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NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

6/26/2021

"Ohana means family. Family means, 'no one gets left behind.'”
–Lilo (from the movie Lilo and Stitch)

Our military stand by the motto “No man left behind.” While our education reform bill passed in 2002 states “No child left behind.” There are animal loving groups such as “No Dog Left Behind.” “No Cat Left Behind.” No Horse Left Behind.” Let ’s face it, NO ONE LIKES TO BE LEFT BEHIND!

“Leave no one behind” comes from the Latin, “Nemo Resideo.” The concept is almost as old as warfare itself. We see it played out through the Bible, we read about it in Greek mythology, we see it throughout history. We even see it in just about every movie we watch. It all comes back to a theme of “Good vs Evil” and justice being served. By the end of the movie, “good” prevails (unless they are planning a sequel), justice has been served and they all live happily ever after. Notice, there is always the hero figure that goes back to rescue the poor mistreated victim(s). We love that kind of movies. And Hollywood knows what we like… “No one gets left behind.”

Why is it that we can be immersed in such a strong concept, yet walk right past a person in need? Why is it that we get so caught up in our own lives that we develop tunnel vision where we can’t see anything else but our own problems? Quite often we feel like WE are the ones forgotten and left behind and WE are the ones in need of a hero to rescue us.

You and I know who our true Hero is. While the world fantasizes about being swept off their feet into a lifetime of ecstasy or slips deeper and deeper into the abyss of worry, stress and depression, we have the Hero! The true Hero is Jesus. We have Him, we know Him and we need to share Him with a lost and broken world who is searching for a hero.

That’s where the church comes in. The church is Jesus displayed… genuine believers coming together, loving one another, caring for one another and serving one another. Church is Ohana (family). Of all people, the church’s motto should always be, “No one gets left behind.” Yet even in our church, people are being left behind. Why is that? How can we change that? How can YOU change that?

Today, YOU are the hero! Jesus IN YOU will assure that. Go love someone, call someone, encourage someone, help someone, RESCUE someone. Be the hero that God created you to be in Christ. And may we always remember, NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND.

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Created in His Image

6/19/2021

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Just want to say “Happy Father’s Day” to all the dads out there. This day is for you. So often you’re like the Holy Spirit working behind the scenes always providing, always protecting, always concerned about the welfare of your loved ones. It can be exhausting and for many it can be overwhelming. Just want you to know, YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

Remember, you are created in God’s image. You are His masterpiece created for good works. It is He who set fatherhood in motion. Fatherhood is not something brought on by man but by God. God is the ultimate Father and role model for our position. God is a warrior ready for battle. He protects, provides and perseveres. But He is also caring and gentle and always aware of what’s going on. That’s our Father.

Many men grow up in the shadow of their dad, always trying to measure up or gain his approval. Many men may have grown up without a dad, never seeing or experiencing that father figure in their life. As men, there are so many things in life that has shaped us to be the man we are today. As men, the goal is to model our heavenly Father more than any other. Yes, we can have role models we learn from, and I want to be a role model for my children, but the ultimate model I want them to see is our heavenly Father. As dad’s we are always trying to be the hero for our children. It’s built in. But I don’t want to ever paint a picture of perfection with my face on that canvas. My children need to know I am flawed and always seeking advice from our heavenly Father. They need to see us on our knees; it’s okay for them to see us broken before our Father. They are watching us and learning from us. How else will they begin to trust in Him.

It’s funny because there are so many books on fatherhood. And 2/3rds of them leave God totally out of the picture. I wonder how Adam learned. He had no books. He was the book! Either way, throughout the Bible we see good and bad stories on fatherhood. King David, some would say, failed as a Father. But God called Him “a man after my own heart”. Bottom line is we all fail, but we get back up and keep moving forward in the power and will of our heavenly Father. Yes, there are many great dads out there who are atheists. The bottom line is you can be a great dad, raising your children to thrive and survive in this life but what about eternity. The plethora of books on Fatherhood leave that out. As Jesus said, “what good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Dad’s, what is the greatest gift you can leave your children? It’s not money!

Guys (and gals), father or not, let’s stay focused on the greatest Father of all time and may we pass Him on through our words, actions and attitudes always giving Him the glory for all the good we do. And may this Father’s Day be filled with joy and reflection as we celebrate our fathers.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." (Mt 6:9)

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Evangelism Today

6/12/2021

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To wrap up this adventure we’ve been on, I will conclude with this…

Although the Wizard of Oz story was created by a Methodist (Christian), most of the elements in this story will cloud the minds of children and adults to what is true and false. I know it’s just a fantasy fairytale and we can have fun with it, but these are the types of stories that have shaped the minds of our society and the worldviews of our cultures. Even more so now, since we have the television, internet, you tube, etc., everyone is free to share their views, and to be quite honest, many things that people are doing looks quite interesting and will grab our attention. That’s what leads our thoughts astray from focusing and believing what matters most. That’s why our nation and world has changed so drastically in the past seventy years. And the changes are even more rapid, changing from generation to generation. We are experiencing the most rapid changes in our societies and cultures than the world has ever seen in the last nineteen centuries.

When I was young, I believed in witches. I believed there were good and bad witches. As a young child I wanted to learn to make potions and do spells that could turn my enemy to a frog. Where did I get that idea from? That’s what our well-known fairytales taught us. Without realizing it, Disney has shaped the minds of America. The plethora of cartoons that we allow our children to watch are shaping the young minds of our future leaders. The truth of the matter is, there is no such thing as a “good” witch. I would not have known that apart from the Bible.

Left to ourselves, we will always pick and choose to believe and follow what seems right. Without realizing it, we use our rational and experiential senses along with our intuition to make thousands of choices throughout the day. The majority of these choices will be worldly and self-centered. “Revelation” is what begins to transform and shape our minds to think in terms of a Biblical perspective. Revelation comes from the Holy Spirit. But kids won’t be learning that from cartoons. Nether will adults, with such strong influences on TV, you tube, Facebook and the likes.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
(Romans 12:2)

All this to say, we are living in a time that it is much harder to just walk up to someone and tell them they need Jesus. That strategy may have worked a few generations ago, but it no longer works in this day and age. The minds of our culture, young and old have been seared. We will have to take the time to build trust so people can see our Christian beliefs in action. Too often we come across arguing and beating at people to believe what we believe. Remember, the world makes all their decisions on rational and experiential understanding. Only through the Holy Spirit will they be able to see and pursue biblical truths. More than arguing we need to be praying. More than in their face we need to be on our knees. More than piety we need grace. More than anger we need love. God is waiting for His children to love on people regardless of their warped views caused by society. That doesn’t mean we need to agree with them or that we are lowering our standards. It’s quite the opposite. Our standards of love will be heightened and our witness becomes stronger. When we are able to understand how people think, walking alongside them in love and relationship, maybe then God may use us to share His love to a lost and dying world.

“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:3-5)

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Is just having a brain enough?

6/5/2021

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As mentioned in the previous weeks, we’re trying to find some parallels between the Wizard of Oz and real life. The last of the three characters I want to talk about is the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow wanted a brain. The moral of the story is that these characters already possessed what they were looking for. They just had to look inside themselves.

Too often we see our cups half-full. We always think we lack in some way or another. The lies of Satan and the world will always tell us we’re not good enough or we’ll never amount to anything. And in many ways, we are like the cowardly Lion looking for courage, the Tinman seeking a heart (passion) and the Scarecrow who wanted a brain (wisdom).

When looking for wisdom we must always be aware of the lies of the world. The book of Judges shows us what happens when we have no moral or civil standards. People will always do what seems right in their own eyes. That is what we call Relativism. Relativism says, there are no absolute truths so we must weigh out situations and circumstances and choose what is best at the moment. When that happens, our empirical and rational senses kick in and we’ll choose the best choice based on that criteria. That’s what we’ve discussed in one of our previous posts. However, when revelation kicks in we are able to make decisions according to the Spirit. That’s the beauty of freewill. I get to choose what to believe. If left to my own experiences and rational thinking I will be like the rest of the world on a boat without a paddle tossed and turned by every wind of teaching floating on a sea of relativism. But with the Holy Spirit, I think and behave differently than the rest of the world.

The Wizard of Oz story ends where it seems as though they will all live happily ever after. The Scarecrow gets a diploma and he is left in charge of the Emerald City. You and I know that a diploma is not all that is needed to run a city. We’ve seen the problems in government when we think all that is needed is an education. We need something more than that.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Pr 1:7)
True wisdom comes from the Lord. If seeking wisdom, the best place to start is in Proverbs and work your way through the entire Bible. The Bible has transformed millions of lives. It teaches us about God and who we are as a people. It teaches us about creation and how to live with and treat others. It shows us that God has a plan, He is in control and there is something more waiting for us after this life. However, the only way we can understand the Bible is through Revelation which comes through the Holy Spirit. Without revelation we become relativistic in thought and action.

Take some time to think through your thought process for making decisions. Are you making choices based on the world’s influences? Do you rely most on your past experiences, tangible objects or rational thinking? Do you trust more in your intuition and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation? Or, do you rely on God’s word and trusting Him with all your heart in faith? Remember Christian, like the moral of the story, you already possess it (courage, passion and wisdom), you just have to look inside yourself and allow the Spirit of God to lead you. That’s the beginning of true wisdom.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Pr 3:5-6)

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NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

Created in His Image

Evangelism Today

Is just having a brain enough?

KHCN

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