How is It With Your Soul?

How is it with your soul?  Christians around the world will be challenged to wrestle with this question during the season of Lent.  Lent, from the Anglo-Saxon word for spring, is the 40-day period (excluding Sundays) preceding Easter Sunday.  It is a time of personal reflection and devotion, in which we examine our relationship with God as we anticipate the celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.  In 2012, Lent will last from February 22 – April 7. 

Lent follows in the Jewish tradition of having a period of preparation before major religious observances.  The 40 day length reflects the biblical examples of forty days of fasting from food that were a common part of close encounters with God in the Bible.  Moses fasted for 40 days on Mount Sinai before receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28).  Elijah fasted for 40 days on the journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, fasted for 40 days before being tempted by the devil in the wilderness and then starting His public ministry (Matthew 4:2).

Many Christians choose to abstain from certain activities during Lent, specifically something that will be a sacrifice for them.  While not always true biblical fasting from food, it is a reminder of the 40 day fasts of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus who lived on a reduced diet during their period of personal reflection and devotion.  In our abstinence, we are to spend our freed up time with God. When we crave what we gave up, we can remember what Jesus gave up for us.  We also are to examine the barriers that come between us and God and each other, and how we might permanently get rid of them with help from the Holy Spirit.

Part of the Lenten tradition is to be more intentional in spiritual practices such as reading the Bible, praying, doing mission work, et cetera.

How is it with your soul?

Win

 

The New England Patriots and the New York Giants are in the business of winning football games. Success is measured by having more points on the scoreboard at the end of the game than the opposing team. On February 5, the team with the most points will walk away from the Super Bowl as the winner and the best team in professional football.

Light of Christ is in the business of partnering with God to transform lives. Knowing that we are being successful is not always as easy as looking at a football scoreboard. Life transformation is a messy, complex business. Yet, there are still some very clear wins. We experienced one last Sunday when nine-year-old Grayson professed his faith in Christ.

Here is what Grayson’s parents shared with the congregation:

Many of you may have never met our family….but we feel like we have met all of you. It has been 10 years since we started attending Light of Christ and it has been 7 years since we moved away from Charlotte. We came back a few weeks ago to meet with Pastor Kyle about speaking with our son, Grayson, about professing his faith in Jesus. Everything about the church has always been one with a foundation of basic goodness and love. From the smiles and nods we received from complete strangers, to the warm hugs of old friends—this is a church we cannot, nor do we ever want to lose in our future.

Pastor Kyle has been EVERYTHING to our family—he may not even realize this fact. Pastor Kyle baptized Angie and both of our boys. He officiated the wedding ceremony of my Angie’s brother and his wife who is a part of the Lynch and Light of Christ family. More than anything—he along with Lora and this church make you feel good about yourself and what you are trying to accomplish as a family, a husband, a wife—the list can just go on and on.

We started worshiping here when the church was at Jay M. Robinson, then the YMCA. We would have probably parked on the side of 485 if that were the place of worship. When we were pregnant with Grayson, we had a very rocky beginning. For 14 weeks, Angie was on complete bed rest and we had meals delivered from Light of Christ 4 days a week! That is 56 meals that went to the nourishment of our family at a time when we were functioning on a complete tailspin. We had constant hospitalizations and your ministry team was there every step of the way praying by our side.

When Grayson was born he remained in the NICU for 21 days and was just a pitiful site of tubes and incubators. One day a NICU nurse said to me, you have quite the support system. I said, “Our family has been wonderful.” She said, that it is true but she was referring to our church. She said that a member of the church had come every day to just pray by Grayson’s side. On the night of his birth she stated that someone even came in the middle of the night. From that day on, we knew we had chosen the right name for our child. He has been a “son of Grace” from Day One. This is why we could only have this church be a part of such a momentous occasion for us.

Definitely a win!

Is God Causing Tim Tebow to Win?

                   CBS Sportscasters "Tebowing"

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has captured the attention of America. Yes, that is likely the understatement of this young new year. Twitter announced that 9,420 tweets per second were sent immediately after Tebow’s game winning overtime touchdown pass to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday. Everyone from Tom Brady to Lady Gaga weighed in.

People typically either love or detest Tebow. He is a polarizing figure based on both his football abilities and his unapologetic faith in Jesus. While I am not a Florida Gator fan (sorry, Tim & Kelly) or a Denver Broncos fan (sorry, John Fox), I am a Tim Tebow fan. He carries himself with class and maturity, and is an amazing witness for Jesus.

Some have said that God is causing Tim Tebow to win. I’m not so sure, though, that God plays favorites when it comes to sports. Think about it:

- As much as we want to believe that God’s favorite team is the one we root for (Go Duke!), God loves all players, coaches, owners, teams, and fans the same.

- In most games, there are likely Christian fans of both opposing teams each praying to God for their team to win.
- There are many Christian athletes, team owners, coaches, and fans that lose a lot.
- There are many nonbelieving athletes, team owners, coaches, and fans that win a lot.

When I am asked to pray for individuals or teams prior to sporting events, I pray...

- That God would be glorified by the conduct of the athletes, fans, and coaches.

- That the players would play to the best of their abilities.
- That there would be no injuries.

Still, the evidence that God is on Tebow’s side mounts. When he played for Florida in college Tebow would wear John 3:16 under his eyes, as seen here.

John 3:16 concerns salvation, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.“

The NFL does not allow players to wear the black eye-messengers. No problem apparently. In Sunday’s win, Tebow threw for 316 yards. He averaged 31.6 yards per throw. The TV rating for the end of the game was 31.6. Really. No joke.

Now, I am not one who is big into numerology. Did God cause Tebow to achieve these specific numbers? Maybe. Are the numbers just coincidence? Maybe. What I take from this number stuff is joy because a lot of people are now talking about John 3:16, doing Google searches for it, and looking it up in the Bible...because of Tim Tebow.

God certainly must be pleased with the way that Tebow carries himself, how he represents the faith, and the manner in which he handles adversity. The cool thing about Tebowmania is Tebow’s example of using his position in life as a platform to witness for Jesus. He is an inspirational reminder that we can all represent Christ wherever we find ourselves with the gifts that God has given us. We don’t have to be NFL quarterbacks. We can represent Jesus in our everyday lives as bankers, students, homemakers, JV athletes, or whatever.

Tim Tebow is clearly an unashamed, faithful witness for Jesus. Can we say the same?

The Story

Randy Frazee recalls as a young boy being drawn to a black leather King James Version of the Bible that sat on his family's bookshelf in the hallway between the bedrooms.  It was a gift from his grandmother.  He would periodically unzip the Bible, lie on the floor, and begin to read with the simple faith that there was something in it that he desperately needed to know.  After 15 minutes or so, he would zip it back up and put it back on the shelf.  He really didn't get the message at the time.  He wanted to, but it wasn't in his reach.

Ever felt like Randy?  You think/hope that the Bible has something within it that you need to know - something that could change your life - but find that it is elusive.  No matter how much you read, do you walk away more confused than when you began?  If yes, then know that you are not alone.

The Bible contains the greatest story ever told, God's story.  What's even more amazing is that your story is a part of God's story!  The pages of the Bible don't contain an ancient irrelevant relic.  They are alive and can affect your life at this very moment!

If you would like to learn how to read the Bible in order to understand its application in your life, I invite you to join us at Light of Christ in 2012 for the series The Story.  We will explore the 31 most important stories together.  Check out www.locumc.org for more information.

Join us to discover your story in God's story!