Sunday evening we helped lead a collision of the worlds. A collision of the rich and the poor; of different races; but most importantly a collision of love. One that I pray no one will recover from. An overabundance of love was poured out.  I think Paul describes it best in the letter of Philippians, “Poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”

This collision occured at the John J. Barton Annex. The John J. Barton Annex is a  government housing facility managed by the Indianapolis Housing Authority. A very diverse crowd ethnically and nearly all of the residents fall beneath the “poverty line.” A group of Jesus followers from IMC and Heartland “poured an offering” of love and service into the lives of many friends and “strangers.” I’m pretty sure no one left the same.

One of the most consistent topics throughout all of Scripture is God’s heart for the poor. There is no way to escape that God desires for people whom proclaim to be active followers of Jesus Christ to be lovers of the poor and marginalized in our world. Whether it was through the breaking of bread together, handshakes, hugs, singing some music, sharing a message of hope available to everyone, Jesus uses it all to bring light into the darkness. 

Proverbs 31:8-9, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.”

As disciples of Jesus Christ, our purpose or calling is to help people take steps closer to Him. For the addict to be freed; For the hungry to be fed; and the hopeless to hear about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

I am tempted to be known for how many Bible verses I know, what my job is, or even what my possessions add up too but the reality is that, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” as Paul writes in Galatians.

Perhaps one of the most exciting things for me in the midst of this is having children participate in their own way.  Having children playing and introducing childlike joy is beautiful. As a parent attempting to raise children that spit in the face of a culture that rejects people based on their position in society… its a joy of mine to engage our children in these collisions of the worlds.

Loving God. Loving people. Following Jesus.

Ducks are also very kind for the most part, not like geese - so territorial and evil (Bono and I had a bad experience earlier this spring). But the main thing I think draws me to watch these animals is that they look like they are having so much fun. They swim, fly, dive, flop around in the water. And the thing that struck me today is that their day is basically comprised of eating, bathing, and napping. Who knew ducks had so much in common with worship leaders!

I like to watch ducks because they make me feel peaceful. They seem to have a pretty good lease on life. I want what they have. There is no worry in their lives. Hungry? Eat a bug. Dirty? Take a bath. Sleepy? Have a nap. They don’t seem to realize that in just a few short weeks they will have babies and those babies will be need to learn all of the important skills for survival in just a few short weeks and then the weather will turn cold and they will have to leave this place and fly south. Bono and I get nervous just thinking about it! Somebody needs to tell these ducks to wake up and get busy! There is much to be done. They are just a bit too at ease about all of this for me. After all, I have similar worries - what I will eat - how I will pay for it, where I will live - how I will pay for it, and on and on.

All of these worries of life can choke us, can’t they? Today in America, anxiety disorders are being diagnosed more than ever. People are so worried about life they need medication just to cope. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not slamming people who take medication). I myself am a worrier. I don’t deal well with stress. The wheels in my mind start turning and sizing everything up so fast that I freak out pretty easily. Matthew writes about a time when Jesus made a great point about this condition people are in and tied it to trust in God…

“Here is the bottom line: do not worry about your life. Don’t worry about what you will eat or what you will drink. Don’t worry about how you will clothe your body. Living is about more than merely eating, and the body is about more than dressing up. Look at the birds of the sky. They do not store food for winter. They don’t plant gardens. They do not sow or reap - and yet, they are always fed because your Heavenly Father feeds them. And you are even more precious to Him than a beautiful bird. If He looks after them, of course He will look after you. Worrying does not do any good - who here can claim to add even an hour to his life by worrying?” Quoting The Voice of Matthew, Lauren Winner.

So each morning as I sit and think about all of the worries of life, I will choose to be like the ducks. I will trust my Creator for everything I need. And I will ask my Father to ease my worries and give me peace.

 ”Lord, help me be more like a duck today.”

With the destruction of Bowser’s evil hold on the universe, everything is destroyed in an astonishing display. All things are reordered, restored and recreated. The game ends with a scoping shot of all of the oppressed peoples Mario has set free, dancing and leaping for joy. Mario raises a triumphant fist in the air. THE END.

It’s everywhere isn’t it? Light and darkness, good and evil, black and white. The entire universe seems to be entrenched in a collision of two opposing forces. And we love it, don’t we? We love this struggle, this story, this opus. It’s why we like words and phrases like “the beautiful struggle” and It’s why we love Lord of the Rings, but especially Return of the King. It’s why Superman is inspirational. It’s why thunderstorms are so awesome. It’s what C.S. Lewis was getting at in Narnia.

It’s also in the hurt. It’s in the anguished face of a Palestinian man mourning his child. It’s in the regretful tears of an alcoholic. It’s in the crushing guilt of adultery, or the abysmal pit of depression. It’s in the gutter, the ditch. It’s in the garbage dump. It’s in the slums and ghettos, the crowded shanty towns. It’s in the rain, isn’t it? I think it’s even in the rain.

It’s in our DNA. And as hard as it all gets, as nightmarish and hell-on-earth as life can be, we press on. Hope sets us alight, because there are moments in this final battle scene when we remember how it ends…Light beats darkness. Death has no sting. Love came down and They named Him Jesus.

Cue the music. THE END…is just the BEGINNING.

Every woman deserves flowers, so I buy her some flowers.  It is amazing how simply a gesture has such a great impact.  All day Sunday she told everyone how sweet we were for cooking her dinner, cleaning up, laughing, telling stories, and above all, bringing her flowers.  Maybe it’s the fragrance or the beauty that so touched her, but obviously this made a big impact.  Another friend came over to hang out too.  He was a man addicted to drugs and alcohol, but loved by Ms June.  She chased him down and told him about Jesus for a while, until he started coming to IMC, hearing about Jesus and eventually said he wanted to follow Him, got baptized, and the rest is history.  Me being as analytical and reflective as I am, leave that night full of thoughts but more than anything encouragements. 

