One week ago comedian-actor Robin Williams took his own life, at age 63, by hanging himself with a belt. He had suffered from recurring bouts of depression exacerbated by both cocaine and alcohol addiction over many years… and a more recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Shock and grief have been expressed by moviegoers and pop-culture aficionados far and wide. What can only be described as ‘an avalanche of accolades’ has been heaped on him posthumously, coming in from throughout the nation. The Hollywood community weighed in saying, “He is surely in heaven now, making God laugh.” [Seriously?] Even President Obama took the time to publish an articulate 120-word tribute to the man known for his quick wit and comedic voices. Robin William’s virtue is being extolled by many. And what is that virtue? Well, mostly he made people laugh…out there in TV land, or on the big screen, or in live stage performances often laced with profanity [not a criticism, just a fact]. Occasionally he leveraged his fame to entertain troops or hospital patients. In short, his life purpose was to amuse people [again…not a criticism, just a fact].
I cannot help but compare the national grief for Robin Williams’ death by suicide, reported in the media, with the complete lack of national mourning over the Iranian-American pastor presently jailed in Iran for his faith. Saeed Abedini, the 32-year-old U.S. citizen, has been imprisoned in Iran, under the harshest of conditions, since September 2013. He has been denied bail as he awaits medical treatment for serious injuries and internal bleeding sustained from brutal beatings. His wife and two pre-school children have been pleading for the release of their husband and daddy, the victim of what can only be called gross injustice. Someone has wisely said, “What you laugh about and what you cry about is an indicator of who/what you are on the inside.”
We should delight in the things that delight the Lord. And our hearts should break for the same things that break God’s great heart.
Pray with me… Father, as we live day by day, may we value what you value, love what you love and celebrate that which honors you, above all else. Make us deeper people, more serious about the things that matter most… increasingly unimpressed with the world and the things that are in the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Monday, August 18, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014
8/11/14
Rosa Parks is one of the most famous names in civil rights history. She has been called ‘the first lady of civil rights’ and ‘the mother of the freedom movement’… and rightly so. On December 1, 1955, Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus. She was arrested for her ‘defiance.’ In his book, Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy quotes Rosa Parks, “When I sat down on the bus that day, I had no idea history was being made – I was only thinking of getting home. But I had made up my mind. After so many years of being a victim of the mistreatment my people suffered, not giving up my seat – and whatever I had to face afterwards – was not important. I did not feel any fear sitting there. I felt the Lord would give me the strength to endure whatever I had to face. It was time for someone to stand up – or in my case, sit down. So I refused to move.”
This sounds a lot like an illustration of the text of I Corinthians 1:27-29, “God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong [and] the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
The courage that launched the historic civil rights movement in our nation was born of a humble faith and God-confidence resident in the heart of a single African-American young woman. We can all learn from this Rosa Parks that the courage to do the right thing sometimes means we have to ‘swim upstream’ or ‘march to the beat of a different drummer.’
Pray with me… Father, may we walk so close to You each day that You inspire in each of us the humility and courage to fearlessly do the right thing in every season and situation of life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
This sounds a lot like an illustration of the text of I Corinthians 1:27-29, “God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong [and] the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
The courage that launched the historic civil rights movement in our nation was born of a humble faith and God-confidence resident in the heart of a single African-American young woman. We can all learn from this Rosa Parks that the courage to do the right thing sometimes means we have to ‘swim upstream’ or ‘march to the beat of a different drummer.’
Pray with me… Father, may we walk so close to You each day that You inspire in each of us the humility and courage to fearlessly do the right thing in every season and situation of life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
8/6/14
Two character strengths that are often undervalued in modern society are humility and modesty. They are actually closely connected. Typically, a person who is humble is also modest and vice-versa. But, so much of public attention these days is focused on celebrities and political figures. Egotism and self-projection too often accompany these professional life pathways. In addition, the proliferation of television reality shows and award shows encourage vanity and narcissism. The trickle down affect is that we ‘average Joes’ can feel pressured to act like we’re superheroes too, just to fit into the bravado of the times. We think, if we don’t assert ourselves, we’ll be either run over or left behind.
