#35 – To The Dreamers

Remember when you were a kid, and you could pretend you were anything you wanted? You were a cowboy chasing outlaws, a knight in shining armor, a princess trapped under some enchantment (hopefully girls only), a legendary racecar driver. It didn’t matter what was happening in the world, because you could be anything that you wanted to be.

Fast forward a few years. If you’re like most people reading this blog, you work monday through friday, sleep saturday, Church on Sonday, get up monday, add coffee and repeat. You don’t have time for dreams, and even if you did, well, come on! Dreaming is for little kids, right? But you’re forgetting something. Something deep inside that wasn’t put there by you. So what exactly am I getting at? I’m glad you asked…

Remember when you first came to Christ? Things seemed so fantastical then. GOD was immense and glorious and could give you everything you needed, but most importantly your sins were forgiven! The slate was washed clean by our Lord’s sovereign Hand. Nothing could be more glorious than to praise His name forever!

But it doesn’t always feel like that anymore, does it? For some reason it can be a little difficult to praise between the hours of 9 and 5. Why is that? GOD certainly hasn’t changed, so something else must have had to. I’ll tell you exactly what happened: you started to go blind. You’re losing your vision. It’s what happens when you get older if you don’t take care of yourself. The Bible says that without vision, people cast off restraint. There’s nothing keeping you in line. When you look and see clearly how awesome GOD really is, you are laser-focused on serving Him. Nothing else even comes close to being important. But when you start to look away, your senses become loaded with this world and you are let loose. Unrestrained. Your eyes get off the goal and you stop making forward progress.

But the good news is that GOD is still GOD! He alone is in control! If you turn your eyes back to Him, there is still hope. You need a dream; a dream of what our Lord can do in your life. He can turn it around, turn it back to Himself. The same goes for your family, your church, your Country, if we only turn our eyes to Jesus.

#34 – Blown Away

By Jon Burkholder

Every now and then, something happens that just gets me. It can be something magnificent as a sunrise, or a work of art, but it can also be something as simple as the dew on my front lawn in the mornings. Or a smile from a complete stranger; maybe just a really good conversation with a friend. I can’t explain how, but certain things just connect with a part of me that nothing else can reach. It can’t be defined mathematically or postulated scientifically. It can’t be quantified, catalogued or categorized. I may not know how it works, but I know that it’s these things that blow me away.

Have you ever been blown away by something boring or uninteresting? I don’t think so. Have you been blown away by something that you didn’t want or like? Probably not. You’re blown away by things that connect with your soul. GOD knows that. It probably helps that He created your soul. And that He knows everything. His gifts are always perfect and blow me away the most.

Ephesians 1:3 tells us that GOD has blessed the believer with every spiritual blessing. Read that again. Did you catch that? Every spiritual blessing! If you are a believer, GOD has not withheld one single spiritual blessing from you.  That means things like Mercy and Grace. Things like Truth and Love. Prayer. Wisdom. I could go on and on, but the thing that these all have in common is that they are all part of the character of GOD. He is merciful; He is Love. The reason that we have every spiritual blessing is that GOD has given us Himself! He did not spare His own Son Jesus Christ, but while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He took away our sin. That blows me away.

#033 – On Days and Off Days

On Days and Off Days by Jon Burkholder

Some days, you’re just on, and everything is going your way. You’re on top of the world, and you can’t seem to lose. It doesn’t matter what the challenge is; go ahead and bring it on! You can handle it. You can handle anything.

As much as I love those days, there’s also the other end of the spectrum: off days. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. It’s the Shaquille O’Neal missing the open dunk day: the day where the simplest tasks feel impossible, and you’re caught like a politician who’s had his teleprompter turned off. Do something right? Forget about it. This day was blown the second you crawled off the wrong side of the bed.

Why do things happen this way? Because we’re inconsistent. No matter how hard we try or how good we are, we can’t do everything right all the time. We can’t even do things right most of the time. We’re imperfect, and it shows big time.

But what if there was someone who didn’t have off days? What if you had a friend you could always count on, a mentor you could always lean on, somebody who always got it right %100 of the time. Of course we want someone like that in our lives! Who wouldn’t want to know somebody who was always reliable? Well, I know Someone like that. His name is Jesus. No matter what we’re going through, He never changes. No matter what’s troubling us, He will never be caught off guard. Impossible? Nothing is impossible for Him. He said so Himself, and I know it’s true because He wouldn’t say something if it wasn’t true. He is constant; He never changes. He never fails. He will never leave me or forsake me. He is my Savior and my GOD. He is the Keeper of my soul. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and nothing will ever be able to keep His love from me. No matter what I go through, I know that He is on my side, and that I’ll make it through, because if GOD is for me, who can be against me? No matter what goes wrong, or who betrays me, or how bad I fail, I will always have my Jesus, and that’s the only thing that matters.

#032 – Russel Crowe Was Born to Play This Role

“In tyranny lies only failure. Empower every man and you will gain strength.” These are the sage words that Robin Hood delivers to Prince John in the latest retelling of this classic legend. Yes, that’s right, Robin Hood and Prince John are having a civil conversation. In fact, they’re on the same side.

The previews said that this wasn’t the Robin Hood we were used to, I just had no idea how serious they were. Director Ridley Scott gave some insight into the changes in a recent interview when he said “The idea of Robin Hood is so tied up in history… I believe he was real.” This film takes just that approach. Instead of repeating the classic hollywood version, this film takes actual historic events and imagines “What if Robin Hood played a part here?” Which of course begs the question “What if history didn’t happen that way at all?”