So as we talked about everything from falling down while trying to dance to our interpretation of spiritual gifts I noticed one thing.  I was telling my friend about this when we were running and all I could sum it up with was this, “If you put these two people in a class with me (I attend a Bible college) their heads would probably spin around, but they have some of the best theology I’ve ever heard or seen.”  Basically I came up with this.  These two people have had hard lives, full of pain, but are following Jesus.  They don’t have a very affluent lifestyle, honestly, by most standards they would be considered below average, but they are beyond wealthy in my eyes.  They have had to internalize all this stuff they read in the Bible, all this stuff they learn about Jesus, they have had to rely on it alone to get them through some of the junk they’ve been through.  Because of this they have some of the most fragrant, beautiful faith I’ve seen.  There is something special about having to rely on God to get you through as opposed to just reading the Bible and doing what you are told to do.  Their lives look a lot less religious than most, but their walks with Jesus are also more colorful than most.  It’s this practical living that makes their very core sing joy, their souls light up.  She was pulling up to the building on Sunday morning and I said,” Ms June, your hair looks great, are you growing it out?” She responds with, “Oh Honey, thank you, but it will all fall out soon, this cancer is killing me, but God loves me and has a plan.”  Because of this Ms June has responses like that.

She says this in passing, like it is no big deal!  The beautiful thing is that to her it is NOT a big deal.  Her faith supersedes any of her circumstances.  Jesus has so impacted her heart that her life and faith show more beautiful than any flower ever could.  She thanks me for the flowers on Sunday, but we should thank her and people of faith like her, every day, for their faith is more fragrant and beautiful than any flower spring could produce. 

May your faith be fragrant, may it be beautiful, may you inspire others to want to follow Jesus more, not because you can preach a fancy sermon, or quote some doctrinal statement, but because your life is practical and the Bible comes to life in you!

It was rewarding to see the partnership evolving between our organizations and we look forward to many years of compatible and mutually beneficial programming. Thank you for caring about this wonderful historic building and for sharing the one thing that is most precious to us all - your time!

Cassie Stockamp

President, Athenaeum Foundation

NEW SURVEY FOR IMC

Earlier in January, one of our own committed people departed for active duty in Iraq. Allen & Kristen Bunch have been with Indy Metro from the very beginning!

Allen will spend two months in Goergia for preparation and then depart for Iraq. Please keep them both in your daily prayers!

Find IMC on Facebook

Its a great way to meet and connect with others at Indy Metro!

Andy Heaton- Adventures of a Confederate Hoosier 

Carl & Danae Bunso- The Bunso Bunch

Adam Sloope- A Roller Coaster Called Life

Aaron Story- Practically Speaking

Ben Kunkel- Ben's Weblog

Take a look at Kathy’s blog with many pics of her work: Vibrant Life. You will glad you made the visit.

Just over two thousand years ago, a poor, righteous woman named Mary, along with her faithful husband Joseph, also waited. They waited in a tiny hamlet called Bethlehem for the birth of GOD'S SON. Mary, who was still a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) would soon give birth to Jesus. What a miracle-a baby born to a virgin!! This part of the Christmas story is fairly well known.

What is not as well known is that God worked several other miracles, just in order to GET Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem in the first place! He used peasant shepherds, wise men from the far-away Orient, and He used the most powerful man in the world! Trust me.......Caesar was in power, but God was calling ALL the shots!

I hope you will join me this Sunday at Indy Metro for the rest of the story. It's a fascinating trip through time, and a chance to see the mighty hand of our sovereign God at work.

The service begins at 10:30 a.m. Indy Metro Church meets in the beautiful American Cabaret Theatre in downtown Indy. Just click the appropriate link for directions. 

See you Sunday! 

Within the last several years I have been blessed to travel around with friends and family.   In several cases those friends and family blessed me when I had opportunities to travel outside not only the U.S. but also more importantly my comfort zone.  When looking back on the most significant experiences in my life I come up with two that touch my heart in very similar ways, yet so differently from the others I remember.   I have experienced so much in my short life but the time I spent in Haiti and Grenada sit with me every day.

Not many people can say that they have been to these particularly poverty-stricken countries and I'm guessing that fewer will say that they enjoyed their time and would definitely go back.   Even though the purpose of my ventures there were strictly missions involved and my teams were there to serve the people of those countries, I came home blessed by what the countrymen gave to me.  

Haiti is the 3rd poorest country in our world and Grenada the 99th.   Those are sad positions to be in and yet when you are there you can't help but notice the children playing together in the streets completely oblivious to their bare feet and tattered clothes.   Their appearance might have been revolting if they hadn't been smiling and having a genuinely good time.  They have so little but that's normal for them so they don't know any different.   They don't get to celebrate birthdays and Christmas the same way we do in the United States.  Gifts are never expected and rarely received.   Life is simply surviving the day any way possible.

Unfortunately more than a hundred other countries share this bleak reality.   This year you and I have an opportunity to provide an enormous amount of joy in the life of a child in an impoverished country.   Through World Hope International and your help, hundreds of thousands of kids around the world will receive a 1-gallon zip-lock bag of goodies for Christmas along with the message of Jesus Christ.   This small token of love could be the first gift many of these children have ever received.  Coming from personal experience, seeing the look on a child's face when they see that someone cares enough to give them anything, is heart-melting. 

