tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7403993975482328502024-03-05T14:57:12.939-08:00Centered on ChristJohn Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-33458494008507896182014-07-02T14:30:00.000-07:002014-07-02T14:30:12.444-07:00Signs of Prayer Idolatry (part 1)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When is prayer dangerous to our spiritual health? When prayer itself becomes our idol. There are several signs that evidence prayer idolatry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Sign #1-Prayer becomes a substitute word for God.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My attention was drawn to this several years ago in preparing for the National Day of Prayer. The theme was "Prayer, America's
Hope." That is not theologically correct. Highlighting this wrong focus was the Scripture quoted in support of the theme, Psalm 33:22 "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you." Clearly our hope is
in The Lord alone, not in prayer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Prayer is not America's hope, God is. It says so right in that text. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The difference is subtle, but critical. It is not semantics, it's idolatry. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Sign #2-Prayer becomes the end rather than the means to an end. </b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I regularly meet
Christians with a zealous fervor for prayer. At face value, it is
commendable. Sadly I fear that sometimes their passion puts prayer on the
throne, pushing Jesus to the side.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span>Emphasizing prayer this way is like putting all the focus on communication in relating to your spouse. What if your husband asked, "Do you love me?" and you answered, "I
talk to you every day for at least an hour." That would not be satisfactory. What if your wife asked, "Are you faithful to me?" and you said, "I call you during lunch when I'm at work." That would not be an answer. What if your spouse asked, "Do you value me above all
others?" A response of, "You are the first one I call
when I need help," would be inadequate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When well-intentioned Christians call the church to engage in prayer, we must beware of creating a tragically wrong emphasis. Jesus called us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind." Prayer is one way we interact with the One we love. He is the end, prayer is the means. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sign #3-Prayer becomes "The Work" of the church. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The slogan that "Prayer is the Work" can be misused. Recognizing it is vital to depend on God in prayer is one thing. Identifying prayer as the sum total of the work of the church is another. Prayer is not a replacement for mission. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As Matthew records Jesus' final instructions to the disciples 28:18-20, prayer is not mentioned. Going, discipling, baptizing, and teaching are. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Saying "Prayer is the work" is an
overstatement. Prayer is part of the work. It must play an integral role in the
Christian life, as an expression of worship, dependence, and relationship. But
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-15772363383918412982013-04-17T13:37:00.000-07:002013-04-17T13:37:11.767-07:00George Beverly Shea's Pulpit<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9PAPg808pJtPkFg1MBjIcN2BC3NGn2v7jNSKYIpI2WfffHfTyYbqcIH9LYIY6nQsdHzWlEBdmQ0QezyeOA-eMqsAiz8fsI3NeD-uCUOCBP_3o8FmusyT32zFgan_Kw2AhKC4BrXbgvY/s1600/GBShea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9PAPg808pJtPkFg1MBjIcN2BC3NGn2v7jNSKYIpI2WfffHfTyYbqcIH9LYIY6nQsdHzWlEBdmQ0QezyeOA-eMqsAiz8fsI3NeD-uCUOCBP_3o8FmusyT32zFgan_Kw2AhKC4BrXbgvY/s320/GBShea.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For 10 years, I pastored The Village Church, in the Chicago suburb
of Western Springs. It was the church where Billy Graham pastored long before. In 1944, George
Beverly Shea was connected there too as the featured soloist of the radio
program “Songs in the Night,” which was broadcast live from the church
basement. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fifty years later, when I arrived as pastor, I noticed the pulpit
was falling apart. This pulpit, with matching chairs and communion table, had
seen better days. Since the pulpit Billy Graham had used was already on display
at the Billy Graham museum, I didn’t expect this to be a prized piece of
furniture. I gently inquired about the possibility of getting a new one, and
was denied. “George Beverley Shea and his family donated that pulpit,” they
said. “It’s not going anywhere.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It wasn’t the Shea family who insisted on making the donation a permanent
fixture, just a few long-time members. My backup plan was to get the pulpit
fixed and refinished. That proved impossible. As one professional restorer put
it, “If we dipped that thing into the stripper, it would disintegrate.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Scandal erupted a month later when the pulpit was missing from the
platform. Someone said it was broken. An ugly rumor briefly circulated that I
had intentionally busted it to force the purchase of a new one. My reputation
was eventually spared when the custodian confessed to dropping the pulpit while
trying to move it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Abandoned and misshapen, the pulpit lingered in a back room until
it was carted off to destinations unknown, never to be seen again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After 104 years, Bev Shea is with the Lord. He will be seen again.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Could his voice sound even better in heaven? </span></span></div>
John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-74158320554729161972013-03-11T10:56:00.000-07:002013-03-11T10:56:04.790-07:00Of Hippos, Babies, and Answered Prayer<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYnT-gCO7dkkyD54oqv-qzJhHvcchMgpGS0lvJsP6JivX8z0gBF0rE6lcw36FESeHjNVu0Ucro-K2hHCubC1gzzgN-7IKHxPQyg4Cqyd5amrN1M7B1VhlXbBaCums6cVLurF0ROBwu8I/s1600/hippo+pillow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYnT-gCO7dkkyD54oqv-qzJhHvcchMgpGS0lvJsP6JivX8z0gBF0rE6lcw36FESeHjNVu0Ucro-K2hHCubC1gzzgN-7IKHxPQyg4Cqyd5amrN1M7B1VhlXbBaCums6cVLurF0ROBwu8I/s320/hippo+pillow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bill Cosby used to do a comedy routine about
Noah. He imagined Noah following God’s instructions to build an ark and then loading
the animals two by two. Cosby describes God telling Noah to “Take one of those
hippos off the ark and get another one.” When Noah asks why, God replies,
“Because you’ve got two males. You need a female.” According to Cosby, Noah
tells God, “I’m too tired. You <b>change</b>
one of them.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course that’s not the way it happened. But Cosby’s
imaginative rendition does picture how we want God to work in our lives. We
look for immediate answers, quick solutions, and dramatic interventions. We ask
God to do a miracle, to provide instantaneous resolutions to our problems. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And yet, if we look at Scripture, God frequently chooses
a more subtle response. God tends to take his time. In Biblical history, it is
not unusual for his answer to arrive in the form of a baby. Think Isaac, or Moses,
or Samson, or Jesus. Babies are so fragile. They take awhile to grow up. A baby
is not an instant solution. God is not in a hurry. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you cry out to God for help, realize his
solution might not be immediately apparent. But whatever God chooses to do, his
answer will be right on time.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-71759249892005960912013-02-26T14:12:00.002-08:002013-02-26T14:12:46.711-08:00It's too Early to Tell<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHezll9PXVRIr0s6oOZL_93bAbfivB9ITacfWJzB_bWbG29P59jRKRTf0iCkD_LR4Or5UfdpQLkJP9qBT_cygLIiTUjy1OQa-xeIrdFGkb8FoOWynXUEcL8JRAc4u4Ko-P_PXwOjBoBk/s1600/stallion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHezll9PXVRIr0s6oOZL_93bAbfivB9ITacfWJzB_bWbG29P59jRKRTf0iCkD_LR4Or5UfdpQLkJP9qBT_cygLIiTUjy1OQa-xeIrdFGkb8FoOWynXUEcL8JRAc4u4Ko-P_PXwOjBoBk/s320/stallion.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
his recent book “I Am a Follower” Leonard Sweet tells this story:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The old man was the poorest man in the village, but he owned the
most beautiful white stallion. And the king had offered him a small fortune for
it. After a terribly harsh winter, during which the old man and his family
nearly starved, the townspeople came to visit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Old man," they said, "you can hardly afford to
feed your family. Sell the stallion, and you will be rich. If you do not, you
are a fool."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's too early to tell," replied the old man. A few
months later, the old man woke up to find that the white stallion had run away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once again the townspeople came, and they said to the old man,
"See. If you had sold the king your horse, you would be rich. Now you have
nothing! You are a fool!"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's too early to tell," replied the old man.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two weeks later, the white stallion returned, and along with it
came three other white stallions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Old man," the townspeople said, "we are the
fools! Now you can sell the stallion to the king, and you will still have three
stallions left. You are smart."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's too early to tell," said the old man.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following week, the old man's son, his only son, was
breaking in one of the stallions and was thrown, crushing both his legs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The townspeople paid a visit to the old man, and they said,
"Old man, if you had just sold the stallion to the king, you'd be rich,
and your son would not be crippled. You are a fool."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It is too early to tell," said the old man.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, the next month, war broke out with the neighboring
village. All of the young men in the village were sent into the battle, and all
were killed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The townspeople came, and they cried to the old man, "We
have lost our sons. You are the only one who has not. If you had sold your
stallion to the king, your son, too, would be dead. You are so smart!"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 6.25pt 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's too early to tell," said the old man.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a3534; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like Job’s comforters,
sometimes well-meaning people try to offer explanations for why bad things
happen to us. The truth is, we just don’t know. But even when we can’t make any
sense of our sufferings and struggles, we can rest in the fact that God is
sovereign. “In all things he works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose,” Romans 8:28. God is at work in ways we cannot comprehend.
