Facing Winter

Death is something most people fear but it is as much a fact of life as is birth. We were are all born and we will all die. This fact should motivate us to seriously consider what happens upon death and determine if we are prepared. If we have recognized the truth of Jesus and put our faith in Him we are prepared for this impending winter which is coming. If we have not seen Jesus for who He is then we are unprepared and standing out in the cold with nothing to protect us from a brutish suffering.
This fact should motivate the Christ follower. We are standing in our prepared state and have all we need to face this winter while others stand unprepared. Some great about Jesus is that when he equips us to face this winter he also gives us everything we need to prepare others. Literally we have the boots, mittens, and coat the everyone needs to be delivered from the impending threat of winter. Sadly, many Christ followers tend to scoff at the ones on the outside and talk about how foolish they are and display their disbelief that anyone would go out in the cold dressed in such a way, instead of sharing the warmth with them.
The last challenge Jesus gave to His followers while on planet earth was for them to share the warm; equip others.
Check out this final session of our "Harvest Before Winter" series. If it blesses you in any way please let us know it and share it with a friend.

Turn Around.

A few years ago I went to a "Revival Meeting". Now, I don't know about you but I always thought that these meetings were intended for current followers of Christ to come and get their spiritual flame to burn a bit brighter. The very work "revival" means to literally revitalize or the rekindle what is already there. So, spiritually it would take the Christ follower who has let their flame die down and bring it a raging inferno again. While I sat in this meeting a seemingly angry man demonstrated to me that he found the intent of these meetings to be strickly evangelistic and aimed toward the non-believer (And, that is fine, we need meeting like this but I would not have called it a revival rather an outreach). As I sat in my seat this angry mans fist repeatedly struck the podium and his voice peaked out the sound system which produce a very unpleasant sound. In this arena I asked myself, "Is this the way Jesus spoke to people when he was trying to show them the truth?" When Jesus spoke the words "I am the way the truth and the life" (John 14.6) was he slapping the Pentatuch against a rock to emphasize each word which he shook a raging finger at the crowd. I don't know about your house when I was growing up when mom and dad acted like that I shook and ran from them instead of running and clinging to them.

Sadly I believe many well intentioned Pastors and Evangelist have missed the point of how Jesus became the days superstar of truth and attracted people from hundereds of miles away to walk days just to see him. Mark 1 relays to us the even of Jesus entering into his adult manhood and calling and also shows us the approach that Jesus took. Verse 15 is the first words Jesus speaks in this book and he says, "Repent and Believe...". Now, these are the same words that the man I saw speak was using but again, I can't picture Jesus, jumping, slapping, and spraying spit onto the crowd. In our society the term "Repent" is associated with a man doing all these things but not Jesus.

"Repent" literally means to turn around. Jesus is inviting people to turn around. Why? Because they won't like the destination they are heading toward. He contines and says "Believe". Jesus is in essence telling them "You won't like where you are heading; believe me on this one, turn around, come back this way... come back to me." That is a bit different that how most soapbox preachers present this verse, isn't it? Repent is not a negative word, it is a positive invitation to a better destination because we believe Jesus.

Have to recognized yet that your natural path is not taking you to the destination you desire to be at? Do you need to turn around, beleive Jesus, and reach the destination your soul longs for?

Watch this session as we learn about this turn around. If it blesses you please let us know and share it with others.

What is Your Life?

"This is Your Life" was a TV show in years past which highlighted a person's life and reflected on the accomplishments and failures of life. "E! True Hollywood Story" currently gives a glimpse into the lives of celebrities. We seem to have a facination with look at people's lives; it is time you look at our own.
I encourage you to do something today. Ask yourself, "What is my life?". Really, stop and reflect on it. Scripture poses the question "What is your life?" and gives the insite that it is a vapor. It is here and then it is gone. We run our lives like we are the here all and end all. Consumerism is the recipe of the day and we feel life we must reach the standard of living portraid by commercials and celebraties or else we will never be happy. We end up running our lives as if the goal is to acquire wealth, possessions, and build shallow relationship then wonder why the depression rates are at all time highs, insomnia is not explained as normal to tens of millions of people, and relationships are falling apart quicker than my two year old can dismember a pb & j sandwich.
My suggestion is this. As you examine your life and seek to discover your life's meaning you will have to know the intent of your life before you can discover your purpose. This now becomes an origins game. Consider the fact that you were not made my some random accident, rather you were created by a loving God who makes nothing or no reason but makes all things for his enjoyment and ours. From the beginning of life we were created to know God and have a relationship with Him which allows us to get to know him more. You were intended to be connected with God. But, somewhere along the line this connection was broken through our rebellion, since then mankind has been on a path leading us away from our intended purpose.
Mark 1.15 Jesus says, "You're going the wrong way, turn around... you've got to believe me on this one." And asks us all to open our eyes and see what we are doing to ourselves and then look at a far better life he has in store for us. A life free of selfishness, consumerism, and depression.
Enjoy this video session as we explore the idea of answering the question, "What is your life?" If you receive a blessing from this video please take moment to let us know and then pass it along to a friend.

