There are some strange traditions when it comes to anniversaries. Some traditional person, a mindful female who had her act together I’m sure, decided once and for all to put the order of required anniversary gifts into stone. Of course, this is a bane for those of us, especially men, who do not have our acts together. I have no idea what the story is behind every year’s traditional anniversary gifts but they seem a little, well . . . odd.
For example paper is the traditional gift for a first anniversary. I think this can be misinterpreted. I can see some hillbilly in Johnson County right now, “Here ya go honey, I got this here roll of Charmin for ya.” We might need to clarify.
Cotton is what you’re supposed to get your bride on your second anniversary. Here comes the hillbilly again, stomping in the house with his muddy boots holding a big rooted green plant with cotton balls on it. “I picked this up between Cleburne and Hillsboro, Baby.”
The traditional gift for a third year anniversary is leather. “I know we don’t have a horse, but you’ll look good on this saddle, Sweetie.”
The traditional gift for a fourth year anniversary is linen. “Heres a copy of the White Album by the Beatles. I know that John was always your favorite.”
I could go on, but when you get to number 15, it turns out to be crystal. The number 15 stands out to me this week and not because I’ve been watching Sesame Street. This time of year marks our anniversary at Open Door, and it turns out that this is 15 years.
HINDSIGHT
I’ve got a crystal clear view of the past 15 years: living from sermon to sermon. There are so many things I would love to do over and so many things that I don’t think I could ever make happen again. There is nothing boring about starting up a church, and I think ministry is a lot like getting old. It is not for wimps.
So here is my list of Top 15 things I have learned about life , church and surviving as a pastor for the past 15 years.
(1) Most of what we teach, isn't taught on purpose.
(2) Never compliment anyone on being pregnant unless they tell you they are pregnant.
(3) God did not put any of us here to change or control people. We have full time jobs judging ourselves.
(4) There is no correlation between the price of a brand of batteries and how long they last.
(5) You see people’s glory but you don’t see their story. Victorious people make it look easy to live that way.
(6) As long as there are zippers, Plexiglass pulpits can be a powerful tool for the devil.
(7) If you know lots of people, a lot of those people will be with you for only a season in your life.
(8) A little bit of Jesus can make up for a whole lot of stupid
(9) God doesn't do great things through a church service. He does great things through the relationships of the people in a church service.
(10) It takes hard work to be a blessing.
(11) Church doesn't make God love you more. A good church helps you love God more.
(12) The Great Commission is not the Great Commandment, and preaching is not a priority over loving God and loving people.
(13) It is necessary in Johnson County, Texas, to have no smoking signs on the church doors.
(14) If you tell your own stories people will not have anything on you.
(15) Every single one of us are in desperate need of a savior.
I have needed a lot of grace in my life and continue to need it all the more. A big shout out to everybody who has been a part of my personal journey. Wherever you are, whether we have ever met or not, I thank God for you, and may all of us remain teachable people willing to move forward.
www.openddoorministries.org www.freshfromthebrewer.com
www.troybrewer.com
Friday, September 24, 2010
WE NEED SOMETHING DIFFERENT OUT OF YOU
Fifteen years ago, when I was thinking about starting Open Door Ministries, my wife and I had a major disagreement. Oh, she was 100% supportive and on board with me starting the church, it was just that she didn't think she would be a very good Pastor’s wife.
“Why Not?”, I asked. “Your like the perfect Pastor’s wife. Heck, your the perfect any kind of wife.”
“No I’m Not.”, she said with tears. “I can’t sing or play piano.”
I thought that was hilarious. See, I didn't need her to play piano or sing because God gave me an awesome set of pipes and I can play guitar like Davey Crocket.
The bottom line is that Leanna didn't think she had any gifts or talents and of course she was drop dead wrong.
One of Leanna’s highest giftings has to do with kids. She loves kids. she works well with kids. She connects with kids and turns out, there has always been a greater need in our children’s church then on stage with musicians. The people at Open Door tend to be extremely fertile.
RECOGNIZING YOUR GIFTS
A big part of you and I fulfilling our destiny has to do with the recognition of how we are different. There is something about you that really stands out. There is something you are a ten at where the rest of us tend to be a two. There is something God has anointed you to do that He hasn't others. The rest of us need you to be different.
In this United Nations, cookie cutter day of political correctness and we are the world love songs, it is refreshing for you to be authentic and genuine. It is not your sameness to the rest of the world that causes people to be attracted to you, it’s what makes you different. You don’t have to be the same as everybody else, in fact, God didn't make you to blend in but to stand out.
There is something God has stored within you that He has not put within the rest of us and your contribution could be the missing piece that connects the rest of the dots for us.
NOW THATS DIFFERENT
Great crowds came out to see a man we know as John the baptist, not because he was like the Pharisees or the “Reverend Doctors” of his day, but because he dared to be different. He dared to be authentic and genuine and it was out of him being real that his greatest gift was exposed. Jesus himself talked about how brilliant John was and that his greatest contribution came from him not being like a common reed on the river bank or a prophet in an Armani suit. (Luke 7:24-25)
No, John was really different and his prophetic gift turned out to be the greatest contribution. Thats’ the way it is with you too. Discover how God made you different and you will discover some of the greatest ways you can make a difference. But you have to have the courage to be you in a world that wants you to conform to their....whatever.
