Dan and Vic talk about going to the drive-thru and they deal with a spiritual question. Join the fellows for a fun podcast!
.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Be Ready When Opportunity Comes
It’s helpful and important to
always be planning, preparing and growing because then we are more likely to be
ready when the window of opportunity opens and the break that that we were not
expecting happens.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
When We Understand God's Love, Fear Diminishes
A long time ago, a friend told me that she feels
a low level sense of fear, almost all the time.
It is not God’s intention that we would live this way. When we acknowledge and fully embrace God’s
total and unfailing love for us, we don’t experience fear. When we understand the truth of God’s love we
experience peace, joy, assurance, and the fullness of life!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
God Has A Purpose For Every Person
Her
condition might lead some people to conclude that Rachel has very little, if
any, meaningful contribution to make to our world. I certainly understand and would not argue
with the fact that her challenges limit the kinds of contributions she will be
able to make in life. For example, she
will not offer any new and advanced surgical procedures to the world of medicine—but
frankly none of the rest of us are likely to do that, either.
However,
I would argue that Rachel’s limitations do not mean that she does not contribute
to the world. And, I have found that she
has a way of making contributions to the lives of others that “regular” people
are not likely to make.
For
example, a friend of mine went through a period where he wasn’t at church very
often. One Sunday when he attended a
service, Rachel greeted him with genuine joy and excitement, giving him one of
her patented Rachel mega-hugs. We know these
greetings from Rachel are genuine because if she is not joyful and excited
about seeing someone she, typically, ignores the person.
He has
told me several times that that was one of the most meaningful things that he
experienced at church. I believe part of
the reason it was so meaningful for him is because he knew that the excitement
of seeing him was authentic on her part and because of his appreciation for the
unique person that Rachel is. I would
suggest—based on his comments to me—that was a positive contribution to his
life that no other person could have made.
I will
admit that I have wondered why God made Rachel the way that he did. But I never question whether she is
worthwhile and valuable. She is a
priceless gift of God in my life (while occasionally irritating me, as all
children must do), the lives of my family, and the lives of many who know
her.
I love
her just the way she is.
It’s
important for us not to be too presumptuous about making determinations
regarding which persons are valuable and which persons are not valuable. Some people definitely have greater
capabilities than others but I do not believe they have greater value in God’s
eyes. And God has a purpose for each
one.
Ouch! The Chair Moved
There’s an exercise in which you
stand flat-footed and then make a vertical leap onto a chair. …In the spirit of helping others, I just
thought I’d mention that it hurts a lot if you do this and the chair moves.
Pleasing God
It’s a simple truth, but
sometimes—in the give and take of life—we lose sight of it. The truth is this: it is far more important
that we do what pleases God than that we do what pleases people.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Saying "Yes" To Life!
Some people think Christianity is all about “No, no,
no!” “You can’t do this” and “you can’t
do that.” But actually Christianity is
about saying yes to life. Real
life. The fullness of life. Abundant life! Life in Christ, which is a life of goodness,
truth and beauty. There’s a divine drama
that is unfolding. I want to be in on
it.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Is God Enough?
Sometimes instead of being content with an authentic
relationship with God, we have an “itch for novelty.” I understand this “itch for novelty” because
I feel this inclination present in me.
The question it forces me to wrestle with is this: Isn’t God enough?
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Problems At The Restaurant
The
waiter delivered Rachel’s BLT sandwich and through a process of careful food
observation—that we’ve learned from watching cooking competition shows—we noticed
that it did not contain the “T.” So, the waiter informed the kitchen and
several minutes later a fresh new BLT was served. Through the same process of careful food
observation we noticed that the new BLT did not contain the “T” either.
We
looked around for hidden cameras but unfortunately these proceedings were,
apparently, not being filmed for a wacky TV show.
It was
around this same time that we noticed that rolled up within Nadia’s crepes was a
piece of paper—which is handy if you’re going to write something about the
crepes but not quite as helpful if you want to actually eat the crepes.
The
waiter—who was embarrassed and trying to make everything right—brought out new
food and did not charge us for the entrees.
I
laughed about the whole episode and was thankful that there was nothing
unusual, like paper, in my food!
Although,
we’ve been home for several hours, now, and a few moments ago I coughed up a
paper airplane. That’s not normal, is
it?
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Gratitude To The One From Whom All Blessings Flow
“Every
good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the
heavenly lights…” James 1:17. Are you
able to look around and see many ways in which your life is blessed? I sure can.
In fact, I just watched about 10 minutes of television news coverage and
I was reminded a half dozen times how truly fortunate I am. I thank God.
