We are losing sunlight each day. The fall season is a constant reminder that darkness always returns.

If you live in the Midwest you've probably noticed that your car lights are turning on just a bit earlier each evening?  Brace yourself.  This pattern will continue for the next several of  months, right into December - and there is NOTHING you can do to stop it.  In Minnesota, we call this a season.  I've been told that we have four of them. In a similar fashion, our own personal lives can go through a rotation of seasons as well.  For example, it's not uncommon for people to experience seasonal depression.  In fact, seasonal depression occurs most, of all times, during the Christmas holiday.  Many psychiatrists suggest that the lack of sunlight produces this funk or feeling of isolation and sadness in us.  It just comes with the season and the absence of light.

However, fall can also usher in extreme beauty (the turning of the trees produce amazing colors). This, too, is confusing.  With darkness comes amazing beauty.  During dark days I often grab hold of this verse that reads,

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.- James 1:17

In a world with so many shifting shadows, it's great to know that God is our One constant.  There is no change or shifting in Him.  There are no seasons that apply to His nature.  In addition, James writes that God is filled with light.  If we've ever needed light, today is the day. Walking in darkness is awful.  Just ask my toes, as they stumble through the house bumping into things until a light is found. 

Notice that even in our dark days, God continues to give us good and perfect gifts.  Unfortunately, it might take a little more work on our part to discover or see our many blessings - but they're there.  

Take a moment this week to thank Jesus for being your CONSTANT.  Thank Him for his continuous presence in your life, even during the dark days of fall.  And keep your eyes WIDE open to the blessings that He pours out to you.  Remember, the best place to shine a light is in the darkness.  God knows this, so keep looking for Him.

Here it is: The Minnesota Ten Commanments

1. Der's only one God, ya know.
2. Don't make that fish on your mantle an idol.
3. Cussin' ain't Minnesota nice.
4.  Go to church, even when your up nort.
5. Honor your folks.
6. Don't kill.  Catch and release.
7.  There's only one Lena for every Ole.  No cheatin!
8. If it ain't your lutefisk, don't take it.
9. Don't be braggin about how much snow you shoveled.
10. Keep your mind off your neighbor's hotdish.

You win friends to Christ, not your enemies.

When it comes to evangelism or sharing your personal faith story, the bridge to conversion is through a frienship. I find it intriguing that Jesus was tagged or branded with the name, "friend of sinners."  And indeed, that's what he truly was.  And it was this relational connection that Jesus had with sinners that allowed conversion growth to explode. 

It's rather simple. You don't win enemies to Christ, you win friends. Enemies will not listen, but a friend will.

Romans 2:4 states that it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. The woman caught in adultery was not condemned by Jesus, but instead she was befriended by him and was coached out of the sinful life.  God's kindness led to her transformation.  And most importantly, it came through the voice of a friend.

God calls us friends as well.  And that makes all the difference for me in my transformation into his likeness.

While we were yet enemies with God He came and made peace (frienship) with us via the cross.  It is this image that allows us to share our faith in a loving way with all people, not condemning our culture, but in a manner worthy of our Savior who continues to be a friend of sinners.

The more complete challenge of evangelism is not so much through the verbal sharing of God's Word, but by befriending the person that you are sharing the gospel with.  Jesus exemplified this by living up to the title, friend of sinners.

My God must be more than Apple Jacks to me. Do cravings produce hunger, or does hunger produce cravings?

Okay. I'm up at 4 AM and this thought keeps entering my mind, "Right now, I'm really hungry for a bowl of Apple Jacks."  But to get up out of bed would risk waking my entire family for this craving of mine.  Not a good scene. Besides, I just had a large snack before bedtime (chicken pot pie).  How healthy is that?  So I'm thinking, there is no possible way that I could still be hungry.  So where does this craving come from?

Hence, the question:  Do cravings produce hunger, or does hunger produce cravings?

Hunger is the body's physical expression or signal that it must be fed for life to continue.  A craving is an emotional response to something that is lacking.  Cravings come and go, but hunger is a continuous cycle.