Our most accurate response to some life circumstances is, “It’s too early to
tell.” </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-76454717432909553522013-02-26T14:11:00.000-08:002013-02-26T14:11:14.190-08:00Lord of Macaroni<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOOoYLBIjDI0Ij8Mw73gZp2KefLNmfauqu48CXBWbDKY45ioSVwWJGVFxEQzWdjwpsIQ12O8ccpEuv9WJjNyJ_Lslsij_1P7DDfxVuT6Ea4NPOcqSbZwFqD49W3E4HaTXnGZLKS_HoUQ/s1600/Macaroni.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOOoYLBIjDI0Ij8Mw73gZp2KefLNmfauqu48CXBWbDKY45ioSVwWJGVFxEQzWdjwpsIQ12O8ccpEuv9WJjNyJ_Lslsij_1P7DDfxVuT6Ea4NPOcqSbZwFqD49W3E4HaTXnGZLKS_HoUQ/s320/Macaroni.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was captured by the stories of Muslims who follow Christ
as “insiders.” The January/February issue of Christianity Today told of Muslims
who embrace Jesus yet stay within their Islamic community. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those “insiders” number in the thousands, and Abu Jaz is one
of them. Abu Jaz is not his real name, but his story has been verified. Here is
how he describes his conversion to Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One night the only food my wife and
I had was a small portion of macaroni. My wife prepared it very nicely. Then
one of her friends knocked on the door. I told myself, <i>The macaroni is not sufficient for even the two of us, so how will it
be enough for three of us? </i>But because we have no other custom, we opened
the door, and she came in to eat with us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While we were eating, the macaroni
started to multiply; it became full in the bowl. I suspected something was
wrong with my eyes, so I started rubbing them. I thought maybe my wife hid some
macaroni under the small table, so I checked, but there was nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Afterward I lay down on the bed,
and as I slept, Isa (Jesus) came to me and asked me, “Do you know who
multiplied the macaroni?” I said, “I don’t know.” He said, “I am Isa al Masih.
(Jesus the Messiah) If you follow me, not only the macaroni but your life will
be multiplied.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was not because I was poor that
Isa came to my home; there are many poor. It is not because he wanted to
multiply my macaroni. Maybe there might be other people who can multiply
macaroni, like magic. So what is the purpose? Isa al Masih came to my home with
the kingdom of God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although at first Abu Jaz did not understand Jesus was God’s
Son who died for his sin, eventually he came to believe. Today, Abu Jaz
declares that when Jesus “died on the cross, he defeated death and the one who
owned the power of death, Satan. And because God raised Jesus from the dead, he
was appointed by God as a judge on the Day of Judgment, and the Savior from the
Day of Judgment.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That story and others like it are an encouragement to me. They
testify of how God is at work, even in places we don’t expect. As Abu Jaz said,
“We must remember that it is not we who are bringing God to the Muslim people.
He was already here.”</span></div>
John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-22929863810733070352013-02-26T14:09:00.001-08:002013-02-26T14:09:14.328-08:00Of Golf and Bibles<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7buF8lkTbUzofgKHNag50mtIIOD3wowt6hUc75lKWdrKkAnme5MH7ep-eg59-2sRaOzSJC1J_P0r2AX5AgnPOwlJl7NZ9aNMpL6bwFK2xnkOiTUvOLguVgWHweqTx3j-UUeYfWTQRqeY/s1600/yardage-book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7buF8lkTbUzofgKHNag50mtIIOD3wowt6hUc75lKWdrKkAnme5MH7ep-eg59-2sRaOzSJC1J_P0r2AX5AgnPOwlJl7NZ9aNMpL6bwFK2xnkOiTUvOLguVgWHweqTx3j-UUeYfWTQRqeY/s1600/yardage-book.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is it painful for
golfers to hear about golf during winter months? As an avowed non-golfer, I don’t
know. As a bitter former-golfer, I hope
it hurts a little.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was reading
something Brian Larson wrote about <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">yardage
books. A yardage book is a map of each hole on a golf course that gives
distances from various landmarks on the hole to the green.<span class="apple-converted-space"> This helps golfers pick the right club for
each shot. </span></span>Along with the maps many pro golfers will keep a
journal of details, such as how they have played each hole of the course, and
what happened to their shots. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How important is
that book? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Golfer Steve Marino
says, "You see what you did in the past, you make sure you have the right
number and then trust all of it, because the room for error is nil."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Scott Vail, caddie
for Brandt Snedeker, says, "There are huge ramifications if you are just 1
yard off."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Zach Johnson, winner
of the 2010 Colonial, says, "I feel naked without it out there. It's my
golf bible."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I guess that’s what
my old golf game was lacking; a yardage book, a caddy, and a professional
golfer to hit for me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wouldn't it be nice
to have yardage books for life? An answer book for all those personal and tough
questions, such as: <i>Should I look for another
job or keep this one? How should I invest my money? Who should I marry? Should
I go to this or that school? Should we buy this house?</i> According to what my
friend Brian wrote, “God hasn't chosen to work with us in that way. He has
given us an essential book of guidance that we can't do without, but we still
have to use judgment in how to apply what it teaches. Most important, we need
to be walking with God in prayer and trust.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Exact answers to
every question in advance would make life easier. But that information would
also reduce our daily dependence. Proverbs 22:19 speaks of when God’s wisdom is
revealed, and says: “So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them
known to you today—yes, to you.” God’s wisdom is often not revealed far in
advance. Instead, he makes it known today, the day you need it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="text" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1a3534; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those of us who
like to know the exact yardage for every shot, that can be unsettling. But
ambiguity should arouse dependence and stimulate prayer. The purpose? “So that
your trust may be in the Lord.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-90108541878340950092012-10-24T11:47:00.000-07:002012-10-24T11:47:33.297-07:00There Is No "Christian" Vote<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m not afraid of prison. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me explain. I’m actually terrified of prison, but I
would never let the threat of it keep me from taking a stand for the gospel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m not afraid of the church losing tax exempt status, if it
meant obeying God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m not afraid of ridicule. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">None of those are reasons why I don’t preach politics. None
of those are reasons why I refuse to endorse a political party or a particular
candidate. And every election cycle, I receive encouragement, challenges, and
the occasional threat to speak for or against some candidate, issue, or
political party. I am urged to guide my church so they do not vote for the
“wrong” candidate. I am told it is cowardice for me not to do this; that I have
failed to be a true pastor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My perspective is different. I see my greater responsibility
as understanding and applying what God has said. At the same time, I guard
against the tendency to equate God’s will with a particular political party,
adopt a political agenda for the church, or fail to be Christ-like toward those
with whom I disagree. It might concern some of you when I say, “There is no
Christian vote…no absolute choice for all Christians.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s not that clear. It almost never is. No political party
has God’s answers to every issue. Arguably, each party has ungodly aspects to
their platforms. Every candidate comes with unbiblical baggage and flawed
beliefs. Even Christian politicians with biblical views, are tied to ungodly
stances by choosing to align with a major party. Whether abortion and homosexual
marriage on one hand, or unrestrained greed and neglect of the poor on the
other. To identify a political philosophy as the “Christian one” is dangerous.
