by Pastor James Bell

Sometimes we refer to it as baggage, but it’s probably more accurate to call it trash. It’s the stuff you don’t want to think about or talk about. It’s that bad, yucky, embarrassing stuff that you carry with you on your journey through life.

One of the bizarre similarities between Gehenna, a smoky, smelly place which became a symbol of hell, and Golgotha, the hill upon which Jesus was crucified, was that they both became trash dumps. Gehenna was often referred to as the place where “the fire is not quenched”. It was filled with burning, rotting, useless debris. It came to represent the darkness and repulsion of sins not dealt with.

The cross provides a distinctly different kind of trash heap. Unlike Gehenna, Golgotha is where life experiences are dumped. This is where we cast all our care upon the Lord. We leave our burdens, our baggage, our trash at the foot of the cross. The biggest difference in Golgotha’s trash is that it gets recycled. After we lay it down and walk away free, God actually uses this trash for His higher purposes.

The very thought of this is at first reprehensible. Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil, not re-use it. But when you consider just what you left at the cross, you become cognizant of a higher purpose that God has in mind. The trash consists of our hurts, our wounds, even our trauma about the effects of sin (ours and the sins of others against us) upon our hearts and minds. The redemptive grace of God allows us to leave it all there and walk away free.

But then Jesus starts sifting through the trash. What was unredeemed gets redeemed. Jesus takes the hurt, the bitterness, the disappointment, even the fear that we laid at his feet and redeems it by his blood. He doesn’t redeem the sin, but it’s effect upon you. He redeems the process that led to the death of self and the birth of the new you. You are suddenly empowered with new strength as the word of your testimony causes you to overcome in every area of your life, as well as providing power for your outreach into others lives.

A type of this is found in the Old Testament when the recipe was given for the incense used on the golden altar inside the Holy Place. The fragrant offering of this incense enabled the priest to enter the Holy of Holies with the approval of the Most High. One of the ingredients was taken directly from the brazen altar where sacrifices for sin were made. God took some of the remains of the sacrificial sin offering and used them as a part of the transforming incense that proceeded ultimate intimacy between man and God.

Is that Jesus sifting through the trash of past crises in your life? I hope so! Will he use the redeemed “trash” from your past to launch new ministry into your current lifestyle? Yes! Then you will begin to understand something amazing: God doesn’t waste anything. He redeems everything. If you feel that you’ve wasted some of your life, make sure you leave it in the trash pile at the foot of the cross.

It might become the core of a brand new ministry God will birth in you!

by Pastor James Bell

What you do when things don’t work out reflects your true character.

It’s when you look around for your support group and there is nothing but crickets serenading the darkness. It might be when you yell, “Charge!” and your closest allies retreat. It could be when you seek the solace of a friend and find an empty heart and a blank expression. Sometimes it’s sharing about how God gave you the design for this plan and then, along with everyone else, you watch the wheels come off. What you do next reveals the substance of what God has built within you.

Regardless of how failure hits you, be it a right cross to the jaw or a sucker punch to the solar plexus, it will challenge you like nothing else. Like most all of us, failure wants acceptance. Will you at last accept all those things you feared you were, but hoped you were not? Can’t you just grovel in the bittersweet comfort of self-pity for awhile? Don’t you seriously feel a little bit like shaking your fist heavenward and saying something profound like, “Thanks a lot, God!”

Since this isn’t the first time you’ve faced failure’s challenge, you know those options don’t work for you anymore. Here is what you do instead:

• Ask God to search your heart for anything wrong or inappropriate in your actions.

• Forgive those who contributed to your failure by their own actions.

• Take some time to just sit at Jesus’ feet and listen.

• Do something nice for someone you don’t like…….yourself!
Note: I recommend a chair massage at the mall, a Godiva chocolate bar, or a large Dr. Pepper,     depending on your budget for “something nice”.

• Start over. Get up and pursue your destiny as never before!

