Parents who "Do Santa" dread the day when their kids come home from school with doubt and despair written all over their faces. When little Tommy looks you in the eyes, teetering on the brink of despair, and asks, "Mommy, is Santa real?" They fear the schoolyard joy steal-er told them the truth but hope you will keep the magic alive for one more Christmas.
Many parents struggle with the idea of lying to their children. Others do not want to rob kids of a special childhood joy. I believe there is an honest answer that threads the needle.
I love to say, "I absolutely believe in the Spirit of St. Nicholas!" There is no ethical quandary for me in doing so. Nicholas was raised in a wealthy Christian home on what is today the Southern coast of Turkey. His parents died when he was young so Nicholas took his inheritance and used it to help others in need. His dedication to Christ and generous deeds led to him becoming the Bishop of Myra. He was known for his dedication to the poor, to children, and those who traveled the seas. His faith eventually landed him in prison under the Roman ruler Diocletian. If the historical accounts of his faith, suffering, and good deeds are true then I believe he was indeed filled with the Holy Spirit. It is that belief which allows me to say that I believe in the, "Spirit of St. Nicholas."
The true Spirit of St. Nicholas is the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. This Spirit reveals Christ and draws us to salvation. The Holy Spirit in our heart leads us to love, charity, and good deeds. It is this Spirit who gives us words and grace to endure times of challenge. So when I say, "I believe in the Spirit of St. Nicholas" I am telling the absolute truth. Because I do believe in the Holy Spirit, and salvation, and good deeds, and charity.
So while I am radically committed to making Christmas about Jesus Christ, who is the true reason for the season, I am not opposed to the presence of Santa. As children become older it is wonderful to introduce them to the reality of the true St. Nicholas, and help them understand all the joy and magic he brought to Christmas was because of his personal and radical commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So I say again, "I really do believe in the Spirit of St. Nicholas, and the Christ St. Nicholas served!" Don't you?
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Christmas is the Time for Reconciliation:
Many years ago we were transporting a handcuffed man in our police
car. Jail was just a few days behind him, and right back in front of
him. He had violated his probation by brutally beating his ex-girl
friend. I asked him why he beat her up. He looked at me like I was
stupid and offered his explanation.
He beat her up because she had testified against him for beating her up. Her testimony sent him to jail. He spent his years in jail preparing for the day when he could get out and beat her up for testifying against him which he blamed for locking him up. We rode in the back of the police car, him headed right back to jail for an even longer period of time. I was amazed how the man's logic made perfect sense to him. In his mind, beating her up was the right and proper response to what she had so terribly done to him. He was the victim in his story!
Most of us will read this extreme example and agree the man completely missed reality. Sadly, in our own lives we will harbor anger, unforgiveness, and plot petty revenges. We will obsess over the alleged offense done to us and remain blind to the part we played in the mess we made.
He beat her up because she had testified against him for beating her up. Her testimony sent him to jail. He spent his years in jail preparing for the day when he could get out and beat her up for testifying against him which he blamed for locking him up. We rode in the back of the police car, him headed right back to jail for an even longer period of time. I was amazed how the man's logic made perfect sense to him. In his mind, beating her up was the right and proper response to what she had so terribly done to him. He was the victim in his story!
Most of us will read this extreme example and agree the man completely missed reality. Sadly, in our own lives we will harbor anger, unforgiveness, and plot petty revenges. We will obsess over the alleged offense done to us and remain blind to the part we played in the mess we made.
John 1:14 (MSG)
The Word
became flesh and blood,
and moved into the
neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own
eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son,
Generous inside
and out, true from start to finish.
Jesus moved into our neighborhood to break
the cycle of sin, revenge, and self righteousness.
He came to love, heal, and forgive. If we are His children,
He has called us into the family business of reconciliation.
It is not easy. But Jesus said it clearly, simply, and powerfully.
"If somebody has sinned against you, go to them!
If you have sinned against somebody, go to them!"
This is not a call to foolishly place yourself in harms way.
Jesus is not calling you to be a doormat, or abused,
or taken advantage of again and again.
But He is calling you to let go of the anger,
the hatred, the plots, the revenge, and the poison
that can live in your soul and color your world.
Stop justifying and excusing the part you played in the mess you made.
Look in the mirror, reflect upon the truth, and own reality.
