Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

VIDEO OF THE DAY

2 Corinthians 5:1-5

1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

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Randy Odom is a fine counselor at Kids Across America, our summer sports camp reserved especially for some of America's most deserving kids who come from the financially depraved concrete world of urban inner city America. Not only does Randy love God, but he loves urban kids with a passion.

One stormy spring day, Randy pulled up in front of his trailer house at the exact moment a tornado arrived at his front door. In haste he jumped out of his car (as the door was ripped from its hinges), dove into his "home on wheels" where he was met head on in the hallway by a flying door. The door pinned him to the floor while his whole house was literally demolished above him. Although his house was scattered for city blocks, Randy was protected by the door and escaped without injury.

These "earth suits" we inhabit while we visit this earth are about as stable as Randy's mobile home in a tornado. We can exercise them, feed them, and doctor them all we want, but the "tornado of time" will eventually scatter them into the dust of the ground. No medicine or vitamin or magic potion can keep the inevitable from happening. "As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more......."

Psalm 103:16 Fortunately, oh so fortunately, our spirit is protected from destruction by the spirit of Christ, if indeed He is alive and well in our hearts. It is our spirit, sealed by grace for eternity by His spirit, that is destined to live with God forever ..... unscathed, unharmed, free to live, fit for life with a King.

QUESTIONS:
1. What is our "blind spot" that causes us to focus so much time and attention on our "earth suit" with such a limited life span and so little time and attention to our "inner man" that will live forever?
2. What are some ways you can change your priorities to refocus on that part of you that will live forever?
3. How do you express high value to that inner being?

LIFELINE:
What a great time to pour our hearts into these daily devotionals to prepare the part of us that will live forever.

Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

VIDEO OF THE DAY

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

1Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

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Twice a year, "the stickies" arrive. You can always recognize them by the fingerprints on the packaging, and the card that reads: "I lov yew, Dady." They arrive at Christmas time, and on my birthday, and sometimes for no special occasion at all. The correct celebration is never the point. The stickies are always the same- a scrap of cloth, a tattered item from the garbage can, a little wad of yarn with feathers glued randomly to it. Carefully, I run my fingers across the colorful plumage, remarking, "Gee, Cooper, this is the most beautiful bird I've ever received."

Silence intrudes-followed by correction.

"It's a hand gwenade."

Ah, yes-a hand grenade, one of the many tokens of love I've received from my kids over the years. They are always so touching, so personal . . . so sticky. But it doesn't matter that they are coated in that goo that covers every child's hands. They are sincere, and that's why for as long as I live, I would never dream of throwing them away. I keep them in a special drawer, where my children-who are grown now-can one day bring their children to rummage through the stickies.

Paul's closing instructions to the Corinthians begins with sincere giving, (I Cor. 16:1-4).There is perhaps no greater mark of Christianity than one's willingness to give to others. And Paul doesn't just instruct the Corinthians to give; he tells them to give habitually-once a week, as soon as the paycheck comes in.

To be specific, Paul wants them to give to the church in Jerusalem. It is the most ungrateful that are the most unsympathetic to the needs of those who helped them get their start. When we know someone, or some ministry that was instrumental in our spiritual life, we should ask God how we could bless them with our giving. Then, we should bless them with a blessing they'll never forget.

QUESTIONS:
1. If you were to make a list of the top three people you give to, who would be on that list.
2. In what ways do you give?
3. In what ways would you like to become more giving?
4. In what ways would you like to become more giving?

LIFELINE:
Realize that everything you have is not your own. You have because the Lord has blessed you and given to you. Are you grateful or are you grumbling from what the Lord has given to you? Do you return His blessing?.

Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

VIDEO OF THE DAY

1 Corinthians 15:3-8

3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

THE SPOTLIGHT OF TRUTH At one time or another, we've all seen a police helicopter whirring back and forth across a city sky, its spotlight probing the ground for some fleeing villain. It's rare, however, that one sees the hunted pinned down in a circle of light. Recently, one of my directors had that opportunity.

