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Pastor Dan's Blog

August 23, 2015 - Real Living

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives." This quote was attributed to William Wallace of Scotland (better known by most as the hero in the "Braveheart" movie). It is for history, eternity, and most of all the Almighty God to determine whether we have really lived out our lives. So much is involved in such a determination, but one item must be included, how people are impacted. Pastor Lok- Tin Cheung, our beloved Pastor Emeritus went to be with the Lord last Saturday, August 15, 2015. Pastor Cheung served CBC for 30 years, ministering to the small but growing Chinese community in Houston until his retirement. His impact into the lives of people and families are obvious, and there is no doubt that this man "really lived." Now we know he is rejoicing in God's presence along with the many lives he personally touched and made an eternal impact into. We will miss him, but we will not grieve like the world, because we know we will see him again in heaven.

Sometimes I am amazed at the utter selfishness of people who think living life is just about them. Whether it is with pleasure, possessions, or accomplishments, the goal seems to be very self-centered. Is it a wonder why so many are just never really satisfied? Jesus said, "...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt. 20: 26-28) A life lived well is a life lived serving the Lord Jesus and the people he came to save and love. There is no greater thing on earth to do than to impact this world by serving God. That is what really living is.


August 16, 2015 - Welcome Our New Staff

I love a party. That's how I am wired. Meeting up and celebrating with people are really fun and enjoyable for me. I know that there are other personality types that may not be too crazy about these things. They enjoy the quiet moments more. That's wonderful and it shows how God has made every person distinctly different and precious in his own way. HOWEVER…Not today! We are having a PARTY!!! I want to invite and ask every one of you to come and celebrate with us as we throw a quick but fun party after church in the FLC. We are taking a moment to welcome and bless our new ministers and wives at CBC. It has been a while since we have gotten this close to fully staffing our church. We are blessed with Pastor Brian and Jill Coday (Church Ministries Pastor), Brother Joseph Li and Hannah (Ministering with the Mandarin Congregation), and Brother John Tam and Jessi (Ministering with the Cantonese congregation). As they get acclimated to Houston and their new ministry duties, we want them to know that they have lots of people who will love them, pray for them and serve with them together in the kingdom of God. We will begin by blessing them over lunch and greeting them if you have not already done so. Please be at the FLC at 12:30PM.

Now afterwards, it will be important that we encourage and support them at CBC. Each will have a different skill set, spiritual giftedness, and personality makeup. They will do some things really well and others not so well. There is no such thing as a perfect minister. Even the great Apostle Paul experienced all kinds of complaints and criticisms. I believe if the Lord Jesus was here and preached a message, there will be plenty of folks who will criticize him. Why not? They sure did it 2,000 years ago. I constantly declare that CBC is a "No complaint zone." One of the worst things that Christians have is a critical spirit. Let's not do that for our new staff family. Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi, "…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." Phil. 4: 8. If we keep these words in our hearts, I am certain we will be blessings to these new ministers of CBC.


August 9, 2015 - Hell is Real

I think Houston is melting! 100 plus degrees going on indefinitely. Hope you are all staying cool and safe during this heatwave. You know we are in trouble when the thought of 85 degree weather seems like a great thing. Of course the obligatory humorous church signs are sprouting up. One church sign said, "Satan called, he wants his weather back!" Another one said, "Hot? Imagine Hell." And this one was pretty creative, "Exposure to the Son will keep you from burning later." But the funniest one I have read thus far ... and the church didn't really intended to make it that funny, "Do you know what hell is? Come hear our preacher." LOL, that's funny. Yes, it was a sign from a Baptist church.

Well, as the summer winds down and we get back to normal "cooler" living, do remember that "hell" is real and our primary goal as God's people is to tell others that they don't have to worry about going there if they will believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I know this is not a "politically correct" message in our society today, but neither is a "feels like 110 degree" day being forecast on the weather channel welcomed either. However they are true nevertheless. The Apostle John writes in Revelations 20:15, "Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Now that sounds very hot! So let's do everything we can to help people get their names into the book of life. Praise God if your name is already there. If not, come talk to me ASAP.