But, it is a well-documented fact that narcissism leads to depression. Self-adulation, or self-worship, is a shortcut to unhappiness. That is the reason there is so much in scripture, especially in both the example and teaching of Jesus, encouraging humility and modesty.
Booker T. Washington was the post-Civil War President of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He was responsible for thousands of young black men and women getting a higher education. One day, while walking through an affluent neighborhood, a woman asked him if he would like to earn some money chopping wood. Washington picked up and ax and went to work. When the woman realized who he was, she was embarrassed and apologized. “It’s perfectly all right madam,” Washington graciously replied. “Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor.” She was so impressed by his humble attitude, she and several of her wealthy friends ended up donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute. Humility and modesty are their own reward, but occasionally the humble have a way of being exalted by thinking people in the mainstream of life.
Pray with me… Father God, I pray… not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted… not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard. Not I but Christ, in every thought and action… in Jesus dear Name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
But, it is a well-documented fact that narcissism leads to depression. Self-adulation, or self-worship, is a shortcut to unhappiness. That is the reason there is so much in scripture, especially in both the example and teaching of Jesus, encouraging humility and modesty.
Booker T. Washington was the post-Civil War President of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He was responsible for thousands of young black men and women getting a higher education. One day, while walking through an affluent neighborhood, a woman asked him if he would like to earn some money chopping wood. Washington picked up and ax and went to work. When the woman realized who he was, she was embarrassed and apologized. “It’s perfectly all right madam,” Washington graciously replied. “Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor.” She was so impressed by his humble attitude, she and several of her wealthy friends ended up donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute. Humility and modesty are their own reward, but occasionally the humble have a way of being exalted by thinking people in the mainstream of life.
Pray with me… Father God, I pray… not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted… not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard. Not I but Christ, in every thought and action… in Jesus dear Name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
7/28/14
He was ostracized from his hometown. Although everyone knew him, no one wanted to speak to him or have any business dealings with him. He was shunned for collecting taxes from his own, the Jewish people. And to make matters worse, he did it for the Romans, who turned right around and oppressed the Jews. He enriched himself, by charging the general public a collection fee in addition to their tax bill. Things were ‘going good’ for Zacchaeus… but, to tell the truth, they got even better.
One day Jesus passed through Jericho. His reputation had preceded him. People were waiting by the roadside. Zacchaeus was among them, sitting up in a tree near the road rather than try to excuse himself to the front of the crowd. What a shock when Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” He slid down the trunk and welcomed Jesus gladly. And before Jesus left, Zacchaeus stood up and said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house…”
This tax collector became a disciple of Jesus and the evidence is in how his priorities were realigned… almost instantly! In one day, Zacchaeus’ love and devotion to Jesus restructured his values. He committed to give away half of his accumulated wealth plus pay restitution to all those whom he had cheated. In only one day he got it… that when you are devoted to Jesus, you lose your attraction to money and you demonstrate compassion for others. You begin to release your hold on money and you tighten your grip on Jesus. This was the first commitment that Zacchaeus made.
What is puzzling to me is that for so many disciples in our generation, the stewardship piece, the giving piece, is the final one, instead of the first, to be put into place to complete the picture of a mature disciple of Jesus. Non-believers give little or nothing… and without a conscience about it. But new disciples know that the location of the heart is tied to the location of their treasure. So, they immediately want to relocate their ‘coined life.’