The Republican ideology of lower taxes, less government, and strong defense tends
to be baptized as the biblical view. Or the Democratic ideology of individual
freedoms, individual responsibility to society, and government working for the
common good tends to be christened as Christian. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The danger is that our faith can become distorted. We see
one party as standing for all the right things, and the other party as completely
wicked. We struggle to recognize that truth and error is thoroughly mixed into
both sides. We start making “what’s best for America” our guiding principle,
rather than the kingdom of God. We allow fear, distrust, and even hatred, to
characterize our view of others. We fearfully cling to the kingdom of this
world, rather than trusting Christ. We start thinking politically rather than
biblically. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No candidate or party is the unquestioned right choice for
all Christians, at least not until Jesus comes back. While some Christians
might be able to tie their entire perspective to one issue, such as abortion,
not all Christians can easily do the same. It would be much clearer if our
choice in the voting booth was “Abortion: Yes or No.” Sadly, that’s not the way
it works.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even if we believed in an unquestioned right vote for all
Christians, God might have other objectives in mind. God’s choices are
sometimes the opposite of our understanding, for he is carrying out a greater
purpose. The Bible has more than a few examples of “the wrong choice” being in
power by God’s design. Cyrus was a pagan, foreign, enemy king whom God called
his “anointed.” Nebuchadnezzar was a ruthless, idol worshiping Babylonian. God
chose to put him in power, remove him from power, and restore him to power
again. Pharaoh worshiped the gods of Egypt, enslaved the Hebrews, and yet was
chosen to carry out God’s purpose. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some organizations have declared it wrong for Christians not
to vote for one of the major parties for President. They say, “You might not
like your choices, but you must pick one.” And they imply which one. The reason
they give is that no one else has a chance of winning. I vigorously refute that
humanistic reasoning. Our obedience to God is never based upon our chances of
“winning.” Providentially, we live in a country where we have the freedom to
vote. By God’s Spirit we are able to choose between major party candidates, and
candidates with zero chance of winning, or to make no selection at all. Each of
us must decide what God asks of him or her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fallacy of choosing the “lesser of two evils” can be
shown if taken to an extreme. What if your vote was between the Third Reich and
the Khmer Rouge? Most would agree those political parties were exponentially
more evil than our choices today. But if in some absurd nightmare, you were a
citizen faced with those two options on the ballot, what would you do? To argue
“I must vote for the Khmer Rouge because it more aligns with my values,” is
spiritually unsound. If you did have that free choice and you reasoned in that
way, the right to vote has become your highest value.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I encourage God’s people to stay on mission. That mission is
not to preserve a political philosophy, nor to rescue America from itself. Our
mission is to “make disciples of all nations” and “declare the praises of him
who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.” </span></div>
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John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-17194990355612334472012-08-23T10:09:00.001-07:002012-08-23T10:09:33.467-07:00Trayvon, Tebow, and True Worship<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L14y5udd7ngCMKadNDeVX1Gz-f14u2fN7x8QZQqFLymCskaFue_JoHZVzQheWKL09Rvl4gqFc4_VBFq55qSUF4-QjlYm8d0LW81qPbwhPSZ9odMcXUtCUpkfS0n3XYZqtOFfhXY6ZZo/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L14y5udd7ngCMKadNDeVX1Gz-f14u2fN7x8QZQqFLymCskaFue_JoHZVzQheWKL09Rvl4gqFc4_VBFq55qSUF4-QjlYm8d0LW81qPbwhPSZ9odMcXUtCUpkfS0n3XYZqtOFfhXY6ZZo/s320/Picture2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two months
ago, only a few knew the name Trayvon Martin. Now he is part of the national
conversation. My referencing Trayvon is not about the justice, injustice, or
politics of the case. Someone died at the hands of another, and that is tragic
for those involved no matter what the circumstances. My point is about worship.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A month after the shooting, many churches focused on the
incident in their worship services. For some it was in protest, for others to
raise awareness, or to cry for justice. According to the Miami Herald: “In
religious centers from Florida to Atlanta, New York and Chicago, messages from
pulpits addressed a seemingly avoidable killing that continues to be rife with
more questions than answers. Many preachers and their congregations wore hooded
sweatshirts in Trayvon’s memory.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are two reasons why I didn’t consider doing something like
that at King Street’s worship services.<br />
1. It was too soon. The facts were not clear and still are not. They may never
be. There was enough unknown and ambiguity to keep me from taking a stand,
other than, it is a tragic situation.<br />
2. It puts the focus in the wrong place. I am a zealous guardian of the
direction of corporate worship. I don’t want it aimed at a cause or our country
or our church or a person or a problem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Arguably the most definitive statement on worship in the Bible
was spoken by Jesus himself in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers
must worship in spirit and in truth.”<br />
• Worshiping in spirit is not to be caught up in externals, human things.
Genuine worship isn’t a matter of being in the right place, doing the right
things. Because God is Spirit, he cannot be confined to a building, an image, a
tradition, a style, a culture, or anything physical.<br />
• Genuine worship involves truth. It must be in harmony with what God says is
true. It must be based on who God has revealed himself to be, not as we think
he ought to be. Scripture must then be our guide, our spell-checker, our
rule-book, a centering point.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As much as I admire Tim Tebow, I was a little concerned about
his Easter Sunday appearance at a Texas mega-church. Instead of their typical
Easter crowd of 10,000, Celebration Church welcomed many more. As NFL.com put
it, “New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow drew a crowd of about 15,000 to an
outdoor Easter church service.” That was how most new agencies reported it.