August 2, 2015 - Helping the Needy

Thank you all for how you have helped and are still helping the needy children worldwide with their burdens. I want you to know that 3 boxes that we sent to Mindoro island in the Philippines were received about a month ago. The children were really blessed. It's amazing that simple things we have all the time in our homes are special things they almost never have ... like canned spam, soap, toothpaste, etc. I don't think too many of us would be jumping for joy as we look forward to having a package of oatmeal arriving via special delivery. Well, our sister Cris told me pretty much that's how excited the children and workers at their ministry were when our boxes got there. Thank you again for caring to be a part of blessing these young lives.

This week we are making another effort to send off a few boxes in anticipation of their school needs as well as their daily needs. A lot of stuff are coming in already and we praise God for that. I just know that every item you put in will somehow bring a blessing and plant a seed in the lives of the kids. Who knows how that will turn out years from now? There are still things you can bring. An additional list has been added this week that includes a few other items of needs. Please try to get them here sometime this week. The sooner we send the boxes out, the sooner they will receive them. By the way, they are being shipped by sea. Here is a verse that the Lord gave as a promise, so keep it in your heart with joy. Proverbs 19:17, "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done." May God bless you for your kindness.


July 26, 2015 - Make Plans to Serve the Lord

It is so good to have you here on this very special Sunday. Thank you for being a part of CBC's Deacon Ordination Service. Your presence make it that much more special for us. It has been about 10 years since we have had this event, and we are so thankful to the Lord for allowing us once again to ordain his servants into this important ministry. We have 7 new deacons and 5 of them will be ordained today. The other two have already been ordained previously from another church where they served God wonderfully. We will reaffirm their ordination today.

In the church there are people with different titles and different giftedness. The Bible speaks of the church as a "body" with different parts. No one is the same, but all are united together to form one entity. I love seeing people with drastically different personality traits, with totally different skill sets, with even different ways of seeing things...but working together unified in glorifying Jesus Christ our Lord. And the most important title for them is that they are "Servants" of God. There is no higher title or position you can get than that one. You may be the King of England, or the Prime Minister of Germany, or the President of the USA...but if you are not a Servant of the living God, you have an inferior title. So today we ordain these men as deacons, and they will "serve" the Lord by serving his people. What a great position to be in. Please keep them in your prayers often that they may serve him well.


July 19, 2015 - Foolish Decisions

So Barb and I were having a nice time in this extremely hot summer in our swimming pool this week. She's swimming around and I was loafing on my raft when I noticed something strange. By our fountain I saw some rapid swimming going on, and as I proceeded to investigate, yup ... it was a SNAKE!!! So I tried to nonchalantly go over there with my scooper to get it and remove it, but alas, Barb saw me. As I picked it up and attempted to throw it over the wall ... and failed, she proceeded to swim very quickly to the steps and declared no more swimming for the day ... and "why didn't you kill it ... and why didn't it go over the wall ... etc." Fear has a way to make you say all kinds of things. All I can say was, "it's just a small snake. A little bite, a little poison ... it's OK. That never killed anyone before." Well, that ended a nice leisurely afternoon. I guess that's what having a snake in your pool can do.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 is a verse that I always kept in the back of my mind. "As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." How profound is this sentence? How many times have we messed things up by either neglect or foolishly allowing things to be ruined? I remember years ago when I took a few teenagers on a backpacking trip. I carefully told them what and how to pack; reminding them they had to wrap their sleeping bags in a waterproof bag. As we hiked up the mountain, a rainstorm came upon us. It was getting late so we got to a place where we pitched our tents to settle for the night. We rolled out our sleeping bags and yikes! A couple of them did not wrap their bags up with waterproof materials, and I did not check them. They were soaked. We tried, but the guys were shivering in that cold damp outdoor weather. We had no choice but to pack up and find our way home. So they ended up camping in my living room that night instead.

There are foolish decisions far more damaging than a camping trip lost. They can hurt our families, our future, and our relationship with God. Ask the Lord to show you what may be in your life, small as it might be, that can damage and ruin the things that matter most in your life. And then do what I did with that snake. Get rid of it.


July 12, 2015 - Servants of God

It is so good to have you here on this very special Sunday. Thank you for being a part of CBC's Deacon Ordination Service. Your presence make it that much more special for us. It has been about 10 years since we have had this event, and we are so thankful to the Lord for allowing us once again to ordain his servants into this important ministry. We have 7 new deacons and 5 of them will be ordained today. The other two have already been ordained previously from another church where they served God wonderfully. We will reaffirm their ordination today.

