For We Are All One

For We Are All One

Today, as i sat in the building in which a small portion of the Church gathers, i listened to our pastor’s impassioned plea for unity.  It hit me, as i heard his words and saw a glimpse of his heart that this is the same conversation i have been having with Rachel our Axiom manager. Just a regular woman, who just happens to be dark complected, a person of color, black, to be PC, African~American.  i can’t pretend to know how it feels to be a person of color, any color other than white, in America.

We could spend lots of time arguing i am sure, all points and sides, from “Black Lives Matter” to “All Lives Matter”.  Simultaneously arguing the same points but blind because neither side can truly understand the other completely.

So, as i sat in the building with the Church i was reminded of this passage in Galatians Chapter 3…beginning with verse 26;

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

The CHURCH must rise up above the racial tension in America. It must begin to show unity in tangible ways to those around us. This isn’t a political issue, although it has been made into one…it is rather a social one.  The Church for all of its flaws, has an opportunity to show Christ. To live out this principle in Galatians. To live out the mandate of Scripture to love, show mercy, have compassion, and live in a place of grace and forgiveness…it is for us, the Church, to walk humbly.

i am thankful that we took 30 teens to camp last week and we were the most diverse group there. i am proud of that fact and felt even better when one of the counselors was talking to me and pointed out the fact.  To be honest, i hadn’t thought about it.  i like to think that i don’t see color, that i live out Galatians everyday.  Not that i am already perfected, but forgetting what is behind, i press on toward the goal of Christ Jesus.

Rejoicing always, i attempt to let my gentleness be an outward expression of who lives within me.  i try not to be anxious but in everything though prayer i am thankfully hopeful. i am paraphrasing parts of Philippians, but let me close with this quote from the same 4:8,9

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

You are loved,

cj

Foundations

Foundations

This past week at Jr High Camp, also known as Middle School Camp we were challenged with this verse in Colossians 2:6-7.

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Jesus calls us with the words, “Come Follow Me,” not “Come Meet Me and Carry On”. The invitation by its nature insists on a continuous “Following”. Verse 7 has a few keys to being successful in our “Following of Jesus”.

Being Rooted in Him…He is our filter in which we see the world
Built up in Him…As our roots grow deep we are built up
Growing Faith…Not just a stagnant faith but a growing faith in what we were taught…going back to the Word and our “ROOTS”
This will produce a life that is ~ Overflowing with Thankfulness.

You are loved,

cj

Stinky Projects

Stinky Projects

This week my wife finally had it with the odor that was coming from under the sink. i have to admit that all though i often don’t smell all that she can, she has a very sensitive nose, but i did smell that and it was bad! Jen called the landlord and asked if she could pull out the shelving under the sink, it had sever water damage, thinking that would be the solution. They agreed and she wasted no time. When she started tearing it out she began to uncover an even bigger mess, black mold! Another call to the landlord and i was called in to take out the sink, and cut out the molded drywall. i did.

That project spurred other projects and as we were taking out and putting in the work was hard and i often wondered, “there has to be an easier way”. This morning i finished the plumbing of the new sink after finishing the drywall yesterday and Jen painted last night. i started on laying the new floor while the sink was out, so the new floor is half in and the project continues…there is an end insight but i hesitate in saying that because as we have progressed new projects have popped up. The good news in all this is that the landlord is paying for the renovation and taking rent off for our labor, a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Life is like this project. We often don’t see a need to change until there is an odor. That thing that just begins to stink in our life that makes us say, “I can’t take this anymore, something has to change!” Its at this point that we start tearing into the problem, only to find, more often than not, a bigger problem. The task becomes daunting and our minds wander to, “there has to be an easier way!” Most times there isn’t. Change is hard especially when there is something that stinks.

