Reflections on Kingdom Bound 2011

I was so excited to be able to go to KB 2011 with my family. I've been there before with my wife, before the kids came, but not since the boys were born, with her. My kids will not forget the water rides and kiddie rides. My oldest commented last night that his favorite part of being there (outside the rides) was "being with friends and family." We certainly loved being with our friends and having some family time. But as I look back there are a few things that were highlights. First off, it was a real honor to meet some of my twitter friends at KB. It wasn't like a marathon sit down and catch up kind of thing... it was more of, "Oh, so that's who you are!" Placing in our minds the actual people whose faces we've come to see next to their tweets. Had to laugh when Brenton Brown realized I was "life with Lonnie". (the picture at first is Brenton) I didn't think I'd meet Brenton because they tend to move everyone off the stage quickly and into the back, but when I came back by the tent I saw him talking with @Dan_Gross and then I got to shake Mr. Brown's (notice how respectful I am...) hand not once, but twice! When I told my family, who had been waiting for me at the laser light show, they were all excited too! As a worship pastor I've done a lot of Brenton's music (and Paul Baloche). I've been singing as I've worked in my basement Paul Baloche's songs and Brenton's also. "Our God is Near" and "Adoration" are on shuffle on my iTouch. Brenton's latest release had two songs that have really spoken to me." All For You " is that moment, as a worship pastor/leader, when it's just you and Jesus. It's a reminder that it isn't about us, but God, and for His glory. The other song "Our God Is Mercy" is just a great reminder that we can come to the Lord in our time of need because God desires to flood our lives with His overwhelming love. Needless to say there are a lot of songs that he's written or co-written that have, at some point, ministered to me or helped me to minister God's grace in it's various forms to others. So I was pretty pumped to meet Brenton and pray that our paths will cross another day. [and I'll have intelligible words to say. ;) ]


My last reflection is of Paul Baloche (pictured above). Paul was amazing... actually, it was amazing what God did through Paul the two days I saw him! While playing his set at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) he talked about how his dad (96) was really close to being with Jesus. (His mom and dad just celebrated 63 years of marriage!) You could see that it was tearing him up, but God was gracious and helped him lead. Afterward I tweeted to Paul "Thanks for leading out of your brokenness today." He responded with, "sometimes we have to, eh?" I tweeted back: "yes sometimes we have to... But then the Lord is most near and His strength lifts us. Amen?!" The next morning God used Paul to lead us to the very presence of God. Loved his openness and humility. Love the "Horton Hears a Who" thought of us 'little people' calling out to the Lord, "Hear our joyful sound here at Kingdom Bound" ... also the song he wrote inspired from,"Psalm 60 something"... "as morning dawns and evening fades..." I sensed God's presence so deeply that it moved me to tears more than once. (not just Paul but when Brenton played too) I took away from this that all of the practice is necessary for these times when we can barely keep it together. God takes all of the work we've put in and our times of personal worship, then in our brokenness shows up in ways that we could never hope to manufacture in our strength. Out of this I've found myself practicing and playing a bit more. I'm finding some new songs breathed into my heart that I hope I will be able to share. It was good to be with God's people at Kingdom Bound 2011!

Tangled, more than a review.

I'm a person who tends to see more than what's in the movie. Take the movie Tangled. As I see it it's more than another long hair story. The gospel story is woven into it. So you've seen the movie? Where is the gospel story? Movie: Girl is kidnapped from the palace and raised as a child of someone else. The gospel story: Sin entered the world and our identity as children of God was stolen. Movie: Every year on her birthday she would see lights floating in the sky and think to herself that somehow those were meant for her. Also she saw the picture of the sun flower and in her tower she saw the sun flower. The gospel story: God has placed eternity in the heart of man. God has given witness to us through nature that He is there. He calls to us by the Spirit of God. Are you keeping up? Movie: She realizes who she is and longs to return home. To get there a sacrifice is made, a man dies and is raised back to life. The gospel: In order for us to "return home" and claim our identity as children of God, Jesus dies and is raised back to life (the character is hardly Jesus, or sinless, but dies and is brought back) The movie: She returns home to a mother and father who have desperately missed her. The scene is quite moving... what was lost is found! A party ensues! The gospel: Just that, what was lost is found. Our return home is celebrated by heaven throwing a party!
For me personally, when the father and mother were reunited with the daughter, I was transported in my thoughts to the day that I see Jesus face to face. The joy that fills my heart.
I liked Tangled for the story line, humor and the fact that the bad lady loses (oh... another biblical factoid: the devil loses!)
So there you have it. Tangled, more than a review. THE Message within the media.

At the crossroads...

