Time With God

Friday, Jan 30, 2009

TWG - January 30, 2009 - R U a Diotrephes or a Demetrius?

Download this episode (17 min)
Boy it is amazing. I now have a shed built! I finished the roofing yesterday and went inside to work on the details. Still quite a bit to do. After being a roofer all day I ran to a rental to check out a leak in the roof and it turned out to be nothing! Whooo hooo! Then I worked out and went to Bible Study. On the way there I met with Mike and Melissa who are adopting Thursday night as their time in the Warrior’s Watch prayer room! Great ministry! At Bible Study we had a good, if not a sobering study on family. You get a different perspective of family when you study it with grandmas and grandpas! After Bible Study I rushed to the church to publish Growing Together Radio podcast to the internet. Now I need to think about taking off to Redding to visit my mommy dearest!

Today is January 30, 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 life transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 12; Psalm 135; 2 Timothy 1
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 3 John:9-12 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. 10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.

Are you a Diotrephes or a Demetrius? Every church has them. These two guys are polar opposites. One of them always seems to attract attention to himself and the other is always deflecting the glory away from himself and pointing folks to God. I’ve seen many Diotrephes types. They love the spotlight. They are as controversial and provocative as a lightning rod. There is always another side to the coin and you can bet they take the other side. They seem to relish splitting hairs the size of a mite! And if you aren’t in agreement with them, you’re against them! Sometimes they are popular and charismatic. When that happens they begin to develop a following. They have their own little flock within the flock. This is how great church splits begin! That’s what was going on in 3rd John. Diotrephes was a power loving guy. He grabbed it up left and right, and if you tried to reason with him, he called you out publically and kicked you out of the church! Good people left the church because they were hurt, embarrassed or just didn’t want to deal with that level of conflict. Beware of getting sucked in by a Diotrephes… and beware of becoming one! A church splitter is a tough reputation to shake! Demetrius had a much better reputation. He’s the kind of fellow you want to imitate. He also has strong beliefs. He stands firmly on the truth of the Word of God, but he is more of a shepherd who leads straying sheep back to the flock than a debater who slices and dices those who aren’t where he is! Instead of division he attracts people to the Gospel of Christ by his good reputation. If you ask people in or out of the church about Demetrius they will tell you that he is one man they really respect. He lives his life as a testimony to Jesus Christ. So what will it be for you? Will you be Diotrephes or Demetrius? Your reputation is waiting!

Dear Jesus, help me to get over myself and put you first. Help me to take second place so that you can be first. I want to point people to you by my testimony. I want to be a builder of your kingdom, not a divider. Help me to love people to your kingdom.

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:26 AM |

Thursday, Jan 29, 2009

TWG - January 29, 2009 - The Dark Side of Reputation

Download this episode (18 min)
Nothing but more of the same here! This time I was on the roof finishing trusses and I began roofing. That describes my day. I did get a phone call from a renter about a leaky roof! Ouch! More fires to put out. My mom called. We plan on going to see her sometime this week. After a long day on the roof we had some real fun. We ran to Awana! It was a blast as usual. Must have had 25 kids! It’s growing. After getting home I worked on Power Point for Sunday’s services and went to bed.

Today is January 29, 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

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 11; Psalm 134; Colossians 4
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 4:12-16 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

There is a dark side to reputation. If you really want a good reputation there will be times when you will have to demonstrate godly perseverance though fiery trials. Some of those trials we expect just because we are human: sickness, financial hardship, the car breaks down, the sink clogs, the roof leaks, there is a tornado, car crash… or any one of a thousand ways for disaster to strike. But then there are the fiery trials that come because you are a Christian. Life is not fair, I can accept that… but suffering for your faith is confusing because it is so undeserved. Why would someone mistreat you because you love Jesus? I get the feeling that you can come up with as many ideas as I have: they feel threatened by our value system… so we get called homophobes and out of touch… and sometimes they are so intensely threatened they strike out at us. Others feel that our faith is a threat to their faith. In their religious zeal they believe they are doing God’s work by persecuting us. It’s not right, but it happens every day all over the globe. It could happen to you if you let your faith shine through. This is reputations dark side! But even in the darkness of suffering or persecution you can gain kudos for your reputation. Here’s how… raise the stakes. Put your faith into high gear. Instead of retaliation, rejoice that you get to suffer as a Christian! You heard me right, smile! Put on a happy face! If you are mistreated because you are a Christian, you ought to take it as a compliment. Rejoice and be glad with exceeding joy! Now if you DESERVE to be mistreated because of a bad reputation (you gossiped, you lied, you stole something, you hurt someone) there is no reason for boasting or writing home about that. But if you suffer as a Christian, if you suffer because you are doing right, if you suffer because of your good reputation, God be with you! Thank God that at least someone noticed that you are different! It is an evidence that the Spirit of God is living inside and shining His light on a dark and sinful world. Way to go! Take it up a notch! Live your faith in the hard times. That is real reputation!

Dear Lord. I am in need of your Spirit to help me to live well when life is not well. When I am picked on, beat up and hurting, I need your joy to reflect from my smile so that everyone will know what it looks like to suffer like a Christian! Please let your Spirit of glory and grace rest on me.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:01 AM |

Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009

TWG - January 28, 2009 - Living Transparently

Download this episode (20 min)
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Just call me builder Bob. That’s all I do anymore. Yesterday morning I ran out to the rental and helped a renter unclog his drain. It took no more than 15 minutes PRAISE THE LORD! Then it was off to work. I’m building a shed. I have the walls up and almost half the trusses up. Last night I went to men’s meeting. A lot of concern about our country and the need to step up and give to others who are hurting and do the work of the ministry. Great! Not much else happening in my life. Just sore muscles and more work to do!

