what happens when we die?

This week I will have attended two funerals, so you can understand I have had questions of many people about death.  Some are the silent questioners who just listen very closely as you talk with someone else who is brave enough to ask the question that they wanted to ask.  The question I got this week was one I think a lot of people have.  It was this:  “When we die do we go to heaven or do we go into a state of sleep?” 

 

Here is what the Bible says about that question and it is really clear in 2 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV)   We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

 

So when we leave the body we are present with the Lord.  In other words we go to heaven the moment we take our last breath here.

 

The next question is not as clear, it is this.  “When we die if our bodies stay here and we go to heaven what do we look like?”  We do know the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV)   For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

 

We know that our bodies that we have now will come back together and meet with our eternal spirit even if someone has been cremated and had their ashes spread all over the ocean.

 

What does our spirit look like without our bodies?  Here is a thought….. you will be viewed from the inside out.  The best way I can explain this to you is the example of hearing someone on the radio for long time. You get a picture of what they look like in your mind based solely on the spirit that they present over the airwaves.  Even though you have never seen them, you have a picture in your mind of what they look like based on their spirit or personality.  Have you ever seen someone after hearing them talk for weeks and when you see them, they looked nothing like you thought they would?  You saw them from the spirit they portrayed.  That is what will make heaven great. You will see everyone for who they really are, from the inside and the out.

 

Just a thought.

 

choices

I am a fan of John Maxwell who is a former pastor and teaches leadership now.  I just listened to one of his leadership lessons and here is a quote that he shared and I would like to share it with you.  “There is a choice you have to make in everything you do.  So keep in mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.”

 

I find that quote to be more true than I would like to admit.  Life is all about the choices we make and I think everyone gets that, but most people don’t get the last part of the quote.  The choices you make in the end make you.  We are all a product of our choices, yet we spend most of our time blaming other people for all of our poor choices.

 

You know what makes life complicated is so many choices.  Many choices mess you up. If you don’t believe me, go get an ice cream at Dairy Queen. It is a matter of dipped or not dipped or a blizzard.  I can make that choice, but you take me to Baskin and Robbins where there is 31 flavors and it is a hard decision. 

 

Life or death is in the power of choices.  My Dad taught me this before I ever knew anything about God.  He said it like this, “your mother may have brought you into this world but I can take you out if you do that again.  That put choice into perspective.  God said it this way:

 

Deut. 30:19 (NIV)   This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

 

 

Don’t Do it Alone

Yesterday I got the privilege to do ministry with a friend.  I spoke at Margaret Lively’s funeral and drove 225 miles round trip to do her committal.  You know what the greatest thing about the whole day was… I didn’t do it alone.  Robert Frisone was with me all day. As we drove those few hundred miles he comforted me by just being there.  He was like a silent, but most important partner in the service to God and Margaret’s family.  I spoke at the funeral and I spoke at the graveside, but Robert stood as a support for me.  As people were drawing support from me, I was drawing support from him.  Usually after a long day like yesterday I find myself tired and drained emotionally and physically, but because he was there I was not drained at all. It may sound crazy but I enjoyed my day of service. God gave me someone to minister to me as I ministered to others. 

 

I guess I am saying don’t do anything for God by yourself if you can help it.  Always ask someone to join you.  As you are thinking about how you can serve in our community once a month or in ministry to our church, always think about who you can get to minister with you. 

 

Ecclesiastes. 4:9-10 (NIV)   

         Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Sunday Night Reflections

As I write this post it is Sunday night and my mind is going one hundred miles an hour and I am trying to let it all soak in.  So much has happened today.  Here are a few things that I am thinking about:

 

 ØGod answered a specific prayer that I had been praying this week for someone.  I say praise God, He is alive

 

 

 

ØAnother thing I am thinking about is the message, that is still  in my heart and I don’t know if it came out the way God put it there.  I trust the Holy Spirit said to every heart what I could not get out of mine.

 

ØI am thinking about love. How much I love the people at SCC.  I really do love the people that I get the privilege to pastor.

 

ØI am still thinking about the statement that we said over and over again about giving.  “When I give people live.”  Today forty one people gave blood to the blood bank that serves Henry Medical Center.  The staff over at the Life South Bus shared with me for every donor, three people’s lives could be saved.  So, today SCC family literally gave life to 123 people.  The blood mobile ran out of bags because they said our church gave double the amount of blood that they would normally receive from a church our size.  That is because the people at SCC have a heart twice the size of most churches.  For that I am so thankful.

 

ØI am thing about how blessed I am to have the men who have worked with me on our finance team for the last five years and because of all the help they have given me we have finished 2008 in the black by $2,000.  Thank you Doug House, Andy Phillips, Allen Martin,  and Angie Benton.  I am so thankful to God for Angie Benton, Tani Keller and my wonderful wife, Rhonda.  They helped us this year get on the Dave Ramsey budget with our church budget.  Thank you ladies.

