Suicide: Shattered Hearts

 

“My experience with depressed people is that when they have suffered from long periods of depression and begin to talk about suicide, we had better pay attention.”  Curtis Thomas

In his newest album released earlier this year, Matthew West, shares a song about a boy in his daughter’s school who committed suicide. The young man, Sam, was just a sixth-grade student. As you can imagine, the whole school was just stunned. Sam sat in class with West’s daughter, Lulu. It’s a nice little Christian school in the Bible belt down South. This young boy was fighting a battle and couldn’t see his way out of it. The song is simple, powerful, and moving – Too Young, Too Soon.  

Loss by suicide is always too soon. September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Our country’s suicide rate reached historic highs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with rates at the highest levels since World War II. Recent economic and social pressures have heightened the risks, worrying experts, health officials and lawmakers. Suicide rates that were rising over the past two decades combined with the current pandemic are a “perfect storm,” found a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in April. Factors include financial stress, social isolation, reduced access to religious services, overall national anxiety, increased firearm sales and increases in health care provider suicides.

“We have people now who don't know how to feed their family who have not had that thought for a very long time. That's different than the last recession," said American Psychiatric Association President Jeffrey Geller. “There are masses of people who are quite worried today because they don't know what is going to happen to their benefits. That kind of anxiety exacerbates fragility.” The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine has seen a 65% increase in calls and emails since March, according to the organization, though it is not a crisis hotline.

No one is immune from suicidal thoughts and anyone is capable of suicide: rich, poor, married, single, young, old, famous or unknown, atheists…even pastors. I still find my chest tightens when I think of Darrin Patrick, a megachurch pastor and author, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot this past May. Just a few years ago I heard him preach at John Piper’s Pastors’ Conference in Minneapolis. In 2013, Rick Warren’s 27-year-old son, Matthew, took his own life. All of us who loved his “out of this world” talent will never forget the tragic death of Robin Williams.

Though Scripture never says that the Apostle Paul had suicidal thoughts, we do know that he “despaired of life” (2 Cor. 1:8). In my own life, I have had to face what John Bunyan (The Pilgrim’s Progress) called “the Giant Despair” and “the slough of despond.” So, what can we do?

Let me share what has helped me through the years as I’ve walked through my own dark valleys. As a believer, I believe that even if I sinned by committing self-murder, I would immediately be Home with my Savior. The Bible promises that if one has committed their life to Christ and trusted His cross for their salvation, that person has eternal life (John 3:16). There is no fine print or exception to those promises.

For me, the thought of looking in the eyes of Missionaries John and Betty Stam, who were decapitated for their faith, or Jim Elliot who was murdered by the Aucas Indians in the jungles of Ecuador as he sought to reach that stone age people group with the gospel and telling them that my life was “too tough” is always an emotional wake-up call. Then, Foxes Book of Martyrs shares account after account of those from Church History who were persecuted, often martyred, yet persevered for the cause of Christ. Hebrews 11:35-38 lists out all that the people of God suffered for Him. For me to face that “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) and tell them that God’s grace wasn’t sufficient for me and I couldn’t handle my small problems in comparison, it’s more shame that I could face. If God’s grace was enough for them, then it is more than enough for me!

If you struggle with depression or suicidal thoughts, let me suggest some simple steps (it’s not earth-shattering): get out of bed, open the blinds and let God’s glorious sunshine in, take a shower, and get dressed. It’s amazing what these small steps can do for our outlook. And doing something kind for someone else will give you a bonus of upbeat vibes in your own heart.

How can we help those who are depressed or hopeless? Often we don’t know what others are going through. One thing is certain, everyone we meet is facing a battle. Matthew West shares some great advice in his song: 

Be kind, speak love

Go find someone

Who needs a friend

Reach out your hand

Don't point, don't laugh

Life’s too short for that

No cliques, start now

No one left out.

I’ve said over and over again throughout this Pandemic, #ThisisOURtime. It’s time for the Church to be the Church. It’s time for Christians to act like Christians. We must be people of love and kindness. My own burdens have been eased so many times by the many brothers and sisters in Christ that God has brought into my life, who cared enough to reach out to me and who have spoken into my life.

Personally, I don’t believe in accidents, I believe in “divine appointments.” God has brought that neighbor, co-worker, friend, family member or stranger into YOUR life. It is our time to be Jesus to them.

Sometimes we notice a struggle that something is off. The greatest and best thing that we can always do is – we can pray! Then, drop a short note or a make a phone call. You don’t have to probe. Just touch base. Let them know that you care. Texts are fine. Yet, a note that someone has to touch and can reflect on will often go further.