Pray with me… Father, give us the values of Zacchaeus. Help us to make reckless decisions about our life priorities and assets once we have made Jesus Lord of our lives. In His name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
One day Jesus passed through Jericho. His reputation had preceded him. People were waiting by the roadside. Zacchaeus was among them, sitting up in a tree near the road rather than try to excuse himself to the front of the crowd. What a shock when Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” He slid down the trunk and welcomed Jesus gladly. And before Jesus left, Zacchaeus stood up and said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house…”
This tax collector became a disciple of Jesus and the evidence is in how his priorities were realigned… almost instantly! In one day, Zacchaeus’ love and devotion to Jesus restructured his values. He committed to give away half of his accumulated wealth plus pay restitution to all those whom he had cheated. In only one day he got it… that when you are devoted to Jesus, you lose your attraction to money and you demonstrate compassion for others. You begin to release your hold on money and you tighten your grip on Jesus. This was the first commitment that Zacchaeus made.
What is puzzling to me is that for so many disciples in our generation, the stewardship piece, the giving piece, is the final one, instead of the first, to be put into place to complete the picture of a mature disciple of Jesus. Non-believers give little or nothing… and without a conscience about it. But new disciples know that the location of the heart is tied to the location of their treasure. So, they immediately want to relocate their ‘coined life.’
Pray with me… Father, give us the values of Zacchaeus. Help us to make reckless decisions about our life priorities and assets once we have made Jesus Lord of our lives. In His name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Monday, July 21, 2014
7/21/14
At a purely practical level, one of the hardest teachings in scripture to put into practice is revealed in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Although it is challenging, obeying this command can have truly amazing results when it comes to healing damaged relationships. Case in point… In
I Samuel 24, David is running for his life and hiding in a cave to escape the jealous wrath of King Saul when, one day, Saul shows up in said cave to relieve himself. [Saul had wantonly chased David, bent on killing him for no other reason other than his own paranoia.] Rather than capitalize on the opportunity to do away with an avowed enemy, David chose only to cut off a piece of his garment. When he let Saul know he could havetaken his life, but did not, and then produced the swath of Saul’s robe as proof…
Saul wept aloud and said to David, “You are more righteous than I. You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. You have just now told me of the good you did to me… you did not kill me… When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed [rhetorical question]? May the Lord reward you well for the way you have treated me today.”
Do you see it? Love has amazing power. It doesn’t always have the kind of immediate results we see here, but over time it has tremendous power to break down dividing walls between people who belong together!
Pray with me… Heavenly Father, David overcame evil with good. We have the same power available to each of us as your children. May we tap that power today by initiating loving-kindness with everyone and improve the prospects of reconciliation with a new beginning for more than a few. In the Name above every name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
I Samuel 24, David is running for his life and hiding in a cave to escape the jealous wrath of King Saul when, one day, Saul shows up in said cave to relieve himself. [Saul had wantonly chased David, bent on killing him for no other reason other than his own paranoia.] Rather than capitalize on the opportunity to do away with an avowed enemy, David chose only to cut off a piece of his garment. When he let Saul know he could havetaken his life, but did not, and then produced the swath of Saul’s robe as proof…
Saul wept aloud and said to David, “You are more righteous than I. You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. You have just now told me of the good you did to me… you did not kill me… When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed [rhetorical question]? May the Lord reward you well for the way you have treated me today.”
Do you see it? Love has amazing power. It doesn’t always have the kind of immediate results we see here, but over time it has tremendous power to break down dividing walls between people who belong together!
Pray with me… Heavenly Father, David overcame evil with good. We have the same power available to each of us as your children. May we tap that power today by initiating loving-kindness with everyone and improve the prospects of reconciliation with a new beginning for more than a few. In the Name above every name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Monday, July 14, 2014
7/14/14
It’s true… One of the best things our Heavenly Father does is keep us from knowing what will happen in the future. Just think of all the bright surprises you have especially enjoyed because you did not know they were coming. On the other hand, think of all the bad experiences you haven’t had to dread because you did not know they were coming. God is good not to show us tomorrow! Our wise Lord gives us His grace one day at a time.
And what is true for us was also true for David in the Old Testament. David was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king in Israel. Then he lead out in a decisive victory over the Hebrew’s perpetual enemies, the Philistines, by bringing down their greatest warrior. But if you think David ascended quickly to the throne, you would be wrong. It didn’t happen that way. In fact, the euphoria of being anointed king and being victorious over Goliath ushered David into one of the deepest, longest and darkest valleys of his life. He became outcast, fleeing from King Saul, who became resentful of David’s favor in the sight of God and the people. So David moved from a season of celebrity into a season of despair, from being a hero to becoming a fugitive. Yes, God was good not to tell David all that was coming his way.
