Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

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Love your Enemies

I recently had a conversation with a friend at work who mentioned that a skeptic friend of his pointed out that the God of the Old Testament seems to be a different God from the New Testament using the classic example: O.T.=eye for an eye; N.T.=turn the other cheek.

Here is a classic Mike Erre sermon from the sermon on the mount in which he explains this supposed contradiction.

Take home: eye for an eye laws were VERY progressive at the time and were created by God to promote societal justice whereas turn the other cheek teaching of Jesus was what we as individuals should continue to strive to do.

Here is another great summary of eye for an eye laws vs. turning the other cheek

As always, please share with us your thoughts!

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Small Group WISDOM from Mark

Enjoy this WONDERFUL interview with Mark regarding how to lead a small group of teenagers.  In this short interview Mark points out some KEY points:

  1. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  Mark made it clear to his high schoolers that they were NEVER ALONE! Probably the most important point for a teenager to absorb into their souls.
  2. I WILL BE THERE FOR YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY or DO!  As parents our kids especially our teenagers HAVE TO know that we love them no matter what happens, no matter what their choices.
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Prayer Request Update re: Jeff’s cardiac arrest

I just received an update via email about Jeff’s condition. I know that many of you have been praying for him and his family.  PLEASE read his AMAZING journal entry!

I have cut and pasted it here as well:

I’m writing to say thank you for your love during my cardiac arrest, resuscitation, medical care and current recovery…

…to my Heavenly Father, who, obviously, holds my very life in His hands; Jesus, my Lord and Savior and the model of the person I strive to become; the Spirit of God, my daily strength and wisdom. Thank you for your grace.

…to Karen, Alex, Maddie and Ella, it is impossible to imagine a life without you. Thank you for loving me everyday.

…to mom and dad, for staying by my side the past 45 years

…to the rest of our family and friends, in the Port Streets (wow!), at the Boras Corporation, across Orange County and the country for your prayers, caring for my children and my wife, visits to the hospital to spend time with me and sacrificing time with your own families, coordinating meals…etc. etc., overwhelming…

…to St. Andrews Pres, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and my Friday morning men’s group, for being a model of what it looks like to worship God with our lives everyday, praying over me and reading God’s Word to me in the hospital, and prayer, prayer, prayer…

…to Hoag Hospital, my doctors, and the Newport Beach Paramedics, there are numerous exceptional medical people and facilities across the country, but none better.

There has been much prayer for me, and now from me to you-one of Paul’s prayers that has been a main life verse for me for over 20 years….

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV).

I look forward to the opportunity to say thank you personally to as many as God affords me the opportunity. Just one warning, any hug over 3 seconds brings with it the danger of getting wet.

Peace, Jeff Musselman

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God Questions Part 4

This is 4 of 4 in the God Questions series. Save the best for last? This is the age old question: Is Christianity the only way? Don’t all roads lead to God?

I LOVE what Paul Young points out in his amazing book:The ShacKAs the main character, Mack, is talking to Jesus, Mack asks, “Does that mean that all roads will lead to you?”  And Jesus replies, “Not at all, most roads don’t lead anywhere. What it does mean is that I will travel any road to find you.”-pg 182

YES!!!!

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Miracles and Healings #2

In part 2 of Miracles and Healing we listen to my friend’s insights to why we don’t see miracles and healing.  We as American Protestants have become anti-supernatural!

In the first segment, he pointed out a theological reason for the resistance to Miracles and Healing in the U.S.  In this segment, he discusses the reason why historically we as American Christians don’t believe or embrace miracles and healing ministry.

I have entitled this segment:  Why do we not see Miracles and Healing?

We want to hear from YOU! What do YOU think about all this stuff? PLEASE share with us your thoughts/comments on this topic.

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Miracles and Healings #1: Why don’t we and Why should we?

I had the pleasure to have a meal with an old friend who has broken from the traditional approach to missionary work abroad and has embraced the Acts church model of miracles and healings.  It is amazing to listen to his wisdom and insights.  I have interviewed him in a 4 part series for you.  This first segment of the interview is his answer to my question: What do I need to do to grow in embracing miracles and healings ministry?