While I appreciate those who say (or post), “call me anytime,” someone greatly depressed is rarely going to initiate a call. We need to take the first step. Then, without lecturing and certainly without scolding, offer hope.

As believers, we have what Titus 2:13 calls “the blessed hope.” Everything in this world, even the worst it can throw at us is temporary…and we’re all going to get Home before dark! So, please reach out and touch someone’s life this week. Show Christ’s love! Your caring and being Jesus to them might be all that it takes to give them hope and keep them from making a tragic irreversible choice.  

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. 

 

#Boycott Mulan?

 

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”                                                    Martin Luther King, Jr.

Follow the money! Periodically, some stateside politician is called a “Hitler.” Such labeling only reveals the vast ignorance of the “labeler.” Fortunately, because even with our flaws, Western Civilization is a culture where rule of law still has precedence and there is a justice system.

Perhaps because we didn’t go to war with China or lose half a million American lives, we don’t realize the brutality of Communist China. One is hard-pressed to name a single movie made about China’s atrocities under Mao. But it’s not history. It’s the daily news because it’s still taking place.

Just in Mao’s 1958 Great Leap Forward, 46 million died between 1958 and 1962. During his reign of terror some 80 million died. In contrast, Hitler was responsible for 20 million civilian deaths. An obvious question is: “Who’s the real Hitler?” China’s current “president” (that’s a nice word for dictator), Xi Jinping openly admires Mao, who committed the biggest genocide of the 20th century. Such admiration is repugnant. Imagine any Western Civilization leader openly praising Hitler?  

Yet somehow all of that didn’t stop Disney from whitewashing this evil empire. Their newest live-action movie, “Mulan,” had substantial portions filmed in China’s Xinjiang province, with the blessing and cooperation of the Chinese Communist government. Xinjiang is the home province of some 12 million Muslim Uighurs. Over one million of them have been moved to concentration camps where “they are starved, abused, tortured, electrocuted, raped and even killed.” Uighur women have been forcibly sterilized, and there have been reports of forced abortions and infanticide.

Not only did Disney choose the Xinjiang province, but in the closing credits, they thanked China’s Communist government and propaganda departments for their assistance. Disney has chosen to cozy up to the Chinese government for years. In 1997, a Disney film that cast the Dalai Lama in a positive light so upset Beijing, they “restricted the studio’s ability to work in China.” Disney’s then-CEO Michael Eisner quickly issued an apology and promised not to insult Disney’s “friends” in the future.  Appeased, Beijing opened the doors for Shanghai Disneyland.

But it’s not just Disney. There are a long list of companies who fill their coffers with little regard for China’s suffering population. Walmart, Boeing, Caterpillar, General Motors, Starbucks and Ford…to name a few. Many of these same companies lecture Americans for racism, but close their eyes to oppression and “crimes against humanity” just to increase their profit margin.

For example, recently the NBA canceled games in protest of racism. What a bunch of hypocrites! Because no one in the NBA dares to whisper criticism of Communist China or they quickly find themselves sentenced to a virtual bamboo gulag. A reported half a billion annual profits for the NBA from China buys a lot of silence. And where are all of the Hollywood stars who clamor to speak out on anything political? Have any of them said a word about the latest Disney-China connections? Crickets.

God’s Word is clear. Racism is evil. It’s an evil that must be repented of. Yet, racism is a worldwide evil. It’s disingenuous to speak against racism in the States, yet for financial gain, close one’s eyes to genocide.

How horrible are China’s acts of oppression? Just this week more than 150 human rights groups urged the International Olympic Committee to rethink holding the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. In a letter, the coalition said that since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China has built—quote, “an Orwellian surveillance network” in Tibet and incarcerated more than a million Uighurs.” It listed a litany of other abuses from Hong Kong to the Inner Mongolia region, as well as the intimidation of Taiwan.

Fortunately, not all American corporations are heartless to these crimes against humanity. Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nike and Google are looking to move production away from China. As we learned with the repudiation of Apartheid, dinging a company’s bottom line gets their attention.

Yet, companies like Walmart have helped cover that a product is made in China with their blanket “distributed from Bentonville, Arkansas” labeling. What does that mean? Zilch! It’s a cover. Those concerned about oppressed people groups and dictatorial governments want to make an informed consumer’s decision even if it cost us a little bit more. Walmart and companies like it have stripped us of that option.

Recently, Wisconsin’s Senator Tammy Baldwin proposed a bill that requires labeling for a product’s country of origin. I wrote her to thank her for the bill. While some products have multiple manufacturers, many do not, and often a high percentage is made in one nation. It’s the right thing to do to put economic choices back in the hands of consumers.

