Still Coloring the Bible

You know, I'm still thinkin' about "coloring the Bible" with Zaire, Josh and Leigh.  Maybe it's still on my mind because I haven't colored in so long.  Or maybe I've been thinkin' about Zaire's big yellow rock flying toward Goliath's head.  Or maybe it's all about Goliath's hair getting colored orange (the same color as my son, John's).  Or maybe I'm remembering that when John "colored the bible" he asked Jesus into his heart.  Who knows?  But I'm still thinkin' about it.

I know!  It's because I love the story of David and Goliath.  You know that one, don't you?  David goes to visit his brothers at the battle, and they made fun of him because they thought he was just trying to act big.  He volunteers to fight the Giant, Goliath, so King Saul tries to give him some armor.  After everything David decides that he'll fight Goliath the way God has taught him to protect his sheep: with a sling and a stone.  And David comes out on top!

Is this just a story about the little guy whipping the big guy, or is there something more to the story than that?  Yes, we all love it when the bully loses, but is that all this is about?  Let's look closer!

How did David really beat Goliath?  Why don't we ask him?

Come on Pastor Wilson; David lived about 3,000 years ago.  Yes, I know, but we can actually read what David said in the Bible!  Look it up in I Samuel 17.

Goliath was trying to scare David when he said, "Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?"

David talked right back to that giant and said, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ...All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's and He will give all of you into our hands."

How did David do it?  By the power of God!  How do we gain the power and wisdom of God?  By asking Jesus into our lives and by allowing Him to be our Lord.

Mrs. Truthan told her students this great story after we "colored the Bible."  One of my coloring partners, Josh, really understood all of this.   He took the story home and told his family about it.  He also prayed  about asking Jesus into His life just like my son John did when he was coloring 15 years ago!  Isn't it great to "color the bible."

Let's thank the Lord: Dear Lord, thank you that Your word is so powerful.  Thank you that it is all about Jesus and that all the stories lead us to know Him and to want to tell others about Him.  And thank you that boys and girls can ask you into their hearts; and when they do, You come in by Your Spirit and live in them!  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson

More Porpoises

I keep trying to write about large fish, but what I really mean is purposes.  


So today I need you to remember two people from other blog entries: Mrs. Ausbury and one of our sixth graders (the students we look up to) named John.  Mrs. Ausbury was talking to us this week at north campus about finding our purpose.  John has good ideas for the breakfast blog.  His last idea was about his sister, Laura getting poison ivy...you remember?

John is a bee keeper.  Yes, he really keeps bees in his backyard.  He keeps these bees not because he likes to get bee stings or because he likes the color yellow or because he finds flying insects particularly interesting.  He keeps bees for one purpose and one purpose only: honey.


He told me that bees have one purpose.  The result of all their building of hives and moving pollen about is honey.  I've actually tasted some of John's honey on my morning toast.  It was delicious!

All this talk of purposes and bees got John and me to thinkin'.  If we were to try to reduce our purposes down to just one, what would that one purpose be?  Well, Jesus said His goal was to glorify His Father in Heaven.  In John 17:4 Jesus prayed, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do."  The Apostle Paul said it this way, "So we make it our goal to please Him (the Lord), whether we are at home in the body or away from it (II Corinthians 5:9)."


If we were only allowed to have one purpose, it would be to please and bring glory to God.  


How do we do it?  


Jesus said He met the goal by completing the work God gave Him; it's called obedience.  The book of Hebrews says that without faith it is impossible to please God.  Obedience and Faith!  So our porpoise, no I mean purpose, is to obey what He is calling us to be and to do.  Then we must have faith in Him for how He chooses to respond to our obedience.  Now that is an awesome purpose!


Could we pray about that? Lord Jesus, would You give us the courage to obey You, so that we could bring You glory.  Then will You give us Your faith, so that we can trust You for the wonderful things You want to do when we obey.  In Your Name, Amen.


Proud of You,
Pastor Wilson 

Coloring the Bible

I haven’t colored with crayons for quite a while, but this morning Zaire shared his big bag of crayons with me.  Josh and Leigh shared some of their colors too.   If one of them had a shade that just a bit different than one of Zaire’s crayons, he wanted me to try it out.

Sharing crayons is kinda like sharing tools or fishing lure’s for big people.  You know...you can only share them with good friends, so I was feelin’ kinda special.

