As we move into Spring, I find myself thinking about seasons. I enjoy the change of seasons. As we leave winter behind I am especially excited about the warmth, fragrance, and color of Spring. Spring also means my favorite season, Summer, is just around the corner!
Just as the calender brings different seasons, so does life. Some are more welcomed than others. I often wish the seasons of life would be more spring and summer like, but often, they are not. As the winter months bring harsh and trying weather, there are often seasons in life which bring harsh and trying times.
Here in the Northwest it is not uncommon to see large trees topple to the ground as strong Pacific storms blow through. As the harsh winds beat relentlessly against the trees there is but one determining factor that decides whether they stand or fall, roots. The tree with the weak and dying root system rarely fairs well, where as the tree with the deep, healthy, and strong roots stand.
Much like the tree, it is our roots that make the difference. As we seek to grow in our knowledge of Christ, our roots grow healthy and deep. As we are well rooted in Christ, our faith grows, and as our faith grows, we will experience the strength needed to ride out the unwelcomed storms of life.
How are your roots?
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7
Rooted
Compassion Bloggers to India
Aside from being very open with their financial information they do a great job of giving people a first hand look at their ministry in action. One of the many ways they effectively accomplish this are blogger tours. To date they have taken bloggers to Uganda and the Dominican Republic. On April 26 a team of five bloggers leave for Kolkata, India to experience first hand the abject poverty, and the difference Compassion is making in the lives of those living in it.
Following along with these bloggers to see what they see, and feel what they feel.
If you have not already, prayerfully consider sponsoring a child today. The relationship you will enjoy and the difference you will make will be greater than you can imagine. Click here to begin your ministry to a very special needy child.
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40.
To Be Like Dad
I recently posted this picture of my son, mowing the lawn with me to my Twitter account. My accompanying tweet said, "Getting the lawn mowed. Nice to have a 'little help.'" Little did I know, such a simple picture would inspire my friend Greg to write the following blog post. It is so good, I share it here.
Consider My Servant
Recently, a friend of mine went out to mow his lawn. While he was mowing, his 4 year old son came out, with his toy lawn mower, to “help” him. My friend was so excited and proud and impressed that his son wanted to help, that he took a picture of it and posted it on Twitter.
It’s a very cute picture: there is the front of my friend’s lawn mower (I think it’s a John Deere). To the right of the mower is the freshly cut grass, to the left of the mower is the uncut grass, and right in front of it is his little boy pushing his toy lawn mower that looks almost like Dad’s.
Now, you know he’s not really helping…it’s a toy, it’s not really doing anything, but I wonder what was going through that little guy’s mind. I came up with five things he might be thinking:
1. I want to be with my Dad.
2. I want to be like my Dad.
3. I want to please my Dad.
4. I’m really helping him out.
5. I bet he’s proud of me.
(Knowing my friend like I do, and the fact that he posted the picture, I know number 5 is true.)
I thought of a similar story in Job 1:6-9:
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
(A side note: If God twittered this question it would look like this: Have U considered my servant Job, that thr is none lk him on the earth, a blameless & upright man, who fears God & turns away from evil?)
Just like my friend, God is proud of His people who do good, after all it’s what we were created for. (Ephesians 2:10)
The thing that struck me the most is the fact that, even though God is proud of me for doing good works, and even though I get all full of myself for “helping” my Heavenly Father, I sometimes wonder if I’m mowing the lawn with a toy lawn mower. And then I think, maybe that’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)
My motivation for doing good should be 1, 2, 3, and 5 on that little boy’s list:
1. I want to be with my Dad.
2. I want to be like my Dad.
3. I want to please my Dad.
5. I bet he’s proud of me.
If I convince myself that any of my good works are worth anything I’m kidding myself. (Isaiah 64:6) But I’m going to keep doing them, because I want to make my Daddy proud.
So good! May we all strive to be more and more like our Daddy.
Safety First?