Failure is never a reason to quit. Failure is a crucial part of your education. Failure teaches you to know yourself better, to understand what makes friendship authentic, to value integrity and character. In many ways, failure can propel you toward success.

Balance and objectivity are the keys to making failure work for you. Avoid defensiveness and reject condemnation. Right there, in between those two destructive emotions, there are some great truths waiting to be revealed to you about yourself. Then you’ll better understand the spiritual giftedness God is providing to enable you to achieve what he has called you to do.

Through the years, my enthusiasm for relationships and teamwork has often caused me to lead with my chin and end up on my backside. My heart has become a mosaic of broken pieces put back together by the gentle hand of a loving God. Every true shepherd knows brokenness. Every victorious warrior is no stranger to despair. Failure will challenge you, but you will win.

It’s your destiny.

Forgetting what lies behind and straining 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 

by Pastor James Bell

by Pastor James Bell

Her name meant “gifted” and she definitely was. When compared to the others, she was a fresh breeze of excitement and change. She had that “it” quality, and men wrote books to try out their own theories of just what it was that made her so attractive.

But she wasn’t a girl, she was the focus of a religious movement. Born out of the passion of religious zeal and spiritual desperation, Charisma won us over with her fervent, joyous attitude about life. Many of us quickly decided that she would make a far better bride for the Master than those tired looking,    denominational ladies in waiting, all of whom seemed to feel a sense of entitlement. Unashamedly, we smiled approvingly as her very own movement hoisted her upon it’s strong shoulders and introduced her to millions of Christians around the world.

We needed this infusion of new life. We had been so dry and so introspective for so long. The beauty of Charisma made us feel closer to God and strangely empowered to accomplish the impossible. We wrote new songs, began to dance again, and laughed in the face of trouble. On a spiritual high, we bought bumper stickers and gave away millions of cassettes and CD’s. We thought the Bride, the one mentioned in the scripture, must look a lot like this. And then the unthinkable happened.

We found Charisma in the arms of another lover. And then another. And then many others. What happened to the Bride? What happened to the life-giving love affair with God? How could the one we saw as the Bride of Christ ever choose another lover? As one leader after another fell, the restoration process became shorter and shorter until a few burnt out leaders began to mumble something about restoration not being the answer at all. “Grace is what we need”, they said, “We just need to really understand grace.”

But when we looked at Charisma, we saw a different woman. Her dresses were often torn and dirty. Her countenance changed from beauty to shame to defiance. She would at times scream out at us in a high shrill voice, “I am still the Bride! The problem is not me, it’s you!” Some people started agreeing with her. After all, she was on television. She must be doing something right.

Suddenly there was a whisper that began to make it’s way across the world. The Spirit of God whispered into our hearts, “The church is the Bride of Christ”.  That really made a lot of sense, especially when we realized that the Holy Spirit was using the Bible as the basis of that communication. Of course, when we arrived at this conclusion, we saw our baggage from the recent past scattered all over the station. What would we do now?

We didn’t want to call ourselves “charismatic” anymore. We found out, however, that we really are. Big time. The revelation was like this:

We don’t worship Charisma anymore, but we are very charismatic, knowing that all true giftedness is a reflection of Jesus in our lives. And His gifts are in us all.

Her name was Charisma. She was a movement. She left our Master for another. But she didn’t leave us alone. The Holy Spirit remains with the true Bride. And we are becoming the kind of charismatic that Charisma couldn’t ever be.

You have a gift. Open it.

by Pastor James Bell

“It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.”

- Paul, in Romans 7:21-23 (The Message)

The is a war going on inside of you. Even if you hate conflict, you are nonetheless right smack-dab in the middle of this thing. It started when you knelt at the cross and received your freedom. The enemy never agreed with your new lifestyle, and you were warned that spiritual warfare is a part of being a Christian. The primary battle, however, is in your own heart. It is you vs. you.

