Thursday, January 31, 2008

S.O.A.P.

Hey guys and gals. Wayne Cordeiro pastors New Hope Christian fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Okay Janet! Pack the board shorts and sunglasses, I think I just heard God speak about where we’re going next… Whoo Hoo!)

Back to reality… New Hope is one of the fastest growing churches in the nation. And in Wayne’s new book, The Divine Mentor, he describes what has helped their church grow head and shoulders above everything else.

“It has nothing to do with demographics.
It doesn’t depend on location.
It isn’t triggered by worship style.
It’s developing a self-feeding program…”


Then he writes a sentence that today almost seems prophetic, especially in light of the recent study released by Willow Creek called “Reveal.” Here’s the statement: “Self feeding will be the heart of a healthy Christian, the heart of a healthy twenty-first century church…”

Cordeiro goes on to describe how New Hope challenges every person in their church family to journal on a daily basis using an easy to remember acrostic: S.O.A.P. Here’s what it stands for:

S = Scripture
O = Observation
A = Application
P = Prayer

Scripture
Adopt a daily Bible reading plan… Get into God’s Word for yourself – DAILY!

This year I’m using an online plan developed by Christianity Today. You can check out the plan at: http://bible.christianity.com/readingplan/.

As you’re reading, ask the Holy Spirit to highlight ONE VERSE or thought in the section you’re reading. When he does, WRITE THE VERSE DOWN in your journal.

Observation
After you record the Scripture in your journal, take some time to think about and meditate on what the verse says. Let the message of this passage sink in… Then, write down in manuscript form your observations. It may take a sentence. It may take a few paragraphs, but write down your observations. What does this passage say?

Application
This is where things start to get personal. After you’ve observed what the text says, take some time to write out how you plan to put this passage into action. Application always answers the question: “How does this verse apply to me?” Write that down… Let the Holy Spirit speak to you… Make the application as personal and relevant as possible.

Prayer
The final letter in the acrostic reminds us to record our prayer. Based upon the passage the Holy Spirit has sort of “blown up” in your Spirit, write out a prayer asking God to help you apply what you’ve just learned.


I know this little plan isn’t rocket science. It’s so simple, but God has been using it in my personal time with Him. While I don’t use this plan every day, aspects of this plan usually some how get incorporated in my time with God.

(Thanks, Wayne. And if you’re hiring in Hawaii, we’re already packing our bags...)

If you want to read more, check out Wayne CordeIro’s book.

The Divine Mentor
Wayne Cordeiro
Bethany House Publishers

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

TEMPTATION

Earlier today I wrote about “spiritual drift” and how seemingly small decisions can ultimately lead to some pretty significant outcomes…

When you think about people falling into temptation that destroys a marriage, rocks their world or withers their soul, you have to wonder, “Why? Why does it happen? Why do we choose to violate our values? We do we voluntarily give in to something that we know is ultimately going to wreak some destruction? Why do intelligent people keep engaging in stupid and dark actions that we know we’ll later be ashamed of? What’s the problem?”

Several decades ago, a guy by the name of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis. He was only thirty-nine years old when he died. But in just thirty-nine short years, he distinguished himself as a pastor, theologian and writer. Before his death he wrote a small book simply titled Temptation. I think this book contains one of the most vivid and haunting descriptions of how temptations that I’ve ever ran across…

I copied these words several years ago, and they continue to speak to me today… Take a few moments to read these lines slowly and carefully. Who knows, they could be very important when you face

“In our members there is a slumbering inclination towards desire which is both sudden and fierce. With irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh. All at once a secret, smoldering fire is kindled. The flesh burns and is in flames. It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of fame and power, or greed for money, or, finally, that strange desire for the beauty of the world, of nature. Joy in God is in course of being extinguished in us and we seek all our joy in the creature.

At this moment God is quite unreal to us, He loses all reality, and only desire for the creature is real; the only reality is the devil. Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God… The lust thus aroused envelops the mind and will of man in deepest darkness. The powers of clear discrimination and of decision are taken from us… It is here that everything within me rises up against the Word of God.”
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Temptation

Wow! This is the story of the human race. It’s the story of you and me. It’s the story of Lot, his wife and a couple of daughters.

What do we do? How do we respond?

Let me close by sharing four bullets that will give you power to stand against temptation.

Increase Your Joy!

A few years ago I heard John Ortberg share the following quote, “Failure to attain a deeply satisfying life always has the effect of making sinful actions seem good.”

I think he’s right! Turn up the level of JOY in your life!

Stay Committed to Doing Life In Community.

Temptation tends to flourish when people live hidden, dark and lonely lives. But when people come out into the open light of authentic community, temptation doesn’t stand much of a chance.

Develop great, life-giving relationships with people who care enough to ask you the tough questions.

James 5:16 (MSG), Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.

Fill Your Heart and Mind With God’s Word.

One writer in Psalm 119:11 wrote this: “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

When Jesus himself was tempted by the evil one, three times he responded to each temptation with these three words, “It is written…” followed by a quote from the book of Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:16; 8:2).

Receive The Grace and Help God Has To Offer.

The evil one is so predictable. He’ll flaunt temptation before us as if it’s the only thing on the planet that will satisfy our longings. But the moment we give in and buy the line he’s selling, He then loves to pile on guilt and keep us from crying out to the only ONE who can possibly restore and forgive us.

That’s why the words of the writer in Hebrews 4:14-16 are so important.

Hebrews 4:15-16 (NCV / NLT), ...our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. When he lived on earth, he was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

So, today if you feel that you’re starting to drift, CRY OUT FOR GRACE. God will give it!

IT’S NOT THAT BIG A DEAL, OR IS IT?

Genesis 13:12, Abram lived in the land of Canaan. Lot lived among the cities of the Jordan River valley, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.


It’s so subtle and insidious. Your walk and relationship with God is tight, but then there’s this tug, this curiosity, this pull… This desire… It’s not a desire for more of God – more purity, holiness, grace; it’s the desire for something, well, something different… Not something outright immoral, mind you. But something else… So you slip just a little… You make a very small, seemingly insignificant decision to negotiate and compromise, just here…

In your mind, that’s it… Decision over… Sometimes the decision is so small and insignificant, you don’t really even think about it… Life goes on… And so do you, but you go on CHANGED a little by a decision that never fully registers on the radar of your life…

Lot’s single decision to “pitch his tent toward Sodom” would ultimately change the direction and outcome of his life… It probably never registered with him as being a life changing, family altering decision, but it radically CHANGED everything about his life…

Ultimately, he moved into Sodom; and somehow Sodom sort of moved into him… He somehow got sucked into the life of that city…

As far as we know, he never made some major lapse in moral judgment… He just fudged a little here and gave in a little there…

The result? A heart that had become so attached to the city that God had to dispatch a couple of angels to literally force he and his family out of the city… A heart that had become so emotionally involved in the city, that even with God’s judgment falling from the sky, his wife completely ignores God’s warning and lovingly and longingly looks back at Sodom and is turned into a pillar of salt… A couple of girls who’s value system has been so distorted by the city, that they actually get their father drunk so that they can sexually seduce him…

Lot’s family was completely destroyed, and the first crack in its destruction started when Lot made a single, small, “insignificant” decision to “pitch his tent toward Sodom.”

Here’s the way the book of James describes the process.

James 1:14-15 (MSG), The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. 15 Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.

Wow! That seemingly small flirtation, the temptation to “fudge” a little here or there, may not be that “small” at all…

The best plan?

