Why Do People End Their Prayers With Amen? - Ask the Pastor

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastors features Gary Hashley, Tim Hebbert and Brad Kilthau.

Brad Kilthau
We've got a question before us that might seem very simplistic, but I think it's something that we obviously need to talk about. And the question is just simply this, "Why do people end their prayers with amen?" You would think that maybe we would just know this, but when you start thinking about it and understanding where some folks come from in the church, maybe we do need to talk about this a little bit. Because you know, everyone's familiar with the word, 'amen,' but are they familiar with what it means and why we really use it at the end of our prayers? Some thoughts that I put together on this question is: I believe that a lot of people just believe it's a mere ritual in the church. You know, that's the way the church has always finished the prayers. That's the way we're gonna finish them; with 'amen.' And then there are other people I believe, that think that it's kind of a majestic type of word. In other words, "if I use this word, 'amen,' then I can kind of get a little twist towards what I want out of this prayer." And so, let me just share a few thoughts before I turn it over to you Gary. But, you know, 'amen' is really a universally recognized word, but it's a whole lot more significant than just, "I'm signing off." I always think about the Looney Tunes, you know, "That's all folks!" You know? And I think for a lot of people, that's what 'amen' means, "That's all I'm done, I'm done with my prayer." But when you really study the word, 'amen,' you find that you can use the word 'amen' a lot in your prayer, through the prayer. And it's an effective way of really saying, "may it be in accordance with the will of God." In fact, to me, it's a marvelous reminder that any discussion on prayer must begin with the understanding that prayer is to bring us in conformity with God's will. It's not, we put 'amen' at the end so that we can ensure that God will give us our will, it's always to be the Lord's will when we pray. And when you look at the word, 'amen,' another thing that sometimes, I think we don't see and understand, is that 'amen' is a direct reference to Jesus Himself; the one who taught us how to pray. I think about the Lord's prayer, as it says in Matthew 6, "Jesus taught us to pray this way: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." And then notice how Jesus ended that prayer and how He taught us how to pray, "Amen," okay? So what was Jesus saying? Jesus was saying, "This is really about me," because when you go to Revelation 3, you actually find that the title 'amen,' actually refers to Jesus Himself. It says, "Jesus is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation," in Revelation 3:14. So, Jesus not only taught us to pray and to ask for the Lord's will by saying 'amen' at the end of our prayers, but He modeled it in His life. We're coming into the Easter celebration, good Friday and so forth, and we remember when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and He was praying passionately. And remember how He prayed in Matthew 26:39, He said, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will," Jesus finished His prayer with an 'amen.' "As your will is Lord," He was saying to His father, "as your will is." And when we look at this, you know, Jesus is our greatest example about using this 'amen,' referring to Him in our prayers, referring to the will of the Father with our prayers. But we also see, of course, when we look at some of the writers of the New Testament, His brother James. When he told the church to stop bragging about and boasting about what you're gonna get done in a day he said, "Maybe you oughta say this in prayer, 'if it is the Lord's will, then I will do this.' In other words, he started the prayer with an 'amen.' "Amen Lord, is this your will that I will get this accomplished in my day?" And then we think about his closest friend, John. In his earthly ministry, the apostle John actually said this, he said, "This is the confidence that we have when approaching God, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears." There's the 'amen' again. It's not a ritualistic thing, it's asking for the will of the father. And so Gary, I'm gonna turn it over to you. Is there some more thoughts we could have on this, word 'amen' in our prayers?

Gary Hashley
Well, you people out there in Radioland don't realize that Brad does a lot of the legwork for us to get ready for this. From the standpoint of, he takes the questions that we've been given or we come up with and then he kind of breaks it down and, "Okay, Tim's gonna start and he's gonna cover this part and then I'll step in and then Brad will close whatever." And he put something down for me that really got me thinking. I mean, I've been doing this pastor thing for 40 years now, and he said, "Gary continues with the link between amen and obedience." And, you know, I sat and I thought, 'what does he mean by the link between amen and obedience?' And the more I thought about it, the more, you know, we do Brad, we think about 'amen' like the end of a book. Where the author's done and says 'the end,' as if amen is God's version of the end. In fact, the very last word of our Bible, the very last word of the book of Revelation is the word 'amen.' And it's not saying, "Okay, we've reached the end." As you've said, he's saying, "So be it, this is the way it is, this is the truth." And so this thought of, a link between the word amen and obedience, I realize that saying 'amen' to God is acknowledging a few things. It's acknowledging: He's God and I'm not (I think that's part of it), You are God, and I'm not, He has the authority to declare what's right, and what's wrong, and I'm gonna submit and I'm going to carefully obey. And as I did some research, Brad got my mind going here, I never claim to know it all, and so I'm learning all the time, I found myself in Deuteronomy 27.

Gary Hashley
Where Moses and the elders of Israel are going to take the people and they are going to have, basically a service together in a sense. And the Levites are going to make some statements, and the people are to say "Amen," or "Okay, we're on board, we'll obey." For instance, it says, "cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image. An abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of craftsman and sets it up in secret, and all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen." In other words, "Okay, we'll do that. We won't make idols." The next one, "Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother, and all the people shall say, 'amen." I mean, doesn't God say, "Don't make graven images?" Okay, doesn't God say, "honor your father and mother?" The next one, "Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor's landmark." In other words, "you don't cheat property lines." The people say, 'amen;' okay, we'll fall in line with that. Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road, and all the people shall say, 'amen;' okay, we'll obey that one. Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice, due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. And all the people say, 'amen,' okay we'll submit to that. Cursed be anyone who lies with his father's wife, because he's uncovered his father's nakedness, the people answer 'amen." And so you go down, "Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret, and the people say, 'amen." One pastor in a message said, "Moses speaks to the people, as he's about to take charge he says, 'you are about to become God's chosen people and make sure that you follow his commands.' And the people said, 'Amen, we'll follow His commands." So he says, "What's the conclusion? Amen is not just a word. Rather, it is a decision we make to follow God." So to say, 'amen' is saying, "Okay God, you're in charge, okay God, you make the rules, okay God, you deserve me to obey, okay God, I'm going to choose to follow your direction and guidance and leading in my life." So really there is a connection, Brad, I didn't think about it prior to now, but there is a connection to, 'amen' is saying, "God, your will not my will." But how many of us pray and we believe if we say, "In Jesus name," we get points towards what we want? And if we say, 'amen,' we get more points towards what we want as opposed to, God says, "make our request known," but in the end we say, "Amen, God, whatever you want, and I'm on board, I will submit to what you have for me to do." So, yeah, 'amen,' we can say it so mindlessly. In fact, we can say the whole Lord's prayer, we call it, mindlessly. But when we think about what we're saying, we're saying, "Okay God, you're God, I'm not God. You're in charge, I'm not. God, if you say so, that's the way it is." I remember when Gaither came out with the song, God said it, and I believe it, and that settles it for me. My mom, when she was alive, said, "No, God said it and that settles it. Whether I believe it or not." And so 'amen' is basically saying, "God, you are God. I submit." So Tim, the ball's in your court.