Then reach out, say your sorry, and be free!
Christmas really is the Holy Season when God
swung down from the heavens and touched the earth
in a most unique and glorious way.
Allow this Holy Season to be the Reason for Reaching out
and Opening the Amazing Door of Reconciliation!
For my own personal application:
I would love to speak with anyone
who feels any offense toward or from me,
because I want us both to be free!
Christmas Time Reconciliation!
Many years ago we were transporting a handcuffed man in our police car. Jail was just a few days behind him, and right back in front of him. He had violated his probation by brutally beating his ex-girl friend. I asked him why he beat her up. He looked at me like I was stupid and offered his explanation.
He beat her up because she had testified against him for beating her up. Her testimony sent him to jail. He spent his years in jail preparing for the day when he could get out and beat her up for testifying against him which he blamed for locking him up. We rode in the back of the police car, him headed right back to jail for an even longer period of time. I was amazed how the man's logic made perfect sense to him. In his mind, beating her up was the right and proper response to what she had so terribly done to him. He was the victim in his story!
Most of us will read this extreme example and agree the man completely missed reality. Sadly, in our own lives we will harbor anger, unforgiveness, and plot petty revenges. We will obsess over the alleged offense done to us and remain blind to the part we played in the mess we made.
He beat her up because she had testified against him for beating her up. Her testimony sent him to jail. He spent his years in jail preparing for the day when he could get out and beat her up for testifying against him which he blamed for locking him up. We rode in the back of the police car, him headed right back to jail for an even longer period of time. I was amazed how the man's logic made perfect sense to him. In his mind, beating her up was the right and proper response to what she had so terribly done to him. He was the victim in his story!
Most of us will read this extreme example and agree the man completely missed reality. Sadly, in our own lives we will harbor anger, unforgiveness, and plot petty revenges. We will obsess over the alleged offense done to us and remain blind to the part we played in the mess we made.
John 1:14 (MSG)
The Word
became flesh and blood,
and moved into the
neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own
eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son,
Generous inside
and out, true from start to finish.
Jesus moved into our neighborhood to break
the cycle of sin, revenge, and self righteousness.
He came to love, heal, and forgive. If we are His children,
He has called us into the family business of reconciliation.
It is not easy. But Jesus said it clearly, simply, and powerfully.
"If somebody has sinned against you, go to them!
If you have sinned against somebody, go to them!"
This is not a call to foolishly place yourself in harms way.
Jesus is not calling you to be a doormat, or abused,
or taken advantage of again and again.
But He is calling you to let go of the anger,
the hatred, the plots, the revenge, and the poison
that can live in your soul and color your world.
Stop justifying and excusing the part you played in the mess you made.
Look in the mirror, reflect upon the truth, and own reality.
Then reach out, say your sorry, and be free!
Christmas really is the Holy Season when God
swung down from the heavens and touched the earth
in a most unique and glorious way.
Allow this Holy Season to be the Reason for Reaching out
and Opening the Amazing Door of Reconciliation!
For my own personal application:
I would love to speak with anyone
who feels any offense toward or from me,
because I want us both to be free!
Monday, November 7, 2016
Looking to the Future:
Greetings Brothers and Sisters:
As I share what is happening with JumpStart I welcome your thoughts, prayers, and support. After twenty one years at one church this next season of life is a great big exciting and scary adventure.
I am actively seeking God for His will and leading. It is my desire to walk in faith, and obedience. There can be a fine line between faith, and foolishness. I do not want to miss it.
Let me give you several active things to be praying about.
And to support as God leads you.
1. JumpStart Volumes One, Two, and Three are now available at Amazon.com with their new covers.
2. A man in our church is working on his PHD in Theology and Philosophy in Claremont, CA. He is teaching a New Testament survey class at NorthPoint. I have just learned he is earning his way through seminary by doing translation work. He has offered to discount his normal rate and translate JumpStart into Portuguese. He is from Brazil, and it is his native language. Including ISBN numbers it would take $3,100 to have JumpStart Volumes One, Two, and Three in Portuguese by February. Walter White, a missionary with the International Mission Board, told me at lunch recently he would love to take JumpStart, in Portuguese, to the pastors in Mozambique. It's a small world.
