Hope for Life Blog

In high school, I was a member of the National Honor Society. We met once to elect officers and once to induct new members. That’s all we did.

I am a member of a warehouse club. This allows me to make purchases at this store. I have no idea who else is a member, except that I can assume that other people who shop there are also members.

One of the credit cards I have calls me a member. They even run ads saying that “membership has its privileges.” If I’m going to be honest, however, I don’t feel any more a part of that card’s business than I do other cards that call me a client.

I’m a member of a group health insurance plan. I know some of the other members, for they work with me at Herald of Truth Ministries. But our ties don’t come from being members of this health plan, but from working in the same office.

I’m a member of the church of Christ. Not just the local group that has a sign out front saying “church of Christ,” but Jesus’ church around the world. The problem is, I have to figure out what that means, whether it’s like an honor society, an insurance plan, or something completely different.

The apostle Paul explains what it means to be a member: “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5) In fact, Paul says that we are members of the same body in several other letters as well. When we say that we are members of the church, we are saying that we are members of the body of Christ.

Like your hand is a member of your body. It’s not optional. It’s not unimportant. It’s an essential part of what the hand is. A severed hand ceases to be a living hand. In the same way, if we are truly members of the church, we are part of it and it becomes the definition of who we are. We are members of the body of Christ or we cease to be alive spiritually.

The many ways we use the word “member” can make us lose sight of the fact that we were called to be an essential part of the body of Christ. We’re not called to join a spiritual club. We’re called to be part of something much bigger, a vital part of a living organism.

I want to invite you to become a member of Jesus. Part of his body. Part of his church. Don’t join a church club. Come form with us the body of Christ.

If you aren’t sure if you are a member of Christ’s body or need help finding a local church, we can help you with that. Leave a comment or click on Contact Us at the top of this page.

I was standing near the gate waiting to board my flight when a man came running up demanding, “Am I too late?”  When he realized that nobody was boarding, he went to the ticket counter for an explanation.  The attendant explained that the gate assignment for his flight had been changed.  He was now at the wrong gate.  He showed her his boarding pass and continued to insist that this was his flight.  She continued to explain that if he boarded this flight he would not end up where he wanted to go.  Finally, he realized that he was wrong and sprinted off trying to reach the correct gate before the last boarding call.

I understood his confusion, being so sure I was right when I was not.  If he had done what he was sure was right, he would have been wrong.  It would not have mattered what anyone had told him was correct.  It would not have mattered that he was certain he was right.  The only way to his chosen destination was through the correct gate. 

Heaven is like that.  I sometimes hear people talk as if they can decide the correct way to God.  As if it is our decision how to repair our broken relationship with Him.  God is very clear about the correct way to reach heaven – through Jesus.  And the way to Jesus is clear – be born again.  It does not matter what anyone tells you, or even what you are convinced is right.  God is the only one who can fix our relationship with Him.  And He makes it clear how to do that.  The only way to do that.

So why listen to me?  It really doesn’t matter what I say.  And you are right.  Do not assume that I am telling you the correct way to heaven.  See what God said.  If you would like to know more about what God says about the only way back to Him, I’ll be happy to share where He said it.  So you can see it for yourself, know it for yourself, and be certain for yourself.  Not because someone told you, but because God told you. 

Blessings,

steve

Without a doubt, my favorite subject in elementary school was recess. I loved all sorts of sports, so I enjoyed every moment that we spent running and playing on the fields around our school.

Well, almost every moment. There were those awful times of torture and humiliation, of anxiety and embarrassment: the moments when we were picking teams.

Even though I loved sports, I lacked basic hand-eye coordination. I was bad at sports. Really bad. I could get away with it in basketball because of my height, but in the other activities, I wouldn’t be chosen until after most of the girls had been picked. Those minutes of waiting and watching were pure anguish.

Then, when I was about 12, a wondrous thing happened. My motor skills caught up with my growth. My years of constantly playing sports began to pay off, and I became one of the desirable picks. Then the times of choosing sides became much more enjoyable. It’s a good feeling to be chosen.

As I go through life, I find that there are still times when I’m waiting to be chosen. Sometimes it’s when I’ve applied for a job that I’m interested in. Sometimes it’s when I’m at a social gathering, looking for someone to engage in conversation. Sometimes it’s when a committee is being formed or a group is gathering to work on a project. Even today, these moments can be nerve-wracking. Will I be chosen?

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (Ephesians 1:3-4)

God chose us before the creation of the world. No need for nervousness. No need for anxious waiting. We’ve been chosen. Chosen by God. The world may give us a thumbs up or a thumbs down. People may select us or they may pass us by. It doesn’t really matter. We’ve been chosen by God.

God chose you. He wants you to be on his team, more than that, He wants to make you a part of His family. It’s a good feeling to be chosen.

I recently drove across the border from Idaho into Oregon and I was telling my Oregon friends about the incredible beauty I observed driving through the mountains.  They thought I must have gotten lost, but I insisted I drove straight there.  Then they laughed at me.  What I was calling “mountains”, they described as foothills.  Of course, we were describing the same view… just from different perspectives.  Being from West Texas, those foothills seemed to me like mountains.  And my friends often drive thru the Rocky Mountains, so these foothills seem like gentle inclines. 

I wonder if this illustrates the difficulty that Christians have communicating with those who do not believe Jesus really is the Son of God.  As a Christian, my view of this life is different.  I see this life as the shadow of what is to come.  Eternal life with Christ is my reality.  End of life issues are not a time of critical crisis.  Economic crisis is not a matter of panic and despair.  Sickness and natural disaster can be faced secure in the knowledge that God is in charge.  This world is not my home; it is not where I am most comfortable.  I will always be a stranger and a pilgrim here.

But for my non-believing friends, these things are incredibly frightening and disturbing.  For them, this life is their reality.  So sickness, death, economic crisis, natural disasters, and other life situations do become overwhelming and unmanageable.  From their perspective, how could they not be? 

And how strange we Christians must seem:  how out of touch with reality.  Yet, our world view makes perfect sense to us.  It is hard for us to understand how anyone can fail to see how much better our reality is.  Some of us with a Christian perspective remember what it was like when saw things from a different perspective.  We chose to change.

So if you wonder how we Christians can see things the way we do, I’d like to visit with you.  I’d enjoy sharing my perspective with you.  And I would like to hear yours  It is a conversation worth having. 

Blessings,

steve

I remember the first time I broke a wall.

It came as quite a shock. I rode my bike back and forth to elementary school each day. When I would come home, as I was putting my bicycle away, I liked to bounce the front tire off the garage wall. It was fun to do that with a bit of speed, giving me a nice satisfying jolt.

One day, however, I hit the wall with a bit too much speed. To my dismay, the sheetrock gave way, leaving a jagged hole in the wall. I had broken the wall.

As an adult, that’s not that big of a surprise. Sheetrock has a breaking point. But to a kid, that was a shocking discovery. Walls were solid. Solid things didn’t break. You could rely on walls and doors and counters to always support you.

My understanding of the world changed that day. I don’t want to be too overdramatic, but it’s true. I’m sure it wasn’t the first such discovery nor was it the last, but it’s one that stands out in my mind. Something that I thought I could depend on turned out to be more fragile than I thought.

So what are you depending on? What is solid in your world? Are you depending on yourself, on your own strength? On your health? On your ability to provide for your family?

Do you depend on the government? Is your confidence resting on military forces and police forces that protect you? Are you counting on politicians to look out for your every need?

What is solid in your world? Relationships? Money? Work? Almost all of us have learned that these things have a breaking point, like the sheetrock in our garage wall when I was a kid. Solid is relative.

Unless, of course, your life is built around God. God neither bends nor breaks. He doesn’t change. He doesn’t disappear. He doesn’t fail.

God is the only “solid” that is truly solid. All other things will let us down; the unchanging God will be there until the end of time.

Build your life on a solid foundation. Base your future on God and His promises.

She was about seven years old, in the group of Vacation Bible School kids listening to me tell the story of Joseph.  Joseph was spoiled and clearly the favorite son.  It made his brothers so mad that they wanted to kill him.  So I asked if anyone in the class ever fought with their brothers and sisters.  She held up her hand, then said that her sister was mean to her and never told her she loved her.  The next words are the ones I will always remember:  “…but I love her anyway because she’s still my sister.”

I wonder how long until she grows up and deals with reality.  After all, we adults know better than that, don’t we?  We know that people are mean, you can’t trust anyone, life’s not fair, you can’t be nice to everyone or they’ll take advantage of you.  Pretty dogs sometimes bite, life’s hard, and then you die.  Cynical.  Unhappy.  Selfish.

 So when did we change?  What happened to the pure, innocent hearts we had as children?  Life happened.  People hurt us.  We made poor choices.  We did things we should not have. We did not do things we should have.  And sometimes we wish things could be like they were before we became so cynical. We wish we could be like the child we were:  innocent, loving, pure.     

 Jesus said if we become like little children, we can enter the kingdom of heaven.  He helps us do that.  He came to make all things new, including us.  He makes us pure – innocent again.  He forgives the wrong choices.  He teaches us to see people differently.   He restores our soul.  He gives us hope.  He gives us life.  He makes it possible to be born again.

So if you have ever wished your life could be different, if you have ever wished you could be different, if you ever wished you could be like a little child again… then Jesus is for you.  

What do you think?

steve

If we read about the first part of Howard Hughes’ life, it’s hard not to envy the man. In 1966, he was named the richest person in the world. His fortune is estimated to have been worth more than $40 billion in today’s dollars.

