darrelldunlap

I love sports! As a kid, I played little league baseball for years in our neighborhood park, most of the time with my dad and uncle as my coaches. I loved it. First base was my position and I had a blast with my buddies. My parents set high standards for me as I played sports, reminding me to always give my best, to be committed and to be a good sport (person of good character) when playing. I never missed a practice or a game and was often out playing catch with my dad or friends in the neighborhood when not at the ball field.

At the same time, my parents emphasized to me the importance of my relationship with God. Church was never missed. Sunday school was a priority EVERY Sunday so I could learn about God and grow in my relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. My mom always attended a Bible study modeling for me a hunger for God and the things of God, rather than just the world. I try to do the same for my boys.

I get so saddened as I see how the culture around us has turned its back on God. Church is not a priority for many of my boys’ friends and their families. Often outings, parties, etc. are planned during the regular Sunday morning services. I just don’t understand. Our culture keeps getting weaker and weaker morally. We see our kids facing ever increasing temptations with drugs, alcohol and sex – aye – there’s sexual temptation everywhere. The TV doesn’t have much that edifies our kids morally. It’s even difficult to watch a ball game without booze and sex being parading in front of us. Our kids need God and His church in their lives now more than ever. Otherwise, how can we be surprised when they end up pregnant, addicted, or disheartened. We can’t blame society. We can’t blame the government or the media. We can’t blame the school system. We as parents must take responsibility for our children, their morality and their eternity. Our kids need to be in church.

As we are committed to getting our kids to sporting events and never missing, we parents need to be even more committed to getting our family into church every Sunday, into a small group, into youth group and into serving the Lord through His Church. The stakes are so high. We parents truly can make a difference and it starts with our choices when it comes to God’s house. Let’s not let our kids down.

A new day. The past week was filled with remembrance and celebration. It all started with Palm Sunday…remembering Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Maundy Thursday, remembering Jesus teaching love in action and the Last Supper with His apostles. Good Friday…remembering the ultimate sacrifice…the atoning sacrifice…for our sins. And Easter Sunday…remembering and celebrating His resurrection and victory over death…the victory we can all share in through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

But now it’s Monday…time to remember yet again. It’s easy to remember Him in the midst of the Easter holiday. It’s even easy to remember Him on Sundays when in church or midweek when at small group. But, now it’s Monday. Back to work, to school, to the rigors of daily life in this fast paced, consumer driven, ego-centric culture. Now, the challenge begins. Remembering Him every single day…in every single act…in every single thought and word. Remembering Him.

“Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” (Lk.22:40b)

Christ calls us to pray along with his disciples in the Garden. Pray that we do not fall into temptation. Today, so often the temptation is to forget Jesus, to forget the One True God, to forget His grace, mercy and love. We are so tempted to focus on ourselves that we forget Him. Today – may it be a Great Friday – as we remember Jesus.

As I read through the news today, my heart sank as I saw the verdict of guilty and death of a courageous Gospel teacher in Iran. Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been found guilty of leaving Islam, his native religion, and following Jesus Christ. He was given the opportunity to return to Islam to spare his life. He refused. He was given the opportunity to proclaim Mohammed as a prophet. He refused. This 34 year old pastor will likely be executed over the days ahead, leaving behind his wife and two children.

I thank God that we live in a country where I can proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, where my family can follow Jesus Christ and where I am protected by the Constitution. I have spent the past several hours agonizing in prayer over Youcef and his family. The Apostle Paul wrote “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” May our Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus provide strength and comfort to Youcef and his loved ones during these difficult days. May Youcef have peace beyond understanding. May his story be a beacon of hope and light to a very lost world.

Prayer. The critical, continual communication with God. Listening to Him. Speaking to Him. We call Him our God and our King, yet too often, our communication with Him is left out of our daily life, or it is relegated to certain times of the day when we have found it convenient or easily habitual – before meals, before bedtime, etc. God  wants us to communicate with Him throughout our day. The Apostle Paul calls us to “pray without ceasing.” Jesus often got up early and went off alone to speak with the Father. Jesus prayed with the Apostles. The Apostles continued to pray and fast after Jesus went back to heaven. They gathered regularly to lift up the prayer needs of the masses.

