To Tell The Truth

 

“When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.” Augustine

 
A store manager heard his clerk tell a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for a while, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.” Horrified, the manager came running over to the customer and said, “Of course we’ll have some soon. We placed an order last week.”
  Then, the manager drew the clerk aside. “Never,” he snarled, “Never, never, never say we’re out of anything- say we’ve got it on order and it’s coming. Now, what was it she wanted anyway?” The clerk said, “Rain!”
  Ours is a dishonest world. Honesty is sacrificed…often for greed. It seems that in election years, the lies are more plentiful and flagrant. But God’s Word repeatedly reminds us that God is the God of truth, and His people are commanded to be people of truth. A healthy church—a body of believers that follows Jesus as the head must be a place of truth. It’s where we love each other enough to be honest and admonish each other truthfully when needed. It’s a place where we’re lovingly truthful about the sins that cause us to stumble because sin has such damaging consequences.
  One University of Massachusetts study found “that 60 percent of people lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation and told an average of two to three lies.” The study also found lies told by men and women differ in content, but not in quantity: “Women were more likely to lie to make the person they were talking to feel good, while men lied most often to make themselves look better.”

  In Ephesians 4:15-16 Paul writes: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Apparently, the church in Ephesus had a truth problem. They’d gotten to the point where they preferred hearing stuff that made them feel good rather than what was true.

  One of the benefits of connecting with other believers is their ability to see sin in us that we’re blind to. We need this aspect of body life because part of the damage sin causes is blindness. We can see the speck of sin in another person’s eye but may be blind to the 2 x 4 plank that’s in our own.
  In God’s Word of truth, we’re reminded of how sin does this. 1 John 1:8 talks about Christians who deceive themselves by thinking they’re without sin. “If we claim we are without sin, we deceive ourselves—and the truth is not in us.” Here are a few more. Obadiah 1:3, “The pride of your heart has deceived you.” Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Our sin blinds and deceives us. Author Michael Novak put it this way: “Our capacity for self-deception has no known limits.” We deceive ourselves all the time into thinking we’re better than we are. One of the biggest lies is that most of us think we’re basically good. We’re not.
  Remember that famous scene from the movie, A Few Good Men? Jack Nicholson is on the witness stand and Tom Cruise says, “I just want the truth.”  Nicholson screams, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” He has a point. The fact is the truth we need to hear can be very hard to handle. It’s hard to honestly admit our failures and flaws.
  Yet there’s a vital part of truth that’s life giving and sustaining. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:31). So, the truth about the truth is this – it will set you free, but first it can make you miserable. Some pain and misery are necessary for spiritual growth.
  We need to see our own sin—we have to face it—we have to handle it—if we’re going to move forward on toward spiritual maturity. A Christian who can’t admit that he or she is wrong is not growing toward Christlikeness. Remember God opposes the proud. He only gives grace to the humble.
  That’s why we need body life, close spiritual friendships and small groups. It’s where the power of connecting with other Christians comes in. Those who know us, really know us, will see things about us that we miss.
  Did you know we can only see about 60% of our body without a mirror or a reflective surface of some sort? Its why wives ask their husbands that dangerous question: “How do I look?” All kidding aside, others can see things about us that we’re blind to. If those who really know us truly love us, they’ll tell us when we are walking around with a two by four in our eye. They’ll tell us the truth, the truth we need to hear. They’ll tell us when we’ve got a sin problem and don’t look or act so good.
  In June of 1938, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, wrote a letter to his editor Stanley Unwin explaining why he was behind schedule finishing the final draft for The Hobbit. Tolkien told Unwin that instead of drafting more material, he had decided to start over and rewrite the first three chapters.
  What motivated Tolkien to go back and start the whole thing over again? It was the loving criticism he had received from his friend, C. S. Lewis. Apparently, Lewis read chapters, liked the story, and encouraged Tolkien, but he also took the time to critique it and make specific suggestions for its improvement. For instance, Lewis told Tolkien that there was too much dialogue, too much chatter, too much “silly hobbit talk.” According to Lewis, all this dialogue was dragging down the story line. 
  Tolkien grumbled in response to Lewis, “The trouble is that ‘hobbit talk’ amuses me—more than adventures.”
  Yet he still accepted the advice. Also, in the first draft of The Lord of the Rings, the story centers on a hobbit named Bingo, who sets out with two companions, Odo Took and Frodo Took. As Tolkien does revisions, Bingo becomes Frodo, and is joined by his friends Sam and Pippin. I wonder, would The Lord of the Rings have been nearly so popular if the main character had been called Bingo? But more than just names have been transformed. Tolkien’s revised version is shorter and much clearer, too.
  When J.R.R. Tolkien rewrote the material, he cut nearly half of the dialogue.  On page after page, he deleted long conversations and picked up the action. As a fan of those books, I don’t think I would have enjoyed them as much without Lewis’ input.
  Each of us needs a C.S. Lewis in our lives. We need someone to encourage us on toward God’s best. Are you open to one in your life? Are you a Lewis in someone else’s life? We will never be the mature Christians God desires us to be or the church that glorifies Him until we learn to “speak the truth in love.”

Can we help you spiritually? 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 is Jesus?

“He became what we are that He might make us what He is.”

Athanasius

  C. S. Lewis, the famed author, was also a professor at Cambridge University and once an agnostic, wrote this about Jesus:  “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

  As we come into the Easter Season, more are thinking about and considering that vital question: Who is Jesus? There is no more critical question. The best way to find the answer is to read the biographies about Jesus found in the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It’s amazing how Jesus becomes real as we read about His life from those early biographies of His life. When you read the original writings, you will quickly discover that the Jesus of the Bible is very different from some of the common misconceptions about Jesus. Many believe in a Jesus that doesn’t exist. Maybe that’s you.

  For example, there’s the John Lennon Jesus? All you need is love, that’s all that really matters. Just love and peace and spirituality. We could call this Jesus the “why can’t we all just get along?” one. But that’s not Jesus.  

  There’s the Tony Robbins Jesus. You’ll see this Jesus in an infomercial. You were created to succeed! You’re a winner, so call yourself one. All you have to do is picture it, believe it, and achieve it. But that’s not Jesus.  

  A childhood favorite is the Mr. Rogers Jesus. We all need to be careful not to hurt anybody’s feelings, make sure we love everybody and treat everybody fairly. Don’t do anything to offend anyone because we’re all God’s children. But that’s not Jesus.  

  What about the Oprah Jesus? You’re doing a great job. You can do it, just believe in yourself. You’re beautiful! You’re strong! Everything you need to succeed is already inside of you. You don’t need anyone else. But that’s not Jesus.  

  Perhaps the American favorite is the Genie Jesus. Everyone loves Genie Jesus because He sits up in Heaven just waiting for us to ask for whatever we need and then we just have to say those three magic words, “In Jesus’s name.” It’s the ask and you shall receive Jesus. But that’s not Jesus.  

  All of these Jesuses and many more have two very important things in common. First, a lot of people believe in them. Second, and much more important – they’re all myths. They don’t exist. Essentially, they’re an adult version of an imaginary friend that we’ve given the name Jesus to.

  There’s only one Jesus – the Jesus revealed to us in the Bible. Without question, Jesus is the most dominating figure in history. Who was He? Or, in the words of Jesus Himself in a question to the leaders of the Jewish community, “What do you think of the Christ?” Every intellectually reflective person must come to grips with this engaging question.

The Jesus that the Bible describes is called the Son of God, the Christ. The Jesus of the Bible is described as Redeemer, King of Kings, Righteous Judge, Bread of Life, Good Shepherd, Great I Am, and the Resurrection and the Life. That’s the real Jesus. He’s not some karma Jesus, sports Jesus, vegan Jesus, career Jesus, racist Jesus, butler Jesus or some good man or good teacher Jesus. Who Jesus is isn’t some hypothetical question. It’s a life-changing one, an eternal destiny changing one. It’s imperative then that we have a right understanding of who Jesus is. Who is Jesus to you? It’s a question each of us must answer. When this question is personalized, it becomes the most important question one will ever be asked or will ever answer: Who is Jesus Christ to YOU? 

  Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10).  Who wouldn’t want to have a fulfilled and satisfying life? Then, in 1 John 5:11-13 we’re told that if we have the Son of God in our life we can know that we have eternal life. The bottom line is that Jesus is the only way for us to live an abundant life here on earth and receive eternal life in fellowship with God in eternity.

  Easter is about Jesus dying on the cross to take the punishment for our sins so we could be forgiven and justified with God. If we don’t receive the free gift of eternal life by experiencing the forgiveness achieved by Jesus, justice demands that we will receive the punishment we justly deserve.

  Jesus must become the Lord of our lives. Imagine your life as an automobile—Jesus must be behind the wheel of your life. Jesus doesn’t want us to clean up our acts, He wants us to surrender our mess to Him. He wants to revolutionize your life at this very moment.

