Apr 15 2015

Love Without Limits

Love without Limits

Its easy to love people who treat you well.  However, how do you love someone who doesn’t treat you well?  The kid in school who makes fun of you?  The boss who takes credit for your work, or blames you for things going wrong?  Those people are a bit harder to love.

Jesus tells the Pharisees in Matthew 5:43-48 they are to love their neighbor, but also love their enemy.  The King James goes on to say “bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”  We know Jesus wants us to love our neighbor, that’s for sure.  He tells us over and over again.  However, the Jewish Rabbis taught that their “neighbor” only applied to fellow Jews.  This worked out well because the Jews pretty much hated everyone else.  The Romans actually accused and charged the Jews with hatred of the human race.

The problem is that the Old Testament, or no where else in the Bible in fact, tells us to hate our enemies.  There are places in the Old Testament where God hates evil, and may not care for the evildoer, but he never commands his people to hate their enemies.  We are to shower them with unconditional kindness.

I heard a story about Wade Boggs, former third baseman for the Boston Red Sox.  He hated playing at  Yankee Stadium while playing for Boston, not because of the Yankees but because of one particular fan.  This fan would heckle him, yell out insults and profanities.  One day, Boggs had listened to this enough.  He walked over to the area where this guy was, looked at him, and asked “Are you the guy that is always yelling at me?”.  The fan responded “Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?”

Wade Boggs took a new baseball, signed it, and threw it up for the guy to have.  The guy never heckled Boggs again.  In fact, he became one of his biggest supporters.

That’s what we are urged to do with our enemies.  Find a way to show them love, especially the love of Christ in all we do.  God is going to bless everyone on this earth, whether they believe in him or not.  He sends the rain and the sun to bless even his enemies by common grace (vs 45).  We need to love people without discrimination like God loves us.  We also need to love our enemies because we need to show there is no greater love than Christian love.

(Reposted from July 26, 2011)

Apr 14 2015

Church family



Support and encouragement from your church family is awesome. The NWT family surrounds Chris after his baptism Sunday morning. 

Apr 13 2015

God’s blessings

Today, I have felt God’s blessings and presence in my life more than I have in a long time.  I know He’s been there, but maybe today I just tuned into it more.  A very long, ongoing, persistent prayer was answered today.  Amazing how the presence of peace infiltrated my heart as soon as I got the news.

The sad thing is, I shouldn’t just experience that peace when I get an answer to prayer.  We all should be constantly aware of God’s blessings in our lives each and every day.

Apr 12 2015

The Insanity of American Politics (And How I Plan to Fix It!!)

the-definition-of-insanity

I suppose the first real Presidential election I remember was the one that took place in 1988 – Bush vs. Dukakis.  I remember reading about the elections at school, having to do “Current Events” on the election.

So, in 1988, George H. W. Bush won the election.

In 1992, he was defeated by Bill Clinton.

In 1996, Clinton won a second term.

In 2000, George Bush, the son, won the election.

In 2004, George Bush won again.

In 2008 everyone thought Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic nomination, until a new guy named Barack Obama won.  He did name Hillary as his Secretary of State though.  He won again in 2012, and it marked the first time in 24 years that someone not named Bush or Clinton held some sort of high ranking political office in the United States.

But it was announced today, running for President in 2016, will be Hillary Clinton, again.  And just in case you think that’s crazy enough – yup – you guessed it – there’s another Bush.  And while Jeb Bush, the brother of the latest President Bush, has not “officially” announced a campaign, we all know its a matter of time.

But, take it a step further.  You see, it ends up being the same people running for President over and over again.  Mitt Romney ran for President in 2008, and then again in 2012, and to be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran again in 2016.  It seems like people just have unlimited funding to be able to run for President over and over and over again.

While I’m not a politician, nor do I like to even talk about politics all that much, I do have one clear thought on the issue:  Isn’t it time for some fresh faces?  Isn’t it time to try a different approach?  Isn’t it time for some new people with new ideas and a new vision for the future to step in and run?

