I just finished Counseling 101- Biblical Crisis Counseling for West Coast Bible College and Seminary. The book used for the textbook in the class was Group’s Emergency Response Handbook: For Small Group Leaders. The class, and the book, were somewhat insightful and gave me some valuable insights on one of the least trained areas in ministry.

Over the next several days I will be highlighting some of things that stood out to while reading the book. If you are a pastor, counselor, small group leader, or simply a Christian who is living in community with others (that should be every Christian); this book is a must read in teaching you how to handle crises that arise within the lives of those we live amongst.

Chapters 1 and 2 of Group’s Emergency Response Handbook: For Small Group Leaders dealt with grieving the loss of a spouse and of a child. The concept that stuck out to me the most in these chapters about death is that; one who is grieving is not always capable of reaching out and asking for help. They need a community of friends to rely on and to step in to do the work and day-to-day tasks that they’re probably not doing due to being overwhelmed with the tragedy of the death of a loved one. I learned that it is best to be a visible presence from the beginning and to try and make myself available until asked to leave. One key concept that stood out within this idea is to promise that you’ll follow up with them soon in person or by phone so that they know that you are in this for the long haul with them, and then actually do it. “It’s better to be a visible presence than an invisible promise”. As I inevitably minister to those who are suffering from grief I will put these principles into practice, especially with those I have a personal relationship with.

Every breath is another breath closer.

Every heart beat is another beat closer.

Every word is another word closer.

Every thought is another thought closer.

Every cell multiplication is another split closer.

Every hug is another hug closer.

Every “I love you” is another one closer.

To the last.

You never know when your last day will be. You never know when the last time is that you will see someone you love. You never know when your last opportunity will be, your last chance, your last moment, your last day….

For each and every one of these brings us closer to the reality that we are finite creatures, that one day our bodies will cease operating and we will die.

So be prepared. Trust in Jesus. Follow Him. Give your life in service to Him. Make every relationship, every second, every dollar count.

But this weekend we celebrate the fact that God took all of the weight of our burdens and nailed them to a Roman cross two-thousand years ago.

When Jesus died on that cross He declared that it was finished. His Word says that there is no longer any sacrifice for sins. He already paid the full price and nailed all of our unmet expectations to a cross that has long since disenegrated.

You can come to Him today and lay all of your sins at His feet, rest and trust in His finished work for your forgiveness, give Him control of the life you weren’t able to manage on your own, and experience His righteousness, renewed rellationahip with Him, and eternal life through His resurrection.

Good Friday is horrible because we killed our Creator, but so good because He He allowed us to do so- for the joy set before Him.

It’s not just a holiday weekend, it’s a time of rememberance and reflection. It’s a time of renewed commitment. It’s a time of new life and resurrection.

There’s nothing we can do to ‘not sin’. We can wear all sorts of masks to make it look like we’ve got everything figured out and put together, but behind the mask we’re still just a sinner bound for an eternal hell.

We can join a religion, work hard, read good books, and do lots of good things but those things will never forgive us of our sins or change the fact that we are sinners.

Our only hope in being acquitted is the just judge who created us and set the rules to begin with. But because He is just, there must be punishment for sin. Because He is holy and blameless those who are sinners cannot dwell in His presence.

So out of His great love for us He sent His Son to live the sinless life that we could never live and to take on the punishment that we deserved to be given: the wrath of God poured out on Him for all the sins of man.

Because Jesus, His Son, took our punishment, we stand forgiven of our sins if we claim and trust in His finished work on our behalf. We no longer are seen as sinners by God. When we have been saved by Jesus. When God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Christ because that’s what we have been given.

So without Jesus, we go to hell for what we DO. But with Jesus we go to heaven (to eternal relationship with God) for what He DID.

We never go to heaven because of what we do or do not do, it will always be because of what Jesus already did for us.

As a Christian, throughout my life I’ve been taught from time to time (directly or implied) that even if you have been saved, that if you die while in the act of sinning, that you will go to hell. For example, a Christian hits his thumb with a hammer and mutters “dam it” under His breath. Then at that exact moment he has a heart attack and dies, because of saying a ‘cuss word’ at the time of his death he will ‘go to hell’.

This is silly because just as there’s nothing we can DO to get into heaven, because Jesus already DID all that needs to be done, once we trust in His finished work and submit our lives to Him, there’s nothing we can DO to keep us out of heaven.

That being said, as Christians, we don’t have the liberty to sin against God whenever we want because there’s nothing we can DO to keep us out of heaven. Because one who sins whenever and however they feel like it with no concern for Christ’s work on the cross, does not understand the sacrifice and grace of Christ, has not had their life changed by Christ, and according to the ‘fruit’ of their life is not saved by Jesus from hell to begin with!

The purpose of all these seemingly random thoughts? You can’t save yourself! Being a nice guy, loving your family, and believing in God will not save you- ever. The only thing that can save you from the punishment and consequence of what you have done is Jesus Christ’s sinless life, His death for your sins, and His resurrection from the dead. So stop talking about what a good guy you or someone else is because it’s just not true. You are a sinner whose every intention is evil and who is bound for hell without the grace, love, and hope of Jesus!

You must turn from your evil ways and turn to Jesus as the author and the perfector of your faith. And once you have recieved the free gift of salvation from Christ He will change you and you will not want to take advantage of His grace by continually sinning against Him.

Will you still stumble and fail as a Christian? Yes because you still reside in a body ravished by sin. But if you deliberately live a continual lifestyle of sin as if Christ never died for you, you don’t have a sin problem, you have a salvation problem.

2. What you do in life impacts others and changes the world.
You make a difference in the lives of those around you, for the good or the bad. Your choices impact everyone, especially those closest to you. If you think you’re only hurting yourself when you do stupid things, you’re wrong. Because of your birth, the world will never be the same. And because of your death, the world will never be the same.

3. When we cry and mourn at a funeral, we’re not only feeling bad for the one who died and their family, we’re also coming to grips with our own mortality and the mortality of those closest to us. That causes us to mourn even more, and for people (including ourselves) who haven’t even died yet.

4. It can and does happen to you.
Often when thinking of tragedy, people think or say things like,” that could never happen to me.” The death of a friend or a loved one shows that it will. You’re terminal. Surprise! You’re going to die!

5. You could die one second after reading this post.
We, and those we love, are never promised tomorrow. We have to live this day as if it was our last.

6. Without Jesus, you’re going to hell!
Whether you want to believe this or not, I think everyone comes to understand this in some rudimentary way while going through the death of a loved one.

7. Times of tragedy, adversity, and great sadness bring frineds and family close together, but if not intentionally managed can drive families apart after the event.

8. No one grieves the same- period. Don’t judge people according to their emotions or actions shown while grieving.

9. Sharing (publically at a funeral) is just as much about you and the people there as it is the person who died.

10. The physical is temporary.
While looking at a loved one’s dead body, it becomes immediately obvious that (the body) is not the person you knew so well- that the thing (the person’s body) we associated with that person most of all, was only a shell for the living being they truley are. You realize that death is not the end, or the beginning, just a part of life.

I went to be there for this family. I had no words to say. All I had was the Holy Spirit living within me. That’s always more than enough.

It is a wretched horrible things to witness the tradgedy of death as a family mourns their loved one.

It is inconcievable for man to have to bury his own child. It is not the way things should be.

I was strong. I don’t let things like this effect me too much when interacting with survivors.

But it is draining emotinally, physically, and spiritually beyond belief. And I’m just a distant freind. The family goes through a warzone as they grieve and mourn their loss.

When I returned home, I lifted my son out of his sleep and held him tightly as if he belonged to me and that I could protect him from the evils of this world. And I prayed.

But as I awoke this morning I realized that I did not want to wake at all. It was pouring down rain outside. The sky was dark. And the world’s darkness showed us ugly face the night before. I did not want to face this world.

Today was running day- Uuugh!

My body ached and told me not to go, that it wasn’t worth it. But as an act of reluctant worship to my body’s Creator, I did it. And it hurt!

Never has a run been so hard for me. Joints that never hurt every other day as I run this same path were throbbing in pain. The rain and the wind seemed to curse down on me especially hard.

Oh my hip! Something was wrong. Every ounce of my being screamed at me to STOP!

That’s what death will do to you, tell you to give up and to throw in the towel.

But deep down within my soul, the Spirit of God reminded me that this life is not about death, pain, and destruction. He reminded me that I have been called to be light in dark places on His behalf. He reminded me that life was a gift and that I needed to live it.

So as my hip grabbed and lunged at my mind I screamed, out loud, “I WILL NOT STOP!”

I didn’t care who heard me. This wasn’t about me choosing not to stop a rum. This was about me choosing to live and to ‘be right here, right now, present in this time and place.”

I was literally running and death wanted me to stop. But this is a race. And at the finish line is such a glorious prize for my Savior and I.

You see, “Stopping…is NOT an option.”

