derrickhurst.org

living for eternity today

Page 46 of 130

True Heroes Run In

November 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments

As many of you know today is Veterans Day. It’s a day designed and set aside for the honoring of the men and women of our Armed Forces past and present. It’s a day to pause and honor the men and women who ran into danger so we could sit cozy on our couches. It’s a day to stand up for those who stood up for us.

I am pretty sure that most people know that I’m unashamedly patriotic. No this does not mean that I worship the nation, that’s a nationalist. It doesn’t mean that I think a president can save us or a flag is the end all beat all of my freedom. I’m a patriot. I believe that we live in a broken country in the midst of a broken world but we have been awarded some pretty massive freedoms that are being overlooked and taken for granted. I’m a patriot and that means I have no qualms about standing up for what I believe is good and right and honorable in this the greatest republic the world has ever had a chance to witness.

But I didn’t stand in line to serve. I’m no hero. Many days I regret that decision to not serve and protect this country. But today is about the men and women who did just that. It’s a day to thank the feeble old man who can barely push his grocery cart but proudly wears his Veterans of Foreign Wars hat. It’s a day to pause and reflect on what makes America different from the rest of the world and who secured that for us.

As Americans we are so darn entitled. We take for granted things that other countries would die for! Why do you think so many people from so many countries want to come to America? It’s not because we have good barbecue or great restaurant chains. They want to be here because of what these heroes did. They want to be here so they can take shelter in a safe haven that is protected by the most elite group of defenders the world has ever known.

This year has proven to be challenging for so many. I’m ashamed of what has happened to the “united” part of this country. The things that used to unite us now divide us. And to be honest it’s killing the very things we’ve grown to love. If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that life can change in the drop of a nickel.

Do you like knowing that flipping a switch can make the lights turn on? Or that you can go to the store and have plenty of food to pick up off the shelves? Do you like to know that you can leave your house at 1am to make a run to the local corner mart to grab a 6-pack? No the veterans in our country don’t necessarily run those things but they make them a reality. Without their sacrifice and continued protection even at times when we don’t even know it, our lives would look very different.

So today let’s swallow our pride as greedy Americans. Stand for the flag and all it represents, because the flag isn’t about how we treat one another it’s about what they fought for. Greet one another with a smile even those people who look, act and believe different than us. Veterans’ Day is about making this nation a place where we can see life differently and still exist peacefully.

Friends, if you’re not a veteran then today isn’t about you. Thank a veteran because without them much of what you have wouldn’t exist. And it’s all because they ran in when most would run away.

Thank you to all who have served and are still serving. There are still Americans out there who have your six. I am one of them. Happy Veterans Day!

What The World Needs Now

November 10, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This world is a hot mess! I don’t really know how else to say it. People are fighting. Accusations are flying all over the place. Everyone things that their way the is the best way. We want things to get better and honestly many think that better is tied to a policy or person. But that’s not what’s going to make things better.

This week we baled on a message series to address the matters in our world. But not quite how you might think. While the issues in our nation are very much politically driven and we’re trying to find the right person to offer the right policy to fix what we feel is wrong, we have a short sighted view of the real problem.

The more time and effort we spend on short term, quick fixes the more short duration fixes we’ll discover – if we discover a fix at all. Specific people and policies are not what this world needs.

This world needs those who call themselves believers in Jesus to actually live like believers in Jesus. The world needs the church to be the church and or Christians to start living what they are claiming to be true. The world doesn’t need more love or acceptance or tolerance. The world needs forgiveness, healing and some hard truths spoken.

Some won’t like the message. Some will. The point is not to please everyone. The point is what’s needed isn’t always the thing that’s wanted. Sometimes the most needed thing is the least desired thing.

Truth Be Told

November 9, 2020 / / 0 Comments

The truth is that rarely is the truth found in our world. We tell those little, innocent lies all the time right? I mean someone asks how you’re doing and instead of being honest and telling them what you feel, it’s just easier to say Oh I’m fine. Thanks for asking.

But the truth of the matter is, it’s ok to not be ok. It’s ok to be broken and feel like the world is crashing in. It’s ok to feel like you’re losing control and need help. It’s ok to feel like you’re all alone at times. But it’s not ok to hold it in.

