Tag Archive - Bible

The Inconvenient Nature of Grace

April 12, 2011 in Bible, Personal with 2 Comments

I do want to do good. I want to be defined by my ability to offer second chances, to show grace to nasty situations, and be a person that responds quickly in love. However, I’m constantly battling the same thing.  This thing could easily be stated as a question.

When an opportunity comes for me to show grace, or maybe the situation is screaming for me to give a second chance, or maybe I’m convicted deep within my heart to act quickly to extend love to an unloveable person…I’m confronted with this question somewhere down in my heart and mind.

“Is this convenient right now?”

What a stupid question.  I’m not saying that I verbally say this to myself, or even articulate my thoughts to think this question.  What I do is use this question as the filter through which I make all grace that comes from me pass through.  It’s a lousy self-centered filter, but nonetheless the Inconvenient Nature of Grace is difficult to overcome.

The Inconvenient Nature of Grace is a struggle for me, because at it’s heart the question of whether something is convenient for me is important.  There are many varieties of the question:

Can I afford this financially right now?

What will my wife say if I do this without talking to her first?

Do I have a family commitment to make right now?

Is this really a part of my job description?

All of these questions are good to ask for most situations, but to be a person defined by giving second chances, extending grace, and reflecting God’s heart to teh world…I have to move beyond it.  And beyond it quickly.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

That’s my confession.  What keeps you from quickly showing Grace when the situation calls for it?  Admit it.  What’s your filter?

What’s In the Bible? Christmas Tour

December 16, 2010 in Ministry, Technology with 17 Comments

This is video 12 of 12 in the What’s in the Bible? 12 Questions of Christmas Blog Tour. Check out www.whatsinthebible.com each day to find the location of the next video in the series.

Ian asks a final, important question.

What’s in the Bible? is the new 13-DVD series from VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer designed to walk kids and families through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. DVDs 1-4 (Genesis – Ruth) are available now. Check out www.whatsinthebible.com to learn more.

I know, I know…But Jonathan.  You don’t like puppets!  Why are you linking to this?  First of all, I’ve clearly written in the past that I’m only against BAD puppets.  The What’s in the Bible? series is genius.  It’s funny, educational, and funny.  My kids have been fans of Jelly Telly in the past, and now they love the WITB DVD’s just as much.

WE have some winners!

Visit http://www.jonathancliff.com/2010/12/whats-in-the-bible-contest-winners/ to find out who won what, and see if you were one of the lucky winners!

Taking Time to be Thankful

November 24, 2010 in Personal with 0 Comments

Being thankful doesn’t come natural for me.  I know you are probably thinking that you know of somebody that is a really thankful person, but I can guarantee you that when they’ve been kept awake for 18 hours at a time they will even struggle to be thankful.  Everyone has times that they forget to be thankful for everything around them.

I have seasons of life where I’m aware of God’s goodness, and his hand of favor on my life.  However… even in those seasons I can be easily distracted by someone that cuts me off in traffic, or the temperature of the room I’m in at the moment, or the sound of somebody else’s music when I’m working.

Image Source: Someecards

The point is that being thankful is not always my natural reaction.  I’m not saying that I’m not thankful or grateful for those around me.  I would consider myself more thankful than most (please excuse my ascent up Pride Mountain.)  As a father I demand thankfulness out of my own children.  However, even if thankfulness isn’t natural; it should be my reaction.

Being thankful is good for us both physically and spiritually, but it takes time.  Being thankful takes time. To be intentionally thankful, I have to make the time to be that way.  It involves me making the time and space to see what I should be thankful for.  It means I have to learn to  see things through grateful eyes, and not exasperated or tired eyes.

This holiday season as we are encouraged through sermons, websites, television shows, and parades on tv all to be thankful, lets make sure that we are taking the time to be thankful first.

Make the time, take the time, create the time, and most of all enjoy the time you have to be thankful.

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, His steadfast love endures forever.3 Let the house of Aaron say, His steadfast love endures forever. 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, His steadfast love endures forever.  Psalm 118:1-4

What’s in the Bible?

November 18, 2010 in Ministry with 3 Comments

Howdy, Partners! Chuck Waggin here.

Thought I would trot on by Jonathan’s blog to tell you about an exciting new adventure!  This week the What’s in the Bible? Curriculum launches. Me and my friends all came together to teach kids the Bible. It’s great for churches to use on Sunday morning or during a midweek program.  And you know what, buckaroos, I’ve got a great deal for you.

When you order a 4 week set of curriculum at http://curriculum.whatsinthebible.com, enter my name chuckwaggin, and you’ll receive 10% off.

If that isn’t exciting enough, head over to my own personal bio page and watch and listen to more!

Jelly on, pardner!

Findability

November 11, 2010 in Bible, Ministry with 5 Comments

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 is one of my favorite verses in all of the bible.  It’s God’s Promise that he will always make himself findable to me.  Being able to find something when I really need it, is important to me.  Knowing that when things are confusing and dark, that God is always findable is of great comfort.  As I work to create environments for kids each weekend it is always a goal to make sure that God is findable to kids.

How do we make God as findable as possible? It starts with making sure that we actually talk about Jesus.  A novel concept, I know.  It’s easy to partake in storytelling, pushing out that “bottom line” teaching, and working through worship songs without ever mentioning the name of Jesus.  When I teach I try to always tie back what we’ve learned to Jesus.  He fits everywhere, trust me.

Second, we cover our areas with prayer.  We actually pray prayers like, “Lord, help these kids today see you in the midst of all that we will be doing.” Don’t underestimate the power of prayer.  Its after these prayer encounters, that I will often begin to see the best ways to bring attention back to God throughout my time with kids.

Third, we always, always, always, always, always remind kids why we are even at church.  Kids can easily get lost in the hurry and rush of Sunday Morning, and it’s my job to make sure that they remember we are here at church to worship, learn, and grow.  When we take a few minutes to welcome kids each morning, I remind them that we are here at church for a reason.  Even if Mom and Dad brought them…they are still here for a reason.

Finally, I always work to make sure that we are as distraction-free as possible.  I’m not sure about you, but I know that for me to see God clearly I need to eliminate distractions.  For me, it’s computers, music, other people, and maybe even a good old-fashioned fast to get my focus on Him.  For kids, it’s about making sure that when somebody is doing our large group storytelling, that they alone command the attention.  When small group leaders are leading, we want to make sure kids are only focused on what they are leading.

So how do you make God as findable as possible in your Kidmin environments?

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