What is my Name?

Posted by Joe Burns

So what's in a name? Identity. Association. Connection. Belonging. You can add more if you would like to. Just post a comment. You'll get heard.

Those who follow Jesus have a very unique name. Just at the right time in history, God chose the city of Antioch, Syria – now it is Antakya in Turkey, to have the disciples of Jesus Christ become known as Christians.

Please don't miss the importance of the statement in Acts 11:26. This was deliberate and planned by God. When the disciples were first CALLED Christians, they were CALLED BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE. It was not a fluke, nor was it a tag given by a political pundit.

Read from Isaiah 62:2 in your Bible. The new name given was designated by the mouth of God. It was divinely designed.

Let's not take for granted, nor take lightly this name God calls us by.

Hi, my name is Christian, what's yours?

Taliban General Converts to Christ

Posted by Joe Burns

While en route to destroy, kill, maim and do other bodily harm to U.S. troops, a very high level Taliban General was converted to Christianity. He was a devout and practicing Muslim up until the very moment he changed his way of life. Not only did he convert to simple faith in Jesus, but he wholly denounced his Muslim beliefs. Furthermore, he announced that he also thinks that the United States of America is 100% in the right in their advances into the Middle East. It is his intentions to now enlist in the U.S. Army.

So who is this high-ranking soldier, and why haven't you heard more about it in the news? Actually, this is just an analogy to describe how serious it was when a man named Saul became a follower of Jesus. The story is found in Acts 7:58 and going on through the rest of the Book of Acts.

Born Again Disciples

Posted by Joe Burns

It sounds like old-school. Born-Again disciples. These days there seems to be a wider approval and broader inclusion into “The Faith” for one who merely admits (or even passionately expresses) that He is a believer and a follower of Jesus. At the risk of falling into the “too judgmental” category, I would like to direct our attention to the Book. You know, “The” Book, namely, The Bible.

In Acts 2, thousands of people flocked to Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost, a festival time for the Jews. While there they heard the first ever Gospel Sermon preached. 3000 disciples were baptized (immersed in water) and were now considered Born-again disciples.

Old School? Maybe, but then that’s one of those traditions given by God Himself for the ages.

From the Garden to the Cross

Posted by Joe Burns

It was a Thursday night dinner party. At this dinner all the guests were Jewish guys, eating a meal that was meant to help them remember something about their heritage. After eating together some of the guests headed out to the the garden to spend a little time in prayer. The uncommon meal was commonly called the Passover meal. During this particular supper, the Messiah of God was dining. In that garden He was betrayed by one of his very best friends, then delivered over to the “officials” for questioning. By about 2:00AM Friday morning Jesus was being detained and questioned about some kind of “crimes” against the Jewish Faith. Seven hours later He was nailed to a cross.

Church of the Adjectives

Posted by Joe Burns

I am a member of the Church of _________ Christ.

The blank is intentional. What adjectives do you think of when you think of Christ?

Judgmental? Authoritative? Legislative? Intolerant?

If you think of those kinds of describers, your Church home probably reflects that kind of an image.

Kind? Loving? Compassionate? Patient?

If you see Jesus more like this, your Church likely does too.

Cross this Jordan River

Posted by Joe Burns

After the legendary Prophet, Moses, passed away, a new leader named Joshua was called upon to take command of the people of God. Moses had taken God’s people on a very long journey, right to the edge of “The Promised Land.” Now he was dead, and someone else was chosen to finish the trek. The one last obstacle between this wandering nation and their land flowing with milk and honey was a river.

As Joshua stands on the banks of the Jordan, he contemplates all the struggles and difficulties his people have experienced to get to this point. He also looks ahead with great anticipation of new hope for his people. After a few details of preparation, Joshua says this to his followers the day before they make the decisive move to cross over, “tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

What is your Jordan River? Is their some final hurdle between you and “living the dream”? For many, one thing that stands in the way is pride. If one could only set aside the attitude of being stubborn and filled up with self focus, crossing over might be possible. Did you hear the promise Joshua made? On the other side, God will do amazing things.

Welcome to 2010. It’s here whether you are ready or not. How about listening to Joshua today and follow his lead, come on over. You can use this moment, this time of natural transition from one era to a new one and adjust some things in your life so you too can see God doing wonders all around you.

The Day After

Posted by Joe Burns

It is the day after Christmas, 2009. For some it is a day of relief… all the cooking, guests coming & going, traveling, eating – it’s all history now. For some it is a day of sadness… all the cooking, guests coming & going, traveling, eating – it’s all now history. Same day, two different outlooks.

One of us really dreads all the extra activity created by holidays. Another one of us absolutely loves all the excitement, attention, and buzz in the air. Nobody is right or wrong here, just different. And it is okay to have different opinions about matters like these, right? It is just one more reminder that we are a world full of people with unique views, interests, likes & dislikes. Diversity.

The day after Christmas, for me, signifies the beginning of the end of the year. In just six days it will be next year. I am one of those who likes to use this moment as a springboard into reflecting on what was, being reminded about what is, and mostly anticipating what will be. There is a competing attitude that sort of looks back all the time, and keeps one attached to the undoable past in a negative manner. I would ask that whoever needs a little nudge for having a renewed hope for tomorrow to join me in taking our best shot at what the Apostle Paul once wrote to a group of Jesus-followers long ago when he said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” If we all look ahead, what a difference we can make. Unity.

Day 40

Posted by Joe Burns

I did it. For forty days I have been trying to focus on certain exercises to help me see things more clearly about purpose, reasons for things, and so on. One day I even did an e-fast. If no one else has copyrighted that term, I would like the credit. An e-fast is a specific period of time without using any electronic devices. I spent one whole day with no radio, no e-mail, no twitter, no TV, no MacBook. I had do everything the old fashioned way.

One thing I did over this period of time was to ask many different people to tell me “What is most important?” Responses were varied. Here’s a sample.

• Make a difference. Also give thanks for the simple things.
• Never go to bed at night being angry at your spouse.
• Today’s meal. I don’t know where it will come from yet.
• Tell people you love them, don’t assume they all know.
• Be spontaneous.
• Live a well balanced life. Not too much work, not too much play.
• Life is not wholly predestined. Listen for the Holy Spirit to direct your footsteps.
• Live one day at a time.
• Serve others. Don’t be so selfish with your time or with your stuff.
• My car.
• Is the right answer, “Love God and serve Him alone”?
• Build & rebuild relationships with God and with each other.
• Faith, Hope and Love; And the greatest of these is Love.
• I can tell you one thing today, ask me tomorrow and it might be different.
• Dealing with changes well, things will change. Keep a good perspective.
• Stay in touch with your family. Help all of your family members.
• Deal with important things, not always the urgent things.

There is much for me to do as I ponder these past 40 days. I was seeking clarity and direction. Now I have more things to think about.

I was also interested to see that others ask this same question in specific situations. For example: In an effort to understand how people prioritize healthcare benefits, the Center for Healthcare Decisions (CHCD) developed What Matters Most to address the important issues regarding health care. Their survey of 1,019 Californians identified life threatening issues as those which rose to the top.

But my 40 days was not just about what matters most. It was also about spending some focussed time in the Scriptures, in prayer, in meditation and in other areas of discipline as well. It is too early to give the full report of what a difference these 40 days will have on me, but one great thing that came out of it was that I was able to do one thing on the list that was the most important thing on my 83 year old dad’s list. I went to see him in Florida. We played several games of Scrabble. I really enjoyed the time with him.

Half-Time

Posted by Joe Burns

During those sporting events where the contest is divided into quarters, there seems to be some merit in taking a break half way through to assess the game plan, then come back to finish out with fresh legs. I am now at half-time.

Twenty days of the Forty Day pursuit are behind me and twenty to go. I know days always come and go, usually unnoticed. I have actually been alive for over 19,000 of those 24 hour periods myself. But, when taking on a concentrated program with daily objectives like this, it has reminded me that 40 days is a long time. Thanks to all of you who have indulged me and have conversed with me about things like, “What is God’s reason for putting us here?” And, “What is most important?”

One additional specific goal I have is going to be hard for me to accomplish. Experts say if you tell someone else the plan, you are more likely to achieve it. I am going to go to bed one of these next 20 nights and when I wake up I will do nothing electronic for 24 hours. No TV, no cell phone, no iPod, no email, no computer, no tweeting, no – none of it. I hope to hear people and God in the old fashion way.

In the meantime, the people I have been talking to during this exercise have reminded me that people are important to God. People are important to people too. We should be aware of God’s direct involvement in our lives through the Holy Spirit. Yes, we are here to love and serve God, but God is also here to provide for His children – freely receive! Reconcile, restore and rebuild broken friendships. Learn to love others just like Jesus loves His church.

I have elected to receive to start the second half.

Why Forty?

Posted by Joe Burns

In my last blog I said I would explain why I chose forty days as the time frame for my experiment with God. Here it goes. I chose the period of time I did because of Biblical precedent.

It seems like forty is some sort of sacred number. By the way, before I go any further, I am not one of those who plays with numerology in an over-the-top manner. There is some significance to why Bible writers used certain numbers, but not any more than the Bible itself explains. For forty years the wandering Israelites ate manna in the wilderness while trying to find their way home. The flood in the days of Noah lasted forty days and forty nights. Jesus fasted and experienced trial forty days in the desert. There are more examples.

This number is used in conjunction with testing, searching, captivity, and change.

It appears to me that it is a reasonable time frame to allow God to work on a person in a concentrated fashion. I am 10 days into my effort and I have seen some things I might have missed before. I’ll share those details along the way. For now, suffice it to say, I have spoken to about 15-20 people with direct conversations on the topic of “why am I here?” and “what is God’s plan for the world?” and the responses have been insightful, and not as uniformly consistent as I expected. Day Ten.