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT), Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.

Guard your heart! Don’t allow even the smallest amount of drift to set in… When you feel your heart start to drift, cast yourself on God… Cling to him… Ask Him to cleanse and purify your motives and desires…

While lot was pitching “his tents toward Sodom,” Abe just hung out in Canaan.

Friday, January 25, 2008

MOVING FORWARD

Have you ever craved a new start? Have you wished you could get a “do over”?

In Philippians 3:12-21 Paul gives us four keys for Moving Forward…

1. EVALUATION: Face Reality.

Here’s what I mean… Admit that you don’t have it all together. You haven’t arrived. You’ve still got a long way to go… Take INVENTORY of your life.

Paul was brutally honest about his life. He was gut level honest about his faults and his failures.

Philippians 3:12-13 (NIV), Not that I have already obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it…

These sentences blow me away! Paul was an old man when he wrote these words. This guy has single handedly spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. He has established more than fifty churches! He has made an incredible impact on the world! But when he examined his life, Paul said, “I don’t have it all together… I haven’t arrived… I’m not perfect… I’m still growing…”


2. ELIMINATION: Let Go Of Your Past.

Paul refused to be manipulated by his memories… I love Philippians 3:13.

Philippians 3:13 (NLT), No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…

Paul realized that if he was going to be all God wanted him to be, then he couldn’t afford to waste any more time on yesterday!

This is CRUCIAL! If you really want to MOVE FORWARD you have to LET GO of the guilt, grief and regret of your past. Sometimes MOVING FORWARD means learning to forget!

I love the way James Long describes it: “One reason God created time was so there would be a place to bury the failures of the past.”

He’s right! Maybe it’s time for you to LET GO OF YOUR PAST.

3. CONCENTRATION: Focus On What’s Next.

Philippians 3:13-14, Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal…

One of the biggest problems most of us face is fragmentation.... Paul said, “This ONE THING I do…”

What are you focused on? Are you really directing all of your energy and efforts in a singular direction?


4. DETERMINATION: Fight Until You Finish.

Philippians 3:12-13, ... I press on ... straining ... I press on to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Can you feel the intensity in these verses? Can you sense the determination? The phrase “press on” can actually be translated, “I over extend myself… I go for it with all I’ve got… I throw myself into it… I strain with every nerve and muscle in me to reach the prize…”


One of the CD’s I’ve been wearing out on my I-pod is the recent CD by Free Chapel. Wow! If you haven’t purchased this one, get on I-tunes now! Download it! For the last few months I’ve been going back to this CD again and again for inspiration and encouragement.

The title cut of the CD is “Moving Forward.” On a recent drive to and from South Carolina, the words of this song completely “unglued me.”

“I’m not going back, I’m moving ahead;
I’m here to declare to you, my past is over
In You, all things are made new,
Surrender my life to Christ, I’m moving, moving forward!”

Tired of reliving your past? Tired of being "stuck in the moment"? Do you long for God to do something NEW in your life. Then, why not make a decision today! Start MOVING FORWARD!

Friday, January 18, 2008

WALK THIS WAY!

In Psalm 18:36 David said, “You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.”

What an incredible promise! Do you ever find yourself living life so cautiously, almost overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, because the slightest misstep will cause you to blow it BIG TIME and miss out on God’s purpose and plan for your life. I have to confess, I find myself reverting to this kind of mentality on a pretty regular basis…

Here’s the problem. This kind of mentality squelches creativity. It keeps you from living courageously. It will cause you to avoid taking a risk and maybe doing something great.

What would change about the way you live your life if you began to believe, “God has prepared a WIDE PATH for my feet to keep me from slipping?”

There’s a whole lot of difference between walking on a tight rope and walking on a"four lane SUPER HIGHWAY"… If you feel like God’s will is like a tight rope, you’re going to be tentative, probably even anxious or fearful… But if you believe God’s will is a “wide path” and that God’s desire is to “keep you from slipping,” well, you just might take a step of faith and do something for God that blows your mind…

I’m ready to get off the tight rope… God has prepared a “WIDE PATH” for me… I really believe "LIFE is a HIGHWAY." And in the words of Steven Tyler, Aerosmith and Run D.M.C. it’s time to “Walk This Way.”

Thursday, January 17, 2008

CANCER, SICKNESS, HEALING AND WHOLENESS

My Dad’s recent battles with kidney failure and now an aggressive form of lymphoma has motivated me to check out once again what God’s Word has to say about healing. Here are a few thoughts...

First of all, it’s important to remember that what we see and experience today is not “life” the way God intended it. When God created Adam and Eve He created two completely perfect and sinless individuals and then placed them in a completely perfect, sinless environment… No sin! No sickness! No pain! No suffering! Eden was absolute perfection!

Amazingly, Adam and Eve blew it! They sinned… They rebelled against God and their rebellion had cosmic consequences. Their sin introduced death into the world and everything that precedes death… Stuff like pain, sickness, suffering and disease…

But here’s the good news… Before God ever created the first man and the first woman, He knew we would sin... God knew we would rebel against His purpose and plan, and that our rebellion would wreak havoc in the universe and bring about unbearable suffering and pain. So God had already taken steps to make certain that healing and wholeness were available to the people He so dearly loved…

Here are a few examples:

For instance, the Book of Exodus describes the suffering of the people of God in Egypt… Through a series of miracles, God delivered the entire nation of Israel from the tyranny of Pharaoh and out of 430 years of bondage and slavery… As the nation traveled through the desert they became thirsty and came upon a body of water at a place called Marah… Their hopes and dreams were quickly smashed to smithereens, because the water wasn’t drinkable. It was bitter…

All of a sudden God spoke to Moses and gave us an incredible picture of what Jesus Christ would ultimately accomplish through the cross… God said to Moses, “Cut off this branch and throw it into the water…” And the moment the branch touched the bitter waters at Marah, the water became sweet…

This is one of the most beautiful pictures we have in the Old Testament of how the cross of Jesus Christ can transform the bitterness and pain of life itself…

It was on the heels of this miracle that God gave this promise to Israel…

Exodus 15:26 (NIV),If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am [Jehovah-Rapha]… I am the LORD, who heals you.”

It’s interesting that right at the outset of redemptive history, God identified Himself as a HEALING GOD! He said, “This is who I am… This is my very nature… I am Jehovah-Rapha! I am the Lord who heals you!”


A few hundred of years later, David was inspired with the same truth when he wrote these words…

Psalm 103:1-3, "Praise the Lord, I tell myself; and all that is within me, praise His holy name. 2 Praise the Lord I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases…"

In David’s mind, God’s ability and willingness to heal was just as real and just as certain as God’s ability and willingness to forgive sin…


Psalm 107 was written a few decades later by an unknown author… It’s a psalm of thanksgiving for the faithfulness of God’s covenant love despite the unfaithfulness of His people… It describes the redemptive activity of our great God… It describe how when God’s people experienced the consequences of their rebellion… When the “fallout from the fall” left them feeling helpless and hopeless, and they cried out to God and “…He saved them from their distress.” Then it includes this incredible promise…

Psalm 107:20 (NIV), "He [God] sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave."

I need to read these promises! Especially now!

Everything about God suggests that He longs to heal… His very nature is a healing nature… His very name is a healing name… And his very word is a healing word…

I love the way the Message reads…

Psalm 107:20 (MSG) says, “He spoke the word that healed you, that pulled you back from the brink of death.”


