LIVING BEYOND THE MOMENT

Long-term success requires good vision when making decisions. We are living in a culture of “instant gratification”. Many daily decisions are made, both big and small, based on what looks right for the moment. In many cases there is an absence of a moral guide. Ethics are, for many, relevant to the moment.

When life is lived in this reckless fashion, the crisis around the corner is of our own making. Some refer to it as Karma, but in truth it is simply facing the consequences of a life lived in the moment and for one’s own satisfaction and pleasure.

 Successful Decision Making requires:

1. A Clear World View: What is life? Where did we come from and where are we going after this life? Were we hatched, spawned or created? These are some of the many larger questions of life that we do not give enough thought. But, in the end our World view is directing may of our decisions on a daily basis.

2. A moral compass: It is impossible to navigate without it. That compass will lead you in “right decision making” and warn you when you are heading in a destructive direction.

3. A Surrendered life: A famous singer of our day penned these words in a song: “you gotta serve somebody”. In the end we all do. We may serve our career, a person, a cause, a deity an object or just ourselves. Service is the lens through which daily decisions are viewed. 

(Source: gracechristiancenter.org)

DECEMBER 2012 SERIES…We Wish You A “Mary” Christmas

Over the Month of December we will take a Look at “Mary’s” Christmas! Each week we will look at how God worked in her life to prepare the entry of our Lord Jesus into the World. Join us each week at 10:30am at the Grace Place 1500 Royson Lane, Round Rock. Texas. 

OCTOBER 2012 SERIES

THE GRACE PLACE

October 2012 Round Rock/Pflugerville “Grace Place” church will present a series titled “The Wolf, the Lamb and the Lion”. The series will take a look at what the Bible has to say about the supernatural. The opening message “Can the Dead really speak to us?” will be October 7^th at 10:30am.

The Grace Place

1500 Royston Lane

Round Rock, Texas

Click Here for directions

(Source: gracechrisitancenter.org)

Christians and Culture…LIVING JESUS DAY BY DAY!

In his book”Christ and Culture” by Richard Niebuhr, sites five approaches  of Christians living out Christ in the midst of their culture. 

1. CHRIST AGAINST CULTURE
- Description: Here is the most uncompromising view towards culture which “affirms the sole authority of Christ over culture and resolutely rejects cultures claims to loyalty” (45) “The counterpart of loyalty to Christ and the brothers is the rejection of cultural society; a clear line of separation is drawn between the brotherhood of the children of God and the world” (47-48).

2. CHRIST OF CULTURE
- Description: In this view, men/women ?hail Jesus as the Messiah of their society, the fulfiller of its hopes and aspirations, the perfecter of its true faith, the source of its holiest spirit” (83). These people seek to maintain fellowship not only with believers with also with unbelievers. “They feel no great tension between church and world, the social laws and the Gospel,. the ethics of salvation and the ethics of social conservation or progress. On the one hand they interpret culture through Christ, where those aspects that are most like Jesus are given most honour. On the other hand, they interpret Christ through culture, selecting from his teaching that which best harmonizes with the best in civilization (83).

3. CHRIST ABOVE CULTURE
- Description: This view does not make the ?battle’ between Christ and culture (ie. Do not say either Christ or Culture), but rather it sees the ?battle’ between God and man (Holy God vs sinful man) (117). The adherents stress that God orders culture, and thus culture is neither good nor bad. When man sins, his rebellion against God is expressed in cultural (actual) terms, yet that doesn’t mean that culture is bad. Culture, they say, is sustained by God, and they see the harmony (synthesis) between Christ and culture as the best way to address the ?problem.’ Niebuhr notes, “They cannot separate the works of human culture from the grace of God, for all those works are possible only by grace. But neither can they separate the experience of grace from cultural activity; for how can men love the unseen God in response to His love without serving the visible brother in human society?” (119).

4. CHRIST AND CULTURE IN PARADOX
- Description: Similar to the ?Christ above Culture’ is the Christ and Culture in Paradox view. While the members of this group want to hold together “loyalty to Christ and responsibility for culture” (149), they believe that this cooperation is not a happy balance/union that the above-Culture group would like people to believe. Alongside the cooperation of Christ and culture, they stress on a severe?paradox’ where a?conflict’ exists between Christ and culture due to sin in culture; in the dealing of Christ with culture, we see both sin and grace.

5. CHRIST THE TRANSFORMER OF CULTURE
- Description: This group can be described as ?conversionists’ who have a more “hopeful view toward culture” (191). There theological conviction comes from seeing God as creator, knowing that man’s fall was from something good, and the view that we see God’s dramatic interaction with men in historical human events (194). Thus about human culture they believe it can be “a transformed human life in and to the glory of God” through the grace of God (196).

Throughout history the church has taken one or all of the above approaches in its localized ministry to community and immediate culture. Niebuhr never affirms one over the other but makes a brilliant point in his writing. Namely it is time for us to decide on an approach to culture. Second we must be conscience of cultures affect daily on our beliefs. Gods Word stands and remains unchanged though the hearts of men may move as waves on the ocean depending on what culture may be fixed upon. 
One of the mentors of my life, Jack Hayford would often say: Always be suspicious of your own righteousness”.  In order to keep the soulish nature of man in check we need to suspect daily that he is trying to take control. Only the the sword of the spirit (the Rhama Word of God) can keep that nature in check. 
I believe Christ is the transformer of culture one man and one woman at a time. Surrendered lives give our culture a picture of the King of Kings and another Kingdom. The transformation of culture begins with our individual surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 

THE COIN AND VALUE

 July 8, 2012

Quarter

Now I don’t know how I began my enjoyment of counting coins but I know I would lye on my grandmothers living room floor and would count the coins over and over again that were in my coin collector.  I learned how many coins you needed to make a roll.  Counting coins is still something to this day that I enjoy and relaxes me, odd to some but hey it’s my deal.  When I was younger I remember my grandmother having this gigantic 5-gallon jug in one of the bedrooms and everyone would throw their change in.  Over the years less silver and more pennies became the consumption of that jug. I remember one summer that 5 gallon jug at my grandma’s finally became full, after 10 years.  My grandma being creative made it exciting for us to count the coins and roll them and how we got excited over our trips to the bank to deposit the money.  It turns out there was over a thousand dollars in that jug, that was a lot of pennies.

This event that happened earlier this week actually has happened to me before about five years ago.  This past week I was at work and getting ready to leave it was time to count my drawer.  Counting all the bills first then onto the quarters.  As I pour my quarters on the counter to count them I hear this odd sound.  I look at my stack of quarters I don’t notice anything different but remembering the previous event I pick up my quarters and drop them again on the counter to see if I hear the same sound.  Sure enough I do and then I see it.  It is a quarter that is shiner than the others not like a brand new quarter but almost a pale complexion to it.  I quickly asked my co worker if she can hear the difference and her response is “oh mae God, now they are trying to give us fake quarters.”  I quickly ask her if I can trade the quarter for one in my purse.  She agrees and asks me why I would like a fake quarter; I tell her I like interesting things.  So I switch out the quarter for the “fake” one and keep it in my pocket.  On the way home I had a smile on my face because I knew it wasn’t fake but it was worth more than .25 cents, at least I was hoping.  Five years ago I had an almost identical situation but the date on that quarter was 1937, the current one in my pocket was dated 1962.  Could it be a fake quarter?  I enjoy counting coins but I never inquired about the history of coins, but I am aware to look for different designs.

I finally have a chance to look up my quarter, it turns out that quarters from 1932-1964 were made up of 90% silver and 10% copper. While today’s quarter is roughly 91% copper and 9% nickel.  My quarter is actually worth $4.55 at a worst quality rate.  That is what I might get if I trade my quarter in for the metal value.  At coin auctions these silver quarters can go anywhere from $122 to supposedly $720 depending on the year, the quality of the quarter and if it has been circulated. 

Now I can see why .25cents can increase to $4.55 due to the material of the quarter and that is the going rate for silver.  $122 I have a harder time understanding.  When does a quarter have that much value?  What will a collector do with it surely not trade it in for the metal.  Will his prize possession sit in a curio for others to see or will it go into a box in some random closet that the collector knows its there.

Have you ever valued something at a higher rate than what it is worth and was it worth it?  I think for most of us we can answer yes to the first part and to the second part our answer will probably be yes and no.  To the other side of the coin we can probably all plead guilty to under valuing something also.

I couldn’t help but compare this to how we value life.  During our younger years we may not understand the value of our lives hence we try things like sticking our hand over an open flame to see what it feels like or sticking keys into a wall socket because it seems like they would fit quickly after trying these things we understand why others are not currently doing them as well.  There are some who never truly understand the value of their life, which leads to poor decisions such as reckless driving, or the chances they take with their health.  Again some learn the value when it becomes in danger and others may not have the opportunity to.

I know life is valuable and I value the other lives around me.  I personally couldn’t not put a price a on a life.  But there are many who do.  Some will take lives to prove a point or for a cause, others might trade one life for another, and there are some who will give their lives for the entire group.  Now all these have a price to them, some we may disagree with, others agree with, and commend others for the value they put on lives.  But in these situations can we say that someone has over valued another’s life?

My mind goes quickly to the Creator of the Universe.  He created this earth, He created animals, and He created man.  He saw value in man that is why He wanted to fellowship with him and made him ruler over the things of the earth.  Now the Creator also gave a value to ones life.

Now I’m not speaking about anyone else here except me, but I often think He has given me a greater value than what I am worth.  I can see valuing life at the first exchange rate from .25 cents to $4.55.  Starting off as an infant not being able to give much but just take to now becoming an adult and giving back to society.  That makes sense.  But to go from the next rate of exchange I don’t see what He sees in me to make that type of sacrifice.  The Creator of the Universe sent His son to die so that I may live forever with Him.  Is it cause he sees something special in me to do that?  There are many times where I have said I don’t know what He sees in me.

Can I ever be worth what He paid for me?  I would honestly answer no.  The Creator says yes every time. His love for me and everyone else on this planet He will answer yes and say you were worth it.  He is a just God and He is a God that LOVES!  HIS LOVE covers a multitude of sin.  HIS LOVE is never ending.  HIS LOVE is pure.  HIS LOVE is our hope.  HIS LOVE is our only answer.

I am grateful for the sacrifice the Creator has made for me.  His love is a gift that I thank Him for often.  Now He sees value in us but do we recognize value in Him?  Is His love something that we stumble upon and see what an initial worth might be and then stick it in a drawer knowing that we have this valuable item but no one else can see.  Then occasionally we will pull it out of a drawer and stare at it thinking how lucky we were to have encountered it.  Or are we putting it in a curio or display case for others to see and enjoy with us?

Contribution courtesy of Vanessa Ochoa aka Nancy Auxnard

(Source: gracechrisitancenter.org)