Tebow was responsible for the gathering, “a big lure for people who would
otherwise not have come.” Introducing Tebow, the pastor said, “In Christianity,
it’s the Pope and Tebow right now. We didn’t have enough room to handle the
Pope.” That’s witty. But is it possible that the event could have been a
distraction from true worship?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would like to meet Tebow. It would be cool to have an event
that gathered 15,000 people to hear about Jesus. But the commotion and
diversion would threaten to overwhelm worship. Here is the test. Before,
during, and after, who are we talking about most: Trayvon, Tebow, or the risen
Jesus?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-48832004900956924472012-08-23T10:06:00.000-07:002012-08-23T10:06:40.770-07:00Inexhaustible<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every year
I teach a class of prospective Leaders and Elders. We meet a couple of times a
month from September to April. For some of the lessons, I teach a method of
Bible study. This includes learning how to do word studies using an Exhaustive
Concordance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t always do a good job of it, but my desire is to
communicate my passion for studying Scripture. Recently, each of them did a
homework assignment on a Bible passage, then shared their work with the rest of
the class. They all did a good job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When they were done, I gave examples of word studies I have used
in sermons. One of those examples was from Proverbs 11:24-25. My discovery
wasn’t obvious without a little digging, and what I learned challenged my view
of generosity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the guys commented that this was another example of how
the Bible is inexhaustible. He said: “No matter how much you read it and study
it, the Holy Spirit can always teach you something new.” He’s exactly right.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the other men said that it was amazing how much there was
to discover just in those few words. At face value, that proverb isn’t very
exciting or heart-warming. And yet, it contained powerful truths. All that is
needed is willingness to invest some time, and openness to the teaching of the
Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can read about the insights I
gained from that passage in Chapter Two of my recent book. [Insert shameless
plug here] The book is available in digital format through Kindle. It’s called<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Food-Gods-Nourishment-ebook/dp/B004UWPP7W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331498281&sr=1-1" style="font-style: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Soul Food: God’s Nourishment for the Real You</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thinking back, I started studying the Bible seriously when I was
13 years old. Now after 40 years of study, my awe over the depths of God’s
mercy and my delight in his written revelation have only increased. I would sum
it up with one word: Inexhaustible.</span></span></div>
John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-4722854857213385382012-08-23T10:03:00.002-07:002012-08-23T10:03:59.300-07:00Unattractive<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 9.4pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img src="http://www.johnbeukema.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/work.355840.6.flat550x550075f.pucker-up.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;">Since being
in Thailand in January, I’ve added a new dimension of communication with my
wife. While I was away, our contact was limited to Skype calls at 4 am, or
instant messaging. When I sent the messages, I also included a picture of me or
my surroundings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The messaging worked out so well that I have continued to do
that at home. Occasionally, I do so even when we are sitting next to each other
on the couch. I find the use of satellite technology to cover distances of a
few feet to be hilarious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I told Amy that my plan was to send her a picture of me every
day. Each time I would make a different face. There have been some blank days
without pictures, and some days with several pictures. The faces are different,
and try to capture the essence of the message I send with it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Fat Tuesday, I just used my normal expression. Actually, I
was trying to puff out my cheeks, but they were puffy already.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Ash Wednesday, I displayed the ashes on my forehead from our
noontime service.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Several times, I’ve sent a picture
of me forming a kiss. It’s a hideous sight. The first time I did it I thought <em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">That’s
horrible, I’d better take another. </span></em>But it didn’t matter. The
sight of me puckering my lips for a kiss is unpleasant. My message read: “I
know it’s a little frightening, but this is me kissing you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amy said she wasn’t repulsed. She tried to send me one back.
Then, feeling her own picture of forming a kiss was unacceptable, she decided
against it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Isn’t it interesting that expressions of love may not always
appear attractive? Some may even seem to be the opposite. But whatever it might
look like at first, love always has the loved one’s best at heart. So when
someone gently corrects you for a poor attitude, an unwise decision, or wrong
word, it might not appear attractive. But it is love in action. When someone
calls you out for failing to forgive or for rationalizing your sin, it might
look ugly. But love is being expressed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend
can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:5-6).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Compliments and flattering words are easy to receive. Yet they
may not spring from love. In fact, some of the best expressions of love might
look unattractive or even cause pain. Real love isn’t always pretty, but it
never fails.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-10333101658836377362012-08-09T08:12:00.001-07:002012-08-09T08:12:47.038-07:00Dealing with Sinful Anger (part 6)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There
are several decisive steps to take to get rid of sinful anger. Part 4 described
the need to: <u>Identify who you’re angry with and what they owe you</u>. Part 5
said: <u>Bring it to the Cross and confess.</u> Here is the final step:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJK7aqGvvv965N9_msCM7vNniA7sM-bXDq60P9xYTfENnRN5MpLyzQAc_ugBKmhX8uNjoXve9R5RKYcnZWPl4gjRj2il7sJaxIWO8tW9edzSsf0MB1dAzmKV6Cxrrr6R5r-A4sVnJZo0/s1600/cancel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJK7aqGvvv965N9_msCM7vNniA7sM-bXDq60P9xYTfENnRN5MpLyzQAc_ugBKmhX8uNjoXve9R5RKYcnZWPl4gjRj2il7sJaxIWO8tW9edzSsf0MB1dAzmKV6Cxrrr6R5r-A4sVnJZo0/s320/cancel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Cancel the Debt.</span> Whether your list is one person and one wrong, or 100 people and
1,000 wrongs, cancel it. To get rid of anger you must decide they don’t owe you
anymore. Let me tell you how one man did
that. Warren was husband and father in his 30s, with an anger problem. It
spilled out against his wife and children, and sometimes at work. After some
discussion, we were able to identify that the real anger Warren felt was
against his father, who had died years before. As a Christian, Warren had tried
to put this behind him. He readily admitted that his outbursts were wrong, and
that he was holding on to bitterness. But clearly it was still impacting his
life. I urged Warren to write his father a letter. In it, he expressed how his
father had wounded him through neglect, affairs, and insulting words. Then he
sat facing an empty chair and read that letter as if his dad was sitting there.
Then he walked away, went out and burned the letter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Does
that mean all bad memories are erased, and no negative feelings will return?
