What's your story?

What’s your story?

  Hopefully, he doesn’t read this or I’ll never hear the end of it. But Jane’s brother-in-law, Fred Froman, is a great storyteller. When it comes to jokes, not so much. Fred pastors Holt Baptist Church in Holt, Michigan. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been friends for over forty years. Like most preachers, every once in a while Fred will attempt to tell a joke in a sermon as an illustration. You know that you’ve probably laid an egg when you tell the joke, no one laughs so you have to follow it with, “Uhm, that was a joke,” That’s usually followed by nervous laughter from the crowd.

  Yet, what Fred lacks in joke telling, he overachieves in storytelling. Fred can have an entire room captivated as he tells what are affectionately known as “a Froman story.” He has a gift for making the mundane mesmerizing.

  Each New Year typically means making some new friends. It’s a fairly familiar conversation that all of us have had. In fact, when our children were young, we taught them how to have it so that they could engage others in a conversation.

  It nearly always begins with your name. Then, is often followed by…where do you live, where are you from, what do you do? Favorite sports teams will often be shared or where you went to high school or college? Perhaps even your dream vacation or favorite type of food.

  Many questions will be asked but one that’s rarely, if ever asked is: Where are you going? Yet, isn’t that the most important question of all. Every Christian, when it comes to that question, Where are you going? should be able to tell their story. The bottom line is that every Christian should know their story and while they’re all unique, at the same time – they are all the identical. So, what’s your story?

  The Apostle Peter talks about sharing our story as he wrote, “…Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:15-16). Every Christian’s story includes certain key chapters.

  Chapter 1: My life before Christ. This can be a little more difficult if you grew up in a Christian home with parents who loved the Lord Jesus because there may be little difference. Yet, all of us had a period in our lives before we came to know Christ. No one is born a Christian. None of us are “good” people. We may be more moral than others, but it’s all relative. None of us are good compared to the perfect standard of a holy God. We’re certainly not “good,” because we go to church. That’s as silly as suggesting that you’re a doctor because you walked through a hospital. Though we attempt to fill what Blaise Pascal called that “God-shaped vacuum” in each of our hearts, only God through Jesus Christ can fill it.

  Chapter 2: My awareness that apart from Christ, I’m hopeless. If you’ve ever dealt with a cancer victim, you’ll find that the one thing that sustains them is hope. Without hope, they have nothing. Every one of us has a disease that’s called sin and it’s incurable. It carries with it, if we’re honest, deep guilt and shame. It’s true that some of us are “less” guilty than perhaps others. After all, most of us aren’t Charles Mansons, but the standard is God’s perfection.

  It’s a bit like attempting to jump off a pier in Racine all the way across Lake Michigan to the coast of Michigan. Someone who is athletically fit, will obviously jump further than someone who is middle-aged and out of shape. But no one can jump all the way across. God’s standard of perfection means that we must jump all the way across, so while some may jump a bit further, in the end, we all miserably fail and fall terribly short.

  Chapter 3: How I trusted Jesus to carry me across. Unless you have a pilot’s license, when you fly you’re totally dependent upon the pilot. You’re completely committed to him and his abilities. That’s similar to salvation. You know that your sin debt is too high. For you, it’s an impossible debt to pay. Because you know that you’re not perfect you know that can’t get yourself into Heaven. You’re totally dependent on someone else.

  Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The only way to be forgiven and go to Heaven is to trust Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. John 3:16 is the gospel and that truth summarized. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Salvation is a free gift that one must accept based on Jesus’ death on the cross. It cannot be purchased. After all, it is a gift.

  Chapter 4: My life after coming to Christ. When someone has trusted Christ as their personal Savior, there are revolutionary changes in their life. That’s what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” If there are no changes, something is terribly wrong. There are changes in your character, attitude and perspective on life. Your motivation, what you live for and think is important should change. It’s not that you’re perfect.

  It’s a bit like marriage. In fact, the Christian life is compared to a marriage (Ephesians 5). Something is seriously wrong with a marriage if there are no changes. The Christian life is not external conformity. As Galatians 5:22-23 teaches a Christian will be known for spiritual fruit in their life (“the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”). 

  This coming year you will have multiple opportunities to share your story. Please be sure to share the most important part of your story, Where you are going and why? That’s a story worth telling again and again. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The “Other” Message in Christmas Movies

“Look for Christ and you will find Him. 

And with Him everything else.”

C. S. Lewis

  So, what’s your favorite Christmas movie? There are some wonderful ones. There are also some horrible ones but no one will deny that there are lots of them. Essentially, all of December is filled with Christmas movies but then it comes to a screeching halt on December 26^th.

  Though I don’t want to read something in to Christmas movies that are not there, as I was mulling this over, I do think that there’s more of a redemptive element in many of these classics than perhaps we’ve noticed, elements of the real Christmas story are there even by those who may have never intended to put them there. For example…

  We’re all sinners and really messed up. I love Home Alone, but is there any character that you’d want to be “home alone” with in that movie? They have a huge, beautiful house but they’re mean, cruel and vicious to each other. They’d be dubbed dysfunctional. That seems too kind. They illustrate that bucko bucks and a fabulous vacation to Europe won’t transform sinful people into good ones. Miracle on 34^th Street also shows the emptiness of what most consider to be success.

  The difference one person can make. It will be forever debated whether Die Hard is truly a Christmas movie. While John McClain is heroic, he has lots of serious issues and is certainly not an example of how to live. Yet, in spite of that, he’s willing to sacrifice his life and everything else for others. Wonderfully, our Savior who came and entered space and time is truly a hero, a White Knight with no chinks in His armor. Jesus is the perfect, sinless lamb of God who sacrificed Himself for us.

