Time With God
A devotional trip through the Bible with a caring community to support, love and care for each other... while spending Time With God. If you would like our daily email version of this podcast send me a note to info@pinegrovecommunitychurch.com
TWG - August 27, 2008
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TWG - August 27, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Numbers 3; Psalm 77; Galatians 2
Today is August 27, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
The church was a hub of busyness yesterday. Bill was out in the parking lot getting the slab ready to pour. Phil Teel stopped in with the clips he made for the projector screen. Jayn was there watering. Carl was there working on computers. Sonja, Helen, Rochelle, Marcia, Holly, Jayn and who knows who else came to can beans and apples. I put our new garden cart together for transporting the sound system. It works great. I posted a new radio podcast to the internet… check it out. And I worked a bit on Awana. After work I got beat in a few sets of tennis with Phil. Then it was off to men’s meeting where Carl & I fixed Rochelle’s computer. I put a picture of Carl working on the AWANA circle on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 13:1-3 Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them— and those who are mistreated— as if you yourselves were suffering.
Ever entertained an angel? When I was dating, I thought my girlfriend (wife now) was one! And she is a bit angelic, having to put up with me and all my antics, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a genuine, honest to goodness, authentic supernatural being from God’s great heaven. What an angel would be doing in my dining room, I don’t know. And how I would recognize him or her as an angel, I don’t know. “Hi, my name is Gabe (short for Gabriel) and I’m an angel. I was just in the neighborhood looking for a snack when I smelled your good home cookin’! Mind if I join you for dinner before I fly off and do cosmic battle with Satan and his hosts for the domination of the world?” “Right. The Rescue Mission is right around the corner. Beat it!” Not so fast! Hospitality is so important to the Kingdom of God that God sometimes rewards us with angels. That’s what the verse implies. The words “entertain strangers” are really one word in the Greek language meaning “hospitality” or literally “a lover of strangers.” A friend of mine, Jim, loves to paraphrase the great commission to read, “Go make friends for Jesus.” Being a lover of strangers is one of the most effective ways to win the world to Christ, one stranger at a time. And if you really love strangers, you’ll want to meet them, get to know them and become friends with them. That’s what hospitality is all about: Treating strangers with honor and making them feel at home; Regularly inviting guests to my home in order to love on them so they want the love of God. And that is what hospitality is all about. The word “hospitality” has a wide range of uses: “The hospitality industry” is a broad variety of services including hotels, food service, entertainment, and tourism. From the word hospitable, we get hospital, hospice and hostile (a place to bunk – I’ve stayed in one!). God wants your home to become a place of laughter, entertainment, tourism, overnight stays, and even a place of healing and spiritual health care. How does that happen? It begins with a commitment to be intentional about the use of our home. We choose to dedicate our place back to God. Then we determine to use whatever resources God has given us in ministering to strangers. One of the easiest ways to get started is to invite a few families, couples or singles from the church to our house for a BBQ along with some stranger who happened to show up at the Sunday Morning Meeting. What a great way to fill the house with laughter, friendship and joy. And who knows, one of those strangers might turn out to be an angel with a message from God, “Thanks for building my kingdom with your faithfulness to strangers!”
Dear Father. I want to show others the love you have shown me. I want to be a lover of strangers. Today I choose to be intentional about hospitality. I dedicate my home and all my belongings to you to be used in your service. I will begin to regularly take opportunities to entertain the brothers and strangers in my home!
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, To comfort all who mourn, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, and The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:59 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2008TWG - August 26, 2008
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TWG - August 26, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Numbers 2; Psalm 76; Galatians 1
Today is August 26, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
Susan has been sick. I took her to Urgent Care yesterday. It turns out she has a viral severe cold. She was hurting. After clearing up her nasal passages, she began to feel much better. We had to cancel Shaphen’s birthday party because of it. To bad, so sad. I ran to a few odd jobs on the rentals and spent some time talking to the renters. Then it was out to church where I checked on the progress of the AWANA circle that Carl, Phil and Mike were putting down. I helped them finish. Bill was there getting the forms ready to finish pouring the handicapped parking spaces. Carl, Melissa and Sonja were canning. After I finally got home I spent an hour in the basement moving furniture to make way for new computer desk. I put a picture of the guys working on the AWANA circle on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 13:1-3 Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them— and those who are mistreated— as if you yourselves were suffering.
Let brotherly love continue. Love for our fellow Christian is one of the most important missions in life. Jesus gave us two primary commandments: Love the Lord with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself. The second commandment: Love your neighbor can be easily broken into two categories… #1 Love your brothers, #2 Love all men. Galatians 6:10 explains how that love looks in action, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” There are two distinct categories we are to target with our love. And one of them is supposed to receive our special attention: “The Brothers and Sisters." Why? Because this is the way we demonstrate to the world that we are Christ’s disciples… if we have love for one another (John 13:35). Jesus commanded us to love one another several times. “This is my commandment that you love one another!” (John 13:34, 15:17). Interesting. Love is our duty. How does that work anyway? It reminds me of my own child rearing encounters. When my children were young, it was a bit easier to get them to love one another. If they had a spat, I’d tell them, “Say you are sorry to your brother,” “sorry,” they would say, and that solved the world’s problems for the day! Way to go! But as they got older and their fights became more intense, sometimes it was difficult to get the same response. “Say you are sorry.” “But he hit me first!” or I’d get the sulking, “SORRY!” But somehow the attitude didn’t match the response. “Come on now! LOVE your brother! Give him a hug and make up!” And you’d see four wooden limbs sort of try to hug, but there was no love there! For some reason those limp arms just couldn’t be forced to have the warmth of a brotherly hug. Romans 12:9 astutely comments, “Let love be without hypocrisy.” If I have to love you out of duty, and I don’t want to, isn’t that hypocrisy? Hypocrisy is pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have. So I suppose the answer is “yes.” But sometimes it’s OK to be a hypocrite. If you feel like killing someone and you don’t do it, that’s good hypocrisy! If you feel like cussing someone out and you smile at them instead, that’s good hypocrisy! But somewhere along the way we need to leap over the line of maturity and decide that we want to love even the unlovable brothers because that’s how Jesus treated us. While we were yet enemies, he loved us and died for us! It isn’t about how loveable the brethren are, it’s about whether I fathom the depths of God’s love for me. We love the brethren because He loves us. We didn’t deserve it either. Honestly, there are a lot of Christians that are difficult to love. And that is precisely the point, “by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.” Love the brothers!