Psalm 147 is another psalm written by an anonymous author at around the same time that Psalm 107 was written… Once again, the author reminds us of the healing nature of our great God… Check out these words…

Psalm 147:3 (NLT), "[God} heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds."

Wow! God not only longs to heal our “outer wounds.” He even longs to heal our heart!


Then, about 700 years before Jesus was even born, a prophet by the name of Isaiah emphasized that the healing ministry of the Messiah… Isaiah 53 is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. It’s filled with the language of substitution…

Isaiah 53:5 (NKJ), "…He [Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

The Message says, “…He took the punishment, and that made us whole. By His wounds we are healed.”

The word “whole” is a great word, because the biblical concept of healing refers to “wholeness…” This is so important! God’s desire for you is wholeness… He longs to make you completely whole in every aspect of your being…


Healing is so important to the heart and mind of God that the last prophecy contained in the Old Testament, the last prophecy written before 400 years of absolute silence from God, once again emphasized, the healing ministry of the Messiah… Tucked away in the book of Malachi is this promise…

Malachi 4:2, "…the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy…"


All of these are prophecies… But what’s incredible to remember is that every one of these prophecies got played out, in a very real way, in the life and ministry of Jesus. To say that healing was important in the ministry of Jesus would be an understatement…


More than 40 distinct physical and mental healings are described in the four Gospels… If you count the descriptions of miracles that get repeated, then the number goes up to at least 72.

Jesus ministered healing in a variety of ways… For instance…

• On 21 occasions, Jesus healed through His spoken word.
• On 13 occasions, Jesus healed someone by touching them.
• On 9 occasions, people were healed in the course of his preaching or teaching.
• On at least 8 occasions, Jesus healed people by releasing them from demonic oppression.
• On another 8 occasions, Jesus healed an individual because someone other than the sick person demonstrated faith.
• On 7 occasions, Jesus healed because the sick person had faith.
• At least 4 times, Jesus healed because he was moved by compassion.
• And on at least one occasion, Jesus healed someone when they reached out to touch him.

Here’s the truth I need to remember… Maybe it's the truth you need to read and hear today... It’s the truth I’m holding on to as my Dad battles with kidney failure and lymphoma…

For whatever reason, God loves us. He loved us so much that He sent His Son who gave His life, and through His sacrifice, He not only provided our eternal salvation, He also provided HEALING.

Wherever you are… Whatever the doctor’s diagnosis… As you process the anxiety, fear and uncertainty... Know that God loves you… He longs to heal you… These are His promises…

Healing may come miraculously! Healing may come in a way that you've never even considered… Healing may come through the hands of a gifted physician… But regardless, in the middle of your physical battle, CLING to the God who loves you and longs to heal you.

UPDATE ON MY DAD - JANUARY 17, 2008

Thanks SO MUCH for the prayers for my Dad (Pastor Ken Goins). A surgeon removed a tumor from his brain on Tuesday, January 15. According to the doctor, it was about the size of a “grape.” The doc indicated that the tumor looked “abnormal, cancerous, probably some form of lymphoma, and most likely malignant." On Wednesday, the pathology report confirmed his initial diagnosis. The tumor is an aggressive form of lymphoma.

Dad spent a little more than a day in ICU and was recovering from the surgery so well that they moved him to the main floor late Wednesday afternoon.

Today (Thursday, January 17), Dad was released from the hospital and sent home. Yea, God! His recovery from the surgery exceeded the doctor’s expectations. In fact, in assessing Dad’s miraculous progress his surgeon said, “To God be the glory.”

Dad and Mom also met with an oncologist today. They are prescribing a treatment of radiation and chemo after he heals from the surgery. They want to be as aggressive as possible, because this form of lymphoma is very aggressive. Unfortunately, they will have to take necessary precautions due to his kidney failure and continuing dialysis.

Janet and I, along with my mom, brothers and extended family are so thankful to all of our friends and who have prayed for Dad’s complete healing. We are still standing in faith believing for a MIRACLE. Thanks for standing with us. Janet and I love and appreciate you.

Sincerely
Chris Goins

Sunday, January 13, 2008

WOUNDEDNESS AND GRACE

Several months ago I ran across this article by David Kuo of the Christian Post. As I read the article God gave me a burden for a cultural icon who is obviously going through some very hard times. These words are not my words, but perhaps they'll help to provide some perspectice and compassion for an icon who I believe is in desperate need of the same grace that you and I crave. Here's the article... Maybe you can read it and whisper a prayer... Read it and remember that the arms of the Father are always open to all of His kids...

Is Britney Spears the Prodigal Daughter?

By
David Kuo
Christian Post Contributor
Wed, Feb. 21 2007 05:07 PM ET

I have two snapshots of Britney Spears stuck in my brain.

The first is from the late 1990s. I was living in Atlanta and had started attending a cool new church. It was a church "unplugged" – the pastor was young and sat on a stool and talked about Jesus and U2 and Quentin Tarantino. "Worship" was performed by a band. No one wore suits. It was so much fun there were mid-week worship services.

Early one evening I walked in and sat down and worshipped and listened to the sermon and was getting up to leave when I caught up to the non-Jesus buzz in the room. "Britney is here " I heard whispered as I saw a hulking man and a small girl bustle out a side door. Apparently it wasn't a terribly uncommon experience. Whenever she was in town for a concert or for meetings, she stopped by the church. I hadn't heard of pop stars going to church. It never made me a fan but it made me believe that her 'virgin talk' was far more than some marketing ploy.

The other Britney snapshot was from 2002. The NFL opened its season on a Thursday night in Washington, DC and there was a concert on the mall to celebrate. My wife Kim and I had been given backstage passes. A host of stars passed before us on their way to perform. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith strutted by, Mary J. Blige held court, Aretha Franklin deigned to be there. Most memorable, however, was the very small Britney Spears. She looked timid, comforted by the big jacket she was wearing, looking like a little girl lost in a glittered world. As her stage time approached, she looked around and shed the jacket to reveal a very tight little outfit. She fidgeted. Her dancers moved in closer and so did her bodyguards. She walked out on stage and lipsynched a new song, grinding and moving and stripping down further to reveal pants well below her navel and a top that covered not much at all. After the performance she ran offstage and back into the clothes. The empress needed her clothes.

Those two moments have colored my perception of Britney. I couldn't buy the image of her as a sexual diva, a slithering temptress. It seemed an image that old men and young boys wanted but not one based in reality. During the past several years as her music became coarser and her sexuality even more overt I couldn't buy it. It felt faker than people said her virginity talk ever was. The toll it took on her own soul, however, was real.

Now there is this runaway, this breakdown, the shaved head, the tattoos, the parties and the presumed drugs. And it all makes me wonder if the lost, little girl who now has two little boys isn't trying to do whatever she can to get back to who she once was. I wonder if she's looked at the pictures of her onstage kissing Madonna and writhing around on the floor and felt much as the prodigal son felt when he found himself lying in a pig sty. Britney's sty may be different – more luxe and less slop – but the self-loathing, hopeless destination is the same. They both reached the end of the of the glam road and discovered it looked a lot like hell.

For the son there came the conclusion that his father's house would give him a better chance at life even if the father he had once shunned no longer loved him. So he went home to confess and ask for forgiveness. He was greeted with a party; a party to celebrate his life.

For Britney now there is a trip to rehab; a trip to rehab with a newly tattooed cross on her left hip. And there is the prayer that as she goes into rehab that she might remember a simple faith that she once had in a man named Jesus and that she might return to him and find that he is waiting to welcome the little girl back and throw her the kind of party she has really been looking for.