Tim Hebbert
You know, I'm sitting here listening to both of you guys, cause I'm going to the, almost the same exact places. We we're trying to approach this word from different angles, yet we come up with the same conclusion every time. Amen, one of the things, and both of you touched on it a little bit. I fear at times it's become one of those throwaway words in the Christian culture. And I hate to say this, but because lots of our folks, and I've been guilty of it in my past too, "Praying for you." Well, that sounds good, but that means I got to do what I'm saying that I was gonna do. But it becomes one of those automatic responses that we have, "Amen," and I'm guilty of this in a sermon, I'll make a point and I'll say, "amen?" and I'm trying to get agreement with people. Well, you know what, that's really not what that was for, "Oh amen! So be it." So, what does that mean to me in terms of, how do we link that word to praise and worship? I think the word 'amen' is a position of the heart, "So be it." And both of you brought up the Lord's prayer and I had in my notes to bring the Lord's prayer up, "Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." So be it, "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So be it. Every one of those statements in that prayer that Jesus is taking the time to teach us how to pray, how to position the heart when we pray. How we approach coming into communion with our heavenly father, every time we make a statement with it, it should end with an 'amen' or with a, 'so be it,' because that's just my heart position Lord. As Gary, you said, "You're in charge, I'm nothing more than a follower. Whatever path you take me down, so be it, I'll follow that path. Whatever thing you've called me to do, so be it, I'm there to do that." But don't you think praise and worship begin with a heart of obedience? We can't really worship the Lord unless our heart is positioned in that place of obedience. That you are who you say you are, you are the all in all. And so when we use that word flippantly, or as a prayer, it's okay as a prayer and folks don't get me wrong. But what I'm saying today is, what's the position of your heart? Is your heart in a place where you always are saying to the Lord, "So be it. Whatever you want, that's what I want. Whatever your will is, that's what I crave in my life. It's not about me, it's always about you." I want to end with this passage from 1 Chronicles, and just to set it up, David is in the process that brought the ark in. And it's in a place of importance, and now it's time to celebrate and he begins to pray. What my Bible says, "The David's song of Praise," but he's basically worshiping God in a sense complete heart position of holiness. Wanting to get as close to the Lord as he can get. Starting with verse 30, this is chapter 16 of 1 Chronicles, in each one of these sentences I could say amen to, "Let all the earth tremble before him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken." So be it, "let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice. Tell all the nations, 'the Lord reigns," amen. "Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise," so be it. "Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy," amen. "Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth," so be it Lord. "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good," that's a double 'amen.' Amen and Amen. "His faithful love endures forever. Cry out, 'Save us oh God of our salvation," amen. "Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you," so be it. "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel who lives from everlasting to everlasting," amen. And the passage ends by all the people shouted, "Amen!" Praise the Lord. So where's your heart position today?

Honoring our Heroes at Cross Reference Library

Taking the High Ground - This book will make you even more proud to be an American! This powerful collection of stories captures the essence Americans’ response in the heat of adversity: a new patriotism and a groundswell of faith-searching, made even more relevant in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks. Taking the High Ground, by Col. Jeff O’Leary, provides uplifting accounts of God’s intervention in the lives of military people, on and off the battlefield, from the American Revolution to Desert Storm. It pays tribute to men and women from all branches of the military—ordinary people who have served their nation and God with extraordinary honor, courage and faith. High Ground captures the faith that has made America a light to the nations. And these true stories are certain to shine hope and strength for all who read it, especially in times such as these. 

Grace Under Fire - The book of its kind, Grace Under Fire is an inspiring and spiritual collection of letters and emails by U.S. troops and their families from the American Revolution through the War on Terrorism. Andrew Carroll, editor of the best-selling War Letters, went through his massive archive of seventy-five thousand previously unpublished wartime correspondences to pick out some of the most intimate, dramatic, historic, and insightful letters and emails ever written about faith. The fifty best of these are featured in this incredible book, and they emphasize how extremely important a belief in God has been, and continues to be, in the lives of U.S. troops and their families. What is especially remarkable about Grace Under Fire is the sheer diversity of the collection, which includes several extraordinary letters by two brothers who fought on opposing sides of the Civil War; a harrowing account by a WWII soldier who survived being on a ship that was torpedoed; a surprising pen pal correspondence between a Marine who fought in Desert Storm and a woman who wrote to him simply to boost his morale—and then fell in love with him; and a profound and impassioned reply to the timeless question “Where is God in wartime?” by a doctor serving in Iraq.  

A Table in the Presence - As a chaplain to the Marines, Lieutenant Carey Cash heard the muttered prayers for courage from the thousand-plus men of the “Fightin’ Fifth,” the first ground force to cross Iraqi borders during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also heard their tear-filled prayers when one of their most beloved leaders became the war’s first American casualty. But more than anything, he heard prayers for protection, whispered by each Marine as the battalion moved into the presence of enemies. On April 10, 2003, the last Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment marched into downtown Baghdad to seize Saddam Hussein’s presidential palace, only to find themselves ambushed by militants hiding in mosques, storefronts, and homes. Hundreds of troops were caught face to face with a blitz of rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), gunfire, and sure defeat. Yet their reports tell a different story: a rocket splicing its way through an armored vehicle packed with marines hits no one; a Marine finds a bullet’s entrance and exit holes in his helmet, yet he has no injury; a squad of Marines watch in amazement as their enemies prepare to fire from point-blank range, then pause and drop their weapons, running away in terror; RPG, fired from only a few yards away, inexplicably swerves and misses its intended target. When the smoke of the April 10th battle cleared, only one American had lost his life. Not one Marine could deny God’s protection, not only on this day but in the months that led up to this moment as well. From a spiritual revival in the desert of Northern Kuwait, to miraculous escapes from death, to baptizing a Marine in Saddam Hussein’s palace, Lieutenant Cash recounts the remarkable events of this powerful story of God’s faithfulness.

Thank you to all of the men and women who have fought for our country. Your courage and bravery has not gone unnoticed. Through these three books, the authors illustrate that courage for their readers, giving them a behind-the-scenes look into the wonderful faith that helped push many of our soldiers through. So come on down to Cross Reference Library and check out these profound books!

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus…Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

—2 Timothy 2:1, 3

How Do We Discern The Will Of God? - Ask the Pastor

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastor Ben Poole

Ben Poole
So, last week I was asked, knowing there was just gonna be me today, and with everything going on in my life, (leaving the area, moving, and kind of uprooting our family) I was asked to talk about what it looks like and how we discern the will of God in our life. That's really a huge topic, but I think one that is so incredibly important for the Christians, especially in today's world. We have so much going on in the political realm and you have Christians on both sides of the aisle saying, "This is right and this is wrong," or "this is right and this is wrong." And we have the political climate, we have our kids in schools and the things they're learning, and I mean, there's so many things. And at the same time, we are trying to live our life according to God's word. Trying to do what's right, to live right, and there's so many things in society and culture that are pulling us in one direction or another. It's interesting, being pastors we, I guess I should just speak for myself, becoming a Christian really was kind of a natural thing for me. I struggled with it, but there was more natural, because I was raised in the church. My parents were in leadership, Sunday school teachers, my dad was an elder. I mean, all of these things, it was just sort of a natural thing for me. But for a lot of my friends who didn't grow up with that, it was kind of crazy. And then to become a pastor, really kind of in some ways begins to build a wall between my friends and even some family members who aren't Christians. And it's kind of a battle, and you look at it like, "Okay, if I'm supposed to be living my life out with God and sharing Him, why is there a wall being built between us? Why is it becoming more difficult to reach people?" And man, there's so many things that go into that. And I think I've shared this before, but nearly 30 years have gone by and I have one of my close friends I grew up with, is starting now making his walk towards Christ. And I don't take credit for it, I give that all to God and now God has worked that out. But I look back and all those questions I've asked, but I've stayed faithful to God, and that has been the thing that has really made change in other people's lives. And it might not make sense in the moment to do what God wants me to do, but God's down the road, He knows what's coming, we just need to be faithful. And so, I wanna talk about this a little bit today, but I really want to look at it beyond my thoughts. I want us to look first at the scriptures to see what God's word says to some degree on this topic, because so really the root questions: what is God's will for us? What is the underlying, you know, what's the meaning of life? Where do we find this? And it really comes down to, what we see in the Old Testament, and Jesus even talks about it when He's asked, "What is the greatest commandment? And Jesus says, 'Well, it's to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it: to love your neighbor as yourself.' These wrap up and complete all the law and the prophets." I mean, that is the foundation. Okay, listen to that. That is the ultimate will of God, is that we would love Him, and we would love people. If that is what we only hear today, just hear that: the will of God at its greatest foundational moment is to love God and to love people. If we do that, if we live that out in our lives, and our daily walk with Him, every single thing that's left will work itself out. Now it's not saying that we should be negligent of what God has called us to, but if that's where we need to start, that's the best place to start is: am I loving God? Am I loving people? There's some other passages I wanted to talk to you about as well. First one comes from 1 Corinthians 2, Paul's writing to a church that is struggling with their identity and the call that they've had. They're struggling with sin in the church and allowing sin to continue. And so God's imparting wisdom through Paul to this church, and I wanna read from 1 Corinthians 2, starting in verse six. "We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began." And he continues on, but there's a really pertinent point that I want to really take to heart as a Christian in verse 15, "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment for who has known the mind of the Lord, that He may instruct him?" And the end of verse 16, "but we have the mind of Christ." As Christians, we're not left alone to our own devices, thank God for that! Through God's holy spirit and the work in us, our minds are not even our own. We have been given the mind of Christ. I mean, think about that. Oftentimes we don't talk about the spiritual side of things in the Western world. It's what I can do with my senses, what I see, the feel, the touch, the smell, the hear, right?

Ben Poole
Things need to be tangible, but God is not just tangible, He's spirit, and He works in us and He has given us the mind of Christ. Another passage comes from Philippians 4, when Paul's writing to this church and it was a great encouraging letter. He's talking about, in verse 17, "So I tell you this and insist on it in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do." Those were, essentially the unsaved, is how he was talking, "in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality. So as to indulge in every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more." And this is where it turns, "you, however, Christians, do not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. To be made new in the attitude of your minds, put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." And so he's telling us, when we became Christians, that old me, the old Ben had to die, had to cease to exist, to put on the new self. I am not who I was, and that has to be true for us if we're going to follow the will of God. That we have to die to ourselves, Jesus even says in one of His gospels, "if you're gonna follow me, you need to take up your cross daily." Everyday, we have to choose to die to let God be the one who truly leads us in our life. Another one that Paul writes about is in Colossians 3, "Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and you've put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised, or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. And as you sing Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, the father through him." I live for passages like these, for these words in my life. So what does all this have to do with discerning the will of God? Well, it's actually really simple. If I had woken up today, and I had chosen to die to myself and follow God. To focus on these things, to rid my life of that old nature: the struggles, the sins, and to get rid of those out of my life and I can follow God. I believe that every choice I make in following Christ through my daily walk is going to be living out the will of God. A lot of that comes with freedom. We are not stuck in a loop of, this is just what we do now, but God has given us a great freedom to choose how we're going to serve Christ. And that can look in a lot of different ways. So for me, I have the heart of a pastor, I love being a pastor, but what is that gonna look like? Well, it's not going to be, in the near future it's not going to be serving in a church only. Or in that just being part of what I do, but it's investing in people who've entered into hospice care, who are reaching the end of their physical life. And I get to reach into that in a special way with the person who's about to die, but also their entire family that's there. And I get to share Christ and live out my life for Him, and some have talked about, "well, how did you know that's where you needed to go?" It was one of two times in my entire life where God opened up one door. I always ask when I'm coming up to a change in life or a move, "God, is this what you want me to do?" And oftentimes, pretty much every other time, except two times, there's always been multiple doors that I could walk through. And it was sort of frustrating, but when you realize it's kind of a gift from God, He's saying, "you can do this, this, or this, and I'm gonna bless either one or each one. No matter which one you choose, I'm gonna walk with you and I'm gonna bless you through this. You get to choose," and that's what I've done. A lot of times, it's through a lot of great counsel from people, Christian mentors that I have. Obviously through tons of prayer, talking about all of this with my spouse, my wife, even my kids and my parents. And just getting a lot of people involved, especially in the prayer side of things to let God lead. The one thing that I did, especially this time was, I asked God, "if this is not what you want me to do, if you do not want this to happen close that door. Because to be completely honest with you, I have no desire to leave the valley. I have no desire to live in Missouri because I hate humidity, it does not do well with me. But God opened up this one door, and so I chose to honor Him with the call He has put on my life, not just as a pastor, but as a Christian. to walk faithfully through that door. And I'll be honest, there are things that I feel like I need answers to, these questions that I have, and God has not given me the answers, not yet. But what I have seen through this is, every step of the way when something needed to be done or a certain time had to be met, every single thing has worked perfectly. I mean, God has just opened up this door, and so I say all this to kind of wrap it up to tell you, "Follow Christ, read His word, love God, love people, and God's gonna work out the rest in His perfect way and His perfect timing. And on the other side of it, when we answer to God and He says, "will you go?" Treat it like Isaiah did, "Here I am; send me." And then walk through that door. Don't look back, just go and I promise you will see God do some of the most amazing things. But follow Him, read His word, trust Him that He has your best interest in mind. That may not look right in the world's eyes, but trust Him and let Him do the leading and then just follow Him and walk through the door. This is such a huge topic, and I know that this can go into so many different directions. But that's just my encouragement for you is, you are not who you were. You have been bought with a price by the blood of Jesus, and He is not going to leave you hanging out to dry. He's going to lead you. We just have to be prepared to say, "Yes, I will go."

