Adaptability

“Adaption is a profound process.

It means you figure out how to thrive in the world.”

  My personal experience has been that much of my stress, frustration, depression and even anger has often been a failure to adapt. To be sure, there are some areas where there is no wiggle room, like biblical absolutes or God’s Truth. Yet, for most of us that’s not our area of exasperation.

  Chuck Swindoll in his wonderful book from some years ago on marriage, Strike the Original Match, shares a powerful analogy:

  Imagine that you are planning a trip to Hawaii. You have all of your suitcases packed full of funny-looking Hawaiian shirts, flip-flops, sunscreen, and big hats. You step onto the plane and you are in a great mood – you’re going to Hawaii, after all! You imagine the sunshine, the birds singing, the fresh pineapple, and the beautiful beachside villa that will be your home for the vacation.

  Suddenly, the plane veers off course and instead of landing in Hawaii, you’ve landed in the Swiss Alps. The weather is snowy and cold, and instead of staying in a beachside villa, your accommodations will be a small, drafty chalet. You have no clothes for the Alps, not to mention shoes, and you are standing in the snow, shivering.

  You now have a choice to make: You can either decide to go on with your vacation as if you were in Hawaii, walking around in your flip-flops and crazy Hawaiian shirts, or you can change course. You can decide to buy heavier clothes and appropriate shoes, and you can even fix up that drafty old chalet so that it becomes quite a lovely home. If you make the latter choice, you might find that your vacation, while unexpected, has become quite a wonderful adventure. Your time in the Swiss Alps will be even more amazing than you could have ever imagined your trip to Hawaii would be, if you choose to adapt.

  Marriage is like planning a trip to Hawaii and ending up in the Swiss Alps (or vice versa!). The Swiss Alps are lovely, but they are very different from Hawaii. There are many unexpected conditions and events in a marriage, and if we stick to our initial expectations, we will be sorely disappointed and uncomfortable. However, if we are able to adapt and change our plans, marriage can become a beautiful adventure.

  It’s not just marriage, it’s all of life from child-rearing, to friendship, to church, to even car maintenance and home ownership. Shortly, after Jane and I were married and in our first ministry, we returned to our alma mater and one of the professors was chatting with Jane, Dr. Monty Budahl, and he said to her, “Do you want to know the key to ministry?” Jane was expecting something extremely profound. But Dr. Budahl, who is one of the most gracious men that we’ve ever met said one word – “Adaptability!” That, my friend, is profound! Much of our angst in life is self-perpetuated. We are the victims of our own expectations.

  We set ourselves up for anxiety when we expect the ideal. In marriage, there is no Cinderella and there is no Prince Charming. There are only a couple of sinful “frogs,” that no matter how many times that you kiss them are still green and a bit slimy. Children have minds and wills. They are also born with a sin nature that they inherited from their parents. Every human friendship and relationship, including your brothers and sisters in Christ – and the pastor, will disappoint you, disagree and differ with you. That’s what our greatest resource of Truth tells us – the Bible. We’re all a mess which is why we needed King Jesus to rescue us.

  We set ourselves up for anxiety when we compare ourselves with others. The Apostle Paul wisely wrote, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding” (2 Cor. 10:12). Studies reveal that Facebook is a great source of unhappiness and discontent. Many of us actually believe that our friends live lives like they post. It’s a bit like a bad movie. Hollywood always puts the very best scenes in the commercials. Everyone you meet has the same issues with their spouse, children, friends, church, etc., that you do.

  We set ourselves up for anxiety when we are self-focused. Jesus commanded us to serve Him and others. Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Do you want peace and fulfillment? First, look up. Realize and thank your Heavenly Father that He is there, He is in control. There are no accidents in your life. Second, look for how you can serve, encourage and be a blessing to someone else. It’s simply amazing how, when we become God and others focused, what a medicine it is for our own soul.

  Joy and peace begin when we realize that we are not in the driver’s seat. Okay, true confession time – the ultimate compliment that I can give you is if when we are going someplace, I let you drive. When I was younger, I remember being exasperated when someone else was driving and I was told we were going one place but the truth was that that was merely the first place of many places. When it comes to life, when it comes to relationships – we are not in the driver’s seat – God is. That’s the comfort and peace that comes from trusting that “God’s way is perfect” (Ps. 18:30).

  As we read the pages of Scripture, we see that the person that God uses and works in their life often was taken places that they would not have personally chosen. But our Father truly does know best and in love wants what’s best for us! You can trust Him. That’s why a lot of flexibility goes a long way and the final beneficiary ultimately is 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. 

Defending a Culture of Life in a Culture of Death

“God already thought of us before the creation of the world. Not one of us is extra. All of us are desired by God.” Dr. Jose Maria Simon Castellvi

  Are you like me? Sometimes I feel like I am living in the midst of the Holocaust. Just when I think that I’m shockproof at the hardness and rationalization of evil in hearts, I find I’m stunned again.

