Beacon Of Hope

Extreme Makeover Home Edition 3 - The Big Reveal

2008-03-05T14:58:00.005-05:00

Last Monday was the scheduled return of the Silva family from their vacation in Florida to see their new home. There was much anticipation as we arrived early (about 10am) to find our spot in the crowd. We were placed right behind where the family would be arriving. As we waited, the TV cameras were rolling. We were asked to say, "Move That Bus!" repeatedly and from different angles, until the crowd really did want that bus to move.

We rehearsed the family arriving in their limo to make sure that all of the cameras would be in the right spot. Even Ty Pennington was on scene to practice opening the limo door. Everyone got a good chuckle as he went to open the door only to discover it was locked. We rehearsed the bus moving, and watched as the producers made sure it would be in just the right spot to keep the family from seeing their house prematurely. After many hours of rehearsal and anticipation, the long black limo carrying the family finally came down the street and stopped at the appointed spot. We hadn't seen them since they left, and we couldn't wait to see how they would respond. As Ty opened the door (not locked this time), the crowd erupted in cheers as the family came out of the car. Cameras were rolling, the designers in their spot, and we awaited to see the family's reaction once that bus moved.

Again the cry went up, "move that bus!" and the bus roared away allowing the family to see their new home. For a split second, they took in the large, two story, beautiful home that had replaced their much smaller, lead-filled house. I will never forget watching how Ken dropped to his knees in thankfulness, soon followed by Doreen and then amidst the tears and cheers, seeing this family, parents and children, embrace on another. The local reporter who had been covering this event throughout the week was visibly moved as he watched mother and teenage son in a tearful embrace.

This awaited day came to be known as the "Big Reveal", but there is another "Big Reveal" coming that will far surpass the excitement of the Silva's new home. In fact, the last book of the Bible is called Revelation, and it tells of a day when Jesus Christ will return to this earth. But I wonder, do we really anticipate the day when Jesus will return? Consider that after Jesus was crucified for the sin of mankind, buried in a tomb, and resurrected on the third day, He said He was going to return back to the Father, and He did exactly that. Before He left He gave this promise, that He was going to prepare a place for us that where He is we would be also.

I saw the Silva's old house, inside and out before it was demolished. I saw a beautiful house built in a matter of days, and I have been inside the new house that was designed and prepared just for them. As wonderful as thier home is, I can't help but wonder what awaits us in Heaven. What is the place that Jesus has gone to prepare for us going to be like? I don't think I'm alone in wondering that. But let's not forget that God hasn't given us the gift of salavation just so we can go to heaven. (Don't be too shocked!) God has saved us for the purpose of knowing Him. Everything He has done, does, and will do is so that people will come to know Him. So while we can anticipate what Heaven will be like let us not forget that our eternal home is not more important than the One who is already there. I hope you will be ready for God's "Big Reveal."

Extreme Makeover Home Edition 2

2008-02-21T10:36:00.006-05:00

This past Monday the Silva family was told that they would find out if they were selected to be the family. Someone from the show would be with them early in the morning, but they wouldn't know until "the bus" showed up at their house and they heard Ty Pennington say, "Hello Silva Family." Well at about 8:20am that is exactly what happened! And with a flurry of excitement and activity the Silva's knew that God had answered their prayers.

After a few hours of meeting everyone and taping some opening spots, the family was driven away in a very large black limosine to the airport where they would be taken for an all expenses paid vacation at Disney World. The Silva Family would have been thankful for even this alone, for they have never gone on a real vacation since they were married. I know they are going to have a great time down there in warm, sunny, (did I say warm) Florida while we are dealing with freezing temperatures in Rhode Island. But that's OK, Spring Training has started and we know warm temperatures will be coming, but not this week.

Tuesday we went to the scene to begin our week of volunteer work. There are actually quite a few people from our church who have been involved throughout the week, and will continue until the job is done. Tuesday was a set up day for the production staff. Donna & I were able to help in the area of the Arts Tent. This will be used to make any special order furniture, one of a kind projects, and artwork that will be used in their new house. I have to say I was amazed at just the scale of organization to undertake such a project. We were involved in building our own home 7 years ago, and then put on an addition 3 years ago, but it was nothing like this. Everybody had their own area of responsibility. They invaded the entire neighborhood (in a nice way). The yards and driveways of Ken & Doreen's neighbors are being used for tents, eating areas, storage, and parking for a myriad of vehicles. The Silva's belongings were packed a moved to a storage facility until their new house was finished.

Wednesday was set to be demolition day. It began with "The Braveheart March." This is where a volunteer force dressed in blue T-shirts and white hardhats march down the street to take on the challenge that is set before them. Rather similar to how we as Christians are to approach each day. To be dressed in the armor of God prepared to march forward to the task that He is bringing us to that day. Whether that task is repetitive such as going to work, or whether it is something unusual, God has given us what we need to face it, and face it with success.

Soon came along a caravan of garbage trucks. Ken works for the City of Warwick as a garbage truck driver (or sanitation engineer if you prefer). His co-workers took great delight in being a part of "trashing" their old house. It was quite a scene to see them rush into and out of the house demolishing the interior. One man exited the building proudly raising a toilet to cheers of the crowd. Now it was time to bring down that old house. As we've been saying around here, "It's time to get the lead out." First, they came up with the unique idea of taking an old garbage truck, lifting it with a crane, and swinging it into the house. There was a lot of anticipation as we watched the crane raise the truck and begin its course of travel with a trajectory set straight at the front wall of the house. To our chagrin, the truck bounced off of the wall. Everyone thought this would smash the wall like it was made of matchsticks, but it didn't. They attempted it two more times, and it did some damage to the house, but after the third collision it swung wildly and hit the crane. It was then decided that the tried and proven method of the good old excavators would be used. Again, anticipation built as we watched the buckets of the excavators position themselves above the roof. A few more shots of Ty with his handheld video camera and the demolition began. In a matter of minutes the house lay in a pile of rubble to the cheers of the hundreds of people who had gathered to witness this event. There was no doubt now that a new house had to be built. By the end of the day the house had been hauled away, and excavation was in progress for the foundation to be installed.

You know, this is exactly what Christ does in our lives. The old life which is sinful, unhealthy, and destined for disaster is destroyed. And He then builds us into something new, wonderful, and destined for hope. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." - 2 Cor. 5:17

I guess I could say it like this. Anyone who has come to know Christ has received an "Extreme Makeover Heart Edtion."

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

2008-02-21T09:55:00.005-05:00

What an exciting week for us! Ken and Doreen Silva, a family in our church, were chosen by the Extreme Makeover Home Edition show. Ken and Doreen have been active members in our church for a long time. Ken serves as a Royal Ranger commander, Sunday School teacher, and as a Deacon/Trustee. Doreen is the Sunday School Superintendent, and teaches a Sunday School class.

Now if that isn't enough, they are also foster parents. They have 2 birth children, Kenny & Matthew, and have adopted 3 of the 13 children they have fostered. Isaiah & Jayedin are brothers, and were adopted together. Samuel came into their care and was adopted as well. Together they form a family of love and caring that welcomes more children into their home for care on a regular basis.

Several years ago, they sold their first house to purchase a larger house, not for the prestige of having something bigger, but so they could house more children. Eventually, it was discovered that the house and property were contaminated with lead. What to do? They did everything they could to protect the children, who had to undergo regular lead testing. They even had to close off parts of their house so the children would not be able to get into it. This family just didn't have the resources to fix this problem on their own.

This is where many of us would begin to question, "God, why did You let us buy this house?", or "Why is this happening when we are trying to do such a good thing?" Isn't it interesting to realize that you & I can never come to know God's power until we are faced with a situation where we come to depend on Him alone? And He doesn't usually give us all the details up front!

As many other families do on Sunday evenings, they would go home from church and watch ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition. As they watched the stories of how other families were helped by the people of this show, they decided that they would look into the application process. As my wife and I talked with them, we volunteered to nominate them and help with all the requirements of the extensive application process. Trusting that God would somehow make a way for this family where we didn't see one.

As the weeks and months rolled along there was no response. Not surprising when you consider the number of entries that must roll in asking for help. Ken and Doreen were not discouraged, they just kept on doing what they knew God had put in their heart. Some foster children would leave to be reunited with their families, and others would come into their care. After all, there was now room for one more. Being a Christian is more than just having creeds you say you agree with. Nothing shows our faith in Christ more than when we put in daily practice. While many people avoid sacrifice by saying, "How can we?", the Silva's attitude is more along the line of, "How can we not?" In fact, when Doreen was interviewed by the local news and asked about all they do she said, "If not me, then who?" How different would our churches be if more people had that approach to the challenges of life? How different would our society be if more people approached life in such a way? The Bible tells us that Christians above all others should have the mind of Christ. Do you?

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2007-12-25T14:23:00.001-05:00

Check out this story from the "You Make Me Laugh" newsletter at Crosswalk.com

*The Gift That Keeps On Giving*

Roy Collette and his brother-in-law have been exchanging the same pair of pants as a Christmas present for 11 years-- and each time the package gets harder to open. This year the pants came wrapped in a car mashed into a 3-foot cube. The trousers are in the glove compartment of a 1974 Gremlin. Now Collette's plotting his revenge -- if he can get them out.

