I just was reading an article on the Power To Change website about the Chilean Miners' rescue. Campus Crusade for Christ Chile had partnered with the rescue efforts by providing MP3 players for all the miners which had an audio copy of the Jesus film and the Bible. Through the clear presentation of the life Jesus and His offer of hope and new life for all two of the miners became followers of Jesus while trapped in the mine. One of the miners, "Mario Sepulveda, who handed out rocks from the bottom of the mine as souvenirs, stated: 'I seized the hand of God, it was the best hand. I always knew God would get us out of there.'" To read more
I was just having a chat last night with a friend who is being baptised on Sunday. I asked him what had made him decide to become a follower of Jesus. He told me that he had been coming to church for a number of years and wanted to live a good life but for a long time it was just that: his effort in trying to live a good life. It was in the midst of an intense personal crisis that God opened his eyes to the fact that being a follower of Jesus was about being in a relationship with God. He said the truth hit him hard and he found himself weeping for hours. He still wants to live a good life but now it comes from His daily, moment by moment walking with God rather than out of his own "tryin' hard to do right."
Don't ya just love the way God brings hope in dark and difficult times? Whether it is physical darkness, emotional darkness, relational darkness or whatever, the light of God's hope shines so brightly and changes lives forever. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1Peter 1:3-5)
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The prayer of a righteous woman is effective
Sorry for the slight misquote in the title but I have to share this story with you. I was recently talking with a lady named Rita who has a number of deer living in her area. I am not completely clear on the timeline, but some time ago Rita noticed one of the bucks was crippled. His hindquarters clearly had been injured which made it difficult for him to walk, lie down and get up. Rita's guess was that he had been hit by a vehicle. Even one of his antlers had broken off!
Well Rita has a soft heart and a deep belief in the power of God so she is compelled to begin praying for this injured buck. "Lord, please heal him and take away his pain" was her plea. Again, I am a little sketchy on the timeline but sometime after Rita began to pray for this deer she was driving home from work. Close to home a buck came walking out onto the road. At first Rita's heart jumped because she thought it was her injured buck; but this one had no limp or any sign of injury in the way he moved across the road. She thought perhaps she was mistaken so quickly asks that God would show her if this indeed is her deer. At that moment the buck stopped and looked directly at her. He stayed there for about 20 seconds gazing right at her and clear as anything, Rita could see the deer's broken antler. And with that confirmation, he bounded off the road and into the trees without the slightest evidence of injury.
Now I don't think we should start up a healing ministry for wildlife, nor do I think that this deer should become a destination for people on spiritual pilgrimage. But I do know that God has intervened in this deer's life for a reason: He wanted to show me that He does indeed answer prayer, even prayers that some might deem frivolous. I heard this story at a point of disappointment and discouragement. It was exactly what I needed to hear from my Father to lift me up and re-orient my perspective towards His faithfulness and provision. The words of Jesus ring in my ears,
"Not even a sparrow [or a deer], worth only half a penny [okay deer are probably worth more than that], can fall to the ground [or be hit by a truck] without your Father knowing it... So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows [or herd of deer]." (Matthew 10:29, 31)
Perhaps you are going through a challenging time, or someone you know is hurting right now. Know that God values each of us far more than He does an injured buck and that He will answer our prayer in exactly the way that is best.
PS Rita thinks she has a picture of the buck when he was injured and she will get one of him healed for all you skeptics out there. I'll be sure to post them as soon as I have them.
Well Rita has a soft heart and a deep belief in the power of God so she is compelled to begin praying for this injured buck. "Lord, please heal him and take away his pain" was her plea. Again, I am a little sketchy on the timeline but sometime after Rita began to pray for this deer she was driving home from work. Close to home a buck came walking out onto the road. At first Rita's heart jumped because she thought it was her injured buck; but this one had no limp or any sign of injury in the way he moved across the road. She thought perhaps she was mistaken so quickly asks that God would show her if this indeed is her deer. At that moment the buck stopped and looked directly at her. He stayed there for about 20 seconds gazing right at her and clear as anything, Rita could see the deer's broken antler. And with that confirmation, he bounded off the road and into the trees without the slightest evidence of injury.
Now I don't think we should start up a healing ministry for wildlife, nor do I think that this deer should become a destination for people on spiritual pilgrimage. But I do know that God has intervened in this deer's life for a reason: He wanted to show me that He does indeed answer prayer, even prayers that some might deem frivolous. I heard this story at a point of disappointment and discouragement. It was exactly what I needed to hear from my Father to lift me up and re-orient my perspective towards His faithfulness and provision. The words of Jesus ring in my ears,
"Not even a sparrow [or a deer], worth only half a penny [okay deer are probably worth more than that], can fall to the ground [or be hit by a truck] without your Father knowing it... So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows [or herd of deer]." (Matthew 10:29, 31)
Perhaps you are going through a challenging time, or someone you know is hurting right now. Know that God values each of us far more than He does an injured buck and that He will answer our prayer in exactly the way that is best.
