Preparing

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November 30, 2012

"Preparing"

Scripture Reading:
Mark 1:1-3 (HCSB)  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:  Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.  A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:  Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!

Devotional Reading:

Welcome to the Advent Season, everyone!  I am certain this season is as special at your church as it is at mine.  Now begins the challenge of leading our people’s hearts to turn toward Christ as opposed to getting so entangled with the secular culture of Christmas that they lose sight of Jesus.  I know you are thinking about that.  You are considering how you can best lead so as to help your people “prepare the way for the Lord”.  Your calling this season is to help prepare for Jesus, consider the following:

• How will you help the single mom who is holding down three jobs and just trying to survive from one day to the next prepare her heart for Jesus?
• What is your strategy to help the child whose parent is deployed or in prison or just disappeared to prepare his/her heart for Jesus this season?
• What can you do this week to help that nursing home resident to prepare for Jesus this season?
• What is your plan to pour into your second tier of church leaders over the next couple of weeks, so that they and their families are prepared for Jesus?
• How will your church minister to those who have lost loved ones in the past year and who now face their first Christmas season without them?
• What about the missionary family who unexpectedly found themselves back here for the Christmas season instead of out on the field with the people they have grown to love?  How will you help them prepare their hearts for Jesus?
• And lastly, while you are busy trying to be all things to all people, what exactly are you planning for your own family this season, so that they will have hearts turned toward Jesus instead of resenting your ministry pulling you away from them?

John the Baptizer, it seems, was just a little bit crazy…a little bit different from normal folks.  And now we know why.  Helping make the way straight for Jesus in the hearts of one’s people is, well, a lot of hard work!  Shoulder to the wheel…shoulder to the wheel!

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Keep Looking

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November 29, 2012

"Keep Looking"

Scripture Reading:
Colossians 2:9 (HCSB)  For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,

Devotional Reading:

In 1940 and 1941, British author Dorothy Sayers was commissioned to write a series of plays entitled “The Man Born to be King.”  These plays about the life of Jesus Christ were later produced and broadcast by the BBC.  But before they were ever heard, they caused quite a national stir.  The language was modern.  The dialogue was fictionalized.  And many accused Miss Sayers of blasphemy by “personifying the Godhead” by portraying the voice of Christ over the airwaves.  But when the first play, “Kings in Judea,” aired in December of 1941, public response was overwhelmingly positive.  I am not surprised.  You see, when it comes to sheer, powerful storytelling – nothing beats the Gospel.  There is just no better story, because there is no better Storyteller.  “Kings in Judea” took the Christmas story out of the church pews and into the homes of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who somehow heard it with brand new ears.  At Christmastime and all year long, I challenge you to weave the wonder of the incarnation into every moment of every day.  Tell the story.  Tell it in your language.  Tell it truthfully, but tell it in a way that only you can.  Tell it in a gesture, a smile, a hug or a bedtime story.  Tell it in a song, a gift, or a selfless act of patience.  Tell it with all the wonder of an eyewitness, like Sayers’ King Balthazar, who gazed into the eyes of the baby he came to honor and exclaimed, “I looked at the Child.  And all about Him lay the shadow of death, and all within Him was the light of life; and I knew that I stood in the presence of the Mortal-Immortal, which is the last secret of the universe.”  Always keep looking at Jesus, and tell others what you see.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Into Your Heart

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November 28, 2012

"In My Heart"

Scripture Reading:
Romans 8:9 (HCSB)  Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the lodging place.

Devotional Reading:

“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head. . .” We sing such warm words about the manger, and have such loving thoughts toward the little baby it held.  But we shouldn’t try to keep Him there.  He is no longer a baby, but a King.  He is not in the manger anymore.  He lives in us.  Where I went to middle school, St. Benedicts--Our Lady Madonna, was filled with students who had means.  Our  homeroom teacher, Sister Johnice loved us, and knew each one well.  One day, a new child came to class.  He was not like the rest of the children.  His clothes were old and mended.  He needed a haircut, and he didn’t smell very good.  He arrived with a note from the principal, explaining that he was the son of a family passing through that Father Stephen took mercy upon, admitted as a goodwill gesture in hopes of generating favorable publicity for the school.  His name was Tony; he would only be in school for a short while.  In class, the other children snickered at him, but at recess, Tony’s stock went up.  He led off the kickball game with a homerun, and followed with a double.  When the worst player on the team came to bat, the other children groaned, but Tony encouraged him.  “Don’t let them bother you, kid.  Step up there and kick it – you can do it!”  At that moment, Tony became more than “the new kid.”  He became a leader.  It wasn’t long before the whole class gravitated toward Tony.  At Christmas the teacher received the usual gifts from her students.  On the last day before holiday break, Tony stayed until everyone else had gone.  He came to the teacher’s desk with a polished rock and said, “This is for you.  I found it and cleaned it up real nice.  And teacher, tomorrow we’re moving on. . . but I’ll miss you.”  She never saw Tony again but this teacher told her students his story each year at Christmas.  Inevitably, one of them will say, “I wonder where Tony is today?  I bet he’s somewhere real good!”  She always says she thinks so, too . . . and then whispers to herself, “He’s in my heart.”  Now this story is not Jesus, but my question to you is, Is He in your heart?  If not what will it take to keep Him there?