What can we do? The truth is that boycotts for the most part don’t work. Corporations and manufacturing companies are too intertwined. For example, Disney Corporation also owns or has part ownership in ABC, ESPN, Marvel, Lucasfilm, The History Channel and Pixar.

Do I believe you should boycott Mulan? That’s truly up to you and a matter of personal conscience. Yet, with all of the negative publicity about Disney’s supporting China’s oppression, taking a financial hit on this one might make them and other corporations think twice about supporting totalitarian governments in the future.

Then, I’d encourage you to communicate with our national leaders like Senators Baldwin, Johnson and Congressman Steil to support bills that put economic choice back in the hands of consumers by clear product labeling. Their government websites and local offices make it simple to communicate with them. Encourage your friends to do the same. If we do nothing, one thing is certain – nothing will change. We need to be part of encouraging justice.

Most importantly, we need to remember that the Church is not American or our particular sect or ethnicity. Our Lord’s Church is worldwide with a 2,000-year history. Please pray for the persecuted Church. Stay updated with how our brothers and sisters are suffering from organizations like Voice of the Martyrs. The most important action we can take is to pray.

The Imago Dei, freedom from oppression, the injustice of racism, the evil of genocide, freedom of religion are biblical values. It’s part of our Christian responsibility to be salt and light in a dark world. Instead of cursing the darkness, it’s time to light some candles. 

 

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. 

Re-Firing NOT Retiring

“Retiring? No! I’m re-firing…there’s no mention of retirement in the Bible, as far as I can tell. In fact, except for Jesus and David, nobody had much of an impact until they were at least sixty, and most of them were in their nineties before they did their best work.”             Zig Ziglar (at 78)

Vance Luke is my new hero! Though Home with the Lord now, he’s how I want to go out. Recently, I heard his story on a Christian news podcast.   He was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota on September 25, 1918, and grew up on a farm. Later, he served as a major in the Army Air Corps during World War II which later became the US Air Force. A mechanical engineer, he worked on the fuel system for the B-52 bomber. Following his military service, he went to work and eventually ended up as the Plant Manager at a Goodyear plant. He and his wife moved to Rome, Georgia where they “loved it and stayed.” He joined the First Presbyterian Church sang in the church choir and invested his life serving the Lord. When he retired, he used his hands and mind to build and repair nearly every building on God’s Farm, a ministry to troubled teens in West Georgia. 

Yet, Vance Luke’s greatest asset was unseen. He knew who he was in Jesus Christ and that was the guiding source of his life. 

Married 65 years before the death of his wife Mary Gay, the Lukes raised three children, Ginger, Vance Jr., and Kay. When he first began volunteering at God’s Farm, he only worked on Fridays so that he could care for his wife with Alzheimer’s Disease during the rest of the week. Following her death, he started going five days a week.

He was 93-years old when he went on his first work-missions trip to Africa. As his adult children were planning the trip, they asked, “Should we ask Dad? And Jr. said, “Well you better tell him that it’s a 25-hour flight and it’s rough terrain and high altitude.” Vance Luke’s response, “Yep I’m going.” They put him in charge of construction and he worked harder than any of them. The team built two classrooms, a kitchen, and a 350 chicken coop. They visited families, got shoes for kids that didn’t have shoes, started a lunch program for the five farms there. And Vance Luke was right in the middle of all of it. Actually, he was leading a lot of it because he knew a lot more than everyone else did.

Ultimately, they celebrated his 100th birthday in Africa on one of their mission trips. There’s a little restaurant in Kajabi. The restaurant knew the family was coming to celebrate his 100th birthday and there were a number of Kenyans who came pretending that they were having dinner. They wanted to see what dinner for a hundred-year-old was going to be like. 

He was a grandfather to six, great-grandfather to nine, and great-great-grandfather to three. On August 17, 2019 Luke had a one-car accident about 15 minutes into his hour-long drive home. He’d already picked figs and cut grass that morning. It’s believed that he had a heart attack or stroke. He was headed home after serving the Lord all day and met Jesus and really went Home.

32 years! Last Sunday Jane and I completed our 32nd year of serving Grace Church. I was only 28 when we pulled up with our full car and moving van. I still remember the shock on the faces of the crew unloading us that one person could own so many books. Our little family of 4 became 5 in 1990. This is where our children grew up. This is their home. This is our home. We fell in love with you, our church. We fell in love with this community. Though transplants from Michigan and Georgia, Jane and I know that our hearts are here in Grace Church and in this community.