On a trip to Las Vegas, Hughes had a disagreement with the owner of one casino. His answer? He bought the casino and several around it. Money was his answer for everything.

Hughes was also nicknamed the world’s greatest womanizer. He dated various beautiful Hollywood actresses, including Ginger Rogers, Olivia de Havilland, and Katherine Hepburn.

In his prime, Hughes was a daring aviator and tireless tinkerer who spurred science to new heights. He was an industrialist, entrepreneur, and world record setter. His wooden plane, the Spruce Goose, was the largest amphibious plane ever built, and was taller and wider than any aircraft in history.

Surely this was a man who had it all. Despite all of that, Hughes lived his last twenty years in reclusion. He refused to appear in public or to be photographed. He became an extreme hypochondriac, with an unnatural fear of germs. He was only seen by his doctors and his personal servants. He refused to cut his hair, his beard or his nails.

It was a miserable life. When he died, he was a wretched skeleton of a man, who died outside the presence of family or friends.

Money is not the answer to everything. It can’t purchase happiness. It can’t bring us peace. It can’t even prolong our lives.

Jesus said, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21).

The apostle Paul said something similar when he wrote:

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

Howard Hughes had money, but he didn’t have what Paul calls “the life that is truly life.” He had a dismal imitation of life that no one would choose for themselves.

If your life is built around money and the things it can obtain, you’ll never know what true life is. If your treasure isn’t being stored up in heaven, it will come to be worthless to you one day. You need God and the riches he can give. You need to build your life around the things that will never lose value, that will never fail to satisfy.

You need God.

Preventative care.  That’s what my dentist calls these every six month visits.  They clean my teeth.  Sometimes they take x-rays to look for problems.  They remind me to floss.  Then I write a check.  I am always tempted to skip these visits.  It is not like I refuse to go to the dentist.  If I get a toothache, or have a problem, I would be there as soon as I could.  He reminds me that if I keep doing preventative care, I won’t have to come see him because something is wrong.  Take care of things now and avoid the major work later.

It makes sense and the smart thing to do is to follow his advice.  In fact, you would think I don’t value my teeth if I neglected them until I had a problem.  So why not apply that same principle to our relationship with God?  Why neglect the everyday care of that relationship, but quickly ask God for help when life gets difficult.  Maybe regular attention to what God says would prevent major problems in my life.   And if I talked to God on a daily basis I would be more equipped to face life’s problems. 

I wonder how God feels when I neglect to regularly put attention on my relationship with Him.  God does not desire our relationship with Him to only be about crisis management.  He wants us in a relationship that includes regular care and maintenance.  He is certainly capable of handling the crisis in my life.  He has proved that.  But that is not the extent of our connection. 

I like my teeth so I will keep up my daily brushing and flossing.   I will continue my regular dental check-ups.  I’ll be healthier and happier for it.  And I am going to give daily attention to my relationship with God.  I’ll be healthier and happier for it … both now and forever.

Blessings,

steve

I really enjoy the World Cup of soccer (or football or fútbol or however you choose to call it). I never have particularly enjoyed the different soccer leagues around the world, but there is something special about international soccer. It has an excitement that the regular games lack.

I remember the 1990 World Cup. I was living in Córdoba, Argentina. My colleagues and I had an office downtown where we would talk to people about the Bible and Christianity. Like good foreigners, we chose to keep the office open during the World Cup games, even though the streets were virtually empty of traffic.

On July 3, Argentina played Italy in a semifinal match. Since no one was coming to the office, I decided to slip into the coffee shop next door to watch the game. The tiny shop was packed with people, but I managed to find an empty chair. We watched as the two teams battled back and forth, ending regulation in a 1-1 tie and neither team scoring in the extra periods.

Then came the penalty kicks to decide the winner. The teams traded shot after shot, until the Argentine goalie came up with the stop that ended the game. The coffee shop exploded in cheers. I found myself hugging everyone around me, even though I didn’t know anyone. We weren’t strangers… we were part of the team that was in the World Cup final!

It’s interesting to see the bonds that sports can create. People who have never met treat one another as long lost friends because of their common loyalties.

During his ministry on earth, Jesus spoke to his disciples about something similar. He told them: “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age” (Mark 10:29-30)

I’ve found that to be true. God has given me the chance to travel widely, and around the world I’ve found that I had a home and I had family. People who hadn’t met me before have offered me a bed to sleep in, given me a place at their table, and made me to feel like family.

The sense of community I felt in that Argentine coffee shop was short lived. The euphoria faded, and we went our separate ways. The family ties among God’s people never goes away. Christians aren’t perfect, and our dealings with one another aren’t either. But we are family.

You’ve been invited to be a part of this community. God wants to adopt you as his child, making you a member of his family.