Category "Uncategorized"

I’m a daddy.

I know my little girl’s voice.

it’s precious to me because she is precious to me.

When she was a toddler, I understood what she was saying even when other people couldn’t.

She used to say “alliou” to me.

Maybe you don’t recognize that… but I do.

She was saying “I love you.”

Even before she could speak, I knew what her different sounding cries meant (hungry, tired, scared or hurt).

I love my daughter.

I want her to love me too.

She doesn’t have to impress me with eloquence or get my attention through spectacular achievements.

All she has to do is say “Daddy!” and she’s got my attention.

The truth is, even before she says “Daddy,” I’m already paying attention – loving, watching, providing for, caring for, investing in and protecting her.

Now, let’s talk about prayer…

Prayer isn’t about impressing God with eloquence or getting his attention though spectacular achievements… it’s simply talking with your Daddy. And He’s already paying attention – loving, watching, providing for, caring for, investing in and protecting you.

Yes, grace changes how we pray. Because of grace, we are now God’s own kids – we’re his family!

“You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, Papa! Father! Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.” (Galatians 4.6-7 MSG)

He loves you.

He wants you to love him too.

He’s paying attention, he’s listening – he even knows what your different sounding cries mean.

And it totally makes His day when you say, “Daddy! I love you.”

I like my iPhone… still rockin the 3GS right now.

Gonna upgrade to the iPhone 4 someday.

People love to hate on AT&T, saying things like: “terrible service, dropped calls, no signal.”

‘Cause I’ve always been with AT&T, I really don’t know what the service is like with other providers.

I just know my signal strength isn’t always reliable.

Sometimes, the signal cuts out.

It drops, breaks, ceases to be connected, stops, takes an intermission.

Unfortunately, many of us pray like we have AT&T service… intermittent, with breaks, stops, disconnected.

Here’s the good news: grace changes that.

Through grace, we understand prayer isn’t an activity or event – it’s a constant, open flow of communication with our Heavenly Father.

Expressions like: “prayer time,” “say your prayers,” “recite a prayer” or “give a prayer” just reinforce this misguided concept of prayer as an on-and-off again activity.

Grace reminds us that God’s Spirit lives within us – unceasingly, without intermission, full signal, no break in the connection, all the time!

1 Thessalonians 5.17 says, “Never stop praying.”

I love the way this verse reads in the Latin Vulgate: SINE INTERMISSIONE ORATE (pray without intermission).

There’s no break in the connection, so keep the conversation going.

Never stop talking with God.

Pray without intermission.

Sine intermissione orate.

Ya ever listen to someone praying and wonder who they’re talking to?

Yeah, me neither.

OK, that’s not true. I do. Frequently.

There’s the 1611 Prayer, “Almighty God, we beseech thee…”

Makes me wonder, who you talkin to? The God who really loves Shakespeare?

Then there’s the God’s Name Filler Prayer, “Father God, Jehovah, we pray today Lord God, that you Father, Jesus, would…”

Makes me wonder, who you talkin to? The God who frequently forgets who he is?

Here’s my personal favorite – the Announcement Prayer: “Lord, help us all remember to come back for the evening service which starts at 6pm, followed by the annual women’s ministry pie auction…”

I’m pretty sure that prayer was directed towards people who were considering staying home on Sunday night.

Some prayers make me think the God they’re talking to (reluctant, angry, distant, terribly busy, hard of hearing)isn’t the same God I’ve been talking to…

I think grace changes how we pray.

Grace reminds us that God loves us, accepts us and desires relationship with us.

Because of grace, we don’t “say our prayers” – we talk with our Father.

Jesus, while teaching on prayer, said: “When you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production…

Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God.

Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant… full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense.

This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.

With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.” (Matthew 6.5-8 MSG)

Talk with your Father.

With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply… to Him!

No show. No special voice. No formula necessary.

Relaxed and real.

Talkin with our Daddy.

Grace people laugh easily at themselves.

Grace people are gifted at seeing the best in others.

Grace people pray for their enemies and bless them.

Grace people are calm, flexible and roll with the punches.

Grace people encourage, help and build others.

Grace people embrace change as a way of life.

Grace people celebrate the success of others.

Grace people are generous with praise.

Grace people give and forgive freely.

Grace people resist being offended.

Grace people are understanding.

Grace people include others.

Grace people are patient.

Grace people give grace.
?
Grace people live grace.

We live in a tired, busy, stressed-out, medicated, broken, hurting culture.

What’s missing here?

Grace.

People in our city don’t need a lecture on how they’re responsible for the pain, suffering and failure in their lives.

They need grace.

Our job isn’t to dish out the blame.

Our job is to serve up grace!

Here’s how Hebrews 12.15 says it…

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God.” (NIV)

“Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity.” (MSG)

“Make sure that no one misses out on God’s wonderful kindness.” (CEV)

“Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God.” (NLT)

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God.” (ESV)

What’s missing in our city?

Grace.

Let’s give what’s needed: grace, grace and even more grace!

God’s grace has been freely given to us.

Let’s give grace to others!

Grace makes all the difference in people’s lives…

and when people change, the city changes.

Last night, 50 people from Fairwood Church went to World Vision’s distribution center to stuff 500 backpacks with school supplies.

It took us 2 hours.

The work party was super fun.

Can’t wait for the Great Big Backpack Giveaway on Saturday, August 28!

Harry was a hot mess – like a squirrel on meth. He was stressed out, messed-up and disturbed.