Anniversaries are a time for thanksgiving and reflection. No one knows about tomorrow. “D.V.” is a vital Latin phrase for every believer. It stands for Deo Volente and means, “God willing.” James 4:15 says, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” Lord willing, I plan to serve at least one more decade at Grace. How do I picture the next ten years?

I want to be a Caleb. At 85 years young Caleb wanted to take more territory for the glory of God. Through the years the Lord has given me the privilege of leading many to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He’s allowed me to share His Word and help others learn that Jesus loved them and to love Jesus. I truly hope that I’ve only just begun. I don’t want to coast. I want to go for the next hill and mountain like Caleb did. The greatest victories are spiritual ones. They’re the ones that count for eternity.

I want to be a Noah. Noah was 500 years old when he built the ark. God has so richly blessed us with our new building. The land, the building – it’s all a miracle! It’s all by God’s grace and the generosity of His people – YOU! Yet, the task is far from complete. Because our other properties hadn’t sold and we wanted to be fiscally conservative, we set aside plans for an education wing. Yet, we need more space for our children ministries and the next generation. I’d love it if the Lord let me be part of that!

I want to be an Abraham. At the end of his life, Abraham planned wisely for the next generation. It’s tempting and wrong to settle for the status quo. Like Abraham, I want to invest in lives of those who are coming behind me. I want to prepare for their future so that they can be more fruitful and more effective in walking with the Lord and reaching this community with the gospel. I hope that they will be more effective than I have been.  

I want to be a Daniel. At the end of his life when his enemies were looking for something to accuse Daniel with, the only thing that they could find was that he was a man of prayer. When I first came to our church, I was far too program oriented. The Lord has taught me over and over again (I’m a slow learner) that it’s His ministry and more true ground is gained with prayer than programs. Yet, when it comes to prayer I feel so inadequate. Though I know that I have a long way to go, I am so thankful that the Lord Jesus has patiently brought me this far.

I want to be a Joshua. What a visionary! At the end of his life Joshua urged his people to stay faithful and not rest on their laurels. By God’s grace I want to help our church have a vision and passion for all that God can do through us for today and tomorrow if we surrender and trust Him.

I want to be a Moses. Some leaders stay too long. Moses was submissive when the Lord told him that his work was done and it was time to go. It was very hard for him, yet it was best for God’s work and the nation of Israel. There will come a time when I need to take my hand off the plow and quietly get out of the way so God’s work can continue to grow and bring glory to His Name! I want to be sensitive to His timing, not my own.

Jane and I are so thankful for the past 32 years! We love you so much and are so thankful for you! You truly are our family! And we’re excited about what the Lord has for Grace next! We are so blessed! Thank you for letting us serve the Lord by serving you these 32 years!

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. 

 

Is it okay to enjoy your money?

“A wise person should have money in their head, 

but not in their heart.”   Jonathan Swift

Money is NOT the root of all evil. There are some common sayings attributed to the Bible that are untrue and just aren’t in the Bible. Money is not inherently evil. Many misquote 1 Timothy 6:10 which actually says: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” It’s not money that’s a problem. It’s loving it. It’s making it an idol and letting it have precedence in your heart before God.

  We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we live within our means. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we save for the days to come. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we focus on paying down debt. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we pay our bills and when we expend effort in attempting to reduce our bills. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we avoid all those deep-debt, high-interest, I-need-more-stuff ways to live. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we give generously to the Lord’s work. We’re faithful managers of God’s money when we help someone in need. Ultimately, we’re faithful managers of God’s money when we live with an awareness that money is a terrible god but a beautiful means of serving God.

  But along the way, we can develop a very formal and professional relationship with money, where money becomes little more than a tool. Every dollar has a job—paying the bills and paying down the mortgage, and saving for retirement, and supporting the missionaries. Every dollar has a job, but not many of those jobs are fun. We use our money dutifully, but rarely have fun with it. Money then ceases to be a tool and becomes a taskmaster. That’s not God’s plan! God wants us to enjoy this gift!

  Many are away this Labor Day weekend enjoying their money. God wants us to do that! Money is a gift from our Heavenly Father, every penny of it. When you give a gift to your child don’t you want them to enjoy the gift? Absolutely!

  Scripture gives us a theology of money and management. We’re to handle what God has entrusted to us wisely and in a way that pleases Him. As God enjoys being generous, there is true enjoyment that comes from using our resources to be generous as God has been generous to us.

