How can this happen God???

This past week something very terrible and tragic happened. A young man named Paulo Pappa was killed in a car-accident Tuesday afternoon when his older brother Alex Pappa lost control of his vehicle on the wet back-roads of New Town Road. Paulo was only 14. His older brother, 17 was okay. Physically.

The next morning FCA sponsored and hosted a "memorial" for Paulo. 90% of the student body was in attendance. I spoke, as well as several others who felt led to share. Here is what I shared:

"Before we get started, everyone needs to realize something; there are things going on here that you and I cannot understand. There are things that we are not even consciously aware of. There is a spiritual warfare going on right now in this room and in the lives of some individuals and we need to all be one body right now.

In this moment, we need to be united. We need to be one. I don’t care if your atheist, Buddhist, Baptist or Catholic. I don’t care if you worship ROCKS! That needs to be put aside and we need to be united.

Right now, I’m going to pray. I don’t care about awkwardness, because that doesn’t matter. If you don’t pray then meditate. If you don’t do that, then just stand there quietly. I don’t care what you do but we need to be of ONE mind right now. Put a hand on someone and let’s pray.”

I pray.

“Listen, I am going to say some things that may sound harsh, mean, cruel, ignorant, and insensitive. But trust me; I am not being hard just for the sake of being hard. I am being hard, because I love you all. Sometimes, the truth is the hardest thing of all.

That is what I intend to share here this morning: Truth. And truth, if applied, changes everything. Truth makes a difference. 

Everyone here knows about the accident that happened yesterday afternoon. Paulo Pappa was killed. I'm not so ignorant to stand here and tell you the dumb, stupid, and useless platitudes that many counselors and even preachers may use.

'Oh, well God has got it all in control. It was his time. He is in a better place,' etc etc.

Although those statements may have some truth in them, they hold no significance as of right now. What good am I doing?

For those of you who are sitting there making a list of all the "what if's" and "could have been's," just stop. Here is the truth: Paulo is gone....he is gone...he is not going to come back. We can mourn. Mourning is good. We can remember.

But ultimately, Paulo is out of our hands. We can no longer do any good or bad for him. His brother is still here. His mother and father are still here. They are grieving profusely.

They need our prayers right now. We need to be strong FOR THEM. This isn’t about you. I’m sorry, I know this moment hurts, but you weren’t one of the main factors in the death of your brother. You need to suck in that lip, and be strong, because someone out there is HURTING.

I’m not talking about the hurt you feel when your mom and dad yell at you, or you get in a fight with a friend, or your boyfriend breaks up with you. I am talking about a pain and hurt so real that it takes every ONCE of strength in your mother’s body to even look at you and even when she does, she does it with a wail and tears in her eyes. This is real.

I’m not being mean and hard, just for the sake of being mean and hard. I’m doing it because I love you all. I’m doing it because this is what love does. Like I said earlier, there are things going on right now that we aren’t aware of. This is real.

Listen to me everyone; if you walk out that door right now the same way you walked in, you are doing a disservice to Paulo and his death matters not to you! I’m not saying go and join a church and get baptized. I’m trying to make you realize that life is so fragile! Don’t waste it! And right now friends, some of you are wasting it!

Two words: Spring Break. Some of you put your head down. Why is that?? You are making choices that are, to put it bluntly, stupid! I’m not saying Alex was being stupid and that’s what resulted in the wreck, but this should be a reality check!

There are things that are out of your control that can change your life! There are things that can KILL you, such as a freak accident like yesterday that you have no control over. And some of you are putting yourselves at an even greater risk!

Why? To have fun? Is this that we are doing fun? Is anyone having fun right now? Someone is dead and this is real.

I am not being hard just to sound hard. I love you guys. If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t be up here saying it.”

That’s all I can really remember.

National Day of Prayer

Tommorrow is the National Day of Prayer. For some Americans, this day is no different then the one before, or the one after. For others, its a time to make a statement- Support or oppose.

Our nation was built upon prayer, and divine intervention. If you read ANY history book, they will tell you that we should not have beaten England. The odds were against us. We had less of EVERYTHING. Yet we still beat England at their OWN game! God was constantly at work during the establishment of this nation.

"Well Brendon, how can you say that when there is seperation of church and state?"

Very easily, because what people don't quite understand, is that they are taking the "seperation of church and state" cliche out of context.

Think about it this way: Why did everyone move to the America's? Gold is a good answer. New life is a good answer. How about to escape religious persecution? They were being attacked by their former government, so in order to stop that from happening in the America's, they made the "seperation of church and state." They weren't seperating the church from the state, they were seperating the state from the church! They didn't want the church to be controled by the state! It should be obvious that our Founding Fathers wanted to have church involved in state affairs, just by looking at a coin! Or how about the Declaration of Independence?

I can't stand the ignorance of people who want to push God out of the picture! For what reason? To make a statement. Talk about religious persecution....

So whether or not you agree with the church, it is the right, given to us by the state AND by God, to worship and praise him. Don't hound on those who do it. Don't hound on those who do.

Sit back, buckle up, NOW SHUT UP! (God's words to the scoffing Christian)

So many times, things will happen in life, whether they are good or bad, and we say:

"Well I could have done this," or "They did that," or "We didn't do this."

God is up there like, "What are you talking about? I've got it all under control!" So often Christians become scoffers of the things of God. We like to tell God how WE want things done, and if something supernatural that we cannot explain happens, we try to place it on human actions, EVEN THOUGH WE CAN'T EXPLAIN IT!

Why can we not just take God for who he is? Which is God. He is a sovereign God.
 
"The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

I need something else...

It's like I'm tired of life. Lord, I'm wrong, why can't I get right? Lord, it's dark and I can't get light!

Why it can't be light? It's so heavy! Why my sin won't let me see the end?

Come get me.

Please get me.

My thoughts, my mind, my ways, all evil! I'm supposed to be your people! I'm supposed to see your sequel!

I said I'll never leave you, but I'm so left! I ain't right! Lord, I'm sleeping with death. Man, I'm cheating with death!

Am I deaf? Because it's like I can't hear you. I question my salvation, because it's like I don't fear you. I'm on a selfish island I am nowhere near you. God, I really need you even though I don't appear to.

I'm drinking out a broken cistern that could never hold water and I'm gunna get burned. Though I try I never satisfy or quench this yearn. I hear you calling, but it's like a fight for me to just turn! Lord, I deserve to burn!

Help me Lord before there's no time left. I ain't living I'm just breathing to death. Your ways are perfect and they lead me to rest. Mine are evil and they lead me to death.

I’m feeling schizophrenic. Maybe I'm not saved because I have to get high, just to block out all the pain. I’ve seen death, I’ve seen hurt, I’ve seen a whole lot of things. But instead of running from it, I'm running away from change!

It's like I'm outside in the ice cold weather. The rains coming down and I keep getting wetter. I know I'm getting sick and I could die any second, but still I refuse to let your truth make me better.

I'd rather eat flies and maggots instead of bread. And it's killing me slow but I can't get it through my head! You were stabbed, you were murdered, and for me is why you bled! But I spit on your bloody face as if I never cared!

Lord, how dare I compare my pain? Your father turned his back, and you were left to hang!

I don't know why you did it, that I can't explain! How can you love this sinner whose desecrated your name?

Lord, I deserve the flames!

Help me Lord before there's no time left. I ain't living I'm just breathing to death. Your ways are perfect and they lead me to rest. Mine are evil and they lead me to death.

I know that I'm a liar. I know I do dirt. I know that I am nothing, but you can give me worth.

I don't know if I know you…But still I know I should. I know the days are evil and only you are good.

I've to the conclusion: I would like to change, because all the world’s money and fame cannot sustain.

I know that I should turn, but that's the hardest thing! Because do I really feel that having Jesus is a gain?

The world is so tempting…Satan is a beast! He hypnotizes my eyes to say the least!

But Jesus be my treasure, to know you is to live. And I am here dying trying everything there is.

All I need here is you! Help me turn away from sin. Give me grace to turn away and the fear not to give in.

I know that I'm not perfect, but if I could rest in Him…I know I don't deserve it, but I'll take your hand…Lord, let me take your hand!

Help me Lord before there's no time left. I ain't living I'm just breathing to death. Your ways are perfect and they lead me to rest. Mine are evil and they lead me to death.

The Madness to Win (NOT MY OWN WORK; Courtesy of Steven James)

The Madness to Win



(Photo courtesy of Salvatore Vuono)



March Madness made me think a little about my own history with B-ball.

And how it ended up shaping my view of competition.

When I was in high school I was addicted to the game. I practiced three-four hours every day of the summer, sometimes shooting 2000 or more shots in a day. If I missed a day I’d practice six hours-eight hours the next. Nearly every night during those four years I slept with my basketball so that I’d be holding it eight hours a day more than my competitors.  (I should mention that I was never a great player, but our team did manage to win two state championships.)

