I’ve been so shocked and saddened by the many natural disasters that I’ve heard about in the news.  They have affected lives in our country, and in many others, too…from tornadoes in Arkansas to cyclones in Myanmar to the great earthquake in China.

All of these disasters will leave permanent marks on the people left behind, but one thing stood out to me the most.  In China, there is a one child per household policy.  There are many Chinese parents today who are burying their only children because of that terrible earthquake that shattered so many lives.

God understands their pain.  He gave his only son so that all of humanity could be saved and come back to him, where we were intended to be in the first place.

I pray that that the persecuted church in China would flourish more than ever.  Lord, open the eyes of the grieving parents in China that do not know you, and help them see that you know exactly how they feel.

Peace,

Neil

I’m sitting at my wife’s grandmother’s computer in Southern Illinois, way out in the country.  I’m reminded of the great importance that Jesus put on getting away and resting.  It is my prayer that we will all take some time to get away from it all and just rest.  I get to do things like this about three times a year and I love it!

I just ate some delicious food, and I’ve been watching my little girl run around with all of her cousins and I’m hoping to sit with Brandi under the beautiful starry sky tonight.

Wherever you are, I hope that you get a chance to just breathe.  Take it all in.  God is good…

Peacefully Yours,

Neil

I was introduced to a new musical artist a couple of days ago, by our creative arts director, Toni. I’ve been so moved by this guy that I have to share it with you. His name is Coffey Anderson, and he is an incredibly gifted musician and worship leader.

If you need some encouragement, check him out!

Peace,

Neil

You’ve probably heard of the woman anointed by the media as the “D.C. Madam,” haven’t you? If you haven’t heard of her, she is the 2008 version of Heidi Fleiss. Deborah Jeane Palfrey was a 52 year-old woman, who was accused of running a very elite prostitution ring that serviced Capitol Hill and other Washington D.C. elite.

Well, on Thursday I heard breaking news that Deborah Jeane Palfrey had been found dead. Not in the “glory” of the D.C. “high-life,” but hanging in a shed in a trailer park, outside of her mother’s trailer near Tampa, Florida.

Tomorrow I will be entering week 5 of a sermon series on the reality of spiritual warfare. This story, unfortunately, beautifully illustrates the lies of our Adversary, and our need to know the truth. It was widely known that Deborah Jeane Palfrey had said that under no circumstances would she return to prison. She had been there before and came to believe (through some clever introductions of lies) that suicide would be an escape from the prison that she would return to in July.

It grieves me to know that Deborah Jeane Palfrey was the very kind of woman that Jesus longed to hang out with. She never knew that. We must tell people before it is too late that there is nothing that they can do to keep God from loving them. NOTHING.

Father, help me to have the eyes for people who have fallen for the lies of the Father of lies. Open my eyes to the marginalized and help me to share the truth of your unfailing love with your prodigals that so desperately need you.

Peace,

Neil

As we dream as a church about the direction that God wants us to go, I’m overwhelmed with the thought of resurrection power. The Apostle Paul said that he wanted to know the power of the resurrection that God used to raise Jesus from the dead. We should too.

I want to live a life like Stephen Baldwin describes in his recent book, Unusual Suspects. Baldwin said that he wakes up each morning with a literal smile on his face because he is so giddy about life and God and what God has called him to do with his life.

If we have attitudes that are affected by our circumstances, we will never live that way. We will be joyful when things are good and depressed when they’re not.

What if each day, we asked God for his perspective as we lived out our daily lives. Wouldn’t things be more beautiful? The morning would be a welcome sight…crying babies would always be a blessing…our marriages would be about serving our spouses and not ourselves…struggles would not appear to be insurmountable…the poor would be attractive…our “things” wouldn’t be quite so shiny. Wouldn’t that be different?

If we realized how Christ’s resurrection changed everything, then we would have this perspective. Jesus overcame the world (John 16:33) so we can live with this perspective if we follow him.

God, please grant me your eyes, so that I may consistently live out of a place that is not bogged down with the temporary concerns of my life. Help me to learn to apply all of your life-altering resurrection to my own existence.

Peace,

Neil

While this blog certainly is not centered around politics, I feel as though to ignore this particular issue would be tantamount to pretending that the emperor actually was wearing clothes.

Reverend Wright certainly has been giving Barack Obama fits recently with his provocative statements, but most recently I heard him say something that will not allow me to keep silent.

While addressing some supporters and the press, Reverend Wright suggested that these attacks on him were really not about him nor Obama, but the central issue was an assault on the Black Church. Really??

And I thought pastors were supposed to be part of the solution. This is such typical blame-shifting that we are all tempted to engage in. Adam did it when God confronted him in the garden when he said: “the woman YOU gave me…,” when referring to why they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Adam wasn’t man enough to accept HIS responsibility in the matter and tried to blame God and his wife.

Reverend Wright should be ashamed of himself for suggesting that the repercussions he is facing have anything to do with the Black Church. Now, does the Black Church face difficulties that predominantly Caucasian churches do not? I’m certain of it. However, this is not one of those difficulties. This is a man not knowing when to say no mas…I won’t speak any more.

Let’s choose to take responsibility for what we do in all things and know when to say no more.

Peace,

Neil

A lot of us think that if only our situations would change…then we would be satisfied. You know what I mean…if only your wife would stop nagging you or if only you didn’t have that chronic illness…then you would be content with your life.

I would argue that if you were the wealthiest and healthiest person on the face of the earth, you still would not be as content as you think you would be. Do you know why? We are looking to a blessing instead of looking to the Source of the blessing.

If we count on good circumstances to establish our peace and satisfaction, then conversely, when life offers us unfavorable circumstances, then we are no longer peaceful and content.

The Source is Jesus Christ. When we look to him, we can rest assured that he is bigger than both the lows and the highs of our lives.

I pray that God will help you and me live lives that are not tossed around by the happenings of our lives. Lord, help us live lives characterized by contentment that is not based on anything but your goodness.

I just saw a preview for a show on TV called Gossip Girl.

I’ve never seen the show but it appears to be Beverly Hills 90210 or Melrose Place on steroids (and I don’t mean that in a positive way).

The show supposedly targets people in the 18-34 age group, yet on a recent magazine cover featured the whole cast in their underwear. One of the actresses on the show is reportedly only 15 years old.

Yeah…I’m sure they’re targeting adults. I just heard on FoxNews that the most common fan-bases are girls between 10 and 15 years of age. In my view, this is a sad commentary on where our society is headed. Each generation seems to become more proudly “open” and flaunting a soured morality.

As parents, we have to take note of this and act accordingly. It IS our job to monitor what our children watch on TV, and what they listen to on their iPods.

WAKE UP…let’s not lose this generation to the lies of our crafty, relativistic Enemy.

Peace,

Neil

I had the distinct honor of taking part in the dedication of a cute little baby named Brianna Nicole. It was such a nice service, and it was such a good reminder of what it means to dedicate our babies to God’s service.

When we dedicate our children to God, we are just giving back to God what is already his. It involves humility and gratitude, and Brian and Nicole exhibited both yesterday.

Brianna, you are a blessed little girl. Your parents love you greatly.

Peace,

Neil

I’ve known about this for a while now, but now it is public information…Willow Creek will no longer be the king of the seeker-sensitive churches. I would love to hear your thoughts about this. It is my prayer that Willow Creek would continue to be used by God to reach people with the message of Christ.

Check out this link