The Money You COULD have SHARED with the POOR...

Poverty is a continual problem to the poor. (What should we do?)

Proverbs 21:13 (5 translations)
“If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
he too will cry out and not be answered.” NIV

“He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be answered.” NAS

“Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor
will be ignored in their own time of need.” NLV

“Whoever ignores the poor when they cry for help
will also cry for help and not be answered.” NCV

“If you stop your ears to the cries of the poor,
your cries will go unheard, unanswered.” MSG

Other Proverbs verses concerning “the Poor” –

v14:20 “The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.”

v19:4 “Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man's friend deserts him.”

v19:7 “A poor man is shunned by all his relatives - how much more do his friends avoid
him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.”

v18:23 “A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly.”

v19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will reward him for what he has done.”

v29:7 “The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.”

Only the merciful find mercy, Matt 5:7; (the unmerciful rich man, who has no ear for the cry of the one who is without support and means of subsistence, will also remain unheard when he himself, in the time of need, calls upon God for help. see also the parable of the unmerciful servant, Matt 18:23ff.)

In Mark 14:7 Jesus said: “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want”

Deut 15:7-11 “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. …
10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”

Taking a Break…

Today is Monday and I am taking the day off. (I am taking tomorrow off too; call it a “Sabbath”). Since ministers, hospital staff, police and rescue personnel, (also restaurant and mall employees) usually work on Sundays, they have to take other days off instead.

I confess that I have not done very well with taking “time off”; and my family would probably say that I haven’t done that well with “vacations” either. Part of the problem comes from the strong “work ethic” that was instilled in me by my father. Our Heavenly Father sure has given us a lot to work on, and yet He is the one demanding that we take a break every week! Add to that the underlying pressure in our American culture to “produce or perish!” (All this can be rather confusing…and tiring.)

In Mark 2:27 Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”.
“The Sabbath was made for man, as a day of rest and refreshment for the body and of blessing to the soul.” (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

When the Lord God rested on the 7th day, it wasn’t because He was “tired”. He was just “taking a break” from His work. He was being “refreshed”, and that sure sounds very appealing to me! (I’d better get to work now on taking my break…)

The Work of Christmas

"Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "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 and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:16-21

(A litany from Howard Thurman, heard in church one Sunday. . .)

“When the song of the angels is stilled,when the star in the sky is gone,when the kings and princes are home,when the shepherds are back with their flocks,the work of Christmas begins:

to find the lost,to heal the broken,to feed the hungry,

to release the prisoner,to rebuild the nations,to bring peace among the people,

to make music in the heart.”

Prayer: May the prophecy of Isaiah continue to be fulfilled in our world today. Lord help me to be a channel of blessing to others in the name and spirit of Jesus.

LeadNow Conference in Dallas

About 15 of our Shepherds and Ministry staff attended a conference last week in Dallas called LeadNow. The theme was: The Mission of the Church Matters.
I was expecting this to be a good time for us to spend together. And I was looking forward to hearing more of Francis Chan. He’s the guy that said: “If Jesus were here today, MY church would be bigger than His.” (Basically saying that Jesus didn’t care about the crowds as much as we do.)

I was surprised that most of the speakers are also authors (since I hear so much about how young people today hardly read books).

Francis Chan - Crazy Love & Forgotten God
Donald Miller - Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What & Through Painted Deserts
Mark Batterson - In a Pit WIth a Lion on a Snowy Day & Wild Goose Chase
George Barna - Barna Research Group

Francis was good (he spoke several times), but the most encouraging part for me was hearing such strong teaching on Christian discipleship from so many young leaders in their 20’s and 30’s. And they expected you to both have and use your Bible! (I really liked that.) Over and over, the speakers stressed personal devotion to the Lord, commitment to the local church, and personally serving others. One speaker told this gathering of 2,200 people that “to serve others without evangelism is to pervert the Gospel; and to evangelize without serving others is to pervert the Gospel.” (I was very impressed!)

Here are some comments from Matt Chandler (Village Church in Dallas) part of his lesson on “Getting the Gospel Right”: Only Christ reconciles all things. We think we are smarter than God. We want to live life our way and do what we want with our stuff; and then we expect God to accept it because we go to church. The Gospel is NOT that you are a better person today than yesterday. (Self-help books can do that.)

“for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Gal. 2:21

Come to the Table!

So many “family” things happen around the family table. This was even more true before the invention of television (and T.V. dinners, fast food, and pre-packaged snacks.) When I think of the many memories of being called to the family table (or, occasionally sent away from it) my mind and heart recalls feelings of “family”. I long for this to be the feelings of those called to the Lord’s Table on Sundays, to commune with God’s family that has gathered together. Instead of the focus being primarily on what Jesus did for me on the cross, it seems more appropriate that the weight of the focus should be on what He did for ALL of us (at least on Sunday when we are together.)