Here are some truths i have rediscovered as i progress through this project:

1. Change is hard but when its necessary, its worth it!
2. Chances are the more you discover about the “stink” the more “stink” you will find!
3. Tackle one project at a time…it is ok however, to put one aside if it makes sense to do another thing first…like for me and the floor, it was easier while the sink was out to do that part of the floor down, then i finished the sink, now i will finish the floor.
4. Think, Ask Question, and Seek help from those that know or have experience with what you are facing.
5. Set small goals along the way…there is satisfaction in accomplishing parts of the main goal.
Paul writes to the Philippians:
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14) Read the whole chapter here.

What “stink” are you working on this summer?

You are loved,

cj

A Man’s Best Friend

A Man’s Best Friend

my best friend is a Miniature Australian Shepherd or mini aussie for short named Shiloh.  He is the coolest dog i have ever had the privilege of calling friend. You know what they say about dogs, “a dog is a man’s best friend”. Shiloh is that dog.  He goes with me most places. Has his own profile on my MinHub Youth Ministry App, he has his own Facebook and Instagram…he might even Tweet.  He is the happiest to see me on any given day and twice as much when i have been gone all day.  However, as stated before he goes most places with me.

One day when i was trying to understand Shiloh a bit more i googled searched his breed and read that Mini Aussie’s suffer from separation anxiety. This causes them to chew things up and or act out.  Since reading that i have made it a point to bring him along with me more often. In fact as i write this he is sitting at my feet under my desk.  He knows some tricks, enjoys playing fetch, walks beside me without a leash, comes when i call, has his door that he likes to use when getting in the van and sits on my lap. He is pretty much my snoopy and i am his Charlie Brown.

When i think of my relationship with Shiloh i can’t help but think of how God desires us; Not to do tricks but to use our talents to bring Him joy. To bring others to Him. To walk beside Him freely. To come when He calls. To use our prayer closet regularly. To sit with Him.

i know a dog isn’t the best analogy since we are not dogs and Jesus does not consider us pets…but the response, the bareness of the relationship i think reflects the heart of the Father well.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

You are Loved,

cj

More Mercy, Peace, and Love

More Mercy, Peace, and Love

We have been studying Jude at Coffee with Jesus in the mornings.  i love when we can read an introduction and spend the morning talking about it. Jude is one of those introductions.

“…I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.”

Much like the whole of Scripture the letter is being written to those who have already accepted Jesus as Lord, they are already born again. The words to follow, are for those that already follow. We often want, and in varying degrees it is assumed, that these are for the non-believer first…well at least it is how we talk and act, it appears this is our thought process.

As we read here in Jude, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Verse 2 is spectacular, “May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.” What do we take away from this? That He, Jesus, has already given us some, if Jude is implying there is more. The reason most of us believe is because we experienced the Mercy, Peace and Love of Christ first.

If we came because Christ first loved us…and we are called to be like Christ, doesn’t it stand to reason that we first love others? That we extend mercy, peace and love so that others too can experience the MORE?

You are Loved,

cj

Trust and Obey

Trust and Obey

Have you ever been on the edge of a conversation? You know when you hear information but not all the information and in knowing some or part but not all you are left to wonder…

The disciples were in this boat all the time. Even at the end of their time with Jesus; “He replied, ‘The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know…” He continued, that we would have all we need, sufficient for our time here on earth to do the will of the Father.  Acts 1:7-8

Sometimes not knowing everything is a very freeing place to be, its only in those times that one becomes discontent not knowing or uncomfortable not knowing all the details that stress becomes an issue. Some great wisdom comes from this Proverb in chapter 3:5-6; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

The path will still be full of uncertainty, the unknown, mysteries etc. You won’t have all the answers. In fact you might have more questions but its not our job to have all the answers only to trust and obey.

You are Loved,

cj

Live, Move, Exist

Live, Move, Exist

“For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” Acts 17:28

On Tuesday we looked at this verse a bit out of the ESV, it uses “being” instead of exist…“For in Him we live and move and have our being.” Everything we have comes from God. James 1:17 says, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” 

If God, is the giver of all things, and if as the poets of old have said, “We are his offspring.” Then what Paul says next in verse 29 of Chapter 17 is also true. “Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.”

