Death can be a scary thing. Death can be a lonely thing. Death can be something to fear or worry about. But inevitably, we all will die. Life is fragile. Life is really, a gift from God.
Most of the world was shocked at the death of Whitney Houston. Tragic, sad, and what a loss to our pop culture. Whitney had such an incredible voice, no one could ever sing like her. She had a God given talent, and for the most part, she used it. For her glory. But such a sad ending to her life makes me wonder if she ever fully trusted God.
Contrast her life with another recent death, especially to the Sacramento community. Pastor Glen Cole was a visionary and a spiritual leader, based in Sacramento, but the reach of his impact goes beyond the region, California and abroad. He founded and pastored Capital Christian Center, added a Christian school to their campus, and most recently pastored Trinity Life Center, in Sacramento. His teachings have reached many and changed many lives for Christ. We grieved the loss of this incredible man and sympathized with his family their loved one has passed on. But with faith in God, we believe Pastor Glen Cole is at peace and is in Heaven right now with his Heavenly Father.
Yes, Christians believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell. Other "religions" don't really believe in places of the afterlife. But as I constantly point out, Christianity is a relationship with God the Father, through the Son of Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit in our lives. With this vertical relationship, we have the power of God as a resource for our lives.
That doesn't mean, however, we don't have troubles and problems in this life. In fact, these trials we go through are for our benefit so we can trust God even more in our daily lives. Life is not easy. If we really get down to it, life can be grueling hard.
Coping with the loss of loved ones (the topic at hand), divorce, sickness, this downed economy, struggling with finances (that's mine), crime, the government... (shall I go on?) all add doubt and fear in our hearts. We can't do this life on our own!
And many people are trying by their own might to navigate through the wind and the waves of these turbulent times we call life.
My friend told me his daughter has a friend who claims she is an atheist. But she is taking a 40 day challenge to research and find God. That's a first step. Many of us are praying she will genuinely find God and will acknowledge Him in her life. When we genuinely seek God in our lives (even in a challenge), God shows up.
I don't think I ever told this story of myself, but when I was still a teenager, I had self-esteem issues (still did into my adult years). I'm a typical introvert and awkward with the women, much like Raj Koothrapali on the television show, the Big Bang Theory. I just don't use the influence of alcohol to talk to women. Anyway, I don't remember the full extent of the circumstances, but I do remember asking God to reveal Himself to me if He was real. And in time, God showed up.
If we allow God into our lives, we can do amazing things. Not by our own power, but through the unlimited power of the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of live Himself! Have you ever fully put your trust in a loving, compassionate God? If not, it's quite simple. Say a prayer to God like this:
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for I am a sinner. I have turned away from You, trying to live my life on my own. I cannot do this anymore by myself. But I ask you, Lord Jesus, to be my Savior. Please come into my life. Please help me, Lord God. And I will love You because of Your awesome love for me, sending Jesus to die on a cross and coming back to life to save me. In Jesus' name, amen.
If you prayed that prayer, you have become part of God's family and will have the power and resources of the Almighty God. Find a good Bible believing church who will help you in walking with God daily in your life. And then you will have that blessed assurance of knowing where you will go when this life ends and for eternity.
Blessings,
Garret
Coming off an incredible Christmas season, I was reminded that living a Christian life isn't about doing "holy" and "sacred" things. I have always prescribed to the notion that real Christianity is a relationship, not religion or rituals. Going to church wasn't about trying to be sanctified by walking through the doors. It was about building relationships with others.
For those who do not know me, I go to Bayside Church in Granite Bay, California. Our Senior Pastor, Ray Johnston always says "we're the church for people who don't like church". Perhaps that's the philosophy of the ministry and how we reach out to the community. But many of my friends (myself included) LOVE our church!
Our Teaching Pastor, Curt Harlow says "we don't take ourselves very seriously, but we take God very seriously". What that means is, we like to have fun. We laugh, enjoy life and be authentic, real people. That's how we should live and be testimonies of God's grace and love.
Okay, to my point. This past Christmas, for our Christmas Eve services, we had the acclaimed runner-ups to the last season of America's Got Talent, the Silhouettes come and perform for our services. It turns out they are not a Christian group, but from a dance school in Denver, Colorado. They did a performance specially choreographed for our Christmas Eve services. It was a huge draw from all over the community and beyond. Each service was packed! And we had overflow rooms, yes, not just one overflow room, but TWO overflow rooms! We quickly added two more services (from 15 to 17), live streamed the services online, and even one of the local television stations, the Fox affiliate, Fox 40 broadcasted our service midnight Christmas morning and again at 9:00 AM Christmas day.
Just those at the campus, total attendance was a record 42,000 plus people for the services. Those who accepted Christ for the first time was a record 2,600 plus people! I heard the Fox broadcasts beat other Christmas services, like the typical St. Mark's cathedral mass. People were impacted for Christ and that was incredible to see God work through our church!
That's about building relationships with people in and around the community. That's showing God's love is real and a personal Christmas gift given to anyone who openly receives it. That's a horizontal relationship: relating to people at the person to person level.
But there's much more to this life besides just relating to each other. Sure, we need to show love towards everyone! But the key to having that awesome impact is the vertical relationship we have with the Holy Heavenly Father God! Without being plugged into the ultimate source of love and compassion that comes from the Father Himself, we could not and probably would not care to do such a thing!
God's love doesn't come only at Christmas. God doesn't only live at church. God's resources don't come out of some holy spigot and you have to do this and that in order to receive His blessings. No, all you need to do is come. Come and accept Jesus Christ as God's one and only Son, and Jesus will walk beside you. You will be given the Holy Spirit to dwell within you and guide you. And the Heavenly Father will love you as He sees His Son reflected in your life. That's the symbiotic vertical relationship I'm talking about.
Have you ever taken that step of faith and accept Jesus as your personal Savior? I've said before it takes more faith to be an atheist. Think about it. Would you rather believe life is random and subject to your circumstances based on some scientific evolution? Or would you put your trust and believe in a Higher Power that loves you, cares for you, and knows you personally?
Dear God, forgive me of all my sins. I doubt Your existence and Your power. But Your Word says that You love me. Please show me Your Holy unconditional love. Please help me to live my life according to Your Will. I come before You and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you just prayed that prayer, welcome into the family of God! Find a Bible believing and Bible preaching church that lives out what they preach. You cannot live a Christian life on your own. You will need support and love from other like-minded believers. The Bible is God's Holy Word to us. Check it out! There's sex in the Bible. Really! And all kinds of things: the first murder, lying, cheating, adultery. And yet God still uses these people! Really!
It's all about looking upward towards God. Don't look away. That's when things go downhill. Quite literally, in fact. If we keep our eyes and our thoughts on Jesus, then He will keep us by His side!
Oh, and the Silhouettes... they, along with some of their parents, all accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior because our church loved on them. And they're coming back to Bayside next Christmas Eve. That's building relationships horizontally. Amazing how love goes in all directions!
Blessings,
Garret
