Father’s Day Reflection

What comes to your mind on Father’s day? I reflect on my own father and I have some good memories and some not good memories! 
My most cherished memories center around sports and our shared faith in Jesus! 
My dad accepted Christ at The church in the park about a year after I received Christ. 
He later became a part of three different congregations that I served in as a pastor. 
My father suffered with a disorder that kept him from really thriving as a Christian. 
I was able to have a lot more sympathy for my dad after I realized how much he suffered from his illness. 
He was stubborn and did not take medication for his problem. 
I think it would have made life a lot better for him and the rest of his family! 
I still am thankful for all he did for me. I also reflect on the fact that I am a father on this earth. 
I have two children that are with the Lord, one child that is newly married and expecting his own son soon. 
I also have a “lost” child that keeps me waiting on the proverbial porch like the father in Jesus’ parable. 
The older I get the more aware I am of my own human strengths and weaknesses as a father. 
I thank God that He is compassionate to us and seeks to embrace us with His love.
The parable of the Lost Son could also be called the parable of the Compassionate Father! 
No matter what your own experience was like with your earthly father, we all have a 
Heavenly Father that seeks to love us and pour out compassion on us. One final thing; 
I also think of golf on Father’s day! My dad taught me to play the hardest game of all! 
I owe a lot of my own personal success to him. The U.S. Open is always on Father’s day weekend and 
I will think of my dad as I relish watching the best play for the national championship of golf. 

Pastor Fred

Water! What is it good for?

It seems like water is on a lot of people’s radar these days.

I have become a lot more conscientious about water now that we are in a serious drought.  I shower less, wash dishes

faster and have given up brushing my teeth!  Don’t believe the last one.  My hygienist would kill me and my wife would never kiss me.

My neighbor reminded me as we discussed the idea of water, that the western mind set is that water is a commodity.  For many non-western people groups, water was viewed as a sacred gift.  People did not take water from other people in order to gain economic advantage.  Many of us would not be here in Southern California if water wasn’t taken from other people and other places to make this area thrive.

My issue in this blog is not political or economic.  It is to reflect on water as a sacrament of God’s Spirit in the world.

We use water to quench our thirst, clean ourselves and our environment and to grow our crops and plants in our yards. As a Christian community we continue the act of water baptism as the sign of initiation into the body of Christ.  Jesus, in John 7:37&38, likens the Holy Spirit to water that springs up within us as we unite ourselves to him in faith.

If you want to be blessed, take some time and go throughout the Bible and trace the theme of water.  If you think our water crisis is bad, I have news for you!  In our secular culture, we have a much greater crisis of the Spirit!

With the rejection of God and the propositional truths of the Bible, our culture is left with a spiritual desert of lost souls.  What our culture needs are more spiritual oasis’ of God’s Spirit.  This is the role of the local Christian community.  We need to pray that God raises up people who will pray for showers of the Spirit to flow into his people.  It is all about the Spirit and the Word.

This past weekend we received unexpected showers throughout the southland.  Let us pray for “expected” showers of the Spirit to water our souls and draw the thirsty to Jesus.

Keep praying!

Love, Fred.

 

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Supreme Court vs God

Well, the Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states.  From what I can understand, the court did not state that the Constitution gives same sex couples this right, but that it reflects the general spirit of the law.  For the sake of “equality” and “compassion”, we have now re-defined marriage.

I wonder if it stops with same sex marriages?  What about polygamy?  What about marriage of brothers and sisters?  Why not give people the right to marry their pets?

The Judeo-Christian view of marriage is based on sacred texts.  There was polygamy among some of God’s people, but it was never the ideal. From Genesis to the New Testament, the definition of marriage was between a man and a woman.  Now that we have “progressed” to a secular view of marriage based on “love” and not a sacred text, it will be interesting to see how this affects religious institutions.

I am no prophet, but my guess is that many groups will suffer and lose their tax exempt status.  Businesses are already challenged to bake cakes and photograph weddings, even if it go against their conscience.  In Jonah Goldberg’s book, Liberal Fascism, he warned us of this coming movement of cultural elitists , who would shape our culture into their vision of progressivism.  Over forty years ago, Francis A. Schaeffer warned us that we would reap the consequences of rejecting revelation and re-build our culture on humanistic values.

Well, we are here.

If you want to follow our president’s lead, then let your view “evolve” and soon you will see the light!

I guess his statement about defining marriage on sacred scriptures no longer applies.  I am not picking on the president.  He reflects a large number of people in our culture who have chosen emotions and feelings to dictate their values.

My attitude towards this issue is two-fold.  I want to stay faithful to the revelation of God’s word and have the spirit of Jesus to those who embrace a different life-style.  The prophet Jeremiah cried deeply over his culture as he saw them slip into judgment.  Jesus did the same as he came into Jerusalem.  We need to cry over our culture.  We are slipping into judgment.  According to Paul’s letter to the Romans, God is giving us over to our unholy desires.  We will slip into darkness slowly, and our task is to pick up the pieces of damaged goods!  We can’t run away or give up reaching out with the life changing power of Jesus.  We may have to suffer and give up our comforts, but we can’t give up our calling as light and salt to the world!

Pastor Fred

 

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U. S. Open – Success – Failure and Jesus

U. S. Open – Success – Failure and Jesus.  I want to talk today about handling success and failure.  I know some people say there is never failure.  If my goal is to win a game and I lose, is that not failure?  What is it?  A learning experience?  I would rather confess that I failed to reach my goal and I can learn from my experience.

After watching the last part of the final round of the U.S. Open golf championship, I began to reflect on success and failure.  Jordan Spieth at the very young age of 21, won his first U.S. Open.  He won the Master’s in April of this year and his two major victories has catapulted him to a very high level of success.

Dustin Johnson missed a four foot putt to force a playoff and finished a disappointing second.  One succeeded and another failed at their goal on Sunday.  Personally, it gave me the opportunity to work on Monday.  If Dustin makes his putt, I am glued to the tube to see who would win an 18 hole playoff!

 Back to the issue at hand.  It is hard to imagine Jordan’s success at such a young age.  How is he going to handle the media and the sponsors, who will be grabbing for his attention?  How will Dustin Johnson handle his defeat?  These are questions we all face in life.  We have wins and losses on many levels.

I think the real answer lies in our values and character development.  With success, I need to have the humility in knowing that what I have to win has come from my Creator, my circle of influence and the hard work put in to do the job.  With failure, I need to have the resolve to try again.  I need to trust in my Creator, what I have learned from others and the commitment to work towards my goals.

Failures can actually work out to be better than success!  Failures face us with the tough questions about ourselves, our purpose and our future plans.  A good example of this is the narratives in the Bible.  It doesn’t hide the failures of some of the most prominent figures.  It also demonstrates how God can work in failure to produce amazing results.  This is why the Bible is a message of hope for all people.  God takes our successes and our failures and shapes us into the people we were created to be!

When we begin with worship, we will be able to handle success and failure!  Value God, others and do the work in front of you and trust God for the results!

Pastor Fred

 

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Jesus Love and a Safe Place

Do you ever feel like running away from yourself?  The harsh reality is, we will never escape ourselves.  Unless you believe in annihilation of the soul or reincarnation, you are stuck with you!

The Bible seems to draw a pretty clear picture of us taking ourselves into the next life.  I wonder if God is going to refine those areas about myself that I don’t like?  I know that in this life God is transforming us into His image as we walk in faith and obedience to His will.  It just feels like there is so much more that needs to be done!

Next month will be 44 years of being a Christian.  Wow!  I am still me!  I hope the Spirit continues to shape me.  I find being present among the people that love me helps me to be me.  Sometimes it is just someone saying that they like me and love me as I am that changes my whole attitude about myself.  I had this happen this past week.  That someone, gave me words of love and acceptance and did not realize how liberating it was for me!