  It begins with owning your mess – admitting your sin, repent of it before God, believing that Jesus died for your sin on the cross and receiving the gift of eternal life which Jesus died to freely give you. That’s the real Jesus. He wants to come into your life and give you new life now and eternity in heaven. Please don’t believe some contemporary fairy tale Jesus. Read one of the biographies about Jesus for yourself. Before you decide it’s a big hoax, check it out for yourself. What do you really have to lose?

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. 

Disciples or Followers?

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ‘Tis the difference between the lightning bug

and the lightning.”  Mark Twain

  Even a single word has the power to move people forward or backward. Using the right words can inspire, embrace, acknowledge, intrigue, validate, and include others in a godly, positive way.  A word, even only one word, can make a vast difference.

  Picture this scene: You’re in the checkout line at Walmart and it’s very crowded. A big snow storm is coming and everyone is in a hurry. You have fifteen items in your cart and can’t wait to go through the line to get home. Someone though taps you on the shoulder and says, “Can I go in front of you? I only have seven items and I’m in a hurry.” Just picture your response.

  Now, picture the same scene. Again a tap on your shoulder with the same question, “Can I get in front of you because I just got a call from the school nurse that my son is sick. I only have seven items.” Which scene is more likely to change your behavior and motivate you to move aside?

  Social psychologist, Ellen Langer tested this type of situation and discovered that adding that one word because made a major difference. She tested this in many situations. When you add because, and a reason, people are more apt to do what you request. The bottom line – one word can make a big difference.

  Last Sunday we announced that we’ve changed one word in our purpose statement. Previously our purpose statement said: Grace Church exists to glorify our Heavenly Father by continually making more disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Recently, our church leadership decided to change one word. We’ve changed “disciples” to “followers.” Why? Why did we believe that this was an important change? Because “followers” denotes forward movement as you follow Christ. You can’t follow without moving.

  So, are we splitting hairs? Perhaps a bit. Yet, we live in a day when many profess to be Christians and would be very comfortable with the label “disciple,” yet never grow, change or move spiritually forward.

  Many Christians think that being a Christian simply means that you call yourself one or are associated with a certain church or denomination. At most you attend church regularly, give financially and occasionally serve.

  The New Testament teaches that being a Christian is to be life-altering. It’s to be nothing short of a personal revolution. While the New Testament does teach that we should faithfully attend worship services and be a member of a church, one can easily be part of a church without having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Every week professing Christians go in one door of their church and leave the same way. The tragedy is that they’re the same person that went in. True worship means that there is life change. A “disciple” could do their religious thing each week with no forward movement. A Christ-follower could not.

  Because of our focus on education in American culture, often we’re satisfied with teaching and even learning the right things. A disciple can be content to be a student. In fact, our churches are filled with those who have heads brimming over with biblical facts. But God does not want us to be just learners. As James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

  Many Christians are little more than professional students. They know so many facts about the Bible and about God, but there is little or no life change. One can’t be a follower without life change.

  A Christ-follower is described for us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.” If you’re a Christ-follower, there will be clear changes. C. S. Lewis wisely said, “If conversion makes no improvements in a man’s outward actions then I think his ‘conversion’ was largely imaginary.”

  In other words, a Christ-follower is to both be with Jesus and be like Jesus. We spend time with Jesus as we read the Bible, pray, worship with fellow believers at church. Authentic, growing Christ-followers are always focused on spending more and more time with the Lord, letting His Spirit guide our study of His written Word, spending time in His presence in worship, spending time in prayer.

  Following means that it changes both our thinking and our actions. Because we are Christ-followers we respond differently to the inevitable trials and tribulations of life. We know that there are no accidents and that our Lord is Sovereign. As Christ-followers, we’re empowered and resist temptation in its various forms.

  A Christ-follower is someone who lives out exactly what Jesus taught in Matthew 5-7 in the Sermon on the Mount. Christ followers strive to be merciful, peaceful, forgiving, compassionate, strong in their faith, honoring the commandments, praying for their enemies, giving to those in need, constantly in prayer, free from worry and not filled with judgment.

  Jesus didn’t call us to wear a tag like “Christian.” No, He called us to become followers of Him. It’s easy to be labeled a “Christian,” because you go to church, or are pro-life, etc… Too often Christians are known for what they’re against. A Christ-follower though is known for who they are because the fruit of the Spirit is seen being produced in their lives as described in Galatians 5:22-23, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”

  When Jesus said to His disciples, “Follow Me.” These two words contained radical implications for their lives. That’s really what it means to be a Christ-follower. It’s to live a life that a lost world would call radical. It’s selfless and sacrificial and stands in stark contrast to a self-absorbed world. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer so powerfully wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” That’s what it means to be a Christ-follower. It’s a death to self to follow the living Lord. Being a Christ-follower not only means to know Jesus and know about Him, it means to let His life flow through us so that we live like Jesus. Grace Church exists to glorify our Heavenly Father by continually making more followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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 don't we talk about Home more?