Beautiful World

To all of you in internet land here is an incredibly fun song we have done for a year or so and I thought you would enjoy it!

The Disease in the Field.

Look around and you will see there are issues today and some that are unlikely to go away. The world economy has collapsed, crime is on the rise, and some believe life will end in 2012. Every group claims to have a problem to all these issues; politicians, scientists, and psychologists all have theoretical solutions. Jeremiah also had a bit of insight on this but his does not come from observation; his comes from God.

As mankind searches for a solution we often come up with ways to calm the effects of an underlying problem and can never deal with the problem because we deny what the real problem is. Jeremiah sought God's take of the situation and God spoke to him with the answer. In Scripture, Jeremiah 17.9 we see God's revelation to Jeremiah was the deep within the heart is the problem; our disconnection with God is the problem. Since society has by-and-large left any recognition of God they have also denied there could be anyway to please or displease God. Without recognizing God one cannot deal with the fact of this disconnecting nor can they do what it takes to reconnect it.

We are currently in a series talking about the parallel God uses about a farm and his followers. Take time to view this session. If it blesses you let us know and share it with friend.

Sleeping During the Harvest

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a farmer. Likely they would laugh if you told them I ever worked on a farm. I have no farming experience other than a garden my wife and I had at a previous house. Even though I have no such experience though I do know something about agriculture; you have to make sure everything is done right and on time. If you miss a step early on it will effect the harvest; if you miss the harvest all is lost. Timing is essential and the harvest is what makes it all worth while.

You may be asking now, what does this have to do with anything? Let me explain. Spiritually speaking we live on a field; God's field. We are all one of his plants, something or someone that he has invested seed into. We live our life and grow spiritually and may come to the point that we blossom and are ready to enter a whole new purpose in life. If that harvest doesn't come then we will never grasp that new purpose and will instead fall and rot. The same is true to the physical farmer's field; timing and harvest must be done properly.

God has given his followers the task of manning the fields and making sure all goes well in them; we have the responsibility of tending to the plants and assuring they are harvested. Sadly the vast majority of his followers have lost the commitment to their responsibility and are now curled up inside the farmhouse where it is warm and comfy instead of one the field where they should be. The greatest need in the world today is for Christ's followers to get out of the house and back on the field. The greatest disgrace in the world today is that Christ's followers have let Satan trick them into thinking the church if for those who already know Jesus instead of those who don't.

The video session below is part 1 of a series we began this past week and is designed to motivate you to get out of the farmhouse of comfort and get back onto the field. You may not want to watch this session but you need to! If you enjoy it and are moved please email me at pastor@millettbbc.org and let me know and then pass it along to another person who will be blessed by it.

Faith Takes Action

I have to admit something. I have a this facebook account and I keep track of a lot of people whom I haven't talked to or seen in years... really cool, right?! This is nothing new, you probably have one too and do the same thing. But do you do something else I do that is really silly? I join these groups and causes for things that are really good things like "Stop Domestic Violence" or "Abortion is Murder". At face value this all sound really good and makes me look like I care, but I don't. Well, not that I don't care about these things, but if joining that group or cause meant I have do send them money (even a one time gift) or show up to work a benefit event once and a while I wouldn't.

Please feel free to judge me for this but immediately following your judgement please go to your facebook page and ask yourself the same thing about all the groups and causes you are a member of. I do find my support for these causes and more are taken care of though other involvement in church or organizations.

My point is this... we like to say we care and are willing to support something but we really don't if we are not willing to take action on it. Our claims are empty and superficial at best. The same is true with our faith if we don't take action upon it. Jesus is often seen as a great philosopher with a get out of hell free card for all who think that way. Jesus never intended for his life and his sacrifice to be viewed in this way. Faith was intended to produce action. The author the book of James said it this way, "Faith without works is dead". Like roadkill on the highway it is there but it also stinks and is viewed as in the way; it is dead.

Your faith is intended to move you forward and others around you also. Check out this session of our service. If you find it inspiring and helpful please pass it along.