Is God calling you?

Has God called you? Maybe you think, "No, God hasn't called me. God hasn't called me to become a missionary. Or to give away all my money. Or to move across the country and start a new church." Does God always call us to do "big" things? Or does he sometimes call us to simple, mundane acts of service? Like visiting a lonely shut-in. Or inviting someone over for dinner? Or attending church every Sunday? 

There are several examples in the Bible of times when Jesus called people. Let's take a look and see what we can learn from them.

80-year-old Moses - This story is found in Exodus 3:1-4:17. Moses was called by God through a burning bush to deliver the Egyptian people from slavery under Pharaoh. Moses made one excuse after another as to why he wasn't the guy. "Who am I?" "What if they don't listen to me?" "I don't speak well." 

Do you make excuses to God? Sometimes? Occasionally? Never? If you are a parent, do you make it a practice to ask your children to do things they cannot do? Probably not. Even more, our heavenly Father will only ask us to do things we are capable of doing. Or God will go with us and give us the strength to do what He asks. Did you teach your child to ride a bicycle? Remember how you held on to the back of the seat while they were learning? God supports and guides us as long as we need it. Once we know what we are doing, He lets us go on our own.

The boy Samuel - This story is found in 1 Samuel 3:1-19. God called Samuel in a dream to speak for him. Initially, Samuel didn't recognize God's voice. He thought it was Eli, the priest, speaking to him. Three times in a row, God called out, "Samuel!" and finally, Samuel responded, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." 

Are we listening for God's voice? Do we ever take the time to turn off the world just to let God speak? Do we recognize his voice? Are we in tune with his promptings? God may be trying to get your attention, but the noise around you is so loud, that you can't hear Him.

Jonah, the Prophet - This story is found in the book of Jonah. God called Jonah to go to the city of Ninevah to tell residents there to repent from their evil ways. Jonah flat-out refused to go. In fact, Jonah went on vacation by jumping a ship headed in the opposite direction of Nineveh. Talk about thumbing your nose up to God! The story does have a happy ending with the people repenting, but not before some slimy, aquatic consequences. 

After hearing God's call, wading through excuses, be careful to not just flat out tell God, "No." Jonah tried that and he ended up doing what God wanted in the end anyway. God may not deal with you the same way. Pray that He does! But He may choose not to and leave you to your disobedience. God is a good Father and wants what is best for His children. Check out Matthew 7:11 and remember:

• He may not call you to comfort, but He'll call you to contentment. 
• He may not call you to success, but He'll call you to sufficiently. 
• He may not call you pleasure, but He'll call you to peace. 
• He may not call you riches, but He'll call you to righteousness. 

Apps for Spiritual Growth

1. 
   Bible app - Without a doubt, my go-to Bible app is the Bible by Life.Church. Bobby Gruenewald and his team had the brilliant idea of putting the Bible out free of charge in a digital format in July 2008. Today the app features 2,062 Bible versions in 1,372 languages including audio Bibles and over 800 Bible plans to encourage daily Bible reading. The Kalkaska Church of Christ uses Events in the Bible app each week to share sermon notes, announcements, and much more. Get the Bible app for iPhone or Android or online. 
   
2. 
   Church Center - My choice for connecting with my home church is the Church Center app from Planning Center Online. Church Center connects me with everything my church does from events, giving, pictorial directory, calendar, and children's check-in. Get Church Center for iPhone or Android or online. 
   
3. 
   Praying App - While you can keep track or prayer requests and even share them in the Bible app, I still enjoy using Echo to keep track of people I am praying for. Echo reminds me to pray, keeps track of my prayer requests, and allows me to share requests with other people Get Echo for iPhone or Android. 
   
4. 
   Sermons - Feed yourself spiritually by listening to messages online from various pastors. You can use a Podcasting app like Podcasts from Apple, Spotify, or Overcast, but I prefer to just listen directly from the preacher's home church app. 

Here are some of my favorite speakers and their churches. 

Kalkaska Church of Christ - Andy Bratton

Northpointe - Andy Stanley 

LifeChurch - Craig Groschel 

Saddleback - Rick Warren 

Central Christian Church - Jud Wilhite 

Help! I'm behind in my Bible Reading!

Each year our church encourages everyone to read through the Bible in a year. It requires a lot of discipline and dedication over a very long period of time. Many begin with the intention to read all year long only to find their progress bogged down as they encounter the books of law in the Old Testament.  This is unfortunate. And it doesn't have to be this way. The Bible is unique and unlike any other book. Most books are read from front cover to back cover. But the Bible can be read in many other ways. Here are some alternate ways to read the Bible. 