So is Robin Hood legendary or historical? The answer is neither. But it is a bit something of inspirational. True to the heart of the legend, people are being oppressed by a war-and-tax hungry tyranny, bent on taxing and legislating every scenario imaginable. The country is worn-torn and weary from the crusades, and to make matters even worse, the French decide that it’s looking like a pretty good time to invade. The fate of the entire country comes down to the decisions and courage of one ordinary man.

While the story itself may be heartfelt, there are several other elements that didn’t connect as deeply with me. unnecessary elements, like a scene that does slightly more than hint Prince John in an adulterous relationship, continually push the envelope while staying in bounds of the pg-13 rating. There is little value at all placed to chastity, and the English ”Christians” in this film have no problem making light of religious symbols, leaders and history. On the other hand, there is great value placed on the true Christian principles of loyalty, kindness, and standing up for the unjustly oppressed.

“Never give up;” that’s the tagline that Robin himself sticks on this film. Against all odds, the people of England must stand against tyranny, injustice, famine and invasion. The theme of the story is the same as it’s ever been: peace to man, rights to man. And when those rights get trampled by a nefarious dictator, a hero must stand up against all odds to deliver the rights back into the hands of the people.

#031 -Mighty To Save

Mighty to Save by Ben Schein

Savior He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever Author of Salvation
He rose & conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave
 - Mighty To Save by Hillsong United

Probably many of you have sung this song before. Whether in church or youth group you have probably worshiped with these lyrics. Now think back… when was the last time God moved mountains in your life? Was it in a family situation? Maybe it was a major health issue. Or maybe the last mountain He moved was the thing that was keeping you farthest from him. If this is the case you have seen God work marvelous ways. But maybe some of you are doubting whether God is really able to move the mountains in your life.

Working at a Christian camp this past summer really showed me how God can move mountains. Throughout the summer I saw many teens with problems come to know Christ as their personal Savior. Family issues, drug problems, loneliness, and doubt were just a few mountains I saw God move in the lives of teenagers from across the country. But God didn’t just work in their lives that summer; He worked in mine, too . Once we begin to see how powerful God is and believe that He can move mountains in our lives, we begin to see those mountains disappear.

So I ask you, what are some mountains in you life that you don’t think God can move? God is bigger then all our problems. Say a prayer now and ask God to start removing the things that you’re trying to do by yourself. Ask him to remove the mountains in your life that keep you from following God with everything that you have and to make the trail on the other side more visible. Savior He can move the mountains my God is mighty to save He is mighty to save. 

#030- Together

Together by Jon Burkholder

Athletes run alone. They are one person, occupying one space; and when they cross the finish line, their placement belongs to them, and to them alone. Even on a team, each individual is evaluated by personal performance. So it’s not surprising that when it comes to being together, our sports-driven society needs a healthy reminder every now and then.

At least, that’s how it is for me. Being the competitor that I am, it’s easy for me to overlook teamwork and focus on the individual. But at Church this past Wednesday, I was reminded of how easily I can miss the obvious. The teaching was on Hebrews 12, a passage that I’ve studied before. In fact, I wrote a post on it not too long ago. But what was brought out in this particular message was not mezmerizingly deep or complicated. In fact, it was really quite simple. It was the word “we”.

I had never thought about how often the words “we” and ”us” are used in this passage describing the race that we run as Christians. But when you think about, the truth of it becomes pretty obvious, doesn’t it? The race of Christianity, however contradictory it may seem, is a team event. It’s not a race to get ahead of everyone else, it’s a race to get everyone else ahead. It’s not a race where we knock others down to take the lead for ourselves, it’s a race where we lay our own dreams down so that others can press on toward the goal. Remember, Jesus said that whoever wants to be first must be the servant of all. So what is Christianity? It’s a race: a race to come in last place.

#029 – Fear

Fear by Jon Burkholder

“There’s nothing to fear but fear itself.” Most of us have heard this said many times throughout our lives, but it hardly seems true. With all the natural disasters, economic crises, wars and rumors of wars, even the most secure of us can find reasons to be afraid. Every day we are haunted with questions from “How will I make ends meet?” to “I wonder if he’s coming home.” We’re on edge for that phone call, that email, that impending thing that daily haunts us; we’re waiting for our fears to come true. But why do we fear?

Maybe the better question to ask here is “What is fear?” Fear may be defined as “be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event.” Wait, a possible event? Why would we fear a possible event? What it all comes down to is trust. When you turned on the computer, when you sat down at your desk, it took an element of trust. You believed that it was going to work. If we can believe things that simple, then why don’t we do it when it comes to the Scriptures? When GOD says He will never leave or forsake us, we can trust Him. When He says that He’ll work everything out for our good, we can trust Him. Sounds simple, right?  It’s not as easy as we probably wish it was.

You see, fear is a trap, to cut off our dependence on GOD. When we stop relying on Him, we inevitably turn back to our addictions. You know what I’m talking about. Our addictions to gossip, to the internet, to chocolate, to cursing, sensuality, money, worldliness… addiction to ourselves. And when we trust in ourselves, we fail every time. But the good news is, you guessed it, the Gospel. Jesus Died for us so that we don’t have to be trapped by our own fears; He died to save us from our sins, and to rescue us from death and hell. What else is left to be afraid of? GOD has not given us a spirit of fear, but of Love, Power, and a Sound Mind. He does this through the power of Jesus Christ in us, by focusing on Him. We can’t just break this addiction from ourselves; we have to replace is with something else: an addiction to Jesus. So next time you’re tempted to fear, just remember the One Who saved you; if you are in Christ, then He’s still with you today, and every step of the way for the rest of eternity.