Today my wife, is not just a Pastor’s wife. She heads up an orphanage Ministry that does amazing things throughout the world. It’s called Spark world wide. SPARK is an acronym for Serving, Protecting And Raising Kids. She has orphanages in Uganda, India, Mexico and the Amazon. The difference she makes is amazing and if she had not stayed true to who she was, she would of never discovered her greatest gift.
A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men. Proverbs 18:16
www.troybrewer.com www.sparkworldwide.org www.opendoorministries
“Why Not?”, I asked. “Your like the perfect Pastor’s wife. Heck, your the perfect any kind of wife.”
“No I’m Not.”, she said with tears. “I can’t sing or play piano.”
I thought that was hilarious. See, I didn't need her to play piano or sing because God gave me an awesome set of pipes and I can play guitar like Davey Crocket.
The bottom line is that Leanna didn't think she had any gifts or talents and of course she was drop dead wrong.
One of Leanna’s highest giftings has to do with kids. She loves kids. she works well with kids. She connects with kids and turns out, there has always been a greater need in our children’s church then on stage with musicians. The people at Open Door tend to be extremely fertile.
RECOGNIZING YOUR GIFTS
A big part of you and I fulfilling our destiny has to do with the recognition of how we are different. There is something about you that really stands out. There is something you are a ten at where the rest of us tend to be a two. There is something God has anointed you to do that He hasn't others. The rest of us need you to be different.
In this United Nations, cookie cutter day of political correctness and we are the world love songs, it is refreshing for you to be authentic and genuine. It is not your sameness to the rest of the world that causes people to be attracted to you, it’s what makes you different. You don’t have to be the same as everybody else, in fact, God didn't make you to blend in but to stand out.
There is something God has stored within you that He has not put within the rest of us and your contribution could be the missing piece that connects the rest of the dots for us.
NOW THATS DIFFERENT
Great crowds came out to see a man we know as John the baptist, not because he was like the Pharisees or the “Reverend Doctors” of his day, but because he dared to be different. He dared to be authentic and genuine and it was out of him being real that his greatest gift was exposed. Jesus himself talked about how brilliant John was and that his greatest contribution came from him not being like a common reed on the river bank or a prophet in an Armani suit. (Luke 7:24-25)
No, John was really different and his prophetic gift turned out to be the greatest contribution. Thats’ the way it is with you too. Discover how God made you different and you will discover some of the greatest ways you can make a difference. But you have to have the courage to be you in a world that wants you to conform to their....whatever.
Today my wife, is not just a Pastor’s wife. She heads up an orphanage Ministry that does amazing things throughout the world. It’s called Spark world wide. SPARK is an acronym for Serving, Protecting And Raising Kids. She has orphanages in Uganda, India, Mexico and the Amazon. The difference she makes is amazing and if she had not stayed true to who she was, she would of never discovered her greatest gift.
A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men. Proverbs 18:16
www.troybrewer.com www.sparkworldwide.org www.opendoorministries
Friday, September 10, 2010
A SPECIAL GUEST FOR SUPPER
Near downtown Honolulu, Fritz Vincken owned a bakery and handed out a smile along with hot buns and fresh bread to his loyal customers. He has lived in the Hawaiian islands for many years, but he is not just famous for his bread. He tells a story from his childhood that has since been told around the world.
December 1943 was a harsh winter in the Ardennes Forest near the German-Belgian border. Two months had passed since Hubert Vincken brought his wife and his son Fritz to the country for saftey after the family's home and bakery had been destroyed in a bombing raid.
"We were isolated," Fritz recalled. "Every three or four days, my father would ride out from town on his bicycle to bring us food." They could also tell the war was moving closer to their little house.
As suspected, The Germans surprised and overwhelmed the Allies on December 16, turning the nearby forrest into a killing field. It was a terrible time of fear and uncertainty. On Christmas Eve, Elisabeth and Fritz tried to block out the distant sound of gunfire as they sat down to their supper of oatmeal and potatoes.
"At that moment, I heard human voices outside, speaking quietly," Fritz remembered. "Mother blew out the little candle and we held our breath.
"There was a knock at the door. When my mother opened it, two men were standing outside. They spoke a strange language and pointed to a third man sitting in the snow with a bullet wound in his leg. We knew they were American soldiers. They were cold and weary.
"I wondered what in the world my mother would do. She hesitated for a moment. Then she motioned the soldiers into the cottage, turned to me and said, 'Get six more potatoes from the shed.'"
Elisabeth and one of the American soldiers were able to speak French, and both of them gathered as much news as the could. Separated from their battalion, they had wandered for three days in the snowy Forest, hiding from the Germans. Hungry and exhausted they decided to take a chance and knock on a door for help.
Not long after everyone began to warm up there was another knock at the door. Four more tired and frozen soldiers came to the cottage. The problem is that these men were German.
"Now I was almost paralyzed with fear," Fritz recalled. "While I stood and stared in disbelief, my mother took the situation into her hands. "Frohliche Weihnachten," Elisabeth said to the German soldiers, wishing them Merry Christmas. She then invited them to dinner. But before allowing them in, she told them, like only a German mama can, that she had other guests inside that they might not consider as friends.”