  Yet, a biblical fact that is often overlooked and rarely taught is that God wants us to enjoy the money He has given us. Many Christians live in guilt or feel guilty about enjoying the money that their Father gave them. When was the last time you just enjoyed your money? Money is a tool. But that’s it — it’s just a tool. Feel free to enjoy it.

  recently, Jane and I were vacationing in Northern Minnesota where we spent time with some dear friends, Tom and Leesa Drury. During that time I preaching for two of my friends: Tom Drury and Mike English. It took money to make this trip and we enjoyed spending it. Jane and I always look for unique restaurants and interesting stops along the way. All of that takes money. And while we were up there, we did some fishing (be prepared for some fish stories). Minnesota charges for a fishing license. For the sheer enjoyment, it’s money well spent.

  Too often the Church’s teaching on money is similar to much of the Church’s teaching on sexual intimacy. It’s spoken of so negatively with so much guilt and pressure attached to it, that God’s intent of enjoyment is missed. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God. God has three purposes for sexual intimacy: procreation, unification, and recreation. God gave it to us for enjoyment. Like money, when it is used properly within God’s plan of marriage, it’s intended for pleasure.

  Too often the teaching about wealth is negative and even toxic. Some have been hit with the “money is evil” message so often and so hard that they feel guilty if they enjoy money as a gift from God and miss out on His will. If money were inherently evil, why does the Bible contain so many examples of faithful men and women who had massive wealth and yet whose devotion to God is never questioned? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Solomon, Joseph of Arimathea, and Lydia are a few examples of biblical heroes who were wealthy, loved God, honored Him with the wealth He gave them and enjoyed God’s good gift of wealth.  

  Our Heavenly Father didn’t entrust us with money to endure it but to enjoy it. Are you enjoying yours? When was the last time that you let yourself enjoy the money God gave to you? When was the last time you gave each of your kids (or grandkids) $20 and set them free in the toy store? When was the last time you enjoyed a truly relaxing vacation? When was the last time you went to the specialty store and bought some amazing crackers and cheese? When was the last time you sat and savored a slightly-too-expensive yet an almost-too-delicious cup of coffee? When was the last time you bought a new book just because? When was the last time you bought an extravagant bouquet of flowers for your wife? When was the last time you allowed yourself to really enjoy your money?

  Many of us have debt for houses, cars, or college debt. We need to pay our bills and have a plan. Even if you owe bucks deluxe, if you never let yourself enjoy your hard-earned money for something within reason, debt can devolve into a source of irritation and even bitterness. Yes, we need to exercise self-control with money and put it to good use. It’s also good and God’s plan to enjoy it. It’s more than a tool; it’s also a means of pleasure.

  And here’s the wonderful reality: The better you manage your money as God’s money, the greater your enjoyment of these little pleasures. When all you want to do with your money is to seek indulgence, it will deliver ever-diminishing pleasures. When you faithfully manage it, those small pleasures are far richer and far sweeter. So use your money, and use it wisely, and use it for God’s glory. Remember though to enjoy it as well. It’s a gift from your Heavenly Father. He enjoys it when His children enjoy and are grateful for His gifts!

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. 

Do you need a Social Media Diet?

“Social Media demands a lot of us on top of our already demanding lives. There’s a difference between interest and commitment. So let’s connect as we need to and renew our interest and ourselves.”    Simon Mainwaring

Pastor Jay Y. Kim in his book, Analog Church, shares of an experience at a local restaurant after being convicted about the overuse of his own smartphone at home, keeping him from being present with his family:

  “I was having lunch alone. The restaurant was near a local high school which has an open campus policy, so shortly after I sat down to eat, several students began to file in together for a quick bite before heading back to class. Once again, I’d been on my phone—this time actually checking email. But when I saw the students walk in, I decided to people watch for a while, paying special attention to how they would interact while sharing a meal. What I saw saddened me but did not surprise me. In total, fourteen students ate at that restaurant during the lunch hour, all of them sitting in friend groups, not a single one of them alone. And in total, thirteen of them had a phone in their hands for the vast majority of the time, occasionally looking up to chat with one another, but for the money ost part, losing themselves to their digital content, all while sitting so tantalizingly close to other actual human beings. They were, in the words of Sherry Turkle’s aptly titled book, “alone together.” Entranced by the endless sea of digital possibilities, these kids were missing out on the very unique gift of analog presence surrounding them. While they were busy communicating with the digital world (many of them sending texts and Snapchat messages), they were squandering the opportunity to commune with the real people in their midst. This is what community often looks like in the digital age. Lonely individuals falling prey, over and over again, to the great masquerade of digital technology—the ability to lull us into a state of isolation via the illusion of digital connection.”