Maybe what a big part of church should be about is people feeling safe to be themselves with the knowledge that they will be loved and not shamed.  In that atmosphere of love and acceptance, we can share our struggles with ourselves and find peace within.  It seems that the people who were really hurting and seeking love, found what they were looking for when they met Jesus.  He not only ministered to their needs, but validated them as people.  He would have done the same for us if we were open to him.

Jesus wants to make every Christian community a safe place to be ourselves.  When we are ourselves and present before God and one another, He can orchestrate a beautiful harmony of love that the world so desperately needs.

Pastor Fred

 

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It Is All About Power!

It Is All About Power!

We have been flooded with materials on the local city elections. I wonder how many of us really read what comes in the mail or is left on our doorsteps? Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for public servants. I pray for good people to serve on all levels of government. What is disheartening, is when our elected officials work harder to keep their positions of power and influence than serving their constituents. Power in any arena can blind people from truly serving the needs of others. Jesus dealt with this in his little band of disciples. Too often the history of the church has been riddled with people abusing power. Jesus modeled how to truly influence and transform lives by living as a servant. He had all the power available to him by being the divine Son of God, yet he humbled himself and became a servant. He went all the way in giving his life as a ransom for our spiritual freedom. These four weeks before Easter, we are looking at Isaiah’s portrait of God’s Servant. God gave the prophet four songs,(Isaiah 40:1-7, 49:1-7, 50:4-11 & 52:13-53:12), and each one provides critical revelation of how this Servant will fulfill God’s plan of redemption. In preparing for these messages, I have been reflecting on our current historical context. The powerful are really powerless in bringing any social, spiritual or political restoration to our world! We must face the reality that this age will never reach perfection. There will always be evil and injustice. In fact, the Bible says it will get worse! Jesus Christ must return in order for evil to be finally eradicated from this age. The powerful will be overthrown and the meek will inherit the earth. In the meantime, it is up to the multitude of Christian communities to serve the Kingdom and faithfully witness through their words and actions. We can make a difference! What God is doing in this age is rarely seen by the world. God doesn’t need headlines, He needs faithful servants to witness for Jesus. I am excited to be a part of this kingdom work here in Eagle Rock. Let’s not get discouraged by the ineptness of the powerful, but be energized to see God work through our faithful service!

Is There Any Hope?

 Is There Any Hope?

I have been asking myself the question; Does the secular world have any hope for the future? After the Danish terrorist attacks, forty thousand Danes gathered to show solidarity for free speech and community consolation. One of the focal points of their gathering was a song performed by one of their popular music stars. You guessed it! The song was “Imagine”, written by John Lennon. Does this song crystallize the secular hopes and dreams of humanity? If you haven’t heard the words or cannot remember what the song is saying, do me a favor and download the song. All I can say is that it is fantasy and wishful thinking at its best! It lacks substance and denies the harsh realities of life. But it feels good! That is all the secular world has to hold onto; feelings. At the other end of the spectrum is a growing number of radicalized Islamists who want to impose a theocratic rule over the world. Their hope is that through violence and fear, their vision of the future will be realized. Would it be too far a stretch to say that most people would love a new order for humanity? Isaiah 42:1 proclaims that “justice for the nations” cannot be achieved through human efforts.

 

It will take a uniquely divine figure to bring order to this world. Jesus proclaimed this new order over two thousand years ago. He claimed that in and through His own person and work, God was bringing His order to the nations. The New Testament proclaims that in the resurrection of Jesus, God validates His purpose for a new world order. What He began in Jesus will be consummated at His return. Hope for humanity is fully realized beyond history and not through any human fantasy or effort. In history we must confront evil and seek the good for humanity. The message of the church is that in Jesus, we can enter the hope of resurrection by receiving new life in Christ. This new life celebrates the diversity of human culture and yet brings a real sense of unity and peace. My prayer in this season of Lent, is that all of Christ’s followers will give witness to the only hope for humanity; the glorious return of our Lord! Come Lord Jesus!

Random Acts of Violence, Really?

Random Acts of Violence, Really?

