Michael Foley

A Few Versus To Scribble......

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read his word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

1 John 3:17 ..... tells us that there is a lot of responsibility to those who are entrusted with much. If you have a lot of money/resources/time etc. and see someone in need but does not help...."How does the love of God abide in him?".  To which much if given, much is required..... now is the time for all Christians to step up an help those in need. There are many who are in desperate need of help. It's time the church, which is all Christians, to extend the love of Christ to these. I'm pretty sure we all have people in our lives the need to be shown the love of Christ

1 John 4:8 .... tells us that anyone who does not show love does not know God for God is love. This should be a reality check for every Christian out there. how many times have we not shown love as God would show love. I say this because the world is watching our steps. Looking at us to see what makes us different. Be aware of this, show the love of Christ who is in you, and do it consistently.

Seriously, is it really love to give out of excess?   Some of the most unhelpful people I've met were Christians; always giving out of their excess not out of love.  How much of a sacrifice is it to help/love those when you do it out of your excess. If you want to know true love, give from the resources that God has already given you. Don't wait for the "perfect" time when you can afford it. Be obedient to God and he will be in it with you. And that's a cool ride!

1 John 5:3 ... tells us that this is the love of God; that we keep his commandments and His commandments are not BURDENSOME!!  If you feel that you are burdened by being a Christian, one of two things are at play here: 1) Maybe you have not excepted Christ as you savior. when you except Christ and walk in His ways, there is no burden because of the price that Christ paid for our sins. When you try to keep His commands and Your commands, there is a tug of war taking place and that is burdensome. 2) You have a legalistic view of God. You feel that you need to do certain things and act certain ways to enter into God kingdom. The problem is that many of these "things" are ideas that man had instituted and not God. I encourage you to read His word and find out what God commands are. As a Christian I can tell you this, they are not a burden but a relief. Joy is found in Him....

A Few Versus To Scribble

On Sunday, Tim Howey, the pastor of Grace Church talked about Manna. While it's true that I prefer Banana Nut bread to eat, nothing beats Manna for the soul. One of the comments that Tim made in his sermon that has me thinking was this; when you study the bible, keep a journal. Tim mentioned that he takes notes when he reads the bible. He writes words that he needs to research and he takes notes on how a nugget of scripture meant something to him. This thought has really resonated with me; If I'm going to track my spiritual journey, then I should journal what God reveals to me through his word. So, that said, this is what has stuck with me this week:

I've been reading the Thessalonians: 

Check out 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12.. If your having trouble getting out of bed and going to work. Paul is telling the Thessalonians not to be lazy, get up, be a role model for those around you so that you will never be in need. I think that it's interesting because, as Christians, we know that God will provide for our needs but, we are commanded to go out and work, provide, take actions.... do something, do anything. The question I asked myself is this: Is God going to provide for a man/woman who won't work to provide for themselves?

Check out 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11.. I love to study the events of the middle east. Knowing that when Christ comes back, Israel will be the center of the world is fascinating and I find myself wanting to know more about it. But, that said, there is a delicate balance. I know of some who are so into the end times that they are not relevant for the current times. This scripture is awesome because it tells us to be alert, knowing that the time of the Lord is near BUT.... BUT... BUT...we are to encourage one another knowing that we will be with Him for eternity. It tells us to put on the breast plate of Faith and Love and the Helmet of Salvation. This tells me that we have a job to do. While it's true that we should know the epochs (season for Christ return)... we should also know the time and share our faith (be relevant now!)

Check out 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21..There is a huge movement within the Church call "The Emergent Church". The Emergent Church basically believes that the Bible is not the inspired word of God but rather a human product and as such open to other interpretations other than what God had intended. This passage is important because it's telling us to yearn for God, yearn for the Holy Spirit, yearn for Prophecy...BUT... Check out everything that man says,making sure that it lines up with Gods word. As Christians, the bible is our standard, if you hear something that makes you take pause, make sure that it lines up with Gods word.

