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NEWSPAPER


NOVEMBER 2010


THE GOOD NEWS TWO FATHERS, TWO FEASTS


But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts 20:24 By Max Lucado


I drove the family to Grandma’s last night for Thanksgiving. Three hours into the six-hour trip, I realized that I was in a theology lab. A day with a car full of kids will teach you a lot about God. Transporting a family


from one city to another is closely akin to God transporting us from our home to his. And some of life’s stormiest hours occur when the passenger and the Driver disagree on the destination. A journey is a journey, whether the destination be the Thanksgiving table or the


heavenly one. Both demand patience, a good sense of direction, and a driver who knows that the feast at the end of the trip is worth the hassles in the midst of the trip. The fact that my pilgrims were all under the age of seven only enriched my learning


experience. As minutes rolled into hours and our car rolled through the hills, I began to realize that what I was saying to my kids had a familiar ring. I had heard it before—from God.


All of a sudden, the car became a classroom. I realized that I was doing for a few hours what God has done for centuries: encouraging travelers who’d rather rest than ride. I shared the idea with Denalyn. We began to discover similarities between the two journeys. Here are a few we noted.


In order to reach the destination, we have to say no to some requests. Can you imagine the outcome if a parent honored each request of each child during


a trip? We’d inch our bloated bellies from one ice-cream store to the next. Our priority would be popcorn and our itinerary would read like a fast-food menu. “Go to the Cherry Malt and make a right. Head north until you find the Chili Cheeseburger. Stay north for 1,300 calories and bear left at the Giant Pizza. When you see the two-for-one Chili Dog Special, take the Pepto-Bismol Turnpike east for five convenience stores. At the sixth toilet… ”


THE About Word-by-Mail


W O R BYD


Word-By-Mail is a unique ministry of Calvary Chapel Nuevo and Pastor Dave Shepardson, where you can choose the book or series in the Bible you’d like to study, and each week we will mail you the next message in that book or series on CD - AT NO COST.


Here are just a Few of the Individual Topics Available: End Times Overview God’s Grace to You


Communication in Marriage Divine Forgiveness in Marriage How to Be Saved How Not to Worry Who is Jesus Christ? Tragedy


Changing Prejudice Signs of Salvation Hope is at the Door


There is NO CHARGE for this service. The entire ministry is funded by donations.


In the past 7 years, this ministry has sent out over 350,000 CD’s


packed with solid Bible teaching.


We encourage you to sign up to receive these Bible teaching CD’s by mail, each week, and see how God will transform your life through the regular study of His Word. You can listen in your car, use the messages to study on your own, or gather some friends for your own in-home Bible study. And you can cancel at any time with no obligation.


951-928-8582 MAIL Sign up today & see for yourself


To Sign up go to: www.wordbymail.com and bring God’s Word into your life today.


John1:1


1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.


Can you imagine the chaos if a parent indulged every indulgence? Can you imagine the chaos if God indulged each of ours? No is a necessary word to take on a trip. Destination has to reign over Dairy Deluxe Ice Cream Sundae. “For God has not destined us [emphasis mine] to the terrors of judgement, but to the full attainment of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”1 Note God’s destiny for your life. Salvation. God’s overarching desire is that you reach that destiny. His itinerary includes stops


that encourage your journey. He frowns on stops that deter you. When his sovereign plan and your earthly plan collide, a decision must be made. Who’s in charge of this journey? If God must choose between your earthly satisfaction and your heavenly salvation, which do you hope he chooses? Me, too. When I’m in the driver’s seat as the father of my children, I remember that I’m in


charge. But when I’m in the passenger’s seat as a child of my Father, I forget that he’s in charge. I forget that God is more concerned with my destiny than my belly (although my belly hasn’t done too badly). And I complain when he says no. The requests my children made last night on the road to Grandma’s weren’t evil.


They weren’t unfair. They weren’t rebellious. In fact, we had a couple of cones and Cokes. But most of the requests were unnecessary. My four-year-old daughter would argue that fact. From her viewpoint, another soft drink is indispensable to her happiness. I know otherwise, so I say no. A forty-year-old adult would argue that fact. From his standpoint, a new boss is indispensable to his happiness. God knows otherwise and says no. A thirty-year-old woman would argue that fact. From her standpoint, that man with


that job and that name is exactly who she needs to be happy. Her Father, who is more concerned that she arrive at his City than at the altar, says, “Wait a few miles. There’s a better option down the road.” “Wait!” she protests. “How long do I have to wait?”1 Which takes us to a second similarity between the two journeys.


Children have no concept of minutes or miles. “We’ll be there in three hours,” I said. “How long is three hours?” Jenna asked. (How do you explain time to a child who can’t tell time?) “Well, it’s about as long as three Sesame Streets,” I ventured. The children groaned


in unison. “Three Sesame Streets?! That’s forever!” And to them, it is. And to us, it seems that way, too. He who “lives forever”2 has placed himself at the head of a band of pilgrims who


mutter, “How long, O Lord? How long?”3 “How long must I endure this sickness?” “How long must I endure this spouse?” “How long must I endure this paycheck?” Do you really want God to answer? He could, you know. He could answer in terms


of the here and now with time increments we know. “Two more years on the illness.” “The rest of your life in the marriage.” “Ten more years for the bills.” But he seldom does that. He usually opts to measure the here and now against the


there and then. And when you compare this life to that life, this life ain’t long. Our days on earth are like a shadow.4 Each man’s life is but a breath.5 You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.6 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.7


Continued on Page 43


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