For Christians, the Lord’s Supper is our most sacred time. The Communion Table is a regular reminder of our relationship to Christ, AND also of our relationship to one another in the Family of God. In Communion, we are taken back to the cross of Christ, and Jesus is brought here to us. The memorial is about Him, and yet He is our host! So, it is also about us! (ALL of us.) I’ve often heard that “If you or I were the only ones that ever would have responded to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, Jesus still would have died for you.” The truth is: MANY more have responded to Jesus than just me, and Jesus died just as much for them. So, during the Lord’s Supper, I plan to do a much better job of discerning the Body of Christ that extends beyond me, and be more aware of my “brothers and sisters” in God’s family. I am so thankful that God called me to the family table. And I am honored to meet my Lord and my spiritual family there.

“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

My Walk to Emmaus… MORE than Expected!!

Love. Grace. Two word that I thought I knew very well.
(My first talk in church was on “Love”, and “Grace” is one of my favorite themes.)

Even so, my experience on Walk to Emmaus last week was more than expected, specifically in both of those areas. We were told NOT to anticipate…but I did it anyway (I’m still not perfect). Yet it didn’t matter much, because the expressions of agape’ love were much more than I could have imagined (and I have a pretty big imagination!)

Walk to Emmaus is a three-day experience based on the story in Luke 24:13-35.
It was truly amazing how I could feel so big, and yet so small at the same time. Big for being honored so much by so many; and small because of the humility in realizing that so many who served, did not even know me. They served voluntarily because of the love and grace that they had already received from the Lord and from others.

I know this! (I teach this.) And yet, being on the receiving end of ministry is such a powerful testimony of how the grace of God works. It was wonderful! More than expected! That’s the way the “grace” of God is. That’s the way the “Love of Christ” is.
That’s the way I want to be – MORE like Jesus. More gracious. More loving. More than is expected by others (except Jesus). This is the way Jesus was. And this is what He expected all along from those walking with Him. After all, we are His disciples.

“Everybody talks about the Weather…”

“…but nobody does anything about it.”

I wish that I wasn’t affected by the weather! (But, I admit that I often am). It was a dreary morning today. Steady rain, gloomy sky, standing water. It wasn’t even cold enough for a fire; it’s just muggy. It influences my mood. I know that it is good to get more rain (we have been in a drought in Texas) yet… I wish it were sunny. It’s said that “every cloud has a silver lining.” (At least I won’t have to mow the yard today!)

I want to be less like a thermometer (reacting to the environment around me) and more like a thermostat (influencing the environment around me). And so, I thank God for this day, rain or shine, come what may. “This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

God is good and good to me! I am blessed! I am alive in Jesus! I am part of the family of God! (Just thinking of God’s grace and goodness brought sunshine into my life).

What Does Jesus Look Like? (Does He look like…me?)

Scripture teaches that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. 2 Cor. 4:4, Col. 1:15

But, what did Jesus look like? Here is an answer from the field of forensic anthropology. – The Real Face of Jesus – Popular Mechanics, Dec. 2002 “Using methods similar to those police have developed to solve crimes, British scientists, assisted by Israeli archeologists, have re-created what they believe is the most accurate image of the most famous face in human history.”

But, Jesus is also supposed to look like us. (Or better stated, we are supposed to resemble Jesus.) I have always been both inspired and humbled by 2 Cor 3:18
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

I love the story about the child drawing a picture and her mother asks her what she is drawing. The child answers: “I’m drawing a picture of God.” Her mother informs her: “But dear, we don’t know what God looks like!” To which the child replies: “They will when I’m finished.”

From a Christian perspective…I think that the child was actually correct! The more that we allow God to transform us by His Spirit, the more we should resemble what Jesus looked like. (I better keep drawing…)

Are YOU Getting Enough REST?

Some creatures can sleep just about anytime and anywhere. Koala Bears spend18-20 hrs / day: “sleeping & resting”. (only active about 2%)
God designed HUMANS to spend 1/3 of day sleeping. (national average <7) National Institute of Mental Health (study) Participants allowed to “sleep as much as they could”, averaged 8.5 hrs. They “felt happier, less fatigued, more creative, energetic and productive.” (Wow. Wish more people had participated in THAT program!)

National Sleep Foundation says: “49% of American adults have sleep-related problems” Houston Chronicle (8.31.09) 1/3 of Americans having trouble sleeping because of the economy. (And, this year Houston ranked as #32 most stressful American city.)

My daughter said yesterday: “If I am ever president, I will institute a national afternoon siesta. We would all be much more productive.” (Sounds good to me!)

Now, you cannot MAKE yourself sleep. It is an act of surrender. (Maybe that is why we sometimes fight it.)
I usually get 7 hours a night (about the national average for working adults).
So this Labor Day weekend, I turned off the alarm for 3 days, and tried to sleep as long as I could… (I averaged 8.5 hours).