Today is January 28, 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.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 10; Psalm 133; Colossians 3

Today’s thought comes from 1 Cor 10:31-33 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

I grew up in the era of personal privacy. One of our theme songs was from a James Bond Movie, “Live and let live.” One of our presidents instituted a policy called “don’t ask, don’t tell.” One of our favorite sayings was “mind your own business.” But we paid a price for privacy. If no one is allowed into your world, you lose the benefits of community. The previous generation understood community. They grew up in little hamlets where everyone knew everyone else and if you did something wrong, the word got to your parents before you even made it home… that is if they didn’t help themselves to a bit of community discipline first! But our generation… we just wanted to “do our own thing” and be left alone. That doesn’t square well with the scriptural idea of community. The fact is people are watching us. We have a responsibility to maintain a godly reputation. Genuine Christianity insists that we live transparent lives. Our faith necessitates that we think about how other people think about us. We can’t do as we please. Christianity is focused on the needs of others, not just on self. If I offend even one person by my words or actions and make him or her turn away from Christ, it is not acceptable. And it doesn’t matter how small a thing it is in my eyes. It may be minor to me, like what I eat or what I drink, but if it brings a bad name to the cause of Christ, it’s time for me to change! And those taboos are different from one culture to another! We live in a multicultural society and sometimes we offend people of other cultures without knowing it! If we want to reach them, we need to learn their cultural values. We live this way because we really believe there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. They are lost! Our lifestyle is a witness. Our mission is to live differently. We must be so radically different that we stand out in the crowd. The difference is this: our ambition is to gain their favor by serving them! Not a lot of that going on in our world! That is a behavior worth imitating.

Dear Father. Make me a servant. Help me to develop a reputation of service and love so that I will attract people to Christ by my behavior and reputation. It goes against my nature to put others first, but I want to overcome the sin of selfishness and learn to really care about the spiritual needs of my world.

As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:01 AM |

Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009

TWG - January 27, 2009 - reputation and reality

Download this episode (19 min)
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Well, it was off to the rental for me. All day long I slaved working on the rental. And really that’s about all. After that I stopped at Kyle work to stretch and walk to loosen up my back and sore muscles, and then it was home. I worked on Bible Study, took a short hot bath in Epson salt. I hate baths! I’m a shower lover. I made a few phone calls and went to bed! That’s all folks, really! Oh yeah… except for one thing. A renter called with a clogged drain! Uh oh. I put a picture of another of the Awana boys I pick up on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today is January 27, 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

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 9; Psalm 132; Colossians 2

Today’s thought comes from Acts 6:2-4 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

Uncle Sam is looking for “a few good men,” and so are we. In fact we aren’t just looking, we are searching, seeking, observing, inspecting and praying for a few good men to stand in the gap. We are calling for men and women to step up to the task of godliness and be committed to Jesus Christ and his church. Three qualities on our wish list for the perfect guy or gal are these: A good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom. We’re not asking for much are we? Reputation is important. Reputation is what others think of you. They don’t see the whole picture, just snapshots and movie shorts. It is those observations that form reputation. It’s a perception thing. It may not be the real you, but it is what it is. A good reputation takes time. It begins the moment we meet and develops with every conversation, every act, kind or unkind and every comment or opinion other people express about you. A reputation is a precious thing. It is more than just image; it is what people think you are made of. They want to know where your heart is. For the Christian a good reputation should include a perception that you are “full of the Holy Spirit.” Some of us are full of ourselves or full of baloney, or some other idiosyncrasy. That can be bad… but the goal is that others would sense that our heart is with God’s heart. A person full of the Holy Spirit will be spiritually inclined. They love the Word. You can sense that they are seeking God in prayer. They believe in it and it rubs off. They’re not perfect, but they are sensitive to Spiritual realities. It is their desire and passion. People want to know that about you. It’s attractive! Another thing we want to know is whether or not you have common sense. Common sense is uncommon! Everyone has an opinion, but a godly man has wisdom. He doesn’t really care about his own opinion. He cares about Truth. God’s Truth. That’s why he has wisdom. Opinions are what we call “lower form thinking,” and God’s principles are what we call “higher form thinking.” If you want to graduate from lower form thinking to higher form thinking, you have to begin thinking less of your own thoughts and opinions and begin thinking more of God’s thoughts and truths. That’s where wisdom begins. Biblical thinking. That separates the men from the boys. That’s the kind of man we want.

Dear Holy Spirit, I want to be filled with your fullness. Fill me, mold me, use me! I want to think less of my own opinions and more of your truth. Please guide me and let me sense your presence. Help me portray to a needy world the example of a godly reputation. Not just image, but the heart of God.

To God be the glory, great things he has done

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:54 AM |

Monday, Jan 26, 2009

TWG - January 26, 2009 - Priority of Prayer and the Word

Download this episode (20 min)
To Listen to Today’s Podcast - http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Another wonderful day of worship is past. I love being in God’s house with God’s people. And despite the fact that my grandkids were still on vacation and not there, it was still a good time. Sunday School went well with John and Marnie stepping in to do a great job with opening assembly. Church was awesome. Worship was good. And the message about the responsibilities of leadership in the family was a needed one. We spent some time laughing and talking with Dave & Barb and Brad & Karen. Then it was back in the evening for a well attended and profitable Child Safety Meeting. I pray that we will make the commitments necessary to reach our generation. I put a picture of one of the Awana boys I pick up on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today is January 26, 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.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 8; Psalm 131; Colossians 1

Today’s thought comes from Acts 6:2-4 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

The ministry takes great effort. Nothing great was ever accomplished by mere mediocre attempts. If something is worth doing, it is worth all your sweat, blood and tears... but, there comes a time in the ministry when it grows too great a burden for one man. In the early church it became too demanding for the twelve apostles! The church was exploding! There was a multitude of disciples. The Apostles were astutely aware of their main responsibility, so they began to look for worthy assistants who could come along side them and relieve them of some of their tasks. Thus was born the two classes of ministers in the church: Elders and Deacons. The Elders (Apostles in this case) would give themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The Deacons would “serve tables” and take care of other business. Different ministries with one goal in mind; accomplish the mission Christ left for us. One is not less important than the other, instead the menial tasks make the ministry more effective. The Elders have two vital goals, prayer and the word. They must be God’s mouthpiece to the people in the ministry of the word, and the people’s mouthpiece to God in prayer. This is a ministry patterned after Moses of old. Moses would enter into the presence of God to get instructions for the people. Then he would go to the people and pass on what God had instructed. On a few occasions Moses spent as many as 40 long days alone with God in prayer! So much time passed that the people thought he had died! It wasn’t that he was neglecting his duty, it was that the message was so important that he needed every bit of that time to get a grip on it. This is what an Elder does! He is to explain the principles of God’s kingdom to the people under his care, and he is to take their needs and questions to God in order to find answers. The Apostles did this continually. The word continually indicates intense, persevering unwearied effort. The ministry takes extraordinary effort. The Deacons were meant to assist the Elders by doing the grunt work and the menial tasks of the ministry. They were to “serve tables.” In fact the word Deacon means “servant.” Their job was to carry out the business of the ministry so that the Word of God could be preached and the prayer life of the Elder would not be hindered.