Celebrating the Graduating Classes of 2022!

Promises for Graduates - For every graduate, God offers direction, peace, and wisdom for the new road ahead. In this collection of inspirational verses taken from the New International Version Bible, over 1,500 Scriptures arranged into 130 topics such as guidance, prayer, and courage remind graduates of His promises. 

The Right to Lead - Renowned business writer and motivational speaker John C. Maxwell shares insight on what it takes to be a leader. The Right To Lead is a character study of outstanding men and women throughout history, focusing on the qualities that are consistent in the lives of these great leaders. An ideal follow-up to Success: One Day at a Time. Perfect for graduation, Father's Day, or as a year-round gift for business and church leaders.

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It’s that time of year again! For those high school seniors to walk across that stage with confidence, knowing that they are about to take that next big step that’ll impact the rest of their lives. For some, there is no doubt in their minds what exactly they are going to do once they graduate. But for many, the pressure of choosing a future occupation feels easier said than done. They may feel discouraged or alone in their decision making. In these three books, graduates are reminded that these next big decisions are not too big for God. He has such great plans for that next step in all of our lives, graduating or not. So, even if you don’t reach that unspoken dream tomorrow, just remember that the Lord is cheering you on because He knows that you are getting closer to where you're supposed to be. 

There are far, far greater things ahead than you will ever leave behind.

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Intergenerational Ministry - Ask the Pastor

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastors Kiley Callaway, John Mulholland, and Jon Simpson.

Kylie Calloway
So, we were talking before getting ready, and John Mulholland just went to the what conference?

John Mulholland
D-6 Conference.

Kylie Calloway
D-6 Conference in Florida, on Intergenerational Ministry. So we just found that very intriguing. So we actually began to question him, and that's how we we're developing our topic today. So tell us a little bit, first of all, about the conference, and what this intergenerational thing even means.

John Mulholland
Sure. So D-6 is, I think they've been around for, I wanna say 15 years. D-6 is based on Deuteronomy 6. So, and I'll just, the part where they really get their--

Kylie Calloway
John, would you read that?

John Mulholland
I would read that, I will read that. The Israelites have left Egypt, have left slavery in Egypt. They're on their way to the promise land, sort of, before they take their 40 year wandering thing, and God through Moses is giving instructions about what's gonna happen. So Deuteronomy 6:4-9, "Listen, Oh Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I'm giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you're at home and when you're on the road, when you're going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." So D-6, this is like their foundational text of, it's the role of believers. In this case, it would've been the role of good Jews, because that's where, you know, we flow through the Bible. It would be the role of good Christians to pass along the faith to the next generation. Some things that they really find, I guess, find as values; that parents have priority in discipleship. The church is there to come alongside, the church has a role, but it's an equipping role. It's a support role, it's those kinds of things. But the main purpose of the conference is to talk about what it looks like to have a church, to have a faith that is intergenerational in nature, that's passing on that faith to the next generation. But intergenerational, it's not just one way, it's not just going down to the next generation, but it's also, you know, as a person who is in my, I think I'm Gen X, this is a lot of things that we talked about. Like how, not only are people, (I guess boomers) passing on faith to me, but what am I doing in their discipleship? So it's intergenerational, it's not one way, but that discipleship piece flows both ways.

Kylie Calloway
I love that. I actually did my master's thesis on that scripture of family ministry back in the day, more than 15 years ago. But I love that the parents are the main disciples in the home and not the church, and that as the kids come, we should just be capitalizing on what's already taking place in the house.

John Mulholland
Right, and it deals with how, as a church, we set up programming, and I mean, there's probably a million things that we could talk about over the next three and a half sessions. But, just like trying to help, trying to switch that from, you know, we live in a culture where we're constantly looking for the expert to do the thing that either we can't do for ourselves or we don't want to do for ourselves. So our culture, I think makes it easy to hand off roles and responsibilities to other people. And how do we help the church not continue to facilitate that handoff, but to give that role and responsibility back to parents? And we took all of our pastors, all of our wives went as well. We have two new pastors at Westway, one of them is in that family ministry slot. So it was a really good piece, not only for him as he's developing and learning in his role and his responsibility at our particular church, but also from a big picture standpoint. Cause this is not like, at least at Westway, family ministries is not just the job of Zane as our pastor of family ministries. But each one of our pastors, whether it's on the creative arts side or the adult side, or even on me, like each one of us need to be brought into that intergenerational piece. Cause then we're just doing the exact same thing that we don't want to do, but we're just doing it in the church and just saying, "No, that's your job to do this thing," but it's really all of our jobs. So it was an awesome, it was a great week to be able to get away and spend time with our team in Florida.

Kylie Calloway
So the amazing thing is, before you even went to this conference, God was already working in you about intergenerational ministry. And I think it's amazing as the senior pastor or the lead pastor, whatever you wanna call yourself there, and then as the family pastor, that he actually is up under somebody that is bought into this, because a family pastor would want to just be kind of an island unto himself. So tell us a little bit about what the Lord was dealing with in you about intergenerational ministry and how kind of all this came together.

John Mulholland
Sure. So I was late to ministry in life, I guess I was in the marketplace, I had a real job outside of ministry. And then, over a period of time, I just felt like God was calling me into ministry. So in 2000, 2005, I'd gone back to school, started working at a church in Eastern Iowa as their student minister. And I had a really great first ministry experience, and I had a wonderful lead pastor. And about three years in, that youth ministry had begun to shift in. So I was there for six and a half years, about three years in, we began to notice that we had more unchurched kids coming into our ministry than we had church kids. And it wasn't that we were necessarily losing church kids, but we were reaching unchurched people. And I don't know that there was one particular thing that happened, but one of the things that we noticed, especially with these kids who were unchurched was, you know, like we had them at youth group or we had them on Sunday morning in our Sunday morning ministry. There were a lot of times where it felt like what was taking place was, like, not gospel transformation, but sort of behavior management. Like, we could as a church, sort of control what was happening in our building, but then for many of these kids, cause over a period of time, we got to know their life situation, and many of them came from very dysfunctional home lives. And again, I don't know if it was one thing, but there was a switch kind of, at some point. It was like, you know, "If all we're doing," I mean, "we can proclaim the gospel to them and God is absolutely faithful and God's gonna do what He wants in that hour or that two hours a week." And we did see evidence of transformation and at the same time, it's like, we can do all of these things, but at the end of youth group we're sending kids back home into this, whatever this dysfunctional environment is, or after Sunday morning. And at that point it was kind of like, "Well, what we really need to be doing is, we need to figure out a way to get their parents," like that's as good and beneficial as it is to minister these kids and disciple these kids. And I believe those things are true 100%. The real, I guess, the real long-term change was gonna happen when we could reach the family unit. And that began, so that was like, I wanna say that was 2008, 2009. So that's like a 14, 15 year kind of journey for me then of, what does it look like to try and reach families? And I mean, that caused all sorts of inner turmoil, not only in me, because I had to be honest and think about what I was doing in my student ministry. Like, if I believed that parents were the primary disciple makers of children, like, what systems and structures was I setting up that were the opposite of that? Like, you know, I had this belief system and there were so many things that I was doing that are like, "Well, I really don't believe that, because...Like, I'm doing these things and they're unintentionally hindering that handoff back to parents." We had parents who, you know, at the same time were bringing a lot of unchurched kids into our ministry, and we didn't have a lot of parents who felt this way, but we had, I would say we had some who didn't want their kids exposed to that other element of kids that were coming in. And that was a challenge. I think as three senior pastors, lead pastors, whatever you wanna call us, I think we probably experienced that from people within our own, like adults in our church body, you know? We wanna make like, what's the element that we're letting in, we don't wanna keep those people out. I know we would never say those things, but kind of in the back of our minds. So, when I would have those conversations, it was like, "Well, what would it look like then, if you discipled your children at home, they came to youth group and interacted with and discipled those kids that you don't want your kids hanging out with? And then we, as a church could focus our ministry on equipping you to disciple your children and then being a--" who was it, Spurgeon that said, 'a hospital at the gates of hell,' "then we can then serve our function as being a hospital for people who had no idea who Jesus is." So then I'm not worried about like, and that sounds strange, but I'm gonna just let that sit. I'm not worried about like, it's not my job to disciple a kid who knows Jesus in a family that knows Jesus, because that's the parent's job. So I can equip you, I can serve you, I still want to edify them, I still want them to come to youth group and learn and grow. But what I really want them to do is to love and serve people who don't know Jesus and befriend them, and then hopefully get those kids into your house. Those unchurched kids into your house so they can see, you know, what the faithful Christian life looks like. So that was, I think that was really step one and I know we're coming up on our time, so I think I wanna stop cause like, there are obviously a number of things that happened after this, but initially it was a shift of man. We have these kids in for an hour a week and I'm really concerned that like, again, God can do whatever He wants to with an hour a week, and I'm really concerned that what we're doing, as good as it might be, and when we see fruit from it, we're thankful for that. I think we can be more faithful to what God calls us to be.

Jon Simpson
Yeah, you're talking about getting the church on mission and encouraging, not just the adults, but the families to reach out and be able to reach others. And that's really key for the church in America to accomplish what we're called to do. I think we hear a lot about people leaving the church. And through COVID that's accelerated and even been amplified. So it's like, you know, getting discipleship, which is really what you're talking about in a sense, it's discipling parents so that they're able to disciple their kids. And what have we done as a church? Or are we doing things like you were saying, to short circuit that, or even say to parents, "Hey, no, no, no, you can't do that. We'll do that. We've got it."

John Mulholland
Yeah. Bring your kids here. We've got it.

Jon Simpson
We'll take care of it. And that really is an attitude that as a youth pastor, I started a youth ministry. I wanted to handle it. And maybe part of it is cause you were older when you started doing stuff, but you had a little more insight into that. It took me a while to figure some of that stuff out and go, oh boy. You know, honestly, to see kids that were really a part of my youth group and leaders and then they leave, go off to college and it just falls apart and you're like what happened? And obviously that's a constant battle for anybody that ministers to young people. But yeah, if we can get the kids to grab it and grow.

What's New at Cross Reference Library? What God Knows About Us.

On Purpose -  Many Christian women are torn between how the church has taught traditional gender roles and the liberty they see secular society afford to women. But what if the church's conventional teachings on the place of women aren't really biblical at all? On Purpose is a serious study on the verses in the Bible that have often been interpreted to define the role of women in the church, at home, and in the workplace. Each chapter focuses on a single passage, considering what it meant to the original recipients, understanding each author’s intent, and applying its true meaning in today's cultural setting. With each chapter, Julie Coleman thoroughly reveals how the timeless principles in the Bible actually teach freedom for women. In fact, when rightly understood, these verses are a wake-up call that we are handicapping the church's role on earth by limiting women unnecessarily. Instead, men and women should be working side by side for the advancement of the kingdom of God. Written without anger or judgment, and with no agenda but to delve deep into the Bible, On Purpose is an enlightening study offering a fresh, scriptural perspective. It's time to set women free to answer God's call on their lives--and set the church free to function the way God truly desires.

Gay Girl, Good God - “I used to be a lesbian.” In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless, experienced gender confusion, embraced both masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could? At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel. Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new. 

Country Soul - A wounded warrior who found wholeness in Christ…A coal miner’s daughter who met Jesus in a West Virginia holler…A horse whisperer who speaks healing to animals and humans. Through powerful real-life stories like these, along with stunning photography, horse farmer Cara Whitney—wife of “Larry the Cable Guy” Dan Whitney—reminds us that we never have to face our struggles alone. Each story in Country Soul draws us back to a God who cares for our smallest needs and deepest longings, reminding us of His promise to never let us go.

What does God know about us? Well, the answer to that is simple: He knows absolutely everything about every single one of us on this planet. And while I am sure that most of you know that, this week we are reminded through these new books that in today’s society it is easy to feel lost and neglected in this world. Gay Girl, Good God is one of those examples, as author Jackie Hill Perry walks us through her journey toward faith. Jackie faced lots of obstacles in order to get to where she is today, such as multiple forms of abuse and identity confusion. But God knew Jackie. From the moment He formed her in her mother’s womb and even up to the moment when she asked Him to be a part of her life. “Though accomplished through sinful lusts, He had given me to her. He was forming me in her womb. Unbeknownst to her, He had chosen me before the foundation of the world to know Him. And no one—not my mother, my father, or even me—would get in His way,” as said by Jackie Hill Perry in Gay Girl, Good God. Another new book that was added to our collection is, Country Soul by Cara Whitney, wife of “Larry the Cable Guy.” Through this book, Cara uses her love for horses and writing to encourage those who feel alone, such as: “God wants each of us to be exactly who we are—the special, one-of-a-kind person He created us to be.” We find quotes like that and so many more within the pages of Country Soul. In On Purpose, author Julie Coleman addresses how women are portrayed in the Bible, and how women today can use that as a way to push past the things that are holding them back. So, some of you might be wondering why I titled today’s post, “What God Knows About Us.” Well, I guess when I started to skim through each of these new books, I started to realize something very similar between them. Each author is trying to connect with the reader in a specific way, reaching out to women in the church, those who are experiencing identity confusion, and just anyone out there who needs to read words of encouragement. But they all commonly have this concept: You are not alone. God knows who you are, and He knows every amazing little detail about you. When you stumble and nobody seems to notice, there is always One who notices that moment of pain and vulnerability, and He loves you so much. So come on down to the Cross Reference Library and check out these eye-opening books.