In the book: Good & Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows, author James Bryan Smith says: “#1 enemy of Christian spiritual formation today is exhaustion. We are living beyond our means, both financially and physically.” (p. 34)


Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

Now THAT sounds REALLY good to me!

Good Housekeeping - Clean and Uncluttered

We recently put our house on the market in order to move closer to the community where our church building is located. Since that time I have noticed two significant changes in our lives: First, we are eliminating things that we do not want or need any more; and second, we are keeping our house extra neat and clean every day, in case someone is interested in looking at it. We hope to keep this up even AFTER we move to our next house. But I was also reminded do a better job of these two disciplines in my personal life as well. (Most days, others ARE interested in looking at us. And the Lord certainly is!)

2 Timothy 2:20-21 “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”

“Paradise”. That is what many call Hawaii. To see things that you thought you would never be able to see can be quite enjoyable (like lava flowing into the ocean from a volcano). To be able to visit a place that you never thought you would be able to see is quite wonderful, indeed. I loved having fresh exotic fruit, macadamia nuts and locally caught tuna steaks. (Personally, I like our “Café San Lazaro” coffee much better than Hawaiian Kona!)

But the best part for me was being on what they called: “Island Time” (no hurry & no worry). The speed limit on the ocean front road through town was 15 mph. Nancy and I were celebrating 30 years of marriage, and this was a good setting to focus more intentionally on the blessing of love and the beauty of creation. (Sounds like God’s “grace” to me!) I do know this: I like myself better than I did before!
So, “Hang Loose” and “Aloha Hoi” (until we meet again) and “Mahalo” (thank you).

Learning to Value the Differences

My step-mother makes the best baked beans! They are thick and sweet and full of flavor. Her baked beans were expected at every family holiday, and there was rarely any left over. One thing that always intrigued me was this: she didn’t like baked beans! (Not even her own recipe). She made them for others – because they liked them.

When I visited Abilene Christian University for the 1st time, I remember Dr. Howard Norton teaching a class. He made the comment that at his age, he wasn’t very fond of singing the song “Jesus Loves the Little Children” anymore. But when he looked around at the smiling faces of young children whenever it was sung, he didn’t mind singing it.

Whether referring to something as simple as food, or something as spiritual as worship, the Lord believes that EVERY person is VALUABLE (no matter how different we are).
To treat others the way Jesus wants us to will sometimes stretch all of us out of our comfort level. But remember, for others to treat us that way will sometimes be stretching them too!
The entire law summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14

Father’s Day W/O My Dad…

My father died in January, so this will be my 1st Father’s Day without my dad.
(He lived to be 79 years old, and that is the longest we know of any Etchison ever living!) So now my focus shifts more to reflecting on the life that I have modeled for my three children and the values that I have tried to instill in them. The following poem I have treasured since I became a “father” in 1983.

Blessed Is The Man – by, William Arthur Ward
“Blessed is the man, to whom his work is a pleasure, by whom his friends are encouraged, with whom others are comfortable, in whom a clear conscience abides, and through whom his children see God."

Easter is not just a creed

This coming Sunday is Easter, the most important day of the year for Christians. Nothing is more valuable to us than the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without those two things, we have no hope or future.
Bruce Larson said, "The events of Easter cannot be reduced to a creed or philosophy. We are not asked to believe the doctrine of the resurrection. We are asked to meet this person raised from the dead. In faith, we move from belief in a doctrine to the knowledge of a person. Ultimate truth is a person. We met him. He is alive."
So, remember the person Easter is about. Remember Jesus! Raised from the dead!

Nature of Satan - to “Deceive”

One of the Enemy’s best deceptions is to deceive people into believing that he doesn’t exist, that Hell is not real, and so the only consequences for choosing to live a sinful life is that when life is over…it is just over.

Outreach (Mar/Apr 2009) “What American Adults Believe In”: 80% > God. 59% > Devil. only 36% > “the Bible is the Word of God” (same % as UFO’s. more than astrology - 31%).
Rev! mag (12.06 stats, p. 48) “Theology today comes from 3 sources:Hollywood, friends, & family (in that order).

Another strategy of the devil that has been very effective is to deceive people into believing that since Satan is a spiritual being, then he has the same characteristics as God. Satan has NONE of the “3 Omni’s” that God has!!!
God is omniscient (God knows everything).
God is omnipresent. (God is everywhere).
God is omnipotent. (God is all powerful).

>Satan does not know everything (he may not even know who you are.
>Satan is not everywhere (he can only be in one place at a time).
>Satan is not all powerful (his power is limited and his time to use it is limited).

So Don't be Deceived! You CAN resist the enemy!

the United States Military Code of Conduct - Article III
“If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.” (Note: The misfortune of capture does not lessen the duty to continue resisting enemy exploitation by all means available.)
“Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:7-8

Elvis Impersonators – End of the World?

Industry Fact:
When Elvis Presley died in 1977 (Aug. 16) there were 37 professional Elvis impersonators in the world.
By 1993 there were 48,000 pro E.I.s in the world. Up to 30,000 Elvis Presley impersonators are registered in the US alone by 2006. (N.Y. Times interview with Billionaire Bob Sillerman)
If this trend continues, by the year 2010, one out of every three people in the world will be an Elvis Impersonator!

So, when we reach “1 out of 1” (i.e. when EVERYBODY in world is an Elvis Impersonator…) couldn't you safely say that is the "end of the world"? (at least as we know it.) According to a financial calculator using the present world population growth...that should be around the year 2020.

Seems like the next 10 years should be really interesting!

We are Different...

Wow. If there are over 1,000 documented differences between men and women, just imagine how many differences there are between people and God! In BOTH cases, it is the attitude of the Lord that moves to bridge the gaps between us (race, class and gender).

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29

When we work to overcome our differences for the Lord, then WE become part of the answer to Jesus’ prayer for “unity” in John 17.

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

Suffering for God's Glory

Last week was my 4th anniversary with this congregation and then Sunday I preached the most difficult sermon I have given to this church family since I have been with them: ASK? “Why Does God Allows Us To Suffer?”

I was humbled to have the credibility to speak so strongly and honored to see how well it was received, especially by some of those that have been severely challenged in their faith by hardships in their family. We were ALL created to glorify God, and ultimately, the success (or failure) of our existence here will be determined by that measure. God’s Grace truly is amazing!

All of us can only live one day at a time, and what ever blessings or adversity comes with THIS day, may we live in such a way that glorifies the Lord!

More of God's Image in me...

In an interview about his book: “Everything Must Change”, Brian McLaren said: “God created man in His image, and man has been trying to return the favor ever since.” That thought has really challenged me lately to let God be more of “Who He is” (and less of who I THINK He should be). This has opened up my mind and heart more to grow and made me much more aware of things that I had not noticed before. It has also had a strong affect on my prayer life. I am seeking more of HIS will and His ways, and trying less to convince Him to agree with mine. (This is going to be interesting!)

Thinking of my Father, who died Jan 21, 2009 at age 79

We have been expecting this for about a year, but you are never quite ready to receive the call that one of your parents has passed away. After reflecting on my dad’s influence on me, I focused on these three things:
1) He was friendly to almost everyone. He was interested in them and in their stories
2) He believed in hard work and being dedicated to whoever you agreed to work for.
3) He thought that you could continue to improve and he learned to be a better person all throughout his life.

My neighbor shared with me today that “you know you are mature, when you see your parents as people”. I have wonderful support from my church family and many considerate friends. It is my hope that these life lessons are part of my character too, and are a blessing to them, as well as to my children.

Aquariums and Health

To help me (and others) relax and lower stress levels, I added an aquarium to my office. (I tried a small water fountain, but the sound seemed to encourage frequent restroom visits.) Now I could easily spend an hour looking into an aquarium at all the different colors and shapes and how they move. The green of the plants provides a restful appeal along with the splendid colors of the fish and their interesting patterns of behavior. The observation that watching an aquarium makes people calmer and healthier is backed up by studies. However, “the actual fish seem to be the key; take away the animals, and a gently bubbling tank of water and ornaments doesn’t do the trick.”

I especially enjoy a community tank, where we see different types of fish living in harmony together. In many ways the local church is like an aquarium. We are made up of colorful, friendly people from different backgrounds and walks of life. We move thorough our world in unique patterns and at different speeds. As a faith community, we are often fed together, worshipping and sharing fellowship in groups. And we rely on a superior Being for our care and survival. God even decides those that will share our environment with us, our “aquarium” - our part of God’s Kingdom we call: Grace Crossing, a Community Church of Christ.

The Shredder - “Give it Up & Let It GO!”

Before services Sunday we set out hundreds of scratch pads and pens in the seats. I asked people to write down anything that was personally “weighing them down”, including worries, doubts, fears, resentments, sins or shortcomings. At the end of the lesson, I invited them to place their burdensome thoughts into baskets to be brought front and center to where we had brought in a big, commercial shredder! (It was even called the “ShredMaster”).

Since I had no idea how many would actually participate, I had written down some of my own stuff on a dozen pieces of paper. It was such a relief for me to physically act out what the Lord does spiritually for us when we give our grief to Him, and He replaces it with grace and peace.

I was even more encouraged when I turned to see several baskets with hundreds of pages of personal pain being brought up to get rid of. You could feel the level of relief rise in the room as we shredded our grief into tinny pieces (we even put a microphone on the shredder). And when I held up the empty baskets, people broke into applause!

I believe that those things are now in HIS hands more than before – and so are we! (I know I am.)