Dear Father. Help me to be willing to put my best effort into the ministry to see that I get your message in prayer and that others get your message from the word. Help me to be willing to do the menial tasks of serving as well so that others will have the freedom to minister. Whatever you call me to, I want to do it with all my heart.

Because Your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:58 AM |

Friday, Jan 23, 2009

TWG - January 23, 2009 - Why go to Church?

Download this episode (18 min)
TWG – January 23, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Joshua 7; Psalm 130; 3 John 1

Today is January 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 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 life transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.

Yaaaawwwnnn… Yesterday I was a bit overtired. I slept in until 7 AM and did not publish TWG. I’ve been a bit tired for a week or so, so I thought it was important that I got some needed extra sleep. It was a busy day. John stopped in to pray. Alberta dropped by to talk. Bill was in the hallway working. Ben wanted to see what was going on so Bill and I gave him a tour of things. He’s supposed to come by and finish taping today! Thanks Ben. With all that activity, I suddenly looked up and the clock said 5:30 PM! I was an hour late in leaving! What happened to the day? I rushed off to Bible Study where we talked about Stewardship. I put a picture of me driving down the road on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. One of the Awana boys took it of me.

Today’s thought comes from Ephesians 4:11-14 He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Some of us wish we could be children again. Little children are so carefree. They don’t have all the worries of life that we do. They are young, healthy, smiling and untouched by the experiences we’ve had. But little children are vulnerable. Left to themselves they are helpless and lost. They can be deceived without much effort and easily exploited. I really wouldn’t choose to return to my childhood if I could. I would rather be grown up. I don’t like being lost. I don’t enjoy being exploited and I don’t like the feeling of helplessness. So how do you “grow up?” Among a host of Spiritual Secrets God has given us is one we call “the church.” If you want to grow to maturity you must regularly, consistently and as often as possible take advantage of the teaching and equipping ministry of the church. God has a plan for your growth and it goes like this: Jesus gave some men special gifts of teaching and equipping ministries. These are Pastors and Teachers and Evangelists. Their gifts have a dual purpose in the church: #1 to Equip the saints so they can do the work of the ministry, and #2 to edify the body of Christ. Some people come to church only to be edified or built up. And teaching and preaching does that. But that is only half the story. You really won’t grow up until you are equipped and serving. Some of us don’t want to grow up that much! We’d don’t want commitment! We don’t want to have responsibility! We want to be free from the constraints of responsibility. You can’t have it both ways. You either choose God’s path to maturity or you stay immature, easily deceived by the trickery of men and tossed about by every wind of doctrine. To grow up you must develop an insatiable appetite for the edification & teaching ministry of the church and you must be willing to be equipped for service and then put that into practice. If you will “sit at Jesus feet” and be edified AND equipped, you will grow up to a mature man and become more and more like Jesus.

Dear Lord Jesus: I want to be like you. I want to sit at your feet and learn, I want to be with you and follow your example. And then Lord, I want to go and serve. I want to put into practice what I have learned and pass on the faith. Help me to grow up to be just like You!

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:53 AM |

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009

TWG - January 21, 2009 - Holy Spirit Advantage

Download this episode (18 min)
TWG – January 21, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Joshua 6; Psalm 129; 2 John 1

Today is January 21, 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.

Today is my last day of solitude! Susan comes home tonight! Oh Boy! I wrote her an email telling her the dog got run over, the cat was being held for ransom, the house got broken in to and all they stole was her sewing room, and I contracted a deadly contagious disease, she’ll likely die from it if she gets it… but welcome home! Nice huh? It’ll be great to have her back! Yesterday I worked on Power Point as usual and updated the church web page. I did some more work on the Prayer room. Carl and Sonja stopped in, as did our insurance agent. Bill was there, but I never saw him, just his car. Later we had men’s meeting and what a fabulous time of fellowship and prayer it was! Ya’ll ought to come.

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 2:11-16 no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Warren Wiersbe once said, “If God took the Holy Spirit out of the world, most Christians wouldn’t notice the difference!” (Loose quote) – Shocking! Do you think it’s true? As Christians we have something the rest of the world DOES NOT HAVE! We have the Spirit of God living inside us. TRUE! That gives you an awesome advantage! You should tune in to your spiritual side and dial in to the Holy Spirit as often as possible! In so doing you will become a spiritual giant! Why aren’t more of us in tune to Jesus? I don’t know. But let me tell you what you will gain if you are Holy Spirit empowered. You will know the things of God! God is waiting to give this knowledge away… He’ll give it away freely to those who are humbly submitted to Him. You will be taught by the Holy Spirit. He will illuminate your mind like a 500 megawatt light bulb so that you will understand spiritual things from God’s Word. In other words, the light will go on in that feeble brain of yours. Regions of your brain will wake up from their slumber as you suddenly gain powerful insights by reading and meditating on God’s Word. You will gain Spiritual discernment; not only to understand The Word, but you will be able to “judge all things.” He who is spiritual judges all things. The word discern and judge are interchangeable. And in this case it means he will surely, truly, rightly, accurately discern or judge all things. In other words, if you are spiritual, God will give you the Wisdom of Solomon to understand the difficult quandaries of life. Want to know what to do in a sticky situation? Ask God, He’ll reveal it. Want to know who you should trust? Ask God, he’ll show it to you. He’ll give you wisdom for every situation! That’s a powerful advantage! An unfair advantage… well it would be unfair if it wasn’t freely offered to every person in the world! Some take it, some don’t. One more advantage; the spiritual man is judged by no one. This could mean they can’t figure you out (good for poker tournaments – but I don’t play!) and it could mean that your life is a clean slate because you are Holy Spirit led and the only accusations that stick are false accusations. So tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and let him lead you all day long!

Dear Father. I want to be led by the Spirit. I want the Spirit’s power to gain discernment, to learn from your Word to receive the things of God freely given by your Spirit. Help me to walk in the spirit daily. To be filled with the Spirit all day long. I want more of you!

Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:11 AM |

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009

TWG - January 20, 2009 - Spirituality

Download this episode (15 min)
TWG – January 20, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Joshua 5; Psalm 128; 1 John 5

Today is January 20, 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

And there goes my day off! It’s over. I slept in until 6. Did Time With God, and loaded my truck to go work on a rental. Then I had to run some errands to pick up materials and by the time I got to the rental it was noon! Talk about losing half a day! How does that happen? I spent the rest of the day as builder Bob, and then came home to spend a quiet evening at home. I watched the Nativity Story Video. It was pretty good. I always expect more than I get when I watch videos about biblical events. But it was inspirational. I put a picture of John, talking on the phone on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 2:11-16 no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Yesterday we met Carnal Karl. I want to introduce you to two of his friends. Natural Norman and Spiritual Stanly. Norm is an “unbeliever.” He has never trusted Christ. Because of that he doesn’t believe or agree with many of the spiritual truths of God’s Word. In fact some of them seem downright ridiculous to him. He doesn’t understand them because they take Spiritual discernment. That is the “norm” for Norm and every other unbeliever. But the man we want to talk about today is Stan. Spiritual Stan the spiritual man. If you want to change your heart from carnal to spiritual then you should find out how Stan became Mr. Spiritual. Spirituality has to do with our spirit and God’s Spirit. The reason Natural Norman can’t be spiritual is that he doesn’t have God’s Spirit. Lots of people in the world talk about their “spirituality,” REALITY CHECK, there can be NO spirituality without the Spirit of Christ living in the heart! Whenever a worldly Norman takes a step of faith to trust Christ he becomes a believer. From that moment on he can become one of two guys, Carnal Karl or Spiritual Stanly. The difference between Karl and Stan is that Stanly has one enormous desirable quality that Karl does not. Stan is teachable. In fact he is not only teachable, he has a humble heart eager to learn. He hungrily seeks the Kingdom. The key to spirituality is to be taught by the Spirit of God! And Stan has learned HOW the Spirit teaches! That’s Key! The Spirit teaches us by comparing and interpreting spiritual things with other spiritual things. The idea is that Scripture interprets Scripture, and to be a spiritual man we need to be taught by the Spirit of God through the Word of God! Simple concept, yet so sadly unemployed by so many. If you want to take the jump from Carnal to Spiritual… regularly, humbly, prayerfully and can I say spiritually place yourself at the feet of the Holy Spirit to be taught by the Word. When that happens you will gain the mind of Christ!

Dear Holy Spirit. I make myself available for you to teach. I want to be teachable so I choose to be humble. Change me as you will. Show me your wisdom from the Word. I am hungry and ready to learn!

Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:46 AM |

Monday, Jan 19, 2009

TWG - January 19, 2009 - Don't want to grow up?

Download this episode (17 min)
TWG – January 19, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Joshua 4; Psalm 127; 1 John 4

Today is January 19, 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.

So what did I do that was interesting over the weekend? I made a dump run. I unloaded some materials at a rental. I went to music practice. I preached another message on Christians and riches. I watched a football game. I went to a business meeting. Do any of those things qualify as interesting and exciting? I enjoyed doing them all! That is good. I also got into a running conversation with my nephew about the Palestinian / Israeli conflict. He is against Israel because they are killing innocent bystanders… so do the Palestinian suicide bombers and fighters. So I responded by saying that biblically, defense of country is something God allows and expects! We’ll see what comes next. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. God blesses those who bless his earthly chosen people, and curses those who curse them. I put a picture of Phil and Doris’s dog squirt on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

Do you belong to the “Carnal Christian Club?” What is a Carnal Christian? Here’s how Paul defines them in 1 Corinthians 3: They are not spiritual. They act like babes in Christ. They must be bottle fed from the Word. They can’t handle solid application of Scriptural truth to their lives. They are characterized by envy, strife and divisions. They behave like non-believers. Not too flattering of a description huh? It almost sounds as though it would be tough to tell the difference between the way a Carnal Christian acts and a Heathen! That can’t be good! We are supposed to be new creatures in Christ Jesus. Christians are supposed to be transformed and delivered. Reality check! There are a lot of us Christians who have never grown up! So let’s do a solemn review of our lives to see whether we are stuck in Carnality or whether (hopefully) we’ve moved on to maturity. Another word for Carnal is fleshly and the word means “under the control of our fleshly appetites.” I want you to meet one of these fleshly folk: Carnal Karl is a guy driven by his emotions and passions. He has a difficult time keeping himself under control. His feelings will suddenly bubble up to the surface. HE is controlled by them! Karl can flash from 0 to angry in .005 seconds. A world’s record! And defensive! Don’t say the wrong thing about Karl! He is opinionated as the day is long. He’s got a comeback for everything you say. Karl tries to hide some of the “less acceptable” sins, but once you get to know him, you realize that he is a taker not a giver (they call that greed). His humor is a little risqué (they call that lust). And when he asks you for prayer about someone in the church he is quite descriptive of their faults and failings (they call that gossip!). Karl’s problem? He’s never submitted his life to the Lordship of Christ and had Jesus transform him. He loves his sin, and doesn’t want to give it up. His life is riddled with faults and shortcomings. He is threatened by the need to change. He is enormously insecure and afraid that people will find out what he is like! What does Karl need? Repentance! He needs to face the painful truth about himself and humbly seek Divine help and human accountability. Time to grow up!
Do you belong to the “Carnal Christian Club?” What is a Carnal Christian? Here’s how Paul defines them in 1 Corinthians 3: They are not spiritual. They act like babes in Christ. They must be bottle fed from the Word. They can’t handle solid application of Scriptural truth to their lives. They are characterized by envy, strife and divisions. They behave like non-believers. Not too flattering of a description huh? It almost sounds as though it would be tough to tell the difference between the way a Carnal Christian acts and a Heathen! That can’t be good! We are supposed to be new creatures in Christ Jesus. Christians are supposed to be transformed and delivered. Reality check! There are a lot of us Christians who have never grown up! So let’s do a solemn review of our lives to see whether we are stuck in Carnality or whether (hopefully) we’ve moved on to maturity. Another word for Carnal is fleshly and the word means “under the control of our fleshly appetites.” I want you to meet one of these fleshly folk: Carnal Karl is a guy driven by his emotions and passions. He has a difficult time keeping himself under control. His feelings will suddenly bubble up to the surface. HE is controlled by them! Karl can flash from 0 to angry in .005 seconds. A world’s record! And defensive! Don’t say the wrong thing about Karl! He is opinionated as the day is long. He’s got a comeback for everything you say. Karl tries to hide some of the “less acceptable” sins, but once you get to know him, you realize that he is a taker not a giver (they call that greed). His humor is a little risqué (they call that lust). And when he asks you for prayer about someone in the church he is quite descriptive of their faults and failings (they call that gossip!). Karl’s problem? He’s never submitted his life to the Lordship of Christ and had Jesus transform him. He loves his sin, and doesn’t want to give it up. His life is riddled with faults and shortcomings. He is threatened by the need to change. He is enormously insecure and afraid that people will find out what he is like! What does Karl need? Repentance! He needs to face the painful truth about himself and humbly seek Divine help and human accountability. Time to grow up!