The transparency that the Holy Spirit brings will cause you to know yourself a lot better. Not all of these revelations are comforting. You have the potential to become your own worst enemy. The Father’s expectations, however, are based on your willingness to be empowered by the Christ within you instead of your own instincts and efforts.

Your spirit, renewed by the Holy Spirit, says, “Here is a new way, a better way, a life-changing, joyful, victorious way!” Your natural mind says, “This is war! Over my dead body!” Interestingly enough, all of these statements are true.

The natural man (or woman -can we just call him/her “Nat”?) insists on doing what feels good, what requires the least effort, and what promotes self. When old Nat is confronted by the cross, he realizes that he will soon be on it. It is the flesh, with all it’s demands and rights, that is crucified with Christ. Your spirit, with new life breathed into it daily, has a completely different operating system. It is the demonstration of resurrection power in a person. It’s not about you anymore. It’s all about Christ in you. The difference is profound and exhilarating.

Nat, on the other hand, is in complete denial. He suffers from a spiritual disease called IROT. Wanna know more? Sure you do!

Ignorance: “How could a loving God allow anything bad to happen to someone like me? Grace has got my back, Dude.”

Rebellion: “I don’t like authority, the Bible is unclear, and I’m doing my own thing no matter what God, the church or anybody else says.”

Offense: “If people don’t accept me and things can’t be done my way, then I’ll just take my ball and go home.”

Theatrics: “Just because I’m misunderstood, don’t judge me. I am undervalued and needing affirmation. Just a humble-but-hugely-significant person, waiting to be discovered.”

When the spirit person arises, a sword is drawn and the fight is on. Nat is not going to be in charge anymore. The drama is over. The power of the Spirit of life in Christ magnificently clears the air. You are free from the tyranny of a self-centered life. Your life can now have new meaning and purpose.

There is not an end to this war. Not until Jesus returns, ultimately destroying the destroyer. We put on our armor every day. We learn to fight “in Christ”. We realize that surprise attacks come and that temporary setbacks occur, but we always bounce back with the gleam of victory in our eyes. It’s all worth it when we sense His embrace and feel His approval.

Wanna fight?

Victoriously,

Pastor James

by Pastor James Bell

Idolatry is tricky. Just when you think you have it figured out, you fall victim to it’s absurdity again. That’s probably because idols are distinctly our creation, and we are pretty complex creatures when it comes to pursuing our own desires.

I used to think idols were primitive examples of ignorance displayed by uncivilized people. Actually, I still think that. It’s just that I am realizing that I am among those uncivilized people. I’ve even been one of them. Kind of depressing, especially if you have any kind of family pride.

An idol is something you worship. It could be a tree or a rock star. Might be a carved stone or a football team. See where this is going? People drive idols, wear idols, flirt with idols, and at times try to become idols. Okay, your idol could even be that person who looks back at you in the mirror.

But we are to worship God, and God alone. This is where it gets tricky. Let’s break it down:

• We are not idiots (no calls from villages, looking for theirs). We don’t ascribe deity to our “stuff”. Not that dumb. Really.

• We do, however fantasize about being #1, the greatest, the best. Under-appreciated is okay, if it is eventually realized by all. But who will decide that? Mom’s, BFF’s, and the willfully ignorant don’t count.

So we fall victim to the only viable solution. We create our own authority, empower it, and then create a place where, at least in that world, we are significant. Our world becomes (you choose) our fashion statement, our music, our vocation, our school, or even our religious distinctives. We find our niche. Maybe it’s sports, video games, running, computers, books -you can choose your own, individual obsession. Then we surreptitiously manipulate it to define ourselves, to declare our value to the world. Our idols are really about us!

How do we cause others to see the undiscovered greatness in us? How can we make the dream happen?

This is where the problem comes in. We can’t. Just that simple. Even worse, most people are not that concerned about who we are anyway. They have their own idolatry to deal with. So we grow tired of our idols and we realize they are failing us.