Indy Metro church has partnered with WHI to help provide as many Gift Paks as possible.   We have already passed out almost 80 zip-lock bags to get members started.   If you do not have one already all you need to do is fill a 1-gallon zip-lock bag of items suggested on the WHI webpage ( http://www.worldhope.org/hopeforchildren/giftpak.htm ) and bring it to IMC this Sunday before or after service or swing by the ministry center, at 405 Mass. Ave, during the week.  Please remember to add $5.00 in the pak to help with shipping costs.   

Again, the deadline to bring in your Gift Paks is THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH by 12:30p.m.

It is so easy for us to detect a “huge lie”, but in God’s eyes there is no such thing. Deceit is deceit no matter how you package it. We may think just a little “white lie” will never hurt anyone, and it for sure won’t hinder our relationship with God, but as we tell one lie, another usually follows shortly because we find ourselves having to cover up for the first lie. I don’t have to go through the whole scenario…you get the point. Everyone can probably think of a time when this happened to them. The problem is that as this continues, deceit just becomes a part of life, and it is not thought of as sin. In our minds, we begin to justify why we are not honest and we eventually become numb to what truth really is. Our perception of truth becomes muddy, and it is no longer pure, raw, authentic, open, and sincere. It becomes something that leaves you asking questions, instead of questioning nothing.

Why is it so hard to make our lives an open book…with God and others? God already knows everything, yet at times I have difficulty being completely honest with him! We have nothing to loose if we are honest and truthful. God will bless an honest, humble heart. We are all on this spiritual journey together, so let’s just be honest and face the fact that all of us struggle with things like this, instead of pretending that we don’t!

In addition to these two causes, lying involves pride.  It is prideful to think that our scheme is better than God’s plan.  In this situation, we need to remember two things.  One, that lying is as serious of a sin against the Lord as anything else, and, two, however we try to plot, deceive, and twist the truth with the intent of getting our way, the Lord’s plan will supersede. 

Furthermore, once ensnared in a lie, it is difficult to get out, and it will most certainly take considerable effort and time to heal any relationships injured by the lie – if it is to ever be healed.  Think about Jacob and Esau.  Jacob’s lie hurt Esau so much that he wanted to kill Jacob.  It appears that between the original events in Genesis 27 and the reunion of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 33, many, many years had passed, so, though Esau eventually forgave Jacob, we can only imagine how much change had to go on for both Jacob and Esau to get to a point where they could even see each other again.

With all of these negative characteristics related to lying, why would we ever let ourselves be so overcome with fear, greed or pride that we want to enter into such a negative area of lying?  In every individual situation, it is different, and the enemy works hard to find what will get each of us to the point where we would be tempted to lie.  As believers, we are indeed entrusted with responsibility of spreading the truth Christ, but I believe that we are also responsible to communicate truth in everything we say.  This is a simple way we can stand out from the world and be a witness to those who we encounter every day.

   If you think about it God did deal with this situation in a way that he may not have done with just anyone, but this was God’s chosen leader to lead his people.  I mean Moses had done a pretty good job up to this point so why would God come done on him by taking away his lifelong dream?  I don’t have the all the answers here but three things pop into my head:

·         Moses was a leader.  Not just any leader but the leader of God’s chosen people the one that they looked to as a representative of God.  So God held him to a higher standard.

·         Secondly he not only disobeyed and was angry but he dishonored the Lord in this by failing to trust Him to do as he said.  Numbers 20:12

·         Lastly disobedience by children of the Lord always leads to the Lord’s discipline! Proverbs 3:12

How does this apply to me?  Whether I am a great leader as Moses or not I need to recognize that the consequences for my actions are usually worse than I realize and they affect more than just me!  I need to stop and think before I act on my anger.  I need to live out James 1:19 (NIV), “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

My sin is never worth my broken dreams!

"Who does he think he is?"

"She is on my last nerve!"

"I have had it up to here!"

The vocabulary we hear day to day is filled with phrases to express anger.  Even angry music is popular, and it seems even more angry now than it was in the past.  Anger is everywhere, and it can easily become part of our daily attitude. 

Most everyone experiences some anger, whether outward yelling and fighting, or an under your breath comment, or festering anger that leads to bitterness.  Since we live in this imperfect, fallen world, there are so many things that can cause one to be angry, either rightly so or not.  The responsibility we have is to determine if the anger is righteous anger or if it’s sinful anger. 

An example comes from the life of Moses in Exodus 32.  When Moses returns after receiving the Ten Commandments, he sees his people worshipping the calf, he burns with anger.  At this point, the anger seems righteous, but what happens next, when Moses reacts, is where the problem lies.  At this time, Moses makes a split second decision to allow his anger to overtake him and he throws the tablets – the works and writings of God himself – to the ground to shatter in many pieces.

Based on the increasing presence of anger in our daily lives, I hope we can look at this story and see that in this situation and in many in our lives, we can keep the anger from being a destructive force, but channel it for positive.  If Moses hadn’t thrown the tablets, but used his righteous anger to communicate, he could have possibly communicated the problem without destroying the work of the Lord.  We will encounter anger in this life, but we do not have to let it destroy us or those we come in contact with.

What amazes me is Rahab didn't blink about her past sin once she made the deal with the spies. She didn't struggle with "Well, I don't know if God will come though. I WAS a harlot!" Once forgiveness is offered, she receives it and moves on with God. THAT'S faith!

I became a Christ-follower in August 1998. I will spare you from the details, but in a nut-shell, I was a wreck. I had long been addicted to and dealt meth, crack, coke and many other things. If you could drink it, snort it, eat it, or smoke it- I was there. One year prior to my conversion I found my best friend dead in his home. He had been shot in the head five times due to an argument over drugs. I had tried my best to destroy myself in finding satisfaction and fulfillment in life. There had to be more!

