Use Words If Necessary

Use Words If Necessary

Dear Champions,

 

The scripture is Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit but in humility count others better than yourself.  Let each of you look not only to your own interest but also to the interest of others.

 

My wife, Beth, and I often like to ask our waitress or waiter to tell us about their life. Usually they are shocked that we would even care.  In the last week three encounters stood out.  A middle aged waitress explained to us that she had recently run away from her husband who was abusing her.  Her adult son actually had to come and get out of that situation.  The neighbors had called him.  A young waitress at a different restaurant explained to us that she was separated and about to be divorced from her husband. He was spending all of their money on drugs.  At a perfume store the clerk broke down and cried.  She asked Beth to go to the corner of the store and pray for her.  

 

All three received a big hug.  They needed a word of encouragement and the knowledge that there are people out there that care.

 

Francis of Assisi said it best.  "Share the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words."

 

Champions, have a Merry Christmas!-David Vining

 

P.S.  The surgery for Elizabeth Meier lasted 6 hours.  They removed 10 blockages.  There was internal bleeding afterwards that was a setback.  They found no more cancer!  She was able to go home with her family on the 22^nd in time for Christmas.  They are hopeful that her bowels will start working again and that the scar tissue will not reform.

 

Prayers for Elizabeth Meier

Prayers for Elizabeth Meier

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is from my friend Elizabeth Emmons Meier.  She is a wife and mother of 4 that is having surgery tomorrow (Wednesday, December 14) and requests prayer.  Below is an excerpt from her caring bridge journal.  It is applicable for us.

 

Living in Orange County has shown me that it's very easy to get wrapped up in the latest, the greatest and the best. Why is it when we have a lot, we still want more?  Lately, my life has been the opposite. I have found that when you are going through difficult times, you typically want just a few things. I know for me and my journey with cancer, my prayers have been simple; I want to live, I want the pain to stop and I want the cancer to leave and never return. When my sister was in town last week, she wanted to take me shopping for my birthday present. For the first time in my life, I had a hard time thinking of anything I really wanted other than healing. There have been times that the pain was so intense, all I could say in my prayers was, "Help"! Romans 8:26 states, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we are to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans". Even when we don't have the words to express our wants, God is there, fulfilling the desires of our hearts.

 

So, on this eve of my surgery, my wants are still rather simple - a successful surgery, no cancer and no pain. Matt 18:19 says, "if two or more of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven". This is why I ask you to pray for me. God promises us, your prayers of healing for me will be answered.

 

Champions, for those that pray for Elizabeth, thank you!-David Vining

Sacrifice Our Life?

Sacrifice Our Life?

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Romans 12:1 Therefore,I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God which is your spiritual act of worship.  

June 30th 1859 Charles Blondin, the famous aerial French tightrope walker, stretched a rope across the Niagara Falls and walked across it with a crowd of 10,000 people watching.  He and his manager, Harry Colcord, promised them a bigger stunt every week.  The crowds grew, and one week he went across with a sack on his head.  Another week he bicycled across.  Another time he put in a stove with a fire in it in a wheelbarrow.  He took it out to the middle and he made himself an omelet and ate it and came back.  One time he stood on his head, and another time he did somersaults.

It was getting near the end of the summer, and he said that he had to do something to get the biggest crowd of all, so he came up with an idea.  I'll carry a man across on my back.  They announced that Blondin was going to carry a man across the Niagara Falls on his back, and 100,000 people came this last time.  First, however, they had to find someone who was willing to do it.  They advertised in the paper and said that $1000 would be paid to any man who will come and be recruited to go across.  $1000 was a lot of money and a lot of people showed up for the recruitment trial.  They had to find the ones that weren't too big, and finally they had a whole slew of them that they thought would be possible candidates.  Blundin went out on the rope and carried a 200-pound sack to prove that there was no problem with him doing this feat.  Then he came back and went down the line, and he asked this question to all of the candidates.  Do you believe that without a doubt that I can carry you across?  One after the other said, "Absolutely, no doubts."  Then he went down the line and asked, "Will you let me carry you across the Niagara Falls on the rope?"  Every one of them one by one said, "Not on your life!" 

Our problem is not just intellectual, but it is this.   Are we willing to sacrifice our life? 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Thy Will Be Done

Thy Will Be Done

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller and the scripture is Mark14:36  "Abba,Father," Jesus said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

 

If you believe that you are saved by works, you will say, "There is a minimum standard of life that God owes me.  God can let me have a few problems but not major problems.  I've paid my dues.  I go to church.  I just say no to all of these sexual impulses that I used to give into. Therefore, God owes me.  Saying "Thy Will Be Done" is impossible if you believe that you are saved by works.

