Why we must never be ashamed of our cross

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 1 Thessalonians

The backdrop t this scene is in the home of 2 elementary age children. Dad is in the kitchen when his little girl comes to ask dad a question.

"Daddy," she asks in her little girl voice, " have you seen my little shiny necklace cross you and mommy gave me?

Dad momentary stops his sandwich making routine to give his attention to his daughter.
"I think I saw it on your bookcase sweetie".  She turn's around, but before doing so runs back to give her dad a hug.

Moments later little Melissa returns to the kitchen with her small shimmery cross now hanging from her neck. Then she noticed something else until now didn't grab her attention. She sees a slightly larger cross that didn't seem as nice as hers sitting on the counter.

"Daddy, why is your cross not as nice as the one I'm wearing?"
Dad looks at his cross with all of it's dents as though each one had a story to tell.

"Do you remember that song you sang in Sunday school with the words 'Jesus loves me yes I know for the bible tells me so?"
Melissa is filled with excitement with those words, " I love that song!" Daddy bends down at Melissa eye level. " The cross, sweetie, is a reminder of how much Jesus loves you and me and why we must never be ashamed of it"

Melissa looked at the size of her daddy's cross and at all of the worn marks on it and how pretty her cross was in  comparison. " Daddy, why is your cross so much uglier than my pretty one?" Dad looked at his cross which was resting against the wall." Well, sweetie, daddy has had more life experience, some good an some bad, and daddy's cross is a reminder how God helped me survive those hard times.

Suddenly, he woke up in a heavy dose of perspiration. He had had a dream of his now deceased daughter. He glanced at the now heavier cross leaning against the closet doors. Life over these past 8 years hasn't been easy. His grief has been filled with days filled with endless tears and sad memories that flood back at times to his mind.

Yet, he was proud that he kept his family together attending church each Sunday, encouraging his wife and son to press on and keep their faith and love for Jesus Christ alive. He drifted back to sleep In his dream sleep he was alone in his car driving on a 2 lane road.  He began to see abandoned crosses sitting by the side of the road as though they began a journey with someone only to be discarded at the first sight of trouble.

 Then he saw individuals in a wide array of distress.

One middle age man stood by himself on the shoulder holding a sign with the words, ' I no longer believe in God because my parents were murdered.

 Then a little further along he saw a twenty something young man holding a sign that read, "I am a atheist because people have hurt me.'

  Then over on the right side of the road a family of four held their sign with the words ' We won't believe in God because God took our child.'

Occasionally on this route he noticed a few people slowly pulling their crosses who refused to give up their faith.

One young man held a sign that read ' I am trusting that God even in the face of my cancer diagnosis.'

  One older woman looked particularly troubled as she pulled her cross with all her strength along this road, but when he passed by her, her lips seem to say,  'praise Jesus for all my trials. Why some people abandon their crosses while others grow stronger in their faith, in the face of tragedy, remains a mystery to me. My faith was built on a solid foundation based on the prayer I made as a 18 year old young man in high school. I ventured into my decision knowing full well that life would be filled with disappointments and tragedy, but through it all God never abandoned me.

The alarm clock went off waking him from his sleep. He slowly got out of bed, did some stretches, as he often did and he gave praise to God for another day of life. 

As he grieved, this dad never lost the hope in Christ that no matter how difficult the days can be with this form of grief that Jesus would never abandon him.  As he made his way to the kitchen he passed the refrigerator that had a couple of bible verses that served as reminders of God never forsaking him. 

He glanced over at his cross filled with the stories of how God brought him through life's difficult moments.He knew that it will be those stories that point others to Jesus. 

 He momentarily glanced at Melissa's picture and knew that while he wishes he could have his daughter back she was in this new place called heaven enjoying the time of her life with the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. 

For him, he knew that his journey is not yet complete because he needs to share his stories of God's redeeming grace to others experiencing life's difficult moments.

The Joy of the Lord is my strength

9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  John 9

Yesterday was a incredible day at New Hope Church. We honored our Disability ministry by having them help lead worship and watching a cardboard testimony video of actual participants from this ministry which described how 'Flawless' they are because of what Jesus has done for each of them. When we think of disabilities we often project pity toward this group and we fail to see how disabilities impact each of us in this life.