PS.... One final thought from Tim Howey.... Pray that God gives you something special from the word everyday. As you read, ask Him for something extra. He always seems to give me something extra when I ask!

The Cussing Church?...(Not for Kids)

Check out this link to a church in Fort Collins, CO. Obviously we have it wrong in Kansas. Apparently you can drop a few "F" Bombs and not offend anyone.

The Art of Cussing and Suggestions on Proper Cussing Etiquette

What a goof this guy is. And we wonder why people think christians are no different they anyone else.

Things that need my attention .......

There are a couple of things that I feel that need my attention. One would be for me to grab a bite to eat. I'm starving! For those of you who like to diet..... your not human. But, about every eight weeks or so I'll take a week and totally deprive my body of carbs. I'm not saying that I'm doing that now because I'm planning on meeting my wife for lunch today at The Cheese Cake Factory. The words "Cheese" and "Cake" together equate to carb overload.... exactly the opposite of dieting but, great food none the less.

The other topic that needs my attention is the study of prayer. For as long as I can remember I've been told to pray specifically for God to work in my life. For example, if I needed God to provide me a job... I should pray for a job. But not just any job.... one that pays more than the last one and probably one that is an upgrade to the last one too. But why? Why pray for my specific wants/needs when I should be praying for Gods will to be done in all situations. Does that make sense? Because sometimes it doesn't to me. I've been taught one way my entire life but the more I get to know God and his will for my life, the more  I start putting my needs/wants aside and focus on what he would have for me. You know.... as I think about it the more I feel that we really try to put God in our boxes, formulas, outlines. We try to contain him by asking for things that we can grasp with our earthly minds. But the thing is, God's wisdom is so much more than what we could ever possibly dream. Maybe we should stop limiting God by asking for what we want and start taping into the awesome possibilities by asking for God to move in our lives as only He can.

Now, I'm going to get some cheesecake!!

What Ever You Do.....Do It For Him!

You know how you have one of those Ah-haw moments in your life. You know, when you living your life and you feel like you have it somewhat figured out and then you come face to face with Gods word and hit smacks you in the face with it. Well, I've had one of those moments in my life.

First, lets look at the scripture that has me thinking about my life, Colossians 3:23-24. I love this scripture because it's not talking about just your job, or just a hobby, or just your family. It's discussing it all! Working, playing, relationships, hobbies; every part of your life being done "heartily" unto God. But what is "heartily"? When we think of doing something heartily, we may think of doing it with excitement or full commitment. And this could be right but, not in this scripture. "Heartily" in Colossians refers to do something with passion, doing it with all your might, your soul, and your strength. Do it with every fiber of your being. And then you take this passion and you infuse it with direction, doing it ("it" refers to everything done in your life) for God. Chew on that for a while. When your on the job....do it with passion, and do it for God. When you play the guitar, do it with all your might and do it for God. When your cleaning your house, clean with all your strength, and do it for God. And when you minister to others, do it with all your soul, and do it for God. Do everything FOR GOD PERIOD, not for man, not for stature, and not for  prestige.

The disconnect for me occurs because of my perception of God and were he stands in my life. For as long as I can remember, I've pictured God as being with me but separate. Lord of my life but distant from me.  But, over the past few years God has been doing a wonderful work in me and showing me that he is with me always, never far, and always caring. He IS my Lord always.  But, like most people I've compartmentalized Him. I've let him be Lord of it all....... except my job. Why the job... well, that's because as a man, I'm suppose to provide for my family. No one said anything about being happy or content just providing. This is all fine, except when you  go through difficult times on the job, then what do you have? Someone who is unhappy and because God is not involved, there is no one to turn to, no one to give the magic answer that I needed.

