It’s kind of hard to think about persevering when it involves a trial or a test. We instinctively know that having trials in our lives and facing tests of our faith and character is hard. Not only hard, they are often painful with consequences beyond much of our control.

And yet, James says there is a blessing in standing tall. There is a blessing in finishing the race.

Maybe you are catching something significantly missing in this passage. We are not being urged to be victorious in the sense of us personally winning the fight.

Why is that significant? Because we live in a culture where being “in it to win it” implies our own strength and ability.

But that is not what James is imploring us to do.

Our energy is to be spent in persevering. That means keeping our heads straight, staying focused on God, and remembering the battle belongs to the Lord!

Les, Jr. (Source: Article by Perry Noble, 21 Questions Leaders Must Wrestle With)

When the unexpected comes, there are a lot of ways to handle it. You can throw up your hands in defeat. You can rant and rave. You can sink into a deep, dark, depression.

On the other hand, you might take a more positive approach and seek guidance and help from family, friends, and those who specialize in finding answers and solutions to whatever has turned your cart upside down.

I found a real positive step for those times when you encounter what you are not very equipped to deal with: Just because something unexpected has temporarily knocked the wind out of you it doesn’t mean that your life is over, that you’ll never achieve the things that you want, or that you’re doomed to fail and struggle for the rest of your days. (http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com/)

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:17

I love those words of Jesus. But like them or love them, or not, they are dangerous words.

Dangerous for what they say and imply.

First, it is way too simple and dangerous for us to view others as sinners. Aren’t we all?

And if we are not careful, we will come see to see the sins others commit (particularly those of a graphic nature) as somehow worse than ours–making those other sinners worse than ourselves. Should we help people see where they are failing to follow God? Absolutely! But we must do so fully aware of our own failures so that instead of being better than (or at least thinking that way in our own heads), we can together work on overcoming our shortcomings!

And second, Jesus’ words are dangerous because if he came to call, rescue, and save sinners (of which I am most definitely one), then it behooves me to tear down walls and build bridges.

Tear down walls? Yes sir! If we have erected walls or barriers that keep people from meeting Jesus then we must tear them down wherever they may be found. Most of us (my intent is not to be judgmental) can begin the deconstructing process in our own hearts.

As for building bridges, the radical God we serve radically served us by sending His Son on our behalf. That kind of radical behavior calls for a radical response from us–so be radical and build bridges! And in the building process let’s make sure we build the bridges necessary so that no segment of society is left out.

Just because the sign out front says No Perfect People Allowed; Come As You Are doesn’t mean our hearts are in it. But because Jesus came to call sinners just like us, then that’s where our hearts have to be!

Tearing Down Walls/ Building Bridges–with God’s power we can!

Les, Jr.

And he was serious.

I was really interested to hear the punch line. There has to be a punch line, right? Because in my mind, CEO stands for chief executive officer and I have never known a church to have one.

On the other hand, I have experienced individuals who acted as if they owned the church and if not owning it, then at least they were in charge. Sometimes these folks were men; sometimes they were women. But regardless, their usual mode of operation was to force their will or otherwise exert some kind of control through cajoling, manipulation, or even by the power of the purse string.

Hopefully, we understand the church was never intended to function like that. We are not a business or a corporation; to the contrary, we are a family!

Because we are a family, we must operate among ourselves like a family should–caring, sharing, and being selfless.

So what did my preacher friend mean by a church CEO? Are you sitting down? A Church CEO is one of those whom you can count on Christmas–Easter–Only!

In other words, these are those who consider themselves church family but the only time you ever really see them are on special occasions.

This view of being a part of a church family fails on multiple levels:

• First, it fails to honor God because He is certainly not the priority in their lives;
  
• Second, this way of practicing church membership fails to recognize the one another nature of being family!
  

I hope you don’t see yourself in this article–I hope you are not a CEO. But if you do, if you are, now is the perfect time to reengage the practice of honoring God as well as being devoted to your brothers and sisters in Christ!

Hebrews 10:24-25, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another —and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Les, Jr.

Truth be told, I have managed to find myself in trouble more than a time or two for reasons such as those above.

That being said, I have to admit that the worst trouble I have ever experienced came because I read scripture.

Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Scripture read, understood, and applied is sure to bring peace and harmony into your life. However, applying scripture to self and pointing it out to those who need to hear it can be about as dangerous as it gets!

With the idea of scripture as a double edged sword, we need–did I say need? Yes, we need to consider very carefully a passage out of one of the most dangerous books in all the Bible.

Galatians 5:13-15, You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

The Apostle Peter tells us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) The easiest way to devour Christians is to get them to devour each other.

Before you let that bad attitude run unchecked, before you say those words that hurt, before you undermine a brother or sister-in-Christ, ask yourself two questions:

• Is this what God wants from me?
  
• Am I doing the devils dirty work?
  

The growth of God’s Kingdom is often destroyed by words, attitudes, and actions.

I want mine to help the Kingdom grow. How about you?

Les, Jr.

Certainly you will be familiar with this one: Mama said, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!”

I understand that sometimes things have to be said that are maybe not what you would rather say or what you might even like to hear. But let’s take those kinds of things out of the equation–let’s take for granted that when situations like that occur, we are going to handle them as Christ-like as possible. We do, don’t we?

But what about the rest of the time? What about the rest of your words? Are they words of gossip and innuendo? Are they words couched in such a manner as to suggest something snide, snotty, or otherwise unkind? Are they words that make others doubt? Are they words that deliberately cause confusion? Are they words that clearly fail the Mama rule?

When our words fail the Mama Rule, they result in anger, pain, frustration, weariness, and discouragement. The truth is, I get discouraged enough on my own without help from those who otherwise profess to love me.

How about you?

I love the fact that we are a church who openly proclaims No perfect people allowed–come as you are. Maybe it’s time we add another dimension to our statement.

No perfect people allowed–come as you are to a place

where family wounding family is not an option!

What would Orange Grove be like if we all became like Barnabas, sons (and daughters) of encouragement?

Ephesians 4:29, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

I love this church–may we all be encouraged by each other and what God is doing among us!

Give me back that Filet’ O Fish, give me that fish!

What if it were you hanging up on this wall?

If it were you on that sandwich you wouldn’t be laughing at all!

That’s catchy advertising–uh, no pun intended.

The truth is, it wouldn’t matter if it were Sonic, Dairy Queen, or McDonald’s, I most likely would never order and eat a fish sandwich. It’s just not my thing.

On the other hand, I get the fish wanting back what is valuable to it. Sometimes as parents, we spend big money or make big sacrifices to do for or purchase something little Johnny or Sally Sue wants more than anything.

Maybe we save and save–work an extra few hours here and there–or worse, use credit cards or financing to make it all happen.

Been there? Done that? Most parents have sacrificed in some way for their children. It’s what parents do.

And then there are the times when little Johnny or Sally Sue is bratty, ungrateful, or disparaging. Did you ever regret or wish you could be like the above-mentioned fish and take back what you had given or done?

Push us hard enough, and I suspect we could all say we have had the desire to do just that!

On a whole new level, I wonder if God looks down at his children–particularly when we are being bratty, ungrateful or disparaging… I wonder if God sees our stinginess or lack of generosity… I wonder if God ever wants to take back some of what he has blessed us with…

Take a minute to soberly reflect on Malachi 6:6-12…

Les, Jr.

One of the best Bible websites is http://www.biblegateway.com. This site lets you pull up verses, passages, or search for words in almost any language and any version of the Bible. It is very helpful–and if you have internet access, it is very, very convenient.

Of course you can do the same with a good Bible concordance, it just might take you a bit longer to compile everything you are looking for.

Sometimes when you look up a word, you’ll find verses you never really noticed or paid much attention. Take the word generous for instance. There are many Bible references with this word–and in context they tell a rich story of the generous God we serve as well as God’s expectation that we model His generosity.

Here’s a passage resonating with me, Proverbs 11:24-25…

One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

A generous person will prosper;

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. 

My prayer: Lord, help me to be generous in every way. Help me to understand that everything I have, everything I am all comes from you. Help me to share. Amen!

How generous are you? If you are like me, there is plenty of room for improvement–I am thankful for a generous God who has generous mercy and grace and gives me the opportunity to stretch and grow!

Les, Jr.