October 15 – Mark 4-5

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Mark 4-5. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

In our reading today Jesus encounters a man who is possessed by demons. His case is severe. They have caused the man to live in a cemetery because of his wild behavior. He could no longer be restrained because he broke the chains and shackles. There was no one strong enough subdue the man and he spent his days wandering the hills and caves howling and hurting himself. When Jesus arrives on the scene he comes out to great Jesus. To a normal person we might have run at the sight of this man, but Jesus did not.

Why? Because the man came before Jesus paying the utmost respect and honor due to the creator of all things. Does that response startle you? It should. People do not just run up to someone and bow before them. It happens here because the demons possessing this man know who Jesus is, “With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, do not torture me!” (Mark 5:7 NLT) When this demon saw Jesus he knew immediately who he was.

While the people traveling with Jesus were still not sure who he was … remember the scene before in Mark 4 when Jesus calmed the storm they were left questioning who Jesus was that the wind and the waves obey him … this demon knows Jesus! There was no doubt in their minds who He was and why He was here on this earth. He was here to end the reign of Satan. He was here to end their reign of terror and ultimately crush evil and death.

Do you believe with the same conviction in Jesus that the demons did? While they rejected obedience to God, they believed in God, they believed in Jesus, and they knew that their days were numbered. This may sound odd, but we should develop the level of faith the demons possessed … just do not follow their example of obedience to God. 

August 27 – Ezekiel 1-4

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 1-4. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Today we start one of the oddest books in the Bible. The book is odd because of the imagery Ezekiel describes and the things he is asked to do. Ezekiel is a priest, thirty years old, who is one of the 3,000 Judeans who have been exiled in Babylon some five years. He is in the region of Tel Abib on the banks of the Kebar River (Chebar, depending on translations, we are not sure of this location today), when God begins to speak to him.

God speaks to Ezekiel in a pretty magnificent chariot, with four wheels along with four human and beastlike figures with some pretty cool appearances. God comes to Ezekiel to prophecy and prepare those in exile for what is going to happen in Jerusalem under the Babylonians siege. What I find amazing is God’s need to prepare His people. Here is Ezekiel in the land of exile preparing those in exile for what will happen to their home country. Just imagine you are on vacation and a tornado rips through your home town. How much would that break your heart to read, hear, and maybe even watch it unfold while you are still miles away? Just as Jeremiah, a contemporary of Ezekiel, had the responsibility of sharing with those in Jerusalem; Ezekiel has the responsibility in exile.

God might work in ways we do not always understand … remember reading about Ezekiel laying down for 390 days on his side, pretty mysterious … God always does things for our benefit, without sneaking up on us. Sometimes it takes listening to what God is trying to tell us. Has God sent someone to your life that might be trying to tell you something, but you just are not listening? Maybe it is time to notice the things happening in your life, the messages being shared, and the situations you keep finding yourself in. God just might be preparing you for something. 

March 21 – Deuteronomy 30-31

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Deuteronomy 30-31. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

What do you choose? That was the question Moses asked the people. He has finished sharing the meat of the Law with the Israelites. He then gives them this choice …

 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.” Deuteronomy 30:15-18 NLT

 Did you get that … following God is a choice. The way you live your life is a choice. Standing true to God … is a choice. Living a life that reflects what he has done for you … is a choice. Honoring his Law, his code, his decrees, and his desires for you … is a choice.

So what do you choose? Follow him with your life? Or follow the ways of those who do not know him? As Moses taught you have one choice … life or death. In God we find life. In the world we find death. Which do you choose?

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

A New Years Resolution: Organization Part 1

It is Monday December 19th. I am sitting in my office and here is what it looks like.

It is on my agenda this week today to begin cleaning and organizing my files. This is something I typically do once a month. Probably something I need to do more often.

The messiness in my office though screams of something deeper that needs to take place in my life. As I get older my schedule is getting fuller and fuller. I am quickly realizing I need some organization if I am going to be able to function at a proper level in my life. It desperately has to happen.

I am one who loves organization. When I do a project I like to have an organized system to follow. If not I feel I am all over the place and not accomplishing what I need to. When I wash dishes I like to organize the dishes before cleaning them so that I can be more efficient. When I used to work for Yard Works, I would approach a new lawn with a system, and that system allowed for high efficacy over some of my co-workers in the same situation. Organization is important to me.

But then there is something else I battle. I used to think it was laziness. But I don’t know if that is entirely true. I mean, I can be lazy from time to time. I allow distractions to take place of what I need to be doing, and then it doesn’t get done until it has to. But I think there is something bigger and deeper that is the launching point to the distractions and it isn’t laziness. Whether it is the work that needs to be done to our house, or my ministry with West Side, both have a lot that needs to be done, and often I have no clue where to begin.

Let me use the house as an example. When we bought the house last year it was a foreclosure. Because of that, there was a ton that needed done. Here is the short list … Every room in the house needed small to medium holes filled on the walls, all the walls painted, trim painted, appliances installed, upstairs toilet fixed, new kitchen faucet, shelves built in the basement & garage, attic floor secured, A/V wires pulled out of wall and wall fixed, and many other projects. When you look at the list, it is hard to imagine where to begin. Obviously you start with what has to be fixed … toilet, kitchen faucet, appliance, things like that. But with the other projects where do you begin. We have worked through a lot of those issues, and even picked a few projects we didn’t really have to start. Money also decided some things we have and have not done. Now after 14 months in the house, we only have two rooms that need the walls fixed and painted.

When I look at ministry I feel the same way. However, I think that can easily be corrected with some system changes. There is a lot I want to do for ministry. The list of things that needs done is extensive … continued development of our ministry system, development of our contemporary service, youth ministry organization, children’s programing, developing our online ministries through Facebook and Twitter, updating and communicating through my blog, growth of our small group structure, development of our vision/mission and strategy, along with all the normal preaching and teaching responsibilities that exist. If this is all going to get accomplished, I need to organize.

Finally there is one more area that I want to organize in my life … my physical and spiritual health. I think the disciplines I need to develop in each overlap in many ways. I have made great strides in my spiritual life over the past year. I have also failed miserably. My physical health is nothing I can boast about. I am want to be so much better in both of those areas. So I am going to work and tackle them together. I think my life of organization will help me accomplish physical and spiritual health.

Since 2012 is only a few weeks away, I have decided to make organization my New Years Resolution. It is my goal to use Friday’s to talk about how I am doing on this journey of organization. I will use this space to share tools that I found that help me organize. I will share my accomplishments and my failures along this journey. 2012 is gearing up to a big year in my life and ministry and I am excited. It will only be a success with God’s leading and organization.

My Mind is not Focused

So today is delievery day for baby Dawson. I have tried reading the Bible reading (Romans 5) several times and nothing is comig to me, my mind is not as focused as it normally is. If something pops into my mind I will try and post something later.

Hopefully sometime today we will have the priveldge of meeting Baby Dawson. I ask that you keep Crystal in your prayers as labor begins.