This is when God lead me back to Colossians. This is when I felt God saying... I'm glad were closer, but I want it all. In the past I've looked at my job as anyone would. I work for my company, my manager, and God is not in the picture because I work for the company and not God. Sure, I serve God, I live for God, I love God, but God doesn't write the checks.... the company does. But this work view is not biblical and not conducive to a obedient relationship with God. So, I changed my perspective of God as he relates to my job. Now, I put God in the same circle as my company and my manager and what a difference it has made in my life. Why? It's simple. When you put God over your company, you find that your not serving the company.... your serving God. When the company wants you to go a mile, God wants you to go two. When the company wants more out of you, God wants even more. Remember, we're commanded to do everything unto the Lord and HE WILL BE OUR REWARD! God has stretched me, comforted me, and shown me things over the past two years that has drawn me closer to him. But, nothing that I've learned over the past two years has brought me closer to Him this this simple thought.... "Whatever you do, do your work heartily"

The Lost Gem: True Worship!

I recently finished reading a book by Charles Swindoll called Growing Deeper In The Christian Life. Basically, it's a back to the basics of theology. Really nothing new except that in every chapter there are one or two thoughts that really get you thinking/acting/self inspecting.

The final chapter deals with worship. Chuck mentions that true worship is "The Lost Gem". And after a lot of thought, I have to agree with him. In the church globally, worship is basically put into one of two silos; 1. It's nothing more that the pre-message, where the "real" message is what church is all about. 2. Worship has turned into a big production that has God on the sidelines because the focus of the worship is on the stage and not on Him. I think that we all have seen this before.

As a former worship leader, I remember that God seemed to move when WE, meaning the team, were at our worst. When nothing seemed to be going right. The music was off, the sound was off, WE were off. But that meant that God was ON! I remember sitting with the team before a service was about to start and telling them, "obviously WE are not having our best day but now, let's pray that God will show his glory like never before. Let's worship him and honor him with our praise." And you know what, God always showed up. Actually he never leaves, it's just that when we remove our egos and attitudes, God is given the glory He deserves.

So how do we restore the gem? It all starts with the idea of what worship is. Worship is giving God glory, and honor, and praise. It's not all about music though. We honor him with service, with words of encouragement, with acts of kindness to someone in need. Let's not forget the greatest commandments; Love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. These things don't necessarily have to involve music.

But, worship is also about music and praise. When we assemble together to honor our Father, we are being obedient to his word. We are commanded to SING (In Psalms 95) before the Lord. It's not an option. So, if we are commanded to sing then we have to put it in perspective. One thought is this; Praise and worship is as important as the message it's self. Actually it is a message wrapped in music. This is a time when we meditate on God. When we tell God how much we love Him, how powerful He is, and how much we need Him. Did you know that we get rewards in heaven simply for saying the name of God while we were on earth? How cool is that! Also, many impactful praise and worship songs stem from despair felt by the author. I think that we can all relate to that. It's in those moments that God assumes his rightful place in our life, as the Godhead and Lord of our life. A second thought is this; when you worship, take your time to spend quality time with him.You just can't get this in a church service, this is something that YOU have to do on your own. I find that when I worship God on my own, it truly is a process. At first, I have to get my mind off my day/life/work, and focus on him. This takes time. Once I've focused on him I offer up my praise to him but then comes the hard part. Let God speak to your heart. Let him give you the strength that you need for life's circumstances. Let him guide your steps. I find that when I hear from God my perspective changes. Worship changes your perspective. But the "lost Gem" will change your life!

I'm pretty sure God cares about little boys getting Wii's!

Long story short.... I landed a Wii for Carson for his birthday/Christmas.

Long story long........

I've been searching for a Wii for a couple of months now. Basically, if you wanted to find a Wii, one of two things had to happen: 1. Sure luck. Just walking into a store when they arrived and getting one. 2. Waiting in line for the truck to arrive at Wal-Mart in hopes that they were getting Wii's in that day. Either way, the likely hood of getting a Wii this year are slim to none.

But that is where God comes into the story.

