"How Secure is Your Freedom?"

I hope you have a very happy Independence Day! I also hope you will consider this question as you celebrate: What if my freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others? Think about that...your freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others.

On Friday night I went to the WPAF Tattoo at which one of our Brother's in Christ, Bernie Delong, was honored for his service during the Korean War. On Sunday, Karen Alexander, gave me the Afghanistan address for her son, Jake, who is now serving his country in combat. I am quite sure these two men understand the implications of this question: What if my freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others?

You see, it is easy in the Land of the Free to not give much thought to all the other lands that make up this world that are not free and to think, "Well, that is too bad, but thank God for our freedom." However, every soldier on the front lines today understands in a very real way that the lack of freedom of others puts our freedom and their lives at stake every day.

Do you see what I mean? Your freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others. For instance, the human trafficking market is bringing in around 34 billion dollars a year. For years, people have been sold as sex and labor slaves around the world and yet little noise was made about it here in our country. And while our heads were turned to this sin, it moved into our homeland. People are now trafficked through the US into slavery. When we turn our heads to the bondage of others, Hell starts building a prison camp in our own backyards.

Furthermore, as Followers of Christ we have been given a freedom that is greater than any country, including our own, will ever know. However, our freedom in Christ (and our freedom as a nation for that matter) does not give us permission to be apathetic toward the lack of freedom toward others. I am so thankful to be a part of a church family that not only believes that but dares to live that! Thank you! Praise God for you!

That is the point of this Sunday's Pancake Breakfast! It is a reminder to us as Living Hope Church that in Christ we are never given permission for any reason to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others whether they be next door or a continent away. Sunday is a tangible way for all who participate to step down from the sidelines and get involved in doing something for 30,000 children who die every day in a world that throws 30% of its food away. Sunday is also about witness. It is a chance for us to say, "We did not cancel worship services for a Pancake Breakfast. No, this pancake breakfast is a worship service!"

If you missed the video on Sunday or want to see what we did not have time to show, go to nomorehunger.us and click on videos. It is the "Sam and Esther" story.

See you Sunday any time between 8-10 AM. Invite lots of friends and family and let's BE the CHURCH!

"Through"

What if many people encounter a crisis of faith and some even lose faith simply because of a failure to understand the importance of one word. That word is "THROUGH." For instance, take a look at Isaiah 43 which serves as one among many examples of the place of "THROUGH" in our journey with Christ.

Isaiah 43: ¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

The Bible and, in particular, the above verses are full of God's promise to we his children. He promises us that he will be with us, he will not allow the waters to sweep us over or the flames to set us ablaze. However, he does not promise we will not go THROUGH the waters, rivers and fires. If anything, he is very honest with us. He says here that it is not if, but when we face the waters and the fire that he will sustain us with his presence.

I wonder how many people get mad at God or believe he no longer cares because some where along the way they were not informed of the THROUGH. Our Faith is a THROUGH faith. As Followers of Christ we are not exempt from or somehow protected from going THROUGH the waters and the fire. Jesus put it must straight forward when he said, "In this world you will have trouble." If you live in this world, you will walk through the waters and fires. God promises us that.

Our faith becomes real to life when we come to expect, believe and reply on God's promise to us in whatever we go THROUGH. He promises to be with us. He will go to hell and back with us...he will never leave us...we need never go it alone. He promises not to allow the waters to sweep over us. We may be neck deep in the THROUGH, but he promises to give us what we need, when we need it (not before) as the waters rise. No matter how hot it gets as you walk THROUGH the fire he promises you will not need to stop, drop or roll. Rather He will give strength, resources, hope and more so that you can keep on walking until you come out on the other side.

When we accept the THROUGH of life and what that means for our faith see the water rising and the fire spreading, instead exerting what little energy we have on wondering why God does not care or blaming God for what he has allowed, we can use that same energy to look where God is and what he has promised to do for us in the THROUGH.

What are you going THROUGH right now? Isaiah 43 is God's word of promise to you! Why not pause, meditate on it and give God a chance to make that ancient promise personal.

"What if?"

What if the difference between those who see God working where others do not even see God has to do with the "what if?" The Bible, from beginning to end, is a story of people daring to pray and live out the, "What if?"

Noah asked, "What if that really is God telling me to build a huge ship in the middle of the desert?

Abraham asked, "What if its not too late for me and my 90 year old wife to have a baby of our own?"

Joseph asked, "What if my own brothers selling me off as a slave was the best thing that could have ever happened not just for me but for my whole family; including my brothers?"

Moses asked, "What if I did give up shepherding, walk into Egypt and say, "God says let my people go?"

Joshua asked, "What if marching around Jericho could bring down walls?"

Ruth asked, "What if staying with a bitter mother-in-law in her grief is the right thing to do?"

Samuel asked, "What if a shepherd boy that no one else sees as anything but ever being a shepherd could be greatest king of Israel?"

David asked, "What if God can forgive adultery and murder in such a real way that you become known as 'a man after God's own heart'?

Nehemiah asked, "What if we stopped talking about rebuilding the temple and started actually doing it?"

Job asked, "What if instead of cursing God in my pain, I kept on trusting him?"

Isaiah asked, "What if God could take my unclean lips and use them to to turn God's people back to his love and way?"

Daniel asked, "What if I remain faithful to God even if it means the lion's den?"

