Another year has come and gone. With a new year comes hope of newness. Hope of change. Hope of achieving things that were unachievable in 2010.
Years ago in 1963, a famous champion of equality and freedom declared loudly and clearly a dream that he had for humanity. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. declared:
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
Dr. King’s dream has been fulfilled in part, but more remains to be done. Such is the nature of a dream. Parts are fulfilled, others not. We are left to keep pressing forward in what is yet to be done.
2011 is here. Let us dream again as a people and as a church family. Let us imagine what could be fueled by the passion that it should be!
What is your dream for 2011?
Dreaming Again,
Jeff Powell
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Idols
When you hear the word “idol” what comes to mind? Singer’s on a reality show? Statues in a temple? A lazy person? Or desires that consume another person?
Regardless of what comes to your mind, the reality is that idols abound in our society and sadly even in our churches. I recently read an article that shed some light on this. I have included a portion of it below. The full article can be found at http://www.crosswalk.com/11641936/
“There are outside-the-church idols and there are inside-the-church idols. It's the idols inside the church that ought to concern Christians most. It's easier for Christians to identify worldly idols such as money, power, selfish ambition, sex, and so on. It's the idols inside the church that we have a harder time identifying.
For instance, we know it's wrong to bow to the god of power—but it's also wrong to bow to the god of preferences. We know it's wrong to worship immorality—but it's also wrong to worship morality. We know it's wrong to seek freedom by breaking the rules—but it's also wrong to seek freedom by keeping them. We know God hates unrighteousness—but he also hates self-righteousness. We know crime is a sin—but so is control. If people outside the church try to save themselves by being bad; people inside the church try to save themselves by being good.
The good news of the gospel is that both inside and outside the church, there is only One Savior and Lord, namely Jesus. And he came, not to angrily strip away our freedom, but to affectionately strip away our slavery....so that we might become truly free!”
May we people that keep Jesus as our focus and desire. Anything less, is a cheap substitute!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
Regardless of what comes to your mind, the reality is that idols abound in our society and sadly even in our churches. I recently read an article that shed some light on this. I have included a portion of it below. The full article can be found at http://www.crosswalk.com/11641936/
“There are outside-the-church idols and there are inside-the-church idols. It's the idols inside the church that ought to concern Christians most. It's easier for Christians to identify worldly idols such as money, power, selfish ambition, sex, and so on. It's the idols inside the church that we have a harder time identifying.
For instance, we know it's wrong to bow to the god of power—but it's also wrong to bow to the god of preferences. We know it's wrong to worship immorality—but it's also wrong to worship morality. We know it's wrong to seek freedom by breaking the rules—but it's also wrong to seek freedom by keeping them. We know God hates unrighteousness—but he also hates self-righteousness. We know crime is a sin—but so is control. If people outside the church try to save themselves by being bad; people inside the church try to save themselves by being good.
The good news of the gospel is that both inside and outside the church, there is only One Savior and Lord, namely Jesus. And he came, not to angrily strip away our freedom, but to affectionately strip away our slavery....so that we might become truly free!”
May we people that keep Jesus as our focus and desire. Anything less, is a cheap substitute!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Courage
It takes courage to follow your dreams. It takes courage to fulfill the potential of your life. It takes courage to make changes. It takes courage to say no. And it takes courage to say yes.
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I believe he was talking about the emotion of fear that causes us anxiety and stress and robs us of courage.
Just imagine for a moment what you would dare to dream or be or do if you weren’t afraid of anything and were filled with over-flowing courage?
Fear can be overcome and courage can be learned. We can overcome our fears and build courage that will enable us to deal with the ups and downs of life in a positive, rather than negative way.
For instance, if you have the fear of failure, the repetitive words you probably hear in your mind are “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” This normally originates from unhealthy criticism. What does God say? He says, you can do all things through Jesus (see Philippians 4:13)!
If you have the fear of rejection, the repetitive words you most likely hear in your mind are “I have to, I have to, I have to.” This normally originates from an unhealthy desire to please others. What does God say? He says, you are accepted as His child through Jesus (see Ephesians 1:5)!
You can say no to your fears and yes to a life of courage! This is exactly what Mary and Joseph did. And the result? Jesus, the Savior of the world was born, lived, died, rose from the dead, and lives today to connect humans to God!
What courageous act do you need to take today?
Seeking to live courageously,
Jeff Powell
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I believe he was talking about the emotion of fear that causes us anxiety and stress and robs us of courage.
Just imagine for a moment what you would dare to dream or be or do if you weren’t afraid of anything and were filled with over-flowing courage?
Fear can be overcome and courage can be learned. We can overcome our fears and build courage that will enable us to deal with the ups and downs of life in a positive, rather than negative way.
For instance, if you have the fear of failure, the repetitive words you probably hear in your mind are “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” This normally originates from unhealthy criticism. What does God say? He says, you can do all things through Jesus (see Philippians 4:13)!
If you have the fear of rejection, the repetitive words you most likely hear in your mind are “I have to, I have to, I have to.” This normally originates from an unhealthy desire to please others. What does God say? He says, you are accepted as His child through Jesus (see Ephesians 1:5)!
You can say no to your fears and yes to a life of courage! This is exactly what Mary and Joseph did. And the result? Jesus, the Savior of the world was born, lived, died, rose from the dead, and lives today to connect humans to God!
