Donald Ross

AVOIDING FINANCIAL FAILURE

2010-01-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

We live in a world where a government in debt can just print more money. Do you ever wish you could do that? To bad. You'd have to own your own country to do that. Fortunately, God has given you a way to get ahead.

Here are some five tips to help you avoid financial failure.

I. KEEP GOOD RECORDS.

“Riches can disappear fast… so watch your business interests closely. Know the state of your flocks and herds.” Pr. 27:23 (LB)

II. PLAN YOUR SPENDING

“Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly you will never have enough.” Pr. 21:5 (GN)

III. Save for the future

“Money that comes easily disappears quickly, but money that is gathered little by little will grow.” Pr. 13:11 (NCV)

IV. RETURN ten percent to God

“Bring to My Storehouse a full tenth of what you earn… Test Me in this, says the Lord. `I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need.” Mal 3:10 (NCV)

V. ENJOY WHAT YOU HAVE

“It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to always be wanting something else.” Eccl. 6:9 (GN)

For a full listen to today teaching, see www.thecreeksidechurch.org

Your Life is a Path

2009-11-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

I just finished going through Andy Stanley's "Principle of the Path" and it is a great read. It is practical, interesting and focused.

Andy deals with the American lie, or human lie, that somehow we're going to make it personally if our intentions are right. We'll reach our goals, have a good marriage and a successful career if we just have good intentions. He clearly points out that it takes much more.

Andy points out the obvious fact, which most people choose to ignore, that our decisions create a path which produces predictable results. If we don't like the results we're getting, we need to change our decisions, small and large, which will put us on a different path and we'll see different results.

Andy uses many examples from his personal life and the Bible, especially Proverbs to see that there is a path we can all get on to achieve the purposes we were born for and the success we all want.

Suicide Questions

2009-07-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

Last week during the teaching about Samson I mentioned the subject of suicide. As a result we had a few questions. I will list the questions and then deal with them as a whole.

Q1. Is suicide forgivable?

Q2. At what point do you repent after killing yourself?

Q3. Can you repent at the judgment seat?

Answer. Suicide is self-murder, so, technically, if murder is forgivable, then suicide is forgivable. The tough part is that forgiveness happens after repentance, and it is impossible to repent when you are dead. That being said, God is God and he knows the heart and we don't. We all know people who were in desperate levels of depression who took their own life. I am not ready to say all suicides are eternally lost, and neither will I say that all suicides are forgiven. This is another one of those times I am glad God is the judge. Suicide is an incredibly risky venture, from a spiritual point of view. It is never a good idea and if you are contemplating suicide you should tell someone safe who will take it seriously.

In terms of repenting at the judgement seat, there is no mention in the scripture of repentance at that point. It is a judgment seat, not a repentance seat. The time for repentance is before you die. Some teach that there are second and third choices to follow Christ after you die, but Hebrews says, "It is appointed to man once to die, after that to be judged." If you need to repent. do it now!

Abraham's Questions May 31

2009-05-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Creekside... thanks for the questions this week.

Q1. I've met people who think Israel has no place in the Kingdom of God, because they crucified Christ. Right or wrong?

A1. Wrong. Israel are still God's chosen people. The New Testament is full of references about God's grace and love fully extended to Israel. In fact, Paul is so taken with Israel's salvation that he says he would willingly give up his own salvation to see Israel saved.

Q2. A lot of people think Melchizedek was an incarnation of Christ in the same vein of the Old Testament "Angel of the Lord". What do you think?

A2. Thanks for your question, and the simple answer is, "I don't know" and no one can know. What's more, I seldom spend much time on unanswerable questions like this. It is interesting to think about, but the main point here is that Melchizedek was real and he served as a picture of Christ.

Q3. Should we tithe before or after taxes?

A3. Great question and I suggest you look at the booklet I wrote called, "What About Money?" which you can access at www.thecreeksidechurch.org and click on resources. The real answer to this question is about attitude, not money. If you are trying to do the bare minimum and only give what you have to, your heart is not following God anyway, so the amount of money you give is the least of your problems.

I heard one person ask, "Should I tithe on the gross or the net?" and the pastor answered, "Do you want a gross blessing or a net blessing?" Remember, we not only reap WHAT we sow, we also reap HOW we sow.

Thanks, "Creekers" for sending in your questions. See you on Sunday.

Don

Questions From "Noah" May 17

2009-05-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hey Blog Followers,

Thanks in advance for your questions.

Before I get to the questions from Sunday, let me apologize for not blogging recently, or should I say repent. I promised you that if you send the questions, I will blog the answers, and you did and I didn't. My site was down for a while, but I could have gotten it up sooner. I'll try to do better at honoring your questions.

So here are the Q's from Sunday . . .

Q1. Why is your blog called Grady Dawn?

A1. Grady Dawn is the name of our boat, which is a Grady White, so the name is a modified version of Grady Don, which was given to me by other fisherman friends. I went with dawn, instead of Don, because I like to get up early and it is less ostentatious.

Q2. Does God really "know" how everything will "turn out", or, does he have the ability to "see" all the infinite possibilities at each decision juncture (man's choice) and thus never be surprised by any outcome?

A2. The short answer to your question is yes to both. God both knows how everything will turn out and also knows all the possibilities at each juncture. He is never surprised by the outcome. This is called "Cosmic Chess" by those who subscribe exclusively to the last part of the question, believing that God doesn't know how things will turn out, but knows all the possibilities.

Since God is omniscient, meaning He knows everything, He would not be God if He didn't know both how things will turn out as well as all the potential possibilities. If God knows all the possibilities, it is a small jump to believe that He also knows what will happen, since He is omniscient, thus He is never surprised.

Q3. Does the bird finding the olive branch indicate that plants were not destroyed in the flood?

A3. Good question with some deeper issues connected to it. The simple answer to this question is yes, the plants were not necessary completely destroyed in the flood. God's focus in destruction was only those forms of life that had "breathe", which would not include fish or plants.

However; as I taught on Sunday, it was 150 days before the waters fully receded. This means that plants, which cannot live under water, would have been destroyed if they were under water the whole time. So is there are reasonable way to explain an olive branch? Yes.

Consider this. . . the world we know now is not like the world before the flood. Creation scientists postulate, with good reason, that a vapor would have probably covered the earth giving a mean temperature of 75 degrees and a humidity of about 80. There was only one continent, since the world was not yet divided (Gen. 10:25). There also would have been no polar ice caps and vegetation would have grown all over the earth, including the mountains, which is significantly different that our current earth.

This huge amount of vegetation would account for the dinosaurs growing to a great size, since as reptiles, they can grow as long as their environment can support them. I personally believe that man and dinosaurs lived together in the same world,as there is clear evidence to support this. This view is opposed by evolutionists. Lush vegetation and giant dinosaurs would also account for the vast oil reserves in this region and around the world.

All this to say, it is entirely possible in a pre-flood world that vegetation (olives) could have grown on mountains which may have been under water for a short period of time. This could account for a bird finding an olive branch on a mountain that perhaps had only been underwater a few days or weeks.

Thanks again for your questions and I'll see you on Sunday.

Don

How is Jesus Dying Just?

2009-04-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Q. How is Jesus dying just? He is innocent. Is it really just for one man to take the punishment for another?

A. This is a great question from yesterday's teaching, and shows some deep thought on the part of the person asking

First of all, it is important to remember that God is not "doing" this to Jesus, and Jesus has nothing say in the matter. The entire Godhead was involved in saving mankind, and each member of the Godhead suffered equally in the sacrifice.

Isaiah 53:10-12 says it was God's will to crush Jesus, so that mankind could be saved.
Hebrews 9:14 says Christ was offered up by the Holy Spirit.
John 10:17-18 says that Jesus willingly offered up His life to save mankind.

You are right in saying that Jesus was innocent, but Jesus willingly chose to become guilty of the charge of mankind's sin in God's court of justice.

II Cor. 5:21 says that , "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us". This means that God willingly allowed His son to become guilty of all the sin of mankind, past and future, and to pay the penalty for that sin.

Is it really just for Christ to take our punishment? The answer is not only is it just because God says it is just (Romans 3:24-25), it is pure mercy as well.

It is not only pure justice that is served by this means, but pure mercy and pure grace. Because of God's mercy, Jesus was offered up instead of us. Because of grace, He was patient with mankind while waiting for Christ's sacrifice and remains patient with us today.

This is a brief answer. For a more detailed response, I suggest you download the podcast of April 5, 2009 at www.thecreeksidechurch.org.

Peace in our time

2009-03-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

As usual, we entertain questions from Sunday's teaching. These questions came in this week.

Q. Are we supposed to be a peace at all times? In times of distress, how does one define peace?

A. Great question and thanks for asking. God wants us to live a life of peace, but it is not practical or reasonable to be at peace all the time. Even Jesus faced times if stress of loss of peace. Read Matthew 26 about Jesus' time in the Garden of Gethsemane and you'll discover he was under tremendous stress.

The key is to not live there. All of us face times of stress, but continually living without the peace of God is not what He wants for us. Jesus was stressed when He went to the garden, but not when He left it. He was at peace with His God and God's plan for His life.

So the goal is to live in peace and when our peace is taken, pray and ask God why and seek to regain it. I believe that God wants us to live in large blocks of peace with an occasional stressful time, rather than the other way around.

Money Stuff from Sunday

2009-01-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Several conversations and questions surfaced as a result of Sunday's teaching in Malachi 3. I thought it would be helpful to post some Q & A from the money booklet we offer online.

Seven Common Questions About Tithing

1. What should I do if my spouse doesn't believe in tithing?

First of all, pray for your spouse's understanding of the scriptures. Explain why you believe in tithing and how you see it affecting your family and finances. See if you can do a three-month test. And finally, if possible, do what you can by tithing on the part of the money you control.

2. Does God promise a financial return for our faithful tithing?

Yes. The Hebrew language used here implies prosperity, which is more that just finances, but also includes finances.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10

3. Why does God call someone in the church that doesn’t tithe, a "robber"? Isn't that kind of harsh?

In the same way that our government has the right to levy taxes to support our country, God has an even greater right to institute a means to support His church on the earth. He has chosen tithes and offerings as this means. God understands that we grow spiritually and this takes time.

He is patient with us. Once we clearly know the truth about His financial plan from his word, we are responsible to be obedient.

4. I want to tithe, but if I paid 10% now, I'm afraid I'd go broke. What should I do?

Obedience to the Lord is the key here. Jesus said only those who love Him will obey Him (John 14:23-24). God knows it may be hard to begin and that's why He offers us a test (Mal. 3:10). In a practical way, the 90-day challenge complies with this principle. Here's how the 90-day challenge works.

Follow the eight key principles of tithing for 90 days. If at the end of that time you feel you have made a mistake, or God is wrong, or you have not been blessed, we will refund the amount you gave. It is important that you make a decision to honor the Lord with your obedience. After obedience, attitude is key.

5. Should I tithe on net or gross earnings?

Do you want a gross blessing or a net blessing? The Bible tells us to tithe on the increase of what God has blessed us with (Duet. 14:22). If you are a business person, for example, you may have spent $100 to make $20 profit, then your gross total would be $120, but your “increase” would be $20. That is what we are to tithe on.

6. Is my local church really the storehouse mentioned in Malachi 3:10?

The Hebrew word for “storehouse” literally means, "treasure depository". It is clear from Malachi 3:10, we are not to divide our tithe (Bring the whole tithe) and give a little here and a little there. It is to all go to one place. It is also clear that the purpose of the tithe is to provide provision for God's house (that there may be food in my house).

Finally, the scripture does not say to bring the tithe into “a” storehouse, but “the” storehouse. Each of us has a specific storehouse that we draw from spiritually. That is our local church and that’s where the tithe goes

7. If tithing is an Old Testament teaching, why should we hold to it?

Jesus confirmed many Old Testament teachings in the New Testament. Tithing is just one Old Testament principle that Jesus supported in the New Testament.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-- mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-- justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Matthew 23:23

The Old Testament is valid for our day as well. Galatians 3:24 tells us that the law (Old Testament) was given to bring us to faith. Jesus also told us the commands of the New are greater than the Old in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:20-48). If tithing is emphasized in the Old Testament, then it is only a starting place in the New. Beyond tithing, the New Testament teaches proportional giving (I Cor. 16:1-2, II Cor. 9:6-11).

Malachi Questions

2009-01-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

This week we conclude a three week series on Malachi. At the same time that King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans held off the entire army of Xerxes, God sent a man named Malachi to his people in Israel. As in all series, we entertain questions texted in during the teaching.

Q. Is ambition in ministry inherently sinful? Where is the line between righteous and selfish ambition?

A. Ambition in ministry is not inherently sinful. Jesus was ambitious. Paul was ambitious. In fact zeal (righteous ambition) is spoken about in both Psalms and Romans. The primary difference between righteous and selfish ambition is motive, which is a heart issue. Only God knows your heart, so what could appear as selfish or righteous may be the opposite, but the person doing it knows, and sooner or later so does everyone else.

If you are doing something to bring attention or glory to yourself, then the ambition is selfish. If our genuine concern is expanding Christ's kingdom, then our motive and actions will be pure. That is why the Bible talks so clearly about guarding our heart.

Q. Don, what is your Bible reading plan?

A. My Bible reading plan has been the same for several years, to read a book in the Old Testament and then a book in the New Testament. I am currently reading in Romans. I addition to this I read daily through the passage to be taught on Sunday.

Q. In comparing teaching methods, how does Levi & Malachi's methods compare and contrast to those of pastors in modern times?

A. This is an interesting question. Although Levi was a priest and Malachi was a prophet they had the same purpose as a pastor, to bring people to God. Although Levi and Malachi had no modern teaching tools like computers and P.A. systems, the primary method then was the same as now . . . his mouth. It is about speaking the word of God.

Regardless of the generation, whether it was Levi, Moses, Jesus, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards or Billy Graham, God has decreed that the primary teaching method is speaking. It is nice to know that some things never change.

Christmas Marriage Questions

2008-12-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

Hey Creekside . . . thanks again for your questions. Each week you honor me when you choose to text or e-mail your questions from Sunday's teaching. Here are a couple that came in.

Q. How old were Mary & Joseph when they got married?

A. We really don't know, however the tradition of the day was for a man to be much older that the woman. A man in Jewish tradition entered manhood around 13, but was considered "marriage material" around 30. Usually he had to have his own home and property, but not always. This means Joseph was probably in his late twenties or early thirties.

Women were married much younger, usually in their teens, so Mary could have been somewhere in the 15 to 18 age range. There is a very practical reason for this, as childbirth was difficult and took many lives. Also, large families were needed to work the agrarian culture the Jewish people lived in. Large families meant more workers and a more prosperous family business. So, all in all being a was pretty tough and it wasn't uncommon for a man to have several wives.

Q. When would a young man report to the census rather than being claimed by his father?

Again, a man would have to be on his own to report to the census. Also, no one was "claimed" on a census. Taxes then were not like ours. A man was taxed on the value of his estate, regardless of how big his family was or even how much money he made. There were no deductions or claims. The goal of the Roman Government was to get as much money as possible out of the jewish people, or any people they conquered.

It actually makes you appreciate our American system of government, which not only takes into account your personal expenses, such a medical and family size, but also allows you to deduct your tithe and gifts to the church and other charitable organizations. American has some things wrong with her for sure, but she also has a lot right with her.

Just a thought . . .

Thanks again for your questions. Next Sunday we'll talk about how to give some incredibly valuable gifts that will not cost you a dime. They're some great Christmas ideas as we continue with the "Advent Conspiracy"

See you then,

Don

Two More "Dragon" Questions

2008-12-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

Last week we finished up our "Dealing with Dragons" series having to do with the addictions in our life. As usual, we got a couple questions from Sunday's teaching, which I really enjoy.

Q. You used the scripture from James about being "double-minded". What does it mean to be "double-minded"?

A. The verses you are referring to are from James 4:7-8, which say, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.(NIV)

The primary point I made from these verses is that we cannot resist temptation, so the Bible teaches us to resist the devil. If we try to resist temptation, we will always fail, because temptation deals with our immagination. It is like telling someone not to think about zebras. They will of course, always think about them. But when we realize the source of the temptation and resist the devil, we will win.

To be double-minded, literally means to be of "two minds". In the context of these verses, James is telling us that we can't be of a mind to serve God and at the same time choose to give into temptation. We need to make up our minds and become of one mind. A double-minded person simply hasn't made up their mind to do what verse seven and eight are commanding him to do.

Q. 2 Can you explain a little more about the verse in I Corinthians dealing with temptation?

A. Sure. The verse you are referring to is 1 Cor 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (NIV)

This verse is good news because it first tells us that the devil cannot read our mind, because it says we are tempted by what is "common to man", which means the devil does not tempt us specifically according to our weaknesses. There are some general things that the devil will tempt us with, then he will watch to see where we fall, and then hit us there again.

It also says that God is faithful and will never allow us to be tempted above what we can handle, which tells us that God does know us well. God will also make sure that every time we are tempted, He will give us a way of excape, or a way out. If we take the escape route, we will continue to confuse the enemy and our temptation battle will be won.

So the choice is ours, as to whether we give in or not. We can no longer use the excuse that the temptation was just too strong, because God has promised He will make sure it never is.

Dragon Questions

2008-12-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

Here are two questions from last Sunday's teaching on "Fatal Attractions".

Q. How does gambling fit into these fatal attractions?

A. Last week we heard two stories about drugs and alchohol and I identified six other fatal attactions that are found in addictive behavior. That is not to say there aren''t more, because there are. Almost anything can become a fatal attraction. Someone can be addicted to spending, money, video games, so certainly gambling can qualify as an addiction.

A gambling addiction is just as real as any other kind of addiction. I have talked with several people who deal with this dragon in their life. In some cases they have deeply hurt, not only themsleves, but their families as well. Consider the definition of addiction below and you will see that gambling, and many other behaviors, could become an addiction.

Defining Addiction: When a person compulsively and habitually devotes themselves excessively to a behavior, substance or relationship and is willing to sacrifice family, job, economic security and personal sanity that devotion becomes an addiction.

Q. How do you plan overcoming your food dragon?

A. Last week I mentioned that food is my drug of choice, hence the question above. Being a leader in God's kingdom means you get to learn and grow publicly. While this is not always fun, easy or enjoyable, it is true. I would like to say that I have a working plan in motion, but that is not the case. Unlike drugs and alcohol, someone cannot completely give up food, so it has to be dealt with in moderation.

I have, however; put a plan in motion. I have joined a support group, go to meetings and have sought out some personal accountability. I have also begun to list and ask some of the deeper questions that drive a food addiction.

I also took a deeper look at God's Word for help on this subject, and found the Bible has a lot to say, such as:

"You were bought with a price, so honor God with your body" I Cor. 6:20

"Everything is permittable, but don't be mastered by it . . ." I Cor. 6:12

"Your body is God's temble, don't destroy it" I Cor. 3:16

"Food does not bring us closer to God" I Cor. 8:8

"Whether you eat or drink, do it to God's glory" I Cor. 10:31

"Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony" Prov. 23:2

"Drunkards and gluttons become poor" Prov. 23:21

"It is not good to eat too much" Prov. 25:27

"Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach . . " Phil. 3:19

The bottom line is that I know I cannot win against this dragon on my own. I need the help of the Spirit, some trusted brothers and God's grace just like anyone else.

I take solice in the fact that we at Creekside Church are not a group of people who have it all together. If we were I could never be this transparent with you.

We are a group of wounded people, choosing to follow the one who was wounded for us, inorder to expereince His healing. He was bruised so we can be healed. He took our pain so we can find our way out of the pain that would otherwise destroy us.

Jesus is the ultimate dragon slayer, and any victory we experience is just imitating His great win over the devil. We can, infact, never win outside of Christ's victory. So, battle on!

Thanks for your questions.

When Do People Go to Heaven?

2008-11-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

I just love it when people read my BLOG and ask more questions. I can't think of anything more honoring and I will do my best to give you an honest answer.

So, here is the newest question: "At what point do you think people go to Heaven? Straight after they die or when the world ends and everyone goes together?"

Answer: First of all, thanks for your question. I know it is close to your heart. It is more important to know what God says, than what I think, so let's take a look at His Word.

2 Cor. 5:8 says, " . . . to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." It is clear that we who are "in Christ", that is we have been re-born spiritually in Christ and had our sins forgiven go to be with God immediately upon death. There is no waiting. Our soul does not go to sleep, we are taken to heaven. When we are done with this earthly body, either through age, accident, sickness or other means, we are immediately with the Lord.

There is something hinted at in your question, though, that I need to address, and that is that everyone does not go to heaven. Only those who are "in Christ" will go. You are right that a time will come when the world will end, but not everyone will automatically go to heaven.

John 5:24-29 speaks to this very clearly. Faith in Christ is the key to eternal life. Those who place their faith in Christ have a future with God after death. Those who do not believe and do not place their faith in Christ have a dim future, and that's putting it lightly.

I hope this helps. Thanks again for your question.

Do Not Pass "Go" . . . Go Straight to Heaven

2008-10-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Each week I ask people to text me a question during the service and I choose one or two to answer in my BLOG. Last week I talked about death and I got this question: What's the point of Earth if Heaven's going to be so awesome? Why didn't God send us straight there?

Answer: Thanks for your excellent question, but I have to say there is an assumption in this question, which I will point out in a minute. There are at least four reasons that God does not send us directly to heaven, and here they are.

First of all, we are born on earth, so it would be impossible to bypass earth and go straight to heaven. The only inhabitants that start their existence in heaven, without going to earth, are angels. Angels are not born, they are created, man is generated (gened) through a birth process, involving both human and divine decisions.

The second reason God doesn't take us directly to heaven it that it is not His choice. There is an assumption in the question that whether we go to heaven or not is God's choice, but that is not true, it is our choice. God does not send anyone to either heaven or hell. He allows us to make that decision based on our acceptance or refusal of Christ as our savior and leader of our life (Jn. 3:16 & Acts 4:12). God has provided the way for everyone to go to heaven, based on our obedience to His plan. God doesn't choose who goes, we do.

A third consideration is that we grow, change and learn a lot about God while we walk this earth. God wants to "do life" with us here on earth. He made earth for us as a proving ground and a place for us to grow spiritually. Check out the parable of the talents (Matt. 25) and also how Jesus will reward us (I Cor. 3) to get a further picture.

Finally, we influence other people while we are here on earth. I am going to heaven because of the earthly influence of someone in my life, my father. I know that there will be people in heaven because of my influence and hopefully there will be people in heaven because of you. If we were to go straight to heaven, others would miss out on our influence and we would miss so much of what God wants us to expereince. We need to be ready for heaven at any moment, but willing to stay here and work with Him as long as His purposes require it.

Good question!

Jesus for President

2008-10-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

Did you watch the presidential debates? I don't know what went through your mind as you watched, but I was just frustrated. I am so glad that I am not going to do all my living here on earth. Someday there really will be one world leader and his name is Jesus. Until then we are relegated to follow frail men . . . God help us.

How are your stocks doing? Up . . .then down . . . then up. Do you see a pattern here? Jesus warned us abbout trusting in money, that it is not dependable, and he was right. There are a lot of people re-evaluating values and priorites these days, and that's agood thing.

When you think about the future, what comes to your mind? Yes, we'll have a new president soon and the stock market is going to do what it's going to do. It reminds me that I am a temporary citizen of both the United States and earth. I have a higher citizenship.

Eph 2:19 "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household."

Grandkids

2008-10-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

WOW . . . what a brood. I know this picture isn't the best, but hey, it shows all the recent humans added to our family.

Noah is on Brenda's lap with Judah infront rubbing his nose and Kai is looking up watching everyone. I have the newest kids, Jocelyn and Taylin, two granddaughters in three weeks. That has to be some kind of record.