________________________________________________

David Kuo has been walking with Jesus for more than 20 years, during which time he has served as special assistant to the president in George W. Bush's White House, policy director for Sen. John Ashcroft, and speechwriter for a gaggle of conservatives (plus a few liberals here and there). He is the author of "Tempting Faith," a book about God and politics, and is currently the Washington editor for Beliefnet.com.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

I WILL BE THERE FOR YOU

You never know when your entire world is going to be turned completely upside down… You never know when the bottom is going to drop out of life leaving you falling and spinning and grasping for something solid to hold on to. But every now and then it happens… Usually, when you least expect it…

Just a few days ago the “bottom” dropped out of our family’s world. On Thursday my dad collapsed in his home. My youngest brother found him lying still on the bathroom floor completely unresponsive. At first there was panic… “Call 911,” Casey shouted to my mom. Then he gathered our Dad in his arms and waited for the ambulance to arrive.

By the time the ambulance arrived, stabilized my dad and transported him to a small hospital in Athens, Tennessee; most of the Goins’ family had been notified.

When I speak of the Goins’ family, you probably need to be aware that my Dad comes from a family of twelve brothers and sisters. That’s right! TWELVE! My Grandmother was the original “Super Woman.”

Eleven of those brothers and sisters are still alive! When you include spouses, kids, their spouses, grandkids, their spouses, more kids and great grand kids… Well, you get the picture… It’s a HUGE family, and represents one of those “old fashioned families” where “family” still means something… Let me explain…

By the time my Dad arrived at the small hospital in Athens, Tennessee, my Uncle Malcolm was there; standing alongside my mom, waiting for a report from the doctor. Additional brothers and sisters would funnel in… When they received the call, they dropped everything and came running… A member of their “family” was in trouble, and they were there to stand with him… To do anything and everything possible…

Eventually Dad was transported to a hospital in Chattanooga. By early Thursday evening, the M.I.C.U. waiting room was filled with brothers, sisters, their spouses, their offspring, church members – all standing vigil for one of their own whose outcome was uncertain.

Thursday evening my Uncle Malcolm and Aunt Connie spent the night in the waiting room with mom – just in case any news should break during the late hours of the evening or wee hours of the morning.

All day Friday the waiting room was filled with activity, as extended members of the family and members of dad’s church filed in and out checking on Dad’s status, offering support, providing encouragement, bringing food, telling stories, laughing, praying and providing hope…

Early Friday evening Aunt Shirley arrived with “Tupperware” containers filled with homemade vegetable soup, pinto beans, cornbread and all the fixin’s. She invaded a vending room. Set up shop and made certain that every member of the family had something to eat. (In retrospect, while the pinto beans tasted incredible, they were probably not best vegetable she could have brought. Thankfully, the waiting room had an exhaust fan…)

Friday evening Uncle Malcolm and Aunt Connie bedded down again to spend the night with mom, along with two members of the church my mom and dad serve… Just their presence indicated to my mom, “You are not in this alone… We are standing with you… We’re going to get through this together…”

Saturday morning we got the definitive word from three doctors. Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor near the surface of his brain... An operation was scheduled for Tuesday…

All day long on Saturday I sat and watched as brothers, sisters, nephews and friends passed in and out of the M.I.C.U. waiting room and I was overwhelmed… I was overwhelmed with the love and loyalty I had seen play out before my eyes…

My brothers and I have stood alongside mom throughout the whole deal, but the “real players” – the example of how people ought to live and love – has been demonstrated in the lives of my aunts and uncles. It was love dressed up in work clothes, even “overalls.”

Somehow, my Dad’s brothers and sisters haven’t forgotten what “family” really means… Somehow they understand what Solomon meant when he said, “…a brother is born for adversity…” (Proverbs 17:17) If this was the only time I had seen them display this kind of love and loyalty, that would be one thing. But this is just the way this family chooses to do life…

So, during the last few days I’ve been praying for my Dad’s healing. He’s showing some improvement. We’ve still got a ways to go… But I’ve also been praying that God would help me to live out and model the values, love, life and loyalty I’ve seen lived out over the past few days…

I want to be the kind of husband, father, brother or friend who is THERE when the bottom falls out. I want to be the kind of friend who doesn’t just say, “If there is anything we can do, don’t hesitate to give us call,” secretly hoping that they never call… I want to be the kind of friend who just DOES what needs to be done, what SHOULD be done, without being called, and without being asked.

I want to be the kind of guy who stands in the gap, who holds up someone’s hands, who believes when no one else believes, who hopes when hope is apparently gone, and who loves beyond all reason.

That’s the kind of love and lives I’ve got to witness this week.

God help me be that kind of man, that kind of husband, that kind of father, that kind of brother, that kind of friend.

John 15:13 (NIV), Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

MINISTRY SCHEDULE - WHAT WE'RE DOING!

WEEK NIGHT BIBLE STUDIES
(TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT)


Tuesday PM Home Bible Study
Every Tuesday PM * 6:30 PM
Study: TRUE FAITH - A Study in the Book of James
Location: Home of Chris and Janet Goins

Wednesday PM Home Bible Study
Every Wednesday PM * Begins This Wednesday, January 16
6:30 PM
Study: TBA
Location: Home of Ron and Deborah Wiggins
Trussville, AL

Thursday PM Home Bible Study
Every Thursday PM * 6:30 PM
Study: TRUE FAITH - A Study in the Book of James
Location: Home of Chris and Janet Goins

Coram Deo
Sunday, January 20 (8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.)
Knoxville, TN

Mt Paran North Worship and Arts Retreat
Helen, Georgia
Saturday Evening, January 26, 6:30 PM
Sunday Morning, January 27

Lee University
U Church 234
Sunday Evening, January 27, 7:30 PM


The Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Home Bible Studies are open to the public. You are invited to attend. Contact Chris or Janet at 205.979.3633 for more information on any of these ministry opportunities.

Friday, January 11, 2008

UPDATE ON MY DAD - KEN GOINS

I usually share some of the stuff that God is doing in my heart on this blogspot. Today, I'm sharing about something going on in my family.

Please pray for my Dad. His name is Ken Goins. He pastors a small church in Watts Bar, TN.

Here's what we know... On Thursday, January 10 Dad collapsed while at home. He was taken via ambulance to a local hospital where the family was told he has a brain tumor. For most of the day, he was unresponsive, didn't recognize members of the family and was in obvious pan. After making an initial assessment of a possible brain tumor, later Thursday afternoon, Dad was transported from the small hospital in Athens, TN to another hospital in Chattanooga.

By Friday, January 11 he was showing signs of improvement. He recognized members of the family. On Friday the doctors also ran a series of tests to attempt to discern whether or not he has a brain tumor.

Early this morning, Saturday, January 12, three doctors met with members of the family to explain that Dad does have a small tumor on the back of his brain (near the surface) and they have schedule an MRI and surgery for Tuesday, January 15 to remove the tumor. The docs believe the tumor is probably some form of cancer, but will make an assessment after they put the tumor under the microscope and in the lab.

As some of you are aware, Dad's kidneys completely failed about three months ago. This is the latest in a series of physical setbacks.

We really believe that God has promised in His Word to heal and we are trusting God for Dad's complete recovery. Thanks so much for your prayers.

I really appreciate all of you who have called, emailed and mostly PRAYED for my DAD. Thanks a million.

Today, Saturday, January 12 Dad is resting much better, is very coherent and seems to be improving.