The day I surrendered my life to God, I didn't have much of a choice. I had tried everything to bring myself fulfillment and I was miserable. That day I made a deal with God. "You get me over wanting these drugs and I will give you my life." From that day forward I never had the desire to do meth or coke again. God had showed up in a BIG way. I was a NEW creation (2 Cor 5:17). You would think- "MAN that's awesome! Things must have been easy from there." Nope. I dealt with this thing called GUILT. I was such a horrible sinner I had a hard time believeing God would/could forgive and use someone like me. This could have crippled my growth as a new Christian.

Thankfully I learned how to trust God at His word even if I didn't understand it. The Lord gave me a nugget from scripture that I cling to even today when I struggle with guilt over confessed sin. 1 John 1:9- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

There are still days that I don't "feel" forgiven. It's during these times that I don't wallow in guilt over sin that I have already confessed. Instead I put emotion aside and trust what God promised. HE forgave me! No more guilt! I'M CLEAN!!

I'm not sure about you, but I am often amazed about the things that God wanted to include in His Word. We may view some instances as trivial, interesting or just plain odd. However, in God's infinite wisdom the "odd" things are extremely important and relevant. For example, genealogies; to read them in my early days as a new believer was a grueling and mundane task, I thought the phonebook had more action and suspense. Although, I learned to appreciate the significance of the genealogies as I became a better student of the Bible.

While reading through the list of people, stating who begat who, I see the marquee names of the infamous and courageous, who singlehandedly impacted their generation. I also notice the names that seem small and obscure; little or nothing is known about their life, but without them the course of human history would not be the same. Rahab is one of those names that seem little or insignificant. We know... of her loose lifestyle, she's pinned as a compulsive liar and the shady, "selling out" of her people. Rahab's actions that day in Jericho did not seem to be earth shaking, but her faith that day proved to be world changing. Generations later, Jesus Christ was born. With her, life goes on as we know it - without her, there would be no hope, no Savior and no redemption.

What will we do with our name?

O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.

Psalm 71:17,18

Rahab experience this freedom from guilt regardless of her horrific past.  This gives me hope that I too no longer need to deal with guilt in my life because of my relationship with Christ.  Rahab had a pretty shady past but God was able to intersect her life and change her life.  What a miraculous life change took place with Rahab.  I don’t know your past and what you are dealing with but God desires to intersect each of our lives and change us releasing us from our guilt.  Whether you have drug addictions in your past, prostitution, adultery, abortion or murder whatever your past God longs for us to come to him and be freed from this bondage of guilt.

Based on what we are told in the scriptures about Rahab, she was willingly sinning due to her profession, and certainly wasn’t living a life that really looked like she would be a hero of any sort…especially for the Lord.   

I think we can learn from her story the ability and power of humbly and shamelessly a going forward with it in faith based on hearing about God's power.  Given Rahab’s position in culture as a harlot, she probably wasn’t troubled too much by pride, desire for acceptance, etc.  She was just doing what it took to survive, and when she realized God’s power, she felt threatened by the people of Israel and judgment of the Lord.  At that time, she knew what she had to do, and didn't stop to ponder all of the possible negatives, nor did she hesitate to do good for God’s people.  She did this because believed in God’s power and wanted to be on His side.

This can encourage us in two ways:

1. No matter what is in our past, God can redeem it and put us in the right place at the right time to act in faith and have an impact for Him.

2. We can put ourselves on the other side of the story, and think about the people who were amazed about the parting the Red Sea.  They were part of the plan too!  Keep making note of the amazing things God is doing, and talk about it.  You never know who might hear, believe and maybe even become a hero!

I don’t know where you are today, but I know in my life there are probably several things that God is trying to tell me, and I’m most likely not hearing.  I don’t know if God is yelling them to me or trying to whisper, but however he’s trying to say it, I know I have to be listening to get it.  In the hustle bustle of everyday life, listening for God’s voice is tough.  There is so much “noise” that the world puts out to distract us.  This “noise” may be in the form of a job, social-life, school, or really anything that keeps us so busy we can’t stop and be with God.

God truly desires to have relationship with each and every one of us, and that is why I think God sometimes chooses to speak to us in whispers.  This way, with all the “noise” in the world, we have to be still and quiet before God to hear what He’s saying to us.  Can we take 30 minutes out of our busy schedule for God?  Don’t you want to hear what amazing, life-changing thing God is whispering to you? 

Some people really struggle with this disease, but the first thing I think of when depression comes to mind is oppression. The funny thing is when you look up oppression, one of the main references in the definition is depression. Now this seems like a lot of information to take in, but it’s truly not.

The thing is almost everyone has some sort of symptom of depression on a daily basis. Some people resort to pills, some to alcohol, and some to other things as a means of dealing with these symptoms. I think in a lot of cases they are trying cure or control the wrong thing. Take me for example, if I had a really bad day today…the car broke down, unexpected bills came in the mail, my kids were acting crazy…all these things could be depressing, but so many times it is a case of mistaken identity. Satan tries to take these things and use them to depress and oppress. If we don’t have the joy of the Lord in our heart, we tend to use the worldly cures listed above. When, in fact, these are opportunities to let the love of Christ shine through our lives at one of the most significant times.

When people question our sincerity, or our religion, or our life as a Christ-follower, our best “medicine” is for them to see us cling to Christ through our adversities. This is where our true colors have the opportunity to shine. So, the next time you feel “depressed” think about how Satan is trying to oppress you and use it to glorify Christ.

