Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Building Boys

It's better to build boys than to mend men.

(S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-A)

Additional Radio Recap

Got this in an email from Cesar, the Filipino pastor who organized this morning's broadcast.

After the broadcast there was a caller who wanted to talk with me on the phone. She told me, "I'm so happy because I was changed by the message."

This lady shared her problems and she wants to surrender her life to Christ.

Wow. I'm blown away by what God did this morning. All glory goes vertical!

Radio Recap

I had a very cool opportunity this morning. I preached on a radio station in the Philippines via phone.

It was a challenging experience. I had to remember a few things.

Being a Christian in the Philippines is not easy. According to Voice of the Martyrs, it's one of the more than 40 nations where persecution of Christians is commonplace. Because of that, I chose to preach a message that I shared with ACC a few weeks ago called Demolishing the Walls of Fear. It's a message encouraging people to follow God's call for their lives, even in the face of intense fear. Thought that would fit their situation pretty well.

I rarely get nervous before I preach anymore. When you do something on a weekly basis, the nerves tend to subside. But not today!

I was a little anxious when I started my message this morning. I'm obviously no stranger to preaching. I'm also no stranger to radio. I worked as a DJ at a local radio station for several years.

But even though radio and preaching aren't new to me, preaching on the radio in a foreign land is VERY new to me! But as I got into the message, I felt myself slip fully into my preaching mode. After a minute or two, I forgot all about my nerves. I just preached.

I'm positive it was God saying, "You've got a unique opportunity here. I'll be with you every step of the way. Go for it!"

That's just what I did.

Live Dog or Dead Lion?

I read through the book of Ecclesiastes this week. Talk about a challenging book!

This particular verse really grabbed me.

Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! (Ecclesiastes 9:4, NIV)

That's quite a comparison, especially when you understand it in its original context. Dogs were despised in Hebrew culture. The fact that many of us have dogs as pets today would be unthinkable for an Old Testament Israelite. Dogs were scavengers. They were viewed with absolute contempt.

Lions, on the other hand, were held in high regard. The lion represented nobility and power. They were revered in Hebrew culture.

However, the writer of Ecclesiastes (probably King Solomon) turns the conventional thinking of his culture on its head. He said that it's better to be a live dog than a dead lion.

So many times, we wish our lot in life was different. We wish we had more money, more prestige, or more influence. We wish we had different gifts or more talent than we actually do. We stand in front of the bathroom mirror, wishing our bodies had less of this or more of that. We compare our lives to the lives of other people, and we are left with the feeling that we just don't measure up. We feel like a dog in the company of lions.

But Solomon reminds us that, whatever our lot in life might be, we still have on major thing in our favor…life itself.

With life comes opportunity. With life comes the power to dream. With life comes mission and purpose. Life gives all these things. Death takes it all away.

Instead of pining away for the life you don't have, what are you doing with the one that you do have? Even if you feel like a dog sometimes, you're a live dog.

God can do something with that.

T-Day

I posted this on tax day last year. Thought it was worth the repeat.

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Today is T-Day. Tax Day 2008. Nobody in their right mind enjoys paying taxes, but maybe a little bit of perspective will help.

In Matthew 22, a group of Pharisees (the religious leaders of the day) came to Jesus to try to trap him with a question. They asked, "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Matthew 22:17, NIV)

The Pharisees were threatened by Jesus. Since they lived under Roman rule, they would have liked nothing better than to trick Jesus into saying something against the Roman government. They thought that Jesus was attempting to establish a political kingdom, therefore he would teach his followers to avoid paying taxes to Rome. But Jesus rarely, if ever, does what people expect him to do. He didn't fall into their trap. Instead, his answer left these religious people speechless.

Jesus said, "Show me the coin used for paying the tax."

When they heard this, they were amazed. (Matthew 22:19-22, NIV)

I love Jesus' answer. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Give the government what is due the government. Give to God what is due God.