I'll keep you posted about his progress.

Again, thank you.

Chris Goins

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Why Do The 21 Day Fast Thing?

Today I spent some time reminding myself about why I'm participating in a 21 day fast? What's the purpose? Is it some kind of strict ascetism that drives me to do without the foods that I really enjoy? What's the deal?

John Piper's book, "A Hunger for God" is perhaps the best book I've ever read on Christian fasting. In the book, Piper reminds us that a God-initiated, God-ordained, God-honoring FAST will always turn our hearts UPWARD to God… A great passage to check out on this is Isaiah 58…

Listen to what Piper says:

“The birthplace of Christian fasting is homesickness [or hunger] for God.”

Are you hungry for God? Is that what's motivation to take part in a 21 day journey?

Unfortunately, what Piper goes on to say is absolutely true…

“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18-20).”


Those words nail me… It’s critical that we understand that food in and of itself is not a bad thing… In fact, it’s a gift from God and according to Paul ought to be received with a thankful heart… But far too often we I can anesthetize the hunger and ache in my soul and spirit for God with a bite of food or a can of soda, or any other number of substitutes…

Here’s what fasting is about… It’s about falling on your face before God and saying, “Oh God, I want you… I want you this much…”

It’s being able to speak the words of Psalm 42 with authenticity…

Psalm 42:1-2 (MSG), “I want God. I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, ‘Will I ever make it-arrive and drink in God's presence?’”


The question becomes: Why are we so hungry for God? Haven’t we experienced the reality of the being adopted into God’s family, filled with God’s Spirit and made alive in Christ?

Absolutely! But I love what Piper goes on to say…

“The aching and yearning and longing for Christ and his power that drive us to fasting are not the expression of emptiness… Hunger for God, yes. But not emptiness. The firstfruits of what we long for have already come…

“We have tasted the powers of the age to come, and our fasting is not because we are hungry for something we have not experienced but because the new wine of Christ’s presence is so real and so satisfying. We must have all that it is possible to have. The newness of our fasting is this: its intensity comes not because we have never tasted the wine of Christ’s presence, but because we have tasted it so wonderfully by His Spirit, and cannot now be satisfied until the consummation of joy arrives. …Christian fasting is a hunger for all the fullness of God…

“The more deeply you walk with Christ, the hungrier you get for Christ...the more homesick you get for heaven...the more you want ‘all the fullness of God’...the more you want to be done with sin...the more you want the Bridegroom to come again...the more you want the Church revived and purified with the beauty of Jesus...the more you want a great awakening to God's reality in the cities...the more you want to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ penetrate the darkness of all the unreached peoples of the world...the more you want to see false worldviews yield to the force of Truth...the more you want to see pain relieved and tears wiped away and death destroyed...the more you long for every wrong to be made right and the justice and grace of God to fill the earth like the waters cover the sea.”


So, why am I fasting? What's the purpose? What am I wanting?

Here it is in three simple words: I WANT GOD!

Three more words: I NEED GOD!

Four more: I LONG FOR GOD!

Five more: I'VE GOT TO HAVE GOD!

That's the reason I fast... Pure and simple...

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

IT'S HARD

Luke 6:27-36 (NLT), “But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do for others as you would like them to do for you.
32 “Do you think you deserve credit merely for loving those who love you? Even the sinners do that! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, what good is that? Even sinners will lend to their own kind for a full return.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don’t be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.



Do you ever read the New Testament and think to yourself, “Yeah, right?”

This is one of those verses for me.

One problem. Jesus not only said it, He lived it!

This list of people who hurt him reads like a NYC phone book… His response? “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”

The man who had available to him all power in heaven and earth and with one word could have body-slammed every critic and contender; patiently endured being spat on, beaten, nailed to a cross and publicly humiliated.

He never once retaliated. He never played “get even” mind games. Even after his resurrection, when he had the opportunity to completely humiliate the people who had betrayed him; he extended grace, reached out in love and gave people a second, third and fourth chance…

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about me. There are some emotional bumps and bruises that I have an easy time overlooking. I can extend grace to the person who “dings the door” of my emotional life. But the guy or gal who emotionally crashes into me, leaving me emotionally blown to smithereens? Well, that’s a different story.

I entertain sweet thoughts of revenge. I rehearse in my head what I’ll say to the person the next time I see them. It’s always so good. I always walk away from that imaginary conversation looking so stinkin’ smart, and leaving them reeling with the profound nature of my thoughts…

I secretly long for something bad to happen to them… Not bodily harm, mind you… But a visit from an IRS Agent? Maybe…

I hate to admit it, but I’ve even entertained some of these thoughts recently… Then this morning I open the Bible, read these words, and the crushing weight of my sinful attitude is exposed… Don’t you just love the way Jesus can do that?

In Luke 6 Jesus reminds me that loving, liking, being kind and compassionate to people who love, like, and are kind and compassionate to me is elementary. Everybody does it. Even Marilyn Manson.

But extending grace, love and mercy to the people who have hurt, criticized and ran smack over the top of me? Well, that’s something only Jesus could do. And me? I can only do it, if I’m allowing Jesus to live in and through me…

So, if you’ve been wounded, hurt, stepped on or betrayed. Here are some steps you can take towards walking out Luke 6.

Admit That You’ve Been Hurt.

Don’t say, “Oh, it wasn’t a big deal… It didn’t really matter…” It did matter! It was a big deal! Admit you’ve been hurt.

Hold The Person Accountable For Hurting You.

So many victims of abuse get stuck in a mindset that says, “I had it coming… It was really MY fault…” No, it wasn’t! Hold the person accountable for hurting you!

Remember The Extravagant Grace and Forgiveness That God Has Poured Out On You.

Psalm 103:12 says, “...as far as the east is from the west, that’s how far God has removed our sins from us…” Micah 7:19 says that God has taken our sins and “…hurled them into the depths of the sea.”

Focus your heart and attention on God’s extravagant grace… Revel in mercy and forgiveness!

If It’s Possible and Profitable, Go To The Person Who Hurt You.

Sometimes it’s just not possible… In some cases, the person may already be deceased or geographically too far removed for you to go to them physically… Sometimes it just not profitable… There are some levels of betrayal and abuse where a personal encounter would not be helpful. But if it is possible and profitable, go to the person. If necessary, take somebody with you…

Love and Forgive Them In The Same Way God Has Forgiven You.

This is REAL IMPORTANT. Forgiveness is not about saying, “It didn’t really happen…” It did happen! Here’s what forgiveness is: Forgiveness is about giving up the right to get even… It’s about you breaking free from the event that has locked you in an emotional and spiritual prison.


A few years ago Rich Mullins wrote a song called, “Hard.” The transparency in his lyrics is touching.

Lord, it's hard to turn the other cheek
Hard to bless when others curse you
Oh Lord, it's hard to be a man of peace
Lord, it's hard, oh it's hard,


He’s right. I can’t possibly do it in my own strength, but because of Jesus, I can extend grace, offer forgiveness and LIVE FREE. So for me, it’s back to walking out this “Yeah, right” Scripture from Luke 6…


Worth Checking Out:

Hard by Rich Mullins from the CD, “A Liturgy, A Legacy and a Ragamuffin Band”

Monday, January 7, 2008

THE OTHER SIDE

Mark 4:35 (NIV), That day when evening came, [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” (See Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-40)

Jesus’ ministry was exploding. The crowds were huge. Expectations were building. There was a “buzz” in the air, when all of a sudden Jesus dropped a bomb. He looked at his disciples and said, “Okay… Let’s go to the other side.”