In the church there are people with different titles and different giftedness. The Bible speaks of the church as a "body" with different parts. No one is the same, but all are united together to form one entity. I love seeing people with drastically different personality traits, with totally different skill sets, with even different ways of seeing things...but working together unified in glorifying Jesus Christ our Lord. And the most important title for them is that they are "Servants" of God. There is no higher title or position you can get than that one. You may be the King of England, or the Prime Minister of Germany, or the President of the USA...but if you are not a Servant of the living God, you have an inferior title. So today we ordain these men as deacons, and they will "serve" the Lord by serving his people. What a great position to be in. Please keep them in your prayers often that they may serve him well.


July 5, 2015 - God's Word Never "Expires"

Earlier this week I was drinking a container of protein shake I had. It tasted a little bit funny so I checked the packaging. It was well sealed and everything seemed to be in order. Also, I had it stored "safely" in my refrigerator so it must be good, right? Well, I looked a little further and found the expiration date to be…well sometime in July, 2014. Yikes!!! Well, I emptied that one and threw away the others I had as well. And praise God, food poisoning didn't happen.

Sometime when things are packaged a certain way; we think they will never expire. A while ago I was reading about certain people who keep used up batteries. Then I opened up my desk drawer and discovered that I was one of them because I found a bunch of used batteries sitting there. They looked like new batteries, so I guess I kept them thinking they may work again. The same thing happens in our attics and garages. We pack away old clothes thinking we can fit into them again someday, or they may come back into fashion again. Really??? There is an "expiration" to things! Life moves on, things happen, stuff gets old…except the Word of God. That never changes. What God says is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So as I have been reading through the book of Acts for my devotional time this week, those words are still good. The first time I read them was in 1970. The first time anyone read them was in the first century AD. Still good today. Those words don't expire. You can count on them to be truth still, and to be effective in our lives and in our world. So no matter how much the world wants to call God's word antiquated, old fashion, or expired, you can be assured that it is not so. It is still active and alive. II Timothy 3:16, 17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Even for the 21st century.


June 28, 2015 - One Nation, Under God

This coming weekend our nation will be celebrating the 239th years of existence. Our founding fathers established America with biblical principles and faith in our creator God. As a result, the United States of America has become the greatest nation on earth and people from all over the world want to come and live here. Many today may want to discount the involvement of God in this, but they would be terribly wrong. It isn't the great fertile land we possess, or the indomitable spirit of our people, or the diversity of abilities of the populace. It is the hand of blessings God has laid upon this nation. He has led us, protected us, prospered us, and used us to bless the world. The United States of America was indeed established as "One Nation, under God…"On this 4th of July celebration, let's keep that in mind.

In our travels this past month, we have seen nations in Eastern Europe which were not established that way. They came to being because of empire building, wars, Kings and Queens, or other geo-political reasons. And you can just see the lacking in spiritual and moral fibers of these nations. It is my hope and prayer that America will not become like them, but instead will resurge to once again lead the world to look to the Lord God and find hope in him alone. As we watch decisions being made in our capital, our Supreme Court, and by our president, let's humble ourselves and ask God to have mercy and grace for our nation. Let's ask God for a revival again amongst his people. Remember his promise in II Chronicles 7:14, "…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."


June 21, 2015 - The Kind of Fathers We All Want

Happy Father's Day! We hope all you fathers out there have a special day designed just for you. Did you know that it became a national holiday in 1972 when President Nixon signed it into law. It came about only after the success of the national Mother's Day established in 1914, and folks wanted it as a complement to the recognition of mothers. It took almost 60 years before us dads got some recognitions :)

Did you know that it is discovered that the way we see our fathers plays a huge part in how we see God. So if you have a really stern father, you may see God as a tough, disciplining being. If you have an absentee father, you may think God doesn't care. If you have an involved, caring father, you may have an easier time see a loving God. I am not sure how all this work, but it just seems to be so in how children relate to their fathers and then to the Heavenly Father. Now that just makes me want to be a better father, even though my sons are adults already. Also, it makes me so glad that our Father God is so much better than what we can ever be. Matthew 6:31-32 gives us a precious glimpse of our God, "Do not worry saying, 'what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or what shall we wear?' For your Heavenly Father knows that you need them." That's right, he loves us, cares about us, and are there for us. That's the kind of fathers we all want...and definitely have in heaven. He promised it.