Truth be told we all need someone in our lives that we can confide in. Someone who we trust so much that we can lay our darkest secrets on. Someone whose opinion matters, whose ear listens, whose heart cares. We all need someone with whom we can share truth but also who will honestly share truth back to us.

It’s easy to surround ourselves with the people who will tell us yes. It’s easy to find the people say what we want to hear. But to find real strength, we need to find the truth. Not your version of it. Not your opponent’s version of it. But the truth. There is only one truth in a situation. And in the end the truth comes to light. When the truth is revealed, we need to accept that truth and walk on. But be careful in your search for truth, make sure you’re not just listening to the voices who are all saying the samething. Try to put holes in the story you’re hearing. See if it holds water.

Most importantly find someone who will speak truth to you. Lean on them. Confide in them. Let them love you with the tough love that’s sometimes needed.

Not A Worldly Approach

November 5, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Power. Money. Prestige. These are all things that many people in the world today want. We’ll do what we have to do to gain any of these. As a matter of fact, in the world’s eyes, these are markers of success.

But there is a better way. Not that money or power or positional authority are all bad. There’s just a better way. It’s been said that the greatest enemy of great is good. We see the bigger and the better that can be found in a bigger bank account, a window office, a larger house and a host of other worldly accomplishments.

But these can and will all go away. One day we will lose our job, either by our choice or a choice that is forced upon us. One day we’ll realize that the money in our bank account didn’t buy us time with our children and it won’t go with us when we die. The things we value as the good and successful things on this earth will one day leave us wanting.

In the message below, and in the bible section to which it refers, we will see an alternative way of living. We’ll see how there are better things that will come, but often on the other side of challenging situations.

So in the meantime we need to be ok with mourning, sadness, pain, loss, and emptiness – because on the other side of these things we will find something truly amazing. We’ll find a blessing like we cannot imagine.

Good vs. Evil

November 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

What a battle it is out there! Things seem to be getting crazy in our world and things are spiraling faster and faster out of control. We’re in the midst of some of the most challenging times in our lives. What’s going on in life right now is the most foundational battle ever known to man. It’s the battle of good against evil.

But hold on! This battle may not be exactly what you think. The battle of good vs evil isn’t about one man against another or one party against another. It’s truly the battle of ultimate good facing off against ultimate evil.

I recently heard author, Jon Gordon, speak about one of his books. He was talking about this battle of good and evil referring to it through the lenses of what he called the 5 D’s. These five D’s are foundational to understanding who the real enemy is in life.

Doubt

At the outset, most conflict is brought on because some level of doubt is brought into view. We doubt if we’re loved. We doubt if we’re good enough. We doubt if they have our best intentions at heart. We doubt if what we have is good enough. Doubt is looking at what we don’t have instead of seeing everything we do have.

Distortion

When we start to doubt that what we have is enough it begins to distort the truth. We begin to believe the lies that these doubts bring up in our mind. They act like fog, preventing us from seeing what’s right in front of us with any clarity at all. We’re so overcome by the doubt factor that truth is distorted. But it doesn’t end there.

Discouragement

Beyond distortion sits the enemy of discouragement. When doubt settles in and prevents us from seeing reality as it stands in front of us, then we easily get discouraged. When we can’t see the clear path ahead of us we get disheartened and discouraged. You see none of this has to do with the people around us or the events happening to us. It’s really about vision and how we see things.

Distraction

When discouragement takes root in our lives, we lose focus altogether. Our attention moves to other things that are mundane at best and destructive at worst. We tend to major in the minors so to speak as discouragement gives birth to distraction. As we continue to battle against the enemy of doubt, we quickly lose all footing and slide off course into an unhealthy spiral distracting us from what’s important.

Division

Finally, when we’ve run the course of doubt, distortion, discouragement and distraction the final step is division. The ultimate goal of any war is division. The enemy wants to break down the unified front we have to problems. We’re living in a world that has become so fragmented that unity has all but left.

You see the problem isn’t the people around us. The problem is doubt. The enemy has brought doubt into our lives over so many things. But your friend with a different viewpoint on life is not your enemy. The president for whom you did not vote is not the enemy. The party with which you’re not affiliated is not the enemy. The enemy is the darkness of doubt that spirals all of this out of control causing so much chaos and fear and division.