How safe do you play it? Do you live life to the fullest or do you play it safe? Conventional wisdom says to play it safe. It tells us to get a good job, save lots of money, and retire comfortably. Is that really the life God invites us into?
These are questions I have wrestled with over the years. Which is more responsible, to store away so that I can eventually enjoy a comfortable retirement and hopefully leave something behind for my kids, or to live a life of faith and trust? A life that gives more than it saves. A life that is more concerned about the life to come than this present one.
In my current pursuit of what God has next for my family and me, I wrestle with these thoughts. Do I hold out for the "perfect job" that promises to provide all the things on our list of desires, or do I walk through the doors God is opening before us to serve Him right here, right now? The "perfect job" may or may not come. The one thing I am certain of, is the one who is perfect, promises to meet us where we are, and to provide for our every need. What He desires of us is faithfulness (Matthew 6:25-33).
God does not call us into a life of safety. He calls us into a radical lifestyle of trust and faith. It's not always a safe life, but it's an exciting life, and one that culminates in hearing the words, "Well done good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21). It is those very words that I hope to hear someday.
I hope this Francis Chan video challenges you as it does me.
Did You Know?
Are you ever dizzied by how rapidly culture is changing? Just today I had a conversation with a friend about how different the world is from when our parents were our age. We think nothing of paying a cell phone bill, internet bill, and cable bill each month. We think nothing of loading 10,000 songs onto a device the size of a pack of gum, or paying $3.50 for a cup of coffee. Our parents on the other hand, would never have even imagined such things.
The world is changing rapidly. I can't help but wonder, what will our children be doing someday, that today we can't fathom? In considering such a rapidly changing world, how do we respond? More importantly how does the Church respond?
Over the generations culture has remained much the same. The same has held true in the Church. With culture now accelerating at such a rapid rate, we as the Church must consider, how we are going to live, and minister, to effectively remain relevant, and fulfill our mission to reconcile the world back to it's creator.
Did you know...
Think On This
If your church is serious about reaching the unchurched, you must be willing to put up with the people who have a lot of problems. Fishing is often messy and smelly. Many churches want the fish they catch to be already scaled, gutted, cleaned and cooked. That is why they never reach anyone.
- Rick Warren
A New Chapter
If you have been reading my blog recently, you know that God has led me to embark on a new chapter in my life. After serving at Grace Point Community Church for the last 11 years, He is now leading me on a brand new adventure.
Change is not always easy. It often requires a measure of faith that is greater than what has previously been lived out. That is where I find myself now. A new journey of faith. A new chapter in life.
I am excited to see what it is that God has next for me and my family. As we are seeking God for His next assignment, I have put together a new web site designed for those that may also be beginning a new chapter within their church ministry. My new resume site is a site created to give churches a glimpse into my life and ministry.
If you are part of a church, or know of one, that is seeking God's will for a new pastoral position, I invite you to take a look. I would love to find myself ministering to students once again, or perhaps even in a new area of ministry. You will find my site at http://brianeberly.wordpress.com. Once there you will find various posts, videos, articles, and more all designed to give you a look into my ministry. You will also find easy downloads of my resume, philosophy of ministry, and doctrinal statement. For easy reference, I have also added a link to this new site in the sidebar of this blog. You will find it listed under Sites of Interest
If you have a need in your church, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to talk with you about the new chapter God is beginning in your life and ministry!
Satisfied with Christ
How satisfied with Christ are you? We live in a culture that tells us the end goal in life is the accumulation of stuff. We live in a relentless pursuit of more; more money, more things, more friends, more pleasure, and the list goes on.
I was challenged recently with a John Piper quote I came across while reading Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love. In asking, how in love with Christ are we, he shared the following quote.
The critical question for our generation - and for every generation - is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?
When we are in love, everything in life changes. It changes the way we view our stuff, our relationships, and our priorities.
May we love Christ in a way that causes everything else in life to pale in comparison to knowing and loving Him.