Dear Jesus. I want to love as you loved. I know who I am, and I know that I am unlovable. I see my faults, my sins, my idiosyncrasies and realize that I am difficult to love. Most of all I see my sin and how it hurts you. Yet you love me with an everlasting love. I want that kind of love for my forever family!
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:55 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Aug 23, 2008TWG - August 23, 2008
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TWG - August 23, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Numbers 1:20-54; 1 Peter 5
Today is August 23, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.
I didn’t quite get things wrapped up yesterday as I should have. I began well. I got the bulletin done. Ken came in with some memory and we upgraded the Sunday School computer as well as the Secretary’s computer. I ran to Lowes and Handyman hardware to pick up some parts to hang the new video screen. I had to spend a little time on the phone with Citi because someone somehow charged some items on our credit card. That was a concern. You can pray that that is an isolated issue and not related to some broader identity theft! After work I did music practice, and then it was off to Soccer Referee Training where we refereed a few games for Roseburg High. I put a picture of Marcia on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. She’s picking up the Awana mailing from me. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, and hard to explain, since you are slow to learn. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to maturity"
Let us go on to maturity. What is keeping you from becoming mature? There are a few things required for maturity; growth, competence, “aging,” experience and discernment. These are on the positive side of the ledger. But there are some things on the negative side of the ledger that may impede your progress to the goal. Let’s just say you have started on your way to maturity. You understand what you need to do to grow. You feel the promptings of the Holy Spirit and make a decision to follow Jesus. That was on Sunday. The Church service touched your heart as it so often does and you are ready to take on the world. But the reality of Monday morning blues hits you. Before you know it you have taken a detour off the path. Those same old sins spring up out of the ground like a bad patch of thorn bushes threatening to choke your spirituality away. Anger, lust, greed, frustration, gossip… whatever your problems are, they are flaring up with a vengeance. So you give in and do those same old sins again. What effect does falling into those sins have on your maturity? Simple… they move you backwards. Even when you realize your error, repent and confess them to God, you don’t get to return to the same place on the monopoly board. If you moved three spaces backwards before realizing the error of your way, repentance won’t bring you forward those three spaces… it only turns you around and changes your direction in the way you should go. Now you’ve got some distance to make up! You’ve not only hurt God, you’ve hurt yourself. Keep on sinning and soon you’ll be slipping backwards into a black hole. It is impossible for even a heartfelt “sorry God” to make up the distance you have lost. Maturity requires some things that accompany salvation. In the place of those thorny sins, the fruit of the Spirit must grow. To move forward in a positive direction, we have to replace our anger with tenderness, our greed with contentment, our gossip with edification, our criticism with kindness, our lust with love for Jesus. These are the roadblocks to maturity that will curse your life instead of bless it. Beware of them! Deal with them. Move forward. The next throw of the dice may get you a surprise trip to “Go” where you can collect $200!
Dear Lord. I do confess my sins for they are many. I do not want to see them obstruct my way to maturity. When I am down, I will choose to turn from my sins and walk hand in hand with you. You are what life is all about and I want to love you with all my heart soul and mind. Take me by the hand and lead me to maturity I pray.
Trust in the LORD forever, For in the LORD, is everlasting strength
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:07 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Aug 22, 2008TWG - August 22, 2008
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TWG - August 22, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 28:1-19; Psalm 76; 1 Peter 4
Today is August 22, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.
Yesterday was a day of crisis. When it rains it pours. Problems don’t come in single soldiers, they come in whole battalions! I was working away on an AWANA mailing when a guy in our church came in to talk about the difficulties in his life. After about a half hour, another guy dropped by to say that he was thinking of moving out on his wife. I spent the next hour or two with them, and hooked them up with counselor Clay Tillman. I also have been trying to contact a gal who needs to talk to me about a compulsive gambling problem, and another couple I have been trying to set up counseling with! Woah! I finally finished the mailing and made some modifications on the web site to advertise our AWANA ministry. Then it was off to the DC racetrack for some practice laps in Don’s race car. That was a learning experience. I guess I will be racing with the big boys this Saturday! Now that is something to ponder. I put a picture of me during the Faster Pastor race on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, and hard to explain, since you are slow to learn. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to maturity"
College was a challenge to my formative mind. I was not quite prepared for the culture shock of having to actually study to get good grades! I had sailed though my last two years of high school with high marks; nearly straight As! Quite a contrast to my lowly grade school experience! But I was unskilled and undisciplined at study. My sophomore year of college I dropped out in favor of marriage and then a few years later went back and finished my degree. Then, I was ready for it! I worked hard and got very good grades and graduated 2nd in my class! High school was like “Milk Toast” to me, but College was a different story… It took discipline and hard work to make it. Maturity is like that. There are several marks of maturity that you should strive to add to your life: 1) You teach others. 2) You are skilled in the Word. 3) You have “aged” 4) You practice your faith 5) You can discern good from evil. Aim for maturity. It is the only thing that makes sense. Immaturity is for people who don’t mind repeating the same stupid mistakes over and over! So let’s talk about what you have to do to get there. Teach Others. We already have noted that one important way to measure your maturity is whether or not you have graduated from learner to teacher. It’s everyman’s goal. Become Skilled in the Word. Skill is learned. Even those with natural talent have to perfect it. One of the best ways to develop a skill is to put it into practice and have others critique it. Yesterday I did practice laps on the race track. When I came in Don told me what I was doing wrong and how to correct it. Then I went out and did it again. Saturday I’ll put that advice to the test. Skill in the Word takes study, application and then we need a sounding board or a mentor to tell us how we are doing at it. Sometimes that’s a trial. But maturity demands that I understand the Manual! Third: Aging. There is no question that a new Christian can be “spiritual,” and that an old Christian can be “unspiritual.” But Maturity requires time. We must experience life’s trials and tribulations before we are of “full age.” How much time? Jesus spent three years with the disciples before he let them go. The Jews didn’t consider someone mature until they were 30. There is no magic number. It just takes time! That’s because we need to Practice our Faith. We have to “exercise our senses.” This is the idea of a “boot camp for the mind.” Exercise is vigorous, exhausting and stretching. In order to practice our faith, we have got to go through deep waters while trying to apply the truths we have learned. And the point of that exercise is so that you can discern good from evil. Sadly, some Christians are easy prey. We don’t know how to spot a fraud nor can we pick out the genuine article. How do you make good decisions? Experience. Where do you get experience? Bad decisions! And a steady application of God’s Word. In Olympic terms, “Go for the Gold.”