• Our greatness is still undiscovered.
• Our weaknesses are becoming more evident.
• Our minds filling with questions about our purpose in life.

The bottom line, if we are honest, is that we are still far short of the world-changing capabilities ascribed to us by those potential-sniffing prophetic types so many years ago. Religious rhetoric is easy to utter and hard to digest. The havoc caused by spiritual sounding hackneyed phrases leaves a residue of disillusionment and distrust. You aren’t, after all, the one who is “sent to the nations and will stand before kings”. That would be Jesus, the Son of God. Sorry.

The grace of God is never more evident than when Jesus arrives to help us survey the landscape of our misaligned lives. The creator of all things looks at our attempts to create our own kingdom. Somehow he still loves us. The Holy Spirit communicates with each of us in the ways we best understand.

“Gotta get rid of those idols. They’re deceptive and dangerous.”

“Okay. But wait, who will I worsh…..  Oh, sorry.”

Why is letting go of something you love so hard? The Holy Spirit is a great help to us, assisting us as we pry our fingers off of the idols we have been clinging to. Then we begin to sense a change from the inside out. Church services are suddenly a lot better. The world begins to be less attractive, obviously a temporary fix for problems it can never resolve. We are lucid now. Empty, but cognizant of what is real.

Jesus always shows up at that scene. He didn’t change, but we did. Now we see things so much more clearly. Life is pouring into our spirit. Idols are lying in a trash heap.

“What was I thinking? How could I not see that these things were idols? How could I rely on them instead of God?”

I don’t know the answer to those questions. That’s the problem with idols.

Note: Consult your Great Physician before relying on idols to improve your life. Some idols have been shown to produce emotional distress, mental confusion, and in some cases, spiritual death. Ask yourself if idolatry is right for you. If not, visit with your Great Physician about the transforming options of Holy Spirit-led therapy.

by Pastor James Bell

The word, “selah” is used often in the Psalms. There is not a direct translation that scholars can agree upon, but it comes from another word, “celah” which means “to hang”. Now it gets complicated. The manner in which the “celah (to hang)” word was spoken indicated measuring weights used to determine  value.   It appears that the use of “selah” at the end of the beautifully inspiring songs, which we know now as Psalms, were to instruct the reader “to reflect upon, weigh or measure what had been said”. This opens a wonderful door of opportunity!

How often do we rush right past what God is saying? In our hurry-up world, we don’t have many selah moments. Could it be that God wants to continue the conversation and we rush off with just a part of it? What if we took some time to meditate (don’t cringe, it’s a good word) about what we read or hear from God’s word?  A few moments of focus on a God thought will provide an explosion of positive, creative, faith-filled solutions to some of your most perplexing problems.

We are now giving you a potential selah moment right after our Sunday services. Altar ministry will start right at the end of the message after the dismissal prayer and blessing. The altar area and the front rows of the Sanctuary will be cleared for people who want to have that selah moment before clouding their minds with other things and the activities of the rest of the day.  You will have an opportunity for a “Selah” before visiting with friends and/or heading home. You can kneel or sit as you reflect on the message and what God might be speaking to you.

A time of fellowship will be happening in the coffee area and in the halls and foyer. Friends and family will wait or maybe even join you for a few minutes. Even if you have to pick up children from the childcare areas, we have shortened our services a little to give you five minutes or so before you have to go. Of course, our ministry teams will be available in the altar area for as long as they are needed.

By the way, DO try this at home. After you read a chapter of the Bible or a Christian book, lean back, close your eyes, and have a selah moment. Focus on what you felt as your read that passage. Let the Holy Spirit plant it in your heart. Reflect, weigh, and measure the value of it to your life.