I hope you have a wonderful, joyful, Happy Thanksgiving, giving genuine
gratitude to the One from who all blessings flow!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Treating People The Way You Want Them To Treat You
This simple idea of genuinely
treating other people the way that you would want them to treat you is actually
quite profound. And when we do apply
this truth in our lives, we end up acting in ways that are fair, helpful,
generous, compassionate and… well, right!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The "Silent Treatment" As A Favor To Others
When I give people “the silent treatment” it’s not viewed as
a punishment, it’s viewed as a really nice favor.
Pray And Pursue God's Agenda, Too
The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. (1Thess.5:17)
That can’t mean that we sit with our heads bowed, our eyes closed, and
our hands folded all the time. So, it
must mean that when we pray we are also actively pursuing God’s agenda in our
lives.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Stand Firm In The Faith
Stand firm in the faith.
Don’t give up. There are some who
would like us to feel embarrassed or silly or foolish or dumb for being a
follower of Jesus. Don’t be
intimidated. The power of God for
life—real life, eternal life—is found in the truth of Jesus.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
E-Flash From Dan, 11/17/12
Dear
E-Flash Friends;
Are you
looking to Jesus for life? I suspect
that many of you who read this message would say, “Yes” to that question. I invite you to the services this Sunday,
Nov. 18th, because we’ll be talking about what it means to find our lives
in Christ. I hope you can join us.
If you
have some time, please take a moment to click on the link and listen to the
latest podcast. Lisa Roule and Stephanie
Chiocca join me on the podcast to talk about what’s coming up on Sunday; we
talk about the Thanksgiving Eve service, and Stephanie also shares about her
recent experience and God’s work in her life during this difficult time.
Link…
http://visitusonline.org/scmedia.php?type=mediaplayer&loc=visitusonline.org/media/media/mediaplayer.php&id=201211161111092EAA69
Looking
forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Love
and blessings,
Dan
You Don't Have To Try To Fix Everything
Hey, guess what? You
and I are not responsible to fix everything that’s wrong with the world. We are responsible to do our best with the
work that God has given to us. That’s
nice to know, huh?
Friday, November 16, 2012
Faith That Is Reasonable
Can we convince someone to become
a Christian through logical arguments?
It’s probably not likely. But
I’ve found that it can help believers and non-believers to know that there are
strong, valid arguments as well as compelling evidence for the Christian
faith. Yes, it is still faith, but it’s
not a blind faith that is completely without justifiable reason.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Coming To Know Jesus, Not Religion
If you say, “I’m not a fan of the power plays and politics
and some of the antics that I see in organized religion,” you might be
interested to know that Jesus wasn’t happy about that stuff either. Christianity is not really about perpetuating
an organized religion, at it’s heart, it’s about coming to genuinely know the
living Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Conclusion: An Afterlife Exists
Jeffrey Long is a scientist, a medical doctor
and, by his own admission, something of a skeptic. Long has conducted the largest study to date
of Near Death Experiences. His research
has involved hundreds of people, worldwide.
Here is his conclusion: “After considering the strength of the evidence,
I am absolutely convinced that an afterlife exists.”
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The Truth of God's Love Can Be Hard To Believe
It’s interesting that—in
counseling sessions—I never have to convince people that they’ve messed up,
made mistakes, caused pain, and committed sins.
They’re always willing to admit that truth. But I find that I do have to convince people
that God really and truly loves them in spite of their sins. That seems to be the more challenging truth for people to accept.
Monday, November 12, 2012
A Christmas Tree Miracle
I knew that
it was too early to put up our Christmas tree—it’s not even Thanksgiving, yet,
for crying out loud—but some type of Christmas mood took hold of Nadia and I
and before we knew it, Christmas music was playing and the tree was up.
We did not
hide the fact that the tree was up. In
fact, it is positioned by the large picture window in the front of our house
and is, therefore, quite visible. So, I
guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised when the village authorities sent a
S.W.A.T. team to the house.
“We know you’re
in there.” It was a voice outside on a
bullhorn. “And we know you’ve got your
Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving.
Come out with your hands up, kicking the tree in front of you, and this
can still end peacefully.”
“You can’t
make me take it down!” I yelled as I lobbed several scented Christmas candles
out the window. The candles fell on the
front lawn without much of an effect.
But it feels good to take a principled stand.
Well, they
stormed the house and we were outnumbered.
Fortunately, no one was injured because we had pretty much forgotten
they were out there at that point and were watching a rerun of the Simpsons.
As they were
taking the tree out the front door in handcuffs, I said, “Fellas, wait a
minute. I’m begging you to just listen
to me for a moment.” They turned to look
at me and it was totally quiet. That’s
when I told them several touching stories about my early memories of Christmas
and the special meaning that it holds in my life.
