Courage

Courage

Dear Champions,

The scripture is Joshua 1:9.   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Long time former director and owner of Camp Greystone, Mrs. Libby Miller, passed away earlier this week from her battle with cancer.  She was ready to be with Jesus.  Although we who knew her are sad, she is so happy.

In the summer of 2016 Bill Taylor, Jimboy Miller (her son) and I spent an afternoon visiting with her.  She spoke about the time when she changed Camp Greystone to a Christian camp.  There was opposition and criticism.  She felt firmly that this is what God wanted.  She held her convictions.

That was I believe in the early 1970s.  Fast forward now to 2017!  Imagine how many people have given their life to Jesus because of her courageous decision.  Her life influenced so many and continues to do so.  What an amazing woman!

2 Timothy 4:7 says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Libby, you ran your race so well!  Thank you!

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Greed

Greed

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Luke 12:15  Then Jesus said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

 

Greed is something that's hidden from us.  That's why Jesus has to say, "Be on your guard, and look for it!"  Adultery, for example, isn't as deceptive as greed.  Almost always you know when you're committing adultery, but nobody who's greedy feels they're greedy.  This is probably one of the reasons why Jesus speaks 10 times about money for every one time He speaks about sex!  Spiritually speaking, sex has slain its thousands, but money has slain its ten thousands.

 

When Jesus came to earth, He literally lived in poverty.  On the Cross, He lost His power and glory and His relationship with God.  He lost the ultimate treasure, so that He could pay for our sins.  When we see Him treasuring us at an infinite cost to Himself, we will start treasuring the needs of our neighbors. 

 

Every single one of you and me too has something that you treasure at the center of your heart -- something that you look at to be your security.  Every treasure (except Jesus) will demand that you die to purchase it, but Jesus Christ is the only treasure that has died to purchase YOU! Make Him your treasure, see how He treasures you, and pray that He'll free from money blindness and materialism.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

A Different Perspective

A Different Perspective

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is from Aimee Dube.  This is an excerpt that she wrote years ago when she went on a missions' trip to Peru.  The scripture is Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. 
 
Today my team got to go to the city dump to play with kids.  There are entire families that work at the dump for $5 a day per family and go through trash that has been picked through already. As we drove near to the dump the smell invaded the bus, and I thought that I was going to gag it was so intense. As I stepped off the bus, everywhere I looked was covered in trash.  There were tons of people. I talked with a lady named Rosio who grew up in the dump because her parents worked there.  She said her kids would grow up there as well.
 
Some of the children wouldn't come play with us because they had to go through the new garbage with their parents.  If I was them I would tell my mom that it wasn't fair that all of the other kids got to play.  These kids, with talents, intelligence and personality just like us were born with quite a different set of circumstances, but they accept that this is life for them. They do everything without complaining because they need to survive.
 
It was quite the learning lesson for me to think about my life back in the States. How much do I have? How much did my outfit cost that I wore today, and how much is that compared to what these families make in one month?  We are so blessed, but with blessing comes responsibility. Let's do everything without complaining and without arguing, because really, when you think about it, we have nothing to complain about.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

The Power To Forgive

The Power To Forgive

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

 

If someone owes you a hundred dollars, either they're going to pay you, or you'll absorb it.  It's one or the other.  The debt doesn't really go away.  They pay it, or you pay it.

 

When you want to scream and shout at someone who has wronged you, don't.   Most of all, when you see them prospering and you want so much to say that's not what they deserve, you pray for them.  You pray for their awakening, for their wisdom, for them to wake up to what they're doing, and you pray for their good.  Look what happens.  Sooner or later, because you're not putting any fuel on the fire of your anger, you will find that your anger will start to go down and you'll be free.  You won't be twisted, and they won't be controlling you anymore.  You won't have to relive the pain, and you'll be free.  

 

Jesus is the Place we get our forgiveness.  Instead of you paying your debt for your sins, He paid it for you.  Put your little story about what people have done to you into the bigger story of what He did for you, and you'll have all the power you need.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Good afternoon Scripture



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For the Glory of God

For the Glory of God

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller of New York City, and the scripture is 1 Corinthians 10:31  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
 
In 1981 the movie Chariots of Fire came out, and it was a true story about two British men, Harold Abrams and Eric Little who won gold medals for Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics.  Harold Abrams and Eric Little were both setting their minds on the same thing.  They wanted to run and win, but it was for totally different reasons. 
 
When Harold Abrams was asked why he was running he described the 100 yard dash this way.  "When that gun goes off I have 10 seconds to justify my existence." He is saying that if I can only win this race, then I know that I matter and that I can face the world.  Eric Little, on the other hand, was actually praising God when he ran.  In the movie he says, "God made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."
 
One guy is running to praise His Savior, and here is the other guy who is running to become his own Savior.  One guy is running for the sheer joy of it.  It is icing on the cake and if he wins.  His life is already justified because of what Jesus has done for him on the cross.  But here is the other guy who is running in grinding anxiety and fear because he is seeking to be justified.  Even after Abrams wins, by the way, he finds it unsatisfying.  Idols never satisfy.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

It's All Grace

It's All Grace

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 not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

 

As you read the Bible you see the included and the excluded and the insiders and the outsiders.   The women and sick are seen as outsiders, and the Bible shows them as being embraced by Jesus.  Jesus comes for the excluded and rejects the included, right?  No, we see Joseph who is an insider and a rich man, and he gets it (Luke 23:50-56).  Even the rich, respectable, and moral insider gets it.  What is it?  It isn't your standing or performance or your goodness that merits salvation, but it is all grace.

 

In the history of the world women generally get it before men, the commoner before the elite, the poor before the rich; and the lay before the clergy.  WHY?  We see that success and accomplishment in general brings spiritual blindness.  All other religious leaders overcome enemies and call us to follow them with our strength. Jesus is the only one who is killed by His enemies and wins by defeat and invites those who know they are weak to follow Him.  Christian salvation was accomplished by weakness and repentance. This is totally different from all other religions, and it doesn't make sense to us that the failed and excluded get it faster.  Jesus doesn't favor the excluded because they are excluded, but because of how salvation is accomplished the excluded tend to get it faster or easier.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining