I Need Your Help

Right now I am working on a series we will be doing in January on forgiveness.

But, I need your help.

I'm looking for a few things that I hope you will be willing to share with me. I'll be leaving this post up here at the top for a few days so I can get as many responses as possible.

Here's is what I hope you will share, pick as many as you'd like...

• One of the hardest things you have ever had to forgive or have not yet forgiven?
  
• A time you were the offender and had to ask for forgiveness?
• A time you offered forgiveness but still had to put healthy boundaries in place afterward?
• An offense you chose not to forgive and the result was that it hurt you not the offender?

If you are willing to share then email me at craig@paradoxchurch.com. I will keep your story confidential. So, rest assured your name won't pop up in a sermon, I'm just trying to get a real feel for the issue as it relates to the people I'll be talking to in a few weeks.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Saturday Morning Easy Reading

Interested in a good article on the emerging VS emergent church?

Never even heard the terms? Well, this article HERE will explain the different highways of the church today, and explain the places of difference in practice & theology.

This is a GREAT article, not a quick read but informative and thought provoking.

It is imperative that we as followers of Jesus stay wise & informed as to the different ways that different church leaders are shaping the bride of Christ.

See ya tomorrow at Paradox for the final week of Fighting For Your Marriage!

There will also be a preview of the Christmas series tomorrow -- going to be awesome.

See ya in the morning!!!

Post Turkey-Day Depression

Wow, it's not often that my entire family gathers under one roof like we all did yesterday.

There was so much noise, SO MUCH food, lot's of laughing, wii karaoke, a ruthless game of monopoly (the Christmas story version - weird), new boyfriends, new fiances, new babies, and of course, old stories told for the millionth time, and people, just people EVERYWHERE!

I LOVED IT!

It's easy to forget that the only real thing that makes this life valuable are relationships, & even easier to forget that of relationships, the richest ones are your family.

I know family is a weird bunch sometimes. Yesterday, there were so many relational dynamics that I couldn't even count. From new relationships, to old ones still not sure what to do with past baggage, but in the end, in our own ways, we all love each other -- SO MUCH.

Thank you Jesus for my my family, last night I felt blessed beyond a measurable amount.
My wife & my sister did an AMAZING job pulling it all together & coordinating all the details.

So today, we eat turkey left overs, finish the pies, fix things that got broken in the stampede of kids, and look forward to the next time we do it all over again.

It's Christmas Time!

I told you on Sunday that our Christmas series this year is going to be insane!

Here's an early look. These flayers will be in your hands on Sunday so you can start handing them out to family & friends you want to invite.

Start getting excited!!!!!!

Getting Thankful

This morning I read President Lincoln's speech that officially establishment Thanksgiving Day.

HERE

WOW!

Take time to read this in the next day before we get to Thanksgiving day. I think I may even read this to my family, who will all be together (all 30 of us), before we eat that afternoon.

As C.S Lewis said, "the man who has the Lord and all the world has no more than the man who has the Lord alone".

God has given us so much, even in the presence of what you may still need, HE HAS GIVEN US SO MUCH!

I pray we enter the next few days with truly thankful hearts, praising Jesus for all He is, all He has done & all He has given us. Otherwise the day may be more like, "Happy, almost thankful but slightly annoyed & mostly discontent, day".

Dads, you especially need to create moments with your family these next few days to acknowledge the good ways Jesus has been evident in your family this last year. Help create thankful hearts in your family by leading them to acknowledge Jesus goodness to you all.

Thank you Lord Jesus, THANK YOU.

Mega Love

God in eternity looked on me, and foreseeing my faults, my pride, and my sin, and He said, "I want that man/woman in my family"!

I will PAY for him to be in my family with my son's life

that's love folks, that is MEGA, off the charts LOVE!!

-- Quote by John Piper.

Live in that reality today!

Killed For Jesus

Maybe one of the least understood things in the American church is the persecution the church around the world faces on a daily basis.

RIGHT NOW, there is a man in Afghanistan, in jail, awaiting to be executed next week for his decision to put His faith in Jesus.

HERE is an article that tells more.

One thing you can do is to write the white house and ask that the president get involved in trying to influence a different outcome.

I took time today to write the white house a short note in the online forum provided on the page that I linked above.

PLEASE take a minute and send a letter of your own. Someone is about to be executed for believing in Jesus, PLEASE do not do nothing. Below is a copy of the request I submitted to the white house, feel free to use it if it helps.

Dear Mr. President,

I am writing on behalf of Sayed Mossa who is from Afghanistan, and is in jail in Afghanistan because he decided, of his own free choice, to follow Jesus.

He stands to be executed for his decision to follow Jesus next week.

I am asking that you please put your full ability and influence behind this matter to ask President Karzai to release him.

I know there is life being taken in shameful & horrible ways each day that you would like to do something about, and it’s impossible to help them all. However, this situation couldn’t possibly be more horrific, inhuman, & senseless than it is.

Not a person in our word should sit still while another human being is murdered by a country’s government for their religious decisions.

I am aware that your job and the scope of what consumes your time & attentions is enormous. But,I am asking still that you PLEASE give this matter your immediate and full attention.

Respectfully,
Craig

Add your voice to the growing cry that our president put some of his influence into this matter.

Bambi

Technically Bambi was a boy so this is more like his sister. But either way, I had a good few days hunting up north earlier this week.

My daughter said, "dad, u killed the deer so we can eat it", I said "yup". she asked, "did you kill it with a stick".

The last two days were great. In the woods, with some friends, enjoying God's creation & tonight I'll be eating some of that creation for dinner.

I hear that there are a lot more Paradox guys that are bagging deer this year so we should have a big meat party soon! Hope they all come back safe over the next week.

OK, back to work now; hot chocolate, Christmas music, & sermon writing for week 3 of, "Fighting For Your Marriage" this Sunday.

Round 2

A few nights ago I went to bed earlier than my wife because she was watching some hallmark channel, movie that interested me as much a Barney and Friends marathon.

Now, we have a routine when we go to bed, like you all do I'm sure. Our routine includes, checking the kids one last time & re-tucking their blankets, brushing teeth, checking doors to make sure they're locked, turning the heat down, & finally turning on the night-lite upstairs. See, our hallway upstairs is as black as night, & you can't see a thing, well, expect, the night-lite.

Now, that night-lite becomes the focus of many bed time disagreements between my wife & I.

I HATE it.

When I sleep I want it totally dark, but she is not at all bothered by it's annoying glow. So, the compromise is usually that just before crawling into bed, one of us shuts the bathroom door (where the lite is plugged in) enough that it blocks most of the glow. Well, I decided the other night to just turn it off all together, and I figured by the time she came up & turned it on, I'd be fast asleep and wouldn't care.

Sounded good in theory.

BUT, I threw in another new element to our routine; I completely shut the door to our bedroom. We NEVER shut the door to our bedroom.

I'm still not even sure why I did but I do know that I expected my wife to go to the bathroom before the bedroom that night; well, she didn't.

Remember the whole "black as night" thing.

I did in fact fall asleep like expected, until my wife's face and our bedroom door had a passionate collision!! She ran into the door (thinking it was open) with FULL FORCE.

I think she even woke the neighbors.

It took me a minute to realize what happened as I woke to a bang, & the sound of my wife crying and laughing all at the same time. The laughing part was encouraging, because it meant that there was a good chance I'd at least survive the beating I was about to get.

Quickly the laughing replaced the crying all together, and then both of us laid there for 15 minutes in bed laughing almost hysterically.

It's safe to say that what my wife EXPECTED and what she EXPERIENCED were different that night. Thankfully we laughed it off in the end.

But what do we do when in our marriages the expectations and the experiences are more serious, and far more different, maybe even opposites.

This Sunday we continue on in our series, "Fighting For Your Marriage". This week we will look at the secret to dealing with the gap between what we expect in our marriages, and what we often experiencing.

You don't wanna miss!

See ya Sunday.

Yes Grace...But?

EXCELLENT article I read this morning on the beauty of grace and the dangers of legalism and religion.

Religion is man's effort to please God. Grace is Jesus work on the cross that did for us what our efforts and religion never can; makes us right with God because of His love and His sacrifice for us and on our behalf.

Read the following article and live today amazed at how deep the love of Jesus is for you.

Article HERE

Drinking In Life

Ever had those times when you just wanted to kick the ground and yell at whatever & whoever would listen?

"Yell about what", you ask?

Ya know, whatever -- I mean there is a lot to complain about everyday isn't there?!?!

And, if you're anything like me, then you easily do a lot of complaining. Complaining about...

• being tired
  
• not having enough
  
• people that have hurt you
  
• things that aren't fair
  
• being out of work
• kids that don't obey the way they should
  
• some jerk who cut you off
  
• the weather & the fast approaching cold
• the neighbor who hasn't raked his leaves yet
  

But ya know, there's a LOT MORE to be thankful for than to complain about.
Things like...

• the ability to read (which clearly you are doing now)
  
• a family that loves you
  
• your health
  
• the fact that you woke from your sleep today
  
• that summer comes after the winter
  
• that you are known & loved by God
  
• that when you embrace Jesus by faith that your eternal destiny changes from hell to heaven. Not sure if you realize it, but that is a pretty freaking BIG deal!
  
• that tonight you have a bed to lay down in, and a house to sleep inside of
  
• that you will eat today
  
• that you are known and loved by God. I know, I already said that one, but I also know that the first time you read it, you just read though it with no real reaction.
  

OK, so, there IS A GOD, his name is Jesus, He came from heaven to earth to make the introduction, & not only does He know about you in a general sense -- HE MADE YOU.

He knows EVERYTHING about you, He knows your name, He knows your address, He knows your fears, He knows your passions, He knows your hurts, He knows your dreams, He knows your sins that no one else does, He knows your doubts, He knows your thoughts, He knows, He knows everything about you -- AND HE IS NUTS ABOUT YOU!

I wonder for how many of us, we have heard that so many times, and believed it for so long that it has lost its potency, it has lost its wonder, it has lost its ability to overwhelm us with joy, and hope, and thankfulness. It has lost its ability to give us a reason to celebrate instead of complain.

I want to drink in life everyday I live it, but I'm not certain I can drink in the joys of life until I allow myself each day to drink in the joy of being known & loved by the life giver.

My prayer for you & I is that our passion for Jesus would increase EVERYDAY & that He would give to us a DEEP wonder and joy at the sheer beauty that He KNOWS us, and He LOVES us.

Maybe some of us just need to stop kicking the ground and complaining all day long about everything that is wrong in and around our life (by the way, by "some of us" i mean me). Start CHOOSING instead to celebrate the fact that no matter whatever else is going on...

• There is a God who exists
  
• His name is Jesus
  
• He is in control of all things
  
• He rose from the dead so we can have eternal life
  
• He is building heaven right now for us to live in one day
  
• Nothing in existence can separate us from His love
  
• He offers COMPLETE forgiveness of our sins and all we need do is accept it
  
• His cross worked
  
• His tomb is empty
  
• His throne is filled
  
• His love is everlasting
  
• His goodness is reissued to us every single morning
  
• Amen and AMEN!!

No matter what life throws at us, we followers of Jesus should be the most optimistic & most joyful people that exist. If you are not then maybe the hard truth is that your real hope in life is in something more than the worn cross, the empty tomb, the filled throne and the promised return.

Time to start celebrating that reality above all else. It will change not just your perspective but your entire way of life.

And In This Corner...

Weighing more that he did when they got married is....... MR. Husband!

And in this corner, weighing -- it's no one's business so don't worry about it -- is........ Mrs Wife!

Let the fight FOR your marriage begin!

I am SO excited about this next four weeks. Excited because I think God is going to use this series to do some beautiful work in all of our marriages. Whether just married, about to get married, or married for years, this series will challenge us all.

Invite a friend, invite your spouse, invite the person you hope will be your spouse, but just be there.

Check out the video link below to get you ready, and pass it along to anyone you want to invite to the series.

The video is HERE

See ya Sunday.

A Few Thoughts From Sunday

This last Sunday Paradox experienced Sunday morning church by being the church in action and deed.

Our auditorium was the outdoor sky, our instruments were our voices, our tools were rakes & blowers, our offering was our sweat, and our enemy was all the leaves on our neighbors lawns.

It was a crazy, cool day. I loved showing our neighbors that our God is a giver. So many of the people we went up to were so skeptical that they turned us down, and even said no to our offer to rake their leaves. One of my favorite stories of the day was a person that turned down one of our teams, but then saw the work they were doing on other lawns, and came back out and asked if they would still do his.

Another guy was walking his dog and jokingly asked, "wanna come rake mine". The response came back, "where do you live", to which he responded, "I'm just joking, but you guys remind me of a group that came and cleared a fallen tree from my lawn a year or so ago".

Guess what "group" that was? So, we knew just where he lived, and a team of people was sent over to his house and finished his leaves before he finished his walk.

At another house a young boy came out and gave us a hand on his lawn, and then started at one point to even gave a few minutes of work on his neighbors lawn too.

All day I just kept getting this picture of all these houses and the fact that likely, so many of them have no idea that there is a God who made them, & so desperately loves them. There is even a verse where Jesus says that He stands at our door, and knocks, and waits for us to invite Him in (Revelation 3:20).

I kept thinking that we were being Jesus, not just in serving, but in our knocking on doors. Every time a door was opened it created one more chance for the love of Jesus to pour into that home & into the lives of the people there.

I was proud to be a part of my church on Sunday. Proud to watch us put action to words, proud to watch us work so hard, proud to watch us laugh together, proud to see so many of us with our kids there teaching them that the way of Christ is a lifestyle not a belief.

I PRAY God will use our work to do SO MUCH more than just clear a few dozen lawns. I pray that a door opened on Sunday for some people, a door that will not close, but a door through which the love of Jesus will continue to walk through. I pray WE will continue to be changed too, changed as we embrace the call to LIVE OUT the Gospel.

In This Corner...

Ever feel like your marriage is one big VS match?

You need to make sure to join us this Sunday as we kick off a new series called

Fighting For Your Marriage

It's easy to get caught up in a marriage that feels like it fights more than it doesn't. So, starting this Sunday we'll spend 4 weeks unpacking some of the tools that will help you learn to fight FOR your marriage, not IN your marriage.

If you've been waiting for the right time to invite a friend, then this might just be the time. Make sure to be there on Sunday, bring a friend, and be ready for God to begin to go to work in your marriage.