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

The Grinch II

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November 27, 2012

"The Grinch"

Scripture Reading:
Romans 8:9 (HCSB)  You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you.  But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Devotional Reading:

I often listen to talk shows on BBC or Fox. Today happened to be one of thosedays. I find that you learn lots of things, when you switch on and tune in!  And, today was no different. You've heard plenty of talk about 'separation of church and state' - making sure that Christianity doesn't GROW where someone doesn't want it. I was shocked to hear what the GRINCH's latestwork was about! Can you imagine no Christmas trees in a business, in the hospital lobbies, and not even in the fire halls around the city? Well, get used to it. If it has come to a town of Birmingham, be sure, it will soonbe in your city. What happened is this - a man that I called GRINCH has decided that this is a symbol of Christianity; therefore, it has no place in those areas that I mentioned above. This guy wasn't very well-informed, to think that the Christmas tree has any place in Christianity. Sure, it's a tradition with us in America, and other parts of the world, but it has not one thing to do with Christianity. So, to remove the Christmas trees, whileleaving the wreaths and lights, makes absolutely no sense. But, when did being 'politically correct' make any sense?The Grinch might take the trees away, but he can't steal Christmas, as the movie says. The reason for the season is Jesus Christ, and he resides in our hearts. Take away the trees, and next the wreaths and lights,but you can't take Jesus from our hearts.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

The Grinch

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November 27, 2012

"The Grinch"

Scripture Reading:
Romans 8:9 (HCSB)  You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you.  But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Devotional Reading:

I often listen to talk shows on BBC or Fox. Today happened to be one of thosedays. I find that you learn lots of things, when you switch on and tune in!  And, today was no different. You've heard plenty of talk about 'separation of church and state' - making sure that Christianity doesn't GROW where someone doesn't want it. I was shocked to hear what the GRINCH's latestwork was about! Can you imagine no Christmas trees in a business, in the hospital lobbies, and not even in the fire halls around the city? Well, get used to it. If it has come to a town of Birmingham, be sure, it will soonbe in your city. What happened is this - a man that I called GRINCH has decided that this is a symbol of Christianity; therefore, it has no place in those areas that I mentioned above. This guy wasn't very well-informed, to think that the Christmas tree has any place in Christianity. Sure, it's a tradition with us in America, and other parts of the world, but it has not one thing to do with Christianity. So, to remove the Christmas trees, whileleaving the wreaths and lights, makes absolutely no sense. But, when did being 'politically correct' make any sense?The Grinch might take the trees away, but he can't steal Christmas, as the movie says. The reason for the season is Jesus Christ, and he resides in our hearts. Take away the trees, and next the wreaths and lights,but you can't take Jesus from our hearts.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Never Satisfied

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November 26, 2012

"Never Satisfied"

Scripture Reading:
Ecclesiastes 2:10 (HCSB)  All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them.  I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.

Devotional Reading:

Are you familiar with the law of diminishing returns?  Simply stated, in a consumptive lifestyle, more and more is needed to maintain the same level of satisfaction.  King Solomon discovered this when his pursuit of pleasure required more wives, more horses, more food, more wine and more land.  His self-styled “pleasure safari” quickly escalated beyond control.   Maybe it’s hard for you to relate to King Solomon’s dilemma – but the law of diminishing returns is easily illustrated in other ways.  It could apply to baseball, for example.  I like baseball.  I like being outdoors and smacking the ball around.  I like competition, even if it’s just competing with a batting cage.  But one of the first things I learned when I began to play baseball is that there are ball players, and there are ball players.  I recently saw a needle-pointed pillow which stated:  “Life is a game – baseball is serious.” Whoever owned that pillow probably started out as I did – any time we could get a pick up game, with a stick ball, wiffle ball or baseball, we did.  “If you look good, you feel good; if you feel good, you play good; if you play good, you win.”  The time comes when only Mizuno will do.   Without these “necessities,” the game just isn’t fun anymore.  Get the picture?  The law of diminishing returns says the same effort produces less satisfaction.  So we put more into our passion – whatever it may be – just to enjoy it as much as we did yesterday.  Pleasure is a lousy god.  It’s never satisfied.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Forgive me when I whine

From our house to your house:  May you and your family have a blessed and holy Thanksgiving!  Start a new tradition!