 

ØI am thinking about the funeral I will do tomorrow for Margaret Lively who is 33 years of old.  I watched this young lady grow up and have seen her ups and downs.  I watched her fight for her life several time and when doctor had counted her out she would fight through and God would bring her out.  She was something else.  She would crack you up with laughter or make you want to shut her up with some of her direct comments.  You had to love her because she knew how to say I sorry.  She is the only person I have ever baptized four times and she said the last time stuck.  I viewed her body tonight and was flooded with memories of almost 14 years of her life.   My eyes filled with tears as I said good bye and I will see you again.  I thank God that love doesn’t get buried in the grave but lives on in our hearts.

 

God Confidence

I would like to share a word with you…. “confidence.”  Now, let me ask you a question. Do you have it?  I can say that it depends on the moment, not just the day or week with me.  Situations arise in my life and I feel so out of control.  How can I be confident?  I think I am learning the secret to confidence. It’s not about me or what I can do.  When we become Christians our whole life is spent becoming less confident in ourselves and more confident in God.

 

I don’t know if you have hit that wall yet or not, but you will if you haven’t.  You will have something happen in your life that you can do nothing about and it won’t go away over night.  There will be no humanly way possible to fix or change your situation.  It is at that point that you have to become “God confident.” 

 

The Bible says it this way in Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV)   …God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”

 

This verse tells me how to become God confident.  It says you say to yourself with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”  That is what I am finding to be the most freeing internal response to the things and situations and people that stress me out.  Let me be very honest with you, you don’t become God confident over night. No, it is over a lifetime of practice that you get to the point that things don’t bother you because you just automatically believe God is going to work it out.  I am not there yet.

 

So, let me ask you what is it right now that has got you all worked up?  Got it in mind? Now practice with me out loud God confidence.  Say this, “Because the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid of______________.”   Say it again and again until God confidence comes.  The more you say it the more you will start to believe it and that is what gives you peace in the storm.

 

 

unchanging = jesus

 

Yesterday I was sitting in a meeting with my staff at Stockbridge Community Church and we stopped our meeting to watch the inauguration of President Obama.  While we were sitting there waiting for President elect Obama to be sworn in, our Fellowship Pastor, Ricky Mosel made a statement that inspired a thought that I want to share with you.

 

He said in the next five years the world is going to change faster and faster.  He felt things will be totally different because of the rate of speed that times are evolving.  When he said that I just automatically responded with this statement, “When things are changing this fast it makes the unchangeable more desirable.”  I believe that to be very true and that is what makes being a Christian so desirable.  We serve an unchanging God.  In the middle of a world that is changing by the minute, the human heart cry’s out for something stable.

 

It is amazing to me that real change comes by taking hold of what doesn’t change.  People change, the world changes; times change, but God and His Word never change. 

 

I can tell you the unchanging Word of God will keep me in changing times. 

 

Jesus said it this way Matthew 16:18 (KJV)  … upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 

That is why I say it is our time as church to step up and lead.  The people around us are looking for something that is unchanging in this world which is ever-changing.   We have got it, Jesus Christ.   He is the same yesterday today and forever.  

 

Change = The Church

Today history will be made.  We will inaugurate the first African American president.  I may not agree with President Obama, but I can’t help but to be excited for him and his family.  This is an exciting day for our country as we watch history be made in front of our eyes.  There will be parties in the streets of Washington D.C. and all over the country in this great celebration.  People will put aside all of their political difference and show respect to the highest office in the land and a newly elected president will take office.  Then, Wednesday will come and the celebration will end and people will go back to business as usual.  But, many will be waiting for the change that President Obama promised during his campaign speeches.  Many people believe that the president can make the change our country needs over night if we have the right person in office. 

 

My friend, some people will be disappointed because they have placed all their hopes in a man, who I believe really wants to make change, but we’re in a government where things are not easy to change for anyone….. that is politics.

 

When God wanted to bring change to the world he didn’t just send his Son.  He established a group of people of faith in His Son and His Word.  That group is called, “the church.”  The church is God’s chosen instrument to bring change, not a government.  When the church is united in purpose, there is nothing it can’t accomplish.  It is not empowered by voters or influenced by big donors.  No, it is powered by God’s Spirit and His Spirit is seen in His people when love is expressed and kindness shown to all people.  The Church is a group of people who can take action in a moment’s notice.  All it takes is one person’s heart to be moved.  The act of God happens when the church sees a need and acts on that need for the glory of God.  The best gamble on change is the church.  It is where God’s grace is administered.  Remember, God’s grace is His ability to do what we can’t.  In the Bible, Peter said this about the church and God’s grace.

 

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)   Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

 

 

Sunday Reflections

My thoughts:

 

Ø What an amazing day with 400 people in Church on such a horrible weather day.

 

Ø We have the greatest volunteers serving in our parking lot, they walked through the cold rain to keep everyone dry.

 

Ø Yes, I said that we will go down in history for changing the way we as a church and county think about money.

 

Ø Yes, I said that we should make sure all of our Washington representative can manage their own money before we send them to manage our tax dollars.

 

Ø The question was raised, “why not us?”  Why can’t we be the people God uses to spark a change in our country and in the way we handle money.  We have a proven method given in the Bible that has worked for every person who has put it into practice. 