PS Rita thinks she has a picture of the buck when he was injured and she will get one of him healed for all you skeptics out there. I'll be sure to post them as soon as I have them.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Good Reason To Be Thankful
I had a good reminder this morning of why I am so thankful. As a follower of Jesus Christ I am a recipient of every (not some or a good portion of or even most, but every) spiritual blessing. Now I am a big fan of blessings. I readily accept any blessing I am given. I think it is even safe to say I go out of my way to find blessings. So right off the bat, when I read these words that Paul wrote to the faithful followers of Jesus in Ephesus, I was hooked.
But then I started asking myself, "What are spiritual blessings?" and started looking further in the letter to figure out if Paul answers that question. What I found was a list of spiritual blessings that filled my heart with joy and thankfulness:
But then I started asking myself, "What are spiritual blessings?" and started looking further in the letter to figure out if Paul answers that question. What I found was a list of spiritual blessings that filled my heart with joy and thankfulness:
- I was chosen before the creation of the world (I love being chosen)
- Chosen to be holy (ie. set apart for something special) and blameless in the sight of God
- Adopted as a child of God through Christ (not because of my earning it but because of His unmerited favour to me.)
- Chosen to receive redemption and forgiveness, again according to His grace which He lavished on me (that's how I can stand without blame in the presence of God. He has forgiven my mistakes, failures and rebellion against Him)
- Chosen to have the mystery of His will (to bring everything under the authority/rule of Jesus) revealed to me
- Chosen to bring glory to God through His work in me (this is the one that I just don't get. How could my messed up life bring glory to a perfect God?)
- These spiritual blessings belong to all who believe in Jesus Christ
Friday, August 20, 2010
To Apologize or Not To Apologize...
I have been doing a lot of thinking about apologies. I was challenged by someone that I have been mentoring online who said that the Bible does not tell us to apologize. I guffawed at the mere suggestion of such lunacy and went to my concordance to quickly locate the references that require us to apologize. My guffaw soon stuck in my throat. Did you know that not once has the Bible called us to apologize? We are called to forgive, we are called to confess, we are called to repent, we are called to be reconciled, but never once is the word "apology" used.
I was floored! All my life I have been taught of the value of the apology. I encourage my kids to always find ways to apologize when they hurt one another. Yet this well-established virtue is never spoken of in the Bible.
Now there are a few examples of apologies made by the characters of the Bible (Genesis 33:8, 26; 50:16; Exodus 10:17; 1Samuel 15:25; 24:17; 25:28; 26:21; Acts 16:39; 2Corinthians 12:13). Most of the examples are less than classic apologies, lacking in the appropriate "I am sorry, I was wrong." The ones that do, come from people not usually held up as examples to follow (Pharaoh, King Saul, and Philippi’s civic leadership) and their motivation to apologize is somewhat suspect.
So where did this compulsion to say "I am sorry" come from? It is all tied up in the command Jesus gives us to love one another. There are few things as destructive to our love as unresolved conflict and hurts. It is the unaddressed wrongs in our relationships that often become the bricks that make up the walls that there are between us. More than likely the motivation for us not to apologize is pride or fear rather than love.
So let's deal with that stuff already! Put aside the pride and fear. Perfect love banishes fear (1John 4:18). If we are motivated by the love of God we don’t have to fear that our apology will create bigger problems. We don’t have to fear that we will get taken advantage of because just like Jesus, we will seek to serve rather than to be served (Mark 10:45).
The Bible may not use the words we use, but there is no doubt that we are called by God to apologize. So everybody! Say it with me: “I am sorry. I was wrong.”
I was floored! All my life I have been taught of the value of the apology. I encourage my kids to always find ways to apologize when they hurt one another. Yet this well-established virtue is never spoken of in the Bible.
Now there are a few examples of apologies made by the characters of the Bible (Genesis 33:8, 26; 50:16; Exodus 10:17; 1Samuel 15:25; 24:17; 25:28; 26:21; Acts 16:39; 2Corinthians 12:13). Most of the examples are less than classic apologies, lacking in the appropriate "I am sorry, I was wrong." The ones that do, come from people not usually held up as examples to follow (Pharaoh, King Saul, and Philippi’s civic leadership) and their motivation to apologize is somewhat suspect.
So where did this compulsion to say "I am sorry" come from? It is all tied up in the command Jesus gives us to love one another. There are few things as destructive to our love as unresolved conflict and hurts. It is the unaddressed wrongs in our relationships that often become the bricks that make up the walls that there are between us. More than likely the motivation for us not to apologize is pride or fear rather than love.
So let's deal with that stuff already! Put aside the pride and fear. Perfect love banishes fear (1John 4:18). If we are motivated by the love of God we don’t have to fear that our apology will create bigger problems. We don’t have to fear that we will get taken advantage of because just like Jesus, we will seek to serve rather than to be served (Mark 10:45).
The Bible may not use the words we use, but there is no doubt that we are called by God to apologize. So everybody! Say it with me: “I am sorry. I was wrong.”