Therefore, we should live as if in Him, we live, we move, that we even exist.

You are Loved,

cj

Happy Resurrection Day

Happy Resurrection Day

Tonight, i watched a Christmas show. It’s not Christmas, if you were wondering. It is however, the Jewish Feast of Passover. To put it into perspective, if Jesus were fulfilling the Messianic prophecies in 2016, we would be looking for His resurrection tomorrow. i know what you are thinking, we celebrated “easter” already. You are right…but…i hate easter!

WHAT!? No, really, i hate “easter”. Wait, let me clarify for the record, its the term or label, “easter” that i hate, and yes, i do “hate” it. i struggle with it every year about this time…until it has passed and then i struggle with other things. i have enough struggles to keep me occupied all year. Now, since we find ourselves in the Spring of the year and with it the season of “easter” i only found it fitting to write about it here.

i have friends on either side of this discussion, (mostly in favor of the term…ok all of them really and) all of which are far more intelligent than i and yet i still struggle. Why, you ask? i know not, except that it burns with in me each and every time someone refers to the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus, as “easter”. First however, my copout, i mean my disclaimer; this is my struggle, it is not intended to be your struggle but i write to find some release.

Somewhere around two thousand years ago an event occurred, of such great magnitude that it has shaped history ever since. It’s scope and grandeur are of epic proportions, yet its origins were simple. A young couple, poor and weary, find themselves in a place more fit for beast than man. A meager beginning, finds a baby, wrapped in rags lying in a manger. A moment, witnessed by shepherds, heralded by angels and later visited by Magi; it was the beginning of things told of generations before.  (Read some Awesome Scriptures here)

The reason for this child’s birth, death. Not just any death, a sacrificial death. Innocent yet guilty as He bore our sins all the way to the grave. His motive, Love. Redemptive love. The “Passion of the Christ” is more than a Mel Gibson film. It is a love story that is still unfolding today. You see what the world saw as an end, death, and burial. We know as triumph, “it is finished,”  wasn’t a gasp of giving up, but rather a shout of victory. “Up from the grave He arose…” On the third day the stone that was placed over the tomb was found rolled away and the tomb lay empty.

What sort of language is there, a word that can describe such an event? Well the feast that this week of Passion fulfills is known as “Pesach” or “Passover”. It was after all what Jesus and His disciples were celebrating in the upper room that fateful night of His betrayal. We as Christians should remember Passover, when we remember His death and Resurrection as the two are really un-separable. Part of the Sedar Meal was looking ahead at the coming of the Messiah, the Deliverer, the King. Jesus was that fulfillment right down to the broken bread and spilt wine. That is where we get the Christian tradition of the “Lord’s Supper” or “Communion”. And of this tradition we are told to remember, “do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19

Yet in light of this we choose to celebrate “Easter”, often times apart from the passover, as they don’t always aline. i don’t mind that so much as we celebrate it as it happened for the most part given the Jewish leaders cries to have it finished before the Sabbath day, Saturday. And Passover follows a lunar calendar and varies in when it is celebrated not always aligning each year as was the case this year, as you pointed out already, we already celebrated “easter”. However, the Passover Feast on the Jewish calendar is this week.  i believe we should try to keep the two close and always remember the Passover regardless of where it lands. But the term Easter, has some questionable origins. If they are true, and again there are far smarter, more learned folks than i on this, yet my struggle continues; why would we choose the term Easter for our most Holy Week? What is the origin that i question, well, it is said, that Easter gets its name from “Astarte” (there is a lengthy description of this you can read online by looking up that name or Estre, Estara, Eastre, Ostara…etc.) i recently read an article put out by “Answers in Genesis” in favor or just not opposed to the term Easter, you can read it here.

