Branches T-Shirt

What do you guys think? Pastor Kris came up with the slogan, it comes out of our purpose and desire to love people with God's love regardless of whether they ever come to know God or not. You can check it out and comment on my facebook page. If you are not my friend on facebook there is no time like the present to do so!

"WE NEED TO PRAY JUST TO MAKE IT TODAY!"

Don't get me wrong when you read this, we've been praying. But who says we can't get all hands on deck! If you are someone who is a part of the Branches Community Church, someone who loves the church, period, or are just a Christ follower who loves to talk to God, would you be willing to pray for one hour a week for this new Church? I don't care how you want to do it, one hour all at the same time, four 15 minute sections a week, or 240 fifteen second segments! Anyway you want it that's the way we need it! Just give me a heads up on my Facebook page that you are "in" with us. That way I can keep track and potentially send you out reminders.

Can vs. Will

"And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.' And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, 'I will; be clean.' And immediately his leprosy was cleansed." Mark 8:2-3

You know those people in your world that give you an answer to a question like: Can you pass the water? And their response is generally, "Yes." and then they sit there and don't pass the water. Basically trying to correct your grammar by making you realize that they CAN pass the water but what you really should be asking is WILL you pass the water. I don't like those people. Just pass me the darn water!!!

But in the matter of Jesus and our faith, it is a legitimate question to ask. Do we believe He CAN? It's important to go to Jesus with real faith. Of course He CAN! He can do anything. The real statement that we need to make is the one this leper made. "You can make me clean, and if you will that would be great!" Jesus said, "I will." There is faith all over this leper's statement. He knew Jesus could do it, it was just a matter of whether it was in His will or not. It not only showed that this man had faith but that he knew that Jesus was in charge. He didn't demand anything, knowing that there was a possibility that Jesus could will not to, for whatever reason He chose.

I believe this is the way we have to come, humble, broken, and faithful. In this we show our true faith and understanding that God has His ways and that His ways aren't always our ways. God wants us to ask as someone who knows that He CAN do it, and wants us to leave things up to Him.

Facebook Friends

I've heard of many people "cleaning out" their Facebook friends. How does one do this? Maybe I'm the weird one but I guess I don't really believe in "cleaning out" friends.

What would possess you to get rid of someone who you were willing to call a Facebook friend in the past? And I know Facebook friends and real friends are two very different things. I also know that there are some people who are just incompatible with some other people on Facebook. But really, you go into your friend list and just randomly start axing people?!? Just seems inconsiderate at best and down right mean at worst.

I'll probably be down 10 friends by the end of the day. LOL!

Jesus says, "REALLY?!?

The disciples speaking, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men." Mark 6:35-44

Fast forward to Mark 8:1-10:

"In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away." And his disciples answered him, "How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?" And he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha."

At first, when the disciples during the feeding of this group said, "How can anyone feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?" I picture Jesus looking at them with a wry smile and a wink when He says, "How many loaves do you have?" This is the same question he had with the feeding of the five thousand and I think He was giving them a clue if they weren't already clued in. I wonder if some of the disciples got it, or if they were completely clueless.

Fast forward to Mark 8:14-21:

"Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

It's as if Jesus is saying "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?" "REALLY?!?" "You guys just watched me make bread and fish for five thousand men and then four thousand men and you guys are wondering what we're going to do without bread?!?" I love it when he asks them how many baskets they had left after each time he fed the five thousand and four thousand. I picture the disciples sheepishly looking down and kicking at the bottom of the boat like a little six year old who is in trouble, when they answered, under their breath, "Twelve" and "Seven".

These are the kind of things you catch onto when you read or listen to big chunks of scripture at the same time. I seriously was in my car listening to those last couple of verses and laughed out loud.

Faith in the Tone

"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, 'Save us, Lord; we are perishing.' And he said to them, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?' Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."

I love this story. I love this story so much because of the ramifications it has in our lives. You see the disciples were freaking out. They saw the storm, waves, water in the boat, etc. and they basically were thinking they were toast. Then they went to Jesus who was asleep, that's right, asleep.

Here's what they didn't say, "Jesus (nudging him gently to wake up), we wanted you to know that we are looking forward to seeing you calm this storm and save us all. We know you are the God of the universe and the Messiah and we know this is nothing for you."

You see it's all in the tone. Instead they said, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." There was something in them that thought Jesus could save them, just not enough to have no fear. Jesus heard it in their tone.

So I've decided I want to have faith in my tone. I want to have no fear, not even in the tone of my voice, because I have Jesus, and worse case scenario I perish and I'm with Him forever. What do I have to fear. The disciples learned this lesson and many of them died because of their faith in Jesus, a far cry from their days in the boat.