Jesus was referring to an area known as the Decapolis. It’s a Greek word that means “10 cities.” For a first century Jew, this was “enemy territory.” Jews were a minority in the Decapolis. The population was basically made up of Gentiles.

In Capernaum, Jesus basically has “home field” advantage. His popularity is on the rise. He is surging in the latest opinion polls. When, out of nowhere, he looks at his disciples and says, “Let’s go to the Decapolis.” In other words, “Let’s move from ministering to people who look, act and think basically like me and you, and let’s reach out to people who live on the other side.”

The Decapolis represented everything Israel was not. It was filled with pagan temples that featured cults that reveled in sexuality, sensuality, violence and death.

First century Jews regarded “the other side” as the place where Satan lived. They believed it to be a dark, evil and demonic place. Nobody ever intentionally went to “the other side.” At least, no self-respecting rabbi… I mean, a rabbi willingly going to “the other side” would be like Billy Graham hanging out for a week in Las Vegas or Amsterdam.

That’s one of the things that's so COOL about Jesus. He loved defying expectations! He didn’t care about protocol. He didn’t care about propriety. He cared about PEOPLE. So even when his ministry was drawing huge crowds, he had the disciples to pack it all in and go to “the other side.”

“What happened when he reached the other side?”

According to Mark 5:1-2, when “…they arrived at the other side of the lake… Just as Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit ran out of the cemetery to meet him. “

This guy was the “poster child” for Demons R Us. He lived in a graveyard. He couldn’t be restrained, even with chains. He was completely out of control. He had lost his grip on reality. He had become a serial “flasher” with no respect for anyone, especially himself. All day long and throughout the night, this guy wandered around the tombs naked, screaming and hitting himself with rocks…

Jesus left “standing room only” crowds in Capernaum only to arrive in the Decapolis, and be met by ONE GUY who was completely out of his mind. Logically, it just doesn’t make sense. Add GRACE, it makes perfect sense.

This extra from the Exorcist comes at Jesus screaming and shrieking: “Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Don’t torture me.”

Jesus calmly looked at the guy and said, “What is your name?” “…the spirit replied, ‘Legion, because there are many of us here inside this man.’” (Mark 5:9-10)

At this point does anybody feel like we’re in an episode of The Twilight Zone?

This guy was totally “whacked out.” He was under the control of demon influence. He was a shell of the guy he had once been. His fling with Satan had cost him everything: his sanity, his family and his personal dignity.

Here’s the USA Today version of what happened next. Jesus spoke and the man was set free… The demons that had been controlling this man take up residence in a herd of pigs and drive the pigs to suicide. Yeah, that’s really in the Bible.

But, the real news is what happened to the guy… What happened to this man who lived on “the other side”? I love this part of the story.

“People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus’ feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious.” (Luke 8:35, The Message)

Wow! No more chains… No flurry and fury… No screams and shrieks… Just PEACE, REVERENCE and WORSHIP… Talk about a transformation! This guy’s life was completely revolutionized all because one guy was wiling to go to “the other side.”

What about you? Where is “the other side” for you? Maybe it’s across the street. Maybe it’s across town. Maybe it’s “across the tracks.” Maybe it’s across the office. Maybe it’s down the hall.

Unlike Jesus, most of us opt for safe, neat, static lives, surrounded by people who look like us, talk like us, think like us and act like us… We’re afraid that if we get up close and personal to irreligious people that somehow their values, beliefs and behaviors will rub off on us…

I’m glad Jesus didn’t think like we think – like I think… Not at all!

This wasn’t Jesus’ first or biggest trip to “the other side.” For that, you’ve got to go back a little further to a time with the Son of God himself – ultimate purity, holiness and righteousness – left the glory He experienced with the Father for all eternity, took upon himself a body of flesh, was born of a virgin Jewish mother, lived, grew and walked and talked among us…

For whatever reason, Jesus thought that you and I were worth a trip to “the other side.” Our redemption was that important to Him.

Maybe, just maybe, that can motivate and inspire you and me the next time we rub shoulders with somebody who doesn’t look like us, talk like us, act like us or believe like us… Maybe we can extend the same grace to them that God extended to us…

Want to reach out to people on “the other side”? Here are a few simple actions you can take:

Love and Accept People Unconditionally.

Love people right where they are. No strings attached.

Serve Someone Sacrificially.

Steve Sjogren writes, “…the simple power of kindness, small acts down with great love, can turn the church inside out.”


I love these words written by Steve Camp several years ago:

“Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells
But I want to run a mission a yard from the gate of hell
And with everyone you meet, take the gospel and share it well
Look around you as you hesitate, another soul just fell
Let’s run to the battle!” ~ Steve Camp, Run To The Battle


Maybe it's time the church does what Jim Morrison and the Doors sang about several decades ago: "Break on through to other side..."


Worth Checking Out:

No Perfect People Allowed by John Burke

Run To The Battle by Steve Camp from the CD, "The Definitive Collection" or "Doing My Best"

Divine Nobodies by Jim Palmer

Sunday, January 6, 2008

LEAVING HARAN

Genesis 12:1-4 (MSG), God told Abram: “Leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you. 2 I’ll make you a great nation and bless you. I’ll make you famous; you’ll be a blessing. 3 I’ll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I’ll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.



Terah, Abram’s Dad, left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. For some reason, he “settled” in Haran and died before ever reaching his destination.

We’re not certain how old Abram was when he left Ur with his Dad to move to Canaan. He was at least old enough to be married to Sarai. Old enough to have a family, run a business, build personal wealth.

Then all of a sudden one day – probably an ordinary, run of the mill kind of day – God speaks to Abram, “Leave it all… Leave everything… Everything you know and love… Your country… Your family… Leave it all… Dream big… Go to the land I will show you… I’m going to bless you… I’ll make you a great nation… I’ll bless others because of you…”

While we don’t know how old Abram was when he and his Dad packed their bags and left Ur, we do know how old he was when God re-ignites the dream that had probably originally been given to Terah. He was 75 years old. He was wealthy… He was successful… He was settled… By the AARP’s standard, this guy was a Senior Citizen.

But instead of going for the condo in South Florida, clipping coupons while sipping on a strawberry daiquiri by the pool, amazingly, we read these words in Genesis 12:4, “So Abram left just as God said…”

Wow! No arguments… No, “But God, I’m really comfortable…” No, “But, God I just cashed in the 401k…” No, “But God, do you know what this kind of move at this stage in my life is going to cost me…” None of that!

“Abram left…”

Why? Why was his obedience so immediate? Why was he so ready to say “Yes!” to God? Maybe he knew up close and personal what could happen to a dream when you choose to “settle” in Haran. Maybe he saw what happened in the heart of his Dad, who ended up dying before ever reaching Canaan.

One of my favorite songs on U2’s CD, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” is a song called, “Stuck In A Moment.” Check out the lyrics of the chorus:

“You’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And now you can’t get out of it
Don’t say that later will be better
Now you’re stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it.”
~ Bono and U2

Procrastination has a way of cheating us out of the dream God has planted in us… Procrastination constantly whispers and screams, “Tomorrow… Tomorrow… Next week… Maybe next year… Get this in order… Make sure that base is covered… Then, you can pursue the dream…”

Before you know it, you end up like Terah: DEAD IN HARAN.