June 14, 2015 - Seeing the World Through the Filter of God's Word

Thank you all for your prayers as the Latvian missions team is finishing its ministry and returning home tomorrow. The Lord gave wonderful opportunities to encounter and impact so many unbelievers. All our expectations were far exceeded. Praise God for that. Along with the work of the ministry, there also were so many different chores and things to do while we were there. They were divided up amongst the whole team. Well, one of my chores was to clean some windows. I can't say I have had much experience doing that here in Houston, but the missions church office needed clean windows so I was on it. They actually looked fine to me but when I began working on it, they were quite filthy. After a bit of scrubbing with soap and water, hanging half way out of the windows reaching for corners, and a few cramps...the windows were crystal clear. And guess what? Suddenly we can see beautiful flowers outside the windows. The sun shone in gloriously. The room literally became so much more brilliant and it looked even bigger. Now nothing inside or outside had changed at all, only the filter which happened to be dirty window glass.

We all see things through a filter. It is made up of our eyes, minds, emotions, culture, past experiences, etc. A friend of mine told me his wife was deathly afraid of loud noises because she had a terrible experience with someone attacking her. She had a "fear" filter that was paralyzingly her. Sometimes our filters can seriously damage how we perceive truth, preventing us from living honestly or effectively. What we need to do is to clean out our filters, scrubbing out the dirt of lies and falsehood. What agent can do that? Well, you know it...only the Word of God can do that. It is amazing what the world looks like seeing it through the filter of God's word. Our personal circumstances and experiences too are so different when we see them without the smudges and filth of the world. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." The light of God's word removing the filters of the world. When we can see life that way, then the Christian life is really amazing.


June 7, 2015 - God Has Us in His Hands

I bring you greetings with the Latvian missions team and all the brothers and sisters in Daugavpils city. Slava Bogu (Praise God) for a safe and blessed travel. We will be ministering in our new Baptist church plant here with Pastor Vova and Marina today. Later we will do some outdoors evangelistic singing and gospel presentations. We will visit with orphans, really poor Gypsy children, and do a one day version of VBS with these groups. Some on our team will be doing ESL with university students, hoping to share the gospel along the way. Please keep the team in prayer as they sow seeds of the gospel to an area of spiritual dryness.

Barb and I came to Eastern Europe a few days earlier to minister with our Ukrainian friends and coworkers in Kiev, Ukraine. They are involved with our Christian orphanage, foster homes, and summer camps. It was a good time of encouragement and sharing about God's faithfulness. Some of the people CBC folks have met like Nate and Diana, Tim and Natasha. It was good to hear their hearts and to pray with them. We had a surprise visitor. It was a Ukrainian hedgehog. I have never seen one before, but it was walking around in our backyard. We pick him up and it was as cute and harmless as possible. It did have a fur coat made of really spiky pins, so I am sure it wasn't a bite sized choice meal for any predator. However, as we held him in our hands, I thought, "My, this is such a vulnerable little thing, what if it was not in hands that were gentle, kind, and protecting?" It would be in trouble. But this little guy was in good hands.

Sometimes we take for granted the fact that our God has us in his kind, gentle and protective hands. Not only are we safe, but we can also thrive and flourish because of his grace. That is a precious fact to know as we continue to live and serve God in this rather tough life. We put our little friend down and he just continued on his journey into our garden, eating little vegetables we had given to him, and slowly walked away. As we continue our journey this week, we will keep thanking our God for his presence and love, taking nothing for granted, but being grateful to a loving Lord whose hands are on us.


May 31, 2015 - Impact in the Lives of Others

Wow!!! Are we still under water? Hope all of you are OK. That was some storm we went through this week. Am I glad we didn't have a basement because I am pretty sure it would have become a water pond. When the sun finally came out on Wednesday, it was a welcomed sight…if only for a few short moments.

