Wednesday Night Recap - The Masks We Wear

As Halloween season is here and with that comes the opportunity to dress up in costumes and masks to pretend to someone or something we normally aren't. Halloween is fun for both kids and adults (at least some adults!) But if we are honest, wouldn't we have to admit that Halloween isn't the only time we wear masks. Some of us wear masks in our daily lives. Jesus talked about wearing masks. In Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus addressed a group of Pharisees. Repeated he calls them "Hypocrites!" In Scripture, the word translated hypocrite is the same word we would use for actor. Someone who plays a part. The Pharisees wanted to appear more religious/spiritual than they actually were. Because they were pretending, Jesus called them out on it. But why do we wear masks today? I think there are a few reasons. 1) Fear- We are afraid that people won't really like us if they see the real us. So we wear a mask. 2) Avoidance - It is easier to pretend to be something I am not than to deal with my flaws and hurts. 3) Acceptance - I can wear whatever mask is necessary to fit in with the right crowd. As you can see from the list, not one compelling or good reason to wear a mask. So how do we remove the masks? 1) Be honest with yourself. The root of hypocrisy is pride, a desire to have others see you better than you actually are. We need to get over ourselves, reject the lie of society that image is everything and get real about who we are on the inside. In the story of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells us that the tax collector, the one with a honesty self-perception, is the one who went away justified. 2) Learn to be transparent. Don't be so afraid to let people see and get to know the real you. They might just like you for you. 3) Be honest with God. God sees and knows us from the inside out. There is no point in trying to hide reality from God. He knows it and loves us anyway. So be honest with Him. Masks can be fun to wear (and scare people) at Halloween. But if not taken off soon after, can cause us problems in our lives.

But Can You Make CALLS With That Cell Phone?

As you know, cell phones are now common among teens, even kids in elementary schools. But do you know what your kids are DOING with their cell phones? More and more kids have cell phones with unlimited data plans that make it easy to access the world wide web with all the garbage that comes on the web. Check out this interesting article about teens and their cell phone use here.

Wednesday Night Recap - Accepting God's Love

This week, we continued our study through the book of John by examining the story of the healing of the blind man in John 9:1-41. The main emphasis of our study is to show that every one of us begins spiritually blind, even though we think we are sufficient to handle life on our own. It is only when our eyes are opened by Jesus that we see how meaningless our previous existence was. This story provides us with a glimpse into different attitudes about Jesus. The attitude of the (former) blind man's parents revealed someone who wants to fit in with the crowd. They would not answer the Pharisees because they were afraid of retribution and being outcasts. They were willing to compromise what they knew to be true in order to fit in. They were not willing to sacrifice their crowd for Christ. The Pharisees had an attitude of superiority. They believed their position and accomplishments made them important. However it was just such an attitude that, even though they thought they could see, showed them to be truly blind. They valued accomplishments and position more than the opportunity to follow the Messiah. The blind man shows us someone who was disadvantaged his entire life. He had no hope. After all, no one who had been born blind had ever been able to see before. (vs 32) When the man was healed, he immediately began speaking the truth. His boldness to proclaim what happened, regardless of the consequences, even got him thrown out of the synagogue! Ultimately the healing of this man's physical blindness brings about his spiritual awakening. Even after Jesus healed him, he didn't understand completely who Jesus was. But when revealed, the man believed Jesus was who he claimed to be. Many times in our own lives we feel inadequate. We feel blind and hopeless. We search for answers in many places. And sometimes those places bring about temporary satisfaction or relief. But only by believing in Jesus can we truly see. ***My apologies for my recent silence. I will strive to do better in the future!