NewLife Community Church

"Hot Links..." Highlights

 On Thursday, I wrote a response to, well, the responses to President Obama's statement on same-sex marriage... what follows is some excerpts from that post. (If you'd like to read the whole thing - entitled "Hot Links w/a Side of Political & Spiritual Opinions" - it's on my personal blog.)

on getting our news from TV & radio...

We've learned some very bad habits from both the mainstream media and from conservative talk radio regarding the "art" of yanking quotes out of context - if it's bad Biblical exegesis (and it is!) to prooftext, then it's bad form to do it with our political discussions as well. 

Of course it's OK to quote public figures in order to expose their hypocrisy - there's no ethical, moral or Biblical problems with that. But we must do so while preserving the context & tone of their original remarks.

on attacking the person rather than discussing Biblical truth...

What in the world makes us think that by attacking our political opponents that people will suddenly say, "Oh, wow - you know, I've never seriously considered the claims of Christianity... but hearing you trash the President I voted for has totally opened my eyes to my need for grace & forgiveness"?

on grace & love (from Ed Stetzer)...

Building bridges and showing grace and love is needed, lacking, and essential when dealing with people with different views and values.

Some Christians seem driven by the need to take every opportunity to condemn homosexuality. Instead, I do not think you or I need to begin every conversation with a statement of our opposition of homosexuality. We can, indeed, show grace and friendship to those who struggle, while believing and teaching what the scriptures clearly say. Without hiding our beliefs, we need to look for opportunities to have conversations, build relationships, and show grace.

on what I believe...

I really do believe that:

• pornography
• heterosexual sex between two unmarried people (fornication)
• prostitution
• heterosexual sex between a married person & someone who is not their spouse (adultery)
• polygamy
• group sex
• homosexual sex

...are all sexual sin of equivalent weight, regardless of the orientation and/or inclinations of the person(s) involved. They may have different consequences in a temporal sense - what effect they have during our lives on this earth - but they all have the same spiritual consequence. A quick example to clarify: someone who downloads pornographic pictures is less likely - at least at the early stages of the behavior - to have less emotional & physical health consequences than a prostitute. But both the streetwalker & the upstanding businessman with a hard drive full of downloaded videos are in the same boat spiritually - they've sinned.

Sin, btw, is not simply "doing bad stuff" or "doing stuff Mark doesn't like" or "doing stuff that is distasteful to someone/thing who has set themselves up as a moral authority." Man, I wish it was that easy - we could just change authority figures & get a new set of rules to live by.

According to Ephesians 2:1, you were "dead in your trespasses & sins." The two Greek words are paraptoma (trespasses) and hamartia (sins). The definition of paraptoma means "to go off the path, to wander," while hamartia means to "miss the mark or target." The implication is that sin is failing to be the people we were designed to be - people of purity & honor & integrity.

God created man & woman and the marriage relationship not only for our pleasure & for procreation, but also to act as a picture of His love for us... and same-sex marriage warps that picture just as surely as adultery does. We've missed the mark... we are, as the old hymn writer put it, "prone to wander."

This means that we have to approach the conversation in a different way - this is NOT about "homosexuality vs heterosexuality." It is about marriage between a man & a woman vs a plethora of lesser & more destructive options - one of those being same-sex marriage.

Mother's Day Message (from Joe McKeever)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
     Romans 8:1

Mother's, if you are in Christ Jesus, you ought to have no fear of condemnation because of your standing of righteousness because of Christ's work on your behalf on the cross.

Mothers, even though you may feel you are...