How are People Meant to Pray?

- Pray Directly to God

- Pray Only to God

- Pray Openly and Honestly

Pray Directly to God

Prayer is an amazing privilege. The fact that we can come to the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega, the all-seeing, all-powerful God and talk to Him as if talking to a loving parent is…truly mind blowing. 

But it begs the question: why? Why is an all-powerful being willing to spend time listening to our problems?

The answer is simple, He loves us. God loves us, and He wants a relationship with us.

Prayer is an integral part of having a relationship with God; it is how we communicate with Him.

This relationship with God has been made possible through the work Jesus did on the cross.

Art by Lars Justinen

Hebrews 10:1-23 (NLT) “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, ‘You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures.’

First, Christ said, ‘You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them’ (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will.’ He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says, ‘This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ Then he says, ‘I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.’ And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

Pray Only to God

There are some belief systems which would try to tell us that we have to petition other beings to talk to God for us. 

But why would we ask others to talk to God when God not only allows us to talk directly to Him, He wants to hear directly from us.

The God of the Bible is real, He hears, and He answers.

“Praying in the Garden” by Kip-Decker

Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

1 John 5:14 (NIV) “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

When we pray it does not land at the feet of beings who cannot help or do not care to help. The Prophet Elijah demonstrated this difference between the God of the Bible and others when he challenged the Prophets of Baal  (1 Kings 18:20-40). And the Bible repeatedly talks about how foolish it is to pray to anything besides God, Himself.

Jeremiah 10:3-16 (ESV) “For the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.

There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood!  Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are all the work of skilled men. But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

Thus shall you say to them: ‘The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’ It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name.”

Pray Openly and Honestly

Praying is just like communicating in any other relationship. It's as easy as thinking and talking. 

Prayer not only gives God the opportunity to respond to us by answering prayers, but prayer also changes those who pray. It reminds us to think of God throughout the day, and when we are God-conscious as individuals, our behavior is different than if we rarely think about God.

Be open and honest, God already knows the secret parts of our hearts anyway. We need to talk with Him honestly, acknowledging the truth of what we think and feel in order to properly work through stuff with God. This builds a stronger relationship between us.

Don't worry about wording things perfectly in prayer. God will even help us with our weaknesses in prayer.

Romans 8:26-27 (ESV) “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

God won't misunderstand or pretend to misunderstand what it is we need and are asking for. God loves us and will help us in ways we cannot even think to pray for. He will answer our prayers by giving us what we need and what is best for us. 

Luke 11:9-13 (ESV) “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

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You can download a free printout of this information by going to our “Free Material” Page and clicking on “Prayer Tract”.

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This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

Click here for more stuff written by Amanda Hovseth.

What Does Serving Christ Look Like? - Ask the Pastor

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastors Ben Poole and Gary Schick.

Ben Poole
So, yeah, talking about serving Christ and what that looks like. Being pastors, it kind of comes with the territory of, serving Christ is kind of our life. But our listeners, you guys out there, are not all pastors. And so what's that gonna look like for you? Not everybody was meant to be a pastor. You know, the scriptures teach about the different gifts that people have, that some should be teachers, some should be leaders, but not everybody. And so what's that gonna look like beyond what happens on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night, or just what happens at the church building? What does it look like to serve Christ?

Gary Schick
Well, and our larger topic is spiritual disciplines that help us grow. We started with prayer and we're using the acronym G.R.O.W.S. So we're getting to the end of it actually, we're going do a double S at the end here. So, Go to God in prayer, Read the word, Other believers (we need fellowship and to be discipling and discipled together in Christ), Worship (our topic last week), and now Serving God and serving others. You know, Jesus calls us, what's the great commandment? "You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength," and "Love your neighbor as yourself." And what does that look like? Well, what did look like in the life of Jesus? He came as a servant. And really it's kind of an interesting thing, how eventually even the common culture catches on. You know, there's tons of books out there on leadership, and just within the last, I don't know, a couple of decades, this idea of servant leadership has caught on. Kind of leadership, and what would seem to be reversed from the bottom up. But really what's something we all want from our elected officials? We want them to serve our needs as the people they are representing. What did Jesus do? You know? One day, while the disciples, they were walking down the road and they're arguing. I guess they thought, maybe Jesus was far enough ahead or far enough behind, or you know, out praying. I don't know, they just maybe didn't think he was listening. And so they're arguing about who's the greatest, or maybe they're arguing, like, you know, "So come out, Lord," you know, "When are you gonna chip into this little argument and tell us, you know, what you think?" And so finally He does, and he's like, "You know what? The greatest is the one who serves." And then He concludes with this, He says, "For even the son of man," speaking of Himself, "did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." And so much of what He was doing, it was kind of a common thing. You know, there was a teacher, a rabbi who would have around him, a group of disciples who would learn the ways of the teacher and then emulate that. And He's saying, "So here's what you emulate, guys, I've come to serve," and if you look at the life of Jesus from start to finish, He's serving the needs of others. You know, people would come to Him with an illness, He could do what we can't, but He would use His divine power to serve their need in terms of healing or whatever it was. And even right down to, you know, we're just couple weeks out at this point from Easter, although if you're of the Orthodox persuasion, you just celebrated Easter on Sunday. So what is it that Jesus did just a couple nights before that at the last supper? Well, John's gospel tells us that He took off His outer garment, put on the garments of a house slave and got down on His knees and washed the disciple's feet. And they were taken aback, they were appalled. Peter was like, "Uh, ah. You're not gonna do this," until Jesus said, "Well, Peter if I don't wash your feet, you have no part in me." And then he's like, then basically give me a bath, you know? "I want you to wash my feet and my head and my hands, cause I want you Jesus. I wanna be whatever you're about, that's what I want." And Jesus is like, "Well, here's what I'm about. Now what you've seen me do, and you call me Lord and master. I've washed your feet, do this, do this for each other." And there are, it's pretty cool, there are churches where they do more than just communion, they actually do foot washings. And I'm not in a church where we do that on a regular basis, but I have done it in churches and it's always, I think a very humbling experience on both ends. Humbling for me to be, really, literally down with the smelly feet of my people, who maybe weren't necessarily planning to have their feet washed, but were like, "Yeah, I would like that." On the other hand, it's a very humbling thing to have your feet washed, you know? To take off our shoes and our socks, I mean, let's face it our feet aren't exactly the prettiest parts of our bodies you know? And to have somebody actually getting down with a little soap and water and a towel. But you know what? We are called to take care of each other, and one of the most powerful ways to love others is to serve, and you don't have to be an expert in anything. You just have to kind of have your eyes open (Is there a need?), you have to be available (Can I help you?), and you have to be kind about it. You got to do with the heart that doesn't make them feel like, "Well, I guess I interrupted their day," you know? And those three things are powerful, and when somebody with kindness goes out of their way for us: whether to hold a door, whether to help you across the street. You know, whatever it is, it's simple and it's powerful. And actually there was a book written by a fellow named Steve Sjogren, I think several years back called, what was it? Servant Evangelism. And he had this concept, and the church has, we have practiced it a little bit, where you would just go out and do things in the community for no charge. Which always throws people, cause I always want to pay it, you know? And so, we did as a youth group, we did a car wash, and we wouldn't accept payment and people really wanted to help support the youth group. We did it as a men's group. We did a brat giveaway, you know? We were out there cooking brats, people come up, "What do you want for it?" Nothing, we just want you to know, Jesus loves you.