How’s your prayer life? Is it a regimented duty? Or is it a blessed conversation that continues no matter where you are or who you are with, a conversation that brings you peace, comfort and the awareness of His continual Presence? How engaged are you in corporate prayer…times when the Church gathers to pray for each other, for the community and the world?

Let’s keep the conversation going with God. He wants to hear your heart, your mind, your worries, your anxieties, your celebration.

Let’s gather on Tuesdays each week for corporate prayer where we can pray silently and corporately for the needs of the church family and community. (Sanctuary Prayer is Tuesdays at 6:30 pm at the church ministry center)

“If my people who are called by my Name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Our community, city and nation need healing.

Last night I had the opportunity to speak to our middle and high school students about good and evil. The youth ministries team asked me to help the kids understand the difference. I encourage you and your family to discuss good and evil, especially at this time of year, but truly throughout the year. We dealt with such questions as:

· What is evil?

· What is good?

· Is there gray between good and evil in God’s eyes?

· What does God desire?

· How does God feel about evil stuff?

· Is Halloween evil? If yes, why? If no, why not?

We talked about the following verses/stories:

Adam & Eve (Gen. 2-3); Noah & the Flood (Gen. 6); Job (Job 1:1); Ps. 34:14; Is. 13:11; Mt. 6:13; Ro. 12:9; Hab. 1:13; 1 Thess. 5:22; Pr. 8:13; Is. 5:20 and Pr. 24:20

We focused on how we should “turn from evil and do good” and how we must be able to distinguish between evil and good because we wouldn’t want to call evil good “Is 5:20”

It’s a great follow-up discussion – with teens, children, couples or entire families. Over dinner have a discussion with your Bibles open. Look up different verses listed above – focusing on what the verses have to say about evil.

Discuss the importance of knowing what’s good and what’s evil – from God’s perspective. Remember – your kids/students will learn more from you as you reinforce these things daily than they will from us teaching your students about 50 hours per year.

If you need my help, please let me know.

Much love to all,

Pastor Darrell

PS – I explained to the students that Halloween has very evil origins. It truly was a holiday to worship Satan, Mother Earth and to practice witchcraft. In our culture today, the vast majority do not use Halloween as a time to worship evil, but some still do. Thus, many folks have fun at Halloween and it becomes a family time of dressing up and fun, which is a good thing! The question isn’t Halloween. The question is what’s going on in your heart as you have fun and are you honoring God as you do? But that is the question daily in each of our lives – isn’t it?

Wow – what an experience the last twelve hours or so has been! All of us going about our daily routines and then suddenly, without warning, no electricity! What an inconvenience, but…was it? I have been reflecting on this most of the night. Suddenly, the city came to a full stop. We could no longer depend upon the inventions of mankind to make our lives convenient and content. We were told by the “authorities” to stay home with our families. Some people grumbled, business balked and yet, maybe, just maybe, there’s something good about all this. A sudden “time out” from the busyness of life to spend time with the ones we love. I watched Facebook and Twitter and was excited to see and hear how many people broke out the board games with their family, took long walks under the stars with their spouses, ate ice cream as a family with no rushing from here to there, sat by the pool and listened to the enduring silence all around, etc. I pray that all of us will take time, if we haven’t already, to thank God for the many blessings He has given us, many of those blessings have nothing to do with electricity and are evident in our lives even in the pitch dark of night. The most important of those blessings? His grace and mercy flowing through His Son Jesus! Our spouses and families. The air we breathe. The food we eat. Oh what a good God we have.

Praying all have rested during the official San Diego “Time Out.” “Be still and know that I am God” says the Lord Almighty in Psalm 46:10. Ok Lord, we’re listening.

God bless you!