I'm reminded in this season of my life of the words of Jeremiah 6:16 "This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’"
What I see here is that God invites us to stand at the crossroads and look. We need to be observant. God then says, "Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is..." God calls us to pray, to seek and listen. Do you know where you are going... standing at the crossroads... wondering what's next. God wants to reveal things to us... to show us His path, but He says, "Walk in it..." We have to determine the course and then stay the course! It's easy to read the bible and then say, "Well, I don't know if I agree with that." But that is exactly what God calls us to do... agree with HIM that His path is the right one. You know when you have gotten on the wrong path? When you lack peace. God's promise is that as we pray and go that we will find rest for our souls. We will find peace in the midst of anything happening because we are where He wants us. The question is "will you"? Sadly many have said, "We will not walk in it." Choose to discover and "walk in it"!

stuff that's swimming in my head...

Tonight I went to see Ps100, a group of guys that sing some very tight Christian Rock (and praise & worship). Most of their music is original. It is definitely worth a listen! My connection with them is through their drummer. Back in the day when I was leading worship in Akron NY he was on the team. God has brought Mike so far (and through things I had no idea about before tonight... believing that God's healing his wife of that cancer!) Tonight I came with a head full and heart broken. There's just been so much going on lately that it's been overwhelming. Trying to carry the burdens of others while carrying your own is quite a task. Tonight I was reminded that "Your grace is enough". We are not guaranteed by God a life without any heartache, physical illness, relational tension, poverty (or riches) etc. But we are guaranteed that as we place our faith in Jesus Christ to cover our sins, God runs to us, picks us up and carries us. Sometimes, I believe, He just holds us like children that have had the worst nightmare and we just can't shake it. It is in our brokenness that he floods his love through the cracks of our heart. Healing us. Mending us. Giving us a hope that many, honestly, can't comprehend. That is the hope of eternal life. Not that we keep this life, or by some form of cosmic cruelty, to return again and again until we 'get it right'. No. The bible says all this 'stuff' is temporary. Eventually it will all "burn". Jesus said he was preparing a place for us to come back and take us to. This is our hope. Jesus endured the darkest hour of his life knowing the joy to come.
As Brenton Brown (singer/songwriter) wrote in the song OUR GOD IS MERCY: "The Kingdom of our God is near, lift your eyes, lift your eyes! The hope of heaven drawing near, lift your eyes! Lift your eyes!" If we first seek God's Kingdom then everything else will be taken care of (rough paraphrase!). This is just some of the stuff that's been swimming in my head recently...

Praying with Thanksgiving

Some of my friends and family haven't had a chance to see me speak recently so I've put on YouTube my message from Nov. 28th, 2010. It's in 2 parts because I spoke for about 27 minutes. You can't post anything longer than 15 minutes. :*(
Never the less... The first part is up at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lnAJQurGx0
At the top of the YouTube page says that I have X entries. (Presently it's 5 to choose from). You can choose PT2 and finish out the message. For those who have wrestled with their conversations with God in prayer... maybe the answers don't seem to be coming... this is a pretty good message. That's not me tooting my own horn, it's the majority of the feedback from the people of Niagara Alliance Church. (Including the Head Elder!)
To God be the glory!

What began on Twitter last night...

I'm not the "normal" follower of Christ, in that, I spend the time before I go to sleep reading my bible. Devotions, they call it. Most pastors I've heard suggest that you start the day devoting yourself to God in reading the bible and praying (even journaling). I find that I never really could get going in the morning, but still have steadily walked with God for 32 years.
Last night I read Acts 3 and 4. But as I came to a specific verse, Acts 3:16, something just hit me. It's the story about Peter and James going to the temple for prayer. As they go they encounter a man that was lame, he could not walk. We know that he'd been that way 40ish years. Peter looks at the man and says in essence: "Look, I don't have money, but I do have the knowledge that Jesus wants to heal you now. So get up!" The man gets up. People are immediately drawn to the situation where Peter finds an impromptu opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus. In doing so he says something that got my head and fingers going last night:

(Holman Christian Standard Bible) Acts3:16 By faith in His name, His name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Him has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.

Let me expand a bit on what I said.
Considering that the disciples had been with Jesus watching Him heal, that they had witnessed what was happening when Jesus made a decision, they should be acquainted with what Jesus wanted to do. However, until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was fully poured out, they lacked the ability to do what they had seen done. They learned to listen (prayer) leading up to Pentecost and with the Holy Spirit on them it was instant connection and understanding of what they should do in that moment. As I looked at Acts 3:16 it hit me: Peter was saying that Jesus wanted to heal the man. Peter was also saying that he nor 'faith' (in an abstract form) healed the man, it was Jesus.
That's pretty bold trust. To look at someone and say, "God has healed you." This should be normal for the follower of Christ. I'm not trying to be all weird, I'm just saying that it all happens out of relationship. Just as me telling my son to tell someone else something I've said. It all begins with the assumption of Acts 2:39 - repentance of sin & filling of the Holy Spirit. There is no connection w/o repentance of sin. And to take a phone analogy a bit further...
You have no 'dial tone' without the Holy Spirit. Always 'answer' when Jesus is speaking, He will tell you what He wants... Then DO IT!