 

Thy Will Be Done means, "I obey you no matter what.  I owe you everything, and you owe me nothing."  That statement is only logical if you are saved by grace.   God has the right to contradict and confront and the right to send things into my life that I don't understand.  He has the right to do that with no explanation, and I must submit to Him as gladly as I possibly can.

 

An awful lot of people today I meet are very interested in being spiritual, but here's one of the things that they always say.  "I want to meet God and be spiritual, but don't you tell me what's right and wrong.  I have to decide what's right and wrong for me."  You can't have a personal relationship with God unless you are willing to say, "Thy Will Be Done."  If you have a personal relationship with someone in good friendships or marriage you're constantly having to say, "Not my will but your will be done."  

 

In the garden of Gesemane Jesus wrestled with God.  Blood was coming out of His pores, and He finally said, "Thy Will Be Done."  This melts our hearts so that we can say, "Thy Will Be Done" too.  To say that we have to look at Someone who has wrestled more than we have until it melts our heart with love, joy and gratitude.  "Lord, if You said 'Thy Will Be Done' for me like that then I can say 'Thy Will Be Done for You.'"  

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

If I Live Right

If I Live Right

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is from Tim Keller, and the scripture is Matthew 5:45   God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

 

Over the years I have seen people getting completely destroyed by the troubles in their lives.  And here's why.  There's a premise underneath our lives that's so deep that we don't even realize it is there.  And the premise is this.  "If I live right, my life should go right."  So if your life goes wrong, you either say "Something's wrong with me.  I hate myself, because I must be a failure."  Or the other possibility is, "I hate God, because He's not treating me like I deserve."  Then, every mode of the experience is either going to lead you into self-hatred or God-hatred.  If that becomes a sustained theme in your life, you will be poisoned.  Something has to destroy the premise.  

 

Jesus Christ was a perfect, loving man anointed with the Spirit.   He went into the wilderness where He was tested and tried.  He was absolutely obedient, and He did it for us.  He was living the life we should have lived.  Years later this perfect Man ended up on the cross.  He says, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"  That's the only time in His entire life when He doesn't call God Father because on the cross He was losing His Sonship and relationship with His Father.  He was getting the punishment we deserved, so we can have it.  

 

We are accepted not because of the life that we have lived but because of the life that Jesus lived.  We must come and say, "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling."  We must not come saying, "I have lived a pretty good life, and you owe me."  Instead, we have to say, "You have every right to send me to Hell, but I want your mercy because of what Jesus Christ did.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

The Water From Jesus

The Water From Jesus

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt came from the Caring Bridge Page of a friend, Elizabeth Meier.  I have been touched by her transparency and realness.  I've never met her husband, but he is an inspiration on how he has loved his wife and children through hard times.

Although I won the first battle with cancer, it seems this pesky disease wants to go another round with me. I'll admit, this battle has hit me hard. I have been hospitalized twice and I am now getting all my food, nutrition and hydration through an IV TPN bag. My sweet husband is now hooking me up to food each night while I sleep. I could have never imagined when I married this guy, the dignity, selflessness and tenderness he has displayed while doing some pretty unpleasant things. He is just as much in this rematch too - not only taking care of me but holding down a household with 4 kids and a sick wife. 

I've had a lot of issues with keeping food and fluids down - that's why I am on the TPN bag. As I am gradually able to eat and drink again, I am reminded of the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. When he asks the woman for a drink, she is shocked that a Jewish man is even talking to her, a Samaritan woman. I love what he says to her in John 4:13-14, "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

 

Like the woman at the well, Jesus has showed up so many times for me since this last diagnosis with comfort, replenishment and strength.  Battles are rarely fought and won alone. I am asking you to join me in this fight and provide me with the ammo I need through prayer and positive thoughts. Send all my way; it's what is keeping me in the right shape and frame of mind to continue the fight. What has been intended for harm has only brought me closer to my faith, my husband, my children and friends.  

 

Champions, say a prayer for Elizabeth to win round 2 in her battle with cancer!  Have a great week!-David Vining

 

Men Will Be Men

Men Will Be Men

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by the pastor from Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, NC, Bo Wagner.  He was responding to people dismissing the comments and/or behavior by Donald Trump and Bill Clinton as Men Will Be Men.  The scripture is in the excerpt.

 "Men will be men."

That statement is an implied universal absolute.  It is an indication that all men are lewd and somewhat debauched and at some point will behave accordingly.  It is also a statement that gives men license to do so.  If men will be men, then there really is no need to behave otherwise.  "Men will be men" therefore becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  It actually helps men to behave badly since they are basically given a free pass for it.  It is in their DNA, how can they do otherwise? 