As I
finished talking I looked around the room and everyone was wiping tears from
their eyes.
The S.W.A.T.
team officer in charge said, “You know what?
We don’t care if this is in violation of Village Code 347-13(b), our
hearts have been touched. Darn it! You can keep your tree up, after all.”
The next
thing you know, we were all hugging and laughing and they even helped us place
the tree back in its position and put the star on top. Then we all held hands and sang “Hark The
Herald, Angels Sing.” I don’t have to
tell you, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as we sang the final chorus.
That’s when
I woke up with a start and groggily rubbed my eyes. I looked around trying to get my bearings and
then I chuckled at another one of my crazy dreams.
Oh, but I’m
not kidding, by the way, about putting up the Christmas tree today. That part of the story is true.
As I was
putting some of the left over ornaments back in the boxes and tidying up a bit,
I saw a business card on the ground near the tree. I picked it up and looked. It read, “John Smith, S.W.A.T. Commander.”
“What?!?” I
said, as I looked at the card in disbelief.
I think I’m
starting to believe in Christmas miracles.
Thank You Veterans For Protecting Our Freedoms
Some people like the opinions I share on this blog and others
probably don’t. But it’s wonderful and
important that we have this freedom of expression, isn’t it? There are people who have fought and, in many
cases, died to protect this incredible freedom of expression. I honor and appreciate those people. Thank you veterans!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Thankful For Our Veterans
When you serve on behalf of others; when you put yourself in
harm’s way on behalf of others; when you give of yourself on behalf of others;
when you do these things in order to provide protection and freedom for others;
you are doing something good, noble and right.
I am thankful for the men and women who have served and who continue to
serve in our armed forces—what you do is significant! God bless you all!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
The Person In Front Of You
Not sure what kind of work God has for you to do? Well, consider this: You and I can be
sincere, loving, authentic followers of Jesus every day, right where we
are—wherever that may be. Who’s in front
of you right now? Bringing the light of
Christ to that person is the work God has for you.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Twitter Account Was Hacked
My Twitter
account was hacked yesterday. Please accept
my apology for the inconvenience it may have caused any of you. I have changed my password and fired the
internet security team that handles my account (that would be Jasper and
Goldie). I was going to advise everyone
to simply ignore any strange postings which might come from my account but then
it occurred to me that might include some of my actual messages.
In an effort
to set the record straight, I wish to publicly state that: 1) I have never made
the claim to have been abducted by an alien race of Elvis look-alikes; 2) I do
not hate all puppies; 3) I am not requesting that $250,000 be wired to a bank
account to pay for my release from a Turkish prison; and 4) I have never made any threatening or unkind
remarks about UFC fighters calling them all a bunch of “pansy wimps.”
Thank you
for your gracious attention to this matter.
A Life That Speaks Volumes
Sometimes I think, “How can a person make any kind of
significant impact for God in this world in which we live?” The answer that comes back to me is: Don’t worry about making an impact, that’s
not your concern. Do this: Cultivate a vital, genuine, relationship with
God that truly makes a difference in your own life. That will speak volumes.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Growth Is Uncomfortable
We often feel uncomfortable and uncertain—maybe
even a little bit fearful—when we are growing and making progress because
growth requires that we stretch and take new unfamiliar actions. But as we know, growth is an important part
of being fully alive. So, the challenge
is to feel uncomfortable but move forward anyhow.
Glorify God, Not Self
“Any effort that has self-glorification as its final
endpoint is bound to end in disaster.” -- Robert Pirsig. We were not made to bring glory to
ourselves. We were made to bring glory
to God.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
E-Flash From Dan, 11/7/12
Dear
E-Flash Friends;
Peter
Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli write, “…A word for boredom in general does not exist
in any pre-modern language.” [Handbook of Christian Apologetics]. The point they are making is that in terms of
human history the concept of “boredom” is a modern development.
I don’t
know enough about history to know if this is true, or not. But if there is some degree of truth to it,
it is interesting to me that those of us who live in a time when we can receive
a constant flow of messages from television, computers, radios, ipods, smart
phones, radio, tablets, nooks, kindles, etc., are more likely to be bored than
those who did not have these technological devices.
What
does it say about all of the messages we receive or, perhaps, our capacity to
process all of this stimulation if we find ourselves bored in spite of it
all? On the other hand, the people who
did not have this continual stimulation, apparently, didn’t even have a word
for “boredom.” Interesting, huh?
I’m not
anti-technology, I like this stuff. But
our impressive communication devices have their limits when it comes to living
life fully.
I think
I’ll unplug for a while and spend some time praying—no technology involved,
just God and I.
This
was on my mind today, so I thought I would share it with you.
Hope
you have a great day!