  Smartphones are ubiquitous and if we’re honest, they’re very addictive.  Imagine for a moment though if you went to your refrigerator to find all of the  same things that you look at your phone for. Along with food stored there, you opened the door for a friend’s contact information, your stereo system, to post a picture, etc. Would you be very tempted to overeat?

  Part of the victory over poor eating is not having those options readily available. Our smartphones are filled with lots of “junk food” that’s filling us up, taking the place of true life. It’s very easy to overindulge on social media. Like continually grabbing junk food, it becomes a bad habit. Some suggest a complete social media fast. For most that’s too drastic. Yet, I think a “social media diet” is a healthy choice for most of us.

  Personally, I’ve found that social media and media, in general, is often too toxic for me. I seek to limit how much I ingest. I want my phone to be MY tool and not be its slave. Here are some benefits of a media/social media diet.

  More time for what’s really important. By limiting social media, you’ll be amazed at how much time is freed up. It’s impossible to have a quality conversation with those that we truly care about if we’re scanning our phones. In the U.S. (aside from work usage), the average person spends a little over 7 hours a day watching TV or looking at their mobile device.

  The Bible says that we’re to be “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). We’re not promised tomorrow and neither are those that we care about. A “diet” gives us time for what has lasting value. With a bit of a media diet think of the free time for more social interaction with others, reading books and material that redirects our focus on our eternal Heavenly Father, not this temporal world.

  You’ll have a clearer mind. Most notice almost immediately by dramatically limiting media that they feel more clear-minded. Being in front of a computer or phone screen for an extended period of time can even cause physical issues such as headaches, dry eyes, and eye irritation.

  Most find it easier then to focus on what is going on where they are in the present and less on what everyone else is doing. While it’s important to engage with friends and family, constant posts and scrolling through news feeds can make your mind feel jumbled and distracted.

  It enables you to experience life in the moment. Stepping away from media allows us to be more in the present moment and utilize our minds with intention and purpose as God intends for us. Media is very distracting. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone with the TV on, or when they’re scanning their phone? It’s nearly impossible.

  A media diet enables you to enjoy life’s moments and relationships with more intent. It opens our hours to be filled with the time God has given us and helps us to better see His working in our lives.

  It can help you sleep better. Studies show that the use of a screen prior to bed can cause a great disruption of sleep. The longer you’re on them prior to attempting to sleep, the longer it will take to actually fall asleep. You’ll probably find that a media diet helps you feel more rested. The effects our screens have on our quality of living are more than most of us realize. And a good night’s rest is a great starting point for a new day!

  It will help you have stronger relationships. Loneliness has become an epidemic. While we’re interacting with people via our phones hundreds of times a day, most of us have very few meaningful interactions with people on a daily basis. You’ll find that this frees up time and you won’t feel so rushed, leaving more time to relax and spend quality time in conversation.

  We were created for relationship with our Heavenly Father and with each other, limiting media is an awesome way to get away from faux relationships and back to the real thing!

  It will help you have a stronger relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Even for those of us who live kingdom-minded lives, it’s so easy to become distracted. When we slip out of focus with God, we see it in our lives and so does the world. We become more easily agitated, we feel busy and anxious. All of these things are not only detrimental to us, but also to our relationships and our testimony for the Lord Jesus.

  As we mature in our faith we begin to see that any focus that is not fully on the Christ is out of focus. We need to be in the Word, growing and maturing so we can better serve His Kingdom and better enjoy this abundant life that Jesus died to give us. If you’re not regularly in God’s Word or find your time rushed, a media diet will free up time to help you know better the Father who loves you so much that He gave His Son for you and has a wonderful plan for each day. That time and communication is essential for your spiritual health and for your life to have significance.

  The best time to start a new healthy habit is today. Try it! Let me know the wonderful changes that God gives you from a media diet.

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. 

Fully Committed

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something,

you accept no excuses, only results.” Art Turock

When Texas pastor, Jim Denison, was in college, he served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia. While there he attended a small church. One day during a service, Denison happened to notice some worn-out luggage leaning against the wall in a corner of the church. When the pastor finished his sermon, he extended an invitation for people to receive Christ.

  A teenage Malaysian girl made her way down the aisle to announce her decision to follow Christ and be baptized. As was their tradition, they baptized the girl and a few others who had decided to trust Christ at the end of the service. But Jim remembered the luggage he’d seen earlier and asked the pastor about it as he was leaving the baptistry. The pastor pointed to the teenage girl who’d just been baptized and told Denison, “Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian, she could never go home again. So she brought her luggage.”