When I reflect on this whole passage in 1 Kings 19 and see the signs of exhaustion, depression, and emotional overload for Elijah I probably identify most with this simple and honest confession to the Lord. Truthfully, I think his confession didn't stem simply from the promise to him from Jazebel in 1 Kings 19:1-3 that he will be destroyed, but instead his descent from the mountain top. Elijah was riding high, experiencing great success at his job, making lots of friends, in great shape, and experiencings great blessings in llife. Clearly sitting on top of the mountain with God! And there is no other way but down from the mountain top!

Haven't we all had these moments? Those seasons when we are emotionally drained and left totally empty that we reach a point and say I have had enough! Having experienced great success and victory in life but then have to endure a season with God off the mountain. Even enduring the emotional overload that comes with success and not being prepared to endure the emotional drain that comes with being in the valley.

As I was reminded by Oswald Chambers in a daily devo last week we are not made for the mountain top but made for the valley because that is where the power of God is most displayed among others. This passage says a lot more about how to descend from the mountain top and stay alive in the valley. Or better yet, still somehow thrive in the valley with the Lord?

So the question to reflect on deeper is how well do I descend from the mountain top? Do I choose to be isolated from companionship or embrace the people God has placed in my life?  

Have you ever bumped into a person at a party or a restaurant?  Whatever is in their cup, whether it be a jack and coke or water, it spills and gets all over you and everything else around it.  The same thing happens with bitterness.  When I fill myself up with bitterness, when people bump me and when life bumps me, the bitterness spills out and affects others.  I was talking to a friend tonight and some of her friends are very negative and gossip about others a lot.  I guess something happen when they were in high school and her friend is still harboring the bitterness.  She is not fun to hang out with because she just constantly shows this bitterness.  People do this all the time and don’t even realize that the bitterness has affected them in such a way that no one wants to be around them.  It affects their friends, their family, their job, and everything else.  It’s a big mess really.   This really seems like a lot, like bitterness is heavy and it weighs you down, it is a burden to you actually. 

Jesus says his yoke is easy; it’s light, not burdensome.  Jesus commands us to get rid of all bitterness and forgive.  This is not easy, but it is not heavy.  Bitterness impedes our journey; Jesus is all about progression and growth closer to Himself, so anything that holds us down or is heavy is not of Him, like bitterness.  How liberating it is to let go of whatever it is that is plaguing you.  Jesus wants to take that burden from you, are you willing to hand it over?  That’s the challenging part though, the bitterness has become a part of you and now Jesus is asking you to rip it out.  I found that is the hardest thing for me to do, let it go, but I also found I am free to be who God wants me to be by letting bitterness go. 

Jonah missed out on the blessing of the gourd because he was so angry.  How many blessing do you think we take for granted and just not notice that God gives out freely because we are stuck in our bitter, pity party?  Let it go folks, it is the best feeling in the world. 

We wonder where all of this comes from? It stems from the idea that “I have rights!” In our society it has become about “My Way, Right Away!” From personal matters to fast-food! No matter how you look at it, with God and without God we are selfish people. And, sometimes we really believe we have “the right” to be angry and bitter if things don’t go our way.

Jonah was angry and he became bitter because he felt like his rights were violated. Actually, he became so bitter that he begged God to take his life! The sad thing about this story and my own life is that sometimes I do the same thing. I may never go to the extreme that Jonah did, but when something doesn’t go my way, or when something doesn’t get done the way I want it…I get angry, because I didn’t get my way!

The only way I can get off that kind spiritual roller coaster is to yield my rights to God. The only One who holds all of our rights in His hands. Philippians 2 is a perfect reminder of Jesus laying down His rights and what our attitude should be. God wants us to lay it all down and yield our rights to Him. Those who humble themselves, He will lift up!

Use your mind’s eye and think back to a similar exchange between Jonah and the Lord God. As Jonah sits on the eastern side of the great city of Nineveh, watching and waiting for God’s condemnation to fall upon its sinful inhabitants, nothing happens. Little does Jonah know, but God took the message that Jonah proclaimed and melted the hard hearts of the Ninevites. It is Just like God to be merciful and relent His grip, thought Jonah. Out of raw anger, Jonah unbridled his own frustration at God.

·         What was his issue?

·         Why the frustration?

·         Where did the loathsome attitude come from?

In Jonah 4:2-3 the prophet of God confessed why he ran to the remote city of Tarshish upon God’s missional commission to Nineveh. Notice what he said,

“Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

Jonah’s beef with God is three fold:

1.       Self-Righteousness:  God’s blessing did not need to go beyond Israel.

2.       Grace:  Jonah loathed the grace, mercy and love that God would grant to anyone outside Israel.

3.       Prejudice:  The prophet of God had no use for those outside of his “circles”.

Unfortunately, his personal beef with God planted seeds that sprouted a strong stalk of bitterness. Have you allowed harmful seeds to be planted in your life? What have they bloomed to be? What can be done to uproot them?

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

 When I sit back and look at some of the stuff I allow to make me angry I realize it all comes back to how I respond.  Jonah’s response was anger that he allowed to become deep rooted bitterness because he thought God had unfair mercy on the wicked city of Nineveh.  I am so thankful that God has that kind of mercy because I need that kind of mercy!  I mess up often and I am glad he forgives me and accepts me.  

My favorite verse in all of Jonah is 4:2b “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”  Jonah knew God yet failed to recognize that the same God who was gracious and compassionate on Nineveh was gracious and compassionate to him. 