It all started when Collette received a pair of moleskin trousers from his brother-in-law, Larry Kunkel of Bensenville, Illinois. Kunkel's mother had given her son the britches when he was a college student. He wore them a few times, but they froze stiff in cold weather and he didn't like them. So he gave them to Collette.

Collette, who called the moleskins "miserable," wore them three times, then wrapped them up and gave them back to Kunkel for Christmas the next year.

The friendly exchange continued routinely until Collette twisted the pants tightly, stuffed them into a 3-foot-long, 1-inch wide tube and gave them back to Kunkel. The next Christmas, Kunkel compressed the pants into a 7-inch square, wrapped them with wire and gave the "bale" to Collette. Not to be outdone, the next year Collette put the pants into a 2-foot-square crate filled with stones, nailed it shut, banded it with steel and gave the trusty trousers back to Kunkel.

The brothers agreed to end the caper if the trousers were damaged. But they were as careful as they were clever.

Kunkel had the pants mounted inside an insulated window that had a 20-year guarantee and shipped them off to Collette. Collette broke the glass, recovered the trousers, stuffed them into a 5-inch coffee can and soldered it shut. The can was put in a 5-gallon container filled with concrete and reinforcing rods and given to Kunkel the following Christmas. Two years ago, Kunkel installed the pants in a 225 pound homemade steel ashtray made from 8-inch steel casings and etched Collette's name on the side. Collette had some trouble retrieving the treasured trousers, but succeeded without burning them with a cutting torch.

Last Christmas, Collette found a 600-pound safe and hauled it to Viracon Inc. in Owatonna, where the shipping department decorated it with red and green stripes, put the pants inside and welded the safe shut. The safe was then shipped to Kunkel, who is the plant manager for Viracon's outlet in Bensenville.

Last week, the pants were trucked to Owatonna, 55 miles south of Minneapolis, in a drab green, 3-foot cube that once was a car with 95,000 miles on it. A note attached to the 2,000-pound scrunched car advised Collette that the pants were inside the glove compartment. "This will take some planning," Collette said.

"I will definitely get them out. I'm confident." But he's waiting until January to think about how to recover the bothersome britches.

"Wait until next year," he warned. "I'm on the offensive again."

Now aren't you thankful for only having to open your gifts wrapped in some colored paper, tape, and maybe a ribbon!

"Presents" Or "Presence"

2007-12-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

In this holiday season we know as Christmas, we spend the majority of time focusing on the giving and receiving of gifts. In fact, most of the stress that people experience during this time centers around the busyness of choosing, purchasing, and wrapping presents. There is nothing wrong with giving gifts to the ones that we love. God Himself is the example of such giving, for He loved us so much He was willing to give His Son, and to everyone who is willing to believe He also gives them eternal life. But do we put more emphasis on "presents" or on "presence?"

The wisemen who saw the star spent a great deal of time, preparation, and money in putting together their entourage that would travel to Israel so that they could find the newborn King. With God's divine direction they came to enter into the house where the child was, and upon entering they bowed down in worship and presented to Jesus expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were not satisfied just to send reprentatives on their behalf, and they certainly weren't going to ship them by some impersonal package company. For them there was nothing more important than being able to be in the "presence" of this newborn King when they presented Him with their "presents."

The Bible records these words about the birth of the Christ of Christmas.

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel', which translated means, 'God with us.'"

These words emphasize God's desire to be a relational God with His people. He not only wants us to know Him as the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God, but also as the God who wants to take up residence in the very lives of the ones He's created. Immanuel, God with us, speaks of the first coming of Jesus Christ as He put aside a portion of His glory and took on mortal flesh. He did this just so you & I could know Him. Now we can live every day in His presence because of His promise to come into our lives and never leave us or forsake us.

So in this Christmas season, do not only consider the P-R-E-S-E-N-T-S of Christmas, but take time to receive and reflect on the P-R-E-S-E-N-C-E of Christmas.

Miracle of Thanksgiving

2007-11-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

As we approach Thanksgiving week with the anticipation of food, family, and friends, consider this devotional thought written by Ron Walters.

Miracle of Thanksgiving

November always brings out the historian in me-undoubtedly a result of those Thanksgiving theatricals at my elementary school. The class would dress as Pilgrims; my broad brimmed hat stabilized by a pair of crumpled ears. The routines were more funny than factual but they plowed a furrow of America's history deep into my mind.

And with each November I find myself retracing America's past and always arriving at the same conclusion: America is a miracle, an answer to countless prayers and thankful hearts. There's no other way to explain it.