Dear Father: Forgive me for my carnal tendencies. I need your transformation. I am afraid of change, it is so painful. Please help me to love what you love and despise what you hate. I want to grow up to be just like You. I can only do that with the Spirits filling.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:52 AM |

Friday, Jan 16, 2009

TWG - January 16, 2009 - Corporal Punishment

Download this episode (19 min)
TWG – January 16, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Joshua 1; Psalm 124; 1 John 1

Today is January 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 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 life transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.

Susan is gone! So it’s just me around the house. The dog sits on his chair by the window staring, hoping for Susan to drive up. But that’s not going to happen for a week. I had a little heart attack at work! (not literal) I am working to set up our Awana program still and make it usable, so I’ve moved it around on the computer. I deleted it from one spot, and then couldn’t find it in the other! I thought I’d erased the whole thing! I had already emptied the recycle bin! After 15 minutes of panic, I found it! No more heart attack. I helped Bill and Jim, mostly with my incalculable wisdom, while they were putting up sheetrock. I think Bill was just about ready to thump me! But it was fun irritating him. They are doing a great job. John and Colleen stopped in for music practice… oh but did they ever look dashing and professional in their pilot uniforms! I solved one of the Ingram’s computer issues and worked on Bible Study. Then I went to dinner with Jim, Bill and Helen. Bible study was great! As usual we had more fun studying God’s Word than is humanly possible. I put a picture of Dylan’s one big eye on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. He was seeing just how close he could get to my camera.

Today’s thought comes from Hebrews 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

There has been no more maligned concept in our society than spanking as a form of discipline. Social scientists would have us believe that if you spank your child you will damage him permanently. They equate spanking and abuse. And if you are out of control and swing too wildly, too hard or too often that it is abuse. Some people apparently can’t tell the difference! But that’s like suggesting that eating is equivalent to gluttony! After all food is the cause of obesity! If you eat too much or too often or too wildly you will get fat! So let’s not eat at all! What irresponsible drivel! Hebrews 12 has a response for that; “do not despise the discipline of the Lord.” Our heavenly Father disciplines us. His discipline is a model for family discipline. There are various forms God uses: Chastening. Chastening includes both correction and instruction. The most common type of child discipline is the seemingly incessant correction of a child’s errors and instruction in what is acceptable. The form of chastening often follows this firm pattern: “Son, that behavior is not acceptable. You must be kind, share, cooperate (or whatever the correct response is).” Another form of discipline is the rebuke. The rebuke is a stern form of chastening. It is even stronger disapproval. It may include further disciplinary action. “Son, because you did not listen to me, you must now sit in the corner for a time out. Do you understand why I am doing this? Your behavior is unacceptable.” A third form of discipline is the swat team. The word in Hebrews for spank is scourge. Tom Sawyer called it “a whuppin’!” It is the idea of using a belt or paddle to convince a child that his continued rebellious actions have painful consequences. If neither chastening or rebuke corrects the problem, then a parent should go to step three: State the nature of the offense. Explain the exact nature of the penalty. Describe how you expect your child to respond to this punishment, “I expect you to hold still and take the punishment you deserve like a little man or woman. You may cry, but you may not scream.” They will still squirm and cry out but continued practice helps them learn self control. Corporal punishment may take various forms. A spoon on the back of the hand is effective, as it is on the soft of the leg. They may be as effective as paddling the bottom. The whole point is to induce enough of a sting of pain so that they respond in sorrow and humility. If they respond in anger, your punishment didn’t do the job. The purpose of all discipline is to bring peace to the house and right living to the life. Try and remember that when you feel like wading in with both eyes blazing. We don’t discipline out of anger, we do it as a teaching tool because we love our children. Use self discipline first and child discipline second.

Dear Lord. I know that I need your correction. Help me to respond in humility and sorrow when I do what is wrong so that I have a change in my behavior. And when you do correct me, please give grace to know that it is all out of love.

He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:51 AM |

Thursday, Jan 15, 2009

TWG - January 15, 2009 - Want good kids?

Download this episode (18 min)
TWG – January 15, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Joshua 1; Psalm 124; 1 John 1

Today is January 15, 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

And another busy day in the books! After publishing TWG, I ate breakfast and ran to church. It seems like it was run, run, run all day long. Bill was there working on the new hallway. Carl stopped in to drop off his laptop so I could work out the new Awana program. I spent an hour on the phone to technical support. Then I got the bulletin ready because Susan came in. She’s leaving this morning in less than an hour to head to Washington for a week! Pray for me! (I’m helpless) Then I got to work on some more power point stuff and who knows what else. I can’t remember. Because soon it was time to go home and pick up kids for Awana. I picked up two more kids this week! They had a blast. I put a picture of Christina and Candida having loads of fun in Sunday School on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today’s thought comes from Pr 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Every parent worries about rebellion. Children were born to challenge their parents. Mom and dad have so much on their plate: a job, the house, groceries, cooking, cleaning, finances, car repair, in-laws, friends, school, church… a child has only one job; for 24 hours he’s a kid! So while a parent is juggling the demands of life and is literally drowning in busyness, the baby is leisurely doing what children do best, being a kid! No wonder they get into mischief. They have a mind and a heart of their own. Left to themselves they often walk the way of rebellion. What’s a parent to do? I have seen guys as big as an NFL defensive end collapse like a wet noodle in the presence of his four year old. He’s a whopping 240 pounds. She’s 50 pounds sopping wet, and she rules the roost! He’ll do whatever it takes to placate this 50 pound ball of fire! There’s something seriously awry here! When you grow up and have kids, one of the requirements is that you MUST be the adult. Play the man (or woman). Act your part. You only get one go around with the kids and if you mess it up, they may turn out worse than Ozzy Ozborn! That should put the fear of God in your heart! What? You LIKE Ozzy? NOT! So if you want your kids to turn out right, you need to take action now. There is a way to raise your children that will lead them on the path of righteousness. Train them in the way they should go. In order to produce a product, you have to know how it should turn out! You can’t hope to scribble on paper and get the Mona Lisa! That means two things. #1 How do you want their character to turn out? Loving, honest, faithful, hard working etc. You have to aim for godliness or you’ll get Ozzyness! #2 What do the talents, personality and temperament of your children tell you about their intended path in life? If they love music, for Ozzy’s sake, don’t make them play sports! Train them in the way THEY should go. And that leads us to training. We all know about training animals, soldiers or athletes. We put them through their paces daily until they are experts. That’s what it takes to train children. Training is not so much reactive as it is proactive. Don’t allow your training to just be punishment for failure, you must spend regular chunks of time every day teaching them the character skills they need. That’s what is so good about AWANA or Sunday School. You can capitalize on that stuff at home daily. Interestingly the word “train” means “to dedicate.” And it pictures an Old Testament dedication ceremony. If a citizen wanted to dedicate a house or a child or his family to the Lord he would offer a bull on the altar of sacrifice. He would be saying, “This child is yours God! Since I can’t literally give him to you, I’m offering this animal in his place. He’s yours!” Dedicate your children to the Lord and yourself to raising them right and when they are old, they will not depart from that way.

Dear Father. I want to learn from the best Father of all how to be a parent. Teach me your ways and help me to pass on your truth. I want my family to be like You.

The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:46 AM |

Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009

TWG - January 14, 2009 - Tips on raising Godly Chilrden

Download this episode (16 min)
TWG – January 14, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Joshua 1; Psalm 124; 1 John 1

Today is January 14, 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.

I enjoy my job… usually. Yesterday was one of those days. I went to the dentist for a cleaning early in the morning. After I got to work I finally made a decision about our Easter Passion Play. We are going to float it and see what happens. Bill was in working on the hallway. Carl stopped in to chat about our wireless. Marcia dropped by to pick up her keyboard. Susan spent most of the day working in the office! And I put the finishing touches on our prayer room. I even used it! Now we need prayer warriors to staff it. I also worked on Power Point for our worship services. After that I worked out and returned for a meeting with Dave and then Men’s meeting. We had a good group, great fellowship and a wonderful time of prayer. I put a picture of Kyle teaching the adult class on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today’s thought comes from Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The most important gift we can give our children is our personal wholehearted love for Jesus Christ. The most important values we can impart to our children are the values in the Word of God. There is a serious need for parents to pass on godly values in our godless society. Children need something solid to depend on in this undependable world. You cannot pass on truth which you have not known nor experienced. It is crucial that we internalize the truths of God’s word first and then pass them on second. That means that busy parents must find solitude daily to read and meditate on the Word. Every parent needs time out to reflect and pray away from crying babies and demanding children. We all need a place of solace and rejuvenation. It is imperative that we regularly read God’s Word and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as he teaches us. Every day we need to ask ourselves, “What has God communicated to me from His Word today that I can teach my children?” Once you have it in your heart, your next step is to teach it. That takes diligence, perseverance and determination. Children love repetition. They will repeat the same thing over and over until you are crazy. “Read it again mommy!” Use their sense of repetition to pass on the Word. Talk about God’s truth for that day when you are sitting at the breakfast table. Repeat it when you are taking a walk in the morning. Pray it with them when you tuck them in for bed. Wake them up with it. And remember, often teachable moments come during the most unexpected times. Wherever you are, use it to teach truth. Create a daily activity to reinforce the truth. Together you could make a “memory bracelet” with the Word for today printed, colored and decorated on it. As they wear it around, they’ll be reminded of the Word. Or you could make a “memory crown” with sparkles and glitter and the Word printed on it. Or you could make a “memory poster” to hang by the front door with pictures depicting the truth of the day. Doing daily crafts with the kids builds a loving relationship. Doing God’s Word creates eternal values in their heart.

Dear Father, teach me from Your Word, the Truths that I must know. Impress them upon my heart so that in the wonder of learning I can pass on the amazing insights you have shown me. Help me to be diligent and serious about my task to pass on your Word.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:35 AM |

Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009

TWG - January 13, 2009 - Good Parenting

Download this episode (14 min)
TWG – January 13, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Deuteronomy 34; Psalm 123; 1 Timothy 6

Today is January 13, 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

took off about 10 AM and had a nice drive there and back. It was well attended and we saw many of our good friends who are pastoring in Southern Oregon. We also discussed the men’s and ladies retreats. I got a call from Ruth C in Montana. Her brother John was injured badly and is unable to take pain medication because of his heart medication! He is in need of our prayers and encouragement. When we got home we went to Office Depo to look at a laptop Susan is thinking about buying. Then I worked out and ran to Lowes to order material from Ken for a storage shed. I put a picture of Ken shooting Isaiah’s new toy gun on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today’s thought comes from Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Let’s talk about raising children. What’s the most important thing children need? Love? Discipline? Guidelines? Freedom? Consistency? Everyone seems to have a different perspective. But let me suggest that the greatest need a child has, is the need a parent has. In fact it is a need every one of us has. The most important characteristic of parenting is that a mom and a dad “Love the Lord” wholeheartedly. This is it! This is where good parenting starts. Wait a minute! (Here comes the objection) “I’ve met a lot of lousy parents who claim to love the Lord, and a number of seemingly good parents who didn’t have a love for the Lord.” Why the contradiction? Let’s see if we can sort it out. How about god-less parenting? It is not good parenting to raise your children without an example of the love of God. There are some serious dangers to godless parenting. The first thing that comes to mind is a child’s eternal destination! What kind of parent allows their child to face eternal punishment? It is also a mistake to raise children without recognition of Divine responsibility. Without God, right and wrong is only an opinion. Why should a child do what is right? Why should they obey or honor their parents? If I, a human, am the ultimate measure of right and wrong, as soon as I figure that out I may become a lawless, uncontrollable rebel. And many do. That’s why I need God. But how do we explain the horrible parents who claim to be Christians? We all struggle with keeping our faith real. But mark this well; love results in obedience. If you love God with all your heart, your life will become transformed. You will begin to demonstrate important parenting qualities such as patience, even handedness, kindness and love. The problem is that far too many of us profess to love the Lord outwardly when we are only halfhearted on the inside. What we need is Christian parents who will surrender all their heart, all their soul, all their strength. What that looks like in real life is this: a wholehearted love for Christ will be evidenced by a parent who treasures God’s word in the heart and obeys it. That will result in transformed parenting.

Dear Father. I confess my need for you. I want to love you with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind, I surrender to you. I want my heart to beat as one with yours. I want to love you, please you and serve you. Please fill me with your Spirit and guide me to respond like you would.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:41 AM |

Monday, Jan 12, 2009

TWG - January 12, 2009 - Avoiding the Pitfalls of Life

Download this episode (19 min)
TWG – January 12, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Deuteronomy 33; Psalm 122; 1 Timothy 5

Today is January 12, 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.

