BlogWire

Haven’t had a ton of time to record my thoughts the past couple of weeks, but was moved by this scripture this morning. Maybe you need to hear it.

Pay close attention to the 2nd part.

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in HIm and He will do this. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Ps 37:3-6

Some of our coaches do not feel comfortable or do not have the time to deal with live chats so they concentrate on responding to the emails we receive. Here is one example. Last week a Diest shot us an email and shared his philosophy. One of our coaches did a brilliant job responding to him. This really is inspiring. I think you will enjoy reading it. (The typos are left in for effect).

From: “Area X”

Im deist. The belief that god created everything and has not interfeared with it sence. I can encorporate the big bang and the beliefs of the bible together though. Like the garden of eden… the theory of the big bang is that everything was once balled up very tightly, and they say that the garden was amazing. what if every thing balled up was the garden of eden and when god cast out adam and eve that was the big bang. life restarted on earth. evolution. skip ahead. now we have jesus. i think god gave jesus 100% use of his brain at all times where normal humans only have about 8%. jesus, because of his higher intelect was able to walk on water and perform his miracles. I enjoy religious debate. if i sound like im putting christianity down i assure you im not but i like to seek out different ideas.

From: Jason at Groundwire

I don’t mind religious debate either.  However…to be fair…it really isn’t worth your time if all we’re doing is mental gymnastics with our arguments.  If you are dead-set against the idea of a living, active God, there is no point in our debate.  The consequences if you are right are that you will fade into nothingness, your body will be re-absorbed into the collective matter of the universe and may eventually feed plants, etc.  The consequences if you are wrong are that there is a living God who desires to know you, but you will push Him away.  Consequently, He will allow you to be separated from Him for eternity.  That destiny is more than I could bear….and if scripture is accurate (as I believe it is), it will be more than you can bear as well.

You may be surprised that I once sat in a philosophical position not far from your own.  I was an agnostic with no belief in God and a strictly “scientific,” world view.  I came to know this Jesus by what I can only describe as a real and personal experience of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Enemy (sometimes called ‘Satan’, ‘the Devil’, or the ‘Antichrist’).  Not hard to see which one I chose to follow, eh?

I can understand why the Deist worldview holds such sway.  My mother is a Deist and I have high regard for her.  You are a smart person who sees a world full of hardship and suffering and figures, “there couldn’t be a good, loving God in all of this!”.   The apparent absence of God in your world continues to reinforce your view.  I can totally understand that, having sat in my agnostic chair.  Pop science which describes our mind as being only partially activated is questionable science, but even so…I can understand the lure of the philosophy (”oh, if we could only unlock the other 90% we could become well….like God himself”). 

I want you to know that your doubts, your arguments, your questions about my view are more than welcome here.  I will not condemn you, ever, for whatever beliefs you may have.  But I will warn you that I will be urgent and fervent with you….for in my world view, you have a limited number of breaths to find the truth…and I don’t think you have the truth at present.

All that said, I think we both have some understanding of the other’s view, but if .you are in doubt about mine, allow me to share by starting with our commonality:
We both agree in a creator God.  Check
We both believe in Jesus. Check.
We both believe that Jesus was amazingly special (albeit for different reasons).  Check.

Now here is where we differ.  I believe in Jesus as God himself.  I believe in a three-fold God that consists of Father, Son, and Spirit.  I believe he did what is recorded in the Bible.  I believe he did it for the reasons that he is quoted as giving in the bible.  I belive that the bible informs us of how we may actively interact with God.  And I believe that there is an eternal reward awaiting us (either good or bad) depending on our acceptance of the grace of God, given freely.

I believe in all of this because I have strong reasons to believe that the biblical account is accurate.  Biblical truth is often challenged by an unbelieving world…but I would assert that most of that unbelieving world has never taken the care to investigate the accuracy, longevity, and legitimacy of the bible account.  Perhaps you are one who has never really taken a hard look at what evidence there is for the bible being accurate, consistent, and authoritative in its historical account.  If you havent, I would recommend a (very short) book entitled “More than a Carpenter” by author Josh McDowell.

In short, I believe that Jesus is God who emptied himself to take on the life of a human.  This God-man could then empathize with our life…and could overcome this life.  Unlike us, in that he was without fault, guilt, wrongdoing, or any blemish to his perfect existence, he could offer himself as a just sacrifice for the failings (we call them “sins”) of the whole world.  After dying at the hands of sinful man, he rose from the dead (what part of the 100% of his brain do you think was responsible for that 3 days after his death) and appeared to many people…who then died as a consequence of telling this story.

By the mystery of God, He invites us to partake in the same death and re-birth that Jesus had.  This requires that we acknowledge our own inability to live to God’s standard and accept the gift of life that he gives.  It is like getting a “hall pass” into a forever relationship with a loving Father (not to make it sound too trite).  He invites us…we accept it.  After that acceptance, we’re in…and the rest of our lives are spent living full of purpose, until we are finally called home to our heavenly rest.

Well, that’s pretty much what I think.  I invite your comments, Bob, or Joe, or Sue, or whatever your name is, “Area X”. 

