Nobody will ever mistake me for a big Michael Jackson fan, but I cannot argue with his logic in these verses from his song Man in the Mirror:

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways and no message could have been any clearer; if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.”

And so this week an honest look at myself and something I learned about myself over the last week.

For a little background, I am currently reading the book Honest Evangelism by Rico Tice. In chapter 3, Tice discusses why Christians do not do evangelism more. In the course of his treatise, he challenges us to see if we have any idols in our lives…..basically things that get more of our attention than God. Things that maybe prevent us from evangelism.

Now at the same time as I am reading this book, I began to have transmission problems with my Jeep. The problem was pretty serious and rapidly getting worse. Something had to be done. While my Jeep was hardly a practical vehicle considering the length of my daily commute, I was quite attached to it. I had just invested in new tires and other maintenance to have it winter ready. I did not welcome the transmission problems at all.

Ultimately, it seemed best to move on to another, more reliable and fuel efficient vehicle. This led to a chaotic cavalcade of car buying activity the details of which I will spare you. The important point is the extent to which this situation ultimately consumed me. And when I say consumed me, I mean there were sleepless nights, and long periods during which I thought of little else. And I mourned the loss of my Jeep. It might be normal for someone to miss their old vehicle, but do others actually mourn? Is this normal?

So in light of Rico Tice’s challenge as to whether or not I have idols in my life, I will confess here and now that my idol has been cars. After all, when is the last time I became that obsessed with doing God’s work or with reading His Word? While there is nothing wrong with being a car enthusiast, when the hobby takes on central importance in one’s life, it has become an idol. And when you get part of your identity from what you drive, well, I think the idolatry is obvious.

The events of this week drove home the reality of the idolatry that was taking place in my life. And I have been praying in repentance and faith for God to help me remove this from my being. It is actually a bit of a fearful road for me to go down. I am starting to take steps to refocus my attention on God and His purpose for my life but cars have been so excessively important to me for the last 40 or so years that I find some habits are rather difficult to break. For example, I have subscribed to a certain car magazine for more than 30 years, but reading it only seems to foster “car envy” so now I am trying to focus my reading more on the Christian periodicals I receive instead.

I want to make this world a better place by sharing Christ with as many people as I can. I believe strongly that is the best contribution I can make. To do this, the first thing I need to change is me and all those things about me that are preventing me from having Jesus at the center of my life. So, in the words of Michael Jackson, I’m starting with the man in the mirror and I’m opening myself to change so that I may fulfill God’s purpose for my life.

As the Psalmist wrote: “I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands.” (Psalm 119:59-60) For me it just has to be God first!

So how about you? Is there anything in your life that is taking up too much of your time and/or attention? Is there something that is keeping Christ from being the center of your life? What changes might He be prompting in you?

To learn more about Rico Tice’s book, please click here.

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you.

  I have previously talked about what exactly the Gospel message is. Perhaps an equally important discussion involves understanding why we should care. So let’s tackle that question right now.

Most of us would probably feel pretty comfortable saying “I’m not that bad of a person.” We might even be able to verbalize an impressive list of good things we have done. Perhaps we have assisted a stranded motorist, given money to a local charity, helped a friend or family member with a difficult task, or served at a local homeless shelter. Or all of the above. And having such a resume behind us, we may be feeling pretty good about ourselves and we may be tempted to ask, “Why do I need the Gospel?”

On the other hand, none of us would describe ourselves as being perfect, and the Bible clearly agrees: “No one is righteous—not even one.” (Romans 3:10) So being unable to claim perfection, we are left comparing ourselves to others. We say things like, “I’m not a criminal” or “I’ve never killed anyone” or “I’m not as bad as (insert notoriously bad person’s name here)”. Undoubtedly, it is easy to find others who have a worse track record than we do. Clearly we’re not as bad as some others and our good deeds outweigh our bad, so the Gospel doesn’t really apply to us, right?