Now some statistics on disabilities.According to the CDC, there are 53 million people living in this country with a disability. This translates to 1 out of every 5 people that have a disability.The most common functional disability type was a mobility limitation – defined as serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs -- reported by one in eight adults, followed by disability in thinking and/or memory, independent living, vision, and self-care.

The researchers found that the highest percentages of people with disabilities are generally in Southern states, for example Alabama (31.5 percent), Mississippi (31.4 percent), and Tennessee (31.4 percent). The report did not determine why differences occur by state; however, states in the South tend to have some of the higher rates of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, which may also be associated with disability.The report also revealed that non-Hispanic black (29 percent) and Hispanic (25.9 percent) adults were more likely to have a disability than were white non-Hispanic (20.6 percent) adults.

Those with lower education levels, lower incomes, and those who are unemployed were also more likely to report a disability.For the past 25 years, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has made a positive difference in the lives of those who have disabilities by ensuring better access to buildings, transportation, and employment. Access to preventive health care is also critically important for those with disabilities,” said Georgina Peacock, M.D., M.P.H., Director of CDC’s Division of Human Development and Disability. “Many of the health issues that people with disabilities face may be addressed by making sure they have access to health promotion programs and health care services, including preventive health screenings, throughout their lifespan.”

In the Gospel of John there were some people who wondered why a certain person was born blind. Jesus's response was as follows, "3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."  As I look at this population of those with disabilities I see a group of people who are ready and able to work, if only they could find an employer willing to look beyond their barriers and at their strengths and abilities.

I love New Hope Church for several reasons: (1) we honor those with disabilities, (2) we have a incredible children's ministry, and (3) we have opportunities for growth through our Life groups and Adult Sunday school classes and through Sunday school teaching opportunities.

So, my friends, the joy of the Lord is my strength!

No matter what setbacks you have in this life you must never stop running for the cause of Christ

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  2 Timothy 4:7-8

I was reminded these past couple  of days through stories of others,who didn't handle tragedy well, why we need the local church  and the power of the holy spirit in our lives.

Life is like a race. All of us start off at the starting block waiting for the gun to go off. Crowds of people are cheering for us waving banners and flags in the process. It is a festive atmosphere. All of us waiting to start this race get a rush of adrenaline in full anticipation of what was about to happen.

(Sound of the pistol blares off)

All of us leave the starting block trying to posture ourselves into a winning position. It  isn't long before those with the fastest set of legs take the lead. This wasn't a sprint, but a much longer race that required endurance and strength and lots of faith. 

Faith that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. Faith that they had trained well from infancy to this moment to get a running start off of this starting block. Some of this faith comes from external sources, like family and friends who cheer us on. Some of the faith comes from the indwelling holy spirit freely given to us by our creator God. 

Like a everlasting fountain of water we gain spiritual nourishment at a time we need it. Later in the race. when the leg cramps set in, when our muscles ache, when we begin thinking thoughts of just quitting that the source of our strength does matter.

It is the runners that are well trained in the mental part of the race that carry on; kong after other runners stopped running. Long after others stopped believing in themselves.

I was once again reminded that our faith in God and our faith in Jesus Christ and his redeeming power that will get us through whatever this life dishes out. But, we need to make the conscious decision to belong to a  local church where we can be inspired by God's teaching and be encourage by others as we run our race.


For some, tragedy causes some people to recoil and go into seclusion away from the throngs of believers who potentially could help them.

For some, tragedy creates a resurgence of their drinking behaviors.  Instead of taking communion once a month in honor of God who gave them hope, they drink every day to drown out the pain and sorrow of their loss.

For others who choose to remain embedded in a faith based community in the face of the horrific events they are renewed day by day by the church body of believers and God's indwelling spirit. They never lose sight of the finish line.They have the confidence they would finish this race.

The most beautiful part of this picture is that God wants to be part of your suffering. He understands what it means to lose someone special and this makes him well equipped to run the race right beside you, to help you finish with a winning stride while giving you visions of your loved one in heaven. God is always there and he has never abandoned you no matter how you feel from moment to moment.

That, my friends, is a beautiful thought to behold!