Gary Schick
This is how God loves us. You can't buy God's love. And it was interesting, we never had, I don't think one person that we served, show up at the church while we were doing those things. But the church grew at the time, and it was like God saying to us, "You go out and serve my community and I will bring in people. So you serve those people there and I'll bring people from over here." And it was just a real testimony to me of how: it's all about faith and about faithfulness and about serving God and serving others; and when our heart is about that individually, as a church, what have you, God blesses it. And are we there? You know, I mean, I've been in churches where, "Well I don't know, can we do a funeral for those people, they're not part of our church." Exactly wrong! Somebody comes to you with a need, this is your opportunity to be Jesus for them. And that is when you have a, "Maybe they will come back. Maybe they'll become, maybe they won't." That is irrelevant. Our job is to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Just one more last thought on this. I'm reminded of, again, just thinking of the first church I was at, the local hospital was actually a Catholic hospital. And so that had a little different feel to it than just a regular secular hospital, kind of like we have here. And so one of the things, you know, the nuns were part of serving the patients, and somebody, you know, asked one day, "What's different here? You know, like, you treat us so well." And they're like, "You know what? We are trained to serve every patient as if we are serving Jesus." Well, that's not just a nun thing, that's not just a monk thing. That's a Christian thing, you know? In my lifetime, one of the most powerful people in terms of an impact in the world, and she's gone now with Mother Teresa. She just quietly went to a corner of Calcutta and served the poorest of the poor and impacted the whole world for Christ along the way. You know what? You don't have to be a rich person, a powerful person, a famous person, an influential person. You just have to be a loving person, who does it in the name of Jesus and you will rock your world. You can impact your family, you can impact your neighborhood, you can impact your church. You can impact the community in a powerful way. You and I can, when we take off the tie and pick up the towel.

Ben Poole
Right. Yeah, that's so good. You know, I was thinking about this, as you were talking about, what does it mean to serve? What's that look like? How is that a spiritual discipline? I really gained a lot of wisdom from some of my professors when I was going to Bible college. And one thing, so one of my professors, he and his wife were missionaries to Papa New Guinea. Working for pioneer Bible translators, translating the scriptures into the common language for the people for years and years and years. And he's from a town in Wyoming, country boy, and I remember going on a trip with him and his wife and I said, "What? How in the world did you get there? How did that happen? How did you get to the point, like, 'that's how you're gonna serve Christ?' And they both just, I remember this as such a beautiful memory of mine. They just looked at each other in the car and smiled and just said, "We decided as Christians, if God asks us to do anything, we say 'yes,' we just say, 'yes." And their testimony from their life shows, there's no regrets, there's no, "I wish we hadn't done that." Just a few years ago, actually, they completed the whole New Testament in this language, it took over 30 years and they were part of that from the beginning and served in different ways, built and grew their family there. It's just a beautiful picture of, what is it gonna look like to serve Christ? I can't tell you that. Maybe you'll end up being a pastor or a missionary or a Sunday school teacher or whatever it is. But I think that would be the word I would leave with you is, when God calls you to anything, just say, "yes." Because you're never gonna regret serving Christ, it is so worth it. And yeah, there's gonna be hardships and struggles along the way, but at the end, I mean, I know even for me, and in our situation and things are changing in our life and our family, I don't regret saying 'yes.' I mean, I am excited for what God is doing now and what I can see down the road that He is preparing for us. And so, it can be scary to say 'yes' to God, but when you get in that mix with Him and you are just serving wholeheartedly, knowing that He's leading you, like Ben's not truly leading my family, I'm letting God be the leader here.

Gary Schick
You're just following Jesus.

Ben Poole
I get to sit back and watch the show. I get to be, almost a spectator of the work that God's doing, and then I get to take that and share what God is doing with people. And that's how I can serve Christ best with my life.

Gary Schick
You know, and it's so good because, you know, we're not all called to be pastors or missionaries or teachers, but we all have gifts. And the question is, what are we using the gifts and the talents that God has given us, and who He's made us to be? Are we using it to serve ourselves? Are we using it to serve in the name of Jesus and bless others? And that's kind of an attitude shift, but it's all the difference. And, you know, we're talking about growing in our relationship with Christ's spiritual disciplines to help us grow. Well, nothing's gonna put us more in the image of Christ than putting on His sandals and doing what He did, which is to serve. And you know what? It starts at home for those of us who are husbands, with our wives and our kids. It should be in our workplace. Just where we are and like you said, what a great way to close with that. Just, what is God asking? Just say, 'yes' to Him and do it for Him.

Celebrating Mother's Day at Cross Reference Library!

A Confident Mom - As moms, we often doubt our ability to be the mom we want to be. Unpacking powerful lessons, biblical truths, and practical tools, bestselling author Renee Swope will help you take a deep breath of God’s grace and show you how to:

• Exchange the exhaustion of constantly correcting your child’s bad habits with meaningful and creative ways to connect with their hearts.

• Discover positive and encouraging daily practices that will help you notice and nurture your child’s character and unique God-given design.

• Let go of performance-based living and learn how to pursue relationship-driven parenting.

Discover simple ways to give your child what they need most through the power of heart-centered and character-focused parenting. This book will transform your perspective of parenting and change the way you see yourself as a mom and as a child of God. 

Living Well as a Single Mom - You are the most important person in the world…to your kids. No one can love and nurture them like you can. But it isn’t easy.

• Racing between your home, the day care, and your job, you remember another errand you need to squeeze into your already overloaded day.

