Cool new video that explains one of the links that has made the list at the bottom of my blog: YouVersion.

YouVersion is  a ‘Bible App’ compatible with any mobile device.  I believe it is the best Bible App out there.  This is how You Version explains their purpose:

We developed the YouVersion Bible App to help people engage with Scripture. Having the Bible on our mobile devices places it at our fingertips throughout the day. Tens of millions of people are using YouVersion Bible App to make God’s Word a part of their daily lives.

So if you’re looking for a way to make reading the Bible part of your daily life this year, check this video out, download the app, and enjoy!

Cool new video about a guy at my church.

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.

PHOTO BY The Resurgence

Back in November 2010, I published a post introducing what I referred to as the 8 Global Giants.  The 8 Global Giants was my response to observing in scripture how Jesus met desperate needs in the lives of people during his earthly ministry.  Desperate sickness, brutal death, incurable diseases, and demonic violence – these were all Giant needs in the lives of people, and he met these needs.

Being that the work of a disciple is to parallel the ministry of Jesus, I began asking:  What are the most desperate needs in the world today?  And how can I allow Him to meet these needs through me?  The full list of needs that resulted can be seen here, but one world-wide issue that I had to include on this list was the demonic violence of Radical Islamic Terrorism.  These brutally violent, aggressive killers are wreaking havoc all over the globe.  People are being killed, tortured, and intimidated by these murderous bullies.

They remind me of the demon-possessed men that Jesus dealt with on the shores of the sea of Galilee during his earthly ministry, “When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.” (Matthew 8:28) “…no one could bind him…No one was strong enough to subdue him.” (Mark 5:3-4)

Radical Islamic terrorists are similarly very violent, hard to bind up, and fighting hard to not be subdued.  If I am interested in having compassion on people in need and really caring about the welfare of people in the world today, I must be interested in this demonic violence being stopped.  In reflection on how it can be stopped, I have arrived at two primary ways that I believe we need to pray:

SINCERELY PRAYING FOR THESE MEN TO ACCEPT JESUS

Jesus’ offer of forgiveness, eternal life, and reconciliation with God is open to all.  These men, like all men, need Jesus Christ.  They need the one true God in their lives.  Living our lives separate from God results in things like pride, lust, theft, drunkenness, addiction, purposelessness, etc.  For these men it has also resulted in giving themselves over to murdering those who don’t agree with them.  Sin is the root problem in the world, and the only way to break its hold on our lives is through faith in Jesus Christ.

PRAYING FOR GOVERNMENTS TO BRING THESE CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE

The Bible often admonishes individual believers to pray for enemies, turn the other cheek, and leave vengeance for the Lord to carry out.  It’s instruction for governments is a little bit different.  The Bible states that one of the purposes of government is to be used as an instrument by God to bring his wrath on evil doers (Romans 13).  God does not ignore evil.  He punishes all evil (either through suffering in this life, suffering after this life, or through the cross of Jesus).  He tells believers to leave vengeance to Him, and one of the ways he enacts vengeance is through the ‘sword’ of human Governments (Romans 13:4).

Christians, it is going to be through the combination of these types of prayers that this problem can be cast out.  We cannot just pray for these men to accept Jesus and let the killing continue.  We also cannot just pray for our governments to enact justice and think that this alone will solve the root of the problem.  It will take both.

All this to be said, the news back in May of Osama bin Laden being stopped by our government’s armed forces was in part an answered prayer for me.  I was not praying for him to be killed, but I have been praying for sometime that this man would accept Jesus AND be stopped.  For the sake of the man Osama bin Laden, I hope that he did not slip into eternity rejecting Jesus.  For the sake of the millions of people he brutalized through terror and murder, I am thankful that he was stopped.

This is my first blog post after a long hiatus.  Over the summer I started a new job as high school principal at the school I was previously teaching at, Grove City Christian School.  As I have been extremely busy building our team at the school, I have also been busy trying to love my family like crazy as well.  Our oldest son Nathan recently had his fourth birthday, and as is our tradition, here is his latest Birthday Video.