In this segment, he discusses the reason why theologically we as American Protestant Christians don’t believe or embrace miracles and healing ministry.  He points out that God’s will is ALWAYS GOOD and ALWAYS wanting the sick and lame to be HEALED, but God’s will is not always accomplished through us.    We get, yet another, glimpse into what it means to usher into this dark world the Kingdom of God.  As my friend is fond of saying: “Where the Kingdom of God is Cancer isn’t.”

I have entitled this segment: Should we be trying to perform miracles and healings?

As many of you know, I am a skeptic so I delve into this realm with a mega-dose of skepticism, but knowing my friend who was born and raised down the street from me in the same western mind set on this subject and hearing his wisdom and his own healthy skepticism, I am warming up to this AMAZING ministry!

We want to hear from YOU! What do YOU think about all this stuff? PLEASE share with us your thoughts/comments on his topic.

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Evil and Suffering, Passing the Blame

It took me some time to see it (15 years), but it finally dawned on me as I observed another doctor do it.  I saw a patient who was dying of end stage liver disease from alcoholism.  The first question that the admitting doctor asked the patient was “When was the last time that you had a drink?”  How is that relevant at the end of this patients life?

I have been guilty of this as well.  I have seen patients dying of lung cancer that I have asked if they smoked and how much.  WHY?!! There is no medical reason to ask.  We ask these types of questions because it makes us feel better.  We think to ourselves:  1. They are to blame for their demise and 2. I won’t get this horrible disease because I don’t smoke or I don’t drink.

The blame game does NOTHING to help with the suffering, the evil, the tragedies, the messes of life.  We must rise above the blame game to ask ourselves how can I help others through this and to help heal the pain with God’s help.

We all play the blame game and look for someone to blame.

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Learn to Love your Enemy

I have learned an INVALUABLE lesson this last year.  Know your enemy; Learn about your enemy; Pray for your enemy; and finally Learn to Love your enemy.  No better person to learn from than Abraham Lincoln.  For the podcasters I have added this story via audio, and for the readers in the group, I have posted the story in written form (both the audio and written version of the story are the same) and are from a GREAT book: When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box by John Ortberg

Learning to Love your Enemy

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Evil and Suffering Sermon #2 Luke 13:4

This is Greg Boyd’s final sermon on evil and suffering his preaching on Luke 13. He makes 3 KEY POINTS in this sermon:

#1. collapse the judgment–don’t blame the sufferer and don’t blame yourself for the suffering. We don’t know squat! As C.S. Lewis said to a colleague who was trying to comfort him with Lewis’ own theological answers to evil and suffering after his wife Joy died: ‘Shut up, it’s just a bloody mess.”
When we judge or look for blame for a tragedy, it forces us to conclude that God is just, and therefore we must blame the individuals involved in the tragedy.  Or we must conclude that God is unjust, and we must blame God for the tragedy.  But God doesn’t cause the messes; He brings purpose to the messes!
The one suffering often feels horrible and that they are to blame which causes us to label ourselves a murderer or a whatever and that makes us “not a verb that we did but a noun that we are!”
We must live in the now because God is in the now.  No blaming but asking God how He can bring good out of this tragedy.  Every mess is an opportunity to bring healing and something good out of it.  In a time of suffering, we must be quiet, listen and ask how would you, God, have me respond to this mess?
#2. in the face of tragedies don’t judge, just respond–Are you turned and walking in the kingdom? Don’t try to figure it out! Just bring healing! HOW CAN GOD BE GLORIFIED IN THE MESS?
#3. God’s response to tragedy is always about healing never about condemnation–We live in a demonic war zone…demonic forces play a big part of suffering….
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wordpress 2.6 and podpress 8.8 don’t mix

Coming soon! (If? When? the new version of podpress comes out to fix the problems between wordpress 2.6 and podpress 8.8) I plan to do a 10 part audio series on the VERY BEST men’s group topics of all time and an audio series on the best learnings from how to win friends and influence people!

Any other topics of interest? Let me know!

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Evil and Suffering Sermon #1 Luke 13:4

Another GREAT sermon by Greg Boyd! I wish that I had heard this during my times of suffering.

KEY POINTS:

  • Evil and suffering is not from God
  • God is good
  • Don’t ask why but ask ‘to what end’ (26:45)
  • Ask God ‘How should I respond in this situation?’ & ‘How can God be glorified in this situation?’