Emmaus Road Church

The Book of Eli

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

The Book of Eli is a fascinating movie full of both suspenseful action and spiritual truth. The movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world where Denzel Washington walks his way through bleak landscapes dotted with abandoned cars and deserted homes. To be alone in such a world is precarious at best and dangerous at worst. We discover early on that he is both resourceful and fierce when it comes to surviving.

He is not just surviving though. In fact he has a mission. His mission is to go West with the last hard copy of the Bible. This is what he is doing and the audience is brought along for the ride. His mission westward brings him into a seedy little ghost town which is ruled by the owner of the local brothel. A tyrant without morals, he is on a hunt for the very book Denzel is carrying.

The chase is on and Denzel must repeatedly fight for his life and for the safety of the book. Without giving away the ending let us just say that Denzel's success depends ultimately not on his possession of the book but on his reading of the book. It is clear as the film unfolds that owning a Bible is not the key to success but reading the Bible and taking its words to heart are.

How many of us own a Bible, or maybe even three of four? They are not hard to get our hands on. Just visit a hotel room. How many of us realize how precious it is to be able to open it and read? This in fact is one of the major themes of the Book of Eli. When Denzel escapes from the clutches of the brothel owner he is joined by a young woman brilliantly played by Mila Kunis. She is curious about the book and the world before the war. When she asks about what it was like before the bomb ripped a hole in the sky Denzel replies, "We didn't know what was precious. We threw things away that people nowadays kill for." Reading the Bible and not just owning one, is a precious gift.

It is intended to be opened, read and lived out. This is a message we have seen more than once from Hollywood. It is the call for authenticity. It is as if the Production Companies are sending a message to Christians, "Don't just carry it around. Open it up and live what it says. Then we will respect you. Then we will listen to you." Jesus himself warned about becoming a religious hypocrite as well. In Matt 23 he warns, "Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is for men to see." (Matt 23:3-5) He then goes on to rebuke these religious people calling them hypocrites and blind guides. The Greek word here for "hypocrite" is the same as the word for "actor." He is saying that religious people who own a Bible but do not ever open it or read it are just "acting" they think they are on stage, they are not authentic. And they are not fooling anyone either. They are just like the brothel owner.

Mila is intrigued by Denzel's authenticity. She says to him. "Do you really read the same book everyday?" He responds "Without fail." And then she says, "Will you read some to me." This is the cry of the next generation to us to "read some to them." Our world is not as bleak and desolate as the one portrayed in the Book of Eli, but it is close. And the next generation feels it more than we do. Whether it is international terrorism, or the rising divorce rate, the next generation feels adrift in a sea of disintegrating values. Mila's character wants so much to discover something more. To find something precious in the midst of the rubble. She finds this in Denzel who reads the Bible and prays with her. These are two simple acts we often take for granted, yet they truly are precious gifts from God. Don't let today go by without enjoying each one.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray continually"

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another."

Source: The Book of Eli

He's cheering for you!

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

This morning as I came into the kitchen I was greeted by 10 month old Kenzie Parker, sitting in her high chair and clapping for me! The spontaneous round of applause warmed my heart and made me remember the Gospel. God is a lot like Kenzie Parker. In a very real way He was applauding when you woke up. "I love you!" He says, "I'm so glad you are up and we get to spend another day together!" This is what theologians call 'common grace.' It is the rain that falls on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Every one of us is God's unique creation made in his image and sustained by His sovereign power. The fact that we woke up tells us that God is applauding. For to be sure, if God did not want us here we would not have woken up. Today is an opportunity to hear His applause of you. He is clapping, not because of your good deeds or right beliefs but simply because He made you and in His grace loves you deeply. Jesus also talked about another type of applause from heaven in Luke 15 where he said, "there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent." This is the rejoicing of the Father over the lost son who has returned. It is a conditional applause. Conditional upon our return to the Father. Our repentance. Recently I repented of prayerlessness. Heaven was applauding. What have you repented from lately? Heaven was applauding! The Father runs to us when we repent. He kisses our neck and rejoices over us. This is the applause of heaven we can hear today. It is a little louder than 'common grace' it is the applause of reconciliation, of forgiveness. There is another type of applause that is yet to come. The applause of the last day when we will stand before Judge Jesus and he will say to us "Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness." (Matthew 25:23) This final applause is the loudest of all but it is nothing compared the the applause we will be giving to Jesus for saving us and receiving us into His kingdom. This is the true applause of heaven not towards us but towards Him, the creator and sustainer of all things. The one who loved us in our low estate. The one who died so that we might live. The one who claps when we wake up saying "I love you! I'm so glad you're up so we can spend another day together!" He's cheering for you! Now let's cheer for Him!! Today and forever. Pastor Rich

Source: He's cheering for you!