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Next TruthMedia Video
Well, its the middle of the night and I have finally finished the latest video in the TruthMedia Promo series (it seems like I always finish these things in the middle of the night). I wanted to get this posted right away because in this one I give a detailed explanation of my role with TruthMedia and a description of why I need people like you and your friends to help partner with me to make this ministry a reality. Please take 10 minutes and watch this video and then prayerfully consider how God is leading you to join with me in His work at TruthMedia. I really do look forward to hearing from you and chatting about the way that we are helping people find God on a website.
If you had a chance to watch this, would you also make sure that you share it with your friends? The more people who have a chance to hear about this ministry the sooner we can see God building His kingdom through this unique outreach. I am so excited about what He is going to do! Aren't you!?
To Him alone be the glory!
Lauren Berg
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Reflecting the character of God
Romans 8:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (NIV)
Today I found another example of this being lived out. I received a request for prayer from a man in the Philippines whose wife has been unfaithful to him. As I read his note I was struck by how this man reminded me of the character of God. Even though the sinful choices of the wife had devastating consequences on the man in many ways, still he expresses a desire to remain faithful to his commitment and to forgive.
That is a clear reflection of the character of God, "The LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." (Exodus 34:6, NIV) I am so grateful that this is the nature of our God, so perfectly expressed through the life of Jesus His Son. His love extended to me in forgiveness of my rebellion against Him. And that forgiveness is not just a quickly spoken "I forgive you." but it is a costly forgiveness demanding the sacrifice of God on my behalf.
It is my desire to reflect God's character as well. How I wish my kids and my wife could say that I am slow to anger but I know that isn't always true. I hope to find out from my Filipino friend how he has been able to live out that character of God but I am sure a big part of it is from keeping his eyes fixed on Christ "the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)
Would pray for this man and his family? I know they are going to need all the help they can get.
Today I found another example of this being lived out. I received a request for prayer from a man in the Philippines whose wife has been unfaithful to him. As I read his note I was struck by how this man reminded me of the character of God. Even though the sinful choices of the wife had devastating consequences on the man in many ways, still he expresses a desire to remain faithful to his commitment and to forgive.
That is a clear reflection of the character of God, "The LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." (Exodus 34:6, NIV) I am so grateful that this is the nature of our God, so perfectly expressed through the life of Jesus His Son. His love extended to me in forgiveness of my rebellion against Him. And that forgiveness is not just a quickly spoken "I forgive you." but it is a costly forgiveness demanding the sacrifice of God on my behalf.
It is my desire to reflect God's character as well. How I wish my kids and my wife could say that I am slow to anger but I know that isn't always true. I hope to find out from my Filipino friend how he has been able to live out that character of God but I am sure a big part of it is from keeping his eyes fixed on Christ "the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)
Would pray for this man and his family? I know they are going to need all the help they can get.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Promised video
As I promised, here is another video which explains in more detail about the work of TruthMedia.
I also wanted to share with you a video put together by TruthMedia which depicts the way The Mentor Center makes connections with people. You can view this video at http://truthmedia.com/thementorcenter/promo. There will be a quiz afterward to see if you can recognize which was the more professionally done video ;)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Welcome!
Hey! Welcome to my new blog. I am so happy that you have landed here and are interested in an update on how God is active in me and through me as I work with TruthMedia. I plan on keeping a regular post going to let you hear about the people I meet on the internet who are looking for answers to life and how God is transforming those people into followers of Jesus Christ. So come back often and invite your friends.
I have to tell you, I am pretty excited about this role God has led me to. I have already seen evidence of the global impact He has through TruthMedia and I am convinced that we will only see that grow as more people come face to face with the Good News about Jesus Christ on the internet. Periodically there will be some videos here that will help describe more about this ministry and my role. Take some time to check these out and if you have any questions I will make sure to answer promptly.
The main reason I am opening up this blog is to give you the chance to partner with me in this ministry. I will share from time to time how you can join in the work of TruthMedia through prayer, volunteering and/or financial support. I guarantee you will be amazed at how the Holy Spirit is eternally impacting people around the world through you and your partnership.
Well I hope to see you here often and hear from you soon.
Lauren Berg
P.S. If you are at all curious about the work of TruthMedia watch this 2 minute video that gives a brief introduction to this exciting ministry
I have to tell you, I am pretty excited about this role God has led me to. I have already seen evidence of the global impact He has through TruthMedia and I am convinced that we will only see that grow as more people come face to face with the Good News about Jesus Christ on the internet. Periodically there will be some videos here that will help describe more about this ministry and my role. Take some time to check these out and if you have any questions I will make sure to answer promptly.
The main reason I am opening up this blog is to give you the chance to partner with me in this ministry. I will share from time to time how you can join in the work of TruthMedia through prayer, volunteering and/or financial support. I guarantee you will be amazed at how the Holy Spirit is eternally impacting people around the world through you and your partnership.
Well I hope to see you here often and hear from you soon.
Lauren Berg
P.S. If you are at all curious about the work of TruthMedia watch this 2 minute video that gives a brief introduction to this exciting ministry
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