The problem of just being connected and choosing not to listen and obey, is that it creates a 'form of religion' but 'denies the power'. Jesus wants to impact our world through us! What I've noticed, from observation, is that, in general, people these days have lost faith in the church because the people in the church don't express God's ability to transform lives! So many in the church look and act the same as people in the world. The fruit of their lives doesn't show they they are different. Some of that is due to a misunderstanding that knowledge is maturity. IT ISN'T. The application of the knowledge of God's Word, the Bible, leads us to a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ and what we have. We live out of relationship with the Son of God who gave Himself up for us. It is in the intimate moments (morning, evening or whenever) that we begin to cultivate the ability to hear from God and do what He says. God wants us to get the "easy" stuff first. To walk in obedience and love God and others. I remember nights when I would be out on the bleachers during college praying for an hour or two and wondering "God are you listening?" Over the years I've learned that God is asking me, "Are YOU listening?" ;)
I've spent plenty of time wondering from the time I was a Junior in High School, "God, where are are the healings that Jesus performed? Why did He say we would do greater things than what He did?" I have friends that God has healed, of lukemia and carpel tunnel. I have a pastor friend that saw God raise a woman from the dead, before his eyes! So I knew that God could heal and have watched plenty of people laying hands on others for healing. For myself the journey took a turn when I saw again a saying, "Faith is not believing that God can. It is believing that He WILL." So many times I've watched as a person is prayed for, "God, if it is your will... we don't want to assume..." I sat one Sunday watching a woman and God said to me, "She's healed." It startled me. I really didn't want to say anything. I did. She had been healed. A friend recently asked for prayer for a job. Immediately I got, "Done deal." God knew he was going to get that job. He did. This is beginning to be the "norm" for me. Amazingly, it was the "norm" for the early church. The only thing that has passed is time.
The point? The whole church thing isn't a game. It isn't about how good we look (or bad). It's about connecting with God. Connecting with others and Connecting others with God. (borrowed from the sign in front of Niagara Alliance Church ;D ) If you have a good connection with Christ, the Holy Spirit will speak and use you. You will grow in your relationship with God and He will tell you what he wants in a situation. There's more that I could say. But for now let me just return to the original thought...
Ask Jesus what He wants to do. Peter did and then told the man and his life was transformed forever. God is in the business of transforming lives!

Two more songs on YouTube...

As I post this blog the first song I put on YouTube is sitting at 69 views. My wife reminds me that this is a God thing not a Lonnie thing. The reason I started to post any songs on YouTube in the first place came out of my conversation with Jim Drew, a fellow musician / worship leader and passionate follower of Christ. Jim's words to me were and encouragement to allow God to use me by placing the song(s) out there. I am thankful for those who have been so kind. I haven't had any negative feedback, just a one person cheer squad in Nora, who I led to Christ years ago.
I've placed the song "Macedonia" and "My Everything" on. I trust that as you listen you will begin to understand the depth of God's love for us and those who have yet to place their full trust in Him.
The link to Macedonia will also let you view the other videos.
God bless!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99TspuSOn28

When you realize you're lost

Tonight we went to the school Halloween party. A large room filled with parents and lots of screaming, yelling, running, and jumping children. Oh, and one child that suddenly realized he was lost. The moment my little guy realized he was lost the panic button was hit. He desperately sought to find us. He did.
I have wondered to myself, "How long does it take to realize you are lost?" I mean 'lost' in the biblical way illustrated in Luke 15. The coin and most likely, the sheep, have no real thought of being lost. But the two boys and their father understood 'lost'. The father, I would assume, understood the 'lostness' of each son. The youngest was lost before he left with his worldly possessions. It took him a dead end job and an empty stomach to realize he was 'lost'. His 'lostness' caused him to evaluate his situation and execute a plan to be found. His greatest hope was that he'd at least be considered a slave of the father, what he found was the restoration of what he lost when he left.
The oldest lived oblivious of his state of 'lostness'. He never left but he never knew the joy of being found. He couldn't grasp the lostness of his situation. The father explained the truth to him. But we don't know what his response was. What if Jesus had continued the story? Maybe he oldest son would have grasped his lostness and found his place. I dunno. What I do know is that I see a lot of people working and buying and living that haven't had the "I'm lost" light bulb go off. I'm praying for those people to come to that knowledge sooner than later. And like the younger son I pray they evaluate the situation and execute the plan which has them confessing their need to be found by the Lord Jesus Christ and forgiven of all sin. In response our God has said He will adopt us into His family, never to be lost again.
It's a terrifying situation to realize you are lost and helpless. It's a comforting place to be, when you realize that you have been found and will never be let go.
You're comments are always welcome. :)

Recent stuff I'm thinking about...