 1 Peter 1:13-16 “So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

Let’s say, for arguments sake, that the origins i fear are true and accurate. That Easter does derive from Astarte and she was the goddess of fertility. How would one celebrate fertility? Maybe with eggs? But probably not a bunny…although you know what they say about bunnies!? i just think that we as a Church should be different than the world instead of conforming to it. i am not a fan of easter egg hunts, i have come to the point in my struggle that i no longer participate in them. As a pastor i did not ban them but i was as little help in that department as possible. Again, this struggle is ongoing, i did share my opinions but i also understand the heart of the idea. “We don’t use easter eggs, we have Resurrection Eggs.” So, they’re empty? Usually not.

But i digress. my point is simply this, why use a term, “Easter” to describe something so amazing as Victory over the Grave through the “Resurrection of our Lord Jesus”? Isn’t “Resurrection Sunday” or “Resurrection Day” a more fitting term? Why do we not put more emphasis on the Passover? Although we do, for the most part highlight “Good Friday”, i just think we need to get back to basics. Back to a simple understanding with simple terms that are not easily misinterpreted or lost in translation. We don’t need anymore confusion in the minds of our Children…so this “Easter Season” i mean Passover, share the good news of the Resurrection, the empty tomb, the Passion of the Christ, the Love of the Messiah, in that, through His blood…we will be passed over, in a good way, by the angel of death.

Happy Resurrection Day my friends,
You are Loved,

cj

“GOAT”

“GOAT”

Yesterday was a great day for sports fans everywhere, ok maybe just California. The Golden State Warriors broke a record for regular season wins that may never be broken again. The Los Angeles Lakers said good~bye to one of the greatest of all time Kobe Bryant. And the Dodger bullpen didn’t screw up a lead and won the game against the Diamondbacks of Arizona. Ok some of those are not equal achievements but they are achievements just the same.

The Warriors 73 win season means they lost only 9 games. That right there is ridiculous. Single digit loss record in a competitive league?! Come on, love them or hate them you have to tip your hat to them. Kobe Bryant, 20 years in the league, 5 time Champion, Olympic Gold medalist, 81 points in a single game, 3rd all time scorer, 15 years all NBA…the list goes on, oh and did i mention he didn’t go to college?! Yep drafted right out of High School into the NBA. And the Dodgers bullpen yesterday was able to maintain a lead and win the game, that is quite the miracle this year.

All these great achievements, that i as a sports fan can really enjoy. i am a competitor, i have played, coached and cheered teams on to victory, to championships, to records. Humans by nature are competitive. Its no wonder that Paul, writes to the Corinthian Church:

“24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT

The Author of Hebrews wrote this:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

Its ok to enjoy sports, its ok to celebrate victory and achievement but these Championships will fade, and records will be broken. However, it is necessary to focus on Jesus, He is the author and finisher of our faith…He is the same, yesterday, today and forever! Lets together focus on Jesus!

You are Loved,

cj

Who’s on First?

Who’s on First?

It’s baseball season and anyone who knows me knows that i love baseball. i am a big LA Dodger fan, having grown up in Southern California. i can remember listening to the Dodger games on the radio while watching them on channel 5, because my dad didn’t like the TV commentators. i recall walking through the halls of my high school and Mr. Flores would have a TV in the quad with the Dodger games on. We would stop by between classes to get the score of the game. It was a big deal. Even now i am keeping an eye on the score of the Dodgers game as they take on our arch nemesis, the SF Giants. (Boo, Hiss).

Life can be like a baseball game. Sometimes we get a hit, sometimes even a home-run. Then there are those times we strike out. You know what i like about baseball that is different then other sports? No clock. The game is untimed. It is controlled simply by the flow of the game. Some innings are short, 1, 2, 3 out innings and others can last what seem to be hours as batter after batter battles at the plate, hits are made and runs scored.

In 1 Corinthians 9:23-25 it says;

23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

Again this is true in life, whether it is our day to day struggles or sharing our faith. There will be times when we share our faith that we strike out, other times we hit a home-run. Some times we will get a hit and someone else hits the runner in. Our goal is to be faithful. Sometimes our life struggles will feel like a strike out, other times it may feel like you hit a home-run…in the grind of life; Be faithful. Be patient. Be persistent. Be willing, Be loved.

You are Loved,

cj