Dear Father. Thank you for the process that leads to maturity. Help me to constantly challenge myself to learn and grow so that I can be just like Jesus. Take me through the boot camp of Christian maturity so that I will gain the experiences needed to have my senses sharpened. I am ready to learn and grow.
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in the LORD, is everlasting strength
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:57 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Aug 21, 2008TWG - August 21, 2008
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TWG - August 21, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 27; Psalm 75; 1 Peter 3
Today is August 21, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day
It seems like fall is on the way… I’m sure we must have more summer to come, but the rain in Roseburg seems like a premonition of winter! Yesterday I spent most of the day cleaning the new building and getting it ready for Awana. I moved our gas stove into the church kitchen and spent some time trying to figure out how to hang our new video screen. I woke up in the middle of the night with a great idea! It must be a God thing! I spent some time working with Marcia to prepare for Awana. We need to get a mailing out soon. The ladies were in the kitchen working on apples. Carl, Marcia and I took off to U-Haul to pick up a new love seat for the church. I put a picture of Doris in the kitchen on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, and hard to explain, since you are slow to learn. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to maturity"
I spent two years in the fifth grade! True! I’m telling you I wasn’t born to study. I had to repeat every class that year, not that it did me any good… do you think I really learned the stuff the second time through? I must have, because they threw up their hands and hustled me into the sixth grade the next year. Are there “grades” in the Christian life? Are their “classes to repeat” when you fail? The Apostle John listed three of them. He called them Little Children, (Grade 1) Young men (Grade 2) and Fathers (Grade 3). The writer of Hebrews only spoke of two grades: Babes (Grade 1) and Full Age (Grade 2). The course of study for the “Babe’s” class is called “Milk” (I know you are picturing tanned girls in bikini’s with a white upper lip talking about happy cows at the beach, but that is NOT what we are talking about! Get your mind in the game!) This class covers the “elementary principles of Christ.” The course of study for the “Full Age” class is called “Solid Food.” It covers the “teaching about righteousness.” If you flunk the “Milk Class” you will have to repeat it. You can tell when you’ve “got it” if #1 you have begun to develop the advanced skill to discern both good and evil and if #2 you are mature enough to catch the vision of the importance of “Milk” and begin teaching it to others. Just what are the first principles or elementary truths of the Word? Hebrews 6 lists 6 of them. 1) Repentance 2) Faith 3) Baptism 4) Laying on of Hands for Service 5) Resurrection 6) Eternal Judgment. Repentance is turning from your dead works to the finished work of the cross to save you. Faith is trusting Jesus alone for salvation. Baptism is what you do when you want to make a public statement of your determination to follow Jesus. Laying on of Hands is about discovering your place of giftedness and ministry and beginning to serve Jesus. Resurrection is our hope. Because Jesus rose, we will too! Eternal judgment covers believer’s rewards and the unbeliever’s punishment. Once you really understand these basic principles you should be motivated to teach others. That’s how Christianity works. I teach you, you teach others. And you need this basic bit of instruction in order to move to the next level. These six truths are the foundation that enable you to gain the understanding and skill to study the rest of the Word as well as the skill in discerning right and wrong. So tell me, have you got it or are you a flunkee? Hey it’s time we realized that in Christianity there is no such designation as “professional Milk student.” Grow up and Move on!
Dear Holy Spirit, teach me I pray. I have spent too much time drinking milk, and I am now ready for solid food. I want to graduate and become mature. Please help me to gain the passion to pass the faith on. I know I need a good foundation. Let me get it and get it clearly enough to change my life and the lives of others.
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:52 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008TWG - August 20, 2008
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TWG - August 20, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 26:14-44; Psalm 74; 1 Peter 2
Today is August 20, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
Yesterday was Tuesday… the last two days seem to blur together. I went to a CE meeting where we discussed our Vacation Bible School and how well it went, our upcoming Awana… we are getting very close and our Christmas Program. I need to act on that! I had lunch with John. While we were there, John told the waitress she did a good job, and I asked if she was good… so we quickly gave her the good person test! You can read about our encounter at www.honest-answers.myblogspot.com. I also have a link to the good person test. Check it out. I did some fixing of our puppet play area in anticipation of Awana. And then I ran to Roseburg High and whupped Phil in two sets of tennis! Later we had men’s meeting. We all looked a bit tired. I put a picture of Kirstin, a gal we witnessed to on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, and hard to explain, since you are slow to learn. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to maturity"
You ought to be teachers. That statement jumped off the page and hit me square between the eyes! Who is he talking to? A select few gifted individuals? The leaders of the church? I immediately thought of the James 3:1 corollary which warns that not many of us should become teachers! So which is it? To teach or not to teach, that is the question! The James passage is a warning that teachers will be held accountable by God for what they teach… and for not “practicing what they preach!” It is not so much telling us NOT to become teachers as it is telling us to live like we believe. The Hebrews passage speaks with a broad brush stroke… you ALL ought to become teachers! We know that some of us are gifted as teachers (Eph 4:11) and that each of us have different gifts. So what’s the deal with this idea of a personal, universal obligation to become the man in front of the class? As I thought it over, I said to myself, “I think I’m going to learn an important Scriptural truth here!” So I went back to the basics. Matthew 28:19-20 where we find our marching orders. Go and make disciples of all nations TEACHING them to observe ALL THINGS that I have commanded you! If I am to be a disciple maker, I must become a teacher of disciples! That is one of the fundamental responsibilities of reproduction. If I am even to begin following God’s plan for my life, I’m going to have to pass on my faith. That requires teaching. And then I remembered where Jesus said, that when a disciple is fully trained he will be just like his teacher – Luke 6:40. That means that Jesus goal was to have his 12 disciples turn out to be the teacher he was. And we find that they carried on where he left off – they did not cease teaching (Acts 5:42). And in 1 Cor 14:31 it tells us we can all prophesy… a form of teaching. Here’s the insight for today. One important way to measure your maturity is whether or not you have graduated from learner to teacher. Somewhere along the time line of your Christian life you are supposed to make that transition. But like the Hebrews of the early church, many of us are stuck in our pew! We have not grown out of the infancy of excuses… “I’m not gifted.” “I can’t speak well.” “I don’t deal well with kids, infants, adults etc.” “I don’t know enough.” “I don’t like to teach.” “I’m not good at studying.” And on and on ad nauseum. According to the inspired Word of God, none of those are the real problem. The real problem is that you are still in diapers. You have never grown up. Excuses aside… grow up!