So I realize it's been quite some time since I posted. I added the Twitter posts but haven't kept up on that well. I haven't posted much because some of what was going through my mind was post worthy... and also not the forum to be placing my thoughts for everyone to see. But recently I had a few thoughts run through that may be worth thinking about.

We found out that we had some serious bee issues just outside the back door. I tried using some spray to kill them, but it didn't work. They were nesting in the ground. More than a few people suggested another remedy.
Well, I tried it. I asked one guy, "How much do I need to put in the hole?" He responded, "Until it's full!" I began pouring and then was told, "STOP!" I did.
The next morning (cause I did the deed at night while they were back in the nest) I saw them again. I had a couple thoughts immediately after that. The bees are like sin nesting in our lives. God knows what needs addressing in our lives and will help us to address the issue(s). It may seem that it's all gone, but in the moments when we see the issues flare up (like anger, jealousy, greed...) we come back to the application of the Blood of Jesus which wipes away the sin. We deal with the issue and move on. Confident in the work of Christ in our life.

Another thought came... as we went and picked up a love seat. We were led to believe the condition of the thing and color would be exactly what we were looking for. However it wasn't. We have had a sofa given to us when we first came to NY that WAS exactly what we were looking for. So my thought... when people enter our church(es) are they getting exactly what was described to them? Is it better?! My prayer is that who we are and WHOM we represent will be better than advertised. We aught to have quality services and be the quality people God calls us to be.

Last thought came from my pastor message on Sunday.

He was speaking about evangelism. I know that for some the word evangelism conjures really bad images... both for those who are "expected" to share the Good News of Jesus and those who are trying to be reached with that Good News.
My own experience has led me to be myself first. God doesn't ask us to be someone or do something that is out of our character. I've tried some of those things and they are not me, so I don't do them. But I do take time to share as God opens the doors. (here's where the pastor's message came in...) We never know who will respond to the message but there needs to be repeated opportunities to relay the Good News. Kind of like at bats in baseball. (My thoughts here...) In baseball not every at bat goes well. But with persistence "good hitters" continue to get better. Yea, I know that it's not up to us to "save" anyone. But we are God's Ambassadors as if Christ was making His appeal through us. The more times we share the more comfortable we are. There will be times when the Gospel "scores" and other times we just help move people around the bases, so to speak... to give them repeated opportunities to hear and see the Gospel presented.


SO there... Any thoughts? Reactions? Interactions?
Till next time...

On Vacation but had to post

My last post talked about "knowing" that God was answering prayers, even when things may not look like they are going to work out.

My vacation started out looking like we were not going to make a flight to LA on the same day. Our initial plane was delayed due to storm damage at the Cleveland Airport. That meant that we would not catch our connecting flight to LAX in time. The rep from Continental kept trying to figure out a way for us to get to LA. I'm thinking it was something close to half an hour before she said, "The only route I have now is you flying to Cleveland this morning at 8:30am and then waiting till 6pm there to catch a plane to Houston and then connect there to LA." The whole process up to that I wasn't sure that we were going to fly, and honestly, I really didn't want to. But I would have missed out. We were alerted that a second flight to LA would be leaving at 12:45pm, and when we got to Cleveland to see the rep at the counter there. So we did. At that point, about 9:15am she was able to confirm seats for my family of four and put my mother-in-law on standby. Our seats were scattered through the plane at that point. An hour passed and she found us waiting at out gate for the LA flight. She had been able to change our seats so that I was sitting with Joel and Amy was across the isle from Caleb... still close. At 12:10pm we started boarding our plane. As we got on one person willingly traded spots with my son Caleb so he could sit by Amy, my wife. The plane was rapidly filling up, but the seat next to Joel in the isle still was open. I saw a girl we had been talking to and my Mother-in-law walk on the plane. The girl walked past to her seat and my Mother-in-law found she was in the same row as Joel and I, so she sat next to Joel. Before we started to leave the seat next to where my mother-in-law would have been seated was in question as it was double booked. Amazingly it was straightened out and we were on our way.

It would seem that the drama for our trip would be over with that.

Things went fairly smoothly after we landed, were picked up and went to the Santa Monica Pier where Joel was facinated by the two guys with face paint and a mouth whistle that were dancing. It was going smoothly on our way to the Oceano Beach Park (Pismol Beach). We found our place on the beach and Amy got the ride the sand rail with her brother Joe. She was shaking when she came back as the sudden drops on the dunes at dusk, with a misty marine layer of fog was decending, didn't allow her senses to process what was happening.

I'll have to post more later as I have to pack. But it gets interesting! Stay tuned!

Happy New Year and stuff...