We were all working on the same picture.  In the front of this coloring book page was the giant head of Goliath, who was holding his very large spear.  In the back of the picture stood David, who had just released a stone from his sling. 

We decided that Goliath should have orange hair like my son, John.  Goliath’s spear was a few shades of red since Zaire, Josh and Leigh all have a little bit different shades of red.   I got to color the grass green, and our river ended up not blue but black.  Between David and Goliath there was a stone, which because it was in the sky, reminded us of the sun.  We made it bright yellow and got a little wide of the lines to show movement, or maybe size(?); cuz’ as you know, it was sailing toward Goliath’s head.

In the end it all got me to thinkin’.   I was reminded of my son, John, who at the same age as Zaire, Josh and Leigh, was coloring in the Big Bible Coloring Book at around easter time.  His page was a picture of Jesus on the cross.  Last week John was telling this story to a group of high school kids as his testimony.

While he was coloring, he asked his mom about what was going on in the picture and why the man was on the cross.  His mom explained the simple story of Jesus’ death on the cross as the payment for the forgiveness of our sins.  She told him that Jesus loved us so much that He took our place on the cross.  That night we also told John that Jesus did not stay dead, but He came alive again.  John knelt down by our couch and asked Jesus to come into his heart on the night he was “coloring the Bible.” 

Isn’t a blessing that Mrs. Truthan and Mrs. Cochran can hand out Bible pictures in their classroom for the children to color?  The Bible says that “the Word of God will not return void.”  What does that mean?  Just this: when we are reading or being reminded of God’s Word, God Himself, speaks to us and we have the ability to speak back to Him.  It’s called prayer.

Who knows?  Maybe God was speaking to three boys this morning while they helped me color David and Goliath.   More tomorrow on “coloring the Bible”, but right now we better pray.

Father in Heaven, as we learn Your Word in our Bible times, our chapels, our art and in all our school subjects, make us wide awake to all You are saying to us.  Thank You for using all these ways, including “coloring the Bible,” to talk to us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Proud of you,

Pastor Wilson   

Correcting for the Wind

I got to play at recess for just a little while yesterday.  I was throwing a red football with David; he’s one of our fourth graders.

David’s is a pretty good passer, and he can catch pretty well too.  But… it was pretty windy yesterday, and the ball we were throwing was one of those light nerf blow-up jobs.  We were passing the ball with the wind blowing across the path of our passes.

The problem was that if I directed my throw right at David, the wind would blow the ball off course about fifteen feet to the right every time.  David would have to make a scrambling catch, which, by the way, he did many times. 

So I began to correct my throws for the wind.  I pointed my pass ten or so feet to the left and the wind would blow the ball right into David’s hands.

This, of course, got me to thinkin!  Jesus got out in the wind with his students (disciples) a few times in the Bible.  One time the wind and the waves were so bad that Jesus’ students thought that they’d all be swept away.  Jesus was resting in the boat.  Yep, see the difference?  Disciples – worrying, while Jesus was at rest.

When His students woke Him up, they had been wondering why Jesus didn’t care whether or not they lived or died.  They asked Jesus about it.  He simply responded, “Oh you of little faith.”  Then He said to the wind and the waves, “Peace! Be still!”  He made a “correction for the wind” and it stopped blowing, and the sea became quiet.

Sometimes “wind”, in the form of life’s difficulties, illnesses and struggles, blows into our lives.  Jesus is the “correction for the wind.”  He doesn’t promise that there won’t be wind; He promises to walk into and through the wind with us!

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).”  When the wind of life starts blowing, it is time to go to Him.  It will be in our friendship with Him that we find rest; nothing else works.

Let’s pray about it, can we? Lord, Jesus, thank You for going to the cross for us not just because You purchased the forgiveness of our sins.  But thank You for making Yourself available to be always with us no matter what “wind” begins to blow.  In Jesus’ name with thanksgiving, Amen.

Proud of you,

Pastor Wilson

Porpoise

Porpoise?  You mean the big fish?  No, I guess I meant to say purpose.  Yesterday at our North campus Mrs. Ausbury brought her two puppies: Domino and Audrey.  She told us that they both have a purpose.  Domino's main purpose is cuddling and chewing and Audrey's purpose is running and watching.