No. But when that crosses your mind again, know that the decision remains and
the debt is cancelled through Christ. Remember what Jesus says about asking God
to forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors? Canceling the debt we feel
others owe us is the path to resolving anger.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I meet with angry people every single week. Almost always I can
agree they have reason to be angry. But storing that anger will destroy them. Scripture
says be angry, but don’t sin. Be angry, but don’t let the sun keep going down
on that anger. Be angry, but don’t give Satan space in your life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Resolve anger today.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-28261120954715741832012-08-09T08:07:00.001-07:002012-08-09T08:07:25.387-07:00Dealing with Sinful Anger (part 5)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There
are several decisive steps to take to get rid of sinful anger. Part 4 described
the need to: <u>Identify who you’re angry with and what they owe you</u>. Obviously
you must not stop there. Here is the crucial next step:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB0f0Kvh08vzPM7jIOVqwWtLNkAu93DFaIvgZxAgFpnz353PPvGJWrjXR0XfZDiE8XPMqPy2_l80ORgWrdZL9E-ESqHC8bZ5mcmKMNNjQ6w_Y82lcpmJx0goQdS4AdI0RXe_bYcnc1To/s1600/Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB0f0Kvh08vzPM7jIOVqwWtLNkAu93DFaIvgZxAgFpnz353PPvGJWrjXR0XfZDiE8XPMqPy2_l80ORgWrdZL9E-ESqHC8bZ5mcmKMNNjQ6w_Y82lcpmJx0goQdS4AdI0RXe_bYcnc1To/s320/Cross.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Bring it to the Cross and confess</span>. You say,
“What do I have to confess about? I didn’t deserve what they did. I’m the one
that was hurt. They need to confess.” Whether you are right or wrong to be
angry, you need to admit that you are. Your wrongs might be undeserved, but
holding on to and storing that anger creates more problems. Ask God’s
forgiveness through Christ for harboring anger, giving it space in your life,
allowing Satan an advantage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And
when you take an honest look at the list of wrongs that made you mad, you might
be able to admit that some of them are really about your own selfishness. You
might recognize some of it was because you didn’t get what you wanted (see part
1). You realize that your ego, or greed, or cravings or expectations weren’t
met and it left you angry. Bring it to the cross, where God poured out his
wrath on sin, and the sacrifice of Jesus brought healing and life when you
believed. Hebrews 9:14 says: “the blood of Christ…cleanses our consciences from
acts that lead to death.” Confess all your bitterness, rage and anger to the
God who forgave you in Christ Jesus. Evaluate life by what was done for you on
the cross, instead of what was done to you by others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There’s
one more part in the process. Part 6 presents another decisive step in dealing
with sinful anger.</span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-82547042527419110872012-08-09T08:02:00.000-07:002012-08-09T08:02:15.238-07:00Dealing with Sinful Anger (part 4)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Parts
1-3 identified sinful anger by motive and how it is expressed. The next
question is, How do you get rid of sinful anger? There are several decisive
steps to take. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qxc8ZpD7dX6vJ9fuOd3S1MDMwd75VJO-NA0j7FLDnAvUdYxt_hoPqW_LIvbQRLHheWE-dkb48_vaJPBx7dN25n8DFJpcr457OGf-S8VP3EmgU_VlUecBv1akpWv5pXgrLRuRuioRS4M/s1600/contemplate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qxc8ZpD7dX6vJ9fuOd3S1MDMwd75VJO-NA0j7FLDnAvUdYxt_hoPqW_LIvbQRLHheWE-dkb48_vaJPBx7dN25n8DFJpcr457OGf-S8VP3EmgU_VlUecBv1akpWv5pXgrLRuRuioRS4M/s320/contemplate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Identify who you’re angry with and what they owe you.</span> If you have
unresolved anger, and you don’t identify who you are really mad at, you will
continue to lash out at others who did nothing wrong. There might be stuff you
feel is too far in the past, you’ve moved on, but is that really true? Then get
specific about what they owe you. What exactly did they take? What would they
need to give you to make things right? An apology? Your childhood? Your
reputation? Money? You might say, “There is nothing they could give that would
make things right.” But you must get specific about what they owe you, did to
you, or didn’t do for you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ephesians
4:31-32 shows the need to get rid of anger with forgiveness. Identify who it is
you need to forgive and what you need to forgive them for. One Bible teacher states:
“General forgiveness does not heal specific hurts.” You might identify one person
or situation, or a whole list. This alone can remove some of anger’s power in
your life. It is the unspoken, secretness of your anger that is keeping it
alive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part
5 will present the crucial next step in dealing with sinful anger.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-19323593025341657842012-08-09T07:51:00.000-07:002012-08-09T07:51:04.219-07:00Identifying Sinful Anger (part 3)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuHoY_ovq4RWgMoRcxalH_iCkxdpxLSBu0qO-d4sVOONC0v71KrhTOZTx8EwSsAummhmsIiQZdiiLq6kMF2Uz7Xy0k8aV5IOASPJ5sNSkS5LRxZyQQ4CPnuxINVA2Vj082JlzhGajUfs/s1600/bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuHoY_ovq4RWgMoRcxalH_iCkxdpxLSBu0qO-d4sVOONC0v71KrhTOZTx8EwSsAummhmsIiQZdiiLq6kMF2Uz7Xy0k8aV5IOASPJ5sNSkS5LRxZyQQ4CPnuxINVA2Vj082JlzhGajUfs/s320/bottle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do I know if my anger is right or wrong? <u>It depends upon
why I am angry and how I express it. </u>Part 1 dealt with wrong motives for
anger. Part 2 dealt with one wrong expression of anger, “blowing-up.” Now
consider the opposite approach of “bottling-up” anger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The “bottle-up” approach is also a sinful expression of anger. On
the outside you seem to handle it well, but on the inside you are boiling mad.
You might be proud of yourself for keeping it together because you really want
to explode. So you hold it in, and anger simmers beneath the surface. While doing
less immediate damage to those around you, keeping internalized anger alive in
you is unhealthy. When you don’t deal with it, anger simply festers, decays,
turns to bitterness, resentment, and eventually expresses itself elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is why Ephesians 4:26 says: “Do not let the sun go down while
you are still angry.” Rather than blowing up or bottling it up, the principle
is to deal with it as soon as possible. Dr. Todd Neller pointed me to some
research about sleep and long-term memory. The research found that during
sleep, memories get consolidated and stored for the longer haul in the
neocortex. That transfer of memories from short to long-term storage takes
place during slow-wave and REM sleep. Once there memories can last up to a
lifetime. So there is some scientifically proven benefit to getting rid of
anger before sleep. Letting anger smolder, nursing it along, harboring the hurt
is deadly. As someone said: "You won't sleep anger off, you will sleep it
in."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So if blowing-up and bottling up are wrong expressions of anger,
what should you do with those emotions and hurt feelings? Part 4 will deal with getting rid of
anger.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-90098184209669074592012-08-09T07:33:00.000-07:002012-08-09T07:33:45.551-07:00Identifying Sinful Anger (part 2)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL59MwxjGFZBb5cEMJpzjsPZMIOAxBPaxVSSq6wfZYztsnZMdabzai_VJuUDrFymavWixTRJ5DNXeiBwbYkPimnBCMUvYdKi2GVKEuc0SBApgLOb5Z8Wt_bVKV-u30orPfWlWL16KS2KY/s1600/Rage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL59MwxjGFZBb5cEMJpzjsPZMIOAxBPaxVSSq6wfZYztsnZMdabzai_VJuUDrFymavWixTRJ5DNXeiBwbYkPimnBCMUvYdKi2GVKEuc0SBApgLOb5Z8Wt_bVKV-u30orPfWlWL16KS2KY/s320/Rage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do I know if my anger is right or wrong? <u>It depends upon
why I am angry and how I express it. </u>Part 1 dealt with wrong motives for
anger. Now consider the wrong expressions of anger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Sinful Anger Involves Blowing-up</span>.
A list of ways anger is wrongly expressed is found in Ephesians 4:31:
bitterness, rage, vengeance, emotional outbursts, and harsh words. These are
all reactions, damaging to others or ourselves. These reactions don’t provide
what others need. When I express anger by exploding and I “blow-up,” that is
sinful. Proverbs describes the “blow-up” reaction with words like “hotheaded”
“reckless” “quick-tempered” “quarrelsome”. The “blow-up” is when you are
furious and let it fly and don’t care who hears or gets hurt. Anger on the
inside spills out, and shows on your face, in your words, or by your actions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may have been advised to blow-up as a way to release anger, but that is not
a biblical method. Prov. 29:11 “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise
man keeps himself under control.” Psychotherapist Richard Winter says research
shows that venting anger by shouting or hitting a pillow “doesn’t defuse, but
may “inflame” anger. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If blowing up is not usually a biblical way of expressing anger, what
about keeping it in? Part 3 will look at “bottling-up” anger.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-53434232905553243252012-08-09T07:26:00.001-07:002012-08-09T07:27:05.563-07:00Identifying Sinful Anger (part 1)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2L4ZFuBqGovNibjmPaJoKqpvwcurNd0FvYEkwgXuhp066uzHJBwqPk-yPA4i-LH3595sQMHQqrL62XkXoB-MgkBXdNqihjmTpxTsqqCuNzYMtxiqcK1i7yB0_NrwyfMs8gb5sOpL7L0/s1600/angry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2L4ZFuBqGovNibjmPaJoKqpvwcurNd0FvYEkwgXuhp066uzHJBwqPk-yPA4i-LH3595sQMHQqrL62XkXoB-MgkBXdNqihjmTpxTsqqCuNzYMtxiqcK1i7yB0_NrwyfMs8gb5sOpL7L0/s320/angry.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do I know if my anger is right or wrong? <u>It depends upon
why I am angry and how I express it.</u> What does sinful anger look like? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Sinful Anger Involves Not Getting What I Want</span>.