I can believe it has been almost a month since I posted anything! After starting at Niagara Alliance Church (see it on the web: niagaraalliance.com ) it's been nothing but full speed ahead! I'm beginning to settle in and really felt for the first time last Sunday that my feet were beginning to get under me! Last Sunday, Dec. 28th I was closing the service, since our pastor is on vacation, and was tying in the message about having an extravagant love for Christ. As I was closing the service I was talking about us climbing into our Fathers lap and letting Him hold us. Just at that moment my son Joel (3 yrs) ran up the isle and up onto the platform. He says loudly, "Daddy I need you!" I picked him up and held him. A collective "Ahh" came across the congregation. Tears were filling my eyes as I considered what a perfect illustration God had supplied for me and all there were there.
I'm reading "The Shack" and found it to be a breath of fresh air for my soul. Joel's sudden appearance at church and me picking him up was just a continuation of what I have been getting as I've read this book. I realize that difficult time and things happen to us, but the love of our Papa never fades... He's always there.

Faith Factor

As I was reading my devotions this past week the topic of faith came up. Pastor David Jeremiah (Turning Point Ministries and Shadow Mountain Community Church El Cajon, CA) pointed out how Jesus didn't do many miracles in one location. Why? Because of their faith. They just didn't believe Jesus was who He claimed to be or was able to do what He said he could do. What about today? Is it possible that we do not receive because we, as "People of faith", don't have faith?!

This hit pretty close to home. I've been trusting God to open doors, or so I've tried to convince myself. I'd been a bit anxious that this might not happen. But why? The whole Candidating process has gone well. The feedback I got was very possitive. My interaction with the Pastor has been great. But thinking that it was about 99% done had me thinking about the 1%. The 1% chance that the church will not have the funds or the Elder Board will embrace the thought they don't need to change. That's when I was challenged to believe that God covers the 1%. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and is more than able to provide. God moves the hearts of leadership. God is soverign. God is able... to do more than I could ask or imagine.

That is the faith factor. He can when I can't!

Seeing God's Favor

I've prayed a prayer for some time that includes "Father, give me wisdom, understanding, discernment and favor with You and the right other people." It may seem like a funny thing to pray for favor with 'the right other people', but on Monday it was no coincidence that I got the right help.
It started for me when I couldn't get the cap off my tire stem to see if I could add some air into the tire. I pulled into Mr. Tire on Military Rd. in Niagara Falls, NY. They were busy enough but took the time to see if they could take a look at the tire for me. After pulling the tire off they noticed what looked like a drill bit (yea, I couldn't believe it!) in the sidewall of the tire. That renders the tire unrepairable. So after I explained that I would be able to replace my tire at another place they willingly took my spare tire from under the back of my KIA and placed it on the front and put the other tire in the back of the vehicle to get fixed. Now this doesn't seem astounding other than the fact that I didn't owe them anything for it. It was free. I have to say I am thankful for God's constant favor.

Verbal Spontaneous Prayer

Caleb tonight started to follow my pattern of prayer.... which is that I just pray and thank God for things and ask for help along the way. Basically it's a verbal spontaneous prayer. I'm having an ongoing conversation where I include God. SO... tonight I'm sitting at the computer and I hear Caleb talking, "God help me to get through Mario level 8 please..." I asked him if he was praying and he said, "Yea Dad. I need God to help me win this." I responded that I wasn't sure if God was into answering prayers exactly like that, but I was pleased that he was praying. I trust the depth of Calebs prayers will grow as he places his faith in Jesus and walks humbly with Jesus through this life. I also realize that God even cares about the little things that we care about. Like trying to get through Mario level 8 or being the example that little people can follow. I know I'm being watched.

Misc. Stuff

As the saying goes much water has passed under the bridge... and in some locations that water has taken out a bride or two... just not where I live. But I digress...

I'm thankful for the opportunities that I've gotten to lead worship at my church through Sept. 7th. I know our Worship Leader was needing a bit of a break and it worked out well.

So we've been busy this summer with all of these wonderful opportunities and I have gratefully offered them up to the Lord as an offering. I believe God has been honored and is pleased to receive the worship due his Name.

This past week Caleb started Kindergarten. We did the usual photos and video of him getting on the bus. What we didn't anticipate was the response of Joel, our almost 3 year old. Joel was ready to run after the bus to either get Caleb back or go with him! There were tears as I held him and then he went back in the house with Amy (mommy). I drove to the school to drop off Caleb's supplies and meet him at the bus as he got off. He was so surprised but very pleased to see me. We got to his room and got him all settled in. I left to take the camera back to Amy to show the pictures and video that I'd taken before heading to work.
So far things have gone well. We're only 4 days in, but it's been a good ride so far. (knock on wood...)

We are anticipating taking care of some home projects that have become an issue as of this past week. Thankfully my dad will be flying in to help with them the first part of October. I always learn more every time I work with him. I look forward to that time even though it will be a bit busy.