Now it’s Monday, oh boy. Had a great weekend. Saturday I did the usual; garbage run, tennis, football, music practice and who knows what else. Sunday we came to church to find that the new hallway is opened up! And is it ever great! Thanks Bill. We talked about the Elder and greed. I learned some things. Then we ran over to Doris’s house for lunch with several visitors from the church. Marnie, Stan, Elana, Darryl and Connie. We had a great time! Thanks Doris! Sunday afternoon we had a CE meeting and made some decisions on some of our needs. Boy do we need lots of prayer about doing the ministry. Sunday night was our health seminar – and it was great. We learned a lot about handling stress. I put a picture of Evie in Sunday School on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today’s thought comes from 1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— 21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.

Life is full of pitfalls. One misstep and you could be off the path for a very long time. There are dozens of interests clamoring for our attention; work, church, sports, love, recreation, clubs, dancing, drinking, sailing, skiing, bowling, friends, family, the internet… They reach out for us from the dark like a thousand grasping hands, ready to pull us in a hundred directions. We all have voices that call to us and choices we must make. Choose carefully. Life is a “trust.” Your time, talents and treasure are on loan by God. What you do with them is of considerable interest to Him. We are managers of this “brain trust.” Manage well. I have two suggestions for you and one warning. Suggestion #1 Guard your “trust” carefully. Keep a wary eye on what you have. Don’t let it be stolen away by disuse or misuse. Reputation takes years to develop and only 5 minutes to lose. When you’ve got it, guard it carefully. Guard the truth and keep the faith. They are your best ally in this life. Suggestion #2 Avoid error. Be very wary of what you listen to and even more wary of what you buy into. If you are too open minded your brains will fall out. There are two classes of ideas that you ought to avoid. The first is fruitless discussions. Some things are pointless to discuss, but there are sure a lot of people who like to discuss them. We get together and argue about stuff that doesn’t matter. We grouse about the problems of the world and attempt to “solve” them in one sitting. So often, no one goes away happy and often people leave nursing hurt feelings. The second is so called science. This is more insidious than the first. There is much in our world that passes itself off as science which has absolutely no basis in fact. Sadly, millions are mislead by it. They are into highly technical discussions which lead to skepticism. Avoid it. Stick with the truth you can count on… tested, tried and dependable; God’s Word. …And finally a Warning. If you choose not to avoid erroneous ideas, they may suck you in and you may one day find yourself professing that you believe what you once denied, and denying what you once believed. That has happened to more than one sincere individual. It could happen to you. If you and I are not carefully guarding the trust and avoiding the fuss one or the other of us could stray from the faith. I pray that you will hang in there baby and let the grace of God be your guiding principle.

Dear Lord Jesus. I pray for wisdom to make good choices and good friends. Remind me to be wary and guard the trust you have given me. And help me to avoid false teaching and meaningless discussions that rob relationships of their joy. I rest myself on your grace. Fill me with your wisdom.

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:55 AM |

Friday, Jan 09, 2009

TWG - January 9, 2009 - Rich People!

Download this episode (17 min)
TWG – January 9, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Deuteronomy 32: 26-52; Psalm 121; 1 Timothy 4

Today is January 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 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 life transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.

Yesterday was a good day. I finished the bulletin, worked on Bible Study, helped Bill put up a door in the new hallway… I was outside in the rain and bill handed me a hammer. It got kind of sticky, some kind of red syrupy stuff on it. I said, “Bill are you bleeding?” I set the hammer down. Strange. I had blood all over my hand too! I was the one bleeding! I couldn’t feel a thing. For a bleeder, that wound didn’t feel a thing! But we the door in place. It is looking good. Thanks Bill. Yesterday I also opened a new Pine Grove web site. It is in its test stages. It is an interactive family site where people can have their own page, post their own pics, songs, videos etc and see what other Pine Groveians are up to. If you want to help us test it out, shoot me an email. Last night we had a great Bible study and then it was home to bed. I put a picture of Christina and Marney on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today’s thought comes from 1 Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Let’s talk about money, again! “I hate rich people! If I were rich, I wouldn’t hate them so much. I’d hate poor people instead.” (None of the preceding was true; the names should have been changed to protect the guilty). But, I have to say, I have seen this attitude among Christians. I have heard, more than once, a comment that goes like this… “A new motor home! That money could have been used to support missions, feed the poor… etc.” My answer? I don’t’ know how much the guy gives to the Lord’s work and it’s none of my business. If God has blessed him, that’s also none of my business. He has to account to God for his actions. But there are some instructions we can give to you rich folk. Here’s one of the top 10: don’t be haughty. This is the idea of, “I’m smarter than you, that’s why I’m rich!” It is the air of superiority. Listen, maybe you are a good businessman, but God gives and God takes away! All it takes is one little bacteria to fell us. Another one of the top 10 instructions for rich folk is don’t trust in your riches, they are uncertain. Trust in God, he’s unfailing. The economy goes from inflation to stagnation. The stock market goes from millionaire to broke in no time at all. Money is just a tool. It can be a blessing or a curse. Jesus never fails. The third in my top 10 for the wealthy is God gave us riches so we could enjoy life! Did you know that? In fact he gave us all things to enjoy. If you don’t enjoy life without wealth, you probably won’t enjoy it with wealth. Enjoyment is an attitude we have toward things. Some people are so tight fisted and protective that no amount of money will give them enjoyment. How about another of the top 10: Use your cash to promote good causes. #5 Be rich in good works… some of them don’t cost a thing except time and effort. Anyone can be rich in good works! #6 Give money away to the cause of Christ. Be a giver not a taker. Make sure the ministry is well funded. #7 Share the wealth. If you see a brother or sister in need, fork it over. Not out of compulsion, but out of a joyful heart. #8 store up for yourself treasures in heaven. Don’t worry about your earthly bank account, start building an eternal portfolio. #9. Lay hold of eternal life. Get a grip on what really matters. Be heavenly minded. Be evangelistic. Share the good news of eternal life whenever you can. And #10 – Thank God for the blessings of this life and the next. Have real gratitude. I threw that one in there for free – It’s not in the passage, but thankfulness is always appropriate!

Dear Father. Thank you for all the things you’ve given us to enjoy. Help us to be generous and gracious with our things. May we use them all for your glory and kingdom!

And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:49 AM | MAKE A COMMENT

Thursday, Jan 08, 2009

TWG - January 8, 2009 - So you're going to die?

Download this episode (18 min)
TWG – January 8, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Deuteronomy 32:1-25; Psalm 120; 1 Timothy 3

Today is January 8, 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

“Noise making” putty. Hmmmmm. Dave gave me some. I tried it out, and my dog was impressed. She kept barking and Susan came to see what all the ruckus was about. She wasn’t impressed. Sorry Dave; I guess women are like that. Yesterday I published our “Growing Together” radio podcast to the internet, worked a bit on the bulletin, spent some time praying and thinking about our Easter Passion Play. I need a bit of divine direction here! Bill and Jim were here most of the day working on our new hallway! It’s coming along. Merwin Rhoades from Steering Wheel Ministries stopped in to chat for a while. Vivian dropped by some software and supplies for the kitchen! Thanks Vivian. And I got ready for Awana. I told the story of how Jacob got married to Rachael and Leah. And we sort of acted out the wedding. I had “Rachael” covered in a sheet go over by the door to get ready for the wedding. She did a swicheroo with “Leah” under the sheet and when they said “You may kiss the bride” I took off the veil and found that I’d been tricked into marrying the wrong woman! The kids were stunned. It took them a while to figure out how the two women got switched around! I put a picture of some Awana fun on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today’s thought comes from 1 Timothy 6:13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

We are all going to die. Sooner or later it’ll happen to all of us. One way or the other we are all going to our Eternal Home. Some of us will live to a ripe old age and die a “natural death” (there is nothing natural about death!). Then there are those of us who will pass into the afterlife due to cancer, sickness, or some other malady. Others will leave this old world because of a car accident or some other fatal mistake. But by far the worst are those who must face martyrdom or murder due to their faith. But we all will travel this well beaten path. No one, in all of history has beaten the odds, except Elijah and Enoch. They walked with God! But billions to two is something I wouldn’t bet against! Those are losing numbers. OK, since we all will kick the bucket sooner or later, why be necrophobic about it? If you are a Christian, If you have trusted Christ as Savior, If God is your father… just trust him… silent, confident trust. Here’s why. FIRST, because God is the life giver and life sustainer. We will live as long as God allows, no less time, no more. SECOND, because Jesus Christ set the example. He was the first Christian martyr. He died with full confidence in the Father’s plan. He even told Pilate, “you have no power over me unless it is given to you from above!” The example Jesus set was this: No one can take a life before its time. If it is not your time to go, you ain’t gonna go. It doesn’t matter if they do have a loaded gun to your head and pull the trigger. If it’s not time, you’re invincible! But when it is time, just go peacefully. THIRD, Jesus is coming again, we know not when. You may live until he comes and you may not. But as long as you do live, live for Jesus. Jesus set the example, you follow it. FOURTH, God is in control. He really is. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the great and awesome God. He is the only one who can never and will never die. He is so magnificent, immense, stunning, powerful, overwhelming, blazing and fearsomely beautiful that all we can to in his presence is fall to our feet in involuntary amazement and humility. And if you really believe all that, you will honor him and live for him without fear of what mere puny man can do to you! Confess the good confession. Live for Jesus! Why not? God is in control and we are his servants.

Almighty God. There is none like you! You are the sovereign Lord. You are in control of all things. I confess that. I believe that. I will live as though that is true, trusting you to supply my needs, guide my way and protect me from harm until it is time to call me home. I am your humble servant! Use me as you see fit!

And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:03 AM | MAKE A COMMENT

Wednesday, Jan 07, 2009

TWG – January 7, 2009

Download this episode (20 min)
TWG – January 7, 2009
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Deuteronomy 31; Psalm 119:169-176; 1 Timothy 2

Today is January 7, 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 productive day for me. At least it felt that way. I got Power Point finished for the late service. Carl & Sonja, Susan and Marcia stopped in to do various things. The Christmas stuff got put away, Sonja worked on church finances. Carl helped Bill work on the hallway. The walls and ceiling are now framed in. I buzzed by to help Bill every so often when he needed an extra set of hands. Cary dropped by to talk for an hour or so. And I went about setting up our new Prayer Room. We hope to have 7 warriors sign up to pray for the church and our community. After work I worked out. Then it was back to church to meet with Dave after which we held our men’s meeting. We had a good old time. Dave brought me some “noise making” putty. Hmmmmm.

Today’s thought comes from 1 Timothy 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

One of the most grueling series of events in the Summer Olympics is the Decathlon. A Decathlete can’t specialize. He has to compete in 10 different events over the course of two consecutive days. Some of the events are sprints, long distance run, the javelin, shot put and long jump. Winners are determined by the combined performance in all events. The winner is considered the “world’s greatest athlete!” The Christian also has a decathlon of his own to compete in. And the events are listed in 1 Timothy 6. Here they are: #1 Flee. Sometimes we are told to run away from our problems. Flee temptation. Flee from greed. It sounds chicken, but it’s a wise man who runs from sin. If you have a weakness, don’t stare it in the face and try to learn self control… flee! We must always flee from sin on the one hand and stand firm in our resistance against the Devil. #2 Pursue. We may be running from one thing, but we are chasing another. We are to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. It is not enough just to avoid sin. Human nature hates a void. You can’t just empty yourself of sin and hope that you’ll be ok. It won’t work. We weren’t made to be “neutral.” You must fill yourself with godliness. If you don’t you’ll soon be back with some new sin. #3 Fight. Us Christians would rather fight than switch! At least when it comes to the essentials of the faith. Maintaining our faith is a battle. Doubt assails us. Problems endeavor to derail us. And we have to come out swinging if we want to maintain our faith in difficulty. We need resolve and spiritual toughness to maintain faith through times of dryness and through the fiery trials of life. #4 Grasp. Lay hold of eternal life. Get a grip on what it means to receive the reward of the believer. Eternal life is our crowning hope. Set your mind on things above. Think of heaven where you are already seated with Christ. Let the prospect of heaven fill your thoughts and dreams. #5 Confess. Jesus has called you. You responded. The appropriate response is to “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.” If you confess him on earth, He’ll confess you in heaven. To live a successful Christian life, you need to speak up and let people know that Jesus Christ is your Savior. That public confession will solidify your commitment. So get in the games and begin to compete.

Dear Jesus, my Savior, I want to compete well as a Christian. I want to win your approval. That is more important to me than all the accolades the world has to offer. Help me to know when to flee, when to pursue, when to fight and may I lay hold of the hope of eternal life. I want everyone to know that You are my Lord.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled