Jesus, Master of the Universe

I was a spoiled kid growing up. Need proof, just ask my brothers, parents, heck just ask anyone that knew me as a kid. There were certain things I enjoyed as a child and one of these things was collecting action figures. A brief list of my action figures included: The A-Team, Transformers, Micheal Jackson (red jacket with silver glove), GI-Joes and He-Man Master of the Universe. The He-Man collection was my personal favorite toys/action figures. It is a collection that I still have today and will pass on to my son someday. However, it wasn't a full collection until I had Battle Cat.

I needed Battle Cat and this would make my collection complete. I was 5 years old and this my life's desire at that time. I drove my parents nuts, because they couldn't find Battle Cat anywhere. They looked all over Western and Central PA in every toy store they could possibly find and we couldn't find him. I was a depressed little boy, well that might be a stretch, but i know I wasn't happy.

Then we started to search Eastern Ohio and finally we found him and my collection was complete. Battle Cat was now mine. I was on cloud nine and i could now fight Panthor with Battle Cat. And now when my friends would come over we were able to have more fun playing with the both cats.

This reminds me of the story when Jesus talks about looking for the lost sheep. Luke 15. 4-6, "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'"

Jesus calls us to go to the end of the earth to find those who are lost. First we are called to our own communities, to our state, our country and then to the entire world. Are we willing to go where ever we are called to reach the lost and bring them into the fold.
My parents drove all over Western PA, Central PA and Eastern Ohio to find a toy. But they also drove all over Western and Central PA on Lay Witness Missions to seek out the lost and bring them a message of hope.

Jesus is the Master of the universe. Are you willing and able to travel all over the country side in seach of the lost sheep to bring them into the flock so His collection is complete? Unfortunately it is going to take a lot more than just one person to make the collection complete. Good thing there are millions of Christians throughout the world to held with this task. Your not alone, so join the search and make Jesus collection complete.

When You See My Face Hope it Gives You....Help

Many of you reading this are familiar with, or have at least heard of the band, The All-American Rejects and their song When You See My Face Hope it Gives You Hell. The song, is going to be one of the all time great break-up songs of today. One day, however, my family and I were riding in the car and the song came on and Marissa was singing the chorus in the back seat when we heard this, "When you see my face hope it gives you HELP." Donna and I smiled at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. We found out later that Marissa honestly thought this is how the song went, she thought they were saying "help."


I thought to myself and said, wouldn't it be nice if that's really how the song went. This could be a great anthem for the church. Unfortunately, many Christians have the look of hell expressed on their face rather than the look of joy. The majority of people in the church, who claim to be Christians look like they were baptized in pickle juice. It is not wonder that people turn away from the church, because they only see sour patch faces. There are faces in the church expressing joy, peace, love and happiness, they are just not the first ones seen.


I'm also reminded of the Coors Light commercials featuring the "bitter beer face." As I greet people coming to and leaving church, I tend to see faces with that bitter expression. They wear the mask of Christianity when people are watching them, but soon as the eyes turn away the mask comes off. Why do "Christians" look this way, when they have fallen in love with God? I think the real question is, have they fallen in love with God?


What would it look like if people did look at Christians and felt they could find help? When Jesus was traveling with His disciples, people from all over came to Him to find help. He helped people be free from their chains of sickness, oppression, death, disease, ailments and above all from sin. When they saw His face, they found help. Later when Jesus commissioned the disciples to carry out His mission, people continued to find help in their faces.


When people enter the doors of church today, do they find help or bitter faced people taking communion with sour patch kids and pickle juice? Or, are they taking communion with the blood and body of the risen Christ, and then sharing in communion with one another? Lifting each other up, encouraging one another, praying for one another, laughing with one another and crying with one another. I don't want to sound redundant by always talking about relationships, but it's going to take this to for the church to be the church again. It's easier to be in relationships with people when we greet them with authentic, God given, joy, rather than looking like we just sucked on a lemon.


The mission of the church has not changed and we are instructed to make disciples. Our part in the making process is to show the love, joy and peace of God. Then the Holy Spirit does the rest, you know the hard part. The Holy Spirit changes the persons heart, soul and mind after they see and receive love from us. When someone sees our face they should see the love of Christ. If they see something other than this, it will likely turn them farther away from the church and from God.


What is expressed on your face? Is it something that is going to give people Hell or Heaven? I pray it is Heaven, for this is the kind of help our world truly needs. Our world doesn't need any more people walking around looking lost, sad, miserable, lonely, afraid, or ticked. Again I say, Christians need to show authentic, God given, joy. Where does this joy come from, it comes from loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And if you love your neighbor as yourself, then that's the love they need to love God. And in the end you've helped someone when they saw your face.

Religion vs. Relationship

I am one who tends to believe that Christianity is to be known for more than just another religion. Also, I don't like to call Christianity a religion, because then people feel they have to be religious. Typically I find when people think of themselves as religious, they think of themselves as "holier than thou." Now I don't have a problem with Christianity being a religion and calling Christians religious, I just feel there's more to it than this.

However, the word religion does scare me a little. Religion scares a lot of people. Religion can be and has been the cause of war. Do I need to mention the crusades and let us not forget Jihads. These "holy" wars have damaged the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths and their followers. Religions offer a lot of rules and regulations to follow. All three of these religions have a lot rules, better known as commands. And religious people believe if they follow these commands they will be saved forever from eternal punishment. You know, follow the rules and go to Heaven, break the rules and go to Hell. But Christianity offers something that the other religions don't offer. Christianity offers relationship, and I believe that this is what Christianity is to be.

I define relationship as a strong bond between two or more people. We have relationships with our spouse, parents, children and friends. Webster's defines a relationship as a romantic or passionate attachment. Now your saying wait a minute, that sounds intense, I don't have romantic or passionate attachments with anyone but my spouse. The word passionate is defined by Webster's as being capable of, affected by, or expressing intense feeling. I believe we have experienced these intense feelings by people who love us. I believe that Christians are to be passionate for Christ. Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the bride. Typically a married couple has a romantic and or passionate attachment to each other.

Jesus was capable of, affected by, and expressed intense feelings for God's creation. Jesus was and still is a man of relationship. If Jesus was not capable of intense feelings, He would not have went to the cross. If Jesus was not affected by intense feelings, He would not have went to the cross. And if Jesus was not able to express intense feelings, He would not have went to the cross. Jesus going to the cross is all about relationship. It was God's way of making right what went wrong in the Garden of Eden. This intense feeling Jesus expressed was the act of love. Love is what we need to have relationship.

Jesus told His disciples to love God and to love their neighbor. Last time I checked, everybody wants to be loved. Christians are not to be religious, but to love religiously. Religion and being religious does not change lives. Loving people and wanting to be in relationship with them changes lives. This is what Christianity is, a relationship that changes lives for God. My definition for Christianity is a relationship to God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, it's to love God through the cross of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are able to love God then we are truly able to love our neighbor.

Put religion aside and try to have a relationship with God. God is not looking for people to follow rules, He is looking for people to be in relationship with. He's looking for you.

The Difference Between a Church Goer and a Christian

A funny thing happened today, however it wasn't funny haha as it was funny weird. Today at church one of out most faithful members, in attendance and service, decided to leave the worship after offering and buy a newspaper. This was something I did not notice, but my wife was downstairs with the Children's Sunday school class and noticed him leaving. When he entered the church he was carrying the Sunday paper, although he was trying to conceal it by hiding it behind him. As he walked up the stairs, my wife noticed him carrying it with him.

After the service was over, my wife noticed as she walked behind the very last row of chairs, that the paper had been opened and the sports page was laying on top. The paper was obviously being read. I did not notice this taken place, however I did think that he was sitting in an odd position in the back of the sanctuary. Evidently the Pens are more important right now than God. This same gentleman has pulled people out of church, during worship, to hold a meeting in the fellowship hall. I am familiar with Church Meetings, as in Church Camps, but this takes it to a whole new level.

What I am struggling with is people thinking that as long as they go to church they're "in." Church has become a part of the "To Do List." A Church Goer is one that uses checks church off the list as done and honors him or herself by doing a good thing. While a Christian goes to church for nurture, growth, support and to worship and honor God. I have noticed there are more Church Goers in church than there are Christians.

I have hear recently, from my wife and a dear colleague, that just because you're in a garage, doesn't make you a car. But the belief by most people is, if they attend church, then they are a Christian. Not so. A Christian is one who does not do church, but is church. A Church Goer does church. The difference again is the action of being and doing. Jesus never asked us to do church, He commanded us to be the church. How are we to be the church? It's simple.

Jesus commanded us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as our self. Simply put we are to be in koinonia with God and neighbor. If we do keep these two simple commands then we are being the church. When we love God with our heart, soul, mind or strength and love certain neighbor but mainly love ourselves, then that would make you a Church Goer, that is if you go to church. If you don't go to church, but watch it on TV at your home, then your either a shut-in or a Church Watcher. A Church Watcher is far worse than Church Goer, because there is no chance for fellowship with God and neighbor.

How does a Church Goer become a Christian? By preaching the Word, proclaiming the name of Jesus and if you have to use words. We are to love the Church Goer as Christ loves us. We cannot make them change and be Christian, we can only pray the Holy Spirit will make the change within them.

A Church Goer, Church Watcher or Church Ignorer is only one step away from being a Christian. There was a time in which we all had to take that step and now we have to show the love of Jesus so others will follow and take their step.