So let me say it.  Not all "men will men."  Men do not have to behave badly, and many choose not to do so.  Little boys ought to be taught early that they have a responsibility and the ability to do right, and that they will be expected to do so.

There are some men out there who are base and boorish.  There are also some men out there who are godly, kind and classy.  There are men who will make lewd comments when they think that they are speaking in private.  There are also men who would never dream of making lewd comments even when they are speaking in private.  What I am saying is:  Not all men settle for being "men."  1 Samuel 9:6 says, "And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man . . ." 

This ought to be said of every man who claims to be a follower of Christ.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Every Life is Valuable

Every Life is Valuable

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the scripture is Psalm 53:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

  

A secular person is one that is saying that as far as he knows this world is an accident, and we are the accidental collocation of molecules.  If he thinks out the implications of this, then he is saying that there is no reason for attributing to a man a significance different from that which belongs to a baboon or to a grain of sand.  Nothing has any purpose, and everything is an accident.  There is no right and wrong, but just power.  

 

They say, "Yes, I agree that as far as I know this world is an accident, but I know that people are valuable.  I also know that injustice is wrong, and I know that there is a right and a wrong.  Violence is wrong, and people are valuable.  I just know it."  

 

These people are getting their peace by refusing to think out the implications of their own view.  Right and wrong means that there is a design and that there is a reason for things, and you have to conform to it.  The Bible says is that this world was created by a God who wanted our friendship and even though we've turned away from Him, He has come down in the form of His Son to get us back. 

 

If you believe that, think of how valuable every human life is.   

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Made For Something Beyond This World

Made For Something Beyond This World

Dear Champions,
 
The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Isaiah 55:2  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
 
In every single one of us there is a raging, unquenchable and all consuming thirst that leads us to decide that nothing is good enough and will ever satisfy us.  We all have an infinite capacity for boredom and irritability with anything, even the best things.  The more successful you are the faster you come to realize that you have a bottomless pit inside of you.  There is a black hole and an infinite vacuum in you and me, and it does not matter what you put in there.  At first it is great, she is great, or he is great.  Then, after awhile you find fault, and you want to pull away. 
 
I have a large folder filled with quotes from successful people famous people who after they got to the top, said," I do not know what happened, but I wanted to kill myself."  The tennis great, Boris Becker, looking back on his life said that when he was at the height of his power, achievement and fame, he wanted to kill himself. When he got everything that he ever wanted, he still felt empty.  He said, "I had won Wimbledon twice, and once I was the youngest player to ever do so.  I was rich, and I had all the material possessions that I needed.  I guess it is like the old song about movies and pop stars who want to commit suicide.  They have everything, and yet they are so unhappy.  It is true.  I had nothing on the inside." 
 
Like I said, it goes faster if you are successful, but we are all on our way.  Unless there is a cure or some kind of intervention, we are all on our way to being unhappy with anything and with everything.  Nothing will ever be good enough. If there is nothing in this world that ever satisfies me, then it must mean that I am made for something beyond this world.
 
Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Grace and Truth

Grace and Truth

Dear Champions,

The first two paragraphs are by Tim Keller, and the last paragraph is by Steve Chesney.  The scripture is John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

 

God says, "I am forgiving, but I never let sin go unpunished.  I am absolutely loving and just.  I am full of grace and truth."   I forgive everybody, and I refuse to let anything go unpunished."  

 

When you hear Him say that, you say, "That's impossible."  Yet God says, "Unless you understand how I can be both, you will never see My glory.  That is the essence of My glory."  It's only in understanding what Jesus has done does that glory come.

 

Do you want to see how much God hates your sin.  Look at the cross.  It's where His anger boils up and overflows.  But in the same breath, do you want to see how much God loves you.  Look back at the cross.  That's where God says, "I love you so much I will come, and I'll take your place.  I will send my precious son to absorb the full blow and penalty that you deserve.  I'll take it on my own head."  Is God a God of justice?  You bet!  Look at the cross!  It's where His justice and His love come crashing together, but the crash is not on your head.  It's on Jesus!  The cross is where God says, "I love you this much!"

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining 

In Honor of Katie Beth Carter

In Honor of Katie Beth Carter

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is from Jim Dobson's book, When Life Doesn't Make Sense.  It has been inspired by the death for our dear friend, 18 year old Katie Beth Carter.  She was killed in a car wreck while heading back to college last Monday.  The scripture is Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

Pastor Jim Conway's daughter, Becki, had her leg amputated because of cancer.  Here is part of his story.