Lastly I trust that God will open a door of opportunity for me soon. I have been completely overwhelmed by the responses I've gotten about the speaking and music. In fact, Linda from my church said to me, "I've come to the conclusion that you need your own church to pastor!" All I know is that all things are in God's timing. My prayer is reflected in the lyrics by Charlie Hall "let your sovereign providential hand lead me."

Worship on the Water and such...

Last Sunday (August 10th) was my last time to speak at the Worship on the Water event. Being able to have three opportunities to speak and lead worship was tremendous! In reflecting on the times I've spoken this Summer and in the past 4 years I can say that these have been good and growth filled. It's humbling when you finish the service and hear people applaud. It's humbling because I know that the gifts are all from God. Anything good that happens is from God and the glory belongs to Him. That said, humanly speaking, it reaffirms the Calling of God on my life and the purposes that I said, "YES" to years ago. And the feedback that I've gotten has been encouraging. One comment this past week centered on how I've really improved in my delivery from the first time I spoke 4 summers ago until that day. The question I have to answer is, "Am I growing or staying stagnant?!" It's easy to just pull out an old message and polish it up, and I did that Sunday, but I also started a second message before that which I intend to finish! Given the opportunity to speak. I will do so. It's entitled , "The God Question".
It's a question that we all have to answer at some point, and one that deepens with every "yes".

Getting back to the original thought... as much as the people who came to hear me were blessed I would say that I've been just as blessed and encouraged. It affirms that God uses His people from his "catholic... universal" church. My church family has been so supportive also, but having people that are not directly related saying the same thing has to be a God thing. I've had people tell me that I need a church or that I should start a new work. We'll see what God has planned. As He opens the doors I'm going through!

Peace to you...

"Where is Jesus?"

Today I was having a small skirmish with my 5 year old about not bringing a toy into the grocery store. It was not going well. As I helped him out of the vehicle my 2 year old, Joel, suddenly asks, "Where is Jesus?'
I was immediately checked in my spirit about the bout I was finishing and then replied, "He's right here with us."

We might be asking the same question... "where is Jesus?" as we got news that my wife has an additional heart condition called Ventricular Tachycardia. It's a completely different part of the heart and explained why Amy was feeling pretty lousy in the past year with episodes of pressure coming up into her neck and feeling like she would black out. The condition can be fatal, but the doctor felt that as long as her heart was strong it would break out of the bad rhythm. Still it was a shock. In all of this I was reminded that Jesus is still right here. Nothing has essentially changed except that we know we must lean more heavily on Jesus than we have in the past. Faith isn't faith till it's exercised, and we are working those faith muscles right now. We trust that whatever happens that God will have His hand in it to bring good through the bad. He never wastes an opportunity to grow us into the image of Jesus.

Thanks for your prayers!
Lonnie

The message: God Love You: As You Are, Where You Are!

God Loves You: As you are, where you are

Rev. Lonnie Thoms

July 20, 2008

Speaking at: Worship on the Water & Cornerstone Community Church

I recently saw a sign on Niagara Falls Boulevard that read: “We finance your future, not your past.”

I found it quite intriguing… In a small way they are suggesting that what you did in the past isn’t being held against you. It’s not about past mistakes, it’s about the present and future.

The unfortunate thing as we get older is that we get more skeptical about whether a person can change. We hear rhetorical statements like: “Can a leopard change its spots?”; “Can a tiger change its stripes?”

Even people who “get religion” are looked at suspiciously. They just wait for them to mess up to point a finger at and say, “See, I told you it doesn’t work!”

What they are suggesting is that suddenly the person should have sprouted wings and a halo and begun to live like a saint, perfect in all aspects of their life. That’s a myth, and it isn’t what the bible teaches. The bible teaches that everyone has messed up, ( Romans 3:23 for all have sinned…) but that through Jesus Christ, God made a way for us to be forgiven and start again (Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ) . It tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

There is a definite work that is begun in the heart of the person. The bible tells us in Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” It’s going to take time.

I’m not an expert on restoring classic cars by any stretch of my imagination, but I know that it takes time and care to make that pile of metal into something you can take to the car show. One man sees a pile of junk and another sees a classic waiting to become what it was meant to be. There in lies the difference.

Someone here needs to know that God loves you as you are, where you are. He thinks you are valuable enough that He’s going to put time and energy into you. He wants to adopt you into His family (Ephesians 1:5 he decided beforehand (predestined) that we should be adopted as his children…).

Speaking of adoption, I read a touching story on Sunday July 13^th from MSNBC about Emma Grace.

AP story: EMMA’S GRACE:

You see, Emma was given up not once, but twice — once by her 23-year-old birth mother, a drug user who knew she could never care for the baby, and then by a 48-year-old adoptive mother who backed out when she learned of Emma's heart condition. When Daniel & Elizabeth Monroe heard about this little girl they knew that God had answered their prayers. Unphased by the heart condition they considered her worth taking home and keeping and loving. It’s truly a wonderful story. (Picture by: Wilfredo Lee / AP)

It illustrates a great truth about how God sees you and I. It doesn’t matter the condition of our heart or the cost to care for us, to adopt us into His family, God was willing to take care of everything. And in Jesus Christ he did. The bible says in John 3:16 "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. Verse 17 continues “God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” God sent Jesus to redeem us, to buy us back. And anyone who believes in Jesus, not just about Jesus, but place their faith in Jesus, would have everlasting life.

The world believes in reinventing ourselves. The God of the Bible believes in reconstruction from the inside out. It’s not about outward tattoos, piercing, or hair products, it’s about the God of the universe living in us and changing us moment by moment, day by day, with His Holy Spirit. You can see the damage that unholy spirits cause, imagine the power of the Holy Spirit living and working in you and I!

Someone here just can’t. Can’t wrap their head and heart around the idea.

That’s because you’ve never met people like my friend Darrell, who was in bondage to drugs and alcohol when God got a hold of Him and changed his life. Darrell is a pastor today in Wisconsin because God can change the life of anyone.

You don’t know Hanson. A former card carrying Atheist. Yes, I said former. You see as much as she didn’t want to intellectually believe that Jesus Christ was real, she came into contact with people who have been changed by God, and ultimately she couldn’t run from God. I remember the day she burst into my office. She said, “Pastor, I have to talk with you NOW!” “I was minding my own business headed to class when all of a sudden I hear this, ‘Hanson do you believe in me?’. And before I could say, ‘no’ I said, “Yes, Jesus I believe in you.” “I couldn’t deny that Jesus was God at that moment!” Needless to say, she was pretty animated and the profanity was flying and I was telling myself, “WOW God got a hold of Hanson!” She was in a bit of a quandary because she was on her way to have lunch with three of the top women atheists in Iowa City, IA. She asked, “Do I go?” And I said, “YEA! You go and tell them what just happened.” So she did and came back to me telling me how venomous their attack was when she explained that she had come to believe in Jesus Christ. She’s got an amazing story.

God loves you, as you are, where you are.

It’s hard to believe that sometimes when you come into contact with people who call themselves Christians and yet stand in judgment on you. Giving you the look. Acting all self-righteous and all. I apologize for them and ask that you look in the bible at how God sees you and how Jesus interacted with others. Two quick real stories from the bible… they happen to involve two women. (I actually summarized the two passages and encouraged everyone to actually read it to see if I was telling the truth!)

John 4 (New International Version)

1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

17 "I have no husband," she replied.

Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

27Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."

32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"

34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

John 8 (New International Version)

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

CLOSING for Worship on the Water:

You see God loves you, as you are, where you are. But because He loves you He doesn’t want to leave you in the sin and the mess but wants to clean you up inside out.

Someone is saying to themselves… “That’s nice, but I’ll come to God when I get my act together.” You don’t get cleaned up to take a bath do you?! That’s crazy! But that’s what we you suggest… I can pull myself together. Truth be told we can’t keep it together that long. Maybe 3 months before we get sucked back in. God knows we can’t do it. He gave the 10 commandments to show us that apart from Him we can’t live all that out either. Summed up (Luke 10:27) Jesus said those commandments meant to love God and others. And you know that it’s pretty difficult to forgive another person when they wrong you. That’s why we need God. Because His power working in us makes us what we aught to be, and deep down, what we really long to be.

Today is your day if you have never placed your faith in Jesus. You can make up all the excuses but the truth is your beef isn’t with me, it’s with God. He’s got the final say according to the Bible. This isn’t a condemnation, it’s an encouragement. God does love you, as you are, where you are. Today will you love Him back, as you are, where you are?

I’m not a high powered pressure salesman, so if you need some time I’ll understand. I have a business card that you can take to contact me later, or if you attend a church that really does believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, your pastor can have that conversation with you. I just encourage you to do it soon.

Thanks for listening. I pray that you never recover from today.

(Church Closing)

Our encouragement as a Church is to show the kindness and love of Christ to others. You’ve probably heard the saying, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Remember the kids? I tried this once before… wrap your arms around yourself. Now try to hug someone. It doesn’t work does it?! That’s because we have to open ourselves up. You have to embrace the other person. I’m not suggesting that we take on the other persons habits and hang ups… I’m saying that we have to walk with them a while to gain their trust, and to keep it, we have to continually come back to the biblical model of relationship which involves loving others unconditionally… no strings attached. There are people that rub us the wrong way, but even the bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

May the Lord make us a community of unity.

I was watching the movie 10,000 BC and toward the end a conversation started about the kind of people there are out there. Some have a circle only big enough for themselves. Others enlarge their circle to include a few more. Still others enlarge their circle so much that they can encompass more people.