Don't get me wrong; I don't credit this nation's greatness solely to the Pilgrim's-a name given them by William Bradford, quoting from Hebrews 11.13-even though their prayers, which will always be identified with that original Thanksgiving, certainly played a part.

What makes that first Thanksgiving so memorable is as much about the when as it was the what. Whereas it's true they had enjoyed a bountiful harvest that year, the Pilgrims purposely planned their Thanksgiving of 1621 during an exceedingly disastrous year. It was then that they gave thanks to God.

Pull up a chair and grab your almanac. And once you've found that famous Thanksgiving day, see if you notice the change of fortunes for our nation, and the beginning of the miracle:

* 1609-Approximately 300 colonists arrived in Jamestown. That winter, because their food supplies were exhausted, 80% of the people died from starvation and disease.
* 1620-102 Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower and three months later landed at Plymouth. Within the first year, half of them perished.
* 1621-The Pilgrims dedicated three days for a Thanksgiving Feast to give God glory.
* 1689-During the next 74 years, four North American wars raged between England and France. The final conflict-the French and Indian War-caused Britain to tighten its grip on the colonies, a major miscalculation that eventually led to the American Revolution.
* 1776-America declared independence from England. It was David revisiting Goliath. And, without historical precedent, America won its independence, the world's first colony to break away from a parent country.

It had to be a miracle. Even George Washington thought so: "It will not be believed that such a force as Great Britain, after eight years of military employment, could be so baffled in their plans...by men oftentimes half-starved, almost always sick, without pay, and experiencing every distress which the human nature is capable of enduring."

Yet, soon after the war, 400 armed war veterans circled the make-shift congressional building demanding their unpaid back wages. Held hostage, Congress was forced to approve a payment plan-but had no funds to make the plan work.

To make matters worse, the thirteen states turned on each other. States they were, but united they weren't. New Jersey instituted its own customs services. New York negotiated its own foreign treaties. Nine of the thirteen states maintained their own private navies. Seven states printed their own currency-good only within their borders. Many passed tariff laws against the other states.

And yet somehow these colonies, this people, this collection of war-worn Americans became one nation. A nation ruled by the laws of democracy to safeguard the rights of its citizens; the right to worship as we please, the right to speak boldly about the things of God...

It was a miracle. It is a grand land. And, there's much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To Be-lieve Or Not To Be-lieve

2007-11-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

"To be, or not to be: that is the question" is from Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare.

Today we are faced with many questions ranging from the easy, "What should I have for lunch?" to the more complex, "What should I do with my life?" Yet, life's most important question is this, "Do I believe everything God says?" To believe or not to believe, that is the question!

Today, our understanding of the word believe is far different from how that word is used in the Bible. Today believe is understood as a simple mental acknowledgement, something we accept as true in with head. Yet, when God uses the word believe it is always linked with obedience. When the Lord asks us to believe in Him, it does not end with just our mental acceptance of His existence, but goes beyond that to our level of obedience. To be a "believer" in Jesus Christ means that we should be an "obeyer" of Jesus Christ. Remember what the Bible says in James 2:19:

"You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder."

How interesting to note that if you were able to ask Satan himself if he believed in Jesus, his answer would be, "Yes!" So you see, it is one thing to know something is true, but it is quite another to act upon that truth.

Think about this the next time you hear someone say, "Do you believe in Jesus?" The question, "To believe or not to believe" really should be understood as, "To obey or not to obey?" The truth of this matter is simple to understand, for if you obey Him, you must believe in Him.

Do you believe?

Winning

2007-10-31T09:33:00.000-04:00

"Winning isn't everything. . . . . it's the only thing!"

Winning is the goal of everyone who competes, whether it be sports or politics or the Christian race itself. But is it the winning of the contest alone that is important, or is it the process of how you came to win that truly makes it special?

A couple of opposing candidates for county office happened to be sitting next to each other in the local diner... One turned to the other and said, "You know why I'm going to win this election? Because of my 'personal touch.' For example, I always tip waitresses really well and then ask them to vote for me." "Oh, is that so?" replied the other. "I always tip them a nickel and ask them to vote for you."

There are a multitude of strategies that can be used to win. Winning at any cost puts the focus only on the goal of coming out first. This goal oriented attitude leaves little room for the importance of people and relationships. This attitude is not just relegated to sports, or politics. It also shows itself in the business world, and sometimes even in families.

In New England, we are getting accustomed to winners. The Red Sox have just celebrated their sweep of the Rockies in the World Series. The Patriots are undefeated, even though there are some rumblings in the media of the way they are doing it. The Celtics looked poised to do well this year, and even the Bruins have more wins than losses. There's no doubt that it is more fun to be around winners than losers. But the goal of winning needs to include more than just the final tally.