Dear Father… I have spent most of my Christian life telling myself that I am not the person you want as a teacher of your truth. I see now that I was wrong. I realize now that graduating from learner to teacher is a think of maturity and I need to quit making excuses and begin making that transition. Please bring maturity to me!
“Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:10 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Aug 18, 2008TWG - August 18, 2008
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TWG - August 18, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 26:1-13; Psalm 73; 1 Peter 1
Today is August 18, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow..
The Lord’s Day is past… Sunday morning I talked about maintaining a positive attitude no mater the circumstances. It seemed to make an impression on quite a few folks. We had a beautiful service and then a great BBQ. Well attended and the people just seemed to enjoy being around each other! That’s what it’s about. William won our free airplane ride from VBS and his dad Chris is pumped about it! We had a great crew of people stick around afterwards to clean up all our canopies and stuff. It was great! Then Susan and I spent a quiet afternoon together. I put a picture of the view of the sunrise from my house on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, and hard to explain, since you are slow to learn. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to maturity"
I have often been in the slow learner row. When I was a kid, I had nightmares about wearing a dunce cap. I don’t know how many times I had to write lines on the board, “I will pay attention in class. I will pay attention in class. I will…” It never helped; I’d just drift off to day dream land a few minutes later. I wasn’t born and bred for book learnin’. I was an adventurer not a scholar! I was dull of hearing and slow to learn. The problem wasn’t intelligence (no snide remarks from the peanut gallery please!) it was focus. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t want to learn… I had the wiggles and the wiggles always won. Understanding the concepts was so difficult and entering the adventure land of day dreams was so inviting. I’m afraid there was much I didn’t learn because I was in another world. And I paid the price for it in bad grades. I don’t think I got over a C + on my report card until I was in High School! I don’t know how many times I had to stay after class to do make up work. Often I was restricted from recess. One year I had to go to a ghastly term of summer school. I pledged that if I ever had kids, I would never inflict such torture upon them! Well, maybe not. There is a purgatory on earth for those of us who refuse to learn and grow. In the material world, slackers end up as life long McDonald’s tellers or career laborers… not that there is anything wrong with entry level work, it’s just that it’s difficult to provide for a family on entry level wages! Who wants to live in a run down apartment with paper thin walls for life and own an old beater for a car that constantly breaks down? The same holds true in the spiritual world. For those of us who refuse to learn and grow in Christ, life becomes stale and barren. Instead of running slow motion through a fragrant field of flowers, we find ourselves getting caught in acres of thorns and briers! Growing in Christ is a necessity. If you ever stop growing in Christ you will become entangled with emotions and encumbered by the cares of this world that will punish you severely. One very important life long commitment is the determination to stay in God’s Word, to Pray, to push the envelope of growth and constantly challenge yourself to new levels of maturity and service for Christ. You’ve just got to grow and blossom into all God wants for you… the alternative is falling into bushels of briers. And you ain’t no Brer Rabbit!
Dear Holy Spirit, be my teacher and my guide. I want to learn from You. Please fill me with the desire to grow and challenge myself to new levels of maturity and ministry. I want to become more and more like Jesus!
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:52 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Aug 16, 2008TWG - August 16, 2008
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TWG - August 16, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 25; Acts 28
Today is August 16, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.
Vacation Bible School is over. It was a very good day. We had several children make decisions to trust Christ! The leaders are doing a great job. Today in our story, Jesus is risen! Thanks to all those who made this a great VBS. After VBS I went to our Pizza party and then came back to church for Music Practice. Dave stopped in with the new sound cabinet for the amphitheater. I took off and then I spent a quiet evening at home. I put a picture of another of our VBS shops on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Mark 8:34-38 "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Comparisons are good. Comparisons help us gain perspective and understand the vast difference between ideas. They give us key insights into issues we may not think about too much. So today we are going to compare apples to apples. Apple #1. This shiny red apple is coveted by billions. This apple sits on top of the apple crate. In fact this juicy apple owns the apple crate! He is the “big apple.” Through corporate mergers, behind the scenes manipulation, cunning investments and sheer hard work he has become the richest apple in the orchard. He is so amazing that the apple paparazzi quote his every word, dozens of apple apprentices fawn over him and jump to do his bidding, and the apple stock market rises and falls based on his pronouncements. He has it all… a refrigerated home for preserving his apple like looks, swimming pool for washing off the pesticide, vacation homes at several orchards and whatever his heart desires. He’s on top of the world. But like all apples, his shelf life is limited. Time passes and he begins to shrivel and turn brown. One day he is laid to rest with pomp and ceremony in a sterile Petri dish at a famous mausoleum. His life of glitz and glamour are over. Apple #2. He is just a common run of the mill apple. He will never know the life of luxury of the big apple. Instead He has decided that he is going to give himself up, slice by slice if necessary to be used by God. When placed on the produce rack Apple #2 begins shouting, “taste and see that the Lord is good!” His life is short and sweet. A shopper evaluates his message, picks him up and takes him home. Painfully, this apple gets cored and sliced. The sting of loosing his life is almost more than he can bear. But oh the joy he brings to little sister who takes bite after juicy bite! And then his core is taken out to the back yard and given a proper burial. At the funeral, little brother quotes, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless an apple core falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces a great apple tree.” And so it is that God whispers “well done” to the poor apple which sprouts and grows into a mighty tree. While apple #1 lies sterile and dead in his Petri dish in the mausoleum, apple #2 has experienced a resurrection to life! The point of this parable? What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and looses his soul? So you are on top of the apple cart today? That can never compare with eternal joy. Live for eternity, not for the transient pleasures of this life. In the end, there is no comparison unless you want to compare apples to oranges!