• You are not condemned by messy homes.
• You are not condemned by your lack of desire to homeschool.
• You are not condemned by your personal sins.
• You are not condemned by the knowledge of how easy it is for you to love one child more than another.
• You are not condemned by your miscarriages.
• You are not condemned by your lack of desire to have more kids.
• You are not condemned by your inability to cook.
• You are not condemned by being divorced.
• You are not condemned by your desire to be alone, away from the kids for a time every. single. day.
• You are not condemned by your body, which may not be what it once was.
• You are not condemned by your failures as a mother.
• You are not condemned by your rebellious children.
• You are not condemned by the frustration of having to scrape mac & cheese off the kitchen floor. Again.
• You are not condemned by all the fears and tears which flirt with insanity and take you to the precipice of despair.
• You are not condemned by not being able to throw the party of the century for your kids.
• You are not condemned for not feeding your kids meals that could only be made after a trip to Whole Foods.
• You are not condemned by your need for a vacation.
• You are not condemned for not living up to the standards of your Mother or Mother-in-law.
• You are not condemned by the stares of those who have no kids when your kids erupt into volcanic screams in public places.

Mother's, though you may feel condemned, if you are in Christ, you are not condemned. Fight with this knowledge of what is real reality.

You are not condemned, because if you are in Christ, your identity...your righteousness is Christ alone. Therefore, enjoy the love and affection and acceptance of being a daughter perfectly loved with an unwavering love that flows from your Father in Heaven.

To all those who are without mothers...

• Do NOTHING as Husbands, Sons, Daughters, Mothers, Fathers, Mother-in-Laws, Father-in-Laws, friends, acquaintances and advice givers to diminish this reality. Nothing.

written by Joe McKeever

Reading is Fundamental

 

RiF is the oldest & largest non-profit literacy organization in the United States... and a child of the 1970s, I fond memories of hearing the phrase "reading is fundamental" on PSAs (public service announcements) between my Saturday morning cartoons. (For the record, I was a big fan of Wacky Racers & Hong Kong Phooey.)

Their current campaign is tied to a song ("Book People Unite" - led by rapper Consequence) and a very sweet video that goes with it - wherein a variety of literary characters let us know how important books can be in the life of children.

One book can make a difference
One book can inspire a child (writing on the wall)
One book can be the fundamental thing (reading’s fundamental)
That helps to change a life
Book People Unite

I completely agree - literacy is an important component in being able to function in our society. Like I posted on my Facebook page: "Read a book to your kids today. Much better use of your time than expanding your Farmville empire."

But for the folks here at NewLife, I want to go one more step with this - a step the folks at RiF didn't intend. Books can make a difference, yes... but there is literally one book that can literally change a life - the Bible. It can make a difference, it can inspire, it is the fundamental thing in retooling our hearts & minds to ready us for transformation through the power of God.

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12, AMP)

There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. (2nd Timothy 3:15-17, MSG)

We need to be Book People, united in our love for Jesus and the mission He has set before this church: "connecting our community to a passionate new life in Christ." We need to be Loving People, Praying People, Serving People - banded together in order to see transformation not only in our own lives but in Easton and the Central Valley.

It's fundamental.

Quotes of the Week

Comparison is the thief of joy.
     tweeted by Jenny & Tyler (a very good musical duo, btw)

Transformed lives transform lives.
     Mike Palompo

Lorelei Gilmore, Bill Cosby, Multi-Player Jambo, Kris Kross & Change

Today's Grapevine is a product of my very long plane ride home this last Sunday... because when you have lots & lots of hours to sit staring at the back of the seat in front of you (conveniently inches from your face due to the guy in the preceding row leaning ALL the way back), you've got lots & lots of hours to free-associate from one seemingly unrelated thought to another.

Monkey Monkey

The seventh season of the TV show "Gilmore Girls" was mostly an exercise in passive-aggressive stupidity in pretty much all of the key relationships... but there was one shining moment when Lorelei, the mom, tried to explain why she can't write a character reference for someone (see it at http://www.myspace.com/video/becca/gilmore-way-of-life/6778370):

"My brain is a wild jungle full of scary gibberish. I'm writing a letter, I can't write a letter, why can't I write a letter? I'm wearing a green dress, I wish I was wearing my blue dress, my blue dress is at the cleaners. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue. Casablanca. 'Casablanca' is such a good movie. Casablanca, the White House, Bush. Why don't I drive a hybrid car? I should really drive a hybrid car. I should really take my bicycle to work. Bicycle, unicycle, unitard. Hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey, monkey, underpants!"