I’m sure Hillary is a great person.  I’m sure Jeb is swell guy.  I’m sure Rand Paul, (who is Ron Paul’s son, who ran for President a few times) is a visionary dude.  But I think its time for some new faces in the political world.  Here are my suggestions for people who should run for President in 2016:

1.  Duncan and RobinsonTim Duncan – People thought it was cool that Barack Obama was a good basketball player.  Hello?  Enter Tim Duncan.  Duncan is one of the most humble guys on the court, yet he’s a proven winner. But what about outside of basketball? Per his Wikipedia page – “Off the court, Duncan is known for his quiet and unassuming ways, as well as his active philanthropy. He holds an honor degree in psychology and created the Tim Duncan Foundation to raise general health awareness and fund education and youth sports in various parts of the United States.”  Suggested VP – David Robinson – (he brings basketball and military experience into the mix)

2. Carey and Brady Drew Carey – Everything Drew Carey is involved with turns to solid gold.  First of all, did you know he was a veteran?  He served in the US Marine Corps for 6 years.  Then he went into comedy.  He had a little show called “The Drew Carey Show” that ran for 233 episodes.  He also took an old great show, revived it, and turned it to pure comedic genius with “Whose Line Is It Anyway.”  After that – he took over for one of the greatest game show hosts that ever lived, Bob Barker, and has been on The Price is Right ever since.  So, he KNOWS how to follow up great figures, and make things even better.  No pressure following someone else in office.  Suggested VP – Wayne Brady – We’ve gotten used to comedic relief with Joe Biden, why not bring some professional comedic relief to the position?

3.  Swift and LawrenceTaylor Swift – While technically not old enough to run for President (she’s only 25), I think we could make an exception to the rule just for her, right?  She has consistently dealt with pressure, and knows how to overcome (remember – Kanye West?) interruptions.  She’s achieved more in her 11 year music career (she started at 14) than most of us achieve in a lifetime.  Besides, if she’s blasted by the media, ridiculed by foreign leaders, or made fun of on Saturday Night Live, she knows how to “Shake it Off.”  Suggested VP – Jennifer Lawrence.  Someone with bow hunting skills as hers may come in handy in a post-apocalyptic world.  Have you seen the Hunger Games?  It could happen people.  So could the Walking Dead.

4.  Fallon and TimberlakeJimmy Fallon – Jimmy was the guy everyone was sort of unsure of to be the replacement for late night guru Jay Leno.  However, Jimmy has filled Jay’s shoes very well.  Jimmy has brought new life to a dying stage in late night shows.  He made it cool again for young people to stay up to watch.  He’s adored by everyone.  He’s confident.  He’s friends with everyone.  In a pinch, he can do all sorts of impressions of past favorite presidents to bring his ratings up.  I feel like Jimmy would listen to people, and then do his best to make the most informed decisions.  Plus, it would be a hoot.  Suggested VP – Justin Timberlake, because these two in the White House would be awesome.  I mean, seriously, have you seen these guys perform before?  I’d tune into a State of the Union address featuring this dynamic duo!

Honorable mentions:

1.  Kid President.  Suggested VP – Brad Montague, because behind every great President is a great helper.
2.  Ryan Seacrest.  Suggested VP – Randy Jackson
3.  Derek Jeter.  Suggested VP – Mariano Rivera
4.  Shawn Michaels, the Heartbreak Kid.  Suggested VP – Vince McMahon.

Apr 11 2015

Sunday Morning

Last week, many people went to a Church service because it was Easter Sunday.

Don’t forget – Jesus is still risen, and still deserves your time tomorrow morning.

Go and be with a church family tomorrow morning.  Start your week off right.

Apr 9 2015

Buying a house

Buying and selling a house is STRESSFUL!!!

I’ve looked at 25 homes in the past two weeks or so, and every time I find one I like there’s a contract on it!  

Prayers we will find one soon that works for us!  We just want a home that will bless the church we work for!

Apr 8 2015

No better feeling



There’s not much that can trump the feeling of getting to baptize someone. Praise God for Brenda’s decision!

Apr 7 2015

My office



A few weeks ago I asked everyone what color I should paint my office. I chose a calm green color. 

I’ve also put some photos up. These are pictures taken with my camera. Instead of ordering random art or other things to hang on the wall I decided to make it personal. 