Be blessed of God!

Groundwire has entered in America’s Giving Challenge. There is an overall goal of $50,000 for the cause that obtains the most contributors. There are also daily awards of $1,000 and $500 to the cause that gets the most people to donate on that calendar date.

We are targeting Tuesday, Nov. 3rd as the day we’d like everyone to donate so we can go after the daily prize that day. Will you join us by contributing that day. You can donate by going to either the Facebook fan page or the Facebook Groundwire cause page and locating the donate link.

The monies raised will go towards placing GW commercials on TV stations such as MTV, VH1, and Cartoon Network.

When we all come together for the cause the result will be thousands of lives impacted by the message of hope found in a relationship with Jesus!

I remember the first time I read this short but powerful chapter. God spoke to me about perspective and attitude. I have reread it many times since and shared it with many. Rereading this book again and wanted to share it with you. Maybe it will speak as clearly to you as it has to me. After you read it, I would love to hear your thoughts.

“It’s quite. It’s early. My coffee is hot. THe sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replace by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so i choose.

I choose love…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of a lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God created me.

I choose goodness…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness….
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness…
Nothing is won by force I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist may it only be in prayer. if I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control…
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. i will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influence only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on a pillow and rest.

From, “When God whispers your name.” by Max Lucado.

Something that ran across my desk today has me deep in thought and is pushing me deeper into prayer. I started to read an article about two British teenagers (18 and 16 years old) who were arrested for “plotting a school massacre inspired by the Columbine killings in the United States.”

What gets me is not that they were so desperate and depraved that they were willing to do something that drastic. What jumped out to me is that they were INSPIRED by Columbine.

I have to tell you, that I am tired of students being inspired by anger, hatred, and revenge. It hurts to hear stories about teenagers and young adults who become so warped because of pain, hopelessness, and anxiety that they feel the only answer is to strike back and lash out.

I am fully convinced that the God of Heaven hurts when these young people can’t hear His whispers of love and His invitation to find in Him the peace, joy, and perspective that will transform their world.

When I think of the young people who are frustrated and confused…when I picture those so desperate that they are willing to take their own life or willfully hurt someone else, I see them sitting in front of their television station watching the adult swim programming on Cartoon Network late at night or listening to the angry, vengeful lyrics coming from their radio stations. That is where they spend their time and that is where we can reach them. That is why we aggressively place messages of hope and purpose on those stations. By pointing them towards the One who loves them, we may help them forget about those who have hurt them. By sharing Christ’s message of meaning we can combat the voice that says life isn’t worth it.

Today, I was just reminded how impressionable these students are. They are looking for something to inspire them. If Christ doesn’t, then something else will. Don’t you think that is a cause worth investing in?

If you are like me, you want God to be the voice that is heard. By partnering with Groundwire you can help us broadcast the inspiring message of hope as well as offer live conversations with trained spiritual coaches. You can get involved by praying (we know that prayer advances God’s causes and weakens the enemies’ position), becoming a coach, or by making a donation at this time. If you would like more information about any of these options, or other ways you can be participate in rescuing students let me know. I would love to have that conversation with you.

Yesterday while spending some time in Southern California, I met with a friend of mine who is very focused on pursuing God and loving what God loves. He has an abnormal trust in Jesus and (from my experience) is not looking at how the world is affecting him, his wealth, or his comfort, but how he can affect the world. He truly is a Kingdom warrior.

While together he was telling me about a conversation he had with his wife the night before. She had looked at him and said, “Is there something wrong with us?”

In essence she was saying, “Where are the other people who understand that there is nothing better than complete abandonment to Christ? Where are those who are willing to forgo personal comfort in order to bless others and see Christ’s goals met? Where are those who will love Him more than they love themselves; and care for the marginalized , the poor, the wounded, and the hurting?”

I have to tell you I love hanging out with people who have something like that wrong with them. I want to be that type of person. They inspire me.

If you are one of those people, don’t give up. You are strange…you are abnormal. You aren’t part of the crowd, but that is ok. The crowd isn’t all that exciting anyway.

If, like me, you are still on a journey trying to get to that place, don’t quit. With God’s help, we can become more like God. We can defeat selfishness and overcome pride. As we draw close to Christ and intentionally invest our lives in purposes bigger than ourselves, we will figure it out. One day people will ask you, “Is something wrong with you?” And, with head held high, you can humbly say, “yes. Isn’t it great.”

Are you a writer? Would you like to influence thousands of people with your scripted words?

I am looking for some people to write some e-devotionals that will be distributed to our electronic lists. You will not be paid, but if we use your writings, we will give you credit.

So, interested? Here are the specifics. We are looking for devotional thoughts that are between 300-400 words each. They can be about any practical topic of faith, but must come from a sound Biblical and grace perspective. Pictures work better for our audience than didactic biblical interpretation.

If you have any questions send them my way. If not…get writing. Send me as many as you like. You can email them to me directly at sdunn@groundwire.net. I look forward to seeing how the Lord uses you.