 

I remember a guy I saw in a restaurant a few days after Becki underwent surgery.  He was sitting at a table, and as I walked by, he reached out and grabbed my coat.  He said, "Jim, I think God has allowed this to happen because it has brought about a revival in our church."  I said, "So what is God going to do to bring another revival when this one passes, chop off Becki's other leg?  Then her arm and her other arm?  There isn't enough of Becki to keep any church spiritually alive, if that is what it takes."

 

When you start reaching for puny answers like that, it dehumanizes those who suffer and insults our magnificent God who loves and cares for the oppressed.  I couldn't explain why Becki had to lose her leg, but I knew the answers being given were not right.

 

Probably the most important thing I learned in this entire process is this:  I became deeply aware that there were only two choices that I could make.  One was to continue in my anger at God and follow the path of despair I was on.  The other choice was to let God be God, and somehow say, "I don't know how all this fits together.  I don't understand the reasons for it.  I'm not even going to ask for the explanation.  I've chosen to accept the fact that You are God and I'm the servant, instead of the other way around."  And there I left it.

 

It was in that choice that I came to cope with my situation.  I frankly admit that after all these years, I still struggle with some things.  I will get sick to my stomach when I see my daughter hopping on one leg.  But I have come to recognize that God has a higher purpose, and I just don't understand that purpose.  I am prepared to wait until eternity to receive answers to my questions, if necessary.  Like Job, I am now able to say, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15 KJV).  It's either despair, or it's the acceptance of His sovereignty.  Those are the alternatives.

 

Champions, if you remember, please pray for Katie's Beth's family.  Have a great week!-David Vining

 

P.S.  You can read more and see a picture of  Katie Beth at this gofundme.com site.  https://www.gofundme.com/2nh4ej56

Happiness & Humility

Happiness & Humility

Dear Champions,
 
The short excerpt is by Whit Criswell , and the Scripture is Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 
Psychology Today magazine did a survey and asked 52,000 people, "What would it take to make you happy?"  In order of most votes were:  friends and social life, good job, love, recognition, sex, good financial situation, owning a house, being attractive, health, religion, recreation, being a parent, marriage, and for their spouse to be happy.  The interesting thing is happiness is mostly sought through external situations rather than internal ones.  Then does happiness mean having the right circumstances?
 
The wisest and wealthiest man ever was Solomon, and he said he was going to deny himself nothing in order to find happiness.  He found three dead-ends:  accumulating things, experiencing all kinds of pleasure, and achieving success.  He concluded, "All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:17).  The world's view of happiness is having the right circumstances, but God's idea of happiness is having the right attitude.
 
In Matthew 5, Jesus sat on a mountainside and, contrary to popular opinion, began teaching what is commonly referred to as the BE-attitudes.  And He repeatedly said, "Blessed," which means, "Happy are you."  He reminded them that happiness is not determined by what's happening around or outside of me, but rather what's happening INSIDE of me!  It's an internal attitude.
 
Jesus tells us that the first step to happiness is HUMILITY.  He's got to be kidding, right?  "Blessed are the Poor in Spirit."  What does that mean?  It means when compared to a holy and righteous God, we are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).  It means that I don't have it all together, I am not the sum total of the universe, I am not God!"  Humble and happy go together.

Champions, have a great summer!-David Vining

Commitment

Commitment

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Dennis Rainey, and the Scripture is 1 John 4:18. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. . .
 
A powerful picture of how love casts out fear is found in the book Welcome Home, Davey. While serving aboard a gunboat in Vietnam, Dave Roever was holding a phosphorous grenade some six inches from his face when a snipers bullet ignited the explosion.  Here he describes the first time he saw his face after the explosion:
 
When I looked in that mirror, I saw a monster, not a human being . . . My soul seemed to shrivel up and collapse in on itself, to be sucked into a black hole of despair.  I was left with an indescribable and terrifying emptiness.  I was alone in the way the souls in hell must feel alone.
 
Finally he came back to the States to meet his young bride, Brenda.  Just before she arrived, he watched a wife tell another burn victim that she wanted a divorce.  Then Brenda walked in.
 
Showing not the slightest tremor of horror or shock, she bent down and kissed me on what was left of my face.  Then she looked me in my good eye, smiled, and said, Welcome home, Davey!  I love you.  To understand what that meant to me you have to know that's what she called me when we were most intimate; she would whisper Davey, over and over in my ear . . . . By using her term of endearment for me, she said, You are my husband.  You will always be my husband.  You are still my man.
 