Interestingly, we are compelled to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's." We have to pay taxes. If we don't, we'll wind in up in room with striped sunlight. We'd rather pay taxes than go to jail. So, largely out of compulsion, we "give to Caesar what is Caesar's."

But do we "give to God what is God's?" God wants far more than our money. He wants our time. He wants talent. He wants our devotion, obedience, and love. In short, He wants us. All of us.

If you skip out on paying your taxes, Uncle Sam will soon be knocking on your door. There will be warnings and threats issued. "You will pay your taxes, or else."

God could take the same approach…but he doesn't. God will not force himself on you. Instead, he'll wait patiently for you to respond to his loving invitation.

When the Pharisees heard Jesus' answer to their question, "they were amazed." I am too. I am amazed that, even though God deserves everything from me, he doesn't take it by force. He would rather me offer my life to him out of joyful gratitude instead of out of fearful compulsion.

Today, as we "give to Caesar what is Caesar's," let's not forget the second, and much more important, part of Jesus' answer.

Ground Floor

I'm excited to announce that we're ready to launch another session of Ground Floor! Ground Floor will run for five consecutive Wednesday nights from 7:00-8:30 pm, beginning on April 30.

Ground Floor is a class opportunity specifically crafted for people who are seeking to learn the basics about God, his church, what it means to be a Christian, etc. If that's you, then you need to be part of this session of Ground Floor.

We intentionally keep the class size small. We cap attendance at 10 people. This allows us to keep the conversation flowing and it helps alleviate the intimidation people might feel about asking questions.

You can register online today! Go to our website, fill out the registration form, and you're done. But do it today, because space is very limited.

Ground Floor Online

Finishing Well

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a guy that I hadn't seen in years. He's a former preacher who is not in the ministry anymore due to some serious moral failings.

We didn't speak. I don't think he even saw me. And honestly, I didn't know what to say. So, right or wrong, I just left everything unsaid. But, I definitely had a variety of emotions well up in me when I saw him.

More than anything else, I kept thinking, "What a waste." This guy was a very talented communicator. Just a solidly gifted preacher. It's heartbreaking to know that that gift will never be used again.

What happened? I don't presume to know all the details of the situation, nor do I want to. What I do know is this: it is possible to start well, but not finish well. I wholeheartedly believe that he started his ministry well…but he did not finish well.

Unfortunately, there are many casualties along the road of faith. The roadside is littered with people who started well, but did not finish well.

Starting well is important…finishing well is critical.

One more reflection on the former preacher…that could be me. I must continually remind myself that I am capable of horrendous sin.

If I begin to think that I am better than that, that I have risen above the potential for sin…that's pride. Pride itself is a sin. As Mark Driscoll points out, "Pride got Satan kicked out of heaven and it will earn you a cut in line to hell."

I can't be prideful in this area. If I let my guard down, if I don't maintain accountability, if I don't guard my marriage like a madman…I could be the former preacher.

I'm trying to live my life, lead my family, and carry out my ministry with an eye constantly focused on the future. I have started well, but I want that to carry through the next 20, 30, 40, 50+ years.

I want to finish well.

32

That's how old I'll be next year.

It's also the total number of runners the Reds left on base in the three-game series vs. the Pirates.

Needless to say, things did not improve today. The Bucs smoked the Reds 9-1, sweeping the series.

Ugh.

Demolition

I love this series! I can't believe that a sermon series from the Old Testament book of Ezra is one of my favorite series that I've ever preached…but that's the way it's coming together.

Today we talked about how God wants to demolish the walls of opposition in our lives. (The message will be up on our website in the next day or two.) This wasn't the easiest message to write, but once it came together, I knew that I had some fresh insights from God's Word. From a pastor's perspective…when you know that you've got a fresh word from the Lord, you can't wait to get on stage!

Bottom line from this morning's message…who are you going to please? Are you going to please people or are you going to please God? There are a lot of times when it's impossible to please both.

24

It's not just a great show on Fox. It's also the number of runners that the Reds have left on base in the past two games. Not surprisingly, they are 0-2 in those games.

Hoping for something better today.