Truly Thankful

Thanksgiving season is upon us!  At New Life, we are celebrating with 30 Days of Thanksgiving.  I will probably blog a Bible verse each day on thanksgiving.  We have so many things for which to be thankful.  So count your blessings and watch as a positive attitude and better health begins to take hold in your life.  The Bible tells us that an attitude of gratitude can defeat such negative attitudes as envy, jealousy, pride, and cynicism.  Join us in November at the ARC!  Stay tuned for more information.  Pastor Tom

Messiah is coming!

This Christmas season, we will focus on the first advent of Christ and His soon return.  I've been looking forward to this series for some time.  The Bible has a lot to say about end times events.  I am planning on three sermons - "Signs of the Second Coming", "The Rapture of the Church", and "The New Heavens and the New Earth."  

Without a doubt, the Bible teaches us to believe in a beginning and ending to human history as we know it.  How close are we to the end?  Is Jesus planning to return soon?  Get ready in December for the sermon series "Messiah is Coming!"  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says,  "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 

Check out current or future sermons online at http://www.newlifecolumbia.org/new_life_media.aspx

What about work ethic and generosity?

I hope this post will be just controversial enough to get you thinking about God's view of work.  We live in a day when more and more people are needing and asking for a hand out.  Increasingly, our government is conditioning people to ask for help rather than work to be self-reliant (just my opinion).  I'm not certain of the numbers, but I know the number of people receiving government assistance in 2013 is way up compared to when I was a teenager in the 1980s.  

Maybe you saw the movie Cinderella Man--it was a true story about James J. Braddock and his boxing career during the depression.  During the movie, he brakes his hand and has to work on the docks.  In the process his utilities are turned off and he looses his kids.  Really tough times!  As a result, he stands in line to receive government assistance, even tough it was a shameful thing to do in those days.  Then, he gets another chance to be in the ring.  He wins big!!  But he didn't forget about the government assistance.  You know what he did?  He stood back in the same line and paid the government back.  Wow!  He's my hero!  It's better to give than to receive.

In Ephesians 4-6, Paul is writing to Christians about living as children of the light.  He writes about behaviors such as anger and love, sexual immorality and purity, coarse joking and wholesome talk, and then . . .  he writes something very interesting about work!  Here's what he says, "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need." (Ephesians 4:28)  

It's true, the Bible says that work is good and stealing is bad.  But what else can we learn from this surprising verse in Ephesians?  First, Paul considers work to be "useful"--work has a purpose.  We are not all blessed to have jobs we really enjoy, but our work does have a purpose.  As we work, we provide for our family, for instance.  1 Timothy 5:8 says, "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."    As we work, we have opportunity to bless others with our generosity.  That seems to be Paul's message here about work--don't be a taker (i.e. steal), be a giver (help those in need).

Here's my goal -- I want to work as hard as I can "unto the Lord" so that I can provide for my family AND so that I can become a generous person helping others who are truly in need.  I believe Christians should have a great work ethic.  We should work hard to provide for our family and to be generous with those suffering loss in life.  I'll leave you with Proverbs 13:4, "A sluggard's appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."  I hope this got you think ing about work and generosity.  Have a great week.

Conflict with those you love

Let's face it--conflict causes stress, anxiety, and relationship troubles.  Conflict can affect your health, your family, and even your work performance.  Portland State University’s Institute on Aging studied over 650 adults over a two-year period and found that ‘stable negative social exchanges’ (in other words, repetitive or prolonged conflict) was significantly associated with lower self-rated health, greater functional limitations, and a higher number of health conditions. ( see www. stress.about.com and search for and article titled, "Conflict in Relationships" by Elizabeth Scott)

Conflict is stressful; but it doesn't have to be that way.  The next time you are in conflict with someone you love, LAUGH your way out.  Below are five suggestions for healthy conflict resolution using LAUGH as an acronym   Remember, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)

L - Listen well (Seek to hear, before you are heard)

A - Attend to emotions (Become proactive in dealing with the emotions of self and others)

U - Understand and respect - (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.)

G - Generate alternative solutions (Become an imaginative problem solver)

H - Honor God, others, and yourself (Pursue integrity and relational justice for all)

The next time you are in conflict, take a deep breath and LAUGH your way out of conflict.  You and the person with which you are in conflict will both be better off.  

Have a great day, Pastor Tom

Family Life Conference

What's the difference between a parenting conference and a family life conference?  I'm not completely sure yet?!  But . . .  this year we are launching a Family Life Conference at New Life focused on parenting and family adventure.  We are inviting the whole family (yes, kids of all ages) to join us on Friday, November 8th for a hands-on experience related to family life.  Then, on Saturday, November 9th we have prepared some special sessions just for the parents.  I am especially excited to share a brand new session called, "Parenting Like A Horse-Whisperer".  You don't want to miss it!  Spread the word.  You can register at www.newlifecolumbia.org.  Just hit the Family Life Conference icon.

The problem of evil and redemption

The Bible is full of redemptive stories which reveal God's grace and mercy and the human need for a Savior.  Our world is full of desperate situations that cause us to long for a hero.  This Sunday at New life in School of the Bible, we will be discussing "The Problem of Evil" and God's plan of redemption.  Classically, theologians and philosophers have given the problem of evil the title of "Theodicy", meaning "God and justice".  The problem is stated something like this -- If God is good and all-powerful, then why does He allow evil (or where does evil come from)?  Join us at 9:30 AM at the ARC as we take a look at what the Bible says about God's goodness, evil, sin, and redemption.

Christian Maturity

What does Christian maturity look like?  Is it a high level of emotional intelligence or self control?  Is it ethical behavior and Christlikeness?  Is it living a life of love, kindness, and grace?  At New Life we have developed a path towards Christian maturity that is shaped by four core values - biblical truth, relationships, service, and friendship.  We strive to help every New Lifer begin a relationship with Jesus by exploring and embracing biblical truth, belong by enjoying Christian community, become by enriching the lives of others through service, and branch out by encouraging others to follow Jesus.   

So what does Christian maturity look like?  Christian maturity looks like a person who is growing to understand God's word, engaging in authentic Christian relationships, actively engaging in service, and encouraging friends and neighbors to follow Jesus.  These four values are just a start, but they help us move in the direction of maturity as we follow Christ and become more like Him.  Ephesians 4:11-13 gives us an idea of what God has in mind for those who follow Christ.  It reads, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Looking forward to Sunday as we strive to become more like Christ.  See you at the ARC, Pastor Tom