Not so fast. Isaiah 64:5-6 says: “You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”

From a holy and perfect God’s perspective, even our good deeds are but “filthy rags”. So comparing ourselves to others, or thinking we can be good enough to earn our way to heaven, is a big mistake – one that too many people make. The Apostle Paul wrote: “…the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” (Romans 3:19-20)

So with these verses in mind there is a simple test we can take to determine if we really need the Gospel or not. God gave us the Ten Commandments to teach us His law and, rather than comparing ourselves against other people who may seem worse than ourselves, we can compare ourselves to the Ten Commandments. So let’s run through just a few of the commandments. Be honest with yourself as you answer. We’ll start with commandment #3: “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” (Exodus 20:7)

So, have you misused the name of the Lord? Shouldn’t we all be incredibly offended by the way the Lord’s name (and Jesus’) is used as a curse word, especially in today’s politically correct, be sensitive to others’ feelings, society? And aren’t most of us guilty of it at the same time? Be honest with yourself now!

And then there is #8: “You must not steal.” (Exodus 20:15).

So have you stolen something? Maybe it wasn’t a car or a TV or something of high value; but what about some office supplies from work? A few bucks from your parents’ wallet? Have you claimed all your tips on your taxes or exaggerated your deductions? If we are completely honest with ourselves about this, can’t almost all of us think of some small thing we have taken that didn’t belong to us?

Let’s look at just one more; number 9: “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)

Have you ever told a lie? It doesn’t have to be a big one, it could be just something little. Maybe just a spicy bit of gossip you passed along or a little white lie. Big or small, a lie is a lie, but if you’re guilty of lying you’re certainly not alone, most of us have told a lie at some point in our lives. And the Bible says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8).

As you can see, when we compare ourselves honestly against God’s law, we all fall short. And ignorance of the law is no excuse: “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” (Romans 2:14-15) Indeed, when we are completely honest with ourselves we all have regrets, we all have things we wished we haven’t done. We all feel the guilt of our sins.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Roman 6:23) And that is the good news of the Gospel. God made the law to show us our need for Him and He sent Jesus Christ to pay the price for our mistakes so that we can be with Him in eternity. And it gets even better than that! When we repent and place our trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God fills us with the Holy Spirit to help us in the here and now.

When we are honest with ourselves, really honest, we know that we have never known love such as that. Indeed, God is love. (1John 4:8)

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Do you understand the Gospel? That is the question that is on my heart today because there seems to be increasing confusion here in the USA about just what the Christian message is. Different churches seem to be delivering different messages these days. And how is someone going to get saved if they don’t understand the Gospel in the first place?

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul clearly discussed using different methods, or approaches if you will, to share the Gospel message: “Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.” (1Corinthians 9:19-23). Paul clearly used many methods and tools to share the Gospel but, while he used these different approaches, the ultimate message he delivered was always the same.

In today’s culture there are many churches who use different approaches to share the same message that Paul and the other apostles preached and then there are those who seem to be delivering a different message. Indeed, there are some churches who are promising health and wealth for their followers, or promising acceptance of lifestyles the Bible clearly condemns, or promising you will have “your best life now”. To be sure, we need to be wary of anyone who says we can have “our best life now”, for the Bible is clear that heaven is so amazing that nothing on Earth can compare to it.

And it is precisely because of the reality of heaven and hell that we need to have a clear understanding of the correct Gospel message – because our eternal future depends on it. And to that end, if we believe the Christian message revolves around having our best life now, then we are going to be deeply disappointed when that doesn’t happen. I can personally testify that all of the worst things that I have had to face have happened since I committed my life to Christ. I have endured many truly difficult trials, and while life today is pretty good, I know without a doubt that difficulty may come at any moment. Heaven is free of any pain, sorrow, disease, financial insecurity, or other trial and there we live in the presence of our Creator in a way that will never be realized in our life here on Earth.