My God must be more than Apple Jacks to me.  Don't get me wrong.  Having a craving for God is a good thing.  But if I build my relationship with Him simply on raw emotions, I will be quickly defeated and disappointed.  Why?  Because you and I are one big craving factory.  And it is  impossible to keep our cravings in line or to place them in a certain order of priority. In other words, I could sell out on God for a piece of chocolate if I let my immediate cravings rule.  This is what the Devil tried to do with Jesus in the desert.  He showed Jesus several big bowls of Apple Jacks and said, " If you bow down to me, I can get that for you."  Fortunately, Jesus didn't go for the bait.  Jesus, although physically hungry, even resisted the craving.

Okay, let me land the plane.

To hunger for God might be a better direction to go than to have a craving for Him.  Hunger is a natural signal for the body to absorb the right amount of daily nutrients from God.  Cravings tend to produce outrageous size bites that, if not monitored, can leave you sick to your stomach.  Some people approach church or worship this way. They crave the experience more than the hunger of the relationship.  As one theologian once stated, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but You, my God, are the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  (Psalm 73:26)

May God be your portion today.  May your spirit always hunger for Him.  And lay off the Apple Jacks.

Sometimes a song stays with you for an entire day, whether you want it to or not. This is one of those songs. It comes from Building 429.

This is a great song, but a better reason for the song. 

And Jesus said to them, "Are you going to leave me too?"

How would you answer that question, let's say, if you just witnessed far less fruit this year at your church or business than the previous years?  How would you answer that question if you learned that several key leaders were considering stepping aside from serving?  How would you answer this question when fincial support is lacking? Or when the vision or dream for the church has become more like a nightmare?

It's my hope you will never find yourself in this position, but there's a high likelihood you will.

This is precisely why leadership must answer the most important question that Jesus raised with his followers, "Will you leave me too?"

Anger, jealousy, and frustration. 

Often times our personal egos get in the way of personal obedience to Christ.  We find our value in the results rather than the relationship.

This is why Jesus asked his disciples this important question.

The truth of the matter is this: Christ followers will not always receive favorable results in life.  In fact, if truth be known, we often finish each season with a losing record - as it relates to worldly success.  That's why, as followers of Jesus, we must put our trust in our relationship with him and not soley in the results.

I love Simon Peter's answer to his Savior's question.  After watching multitudes leave the ministry, he responds, "WHERE WOULD WE GO?  YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE." (John 6:68).

In other words, success is not eternal.  But a relationship is.  The voice of success is misleading. The voice of God is liberating.

If you're in a season of drought, try your best to answer this question.  What might cause you to leave Jesus?  It's a great question that targets our motives to why we serve or follow God.

Trade your results for the relationship!  Think eternal.

Scary News....Help Needed (Brad Reis)

I am writing this with tears in my eyes... My family and I came down here to United Kingdom for a short vacation,unfortunately we got Robbed at the park of the hotel where we stayed. All cash, credit cards and cell were stolen off us but luckily for us we still have our passports with us.

We've been to the embassy and the Police here but they're not helping issues at all and our flight leaves in less than 3hrs from now but we're having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let us leave until we settle the bills.

Am freaked out at the moment...

What does it profit if a man gains the entire church, but loses his family? Sadly, this happens more often then we care to admit.

If you're a leader you need to be a reader. I heard those words spoken nearly twelve years ago from Rick Warren. And those words are just as true today as they were over a decade ago.

When you live in the past, your life is history!

This statement was sent to me by a friend yesterday following my life talk message.  How profound those words are to all of us who desire to follow after Jesus, but just have a really hard time overcoming our past.  Our new series on Sunday had to do with getting past our past. Every key person that God called to advance His mission had a past to get past. From Abraham, Jacob, David, Peter, Apostle Paul, and the list goes on - even today with you - to overcome a terrible past.  If you reflect too much on your past, you're history.  This is why Paul writes, "I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:14)."  Paul is not stuck in his past.  He's moving forward. He realizes that God has cleansed his past sins and that he has now been made a vessel to transport this same grace to others who need to get freed from their past.

What about you?  How are you doing with your past? Trust Jesus to move you forward when you just can't get past your past.  Press on!