Stay strong my friends. Hold each other close. Value friendship. Cherish differences. Be civil in disagreement. Most of all speak truth and focus on the things you do have instead of the things you lack.

Image of God

November 2, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This week I wanted to share this song with you. It’s a song about who we are and how we need to view one another. This song isn’t about which side of the aisle you sit, what color your skin is, what gender, nationality, or financial status. This song is really about everyone on this earth.

We’ve lost sight of something really important. We’re all made in the image of God. Whether you believe it or not, doesn’t really change the fact that we didn’t have life until God gave it to us. We often live this image well, but there are times when we falter and live out a broken image.

Today I ask you to pause and just look around. Look at how different we all are. But look at how similar we all are too. It’s easy to see the things that make us different. It’s easy to see the things that separate us and cause division. It takes work to focus on the things that unite us. We all need air to breathe and food to survive. We all walk by putting one foot in front of the other. We all need sleep to stay healthy and exercise to stay fit.

We don’t all eat the same things or sleep at the same times or workout the same way. But just because we do things differently doesn’t mean we’re any less made in the image of God. Take time today and look around you and value the image of God that is present in everyone around you – yep even those people who are way different than you!

What Is The Truth?

October 29, 2020 / / 0 Comments

There’s one thing I really have a hard time with and that’s hearing someone tell something that’s not true. I don’t care if it’s a big lie or a little white lie, a lie is a lie is a lie and that is just not cool. So for me the idea of truth is pretty important. I grew up as a child with the understanding that a half truth is still a half lie so tell all of the truth all of the time.

Truth in our world, however seems to be in short supply in general. Everyone seems to think they can come up with their own idea of truth. People seem to have a hard time dealing with the concept of absolute truth. But if you absolutely deny absolute truth, then you’ve made an absolute claim about something you believe to be absolutely true. You see there’s no such thing as a lack of absolute truth. The question is, what is the basis for absolute truth?

As we look at truth, it’s easy to think that truth is found in a word or a book or a concept. But throughout the Bible, we find that truth is not found in a book. It’s found in a relationship. Jesus is the truth. The relationship that we have with Jesus comes through worship, bible study, devotion time, prayer, fasting and any other of the spiritual disciplines. Find a way to come close to Christ and rest in the truth of the relationship that he has begun with you.

Church With No Walls

October 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

What would it look like if the church lost its walls? What would it look like if there was no boundary holding the church back? What woudl happen if one day God just knocked down our walls of fear and separation and released us into the world? Well…welcome to 2020!

The current reality of the church is that we have become a church with no walls! God took our love for building and comfort for meeting spaces and brought that to an abrupt end. I don’t need to remind anyone about all of the disruption to normal life this year has brought. But what if God is up to something?

When we were no longer able to go through our regular Sunday morning routines, we felt a little discombobulated. When being face to face with our church friends was no longer possible, we were thrown off and didn’t know what to do. When we no longer were allowed to be in our buildings or see our friends’ faces, we lost a little hope. But what if God was making us into a church with no walls?

The start of the church in Acts looked a lot like what we’re seeing right now. Well minus masks and distance and technology. But I hope you get the point. The church didn’t have buildings or meeting spaces. They didn’t have set times of day to meet. They were fluid. They were flexible. They were everywhere, because they had a realization that we’ve forgotten.

God built his church to be a church with no walls. How are you going to live as part of a church with no walls? What will that look like for your time of worship? How will your fellowship look different?

Are Taxes Bad?

October 22, 2020 / / 0 Comments

In the church we’re called to live within two realities. It’s even been called by some living in two kingdoms. If we’re truly honest, we’ll admit that it can be a real struggle trying to balance the promises of the bible with the reality of what this world has to offer.

In the message below we’ll deal with one of the struggles the followers of God had in the Bible. The issue was all about taxes. Is it ok to pay taxes or does this in some way break a commandment? And behind their question rests a deeper truth that we’ll hit on as well.

If you’re not into listening to podcasts or don’t have the 20 minutes it will take to listen, then here’s the quick abbreviated version of the message.

The leaders of the church of Jesus’ day didn’t like that he was so different than what they expected, so they tried everything they could to trap him. The question they posed was is it ok to pay taxes or is that somehow breaking a command of God?