"She reminded them that it was Christmas Eve," Fritz said, "and told them sternly there would be no shooting around here." These soldiers, all four of them teenagers, listened respectfully and cautiously agreed.
The German soldiers agreed to store their weapons in the shed. Elisabeth then quickly went inside to collect the weapons from the American soldiers and locked them up securely.
"At first, it was very tense," Fritz said. “Every one just sat looking at each other.”
Two of the German soldiers were sixteen years old and another was a medical student who spoke some English. Fritz was sent outside to fetch the rooster he had captured several weeks earlier.
"When I returned," Fritz recalled, "the German medical student was looking after the wounded American, and one of the Americans presented instant coffee to share. The tension broke and by the time the food was ready, the men were more than eager to eat. Elizabeth invited them to the table and they all sat and said grace together.
"'Komm, Herr Jesus,'" she prayed, 'and be our guest.'
"There were tears in her eyes," Fritz said, "and as I looked around the table, I saw that the battle-weary soldiers were filled with emotion. Their thoughts seemed to be many, many miles away. They had been in war for long, they had forgotten what it was like to sit with a family.
"Now they were boys again, some from America, some from Germany, all far from home."
Soon after dinner, the soldiers fell asleep in their heavy coats. The next morning, they exchanged Christmas greetings and everyone helped make a stretcher for the wounded American.
"The German soldiers then advised the Americans how to find their unit," Fritz said. "My mother gave them back their weapons and said she would pray for their safety. They all kissed her as they left in separate directions. It was the last time Fritz or his mother would ever see any of them.
Throughout her life, Elisabeth Vincken would often say, "God was at our table that night" and I believe He was.
It wasn't until the story was featured on a March 1995 "Unsolved Mysteries" television episode that Vincken learned about a man at Northampton Manor Nursing Home in Frederick, Md., who had been telling family and friends the same story for years.
In January 1996, Vincken went to Maryland to meet Ralph Blank, who had served with the 121st Infantry, 8th Division, during World War II. "When he told me, 'Your mother saved my life,' it was the high point of my life," Vincken said of the reunion. "Now, I can die in peace.
Fritz Vincken died Dec. 8, 2002, in Oregon, 16 days before the 57th anniversary of well-publicized Christmas story but it was not the last time he sat down at a table with family. In the book of Revelation, Jesus Himself promises the same kind of sit down.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
www.troybrewer.com www.opendoorministries.org www.freshfromthebrewer.com
December 1943 was a harsh winter in the Ardennes Forest near the German-Belgian border. Two months had passed since Hubert Vincken brought his wife and his son Fritz to the country for saftey after the family's home and bakery had been destroyed in a bombing raid.
"We were isolated," Fritz recalled. "Every three or four days, my father would ride out from town on his bicycle to bring us food." They could also tell the war was moving closer to their little house.
As suspected, The Germans surprised and overwhelmed the Allies on December 16, turning the nearby forrest into a killing field. It was a terrible time of fear and uncertainty. On Christmas Eve, Elisabeth and Fritz tried to block out the distant sound of gunfire as they sat down to their supper of oatmeal and potatoes.
"At that moment, I heard human voices outside, speaking quietly," Fritz remembered. "Mother blew out the little candle and we held our breath.
"There was a knock at the door. When my mother opened it, two men were standing outside. They spoke a strange language and pointed to a third man sitting in the snow with a bullet wound in his leg. We knew they were American soldiers. They were cold and weary.
"I wondered what in the world my mother would do. She hesitated for a moment. Then she motioned the soldiers into the cottage, turned to me and said, 'Get six more potatoes from the shed.'"
Elisabeth and one of the American soldiers were able to speak French, and both of them gathered as much news as the could. Separated from their battalion, they had wandered for three days in the snowy Forest, hiding from the Germans. Hungry and exhausted they decided to take a chance and knock on a door for help.
Not long after everyone began to warm up there was another knock at the door. Four more tired and frozen soldiers came to the cottage. The problem is that these men were German.
"Now I was almost paralyzed with fear," Fritz recalled. "While I stood and stared in disbelief, my mother took the situation into her hands. "Frohliche Weihnachten," Elisabeth said to the German soldiers, wishing them Merry Christmas. She then invited them to dinner. But before allowing them in, she told them, like only a German mama can, that she had other guests inside that they might not consider as friends.”
"She reminded them that it was Christmas Eve," Fritz said, "and told them sternly there would be no shooting around here." These soldiers, all four of them teenagers, listened respectfully and cautiously agreed.
The German soldiers agreed to store their weapons in the shed. Elisabeth then quickly went inside to collect the weapons from the American soldiers and locked them up securely.
"At first, it was very tense," Fritz said. “Every one just sat looking at each other.”
Two of the German soldiers were sixteen years old and another was a medical student who spoke some English. Fritz was sent outside to fetch the rooster he had captured several weeks earlier.
"When I returned," Fritz recalled, "the German medical student was looking after the wounded American, and one of the Americans presented instant coffee to share. The tension broke and by the time the food was ready, the men were more than eager to eat. Elizabeth invited them to the table and they all sat and said grace together.