But the Lord is the One Who gives.
The Lord is the One Who Takes away.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

And at the end of the day, we have fallen short.
This is how it will end for almost every last one of us.
We all take a last breath.
We all experience one final beat of the heart.
We all have one last synapse fire through our brain.
We are all returned to the ground.
We all know death all to well because it lives right next door.
And someday were moving into that house.

But death is not the end.
The One who took is from the dust and returned us to it will enact justice on all.
So don’t tell me that life is not fair because all die for our transgressions.

Life is better than fair because the One who took us from the dust became dust Himself.
He did not turn away from the Master plan.
He became our sin.
He bore all of the justice and wrath on Himself.
He returned to dust.
The dust could not hold Him down because what happened to Him was not fair.

He rose from the dust a second time.
If we trust in Him,
That He has everything in control,
That His death made us right with Him,
That through His resurrection we can live again-
Forever.

Because Death is Not the End.

One day you will slip fatefully into the dark.
It will be fair, righteous, and just…
…Even though it feels like anything but.

Today is the day of salvation.
Have you called upon the Name of the Lord?

An interesting week to be sure as icons of the twentieth century begin to fade into the sunset. First, Ed McMahon, a from the Golden Age of Television and a pioneer and late night comedy and talk shows. Then two days later, Farrah Fawcett, a sex-icon of the latter twentieth century, a talented actress and a determined fighter of cancer. And on the same day as Fawcett, today, Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson was a musical genius who wrote and performed brilliant songs that changed the world. He was dancing prodigy who inspired new and creative ways for performers to express themselves with their bodies for centuries to come.

Michael emerged as a star performing with his four brothers throughout the 1960′s and 70′s, but became a megastar as a solo artist in the late 1970′s and early 80′s.

Jackson apparently had a horrificly abusive father growing up which unfortunately, but not shockingly led him to VERY bizzare behavior as an adult.

Michael was almost daily crucified by the media and was driven to extreme plastic surgery, prescription drug addiction, manic depression, eating disorders, and alienation.

For nearly two decades Jackson has fought off extreme and convincing allegations of child sexual abuse on many fronts, but never has been convicted of doing so- although large settlements have been paid to the accusers families from Jackson.

He was a man who could not cope with living in the harsh realities of this world and tried to escape it all by living the life of a child for most of his life.

As mentioned before, Michael will be remembered as a musical and dance genius who, along with Elvis Presley, contributed more to his field than any other person to walk this earth. He will also be remembered as a business man, an entreprenuer, and philanthropist (giving away tens of millions throughout his lifetime to charities in need).

But I wonder how history will reflect on him in the long run.Elvis had all sorts of skeletons in his closet, but for the most part it’s not those parts of his life that are remembered collectively by the public. When people tend to think about Elvis, they think about the young Elvis who was in the prime of his artistry and carrer. Iis that how people will remember Michae; Jackson- a pop superstar from the early 1980′s who wow’ed the world with songs like ‘Bad’, ‘Beat It’, and the all time classic ‘Thriller’? Or will people remember ‘Wacko Jacko’ who was obsessed with the unusual, who lived as if he was Peter Pan, who radically changed his appearance to something almost unhuman, and who was accused of so many sexual atroscities against children?

Either way, the world has lost a man who has influenced American culture-no- world culture on a level that only a few dozen people can claim throughout the history of mankind.

Rest in peace Michael. I hope you found it through Christ so you can escape the hell that was your life.

Man is created in the Image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). After God created man, He said that everything He created was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

God clearly gave man one simple command upon his creation;” You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;  but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

Man disobeyed God’s command, thus sinning against Him (Genesis 3). The consequences of sinning against God were: 1.] Losing direct fellowship with God (1 John 4:18; Psalm 5:3-5; Exodus 33:20; Matthew 27:46). 2.] Death (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:19; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27). 3.] Losing fellowship with fellow man and the rest of creation (Genesis 3:7; Genesis 3:12; Genesis 3:16-19; Genesis 3:21; Genesis 9:2-3; Romans 8:22). 4.] And Experiencing eternal life apart from God in Hell (Psalm 55:15; Malachi 4:1; Matthew 13:50; Revelation 20:14).

Because of man’s original sin (Genesis 3); all men have a sinful nature (Genesis 6:5; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-18; Romans 8:7-8), sin (Proverbs 20:9; Hosea 6:7; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8) , and suffer the consequences of sin (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21, 1 Corinthians 15:45-50; and see Scripture  references in paragraph above for ‘the consequences of sinning’ ).

Man is totally depraved (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-18; Romans 8:7-8) and completely unable to save himself from sin or its consequences (Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 2:12).