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

A Funeral That Should Never Be

There are some days when ministry is the greatest job in the world.  There are other days when I would rather do something…anything….else.  The latter definitely applies today.

This afternoon I'll be preaching a funeral for a seven-year-old little girl. Amazingly enough, I've never preached a child's funeral before.  I don't know how I've avoided that in over 13 years of ministry, but this is a first for me. And I'm dreading it.

Things like this just shouldn't happen. Children shouldn't die. It's a reminder of how cruel, unfair, and broken this world really is.

I would definitely appreciate your prayers today. Pray that I can be a conduit for God's love to this family today.  Mike Edmisten really has nothing to say in a situation like this. But the Holy Spirit can speak words of comfort and peace that transcend human understanding.

I'm praying the words of John the Baptist today. "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

This family doesn't need me. They need Jesus. They need the comfort, peace, and assurance that He alone can provide. Pray that I offer and they receive what they need today.

An Apple vs. An Orchard

Don't give up an orchard for the sake of an apple.

In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve not to eat from one particular tree. They could eat from any other tree on the planet…just not this one. (Genesis 2:16-17)

You probably know how the story ended. They ate the fruit of that one forbidden tree. It marked the devastating entrance of sin into the world.

God gave them an orchard, but they settled for an apple.

God has made his unlimited blessings available to us. But so often we focus on the one thing that we don't have. It happens all the time.

It happens when…

• a Christian ignores a very clear Scriptural command and dates/marries a non-Christian because they "need to be with someone."
• a person cheats on their taxes because "no one will ever know."
• a husband or wife starts flirting with someone other than their spouse. After all, it's "harmless."
• a guy allows himself to become addicted to porn.
• a girl puts her body on display because she thinks it's the only way to get a guy's attention.

The list could go on forever.  Here's the point.  In every one of these scenarios, and countless more that weren't listed, we are settling for less than God's best.

Jonathan Acuff reminds us, "Everyday the enemy tries to offer you an apple, when God has already given you an orchard."

Reaction to Anne Rice

Anne Rice recently disavowed her association with the church. She did so in a very public forum (Facebook), so it's not surprising that the reaction has been well-publicized. Much of the reaction, as you would probably expect, has been viciously negative.

Mark Driscoll was asked to write an article for The Washington Post about Rice's exit from the church. It's one of the best, most well-balanced, and compassionate responses I've seen. It's absolutely worth a few minutes of your time.

A pastoral response to Anne Rice 'quitting' Christianity – Mark Driscoll

Dear Money

Got a new series starting this weekend at ACC. We're talking about the one thing that is one EVERYBODY'S mind right now…money.

Gonna be fun. Gonna be tense. Gonna have life-changing implications if we are willing to live differently.

Dear Money, series

Reflections from Great American Brawlpark

I went to a fight this weekend and a baseball game broke out.

Ok, I know that's an old, corny cliché .  Pretty true, though. I was at the game this week where the Reds and Cardinals lost control and a melee broke out right behind home plate. After a few days, I thought I'd share a few thoughts about the incident.

1. Running your mouth invites trouble. Brandon Phillips made some…um…not-so-nice comments about the Cardinals. I like BP. I think he's a great player (albeit off his game right now). But he talks a lot. And this time it got him and his team into trouble.  "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (Proverbs 10:29) BP might want to pin that one up in his locker.

2. Teammates fight for each other. You can say what you want about the fight.  It was immature. Foolishness. Uncalled for. And you'd be right on all counts.  But this truth is also right…you've got to be willing to stand up for a teammate. Even when that teammate isn't perfect. We don't know what kind of conversations happened between BP and the rest of the Reds in the locker room. But on the field, it was all for one and one for all.

Here's what Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes said. “It’s 100 percent defend your guy, regardless of what he says or doesn’t say. Once we get in the clubhouse, we can go over some things. But in between the lines with the opponent, we absolutely got to defend our own.”