So while many churches and evangelists might use different methods or approaches to sharing the Gospel, which is actually very Biblical as we read above, the message being shared must be the true Gospel. And just what is the true Gospel? I can sum it up for you in a few short sentences: No matter how good we think we might be compared to others, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). Deep down inside we all know this about ourselves, if we are honest, and the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). No matter how hard we try, we cannot earn our way to heaven (Ephesians 2:9). Sin cannot be forgiven without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). So Jesus Christ died in our place so that the penalty would be paid for those who believe (Romans 3:25).

And that, folks, is the Gospel message. And the salvation promised in the Gospel is available to you, right now. Simply admit that you are a sinner and repent of your sins (Matthew 4:17; Acts 3:19) and believe in, and confess, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:8-10). It’s that simple and you will know in your heart if you are genuine and you will feel the nearness of God in the form of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). And if you have genuinely done this, please start attending a good local church where you can have fellowship with other Christians and experience the love and support of God’s family. Because the Christian life is often challenging, and living in community with other believers helps us with the burdens of life and helps us to grow in our knowledge and understanding.

If you would like more information about the Gospel or how to find a church near you, drop us a line at ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

The picture you see above is the tombstone of one Henry Rosen, just as I found it during my family’s annual cemetery visits. Every year some of us in my family make the rounds to the grave markers of our departed members, sharing memories and performing the simple maintenance that is required to keep the markers from fading into obscurity. Henry Rosen’s marker had no such maintenance, apparently for a very long time; being nearly fully lost to the earth when I came upon it. Curiosity got the better of me and I removed the dirt and grass from Henry’s marker.

A little searching helped me discover that Henry Rosen was originally from Missouri and his parents were John Rosen, who lived a fairly short life from 1835-1876, and Susanne Demoully, who lived a much longer life from 1848-1934. Henry was born March 14, 1873, and had a first wife by the name of Mary Cihlar, about whom I could find little information other than the fact she was born in Germany. Henry and Mary had a child in 1898 named Joseph Edward Rosen. Joe was born in New Market, Minnesota, so it seems Henry chose Minnesota to raise his family. They also had a daughter named Florence, who was born in 1900 but died just a short two years later.

Henry later married Rose Ellen Sebeck apparently they had no children together. Rose was born to Frank Sebeck and Rose Nerud in Cook County Illinois in 1884. How she came to meet and marry Henry remains a mystery, but she died a year before Henry, leaving him to mourn another loss. With the passing of a baby daughter, a second marriage, and the loss of Rose, it seem Henry was no stranger to tragedy. Just why Henry ended up single again and married a second time, and what became of Mary Cihlar and Joseph Edward Rosen remains a mystery to me.

Rose is buried next to Henry and her tombstone was also on the verge of obscurity. I removed some of the dirt and grass from her marker as well.

So now we know a little something about Henry and Rose Rosen, and they are no longer completely forgotten though, it seems, they have long ago slipped from the minds of their own families and friends. Perhaps it’s a bit unfortunate, but isn’t that the earthly destiny awaiting most of us? Won’t we all soon be forgotten by our family and friends? I was recently asked if I knew the names of all my great grandparents and I had to admit I was at a loss to name them all from memory. How about you? Can you name all yours? How about their parents?

So it would seem that within 2-3 generations after our death, assuming we have not gained notoriety for one reason or another, most of us will be all but forgotten. Indeed, all those things we were so proud of accomplishing, all those things that seemed so important to us, all our rushing about, will just slip into oblivion – our hopes and dreams decaying into dust just as our earthly bodies.

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read: “Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So banish grief and pain but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, is meaningless. Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator.”

Undoubtedly, our earthly lives are, in the end, far less memorable than we would like to think. And after our death we will soon be forgotten here on Earth, just like Henry and Rose. But the good news is that God will never forget us. In fact, we are told that those who trust in Jesus will be with him forever: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2) And in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

So before it’s too late, before you are gone and forgotten here on earth, turn your attention to your Creator, the one who will remember you eternally. If you would like more information on how to draw near to your Creator, please email us at ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

You may have noticed, over the last few weeks, that churches in Minnesota have been holding their fall kick off events. If you haven’t noticed this, perhaps you just aren’t paying attention as it has become traditional for churches across the state to hold some form of fall event. These events are designed to reignite involvement among the regular attenders and to promote the church among those who may not be regular church attenders. These events are often promoted with signage around the community and even ads may appear in local newspapers, so generally they are pretty hard to miss.

Here in Minnesota, our relatively short summer represents our best chance for vacation fun, so most churches see a drop in attendance during the summertime. But once Labor Day has passed, the State Fair has ended, and the kids are back in school; it’s time to get back to more spiritual matters. So the tents go up, the picnic caterers are scheduled, the bounce house business goes crazy, and churches across the state help us get back into our religious grooves. Programs for our youth are scheduled, small group signup sheets are posted, adult Bible studies begin meeting, and church attendance begins to grow again.

But why? Why is all this effort put towards getting us back involved? Is the church just trying to line its pockets with our donations? Do our pastors seek bragging rights about their attendance figures? Are these events just excuses to eat hot dogs, hamburgers, and potato salad until we can no longer stand under our own power? What is the real purpose behind the activity?

I will submit for your consideration that it can be almost fully explained with one simple word: Community.

Yep, that’s it – one simple word, just four syllables. Community. You see, we are designed to be in community. Right at the very beginning of the earth, during creation, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) Our Creator designed us to share life together and we simply cannot put too much emphasis on this fact. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 reads: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

In this Old Testament verse we see clearly that fellowship with another person helps us in our work (labor), in our trials (falling down), in our comfort and survival (keeping warm), and in our safety (defending ourselves). All of this would seem to be pretty common sense to most of us but the reality today is that we often have less true fellowship, or community, than at any time in the past. Sure, we may spend lots of time with other people, but how much of that time actually involves meaningful discussion? How much are we experiencing the true love and support that all of us crave? Indeed, if we are completely honest with ourselves, our busy lives, technological distractions, and lack of serious conversations have left many of us experiencing deep loneliness even in the middle of crowded situations.

Just pause for a moment and think of a time when you were feeling loneliness, experiencing a loss, suffering illness, or otherwise hurting. Was someone there to support you? Did that support make a difference to you? The Bible is rich with explanation of our need for community and I am confident most of us can think of a situation where the love and support of another human being made, or would have made, all the difference. The local church is concerned with helping us follow God’s intended design by providing the framework within which we experience the love of God through the support of our fellow human being. It is our respite from the busyness that often leaves us feeling so alone.

Having moved to a new geographic location, Donna and I found ourselves feeling a need for greater fellowship and community as we simply were not well connected locally. Over this past summer we had many discussions about our situation. Having failed to truly connect at a larger church that was rather distant from our new home, we ultimately made the decision to find a smaller church that was closer to home. Our search ultimately led us to Cornerstone Church in Crystal, Minnesota.

We have been attending Cornerstone for about a month and a half and already I am involved in the men’s Bible study fellowship on Wednesday mornings and both Donna and I are attending the Wednesday evening Bible study. And just today we were connected to a new Lifegroup (small group) that will soon be starting. While it may take some time for deep fellowship to grow between us and our fellow church members, the process is well underway. And the feeling of belonging and purpose is filling Donna and I with a new joy that has deepened the love we already share with each other.

Below I am pictured with Pastor Scott Salmon. Scott is preaching a series on community and we are truly sensing how God is working at Cornerstone.

So if you have been feeling the need for a greater sense of community in your life, if you have been feeling lonely even in the middle of a crowded room, if you have been yearning to feel the love and support you are designed to need, then please visit us at Cornerstone Church in Crystal. Or visit a church close to your home. It is in the church that you will find God’s people practicing community and yearning to meet you!

If you are unsure how to get started finding a church in your area, drop us an email at ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com. We are happy to provide you with easy-to-use resources. And if you are in our area, check out Cornerstone Church at www.cornerstonecrystal.org.