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

C. S. Lewis

  If something is important to you, you think about it a lot…you talk about it a lot. This weekend will finish what has been a long anticipated time for our family. For several months our whole family has been looking forward to Aaron coming home for a visit from Taiwan with his fiancé, Jiaya Tsai. Not only were we longing to see Aaron, we were looking forward to meeting this new member of our family. It’s hard to believe that the last time Aaron was home was a year ago. Though we are all very proud of him and support what he is doing, (teaching English in Taiwan), we greatly miss him. We love Aaron and would love to have him closer. These times when we are all together again are so special to us. Praise the Lord, we live in a time of modern technology and Aaron is literally a video call away!

  Recently, I had lunch with a dear friend who lost his wife to cancer a few months ago. His hurt will no doubt never go away on this side of eternity. He loves and dearly misses his wife. Before her Homegoing, I remember often talking with Mom Cummins and she’d express her heartache and how much she longed to go Home and be re-united with Dad. A believer has something that an unbeliever can’t understand – Hope! Yes, there’s pain and hurt, but we know that it’s all temporary. We know that it’s truly “Good-night” not “Good-bye” on this side of heaven.

  Yet, other than funerals or when someone is elderly or ill, we hardly think about heaven. Most of us talk more about retirement, which at best will last a few decades, but rarely do we long for our eternal Home. Sadly, I have to confess that I’m far too this world oriented. I think more about this life, my “To Do” list, or even what I’m going to eat, than I do eternity.

  And if something isn’t important to us, we’re not going to talk about it with those we care about, much less a total stranger. For example, when I go to a restaurant that’s really good, I tell my friends about it. Recently, Jane and tried out a new one because a friend had highly recommended it.

  It used to be that Christians were accused of being so “heavenly minded that they were no earthly good.” That’s not really a problem today. Unfortunately, at least, I know it’s not my problem. I find that the Apostle Paul’s words prick my earth-limited heart, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2). Being with Christ for all eternity must be the focus of life. We should be actively training our minds to think about the day when Christ is revealed and we’re finally Home. It’s easy to be distracted. Temporal concerns easily grab our attention and overall it seems like we don’t think about heaven very much. Part of our difficulty is that the Bible tells us more about what won’t be in heaven than what will be there. Then, some foolishly think that heaven is going to be boring, like one very long church service. It’s not! It will be every joy, thrill, peace and satisfaction that’s beyond our imagination on this sin contaminated earth.

  The best part of heaven though is that Jesus will be there. The One who loved us so much that He died for us, even though He knew how sinful we all are. Jesus loved us, died for us and paid the price for all of our sin.

  One of my favorite hymn writers is Fanny Crosby, who wrote more than 9,000 hymns. She wrote so many that she was forced to use pen names so hymnals wouldn’t be filled with her name. The most remarkable thing about her was that she did this in spite of being blind from infancy.

  One time a well-meaning preacher commented to her, “I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when he showered so many other gifts upon you.” Fanny Crosby responded at once, “Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I was born blind? Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.” No wonder she wrote:

  Some day the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
But, O the joy when I shall wake
Within the presence of the King! 

Some day my earthly house will fall,
I cannot tell how soon ’twill be,
But this I know—my All in all
Has now a place with Him for me.

And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story, saved by grace:
And I shall see Him face to face,
  And tell the story, saved by grace.   

  We are so thankful that Aaron is home. Wonderfully, he didn’t come alone. I don’t want to go Home alone, do you? In my Quiet Time with the Lord, I have several folk who I love that don’t yet know my Savior that I’m praying will know my Jesus. Heaven is so wonderful and Jesus is so incomparable that it would break my heart if they missed it. I don’t want to go to heaven alone, do you? Let’s focus on the real world!  

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. "

“Always winter, but never Christmas."

  In his wonderful book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis describes Narnia as a place where it’s “always winter, but never Christmas.” Wow! And you think you’re tired of winter? Winter doesn’t bother most of us until after Christmas. In fact, when I was a child growing up in Atlanta, we’d pray for a White Christmas. We’d been brainwashed by Bing Crosby J. We never had one. Then, when I was a freshman in college, I spent Christmas with my brother and his family in the New York City area, and again, there was no snow. I was so disappointed. I’d never seen a white Christmas and thought that by being up North, I’d finally see one. Instead, it was just brown and dingy. It was a very dismal Christmas.