Many people have a flawed view that God is waiting around in heaven for us to mess up so he can squash us, when in reality he longs to show us his love.  In fact his greatest demonstration of that was 2,000 years ago we he sent his only Son, Jesus to die in our place for our sins! Wow! What love! (Romans 5:8)    

On the other hand, an attitude of praise can keep us looking back to God, what he is doing in our lives, and thanking him for the many small, and some bigger blessings he shines on our lives.  Therefore, if we can change anything bitter in our lives to an opportunity to praise God, we may be able to lessen the tendency toward bitterness, and, thus, have a better view of God’s plan for our lives.  Only then will we convert something that could make us bitter, to something much better.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." - Philippians 4:8

1 Peter 2:11, "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul."

I was talking with a friend the other day about God's disgust with sin and how we are to seek to be transformed and share His position. I will avoid any over the top theology terms and simply state that the war against our souls sin wages is at the core a war against God and His dwelling within us. God hates sin. He didn't create it. He did create us though. We chose sin. Our sinful nature pulls us away from Him. David knew this, as do we.

Truly I can say the times I've avoided any sinful desires that attack flesh is not because I have "tried harder" but instead is a result of hating the sin itself. I have found victory when at my core I am disgusted about the potential area of sin. This brings me closer to alignment with God's position against sin and protects me from the temptations of my flesh. My prayer and only hope is that God would continue to mold me into His image and that includes a shared position against any sinful desire.

The part of this story that gets me is how three small words brought the king to his knees- “You’re the man”. Being called “the man” wasn’t a good thing to David. The prophet Nathan told the story of the rich man who took the poor man’s lamb. David was so mad and was quick to judge the rich man. Nathan turned the tables on David and he realized he was the “rich man” Nathan was speaking of. David’s response is the reason God referred to David as a man after His own heart. David hit the floor and begged God for His forgiveness! David’s sin wasn’t without consequence, but God fully forgave and restored David.

The lesson here for me is that I need to be a little slower to judge people. Really we all should. It’s so easy to look at someone who is deep in sin and then play the role of Judge Judy and start condemning them when we are guilty of sin ourselves. If my life and past sins were exposed, it would be evident to anyone that I, of all people, am in no place to judge anyone. The Bible teaches that if you’ve broken just one of the commandments, you’re guilty of breaking them all. So if I look down on a murderer and condemn him, I have condemned myself. I won’t go into detail but I am personally guilty of breaking more than one commandment.

I think of the time when the Pharisees brought to Jesus the woman who was caught in adultery. They were ready to kill her and Jesus just started writing something in the sand. He then told the Pharisees “Let the person who hasn’t sinned cast the first stone.” They all one-by-one dropped their stones and walked away. I often wonder what Jesus wrote in the sand that day. Perhaps it was names of women these Pharisees had themselves committed adultery with. Could you imagine standing there, about to kill someone for a sin you had committed yourself and a stranger writes the name of your mistress on the ground?!

I am better than no one. I am a trophy of God’s grace. If I remember my past, I should be encouraged to love others who have blown it, because of the love and forgiveness God has shown me. If Jesus didn’t come to condemn, who am I to condemn? When I start to judge someone else, I pray I can hear the words of Nathan telling me, “You’re the man!”

I may be showing my age by asking this question,  but do you remember the NIKE commercials featuring Bo Jackson? As I recall, there were several video montages of him competing in different type of sporting events, along with cameo appearances from the likes of Bo Diddley. The overall message communicated was "Bo knows...football...baseball..." etc... After hearing Sunday's message on David, we could have easily walked away with a few nagging questions on our minds, such as:

Bo may know sports, but none of us knows theology. Allow me to explain. My good friend Gabe Perez shared a deep thought about being naturally bent toward sin. No matter how much we know the Bible, how often we read and study the Bible, the length of time we spend praying, the number of times we have surrendered ourselves to God - "the flesh knows no theology!" The bottom line is, when faced with heavy temptation, we "forget" everything we have learned. That applies to the most mature, as well as the newest follower of Christ. The lesson here is not perfection, the lesson is surrender. Learning how to surrender to Jesus under the pressures of great temptation.

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to wake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lust. (The flesh knows no theology!)

Romans 13:11-14 (parenthesis is mine)

We found out in the story of David that even one of the greatest Kings ever to live made mistakes.  The one God called a man after His own heart was not invincible either.  He made some horrible mistakes.  He fell and took many people with him.  This mistake was very costly!  But David repented and God restored him.

None of us should ever get to a place where we think we are above making a horrible mistake such as King David’s.  If we start thinking that way then we will be a huge target for the enemy!  No matter what our position or status we should always “be self-controlled and alert” (I Peter 5:8).  There are several ways we can do this.  The number one thing that has helped me in getting victory over my weaknesses is accountability.  This is an area where David was lacking at the moment of his failure because remember in 2 Samuel 11:1 he stayed back alone when he should have gone to war.  There is something about having to answer to a human as well as to God on these issues.  Whatever your “issues” are let me challenge you to be accountable to someone.

We can take hope from this story of David.  Did he mess up big time? Yep. (2 Samuel 11)  Did he confess big time? Yep. (Psalm 51) Did God restore him despite his failures? Yep.   Our God is so faithful no matter how bad we mess up he is waiting with opens arms for his children to come running to him.

I often find myself climbing my own ladder of righteousness; I moved away from the beach in Jacksonville to move across the country to help start a church, I lead a bible study, I’m in school, and blah, blah, blah, who really cares?  I am still capable of some awful things.  As I go through my little life I keep in mind that I am simply an example of God’s grace and that I cannot change who I am, I depend on Christ, and Christ chose to reveal Himself to me.  So the whole equation has little to me with Adam Sloope.  David saw a beautiful woman and found her beautiful.  Women are beautiful, God made men to want women, that’s simple.  The problem started when David thought, “I can have her, I’m King David.”  Then he did the deed, got her pregnant and thus came the drama.  King David had to cover up what he did.  In this cover up, he did awful things.