  Recently, Breakpoint shared this posting. It took my breath away. The physician responsible is now being investigated. In 2010, 38-year-old Tine Nys was one of approximately 1,000 people euthanized in Belgium, but Nys was not suffering from a terminal illness. In fact, she wasn’t sick at all. Despite how it’s sold around the world, inevitable death isn’t a requirement for euthanasia in Belgium. The standard for eligibility is “unbearable and untreatable suffering,” which now includes psychological suffering. 

  Between 2005 and 2014, 124 people diagnosed with a “mental and/or behavioral disorder” were euthanized in Belgium. These included conditions such as depression and dementia. But in Tine Nys case, it’s wasn’t even clear that she was “suffering” at all, much less in an “unbearable and untreatable” sense. Nys had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism.

  If you’re familiar with the Autism Spectrum, you know that Asperger’s is characterized by, among other things, difficulty in social situations and restricted interests. It’s also characterized by “remarkable focus and persistence,” “attention to detail,” and an aptitude for recognizing patterns. If that doesn’t sound especially unbearable, you’re correct, and most people agree. In fact, Venture capitalist Peter Thiel has called Asperger’s a possible “big advantage” in places like Silicon Valley. My son, Ben, was diagnosed with Asperger’s many years ago. I know that we have others who are somewhere on the Autism Spectrum in our church family and nearly all of us know someone who is on that spectrum.

  In the midst of a “culture of death,” the Church of Jesus Christ must, as it has since those early days of a “culture of death” in the Roman Empire, be committed to a “culture of life.” And it will become more costly and require more sacrifice on our part. We must speak graciously, kindly and in a Christlike manner BUT we must speak. We must remember, too, that our mission is first the gospel and heart change, then social change. We must also be aware that politicians are first pragmatists. At the end of the day, they’re usually more concerned about the next election than pro-life issues in spite of the rhetoric, campaign promises and political saber rattling.

  For example, during the last two years, in spite of a “conservative majority,” Planned Parenthood was not defunded. Frequently, you’ll hear someone make the ludicrous statement that abortion is merely 3% of what Planned Parenthood does. Can you imagine though if someone defended sexual predator, Bill Cosby, suggesting that sexual assault is only about 3% of what Bill Cosby did over his long and illustrious career, and thus his egregious offenses should be overlooked, and that you can’t paint him with the broad brush of “sexual offender,” just because a very small percentage of his activities were horrifying and abusive?

  The silence of Black Lives Matter supporters when it comes to abortion is inexcusable. Abortion is the biggest killer in the black community. In New York City alone, thousands more black babies are aborted than born alive each year. The abortion rate among black mothers is more than three times higher than it is for white mothers. Nationally, 36% of all abortions were performed on black women though they’re only 13% of the female population. The little-discussed flip side of “reproductive freedom” is that abortion deaths far exceed those of cancer, violent crime, heart disease, AIDS and accidents. Racism, poverty and lack of access to health care are the typical explanations for these disparities, yet black women have much higher abortion rates even after you add in a statistical control for income.

  More died in 2018 from abortions than any other cause of death worldwide. Nearly 42 million abortions were performed last year. That means that nearly a quarter of all pregnancies worldwide (23%) ended in abortion. For every 33 live births last year, 10 children were aborted. Because it’s debated on whether to even call abortion what it is: death, and unborn babies what they are: humans, the nearly 42 million lives that were lost last year to abortion aren’t even recorded in the global death toll of 2018, which was 59 million.

  Human life is a wonderful thing. There’s nothing else like it. Every human being, no matter how small, is fearfully and wonderfully made. Every human being, no matter how disregarded, bears the image of God. Every human being, no matter how weak, will keep on living forever.

  And that’s why we can offer hope! Jesus offers forgiveness for women who have aborted a child and hope to men who have encouraged a wife or girlfriend to abort. Jesus offers hope to employees of abortion clinics and hope to those who are apathetic about this great evil in our society.

  So, what can we do? We can pray and we can proclaim!

  We may think our prayers are small in relation to the magnitude of the evil of abortion, but God is not small. Hearts are changing toward abortion, even among those who don’t know Christ.

  We will only see true life and cultural change through proclamation of the gospel! Our main calling and greatest gift to this world is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s the only message that gives pardon for the agents of death and power for the agents of life. Since we have all at one time been children of darkness (Ephesians 5:8), the blood-bought pardon of Jesus is precious to us all. That’s where we must start, by offering the free gift of salvation – God’s grace, forgiveness and eternal 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. 

Who's your Daddy? It can change your prayer life!

“Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other’s hearts in prayer.”  Charles G. Finney

  Recently, I finished reading The Comeback by Louie Giglio. One chapter is about the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It’s a favorite of Jesus’ parables for many Christians. I know that it’s one of mine. Most focus on the son’s sin and the father’s love and forgiveness. Louie Giglio suggested something that I’d never thought about – What was the son thinking when he saw his father running down the path toward him?

  When the son started to get close to home, his Dad didn’t miss it. His father was eagerly waiting and just needed to see the top of his son’s head coming over the horizon. He pulls up his robe and this noble father sprints down the road, past the servants, past the gate, past the whole village, down the lane toward his son.

  The son must have thought the worst. First it was, Who’s the old man running down the road? Then it was, Oh no, that’s Dad. He’s so irate that he doesn’t want to wait for me to get to the house to crush me; he wants to crush me in full view of the whole town. But that’s not how it went down. In fact, it’s the only time in Scripture where God is portrayed as being in a hurry, because God is always in a hurry to forgive.

  As I thought about the son’s fears, it resonated with me. If I’d blown it and finally came home, and I’d seen my Dad running to meet me, I’d have expected the worst. There wasn’t much grace or forgiveness with my Dad.

  Here’s the problem – our view of God is colored by our view of our Dad. It took me years to realize that God wasn’t going to slap me silly or chew me out because I’d blown it again. God’s Word has been such a healing medicine for me over the years to help me realize who my heavenly Father truly is. Passages like Romans 8:1 have been healing balm for my wounded soul, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Or, Psalms 103:13-14, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”  

  The reason that I’m sharing this is that my unbiblical view of God greatly contaminated my prayer life for many years. I kept waiting for the hammer to fall. Sadly, I know that I am not alone. A distorted view of who God truly is hinders many of His children from praying.

  Some years ago sociologists from Baylor did a study about our view of God. I’m not sure how many believers were surveyed, but they discovered that 31.4% of Americans envision the Almighty as The Authoritarian God. They see him as deeply involved in the world, but angry at what He sees. God wants us to do right, but harsh judgments are pending for those who don’t. Another 24% visualize God as The Distant Deity, seeing Him as uninvolved, detached. Another 16% see God as  The Critical God, judgmental, censorious and highly critical.

  While scholars and sociologists dissect the data, the key to a correct and comprehensive view of God is not found in polls, surveys, studies or even experience. It’s found in the Bible. It’s found in God’s Word.

  Our view of God though greatly effects our prayer life. If you see God as some angry tyrant, like Pharaoh or the Wizard of Oz, you’re not going to be motivated to pray. Or, if you think that you have to beg and twist God’s arm to get Him to even listen, you’re not going to want to pray.

  There are many other reasons that we don’t pray either individually or corporately. For many, our past has contaminated our present relationship with God. It’s truly “fake news.” That’s not our heavenly Father. It’s why we can encourage you to pray both alone and together. We need to be a church who trusts our Father and consistently prays together.

  The Lord blessed me with wonderful and godly adopted parents, Dad and Mom Cummins. They helped me begin to learn who my Heavenly Father truly is. They modeled godly parental love. Please understand, they held me accountable and let me know when I crossed a line. It was always done though with love, forgiveness and hope. It sowed seeds in my soul that blossomed into a growing faith that I can come to my Father with anything at any time.

  One specific incident probably sealed this in my heart more than any other. In my early twenties, I’d finished my junior year at Bible college and I began to doubt everything; Was the Bible true? Was there really a God? Did He love me? It was my own, what one writer called, “A Dark Night of the Soul.” In the midst of this spiritual muddle, I had a meeting with a former Bible college professor and pastor who ended up treating me horribly. He said things to me that were some of the most cruel and harshest I’d ever heard…and none of it was true (It came out later that he was covering up his own sin of adultery). But I was so hurt, so ambushed, so broken and so angry all at once. It was everything that I could do to not hop in my car and leave everything…forever. But I calmed down enough to call Dad Cummins. I was so hurt, I was screaming into the phone and he gently urged me to come home, and I did.

  Though it was a Saturday night and Dad had to preach the next day, I drove through the night and arrived home about 2 am. And Dad Cummins was waiting up for me! I fell into his huge arms weeping and he wept too. And I think for the very first time in my life, I finally knew a bit what my Heavenly Father was like.

  This year we’re focusing on prayer as a church family. Maybe you’ve dodged prayer because you’ve had a distorted view of who your Heavenly Father is. If you’re his child, He’s the Dad you’ve always dreamed of having but He’s innumerable times greater. You can come to Him anytime, anywhere, about anything. He loves you and longs for you to come to Him. 

  Please though don’t come alone, come with your regenerate brothers and sisters. Let’s come to our Abba Father together and see the windows of heaven opened. During 2019 and more, let’s move forward on our knees!

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. 

Keep on Growing!

