Month: June 2009

Dad is Easy… Father is Hard

Well we’re about to go into another weekend of great services at Evangel Church and I think that for the first time, I’m not specifically having a Father’s Day emphasis in my message.

Okay, before you all come at me with your brand-new ties that you’ll never wear again and your bbq utensils, I have good reason. We are wrapping up our current series on “Within These Four Walls” and we are taking a look at how God looks at us as the Bride and He is the Bridegroom… so there will be plenty to correlate with Father’s Day…

That said, I thought I would just make this observation… from what I have found out in Health class, the Discovery Channel, and sitting reading magazines waiting for the doctor, the act of becoming a dad is fairly easy. Actually, some would say that it’s pretty close to the real thing… us men start something and then let someone else finish the job. 🙂

Well what I would like to challenge tonight is the fact that being a ‘father’ to children is SO much harder than just being a dad. It’s not just about starting something, it’s about being there every step of the way… from beginning to end. Fathering is making today make tomorrow better… read that again. Fathering is making ‘today’ make ‘tomorrow’ better. What I mean is the act of fathering is ‘investing’ in your children so that they will be better because of you… not in spite of you.

Maybe you’re disconnected from your kids… Maybe it’s been a while since you said “hi”, “how are you doing”, or “I love you.” I never said that it would be easy. Actually, my whole point is that it’s NOT… but think of what OUR Father did to tell us that He loved us… it wasn’t easy… but it sure made a difference!!!

At least that’s how I see it.

C

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Almost Home

Well I’m on my way home from our men’s missions trip to Manitoulin Island.

Every year the men come up to the Spring Bay Camp and do two intensive days of construction. We renovated one cabin, steel roofed another, sided another, and put benches & tables in the snack shack. I’m so proud of them.

But as happy and blessed as I was to have gone with them, there was always a voice calling in the very pit of my being, “I wanna go home”. Yes, I may have enjoyed the moment but I knew it would only be temporary. I never thought of staying there because I knew there was a place far better with people waiting for me to come.

Life is really no different.

This place, this time, this ‘season’ on earth is temporary. Yes, it may be enjoyable, fun-filled, maybe even productive, but we ‘know’ deep down inside ‘we want to go home’.

And there is Someone waiting for us. The closer I get to my current home, the more excited I get. The closer I get to my ‘eternal’ home, the more excited I get. And I believe He does too.

What about you? Are you stuck on an ‘island’ trying to live your life with nowhere to go ‘after’ or do you know you have a Home to go to?

At least that’s how I see it,

C – whose almost home!

The Family – ReMiX

Yesterday we talked about how the local church family needs to care about those around them, share what they don’t own (God owns everything), and come along side people when they are going through hard times.

Kerry and I were talking about the message on the way home and how many people don’t take the next step from seeing the person beside them in church as ‘actually’ part of their family.

Well let’s be realistic, they aren’t right? (unless they ‘actually’ are) People come from all walks of life and sit beside you in church. They aren’t REALLY your family right?

Well what about that old adage… “Blood’s thicker than water.” Basically, you are going to be more loyal with your family than your friendships / acquaintances. But my question to you is this… “Whose ‘blood’ are we talking about?”

The truth is that if we have chosen to give our lives to Jesus Christ, then it is HIS blood that has taken care of our sin. So… in essence, because of grace and mercy, we ALL become part of HIS bloodline. None of us therefore have more importance with God OR each other because we are now part of the same family.

How do you view the ones around you? Are they just bodies in the seats next to you or should not Sunday morning be a weekly Family Reunion!!!

At least that’s how I see it,

C

The Body – ReMiX

On Sunday we looked at the fact that we all MATTER, we all DIFFER, but we also all BELONG.

The truth is that, at some level of comfort, each and everyone of us want to belong. I still remember in high school all of those who didn’t want to be a part of a clique… had their own clique.

I believe that God places that desire in our hearts in order for us not to want to be ‘lonely’. 25-35% of Canadians say that they are ‘extremely lonely’. That’s at least one in four!

God said in the book of Genesis that it was not good for man to be alone.

It’s not good to be lonely. Solitude and some quiet time by yourself… maybe. We all need that ‘period’ of alone time so that we can be refreshed. But loneliness? No.

God made the church His figurative ‘body’ so that we could all be connected, all be a part of something bigger than ourselves, all belong.

At least that’s how I see it.

C