"'Komm, Herr Jesus,'" she prayed, 'and be our guest.'
"There were tears in her eyes," Fritz said, "and as I looked around the table, I saw that the battle-weary soldiers were filled with emotion. Their thoughts seemed to be many, many miles away. They had been in war for long, they had forgotten what it was like to sit with a family.
"Now they were boys again, some from America, some from Germany, all far from home."
Soon after dinner, the soldiers fell asleep in their heavy coats. The next morning, they exchanged Christmas greetings and everyone helped make a stretcher for the wounded American.
"The German soldiers then advised the Americans how to find their unit," Fritz said. "My mother gave them back their weapons and said she would pray for their safety. They all kissed her as they left in separate directions. It was the last time Fritz or his mother would ever see any of them.
Throughout her life, Elisabeth Vincken would often say, "God was at our table that night" and I believe He was.
It wasn't until the story was featured on a March 1995 "Unsolved Mysteries" television episode that Vincken learned about a man at Northampton Manor Nursing Home in Frederick, Md., who had been telling family and friends the same story for years.
In January 1996, Vincken went to Maryland to meet Ralph Blank, who had served with the 121st Infantry, 8th Division, during World War II. "When he told me, 'Your mother saved my life,' it was the high point of my life," Vincken said of the reunion. "Now, I can die in peace.
Fritz Vincken died Dec. 8, 2002, in Oregon, 16 days before the 57th anniversary of well-publicized Christmas story but it was not the last time he sat down at a table with family. In the book of Revelation, Jesus Himself promises the same kind of sit down.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
www.troybrewer.com www.opendoorministries.org www.freshfromthebrewer.com
Friday, September 3, 2010
RWANDA IS RED
Rwanda, East Africa is a place of mountains and red dirt roads. There is no way you can drive from one place to another without having a layer of red dust on you by the end of your journey. Even the dust in the air gets so red the moon, when it is full, looks red. I was in Rwanda last week and, during the full moon, I looked up — it was blood red. A blood moon over Rwanda.
There is a lot of red in Rwanda.
My wife, youngest son Luke and I, met Freda, a native Rwandan, survivor of the recent genocide and co-pastor of a church called Rwanda for Jesus. On an excursion from a busy schedule of conference speaking, she took us to the genocide memorial. It was a well designed walkthrough of what made the Hotel Des Mille Collins so famous.
The same man who built the genocide memorial also built the Jewish holocaust museum in England. He is a British Jew and is married to a Rwandan woman. The exhibit was amazing and complete with an earphone devise with English narration throughout the building.
Our driver, John — a good looking, quiet Rwandan man — stood silently beside me as we looked around the grounds at the back of the building. I didn't understand what we were standing on until the narrator explained — it was a mass grave.
There were so many bodies on the streets of Kigali after the three months of murder, that they piled them all into a single giant hole in the ground. They carefully documented every skull and, at the end count, there were more than 256,000 people. I stood on a grave with more than a quarter of a million murdered people in it. A quarter of a million people.
What do you say to something like that? I can’t even describe the confused feelings that went through me as I heard the words and looked down at the ground under my feet. It felt like the wind left my lungs and, as I struggled to find a stable emotional place, I noticed John, quietly looking at the same mound of dirt.
“Do you have family buried here, John?”
John lifted his brows a little before his eyes did and softly nodded his head in affirmation.
“Pastor Troy, all of my family is buried here.”
John’s mother and father, both sets of grand parents, his brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews had all been murdered during the genocide — and somewhere under our feet was the proof they had once lived.
“Oh John I am so sorry.” I began to muddle. “I can’t even begin to imagine. I can’t even begin to imagine what to say.”
I put my hand on his shoulder, “After 16 years of seeing this and after 16 years of living side by side with the very people who murdered your family, what do you say to all of this?”
“What Can I say?” he asked.
John looked up, closed his eyes and a big tear ran down the side of dark brown cheek. After a moment of trying to regain his composure, he looked at me and said some of the most amazing words I have every heard.
“I can say that God is good. He really is Pastor Troy, God is good, and for 16 years He has been taking me from hatred and misery into a grace for forgiveness and happiness”
Out of all things I expected to hear John say, a testimony of God’s goodness was not on my list. The revelation he had of God’s goodness shocked me even more than the realization I was standing on a mass grave. It hit me like Freda's Hutu attacker had clubbed her over the head and left her for dead.
For John, the horror of the genocide did not define his life. It certainly would have, except for the present reality of life he had found in Christ. The death was real but the life was greater. The hurt was constant but the healing undeniable. The facts were a reality but the truth far superseded the facts and, like Jesus once said, the truth had set him free.
What I saw in John can not be faked. What I saw in John was supernatural. His destiny was much greater than his history.
Like the red dirt that was so familiar to me on this trip, there is no way you can see what I saw in John without getting it all over you. I never want to wash it off.
“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.” — 3 John 1:11
Troy pastor’s Open Door Ministries near Joshua and can be reached at troybrewer.com.
There is a lot of red in Rwanda.