James 4 teaches that a big source of conflict in life is: “I want something,
but don’t get it.” When I’m mad, it’s embarrassing to realize how many times
this is the reason. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted
approval, and didn’t get it. I wanted what you have, and didn’t get it. I
wanted some attention, and didn’t get it. I wanted the bigger piece, and didn’t
get it. I wanted to come in first, and I didn’t get it. I wanted love, and
didn’t get it. I wanted someone to say "thanks," or to say "I’m sorry," or to say "you’re
right," and didn’t get it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I examine why I am angry, hurt, reacting, often the reason
isn’t pretty. Deep down it is selfish ambition, jealousy, a sinful craving.
When I can identify that as the reason for my anger, the anger is wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part 2 will discuss wrong expressions of anger.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-54583351269130281442012-08-09T06:08:00.001-07:002012-08-09T06:08:30.760-07:00Tolerating Bedbugs<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqoNlrD683VUvnGsefekZwIaV0x8BbsfK96iuerxqyT_U0ASnbTeV0ju0qxMrC7ZlhPX_Tp9qYbIP0AoEz6WqvKYuyvn8iKZhfiTbNdILwXqQ7Li1gTSB08pUL0tVB2v_0bd_Iri3_oY/s1600/Bed_Bug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqoNlrD683VUvnGsefekZwIaV0x8BbsfK96iuerxqyT_U0ASnbTeV0ju0qxMrC7ZlhPX_Tp9qYbIP0AoEz6WqvKYuyvn8iKZhfiTbNdILwXqQ7Li1gTSB08pUL0tVB2v_0bd_Iri3_oY/s320/Bed_Bug.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In an
informal survey of 2,000 people, I asked “Which household pests would cause you
to pay for an exterminator?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Mice?” Some
hands. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Roaches?”
Many hands. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Bedbugs?”
All hands. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Much of that
last response was due to peer pressure. If you don’t raise your hand, no one
will sit near you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A more
formal survey, done by people who actually count the numbers, found these results. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About 25% of
adults will pay an exterminator to kill spiders or ants.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When mice,
rats, and cockroaches are involved, about half of all adults will pay to get
rid of them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If termites
are discovered, almost 9 out of 10 people will call for an exterminator.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then the
bedbugs. Researchers found that only 56% will pay to banish bedbugs. That
surprised me. Almost half of adults will tolerate bedbugs, rats, and roaches, rather
than pay a professional to eradicate them.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are some pests we tolerate
more than others. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That is true
in my life. There are some sins I won’t tolerate, but others I just live with. Yet
Ephesians 4:22 says to put off, get rid of those things that characterize the
old self. That old self is made up of the attitudes and emotions and behaviors
that are who I am without Jesus. Rom. 8:13 says to put those things to death by
the power of the Spirit. There are sins I tolerate and indulge and allow to
live on inside of me that God calls me to kill. My tolerance for personal “bedbugs”
is alarming.</span><br />John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-58899891122740174152012-08-09T05:34:00.000-07:002012-08-09T05:34:15.260-07:003 Signs of Unresolved Anger<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8hyH5vUhBWaPLjv5z5uLzC1gUS7kC05Hzyo9JAJQYK9hDHa7KtO_rnAAOh-2I9cp7aEXDaqjoRar0c9CP1gK3OIqyBTJ2IqgL9n8yTZ2HFIn-2Zf0jV5NL3IKJq3asHtb7nn4dCvkbA/s1600/anger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8hyH5vUhBWaPLjv5z5uLzC1gUS7kC05Hzyo9JAJQYK9hDHa7KtO_rnAAOh-2I9cp7aEXDaqjoRar0c9CP1gK3OIqyBTJ2IqgL9n8yTZ2HFIn-2Zf0jV5NL3IKJq3asHtb7nn4dCvkbA/s320/anger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. When my response is disproportionate to the problem.</b> Like
the Ohio woman who was told she couldn’t get chicken nuggets because McDonald’s
was still serving breakfast. She flipped out, threw punches, and broke the
drive-thru window. That’s not about McNuggets. When normal inconveniences
prompt rage, unresolved anger is spilling out. Eph. 4:31<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. When anger is my default emotion.</b> Whatever
your friend says, what the kids do, how your spouse responds, or what the boss
requires, it makes you mad. You’re mad a lot. It shows on your face, it comes
out in your speech. That’s a sign anger from the past is lurking. Prov. 22:24<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. When I cannot forgive those who wronged me</b>.
If you can think of someone who you don’t want to let off the hook, someone you
wish the worst, someone whose past behavior dominates your thoughts, you have
unresolved anger. Forgiveness is the only way forward. Eph. 4:32</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-16234061814260022432012-05-02T13:38:00.000-07:002012-05-02T13:38:50.723-07:00Bread and Prostitutes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGV2xfGXIcGaPNANcbjvRzfKdeH8bhqNcLZfMVBpN3Kudt_ROi4p4-Skwi5YE8itVcOIgimxYGl31VlHlGMmEovmTytCEpCAs_xqfEY957SKmVBxV8mSnlwjTz6SUu5CCfFn6iUojgU0/s1600/bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGV2xfGXIcGaPNANcbjvRzfKdeH8bhqNcLZfMVBpN3Kudt_ROi4p4-Skwi5YE8itVcOIgimxYGl31VlHlGMmEovmTytCEpCAs_xqfEY957SKmVBxV8mSnlwjTz6SUu5CCfFn6iUojgU0/s1600/bread.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread," Proverbs 6:26. In other words, sexual sin is dehumanizing. How? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To the sex industry: whether movies, magazines, chat lines, prostitutes, dancers, escorts, or dating sites, you are just a meal ticket. A way to put bread on the table. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Men can fool themselves into thinking a stripper or hooker is attracted to them. They ignore the fact that her smile, her attention is really about money. And for those trapped in the sex industry, they are only there because someone else wants your money. How many of them have been pushed, forced, coerced into the role of satisfying the lust of strangers? You are a source of revenue. The money you pay for the movie, the online membership, the magazine, the pole dancer, the prostitute, the webcam session, reduces you to a business transaction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The NY Times bestseller, 50 Shades of Gray, is erotic fiction. It has been dubbed "Mommy porn," because millions of women of all types are buying it. Given its explicit content, those paying $9.95 have been reduced to a loaf of bread. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You might think, “I don’t pay anything for porn. There is so much you can get for free online, so this dehumanizing idea does not apply.” Yes it does. Every click brings revenue to someone through advertisements. The increased web traffic alone helps promotes the exploitation of other human beings. Through sexual acts outside of marriage you become a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, a number in someone’s sexual history, it dehumanizes you and those you view, use, or obsess over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body," 1 Corinthians 6:20. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-63108336205513585812012-03-20T04:52:00.001-07:002012-03-24T03:47:04.173-07:00Are You a Delusional Pirate?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp35X6VafNZbeJnYOBiHE2bKOCBsWB4FBSnKQ0Eck1t_B1Vc_wdCwU7s7XDbWMsxgdvSziocgLmX8vVW6RuNHEI13LnXe-0ITn0CZWhht8T5SBajtTnCuiOoJd8SE7vMV2u9784A8SeNE/s1600/pirate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp35X6VafNZbeJnYOBiHE2bKOCBsWB4FBSnKQ0Eck1t_B1Vc_wdCwU7s7XDbWMsxgdvSziocgLmX8vVW6RuNHEI13LnXe-0ITn0CZWhht8T5SBajtTnCuiOoJd8SE7vMV2u9784A8SeNE/s1600/pirate.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Two pirates, named Ragetti and Pintel, are in a longboat on the open sea. They have just escaped from jail. Ragetti appears to be "reading" a Bible. But it is clear he cannot be, because he is holding it upside-down. Ragetti claims to be taking care of his immortal soul. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pintel says, "You know you can't read." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ragetti answers, "It's the Bible. You get credit for trying."