As you heard from Clark last evening, "only by the grace of God", I challenge you to bring more to the Thanksgiving Table than just an appetite!  What is it through God's grace He has gotten you through?  Have you stopped to consider whining!

“Forgive Me When I Whine”
Today upon a bus I saw, a lovely maid with golden hair;
I envied her – so beautiful, and how, I wished I were so fair;
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle;
she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed,
she wore a smile.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet -- the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm;
he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm;
I said, "It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find";
he turned and said, "Oh, thank you sir." And then I saw that he was blind.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue;
he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do;
I stopped a moment, then I said, "Why don’t you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word, I realized--he could not hear.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I’d go; with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know.
I am blessed indeed.

The world is mine; oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

 

Keep the Son in your eyes,
Pastor Ben J Lahay
Galatians 2:20

Forgive me when I whine

From our house to your house:  May you and your family have a blessed and holy Thanksgiving!  Start a new tradition!

As you heard from Clark last evening, "only by the grace of God", I challenge you to bring more to the Thanksgiving Table than just an appetite!  What is it through God's grace He has gotten you through?  Have you stopped to consider whining!

“Forgive Me When I Whine”
Today upon a bus I saw, a lovely maid with golden hair;
I envied her – so beautiful, and how, I wished I were so fair;
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle;
she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed,
she wore a smile.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet -- the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm;
he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm;
I said, "It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find";
he turned and said, "Oh, thank you sir." And then I saw that he was blind.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue;
he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do;
I stopped a moment, then I said, "Why don’t you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word, I realized--he could not hear.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I’d go; with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know.
I am blessed indeed.

The world is mine; oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

 

Keep the Son in your eyes,
Pastor Ben J Lahay
Galatians 2:20

Enemies Vices

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November 22, 2012

"Enemies Vices"

Scripture Reading:
2 Chronicles 25:2 (HCSB)  He did what was right in the Lord’s sight but not wholeheartedly.

Devotional Reading:

Partial obedience, half-hearted devotion, diminishes the effectiveness of any Christian’s life, and weakens his witness to the world.  Amaziah was a young man when he became king of Israel, and the Bible says he did right in God’s eyes – but not with his whole heart.  He was committed . . . but not totally.  He was interested . . . but not sold out.  Amaziah successfully led the nation of Israel in battle against the Edomites.  But Amaziah’s divided loyalty became evident when he brought all the household gods of the Edomites home with him as spoils of war.  Following his example (he was king, after all) the people began to worship these other gods, along with Jehovah.  Amaziah won the victory in the battlefield, but he lost to the Edomites in his mind and heart.  He conquered their army; their little gods conquered his heart.  What happened?  An old Chinese proverb says, “Enemies trade vices.”  When we do battle with the world, it is amazing what sticks with us.  A little sign over my desk says, “Beware the habits learned in controversy.”  When we fight a monster (and sin is a monster), we can become monster-like ourselves.  Slowly, imperceptibly, we can assume the religion of our enemy.  We can fight in the name of God, then bring home the same “toys” and idols that our enemy loves.  Beware the habits learned in controversy!

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Island Isolation

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November 21, 2012

"Island Isolation"

Scripture Reading:
James 5:16 (HCSB)  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person
is very powerful in its effect.

Devotional Reading:

“Confession is good for the soul,” or so the old saying goes.  When we are struggling with an area of insanity in our own lives, there is great freedom and power in being able to tell another human being, “This is where I am.  This is my addiction, my problem, my sin.”  When a person comes into a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, he introduces himself by saying his name and calling himself an alcoholic.  I, for example, would not say, “I’m Ben, and I drink a little too much from time to time.”  That would not cut it.  “I’m Benn, and I’m not sure I need to be here,” wouldn’t do either.  For healing to begin, I would need to say the words, “I’m Benn, and I’m an alcoholic.”  At some point in the recovery process with AA, each addict selects a sponsor – someone to whom he or she will be accountable and honest about their addictive behavior.  Jessica McClure was an eighteen-month-old girl who fell down an abandoned well pipe a few years back.  It took nearly 400 rescuers in her hometown of Texas, some fifteen hours to pull her from the well, with only a few bumps and bruises.  Early in the rescue process, a key decision was made about how to save baby Jessica.  First, they sent someone down to be with her while the rescue took place, so she would not be frightened by all the noise and machinery and manpower it would take to save her.  Panic, disorientation, anxiety – all could have been life threatening for her, so they sent someone down to get next to her and comfort her.  This is what happens when we confess our sins to one another.  It’s like having someone else down in the pit with us, providing a face and a form to comfort and listen as we go through the process of recovery.  We have the mistaken idea that if we let someone else know we are struggling, somehow our credibility as s Christian will be ruined, and that no one will trust us again or believe in us.  But confession to a Christian brother or sister who will pray and encourage is not a damaging process, but a healing one.  "No man is an island unto himself"!