Father help me to keep eternal values in view. Help me to evaluate my pursuits to see whether they really measure up to the kingdom of God! Help me to always seek your Kingdom first and focus on your righteousness. Thanks for your great love and grace!
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:22 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Aug 14, 2008TWG - August 14, 2008
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TWG - August 14, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 24; Acts 27:27-44
Today is August 14, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day
Well… we are over half way finished with VBS! Yesterday went well! We had an excited group of kids just having a great time in our Jerusalem Marketplace. One parent told me that they are Vacation Bible School connoisseurs – they do at least four VBS’s every year, and ours is tops! After VBS I was exhausted! But I did some lowly work in the office anyway. I contacted Doris about Bible Study. I ran over to visit Jim and Irene. They looked good, and then I spent a quiet evening at home. I put a picture of another of our VBS shops on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Mark 8:34-38 "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Just what kind of a call does Christ really have on your life? Let’s say that you decide that the price is too high. You decide that you don’t want to take a trip to the cross. Giving up your life for Jesus is just not on your agenda. You want to live your life your own way. You want to do your own thing. Or perhaps you only want a few bucks worth of Jesus… not the whole package. Can you get away with that? The answer is that whoever wants to save his life will loose it in the end! Jesus does have a right to call us to radical discipleship. He is the Lord of the universe. He created us and He has the right to call us into service. And just so that we are clear on all that jazz, one of these days He WILL call us into account and “judge” us based on our response to His call. If you decide that you want to save your life for yourself and you do not want to pay the price of discipleship, in the end, you will be a serious loser. There are terrible consequences for choosing against Jesus Christ. And that is exactly what is at stake here in discipleship. It is all about the choices that we make. We may think that we are just doing what is best for us… you know, self preservation and finding personal fulfillment, but in reality it’s a much bigger decision than that. The unvarnished reality of it is that it is a choice AGAINST Jesus. Every time I sin, rebel, go my own way, overlook God’s call, or only choose partial obedience, I am deciding to “save my own skin.” That decision creates a weight of disobedience that may pull us right out of the mainstream of God’s will and into serious chastisement! On the other hand if you willingly lay down your life for Jesus and for the Gospel, in the end you will be rewarded. You can have your rewards now on this earth when you choose to “save your life,” or you can have your rewards later. But know this; God does have the right to call you to discipleship. The call is out there. God’s got your number. And God will hold you accountable in the end for how you did or did not respond to His call. So now, my friend, it’s all up to you. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me. It’s your turn to choose Plan A or Plan B, your way or God’s way, to save your life, or to give it up, reward now, or reward later, self preservation or God glorification… it’s time to vote! Pick up your pencil and mark your ballot. God is waiting.
Dear Lord Jesus, I give you my life. I will make the choice. I have decided that you are the one thing that matters most in life. I want to please you. I want to obey you. I am willing to lose my life for the sake of the Gospel in order to save it for you on judgment day.
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:50 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008TWG - August 13, 2008
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TWG - August 13, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 23; Acts 27:1-26
Today is August 13, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
Another VBS day is past. We had a great time! I am so impressed with all the activities we are doing. It is such a blast. Yesterday “Rabbi John” explained what the Seder meal is to the kids. They were fascinated by the foot washing of Jesus day. Old time lamps were lit and so much more. I was so tired after VBS that I took a quick nap. After work I returned for our men’s meeting. That was a blast. Then I swung by Brad and Karen’s to give our “new rabbi” his script. Thanks Brad for agreeing to be our Rabbi at our Vacation Bible School! That ended a long day for me! I put a picture of another of our VBS shops on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Mark 8:34-38 "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Jesus has some very high expectations of His disciples. Self denial, Cross bearing, and now he asks us to “follow.” Twenty centuries after he announced his demands, we have some idea that these commands are to be taken symbolically. Self denial has come to mean skipping dessert or seconds. “Everyone has their cross to bear” we quote, meaning that your difficulties in life are your cross to bear. And follow means something like sitting in church and watching the preacher from the bleachers… as in my eyes are following his movements on stage, or my eyes are following the words across the page. When Jesus called men to discipleship, there was nothing symbolic or watered down about it. Jesus expected his Disciples to drop what they were doing, follow him around the countryside and become his apprentices. The pay was low and the demands were high. Self denial for them meant sleeping on the hard ground most nights and eating whatever the group could scrounge. Bearing their cross meant that they might just be crucified with Jesus! They were to expect persecution and martyrdom. And to follow Jesus meant just that. It meant that all the little extras everyone else had, they didn’t, because they didn’t have a “real job” anymore. To follow literally meant that they spent all day and all night with Jesus. They walked with Him and talked with Him. They listened as He taught them and they did the things he asked of them. When it came time, they did what they saw Jesus do. They preached and taught and even healed the sick! Being a disciple back then was more or less equivalent to “entering the ministry” today. Jesus is still calling us to discipleship. He is still calling us to follow Him. His call to the highest level of commitment has never changed. He still calls, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” The problem is not with His call, it is with our response. Some of us don’t “feel called!” Jesus said, “Make disciples of all nations.” Every one of us responds to the call with varying degrees of commitment. Jesus wants us to give Him our all. And that’s one of my problems… I’m looking for Sunday School teachers, Jesus is looking for Disciples. I want people to commit a few minutes a day to reading the word and prayer, Jesus is asking for us to give him our entire life! The call to follow Jesus in discipleship has not changed over the centuries, just our perception of it. The question you must ask is, what is the next step in discipleship for me?
Dear Lord Jesus, I give you my life. Wherever you send me I’ll go. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do. I will follow you wherever you lead. I will give it all up for you. I want to be your disciple. Please forgive me for my low ideals of commitment and help me to live it all for you all day long.
