on eagles wings (with God as my guide). They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).”
That is so awesome that we better just have a good prayer! Father in Heaven, by your power, bring Your strength into our weakness and bring Your direction for the path upon which You want us to be running and walking. Thank you for prayer, because when we simply ask You, You promise to help us! In Jesus name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Name Recess
I was got to be out at recess for a while last week. “Recess” is the word that most of you say when I ask you that question, “What was the best thing about your day?”
But remember, after you say, “recess”, I will always ask, “Yeah but how about the best thing that happened in the classroom?”
A lot of really great things happened at recess. I got to swing, play kickball and talk to a lot of you. I noticed during pre-K and kindergarten recess that playing chase is a pretty big deal. It was mostly girls chasing boys; that may change some once you get to high school.
I met Gavin on the playground. He makes very good conversation for a pre-K student. In fact, he was able to tell me the names of everyone that was playing chase on the entire playground. That wasn’t the amazing part though. After he told me the names of everyone in his class, he was able to tell the names of all the people in other classes as well! Then he proceeded to tell the names of the big brothers or big sisters of those people too!
When I attempted to go onto the next thing, Gavin drew me back into playing “name recess” by saying, “Pastor Wilson, I don’t think you know this person yet.” Then, of course, he’d walk me over to introduce me to another one of his friends that was chasing or running away.
All this naming at recess got me to thinkin’ about a very important name in the Bible: Jesus Christ. Jesus is a man’s name that means “savior.” So Jesus was completely a man, so He could save us by taking the penalty for all the sin that has been done by men and women.
Christ is the name that is written in the New Testament for the name Messiah. Messiah means “anointed one.” That means that Christ was the Son of God, which means He is completely God too! Completely human and completely God!
This is hard to understand but very important. Since Jesus Christ was God, when He died on the cross for our sins, His death counted for the payment for all the sin ever committed by any person. And the amazing part is that God gave Jesus’ perfect “rightness” to you and me!
The Bible says it this way in II Corinthians 5:21: “He who knew no sin, became sin, so we might become the righteousness of God!”
That name, Jesus Christ, is so awesome that we better pray about it, huh? Lord Jesus, thank You for Your name. Thank You that Your name means I can be forgiven and be friends with Your Father, God, who is in heaven. Thank You that the meaning of Your name gives me life that lasts forever with You in Heaven! I love You, in your name, Amen.
Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson
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