We love playing with them and then running out the door to a nice, quiet house. You what they say about grandkids, "If we'd known how much fun they were we would have had them first.

Why Students Leave Church

2008-10-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

This week I had the opportunity to be at a conference with a bunch of other pastors. The speaker was good and I enjoyed being with friends that I only see occasionally, but that wasn’t my biggest take away.

Sometimes you can attend a three day conference and a one line sentence is your biggest take away, and that was my experience this time. One of the leaders asked us to pray for the students at this conference meeting in another room nearby. Then he said that one potent sentence I’m talking about.

“Do you know the number one reason why students leave the church?” he asked. He continued, “Between the ages of 15-18, 70% of students leave the church due to lack of relationships with other adults.” He then cited his source as the Barna Research Group.

Basically, he is saying that as students move into adulthood, they want to be part of the church community, but if they don’t feel welcomed by an adequate number of adults outside their family, then they began to look for life support from another community outside their church.

So what can you do about this? Simple. Get to know three young adults, between the ages of 13-20 in your church that are not part of your family. You will be helping to build a bridge for their fulture.

A Giant's Legacy

2008-09-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me repent . . . I haven't written a blog since May . . . Father forgive me for I have sinned.

This summer I had an awesome privledge to speak at the funeral of a spiritual giant. His name is Dennis Finch. Dennis, although aged 86, continued to invest in young men. For years he men into his home, then into his assisted care apartment and finally into his room at the care center where he eventually died.

Dennis' Funeral was a huge event, packing out our gym and bringing back to our church generations of people. Since we are moving to a new campus, it is safe to say that God used Dennis' life, and his death, to bring people together in a way that may never happen again in our church.

Dennis took Jesus words very serious to "make disciples" in Matthrew 28:19-20. As I thought about his life, and then my own, I had to ask who am I bringing into my life to help connect with Jesus? It gives me pause when I consider the lasting impact of this man's life.

Just for the Halibut

2008-05-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, my son Tom and I got a chance to fish in a Ling Cod Derby. We couldn't hook any Ling Cod, but he tied into a great little 30lb halibut. As we were out on the Striaght of Juan de Fuca, it became a very memorable day.

First of all, the water was flat enough to ski on. We started calling it Lake Juan de Fuca since it was so calm. Secondly, this was Tom's first halibut out on the straight.

Finally, I realized how fortuante I was to be out there with my wife and son. There are rare moments in life and sometimes, when we're in the middle of those rare moments, we don't realize how rare they are.

I want to simply remind you that we all have rare moments and we need to enjoy them when they come along. Waiting for the future or longing for the past will only frustrate us.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

2008-04-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

I hope by now you have heard of Ben Stein's new movie called "Expelled: No Intelliegence Allowed". I have not seen it, so I cannot recommend it, but I will tell you I'm going to see it. I have a good friend named Bob who has written a review of the movie. He loves to wax eloquent and has give me permission to post his review on my blog . . . so . . . without further ado . . . I give you Bob's review.

Here's a new one for me. I am "plugging" a movie scheduled to come to theaters near you Friday, April 18. It is titled "Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed". It covers the controversy surrounding efforts by scientisits, educators and others to question some of the many gaps and holes found in the archaic approach to the origin of life offered by Darwinism.

At a time when scientific pursuit and discovery was relatively primative, Darwins theory, though lacking evidence, was understandably plausible to many. Now, just by asking questions and allowing the scientific evidence to lead to thoughtful, logical conclusions, many are being discredited, losing tenure, losing jobs and worse.

Darwinism has become the official state religion and questioning it's sacred credos and propositions brings charges of heresy. (Can stoning and beheadings be far behind?) What do the dawinist facists fear? As a Christian, I don't fear full investigation and disclosure of all scientific evidence relating to the "Origin of The Species". I encourage it.

Excuse my "religious interjection", but Jesus said that the "truth will set you free". So why do darwinists fear full disclosure and inquiry? What would be so wrong with allowing the evidence to lead to conclusions rather than what is the current model of forcing the facts into the darwinist mold? I and I believe other Christians are not asking for religion to be taught in the classroom. God forbid!

I am, however, asking that my grandchildren be encouraged to think, ask questions, to follow evidence and horror of horrors, reach logical conclusions about the "Origin of The Species" and that true scientists and educators be allowed to pursue science without being ostricized. To say that darwinism is full of holes is so understated. There are more holes than fabric.

Please understand that I am not questioning the evidence for micro evolution. Changes within species are easily documented. However, the fossil record is so clear and consise on this point: species suddenly appear and just as suddenly disappear. Absolutely no evidence of macro evolution where one specie evolves over time (no matter how much time) into another specie can be found.

That is science. Darwinsim is religion - based mostly on dogma. Even you darwinists out there should at least see the free speech aspect of this.
Dare I say, God Bless You!

bob

The Shack

2008-03-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when people give me books to read, it feels like an assignment. I know they mean well, but I have a list of books I want to read too. When I add their list to mine it can seem overwhelming . . .no so with The Shack.
I have never posted a blog about a book before, even though I am always reading six books at once. When my friend John Krueger gave me a copy, I struggled. Then my friend and book devourer Robert Doell asked me to read The Shack. God was signaling me to get with it.

The Shack is a book for people dealing with pain, in other words all of us. I told someone that reading The Shack will warp your sense of God, but really it will expose a warped sense of God. This book deeply affected my life.

Have you ever had an experience where you sensed God so close to you that you could feel Him in the room? That is how The Shack affected me. After page 100, I sensed Him in every paragraph. I'm sure He was there all along, Im just tell you my expereince. In dealing with some of life's toughest questions, in a real life manner, The Shack brought God ever so close.

This book is destined to be not only a literary hit, but a spiritual tsunami in the American Christian soul. Don't be left out . . . go get one.

To Bury or Burn . . . The Cremation Question

2008-01-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I answer questions for our church on Sunday morning, but there are some questions that just demand too much of a response for a quick answer. The question of cremation for the Christian is one of those questions.

Recently someone at Creekside Church asked, " Is cremation an acceptable practice for the Christian, since it is rooted in pagan culture?"

I have to tell you, as I researched this, I got turned around on this one. For decades as a pastor, I have conducted funerals, and many were cremations. In fact, I have conducted two cremated burials at sea aboard my boat. My attitude has always been that cremation was as acceptable as burial for the Christian. I no longer hold to that position.

This is not to say that I will live or die on this question. Burial or cremation is not the kind of theological issue that my salvation hangs on, and I will certainly conduct funerals and memorials for those who have been cremated.

What I am saying is that when someone asks me honestly what I believe about cremation, I no longer believe they are equal in impact or choice. I now honestly hold to the pattern of burial for the Christian as the best way.

My simple answer used to be, "Don't worry about it. Either one is fine because you will get a new body anyway. What about all those people whose bodies were lost in a fire or at sea? God will make sure that get a new resurrected body anyway." While these statements are true, this response was trite and simplistic and certain did not give the subject the thought it was due.

Now maybe you are reading this and someone you love was cremated and you are wondering if you made a mistake. As I said before, this issue is important, but not critcal to our salvation, and as far as making mistakes goes, we all do. That's why Jesus came in the first place.

Cremation has become much more popular among Christians since 1970, and does have it's roots in pagan culture, but it goes deeper than that. As I researched this subject, I came across an article that I found extremely helpful by a trusted author. I encourage you to read it by going to our website at http://www.thecreeksidechurch.org/ and it will be listed for you on the homepage. Look for, " To Bury or Burn: The Cremation Question".

One final thought . . . I do not intend to become a crusader of Christian burial over cremation, it is just that I no longer hold them as two equal options, and after an honest read, I don't think you will either. Nevertheless, if you take a look at the material and still believe that cremation is just as acceptable as burial, I'll still conduct your funeral. Let's just postpone it as long as possible, OK? We all have a lot of work yet to do.

A Brief History of Christmas

2007-12-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

The first mention of a Christmas celebration was in the year 336 A.D. when a Roman calendar called the Philocalian Catalogue listed it as a holiday. Some believe that the actual date of Christ’s birth was in the spring. Clement of Alexandria, a noted church father, stated that some church historians place His birth in April or May. Epiphanius, a bishop in Cypress, said the Christians in Egypt believed Christ to be born in January.

The date of the Christ’s birth was disputed by the church, but John Chrysostom, a noted church leader, helped the fourth century Christians come to agreement on the date to be celebrated. They agreed that Christmas Day should be December 25.

The custom of giving gifts not only came from the gifts given to the Christ child by the wise men, but it was also Roman custom. Roman Christians were used to celebrating a pagan holiday during this time of year, where they gave gifts to their children. When they received Christ as Lord, they continued to give gifts as they celebrated the Lord’s birth.

During a particularly difficult time in the history of England and Scotland, the celebration of Christmas became a time of revelry. So much so, that a member of a household was chosen to be responsible to keep the family in order. For a period of English history, celebrating Christmas was actually outlawed do to the commotion caused by the holiday. An act of Parliament in 1555 brought refinement to the celebration by emphasizing the Christian elements of Christmas.

In 1627, the English Parliament, which was dominated by Puritans, abolished the singing of Christmas carols, since such singing was viewed as being part of a worldly festival. This produced a scarcity of Christian hymns to be sung at Christmas time in the 17th and 18th century. Charles Wesley’s Hark! The Herald Angels Sing was one of the hymns written for Christmas during this time.

During our modern era, one of the great Christmas challenges for us is to look beyond the commercial enterprises of our day and remember why Christmas exists. It is a day that celebrates the love and grace of God as the first gift-giver to the world. He has given us His only son . . . and through Him the gift of personal salvation through faith in Christ. That’s the real gift that keeps on giving.

Research Sources
1. Unger’s Bible Dictionary, 1957, Moody Press, p. 196.
2. Eerman’s Handbook to the History of Christianity, 1977, Eerdman’s Publishing Co., p. 147.
3. Amazing Grace, 1990, Kregel Publications, p. 374.

When Your Truck Rattles

2007-11-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

My truck turned 70,000 miles this last week and I took it in for an oil change. I have been enduring a rattle for the last six months. The rattle did not affect performance, but it bothered me, not enough to do anything about... at least not yet.

Then last week it started getting worse and I had had enough. I made the appointment and this coming Tuesday, my truck gets healed.

Then there is my six month check up at the dentist. I really don't look forward to that each November and April. The scrapping, poking, grinding and polishing is a great thing to have behind you, but the alternative is worse. So I made the decision to get them worked on.

Then I had another issue surface . . . my heart. 30 months ago I had surgery to repair and valve and my heart is good, strong, no leakage and surgey did what it was supposed to do. Yeah!

The problem is infection. Since the surgey I have battled infection in the heart sack that turns me into an 80 year old man in five days once the infection hits. And so far it has hit about every three or four months in the last three years, combated only be regular steriods. Yuck!

So I got tired of this rattle too and I'm going into see the heart mechanic on Tuesday. Granted this is a little more complicated, but I have hope it will be fixed too, one way or another.

The point of this little writing is simply this. Irratating things continue to get worse until we make a decision to change, and we usually don't make a decision until we feel growing personal pain.

What decision do you need to make that you have been putting off?.

Doing Creekside a Favor

2007-10-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

There is a word used in the Bible that we use a lot in our culture, it is favor. We ask someone to do us a favor and it means that we need them to extend a kindness for our benefit.

God's favor can rest on people, cities, companies and churches. Noah found favor (Gen.6:8), Jacob asked for favor (Gen. 32:5), David found favor in serving (I Sam.) and God's favor was on mankind that first Christmas (Luke 2:14).

We are now asking you to pray with us for favor in the eyes of the city officials in Mountlake Terrace for a petition we are asking of them.

The elders and I have been working on the possibility of partial occupancy at our new campus and we need the city's permission to move forward. Basically, this means we are petitioning the city to allow us to close off the front part of the campus until it is completed and only use the back portion of the campus.

If the city agrees, this will be a temporary solution until we can fully complete our campus, however, we do have the resources to finish that portion of the campus if we receive permission. This means we would be able to move our worship services , pastor’s offices, children and youth ministry and Ethos University all into the back portion of the new campus. We would worship in Finch Hall using multiple services.

This is NOT a done deal, so we will be asking you to pray with us that we receive favor from the city towards this request, which they have not typically granted in the past, but seem willing to talk about with us. If this request were granted, it would be possible to move in very quickly, so pray hard!

Thanks again for standing in faith with us as we move forward.
Don

Good Bye Grady Dawn

2007-09-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

I've enjoyed many days fishing aboard my boat, named the Grady Dawn, but those days are gone, at least for a while.

This Sunday I'm teaching on the miraculous provision for Peter's tax bill (Matt. 17), which was basically fulfilling an annual building pledge for the temple. Even though Peter had paid this tax every year, this time would definitely stand out in his mind.

This was a spiritual adventure in giving for Peter.

I have been involved many building campaigns, and one thing I have noticed: each time God wants us to give more to build our faith.

Last Tuesday I met with our elders for breakfast. I knew we would be launching Walking on Water this Sunday and our church needed to raise $400,000 as soon as possible. I knew what God was asking me to do, but I was too afraid to talk about it with my wife, because of the sacrifice it would require.

At breakfast, I confessed my fear to the other elders and asked them to pray for me. Everyone one of them put their heads down, but not to pray. Each one around the table said they also knew what God was asking them to do, and they were also afraid to talk with their wives about it. So we prayed for each other.

Later that day I wrote Brenda an e-mail, and told her what I believed God wanted us to do. I couldn’t say it face to face. Wednesday at lunch we talked and prayed together and she agreed.
We knew that God was asking us to give, nearly twice what we’d ever given before, and that the only way to give that amount was to sell something . . . our boat. Ouch.

Last summer when I was fishing, and it was a great year, at one of the fishing camp fireside devotionals by missionary Ray Badgero, I sensed God asking me to again give Him this boat, to make sure He owned the things I had title to.

I have heard that voice many times asking this same question. It is the only way things are prevented from becoming idols in our life. I again said yes as I had many times before. About two weeks ago, Jesus reminded me of this coversation and said He needed it now . . . for the Creekside Church's Walking on Water campaign.

So on Thursday I sent one e-mail to one person, Ray Badgero, and on Friday the boat was sold. It is being purchased by the Copper Island mission we support and will be used by one of the young missionaries in ministry there, reaching out to native kids. We asked God what amount we should give to Walking on Water, not what we could afford, and He told us.

Then we asked Jesus how we could give that amount, and He told us, "Sell the boat."

Then we asked Jesus how we should sell it and He told us, "Call Ray."

Yesterday, I met with a fishing friend of mind and told him what God was asking. He reminded me that seasons of giving are great opportunities for us to partner with God.

Just like Esther in the Old Testament, who was asked by God to intereceed for her people with the King, which was at risk of her own life. Her uncle reminded her that she could cooperate and be used by God, or not. But if she chose not to cooperate, God would use someone else to get teh job done and her chance to cooperate in the plans of God would be lost.

I don't want to loose an opportunity to cooperate with God. I can assure you that if you ask God what to do, it will be just a miraculous as Peter’s fish story and our boat story. . . which is not over I'm sure.

Fish Kissing

2007-07-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Last Month a group from Creekside traveled to Ilwaco for a day of sturgeon fishing. It was a blast. I took Jason Deuman, our youth pastor with us for his first fishing trip with me. Jason did great, catching a 45 inch, 15 lb sturgeon. I didn't do too bad either, catching a 50 1/2 inch, 25 lb fish. I was so excited I posed like I was kissing it.

Now sturgeon are an ugly fish, with a sucker type mouth, but it reminded me of a story from my childhood. You know the one about the princess that kissed a frog and it became a handsome prince.

I have often wondered what went through her mind just before she kissed the frog. What if the talking frog was just playing a trick on her and he wanted to get a kiss from a pretty girl. What if nothing happened except a laughing frog and a girl with a slimy mouth?

Of course, the moral of the story is that there is a wonderful prince inside the frog just waiting to be released, if the princess believes enough to take a chance and kiss the frog.

I think that moral is a lot like Creekside Church, not that we are a frog . . . or a sturgeon. But the frog would have stayed a frog if the princess didn't believe a prince was inside and her faith helped fulfill his destiny. We needed someone who believed in us and our future too.

And someone does believe in us, Creekside, and his name is Jesus. Last week I shared with you the scripture from Matthew 12 about Jesus healing the bruised reed and rekindling the smoking flax into a flame. That is just what is happening to us. Our bruises are healing. The smoke is being replaced with fire. There is a king, just like in the story, who is willing to believe that our destiny is about to be fulfilled.

So everytime you see something ugly, like a frog or a sturgeon, just remember that change is not only possible, it is predictable when Jesus gets involved. He changes us from the inside out, heart first.

2nd Graders and Mother's Day

2007-05-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome Mothers!

Sunday May 13th was your special day and we honor you for all you do. Some 2nd grade children were asked to answer some questions about their mothers.

Why did God make mothers?

Mostly to clean the house, but she's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is. Also to help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

He used dirt, just like for the rest of us. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

Why did God give you your mother & not some other mom?

We're related and God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.What kind of little girl was your mom?I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy, but they say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about dad before she married him?

His last name. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?Why did your Mom marry your dad?My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world, and my Mom eats a lot. She got too old to do anything else with him. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.

What's the difference between Moms & dads?

Moms work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them. Dads are taller & stronger, but Moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's. Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?

Mothers don't do spare time. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?

On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think she need’s some kind of plastic surgery.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

That’s the cute side of mothering, but we all know there is a serious side as well. Here is a survey about how parents and teen relate to each other. Hundreds of teens from Christian homes in America were surveyed and asked the following eight questions.

1. I admire the way my parents live their life.
13% No
25% Sometimes
62% Yes

2. My parents make spending time with me a priority.
19% No
30% Sometimes
51% Yes

3. My parents understand me.
28% No
26% Sometimes
46% Yes

4. My Parents listen to me when I talk.
11% No
21% Sometimes
68% Yes

5. Top 6 things guys CAN’T talk to their parents about:
64% Sex and sex issues
53% Dating relationships
53% Pornography
35% Failure
21% Drugs & alcohol

6. Top 5 things I CAN’T talk to my parents about:
66% Sex & sex issues
49% Lonliness
45% Dating relationships
42% Stress
36% Suicidal thoughts

7. My parents regularly encourage me in my spiritual journey.
17% No
26% Sometimes
57% Yes

8. If I made a major mistake I would go my parents for help.
27% No
27% Sometimes
46% Yes

Test Driving Your Marriage

2007-04-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

I am reading part of this article for my Sunday teaching April 29, so I am posting this so you can red the whole thing. To hear the teaching on "Test Driving Your Marriage" go to www.thecreeksidechurch.org .

The Living Together Myth by Michael J. McManus

Why was Jennifer Wilbanks a runaway bride? Some hypothesize that she was under stress due to her elaborate wedding with 14 bridesmaids and 600 guests. I believe the issue goes much deeper.She bought the myth that it is smart to live together before marrying.

But she was deeply troubled about the prospective marriage, and did not know how to stop the train of events. Few brides hop a bus to flee across country to escape the wedding. But of 5 million couples currently living together, 2.25 million will break up short of the wedding.The conventional wisdom is "Try on the shoe before you buy it."

Bad analogy. A shoe has no feelings if it is rejected. But the person who is cast aside in a "premarital divorce" suffers agony similar to a spouse who endures an unsought real divorce.Yet those who buy the living together myth have soared from 430,000 in 1960 to 5 million today. Cohabitation is the dominant way male-female unions are formed - not marriage.

Only 2.2 million marry in a whole year.In fact, if the same percentage of people married today as in 1970, there would be a million more marriages a year. The myth of living together as a step toward marriage has diverted tens of millions from even marrying. There were 21 million never married adults in 1970, but 52 million in 2003.

Of those aged 30-44 in 1970, only 13.4 percent were unmarried. That figure that has more than tripled to 44.2 percent.Another living together myth is that it will produce more stable marriages.In fact, couples who lived together before marriage are profoundly more unhappy, fight more, commit more adultery and are 50 percent more likely to divorce than those who never cohabited.

A new study reports that even a month of cohabitation hurts a future marriage.This is secular evidence that Scripture is correct: "Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed be kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral."Yet have you ever heard a sermon on living together?

I bet not. Why not? Pastors are flummoxed by this issue. They do not know what to say. Fortunately, there is an answer, suggested by Paul's letter to the Thessalonians: "Test everything. Hold onto the good. Avoid every kind of evil."

Couples who live together to test the relationship are embracing evil. A better way to test the relationship is to take a premarital inventory which asks the man and the woman to indicate whether they agree or disagree with 150+ statements:"My future spouse sometimes puts me down. My family approves of my future spouse."

A tenth of those who take a premarital inventory, decide not to marry. Their scores are equal to those who marry and later divorce. They have avoided a bad marriage before it began.It is ideal if the couple discusses the issues on the questionnaire with a mature couple in a vibrant marriage than with a pastor. A trained mentor couple can devote 5-6 sessions discussing all of the inventory items while a pastor might give only an hour for feedback.

In my home church my wife and I trained mentor couples to administer an inventory and to teach skills to improve the premarital couple's ability to resolve conflict.

Reactions?"The inventory helped us in ways we did not expect. Issues came to the surface that are relevant/critical to our relationship," wrote one woman on an evaluation form. A man said the inventory "was extremely important because it allowed me to see things that may become an issue later in marriage.

We have a lot of differences to discuss."The mentoring? "Our mentoring experience was wonderful! Our mentors demonstrated tremendous patience and wisdom in sharing with us and in helping us talk through the issues in our relationship.

We learned a lot from them."Of 288 couples prepared from 1992 through 2000, 21 couples dropped out, mostly to break up. Another 34 couples completed marriage preparation but decided not to marry.

Thus, 18 percent of couples didn't marry. Of those who married, there have been only seven divorces or separations. That is a three percent failure rate over a decade or a 97 percent success rate.Compare that with 100 couples who live together: 45 break up short of marriage. Ten continue to cohabit. Of the 45 who marry, 33 will divorce, leaving only 12 couples still married.

Those numbers explode the living together myth.

A Picture of a Lasting Marriage

2007-04-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

As we start our "Headlock or Wedlock" marriage series next, I thought the following story was appropriate. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

On the 21st of the month, one of the best man I know will do what he always does on the 21st of the month. He'll sit down and pen a love letter to his best girl. He'll say how much he misses her and loves her and can't wait to see her again.Then he'll fold it once, slide it in a little envelope and walk into his bedroom.

He'll go to the stack of love letters sitting there on her pillow, untie the yellow ribbon, place the new one on top and tie the ribbon again. The stack will be 180 letters high then, because the 21st will be 15 years to the day since Nellie, his beloved wife of 53 years, died.

In her memory, he sleeps only on his half of the bed, only on his pillow, only on top of the sheets, never between; with just the old bedspread they shared to keep him warm.There's never been a finer man in American sports than John Wooden, or a finer coach. He won 10 NCAA basketball championships at UCLA, the last in 1975.

Nobody has ever come within six of him.He won 88 straight games between January 30, 1971, and January 17, 1974. Nobody has come within 42 since.So, sometimes, when the Basketball Madness gets to be too much -- too many players trying to make Sports Center, too few players trying to make assists, too few coaches willing to be mentors, too many freshmen with out-of-wedlock kids, too few freshmen who will stay in school long enough to become men -- I like to go see Coach Wooden.

I visit him in his little condo in Encino, 20 minutes northwest of Los Angeles, and hear him say things like "Gracious sakes alive!" and tell stories about teaching "Lewis" the hook shot. Lewis Alcindor, that is...who became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.There has never been another coach like Wooden, quiet as an April snow and square as a game of checkers; loyal to one woman, one school, and one way; walking around campus in his sensible shoes and Jimmy Stewart morals.

He'd spend a half hour the first day of practice teaching his men how to put on a sock. "Wrinkles can lead to blisters," he'd warn. These huge players would sneak looks at one another and roll their eyes. Eventually, they'd do it right. "Good," he'd say. "And now for the other foot."Of the 180 players who played for him, Wooden knows the whereabouts of 172.

Of course, it's not hard when most of them call, checking on his health, secretly hoping to hear some of his simple life lessons so that they can write them on the lunch bags of their kids, who will roll their eyes."Discipline yourself, and others won't need to," Coach would say. "Never lie, never cheat, never steal," and "Earn the right to be proud and confident."If you played for him, you played by his rules: Never score without acknowledging a teammate. One word of profanity and you're done for the day. Treat your opponent with respect.

He believed in hopelessly out-of-date stuff that never did anything but win championships. No dribbling behind the back or through the legs. "There's no need," he'd say.No UCLA basketball number was retired under his watch. "What about the fellows who wore that number before? Didn't they contribute to the team?" he'd say.No long hair, no facial hair. "They take too long to dry, and you could catch cold leaving the gym," he'd say. That one drove his players bonkers.

One day, All-America center Bill Walton showed up with a full beard. "It's my right," he insisted. Wooden asked if he believed that strongly. Walton said he did. "That's good, Bill," Coach said. "I admire people who have strong beliefs and stick by them, I really do. We're going to miss you." Walton shaved it right then and there.

Now Walton calls once a week to tell Coach he loves him.It's always too soon when you have to leave the condo and go back out into the real world, where the rules are so much grayer and the teams so much worse.As Wooden shows you to the door, you take one last look around. The framed report cards of his great-grandkids, the boxes of jellybeans peeking out from under the favorite wooden chair, the dozens of pictures of Nellie.

He's almost 91 now. You think a little more hunched over than last time. He steps a little smaller. You hope it's not the last time you see him. He smiles. "I'm not afraid to die," he says. "Death is my only chance to be with her again."

Problem is we still need him here."There is only one kind of a life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere. Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters." So says John Wooden.

What's Your Dream?

2007-03-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Holding onto your dreams can be tough, especially in the face of discouragement. God has a dream for Creekside that He is counting on us holding onto. I found the following story was encouraging.

This preacher, at the age of 53 became quite frustrated because his goal was to write a book. He had a manuscript and he had spent years in writing this book. He was so excited; he felt that some publisher would certainly want to print it and put it into circulation.

After going to about 13 or 14 publishers, of which none of them would take the manuscript and publish the book, he was so discouraged one day that he took the manuscript and he threw it in the wastepaper basket and said, “My dream will never come true. That book will never be a reality.”

His wife, whose name was Ruth reached over and began to pull the manuscript out and said, “Oh Honey, let’s give it one more try. Let’s send it to one more publisher.” And in his disgust and frustration, he forbade her to pick up the manuscript and said, “Don’t you ever take it out of that wastebasket. It will never be published.”

So his wife, Ruth, the next day ¾ you can’t keep a good woman down ¾ takes the wastepaper basket, puts it in a sack, wraps it up, and sends it to the publisher like that. The publisher says, “I’ve never had a package like this.” He opens it up; there’s the wastepaper basket. The manuscript is inside the wastepaper basket. She didn’t take it out! This publisher took it out, he read it, he liked it, and he published it. It was the first book of Norman Vincent Peale, “The Power of Positive Thinking.” Thirty million copies sold and he began living his dream.

Hold onto your dream. Phil 1:6 says, " . . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

"I Hate My Job!"

2007-02-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

I hated working at Greyhound. In college, I would work for Greyhound during the Christmas season. They paid well enough, but I still hated my job and I was glad I was a temp.

My job was to load the luggage of the passengers onto the bus, as well as the packages being shipped. I had to work swing shift from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm, and that is also not my best time. My only joy in the day was Brenda bringing me dinner.

In addition to that, I had a supervisor named Ed that had it in for me. He was a preacher's kid who hated God and I was a ministry student, and every opportunity he got to stick it to me, he did. I hated that job.

One time I loaded the luggage incorrectly and when the bus pulled forward to load the passengers, it ran over a suitcase. That heavy bus crushed that bag and then I was really in trouble. I hated that job.

I had someone else recently say, "I hate my job" and I had to admit that I wouldn't want their job either. There are some jobs (we've all had them) that just don't work well for us, so we don't work well at them. Beyond simply hating our job, though, what is it that we are looking for from our jobs? It seems to me that sometimes we are looking for something from our jobs they will NEVER give us.

Your job will never provide the deep self esteem and approval that only God can give you. Only a heart connection with the Father will do that. Your job will never give you the consistent sense of satifaction you get from serving others. Only using your God-given gifts to advance Christ's kingdom will do that.

Besides the obvious reason for having a job, like money, I believe we are at our jobs for two reasons: 1) It is a primary place of ministry to others, and 2) it is the primary place where I grow spiritually.

God wants to grow us spiritually through our job. 40% of our lifetime will be spent at work. If we don't learn how to integrate work into our spiritual life, 40% of our life is spiritually wasted. God doesn't want that, for sure, so I believe He wants us to integrate our work and our spiritual life, so we learn to actually grow spiritually on the job.

I know God's goal in our life is to develop Christ's character in each of us, and I believe He wants to use our job to help accomplish this. I want to suggest three ways our jobs fit into God's plan.

First of all, God uses pressure at work to teach us responsibility.

"Live life, then with a due sense of responsibility, not as people who do
not know the meaning of life, but as those who do." Ephesians 5:15 (Ph)

Being a responsible person means doing just a few things right, and they are spiritual characteristics. For example, God want us to keeping our promises. At work someone depends upon you to keep your word, and that is a spiritual issue. It is an issue of responsibility and that is critically spiritual.

"God blesses the one... who always does what he promises, no matter how much it may cost." Psalms 15:4

Another practical and spiritual thing is simply meeting deadlines. It sounds simple, but it is incredibly important. Meeting a deadline for those you serve is meeting a deadline for Jesus. And how about be responsible enough to work without supervision. It is all about serving others as if you were serving Christ, because you are.

"Don't work hard only when your master is watching... work hard all the
time, as though working for Christ." Ephesians 6:6-7 (LB)

Secondly, God uses people at work to teach me about relationships.

Next to your family, your closest relationships are often at work. God uses work to teach us how to get along with people, resolve conflict, accept the challenge of being transparent and learning to trust people.

I like the way the Message read in Romans 12 16-18 says, "Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody.

Briefly put, we've got five relationship commands in this scripture that can be applied to our work relationships, and most of them have to do with our attitude towards other people.

Finally, God uses problems at work to teach me character.

"We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials for we know they
Are good for us - they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops
strength of character..." Romans 5:3-4 (LB)

Work is one of the places where we run into problems. Often these problems call for patience and endurance on our part. I know there are times when we need to change jobs, but most of the time we simply need to perservere through the tough time.

There is no shortcut to learning patience and endurance cannot be learned without pressure. As a follower of Christ, we have to believe that God has us at our jobs for a reason. Our jobs are an assignment from God and He will move us on when He needs us another place.

If you hate your job, or just don't like it, and are hoping to move on, take a few days and actually pray about it. Ask the Father if He has other plans for you, or if He is building something into your lfe. If you cut and run too soon, you will just set yourself up for the same lesson someplace else.

The Father's Blessing

2007-01-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

Last week I was teaching out of Matthew 3 where Jesus was baptized and when He came up out of the water He recieved His father's blessing. The "blessing" was a big, verbal phrase that basically said, "Son, I'm proud of you."

As I thought about that phrase I realized all the times my father had told me he was proud of me. I had recieved my father's blessing at many point in my life. His blessing has helped make me the man I am today. In effect, my father's blessing has also affected my children. They have recieved the second generation blessing through me.

I have talked with a lot of people who did not recieve their father's blessing, for a variety of reasons, and they always seems to have a missing element in their life. After coming to Christ, that Father Blessing can begin to come into their life, if they will let the Spirit communicate to their heart.

I also realized that I needed to continue to pass on to my children the Father Blessing to my children. I need to remind my son how proud I am of him and what a good worker he is. I need to tell him that I love to watch him lead worship and grow in his marriage.

I need to remind my daughters what a joy it is to see them grow in Christ and grow as wives and mothers. I need to remind them to pass on the blessing to their children as well.

Each January I write a personal letter that I attach to my will. It is a letter to my wife, my children, grandchildren and my daughter-in-law and my two son-in-laws and most of the letter is a blessing. I want the last words they read from me to be words of esteem, love and a heartfelt blessing.

Maybe you are reading this and you feel like you could use a blessing. I know I feel that way sometimes. The Bible teaches us that we reap what we sow, so if you are in need of a blessing in your life, I suggest you bless someone else. Blessing other people can be a real blessing.

Hurt & Hope

2007-01-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

When I anwsered the phone I knew it was going to be a long conversation. He said, "Don, I have to tell my wife the worst news I've ever had to say. I have been unfaithful. Do you think we have a chance?"

Then an e-mail from someone else, "How can I ever trust God again. My best years were stolen from me by a man who lied to me. Can I ever recover from this betrayal?"

Then a personal conversation, "My dad left my ,mom when I was growing up and my mom was so needy she had nothing to give. Now I'm married and I feel like a shell of a man. Can I ever recover from my childhood?

Over the last several weeks I have had a dozen or so tough conversations with people looking for answers. Many of these conversations were the result of deep hurt in their life from other people.

Adultery, abuse, dishonesty and rejection just to name a few. Husbands hurt their wives and wives hurt husbands, parents hurt their children and children hurt their parents. People hurt people.

The toughest question I 've been asked, and asked myself, is, "Why did this happen to me?" The truth is there usually isn't a good answer to that question and frequently there is no answer at all.

I believe in a loving, benevolent, all powerful God, who could prevent all pain, abuse and hurt, but he doesn't, atleast not here on earth. I don't know why, but He doesn't. Instead, He chooses to join us in our pain.

I have been thinking about Job's comment in the Bible, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him . . ." (Job 13:15). Job handled hurt, and false accusataions from friends, and a wife that deserted him, and the loss of his health, and the death of his children and the complete loss of his business. This man knew a little something about pain.

He knew God could have prevented all this loss, and instead God not only allowed it, He incited it. What's up with that?

Somehow Job knew that through the middle of the pain, God was his source of hope. Satan hoped that the pain he inflicted would cause Job to curse God and turn, but instead Job chose to draw closer to God as his source of hope.

There are so many questions that remain unaswered. Job must have had them too, but somehow, in the middle of the deepest pain of his life, He was able to turn to God and declare, even if He takes my life, I will still keep my hope in Him. WOW! Where does that kind of faith come from.

I wish I had a clever formula to share with you about how to overcome hurt, but I don't. I could tell you to tie a knot and hang on when you reach the end of your rope, but we all know platitudes have no sustaining power.

I guess the greatest power point in the story of Job is that it is possible to find hope in the middle of hurt. Just knowing hope is possible gives hope. The fact that Job was willing to declare that even if God took his life, there was no other place to go for hope, talks about how deep Job's relationship with God was.

I guess it all boils to down to a choice. Job could have chosen hurt and given in to bitterness and the poison it brings, but instead he chose hope. At the end of the story, Job is blessed and everything he lost is returned to him and he lives to be an old man. Remarkably, God never answers the "why" question about Job's loss and pain. He doesn't have too. He is God,

At this point, Job now knows and understands why he went through what he went through. Job has no more questions. It all makes sense to him now. Job now lives in a world without pain and loss. Someday you will too. Someday you will have all the answers that elude you now, and so will I.

Until then, we have the opportunity to respond or react to hurt and pain in our lives. What is it about properly responding to hurt, and looking to God for hope, that prepares us for God's blessings in the future?

Women in Ministry

2007-01-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

This week I will address the role of women as a part of our Sunday teaching in a new series.

The role of women in ministry is a very controversial topic in many circles, regardless of which position you take. Many articles and books have been written to argue both sides, and you can actually support both positions from certain scriptures.

The fellowship that our church is affiliated with, the Assemblies of God, has always recognized the role of women in ministry, and so do we as elders. I have worked with women pastors, elders and Creekside has always had women deacons. This is a subject I have given a lot of time, study and thought too. Here is some of what I have learned.

The Bible teaches that both men and women were created by God and equally bear His image (Gen. 1:27). Each was to share oneness and community (Gen. 2:23-24) and was to share jointly the responsibilities of raising children and having dominion over the created order. The desire to “rule over” another is the result of human sin and Genesis 3:16 is a prediction of the effects of the fall, rather than a prescription for God’s ideal order.

When the New Testament church was formed, the Holy Spirit was poured out on women and men alike, as was predicted (Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:18). In the New Testament, women as well as men exercise prophetic and priestly functions (Acts 2:17-18). Furthermore, the Spirit gives gifts to all those born again without distinction of gender.

There are only two passages in the entire New Testament which might seem to contain a prohibition against the ministry of women (1 Corinthians 14:34 and 1 Timothy 2:12). Since these must be placed along side Paul's other statements and practices, they cannot be considered absolute. Instead, they seem to be teachings dealing with specific, local problems that needed correction in those churches.

In the case of I Timothy 2:12 the meaning of Paul's statement, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man . . ." have puzzled many interpreters. Is the prohibition of women teaching and exercising authority a universal truth, or was Paul reporting his application of truth for the Christian community where he and Timothy ministered?

From a survey of passages on women in ministry, it is clear that Paul recognized the ministry of women. Yet there were some obvious problems concerning women in Ephesus. Some were evidently given to immodest apparel (1 Timothy 2:9), the younger widows were "idle,... and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not" (1 Timothy 5:13). In his second letter to Timothy, Paul warned against depraved persons (possibly including women) who manipulated "weak-willed", or "gullible", women (2 Timothy 3:6, NIV).
1 Timothy 2:9-15 strongly suggests that Paul was giving Timothy advice about dealing with some heretical teachings and practices involving women in the church at Ephesus. The heresy may have been so serious that he had to say about the Ephesian women, "I am not allowing women to teach or have authority over a man." But we know from other passages that such exclusion was not normal in Paul's ministry.

For example, Romans 16:3 says, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.” We know from culture that the leader was always mentioned first, so it is obvious that Priscilla was the ministry leader of this couple. Paul repeats this again in I Cor. 16:19 and II Tim. 4:19, where he openly declares them to be leaders of the church that meets at their home. They are basically pastoring a church together, with Priscilla leading.

It is also interesting to also note Titus 2:1-3. The word for “aged men” is the Greek word, “presbuterous” or elder. In verse three, the word for “aged women” is the exact same word; only the feminine version is used. It is also a common understanding that words for both elder and pastor are used interchangeably in the New Testament, so we cannot say it is OK for a women to be an elder, but not a pastor.

The primary scripture used to support men only as elders is Titus 1:6 which reads, “ An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.” (NIV) The focus of this verse is to make sure that church leadership has solid Christian families and to combat the cultural impact of polygamy, not to exclude women in ministry.

In attempts to understand and put into practice appropriate relationships between genders in the Body of Christ, our sole authority has been God’s will as expressed in the scriptures. A few isolated scriptural texts appear to restrict full ministry freedom to women. The application and interpretation of those passages must take into account their relation to the whole teaching of scripture and their specific contexts. When the Bible is interpreted comprehensively, it teaches the full equality of men and women in status, giftedness and opportunity for ministry.

Now, having said this, you should understand that I am not a crusader for women’s rights. That is not the purpose of the church and becoming a crusader for anything other than the gospel is not a part of our mission. All of us gave up our rights and became servants when we came to Christ, but I do believe that God does see both men and women as having equal opportunities in the Kingdom, as reflected in this scripture, “ . . . There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:26-28 (NIV)