When I got to college I asked a girl I really liked out on a date. After our meal, I wanted to impress her (hey, I’m a guy!) so I told her all about high school basketball, how hard I’d worked, how much I’d improved, and finally she said, “Steve, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“What was your god in high school?”

The question floored me and was one of the biggest kicks-in-the-butt that led me to eventually become a Christian.

And that’s where the trouble began, because I liked to win and I was willing to work harder than anyone else to do it. But I also realized how easily  basketball could become my god. 

Then, when I really began to study the teachings of Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, I realized that humility mattered more to God than victory. One day it  struck me that all competition has, at its core, self-promotion. After all, the only way for me to win is for you to lose. That means I am honored and you are not.

I was forced to ask myself, “How can I love, serve and honor someone (above myself), while I’m wholeheartedly trying to defeat him?”

Chrysostom, one of the early Church Fathers, said that the cause of all evils was ambition. The New Testament reiterates this idea:

 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” (Philippians 2:3).

Think about it this way. A person from the other team misses the shot that could win the game for him, and my team and my fans cheer. That other player already feels bad, how is cheering over his  failure a way of serving him or valuing him above myself?

Yes, I still play hoops, still love the game, but that question always sticks in my mind. And sorting out where the quest for excellence ends and selfish ambition begins is still just as hard for me as ever.

Courtesy of Steven James

 http://stvjames.blogspot.com/2011/03/madness-to-win.html

Finding God's Will for you

                                                

So many people (just know when I say people, I'm talking about Christians), get so caught up in asking God what he wants for their life, and what they need to do, and what is he saying to him, that they completely miss what God wants for us.

Sometimes I wonder what God does when people are just crying and are like "God, oh please God what do I do?? Please oh please oh please! What do I do God??" And God is just like, "I've already told you. I HAVE ALREADY TOLD YOU!"

If we really want to know what God has for us, we need to first have a relationship with him. Let me illustrate this:

Let's say I'm coming home, and I'm picking up some McDonald's for my (let's say I'm married) wife. I don't need to call her up and say, "Dear Laura, Thank you for this day. Thank you for family and friends. And Laura? I need you're help...because I'm at McDonald's and I don't know what you want if you want a Mcdouble or a McChicken or a Value meal or an iced tea or a Milkshake or what you want Laura! I'm so lost...Please direct me in what you want to me bring home for you from McDonald's. In your name, Goodbye."

Isn't that how some of our prayers look like? If I am in a intimate relationship with my wife, I DON'T NEED TO ASK HER WHAT SHE WANTS BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW! I KNOW MY WIFE!

We should know God that way. Now, no one can fully grasp or understand God, but we need to be intimately reading his word, and praying, and consistently doing these things.

But don't get me wrong. God does say cast your cares upon him. If you were to go to your wife with 12 roses and say to her, "Baby, I love you. I don't wanna be with anyone else right now. I don't wanna watch any Miami Heat. It's just you and me tonight." Do you think your wife is going to take the flowers and throw them back in your face and spit on you? Realistically? No she isn't. She is going to except you.

The same goes for God.

If you are delighting in him, RIGHTEOUSLY, delighting in him, do you think he will deny you? No he won't.

Satan is at work...

If I was the devil….Tell you what I’d do:

I would try to DECEIVE you, and get you into ERROR. I would get you off base.

 And if you still stay true, I would try to DISQUALIFY you. I would get you IMMORAL. I would get you where no one would believe what came out of your mouth. I would make you a tabloid! Where nobody believed you.

I would remove your CONFIDENCE, where you were AFRAID to speak, because your life was such a shambles.

 I would get you into SIN.

 I would prowl like a roaring lion, to DEVOUR you morally.

And if I couldn’t do that, I would try to make you SUCCESSFUL, and I would DISTRACT you if I couldn’t DISQUALIFY you.

I would get you BUSY.

I would get you so DISTRACTED and DIS-ATTRACTED from the gospel, that no longer would your prayers be about holiness and souls. They would only be about the bottom line in YOUR BUSINESS.

 I would get you MATERIALISTIC; and no longer concerned about the SPIRITUAL nature of life.

If I couldn’t do that, I would DIVIDE you.

If I couldn’t divide you, I’ve almost lost you…You know what I’d do then?

I would DISCOURAGE you. Then if I couldn’t discourage you, I’d try DEATH. 

I would KILL you.

I would KILL you.  

I would try my best to KILL you.

That’s what I would do to take you out…

"The Greatest Trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist."

~Baudelaire~