Now, I don’t want to unravel your spiritual tapestry, but be aware of another kind of selah moment. You see your kid hit a double at the Little League game or watch a Mockingbird making a nest in your backyard or sense the smell of newly mowed grass right before it rains. Make those moments selah moments by focusing on them for a few minutes, thanking God for your life right here in Texas.

I remember certain wonderful moments from years ago because I stopped long enough to collect them. Selah moments contribute to peaceful lives. Try some.

Reflectively,

James

by Pastor James Bell

You haven’t thought of it in years, then suddenly it’s staring you in the face. A picture from the past, a face you used to know, and even emotions that are no longer valid or meaningful to you suddenly race across your radar screen. “Where did that come from?” you wonder.

The experts differ about what causes this sensation, defined as a sudden familiarity with something long absent from your conscious thoughts. We do know that certain stimuli can trigger a kind of momentary confusion between the past and the present. We sigh and say, “Hmmm, must be deja vu”, a word meaning “already seen”. Of course, the designer of our minds and bodies understands these things perfectly. I believe God even uses his own deja vu (even though that’s probably not the best word for it) to help us deal with issues in our lives.

Joseph had long since buried the hurts of his past. He had moved from a prison to a palace. Scars have  a way of healing faster when you are living a blessed life. But even as he concentrated on the international affairs of Egypt and the Pharoah, suddenly something “already seen” (though long forgotten) appeared right before him. It was his brothers. You remember those brothers, don’t you? The ones who sold their little brother as a slave and told his father that he had been killed? Those brothers.

They didn’t recognize him, probably because he was clean-shaven and wore the garb of Egyptian royalty. But he knew them. And he had to deal with this kind of divine deja vu.

We have a friend who suddenly received a call from a young woman who introduced herself as his daughter. He was married with a loving family. Suddenly the years spun quickly by, taking him back to the passions of youthful indiscretion. For him, the past was suddenly right there, right in the moment.

An elderly parent makes a comment in jest, but you remember hearing that in a hurtful way all those years ago. It still stings like when you were a child. The past is back. Actually, you never dealt with it. It was always lurking just around the corner, tied to other insecurities and fears.

Sometimes God will use circumstances to root out unresolved issues that have been long since buried in our hearts and minds. They need to be addressed, but we feel that it’s too late. We wrap the wound tightly with our silent grief and try to stop the bleeding. Those wounds need to be healed.

The healing of our hearts can affect the healing of our physical bodies. God may need to walk with you  through some hurtful memories to bring you to a place of peace and joy in the present. I suggest Tuesday nights as a good beginning point for dealing with divine deja vu. Let Jesus stand with you as you give God your past, as well as your future.

I’ve been down that deja vu road more than once. There is always instant access to the cross. When you get up from your knees, you’ll find a new spring in your step and the horizon will appear more beautiful than ever. In fact, a lot of spiritual bonding with our Heavenly Father is related to those walks we take together.

Fearlessly,

James

by Pastor James Bell

He leaves quietly, slipping away but not forsaking us. Watching with grief as the temple He was asked to inhabit is marred by disobedience and spiritual apathy. He follows our every move, loving us but not  willing to participate in a misuse of our lives.

Unaware of the spiritual vacuum created with His withdrawal from our daily lives, we trudge on. When storms begin to blow across the fragile structure of self-supported lives, we remember. We call upon the Spirit within. We don’t feel quick  a release of peace this time. We say every religious, rhetorical statement we can remember, flexing those faith muscles to no avail.

“How could God forsake me now?” we ask ourselves. We are answered by the haunting silence of an empty reservoir, once filled with the overflow of the Holy Spirit. Then we remember. We haven’t prayed about decisions. We have relished our own cognitive process. We have walked away from the pathway of righteousness. No wonder He left. And how long has He been gone without me realizing it?

Theological question and answer time. What do I believe about this? Can He? Does He? Would He? We try to figure out grace again. We look for some shred of evidence that this can’t be happening. Arguments are happening in the arena of our minds, but in our hearts we know He just is not there. Am I lost again? Has the Holy Spirit left the building?

The reasons become evident. God will not be a part of a self-centered plan. He will not dwell in an unclean vessel. The Holy Spirit has a purpose that is larger than my own design for my life. In my desire to be intentional, I walked away from God’s will. Now I need Him and I feel alone, forsaken and a little desperate. God help me.

Then we realize He is near. Conviction is not condemnation, but rather a manifestation of God’s loving, guiding hand. He never forsakes us. In fact, He follows us down the wrong path, not getting involved in our folly, but waiting. When we realize that we are the ones who have deserted Him, He appears. It’s as if the Spirit says, “I see your tears, I sense your brokenness. I’m here to lead you back home.”

Then we know that the Holy Spirit never really left us at all. His silence, His inactivity, is a warning that we are straying from our calling, walking away from our destiny. He grieves, withdraws a few paces, and waits. When anguish and regrets churn up within us, He smiles and embraces us once again, getting us ready for the journey back to the high road.

Failures leave scars, but not unhealed wounds. We can all be made whole again. Wherever you’ve been, whatever you’ve done, Grace is greater than any failure or bad decision. I know.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Holy Spirit has not left the building.

by Pastor James Bell

Growing up in Tulsa, near the Gilcrease Art Museum, I often walked through the rooms filled with paintings by Charles Russell and Frederick Remington. The work of these legendary artists brought the old West back to life for the visitors to this great museum. I almost felt that I was a part of the picture, merged with the scenery, as I soaked  up the realism of the large, often life-sized, portrayals of a generation before my time. I was a Native American grieving the loss of his hunting ground, a cowboy driving a herd through a rainstorm, or even a mountain man depending on one shot from my long rifle to provide my next few meals. I soon decided that I had the heart and soul of an artist.

Now, every great artist has to start somewhere. Before that masterpiece emerges, there is a journey filled with messy beginnings, frustrating failures, and then, at long last, a blank canvas is turned into a stunning visual experience. Some of us don’t get very far along that journey before realizing that our love of things artistic is not necessarily accompanied by the skills of an artist.

My first grade teacher had explained to me that the reason I didn’t get the coveted gold stars that several of my friends always received was due to my inability to stay between the lines, as well as the general messiness of my work. She told my Mother that I was better suited for athletic pursuits (I was great at recess). I faced a dilemma. I could enjoy trying to be artistic without good results, or simply  appreciate the work of others and never attempt it myself.

Suddenly, another option changed everything. I, along with any other klutzy wannabes, could actually paint a pretty decent picture! It was called “Paint By Number”. It was inexpensive, and, if you were careful to follow the details, you’d soon have an object of art “suitable for framing” (Unfortunately, that phrase became a subject of great debate in my family, which didn’t help my self-esteem as a new artist). But no one could disagree that, this time, the horse really did look like a horse. The subtle shadings of color, blended skillfully into the painting, gave it a realism and dimension I could have never created on my own. I kept telling myself that I was, after all, the artist who painted this. But it was only as good as my attention to detail. Someone else’s detail.

Have you ever felt frustrated in your attempts to fulfill what you believed was God’s purpose for your life? Have you experienced “battle fatigue” in your attempts to advance the kingdom of God in the face of strong cultural (or even so-called “Christian”) opposition? Want to give up or give in or just take about a twenty-year break? Consider this option:

“Paint by Number” has a spiritual application! Set aside your skills and abilities for a moment. Consider God’s instructions in painting the landscape of your life.  A little of this here, a little of that over there. Doesn’t seem logical? Just wait. Trust the Master Designer. If you simply follow the instructions, something beautiful begins to emerge. You may have to step back and say, “Hey, I did this! And it’s good!” Then you will realize that the plan was not your own, but you were very much a part of the plan!

Not all of my ministry has been “Paint by Number. Only the really blessed parts.

Pastor James