Pancake Feed Video {0}
Here is some video from the 2010 BMT Pancake Feed. Thank you to all who have supported our team.
Mar 16, 2010
Mar 15, 2010
Personal Journal Entry: To Live Is Christ {0}
This past Lord’s Day Pastor Tony preached on Philippians 1:18-16. This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It is so because it draws me to focus on the essence of life when it says, “To live is Christ.” Many years ago this verse caught me off guard and I wrote about it moments later in my journal which was worded as a letter to my father which was later sent. I do not often feel comfortable sharing such things, but do wish to share this. The text of that journal entry is below.
In Philippians 1:21 Paul says, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This is where I and we usually stop and say wow, what a statement. In fact we ought to stop there more often and really think about what he says there and in response say a bigger WOW. But read on past that point. Paul continues, “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.” Did you hear that? Read it again. “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.” Did you see it that time? Which shall I choose? You mean Paul was at a place where he could choose death or life? This was not a situation like euthanasia where Paul was in great pain and thought death itself would be better than the pain. He was in prison, surely some pain, but that is not why he says this. I wish we knew the situation better to understand how it is he could have “chosen” death. Obviously that part is not something God intended us to know, so don’t dwell on it for long. Besides it’s yet the next verse that is the absolute jaw dropper.
I type the whole dialogue here for you to see, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” Can you believe that?! I am hard pressed between the two. Should I die or continue living? I am hard pressed between the two. So either Paul is absolutely nuts, or his Damascus experience(Acts 9) has given him a clear vision of what he gains in death. Can you think like that? I can’t, but I wish to, I long too and I am pleading with God to. Imagine you have the chance to go to some “closed country” to evangelize the lost. If you go you will probably be put to death for your Christianity and if you stay in America you will probably live safely to an age where you can see your grandchildren grow into adulthood.
I wonder how many of we Christians would respond to that with, “I am hard pressed between the two.” Go, preach, possibly in vain, and die some glorious and painful martyr’s death or stay and live out your years in a safe country. Oh how I wish I could think like that! You know what makes you think like that? I suppose the big difference between Paul and us is that Paul did not think or believe that Christ existed, is the Son of God, and will reign through out eternity. No, Paul knew that those things were true. His faith did not consider those things as possibly true or even more than likely true, he believed them as absolutely true. If we could do that we would no longer love this world, we would no longer seek the pleasures of this world, but the pleasures found in intimacy with Jesus Christ. Yet we seek our pleasure else ware. I too seek pleasure in the world. And I don’t mean sinful things, I mean neutral or even good things that become evil only because we love them more than God. We say we don’t love them more, but the choice of quiet prayer, time in God’s word, or a moment of worship and the choice of our favorite hobby, a good movie or hanging out with a close friend we routinely do not choose God. I really am just in shock and awe at Paul’s response to death or life. I’ve never seen it that way. Who says to those options, “I am hard pressed between the two”? Who says that? Oh how I long to answer me, I say that.
Mar 10, 2010
Mar 8, 2010
Fear of God & Narnia {0}
Last Wednesday at Breakaway we looked at Proverbs 1:7-19. The text begins in verse 7, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” As we considered what it means to fear God I read to the students from the Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair. Just before the text below a girl named Jill has pushed her friend over a cliff and found herself alone. It is a bit of a long read, but worth your time.
The wood was so still that it was not difficult to decide where the sound was coming from. It grew clearer every moment and, sooner than she expected, she came to an open glade and saw the stream, bright as glass, running across the turf a stone’s throw away from her. But although the sight of the water made her feel ten times thirstier than before, she didn’t rush forward and drink. She stood as still as if she had been turned into stone, with her mouth wide open. And she had a very good reason; just on this side of the stream lay the lion.
It lay with its head raised and its two forepaws out in front of it, like the lions in Trafalgar Square. She knew at once that it had seen her, for its eyes looked straight into hers for a moment and then turned away — as if it knew her quite well and didn’t think much of her. “If I run away, it’ll be after me in a moment,” thought Jill. “And if I go on, I shall run straight into its mouth.” Anyway, she couldn’t have moved if she had tried, and she couldn’t take her eyes off it. How long this lasted, she could not be sure; it seemed like hours. And the thirst became so bad that she almost felt she would not mind being eaten by the lion if only she could be sure of getting a mouthful of water first.
“If you’re thirsty, you may drink.” They were the first words she had heard since Scrubb had spoken to her on the edge of the cliff. For a second she stared here and there, wondering who had spoken. Then the voice said again, “If you are thirsty, come and drink,” and of course she remembered what Scrubb had said about animals talking in that other world, and realized that it was the lion speaking. Anyway, she had seen its lips move this time, and the voice was not like a man’s. It was deeper, wilder, and stronger; a sort of heavy, golden voice. It did not make her any less frightened than she had been before, but it made her frightened in rather a different way.
“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion. “I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill. “Then drink,” said the Lion. “May I-could I-would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill. The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic. “Will you promise not to-do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill. “I make no promise,” said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer. “Do you eat girls?” she said. “I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it. “I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill. “Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion. “Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”
“There is no other stream,” said the Lion. It never occurred to Jill to disbelieve the Lion — no one who had seen his stern face could do that-and her mind suddenly made itself up. It was the worst thing she had ever had to do, but she went forward to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted. You didn’t need to drink much of it, for it quenched your thirst at once. Before she tasted it she had been intending to make a dash away from the Lion the moment she had finished. Now, she realized that this would be on the whole the most dangerous thing of all.
Mar 8, 2010
Communicant’s Class Reminder {0}
Reminder there is a communicant’s class this Saturday March 13th from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. To sign up please call the church office at 913-685-2322. This is for any children who are interested in partaking in the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s Day. After the class a time can be setup for children to meet with the Elders followed by their partaking in the Lord’s Supper.
Mar 7, 2010
Chicagoland {0}
Joy is back for Spring Break this week and today we had her diagram Chicagoland for us so we could see how close Wisconsin was to Chicago. She used her brownie plate.