Alternately, this could be used to describe my state of mind during my 3rd airplane flight on Sunday... yes, third. As in "I got on my first plane at 5:30 pm EST and was just getting on my third plane at 10:30 PST... which felt like 1:30 am EST to me."

Buck Buck

Possibly one of the greatest comedy routines ever... (listen to it at http://vimeo.com/23617933) which contains the wonderful line:

I told you that story to tell you this one.
     Bill Cosby, "Buck Buck"

Which is kind of theme for this week's Grapevine. And you knew the Gilmore Girls story had to be going somewhere, right?

Waka Waka

So, mix in a serious case of jet lag, a brain that's jumping from thought to thought ("should I sleep? will the flight attendant give me a Coke Zero if I'm sleeping? what if I spill it on myself when I fall asleep?"), and the experience of playing over 100 games & learning nearly 60 new games in the last week... and my mental processes make Lorelei look like the very picture of a well-ordered mind.

One of those new games was Waka Waka, a game from Germany that someone described to me as "multi-player Jambo". (A bit of explanation is required here: Jambo is a two-player game - also from Germany but subsequently published in the U.S. - about trading goods & resources in Africa. Though it has no bearing on the story and/or my eventual spiritual point, I feel compelled to inform you that I have never actually played Jambo.)

Waka Waka is what gamers call an "inoffensive family game" - which is a nice way of saying that the decisions don't matter all that much and we didn't have much fun with the actual game... but there's nothing really wrong with it. It just kind of lies on the table and says: "I won't get in the way of your social interaction between turns." (For as [insert shoulder shrug here] as the game was, I had a great time with the guys I was playing it with... in no small part because we were trying to figure out the rules from an online 'machine' translation.)

Jump Jump

If you're of a certain age, you'll remember two African-American kids on MTV pretty every waking minute, reminding us over & over in their chart-topping single that "Kris Kross will make you jump, jump." (By the way, the song is actually named "Jump" and is not to be confused with the Van Halen song with the identical title. Huh - trying to picture David Lee Roth rapping... well, no.)

I apologize for starting you down the horrible earworm path. (An earworm is a song that once you hear it referenced sticks in your brain and won't let go.) If it's any consolation, I'll suggest a couple of others so you can pick & choose your mind's soundtrack for the day: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" or "It's a Small World After All".

Sorting Out the Jumbled Mess in My Brain

So, what does all of this have to do with each other? Is there something spiritual & meaningful going on here... or did I just ingest one too many cans of Coke Zero while buckled into a coach airline seat like a veal?

Let me 'splain. [pause] No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
     Inigo Montoya, "The Princess Bride"

I think there's a connection here... despite our brains being packed full of random stuff ("monkey monkey underpants"?!), I believe that God created us to hear from Him & follow Him. Sometimes, I wonder if the deluge of scattered images & ideas is part of the Enemy's way to distract us from hearing clearly from God. Other times, I think it's a clear indication of the powerful gift of thought God created us with - and has big plans for us to use for His glory.

The whole "wild jungle of scary gibberish" thing is just a starting point, though - in the words of the man in the cardigan sweaters, "I told you that story to tell you this one." If we can hear from God - even over the din of our own thoughts - then we can realize that we're not just playing a game with few significant decisions. We are in the midst of living a life that matters, where our decisions have consequences not only for us but for everyone around us. We have been set into the middle of a war.

I am staggered by the level of naivete that most people live with regarding evil. They don’t take it seriously. They don't live as if the Story has a Villain. Not the devil prancing about in red tights, carrying a pitchfork, but the incarnation of the very worst of every enemy you've met in every other story. Dear God -- the Holocaust, child prostitution, terrorist bombings, genocidal governments. What is it going to take for us to take evil seriously?
     John Eldredge, Epic

We are not simply trading goods & cash around, trying to better our position in a game where nobody gets hurt. We are living a real & meaningful life, a life in a world with sharp edges and tough choices and an Enemy who longs to hurt us in order to hurt the God who loves us & created us.

But God is not going to make us do anything - jump, dance, rap... even choose Him. We are given the opportunity to experience salvation, but He will not force it on us. For those who have declared loyalty to Him - those of us who call ourselves Christ-followers - He will work to make us more like His Son... and yet He still gives us real & meaningful choices.

But if you don’t want to worship the Lord, then choose right now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you’re living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you’ll worship their gods. I won’t. My family and I are going to worship and obey the Lord!
     Joshua 24:15 (CEV)

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
     Romans 12:2 (NLT)

This is not a test.

This is not a game.

This is real life.

And it's your turn.

Quote of the Week

One of the most poisonous of all Satan’s whispers is simply, “Things will never change.” That lie kills expectation, trapping our heart forever in the present. To keep desire alive and flourishing, we must renew our vision for what lies ahead. Things will not always be like this. Jesus has promised to “make all things new.” Eye has not seen, ear has not heard all that God has in store for his lovers, which does not mean “we have no clue so don’t even try to imagine,” but rather, you cannot outdream God. Desire is kept alive by imagination, the antidote to resignation. We will need imagination, which is to say, we will need hope.

     John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance

Transformed: Lives of the Saints

If you grew up Catholic, chances are pretty good you had a copy of Butler's Lives of the Saints somewhere around the house. (I grew up Southern Baptist - which means we add extra casserole dishes. Those of you who need this joke explained in more detail should think about how well we eat when we have a church potluck.) It's a book filled with stories about the various Catholic saints... their history, their miracles, and (in some editions) reflections on their legacy.

Without getting into a debate about the Roman Catholic practice of sainthood, I want to suggest to you that if you're a follower of Christ, you're living the life of a saint. No, I'm not saying you're the nicest person in Easton - or even on your street - but I do want you to consider what it says in the Bible about saints:

To the church (assembly) of God which is in Corinth, to those consecrated and purified and made holy in Christ Jesus, [who are] selected and called to be saints (God's people), together with all those who in any place call upon and give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours... (1st Corinthians 1:1-2 AMP)

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1st Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12 NIV)

Did you catch that? Being a saint - a holy one - isn't the exclusive gated community of super-spiritual people... it's the calling of every follower of Jesus Christ! You are:

• consecrated
• purified
• made holy
• selected
• called
• the temple of God's Holy Spirit
• chosen
• dearly loved

You are built for glory - not simply for survival. Neil Anderson says it well in his book Walking in Freedom:

He says in His Word that we are not sinners but saints who still have the capacity to sin. This is good news, because a saint can live righteously, but a sinner cannot.

You were designed for holiness... you, the followers of Christ, are his saints in Easton & the Central Valley. You can live leaning into Christ, being more like Christ, loving with the love of Jesus.

In other words, you're not stuck. You can be transformed.

Quote of the Week

Jesus demanded not a reformation of behavior, but a transformation of character.

     Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Hunting Eggs

There's an episode of the Gilmore Girls TV series where the town numskull (Kirk) is given the job of hiding the Easter eggs in the square... but doesn't discover that the kids missed 50+ of the eggs until a couple of weeks later when they begin to stink up the town. What ensues is a second Easter egg hunt for the missing eggs.

 

Our hope here at NewLife is that you'll find out what Easter is all about this week - that'll you hear clearly & completely the incredible truth of Jesus' death on the cross for our sins and His resurrection from the tomb. We no longer need to search for a ladder to climb to heaven since God in the person of Jesus Christ came down to us & for us.