Love is not just a feeling.  It is a commitment and a decision.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Persevere Through the Pain

Persevere Through The Pain

Dear Champions,
 
The short excerpt is from former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy in his book, Quiet Strength, and the Scripture is Hebrews 13:5 . . .God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Dungy's son, Jamie, took his life on Thursday, December 22, 2005.
 
I had counseled so many players and others throughout the years, and now it was time to follow my own advice.  These were certainly tough times, but our family couldn't quit living just because times were tough.  Lauren and I knew our only option was to trust God and let Him lead us through the pain.  Even though we didn't understand why Jamie had taken his life, our job was to persevere and continue to follow the Lord no matter what.
 
Times will get tough.  God doesn't promise that once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior well be protected from harm and pain and stress.  But He does promise that He will be there to lean on during those times.  Jamie's death will never make sense to me, and the pain of losing him will never go away.  But in the midst of it all, I truly believe that hope is available to all of us-for joy in today and peace in the certainty that heavens glory awaits us. 
 
People sometimes ask if I went through a typical grief cycle and what I learned from having gone through it.  First, there is no typical grief cycle, and second, it's not something I went through.  I'm still grieving, as is Lauren.
 
Why do bad things happen, and why did Jamie die?  I don't know.  But I do know that God has the answers, I know He loves me, and I know He has a plan-whether it makes sense to me or not.  Rather than asking why, I'm asking what.  What can I learn from this, and what can I do for God's glory and to help others?

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Humility

Humility

The following came from Jim Cymbala's book, The Life God Blesses, and the Scripture is Isaiah 66:2  . . . 'These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit . . .The short excerpt is a son's reflection about his late father, Pastor Howard Goss.

My dad really walked with God.  He was quite famous in his circle of churches, and everybody wanted him to speak, especially at those huge summer-camp meetings.
 
I'll never forget one big camp meeting up in Canada when I was a kid.  Every famous preacher was invited, and the crowds were tremendous.  Our family arrived a day early, and the leaders were making out the schedule for the speakers.  Meetings were held all day long, and the visiting preachers all wanted to speak during the night rallies when the crowds were largest.  The preachers actually jockeyed around hoping to get the biggest meetings for their preaching assignments.
 
Suddenly one of the leaders asked where my father was.  He was in the prime of his ministry and was highly respected by everyone.  They wanted to consult with him, but no one seemed to know where he was.  They finally heard that he was last seen in the kitchen and dining hall area, so I went with them to find him.
 
They could scarcely believe their eyes when they got to the kitchen.  There was my dad on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor with some of the other workers?
 
"Brother Goss," they said, "what are you doing here?  We're making out the preaching schedule and wanted to know your preference."
 
"Oh, brothers," my dad replied, "you've got so many good preachers here that you don't need to worry about me.  But I found out that they're short of help here in the kitchen so I thought I'd lend a hand."

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

The Greatest Treasure

The Greatest Treasure

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Rick Warren, and the Scripture is Colossians 3:1-2  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
 
What is the purpose of life?  In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.  One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.  We were made by God and for God, and until we figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.  Life is a series of problems: Either we are in one now, we're just coming out of one, or we're getting ready to go into another one.  The reason for this is that God is more interested in our character than our comfort.  He is more interested in making our life holy than He is in making our life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life.  The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.  Believing that our greatest need is to be happy, safe, and fulfilled is all about us, and we believe, deep down, that were entitled to whatever we think we need.   God wants to reveal Himself as the greatest treasure the human heart could ever imagine and to draw people into a relationship with Him that utterly delights our souls.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Religion vs Christianity

Religion vs Christianity

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the short excerpt is 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Religion is if I do good, then I'm accepted.  I get in to heaven!   Christianity is that because I'm accepted and already in, I do good.  In Christianity, Jesus has done it all for you. He is the sacrifice so you're completely pardoned in Him.  He is everything, which means, "It is finished," which He says on the Cross. 

 

There are a lot of ways of doing good.  The secular person says, "I'm going to live a good life.  That way I know I'm a good person and can really feel good about myself."  The religious person says, "I'm going to do good so that God will take me to heaven."  It's basically the same thing, and you're going to find it a grind.  All of  your good deeds are really about you.  You're not about the people you're helping .  You're just doing it because you need it.

 

The gospel puts a power and joy in your heart.  You're already in and accepted and loved so why are you helping people?  Because you want to be like the One who did all that in love.  Joy and gratitude result,  and you're doing it for their sake, not your sake. 