Is there Free Parking in Heaven?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

I just got off the phone with the company that hosts our website. I wanted to end our relationship and move on to someone else. In the course of my conversation they proposed a third option. I could change my account to a free "Domain Parking" status instead. I don't have to pay them anything again ever but they keep my domain name registered for me. It is like free parking on the world wide web.

I was initially very excited when they explained this to me. I get the benefit of keeping my domain name and website up and running but I have no cost. The more I thought about it though I realized what a tenuous arrangement this is.

For those of you with churches or businesses in todays world you know how vital a website is. To be without a website in North America is like Michael Jackson without his glove or a Tarantino film without blood. Its just not right. Yet even though my website is vital I am expecting to get it for free. Not only for free but I am expecting someone else to do all of the work while I sit back and enjoy unlimited free parking on the web.

Isn't this the way many of us treat heaven? We agree it is vital and necessary and yet expect to have our space reserved at no cost to us?

If you are a Christian you have no problem admitting how vital it is that you get to partake in that great and glorious day when Jesus will return and God will wipe every tear from our eyes. Even those of you who aren't Christians can agree that, if heaven is a reality, you don't want to be left out. And that to be left out of heaven would be...well...hell. Literally.

And yet, we want free parking!! We want to have a no-cost arrangement which enable us to reserve our space there while we do whatever we want down here. We want the comfort and assurance of a spot in heaven without changing our lifestyle or our priorities before we get there. The words of Jesus strike us as very strange. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the Gospel will save it." (Mark 8:34-35) Instead of denying ourselves we prefer to indulge ourselves.

During World War II Deitrich Bonhoeffer was one of the Christian pastors in Germany who stood up against Hitler while many of his colleagues did not. He wrote about cheap grace. "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow upon ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate." He contrasts this with costly grace. "Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought out again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it give a man his only true life. Above all it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us."

What does this costly grace look like today in North America? It looks like us putting God in the center and living for his pleasure and fame instead of our own. How do we do that? It starts with simply reading our Bibles. 1 John is a good place to start. It starts with killing our excuses and taking time to get alone and pray. It starts with inviting our neighbor over for dinner and talking about more than sports and weather.It starts with working our jobs with integrity and praying for our co-workers. These are simple steps but they require the power of God. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives inside Christians through the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit's resurrecting power we can live out a life of costly grace.

For non-Christians this means admitting and submitting. Admitting that you need a savior and submitting to Jesus as your Lord. This is something you can do anywhere anytime. It is generally followed by telling others about your new direction and inviting them to watch you get baptized.

When we do these things, we will find that God is more amazing than we ever gave Him credit for and that living for Him is better than we expected.

Source: Is there Free Parking in Heaven?

A New Center of Gravity

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

"Every generation gets a chance to change the world."

This is the U2 lyric on the latest Blackberry commercial. It is so true. This is really what we are up to in our efforts to plant Emmaus Road. We are trying to change the world. And even though it is not happening overnight, it is happening.

It was extremely useful for me to get away last week to study in Canada. I had some great times of prayer and reflection on our mission as a church and I came home fired up to reach the Eastside with the Good News together with you. I have been reading 1000 pages for one of the classes that I took there called "Becoming a Missional Church."

God is using the books to remind me how easy it is to reduce the Gospel to make it manageable. As I pay attention to my own soul and to the struggles that some of you have shared with me, I am more and more convinced that all of our difficulties spring from this same source: a misunderstood and truncated gospel.

