Happy New Years 2012!

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” (Isaiah 65:17)  

Wouldn’t that be cool to wake up on New Year’s Day and find out that passage was true? No more sufferings, wars, injustice, or brokenness!  One day that Day will come! All will be made brand new; way cool!

But alas, that Day is for another time; and so for the time being, we work with what we can; namely our own selves. And so, New Year’s is a starting point of new beginnings for many people. But for so many, these new beginnings end as quickly as they start.

 Why? Because we have a hard time really changing ourselves outside the power that comes through Jesus Christ. On our own we try our best to set goals for the next year; some lofty and some attainable, and still we fail to arrive at our destination

The hope is that the Bible tells us: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Does that mean EVERY area of our lives will be instantly changed in a way that we see it? Unfortunately; no it doesn’t.

But what it does mean is that our spirit man is changed when we surrender our lives to Christ. And He starts the work; our part is to cooperate with what He is doing “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

In the meantime, one thing that we can all work on is learning to love ourselves and accept who God has made. After all, “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

Some of what we need to work on is simply loving and accepting who we are, as we are. Some parts of who we are make us unique and wonderful and powerful; in spite of how they are different from others.

Let me be clear; I’m not talking about things that are wrong; after all we share this planet together. There are some areas where we NEED to take a deep look at ourselves and STOP doing and SAYING harmful things; PERIOD.

What I am writing about are the things that we don’t like about ourselves. Things that are too big or too small or too short or too tall. So, we tuck, and we cut, and we snip, and we peel, and do ANYTHING so that we don’t have to be who we really are.

Someone once said; “If you're not being treated with the love and respect that you deserve, check your "PRICE TAG". Perhaps you have marked yourself down. It's "YOU" who tells people what you're worth by what you accept. Get off the "CLEARANCE RACK" and get behind the glass case where they keep the "VALUABLES". Bottom line; "VALUE" yourself more.”

So here is my New Year’s Resolution suggestion for you: Work with God and let Him take you through the process; you will find that the results will be eternal. And, embrace who you are! You will never be as good a version of someone else as you are of yourself!

Need some help? Call Toll-Free: 1-877-2GRAHAM (1-877-247-2426)

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

WE MUST NEVER FORGET WHY HE CAME AT CHRISTMAS

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. (Luke 2:11)

Simply put, God so loved the world that He sent His only Son Jesus to be our savior. This implies to me that God, although He loved mankind, didn’t like what man was doing. The Bible calls that sin; which is our faults, offences, and trespasses which includes anything that we do, think, or say that separates man from God. In other words, all of mankind is a sinner in need of a savior; a deliverer, that is, God or Christ.

But, as the angel said to those shepherds on that first Christmas morning; “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11). God in His great love for us (not what we do) sent His Son to be a Savior for us!

And, He did this BEFORE we even knew about it! God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (Romans 5:6-9)

That is why the multitude of the heavenly hosts SUDDENLY was praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:13-14). They saw that God Himself sent One who would save sinful mankind by His death, burial, and resurrection. He would be the Savior of the world; FOR ALL OF US!

This Christmas we celebrate that Jesus came, not so that we would spend more money than we have on others, but to let us know that God really does love us; inspite of how we live. And He came to help us change; each one of us, if we will let Him. He simply wants us to come to Him and agree with what He calls sin and agree to go a different direction with His help.

        “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.
        If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
        If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
        If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
        But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.”
                                                                                                         -- Roy Lessin

And when you do that, Christmas takes on a whole new meaning.

Actually, it takes on its original meaning.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Authorized Personnel Only

Have you ever seen a sign on the door stating that you weren’t supposed to go in unless you had authorization? How did you feel; excluded?  

Have you ever gone into a place that you weren’t supposed to go? How did you feel knowing that at any moment you could be caught and told to leave; afraid?

Have you ever gone into a place where you were told that you could come in even though there was a sign on the door stating that you weren’t supposed to go in unless you had authorization? How did you feel; hesitant and anxious?

I have been in many places that required me to have some sort of authorization to be there, which usually include either someone to escort me or a badge or both. Usually at these places there were also checkpoints, and security guards, and cameras. And, I have always been amazed at the power of a plastic badge clipped on a shirt.

At some events at which I had a leadership role or special authorization, how quickly security people will move out of the way to let me pass. One of my security badges contained neither my photo or my name; just a the name of the event and a one inch sticker that had amazing “power” to get me into any room that I wanted to go to in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I even went into some rooms just because I could and because some person or persons had deemed it necessary for me to have this authorization. And so I went in; boldly, and I did what I needed to do and it got done.

One place that I was at I was told that only a small group of people ever earn the right to be at the place where I was standing. I am so glad that this is NOT the case when we approach God!

Do you realize that as a Christian, you have a “security badge” in which you have authorization to come into the very throne room of God? You and I as Christians are able to go past all of the “security guards” and talk to God face to face; whenever we want to! In the Bible, the writer of the book of Hebrews in Chapter 4:14-16 tells us that we not only SHOULD go in, but exhorts us to come in BOLDLY to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

I love the way that Eugene Peterson puts it:  “Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” (Hebrews 4:14-16 The Message)

Do you have a need today? Then run in quickly, boldly and you will find mercy and help!

Have you tried to clean up your life with no success? Are you tired of trying to do it your way?
Call 1-888-NEED –HIM; someone is waiting to talk with you.