I was reading about some of the heroic stories on Monday night during the storm. This one caught my attention. The manager of "Taste of Texas", Norman Faust finished work and drove home. On his way, the flood water was too high for cars to pass on I-10 and Belt 8 frontage roads. He got out, saw a car floating by. He asked if anyone was in it, but no one knew. Then he got tethered with a rope, got into the water and swam up to the car, found a 75 year old woman stuck inside, rescued her and swam back to shore with her. At least 4 people have died because of the storm this past weekend in Houston, but this woman was not one of them…because of Mr. Faust. Don't you just love stories like this? People risking their own lives to rescue total strangers, resulting in an "impact" in the lives of others. I am going to have to go there for dinner just to say hello to this man!

I am a believer that God's people can make wonderful impacts into others. Maybe it won't be rescuing someone from great danger, but somehow changing how a person may live. A kind word, a helpful hand, an encouragement, or anything that allows you to be used by God to touch someone. Paul writes this in Acts 20:24, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." It sounds like all Paul wanted to do was to serve the Lord and impact people. No better way to do that than being there when someone is in need. Hey, make sure you keep some rope in your trunk.


May 24, 2015 - "To Decide to Die"

Tomorrow our nation celebrates "Memorial Day." It is a national holiday declared by the United States Congress in 1968 to honor those who died serving in the armed forces of our country. More than one million men and women gave their lives to preserve the freedom and security of this nation. To them we owe a huge gratitude. In the midst of going through the malls in search of great sales, while enjoying a family BBQ, or watching one of Houston's awesome sports teams demolish the opponents, won't you take a moment to thank the Lord for our nation and for the folks who sacrificed their all for it?

Dying for someone or something is a rarity because it is the absolute ultimate decision. Most deaths result from non-decisions. It happens and there is nothing we can do to stop it. But to decide to die…well, that brings it to a different level. Who would do that and why would someone do that? In Romans 5:7-8, the apostle Paul says, "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Sure, it is clear that people will die because of love for their family, for their friends, and for their country. But Jesus died for those who were his enemies…that would be us. He died for sinners. That is ultimate love. And because of his decision to die, we can have the ultimate freedom and life for eternity. That is something to celebrate each and every day, if you have received his gift of salvation.


May 17, 2015 - "For I Know the Plans I have for You"

This week we saw in the news about the Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia. The tragedy included at least 8 deaths and upwards of 200 injured. As God's people, we should certainly keep these families in our prayers as they cope with the grief and pain that so suddenly came upon them. We all know that terrible things are part of human experiences, but that doesn't change the shock that happens when we are faced with the surreal truth of what such experiences bring into our lives so suddenly. Many families will no longer live the same again. As they look into the cause of it, one thing is certain. No human being knew what would happen exactly even a split second before it happened. It would be true to say that no other beings in the universe knew, except the almighty God. He alone holds the future, and he alone can know. The destinies of the 8 who died and the future of the thousands who are touched by the accident…only God knew ahead of time. No one else could have. Take a moment to think about that and let it sink in…

Ecclesiastes 8:7 says, "Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come?" We can have forecasters for the weather, for the economy, for the political future of our nation, etc. But they can be and often are wrong. No one knows the future except God. So would it not be a wise thing to go before God every day and entrust our lives to him? Here is what God wants us to know, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11. From the only being who can know the future, this is an amazing promise. Not only does he know, but he can make it happen. And what does he want happen? Good things for you and for me. This is the God that we worship and serve. This is something I can count on when I am flying on a plane, riding on a train, or doing a hundred and one things every day. I know he has my life in his hands…because he promised it. And no matter what happens, if I choose to follow him, he has goodness in mind for me.


May 10, 2015 - Countering The World's Lies

I was speaking to a family who is planning to visit the Polish city of Krakow and the infamous concentration camp, Auschwitz. It reminded me of our visit a few years back. It was one of the most precious moments of my life. I highly recommend that trip to anyone, if you possibly can make it. It is sobering and powerful for your sense of humanity. It will change who you are, for the better. I still remember walking under that sign hung over the entrance gate. The words, "Arbeit macht frei" means, "Work makes (you) free." More than 1 million people read those words and plenty believed them, or at least hoped that they were true, but they were nothing but a lie. At least 1.1 million discovered that in the months that followed their imprisonment and systematic incineration in the ovens of Auschwitz.