This all started with a little slip up…how did he come so far?  I remember one time I decided to be cool and do a burn out in my driveway when I was 16.  I forgot the car was in reverse and nailed the house, taking out a corner of home.  I covered it up with tape and did a horrible paint job.  I lied to cover a lie and before I knew it I was standing waste high in a mess of lies and other things.  For me I have to keep myself as far away from things that will cause me to slip up, because I know it can happen to me.  A man after God’s own heart did things, why wouldn’t I? 

The beautiful thing about the process is not all the mess.  It’s David’s response.  Flip to Psalm 51 and then flip back to 2 Samuel 11.  Read that stuff for a while and it will smack you around.  Lust for me progresses into something ugly, much like it did for David and my problem is coming back to God.  He is there waiting for me, but my pride stops me from crying out and admitting I am full of sin and in need of Him.  Psalm 51 is a beautiful repentance prayer of a truly broken man, in David.  I pray I can always crawl back to God, no matter how dirty, beat up, or nasty I am.  Reaction is important.  Repentance is hard though isn’t it?

We all have these periods of wretched insecurity that just seem like they loom over every area of our lives and cause us to stop cold in making decisions or moving forward in relationships, jobs, or maybe taking a big leap of faith with God. Maybe it's baptism? Joining a small group? Or openly talking about your faith in Christ?

So, I love how God speaks through his representative to Gideon. Judges 6:12 "When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." Nothing about the surrounding verses to the human eyes would affirm Gideon as a "mighty warrior" or maybe even that God was with him even. Young, poor, lacked training, bad heritage, sulking, didn't have a following, etc. I could go on.....

And yet, this was the opening comment to Gideon? And the dialogue that followed didn't exactly affirm that anything about him was that of a mighty warrior. God opened up the conversation that He is with Gideon and then affirms him as a mighty warrior.

For us, just like Gideon, God's view, love, and plans for us....aren't conditioned to our emotions, insecurities, and fears in our current conditions. It's a beautiful thing to know that God's heart, desire, and will for US are to be warriors of faith with Him! And affirming that regardless of my fears, insecurities, and present day situations God sees me completely different, and that we aren't on the journey alone but together with God really comforts me again.

I can identify so much with where we find this amazing fellow. Here he is in a wine press threshing his wheat, hiding from his people's enemy the Midianites. At first glance one may wonder what the big deal is. The process of "threshing" wheat involves separating the useless part, known as the chaff, from the good part known as the actual "wheat". This process involves beating the stalks on the ground and letting the wind blow the chaff away. This is usually done in an open-air area known as a "threshing floor" where there is plenty of breeze. Gideon, however, is doing this in his family's wine press so he wouldn't be seen by the enemy. Historically, ancient wine presses were three to six feet deep. Threshing wheat in a five foot deep hole would be very difficult, if even at all possible. This shows how scared Gideon was.

In the midst of Gideon's hiding, the Angel of the LORD appears. This isn't any old angel. This is God Himeself! Whenever this happens in the Old Testament, it is known as a "theophonies". So as you may imagine- this is BIG. What is more amazing is how He addresses our cowardly friend. God calls Gideon a "mighty man of valor". Are you kidding me?! I believe Gideon's reaction had to be- "Who? ME?!?!" Gideon knew his fears and limitations. He obviously didn't view himself as a brave warrior. But God did and had BIG plans for him. God saw something in Gideon that Gideon didn't see in himself. God valued Gideon more than Gideon knew. As the story goes, we see Gideon adopted and accepted God's view of himself, put his confidence in God, and went on to victory in God's name.

This means so much to me because I know my fears and self-imposed limitations more than anyone else. I know how I have failed in my life before and after following Christ. But yet God still calls me to do something great for Him. Like Gideon, He must see something in me that I don't see in myself. I must be more valuable to Him than I give myself credit for. It amazes me that He loves me so much and believes in me so much. Gideon stopped putting His confidence in himself and started putting it in God and that's when his life changed.

In my life when I see things through my own eyes, I begin to have doubts. Fears begin to creep in, I think about my failures, and I become defeated. But when I put my confidence in the Lord and realize that scripture tells me I can do all things through HIM, I claim the victory. Whether it has something to do with being on the ministry team here at IMC or being a dad and a husband, God has empowered me to be victorious. So when God challenges us to be victorious in our lives as Christ-followers and we ask Him, "Who? ME?!" Isn't it comforting to know He believes in us enough to say, "YEAH, YOU!!"

Gideon had been there, done that! The awesome thing is that God used him in spite of his insecurities! The story of Gideon gave me a few “ah-ha” moments, but the one that stands out for me personally is this…When we choose to follow God and do what He wants us to do, we are usually content as we journey until we hit a roadblock. Then, all of the sudden, we put our spiritual flashers on and assess the situation. When this happens to me, eventually, I seem to come to the conclusion that God is using this situation to tell me I am not where I am supposed to be, or that I am not doing what I thought God wanted me to be doing, because my life is not smooth sailing anymore. For Gideon, things were definitely not smooth sailing by any means! But, instead of packing up and skipping town, Gideon asked God to remind him of the promise He made, and God did that a number of times!

God is loving and gracious, so He continues to give us confirmation just when we are ready to throw in the towel. Just because things don’t go the way WE plan, doesn’t mean we are not exactly where God wants us to be! When we experience trials in our lives we usually become overwhelmed by insecurity and begin to question where God is. This is when we are humbled and reminded that we cannot do anything on our own apart from God, and when our faith is strengthened.