I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:29 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008TWG - August 12, 2008
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TWG - August 12, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 22; Acts 26
Today is August 12, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
Our first day of Vacation Bible School is over! We had a great group of helpers and a wonderful group of kids. What a lot of fun. We set up a market place and tried to make it like old town Jerusalem. It was complete with a Synagogue and a Rabbi. We still have the need for some help Thursday and Friday. After VBS, Ken came over frantically, “all my drains are clogged!” He had to go to work, so I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to flush the clog down the drain. I finally found the outlet valve and we flushed it all away, then I took a shower to wash all the sewer smell away. I put a picture of one of our VBS shops on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Mark 8:34-38 "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
I was thinking about what kind of commitment I expect out of other Christians. I expect them to show up at church weekly – that’s a minimum. I expect them to step up to ministry, to show up on time and prepared. I expect them to pray, to read and study the Bible. I expect them to give of their time, treasure and talents to Jesus Christ. Those are some of my top expectations. Pretty demanding huh? God on the other hand only expects me to lay down my life for Him! Hey! Maybe I’m not asking for enough! I should be asking what God is asking. “Whoever desires to be my disciple let him take up his cross and follow me!” As Christians we try to satin coat the cross. It looks so regal and varnished in its honored place at the front of our sanctuaries. We proudly display it in gold and silver earrings and necklaces. But the Cross Jesus was talking about was rough and splintery. It was blood stained from its many crucifixions. The cross was not an ornament it was a place of execution! It was a symbol of fear and death, much like the skull and crossbones. Imagine hanging a sliver plated electric chair around your neck, or making earrings out of a hang man’s noose. There was nothing pretty about the cross! When Jesus said “take up your cross,” he did not mean put on your jewelry! He meant that you had to be prepared to lay down your life for Him! He meant that you had to pledge your life, your breath and your all to him if you want to be His disciple. Jesus expects His disciples to live for Him, and they must be ready to die for him. In the same breath he also said, “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospels will save it.” So where are you in your commitment to Christ? Does Jesus mean that much to you that you are ready to die for Him? In every other continent, in most every other country of the world, Christians get this chance! People all over the world are being persecuted and killed for their faith… right now! Our time may be coming, and the question to you is this: “Is Jesus worth dying for? Is the Gospel worth dying for?” If you want to be one of Jesus disciples, you must come to the place in your life where you pass these challenge questions. If you are not willing to die for Jesus, I doubt you’ll do well living for Him. There are many “Christians,” but few disciples. Out of all the hundreds who followed Jesus he only chose twelve disciples… and one of them betrayed Him! Out of the other eleven, only one died a natural death. The other ten literally “took up their cross and followed Jesus.” So what is it going to be for you?
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:24 AM | 2 comments
Monday, Aug 11, 2008TWG - August 11, 2008
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TWG - August 11, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 21; Acts 25
Today is August 11, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.
Yesterday was my birthday, and Susan made it a special day for me. It seems like most people brought helium filled balloons to the morning service. So I got a balloon bouquet. They also gave me a 5th place trophy for the faster pastor race. That was fun. Thanks for all the cards! David preached in the morning service and did a great job! Then we had a bbq for him. That was a blast. After that we did our VBS preparation. I interviewed Sara for our child safety program and shared the Gospel with her. She received Jesus as Savior! Then we set up the marketplace for VBS. We had some great help! Last night we saw our final video in the Q & A on creationism. I put a picture of Sara on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Mark 8:34-38 "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
What do you want out of life? When you get right down to it, Jesus is the desire of the ages. A lot of people appear to want to follow Jesus… at least a lot of people go to church searching for God. But just what does it really take to get close to God? How about a burning bush like Moses encountered? That would be cool. Or how about a bright light from heaven and the voice of God speaking like He did to Paul? If either of those happened to me it would really rock my world. I have never had the experiences that some of the prophets and men of God of the ages past have had. The Voice of God has not thundered from the mountain down at me. No angels. No bright lights. But I have had the still small voice of God speaking to my heart all my life. He’s in there. Heaven is a free gift, but knowing God comes with a price tag. There is a tremendous responsibility that comes with His Presence. God is not just there to tickle our fancy and give us a nice roller coaster ride to heaven like he was a candy machine or an amusement park. God never reveals himself to anyone without asking for something monumental in return: your heart, soul, life and everything you’ve got! There is a price to pay for a close personal bond with the Almighty. It is called “self denial.” “If you want to follow Jesus you must deny yourself!” What is “self denial?” Imagine two paths leading through life. One is God’s Will and it leads upward to a deeper life with Christ. The other path is man’s will. Both paths once ran parallel to each other, but in our present state our path now aims in a different direction altogether; it is directly contrary to God’s path. If we want to walk the one, we must get off the other! We cannot walk both. Self denial is a rejection of my path and an acceptance of His. It is an abandonment of my own interests in favor of following His Will. It requires that I say “no” to self and “yes” to God. It demands self discipline. I must come to the place where I control my own impulses and desires in favor of following God’s path to life. This is the requirement for a deeper life! No wonder we have so many curiosity seekers in church, but few who lay themselves completely on the altar of self denial. The price is too high! We want to add a pinch of God to our lives without giving up our personal ambitions and passions. If you want to follow Jesus, you must deny yourself and walk the path to the cross.
Dear Father. I want to follow you. I choose the path of self denial. I want to know you intimately. I realize that this means a total change of the way that I do business. Not my will, but your will be done in my life. Please give me the self discipline and victory over my human nature so that I can truly follow you.
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:18 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Aug 09, 2008TWG - August 9, 2008
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TWG - August 9, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 20; Acts 24
Today is August 9, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.
Happy Birthday to me… tomorrow. It will be a busy day. Sunday services and Vacation Bible School meeting. Yesterday I got the song sheets ready and practiced my drums a little. I spent some time talking to our egg delivery man. Carl & Sonja were there off and on during the day. Jayn, Marcia, Evie, Ken and Susan all stopped in to set up for VBS and I spent a considerable amount of time helping as well. I moved a few telephone poles with the back hoe and smoothed out some of the ground by the amphitheater for our VBS canopies. I also put in a few gabion baskets down on the bank to ready them for filling. - I put a picture of Patricia and my mother on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. She is laughing at something, I know not what!