“The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.”  Jean-Paul Sartre

  Two elderly ladies had been friends since their 30’s. Now in their 80’s, they still got together a couple of times a week to play cards. One day they were playing gin rummy and one of them said, “You know, we’ve been friends for many years and, please don't get mad, but for the life of me, I can't remember your name. Please tell me what it is.” Her friend glared at her. She continued to glare and stare at her for several minutes. Finally, she said, “How soon do you need to know?”

  We all grow old. It’s inescapable. If you want a picturesque description of aging, read Ecclesiastes 12:1-7. The Bible points out though that there is a major difference between growing old chronologically and maturing. Sadly, some never seem to grow up. That’s an even greater tragedy when that individual is a believer. Though they may have known the Lord for years or decades, they’re stunted spiritually.

  Did you know that it’s only in the spiritual realm that we can keep growing and improving? Our bodies and minds begin to break down with age, but our spirits can continue to grow, improve and mature.

  It is truly a tragedy though when a Christian grows old, but doesn’t grow up. While their physical age increases, spiritually they remain babies in Christ. There’s little to differentiate between them and those who committed their lives to Christ in the last few weeks. Part of that lack of growth is that many believe the Christian life is merely having your ticket punched for heaven. It’s not. Jesus didn’t just save us so we could go to heaven. He saved us so that we would grow and be more and more like Him. If you’re not growing more Christlike, then you’re missing God’s will for your life and the fulfilling, abundant life that God wants to give you (John 10:10). What are some needed steps for growing up spiritually?

  It begins with humility. If most listed out the sins that God hates the most, pride might not even make the list. Yet, pride is the first sin on the list of traits that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-17). Pride isn’t something that annoys God. It’s a sin that He won’t tolerate. God does more than hate pride. It’s so offensive that He actually “resists the proud,” while, in contrast, He “gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). You can’t be a Christian without humbling yourself and you can’t be a healthy, growing one without humility. Growth requires a humble, teachable attitude.

  An indication of spiritual arrogance is when we don’t believe that we need to study God’s Word or be under Its teaching. It’s when we do little more than acquire more knowledge but there’s no growth or life change. Arrogance prevents us from having an open mind and listening ear to the Spirit teaching us or fellow-believers who recognize sin or something lacking spiritually in our lives, and love us enough to want to help us grow. Humility is essential for spiritual growth. It’s the place we must begin.  

  It requires habitually renewing your mind. A continual theme of Scripture is the command for the believer to faithfully “renew” his or her mind (Romans 12:2). That simply means that we proactively work to have a biblical worldview. You can’t have a biblical worldview unless you’re faithfully reading Scripture. It’s tragic that while Christians from other generations were martyred so we could have God’s Word in our own hands and language and today believers in anti-Christian countries risk their lives to have a copy of Scripture, American believers rarely read the Bible.

  If you want to grow spiritually, reading God’s Word needs to be a daily discipline. To fail to read God’s Word faithfully is like going on a trip to a place you’ve never been without a map or GPS. Scripture acts like a mirror to help us correct the one we know best – ourselves (James 1:23). The Bible is God’s Love Letter to His children telling them everything that they need for this life and the one to come.

  Part of renewing your mind is also prayer. It’s much more than praying for myself, temporal/physical needs or even for my biological family. The greatest needs are spiritual health. Why would someone be so foolish to pray for physical blessing for their loved ones and fail to pray for their spiritual health…or that they would know Christ? Praying biblically means praying for the advancement of God’s Kingdom in my life and this world. It’s praying His will would be done.

  It requires growing in my giving. When someone mentions giving in a church setting, most foolishly think only of money. For us as rich Americans, giving money primarily helps us grow in grace because it combats the materialism and lack of faith in God’s provision that are terrible spiritual maladies in our culture.

  Many of us struggle more when it comes to giving time rather than money. To be candid, it’s much easier to write a check than spend an hour or two listening to a child or elderly saint. It’s easier to pay someone else to do a repair than to partner with another believer so that more than the repair is done – we grow in fellowship and community. We wrongly think serving is getting a job done. Serving is to have a togetherness aspect.

  And something that’s totally biblical, yet counter-cultural – we must grow in gratitude. In many ways what does someone who doesn’t know the Lord have to be thankful for. Yet, for a believer what do we have that we can’t be thankful for. Even trials and suffering are being used by God to help us grow spiritually. The worst of this world is temporary. Habitual praise begins as part of our thinking (Phil. 4:8). It starts with praising our Heavenly Father for His countless blessings. After-all, He doesn’t owe us anything. Then, turn your gratitude toward those closest to you – your family and spiritual family. One trait that makes our witness so impotent to a lost world is that we are so much like the world in our grumbling and so unlike what we are to be as citizens of another world in our gratitude. 
  You can’t stop aging. As a believer, you can choose to grow spiritually. It will make all the difference, so please keep growing.

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.