We live in an egocentric age where it really is all about "me" We therefore tend to evaluate our life choices through that grid of "what's best for ME?" of "What's in it for ME?" We are the center of our own universe and everything is evaluated in that light. My career, my clothes, my money, my spouse, my free time, all orbit around US like the planets fly around the sun. If our career does not bring us joy, we change it. If we have money in our bank account we are the ones who choose how to spend it, and we usually spend it on making ourselves happy and comfortable. ME ME ME. We can reduce God to one of the "things" in orbit around us. If he does not make us happy or comfortable, well then He better beware because we might just move on. Church becomes an accessory to our life that helps us feel better about ourselves rather than a team of people who I depend on (and who depend on me!) to become effective ambassadors for Jesus.

Yes Jesus did say, "Come to me and I will give you rest." But he also said "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

If we go through life thinking Jesus came to make us happy we will avoid suffering and treat all hardship as if it is against the will of God. "God wants me to be happy" is a small and truncated Gospel. It is good news :-) but it is not THE Good News. The Good News is bigger than this. Was the cross a "happy" place? NO! It was painful and horrible and lonely, yet it was the Father's will that Jesus go there. And if Jesus had avoided it, in the name of 'staying happy', we would be lost in our sin. This is the Good News. God goes to unhappy places and experiences un happy things to make it possible for others to enter into the eternal happiness of communion with God. As Christians this is exactly what we do too. We go to unhappy places (homeless shelters, retirement homes, AIDS hospices, our neighbors' house) and experience un happy things (people who are poor, lonely, sick, bored) to make it possible for others to enter into the eternal happiness of communion with God.

This is our chance to change the world.TO lay our lives down for others.

1 John puts it this way, " This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." Jesus said this was the defining mark of his followers. "love one another: just as I have loved you," he said "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

We are fooling ourselves if we think we can pursue our own temporal happiness and live as the center of our own universe and be Christians! Its a lie, a reduced Gospel, and shallow facade for egocentric living, an extravagant SUV driving through the slums with a "Jesus loves you" bumper sticker on it, a farce, a joke.

Instead we are called to see that God is the center around which everything, including us, orbits around. So when our careers are hard, or family life is challenging, we do not evaluate it on a scale of how much it pleases us, but rather on a scale or how much it pleases him.

I would be much happier to sleep in every morning and let my wife get up at 6am with the 4 kids, cook them breakfast, get them dressed etc. BUT does this make Jesus happy? To see me sawing logs while she parents alone?? NO! But doesn't Jesus want me to be happy and sleep in? NO! He wants me to love her the way He has loved me by laying my life down for her. God is more interested in conforming you to the image of Jesus than he is in making you temporarily happy. So as I reenter into church planting with you I want to call us all to become even better theologians who do not reduce the Gospel, who live with God in the center of our lives, and who realize by the power of the Holy Spirit that it's not just ME ME ME.

Encouraged to be with you on the road!

Source: A New Center of Gravity

Celebrate Freedom

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Freedom freedom freedom.

It was a word tossed around a lot this weekend which was only enhanced by listening to the compilation of 70’s freedom rock that accompanied the Newcastle Firework show at Lake Boren Park.

Freedom is a core value for Americans. And it is a core value for the New Testament as well, but in a different sense.

Jesus brings freedom to a bleeding woman in Mark 5 and tells her “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” A few chapters later in Luke 13 Jesus encounters another woman. This woman has been unable to stand up straight for 18 years. “he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.” Jesus follows this healing by teaching about freedom. “…should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"

In Luke 4 Jesus casts the vision for his ministry in the words of Isaiah. Up in front of his hometown synagogue in Nazareth Jesus claims "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.”

What kind of prisoners does Jesus have in mind? Is he worried about the oppressive world power of the Roman government squatting on Jewish land? Is he interested in freeing his people from their pagan rule? Is he focused on freedom of speech or freedom of religion?

The answer must be “No.” The freedom Jesus has in mind is a deeper and more comprehensive freedom. It is a freedom from physical suffering, a freedom from physical infirmity and a freedom from spiritual slavery. Instead of seeking to overthrow Roman rule and bring about political freedom Jesus instead seeks to overthrow Satanic rule and bring about spiritual freedom from sin.

In John’s Gospel Jesus promises this deeper freedom. John 8:31-36 “Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Jesus is here claiming to be God’s Son who can set us free from sin and give us a permanent place in God’s family as one of the Father’s kids. This is a more significant sense of belonging than the one we get from our political affiliations or our citizenship. In fact this is a truer citizenship than the one marked on our passport because it cannot expire or be revoked. The freedom Jesus promises comes when we hold to his teachings. It is a freedom that cannot be lost. And it is a freedom we celebrate more than once a year.