Hosea asked, "What if marrying a prostitute will preach louder than any message I could ever preach?"

Shepherds asked, "What if God is as close as a baby in a manger?"

Peter, Andrew, James and John asked, 'What if there is more to life than making a living?"

Matthew asked, "What if God is not afraid to hang out with sinners like me?"

Paul asked, "What if God did not come to save a people but all people; what if in God's eyes there is no Jew or Greek, rich or poor, male or female?"

James asked, "What if trials are a reason to rejoice?"

John asked, "What if Jesus is knocking on the heart of the church, but he will only knock so long before he returns?"

The list of biblical examples could go on and on...The real question is will we carry on the example? Will we dare to pray and ask the, "What if?" Its no surprise that those who do are the ones who see God working where others can't even see God.

What would your what if be this week? Email me your, "what if's?"

Here is one to get us started: What if this summer Living Hope Church and Franklin Church in working with Kids Against Hunger could offer children something more than dirt to eat in Jesus name?

"Beauty in the Rain"

I am a sunshine and blue sky person. I do not handle gray and gloomy days very well. However, as a Father I try to teach my kids to see what even I have trouble seeing so that eventually one day they will be able to see better than I. So, whenever it is a rainy day I tell Anna and Seth, "Look at how God is helping the flowers, trees and grass grow. Thank you, Jesus, for the rain!" I say it as much to convince me as I do to teach them. Then, last night the four of us were taking a walk and it began to sprinkle. Anna said, "This will help us have beautiful flowers and help the grass grow." I smiled to myself and thought, "Now she is teaching me."

It is a lesson we are all well served to learn. Obviously it is natural for all of us to want sunny, blue sky days, but we also know that "in this life," as Jesus said, "you will have trouble." Dark clouds will roll in and the rain will fall. And when it does I am confronted with a question, "Am I willing...am I able... to find beauty in the rain?" It is not a beauty that you celebrate so much as it is a beauty that you respect. Just as rain has its place in nature so can it have its place in our lives. It does not mean that we have to enjoy it or want it, it just means that since we know life's rain will fall we can either curse it or some how, by God's grace, learn from it.

Today I have attached this link. It is a song called, "Bring the Rain." This song sings it better than I can write it. I invite you to set aside a few minutes today to stop everything, close your eyes and just listen. As you listen to the song, invite Jesus to let you hear his voice. What do you need to hear about the rain in your life? Can you find beauty in the rain? I welcome you to share your own story with me. Here is the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU

"The Hardest, Easiest Thing"

Today I attended the Funeral of Vic Cassano. Around here his name is a household word because of his success with his business, Cassano's Pizza. However, around Living Hope, some of us had the chance to get to know the man behind the "Pizza King," through his son, Chris, and family. Vic would occasionally worship with us here even though he was a devout Catholic. I always knew that when he visited he would hunt me down after the service to ask questions about the sermon. We had some really good after-service conversations.

Today one of those conversations really stands out. I see a man like Vic and I think to myself, "There is a man who has it all together. He is successful and he makes it look easy." However, Vic was the first to admit that his personal life and his business life had its share of ups and downs. For instance, Vic had polio when he was a child and had the last rites. He also faced major set backs over the years in his business. But it was through those setbacks that he learned the hardest, easiest thing to do.

He explained it to me this way one day after a worship service: "Chad,I can tell you a day that my life and my faith took a major turning point." He then described a series of major set backs in his life and business. He said, "I kept praying for God to fix this and give me that." Then he said, "One Sunday my Priest was talking about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night he was arrested. As Jesus sweat blood he prayed, "not my will, but yours." Vic said,"All of the sudden it hit me. I was praying for the wrong thing. I was praying for what I thought I needed, when what I needed to do was give it over to God and ask him to give me his will. His will is always best isn't it? "

"I believe so, " I said.

He said, "Me too. From that day on I learned that when things are not going well, the best prayer for me to pray is not what I think should happen but to trust him to give me what he knows is best."

It was obvious Vic was not just saying empty words. He was speaking from real faith and life experience. This is how Jesus had taught him to live and he lived it!

Friends, that is the hardest , easiest thing to do. It is the hardest because it is so hard to come to the point where we trust that God's will is better than our own. It is the easiest because the more you let go, give something fully into God's hands and trust his will more than your own, the more you get see God move and work in ways that you could not have even imagined.

I have found this to be true in my life. Peace, joy, hope, strength, freedom...it is all available to us through Jesus Christ every moment of every day. He is withholding nothing from us...he gave everything for us. But every time I find myself lacking it is because I am holding on to something that belongs in his hands.

You can trust his will. It may not always be what is most comfortable or desirable for the moment, but eventually we will find what Jesus showed us...when we pray God's will even death can't hold back a Resurrection...a fresh start...new life...hope eternal!

Who needs to do the hardest, easiest thing in the world today? Who is holding on to something and all the worrying, trying and crying can't change? Its as hard and simple as praying, "Father, not my will, but yours."

Today I need that prayer. I am wound tight with stress. I am holding onto things that the Father is wiling to hold for me. I trust his will. "Father, you know...I give you....not my will, but yours."

Vic it was an honor to begin to get to know you. I wish we had more time. Thank you for reminding me of the hardest, easiest thing in the world. You are right...it works!