Jesus teaches us that the goal of His followers is to be like Him. Jesus' goal was to do the will of His Father, and that must become our goal as well. Jesus tells us that there are only 2 things we need to do to accomplish this: 1. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and 2. To love our neighbor as ourselves.

God's goal for your life is that you would learn to love Him with everything about your life, which you can't do unless you come to know who He is. Then you must couple that with loving other people with the same intensity that you love yourself. Now that doesn't mean loving just some other people, but all other people. This is one reason why God ordained the church. That you & I would learn the importance of people and relationships. You need to be involved in touching the lives of other people, and you need people to be involved in touching your life. Christians who believe they don't need to be involved in a local church have missed this very important aspect of God's will for them.

I've had the opportunities of experiencing winning in various sports I've been involved with, as well as a few other areas in life. But the memories of those times are not just summed up with trophies, or rings, or plaques. They can be nice, but they should only serve as reminders of the people that were involved; the team mates, the coaches, even the opponents, that were all necessary to experience victory.

Friend, I hope you are a winner today! But I hope your sights are set higher than just a game or contest. Face today with the goal of loving God and loving people, then you will be a winner in God's eyes.

Living For The Past Or The Future

2007-10-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

Is your life today based on your past or your future?

It is an exciting day to be a Boston Red Sox fan. As we look a week ago in the past, there were few people who actually believed the Red Sox would be where they are today. After all, they were down 3-1 to the Cleveland Indians. They had lost 3 in a row, and they didn't look particularly good in those losses. Most people looked at the situation and thought it would be the Indians facing the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. (Even those of us who are considered people of faith!) Not that we thought it impossible to see a comeback, especially after 2004. But sometimes we look only at our current circumstances in light of our most recent history, whether good or bad.

While there are valuable and important lessons to learn from the past, how we live today and look to tomorrow cannot be ruled by the past.

". . . but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14

The apostle Paul tells us to be on guard that we don't live our today in the past, whether it be past victories or past defeats.

Those who live in past victories will become content and will not pursue or tackle the next challenge. "I've already experienced victory, why take the chance that I might lose the next time?" This can also apply spiritually. You may have experienced God doing wonderful things in you and through you in the past. When you speak of spiritual things, do you only reflect of those things that happened long ago? What about today? Will not the Living God work today? I believe He will. So don't let the past victories keep you from pressing on toward the goal that Christ still has set before you. There is so much more.

Those who live in past defeats will have difficulty believing that they will achieve anything in the future. Some will allow a "victim" mentality to excuse them from even trying to live a life that is fulfilling and is beneficial to people around them. While there certainly are defeats and hurts in our past that run deep, God wants to give us hope for our future.

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

God doesn't want you to let your past dictate your future. He has a plan that He has put together specifically for you, and if you know Christ (which is the ONLY way to come to the Father) then you have hope for your future.

Many times God wants to teach us spiritual lessons from our life's experiences. If the Red Sox let their past rule their future they would not be where they are today. They would have either been content with their victory in 2004, or they wouldn't have had the hope that they could win another game. They would not have experienced the excitement of coming back 4-3 without being down.

Today is a new day. Will you look to Christ to direct your future starting with today? No matter what has occurred in your past, you can live today making right choices. Making right choices today, will lead you to the right future, the one God has prepared just for you.

God at work

2007-10-16T22:39:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered how God works?

As a Christian, and a pastor, this is one of the questions that I find most people have. If we could just figure out how He does what He does, then we would know the formula. Maybe it's if you use the right words and phrases in your prayers. I remember not too long ago as we were praying with one of our children, I ended the prayer with a simple "Amen." Being quick to seize on the opportunity my child quickly spoke up, "Dad, you didn't say 'in Jesus' name.' " While it is important to pray in Jesus' name, I don't think that is done just by adding it to the end of our list of wishes we ask of God. Praying in Jesus' name really means to pray with the understanding of His will for us or a particular situation. To pray as Jesus would pray.

Well, if it's not using the right "magic" words, then maybe God is waiting for us to make some type of sacrifice or good deed. After all, if I do something nice for Him then maybe He will do something nice for me. Again, we fall short if this is our understanding, for God has told us that He knows what we have need of. There is nothing in your life that has escaped God's notice; therefore, there is nothing that happens in your life that He doesn't already have the answer for.

Instead of trying to figure out how God works, maybe we should just take rest in the simple truth that He does. He has always wanted to make Himself known to people. Even now He is wanting to make Himself known to you, and He wants to work in your life. Why not ask Him what His plans are for you?