Every Sunday Christians around the world gather to celebrate that Jesus “has died as a ransom to set them free” (Hebrews 9:15). We celebrate our freedom from sin. Not only are we free from guilt but also from condemnation and from its power. Every Sunday this freedom is celebrated by billions of people across every color of skin, every nationality, every ethnicity, and in every language. It is not just for Americans it is for humanity.

Hallelujah! We get to do more than wave a flag or blow something up to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ. Instead we get to live free from sin and we get to invite others to experience this freedom with us.

Our neighborhoods and workplaces are still full of people who have not yet experienced this great gift. Christians don’t just live out their freedom but we also invite others into it.

This Sunday Emmaus Road will celebrate freedom from pride, freedom from self-centeredness, freedom from self-righteousness, and freedom from all other kind of debilitating sin.

See ya Sunday!!

Source: Celebrate Freedom

Church is not an event

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

I was playing checkers with my two oldest kids. My son was in my lap, and we were teamed up to conquer Ellie-the-unconquerable. We have had the board for a while now, and so some of the checkers are on vacation or sabbatical. We replace them with bright orange tic-tacs and shiny quarters. It is a fun game but there is no peace because Colby is upset. He thinks he is losing but he is not.

You see, in our special version of checkers each time you jump an opponents tic-tac you get to eat it. I unwittingly put out more tic-tacs for us than for Ellie so that even though Colby and I were ahead, our pile of conquered checkers was sparse. Thus, the screaming child in my lap. Colby made the mistake that many church-people and church planters often make. He was measuring the wrong thing. Instead of looking at how many pieces he had on the board, he was looking at how many pieces he had on the floor next to the board. Those results did not please him.

For some reason a lot of churches are filled with people who are measuring the wrong thing. We measure butts. Butts? Yes, we measure butts-in-seats! We think that church is an event and so we measure success on how many attend the event and put their but in a seat. Does this equal success? Is this what Jesus was focused on?

No and no. Jesus did something quite different actually.

So what should we measure then? What is success? I think success is not Butts-in-seats but Believers-on-mission. How many of us believe the Good news that there is a loving God who created us in His image and likeness? How many of us believe the Good news that this same God came in the flesh to rescue us from sin, death and hell by sacrificing himself in our place on a Roman cross? How many of us believe the Good news that on the third day Jesus' tomb was empty and that He is alive? How many of us believe the Good news that now by putting our faith in Him we are made new and our bodies become God's temple as he literally dwells inside of us by the Holy Spirit? And how many of us go into the everyday routines of life with that belief as the center of all we are and do?

For Emmaus Road that means 6 things. We call them our "Values," or our "Missionary Rhythms." We REJOICE in the Lord always keeping God in the center of everything we do, from dishes to diapers to email we live with God in the center. We READ the Bible and let it shape and inform the way we live. We RECONNECT with other Christians by eating together, playing together, working together. We RELATE to our non-Christian neighbors and friends in the same way, by eating together, playing together, working together etc. We RESTORE People to Wholeness. This may be spiritually, emotionally, financially, relationally. Sometimes Restoring others looks like working on a Habitat for Humanity house, listening to their problems, paying off credit-card debt or just praying for them. Finally we REPRODUCE ourselves by mentoring and encouraging others around us to grow in the use of their talents and gifts.

These are the things the church should measure. Not how many people attended an event, but how many people did we restore to wholeness this week? How much time was spent reading God's word? How many meals did you share Reconnecting or Relating? How many ordinary daily tasks did we do with God in the center?

With this Biblical metric many churches we once thought hugely successful are... not so much. And many that we discounted... now seem strangely exciting. Living these "Values" out will result in more butts-in-seats, but that is not the goal. The goal rather is Believers-on-mission.

Butts or Believers...Which one are you?

Source: Church is not an event

Church is not a handbag

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

There is a phenomenon in our culture. I call it "church as handbag."

A Handbag is a luxury item that most women buy to hold all their junk while they go shopping. Now to be fair it is not strictly a luxury item. There is a legitimate need for a place to put your keys and your cell phone and other items. But honestly those things could fit into a zip-lock bag just as well as a designer leather purse.