The Love of God
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 is arguably the most well known verse of scripture. One would be hard pressed to find someone unfamiliar with it. In all our familiarity with it, I wonder, how often do we just sit and marvel at it's truth.
Take a moment and watch this video of Francis Chan sharing "The Awe Factor of God."
To be loved by such an awesome, big, and powerful God is simply incredible to me! May we remain in awe of His awesome love for us. May we love Him in return, in a manner that He deserves
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19.
I Passed!
I have been asked many times through out the years why I have given myself to working with teenagers. I have always had a pretty impressive list to share that confirms my calling. I now have one more reason!
I passed the teenage audio test! There are actually frequencies that most people over the age of 25 are unable to hear, and I am happy to report ... I can!
Created by Train Horns
How about you? Did you pass? Let me know!
HT to Adam McLane
We're All In This Together
This is the first year in many that I have not participated in the 30 Hour Famine. It is a movement that I so believe in, and am thrilled to see the students I leave behind continue to embrace. If you know a student participating this year, give. Your participation through your giving will have a profound effect on many.
If there is one thing I have learned through World Vision's 30 Hour Famine, it's that we as God's Church, particularly in America, need to realize that God desires, and expects, us to responds to the needs of the world. For it is in fact the purest form of worship. When asked what worship is, the average American church goer will answer, singing. Singing is only but one very small element of worship. Bigger than singing, is responding to the cry of the needy, the suffering, and the broken in our world (James 1:27, Matthew 25:31-49, Romans 12:1).
I so appreciate what Hillsong United will be releasing this year. Were All in This Together, a feature-length documentary, will illustrate the inseparable union of worship and justice - aimed at inspiring people to see injustice, think creatively and act in response.
Watch this teaser and let it move you closer into the heart of God.
May we never forget ... we are in this together.
For more see i-heart.org.
Surprised By God
God is a God of surprises, and a God of blessing. I often stand amazed at how He works in my life. There have been a few occasions in my life though in which God has really taken it up a notch and just completely blown me away, by the way He demonstrates His love and care for me. Here and here are examples of two such occasions. Today He did it again!
After enjoying the blessing of a great conversation over coffee with my friend Steve, I came into the office and read my email. In doing so, I opened an email that absolutely left me astounded and speechless. What follows is an email that was sent to the general email address for our church from a lady I have never met, and who lives thousands of miles from me.
I woke up this morning after having a dream that I couldn't shake. The name Brian and a last name that I couldn't quite make out yet appeared on the hat of a young man with a beard and mustache. As I was waking the last name started to become clearer to me. I thought maybe it was someone from my church that the Lord wanted me to pray for, but there is no one from our church by that name. The heaviness of my heart was so great that I decided to google the name Brian Oberly or Eberly, the last name still wasn't perfectly clear.
When I clicked on the site and saw a man standing with his arms wide open looking to heaven, I was compelled to read on.I only had to read a few sentences and I knew in my heart that this had to be Him. Clearly it wasn't Brian wearing the hat in my dream but the young man that was, is someone that we are supposed to pray for as well as Brian.
In my dream the young man with the beard was very torn about a separation that was taking place in his life, it seemed to be a marriage but I wasn't sure. After reading the site I was very certain that these are people that we are to be praying for.
I am writing to you to let you know that God loves you so much that he gave someone half way across the country a dream to pray for you and the people in your life. And as I read about you leaving and watched the video my heart was so burdened, that I cried. Just know that we are praying for you.
Blessings
I stand amazed! The "young man" with the beard and mustache, wearing the hat, is my good friend and ministry partner Aaron. My departure from Grace Point has been difficult on so many levels, but perhaps one of the hardest is the parting of ways with Aaron. It has been a struggle that both he and I have had to wrestle through. To know that God laid it on the heart of a perfect stranger to pray for the two of us, is incredible to us both!
While I am surprised by God in this, I know I shouldn't be. He is God. I love the way He works. I love that He loves me.
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