My wife, youngest son Luke and I, met Freda, a native Rwandan, survivor of the recent genocide and co-pastor of a church called Rwanda for Jesus. On an excursion from a busy schedule of conference speaking, she took us to the genocide memorial. It was a well designed walkthrough of what made the Hotel Des Mille Collins so famous.
The same man who built the genocide memorial also built the Jewish holocaust museum in England. He is a British Jew and is married to a Rwandan woman. The exhibit was amazing and complete with an earphone devise with English narration throughout the building.
Our driver, John — a good looking, quiet Rwandan man — stood silently beside me as we looked around the grounds at the back of the building. I didn't understand what we were standing on until the narrator explained — it was a mass grave.
There were so many bodies on the streets of Kigali after the three months of murder, that they piled them all into a single giant hole in the ground. They carefully documented every skull and, at the end count, there were more than 256,000 people. I stood on a grave with more than a quarter of a million murdered people in it. A quarter of a million people.
What do you say to something like that? I can’t even describe the confused feelings that went through me as I heard the words and looked down at the ground under my feet. It felt like the wind left my lungs and, as I struggled to find a stable emotional place, I noticed John, quietly looking at the same mound of dirt.
“Do you have family buried here, John?”
John lifted his brows a little before his eyes did and softly nodded his head in affirmation.
“Pastor Troy, all of my family is buried here.”
John’s mother and father, both sets of grand parents, his brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews had all been murdered during the genocide — and somewhere under our feet was the proof they had once lived.
“Oh John I am so sorry.” I began to muddle. “I can’t even begin to imagine. I can’t even begin to imagine what to say.”
I put my hand on his shoulder, “After 16 years of seeing this and after 16 years of living side by side with the very people who murdered your family, what do you say to all of this?”
“What Can I say?” he asked.
John looked up, closed his eyes and a big tear ran down the side of dark brown cheek. After a moment of trying to regain his composure, he looked at me and said some of the most amazing words I have every heard.
“I can say that God is good. He really is Pastor Troy, God is good, and for 16 years He has been taking me from hatred and misery into a grace for forgiveness and happiness”
Out of all things I expected to hear John say, a testimony of God’s goodness was not on my list. The revelation he had of God’s goodness shocked me even more than the realization I was standing on a mass grave. It hit me like Freda's Hutu attacker had clubbed her over the head and left her for dead.
For John, the horror of the genocide did not define his life. It certainly would have, except for the present reality of life he had found in Christ. The death was real but the life was greater. The hurt was constant but the healing undeniable. The facts were a reality but the truth far superseded the facts and, like Jesus once said, the truth had set him free.
What I saw in John can not be faked. What I saw in John was supernatural. His destiny was much greater than his history.
Like the red dirt that was so familiar to me on this trip, there is no way you can see what I saw in John without getting it all over you. I never want to wash it off.
“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.” — 3 John 1:11
Troy pastor’s Open Door Ministries near Joshua and can be reached at troybrewer.com.
Friday, August 27, 2010
We all need favor
In the early 1900s, a 16-year-old girl, named Mildred, from Alabama gave birth to a baby girl and named her Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner. As if all those names weren’t enough, she went by the nickname, “Judy.”
Judy’s daddy, John Turner, was a hard working, and hard living, miner from Tennessee who had a knack for gambling. Hard times eventually forced the family to relocate to San Francisco, but things weren’t any better on the west coast — John and Mildred soon separated.
John’s lack of work didn’t keep him from playing cards, and on December 14, 1930, he won a bit of money from some traveling gamblers.
“I’m gonna go buy my little girl a bicycle,” he said, holding up his wad of cash before stuffing it into his left sock. Before he left the table and hit the streets, the other gamblers took note of where he stashed the money.
Several hours later, John Turner was found dead on the edge of the Mission District in San Francisco — his left sock was missing, and the robbery and murder were never solved.
Judy, who was 9 at the time, was devastated. Mildred got sick and was advised by her doctor to move to a drier climate. So, one year later Mildred and Judy moved to Los Angeles.
Six years later, Judy was a sophomore at Hollywood High School. She decided to skip a typing class and headed to a drug store, where she sat at the counter drinking a Coke. She didn’t know it, but her life was about to change drastically — she had just entered, “the favor zone.”
As she sat at the counter, she caught the eye of the publisher for the Hollywood Reporter. He leaned over, introduced himself and said those famous words, “How’d you like to be in pictures?”
Several weeks latter she was connected with famous movie director Mervyn LeRoy, and he cast her in the first of her many great films. It prophetically was titled, “A Star is Born.” Melvyn changed Judy’s name to Lana Turner and, well, you may have heard of her.
The ability to get noticed and promoted into really cool places is something we Christians call “favor.” Brother Webster, the guy who wrote the dictionary, defines favor as, “approving consideration or attention.” Another understanding of favor could be “good will, acceptance, and the benefits flowing from these.”
The Brewer would define favor as the process of getting noticed and getting promoted.
This week’s confession from a highly caffeinated Christian comes flavored with favor.
You need favor. I need favor. We all need favor.
Did you know there were only 200 million people on the entire planet at the time of Christ? Today there are more than 300 million in the United States alone. More than 6 billion people are walking around right now, and scientist’s say that’s more people than have ever lived before us.