TO MY LOVELY WIFE SHEILA…

TO MY FAITHFUL MOTHER ELIZABETH…

TO MY WONDERFUL MOTHER-IN-LAW DEBBIE…

This is a video preview of the newest book by Craig Groeschel, pastor of LifeChurch.tv.  The book is called Weird: Because normal isn’t working.

The premise of the book is would you rather be “normal” and miss out on God’s true blessings in life or be a little “weird” and experience God’s best for your life.

As in sports, only ONE team wins the championship, while EVERYONE else does not.  Normal is not winning.  Abnormal is winning.  I agree with Groeschel on this one – I’d rather be abnormal and win vs.  be normal and lose.

If you’re interested in the book, here is the amazon link.

(I find it hilarious that he looks a little weird in thumbnail for the video.)

When my first son was born, I decided to start a family tradition of producing a high-quality short video for each of our children’s birthdays from 1-18 years old.  This particular video chronicles the journey of our youngest son (Shane) from birth – 1 year.  He is awesome and this video shows why.

THE FOLLOWING POST COMES FROM MY FAVORITE GUEST BLOGGER:  My Wife, Sheila.

It’s the day before Easter, and I am taking time to reflect on the cross.  After reading an article in the morning paper about a teenager from Florida who was brutally murdered by several other teenagers, I found myself greatly troubled.  The crime was so heinous and gory that it was hard to shake out of my mind.  I started to pray for the family of the boy who was killed and then asked God to enact justice upon the criminals.  Finally I worked up the heart to pray that God would bring these teenagers to repentance.

As I was praying, I was reminded of the words that Jesus spoke to a crowd on a mountainside,  “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” (Matthew 5:21-22).  My thoughts turned towards myself and my own sin.  Can I honestly say that I have never gotten angry with anyone?  That I have never thought an unkind thought about someone?  Maybe even a hateful thought?  Romans 3:10 tells us, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”  Put me in front of a holy God and I am guilty.  God has every right to ‘enact justice’ upon THIS criminal.  There is a penalty, there is a sentence, and that penalty is death, that sentence is separation from God.

And this brings us to the cross.  On Good Friday, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Thankfully Christ paid the penalty for my sin, along with the sins of the whole world.  By his resurrection Christ has won victory over sin, death and the grave.  He asks only that I receive this gift by faith, “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8).  The promise is eternal life for all who believe (Romans 6:23).

Tomorrow is Easter and I will be celebrating what Christ did for me, and what he accomplished through the cross and his resurrection – the only hope there is for ALL of us.

“PRAISE GOD, THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. GOD IS SO GOOD, AND BY RAISING JESUS FROM DEATH, HE HAS GIVEN US NEW LIFE AND A HOPE THAT LIVES ON.“

1 PETER 1:3

Video from the White House this week at the Easter Prayer Breakfast.  During his short remarks, President Obama gave a clear presentation of the Gospel message.  I do not know the President and therefore cannot not speak with confidence about where he is at spiritually, but what he presents is the biblical Gospel message.

The presentation of the Gospel message via President Obama:

“As busy as we are, as many tasks as pile up, during this season, we are reminded that there is something about the resurrection … of Our Savior Jesus Christ that puts everything else in perspective.”

“His slow march up that hill, and the pain and the scorn and the shame of the cross.”

“And we’re reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world — past, present and future — and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection.”

“In the words of the book Isaiah:  ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.’”

I certainly hope he believes these things.  But what about you?  Have you personally made the decision to turn to Christ and receive his gracious gift of forgiveness, eternal life, and reconciliation with God?

If not – here is what you do to receive it: BELIEVE.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”

John 3:18

“Yet to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

John 1:12

If you have been all hard-up and rejecting Jesus’ message to this point, change course – commit your life to Him today.  Let me know if I can help you with this in any way.