Have you ever thought of yourself to be obsessive compulsive? On occasion I find myself lost in this unique phenomenon. The place this compulsiveness overwhelms me the most is while I am sitting in the barber's chair. In the midst of talking about important things in life like, "Who's going to win the Big 10?" or "My reds are in the basement again!" From the foggy places of my mind, this question begins to lurk, "Do I have money to pay for my haircut?" Knowing I just swung by the ATM a few minutes ago. I reach down, pull out my wallet and there to quench my strange obsession is the green bills tucked neatly away. This quick glance satisfies my curiosity for a few moments and then the "question" resurrects again. It's like I can't trust myself with such a simple task.

I'm fascinated with the story of Gideon for several reasons, but primarily with his importunity with God, found in Judges 6:36-40. Gideon's boldness to ask God for one sign, then turn around and ask God to prove Himself again. Why did he do that?

Maybe none of these reasons, maybe all of these reasons contributed to this character test given to God. However, what we do know - God with great patience answered Gideon's "acid" test.

I'm not one to "throw out the fleece", but I am one who struggles with wanting to know God's clear direction. Are you a "fleece thrower"? Do you waiver in your faith? Do you long for God's direction? One final note to make about Gideon's life, once God "passed his test" Gideon never questioned Him again. Gideon's trust was restored!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:5,6

As I have studied this character for the past week or so I have been challenged in many ways but two things stick out:

·         Judges 6:12 – the Angel of the Lord spoke to Gideon and told him that God was with him.  As you remember Gideon was in the worst of situations and was down and out and probably had a hard time believing this Angel.  But that speaks to my heart wherever I am no matter how bad the situation I can have Hope God is with me!

·         God is patient with Gideon in this story and even though he is insecure and lacks faith God never gives up on him.  God continues to meet Gideon’s requests and builds his confidence in Him.  I am so thankful that God is patient with me because I often am like Gideon and lack the faith to do what God asks!

God will do great things, the question is are we willing to allow Him to do them through us?  He can and will if we allow him to build our confidence in Him and use us!

I suppose that Gideon must have had just 2 things going for him:

These two heart issues made Gideon a perfect choice for such an impossible situation. Without question, nearly all of us can relate to this story. We struggle against insecurities and self-doubt every day-Especially when it comes to following God in our life.

If we can cultivate this same humility and dependence that Gideon had toward God, we will be well on our way to becoming another great victory story for God!

It's odd for me to feel this way because many other times I feel "confident".  After pondering the story of Gideon and the issue of insecurity, I realize that my confidence is more in worldly things such as having a good job, having friends, wearing a new outfit, etc.  This confidence differs from what God desires for us in that this worldly confidence is fleeting and it doesn't bear fruit. 

If we can remain humble, yet have confidence in God's will in our lives, it can lead to faith.  This faith can bring about major victories for God's kingdom just like when Gideon and his men defeated the Midianites.

As we prepare to enter the fall season, Indy Metro church wants to take adevantage of the seasonal regathering that tends to accompany the coming of fall. The kids go back to school, vacations are pretty much over, the weather is AWESOME, and all this creates a season for optimizing our ministry for Jesus to this community that we love.

In light of this, I'd like to share what's ahead at Indy Metro Church. Following is a brief listing of some strategic opportunities for you to take advantage of:

1- This Sunday @ 10:30 am: The series "EnJOY: Life At Its Best" continues, as we walk through the N.T. book of Philippians together. Join us!

2- Saturday, Aug. 4 (9 am-3pm): We are serving downtown Indy together at the downtown YMCA, which meets in the same building as our church services. The Y is having a "MakeOver Day", and we want to be there to help our next door neighbors spruce up their building! Please see Adam Sloope or Aaron Story to volunteer.

3- Aug. 31-Sept. 3: Indy Metro will have a booth and distribute 7,500 IMC frisbees at the RIB-AMERICA Festival in Military Park. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun!

4- Sunday, Sept. 9: Indy Metro will celebrate it's FIRST BIRTHDAY with a great Sunday morning celebation at the American Cabaret Theatre. Plan now to join us in celebrating God's gooness and generosity in guiding us through our first year of life!

Lots happening as the summer draws to an end.....We praise the God of Heaven & Earth for His Goodness to us.

Many Blessings,

Dan Pride, Lead Pastor

I'm writing these words from downtown Nashville, home of the best guitar pickers and songwriters in the world, and also a very cool place (ALMOST as cool as downtown Indy, but not quite:) I've spent the past few days meeting with a new church planter who is moving to urban Nashville next month.
Imagine that.......starting a brand new church, right in the heart of the city. Sounds just like what we did with Indy Metro Church, doesn't it?

There is a distinct strategy behind these new urban church plants: People are moving back into the heart of our American cities. For the first time in modern history, more people in America now live in CITIES than anywhere else combined. All the "experts" agree that this will not be a passing trend, but will continue to escalate all over America and the world.

I'll be driving back to Indy today, and will have plenty of time to think about all the reasons I love the city of Indianapolis and Indy Metro Church.

I think I'll take a walk on the Canal tonight, and maybe hang out drinking Starbucks on Monument Circle. And then on Sunday, I'll get to meet with and minister to people like you.......and believe me when I say that YOU are the biggest reason why I love Indy Metro Church. It's not the drop-dead gorgeous old Cabaret Theatre we meet in, although I sure love that place........Not the 100+ year-old gym located next door in the Downtown Y, which is any old "baller's" dream ......It really is YOU. You are the reason Jesus came to earth and died, and you are the heart and soul of METRO Church.

Can't wait to get back!

P.S.  If you don't have anything REALLY pressing this Sunday morning, I hope you will join the gathering of Indy Metro Church. We meet at the American Cabaret Theatre, 401 E. Michigan Street at 10:30 a.m.


Blessings,


Dan Pride
Lead Pastor

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