It’s hard to get noticed and promoted when every day is like the busiest day at Disney World. Sip on this and savor the thought, God sees you.
A little bit of favor goes a long way and contrary to the gospel according to Brooks and Dunn, God is not too busy. Not only do I believe God sees you, but I also believe He would love to call you his favorite.
We live in a very messed up world, but somehow God is perfectly right there in the midst. God’s presence is everywhere but his manifest presence is not. When you need Him to show up on your behalf, there’s a certain protocol for the King to arrive. It’s not about traditional religious ritual, it’s about the condition of your heart and how you position yourself.
You may have heard it said that God is no respecter of persons, but I promise you, He will favor certain people and things more than others. All you have to do to be God’s favorite is to walk in what God favors. When you walk in what God favors, you are in “the favor zone.”
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." — Galatians 5:22 & 23
The Brewer pastors Open Door Ministries near Joshua, and can be found on the Web at www.opendoorministries.org.
Judy’s daddy, John Turner, was a hard working, and hard living, miner from Tennessee who had a knack for gambling. Hard times eventually forced the family to relocate to San Francisco, but things weren’t any better on the west coast — John and Mildred soon separated.
John’s lack of work didn’t keep him from playing cards, and on December 14, 1930, he won a bit of money from some traveling gamblers.
“I’m gonna go buy my little girl a bicycle,” he said, holding up his wad of cash before stuffing it into his left sock. Before he left the table and hit the streets, the other gamblers took note of where he stashed the money.
Several hours later, John Turner was found dead on the edge of the Mission District in San Francisco — his left sock was missing, and the robbery and murder were never solved.
Judy, who was 9 at the time, was devastated. Mildred got sick and was advised by her doctor to move to a drier climate. So, one year later Mildred and Judy moved to Los Angeles.
Six years later, Judy was a sophomore at Hollywood High School. She decided to skip a typing class and headed to a drug store, where she sat at the counter drinking a Coke. She didn’t know it, but her life was about to change drastically — she had just entered, “the favor zone.”
As she sat at the counter, she caught the eye of the publisher for the Hollywood Reporter. He leaned over, introduced himself and said those famous words, “How’d you like to be in pictures?”
Several weeks latter she was connected with famous movie director Mervyn LeRoy, and he cast her in the first of her many great films. It prophetically was titled, “A Star is Born.” Melvyn changed Judy’s name to Lana Turner and, well, you may have heard of her.
The ability to get noticed and promoted into really cool places is something we Christians call “favor.” Brother Webster, the guy who wrote the dictionary, defines favor as, “approving consideration or attention.” Another understanding of favor could be “good will, acceptance, and the benefits flowing from these.”
The Brewer would define favor as the process of getting noticed and getting promoted.
This week’s confession from a highly caffeinated Christian comes flavored with favor.
You need favor. I need favor. We all need favor.
Did you know there were only 200 million people on the entire planet at the time of Christ? Today there are more than 300 million in the United States alone. More than 6 billion people are walking around right now, and scientist’s say that’s more people than have ever lived before us.
It’s hard to get noticed and promoted when every day is like the busiest day at Disney World. Sip on this and savor the thought, God sees you.
A little bit of favor goes a long way and contrary to the gospel according to Brooks and Dunn, God is not too busy. Not only do I believe God sees you, but I also believe He would love to call you his favorite.
We live in a very messed up world, but somehow God is perfectly right there in the midst. God’s presence is everywhere but his manifest presence is not. When you need Him to show up on your behalf, there’s a certain protocol for the King to arrive. It’s not about traditional religious ritual, it’s about the condition of your heart and how you position yourself.
You may have heard it said that God is no respecter of persons, but I promise you, He will favor certain people and things more than others. All you have to do to be God’s favorite is to walk in what God favors. When you walk in what God favors, you are in “the favor zone.”
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." — Galatians 5:22 & 23
The Brewer pastors Open Door Ministries near Joshua, and can be found on the Web at www.opendoorministries.org.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Spartans, Texans and Warrior Kings
Almost 500 years before Christ, a Spartan army of only 300 men stood against a million or so Persians at a place called Thermopylae. The Brewer isn’t a particularly a big fan of ancient Spartans — besides destroying the fair city my mama named me after with a stinking wooden horse, they were also known to be racist and pagans who had no mercy for anyone. With that said, the Texan in me can’t help but love the astonishing quality of warriors they produced.
The king who is famous for Sparta’s military miracle was a guy by the name of Leonidas. What I love about king Leonidas is he wasn’t just a king, he was a warrior King. He didn’t sit on a golden thrown and order men to fight. He fought in front of all his men and invited them to fight beside him. I love the whole idea of a warrior king.
About 200 years later, another warrior king rose from the same part of the world — but this one would be remembered as “Great.” Alexander conquered the known world not for a righteous reason but just because he wanted to. Before it was over, millions would be dead and many more hurting because of Alexander’s ambition of conquest. Though I don’t much care for his empire any more than the Spartans, I can’t help but love the fact Alexander was a warrior king.