Why not choose to live like Abram? God speaks, “Leave… Leave it all…” “So, Abram left…”

Mark Batterson has written an amazing little book with a strange title, "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day." Here is the Lion Chaser's Manifesto. I love it and want to LIVE IT.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.



My Prayer
“Father, I don’t want to settle in Haran… I don’t want to get stuck… When your voice speaks, give me the guts, courage, will and tenacity, to just do what you’re asking me to do… No questions, arguments or stalling… Just obedience… Here I am… I am yours… Amen.”


Worth Checking Out: Stuck In A Moment, U2 from the CD, All That You Can’t Leave Behind

"In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson

Saturday, January 5, 2008

WHEN DREAMS DIE

Genesis 11:31-32 (NLT), Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child) and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But they stopped instead at the village of Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still at Haran.


He doesn’t know why… He can’t quite explain it… But every morning He wakes up and there’s this little gnaw in his gut. It comes and goes throughout the day, but it never really leaves…

He’s married to a beautiful girl. He’s blessed with a great kid. But every morning he gets up and goes off to a job where he just sort of blends in... Goes through the motions… Collects a pay check, then goes home and lives with this inner ache that says, “You were made for more than this…”

Then one day he’s involved in a deadly train crash. He’s the sole survivor… Doesn’t have a scratch on him… it’s not really a surprise, because things like this have happened to David before… He just won’t admit it… He has learned how to ignore it…

Then he receives a note from Elijah Price, brilliantly played by Samuel L. Jackson. David (Bruce Willis) confides in Elijah that every morning he wakes up with this little bit of sadness in his soul. He had hoped that Elijah might help him understand why.

Eventually, Elijah looks at David and says, “…that little bit of sadness in the morning you spoke of. I think I know what that is. Perhaps you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing…”


I wonder if Terah felt the same sense of sadness? I wonder if he woke up in the morning with an inner ache in his soul that seemed to say, “You were meant for more…”?

So one morning, Terah packed his bags… He gathered a few members of his family: Abram, Sarai and his nephew Lot. He has a dream. He’s going to pursue it. He is leaving everything he knows and he’s moving to Canaan.

But something happens. He makes it to Haran and “settles there.” The Bible says, “Terah lived for 205 years and died while still at Haran.” What a sentence! Read it again slowly. Don’t miss what it says. “Terah lived for 205 years and died while still at Haran.”

He “…died while still in Haran…” But I think something in his soul died, a long time before he died. Somehow in Haran he learned to live with the ache… Somehow he was able to tolerate the sadness. Somehow he was able to ignore the music pounding in his head and the dream beating in his chest… So, the Bible says, He “died while still in Haran.”

Where are you right now? Are you still hanging out in Ur? Maybe you left Ur and started towards Canaan, but somewhere along the way you took a detour.

All of us live with the tension of two voices. One voice tells us that we are irrelevant and insignificant – that there’s nothing special or extraordinary about our lives. But there’s another voice. It’s much more quite. It usually speaks only if you slow down long enough to listen. This voice tells us that underneath the ordinary, mundane and average trappings of our commonplace life, there is something extraordinary, heroic and noble just waiting to be unleashed.

At one point in the movie Unbreakable, Elijah looks at David’s wife and says this: “These are mediocre times, Mrs. Dunn. People are starting to lose hope. It’s hard for many to believe there are extraordinary things inside themselves as well as others…”

He’s right. Somehow it happened to Terah. He left Ur of the Chaldeans with a dream. He took a detour in Haran and he died there before ever making it to Canaan. He died before he ever got to live his dream.

What about you? Do you wake up in the morning with this little inner ache in your soul? Is there some dream that at some point in life you decided to set on the shelf? Have you settled for life in Haran when you know you were meant to live in Canaan?

Sometimes we settle for Haran because we’re afraid. We’re afraid we might fail. We’re afraid of what the journey might require. We’re afraid of what lies around the next corner.

Sometimes we settle for Haran because of personal comfort. Hey, we may not be living the dream, but at least we can pay the bills.

Sometimes we settle for Haran because we learn to ignore the voice that says, “You were made for more…”

Whatever you do, don’t die in Haran!

TODAY! Yeah, right now, take one step towards your dream.

Pick up the phone. Pack your bags. Lean into your giftedness. Listen to the voice of the Spirit. Take a leap of faith. Maybe that sense of sadness you feel each morning is there because “…you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”


Worth Checking Out:

Unbreakable, Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson

Meant To Live, Switchfoot from the CD, The Beautiful Letdown

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

Yesterday I read these words from the book of James.

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” (James 1:2-3, The Message)

According to James “tests” and “challenges” are a gift. When was the last time you thought of a challenge or problem as a gift? Most of the time, I view my challenges and problems as a nuisance. They’re just down right frustrating and annoying.

But sometimes the challenges I face pack such a punch, that they’re more than simply frustrating; they’re exhausting, discouraging and even seem to push my faith to its very limit.

Ever been there? If not, you can pretty much bank on the fact that this kind of challenge is somewhere around the corner…

The past several months have been filled with some “super-sized” challenges. Not just for Janet, the girls, and me, but also for friends and family members we deeply love.

In September 2007, my dad’s kidneys stopped functioning normally. He’s been on dialysis and his body doesn’t always respond well to the treatments.

As most of you know, in late September Janet and I felt “released” from our ministry as Senior Pastor of Metro Church. We took a leap of faith and stepped out believing that God would direct our steps. For three months, we’ve waited and waited and waited… We’ve prayed, listened, read, studied and waited. There have been several times when I’ve wished there was an “Easy Button” like the one made famous in the Staples ads. It doesn’t exist…

But I do keep tripping over this passage from James. If it’s not enough for James to say, “Consider it a sheer gift, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides…” yesterday I was nailed by what James says in Verse 4.

“So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:4, The Message)

I had hoped that by January 2008, I would have clarity on what the next step of ministry looks like… I had hoped that I wouldn’t still carry this inner “ache” and longing that sometimes almost completely overwhelms me… I had hoped that God would write on a wall, speak in an audible voice, blast a hole in the sea, make a way through the wilderness or just send a letter to the house. Nope! Instead, what I’ve received has been just enough grace sufficient for each day.

And whenever I start to get a little “antsy” because things aren’t coming together as quickly as I had imagined they would, I get a word like this from James 1:4.

“…don’t try to get out of anything prematurely…”

Evidently, my timetable isn't God’s timetable. Furthermore, James even goes on to say…

“Let [every challenge and problem you experience] do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

In other words, God’s ultimate desire for my life and your life, as well, isn’t that life be comfortable and easy. It’s that Jesus Christ be formed in us… That our faith and character become “mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

In the mean time, God says, “…whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy… Count it as a sheer gift… Know that I’m developing character and maturity in your life… This process will ultimately pay off… Your faith will be stronger… Your joy will be deeper… Your character will shine…”

Not necessarily the message I want to hear, but the message I NEED to hear… So, with all of that said, “What’s going on with the Goins’ family?” Well, we’re still waiting! We’re still praying and believing that in God’s timing and God’s way He’ll reveal the next step and “the shape of things to come.” And in the mean time, we’re doing what we know to do….