There are all kinds of slogans, phrases, and verbiage that are out there, and people just believe them. In sports, probably the most famous is, "Just do it" by Nike put out in 1988. So if I buy a $200 pair of Air Jordan, I can "just slam dunk" the ball. The De Beers Diamond Company in 1938 said, "A diamond is forever." How many young ladies have bought into that? I told Barb that she was wearing my car when I gave her the diamond engagement ring in 1978…after she said "yes" of course. : How about this one, "I'm loving it?" Didn't you just wanted to bite into a Big Mac? You see, there are so many things said that are simply not true. But people believe them. It was the super evil Joseph Goebbels who said, "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." I wonder how many lies we live out each day believing they are truth. And of course there are consequences doing so, to the detriment of our lives here and in eternity. There is really only one way to prevent that, know God's truth found in His word. Psalm 1:1-2 says, "Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night." The only way to counter the world's lies is to be thoroughly familiar with the Bible. Make sure you open that precious gift up every single day and meditate upon it.


May 3, 2015 - Weeding Out Those Struggles

I have been weeding this week. For some reason, these green nasty things keep coming back. I do believe I have pulled, cut, dug, and sprayed them many times before, but they keep coming back. I have spent hours doing this weeding chore, but they keep coming back again and again. I even tried ignoring them, hoping they will just go away, but they get even worse. So what else is there to do? I guess I will just keep on going out there in the yard and weed some more. That's the only way to have a nice manicured yard.

Have you ever felt like that about something hard in your life? You know what they are…the difficult struggles, the emotional meltdowns, the fearful thoughts, or the failures that come too often. You overcome them, spent time working to handle them, ask people to help you with them…but they keep coming back. And sometime you just want to give up or give in. You ask God, "Why? Why can't they just go away and disappear?" Well, let me tell you, they are diminishing, if you keep on trusting God and seeking him to give you victory in them. The Christian life is miraculous because it is God transforming us. But he wants us to trust him and live it out step by step in faith. We are being changed for the better, but slowly. I always tell people faith is not like a flashlight in a dark room where you can just shine it and see ahead. No, it is like a lantern where you lift it up and you see a ring of light. You see just one step ahead and no more. The only way you can see more is by taking that step forward. And if you keep taking those steps, you will get there eventually. Well, let me encourage you to keep taking that one step and keep on weeding out those struggles, all the while trusting in the guidance and strength of God to help you along. In time, you will see the changes and the victories that you desire so much for.


April 26, 2015 - Making Decisions to Impact Lives

So this week I had 2 plumbers come to repair broken flanges on my "water closets." I researched the problem and figured that it may take me a couple of hours or so to do the work. However, since I had a home warranty on the house and it's only $75, I had the "professionals" do it. The plumbing company sent 2 novices who had the toughest time barely diagnosing and repairing the problem. They were reading instructions on how to fix it while in my house. Now that's never a good thing when you hire a plumber. Well, they eventually fixed the problem, but didn't really do it well. They did try their best. I still had to finish the work later on with caulking and shimming…and I may have to re-do it later if the repair fails. Normally, as a customer, I could call the company and complain. Perhaps they will send someone else to re-do it, and this time the right way. But I have a dilemma. We always try to get to know anyone coming into our house, sharing in some way the love of Jesus Christ, and always pray with them before they leave. One young man was a wayward believer. He is not attending any church but says he believes in the Lord. The other one doesn't believe in God at all but was willing to let me pray for him anyway. So you see my dilemma? I can't possible call their company and complain about their lack of abilities to fix my problem. It is not that I will just take a loss, but it is a choice I am making that seems much better for their spiritual lives.

We make decisions every day. Some are not very memorable while others are. Have we thought about how some of them can impact people, and sometimes eternally? I was with some guys at a restaurant one day and after a while a couple came by and thanked us for how we behaved during our meal. Unbeknownst to us, they were watching and saw that we prayed before we ate…then they wanted to know whether we were really "practicing" believers. I am so glad we lived it out, even during a simple lunch. John 13:35 says, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." That is worth far more than some annoyances that can fill our lives. Well, does anyone in CBC know how to replace a toilet flange?


April 19, 2015 - Stress

When I was studying structural engineering in school, I really enjoyed one of my classes. Often as an exercise, we would take different materials and put them through really grueling stress tests with pulling, bending or crushing machines. We would see what it takes to break them. Some are harder and stronger than others, but they all eventually broke. Did you know that April is "Stress Awareness" month? That's right. If you are the 75% of Americans who regularly feel stressed out, then this is your special month. I read that 7 people die of stress every 2 seconds worldwide (110 million per year). That's an epidemic! The top 2 symptoms are fatigue and irritability…hmmm; does that ring a bell for you? And the top causes for stress? Money and work. So it seems like we all have to face this issue somehow, unless we can just eliminate money and work from our lives…but that will just cause more stress since we will then have no money and no work! Double Yikes!!

I am speaking from Matthew 6 this morning. Without giving it all away, Jesus made this powerful statement, "…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…" vs. 33-34. This remedy is worth more than the $300 billion cost/remedies annually Americans pay for handling stress. A person who can live out the Lord's promise will rejoice through the most difficult trials, smile through the hardest circumstance, and still be able to sleep like a baby at night. You see, it's not about the money or the work…or the 100 other stress factors. It is about the God who is in control of all things and he promised to never leave you nor forsake you. So for the rest of this month, try to find stressed out people and let them know that they don't have to be like that. There is an answer, his name is Jesus.


April 12, 2015 - Cleaning up the "Normal" Dirty Things

I have been working on my pool…yes, my swimming pool. It's amazing that in early April you can swim in Houston. A friend of ours just last week posted on Facebook about a snow storm she had in Maine. Well, this is why people live in Houston, until…July. Yikes! As I cleared out a bunch of clogged up branches and yucky stuff around my fountain, up jumped a big old frog. He scared me half to death. Immediately he went into the pool and it took me half a day later to get him out of there. He had made my nice fountain his home for the better part of the winter since I never turned it on. What a dirty mess he made of it. It took a while to flush it clean with water and chlorine. I thought about the frog later. He wasn't trying to mess up my fountain. He was just being "normal." He was after all a frog, and that's what frogs do to human fountains. Still, he had to go. It wasn't right for him to be there. He will just keep making messes.

Are there things in your life that just keep making messes? You know the bad habits, the uncontrolled emotions, the poor choices, or just that nasty attitude that comes up every once in a while. You know they shouldn't be a part of your life, but they are. They have actually become "normal." You have accepted them as who you are and tolerated them as part of your life. It's just too hard to get rid of. It's too shameful to share with others. And what does it matter anyway, it's not like they are going to stop you from entering heaven. And that's right, but they do stop you from living the amazing life God has in mind for you. Dirty, messy, ugly things do affect your quality of life. The thing Jesus called the "abundant life" requires cleaning up these things. And that is possible with God's help. Sometimes it requires a really hard process. Paul said this in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." When we do that, the "normal" dirty things get cleaned up and the amazing abundant life gets lived out. Pools are better without frogs in them, and your life is better lived without those ugly things as well.


April 5, 2015 - Easter Sunday - He is Risen!

These beautiful flowers are growing outside the mission house we have in Kiev, Ukraine. Despite the cold and snow, they struggled to blossom. Don't they look even better because of the contrasting frigid environment they are in? Today is Easter. Was there ever a greater contrast than this event? From gloomy death came brilliant life! From the horrors of crucifixion to the glory of the resurrection. From utter despair and hopelessness to joy and eternal hope. Resurrection Sunday, when contrasted to Crucifixion Friday is even more pronounced. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

I want to welcome each one of you to this morning's Easter service. We rejoice because Jesus has risen and he is alive today. He has a message for each of you. No matter how difficult, how despairing, and how hopeless things may have been, his love and power can turn your life around. In fact, the more hopeless things are, the more powerful his love will be in your life. There is no darkness, no coldness, no power or anything else that can keep him from touching and changing your life, if you will let him. Even death had to give in to his resurrection power. And he has made that power available to you today. As we worship the Lord today, would you spend some moments seeking him, thanking him, praising him, and asking him to be intimately a part of who you are? He loves you, cares so deeply about you, and he wants to make your life so joyful and meaningful.





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