 

Ø Thank God for influence he has given SCC in the community to give the people an opportunity for a better life.

 

Ø I do believe God is wanting to use his church to bring hope to the world, more than that I believe God wants each of us individually to give hope and help to all those around us.

 

Ø Question of the day “If not you then, who? and if not now when?” 

 

I will leave you with this: I believe it is our time as the people of God to stand up to help the people in our church and community in any way we can.  True life only happens when you feel you are contributing to make someone’s life better. 

 

Luke 18:27 (NIV)   Jesus said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

 

 

Change we can believe in Pt. 5

If change is going to happen it will happen because of perseverance.  I thought I would share this story with you about perseverance by
John Maxwell.

 

Running Past Failure

As a small child, Vonetta (Jeffrey) Flowers dreamed about being in the Olympics. She ran everywhere she went, and gained a reputation among her school friends for being quick. At age nine, Vonetta learned she had special talent. While trying out for an inner-city track club in her hometown of Birmingham, she shocked coaches by posting the best sprint time

for Jonesboro Elementary School – running faster than boys two years older than she was!

 

Vonetta’s immense talent carried her to the University of Alabama-Birmingham on a track-and-field scholarship. While at the university, she continued to pursue her goal of gaining a spot on the Olympic team. She practiced meticulously to perfect her stride, spent hours in the weight room adding strength, and ran grueling intervals to shave seconds

off her sprint times. Thanks to her combination of talent and discipline, Vonetta ended her college career as a 7-time All-American, competing in the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints, long jump, triple jump, heptathlon, and relays.

 

With her college career finished, Vonetta set her sights on the 1996 Olympics. Unfortunately, she failed to qualify for the team, running slightly behind the leaders. The failure stung, but Vonetta was determined not to give up. She found a job as an assistant coach and continued

her regimen of training.

 

For the next four years, Vonetta put her body through punishing workouts with an eye on the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In her words, “I devoted countless hours to lifting weights, eating right, and staying mentally tough. I knew that my time as an athlete was coming to an end, and I’d hoped that the 2000 Olympic trials would prove to be my year to finally find out what

it’s like to be an Olympian.”

 

In June 2000, Vonetta lined up again to run at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Unfortunately, Vonetta placed 13th, and she failed to make the Olympic squad. Although one of the fastest women in America, she wasn’t in the select group to represent the United States in Sydney. After 17 years of training, she had come up empty in her quest for the Olympics.

Two days after her second painful failure in the Olympic Trials, Vonetta’s husband spotted an advertisement for tryouts for the United States Olympic bobsled team. He convinced her to go to the tryouts. Growing up in the South, Vonetta was not accustomed to cold and snow, and she knew next to nothing about bobsledding. However, at the tryouts her unusual blend

of speed and strength proved to be ideal qualities for a brakewoman (the person who pushes  the bobsled to give it initial momentum and then hops in with the driver). Vonetta was chosen  for the team.

 

Vonetta’s decision to join the bobsled team came with a price – two more years of a strict diet,  sore muscles, and countless hours dedicated to attaining peak physical fitness. It also meant  delaying her dream to be a mom. However, her years of perseverance paid off. Not only did Vonetta achieve her lifelong goal of competing in the Olympics, but she also became the first African-American to win a gold medal in the winter Olympics!

 

That is a wonderful story.  Vonetta persevered. She kept believing, she kept training, and she kept running until she finally caught up with success.

 

Let me encourage you to keep on keeping on and the change your looking for will start showing up day by day.  Don’t quit, PERSEVERE.

 

James 1:3-4 (NIV)   because you know that the testing of your faith develops  perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

Real Change We Can Believe In Pt. 4

Real Change.  That has been the subject that is going through my heart.  How do I have it and how do I as a pastor help other people receive it or go after it?  One thing I believe very strongly is that real change doesn’t just come to you.  Like, you just wake up one morning and you are a more loving person or you wake up and you are 50 pounds lighter or you wake up and you are more spiritually mature.   No, Real Change only happens when we receive the truth about who we are and recognize we need to Change. 

 

I have found one tool that God has given all of us to have real change and that is prayer.  I can’t describe in words how powerful prayer is.  I don’t know all of what happens when we pray, but I can tell you when I pray my heart seems to be laid open bear and some how I see clearly the area of my life that needs change.  It is crazy.  I have been praying for God to change others and before you know it I am asking God to forgive me and find myself making plans to apologize to someone else.  I am like, “God, no, I came here to talk to you about someone else, not me.”  I have always heard the saying that prayer changes things and I agree with that but more importantly, prayer changes me.  I have never found the change that God has shown me to be harmful to me. Sometimes it hurts my pride, but when I receive what God shows me in prayer and take steps to act on what he has shown me, I have Real Change.

 

James 5:15-16 (NIV)   And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

 

Here are a few things that try to keep me from praying

 

• The devil
• Busyness
• Stress
• Worry
• Fatigue 

If you are finding this blog helpful, give me a shout back!