Fallon Fell

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, my one-year old granddaughter Fallon fell down a flight of stairs; and I saw her do it. I want to tell you that she is OK and survived (physically) with only a very small bump on her head. 

Several of us were helping Fallon’s parents finish off the lower level of their house, and Fallon wanted to come down the stairs to see us. I heard her coming down the steps but my brain didn’t register what she was doing until she had already begun to fall.

Even now, as I close my eyes, I can still see her falling. And I can still her crying and screaming as she bounced off each step; every “thud” from her body and head hitting echoes in my head. My soul was in anguish and looked to see God in this; and so I seek Him to see how He was there in our moment of need.

The apostle Paul wrote in the Bible in 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 that we are to:^“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In EVERYTHING? Even when Fallon fell?

King David had the perspective that even when things go bad we need to give thanks because they would have been a lot worse had the Lord not been there.

David wrote about this in Psalm 124:

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,” Let Israel now say— ² “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose up against us,³ Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; ⁴ Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul;⁵ Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.”  ⁶ Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. ⁷ Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers The snare is broken, and we have escaped.⁸ Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth."

Christian author Phillip Keller writes; “It has been well said that the true measure of any man’s spirituality is the degree to which he can detect God in the most simple events around him.”  As the scriptures say; “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28b.

When we look to the Lord to get His perspective, often times He will give us the bigger picture. We may never know just how many times God has protected us from harm without us even knowing about it. Just the night before while playing hockey, another player slashed me across the face with his stick. The force was hard enough that it should have broken my nose (again) but it didn’t because I had just installed a face shield on my hockey helmet.  God had been on my side to provide the shield and to give me the sense to put it on and start wearing it.

How was He there when Fallon fell? A friend of mine, Ben, was cognitive enough to reach out and grab Fallon before she went all the way down the steps to the concrete floor below. And, even though there were a variety of tools on the steps, Fallon missed hitting any of them. And Fallon, after throwing up because of the trauma, was able to calm down and rest and return to her happy self. And so were the rest of us; especially my daughter, Fallon’s mom (who is now pregnant with her second child). For that I am so very grateful because God had been on our side.

How about you; do you struggle to see God in the midst of the everyday events or in the trauma that invades your life?  If you are one of His children, it does make a big difference as to how you get through the “falls” in your lives. Don't hold back from Him; He wants you to come just as you are.

Call 1-888-NEED-HIM someone is waiting to talk with you. Or http://www.needhim.org

 

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

 

 

Seeing Value in EVERYONE

Around our house we have many pieces of art; paintings, photos, quilts, sculptures, wood carvings, photographs, jewelry, and so forth. Although most of the pieces wouldn’t fetch any large sum of money at an auction, they are all very precious to me because they were gifts given by the person who made them.

My father-in-law Gene was a good wood carver and came from a long line of many generations of wood workers; in fact it is one of the things that I really liked about him when we first met because he reminded me of my maternal grandfather who was also a great wood carver. I loved both men very deeply; both men are no longer alive and their absence from my life has left a great void.

Both men could see life in a piece of wood and bring it out as they skillfully carved away all of the unnecessary wood to release the sculpture that was inside. Both men worked with many different mediums and both loved creating objects using wildlife; ducks, birds, etc as their subject matter. Although just hobbies for both men, they could have “quit their day jobs” and worked their careers as carvers.

One of my favorite pieces that I have that was made by Gene is a little duck that is carved from a piece of wood that was rejected and is full of burls and holes. On first appearance, one can see the shape of the duck but may miss the beauty of the carving because of all that is wrong with it. I got the piece after it was passed over by other family members picking out a better piece from Gene’s collection.

I love the duck because it reminds me of how Gene was able to see the value in everyone; no matter of what they looked like on the outside or even how they acted.

Much like his carvings, he could remove all of the parts that didn’t really define who a person was to see what was really inside of them; someone who was made in the image and likeness of God. And, when people spent time with him for awhile, he helped them to see the value as well.

Oh, if we could only begin to see and treat people as my father-in-law Gene treated them; what a difference we all would make in this lost and broken world.

Recently, I read multiple stories about the high suicide rate in South Korea; a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away. The articles all talked about how more than 40 people kill themselves each day in South Korea, which is more than twice the number who did so a decade earlier and five times as many as in 1989. People killing themselves regardless of their how well known they were or were not, and how much money they did or didn’t have and who couldn’t see value in their lives. And my heart was broken.

I realize that we don’t have the ability to stop everyone around the world from taking their lives, but what if we chose to make a difference where we live? What if we chose to start seeing value in everyone; beyond the external manifestation of their brokenness? 

“Impossible”, you say? Not with the love of Christ it isn’t. Oversimplified, I think we justify blowing people off and excuse our indifference and forget that God wants to work through us. We can’t do it on our own.

In fact, if you would have asked Gene when he was alive why and how he was able to see the value in each and every person, I know that he would tell you that it was because the love of Christ compelled him to do so. He did what he did because he knew that God saw value in him.

God already set for us an example when He chose to see value in us. The Bible says;  “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8 NKJV)

Oh, if we could only begin to see and treat people as my Father-in-Heaven treats them; what a difference we all would make in this lost and broken world.

^"Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (Ephesians 2:7-10 The Message)

Want some help responding? Go to: http://www.harvest.org/knowgod/