  That’s a very common occurrence, particularly in cultures or in families antagonistic to Christianity. The price to follow Jesus is very high. The commitment to Jesus by believers who pay the ultimate price for following Christ puts me to shame. When we get Home, I believe that they’ll be some that are closest to the Throne! I can’t wait to meet them!

  American culture is anti-commitment, particularly when it comes to our walk with the Lord. Committing to a local church has become unusual. Some believers will attend, often for years, and never make a commitment of membership. It’s a bit like someone who lives together for years, yet never takes that step of an official marriage.

  While it’s true the Bible never uses the term “church membership,” a study of Scripture clearly shows that membership was the norm for those early believers. Each local church knew who was committed to their fellowship and who wasn’t. Nearly every letter written in the New Testament was written either to a church or to the pastor of a church.

  During this Pandemic I’ve continually repeated, #ThisOURtime. In one of the most difficult periods in recent history, our God sold both of our properties that we needed to sell, though they’d previously been on the market for several years. During this Pandemic because of your generosity, we’re able to pave our parking lot. During this Pandemic, we’re able to hire a new part-time assistant pastor, James Hauser. During this Pandemic because of the Spirit working in lives, we’re adding seven believers to our church membership. It brings tears to my eyes as I contemplate our Heavenly Father’s hand of blessing on our church!

  The local church is God’s plan. Study the New Testament and you’ll quickly discover that it’s God’s plan for this post-resurrection age. Several New Testament metaphors for the church delineate official membership.

  The local church is a family. This is my favorite picture of the church (Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19). Paul and Peter both call the church God’s “household” (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 4:17)—another word for “family.”

  What’s your family made of? Members, of course. Family members aren’t names on a paper or a file folder of marriage and birth certificates. A family is a network of relationships and obligations. Family members are bound to one another. They share meals, celebrate together, mourn together, rejoice together, make decisions together, and when they’re apart, they long to reunite. Family is a place where we share our intimate secrets and struggles, yet are still loved and accepted.

  Are you like me? I have lifelong friends in this church who are brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet, it’s not just our church. I have brothers and sisters who I’ve loved for more than forty years that I connected with at one of the first churches that I served in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

  If you have a painful biological family history, in the church we have a new family. It’s not anywhere near perfect, yet unlike our natural families our spiritual one is functional not dysfunctional, in that we’re committed to Jesus, committed to loving each other, committed to unity in the midst of diversity and committed to biblical problem solving.

  The local church is a body. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul refers to the church as the “body of Christ” and to Christians as “members” of that body—an image he likely adopted from Jesus Himself (Acts 9:4). The Bible knows nothing of an individual, isolated or independent Christian. A Christian is like a hand, a foot, a toe, an artery, a kidney, or any other body part—we’re only healthy and useful if we’re in the body. This metaphor is fertile for application. It dignifies every church member because every body part is necessary. It also suggests the danger of not being in the body. How healthy is a detached limb or a discarded organ? The metaphor ties our spiritual health to each other. As we know from our own bodies, when one member suffers, the whole body suffers.

  The Apostle Paul refers to the believers at Corinth as “members” of the body of Christ five times just in 1 Corinthians. A member of the body of Christ as being vitally connected to the life of the body—so much so that the joys and suffering of other members become your own (1 Cor. 12:26). The shared life between the members assumes that they’re rubbing shoulders with one another, bearing one another’s griefs, and sharing in each other’s joys and burdens.

  The local church is a temple. Paul calls the church the “temple of God” (1 Cor. 3:16–17). Peter calls Christians “living stones” that build up a “spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:4–5). As we await the return of Christ, the church is now the dwelling place of God. Like bricks mortared together, a church is composed of individuals built into a single temple. As we work for the “common good” of the congregation, we manifest His Spirit that resides in us (1 Cor. 12:7). We’re held together in Jesus, Who is the cornerstone of our foundation as a structure built by God through His Spirit.

  As we’re joined together by Jesus, He’s the source of our unity. Our foundation is God’s Word, so we must study it, teach and preach it, and frame our lives by it. It’s our blueprint. But the building is incomplete. We’re continually under construction, so we must not get used to the décor or become satisfied that enough rooms have been added.

  Scripture is clear. The Christian life is a call to total commitment. Jesus challenges us to “take up our cross and follow Him.” He loves the church so much that He died for it (Eph. 5:25). He’s called us to love His church too and live for it. It’s a call to commitment. Do you need to sign up?

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. 

Kindness

“Cold words freeze people, and hot words scorch them, and bitter words make them bitter, and wrathful words make them wrathful. Kind words also produce their image on men’s souls; and a beautiful image it is. They smooth, and quiet, and comfort the hearer.” Blaise Pascal

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com, was ten years old when he saw a commercial stating that every puff a smoker took on a cigarette shortened his or her life by two minutes. Even back then he was quite a math whiz, so he began adding up how many minutes a long-time smoker like his grandmother had lost to cigarettes. To his surprise, Jeff’s grandmother began to cry when he announced that she had lost sixteen years of her life to smoking.

  His grandfather took him aside for a talking to. To Jeff’s surprise, his grandfather was not angry, nor did he attempt to punish him. He simply said, “You’ll learn one day that it is much harder to be kind than to be clever.”

  My mentor and quasi adopted Dad, Pastor David Cummins, taught me a lot of things. His investment helped prepare me for ministry. One thing he said has always stuck with me and I’ve often shared it with others. On one occasion he told me, “Scott, I’ve never regretted being too kind.”  

  That’s stuck with me for over four decades. I can attest to the accuracy of those words – I’ve never regretted being too kind. To be sure, there have been a few times that I have been taken advantage of and that’s okay. And more than I want to remember, there have been too many times when I was unkind. Yet, in all of my life, I have never regretted being too kind.

  Kindness is so rare today. We value toughness and meanness. Rarely, do we value kindness. Our culture emphasizes self-promotion and achievement rather than being kind and caring for others. Showing kindness isn’t seen as a priority. It’s often viewed as a weakness. Even for those of us who believe that kindness is a good thing, we’re so preoccupied with our own problems and priorities to make time to invest in and show kindness to each other.

  Perhaps the most surprising aspect of God is His kindness. Kindness doesn’t line up with our preconceptions of a Supreme being or the Creator of the universe. We’d expect that He would be powerful and all-knowing, and maybe even have a mean side. Afterall, many powerful people that we know are known more for toughness and meanness, not kindness. We foolishly equate power and even being a leader with toughness and meanness. Kindness is reserved for Mother Teresa types or Boy Scouts, not those who want to have power or lead.

  A perfect example of true kindness was the Lord Jesus. Huge crowds followed Him and traveled miles just to hear Him speak. Healing the sick, feeding the hungry, teaching the people, caring for the widow, and defending children, Jesus lived 33 years of perfect kindness.

  He doesn’t ask any more of us than what He willingly practiced when He walked this earth. Even on the cross, He displayed compassionate, merciful kindness praying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Defending the weak, poor, and needy, He stated, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

  Jesus was perfectly selfless in everything He did. Flowing unceasingly from Him, kindness was His lifestyle. He took notice of the cause of the needy, intentionally, and consistently seeking them out, even when He was tired and weary. Without partiality, He was kind to everyone, even if they didn’t “deserve” it. He turned no one away. And by the shedding of his blood on the cross, He demonstrated His love for the entirety of humanity – the ultimate act of kindness. Christ is the perfect role model of kindness.

  Too many of His professed followers though are unkind. Is it any wonder that those outside the Church don’t want our faith? If our Christianity hasn’t radically changed us, what have we got to offer them?

  What does biblical kindness look like? It looks like Jesus. Not for just a season or one day of the year, kindness is for every moment of every day; it’s a habit, a lifestyle, a continual practice. It’s intentional, taking time and patience, a giving of ourselves in “the busy,” even when we’re “too tired.”

   Just being nice for many would be a great starting point. It would entail friendliness, politeness, personal warmth, thoughtfulness, respectfulness, courtesy, and consideration of others. It would mean more smiles than scowls, more laughter than anger, more encouragement than scorn. Most of us could benefit from striving towards the baby steps of the “nice-ness” level of kindness.

  Most of us need to practice kindness so that it becomes our default setting. There’s no better place to start practicing than at home. It begins with our words and tones. As we practice kindness and thoughtfulness with our families, it becomes easier to share when we leave home. Maybe our motto should be: “Kindness – don’t leave home without it.”  

  Kindness can be as simple as a smile (or in our mask times), kind words to a clerk as we check out. It’s a gentle question, “How are you today?” even with complete strangers. It’s holding open a door for someone.

  It’s rarely the big things. More often it’s the little acts that are like oil for smooth relationships. We’ve all experienced them. They warm our hearts, bring a smile to our face and stick with us all day, sometimes for years.

  As you and I intentionally choose to show kindness, the light of the Lord Jesus shines out of us to a harsh world in desperate need of our Savior, a generation in need of love, grace, and kindness. If others talk about us, may it be that they talk about us being filled with kindness. Please be Jesus to someone today and every day. Make the Savior your role model and kindness your lifestyle.

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.