"I was coming home from church one night with my family," he tells me. "We had just entered an overpass, and below us the highway was dotted with traffic. Suddenly, my son shouts, 'Hey, Dad, look at that car down there. It looks like it's on stage.'

Sure enough, ahead of the other cars sped an old, black van-smack dab in the middle of a fluorescent halo. Above it, flying as low as possible, a police helicopter kept its search beam trained on its suspect. The light was so bright that every detail of the van stood out-the license number, the missing taillight, the rusty paint on the back, left quarter-panel-nothing was hidden from view. It truly was on stage. No doubt, they had their man."

In chapter fifteen of I Corinthians, Paul has his spotlight trained on the Resurrection. Just like the helicopter's search beam, the light of verses 3-8 shines so brightly that nobody can be mistaken about the identity of the man on stage. The man had a name, and His name was Christ Jesus. The man had a purpose, and his purpose was to die for our sins. The man was buried, and stayed in the grave for three days. The man was raised from the dead. Finally, the man appeared to many people after His resurrection, and in a specific order: first to Peter, then to His Twelve disciples, then to a congregation of five-hundred, then to James, then to the apostles, and finally to Paul. (*By the way, in our judicial system, it takes only two witnesses to convict a defendant. Paul had five hundred of them.)

In short, the resurrection is illuminated by facts. When we study it in light of Paul's evidence, we can arrive at only one conclusion: Jesus Christ is guilty of rising from the dead. Case dismissed.

QUESTIONS:
1. Without looking at the text, name four pieces of evidence that verify Christ's resurrection.
2. In twenty-five words, or less, describe how the resurrection gives you hope.

LIFELINE:
If you were the defendant in this case, you would be charged with trying to prove the resurrection was false. Divide up into two teams, defense and convicted. Play out how this trial might proceed based on Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.

Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

VIDEO OF THE DAY

1 Corinthians13:1 10,13

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I opened a valentine card the other day and saw a string of X's at the bottom, accompanied by the words, "I love you Dad." I was touched, but it made me ask myself some questions. What is love? Psychologists tell us that without it we shrivel up and die, yet hardly one in a hundred people could give a definition of it. How is it that something so necessary is so misunderstood?

Most people who sign X's to their valentine cards are unaware that the custom goes back to the Christian era, when the cross, or "X", conveyed the force of an oath. The "X" was also the first letter in the Greek word for Christ, Xristos. Because it was a symbol associated with goodness and honor, it became an acceptable substitute whenever an illiterate man needed to sign his signature. So, in an age when few could write, the "X" began to appear on many documents. To strengthen the signature, and thus prove that he was sincere in the transaction, a man would kiss the "X"-much like witnesses used to kiss the Bible before taking the witness stand. It was this practice of "kissing the X" that led to its becoming a symbol of a kiss.

So, an "X" is a kiss, and a kiss is love, and we've arrived at a good definition. Right? Well, not exactly. It seems easier to nail Jell-O to a tree, than to define love. Describing it as an emotion comes up short. Even if we follow the popular wisdom that says, "love is a decision", we soon admit that seemingly loving decisions are made daily by people with no more love in their hearts than a cold statue. Love must, therefore, be defined as a person, with all the traits that a loving person would possess. That Person is mentioned in 1 John 4:8, where we read that "God is love." His loving traits are found in chapter 13 of I Corinthians. Try substituting the word "God" wherever the word "love" appears, and your daily need for more of God in your life will come into focus. You will see that you need His patience, His kindness, His humility, and so forth, if you are ever going to become more loving. Be filled with God, and you will be filled with Love.

Love is not a string of X's. It is not an emotion, nor a decision, nor even an action. True love is a Person-God Himself-who must dwell so completely inside a boy or girl that it is impossible to be in their presence without feeling loved.

QUESTIONS:
1. Read through 1 Corinthians 13 and write down all the descriptions of "love," filling in the blanks every time you come across the phrase, "love is ____________.”
2. How many of these descriptions are fulfilled in you? Is there one that is particularly lacking in your life? If so, which one?
3. What can you do to grow in this area of deficiency?