  All of us must be prepared for death. He’s only a snowman but every child is saddened that Frosty’s clock is ticking and he’s headed to his soon demise. Frosty shows us that the seasons of life can’t be stopped. As much as we seek to freeze ourselves in youth, death is imminent for all of us and we need to prepare for our all too soon coming end.

  Unrealistic expectations always leave us empty. Both Christmas Story and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation are about expectations and the frustration of unrealized ones. Clark Griswold wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife and children, as he tries to make sure everything is perfect. But it will never happen and things quickly go awry. His redneck cousin, Eddie and family show up…unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he’s planning on and desperately needs.

  You can’t judge the overall plan on your little piece of information. One of my favorites is White Christmas. Yet, what a comedy of errors and anger that’s a result of misinformation and not having the “big picture.” If we only look at today and this world, we too will become quickly disillusioned and angry. What a wonderful encouragement those words from Isaiah are, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord” (55:8). It also shows how we muck things up when we manipulate and try to force things. Often we attempt to “help” God out only to discover that we’ve created a bigger mess.

  What a dark and different world this would be if Jesus had not come. Christmas doesn’t seem like Christmas unless I’ve watched It’s a Wonderful Life and I spring a leak every time. It’s considered, not just one of the greatest Christmas movies, but one of the greatest films ever made. Frank Capra, the director, confessed that it was his personal favorite among the films he directed. He screened it for his family every Christmas season.

  George Bailey is the classic antihero. After setback after setback, he repeatedly gives up on his dreams to help others. His attempted suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence who shows George all of the lives he’s touched, and how different life in his community would be if he’d never been born.

  Think about that. Our world is so dark and evil now, but what would it be like if Jesus had never come. No churches, orphanages, hospitals. Think of how many organizations, including most Ivy League colleges, were birthed by Christians seeking to serve the Savior. What if Jesus had never come? It’s a very dark concept.  

  Hope and redemption for the seemingly unredeemable. Another longtime favorite is the original Grinch. The theme song nearly makes the movie. He’s a surly character with a heart “two sizes too small” who especially hated Christmas and determines to stop it from ever coming to Whoville. He steals Christmas from the Whos and returns to his mountain,  waiting to hear their sad cry. Instead, the Whos joyously begin to sing Christmas carols, proving that the spirit of Christmas doesn’t depend on material things. The Grinch begins to understand the true meaning of Christmas and his heart grows three sizes. He brings everything back to the Whos and even participates in their holiday feast.

  Christmas movie after Christmas movie repeats the same theme of hope and redemption from A Christmas Carol to Christmas with the Cranks and even Elf. Yet, the fictional tales are nothing compared to the real one. The real Christmas story, the one found in Scripture, is about hope, forgiveness and redemption. As the angel told Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

  How about you? Has He saved you from your sins? Is your life story His redemption story and the great plan of salvation? Because He came for you, your life can be one of the greatest Christmas stories of all time, too. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The Greatest Christmas Gifts

“The greatest Christmas gifts aren’t wrapped in paper.”

  Do you remember Christmas gifts that you received as a child? Was there that “one gift” you just had to have? One Christmas gift that sticks out in the corridors of my mind was a Hot Wheels set I received one year. I must have been 8 or 9 yet I still remember even that day, after playing with it for a bit – feeling disappointed. I think I played with it a few times over the course of the next few weeks and then it was retired to some shelf or box in our basement, rarely, if ever to appear again.

  Are other Christmas gifts all that different than my Hot Wheels set? Some of the “must have” gifts for women this year are: Tiffany Signature Pearl Earrings, A Vitamix Ascent Blender, Personalized Luggage, An Audible Subscription, A Monogrammed Cashmere Throw. For men it’s…a Casper Nap Pillow, Temperature Control Ceramic Mug, Square Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Touchscreen Italian Leather Driving Gloves or The Modern Snap Backpack. Then, commercials on TV tell us that the “must have” gifts are traveling or a cruise, or jewelry, a new car or even the latest perfume.

  If we’re honest, we’ll admit that none of those things bring fulfillment. They’re nice for a moment, but not a very long one. The gifts with true meaning and significance, money can’t buy because they’re priceless! But Jesus wants to give us gifts that bring true meaning and fulfillment.

  Jesus came to give us the gift of peace. It’s what the angels said that first Christmas Eve: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom [God] is pleased!” Outside of the U.N. there’s a renowned bronze sculpture “Let Us Beat Our Swords into Ploughshares,” by Soviet artist, Evgeny Vuchetich, and presented to the U.N. on December 4, 1959. In nearly 75 years, the U.N. is no closer to bringing about world peace than it was on the day it was born. There’s little peace in our own country. Crime is a major concern. The workplace is not a place of peace with conflict between management and labor, or inner office squabbles. For many, the home is not a place of peace. 2 million couples have used a lethal weapon on their spouses in their lifetimes. Another 4 million wives are beaten by their husbands each year. Some 3 million children are beaten, maimed or murdered annually in our country. While the majority are not places of violence, yet what most marriages and families have is far from peace. More often, it’s a cold war. Many seek to find peace in workaholism or some other addiction. Anything to quell the volcano in their own souls. There’s no peace “out there,” which is why the Prince of Peace came to bring us peace. It’s only in a relationship with Him that we have what the world longs for – peace. Longfellow, in his poem, Christmas Bells, later turned into one of our favorite Christmas Carols caught the picture of our true source of the gift of peace as he penned:

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

  Jesus came to give us the gift of joy. “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people’.” How many do you know that have joy? Do you have joy? C.S. Lewis called joy, “The serious business of Heaven.” Joy is the difference between merely existing and truly living. The presence of joy upgrades survival to being. I’m not sure because I love so many of them, but I think that my favorite Christmas carol is “Joy to the World.” It’s just brimming over with joy! Remember those first words: “Joy to the world, the Lord is Come! Let earth receive her King!” Yet, until that only Child of God…the One who came from eternity into time…that Child of God Who grew up and died for you…until He comes into your life, you won’t know joy. It won’t be “Joy to the world the Lord is come…to ME.” Joy is directly connected to Jesus. It comes from inviting the Christ of Christmas into your life. It begins when you ask Him to forgive you of all your sin that He died to pay for on the cross for you. Do you want joy? Decide today to follow Him as your Savior and Lord. Joy comes when He rules MY world.