Here’s the deal. Taxes in Jesus’ day were a little different from today. They paid something called a census tax. Basically it was a tax on the living and it equaled a day’s wages. This tax was paid with a special coin that had the image of Caesar stamped on it. And this is where the problem lies.

The Caesar’s of this time knew they were earthly rulers, but they also had this weird idea that they were something more than mere mortal kings. They thought they were in some way to be treated as mini-gods. So when the leaders asked Jesus if it was ok to pay taxes the Jews were wrestling with the idea of taxes somehow being like an offering in church. They thought that by giving taxes they were worshiping the king of Rome as if he was a god.

Jesus answers their question with another question, which is his typical method. Who’s image is on the coin? Now of course he knew but he was getting at a much deeper point. Give back to Caesar what is rightfully his and then give God what is rightfully God’s.

In other words, since Caesar is on the coin, then pay your taxes because it’s Caesar’s anyway. But your life, praise, worship and adoration belongs to God because he’s the giver of every good and perfect gift.

There you have it the short version is pay taxes but don’t worship the government. There’s a whole lot more to this but you can listen to the audio for the rest.

Don’t Skip This Step

October 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments
person climbing concrete stairs
Photo by Clique Images on Unsplash

I’m going to admit that this post is very much directed at churches, pastors, and other leaders in church-topia. But if you’re not in one of those roles, I’d love for you to still read and hold those of us who are in these roles accountable. Because what we’re doing isn’t enough. I recently heard someone say we’re perfectly positioned to get what we’re currently getting. Or put another way we’ll keep getting what we’ve always gotten if we keep doing what we’ve always done.

So what needs to change?

As church people and church leaders we have big dreams for an Acts 2:47 kind of moment. That’s the moment when God added to their number daily those who were being saved. I mean who wouldn’t want that for the church they serve or even the church they attend!

I’ve been a pastor for over 18 years now and in every church I’ve ever served, we always wanted to reach more people so the kingdom of God would grow. We celebrated baptisms and new member classes. We would hold big welcome events when we brought in a new group of people to the church.

But when we weren’t seeing an increase in numbers we started to wonder what was wrong. What are we missing? Why isn’t God bringing them to us anymore? Why did attendance shrink? Why aren’t new people coming anymore?

This problem is only getting more vivid as we move through this post Covid reality. Churches are shrinking. Less than 75% of church members on average are returning to in person worship. Those who are staying home are saying it’s getting harder and harder to stay connected digitally because the digital time feels like the in person time just without the person connection.

And so many of our churches are pushing to go back to normal. It’s so easy to want to go back to regular in person worship. We want our coffee hour and our fellowship meals. We want to gather the way we used to between services and catch up on what’s going on in life. We want our Sundays back for crying out loud.

But we can’t have our Acts 2:47 moments without living in verse 46 first! Verse 46 is easily overlooked. We love verse 42 where we read how they devoted themselves to breaking of bread, fellowship, prayers and teaching. We expect God will add to our numbers daily in mass quantities. But what did they do with the fellowship, bread, prayers and teaching? Did they do it on Sundays? Did they keep it tucked away for an hour long expression of service and devotion one day a week? Here’s what Acts 2:47 says:

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.

Do you see it? Day by day! They saw something that we have forgotten. Church is not an hour on Sunday. It’s not a building we go to on the weekend. It’s who we are. It’s the people with whom we surround ourselves.

Do you day by day with Jesus and those in your community of faith? Do you day by day in the promise of the temple? Do you day by day around the breaking of bread?

It’s really not as hard as we’ve made it out to be. There are so many ways to day by day! You don’t have to spend hours a day. You don’t have to be a bible scholar. You don’t have to host a small group or be at church 24/7! Two of my favorite ways to day by day are the S.O.A.P plan and the 5x5x5 plan. I’ll explain the 5x5x5 plan more in a future post but the gist is five minutes a day in the bible, do one of five simple tasks with the verses (highlight, memorize, etc), and do it five days a week.

These are just a couple ways that we can day by day with God and one another. I’ll unpack a few more options in the weeks to come. But for now start where you are and lean into God a little more today and soon you’ll be in a day by day situation too.

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2024 derrickhurst.org

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