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Taking Inventory

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November 20, 2012

"Taking Inventory"

Scripture Reading:
Colossians 3:5 (HCSB)  Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust,  evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

Devotional Reading:

Our military is outstanding at taking inventory or rather inspections. . . and inspections were no fun.  Everything had to be counted and accounted for:  beans, bullets, band-aids; everything.  The work was tedious.  Time-consuming.  All your gear and uniforms had to be showroom ready, exacting.  I think of this dreaded process every time I hear the work “inventory.”  But what about taking an inventory of your life”  have you ever gotten still and quiet for the purpose of examining your life, letting God shine His holy light into your very heart?  It’s not everyone who can be bold and adventuresome enough, faithful and honest enough, to take a searching and fearless moral inventory of his or her life.  A person’s willingness to do so is an indicator of that willingness to grow.  If you believe you are ready to blast out of comfortable Christianity, to hear the sound of the trumpet in the morning, to begin to walk in a new kind of life that you’ve never known before, let me encourage you to take inventory.  Begin with the classical seven deadly sins.  Evaluate your victories and failures with regard to each, making notes as you go through them thoughtfully and thoroughly.  The sins I’m referring to are these:  Slothfulness or laziness.  Gluttony.  Greed.  Lust.  Envy.  Anger.  And the deadliest sin of all” Pride.  How about it?  Are you ready for an IG (inspecting General)inspection?

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Owning It

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November 19, 2012

"Owning It"

Scripture Reading:
John 21:22 (HCSB)  “If I want him to remain until I come," Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow Me.”

Devotional Reading:

Our building is on fire.  We’re perishing.  The Son of God comes to save us, offering us a way off the building, if we will only get in His wheelbarrow.  If we get in, He will carry us to safety.  If we do not, we will surely die.  The question is, why don’t we get in the wheelbarrow?  One reason we don’t abandon ourselves totally to God is that we would rather blame others than address our real issues.  We play the blame game.  It works like this.  I have a very hard day at work, and I want nothing more when I get home than to talk to my wife, and receive some affection from her.  But when I get home, I don’t say, “Silvia, I’ve had a bad day, and here’s what I need.”  Oh no.  Instead, I pick a fight.  “Did you not plug in my toothbrush again this morning after you unplugged it?” I might ask.  “No,” she’d say, “I forgot.”  Then she might give me a telephone message she’d taken earlier in the day.  “Did you get his number so I can call him back?” I’d say. “No,” she’d say, “I thought you had his number.”  And we’re off!  Instead of quiet talk and affection, we’ve got hostility and harsh tones.  All because someone (in this example, me!) could not own his own feelings, and resorted to blaming another instead.  Blame and ensuing conflict it promotes do not equal intimacy.  Some folks make the mistake of equating emotional intensity with emotional intimacy.  They are not the same.  In fact, they are not even close.  But blame keeps us from being real, with others and with God.  I don’t know what your issues are, but I do know that blame will not solve them.  In fact, the blame game can keep you and me from ever addressing the real issues we need to face head on.  We think we can deflect God’s piercing gaze from our own lives and onto others, hoping to escape conviction, but until we allow His light to shine on our own hearts, lasting change is impossible.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20

Solving for Y

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November 16, 2012

"Solving for Y"

Scripture Reading:
Mark 14:68 (HCSB) But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about!” Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed.

Devotional Reading:

Have you seen the cartoon of a dead cow on his back, rigor mortis setting in and feet straight up in the air?  The caption reads, “Really, I’m fine.”  We’re all experts at denying our problems, aren’t we?  We deny compulsive behavior.  We deny sexual addiction.  We deny anorexia and bulimia.  We deny overeating and controlling behavior and drug abuse.  In Montana they have a saying that’s a bit coarse, but gets the point across.  “If one person tells you ‘you’re a horse’s tail’,” the saying goes, “forget it.  If two people tell you ‘you’re a horse’s tail,’ you’d better take a look in the mirror.  But if three people tell you ‘you’re a horse’s tail,’ you’d better buy a saddle.”  One form of denial is to change external things to alleviate an internal problem.  For example, a person who overeats might lose weight, but start smoking.  Or an alcoholic might stop drinking only to manifest the symptoms of a workaholic.  Such a person moves from addiction to addiction, refusing to address the root problem.  The homosexual puts down and verbally attacks the heterosexual. (much like the comments from a young man named, Gosnell; but whe you argue with a fool it's hard to tell the difference)  Do you know the way out of denial?  It’s quite simple.  The way out of denial is pain.  Pain breaks through the wall of denial every single time.  C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures.  God speaks to us in our conscience.  God shouts at us in our pain.  Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  If there is an area of your life that is out of control, follow the pain and it will lead you to the real root of the problem.  Give up denial.  Only people who admit problems can find solutions.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pastor Ben J Lahay

Galatians 2:20