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are you a delusional pirate? In other words, do you believe that there is some benefit from contact with the Bible? Do you imagine that it doesn’t matter if you pay attention to it, or understand it, or hold it upside down, but somehow, someway, you get credit for trying? Do you feel that because you attended church or had devotions or listened to Christian music, or memorized a few verses, there is automatic blessing? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">James 1:22 says: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The issue is not whether you hear it, read it, download it, podcast it, sing it, Tweet it, email it, text it, blog it, post it, cross stitch it or smoke it. The point is receiving the word is not enough, you must do it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">David Daniels “Listening alone does not necessarily lead to life transformation. The Bible is a powerful, but the Bible is not magical.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No matter how well you understand Scripture, no matter how much it blesses you, it is not until you obey it that you “will be blessed” (v.25). Jesus defined the blessing of putting his words into practice. It is like founding your life on a rock that will survive the fiercest storms. It is catastrophe that reveals the difference between one who obeys and a delusional pirate.</span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-64681831661007757072012-03-16T07:25:00.000-07:002012-03-16T07:25:37.781-07:00Life Is Short, so...Bathe in Donkey's Milk?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvC7jKE_DeVvPI8RgJ2ryiQ2Gpm2R0UjWMz5rLu4VF7K03sfJr9MPFX_hekfkxBeLAV3Lt1OSd2FS2BoOiXfLTxUfAYT62amfJAMDNgZnM1M6LK92hQ1YuG1T8pNoQ4qO6LYfA8B_yLQ/s1600/milking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvC7jKE_DeVvPI8RgJ2ryiQ2Gpm2R0UjWMz5rLu4VF7K03sfJr9MPFX_hekfkxBeLAV3Lt1OSd2FS2BoOiXfLTxUfAYT62amfJAMDNgZnM1M6LK92hQ1YuG1T8pNoQ4qO6LYfA8B_yLQ/s320/milking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Americans almost worship youthfulness. We want to look young, feel young, and live longer. This is not new. Throughout history people have hungered for youthfulness. Cleopatra bathed in donkey’s milk. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Ponce</st1:city></st1:place> d’Leon chased the fountain of youth. Joan Rivers has had a million plastic surgeries (a rough estimate). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anti-aging products are big business. Americans spend billions every year. In 2009, Botox sales topped $1 billion. One anti-aging company president said, these types of products comprise "the perfect example of a service you're not going to give up in a bad economy." Men are targeted just like women. Old sports heroes tell you to “keep your edge” by getting rid of the gray, otherwise you have no shot with the ladies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More and more, aging is being referred to as a disease. It is hard to think of anything positive about a disease. A disease is something you fight to defeat. It is this thinking that helps fuel our preoccupation with looking/staying younger. But this is a preoccupation that can detour us from what really matters. By calling “youth and vigor meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 11:10), King Solomon makes it clear that this pursuit is without ultimate value.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instead, he gives this wisdom. “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’" (Ecclesiastes 12:1).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The advice for young people is to remember God. Focus on him while you are still young before age and death catch up to you. The day is coming when you won’t be able to enjoy life the same way, even if you bathe in donkey’s milk. And the older you get the harder it will be to seek him. Your heart will be harder. You will lose your ability to change. Live in relationship with God now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You only have two options in life. Either you will die young or you will grow old. Every one of us is standing in the middle of the train tracks of life and death’s locomotive is bearing down on us. Enjoy life at every stage, but don’t neglect God. Live large, but live within his boundaries. Whatever you do in life should be guided by the fact that you will be accountable to God. <b>Life is short, fear God.</b> Remember your Creator before it’s too late. Enjoyment and satisfaction don’t flow from our youth, health, or strength, but from God. He gives meaning to every stage in life. Life is short, fear God.<b> </b>Apart from him life is meaningless. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-60183877048468700732012-03-07T11:06:00.000-08:002012-03-07T11:06:50.483-08:00Four Signs I Am Not God-Focused<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMiV3cE3PwsOwJzvf7-3sPNSBdtZCNJ_DGz6yGN5FsaZkp6lZS_JOnR_xV8qOK-_Su-JauqYAE3bryWWIsYymTGK-r0M5PRS_cS7EBNjs5vEg-uiLwBDM6mTZw5BNFOdgav3lWKTGpPA/s1600/eye_glass_with_eye_chart.350102451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMiV3cE3PwsOwJzvf7-3sPNSBdtZCNJ_DGz6yGN5FsaZkp6lZS_JOnR_xV8qOK-_Su-JauqYAE3bryWWIsYymTGK-r0M5PRS_cS7EBNjs5vEg-uiLwBDM6mTZw5BNFOdgav3lWKTGpPA/s320/eye_glass_with_eye_chart.350102451.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will…” (Genesis 41:16)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are four indicators that warn me when I am not God-focused.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"></div><ol style="line-height: 115%;"><li><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">When my attitude is, ‘I can solve this.</span></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">’</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I’m trying to fix my marriage. I’m trying to figure out my future. I’m trying to make the right financial decisions. I’m trying to choose which way to go. I’m trying overcome temptation, or do the right thing, without first acknowledging that I can’t do it.</span></li>
<li><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">When my attitude is, ‘It’s hopeless.’</span></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> I have no problem admitting that I can’t, but I struggle to believe that God can. This dilemma is just too great. This issue is overwhelming. There is no escape, no way out. So I quit or hide or sin or despair.</span></li>
<li><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">When my issues are a secret.</span></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> I’m struggling, but no one else knows. I’m not willing to admit that there is something I can’t do. I’m not willing to let the flaws show and be honest about failure. I won’t ask for help or accountability. So it’s all a secret until everything disintegrates. Victory is not possible until I come clean, and admit I can’t do it.</span></li>
<li><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">When my focus is me</span></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">. When I become the problem-solver, the answer man, the listening ear, the counselor, the fixer, I must be careful. That is a short step to self-reliance, when I don’t bother to look beyond myself for help. If I use my abilities and talents and energies without constantly declaring my need of God, it becomes about me. Or the opposite is true. When people are always helping me. I’m always in need. I feel neglected because people aren’t helping me enough. I feel slighted because no one understands me, or has time for me. That is not how a God-focused person thinks. Alistair Begg says such self-attention “will obscure the grace of God.” Whether in helping others or in looking for help from others, I must constantly acknowledging my absolute need of God, or the focus shifts to me and blocks God’s grace.</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The difference between a Christian and everyone else on the planet is the fundamental understanding that “You cannot do it.” Otherwise, you are always trying to be your own savior. God has done it for you in Christ. At its very core, Christianity is about recognizing your inability. That must be how I live after salvation too. Jesus said: “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).</span></span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-38430895192861934292012-03-04T16:08:00.000-08:002012-03-04T16:08:11.672-08:00Cheeseburgers and Hypocrisy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRzE5odBtsqZKCG0K7l3jrKF0qTXBrfWBUwz47H1PATToSZ4riMc-ybj6Jk17P-jroLtpWZ6NN3RqHyMR_loiQ3IQk9bpORsgopJNpBRcx-ZoyOGkpZymo64VPOGqSvzJ5feY36_yRfk/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRzE5odBtsqZKCG0K7l3jrKF0qTXBrfWBUwz47H1PATToSZ4riMc-ybj6Jk17P-jroLtpWZ6NN3RqHyMR_loiQ3IQk9bpORsgopJNpBRcx-ZoyOGkpZymo64VPOGqSvzJ5feY36_yRfk/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Years ago at the annual meeting of The American Heart Association, 300,000 doctors, nurses, and researchers met in Atlanta. One topic they discussed was the importance a low fat diet plays in keeping our hearts healthy. Yet during meal times, these doctors and nurses at just as many bacon cheeseburgers and fries as people from other conventions. One cardiologist was asked whether his Quarter-pounder with cheese and super.