 

Maybe you're not reading this till a couple of weeks post-Easter, however - and maybe you missed out on experiencing a transforming experience with Jesus Christ. Please know that you aren't limited to religious holidays or Sunday morning services to cross the line of faith and become a follower of Jesus Christ. Just like Luke helped Kirk find the final 12 eggs, God is more than willing to help you find Him... all you have to do is ask.

Smoke & Mirrors

Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there's no resurrection, there's no living Christ. And face it—if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there's no resurrection.

If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries...

If there's no chance of resurrection for a corpse, if God's power stops at the cemetery gates, why do we keep doing things that suggest he's going to clean the place out someday, pulling everyone up on their feet alive?

And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I'd do this if I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? Do you think I was just trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it wouldn't be the end of me? Not on your life! It's resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there's no resurrection, "We eat, we drink, the next day we die," and that's all there is to it. But don't fool yourselves. Don't let yourselves be poisoned by this anti-resurrection loose talk. 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, 29-33 (The Message)

It's Easter Sunday... and resurrection is at the very heart of the Christian faith. Paul said it best - if this is all a con job, the whole thing is as stable (and as useful) as a house of cards.

OTOH... if it's real - yowsa. Nothing will ever be the same again.

Maybe you're reading this & have some real doubts about the veracity of the resurrection: I'd recommend 3 books for you to study/read:

• The Case for Christ (Lee Strobel)
• The Case for the Real Jesus (Lee Strobel)
• The Resurrection of the Son of God (N.T. Wright)

Quotes of the Week

Every mistake, every pitfall, and every poor decision you could ever make has already been made & recorded somewhere in the pages of the Old & New Testaments. It may not match your situation detail for detail, but the principles will be right on target, and the solutions you need will be right at hand... Let me reiterate a deeper source of guidance than human counsel. Remember: Everything you have gone through, someone in the Bible has gone through before you.

• Wayne Cordeiro in Leading On Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion

I've sometimes wondered why Christians make such a big deal over the celebration of Christmas, esp. compared with Good Friday or Easter. It's true the magi provide a good precedent for the giving of valuable gifts. When they put me in charge of redesigning our culture, I'm going to design a holiday for which all the gifts are bought at great price on Good Friday and then appear on Easter morning, but mysteriously (perhaps even misleadingly) wrapped so everyone wonders, "What is that? What's going on?" That's where the first Easter Sunday began.

• Conrad Gempf in Mealtime Habits of the Messiah: 40 Encounters with Jesus

Don't Worry About Inviting Me

Don’t worry about inviting me to church this weekend.

Really.  I’ve been thinking about it.

I know we’re friends, and you go to church, but I know talking about your faith makes you uncomfortable.  At least, that’s the sense I get.  We talk about a lot of stuff, but whenever church or God comes up, you get – I don’t know, tense.  I’ve never understood why – it doesn’t weird me out as much as it does you – but I’m happy to relieve you of what is obviously something that makes you awkward.

Besides, what would I be missing?

It’s not like I’m an atheist – I’m not.  I believe in God.  I’m spiritual.  And I want to do better; I’d like to understand the Bible, be a better parent, have a closer marriage, maybe even volunteer for something that would help others.  But last time I went to church, that isn’t exactly what was offered.

Besides, we both know I’m not exactly a poster-child for Christianity.  I’ve got baggage.  I’ve got questions.  I don’t think church is exactly the kind of place for someone like me.

And I don’t want to have to dress up.

I don’t want to be hit on for money.

I don’t like organ music.

And on top of all that, I don’t really believe in hell, so I’m not even that worried about what happens after I die.  I’m sure that whatever life there is after death, it will turn out fine. 

As far as my kids go, I think I want to just give them the freedom to choose whatever religion they want, if any religion at all.  Church was boring for me when I had to go as a kid, so the last thing I want to do is drag them to one every week.  It turned me off to church, and I’m sure it would just do the same for them.  So it’s probably better if they just don’t go at all.