This week’s theme verse is Luke 6:27-31 27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
Ever heard of the “Golden Rule?” Here it is, “Do unto other as you want them to do unto you.” This is a “self correcting” behavioral rule that results in kindness and generosity when properly applied. My brother had his own made up version. He always said, “do unto others as they want to do to you, only do it first!” In other words, you know that they are going to mistreat you, cheat you or hurt you, so make sure that you land the first punch! He would do some little irritating thing to one of us, quote his fake golden rule and laugh at his own joke. He always thought he was witty though I never saw the humor of it especially when he was picking on me! I was not impressed by his version of the Golden Rule. So why do they call this the “Golden Rule?” Someone suggested that #1 Gold is beautiful. When you follow this rule, your actions are appealing and beautiful. #2 Gold is valuable. Kindness and graciousness are in high demand. We value people who treat us right. #3 Gold is rare. Those who treat others as they want to be treated are in short supply. But among Christians this is supposed to be the norm. We are expected to exhibit a positive attitude no matter the circumstances. Our value system insists that we do regular acts of kindness and generosity (as opposed to random acts). Our goal is to develop a servant’s heart and put others ahead of ourselves. God places a high value on “Golden Rule” behavior; after all it was Jesus who mandated it! If you want to be like Jesus, you must imitate Him. Here is the bottom line for the Christian: If you want to follow Jesus and be His disciple, you must buy into this philosophy of life. Maybe that’s why we don’t see more selflessness, kindness and generosity among us… Maybe we are just giving lip service to it. Maybe we aren’t taking it seriously. Maybe we are rationalizing the truth away. Maybe we haven’t really bought into it. I think it’s time we peel away that layer of Christian veneer and check under the hood to see what’s really there. It’s time to chuck the attitude that is critical of everyone else and replace it with some love. We need to dump the pity “poor me” outlook and substitute in a healthy dose of blessings. We’ve got to reorient our thinking so that stuff means less than people. It’s high time we started living like the Christian we claim to be. That is beautiful. That is precious. That’s rare! That is the “Golden” rule.
Dear Lord Jesus: I have chosen to follow you. I choose to buy into the values and truths that you have for me. I want to be a servant. I want to follow the golden rule. I want to live a selfless life of kindness and generosity so that everyone else can see that you have transformed my life. Please transform me I pray.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 1:17 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Aug 08, 2008TWG - August 8, 2008
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TWG - August 8, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 19; Psalm 72; Acts 23:12-35
Today is August 8, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.
Just an average day in the life of Pastor Dennis. I did the bulletin, watered the amphitheater and spent quite a bit of time working on Vacation Bible School I created and printed out some notebooks for “secret seats.” And I spent some time talking to Marcia about last minute details including the need to make “wooden nickels.” We only need about 1000 of them! And I spent a little time with Evie talking about here copper making shop in VBS. She couldn’t find the other roll of copper, after some investigation and a few phone calls, Carl found it in the back of Vicki’s car. After work I ran to Stewart Park where I attempted to make contacts and share my faith. I met three different families and had some good discussions. I was able to share most of the Gospel with the third family! Didn’t quite get to close it out for lack of time. You can check out all three conversations and pic at http://honest-answers.myblogspot.com - I put a picture of Tony on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. He, Patricia Caleb and Ethan came to visit us recently!
This week’s theme verse is Luke 6:27-31 27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
I don’t like to be mistreated, do you? I don’t like confrontation and I don’t like conflict. It really gets my dander up. I feel a tense just talking about it! If someone is going to get in my face, I’m likely to go head to head with them. The thought of it reminds me of a “pro” baseball player arguing with the ump, face to face! You can’t get much more dramatic than lip to lip. They are both shouting so loud that there’s no way they can hear each other and neither one of them is backing down. “yer out!” These verses mention several types of mistreatment: verbal, physical and material. Verbal abuse is the most common. You are going to have people gossip about you and even cuss you out. There will be misunderstandings and misgivings. It’s going to happen to you! Physical violence: In your lifetime someone may pull a knife on you, point a gun at you or manhandle you to the wall. You may get slapped around or challenged to a fight. It is happening more and more. But the chances of a material or property crime are much higher. The National Institute of Justice estimates that the average American has an 80 percent chance of being the victim of a serious crime in his lifetime. Someone is going to take your stuff! It has happened to me, it can happen to you. I can tell you from first hand experience that some of the emotions I felt at the time were shock, anger, disbelief, vulnerability, more anger, bitterness, hostility, revenge and tears. So are you ready for it? None of us are really ready for the shock, but we can prepare ourselves. You can choose your response in advance. You can condition yourself to behave like a victim who has been raped, plundered and is crying out for justice, or you can choose to respond supernaturally! You can choose to bless when cursed, peaceful and gentle when struck, and generous when looted. There is no human precedence for these responses; they are “God-Like.” They are so stunning and so out of the ordinary that they often bring a shock to the system of the attacker. When an attacker expects hatred, anger and a fight and gets love, kindness, generosity, a teary smile or even a little blessed humor… he has absolutely no defense! You have disarmed his heart. He suddenly has to deal with feelings and emotions he has never encountered in his entire life! Unexpectedly you are no longer the victim, you are the victor. You have defeated evil with good.
Dear Father. I do not wish to be on the receiving end of hatred, theft or violence, but I know that sooner or later it will happen to me. My human instincts tell me to fight back, but you tell me to win them over with blessings and kindness. I choose the way of Jesus, which is the way of the cross. I am willing to give up my rights to see your kingdom come!
