Mystery Solved: The Chicken or the Egg?

17 Jul , 2010 1 Comment

Scientists in the UK say they have certain proof that the answer to the oft-posed question of whether the egg preceded the chicken or the chicken preceded the egg. The answer, say the researchers is… (drum roll here)… the chicken came first.  There you go.  You can sleep tonight.

According to the scientists a protein called “ovocleidin” (OC17) is the catalyst for the creation of eggs, and it’s created in the ovaries of chickens (and nowhere else).  One news report noted that, “Some mysteries remain as it is still unclear where the chicken that came before the egg came from.”  Okay, let me solve that mystery (and maybe I’ll make national news too).  The Bible says God created all things- including the chicken.  God created chickens so they could make baby chickens; that’s why the chicken comes with an ample supply of ovoleidin.  Sheffield University´s Dr. Colin Freeman stated, “It had long been suspected that the egg came first but now we have the scientific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first.”

This is further proof of God and the fact that He created all things.  It is pure (and simple) Aristotelian logic: For every cause there must be an effect.  The world and all that is (again, including chickens) is the cause and God is the effect.  Let’s talk science: You can’t something from nothing! It is scientifically impossible.  Living matter does not come from non-living matter.  This is not improbable or unlikely; it is impossible.  End the debate.  God created everything that is.  Let’s all be accountable to Him and steward this one and only life He’s given, for His glory.

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22

The Chicken or the Egg?

Lighten Up

16 Jul , 2010 1 Comment

I never grow tired of this sequence from “The Mission”- a powerful reminder that we have been set free in Christ.  If you have received Christ’s forgiveness you are now completely loved, fully pleasing, totally accepted by God.  You don’t have to pay the price for your failures.

Think about your own life for a moment. What burdens are you carrying around?  What failures from your past continue to beat you down?  John Mark McMillan’s lyrics from, “How He Loves”: “I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us.”  Life is too short to be burdened by sin that Christ has taken to the cross.

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

http://vimeo.com/12127228

The Myth of More

24 Jun , 2010 2 Comments

We often think, “the more I have the better off I’ll be.  The more I have the happier I’ll be.”  Someone said, “I know money can’t buy happiness but I would sure love to figure that out through my own personal experience.”  Well, you don’t need to.  In fact, the entire book of Ecclesiastes is a primer on wisdom learned from mistakes made by a man who had it all.  Solomon wrote the book (and God put it in the Bible) so that we could all learn from his experience.  He was the wealthiest man in the world.  In Ecclesiastes 5:10-17 he reveals the myth of having more. In his little book, The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn breaks it down like this:

The more you have…

The more you want (vs. 10), the less you’re satisfied (vs. 10), the more people will come after it (vs. 11), the more you realize it does you no good (vs. 11), the more you have to worry about (vs. 12), the more you can hurt yourself by holding on to it (vs. 13), the more you have to lose (vs. 14), and the more you leave behind (vs. 15).

J. D. Rockefeller was, at one time the wealthiest man on earth.  When he died a reporter asked the executor of the Rockefeller’s estate, “How much did he leave behind?”  The executor answered, “All of it.”

Giving is the only antidote to materialism.

When you embrace the fact that God owns all that you have, then you’re free to give out of adoration and celebration- not out of obligation or calculation.  People who’ve been set free from their stuff give joyfully- it’s the hilarious giver that Paul talks about. Instead, people have all kinds of strange ideas about giving, about giving 10%, about the offering…

God prospers me, not to raise my standard of living but my standard of giving.

The truth is, most of us are working- not to fund our needs but to fund a lifestyle that we’ve chosen lifestyle.  At the core of the missional life is one who is a GIVER- and YES, it starts with our money because money is number one deterrent to living a life of generosity.

Five Things You Can Do With Your Money (the world’s way):

1. Spend it  2. Repay debt  3. Pay taxes  4. Save it  5. Give it

The Financial Flip-flop (God’s way):

1. Give it  2. Save it  3. Pay taxes  4. Repay debt  5. Spend it

Here’s what I’ve learned: Underneath this entire conversation about holding loosely to your stuff is this: a proper understanding of GRACE.  If you have come to realize that you are a sinner saved by grace then you will practice radical generosity- not just in certain areas of your life, but in every aspect of your life.   When you realize the cost of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and how He has bought you to be His own- how He has given His life for you to set you free from sin, guilt, and hell- then you begin to live in that freedom.  You’re not bound to the things of this world.  Then, and only then, will you lighten up.

A Vision of City Transformation

24 May , 2010 1 Comment

We’ve decided to “paint the town”.  At FBC McKinney we’re discovering much about how God moves to transform a city.  As God’s people we must first realize that His plan is for the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the whole world.  We must start where we are.  Does a church exist unto itself?  An externally-focused church will bring it’s time, talents, and resources to the mission of God in the world.  A church that determines to impact it’s local community will ask a series of questions in order to the discover God’s specific mission for that unique body of believers.  How are we uniquely gifted?  What has God called us to do in our unique Jerusalem?  How should our specific resources (of people, talents, passions, experiences, etc.) be used by God in our community? How does Christ want to transform our culture through us?  How can the people of God join Him in the transformation of our city?

God is calling us to bring the Gospel into every domain of culture (education, government, recreation, media, public safety, medical, business, etc…). Recently I challenged our people to determine their primary mission field.  It is there that God is calling them to live out the “Jesus life”.  We placed four different canvases and paint around our campus, each representing different domains of culture (wherever we may find ourselves primarily).  Each person was given a brush and encouraged to paint his/her name on the canvas as a commitment to “paint the town” with God’s love.  In so doing we’ve decided to paint the kingdom- a better story for our city.  The canvases together form a giant display of our mission: Christ and His love shining brightly through each of us in our specific areas of passion and influence. We’ve learned that God has blessed us to be a blessing to others.  We desire to love God so passionately others that are blessed and to love others so passionately that God is blessed. We’re learning that when we decide to show up (incarnationally- “in the flesh”) and simply serve others, Jesus shows up.  They see Him in us.  We have experienced, what we believe, are transferable principles as we have impacted the domain of education in our city.  Through 3e McKinney we have adopted the Title 1 schools in McKinney.  We have hundreds of our people investing in others at Finch Elementary School where we have simply shown up to serve them.  We know that God loves every child (and family represented) at Finch, so we do too.  As a result we are partnering with God in what He’s already doing there.  It has been amazing.  Now we’re asking some bigger questions: How does God want us to show up and bless other people in every domain of our culture?  THAT’S how Christ transforms a city (a state, a nation, a world)- through His people who simply decide to show up and serve.  Join us in the transformation of our world by serving someone- intentionally in the name of Jesus- today.

“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

“Go and Be” the Church

07 May , 2010 No Comments

This past weekend our church family (FBC McKinney) decided not to come to worship services but to worship through service.  We had 1,600 volunteers serve the Lord by serving our community through our “Go and Be” initiatives.

Why such an effort? Because we’ve decided to take Jesus’ words, “love your neighbor as yourself” seriously (Matthew 22:39).  He said we love God when we love others.  He said, “If you love me you will obey my commands” (John 14:21).  He said that others will know we love Him by our love for them (John 13:35).

A large church of spectator Christians tends to produce more of the same.  We have enough of those churches.  It’s important to “come and see” what God is doing “at church”.  But the Church for which Jesus died is actually on the move out in the world as His followers “go and be” the Church 24/7.  Taking one Sunday away from our gathering continues to hold high the value or serving our community as Jesus has called us to.  We have been blessed to be a blessing.

Watch this video: Go and Be video/results