All across America, men and women are treating Jesus' church like a handbag. A luxury item that serves a need but can be changed out as the fashion changes. You hear them talk about shopping for church.

Some might even buy, i.e. join the church. But often this purchase is not a permanent choice. They see the church as a useful event and a friendly group of people that meet their needs and give them a sense of spiritual purpose and direction in life. Thankfully, the Gospel of Jesus creates something different altogether. The Gospel produces a community of people who are devoted to each other in brotherly love. Emmaus Road is called to be a community like this. A community of people who go through life committed to each other and committed to Jesus come hell or high water. We do not discard each other and go shopping for another community like a used handbag. We work together to mix Jesus into the various areas of each others lives no matter how messy this might be, or how slow the process.

Source: Church is not a handbag

Baby #4 is here

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Tuesday February 10th 12:17am Kenzie Parker McCaskill was born!

It was a little overwhelming to realize that we had three other little ones at home waiting to meet her. Thanks to good friends and fellow missionaries to the Eastside we knew they were well taken care of.

My wife did an amazing job. Kenzie was 8 pounds and 10 ounces. Since that day she has continued to grow into a healthy and beautiful baby girl. She is sleeping well during the day and up frequently at night.

Church planting is hard but having four kids on top of it adds another challenge. It is funny when I tell people that we have four. They get a look in their eyes. It is a combination of shock and pride. Shock because they think having four kids takes a miracle of God. They have never heard of such a thing. Then there is the pride. They look at me and think. I am smarter than you because I figured out how to have less kids. As if we don't know how it works and live in a cave unaware of all the many technological devices at our fingertips for avoiding pregnancy. It never seems to cross their mind that we are sane people who decided of our own free will to bring 4 children into the world.

It is a lot of work. That is for sure. Yet each child is a blessing because they have been trained and parented well. They are not always perfect. They are sinners just like me and my wife. But nonetheless, they are still made in God's image and often reflect the character of Jesus more brilliantly than I do.

The planet does not need more humans. But it does need more God-centered, Jesus-preaching, Spirit-filled, grace-filled, truth-telling, missionaries who will engage with the brokenness and bring restoration. That is exactly what we are working hard to crank out, by God's grace, in these four.

Source: Baby #4 is here

The New Year

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Happy New Year!

Our God is a God of new things and a God of renewal.

I don’t know what you got for Christmas but we all love to get something new, don’t we?! A new watch, a new phone, a new car, a new kitchen. If any of these gifts were under your tree you would be rejoicing without a second thought. Especially if someone else has paid for it in full.

The good news of the Gospel tells us that through Jesus we have something new that is better than all those things combined. We have new life! The Holy Spirit says through Paul that Christians “…were therefore buried with Jesus through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4 This is the greatest gift of all. And it is something we all want and we all need. A new life. A life free from the same old habits. A life free from the distraction and dominion of sin. A life free from self-centeredness and self-worship. A life free from the snares of materialism, greed, loneliness, despair, and the like.

This new life comes in two stages. “Already” and “Not Yet’

The first stage is described in 2 Corinthians 5:17 where it says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” This is the new life that we already have. When we trust in Jesus for our justification, when we look to him as the basis for our self-worth, when we count on his righteous life and work on the cross for our right standing with God and with man, we become a new creation. Right there on the spot. If you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and as your Savior, then you are a new creation. If you have not done it yet, you are just a prayer away. As Jesus said, “Repent and believe the good news.” Becoming a new creation is that simple and that profound.

But there is part of becoming a new creation that has not yet happened.It is in the future. It will happen at the end of time when Jesus returns to judge humanity.

Jesus predicted this future day many times. The book of Revelation is a vision of what will happen. Towards the end of that vision John records what he sees. Just look at how many times he uses the word “new.” Revelation 21:1-5 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Though our faith in Jesus makes us new creations, we still wrestle with overcoming our sins and giving God full control over our lives. But there is a day coming when All of creation will be made new. After that day, sin and its effects will no longer screw with us. God will be our God and we will be his people. Everything will be made NEW.

We long for this day whether we are Christians or not. We all like new stuff. And we all wish we could be new ourselves. That is why so many diets, organic foods, and gym memberships are so popular. They are part of the human longing to be made new.