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:14 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Aug 07, 2008TWG - August 7, 2008
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TWG - August 7, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 18; Psalm 71; Acts 23:1-11
Today is August 7, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day
Well, I was back at it with a vengeance yesterday. I did all kinds of VBS preparation. I printed T-Shirt Transfers, I studied the opening and closing sessions, I helped Dale get a piece of plywood so he could cut marketplace signs, I rounded up 5 gallon buckets to put our roads signs in… someone had removed 5 of the cartons that secured our signs, so I had to put them back up. Al & Carolyn stopped in to drop off some baskets. Carl & Sonja were working in the kitchen. I went out to look at the well Carl P had made for VBS. It is awesome! Then last night I went and talked to our Life Insurance Agent Carol Heard for a while. She evidently has a love and passion for Jesus. I put a picture of Al & Carolyn on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Luke 6:27-31 27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
Blessing is a Hebrew tradition. The Priest blessed the nation with a special benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine upon you and give you peace.” Fathers often gave an official blessing to their children as part of their birth right. They would say things like, “May you have many children, may you inherit the gates of your enemies, may your corn and wine increase!” But I can’t think of an example in the Old Testament of a Hebrew blessing their enemies! That makes no sense at all! How about if all of us repeat the following formula to Islamic terrorists, “May God bless you and may you prosper!” That’s like sick-um to a dog! “Way to go Osama! May God bless your next suicide bombing!” NOT! Wait a minute! Don’t write this off so quickly. There’s an awesome truth here. The subject of blessing was mistaken (suicide bombing), but the idea of blessing your enemy is sound. What could be a better blessing than that they would find peace in Jesus Christ! That would solve the problem of jihad! Listen, the best way to defeat our enemies is to turn them into our friends, and that is accomplished through prayer and blessing. Let’s begin with blessings. Let me suggest that we learn to say key words at key times that turn enemies into friends. And just what are these “magical words” we need to say? Let me give you a “blessing formula.” You should use this formula on your friends as well as your enemies. It goes something like this, “You are the best ___________ I have ever met!” For this formula to work, it has to be true and sincere. You must pick a character quality of the person you want to bless that they are good at. For example, perhaps your friend or enemy is a hard working guy, you would say, “John Doe, you are the hardest working guy I know of!” Or let’s say that he is a great family man. “John Doe, you are one of the best father’s I have ever met!” You have to keep it real and be honest. But regardless of their other flaws, pick the one that you can bless! And if you really want to bless them, don’t do it in a backhanded way, “Hey that’s great that remembered your appointment! How unusual! You have one of the worst memories around. You are blowing me away! You usually forget!” Using the back of your hand to bless someone is usually a great way to create enmity! Oh, and one other thing: pray for them. Prayer changes hearts. Send your blessing off with a wing and a prayer and it is much more likely to do its thing: bless you!
Dear Lord, change my heart so that I want to bless my enemies. Holy Spirit, change their hearts with the blessing so that they want to know and live for you. Father, I want to be a channel of blessing. It completely goes against my nature, but I know that it is the godly thing to do. Help me to incorporate key words at key times to turn my enemies into friends for Christ.
The Lord bless you; we bless you in the Lord’s name.”
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:25 AM | 1 comments
Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008TWG - August 6, 2008
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TWG - August 6, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 17; Psalm 70; Acts 22
Today is August 6, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
Yesterday was a bit of a slow day for me in the office. I watered the amphitheater… oops… I left the water on for several hours! I did some work on finances. I tied up a few loose ends on the “faster pastor” tickets. Phil from KGRV wrote to say that thanks to the sales from the churches the speedway had a record attendance this year. They were truly grateful for the exposure. I got a letter from Merwin Rhodes from truckers for Christ. He is in need of help ministering to truckers at the truck stops. After work I played a set of tennis with Phil in the 90+ degree weather. I won – yay! Then it was off to a great men’s meeting! We had such good fellowship, encouragement and prayer! What a group. I put a picture of my mom on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. She visited me for a few days!
This week’s theme verse is Luke 6:27-31 27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
The Old Testament laid down the law on justice. It demanded “an eye for an eye!” Jesus laid down the gauntlet for grace. He gently commanded “love your enemies…” do not repay evil for evil. Justice requires equity, but grace returns a blessing instead of demanding repayment for wrongs done. Jesus holds us Christians to a higher standard. As ministers of the Grace of God, we must exhibit a positive attitude of grace no matter the circumstances. That’s because Justice is about us being made whole, but Grace is about us making someone else whole! Our goal is to heal broken hearts and bring “wholeness” that comes with the saving message of the Gospel to everyone possible. Now that we are ministers of Grace, our whole focus in life is off us and the spotlight is on everyone else. We are to build up the brothers by demonstrating a kind and courteous spirit toward them at all times, and we are to win the unbelieving by treating them with honor and goodwill. The ultimate test of grace is to love those who attack and hate you by doing good to them. This will truly take a mammoth shift in our mentality! It is much easier to say it than to do it. It will require a complete recalibration of our instincts and responses. Have you ever been on the receiving end of a hateful attack? Perhaps it even came from your family or church people. False, cutting rumors may have been spread around about you! They hurt! I remember the time at one church where someone spread the rumor that I had said, “I’d rather be a Communist than a Catholic!” It wasn’t true. But that’s what gossip is all about. That was meant to get the Catholic’s angry at me! Shortly after that someone put up a large poster in front of the local store, “We need a new pastor!” Did I have a few enemies? Yes I did! Those words seemed filled with hatred to me! I remember driving across the bridge with my motor scooter and my eyes caught the words on that sign. Was I ever discouraged! But I couldn’t quit! In fact that was the perfect opportunity to “love my enemies, and to do good to those who hated me.” Love and good are verbs that require action. Love results in good works. So in return for hatred and personal attacks, we go out of our way to be kind and as Romans 12:20 says, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” That is the greatest form of revenge ever! It is like pouring burning alcohol on his wounds. But alcohol is medicinal! It heals. And that is the way to make the world whole. Do unto others as you wish they would do to you.
Lord teach me to love like you loved. Help me to repay evil words with kindness, and repay ugly attacks by generous acts of mercy. It is hard not to recoil when wounded. I want to strike back. Father I am learning to be like you. And I want to move beyond myself to see their wounds made whole in Jesus Christ!
The Lord bless you; we bless you in the Lord’s name.”
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:01 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008TWG - August 5, 2008
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TWG - August 5, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Leviticus 16; Psalm 69; Acts 21:17-40
Today is August 5, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
We had a great Lord’s Day! On Sunday David Harsh led worship at Pine Grove… what a blessing. Then we talked about the Lord’s Day and the importance of worship. We learned a lot about worship at David’s seminar and then he put on one of the best concerts I’d ever been to! It was awesome. God is awesome. Yesterday Susan and I did breakfast with John & Dana, then I did a few odds and ends around here while Susan went picking and canning beans. That’s about it! I put a picture of David Harsh on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Luke 6:27-31 27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
How do you