Love
and blessings,
Dan
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The Great Privilege of Voting
Most of
the people, in the history of the world, did not have the opportunity to cast a
vote in order to determine who would be in the positions of governance over the
land in which they lived. The right to
vote seems normal and rather unremarkable for many of us but, actually, it’s an
unusual privilege. I know our system of
government is imperfect and it can be frustrating to some of us, but I am
extremely thankful to live in a country that considers voting to be one of my
rights as a citizen. Being a citizen of
the United States of America is one of the great undeserved blessings of my
life.
Now, if
you’ll excuse me, I’m going to step out of the door of my office, walk about 40
yards to my left and cast my vote. (When
people ask me if I voted, I usually chuckle because I would have to be one of
the laziest people in the state of Illinois to neglect the act of voting since
my polling place is right here in the church where I work.)
P.S.: Hey, I wonder… do you think the election
judges would get ticked off if I asked them to just go ahead and bring one of
the voting machines into my office for a few minutes while I voted? Hmm, I better not push my luck, huh?
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Challenge of Speaking The Truth
In the Bible, it is assumed that, among followers of Christ,
we will lovingly, humbly speak truth into each other’s lives. It is assumed that, in the church, we will be
willing to be open, vulnerable, and very honest with each other. This is challenging to consider for those of
us who live in a culture in which independence and autonomy are so highly
valued.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
E-Flash From Dan, 11/3/12
Dear
E-Flash Friends;
There
were quite a few times that Jesus said this phrase: “Do not be afraid.” It is interesting that he said the phrase in
situations where we wouldn’t find it unusual for a person to experience some
fear. We’re going to talk about this
challenge to “not be afraid” at the services this Sunday. I hope you’re planning to join us!
And
since you’ll be here, already. Make sure
to hang around for the Annual Chili Cook-Off after the 11 o’clock service. The Chili Cook-Off is a fundraiser for our
Closed Captioned Youth Group; it’s a tasty lunch; and it’s a good way to get to
know some folks at church. It’s a
terrific event and you’re invited!
Oh, and
don’t forget that we change the clocks this weekend, too. Set you clocks back one hour before you go to
bed Saturday night. (If not, I’ll see
you early Sunday morning!)
Love
and blessings,
Dan
P.S. Check out the latest “Dan and Vic Podcast” it’s
fun way to spend 12 minutes.
Link…
The People God Has Put In Our Lives
Sometimes God puts a person in our lives from whom we would
never expect to learn anything of importance or value. And then this person surprises us. And we discover that there was, in fact,
divine wisdom in this relational connection.
The people God has put into our lives are there for a reason.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Seeing God And Putting Things In Their Proper Perspective
Here’s
a conversation thread from my Facebook page.
My
initial post:
When
we enter into God’s presence on the other side of this earthly existence
everything else that we’ve ever experienced will finally be put in its proper
perspective.
Comment
from my friend:
Proof
text. Must have proof text old friend! I bang my head against the wall trying
to get perspective on this side, and you're telling me to chill-out and wait
'til I get on the other side? I think He gave me this curious, searching heart
(or this doubting skeptics mind, whatever it is?)
My
response to the comment:
I believe
God gave you that curious, searching heart, too. And I think it’s good and right for you to
try to get perspective on this side of eternity. Don’t stop your search for understanding. (Although, you might want to ease up on the
banging your head against the wall.)
However, a wise search involves the understanding that we are finite—there
are some things we simply will not come to understand on this side. If you cannot come to terms with this reality
it will result in increased head-against-the-wall sessions and tremendous
frustration.
Also,
what we experience now is, by definition, incomplete because there is a wholly
other experience that will happen when we leave this realm. We cannot experience this other realm now, we
can only experience it by crossing over.
“For
now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to
face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully
known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12
I
believe that the most significant part of this experience on the other side
will be seeing God in a way that is fuller and more complete than we can see
Him on this side of eternity. And I
believe that when we see Him in this complete way much of what we thought was
so important, on this side, will be put into its proper perspective.
Line
from an old Christian song: “And the
things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
The Way In Which We Receive Difficult Truths
When we are confronted with truth about ourselves that we
might not be too happy to hear or acknowledge, the way we receive that truth
says a lot about our level of maturity.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
God's Presence
When we enter into God’s presence on the other side of this
earthly existence everything else that we’ve ever experienced will finally be
put in its proper perspective.
Is Jesus Enough?
Sometimes, in Christianity, we ask the question: is Jesus
enough? Christian author, Larry Crabb
gets at this issue in a penetrating way with these two questions.
“Do we actually want God more than anything else? Do we
honestly believe we’d know real joy if we had Him and nothing else?” – Larry
Crabb.
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