Here’s a glimpse of what we’re doing right now:


MINISTRY SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY 2008:

WEEKLY BIBLE STUDIES

TUESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
Every Tuesday Evening * Begins January 8 * 6:30 PM

THURSDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
Every Thursday Evening * Begins January 10 * 6:30 PM

Study: TRUE FAITH - A Study in the Book of James
Location: Home of Chris and Janet Goins (Tuesday and Thursday PM)
328 Stone Brook Circle * Birmingham, AL * 35226
205.979.3633


WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
Every Wednesday Evening * Begins January 16 * 6:30 PM
TRUSSVILLE AREA
Location: Home of Ron and Deborah Wiggins
7931 Wynwood Road
Trussville, AL 35173


ADDITIONAL MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES:

CORAM DEO
Sunday, January 20 * 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Location: Home of Keith and Marla DeLong
Knoxville, TN

U-CHURCH 234
Lee University Conn Center
Sunday Evening, January 27, 7:30 PM


21 DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING
Last year we began the year with a passionate pursuit for the heart of God by dedicating 21 days to prayer and fasting. It was one of the most meaningful experiences we’ve ever had… This year, Janet and I feel a leading to begin 2008 the same way… So, on Saturday, January 5, we will begin another 21-day journey...

Several of you have expressed interest in the 21 Day Fast. I’ve already posted some helpful information on this blog… I


RESOURCES BY CHRIS AND JANET GOINS
If you are interested in messages or teachings by Chris, as well as tools to assist you in your walk with Christ, we will be recording all of our messages and making them available free of charge through our podcast. We’ll keep you updated on when the podcast will be available on I-tunes. CD’s will also be available for a donation of your choice.


WEEKLY BLOG
After experiencing a “hack” on our My Space account, we have decided to establish a “blog” that will allow us to post our thoughts, devotionals, ministry activities, etc. without all of the “distractions” and potential “hacks” that come with a My Space account. You can check our blog out at: .

We’ll be updating our blog on a periodic basis. Save it as a “favorite” or “bookmark” and log on occasionally for a devotional thought, book recommendation, movie review, music review, etc.

THE "FAITH JOURNEY" REALLY BEGINS

As some of you are aware, under the leadership of State Administrative Bishop, Larry Timmerman, and with the full support of Metro's Senior Pastor, Mark Schrade, and the affirmation of Metro’s Administrative Elders, Janet and I continued to receive a salary through the end of 2007. We are very humbled and appreciative of this generous decision. To those who were involved in making this possible, we extend to you our sincere gratitude. Thank you.

However, as of yesterday - January 1, 2008, the “faith journey” REALLY begins. As of this moment, our ministry is only possible through the gifts and contributions of ministry partners. We sincerely appreciate everyone who has felt a leading to contribute to our ministry. Again, thank you.

Hopefully, in the coming days and weeks, contributions will be tax deductible. Unfortunately, at this time, we are still investigating and praying about beginning the process of establishing a 501c3. We will keep you updated on our progress.

Until then, you can mail all contributions and gifts to Chris Goins Ministries

Chris Goins Ministries
328 Stone Brook Circle
Birmingham, AL 35226
205.979.3633

21 DAY JOURNEY OF PRAYER AND FASTING

WHY 21 DAYS?
One of the most significant victories in the life of the prophet Daniel is recorded in Daniel 9. While studying the prophecy of Jeremiah, Daniel discovered that Jeremiah had proclaimed that the Babylonian captivity would last seventy years, then the Hebrew exiles would return to Israel.

Daniel looked at the calendar and discovered that the time was up – the seventy years had been fulfilled – but the Hebrew exiles were still in captivity. Daniel wondered, “What’s up?”

At this time, the Spirit of God moved upon him to engage in a devoted time of prayer and fasting, asking that God fulfill His promise for the restoration of the Jews to their homeland.

Daniel prostrated himself before God and began to confess the sins of his people. While he was praying, God dispatched the archangel Gabriel from heaven to tell Daniel what would happen to his people. The revelation he received placed a burden on his heart that weighed so heavily upon him that Daniel began to pray and fast until an answer came.

After 21 days of prayer and fasting, the angel of God appeared to Daniel and let Daniel know that God had heard his prayer the very first day he set himself to pray, but that unknowingly to Daniel, the angel had been engaged in spiritual warfare and it was Daniel’s persistence in prayer and fasting that ultimately brought a spiritual breakthrough.

Sometimes spiritual powers align themselves against governments, school systems, communities, families, individuals and churches. For these powers to be dislodged, spiritual warfare is required (Ephesians 6:12). A devoted period of twenty one days can make us sensitive to God’s activity in this world and allow us to appropriate the victory Jesus Christ has already accomplished in any and every area of our life.


HOW TO BEGIN
Set your objective. Start with a clean goal. Be specific. Why are you fasting? Do you need spiritual renewal, guidance, physical healing, the restoration of a marriage or your family, grace to handle a difficult situation, a financial breakthrough? Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. This will enable you to pray specifically and strategically.

It is also important for you to prepare your body for the upcoming fast. Eat smaller amounts of food before starting your fast. Avoid high fat and “sugary” foods. You may want to eat raw fruits and vegetables two days before starting your fast.


PREPARING SPIRITUALLY
The foundation of prayer and fasting is repentance. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart:

• Confess every sin the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
• Ask forgiveness from everyone you have hurt or offended. Forgive all of those who have hurt or offended you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3-4).
• Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
• Surrender your life fully to the purpose and plan of God (Romans 12:1-2).
• Believe that God “rewards those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
• Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan will usually intensify his efforts when you devote yourself to prayer and fasting (Luke 4).
• Develop an accountability partner who will encourage you in your fast.
• Keep a journal during your fast. Write down specific insights God gives you from His Word, promises that you have claimed and answers to prayer that you receive.


DECIDING WHAT
The type of fast you go on is between you and God. Jesus implied that all believers should fast (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14-15). For Him it was a matter of when believers should fast, not if they should fast.

Here are some options:

A Normal (Full) Fast – Abstain from food, drink only liquids (water and / or specific juices).

Should you choose to drink juices during your fast, the best juices are from fresh watermelon, lemons, grapes, apples, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery or leafy green vegetables. Avoid any liquids containing caffeine, as they will stimulate your appetite and make fasting more difficult.

The Daniel Fast – Abstain from meats and sweets, drink only water. (Unseasoned vegetables and most natural fruits are acceptable.)

Combination Fast – Begin the first three days with a full or normal fast. Continue by observing the Daniel Fast for the remaining 18 days.

Note: If you are on medication or have a medical condition, you may want to consult your doctor before beginning your fast. Also, anyone engaging in a prolonged full fast should consult with their doctor.

Deciding on what kind of fast you will observe ahead of time will help you sustain your fast when physical temptations and life’s pressures tempt you to abandon your fast.


WHAT TO EXPECT
When you fast your body detoxifies, eliminating toxins from your system. This can cause mild discomfort such as headaches and irritability as your body withdraws from caffeine and sugars. Naturally, you will experience hunger pains. Most individuals also experience bad breath. Avoid chewing gum or breath mints, as they will stimulate your appetite.

Limit your physical activity. Exercise moderately. Take time to rest.

Fasting can position you to experience miraculous results. You are following the example of Jesus when you fast.

IMPORTANT: For maximum spiritual benefit, it is important that the time normally devoted to eating be given to prayer, Bible study and being alone with God. Pray often throughout the day. Spend time in Bible Study. Make personal praise and worship a priority. Spend time in solitude and get away from every distraction possible (television, radio, cell phones, computers, etc.) The more time you spend with alone God, the more effective and meaningful your fast will be.


HOW TO END
Spend time in praise and worship… When you begin eating, begin eating gradually. Do not overeat. Suddenly reintroducing solid foods to your digestive system will probably produce negative results. Introduce solid foods gradually.