So check this out. I'm at 119th and Metcalf (for those of you that don't know, that's about 5 miles from my house with alot of traffic and stoplights). I called the Wal-Mart by my house to see if they received any Wii's and the gal at the front desk said they did not. I was bummed because that would be the last shipment before christmas. But something inside me said to call back and ask for electronics, when I called back this is exactly what the dude said, "yeah we got the Wii's, we only have 7 left, you need to be here in a matter of seconds to receive one!" Like I said, I'm five miles away with nothing but traffic and stoplights in the between me and that Wii. So what does any christian father do when he really needs some Godly intervention..... he say's "God help me get that Wii for Carson!"

No joke here... I hit the gas pedal and it was like the traffic opened up all around me and every single light was green. Were talking like 6 stoplights on the way, all green! So I get to the store, run to the electronics department and see the manager by the Wii counter. With his key in his hand he open the door and gives me the last Wii. It wasn't 5 seconds later that the dude right behind me wanted and Wii but I had the last one!

I'm telling you, God does care about the little stuff. Even if it is just a boy getting a Wii for Christmas.

PS. Two final thoughts on this adventure.

1. I sure wish Christians were as passionate about their relationship with God as much as they are passionate about getting Wii's. If that were the case, we'd be so much more relevant to the world.

2. Why does God give a little boy a Wii? You could have two Christian families, both love god, both give him tithes/offerings, and both are faithful to him. One gets a Wii and the other is lucky to have even one present to receive. Just one more thing that I still do understand about how God works. But, I'm learning.

What Is Justice?

What is Justice?

This is something that has been on my mind the past few months as I've read through 1 and 2 Samuel. As I've mentioned before, I'm studying the life of David to get a better idea of who he was and what was it about David that God loved so much. What was it about David that he was destined for great and wonderful things... a man after Gods own heart.

  It's no secret that King David was truly flawed. He had sexual sin and major pride issues. He was just like many of us today. We all have our issues. But he was able see the forest from the trees... to see the big picture, even though he had his "issues". He wanted to honor The Living God with all his being and praised him in success and in failure.

What is perplexing me? This idea of justice. As I continue to read, I'm taken back from the sense of injustice. Let me explain. In 2 Samuel, King Saul orders his servant to help him kill himself so his captures will not torture him. When King David inquires of this servant as to how he know Saul was dead and it's revealed that the servant (with the Kings orders) took the life of the King, David orders him killed. Is that justice? The servant was ORDERED to take the life of the king. In the last chapter of 2 Samuel  we see that King David has pride issues. In one final act of pride, King David orders a census of his kingdom. He just wants to know how many people are under him.....he's just curious... no reason for it at all. After 9 months of counting people David realizes that he let his pride get in the way of judgment. God, as punishment, give him 3 choices: 1. Famine, 2 Being pursued by his enemies... again and 3. pestilence. He chooses pestilence because he can't bare the other 2. Because of pestilence, 70,000 people lose their life.... all because of King Davids pride. Is that justice?

The fact is that all of use are worthy of death. Of being thrown into hell with no chance of relief. If we truly wanted justice, this was be just. We've all sinned. It's our nature and God can not be in the presence of sin. (Cool thought: when Jesus was being crucified, he took all our sins upon him when he died. At that moment, because God can not be in the presence of sin, Jesus cries out......God, My God, Why have you forsaken me! Why have you left me?  For that brief time, God was away from his Son as his Son bared the burden of all our sins.) So, with that in mind, true justice is death for all man kind. But, God made a way for all to be with him and that was through his Son. So who are we to tell God who will live and who will die? Who he will use for greatness and whom will be used for common purposes? We must trust that he is the author of justice.

All that said....my human brain can't understand why 70.000 perish for the sin of one man. I just have to know that God understands the things that I can not see and know what the future holds because of the price that was  paid  by the Israelites for Davids sin.

Just one more question that I'll have for God when I see him.

When God is in it...The results are EPIC!

I'm currently reading the Samuels in the Old Testament. The rational is simple; I want to get to know the "man after Gods own heart" better and strive for that kind of relationship with God. What's cool about David is that: 1. He made mistakes, and some of them were huge. 2. Even though he made a mess of things, he had a pure heart toward God and wanted nothing more than to please him and honor him. 3. God moved in big ways through David because he made himself available to be used by God.

So lets set the stage... David is born the youngest in the house of Jesse. Samuel annoints him the future king of isreal, he Defeats Goliath, is pursued by Saul and his life was in jeopardy more than once. He eventually becomes King, sleeps with Bathsheba, has her husband killed, Absalom claims the throne, Absalom is killed, four of Davids sons are killed because of his great sin, and finally David is reinstated as King. Needless to say this was not an easy road for him. I think many of us feel that if God is going to work in our lives that the journey will be easy but that is just not the case. In fact, many times the journey is so difficult that some want to die....like Job wanted to.

What I love about David is this. In 2 Samuel 22 their is a psalm that he wrote after his life long journey. I've linked areas of the psalm for emphasis about what God did for David and what the result was for David:

• David proclaims who God is, and cries out for help
• David describes the greatness of God as he rescues him during his journey
• Here David tells how he followed His statues and made himself available to be used by God
• Here David goes into some detail on how God prepared him to defeat his enemies
• This is the best part of the Psalm... God and David together put the hammer down on his enemies... totally cool! Especially vs. 43 where David describes his enemies being pulverized into the dust!
• Ends this Psalm with giving God credit, giving Him glory, and thanking him for it all.

I think there is a great lesson here. Pray for help in your situation. Allow God to equip you to deal with your life issues. Team up with Him to get the job done. Finally, give God all the credit for the success. It's not about us.... it's about Him. It's not about the end.... it's about the journey. It's not the end score we should focus on..... It's all the plays that get us there.

His Yoke Is Easy...His Burden Is Light

Some time ago I read the book Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. There is a chapter in that book that deal with the Yoke of Christ. This is taken from Matthew 11:30- For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. We usually associate the yoke described in this chapter to a device that binds two oxen together so they can together pull a plow. I've always had a hard time with this visualization because I envision this huge piece of equipment around my neck with Christ there with me. Even tough Christ is carrying most of the load, the fact is, I still have the yoke weighing down on me and restricting me.

Lets look at this yoke from a different perspective. Sure a yoke is used for farming but, a yoke is also a belief system. Let's bring some color to this. When the Jewish children in Christ day were about 8 years old each one of them wanted to be a student under a high priest; it was an honor to be selected and to learn his ways and eventually become a priest himself. The problem was only a very small percentage of them were actually brought under the care of the Priest. The rest were basically told to go home and learn the craft of their fathers. Now, not every priests belief system was the same. Essentially they all had differences in how they interpreted the Torah. One Priest may have had a very loose interpretation of the scripture whereas another may have had a very burdensome or restrictive  view. Each priests belief system was evaluated by other priest and told...Yes, I see why you believe this way and verify they this is OK to teach OR.. No, this is not a belief system that is to be taught. These views of the bible are also called their YOKE...or in other words, their yoke was their interpretation of the bible. (Just a side note. This interpretation of Matthew 11:30 also gives a lot of credibility to why the disciples dropped everything and followed Christ. Each one of them had a dream of being under the direction of a Priest and each were rejected, so when Christ, the ultimate Priest came calling, they would have jumped at the chance to serve him. Imagine a young man today who's been told his whole life that he wouldn't amount to anything all the sudden being given a chance for greatness. Would they not take advantage of that?)

So back to the scripture..."For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Essentially what I believe this is saying is that .... My yoke is easy (There's coming a day when I will pay the price for all sinners for all time...believe in me and you will be saved. This is the Yoke or belief system) and My burden is light (Whereas the Priests are telling you all the things you have to do, not do,  and sacrifice, I'm telling you that I will pay the price for your sin... There is nothing you can do to earn your way to heaven, it's a gift. You are free from the oppressive beliefs of the priests and now are free to have a personal relationship with God)

I thought this was interesting....