After Alexander and his army turned south on the Indus River, they encountered a warlike clan called the Mali. After building siege weapons and ladders, Alexander’s army attacked the walled city — and Alexander was the first over the walls. He was so far ahead of the rest of his men that he engaged the entire army by himself while his men scrambled to keep up. With an arrow piercing his chest and his lung and a sword in his hand Alexander the Great fought hand-to-hand combat until his men were able to subdue the enemy. I love a warrior king.
Almost 2,300 years later on holy ground that would be called Texas, a general with a righteous cause, raced across the San Jacinto battlefield. Though vastly outnumbered and in broad day light, Sam Houston was so far ahead of the rest of his men that he drew all the fire of the Mexican dictator’s troops. Having two horses shot out from under him, Houston limped towards the enemy with pointed sword yelling, “Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad!”
Sam Houston would soon become the president of the nation of Texas. Though he was a political leader he was also a proven warrior. I love a warrior king.
Being a fairly famous Jesus freak with an ever-growing popularity, I get a lot of letters and e-mail. Most of them cuss me but there are more and more asking me what denomination or nondenominational group I subscribe to.
I am for whatever in Christianity is wimp free.
Sign me up with the Christians who have the guts to be Christians in a day where men act more like women than men. Show me Christians who are not just talking about the love of God, but who are demonstrating it through the hard work it takes to make a difference in somebody’s life. Put me in line with the people who are living proof that God never consults your history before giving you a future.
Real Christians don’t just serve a King. They serve a passionate, warrior King — and those of us who follow Him live a lifetime of learning how to get out of His way and let Him fight like He wants to. Not only is Christ not scared of the battles you and I face, He actually gets excited about the prospect of another glorious scrap. That’s the way our King is, and He is unlike any we have ever seen before. He’s compassionate, ready to serve, approachable and full of mercy, but make no mistake about it — He is a warrior King.
“The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.” — Exodus 15:3
Troy pastors Open Door Ministries near Joshua and can be found at www.opendoorministries.org.
The king who is famous for Sparta’s military miracle was a guy by the name of Leonidas. What I love about king Leonidas is he wasn’t just a king, he was a warrior King. He didn’t sit on a golden thrown and order men to fight. He fought in front of all his men and invited them to fight beside him. I love the whole idea of a warrior king.
About 200 years later, another warrior king rose from the same part of the world — but this one would be remembered as “Great.” Alexander conquered the known world not for a righteous reason but just because he wanted to. Before it was over, millions would be dead and many more hurting because of Alexander’s ambition of conquest. Though I don’t much care for his empire any more than the Spartans, I can’t help but love the fact Alexander was a warrior king.
After Alexander and his army turned south on the Indus River, they encountered a warlike clan called the Mali. After building siege weapons and ladders, Alexander’s army attacked the walled city — and Alexander was the first over the walls. He was so far ahead of the rest of his men that he engaged the entire army by himself while his men scrambled to keep up. With an arrow piercing his chest and his lung and a sword in his hand Alexander the Great fought hand-to-hand combat until his men were able to subdue the enemy. I love a warrior king.
Almost 2,300 years later on holy ground that would be called Texas, a general with a righteous cause, raced across the San Jacinto battlefield. Though vastly outnumbered and in broad day light, Sam Houston was so far ahead of the rest of his men that he drew all the fire of the Mexican dictator’s troops. Having two horses shot out from under him, Houston limped towards the enemy with pointed sword yelling, “Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad!”
Sam Houston would soon become the president of the nation of Texas. Though he was a political leader he was also a proven warrior. I love a warrior king.
Being a fairly famous Jesus freak with an ever-growing popularity, I get a lot of letters and e-mail. Most of them cuss me but there are more and more asking me what denomination or nondenominational group I subscribe to.
I am for whatever in Christianity is wimp free.
Sign me up with the Christians who have the guts to be Christians in a day where men act more like women than men. Show me Christians who are not just talking about the love of God, but who are demonstrating it through the hard work it takes to make a difference in somebody’s life. Put me in line with the people who are living proof that God never consults your history before giving you a future.
Real Christians don’t just serve a King. They serve a passionate, warrior King — and those of us who follow Him live a lifetime of learning how to get out of His way and let Him fight like He wants to. Not only is Christ not scared of the battles you and I face, He actually gets excited about the prospect of another glorious scrap. That’s the way our King is, and He is unlike any we have ever seen before. He’s compassionate, ready to serve, approachable and full of mercy, but make no mistake about it — He is a warrior King.
“The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.” — Exodus 15:3
Troy pastors Open Door Ministries near Joshua and can be found at www.opendoorministries.org.
Friday, August 13, 2010
FIGHTING BACK
We all know that in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. But did you know that at the same time he was leaving Spain to find the new world, thousands of Jewish families were leaving Spain to save their lives? On March first 1492 they were kicked out by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of everybody jewish from Spain and its territories by July 31st of that year. From that day forward it was illegal to be a Jew and live in Spain and the law was called the Alhambra Decree. What is even more amazing to me, is the edict was not formally revoked by the Vatican council until December 16th, 1968. Let me say that again, 1968! Something I plan to take up with the Pope when I visit Rome this year.