LIFELINE:
Love is the most important gift you can share with others. Discuss how you can share each description of this "1 Corinthians 13 love" that Paul is telling us about.

By "A Friend" from a CaringPages Blog"

It’s not an easy job, but like the Marines say, "it’s the toughest job you will ever love."

This is an incredible story about dads & their importance to the family. This was a CaringPages blog that was written by a friend in June 2010 as his own son is/was battling the

"BIG C"

....

Well worth reading.

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Not surprisingly, today I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the importance of Fathers. Sociological studies reveal this alarming fact: much of the crime and many of the behavioral disorders in the United States come from homes where the father has abandoned the children. In many societies the world over, child poverty, crime, drug abuse, and family decay can be traced to conditions where the father gives no male nurturing. Sociologically, it is now painfully apparent that fathers are not optional family baggage.

These facts have been brought into sharp relief in the context of helping my son and the rest of our children learn to cope with the new realities in our lives. My wife and I have very different strengths and weaknesses. Life wouldn’t be much fun if I married someone identical to myself (although I might get my way more often). Likewise, the way we help our children learn and grow is also very different. It’s kinda funny in hindsight. Although our differences are well known and apparent to even the casual observer, they were never a big deal because we have the same backgrounds and goals. Yet, when our family was thrown into this situation these differences cause us to solve the problems is very unique ways. My Wife's approach and my approach to each issue is usually very different. This, of course, can lead to conflict, much like the way the Archduke Ferdinand's Assassination led to a little conflict in Europe. (This is for our friends who ask that we write a “real” blog and think that perfect people are boring. I am not boring.)

It is useless to debate which parent is most important. No one would doubt that a mother’s influence is paramount with newborns and in the first years of a child’s life. The father’s influence increases as the child grows older. However, each parent is necessary at various times in a child’s development. Both fathers and mothers do many intrinsically different things for their children. Both mothers and fathers are equipped to nurture children, but their approaches are different. Mothers seem to take a dominant role in preparing children to live within their families (present and future). Fathers seem best equipped to prepare children to function in the environment outside the family.

My Wife tends to coddle and shield more, I tend to protect by helping the kids become more independent. Both are valid and important, at the right time. Deciding when the proper time is can be difficult; this is why God wisely gave every child both a mother and a father. You need both to balance these important decision. And as a parent, you need to know when to listen to your spouse and when to be quiet. This is easy to do when the biggest decision is who gets the remote (that would be me) or who get to take out the mouse caught in the trap (again, that would be me). However, when neither parent has slept much and the question is who gets up in the middle of the night for the 10th time in a row, it gets harder. If you don’t have a firm foundation in your relationship to fall back on, you’re up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

That is why I am so grateful for our heritages. I’ve been able to spend time studying my family lines. Today I came to the happy realization that I come from an unbroken line of great fathers. Both my direct line and my wives is an unbroken train of good men who married good women. I’ve got uncles and great uncles who made some pretty poor choices, but my fathers and My Wive's fathers were all good men. They showed through quiet example the way a man should live, and that is pretty darn cool.

A father is not the goofball shown on television. He is not the scourge of society that popular media likes to promote. Fatherhood is the righteous power and influence by which boys are taught in their youth and throughout their lives to honor chastity, to be honest and industrious, and to develop respect for, and stand in the defense of, womanhood. Being a father is a restraining influence.

Since ours is such a public trial, many people have sought out my wife and I to share their own experiences. It seems that whenever I am having a bad day, someone comes along with a story of their hard times that makes me grateful for my own, lesser troubles. It seems that just about everyone is going through a hard time right now. Health, jobs, family, environmental problems both real and imagined all cause a lot of stress.Ever consider how many fewer issues we would all have if men just learn to be men? If boys really were taught in their youth and throughout their lives to honor chastity, to be honest and industrious, and to develop respect for, and stand in the defense of, womanhood. If all men were like this, and if women encouraged it and expected it, image what kind of a world we would have.

So the take home message today? Learn to be a man before you become a father, learn to embrace the God given differences in your marriage before problems arise so that when they do come you can fall back on those core values of honor and respect.