What kind of church are we? What kind of church do we want to be? Who we impact will determine the size of circle that we are willing to create together. As a point of reference, God’s circle included everyone. God loves them as they are, where they are. Will we?

Wedding Thoughts...

The wedding I officiated recently was at Terrapin Point right next to Niagara Falls, as in, you can hear and see the water flowing over the falls. Being where it is, there are other guests that are actually tourists from across the country and world. What made the ceremony interesting was the end. You have 50 invited guests along with about 100 uninvited tourist guests that have been shooting footage of this wondrous occasion, and then the announcement comes, “Please join us at the Top of the Falls Restaurant for the reception to follow.” Uh Oh!

Immediately I think, “Hey, I have to say INVITED guests only!”

And then it hits me... the similarities between Jesus story about the wedding and those invited. In Matthew 22:14 it says, “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” You could say that because we were in a very public place there were extra guests, but only those that received an invitation, those that were chosen to be there could be part of the reception. Interestingly enough we actually had someone follow the Wedding party up to the top only to be told, “you can't be part of this”.

In this day and age so many people have begun to believe that everyone is going to heaven. That God isn't going to exclude anyone. The bible doesn't teach that. And this wedding experience pointed that out to me. Was the wedding open to everyone? Sure it was. Were all those people chosen to be part of the celebration afterward? No. We we trying to be mean and exclusive? No, but there were people we didn't know. Likewise on the day Jesus returns those who have not a personal relationship with Him will not be counted among His own.

How do you get chosen? How do you get to go? The bible says there is only ONE way, and it is through Jesus. Begin by confessing your sin and agreeing (repenting) that God's way is the right and only way to be saved from sin and for heaven. Without repentance there is no relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Just being a good person doesn't cut it. It is my grace through faith that you are saved. God shows mercy to you by not giving you what you deserve... hell and eternal separation from Him. And He shows grace to you by giving you what you could never earn, unmerited favor with Him... a personal relationship, being declared right in His sight.

If you want to know more contact me, I'm more than glad to answer questions and dialog.

God bless! Lonnie

When you wonder...

Every day it seems I hear about someone with cancer for the first time, or coming out of remission like my friend Jeffery in Indianapolis whose wife has brain cancer (PLEASE PRAYER FOR MELISSA). Other times it is the most unbelievable things that happen to someone. Like my wife's co-worker that had been attacked and beaten in the head left for dead. Amy tells me a few months ago that he was in the hospital and she didn't think he'd make it. Probably be a 'vegetable'. A few months later Amy tells me that he was up and visited their floor at the hospital. But he was acting like a little child. I started to pray for Him that God would restore all that was taken from him, health wise. It was so unjust what had happened to him. There is more to his story, but suffice it to say, he definitely got the wrong end of the stick this past year.
Time passes and I wonder if anything has happened and if God was listening and going to act on his behalf... this past week I picked up a piece of paper with his name and phone number on it. I asked Amy, "Hey, what's this?!" She proceeds to tell me that amazingly enough one day he woke up and had unbelievable pain in his head. The doctors didn't just medicate him for the pain, but let him continue to heal up. Long story short... it's as if he's never missed a beat mentally. He tested out to come back to work as a nurse and it's almost like he's completely back to normal.

New story... some missionary friends were headed back to the mission field after some time off. They made a stop in the Phillippines to adopt another little boy (#2). They had two big issues. 1. to get back to their home having only 3 confirmed seats and needing a 4th. 2. Their work visa's would expire at the end of the month.
They sent an e-mail to ask for prayer. The flight they needed was only weekly and no stand by passengers were able to go in the past few weeks... besides the flights were booked through February. One option which the airlines allowed, was for them to buy a stand by ticket and allow the mom and two boys to have the confirmed seats. The dad would have to wait to see if a seat would open.
Long story short, again, as he waited they called his name and he was allowed to board and sit WITH HIS FAMILY!

I post this because at times in our lives we wonder "God with all this junk going on are you still there? Do you still answer prayer?"
I have two requests that were answered here. My mom told me of another lady who had cancer and the treatments were not working... when she visited the Doctor he was able to tell her that the cancer was gone. She's going for a second opinion. I like the first one! But I'm believing that God will give her the same results.
I'm reminded that God, "never slumbers or sleeps." He's never off duty and even when I see something it's not all that is going on in this world.
If you are going through "it", what every "it" may be, know that God is actively looking to work in the lives of people who will seek Him.
Oh, and if I can help pray and see God's hand moved on your behalf then let me know. I guarantee that God will be glorified, not me. This isn't about me. It's about God who is still working in our world healing people and changing lives.

When you wonder... remember the truth: God is there and He loves you more than you or I can ever imagine.
A friend in Jesus,
Lonnie