Same goes for the Cardinals. When one of them got into a scrape, the whole team rallied to his side.

Makes me wonder how the church would look if we always chose to fight for one another instead of against one another. We are, after all, on the same team.

3. Leaders take charge. One of the most impressive things about this incident is how the umpires handled it. They took control as quickly as possible. The ejected both managers. They warned every pitcher that entered the game that if he hit a batter, he and the acting manager would ejected.

And nothing more happened. We thought it was going to be a rowdy, unpredictable game considering that the fight broke out in the first inning. Actually, that was the end of it.  The umpires took control and quelled it.

When tensions rise, what is needed is strong, swift, decisive leadership. It is not the time for weakness or uncertainty. A leader's metal is tested most in the tense moments.

4. You will live to fight another day. This fight (and the three game sweep) does not spell the end of the Reds' season. It also does not automatically usher the Cards into the playoffs.  There is a lot of baseball yet to be played.

You've got to keep swinging. Life may not be going the way you had hoped or planned, but you can't afford give up. There is another game to play tomorrow.

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)

Keep swinging.

Worship Services and Worship Experiences

I've come to the point where I use the phrases "worship service" and "worship experience" interchangeably.  I use either phrase to describe the corporate worship gathering of the church.  This raises the ire of some people, but I will stick by my guns.

In a worship service, we come to do just that…serve.  We serve God by worshipping Him. We serve others by encouraging them. The phrase "worship service" is spot on.

In a worship experience, we also do just that…we experience the presence of God. We experience His love, His grace, and His Spirit moving among us. So, for my money, the phrase "worship experience" is also spot on.

When we experience God, it compels us to serve Him more passionately.

When we serve God, we experience Him more deeply.

ameliasmallgroups.com

Our small groups website is live.  You can check out the details for all six groups that we're offering this fall.  And once you've decided which small group is for you, you can register for that group with a couple of mouse clicks.

So what in the world are you waiting for?

ameliasmallgroups.com

Meet The Cowards

Earlier today I posted some videos from a message called Marriage and Men by Mark Driscoll.  In that post, he introduced us to the chauvinists.  This afternoon's post is all about the cowards.

Meet The Chauvinists

Mark Driscoll preached a message called Marriage and Men. In the course of that message, he highlighted two different types of unbiblical masulinity: chauvinism and cowardice.

Here are some video snippets from the message that are well-worth your time.  This morning, we'll highlight the chauvinists. The cowards will show up in a post this afternoon.

Why I Love The Church

Since I already plagiarized Perry Noble yesterday, I guess there's nothing stopping me from doing it again.  This is a snippet of a blog post Perry wrote about this past weekend at NewSpring Church. I'm reposting it because he captures exactly the way I feel about the church…and more specifically, how much I love our church. Enjoy.

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• I LOVE MY CHURCH!
• For some reason if you say “I love ice cream” people think you are normal…but if you say “I love my church” they think you are a part of a cult! (Usually because they don’t love their church…they endure it!)
• God changed my life through the local church…what the church does matters and I have given my life to it.
• When we say we love Jesus but don’t love the church we are basically booing the bride at the wedding…something the Groom will not tolerate!
• Yes, the church is full of jacked up, hypocritical people…and there is room for one more!!!
• There is not a perfect church!
• BUT…the church is HIS (Matthew 16:18), He said He would build it…and…He is!
• The church was SO important to Him that He gave His life for it, established it and now sits at the head of it…if all of that is true then IT MATTERS!
• We’re not called to attend a church…we’re called to belong to one!
• I used an Andy Stanley phrase today when I spoke in regards to the best way to make sure your kids one day drop out of church is force them to attend a church that you secretly wished that you didn’t attend!
• As a Christian I MUST celebrate because I WAS DEAD and now I am ALIVE IN CHRIST!!!  (See Ephesians 2:1-10!)  When people cross over from death to life…it’s time to get ROWDY!