  Jesus came to give us the gift of hope. During World War II, six pilots took off from an aircraft carrier in the North Atlantic to look for enemy submarines. While gone, the captain of the carrier was forced to issue a blackout alarm. The ship went totally dark. When the pilots tried to return, they couldn’t find the ship. They radioed, “Give us some light, we’re coming home.” The ship’s radio operator replied, “Order: blackout. I cannot give you light.” In turn, each pilot desperately radioed the same message: “Just give me some light and I’ll make it.” Each time, the operator had to radio back, “No light—blackout!” Because there was no light from the ship, those six pilots perished in the North Atlantic. Ours is a dark world that desperately needs light. The birth of Jesus Christ brought the light that offers hope to a world in darkness. He came to give us hope.

  When Aaron left for East Asia on a missions trip some years ago, he asked, “Dad, what if something happens to me?” I answered in confident hope in the cross that I knew Aaron had trusted in for his salvation, “Then, I’ll see you later.”

  When you accept God’s gift of hope, as beautifully written of in Romans 8:35-39, NOTHING can separate you from the love of God and hope!

  The greatest gifts aren’t under a tree. God’s gift was nailed to a tree so we could have peace, joy and hope. Have you opened God’s gift to you?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Happy 250th!

“God is not an encyclopedia whose task it is to satisfy our curiosity.”

Jacques Ellul

You probably didn’t know this but last Thursday, December 6^th, was the 250^th Birthday of the encyclopedia. On December 6th, 1768, the 1^st edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica was published in Edinburgh. Other encyclopedias existed before the Britannica, but none of its predecessors attempted to systematically cover all of the major subjects of human knowledge. The original three volume publication promised “accurate definitions and explanations, of all the terms as they occur in the order of the alphabet.” The 2^nd edition increased to 10 volumes and soon became the standard, earning a reputation for its rigorous editorial standards.

  Some people have tried to read the entire encyclopedia. Very few have succeeded. A.J. Jacobs read the entire 15^th edition, about 40 million words, on nearly 230,000 topics. He wrote about the experience in his 2014 book: “The Know-It-All,” saying, “I’ve definitely forgotten a lot, a huge amount, 97, 98 percent maybe, but there’s so much stuff left in there…”

  In 2012, after 244 years of publication, the Britannica announced that it would no longer publish print versions, focusing instead on digital products. Though it’s now in a digital format, today’s Britannica has 44 million words in 32 volumes at about 1,375,000 words per volume. All of this reminds me of the last verse in the Gospel of John, chapter 21 and verse 24: “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

  Though we know much about the last three years of Jesus’ life, we know very little about His birth. While it’s been the subject of countless dramatizations and speculations, the historian Luke gives it all of one sentence: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” The Gospel of Mark doesn’t say a word about Jesus’ birth. The Gospel of John only focuses on His deity and eternality.

  It can almost be frustrating. If most of us had written the story of Jesus’ life, we’d have explained a lot more about Mary and Joseph and why Mary was traveling with Joseph to begin with. There would have been many details on why no one found a room in any inn or at the very least in Bethlehem had welcomed them into their home. Much more than the simple “because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6).

  Why wasn’t there a better place for them to stay than a barn, who was with them when that baby was born, and so many other questions? We would have done a lot more investigating and reporting, filling in all of those details and removing most of the speculation. We wouldn’t have gone all Kitty Kelley, but a little David McCullough would have been nice.

  But in doing so, we would have drowned the account in needless, even distracting detail. Often when it comes to the Bible, God doesn’t give us all the details we want, but He always gives us the details we need. When it comes to the birth of Jesus, we get all the details we need to understand one thing with the utmost clarity: Jesus comes quietly, even insignificantly.

  Luke opens this part of his account of Jesus’ life with the name of Caesar Augustus, the mighty emperor, the man who can speak a word and make millions of people do his bidding. With a mere word he can force his citizens to travel significant distances to do something as simple as register for taxation. This is Caesar, the strong, Caesar, the proud and Caesar, the powerful. He’s the greatest emperor of the greatest Empire and the mightiest man on the planet. But then, Luke switches his attention to an infant, born in the most ignominious circumstances. Born to a virgin, born away from home, born in a barn, laid to rest in an animal food trough. The contrast is both powerful and undeniable.

  We would imagine, of course, that the Messiah would be born high and rich, a son of great privilege. We’d expect that He would be born in circumstances more befitting a king. He should have been born to royalty, not to peasants. He should have been born in a palace, not a barn. He should have been born surrounded by the finest doctors who would have safely ushered Him into the world.

  But no, everyone in the entire town turns away his parents, even though it’s obvious that Mary is about to give birth. They have nowhere else to go, so He is born in a stable and laid to rest in a feeding trough.

  Why? Because God will teach us something vital through Jesus. He will teach us that we see this world completely backwards. He will teach us that the way to be great in God’s eyes is to be nothing in the world’s eyes. He will teach us that the way to exaltation is through humiliation, that the way to go high is to go low. He will teach it first and best through His very own Son, “who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” He came as the least because He came for the least.  

  Do you feel small, insignificant? Maybe just a number? Do you feel that you don’t really matter? You do. The One who left heaven to come to earth 2,000 years ago reminds us that as the world thought that He was insignificant, He came to this earth in love for all of the “insignificants.” He came for you and He came for me! He was the first Christmas gift and the only one that you will ever need. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Why study "shadows"?

“God gave the prophecies, not to gratify men’s curiosity by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event, and His own providence, not the interpreters, be thereby manifested to the world.” Sir Isaac Newton

Periodically, I’ll be in a store and see a Mom shopping with several young children and my mind will flood with a thousand memories. As a child, I remember being dragged along by my mother with my two older sisters to go shopping. I’m not sure that I’d even heard the word, but I know I felt it – B-O-R-I-N-G! Soon I’d be distracted, find something more intriguing than dresses or other feminine paraphernalia and wander off.

  Though my Mom wasn’t very tall, just a bit over five feet, I could almost always find her. Back then many women wore a hairstyle known as the beehive. I think my Mom had one that was nearly a foot high. I’d peer over racks looking for that familiar beehive. But sometimes I’d wander too far, couldn’t find her and would go into panic mode. I remember on at least one occasion having a kind store employee help me find her.

  Suppose though, that happened and in terror, I’d run to the end of an aisle. Just before full panic hits, I saw a shadow on the floor at the end of the aisle that looked like my Mom. There’d be a sense of relief and hope. Yet, which is better? The happiness of seeing the shadow, or having my Mom step around the corner and it’s really her?

  Did you know that’s what Christmas is? It’s the replacement of shadows with the real thing. In the Old Testament, God gave us shadows, lots of them. When Jesus came the shadow of prophecy was fulfilled with the coming of the Christ Child. Yet, most Christians are unfamiliar with the Old Testament. For most, it’s less than 10% of their Bible reading. If you remove Psalms and Proverbs, it might drop to less than 5%. But the Old Testament makes up 60% of our Bibles. We will never understand the New Testament and miss many of the blessings of Christ’s first coming, if we’re unfamiliar with the prophetic promises of His incarnation.

  Today we begin a new series, Christmas in the Old Testament. The Old Testament promises about Christ’s incarnation are a source of great blessing and encouragement for us. Here are a few reasons this Christmas Season we’re studying some Old Testament incarnation promises.  

  God planned for Jesus to come because of God the Father’s patient,  tenacious love. The Old Testament unfolds over thousands of years. The New Testament spans less than 100 years. In the Old Testament we encounter people much like us: sinful, stubborn, prone to blow off God and make dumb choices. And yet, we continually see a loving God who chooses to stick it out with this messed-up group of people. Reading through God’s interactions with people in the Old Testament helps us remember how amazingly steadfast God’s love is.

  The Old Testament reveals Christ. It doesn’t just “point forward” to Christ; it reveals Him. It’s not just a series of signposts to Christ; Jesus’ revealing shadow falls on virtually every page, cultivating faith and love in believing hearts. But why linger in Old Testament shadows when we have New Testament sunlight? Because there’s refreshment in the shade. Without the shadows of the Old, we’d never appreciate the sunshine of the incarnation. The dawn is beautiful, but the sunrise is absolutely stunning!

  The Bible is incomplete without the Old Testament. Both the Old and New Testaments make up the Scriptures. The New Testament wasn’t to replace the Old but to complete its story. The first book, Genesis, records how a curse came on humanity because of sin. The last, Revelation, completes the story by recording how God, through the sacrifice of Jesus, removed the curse of sin. The story of redemption is incomplete without both Testaments revealing the beginning and end of the curse.

  The Old Testament provides the historical setting out of which Christianity emerged. Christianity didn’t materialize out of a vacuum. God was moving to bring forth the Messiah who would provide pardon from the judgment that came on us because of sin. Early New Testament preachers like Stephen (Acts 7) and Paul (Acts 13:16-41) made frequent use of the Old Testament to share God’s love and plan for salvation.

  The Old Testament lays the foundation for biblical prophecy. It’s there that we find God’s covenant promises. In the Abrahamic Covenant, God promises a land, a nation, and a blessing that will extend from Israel to all the nations of the earth (Gen. 12:2-3). In the Davidic Covenant, He promises that King David will have a descendant who will sit on his throne and rule and reign forever (2 Sam. 7:12-16). The Prophets reveal how the blessing promised to Abraham and his descendants will be ultimately realized through the Lord Jesus (Jer. 31:31-34, Ezek. 36:25-28).

  Take Jesus out and the Bible makes no sense. The Old Testament gives us expectations about the promised Messiah. His birth, death, resurrection, return and Kingdom are all revealed in the Old Testament (Luke 24:44-46). If you truly want to know Jesus, you can’t disregard the Old Testament.

  The Old Testament demonstrates that God ALWAYS keeps His promises. From Genesis to Malachi, God promised again and again that He would send a Messiah, One who would save His people from their sins …and He did. Most people have a hard time trusting others. We’ve had many break their promises to us or simply lied. God always keeps His promises! As He kept His promises about Jesus’ first coming, He’ll keep all of His promises about the future. Christmas in the Old Testament reminds us that when God promises a “gift card,” we can count on cashing it in. Join us each Sunday to see anew that God always keeps His promises!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Commitment

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses only results.”

  A young man walked into a photography studio with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted to have the picture duplicated. This involved removing it from the frame. In doing this, the studio owner noticed the inscription on the back of the photograph:

  “My dearest Tom, I love you with all my heart. I love you more and more each day. I will love you forever and ever. I am yours for all eternity.”

  It was signed Helen and contained this P.S.: “If we ever break up, I want this picture back.” Apparently, Helen wasn’t completely committed to that relationship and had already planned for the back door. 

  Certain characteristics are so intrinsic to Christianity that to neglect them is to be a walking oxymoron, a Christian without commitment is an aberration. Much of what’s considered committed today in the Church is not what we find in the Bible. Being committed is much more than just showing up for a worship service, giving a few bucks and going home. So, what does it really mean to be committed follower of Christ?

  Several passages in the Bible define commitment. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31: “I die daily.” You’ll never meet a committed Christ-follower who doesn’t die daily to a host of things that would seek to have a grip on him or her—personal ambition, worldly pleasures, people’s applause, greed. This culture ferociously maintains that “you can have it all” but such thinking is foreign to the mind and teaching of Christ. Even though we live in the midst of a very different culture than that of the New Testament, our Lord’s call to commitment hasn’t changed. There are things that we must die to, walk away from, and give up. Jesus’ repeat of the Jewish Shema in Luke 10:27 to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind” means that we need to obey God’s Word and order our lives in such a way that we can live in the constant awareness of His presence.

  Included is to love others (our neighbor). The Apostle John connects the dots with this question: “How can you say you love God yet hate your brother?” (1 John 4:20). Today hate is “normal.” Too frequently, a hateful attitude spills over into the Church. But the Bible makes it clear that devotion to Christ includes being loving and at peace with others, particularly brothers and sisters in Christ. As Christians, we must take Matthew 5:23-24 (the need to be reconciled with our fellow believers before coming to God) very seriously. Relational integrity is to be a priority. It demands that we pro-actively seek reconciliation whenever a problem arises and obediently follow the steps of Matthew 18:15-20.

  Commitment means adhering to Jesus’ teaching on the use of time, talents and treasure. God wants first place not after someone has spent forty plus years devoting their time and talents to the marketplace. Scripture says, “Seek first the kingdom of God” “Always abound in the work of the Lord,” or “What does it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul?” It takes a lifetime to develop personal spiritual disciplines—Bible study, prayer, giving and serving. Commitment requires us to invest the time in fellowship and community. It means seeking to advance the Kingdom in practical service and sharing the gospel with family and friends. Those commitments are yardsticks evaluating our devotion to Christ.

  The Christian life is about death to self and allowing the Spirit to live through you. The greatest fulfillment never comes from getting but from giving. There is an immeasurable joy that comes from giving yourself to Christ and sharing your life with others. There’s something about seeing a younger brother or sister grow in grace that gives an un-matchless pleasure but you’ll never discover this apart from commitment.

  I learned commitment by watching my adopted parents (Dave & Mary Cummins) care for his aging mother in their home. I’ve seen it when a family provides hospice for a cancer victim. It’s a custom often forgotten today, when such care is frequently subcontracted out.

  Our world knows very little of commitment. Even the Church has often jettisoned commitment. Yet, by abandoning commitment, our narcissistic culture has lost the one thing it desperately seeks: joy. Without commitment, our lives are barren and sterile. Without commitment they lack meaning and purpose. Because if nothing is worth dying for (the anthem of the ‘60s anti-war protesters), then ultimately, nothing is worth living for. With commitment comes fulfillment and flourishing—of a personal calling, of marriage, of the Church—and our very hearts. It's the paradox Jesus so frequently shared when He urged us to come and die so that we might truly live. 

  James Calvert was a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands. When he and his fellow missionaries landed on the island, the captain of the ship that brought them attempted to get them to turn back. “You will die, the men with you will die, if you stay here.” he cried. And after a moment Calvert replied simply, “We died before we came here.”

  Our world wrongly says that life comes from living it up and living for self. The evidence of such flawed reasoning surrounds us. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, Jesus urges us to trust Him and come, and die. It’s only as we take up our cross and die to self that we begin to live in His resurrection power. It’s total commitment. It’s what Paul meant when he wrote, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). It’s only by first dying with Christ that we live in that “gain” of the fulfillment of His resurrected life now. Commitment is the first step to real life.   

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

"There's no place like home."

“There’s no place like home…”

                Dorothy

  For some very blessed people, Dorothy was right. I hope my now adult children always feel that way about coming “home.” Jane and I work at it. We seek to have low expectations and respect their adulthood, yet not lose who we are. It’s a tension…and I’m not sure we always do it well.

  For the past several weeks our home has been abuzz because Aaron and Jiayu are home with us from Taiwan! Excited? Anticipating? Planning? Working? Even a little nervous? Yes, all of the above and so much more.

  We’ve never really interacted with Aaron and Jiayu as a married couple. Add to that, though we continually stay in contact with them via Skype, emails and texts – it’s not like being there or having them here. Then, though we’d love to have them here, they’re adults and need to make those choices for themselves. More importantly, they need to be sensitive to God’s plan for their lives, not ours. But we greatly miss them and are so thankful that they worked it out to come and be with us. This week, too, we’re are making Jiayu’s first ever American Thanksgiving! So, we’ve got just a little bit of pressure.

  Did you know there are several homecomings in Scripture? Jacob went home to Canaan. Naomi returned to Bethlehem. Absalom went home. The Prodigal finally went home to Dad. The Jews returned to the land after the Babylonian captivity. Like today, all of them were fraught with emotion.

  One of my favorites is when Joseph sent wagons back to famine devastated Canaan to bring his father, Jacob, to what was going to be his final home – Egypt. What a scene it must have been! A son that was thought dead was alive and now the second ruler of Egypt.

  During this time of year some of us will be going home or we’ll have now adult children returning home. The holidays are approaching — it's the most wonderful time of the year! Or is it? During this season nostalgia and sentimental memories are all around us. At times those memories buoy us, bringing joy as we recollect times gone by. Sometimes a fertile imagination can sabotage us, as we attempt to make them like something out of a Hallmark movie or Norman Rockwell painting. For most, the holidays are an assortment of emotions. So, how can we keep the joy in the season?

  Remember, first that they are “holy days” not just holidays. At Thanksgiving who do we really thank? God. At Christmas, who’s birth are we celebrating? When New Year’s rolls around…Who is it that gave us another year? It’s not, “what do I want out of the holidays?” It’s “who does God want me to be?” Or, “How can I best honor the Lord during this season?” If I truly believe that God has given me the greatest gift already, His Son and my salvation, then I should be the most thankful and joyful person because of what I’ve already received.

  Some sadness is normal. In every home, there’s an empty chair. For some, it’s still warm with a recent loss of a spouse, parent, or another loved one. Others will work through the empty chair of a broken relationship of a divorce, wayward child or divided family.

  If you're dealing with loss, take time to reflect on the gifts, even in loss your Heavenly Father has for you. Remember, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4).

  Lower your expectations and idealism. Nothing says Merry Christmas like having a meltdown or biting someone’s head off. Hopefully, that won’t happen. While the season will hold many beautiful moments, it also includes cranky kids hyped up on sugar; tired parents who stay up too late assembling toys and stockings. It probably will include a few ornery relatives who find some sadistic thrill from stirring up trouble, whether its politics, or how last year’s pumpkin pie was better, or just a little black raincloud of negativity.

  So, plan for a disaster or two to invade the season, yet determine to not create or encourage an environment that accepts it as normal or makes it worse. A snide comment is usually best ignored. Only do triage if there’s a need to do triage. Seek to keep the vital and maybe favorite traditions while releasing the rest. After all, too much doing leaves little room for enjoying.

  Focus on the greatest gift and the joy of giving. As a believer, I’ve already received the greatest gift I’ll ever receive, what Paul called “the inexpressible gift” (2 Cor. 9:15). This year’s must-have toy is next year’s rummage sale item. Teach your children to value what money can’t buy. Get creative with those ever-growing Christmas lists. Perhaps agree to draw names or to give to a charity of choice.

  One of my greatest gifts that always nearly causes me to spring a leak each year is when Jane hands me an envelope letting me know that she has donated to help someone or some organization in my name. I’d much rather have that than one more sweater.

  Celebrate and Connect. Laugh loud and hard, grin from ear to ear. Relish every blessing. Take a holiday from any pressures, problems or worries. Join with others celebrating God’s many gifts and even the simple wonders of life. Fill your time so full that there’s no time to complain or criticize.

  Care about others. One of the most fulfilling things we’ve done as a family is to go and carol a shut-in or someone we know will be alone during the holidays. The memories you make by caring for others will be greater than any gift you’ll receive.

  Reconnect. Use this time to reconnect with those you may have lost touch with through the year. Personally, I love those Christmas letters that are included with a card. It’s an opportunity to update friends and loved ones on your family. I love it when it includes a photo showing how the kids have grown or a new grandchild. Share blessings that bring hope, not bragging to somehow show how much better your kids are than their peers.

  Stop and spend some quiet time. As your recuperating from too much turkey, use that quiet time to draw you closer to the Lord in a new way so you might experience anew what the angels announced a couple of thousand years ago, “Peace on earth and good will to men!”

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Helping without Hurting

“Understand the difference between helping and enabling. 

Don’t participate in someone else’s misbehavior.”

  It’s a lot easier to discuss the difference between helping and enabling, than it is to define or do it. Like many of you, I love to give! I love to help people. Scripture is clear that giving and generosity are the DNA of what it means to be a Christian. A professing Christian who is a Scrooge either isn’t truly a Christian or has hardened their heart to the Spirit and Scripture.

  If you’re like me then, when someone approaches you for money, it’s very hard to turn them down. Yet, while I want to help and be generous, at the same time, I don’t want to enable a detrimental or sinful lifestyle. But I’m not always sure where the lines are…Are you?

  Recently, I was at a Starbucks in Milwaukee. A couple was standing outside. As I walked in, the man asked me if I could help them out. I turned him down. He then went in and asked the manager for financial help. It really bothered me that I’d turned him down and then the thought occurred to me that I could at least buy them coffee or a sandwich. As this was her store, I quietly asked the manager if I should help them. She was very kind about it, but resoundingly told me, “No, they’re lying to people.”

  Are you like me? I feel guilty either way. Jane and I have some neighbors who perpetually seem to be in need financially, and we’ve helped them. Finally, we had to draw a line with one and told her it was a loan for “gas money,” but we wanted to see a receipt for the gas. It’s been several weeks and she still hasn’t returned with the receipt or for more money.

  Recently, I was discussing with a friend this dilemma of giving money to someone who may use it to feed an addiction, He suggested that instead of money, give a panhandler a granola bar. It’s something that’s nutritious and won’t be as easily swapped for something illicit. They can also store it in a backpack…so I now have a bunch of granola bars in my car.

  The Bible speaks to both issues – helping the poor yet not enabling. Effective ministry among the needy begins with understanding the Bible’s definition of poverty. Poverty is first a fallen world issue. It’s produced by various factors and includes everything from disability, mental illness or economic downturns, to discrimination or injustice, unwise choices or addictions and personal sins like indolence.

  Americans tend to be simplistic to an issue that’s frequently very complicated. We love quick fixes with minimum involvement. Many times we criticize government programs that merely help the poor manage their poverty, rather than escape it. Yet, many church programs virtually do the same thing. It takes more than a band-aid to cure poverty. It requires involvement and major “surgery.” Yet, before doing surgery, a doctor asks a lot of questions. We must do the same with those who are in “poverty.”

  For example, recently a homeless man asked me for help (he was living in his truck). When I suggested a place where he could rent a room by the week, he responded that the place was “too dirty.” To which I responded, “I think it’s cleaner than your truck.” He was homeless by choice.

  What many consider poverty in America is inconvenience. Food is a necessity. Adequate and warm clothing is a necessity. Other things, like cigarettes and WiFi are not. The Census Bureau reports that over 30 million Americans live in “poverty.” Yet, a poor household, as defined by the government, often has a car, air conditioning, two color TVs, cable or satellite TV, and a DVD player. Rarely, are they hungry or are unable to obtain medical care when needed. In fact, the typical poor American has more living space in his home than an average (non-poor) European. Compared to much of the world, we know little of true poverty in America.

  The biblical pattern and focus in both the Old and New Testaments is to assist the working poor. The book of Ruth is a powerful example of this. In 2 Thessalonians 3 it says, “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness…If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.”  

  Enabling can be a barrier to the gospel or God working in someone’s life. Most of us can look back in our lives and see how God used tough times (sometimes financial but not necessarily) to bring us to Himself. It’s noteworthy that where Socialism is the dominant political system, it’s often a gospel resistant culture. Rather than turning to God for rescue, government has been deified, but government is always a poor savior. As Vance Havner said of enabling, using the Prodigal Son as an example, that today “somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.”

  What does all this mean for us? First, we must ask questions rather than jump in with solutions. Second, we must realize that our first responsibility is to our own biological family. That means too that the first ones who should intervene for the needy are the biological family (1 Tim. 5:4, 8), not the government or church. Third, we must minister to fellow believers and those in our spiritual family before those on the outside (Gal. 6:10).

  Christianity is relational. It’s far easier to help the poor than to invest in getting to really know them. Many church ministries to the poor focus on commodities, i.e., giving food, clothing or money. The greater need is a relationship. Help should spring from relationships, not be a substitute for them. Moving from commodity-based benevolence to relational ministry is a process. God, though, has called us to be about people, not about programs. We have a relationship with Him. He commands us to be relational with others. In other words, He’d rather us have someone in for a meal than to hand them a food basket. 

  There are no easy answers or magic wands when it comes to poverty. And grace is messy! God sent His Son into the mess of this world for us. He’s called us to go out into a messy world for Him. When possible, the best place to begin helping the poor is to personally know them and then introduce them to the One who can meet their greatest need.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Don't Vote!

“Don’t Vote…”

  One of the first stories I remember from childhood was the story of a boy who cried, “Wolf!” Remember it? Originally, it was one of Aesop’s Fables.

  Essentially, there was a shepherd boy who was either bored or scared as he watched the village sheep. To keep from being alone, he cried out, “Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!” People came running to drive the wolf away, but there was no wolf. The boy did this several times. Finally, when there was a real wolf and he sounded the alarm, no one came. He’d falsely sounded the alarm too many times.  

  It seems like nearly every election cycle, someone proclaims, “This is the most important election in our lifetime.” The problem is that they said that last time and the time before that and the time before that. A thinking person will conclude, “something smells.” The alarm has been sounded so many times, it’s ultimately tuned out.

  Then, well-meaning Christian leaders will say something to the effect of,  “It’s a Christian’s duty to vote.” Some will go so far as to say that to not vote is a sin.

  The Bible never even says that. A free society such as we know was unknown in the days of the Bible. Personally, I believe that it’s a responsibility as a citizen of a free society to vote, yet it is not a moral right or wrong. It’s definitely not a sin to not vote. But it is…

  It is a sin to fail to pray for our government leaders, whether we agree with them or not. Paul urges us with: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).  

  Please note that it’s a prayer for our greatest need, “God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved.” It’s a gospel prayer, not a politically expedient one. While God is concerned with moral, social and fiscal issues, the greatest need is a gospel one. That’s why the gospel and the Church can’t and must not be identified with partisan political posturing.

  Yes, I believe that you should vote BUT long before you enter the voting booth, the believer must habitually enter the prayer closet. Read the pages of Scripture and you’ll find that God intervened over and over again when His people prayed.

  We’ve substituted programs and political rhetoric for true power, the power of prayer. We complain when we should petition our Heavenly Father. The reason our country is in such a mess is not because of the government or media. It’s because God’s people have neglected to pray.

  An evidence of that is the anger and even hatred among Christians for governmental leaders. It’s difficult to hate someone if you’ve been praying for them to the Savior who said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It’s hard to hate when you follow the example of Stephen, who as they dashed him to death with rocks, prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). I don’t know how a Christian can be full of anger and venom and still be obedient to Romans 12:14-21.  

  Thank them! After you pray for them, thank them. Government leaders are “God’s servants for good” (Romans 13:4). Your first contact with an elected official shouldn’t be a complaint or something you’re upset about. It should be a “Thank You” note, whether you agree with them politically or not. Thank them for serving. Thank them for being willing to be criticized and maligned because they desired to make a difference.

  If you want to make a difference, start small. It isn’t likely that your vote will change the outcome of the next national election, but it could make a difference in the next School Board election. The most important people for you to know, encourage and pray for are part of your City Council, Village Board, Township or County Board. Your State Senator or State Assembly Representative are fairly accessible. If you call them, they’ll usually personally call you back.

  Personally, I try to visit Madison at least once a year to drop by my representative’s offices and let them know that I appreciate them and I’m praying for them. I don’t have an agenda. I’m truly grateful for them and for their staff (who often are unsung heroes and do a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes). You could make it a field trip for your family.

  When you actually know them, when you can ask questions and know what they believe and their worldview, then you can vote more wisely.

  Please, though, don’t get caught up with a few political red herrings. Personally, I believe that we’re foolish if we believe that we can count on our elected officials to stand with us on moral and social issues. Politics is the world of expediency. If it’s the difference between potentially being elected or not being elected, all the supportive rhetoric will usually be jettisoned for victory in the next election cycle.
  Since we’re citizens of heaven, our first concerns must be the real world. Before we vote, a believer must ask, “Who is going to be best for the advancement of God’s Kingdom?” You won’t know that if you don’t take the time to pray and do some research. If you’re basing your vote on the political party, the latest commercial or even some slick postcard you received in the mail – you’re vote may be little more than the boy who cried wolf. It has little to do with reality and nothing to do with God’s Kingdom. For us, it’s not America First, it must always be King Jesus First!  

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

When the Pastor is in the Pits

“I guess that’s why they call it the blues…” Elton John

  October often triggers melancholia for me. There’s something about the coolness in the air, color changes and shifts in the season that find me a bit downcast. If I’m not careful, it can spiral downward into deep depression.

  I know that part of it is an “anniversary.” My birthday is in October, and when I was growing up, birthdays weren’t pleasant occasions. While I rarely think about the past, there is a cloud of regret of what might have been. For many years, I’d just deny those feelings. I’ve been very, very blessed in that Jane and my children have helped me move into “normal,” that a birthday is something to be celebrated, not dreaded. For many, that may sound simplistic yet when you grow up in an addictive/abusive home, nothing is simple and little is normal. Normal often becomes the abnormal.

  It might surprise some that pastors struggle with depression. It’s easy to forget that pastors are human, too. While we serve a “Super God,” there are no super Christians. It’s all part of a fallen world and what the Apostle Paul dubbed “common” (1 Cor. 10:13) to all of us. Most Christians struggle or have bouts of depression, and so do most pastors. While many pastors struggle with depression, most in their church have no idea their pastor is depressed. Too often they’re unaware until they’re awakened by the reality of some of the dramatic consequences of the depression: a fractured marriage, uncontrolled emotion (anger or sadness), a resignation and sometimes even suicide.

  Too many churches and pastors have been taught that depression is a sign of failure and is something that must be hidden from view. Apparently, those who purport such lies have never read the Psalms or Lamentations. 

  Noted church authority, Thom Ranier, suggests that there are five primary causes that pastors identified as the reasons behind their depression. Each of the causes is followed by a direct quote from pastors who shared with Ranier their struggles.

  Spiritual warfare. “I don’t mean this in a profane way, but there was a point in my ministry when all hell broke loose. I can’t explain the attacks any way other than spiritual warfare. The Enemy was intent on destroying my ministry, and I began to spiral downward emotionally.”

  The surprising reality of pastoral leadership. “I wish someone had told me how tough it is to be a pastor. My single counsel was to preach the Word, and I understand the priority of preaching. But, after a year or so in my first pastorate at age 31, I saw the underbelly of local church life. I was just caught off guard. And it took me some time before I realized I was truly depressed.”

  Sense of inadequacy. “My church is declining. While I don’t get hung up on numbers, my members started talking about the decline. And when we had to delete a position because we could no longer pay the person, I really begin to hit rock bottom. I felt like it was all my fault.”

  Critics and bullies. “Pastoral leadership really can be a death by a thousand cuts. It’s not any one person or criticism; it’s the constant and steady stream of criticisms. It wears on you. My depression came on gradually, so by the time I was in deep depression, I did not see it coming.”

  Loneliness. “It’s really hard to find a true friend when you are a pastor. And when you have no one to talk to about your struggles and questions, life can get lonely.”

  For me, I’d probably add, “Feeling that I’m not making a difference.” There are times that I second-guess myself and wonder if I’m making an impact. I have to remind myself that the harvest is the end of the age, not the end of the service or at the end of the year.

  No doubt many who are reading this also struggle with depression. While I don’t have all of the answers, I do know what helps me.

  I remind myself that God’s grace really is sufficient. That may sound like a pat answer, yet when I consider how that promise (2 Cor. 12:9) sustained the Apostle Paul who suffered more than I can begin to even fathom, then I seek to lean hard on that promise.

  I embrace it rather than seeking to escape it. I really love humor. I love to laugh. The valley of the shadow helps me be more contemplative. There are portions of Scripture that are more meaningful, music that touches me deeper, stories that resonate more when I’m a bit downcast.  

  I seek to look upward. I’m continually shocked at the darkness of my own soul and then I remember that my loving Heavenly Father knows all of that – and still loves me. He has given me grace upon grace. He is never surprised and loves me unconditionally. His grace truly awes me!

  I seek to look outward. When I’m depressed, I think about me, me, me…and then I’m really bummed. As I find ways to help, encourage and be a blessing to others, I find that I’m so encouraged. It can be simple things. The other day I was at a restaurant and learned my server’s story. Just listening to him as he shared the heartbreak of a divorce and seeking to encourage him, let him know that I would pray for him…encouraged me.

  I seek to express gratitude. I find that as I am thankful to God and others, my spirits begin to rise.

  Learn the seasons of your soul. I know that my “blue” time is usually the fall, so I plan a strategy. It begins with something simple – Get out of bed! Many years ago when I had a major bout with depression, I foolishly hid in bed, hoping perhaps I could sleep it away. That never works. 

  Then, I make myself go to the gym. I find exercise and socializing help.

  Even when it seems Scripture is dry, I make myself spend time in the Word and prayer. It’s not a spiritual marathon. Yet, since Jesus is the Great Physician and I’m having a bout with some soul sickness, I better spend time with the Doctor of my soul.
  Depression is a reality for many on this side of eternity. One of my greatest encouragements is that no matter how bad this world may get or difficult that life may seem – it’s all only temporary! I’m not Home yet!  

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.