Walk Through the Door

08 Mar , 2008 No Comments

walkthroughthedoor.org

www.walkthroughthedoor.org 

Jesus is the Door to life.  In John 10:9 Jesus says, “I am the Gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and out, and find pasture.”  Notice that being “saved” allows us to have freedom to “come in and out, and find pasture.”  Jesus died so that we might actually be set free.  In Galatians 5:1, Paul says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”  I used to think this verse was redundant until I realized the power behind it.  Jesus didn’t die to simply save us from the penalty of our sins (though that’s an amazing exchange); He died to save us from our sins– here and now.  Too many of us have come to believe that once we cross the line of faith and receive salvation, we’re done.  I’ve discovered that the Gospel is much bigger than that.  Jesus didn’t die simply to save us from hell.  He had something more like a transformation in mind.  The Gospel has the power to transform your life, if you’ll walk through the door(s) that He’s calling you through.  As we walk with Him He leads us to wide open pastures of grace and selfless living.

During this season of sacrifice and commitment, I’m challenging each of us to consider what doors we need to walk through.  The driving story for us this Easter is the Exodus.  The BIG story of God is the story of freedom and liberation- saving us from oppression of sin and slavery to self.  What’s your story?  Tell the world by going to…  

 www.walkthroughthedoor.org       

“the least of these”

04 Feb , 2008 No Comments

woman-at-dump-heap-gc.jpg 

You could smell it before you could see it.  Something was in the air… and it was not good.  I was at the city dump in Zone 3 of Guatemala City.  I was in the city preparing for a trip we’ll be taking this summer and I found myself in the midst of one of the worst humanitarian tragedies I’ve seen.  Here, thousands of people live and many survive off the dump heaps.  They rummage through the garbage every day to find something to eat, to keep, or to sell.  I was there late in the afternoon when I saw a woman walking away from the dump, her front completely covered with dark, wet filth.  She had obviously been going through the garbage much of the day.  I saw another woman (pictured above) carrying two very large bags of garbage up a hill.   

In a meeting with partnering pastors and leaders I met Carol.  Carol has a heart for the women who live around the dump.  Many of these women are single and were formerly (or are currently) involved in prostitution and drug use.  There is a kindergarten near by where many of these children come to be loved and cared for throughout the day.  At night, Carol teaches women how to sew so that they might have a means of income.  I told her I had to see this.  What I saw broke my heart and, at the same time, gave me hope. 

This summer I’m hoping to take a group of 70 to 100 people with me to Guatemala City to bring compassion, hope, and the love of Christ to the people there.  We’ll have a chance to make difference in this dark spot of the world.  I sensed the presence of Christ in this place.  I know that He loves the people there and I do too.  

I hope you’ll pray about coming with me.  Check out the “Transforming Your World” website at http://www.fbcmckinney.com/Default.aspx?p=14526 or just call our church office to find out how you can get involved.

“I Have a Dream.” jeff warren

04 Jan , 2008 1 Comment

martinlutherking-marchonwashington.jpg

On the 15th of this month, 79 years ago, Michael Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His name was later changed to Martin, the son and grandson of Baptist pastors. He himself served as co-pastor with his father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta while he became the central figure in the civil rights movement in the United States.

On August 28th, 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech that would shake a nation and the world (and I can tell you, by the way, as a pastor/preacher- one who traffics constantly in words- this is one of the finest speeches/sermons ever preached). Dr. King was so articulated, so clear, so picturesque in his words, but what drove his message home was his passion- and even more so, I believe a divine anointing upon his life. Consider the fact that he was only 34 years old.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream and it was a dream aligned with God’s dream for a better world. Let his words resonate in your heart again: 

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal….’I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”

“…One day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

In April of 1968, Dr. King, went to Memphis, TN in support of mistreated black sanitation workers. On April 4th he stood with a friend outside his hotel room on the second floor balcony. A shot rang out and an assassin’s bullet hit Dr. King and the civil rights leader was dead at the age of 39. To get deeper into the heart of this man we need only listen to his final words preached the night before he died. Listen, in light of what would happen the next day: “Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. (Amen.) But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

Martin Luther King had a life mission. His one life made a difference. Let me ask you, do you think that only certain people have a mission in life? That maybe there are only a few people who really have a God-given dream? Or could it be that every single one of us has been given a dream- by God- to serve His eternal Kingdom purposes while we’re here on this earth?