So don’t worry about trying to invite me to church.

It makes you awkward;
It won’t have anything to offer my life;
I couldn’t exactly come as I am;
I like wearing shorts;
I gave at the office;
I listen to Coldplay;
Hell is kind of a joke these days;
And my kids won’t like it.

Right?

But if, by chance, you think I have this all wrong,
then for God’s sake,

INVITE ME!

written by James Emery White & posted on his blog, Church & Culture

Quotes of the Week

It's a sad fact that the vast majority of people who sit in the pews on Sunday never tell anybody about Christ on Monday.
     David Jeremiah

I've seen far too many Christians who are more than willing to travel halfway around the world to volunteer for a week in an orphanage, but who cannot bring themselves to take the personal risk of sharing Jesus with the co-worker who sits day after day in the cubicle right next to them.
     Lee Strobel

One thing I have observed in all my years of ministry is that the most effective and important aspects of evangelism usually take place on an individual, personal level. Most people do not come to Christ as an immediate response to a sermon they hear in a crowded setting. They come to Christ because of the influence of an individual.
     John MacArthur

Two Weeks

Yes, Easter is two weeks away. Which means it's time to dig around in your cabinets & find where you hid the plastic eggs. It's time to decide whether or not you're going to buy a new dress (or, if you're a dude, let your wife shop for you & buy you a new shirt and tie). It's time to stock up on Cadbury Eggs (the kind with the gooey centers) in preparation for the long Cadbury Egg-less summer ahead.

And it's way past time to be getting ready spiritually to celebrate the most important holiday on the Christian calendar. Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ... that is, it's our yearly reminder that a tomb in the city of Jerusalem that had held the body of an executed rabbi was empty. It reminds us that not only did Christ die for our sins but He rose again to show us that death has no hold on those who give their lives completely to Him.

Like any holiday in our commercialized product-placement filled world, the real Easter story can get buried in the avalanche of rabbits & chocolate & fake plastic grass. I'm not telling you to renounce your Easter Egg hunt - but I am suggesting that you spend as much (if not more!) time & energy on preparing your heart for Easter as you do poking candy in brightly colored eggs.

Here's some things you can do over the next two weeks to do just that:

• read through the Passion Week stories in the Bible - those are the stories that tell of the week leading up to Jesus' death & resurrection
  • Matthew 21 - 28
  • Mark 11 - 16
  • Luke 19 - 24
  • John 12 - 20
• take time to read the stories about Jesus' death & resurrection to your kids - you'll appreciate the reminder for yourself (in simple easy-to-understand language) and it's a great thing to help remind your children about what we're celebrating
• begin praying about how you can serve & share this Easter (more on that in a minute)

Two Weeks - Serve

You know how it is when guests come over... there's lots to do in order to get the place ready and welcome them in. That's just as true for Easter Sunday here at NewLife - it is always our largest attended Sunday of each year.

On Easter Sunday morning, we need folks who are willing to greet people, who can help out with the kids (there will be a lot of them!), who will make sure coffee cart is set up & stocked, and who can man a table or two to let people know more about some of our activities.

As well, we could use some folks who are willing to weed & clean & tidy up around the place so it looks welcoming.

Are you one of those those people!?

Two Weeks - Share

In order for us to have guests, we have to invite them... and that's where all of you come in. Please take every opportunity over the next couple of weeks to invite friends, family, co-workers, whoever! to join us on Easter Sunday morning at 11 am. 

That Sunday morning will be one where I preach about the Resurrection... and about how that resurrection power is available to transform our lives right now. You know people in your life who need to hear that Jesus can help them make a U-turn... that they are not doomed because of past mistakes. (Hey, that might even be you!)

Your invitation could change some one's life... for eternity. 

Quote of the Week

Ten thousand steps.

Roughly, that's the distance you travel sunrise to sunset, each and every day of your life. It adds up to about 115,000 miles in a lifetime — or more than four times around this big blue planet of ours.

