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• All future blogs should appear in your Outlook program as an RSS feed.
• If you have problems, find a technologically advanced person (not me) who can answer your questions.
• As I said, we will be adding the option of e-mail subscription in future weeks.

I got another of those urban legend things e-mailed to me today. We all get them. Most are pretty predictable and many have made the loop through my e-mail a half dozen times. This one was different though. It stuck in my mind a little more than most...it kind of haunted me a bit.

Here's the "legend" in a nutshell (as sent to me by my sister). A New York paper reports that some poor guy dies at his desk on Monday and no one notices until Saturday when the cleaning service comes in to clean. Because he was first to work and last to leave and a very diligent worker, no one thought twice about him sitting at his desk for so long.

As I usually do, I checked out the story at www.snopes.com (a great place for checking all the urban legends floating around). Seems like the story has been floating around for years with appearances in British, American, Canadian and even Finnish papers. Of course, it's been all over the Internet. Every time it was printed, the papers reported large numbers of responses from concerned readers.

Here's where this legend started to tug at my heart. Why does this story register with so many people? Why does it keep running loops around the Internet and through the media? Because all of us live with an underlying fear that we don't matter. It's true. It's why pro athletes beat their chests, why Brittney will do anything for attention, why young kids act up for their parents, and why the story of some poor, middle-aged guy dying at his desk hits home for so many.

We simply want to know our lives have significance and that someone cares. When we lose that--when we get to that point where we truly believe we don't matter--we lose all hope. Honestly, I want to know the same thing--that what I did and who I am matters to someone besides...me.

God promises that this is the case for all of us. He cares very deeply for me (see Matthew 10:29-31) even to the point of numbering my hairs. (an easier task for me than for some of His other children). God does have a purpose and plan for me and you. More importantly, He longs for us to live full and abundant lives (John 10:10), not merely just getting by.

Let's be honest, though. Having the love and attention of God--who we cannot touch or see--cannot take the place of relationships here. We need each other. But we've forgotten how to be in friendships with people, to communicate with other human beings and to be real with the people in our lives. Technology (text messaging, e-mail, chat rooms, etc.) has removed our outlet for satisfying one of our greatest needs--human interaction. That's why over 75% of people in one survey I just read, indicated they had felt very lonely in the last month.

That's also why we talk so much about doing life together at RCC. Church is a place where people should be accepted, where men can build strong friendships and look for mentors and buddies who are on the same journey. It's a place for women to find support and comfort for the tough stuff of life. It's a place where teens can know that their significance is not found in accomplishments or rewards but in the meaning that is given to us by our very existence.

I need that. I need to know that there are others on this journey with me.

I found that in my family. I've found that in the others who worship with me at Ridgeview. I found that in Christ. That doesn't mean that there are not lonely days, frustrating days. It just means that every day, regardless of what I feel like, I can live with confidence in this truth:

I (God) know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11 MSG

REMINDER: we are in the process of moving the blog to our church website (http://www.rccfranklin.com/). As soon as the subscription plans are worked out, we'll make the final move. Until then, you can read the blog here or at the site. As always, thanks for taking the time to read.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV

Satan's a jerk! And a very sneaky one at that. When it comes to causing trouble, you better believe that he is not only real ,but really good at what he does. One of the things he does so well is to keep us from seeing the long term damage of our sin. We have a tendency, when we are faced with a choice, to imagine that our sin will only hurt us and just for a little while. "No one will ever know," we imagine. "It's just this once and then I'll do better."

King David fell for it. Think about what happened the night he chose to commit adultery with Bathsheba (don't you love that name? The name alone should have told David to steer clear. She was trouble). David had just experienced over two decades of spiritual, economic and physical success. Israel's borders had been destroyed, her enemies defeated. The land was at peace with the exception of a few minor battles left to fight. So, David did what many of us tend to do...he got comfortable in his position.

The story of David's fall begins with a little phrase that indicates his overconfidence. "In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war..." 2 Samuel 11:1 NIV David wasn't where he should be nor was he doing what he was supposed to do. David had gotten overconfident in his position. Because of that, he could not see the danger that loomed ahead.

He wasn't looking for trouble the night he roamed out onto his roof. And, when he made the choice to compromise, he closed his eyes to all the dangers that loomed. Not only did David disobey God, David's choice led to a pregnancy, a murder, lies covered by more lies, the deaths of four of his sons and the eventual division of Israel. Think David saw all of that coming just because of that "one little sin?" You can bet your life he didn't. But that's exactly how Satan works. He covers our eyes so we can't see what God is trying to save us from. He's been doing it for years.

I talked with a young lady here in Franklin last week about Jesus and sin. She was a high schooler and a seemingly intelligent young lady. Her final comment in our conversation blew me away. "Not all sin is bad," she said. "Some are just little trivial ones."

Hear me! Don't bet your life (or your kingdom) on that lie. It comes from Satan. Your position today can be your downfall tomorrow if you don't take seriously the dangers of sin and consider the character of the enemy we all face. "Be careful" the Bible warns. You don't want to fall into this trap...I guarantee it.

REMINDER: we are in the process of moving the blog to our church website (http://www.rccfranklin.com/). As soon as the subscription plans are worked out, we'll make the final move. Until then, you can read the blog here or at the site. As always, thanks for taking the time to read.

Sometimes you just have to do what you know you should do. That's true when it comes to worship. You and I were made to worship, to have this amazingly incredible friendship with God. That's why there is such a heavy emphasis on this in the Bible. That's why there is such a heavy emphasis on it from pastors and worship leaders in churches all over. God created us to have a relationship with Him and to worship Him. End of story.