FAST FORWARD REPEAT
470 years later the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, was interrupted by an event that would be known as the Munich massacre. Members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually murdered by a Muslim terrorist group backed by Yasser Arafat’s Fatah. By the end of the ordeal, the terrorists had killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and 1 West German police officer. Five of the eight terrorists were killed by police officers during a botched rescue attempt. The three surviving terrorists were captured, but later released by limp wristed West Germany following the hijacking of a Lufthansa airliner.
The bodies of the five terrorists killed during the gun battle were delivered to Libya, where they received heroes’ funerals and were buried with full military honors. As Muslim nations throughout the world celebrated the murder of the innocent athletes, King Hussein of Jordan — the only leader of an Arab country to publicly denounce the Olympic attack — called it a "savage crime against civilization… perpetrated by sick minds."
It was an unspeakable injustice.
FAST FORWARD VICTORY
Twenty years later, the 1992 Summer Olympics was held in Barcelona Spain. In contrast to the failures of West Germany, Spain had it’s act together. As expected, it was really an amazing event that you will probably remember if you were around and coherent back in 92. That was the year the “Dream Team” played basketball. The Line up and gold medal winners included names like David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and even Michael Jordan himself.
It was the year that Dereck Redmond tore his hamstring during the 400 yard sprint. He hobbled to a halt, and then fell to the ground. Stretcher bearers made their way over to him, but Redmond decided he wanted to finish the race and he jumped up on his left leg. He began to hobble along the track, when his Dad, Jim Redmond, barged past security and helped his son move forward. Jim and Derek completed the lap of the track together, with Derek leaning on his father's shoulder for support. As they crossed the finish line, the 65,000 crowd rose to give Derek a standing ovation. Remember?
The United States won 108 medals that summer and the nation of Israel, well the nation of Israel won 2, but they were bigger winners than you might think.
See, this was the 20th anniversary of the Munich massacre where Muslims murdered Jews at the olympics. This was also the 500th anniversary of the Alhambra Decree, where Spanish Catholics murdered and cast out Jews for over 450 years. And this was the olympics in Spain. It was at this event, in this location and on these anniversaries that Israel won its very first Olympic medal.
Yael Arad became the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal. She took the silver in, of all things, Judo. The next day, Oren Smadja became Israel's first male medalist, winning a bronze in the same sport.
I think this says something about taking the fight back to the place where you have been defeated. By the grace of God, all of us eventually find our selves on the winning platform in the very places where we have been hatted if we will just keep fighting. Know that God sees you today my friends, and know that if you will keep fighting, by the grace of God, the day will come your enemies will see you blessed.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalms 23:5
Troy pastors Open Door Ministries near Joshua and can be found at www.opendoorministries.org
FAST FORWARD REPEAT
470 years later the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, was interrupted by an event that would be known as the Munich massacre. Members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually murdered by a Muslim terrorist group backed by Yasser Arafat’s Fatah. By the end of the ordeal, the terrorists had killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and 1 West German police officer. Five of the eight terrorists were killed by police officers during a botched rescue attempt. The three surviving terrorists were captured, but later released by limp wristed West Germany following the hijacking of a Lufthansa airliner.
The bodies of the five terrorists killed during the gun battle were delivered to Libya, where they received heroes’ funerals and were buried with full military honors. As Muslim nations throughout the world celebrated the murder of the innocent athletes, King Hussein of Jordan — the only leader of an Arab country to publicly denounce the Olympic attack — called it a "savage crime against civilization… perpetrated by sick minds."
It was an unspeakable injustice.
FAST FORWARD VICTORY
Twenty years later, the 1992 Summer Olympics was held in Barcelona Spain. In contrast to the failures of West Germany, Spain had it’s act together. As expected, it was really an amazing event that you will probably remember if you were around and coherent back in 92. That was the year the “Dream Team” played basketball. The Line up and gold medal winners included names like David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and even Michael Jordan himself.
It was the year that Dereck Redmond tore his hamstring during the 400 yard sprint. He hobbled to a halt, and then fell to the ground. Stretcher bearers made their way over to him, but Redmond decided he wanted to finish the race and he jumped up on his left leg. He began to hobble along the track, when his Dad, Jim Redmond, barged past security and helped his son move forward. Jim and Derek completed the lap of the track together, with Derek leaning on his father's shoulder for support. As they crossed the finish line, the 65,000 crowd rose to give Derek a standing ovation. Remember?
The United States won 108 medals that summer and the nation of Israel, well the nation of Israel won 2, but they were bigger winners than you might think.
See, this was the 20th anniversary of the Munich massacre where Muslims murdered Jews at the olympics. This was also the 500th anniversary of the Alhambra Decree, where Spanish Catholics murdered and cast out Jews for over 450 years. And this was the olympics in Spain. It was at this event, in this location and on these anniversaries that Israel won its very first Olympic medal.
Yael Arad became the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal. She took the silver in, of all things, Judo. The next day, Oren Smadja became Israel's first male medalist, winning a bronze in the same sport.
I think this says something about taking the fight back to the place where you have been defeated. By the grace of God, all of us eventually find our selves on the winning platform in the very places where we have been hatted if we will just keep fighting. Know that God sees you today my friends, and know that if you will keep fighting, by the grace of God, the day will come your enemies will see you blessed.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalms 23:5
Troy pastors Open Door Ministries near Joshua and can be found at www.opendoorministries.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