He lived in the cemetery. Harry ran around like a madman screaming and howling. He cut himself. And here’s the real kicker… he was naked.

Harry wasn’t a healthy, contributing member of society. He was a menace, a freak-show and a nuisance.

Then one day, Jesus shows up and changes Harry’s life forever.

Harry was healed, delivered, set free… he was a new man!

When Jesus set Harry free, the demons who had been tormenting Harry went into a herd of pigs…

Pigs go crazy.

Freaky scene.

Ear-shattering oinking and squealing.

Herd jumps off a cliff.

Mass pig suicide.

Angry pig farmers demand Jesus get out of town.

Harry begs Jesus to let him leave with him.

Jesus says, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story – what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.”
(Mark 5.19 MSG)

Harry obeyed. He started preaching in the Decapolis (the 10 cities of that region), telling everyone what Jesus had done for him.

He was the talk of the town.

Fast forward – a few chapters later in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus returns to the Decapolis.

This time, the people are happy to see Him. They bring the sick to him – confident that he will heal them.

Jesus heals the sick. The people are beside themselves with enthusiasm.

Gushing with praise, they say: “Everything he does is wonderful.” (Mark 7.37 NLT).

Decapolis changed.

The attitude of the 10 city region was different this time.

The testimony of one man made a difference. The people could see that his life had genuinely been changed.

Harry experienced God’s grace and was forever changed (that’s what grace does – it changes things).

Harry the scary cemetery dweller somehow transforms into Harry the happy testimony sharing machine.

Think of the impact Harry had on the Decapolis: this crazed madman suddenly becomes a nice, normal, healthy, fully-clothed difference-maker in that 10 city region!

Harry had a terrible reputation, but grace changed him.

Grace makes all the difference in people’s lives…

and when people change, the Decapolis changes.

Zach was a white collar crook.

He used his influential position as chief tax collector to take extra money from hard working citizens who were struggling to pay their own bills.

Zach had grown very rich – yet he was despised and hated by most people.

When he heard Jesus was coming through town, he was curious.

Unfortunately, Zach was both late and short.

A crowd had already gathered and he couldn’t see over their heads.

Zach didn’t give up. He climbed a tree.

Eventually, Jesus walked over, looked at Zach, and told him to come down. As Zach scrambled down the tree, Jesus invited himself over to his house for dinner.

The religious crowd grumbled: “he has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner.”

Meanwhile, something happened in Zach… he was overwhelmed with the grace Jesus had shown him.

Zach was usually cursed, ostracized and despised, but Jesus didn’t judge him or condemn him.

Zach was so moved by the grace given to him, he began to change (that’s what grace does – it changes things).

All on his own – without having to be told – he pledged to give 1/2 of his wealth to the poor and to repay anyone he cheated 4x the original amount.

Zach the crook somehow transforms into Zach the philanthropist. Happy Zach pays back!

Think of the impact Zach had on his city: this notorious crook suddenly becomes a loving, kind, generous, trustworthy difference-maker in Jericho!

Zach had a terrible reputation, but grace changed him.

Grace makes all the difference in people’s lives…

and when people change, the city changes.

Have you noticed the warning “objects in mirror are closer than they appear” engraved onto your car’s side mirrors?

On the passenger side of an automobile, a convex mirror is used. This makes object appear smaller than if they were viewed in a flat mirror or looked at directly… this is known as perspective distortion.

I wonder how often we have perspective distortion?

I wonder how often we have perspective distortion – causing us to see God as distant, cold and angry?

I wonder how often we have perspective distortion – causing us to see people as a threat to guard against?

I wonder how often we have perspective distortion – causing us to see life as difficult, heavy and burdensome?

Grace changes our perspective.

It changes how we see things.

Grace causes us to see God as our kind, loving, caring Heavenly Father who is for us, not against us.

Grace causes us to see people as God’s kids, worthy of our interest, time, love, respect and compassion.

Grace causes us to see life as a gift – precious and to be cherished; to be enjoyed and lived to the full.

Grace fuels and empowers us to love God, people and life.

About 12 years ago, I had LASIK surgery on my eyes.

After the surgery, gauze-covered metal shields were taped over my eyes. These shields had to stay on overnight until my follow-up appointment in the morning.

For almost 17 hours, I couldn’t see (because of the shields) and didn’t know if my vision had been improved or not.

It was such a relief when the bandages finally came off and I could see again!

My vision improved to 20/20.

Vision is so important – not just physical vision, but spiritual vision (being able to see what God sees).

Outside of grace, our vision is impaired.

Without grace, we are unable to accurately see what God wants us to see.

The Bible says that Saul was blinded when he encountered Jesus and recovered his sight 3 days later…

“Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight.” (Acts 9.18 NLT)

Before his encounter with Jesus, Saul didn’t see things clearly. His vision was off. He wasn’t seeing what God wanted him to see.

Grace changed Saul’s vision, perspective, point of view and purpose.

Grace is like spiritual LASIK – it corrects our spiritual vision, allowing us to see what God wants us to see.

Grace changes our vision, perspective, point of view and purpose.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for all the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2.8-10 NLT)

Along with grace comes salvation – and a new sense of vision, purpose or destiny.

God shows us what he’s been wanting us to see all along – our reason for being.

Grace changes our focus.

I can see clearly now, the scales are gone… it’s gonna be a bright, bright, sun shiny day!