3. Translation into Spanish, Swahili, and Congolese French are already in process. I have a lead on Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and a thought about Russian. I need a connection for the classical French translation. I am sensing the call to have JumpStart available in multiple languages.
4. Gumma Suresh has invited me to Hyderabad, India in February to help train pastors and some of their 300 cell and house church leaders. He would like JumpStart, but we are praying about how to get it there. Amazon does not print in India and shipping is very expensive. I can only imagine putting all three volumes in the hands of 300 cell and house church leaders, then going back a year later to see how God used it.
5. On December 11th a one page add will go into the official Military Chaplain Association magazine. It goes to Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and National Guard bases in America, and around the world. The executive director of the organization is putting me in touch with like minded leaders interested in mentoring. I am imagining trained mentors deploying globally with copies of JumpStart with which to mentor their peers.
6. A new JumpStart study has begun in Arizona and a church on the California coast is looking into me doing leadership training with their team.
7. There are approximately 20 people currently involved in mentoring at NorthPoint. An amazing percentage of the church family.
As you can see, there are many amazing things happening. I truly covet your prayers, and if God leads you, your financial support for the coming season of JumpStart. I hear many pastors and leaders saying discipleship is essential. Sadly, few churches have a Biblical, repeatable, disciple making track they are actually running on. If God chooses to use JumpStart to scratch that itch 2017 will be very exciting. For many months "IF GOD" has been at the front of my thinking.
One practical financial note. NorthPoint Christian Fellowship is graciously acting as the current umbrella for JumpStart as we plan for the next phase of life and ministry. Tax deductible support can be sent to NorthPoint with the word JumpStart on the memo line. Thanks in advance for your partnership in this crazy new ministry adventure. I will keep you posted as the future unfolds.
With love and appreciation,
Paul
As I share what is happening with JumpStart I welcome your thoughts, prayers, and support. After twenty one years at one church this next season of life is a great big exciting and scary adventure.
I am actively seeking God for His will and leading. It is my desire to walk in faith, and obedience. There can be a fine line between faith, and foolishness. I do not want to miss it.
Let me give you several active things to be praying about.
And to support as God leads you.
1. JumpStart Volumes One, Two, and Three are now available at Amazon.com with their new covers.
2. A man in our church is working on his PHD in Theology and Philosophy in Claremont, CA. He is teaching a New Testament survey class at NorthPoint. I have just learned he is earning his way through seminary by doing translation work. He has offered to discount his normal rate and translate JumpStart into Portuguese. He is from Brazil, and it is his native language. Including ISBN numbers it would take $3,100 to have JumpStart Volumes One, Two, and Three in Portuguese by February. Walter White, a missionary with the International Mission Board, told me at lunch recently he would love to take JumpStart, in Portuguese, to the pastors in Mozambique. It's a small world.
3. Translation into Spanish, Swahili, and Congolese French are already in process. I have a lead on Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and a thought about Russian. I need a connection for the classical French translation. I am sensing the call to have JumpStart available in multiple languages.
4. Gumma Suresh has invited me to Hyderabad, India in February to help train pastors and some of their 300 cell and house church leaders. He would like JumpStart, but we are praying about how to get it there. Amazon does not print in India and shipping is very expensive. I can only imagine putting all three volumes in the hands of 300 cell and house church leaders, then going back a year later to see how God used it.
5. On December 11th a one page add will go into the official Military Chaplain Association magazine. It goes to Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and National Guard bases in America, and around the world. The executive director of the organization is putting me in touch with like minded leaders interested in mentoring. I am imagining trained mentors deploying globally with copies of JumpStart with which to mentor their peers.
6. A new JumpStart study has begun in Arizona and a church on the California coast is looking into me doing leadership training with their team.
7. There are approximately 20 people currently involved in mentoring at NorthPoint. An amazing percentage of the church family.
As you can see, there are many amazing things happening. I truly covet your prayers, and if God leads you, your financial support for the coming season of JumpStart. I hear many pastors and leaders saying discipleship is essential. Sadly, few churches have a Biblical, repeatable, disciple making track they are actually running on. If God chooses to use JumpStart to scratch that itch 2017 will be very exciting. For many months "IF GOD" has been at the front of my thinking.
One practical financial note. NorthPoint Christian Fellowship is graciously acting as the current umbrella for JumpStart as we plan for the next phase of life and ministry. Tax deductible support can be sent to NorthPoint with the word JumpStart on the memo line. Thanks in advance for your partnership in this crazy new ministry adventure. I will keep you posted as the future unfolds.
With love and appreciation,
Paul
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Do Green Berets Really Make Disciples?
One More Thought from the Green Berets:
When I was
eighteen years old I joined the United States Army Special Forces. There were two months of Basic Training at
Fort Polk, LA. Two months of Engineer
School at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. One
month of Airborne School at Ft. Benning, GA.
Then we
traveled by bus to Fort Bragg, NC. We
spent several weeks in Pre-Phase Training running, hiking, and swimming. In the fall of 1974 I went to Camp
Mackall. After one month of Phase One
twenty-eight of us returned to Ft. Bragg and began Phase Two. We studied demolition and construction. Blowing things up was much more fun, and
faster, than building them. Then in
Phase Three it was back to Camp Mackall for our guerilla warfare training. After ten months of insanity I was awarded a
red flash for my Green Beret and assigned to A-732 in the 7th
Special Forces Group.
I thought I
knew a lot but quickly realized I knew very little. After joining my team, I discovered the true
genius of Special Forces. Many military
units do amazing things. Each has its
own unique mission. I deeply respect
them all. My oldest friend served on
Submarines. He still won’t talk about
where he went and what he did. Another
friend went to the CIA. Yet another did
martial arts and knife training with the Navy Seals. My adoptive son John joined the Navy to be a
Dental Technician but ended up as a Medic in Dessert Storm One with NM
CB-40. Another good friend never flew
anywhere or did anything with the Flying Tigers. LOL
It turns
out Green Berets are teachers. They can
do all the cool military stuff. They run,
jump, swim, shoot, and blow things up. More
importantly, they train others to do
it. Twelve Green Berets can recruit and
train an indigenous force anywhere in the world. That is why they are called “Force
Multipliers.” It is why warlords and
tyrants fear them. Most soldiers fight
wars. Green Beret’s start revolutions.
Once I
joined A-732 I learned the Captain was training a Lieutenant to lead his own
team. The Team Sergeant was training the
Intel Sergeant to lead his own team.
Senior Weapons was training Junior Weapons. Senior Commo was training Junior Commo. The Senior Medic was training the Junior
Medic and the Senior Engineer was training me.
Everybody was training somebody to
take over their job. In the afternoons
we would often meet in our classroom and practice cross training one
another. What an amazing strategy for
recruiting, training, and leading an indigenous force. It sounds a lot like what Jesus Christ did
when He came to earth and recruited twelve guys to be with Him. They gathered a larger ring of 120 but Jesus
never took His eye off the inner circle.
At the center of the circle were Peter, James, and John. Jesus birthed a revolution.
The Green Berets got their structure
from Exodus 18 and their Mentoring style from Jesus Christ. It is time for the church to understand and reclaim
The Method of the Master. The church
must reclaim her Disciple Making heritage and work for the day when everybody
is training somebody. And somebody is
training everybody to train somebody else.
Monday, September 26, 2016
I offer several answers.
The church needs a break from paying my salary.
Chris needs to lead with all the passion God has given him.
I need to reach beyond San Bernardino.
My Doctoral Project was "Training Mentors to Utilize JumpStart Curriculum at NorthPoint Christian Fellowship." We have done that. There are dozens of men and women who have worked in JumpStart. If somebody comes to NorthPoint and wants to grow we have people to connect them with. We have new members of the church running around with JumpStart Your Journey with Jesus books. It is awesome and exciting to see.
As I pray about the future I am drawn to the discipleship void in many churches. We win people to Christ. See them in worship. Teach them in Sunday School. Interact in a small group. But we do not go one on one like Moses did with Joshua. Like Elijah did with Elisha. And like Jesus did with Peter, James, and John. JumpStart provides a logical sixteen session guide to help establish a seeker or growing believer in their faith.
I sense God leading me to help pastors begin JumpStart mentoring in their church's. It sounds both frightening and presumptuous. If God chooses to use JumpStart I will be in for a crazy ride.
I covet your prayers as I pray through launching JumpStart.
I also thank the NorthPoint Ministry Board for allowing me
to do JumpStart under their 501c3.
I will keep you posted on my plans as they become clearer!
All my love,
Paul
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