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

Good & Valuable Or Sinful & Worthless

 

Good & Valuable Or Sinful & Worthless

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the scripture is Ephesians 2:8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

 

When we are living by the law and believe that we must earn our way to heaven, this is the mindset.   "Either I'm good and I'm valuable, or I'm sinful and I'm worthless.   If I'm living up to the expectations and obeying all of the rules and doing right, then I'm good and valuable."  Then when things go wrong we are angry toward God.  "I hate you!  How can you do this to me?  God, you owe me a better life than this!"

 

But if we're not living up to our standards when living by the law, then we feel sinful and worthless.  When things go wrong we get angry at ourselves instead of at God.  We say, "What an idiot!  How did I do this?  It's all my fault!"  We just beat ourselves up!

 

The gospel doesn't say that we are either good or valuable or sinful or worthless.  It says that we are very sinful and absolutely valuable in Christ.  Because we know that we are sinful, when bad things happen, we don't complain.  We know that it is not a punishment.  It must be because of some other broader and bigger plan. 

 

When we live under grace and not under the law, we understand and embrace that we are very sinful and absolutely valuable in Christ.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

Proverbs

Proverbs

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller of New York City, and the Scripture is Proverbs 1:1-3 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;
 
Proverbs are not statutes or promises, but they are ways that things ordinarily work in this world.  The Bible's understanding of reality is that there is a divine order, but it is a fallen order needing to be healed.   If you don't understand both of those things, then Proverbs sometimes doesn't make sense to you. 
 
Here is an example.  Proverbs 22:6 says Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.  In general, yes, if you are consistent with your discipline of your child, then that is the best possible thing because there is a divine order.  But the order is fallen, and that means that sometimes even if you do everything right with your kid, your kids can still grow up and go off the rails.  Proverbs are God's best practices for life in a divinely ordered yet fallen world. 
 
There is a divine order, so generally, work hard, tell the truth, be sexually faithful, and generally your life will go better.  But it doesn't have to go better.  After all, Jesus Christ did all of those things, and His life didn't go so well (He got crucified).   He was confronted with the falleness of this place.  If you believe that if you do everything right in life that your life will go well, you are a fool.  You don't see the reality. 
 
The promise of the gospel is that Jesus Christ was judged for you, and He has covered you.  All of the deformities, all of the sins, everything that is wrong, it is covered and God sees an absolute beauty.  He is the only one who counts, and He is the true lover of your soul.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Goodness

Goodness

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller and the scripture is Matthew 21:31 Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

 

Jesus over and over again says to the Pharisees that the pimps and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before they do.  As John Girsner once put it, "The thing that really separates us from God is not so much our sins but our damnable good works." 

 

The rebellious rule breakers just decide to be their own Savior and Lord.  They say, "I don't need God or religion.  Don't tell me what's right and wrong.  I will decide what is right and wrong for me.  They know that they have kicked God out of their life.  Therefore, when their life falls apart, and there is smoke, they say that maybe they need God. 

 

Goodness may actually mask people's battle with God and the fact that they are also being their own Savior and Lord.  Because of their goodness they don't really make Jesus their Savior and Lord.  They are their own Savior and Lord and think that God owes them.  Therefore, when their life stops working and falls apart, there is smoke all over, but they can't find the fire. 

 

I don't know how many times I have heard people say, "I've tried Christianity and God, and it didn't work."  What they mean is, "I wanted something, and God didn't give it to me."   They set their heart on other things besides God, and they were just using Him.   When they weren't getting the things that they really wanted, they blamed God and assumed that Christianity didn't work. 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Your Identity

Your Identity

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the verse is Ephesians 2:8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.

One of the things that my wife Kathy and I have had to do over the years is reprogram people who have moved to New York from places in this country where they were living in strong Christian homes, churches and cultures.  They move to New York, and they go through a crisis.  They say, "I'm meeting atheists and agnostics and Buddhists and Jews and Hindus and Muslims.   Many of them are kinder, wiser, more decent, more respectful and better people than the Christians I know.   How could this be?"

Here's what we have to say.  You may have gotten an A on your Christian doctrine test.  You checked the right box when the question was, "Are you saved by grace alone or by your good works?"   You may have gotten your doctrine right, but you are a Pharisee functionally.   You think that you are saved by your works!   Don't you understand that in all of the religions and philosophies of the world what makes you right with God is things that you have done.  Christianity says, "No, what makes you right with God is things that He has done."  Because of this you should expect to find people who aren't Christians who are better, wiser, gentler and more generous than you. 

If that shocks you, it shows  that you really thought the reason that you were right with God is that you were kinder, gentler, wiser and more generous.  You had an identity that did not understand the doctrine of grace.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

A New Creation

A New Creation

 

Dear Champions,

 

Louis Zamperini was a USA Olympic medalist before getting shot down and becoming a prisoner of war in Japan.  He was unbelievably abused, beaten, starved and humiliated daily.  The worst tormenter of all was Mutsuhiro Watanabe nicknamed "The Bird."

 

When the war ended Zamperini became an alcoholic, and his marriage was nearly over.  The Bird visited his dreams nightly and continued to torment him.   He lived daily to go back to Japan to get revenge on the Bird.  Very begrudgingly, he attended a Billy Graham crusade and gave his life to Jesus.

 

The short excerpt is by Laura Hillenbrand from the book, Unbroken.   The movie didn't tell this part of the story.   The scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:17   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

 

"This is it," said Billy Graham.  "God has spoken to you.  You come on."  Cynthia (Zamperini's wife) kept her eyes on Louie all the way home.  When they entered the apartment, Louie went straight to his cache of liquor.  It was the time of night when the need usually took hold of him, but for the first time in years, Louie had no desire to drink.  He carried the bottles to the kitchen sink, opened them, and poured their contents into the drain.  Then he hurried through the apartment, gathering packs of cigarettes, a secret stash of girlie magazines, everything that was part of his ruined years.  He heaved it all down the trash chute.

 

In the morning, he woke feeling cleansed.  For the first time in five years, the Bird hadn't come into his dreams.  The Bird would never come again.

 

Louie dug out the Bible that had been issued to him by the air corps and mailed home to his mother when he was believed dead.  He walked to Barnsdall Park, where he and Cynthia had gone in better days, and where Cynthia had gone, alone, when he'd been on his benders.  He found a spot under a tree, sat down, and began reading.

 

Resting in the shade and the stillness, Louie felt profound peace.  When he thought of his history, what resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him.  He was not the worthless, broken, forsaken man that the Bird had striven to make of him.  In a single, silent moment, his rage, his fear, his humiliation and helplessness, had fallen away.  That morning, he believed, he was a new creation.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

In His Grip

In His Grip

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Joe Novenson and the scripture is John 10:27-28  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Sunday, August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 225 crashed outside of Detroit.  One hundred fifty-five people and all of the crew were dead.  The crash was incredible, absolutely decimating the plane.  There was one survivor; a four-year-old girl named Cecilia.  When the airplane investigators found her they thought that it was a fluke-that she was probably a resident.  Maybe the plane landed on her house, and maybe she was in a car nearby.  They checked the registrar, and her name was on the plane.  She was still in the seat-belt, and you would think that should have clued them in.  She was alive, but how?  After she came to and they could interview her, this is her story.  

Her mother, as the plane was falling, disconnected her own seat-belt, got on to the seat with her daughter, jammed both her knees on either side of her four year old daughter's legs, grabbed the back of the chair, and held on.  So when the plane crashed, behind her she had seat and in front of her she had mother.  All of the impact of the crash was assumed by chair and by Mom.  She lived!  Did she live because she was good, tried hard and held on tight? No!  It was because someone grabbed her and held her.  

This is what Jesus did for us.  He took the punishment for us on the cross so that we don't have to take the punishment.  He holds us in the palm of His hands, and no one will snatch us away from Him.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Treated Like You Lived Like Jesus

Treated Like You Lived Like Jesus

 

Dear Champions,

Colossians 1:15  He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

 

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the first born of all creation, the first born from the dead, and the only begotten Son of the Father.  Jesus Christ lived through all eternity in a state of first-born blessing, but He left that first born blessing and comes to Earth and dies on a cross. 

 

The way of salvation by your own effort where you dress up before God saying, "I'm really a pretty good person.  I sin here and there, but honestly I'm pretty good."  It'll never work to dress up for God and hope that God will somehow bless you. 

 

The way of the gospel is that Jesus Christ dressed up as you and me and got the curse that we deserved so that when you believe in Him, God now accepts you as if you had done everything that Jesus had done.  After all, Jesus Christ had just been treated as if He had done everything that you had done.  When you believe in Him you are treated as if you get the first-born blessing.  In Hebrews 12:22-23 it says the city of God, the new Jerusalem-it's a vision of heaven, is the church of the first-born.  What kind of family in it has nothing but first born?  How can you have 10 kids and every one of them be first born?  It's absolutely impossible. 

 

What that is telling us is that the love that you experience from the Father when you stand in the works and righteousness of Jesus Christ  makes you feel like you are the only one in the world.  He says, "There is no one like you."

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining  

Covered By His Wings

Covered By His Wings

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Psalm 91:4.  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Let's just say that you are one of the cool kids, and you are in high school.  Here's a girl that is dorky, and nobody likes her.  Since she is isolated and alienated, you try to reach out and be a friend to her.  The next thing that you know the other cool girls are coming to you saying, "What are you doing with her?" 

What is happening is that some of that dorky-ness is rubbing off on you.  You aren't cool anymore if you hang out with her.  There is no way for you to diminish her isolation and alienation without you entering into it and some of it falling down on you.

After a fire in Yellowstone, forest rangers began their trek up the mountain to survey the damage.  One ranger found a bird that was literally petrified in ash perched on the ground at the base of a tree.  Somewhat sickened by this eerie sight the ranger knocked the bird over with a stick, and three tiny chicks scurried out from under their dead mother's wings.  When the blaze had arrived the mother had remained steadfast.  Instead of running she just stayed put because she had been willing to die so that those under the cover of her wings would live.

The only way  that you love a guilty, broken, messed up person to change them is that you have to do it substitutionarily.  On the cross Jesus took our penalty upon himself and got what we deserved.  Our sins and guilt and brokenness fell upon Him.  He took it himself so that we could be forgiven.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Priorities

Priorities

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Dennis Rainey, and the Scripture is Psalm 143:8,10 . . . Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

 

The Encyclopedia Britannica gives a half page to the accomplishments of Charles Francis Adams, the son of President John Quincy Adams.  The younger Adams followed the political trail of his father and became a U.S. diplomat to Great Britain.  The encyclopedia makes no mention of Charles's family, but Charles's diary does.  One day's entry read:  "Went fishing with my son today-a day wasted."

 

Another diary, however, offers a different perspective:  "Went fishing with my father-the most wonderful day of my life."  The person who wrote those words was Charles's son, Brook.

 

Interesting, isn't it . . . how a little boy's perspective can be so different from his dad's?

 

Psalm 90:12  Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Saved By The Blood

Saved By The Blood

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is 1 Peter 3:18  For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

 
Earnest Gordon was a prisoner of war in Thailand in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp.  He wrote a book titled, Through the Valley of the Kiwi.  One day the POWs were out working, and at the end of the day a guard shouted that a shovel was missing.  He insisted that someone had stolen it.  Striding up and down before the men the guard ranted and raved while screaming in broken English that the guilty one needed to step forward to take his punishment.  No one moved.  The guard's rage reached new heights of violence.  "Then all die," he shrieked.  To show that he meant what he said he cocked his rifle, put it on his shoulder, and he aimed at the first man in the rank prepared to shoot and work his way down the line.  At that moment a soldier from the Argyle regiment stepped forward and said calmly, "I did it."
 
The guard unleashed all his whipped up hate.  He kicked the helpless prisoner and beat him with his fist.  Still the Argyle stood rigidly to attention though blood was streaming all down his face.  His calm silence seemed to goad the guard into greater rage.  He seized his raffle by the barrow and brought it down onto the skull of the prisoner who sank limply to the ground and never moved again.  Though it was perfectly clear he was dead the guard continued to beat him and stopped only when he was exhausted.  The men on the work detail picked up their comrades body and marched back to camp.  When the tools were counted again at the guardhouse, it turned out that no shovel was missing. 
 
The soldier was innocent.  He knew that if he didn't step forward all of these other people would have died, so he saved them by his blood. 

The meaning of history is that we have a God who offers His own blood to save us!  Jesus died on the cross for our sins!

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Relational Compatibility Is Key

Relational Compatibility Is Key

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is from Andy Stanley, and the scripture is Song of Songs 2:7 - . . . Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

 

The average divorce rate is about 50 percent.  The divorce rate among couples who live together before they get married is 50 to 80 percent higher than the national average.  The odds of you moving in together and then being happily married are small.  For couples that live together before they get married, the odds of someone in that relationship being unfaithful are twice to eight times as high as the national average.  

 

The longer that you can postpone the physical, the more that you can work on the relational part of the relationship.  When the physical goes up, the relational part goes down.  

 

Sexual compatibility is not the litmus test for relational compatibility.  It's the other way around.  You are sexually compatible with millions of people.  You are not relationally compatible with as many people as you are sexually compatible.  Sexual activity covers a multiple of relational deficiencies.  If you want a relationship that results in great sex, then you need to become a person that knows how to build a great relationship.  Great sex is connected to intimacy, and the most satisfying sexual relationships are within the context of relationships.  The people that are most satisfied with sex are married. 

 

If sex was just physical and not reproductional, then just go and have a good time.  Because sex is not just physical and is reproductional, then you have got to handle it with care.  It is fragile.  One hundred percent of the portrayals of sex is that it is just physical, and it is not.  You hurt yourself when you treat it as if it was only physical.    

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining