The Cross Is My Statue Of Liberty...

 I have been a fan of the Gaither's since I was in High School and my Friend Caleb introduced me to them.  I primarily listen to the Gaither Vocal Band.  However, one album that I like of Bill & Gloria's is their compilation of other artists joining them titled Freedom Band.  There is one song in particular that has been on my mind as we approach the 4th of July.  The song is Statue of Liberty sung by Ivan Parker.  Please read the lyrics below and then continue reading.

The song reminds us of the amazing freedom that we have in this amazing country.  But, it also reminds us that we experience a greater freedom as citizens of the Kingdom of God.  Lately there has been a lot of hulla-ballo about the Supreme Court ruling about health care and the upcoming Presidential elections.  However, no matter where you stand on the politics of of this Kingdom, I pray that all who belong to the Kingdom of God will stand in unity for Christ.  For the freedom gained to be a citizen of that Kingdom came at a much greater cost.

Depending on when Christ comes the United States of America may fall.  But no matter what the Kingdom of God will stand forever.  So I challenge you to celebrate this Independence Day not just for the freedom which we receive in this great nation, but also for the freedom we experience in the Greatest Kingdom!

Statue of Liberty

In New York Harbor stands a lady

With a torch raised to the sky

And all who see her know she stands for

Liberty for you and me

I'm so glad to be called an American

To be named with the brave and the free

I will honor our flag and our trust in God

And the Statue of Liberty

On lonely Golgotha stood a cross

With my Lord raised to the sky

And all who kneel there live forever

As all the saints can testify

I'm so glad to be called a Christian

To be named with the ransomed and whole

As the Statue liberates the citizen

So the cross liberates the soul

Oh the cross is my Statue of Liberty

It was there that my soul was set free

Unashamed I'll proclaim that a rugged cross

Is my Statue of Liberty

No lesson...That's O.K.

Recently I took the youth to Camp Impact.  There we had a great night where we played volleyball, a bunch of water games which included slip and slide kickball, ate a lot of food and had an overall good time.  However that wasn't everything that I had planned to do.  I had planned to teach a short devotional lesson to them while they were eating or just after.  Well, it wasn't until everyone had been picked up and I was about to leave after I had loaded everything in my car that I realized that I hadn't taught the lesson.

But, I wasn't that bummed that I forgot to do that.  The reason was that the night couldn't have been a bigger success.  I was reminded that sometimes we need to get together for the sole intent of enjoying one another's company.  Like anything in our lives we need balance.  Sometimes we just need to provide a safe environment for students to connect and have fun.  In doing this we do teach a valuable lesson.  The lesson is that they can have a good time where they can interact with other believers and enjoy one another's company without the assistance of drugs, sex, or alcohol. We will have plenty of other events this summer that have actual teaching time attached to them.

I'm currently looking forward to both a church wide movie night which will have a very brief challenge and to a youth only swim and study.  At the swim & study they will get an unspoken lesson again regarding modesty.  I have a rule that both girls and guys must wear shorts and a dark colored t-shirt in the pool.  Some may whine about it at first, but they quickly learn that they don't need to look 'sexy' to have fun swimming.

I guess this is all to say that in both church activities and in parenting it is about modeling how to live just as much as it is about having a great lesson.  You can't seperate the two.  If you do hypocrisy and double lives quickly follow.

1 + 1 = 1...or Jack + Jenny = Sophia

It's amazing how God has opened up my mind to different things now that He has blessed Jen & I with Sophia!  For instance, I've been reminded by Him that Sophia is the perfect illustration to point out Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Or, as I like to understand it 1 + 1 = 1.  If a husband and wife split than they are splitting their child in two.  Now many of you know that fact.  But, remember when there is turmoil in your relationship that there is inner turmoil in the heart of your child(ren).  For they see you fight and wonder what is wrong.  They want to experience peace and will do what it takes to find peace.  I believe that this is why some children take on the role of peace maker.  Because, if mom and dad aren't at peace than they can't have peace even if they don't fight in front of him/her.  A child can sense when mom & dad aren't happy with one another.  And the longer this goes on the worse it gets for the child.  That is part of the reason why I believe that God tells us, 