-sized fries set a bad example, he said, "Not me, because I took my name tag off." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is possible to claim the name of Christ, but wear that name only at certain times and places. Hypocrisy can cover up my identity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are four signs of hypocrisy that come from Genesis 38:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I put myself in situations that make obedience more difficult.</span></u><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> That means I go places I know I shouldn’t go. I hang out with people who influence me the wrong way. I do things that only lead closer to temptation instead of away from it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I make promises I don’t intend to keep.</span></u><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> The promise might be as simple as “I’ll pray for you” and “I won’t share this with anyone else” or commitments as important as “For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I minimize my sinful choices.</span></u><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> I do that with excuses such as: “God knows I’m weak,” “I can’t help myself,” “The devil made me do it,” “Everybody’s doing it,” “There are way worse things,” “No one will ever know.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><u><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I condemn others without a trial.</span></u><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> I do that by reacting with anger, accusations, judgment, without hearing all the facts. I making myself the judge; feel superior; refuse to show grace; and not consider my own sin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I see these any of these things in my life, I’m a hypocrite. I need to confess and find mercy. When I admit my hypocrisy and turn from it, the beautiful thing is that God works through people who confess their messed-up-ness to him</span></span>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-21605950887737314192012-03-03T15:46:00.000-08:002012-03-03T15:46:34.322-08:00Seeing the Buttons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCxZHJ0HZhdh0xEf86Vq-PiG7M-g92ByV_LuIg6lv9soXvR_1CSWCyZFXp75rpogQLhyPFmhqAAtRufIUh9l08t8mpSjmhSO3KAdNZnuUXfwqIyb07d1Sjaym7X7aS44ZE7kBr48UjzI/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCxZHJ0HZhdh0xEf86Vq-PiG7M-g92ByV_LuIg6lv9soXvR_1CSWCyZFXp75rpogQLhyPFmhqAAtRufIUh9l08t8mpSjmhSO3KAdNZnuUXfwqIyb07d1Sjaym7X7aS44ZE7kBr48UjzI/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We can’t read the buttons on our oven. None of them. The buttons are little gray squares and the words inside the gray squares are written in another shade of gray. So “Bake” is indistinguishable from “Broil” or “Timer” or “Upper Oven” or any of the 15 buttons. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is plenty of light in our kitchen. But when my wife or I want to use the oven, we have to grab a flashlight to see or ask our daughter. She can still decipher the gray on gray print, so we use her when we can. But she’s headed off to college in the fall. Ours is probably the only house in America where the following sentence has been uttered. “Where’s the flashlight, I’ve got to make dinner.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That is what the prophetic Word does for us. It guides us like a light. We can’t see what to do, where to go, how to interpret a situation, and the Word shows us. 2 Peter 1:19 calls the word of prophecy a “light shining in a dark place.” Psalm 119 says: “The unfolding of your word gives light…” and “Your word is a light for my path.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The text is the guide for those who belong to Christ. It gives light, guidance for any and every situation and circumstance we face. There are reasons why we don’t find guidance from Scripture. We don’t care enough to look, we don’t want to put in the energy to know, we misapply what we do know, or we simply don’t want to do it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So many people I counsel are simply unwilling to do what Scripture says. Responses they give are: “It’s too hard.” “That won’t work.” “There must be a better way.” So no light enters their darkness and they continue to stumble and fall. Like the pastor friend who called me with a huge dilemma about his church. He wanted my wisdom. When he told me the problem I said: “You don’t need my wisdom. The Bible specifically addresses this exact problem.” Then I read the text to him. He acted like he didn’t know that already. I’m sure he did, he just didn’t want to do it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you don’t pay attention to the Word, you won’t know which buttons to press in life. Peter says “pay attention,” Scripture gives the light of guidance.</span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740399397548232850.post-39962828055262154322011-12-08T07:41:00.000-08:002011-12-08T07:41:05.031-08:00The Blank Page<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWJf1d6EgJ0Nti2LxzAKuV37azZ0jOPFe3BFD6Ycx4ceBF72UYD0lN9foMhcIIViEdcUY7PaWknR53XGURJ3TC2KYmBoDVJn5Lr6OF0FtjUYww5w7RbTG6jAEpUa3kX9Yp923aRHyQjw/s1600/Blank+page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWJf1d6EgJ0Nti2LxzAKuV37azZ0jOPFe3BFD6Ycx4ceBF72UYD0lN9foMhcIIViEdcUY7PaWknR53XGURJ3TC2KYmBoDVJn5Lr6OF0FtjUYww5w7RbTG6jAEpUa3kX9Yp923aRHyQjw/s320/Blank+page.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Virtually everything good God does comes with a delay. In fact, it seems like the greater the revelation, the longer the delay. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That was true with the blank page at the end of the Old Testament. The last word is “curse” Malachi 4:6. Then silence from God. The blank page lasts for 400 years. Finally, the page is turned. The Anointed One has arrived. The silence is broken. A wait that started from the beginning of time, and culminated in a final 400 years of silence, suddenly came to an end at the birth of Jesus. Angels burst onto the scene and suddenly announced the arrival of the blessed one, the answer to the curse. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That was true for the first Advent and it is true in your life now. The delay, the blank page, the silence is the time God makes us wait. Why? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As Augustine put it: “<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;">Simply by making us wait God increases our desire, which in turn enlarges the capacity of our soul, making it able to receive what is to be given to us.”</span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are two questions to ask while waiting:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></div><ul><li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">God, what do you want me to discover about You?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> What do you want to change about me?</span></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Resist the temptation to force things. Because you are tired of waiting, you might rush to make your own solutions, answer your own questions, make your own way. As a result, you live admid the wreckage of Plan B. Instead, wait. Live out Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I have put my hope.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The valley between history and hope is often empty and long. The only way to make it through the blankness of that time is to trust that God will turn the page in his time. The God who promises: a new life, a new birth, new heaven and a new earth, a new heart, a new name, and a new song is at work doing a new thing, even during times of silence. Advent teaches us that God will turn the page in his time. Beyond what you can see, more than you can dream, bigger than you can appreciate, farther than you can reach. Right now your life may be like staring at a blank page. No matter how silent God seems, no matter how delayed the answer, no matter how blank the page, don’t stop waiting, don’t stop hoping, God is up to something good.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>John Henry Beukemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283159655991015229noreply@blogger.com0