  Yet, when we have a white Christmas, before you can hardly say, “Happy New Years,” most of us are ready to zap away that monolithic coating of white covering the world. We can pretty much handle it through January and will even suffer with it through February, as long as we get a periodic reprieve of warmth and a little melting.

  One of the reasons that this winter has been so tedious is that we’ve not really had a reprieve. Not only have we had snow storm after snow storm, the weather has been brutally cold. It’s been always winter. Yet, though we joke, groan and grimace, we know winter will eventually come to an end. Spring will finally break through. It’s scheduled to arrive on March 20^th. I’m counting the days and hoping it comes a little early.

  Then, the snow and ice will begin to melt. The air will warm up. The grass will begin to turn green. Leaves will return to the trees. Flowers will bloom. The birds will sing. A world of dull white will give way to a myriad of bright color. Even the sun will stay in the sky longer each day. But what if it didn’t? What if it was always winter? What if there was no hope of spring?

  This past week I didn’t know it was going to snow. My heart dropped a bit as I opened the garage door to leave and found my car encased in a fresh layer of white. Jane and I still talk about the winter storm of May 10, 1990. Shortly after we moved to Wisconsin, we had a blizzard in May. I thought I was going to cry when I saw our greening world blanketed once again with white. It wasn’t a few flakes. We got a good three inches, with some areas receiving six inches. I thought that winter would never end. And that was Narnia.

  But Lewis’ tale is not just a literary fantasy. He painted for us a picture of life without Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Winter in Narnia was caused by a spell cast by the White Witch. And winter only ended when Aslan, the true king, the royal lion, returned to rescue the Narnia kingdom from the curse of the White Witch. Without Aslan, Narnia was a land without hope.

  Are you tired of snow? Is the winter getting to you? Do you find yourself feeling dismal, even a bit hopeless that it will never end? Yet, you know that it will, but what if it didn’t? Always winter, never Chritsmas is the condition of someone who doesn’t know Christ. It’s a life without hope. Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, has not given them new life and with it, hope.

  Can you imagine living in the perpetual winter of unforgiven sin? How hopeless! You’ve fought some dark habit. You’ve had victory over it for months, even years…and then you trip, stumbling back into the tar pit of that sin. Someone who doesn’t know Jesus can only remorse or worse, wallow in their guilt. They don’t know that no matter how horrible their sin is, Christ’s sacrifice is more than enough and then more. He longs to forgive us and heal our souls.

  Can you imagine living in the perpetual winter of depression? Some years ago I went through a serious bout of depression. It seemed my dark valley would never end. Yet, even in the midst of the darkness, I still had hope. Those words so familiar to me as a child echoed back to my soul, even in the midst of the shadows, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Though I hurt, though I wanted to give up in despair, I knew that there was still hope. I was not alone and even the pain was temporary.

  Can you imagine living in the perpetual winter of broken relationships? You feel so alone, so unloved, perhaps betrayed. After my Mom was killed in a car accident when I was ten, I felt so alone. My father and I never did have a relationship. I remember how wounded I felt when one of his wives felt that she needed to tell me that he had informed her that I was an “accident.” But I had another Father, who loved me and wanted me. I was no “accident,” I was part of His eternal plan. Psalms 27:10 was my anchor and is still a precious promise to me, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” I can’t imagine facing a divorce, the death of a spouse, a broken family, a lost friendship without “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24)…and I know His Name. C. S. Lewis called Him Aslan but He’s the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and His Name is Jesus.

    Can you imagine living in the perpetual winter of economic stress? You can never make ends meet. There’s never enough food, heat or money. A better job, some times any job is an impossibility. There are many suffering in America from poverty. Can you imagine what it’s like though in places like Sudan or North Korea? No hope. Ultimately, facing a death of impoverishment and starvation. So how do believers there survive? How do they cling to hope when it’s so hopeless? They hold on to the same promises that brought the Apostle Paul through his suffering and loss, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

  Do you ever wonder why we continually urge you to share the Gospel? Why we are so passionate about reaching our community, those around us with the Gospel? Of all the things that Jesus could have shared before He left this world, why did He give us marching orders to reach our world? Because if you don’t know Jesus, it’s always winter, but never Christmas. It’s a world without hope and when we have the message of eternal hope, spring and summer for the soul, how can we not share it?