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:26–32, ESV)

Anger alone is not a sin.  It is how we express our anger that can lead to sin.  Especially fathers need to be on constant guard regarding how they express their anger to their wife and child(ren).  We need to be men that know how to build up.  It is easy to tear someone or something down.  But, it takes skill and patience to build up someone or something.  So I would like to encourage everyone, but especially fathers, to meditate on the final verse of this passage.  This is the key to saving not just the sacred relationship of husband & wife, but to having a home of peace and a child who is at peace knowing that mother and father are united.  That mother and father are one.  And as a result, that he/she is one.

One of the ways that I do this is that I sing hymns to Sophia.  I do this especially when she is fussy at 1 A.M. and I'm tired and all I want is a quiet baby and to fall asleep or when she decides to make the changing table into a slip and slide while trying to change her diaper. -- I find that when I sing these songs to her that it often soothes her.  Even when it doesn't help her much it calms my spirit and helps me to be at peace.  The lyrics refocus me on God and not the current situation.  For if I focus on God, He reminds me that this to shall pass and that I can find joy in any situation...even a slip and slide changing table.

Mothers, Jenny takes time when she is feeding Sophia to pray to God and just spend time with Him.  It is during these times that she takes advantage of to find strength in Him.  You can do it at almost any time.  The important thing is that you do it.  When she is resting we tell one another about the time we spend with God and in so encourage one another.  These are all different ways to fill your home with the Spirit of God and the peace which He offers us.  If you and I do this, then we won't have to worry about 1 + 1 = 1/2 & 1/2

  

 

If Only....It Strikes Everyone.

Almost everyone tells expecting and new parents that their lives will never be the same.  What they don't tell you is that you have to say goodbye to the life you have been living.  They don't tell you that you are going to have to mourn the loss of that life.  That you will no longer be able to live as you or your spouse are accustomed to living.  And you know what...it's perfectly alright to mourn the loss of this life.  Moreover, this is not the only time that this happens to a person.  This is probably one of the most dramatic of them, but it is not the only time.  As humans we are creatures of habit.  So anytime there is to be a major change in our lives we must prepare to say goodbye, at least for a little while, to a life that we found comfort in.

Now this may seem strange to think about because after all I wanted a child.  This little girl was as planned as can be and I would not give her up for the world.  In fact I would die for her in need be.  That is how much I love this little girl.  But, even when change is sought after we are never quite prepared for the cost of this change in our life.  In fact, we often get a case of the if only's almost as quickly as the desired change came.  If only she could hold her own head up.  If only she could talk.  If only......  This is why others are inclined to tell new parents to cherish every moment and stage of life.  The reason is that every stage of development brings new joys and new if only's.

The important thing is to find peace in your life no matter what is going on in it.  I was reminded by God about this when after a week and a half of having Sophia I got back into the habit of opening my Bible and reading other believers thoughts on the Christian life that I found peace again.  It was at that moment that I finally felt refreshed.  It was then that I stopped mourning for the life and freedom that I had before she came.  It was then that I experienced the peace of God.  I was reminded that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.  He is the One that gave me the patience to be able to be calm at 1 A.M. when she is crying and I don't know what to do.

Now do the if only's try to resurface and distract me?  You bet they do.  But, I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that if I don't find joy and peace in Him that I will never satisfy the if only's that will never cease.  So if you you are being troubled with by the if only I was done with High School or College, If Only we I was married, If Only we had a child, If Only we had a house, If Only I had a better job, If Only________.  Whatever it is it won't satisfy.  Turn to Christ and ask others to pray for you and to help you through this time.  Don't be afraid to open up to someone else.  It is how our relationships with one another and God grow.

PENTECOST: Or the Forgotten Christian Holiday

Francis Chan's book Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit has helped me to put together many of my thoughts concerning the Holy Spirit in the Church today.  Many people don't really understand the Holy Spirit at all.  They don't understand much if anything that He promises to the those who believe in Christ.  Then there are those who think, as Chan states, "I've got Jesus...why do I need the Spirit?"  The answer is found in Jesus words where He tells His disciples, "It is for your good that I am going away.  Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." (John 16:7)

So why so much talk about the Holy Spirit all of a sudden?  The reason is that this Sunday is the one day a year that we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.  We celebrate the power that He gives us to live for Christ and to cope with a world that rejects Him.  The traditional color for this holiday is red symbolizing how he came and rested on the disciples in the upper room like tongues of fire.  So if you want wear red with me on Sunday.

In the mean time I would like to encourage you to read John 16:5-16 and Acts 2.  If you don't know much about the Holy Spirit I would encourage you to pick up a copy of Francis Chan's book that I mentioned above.  It is great for those who know nothing of Him as well as those who have received a Master of Divinity.  Lastly, there is a poem below about the Holy Spirit...that is for those of you like me who enjoy reading poetry.


Hymn to the Holy Spirit
     by Richard Wilton

   Come, Holy Dove,
Descend on silent pinion,
Brood o'er my sinful soul with patient love,
Till all my being owns thy mild dominion.

   Round yon sad Tree
With frequent circles hover,
That in my glorious Surety I may see
Grace to redeem and righteousness to cover.

   On wings of peace
Bring from that precious altar
The blood which bids the storms of conscience cease,
And blots out all the debt of the defaulter.

   Spirit of grace,
Reveal in my my Savior,
That I may gaze upon his mirrored face,
Till I reflect it in my whole behavior.

   Oh, let me hear
Thy soft, low voice controlling
My devious steps with intimations clear,
With comforts manifold my heart consoling.

   Let that sweet sound
To holy deeds allure me,
With heavenly echoes make my spirit bound,
And of my home in paradise assure me.

   Come, Holy Dove,
Guide me to yon bright portal,
Where I shall see the Savior whom I love,
And enter on the joys which are immortal.

Grace Overflowing

***Warning, there is some race related language in this post, but it is used to make a point***

As you may already know, this Saturday, May 5th West Greenway Bible Church will be showing The Grace Card at 6:00 PM.  This is a movie that will hit you hard in regards to your relationships with other people.  It is a movie that will challenge the way that you look at other people.  

As you may have guessed the title is a play on words.  The movie challenges us to play the 'grace card' instead of the 'race card'.  You may be thinking to yourself, "I'm not racist" and or "I don't know anyone who is racist'.  The reason for this is that in Phoenix you will primarily hear the word nigger only in rap songs or kids trying to act like gangsters.  But, that doesn't mean that you don't know someone that acts differently to those with darker skin tones than his or her own.  What about when someone uses the slurs wetback, spic, gringo, cracker?  Are those less hateful?  Or, what about when you see some Hispanic men standing outside a Home Depot looking for work?  Do you automatically think illegal?  When the topic of immigration is brought up what does the heart of your speech sound like?  What about those you converse with?  Even if you don't speak hatred, are you willing to take a stand against it when family or friends speak out in hatred?  The Grace Card is just as relevant here as it is in Mississippi, if not more.

This movie will challenge you to look deep inside yourself.  Remember, Jesus said that it is not what goes into a man's mouth, but what comes out of it that makes him unclean (Mat. 15:17-20).  Or remember that Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount that those who speak with hatred to others are guilty of murder in their heart.  Let us not forget that anger is a poison.  It can only be sucked out by the power of GRACE and FORGIVENESS.  All are created in the image of God and Christ came to save all.  So, come see the movie and learn to both give and receive THE GRACE CARD.

And Remember:

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world

Red and yellow, black and white

They are precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world

Urgent Prayer Request

Hello friends:

Back on November 2nd I wrote a post entitled "Silence Is Not Always Golden."  (http://jackafarris.blogspot.com/2011/11/silence-is-not-always-golden.html)  

In it I mentioned a brother and friend in Christ Obadiah.  Well he is having some major issues right now.  I would like to ask you to be praying for him.  Pray that God give him the guidance, support, and courage that he needs to get through this time.  Also, please pray for his family that they may know the peace that God gives during this tumultuous time.  Lastly, please pray that doctors can figure out what is causing the problems.  

Thanks for praying!