But David presses hard into the protective care of the Lord. He pursues God’s heart through it all. He seems unaffected by either overnight success or by undeserved shame. It is a rare person who can handle the ups and downs of life with such resiliency. When surprised by joy or slammed with disappointment, David seemed to thrive because of his pursuit of God’s heart through it all. May we do the same!
Pray with me… Father God, you are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. We praise you for the good times and we praise you in the bad times. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
And what is true for us was also true for David in the Old Testament. David was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king in Israel. Then he lead out in a decisive victory over the Hebrew’s perpetual enemies, the Philistines, by bringing down their greatest warrior. But if you think David ascended quickly to the throne, you would be wrong. It didn’t happen that way. In fact, the euphoria of being anointed king and being victorious over Goliath ushered David into one of the deepest, longest and darkest valleys of his life. He became outcast, fleeing from King Saul, who became resentful of David’s favor in the sight of God and the people. So David moved from a season of celebrity into a season of despair, from being a hero to becoming a fugitive. Yes, God was good not to tell David all that was coming his way.
But David presses hard into the protective care of the Lord. He pursues God’s heart through it all. He seems unaffected by either overnight success or by undeserved shame. It is a rare person who can handle the ups and downs of life with such resiliency. When surprised by joy or slammed with disappointment, David seemed to thrive because of his pursuit of God’s heart through it all. May we do the same!
Pray with me… Father God, you are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. We praise you for the good times and we praise you in the bad times. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Monday, June 30, 2014
6/30/14
Certainly one of the most dynamic and godly leaders in the Old Testament is Joseph. For years I have delivered a leadership talk based on an overview his life. From the time he was a young man of 17 years, he was profoundly influential in the lives of others. He ascended from a pit to the palace in Egypt. He was a prisoner who became the prime minister of the most significant country in the world at the time. He rose from obscurity to notoriety. What was the secret that enabled him to move up from the bottom of life’s barrel to the pinnacle of success? What empowered him and propelled him from anonymity to celebrity? There is a foundational trait revealed in chapters 37-50 of Genesis that marked Joseph’s life. It is indispensible for any effective leader.
Genesis 37:5 reveals, “Joseph had a dream.” This dream was the key to his impactful leadership in that generation. Okay, so how do you get a dream if you don’t have one? How do you get a vision of how God might be at work in you and through you to influence others? You open your heart to God in prayer and then you open your mind to the trustworthy counsel of others.
On Thursday and Friday, August 14 & 15, our church at Crossroads is a host site for the Global Leadership Summit. The teaching and counsel offered by some very gifted presenters, who are also proven leaders in business, government, entertainment and the Church, has the potential to ignite a passionate dream in you. I cannot think of an experience that would do more to allow the leader/influencer in you to rise up.
This experience is available to our church family at our special pricing as a host site church… $79 for the two days. Registration can be done online at cccgo.com. You will come away from this event with a dream!
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
Genesis 37:5 reveals, “Joseph had a dream.” This dream was the key to his impactful leadership in that generation. Okay, so how do you get a dream if you don’t have one? How do you get a vision of how God might be at work in you and through you to influence others? You open your heart to God in prayer and then you open your mind to the trustworthy counsel of others.
On Thursday and Friday, August 14 & 15, our church at Crossroads is a host site for the Global Leadership Summit. The teaching and counsel offered by some very gifted presenters, who are also proven leaders in business, government, entertainment and the Church, has the potential to ignite a passionate dream in you. I cannot think of an experience that would do more to allow the leader/influencer in you to rise up.
This experience is available to our church family at our special pricing as a host site church… $79 for the two days. Registration can be done online at cccgo.com. You will come away from this event with a dream!
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
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