Mrs. Ausbury was teaching us that everything God created has a purpose.  That means you and I have a purpose.  The question is: what is my purpose?  And if I don't know my purpose, how do I find out what my purpose is.  

Four things that always work, if you keep them in order:
1) Pray: ask God by His Holy Spirit to show you your purpose.
2) Read God's Word: ask God to show you your purpose as you are reading His word.  Remember His Word and His Spirit never disagree.
3) Ask people who love you and love God to pray with you: then ask them what God is telling them about your purpose.
4) Watch for the things you love to do and how God moves in the situations of your life.

All of this got me to thinkin' about a verse in Ephesians: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (2:10)."


Like Mrs. Ausbury said yesterday, "God has a plan and purpose for every one of us."  He has even planned specific tasks for us to accomplish.  When we listen to Him through prayer and His Word, we can know our purpose.  And when we are working within His purpose for us, we experience joy and we glorify Him!


Let's pray: Thank You, dear Father in Heaven, that You made each one of us special and that You love us very much.  Thank You for making our lives with a purpose so that we can serve You and bring joy to Your heart.  In Jesus' name, Amen.


Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson 

Still Shinin' Like Stars

We are beginning the third full week of school!  Do you remember our theme or banner for the year?  Yep, it is “Shine Like Stars.” 

All you have to do is walk around in the halls to see the poster up.  You know the one.  It is a picture of a boy dressed in what looks similar to a Chapel Hill Christian School uniform except for one difference: he is wearing a cape with a big white star on it.

His arms are spread out and it looks like he’s getting ready to take off and fly over the road upon which he is running.   Our verse for the year is written on the poster: “…Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” 

It got me to thinkin’ about another verse: “But those whose hope is in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint.”  That’s our school verse and where Regal the Eagle comes from.

In order to “shine like stars” we will have to wait on, hope in and trust in the Lord.  When we “soak in Him”, He gives us His strength.  It is only when we have His strength that we will “shine” and “soar”.

Wow!  That makes a nice little sermon with words that all begin with “s”.  If we “soak” (spend time with Him), we will receive His “strength”.  With His “strength” we can “soar” and “shine”.

Why don’t we pray that little sermon?  Lord Jesus, teach us to soak in You; and as we do, give us Your strength.  And with Your strength and Your light in us, help us obey You so that we soar and shine for Your glory!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Proud of you,

Pastor Wilson

Runnin' Right Roads

One of our sixth graders, the students that help lead the way for all of us, is named John.  He has some great writing ideas for the “breakfast blog.” 

Yesterday he was telling me about his sister, Laura.  It seems she likes to run.  In fact, she was a cross-country runner at CVCA.   Runners like to go “off-roading.”  Which means they like to get off the track and off the street or sidewalk, in order to find something like a path through a woods.

Well, once John’s sister, Laura, was in the mood for one of  these “off-road” runs.  She found a trail sure enough.  But then things went haywire.  She had to make a choice to stay on course or take an even wilder looking course.  Yep, you guessed it; she got further “off-road ”

The problem with going further “off-road” is it’s hard to say what you’ll find ahead on the path or if there will even be a path at all.  Laura, John’s sister, found something she didn’t like down the path she chose.  You guess….

Did you guess?  She found poison ivy!  And she got a pretty bad case of the itches.  Her itches were so nasty that she had to report to her doctor for, yep, a dreaded shot!

This got John and me to thinkin’ about a verse that appears in one of Jesus’ sermons:  “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14).

I agree with John's sister, Laura; if you're out for a run, find a cool path.  But life doesn't always work this way.  There may be some path everyone seems to walking on like sassing parents, watching too much TV or watching TV shows, movies or video games that aren't good for you.  The Bible says that those things are the broad road that leads to destruction.  It's kinda' like a path that leads to poison ivy.  Don't GO!

Instead, continue to follow the Lord and His path for your life.  Jesus' sermon says that not a lot of people will be going down that road, but it is a road that leads to life.  Remember, the life Jesus gives lasts forever (read John 3:16-17 again).

Can we pray about that?  Lord Jesus, you called people to follow You, so You could make them fisher's of men.  Not many people followed You all the way.  But I want to be one who stays on Your narrow road.  I give You permission to lead my life.  In Your name, Amen.

Proud of you,

Pastor Wilson