• You need to make important decisions about your kids, your finances, your home, and your car, but you’re not sure when or how you can research all your options.

• You’d love to spend time with some people who are old enough to speak in full sentences, but most of your friends are either couples or just as busy as you.

This may not be the life you expected. Still, God’s promise to you and your kids hasn’t changed. He has a plan for your family, a future that is bright with hope. Your number one priority also hasn’t changed: to live well so you can help your kids live well too. Cynthia Yates, once a single mom herself, passionately wants you to do just that—with your relationship with God growing, your finances in order, and a team of friends and family ready to help. With straight talk, plenty of humor, and tons of compassion, she will guide you along your journey to Living Well as a Single Mom.

A Mom Just Like You - Let’s face it…the bulk of the everyday work of home schooling falls on Mom’s shoulders. As rewarding and fulfilling as it is, it is no easy task. No one knows this better than home schooling mother of ten, Vickie Farris. If you’ve ever wondered, “Okay, so how do you do it?” you just picked up the right book! Through her warm, practical style, Vickie will fill you with encouragement and practical suggestions for those days when the challenge seems overwhelming. And for those thinking of embarking on the home schooling adventure, she offers her insights gleaned from years of experience, giving confidence and resolve. After all, she’s a mom just like you. Hey Mom…you can do it!

In the Cross Reference Library, we have all kinds of Christian-based books. Among them, you can find several books on motherhood. And since Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, I thought we could celebrate by looking at books by authors, Renee Swope, Cynthia Yates, and also Vickie and Jayme Farris. Mainly, these authors (and mothers) seem to make one thing clear for all of us: being a mom is far from easy. Whether you’re a single mother, a homeschool mom, or a downright supermom, you are never without a challenge. In the first few chapters of Living Well as a Single Mom, author Cynthia Yates helps give moms (single or not), assurance through all the trials of motherhood. An example of that is the chapter titled, Leaning on Others. Through this chapter Cynthia explains to single moms, “You may be the only active parent, but trying to tackle this job alone would be ridiculous. Don’t buy into the notion that to be a strong woman, you should not ask for help.” So, if the responsibilities of motherhood are overwhelming and you are feeling stuck, don’t keep those feelings inside. Reach out for help. In our other two books this week, A Confident Mom and A Mom Just Like You, we get perspectives and advice from two extremely busy moms. I’ve met lots of moms who are just like them: Half of their daily to-do list is filled with the things that her husband and kids need, while the other half consists of things that she needs to complete within 24 hours. With that in mind, we can only imagine how crazy life is for author Vickie Farris, as she tackles being a writer and homeschooling her ten kids. To follow that thought, in the chapter titled, Dispelling the Myth of Supermom, when a store checker told Vickie, “I don’t know how you do it. I only have two children and they drive me crazy! You must be the most patient, organized woman in the world.” And Vickie simply answered with, “It’s not not that I’m all that patient or organized. It’s pretty much just the grace of God that gets me through.”

To finish this out, I know it wouldn’t be right to put together a Mother’s Day post without celebrating my amazing mom. She is a ranch wife, so when my siblings and I were still in school, she was always trying to balance the constant stress of ranch life with our school activities. She rarely missed a game or performance (unless we were in calving season!), and that meant so much to me. But what I am most grateful for is, even though she knew I was planning on leaving home right after graduation, she always checked to see if I knew where I was going and how I was going to get there. My mom Vicki, is my great example on how to live an amazing life for others. I know she isn’t perfect, but I wouldn’t ask for anyone else. So come on down to the Cross Reference Library and check out these amazing books. And don’t forget to tell your mom that you love her.

—Happy Mother’s Day from Cross Reference Library!

Running the Race Set Before Us

The practice of disciplining oneself for the sake of athletics is often used as a metaphor in the Bible for how to be disciplined in our Christian lives.

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

What is the race God has set before us?

If we read this verse in context it will answer this question:

Hebrews 12:2-4 (NLT) We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people, then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

Running becomes easier, both physically and mentally, the more consistently you do it. Disciplined runners are the most consistent in their training and, therefore, the most successful.

Verywell by Alison Czinkota (The 5 Love Languages)

It’s the same with relationships. They require hard work.

The more focus and energy you give towards your relationships and the more disciplined you are in maintaining them, the more rewarding the relationships become. 

God desires a relationship with us, but our sinful natures made that relationship impossible. So, God made a plan: Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross mends the divide between us and God, allowing us to have a relationship with Him. 

Romans 8:1-4 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

After accepting the free gift of Jesus’ payment on the cross for our sins, we are adopted into God’s family and nothing can separate us from God’s love ever again. God’s love becomes unconditional for us because all of the conditions have already been met through Jesus.

John 6:35-40 (ESV) Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Hebrews 2:9-15 (NIV) But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

David Bowman's “Expressions of Christ”

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters…

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 

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Disciplined physical bodies are of some value but spiritual things last forever

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV) …train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Our salvation and eternity with God in Heaven is secure no matter what we do after accepting Jesus’ payment for our sins because it is based purely on grace through Faith in Jesus. We are saved through grace (Romans 11:5-6; Ephesians 2:8-9) and we live our Christian lives through grace (Romans 6:14; 2 Peter 3:18).

Saved through grace:

Romans 11:5-6 (ESV) So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Christian lives are lived through grace:

Romans 6:14 (ESV) For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

2 Peter 3:18 (ESV) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

But, once we have become part of God’s family, we can have a relationship with God. Spiritual Disciplines help us learn how to show love back to God through our relationship with Him.

In “The Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines” by David Mathis, he says:

“‘The essence of the Christian life,’ writes John Piper, ‘is learning to fight for joy in a way that does not replace grace.’ We cannot earn God’s grace or make it flow apart from his free gift. But we can position ourselves to go on getting as he keeps on giving. We can ‘fight to walk in the paths where he has promised his blessings.’ We can ready ourselves to remain receivers along his regular routes, sometimes called ‘the spiritual disciplines.’

Such practices need not be fancy or highfalutin. They are the stuff of everyday, basic Christianity--unimpressively mundane, but spectacularly potent by the Spirit. While there’s no final and complete list of such practices, the long tally of helpful habits can be clustered underneath three main principles: hearing God’s voice, having his ear, and belonging to his body. Or simply: word, prayer, and fellowship.”

Tips for the Disciplined Spiritual Life:

Hear His Voice (word):

Reading the Bible

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Have His Ear (prayer):

Ephesians 6:18 (NLT) You must pray at all times as the Holy Spirit leads you to pray. Pray for the things that are needed. You must watch and keep on praying. Remember to pray for all Christians.

Belong to His Body (fellowship):

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT) Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

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You can download a free printout of this information by going to our “Free Material” Page and clicking on “Running the Race”.

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This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

Click here for more things written by Amanda Hovseth.