The good news is that Jesus offers us new life, both now and in the future, regardless of the shape of our body or the status of our abs.

Source: The New Year

December Weather

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

December 23rd 12:17pm

I hate to talk about the weather. I do all I can to avoid it in conversation. But this week that all changed.

Inevitably there are times when I find myself talking about it. It is almost an out of body experience for me. I look at myself and listen to my words as if I am a third party. Then I have the thought... "Oh no! I am talking about the weather!" Then I hatch a plan to change the subject and get to more meaningful material as quick as possible. This week changed all that.

The Seattle weather forecast came in last week calling for the storm of the century. They were one day off but they were not completely wrong. We now have over a foot of snow and it has been here for almost 5 days now and they say to expect even more tonight. What has this snow taught us?

DEPENDENCE // NEIGHBORS // GRACE

DEPENDENCE

We are all dependent on others and yet we live as if we are, as Borat would put it, "king in the castle, king in the castle." Our money and our technology have conquered the world around us to the point that we begin to think we don't need anything or anyone. This storm has reminded me how fragile I really am. All it takes is some snow and cold temperatures to take my "castle" and turn it into an igloo. How long could you really live without electricity in your home? And the tools to overcome this storm are all things that others have provided me with. The snow shovel I am using was made by someone else. The chains for my tires were made by someone else. The house keeping me warm, the grocer selling me food, the pump flowing with gas were all provided for me by others. My life depends on them.

We just went out for a date last night and our van was on E. So we thought we should get some gas. We went to three gas stations. The hand written sign at the third station said it all "Sorry! Out of Gas." With our gas light on we were beginning to wonder if we would make it. Luckily gas station #4 had the goods.

Power, fuel, heat. my life depends on these things. Even more crucial than these things is our need for God. He is the one we are truly dependent on,Hebrews 1:3 "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." We are sustained by His powerful word. This is the invisible force keeping us from disintegrating into a million subatomic particles.

NEIGHBORS

Shoveling snow is a great opportunity to meet my neighbors and also to serve them as well. We even had one neighbor who had 4 wheel drive come by just to check on us and see if we needed anything from the store. This neighborliness is unheard of when the weather is normal. On Sunday I bought some Coffee containers from Starbucks and we went door to door giving out free hot coffee. It was a great opportunity to be a neighbor and to treat others the way I would want to be treated. "Jesus said 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40 I know he had in mind hot coffee and a willing shovel when he said that. Instead of huddling around our own fireplaces, like homeless men around a barrel, Christians go out into the cold world to bring warmth to others.

GRACE

As I was shoveling the snow I realized snow is kind of like sin. It is heavy, it does not go away on its own and everyone has it. To get the snow off of your driveway is a lot of work. But ultimately without the warmth and heat of the sun we are just moving it around and not really diminishing it. Jesus is like the sun. In fact he is the Son, of God. His light and heat are the true solution to the freezing burden of our sins. Religion tells us to get out our shovels and go to work removing our sin. This is not what the Gospel says. Instead, the Gospel tells us to bask in the reconciling love of the cross of Jesus and to let his grace melt it away. When we do this we will find underneath the snow not the rock hard heart we had remembered but a new heart altogether. As Scripture says "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Praying you remember your dependence, love your neighbors, and receive God's grace to melt your sin and make you new.

Pastor Rich

Source: December Weather

Economic Situation

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

I was listening to National Public Radio today as they discussed the U.S. economy. The analyst used the words "scared" and "afraid" more times than I can count. People are scared he said, and understandably so. People are wondering if their retirement accounts will have any money left for them to retire on. People are wondering if their college savings funds will have enough money to send their children to college. People are wondering if they will lose their job, if they will be able to pay their bills, if they will be able to put food on the table. How can we as Christ-followers mix Jesus into this scary time? Trust, Generosity, Witness. //TRUST The Bible calls us to trust in God! And in case we were slow to do that as Americans, we have stamped it onto our coins and our bills. "In God we trust" Or as Psalm 56 puts it. "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" and Psalm 62 "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." whatever happens or does not happen with our economy we can always trust God to be our refuge. Do you have this trust in God as the bedrock of your faith? God will take care of you, even if you lose your job, or lose your 401K or watch your IRA tick rapidly down. God does not promise to spare us from these things but he does promise to walk through them with us. As Christ-followers in today's economy we should not be scared. Instead our trust in God should cause us to stand out as people with peace of mind and heart. This is actually a great OPPORTUNITY for us to be there for others who are scared and who do not have God in their lives to give them hope and peace. By talking with neighbors and co-workers about the economy we can bring up spiritual things and present the good news about our trustworthy God. //GENEROSITY The Church is not a building it is the people on mission with Jesus. And we are that people. Acts 4 tells us how the early Church lived out their mission with amazing generosity Verse 32 tells us "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need." In addition to God, we also have each other. We the church are here for each other, to help each other through whatever it is that comes our way. You are not facing this situation alone. We may not understand all of the pressures you are facing in your job, or in your finances, but we can sure pray for you and share with you the many resources and finances that we have been blessed with. Though we are a small church, we do have financial resources with which we can help each other as the Lord leads. This is not every man for himself but rather the body of Christ where all the parts have equal concern for each other. //WITNESS As we live out our radical trust in God and his goodness during this time, and as we model generosity to those in need, we inevitably become better witnesses. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Let us then, by the power of the God's Spirit within us, step out in trust and generosity. Let us then by the power of the God's Spirit within us open our mouths in witness to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who is a refuge to all who will call on him. For if we hold back now our fellow citizens will only grow more and more scared and the world will only become more scary.

Source: Economic Situation

Thoughts on Proverbs 13

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Proverbs 13:10 "Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." Ancient wisdom here warns against pride. This past Sunday I was cleaning up from our mobile worship service in the gym of Hazelwood Elementary School when people were offering to help. Dave was coiling cords and Dan was asking if I had anyone helping. In my 'Pride' I sent them both away saying things like, "you have done enough" and "I got it from here." Well, little did I know that, I did not have it. In fact, I really needed them. If I was wise I would be willing to take advice and willing to accept help. As it turned out, I was left alone. But never fear! God was there to make sure I learned my lesson. What was that? A car coming through the parking lot? Yes! Here was the help I needed but was too proud to ask for! I looked up in expectation to see... my wife and our three kids. A minute later I had two new helpers. Colby who is now 4 years old and Ellie who is 6. Neither one can lift a subwoofer. I continued to work at putting everything away, trying now to get it done in time for their rest time. They were actually great, but I did learn that my pride had sent away Dan and Dave, the two helpers I really needed.

Source: Thoughts on Proverbs 13

Emmaus Road Blog

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Everyone wants their children to grown up to successfully navigate life in today's world, whether you are a Christian, a Buddhist, an Agnostic or an Atheist. Today was my oldest child's first day in Kindergarten. And I am no different. She was excited and full of smiles while her mom and I were both anxious and scared. In all reality her preschool was only 15 minutes less time in the classroom per day than Kindergarten will be, but still, it feels like a big step. What does it really look like for our children to successfully navigate the big bad world out there? This is the question that every institute of higher learning must grapple with as it plans its lessons, field trips, lunches, and laboratories. I believe the Christian answer to that question is the most compelling and helpful. As I waited in the car I watched as the families from my neighborhood walked their children into the school. They were all different shapes and sizes. There were different languages, different skin color, different everything pretty much. In this diverse environment, which is actually mild compared to the city, the Christian vision of the Triune God is so helpful. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each distinct from each other yet all perfectly unified with each other in love and humility. A perfect example of unity in diversity. The Bible teaches that we are made in his image and so we too are hard wired to live in unity with our neighbors wherever they may be from. The competing worldview of secular humanism tells us that we are not made in the image of the Triune God. It tells us instead that we are products of random chance and that we must become fit to survive. Survival of the fittest pushes our children to compete with each other rather than work together for unity in diversity. In the end I fear that it is inadequate to sustain us as a human community in the 21st century.

Source: Emmaus Road Blog

Welcome to the new Emmaus Road Church Website!

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Welcome to our new website! Browse around and learn more about Emmaus Road Church. We hope you will come visit us this Sunday as our church gathers in Hazelwood Elementary School. Our site is still in the process of being finalized so check back soon if you don't find exactly what you are looking for.

Source: Welcome to the new Emmaus Road Church Website!