What courageous act do you need to take today?
Seeking to live courageously,
Jeff Powell
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Most Persecuted Religion
I recently read a very disturbing report. What follows is part of the report. For the full report, go to http://www.ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-news/65-news-main/19001-christian-persecution-tops-world-list-who-knew-
Is Christianity the most persecuted religion in the world? Nearly all human-rights groups and Western government agencies that monitor the plight of Christians worldwide agree: Between 200 million and 230 million believers face daily threats of murder, beating, imprisonment and torture, and a further 350 million to 400 million encounter discrimination in areas such as jobs and housing. A conservative estimate of the number of Christians killed for their faith each year is around 150,000.
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reported last month that Christians were “harassed” by government factors in 102 countries and by social factors, such as mob rule, in 101 countries. The report, stated: “Altogether, Christians faced some form of harassment in two-thirds of all countries,” or 133 nations. In yet clearer terms, “at least” 75 percent of all religious persecution in the world is directed against Christians.
While the plight of Christians in communist and formerly communist countries is “slowly easing,” it is getting worse in India and across the Muslim and Arab world, where even owning a Bible is flirting with danger.
Why aren't Western Christians marching in the streets and demanding action? “Because most of the persecution of Christians is not happening in our own backyard and the issue is not generally reported in the mainstream media,” Corey Odden, CEO of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
May we stand with our bothers and sisters throughout the world through prayer, support, and direct action! By the way we are collecting a special Christmas offering to support missionaries and pastors in these persecuted places.
Burdened,
Jeff Powell
Is Christianity the most persecuted religion in the world? Nearly all human-rights groups and Western government agencies that monitor the plight of Christians worldwide agree: Between 200 million and 230 million believers face daily threats of murder, beating, imprisonment and torture, and a further 350 million to 400 million encounter discrimination in areas such as jobs and housing. A conservative estimate of the number of Christians killed for their faith each year is around 150,000.
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reported last month that Christians were “harassed” by government factors in 102 countries and by social factors, such as mob rule, in 101 countries. The report, stated: “Altogether, Christians faced some form of harassment in two-thirds of all countries,” or 133 nations. In yet clearer terms, “at least” 75 percent of all religious persecution in the world is directed against Christians.
While the plight of Christians in communist and formerly communist countries is “slowly easing,” it is getting worse in India and across the Muslim and Arab world, where even owning a Bible is flirting with danger.
Why aren't Western Christians marching in the streets and demanding action? “Because most of the persecution of Christians is not happening in our own backyard and the issue is not generally reported in the mainstream media,” Corey Odden, CEO of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
May we stand with our bothers and sisters throughout the world through prayer, support, and direct action! By the way we are collecting a special Christmas offering to support missionaries and pastors in these persecuted places.
Burdened,
Jeff Powell
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Overwhelmed?
The dryer won’t dry the clothes. The dishes didn’t get done the previous night. The trash bag tears as you are pulling it out of the trash can. One of the kids stops up the toilet by flushing an entire roll of toilet paper. The dog gets sick. A miscalculation in the check book causes an overdraft. Someone forgot to put the milk back in the fridge and now it’s spoiled. And someone ate the last debbie cake and put the empty box back in the pantry!
Overwhelming? I think so. All too common? Yep! Add the Christmas season to the already full life and you could become overwhelmed really fast.
I’ve often wondered why God chose the time period He did to allow Jesus to be born into this world. But when I think about the hectic and busy lives we live, I think I understand. Can you imagine Jesus being born in our day and time? Poor Mary would probably be in the hospital for less than 48 hours and of course the visitation times would be limited (sorry shepherds). And would anyone in the governmental circles really care? Probably not because they are gearing up for the next election cycle. Add to this the busyness of buying Christmas gifts and decorating the home, I wonder if anyone would even notice.
But hey, isn’t that why we do what we do at Christmas time? I mean, wasn’t it because of Jesus’ birth that we have a reason to celebrate and give gifts? I hope we don’t get too busy to remember!
Regardless of the time period Jesus was born, life WAS indeed hectic for Mary and Joseph. Can you imagine giving birth in a barn? Mary and Joseph had plenty of moments that could be classified as overwhelming. And yet, they kept their calm and experienced the event of a lifetime. May we learn from them the next time life gets a little overwhelming!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
Overwhelming? I think so. All too common? Yep! Add the Christmas season to the already full life and you could become overwhelmed really fast.
I’ve often wondered why God chose the time period He did to allow Jesus to be born into this world. But when I think about the hectic and busy lives we live, I think I understand. Can you imagine Jesus being born in our day and time? Poor Mary would probably be in the hospital for less than 48 hours and of course the visitation times would be limited (sorry shepherds). And would anyone in the governmental circles really care? Probably not because they are gearing up for the next election cycle. Add to this the busyness of buying Christmas gifts and decorating the home, I wonder if anyone would even notice.
But hey, isn’t that why we do what we do at Christmas time? I mean, wasn’t it because of Jesus’ birth that we have a reason to celebrate and give gifts? I hope we don’t get too busy to remember!
Regardless of the time period Jesus was born, life WAS indeed hectic for Mary and Joseph. Can you imagine giving birth in a barn? Mary and Joseph had plenty of moments that could be classified as overwhelming. And yet, they kept their calm and experienced the event of a lifetime. May we learn from them the next time life gets a little overwhelming!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
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