Twenty of our Christian brothers were beheaded by Muslim extremists in Libya yesterday. How many other brothers and sisters in Christ have been killed over the last several months? I am both angry and broken. I am angry over the evil done to people and I am angry over the lack of moral courage on the part of some of our leaders in not naming the enemy. These are not “random” acts of violence, these are intentional acts of murder in the name of Islam. These evil people have a world view that clarifies their intentions. We live in a culture that is increasingly becoming. The secular man has no moral category to define these people as evil. The secular culture has rejected religious values. The idea that there is a spiritual enemy behind the barbarism and murder sounds foolish to the secular culture. It is much easier to rationalize acts as “random”, because to label them as intentional acts of evil, demands a moral and spiritual world.

The vision of Revelation 12 is reflective of a Christian theistic world view. The dragon appears to try to destroy the woman and the child. The woman who represents God’s people and the child Messiah are divinely protected. The dragon turns on the followers of Jesus by raising up a beast. The beast is historically Rome and it’s imperial power. The beast also stands for any totalitarian power that seeks to rule and persecute God’s people. The dragon is working today in the radical Islamic movements around the world. Where in the midst of this evil can followers of Jesus find strength and hope? John’s vision in chapter five of Revelation is our vision of perseverance and hope. The slaughtered Lamb is seen at the center of God’s throne! The Lion of Judah is the Lamb that was slain! Suffering in the name of Christ is not the end! Jesus is risen and has struck a fatal blow to the dragon. (Colossians 2:15). Our posture must be, as followers of Jesus, that of a military battle. The battle is a battle for the minds and hearts of lost people. Our weapons are spiritual. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we are called to be salt and light in this age. Even if it cost everything! I have not felt as emboldened to be a follower of Jesus since the early days of my salvation. May God bring comfort to the families of those who were slain. May we take up the cross with all those who are truly in arms way of death! On ward to victory!

 

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

As our fellow citizens in New England freeze, we are basking in sunshine and very nice weather! I am sure they are longing for Spring! Tonight we gather on Ash Wednesday to begin the season of Lent. It is a time of reflection on Christ’s journey to Calvary and the longing for Easter! Come and join us in the sanctuary at 7:00pm for a time of worship and reflection

 

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Called to Convert?

Called to Convert?

Does God call us to convert people into Christians?

Is there a difference between persuasion and conversion?

The author and pastor John R.W. Stott wrote years ago that evangelism must be preceded by dialogue.  Most of us are not salespeople.  If we feel that God wants us to sell Him to those outside our faith, we will most likely back off.

I remember having a pastor come to my house to recruit me for his church.  He bragged about how many people came to Christ through his ministry.  He actually pulled out his Bible and showed me his “scalp belt”.  No kidding!  If I showed you my belt after forty three years of walking with Jesus, you might think I am a loser!

I have a really hard time engaging in “evangelism” if it is all about numbers and not people.  The times that God has given me to help people find Jesus, it had more to do with dialogue and building a genuine relationship than trying to convert them.

I have come to the conclusion that we do not covert people!  That is God’s business.  As the Apostle Peter mentions in the verses of the week, we are to help guide others seeking by answering their questions and providing a Christ like example to them.  If by God’s timing someone is ready to make a step of faith, we should be prepared to pray with them and lead them to receive Jesus.

The series; World Views, is designed to help us understand our own view of the world and how those outside of Christ see the world.  Having a respectful dialogue with others can provide us with insight on how they see reality and how they perceive our view of the world. It gives us the opportunity to define terms and explain perspectives.  My contention is that a large percentage of people outside of Christ have a tarnished view of the faith.  Hopefully, we can step in and share our story and provide clear answers to people’s questions.  But it is more than an intellectual and relational process.  The real issue for every person on this planet is the deep spiritual longings that only God the Creator can meet.  One unique aspect of the Christian world view is that the future is now present in Jesus.  Through His coming into this world and going to the Father, He has poured out the Holy Spirit and is able to meet everyone’s deepest longings.  My prayer is that we at Eagle Rock Covenant can be a conduit for hungry people to find God’s amazing life in Jesus.

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