With that said, just one question: Are you using your steps wisely?

Assume the average distance across most rooms is 20 feet — about 10 steps. The question I hope to answer is this: What if 10 steps — just one one-thousandth of your daily average — could actually impact eternity?

If so, it might well change the way you walk.

     from Bill Hybels' book on sharing your faith, Just Walk Across the Room

Does Exactly...

There's a very British series of television advertisements from an U.K. company named Ronseal (they make varnishes & wood stains) that I just discovered this week. You know the kind of ads (and humor) I'm talking about if you've watched PBS rebroadcasts of Brit sitcoms. They've got a quirky & understated whimsy about them... and what is evidently a tag line so powerful that it has entered common usage in Britain - "Does exactly what it says on the tin." (It's the rough equivalent of our "Where's the beef?" or "Time to make the doughnuts.")

"Does exactly what is says on the tin" reminded me of one of our 40 Days in the Word memory verses (James 1:22)... so here it is in a variety of translations & paraphrases...

• Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (NIV)
• Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what y ou hear! (MSG)
• But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. (NLT)
• Obey God's message! Don't fool yourselves by just listening to it. (CEV)
• Don’t I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. (Phillips)
• Just reading the coaching manual doesn't get you to peak fitness. Get off your backside & do it! (the word on the street)

God is calling us (through the book of James) to do & be "exactly what it says in the Book" - people who live out what they believe rather than people who have learned how to speak Christianese and have their Sunday mornings free. 

40 Days in the Word will be a colossal waste of time if it produces more Bible reading without producing more Bible doing... are you wasting your time or are you getting off your backside & doing exactly what it says!?

Quotes of the Week

Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.

     James 1:22 (GNB)

The worst thing about self-deception is that we are the last to know.

     Cross Walk Life

Self-exaltation naturally follows self-deception.

     Forerunner Commentary

The child who is patted on the back for doing a lesson well, the woman whose beauty is praised by her lover, the saved soul to whom Christ says, ‘well done,’ is pleased and ought to be. For here the pleasure lies not in what you are but in the fact that you have pleased someone you wanted (and rightly wanted) to please. The trouble begins when you pass from thinking, ‘I have pleased him; all is well,’ to thinking, ‘what a fine person I must be to have done it.

     C.S. Lewis

This Week @ NewLife: March 5th - 11th

Monday the 5th

• Young Adult 40 DitW Group - postponed (date TBD)

Tuesday the 6th

• 11 am - AM Adults 40 DitW Group [senior adult classroom]
• 6:30 pm - Fresno Gamers [room location TBD]

Wednesday the 7th

• 10 am - Funeral for Roy Rice [graveside @ Fresno Memorial]
• 11 am - meal for Rice family & friends [social hall]
• 5:30 pm - Prayer Gathering [office]
• 6:15 pm - Church Council [office]

Thursday the 8th

• 1:05 pm - FCA Lunch [Immanuel Lutheran social hall]
• 6:30 pm - 40 DitW Group [Gonzales' home]
• 7 pm - Youth 40 DitW [gym]

Friday the 9th

• 8:30 am - 40 DitW Group [Jackson home]
• 6:30 pm - 40 DitW Group [Ortiz home]

Saturday the 10th

• SPRING FORWARD at midnight! (Daylight Savings Time)

Sunday the 11th

• 9 am - Care Team Meeting [office]
• 9:45 am - Bible Study
• 11 am - Worship Service: 40 Days in the Word - Understanding the Meaning of a Text
• 12:30 pm - Church Council (vision & values) [office]

Upcoming Events

• Sunday, March 18th - Youth Camp Lunch/Silent Auction Fundraiser 
• Sunday, April 8th - Easter Sunday
• Saturday, May 5th - May Day Outreach
• June 11th-15th - CentriKid Camp
• June 18th-23rd - Vacation Bible School
• July 30th-August 4th - STRAM Youth Camp