The reason that's so hard is the Enemy--Satan. You see, the worship we give to God is the worship that Satan desires for himself. It's why he does everything he can to keep us from God. He wants what he neither can have nor that he deserves. So, to keep you and I from doing what we should, he throws everything at us--busy schedules, conflicts, personal interests, hobbies, careers, troubles, debt, and on and on. Each of these have a way of taking our focus off of God and putting it on ourselves. When we do that, Satan has won and we pay the price.

It's no accident that most men hate to worship. In many cases, the condition of the father reflects in the condition of the family. If Satan can keep my mind so preoccupied with bills to pay and how tired I am every evening and the latest attempt to protect my interests, then he has prevented me from fulfilling my purpose. This vicious cycle begins for us where we feel dissatisfied with life (because we are not doing what we need to) and it spills over into our relationships and that causes us not to worship and not to desire relationship with God. The cycle continues. Before long, we are inconsistent with our church attendance, sporadic with our quiet time and flat in our friendship with God.

So, what do we do? We choose to break the cycle. We do what we know we need to do. In victory we worship Him; in defeat we do the same.

Take weight-lifting as an example. Because of sports, I have worked out since my freshman year in high school (off and on--mostly off until recently). When you are working out, there are times when you see great progress and you are feeling wonderful. But there are far more days where you feel flabby, out of shape, lackadaisical, even want to quit altogether. Those are the days when it is most important that you do what you know you need to do. You walk back into the workout room, crawl back on the bench and you keep doing the right thing.

Your life may be filled with junk right now. Spiritually, you may feel flabby and out of shape. Maybe you are ready to quit entirely. Now is the time to do what you know you need to do. Step up and get back to worshipping God. Now, don't panic. I'm not asking you to join a choir or a monastery. I'm simply asking you to do three things well: pray without ceasing wherever you are, read without ceasing about God's love for you in the Bible and worship without ceasing in both the good times and the bad. You will find that the right thing leads to the best thing and will help you to get through anything that may come. My suggestion for you today and everyday...worship!!!

REMINDER: we are in the process of moving the blog to our church website (http://www.rccfranklin.com/). As soon as the subscription plans are worked out, we'll make the final move. Until then, you can read the blog here or at the site. As always, thanks for taking the time to read.

Sometimes God must take you to the bottom before He can take you to the top. It is a spiritual principle that has been played out more times than I count. Consider Moses. Prince of Egypt. Royal lifestyle. Great education. God "promotes" him to the desert as a fugitive and then takes him to where He really wanted him in the first place--leading the children of Israel.

Another example is the guy I have been studying this week, Joseph. Last time, we talked about his rejection. First, he finds himself in a well, then a slave caravan and then an Egyptian prison. The way I see it, you can't get much lower than that. No family to visit you (remember, they were back in the homeland). No friends to cheer you up. Just you and the other cons struggling to make it through another day.

Now, here's a key question: what would be better than sitting in an Egyptian prison? (be careful how you answer). Many of us would say "anything" and that would be true. You give me freedom, a hot shower, some clean clothes and a minimum wage job and I'll be happy to be out of that place. The problem is, when we surrender to God, we have to be careful not to settle for second best. Which do you think is better? Flipping burgers down at Pharaoh's hamburger joint or second in command to the big honcho himself?

Joseph was low, rejected, down-and-out. No doubt about it. But when his rebound came (at the hands of God, not Joseph's doings), he rebounded well. Why? Because he didn't limit what God could do. He understood the principle that sometimes God has to take us to the bottom before He will lift us to the top.

Why does God do that? Lots of reasons but one of the biggest is this: God wants to remind us that we really need Him. Yes, we can "make it" through life without Him--but who wants to just make it. I want to live on the top, rebound from the crap life throws at me and achieve all that God has purposed for me. That doesn't mean that I won't be flipping burgers some times. It simply means that you and I should never settle for living life our way when God's plan for our rebound is always the best.

Whatever your prison is today, make a commitment to leave the rebound up to God.

REMINDER: we are in the process of moving the blog to our church website (http://www.rccfranklin.com/). As soon as the subscription plans are worked out, we'll make the final move. Until then, you can read the blog here or at the site. As always, thanks for taking the time to read.

Rejection hurts. There is just no way around it. Whether it's an idea of yours that is shot down or a relationship that you've poured your heart into, the feeling of rejection can leaving you reeling emotionally. And, it can happen to anyone.

Remember Joseph? For those who aren't familiar, I'll give you a condensed version of the story. Joseph's eleven brothers are very jealous of him. He is obviously his dad's favorite of the 12 boys. Their rage leads them to fake Joseph's death, then, to sell him off into slavery. Talk about rejection. These are no mere strangers or fringe players in the story of Joseph's life. This is his family, his own flesh and blood. How would you survive such a rejection? Would your thoughts turn to depression, suicide, anger or bitterness? How about love and honor? Back the emotional roller coaster up here. Did I really say honor? Yep.

Let's jump into Joseph's story in Genesis 39 to understand how so much rejection can lead to so much good for Joseph. It's a simple five word phrase that could easily be overlooked:
The Lord was with Joseph... Genesis 39:2 NIV

That's it! That's the key. That's the pivotal phrase for every Christ follower. The Lord is with you. No matter what trial you are in, the Lord is with you. No matter what difficulty you face or rejection you have had to swallow, the Lord is with you. Your finances may be low and your debt crawling higher but the Lord is with you and has promised not to leave. You just have to trust that His presence can make a difference. And it can. It took Joseph from a well to a palace, from a palace to a jail and from there to second in command. God is with you. Will you trust that today in the middle of your hardship whatever it may be?