First we have a picture I took of the Garden of Gethsemane:



Then I have a picture of Kristen and I in Sedona on the Devil’s Bridge:



Then I have a picture I took of the Grand Canyon:





And finally I have a picture I took while on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee:





If anyone would like a print of these please comment below or on the Facebook/Twitter post, or email me at lanewidick @ gmail . com (no spaces) and I’ll tell you the price. 

Apr 6 2015

Psst…It’s OK to talk about the Resurrection on Easter Sunday

Easter Question

Yesterday was Easter Sunday.  For most Christians around the world, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord was celebrated.  For most, you ask?  That’s right – for most.

I’m sure you’re wondering the same thing that others might be wondering – what do you mean “for most?”

Well, for those of us in attendance at the Northwest Tampa Church of Christ, we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.  We also spent time talking about the last week of the life of Jesus – the Triumphal Entry, the Last Supper, His time in the Garden, His trial, His crucifixion, and finally, His resurrection.

Sadly, there were churches out there that did not spend time even discussing the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.

Now, let me stop here and state that it is not a mandatory rule that we do this.  In fact, no where in the Bible does it mention Easter, or that we need to spend one Sunday out of 52 weeks celebrating the resurrection.

But let me ask you – why wouldn’t we do this?

I talked with several people yesterday and today about how their Easter church service went – and I had about 5 people who said “Our church didn’t even talk about the resurrection, except for in a prayer during Communion” – or something similar to that.

In the Churches of Christ – we take Communion/The Lord’s Supper every Sunday.  Somewhere along the way, members who were of the slightly more conservative persuasion decided that we didn’t need to celebrate the resurrection on “Easter” because we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection every week during Communion.  They were afraid, I suppose, that if we talked about the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, that it would be too “denominational” and we would be erring.

That makes me sad.  It makes me sad that there are people who would specifically choose NOT to talk about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior on a certain day, basically because a church they disagree with is doing the same thing that day.

Sounds silly doesn’t it?

Its the same way at Christmas – you could sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” all year long until December, but then when December hits, you can’t sing it any more because its as if by singing that song, you’re saying that Jesus was indeed born in December.

Here are a few reasons why you SHOULD celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday, and perhaps even make it the emphasis of your Sunday worship:

1.  There’s nothing wrong with it.  Let me make one thing clear – it is NEVER not okay to talk about Jesus.  The resurrection is a great topic, and is always appropriate to discuss on a Sunday morning, a Tuesday afternoon, or a Friday night.

2.  People expect it.  Believe it or not, even non-Christians, visitors who have never been to Church, or anyone else you can think of have to make a decision to go to church on Easter Sunday.  I know, they should be more “faithful” in their attendance, but they made the decision to go on Easter.  They probably even know, since Easter is about the resurrection, to expect a lesson on it.

3.  Its a great opportunity.  You’ll have one of the largest percentages of unchurched, non-Christian visitors on this day.  Why would you not take time to tell them about how Jesus died, and then conquered death, and rose from the dead?

4.  It is one of the most, if not THE MOST, important things in the New Testament.  I read somewhere that the resurrection is the crowning proof of Christianity.  In reality – everything that Jesus did, the disciples did – is secondary in importance to the Resurrection.

If there was no resurrection, what we do now is in vain, its not true.

Death is a great enemy, and Jesus defeated it.  None of us can.  But Jesus can.

For those of you who use the idea that we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection in the Churches of Christ every week, let me ask you this:  Do we really?

Sadly, I can count on one hand the amount of times we’ve discussed the resurrection during Communion time.  We’re so good about focusing on the pain and the sacrifice portion, but rarely do we bring up during Communion the part about how Jesus rose from the grave, and now lives forever.  You see, its not just that Jesus died, but he rose from the dead, and never died again.  And He won’t.  He’ll live forever, having defeated death.

Listen, I know we get nervous.  I know we want to make sure we do things right so we don’t stray from the Scriptures or the teachings of the New Testament.  But talking about the resurrection on Easter Sunday is not a sin.  It’s not wrong.  It’s a blessing.  It’s a blessing to talk about our risen Savior, and not just on Easter Sunday, but every day of the year.