• Read the New Testament (The story of Jesus, the early church, and Revelation)
• Read a Proverb a day (There are 31 chapters. Read one each day of the month)
• Read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This is the story of Jesus from 4 perspectives)
• Follow a unique Bible Reading Plan (Check out Bible.com/reading-plans for ideas)

The other issue that keeps people from sticking with a Bible reading plan is just failure to do it. There is a good book out called Atomic Habits by James Clear. James explains when we want to develop a habit, such as reading our Bible every day, we should connect that behavior with a time and a place. For example don't just say, "I'm going to read my Bible this year." Instead, decide that you will read your Bible every morning with coffee at the dining room table. Or maybe, "I will read my Bible every day at lunch break in my car." This is called the "implementation intention." The pattern is "I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]." 

The other way to create a habit is by using a "stacking formula." This is best understood by taking something you already do on a regular basis and connecting the new behavior or habit to it. Say, for example, you watch the evening news every night. You could have your Bible next to the remote control and right after the news is over, pick it up and read it for 15 minutes. The pattern is "After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]." 

So, if reading the entire Bible cover to cover seems overwhelming, consider a shorter Bible reading plan. And to stick with your plan, remember to be intentional by selecting a time and location to read and/or attaching your habit to an existing habit. 

What are the Odds!?

One of my favorite subjects in school was probability and statistics. I loved calculating the odds of rolling dice, flipping a coin, and drawing a playing card! Knowing the odds of an event occurring is helpful and used in many areas of life. 

• Insurance companies use probability to know how much to charge you and the chances of you getting into an accident based on multiple factors like age, location, and vehicle.
• Meteorologists use the knowledge to forecast the weather. 
• Casinos use probability to give their games of "chance" like slots and table games, just enough edge to make money, and yet not so much that you won't return to play again.

Sports Books also use probability as well as historical data to calculate the odds of a given sporting event. One common bet on sports is called the Money Line. It's a straight-up bet on who you think will win the game. There are many factors to be considered, in terms of probability, you have a 50% chance of choosing the winning team. 

When it comes to the Bible, probability and statistics come into play when you consider prophecy. Prophecy is a prediction of something happening. And the odds of it actually happening are also 50%. Either the event you predict will happen or it won't. 

• Jesus fulfilled prophecy when he was born of a virgin. 
• Jesus fulfilled prophecy when he was born in Bethlehem.
• Jesus fulfilled prophecy when he was killed by crucifixion. 

Scholars have said there are over 48 prophecies surrounding Jesus, his birth, life, and death. The odds that one man would fulfill more than even 1 prophecy become very slim quickly. For example, if Jesus were to fulfill just 2 prophecies, the odds become 25%. Add another prophecy and the odds are 12.5%. If you were to calculate Jesus fulfilling 4 prophecies it would be 1 in 4 or 6.25%. I took the numbers and dropped them into a Numbers spreadsheet and just extended them out to 48 prophecies. Here are my results. 

According to my calculations, the odds of one man fulfilling all 48 prophecies are 1 in 281,474,976,710,656 (1 in 281 trillion)! The percentage odds of this happening is 0.00000000000035527136788005%! Compare these odds to other common events today.

Odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime: 1 in 15,300.

Odds of winning the lottery: 1 in 292.2 million.

Odds of being killed in a plane crash: 1 in 11 million.

There comes a point when probability is out of the realm of possibility and, for me at least, something supernatural, even miraculous is going on. I'm struck with the number of prophecies in the Bible as well as the fulfillment of those same prophecies. And here's the kicker - every prophecy in the Bible has come true! This is no longer a question of odds, but a matter of proof. Because in the natural world, given the odds, it's not really possible, but divinely orchestrated. 

So, if you want to play along, take out a coin and flip it over and over, each time predicting what will come up. Let me know how many you guess correctly in a row. You may get 3, even 4 in a row. But 48 guessing 48 flips in a row, while in the realm of possibility, would probably take a miracle! Which is what appears to be happening with the life of Jesus Christ. 

For an even more exhaustive examination of probability in the Bible, and probably more accurate, check out Peter Stoner's findings at https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/

The Mundane Days of Life

Groundhog Day is today! February 2, 20222. Which makes it 2/2/22 by the way. Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow today which means 6 more weeks of winter. That is no surprise to us living in Northern Michigan! We usually don't wrap up winter until sometime in April! 

Have you seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? Bill plays a self-centered Pittsburgh weatherman who becomes trapped into living out the same day again and again with no explanation. It's a great movie and also stars Andie MacDowell. I highly recommend it. Other movies like "Happy Death Day," "50 First Dates," and "Edge of Tomorrow" have tried to duplicate the "live-the-same-day-over-again" theme, but none have done it as well. 

There are special moments in our lives that stick out like vacations, birthdays, weddings, the birth of a child, baptisms, etc. But for the most part, we live most days just like every other. We live our lives in our own personal "Groundhog Day." We rise to an alarm, wash up, get dressed, and head out to work. We drive the same vehicle, along the same route, passing the same people. Our work may vary, but it's the same work with the same people, at the same place. The evening routine may vary, but it's still very similar each day with family, home, and bedtime routine. 