Throughout this month let’s allow the life and the words of Martin Luther King Jr.(and even more so, the words of our Lord Jesus) to inspire us to dream as well. Each of us has a God-given dream that He’s calling us to live. And our God-given dream has the potential to change our world. Your dream may or may not find its way on the national or international stage (it may!) but your God-given dream is unique to you and given to you to fulfill your life’s purpose.

So, let me ask you: What do you dream about?

Questions to Ponder this Month:

  • What is your dream for life?
  • What is the vision/calling (or God-given picture) of your life?
  • If you had unlimited resources (of time, money, energy, people) what would you want to accomplish with the rest of your life?
  • What do you love to do more than anything else? What makes you feel fully alive? Why?
  • What do hate the most? What makes you angry? Why?
  • What do you do best? What are your best gifts? (You’ve heard others tell you this).
  • What is God’s unique mission for your life?

How will you fulfill this mission- starting today?

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

20 Dec , 2007 No Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpfshcDYlGI&rel=1]

My Christmas card to you.  Merry Christmas. 

jeff

Upside Down Under Christmas- jeff warren

10 Dec , 2007 No Comments

This year Stacy and I have decided to have an upside down Christmas.  In fact, I want to challenge you to have an upside down Christmas as well.  We’re going to work hard to make this Christmas different in many ways.  As you know, Christmas is celebrated differently around the world.  It is no surprise to any of us that here in America it has become a focus on materialism and getting more stuff we don’t need.  So much so that those of us who truly want to celebrate the Savior’s birth need to be very intentional in doing so.  There’s one place in the world, however, where Christmas looks altogether upside down.   

I love Australia but if you go “down under” (to Australia or New Zealand) you’ll truly experience an “upside down Christmas”.  You see, there it’s summertime.  December through February is the warmest time of the year and Christmas is right in the middle of summer.  Santa is coming to town on a surfboard and Rudolph’s red nose is going to need some sunscreen.  The only white Christmas they’ll see is the white sand on Bondi Beach.  Instead of elves scurrying around, you may need to watch for koalas crawling around in the eucalyptus trees.  It’s cooler in the south and it’s warmer in the north and the currents flow in opposite directions.  Don’t throw another log on the fire unless you’re putting it on the “barbie”.  What a strange Christmas that would be for those of us who live on the “right” side of the world.      

This year let’s devote ourselves to an upside down Christmas.  I want Christmas this year to look altogether different from what our world has made it out to be.  Instead of the rat race of shopping and running from one event to the next, I’m going to slow down and spend more time in conversation with those I love.  Instead of seeing what I might get, I’m going to join a bunch of my favorite people and see what we can give to our community.  We’re going to the Samaritan Inn to sing with the homeless and spread some Christmas love to those who, like baby Jesus, have no place to lay their heads this Christmas.  Instead of racing through the holidays, I’m going to pause and pray and thank God for His Son, my Savior.  Instead of looking through the latest catalog of gifts available, I’m going to look through His Word and discover the gift of His love for me.   Not getting, but giving.  Not me, but others.  Ah yes, I’m having an upside down Christmas. 

It’s always been that way you know- upside down.  The big God became small.  Spirit took on flesh.  Holiness came to a sinful world.  The perfect was clothed in imperfection.  The sinless took on sin.  The eternal stepped into time.  The One who is life died for me.  What an upside down Christmas.  “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27.  An upside down Savior.  That’s the God we worship.  That’s the God of Christmas.  Let’s make this one different.  Let’s have an upside down Christmas. 

Merry Christmas from the Warren family to you and yours. 

We love you.