When we look at scripture, we read about spectacular events like Moses parting the Red Sea, David killing Goliath, and Elijah being taken up to heaven in a flaming chariot. Yet surrounding all those amazing events, those in the Bible lived mundane lives just like you and men. 

• Moses spent 40 years in the desert before God called Him.
• Elisha grew up a farmer prior to becoming God's prophet.
• John the Baptist lived in anonymity out in the desert before preaching.
• For about 30 years Jesus "grew in stature and wisdom and in favor with God and men" living a mundane life in Palestine. 

While we may feel we live a day-after-day loop, those days are never really the same. Our bodies are different. The people we interact with are different. We all experience life events that change our minds, moods, and behavior. 

Just like the movie Groundhog Day, we have the opportunity to make the next 24 hours whatever we want it to be. We can choose to be pessimistic, angry, introverted, and just a down-right pain to people. Or we can choose to have a positive outlook, smile, encourage other people, and basically love them. It's a choice we make every single morning. 

I love this quote 

“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The sowing we do takes place every day, over and over. Ultimately our destiny is decided by the daily decisions we make. Are you choosing to be faithful, joyful, and loving? Do you forgive, serve, and pour yourself out to others? Or are you choosing selfishness, hatred, and revenge? Are you jealous, prideful, and spiteful? How would you rate yourself? 

The choice is up to you - today and every day! 

Something New in 2022

Happy New Year! Does entering into a new year, excite you? The time of new beginnings, new resolutions, and new opportunities? We were hopeful that 2021 would have brought us relief from the current pandemic. Maybe that hope will be realized in 2022! Anything is possible going forward into a new year, a new 12-months, a new 365-days!

The Bible is chock full of new times, new items, and new places. In fact, "new" seems to be a theme throughout all scripture. Let's look at some examples. 

In the first 3 chapters of Genesis, as God spoke everything into existence, it was created new. Nothing used. Nothing recycled. Nothing handed down. It was all new!

Abram is called to leave all that he had known in Genesis 12 to become the Father of a new nation. That nation would be the Jewish people, from whom Jesus, the Messiah, would come. 

Joshua and Caleb led the Hebrews into a new land, the promised land, recorded in the book of Joshua. 

Turning to the New Testament, we are met with one new thing after another. When John the Baptist appeared on the scene, he was announcing the advent of a new era. None other than the opportunity to know God personally, in the flesh. Emmanuel "God with us." 

Jesus walked and taught among us explaining that his teachings were like new wine that needed new wineskins (Matthew 9:16-17). He was about to blow their minds. The Messiah and his reign would be like nothing they had anticipated. Instead of vengeance and punishment, he preached love and forgiveness. 

Jesus' followers would be given the chance to become "new creations" (2 Corinthians 5:17). They would be free from sin, filled with the Holy Spirit, and promised a future in the presence of God. 

The Bible speaks of a new heaven and a new earth in the book of Revelation. This is the eternal home for anyone who takes on the new name of Christian (Acts 11:26) on earth and will be given a new name in the future (Revelation 2:17). 

Disciples will drink the Lord's Supper new with Jesus in God's Kingdom (Matthew 26:29).

We're left with these words of Jesus from the last book of the Bible - "Yes, I am coming soon!" His reward is with Him and we'll be granted access to the tree of life once again (Revelation 22). Everything will be made new and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

May your 2022 be filled with blessings, joy, and peace!  

What does Christmas Mean to You?

Merry Christmas! It's that special time of year again when colored lights adorn the house at the end of the street. The stores are playing Christmas tunes as people hustle through the isles filling their shopping carts with gifts to make the little ones smile. "Buy now pay later" is the catchphrase of the season. Christmas trees, wrapping presents, baking cookies, and parties with family and friends are all part of this festive time of year. 

A reporter asked various people, "What does Christmas mean to you?" The number one answer was usually, "Family. Getting together with family is so meaningful this time of year."  Family is so important and having a healthly relationship with family members is to be desired. 

But the truth is that Christmas isn't about lights, music, shopping, presents, or even family. Christmas put quite simply, is about Jesus. And every year it seems Jesus becomes less and less the focus. Jesus is obscured by the lights, the shopping, and even family. 

Perhaps we can point people back to the real meaning of Christmas. There are many customs built up around Christmas time. Maybe we could remember the time of year through the lens of Jesus. After all, 

• Jesus is the LIGHT of the world
• Jesus LIGHTS the life of every man
• Jesus is the greatest GIFT we have ever received
• Jesus died on a cross made from a TREE
• Jesus BOUGHT our salvation with His own blood
• Jesus said whoever comes to me will never go HUNGRY

Add to the list your own comparisons. Can you connect Christmas carols to Jesus? How about the North Pole? What about watching for Santa Claus to come?

May you have a blessed Christmas season as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ!