Bob and Susan Beckett pastorThe Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

The post But is it true appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

When the boy heard his father’s footsteps, he stuffed the burning cigar into his back pants pocket. The father opened the shed door and barked at his son to tell the truth about what he’s done. The youngster feigned innocence, saying he was looking for a fishing hook. Suddenly the cigar in his pocket sparked into a flame. The father, of course, spotted it and yelled “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” Then he swiftly turned his son over his knee and whacked his behind extinguishing the danger.

When you stop to think about it, fire is an amazing substance. I recently came across an analysis of fire that you might have read through a couple time to really catch it. Get ready to be challenged. This is what Dan Wells stated:

“In my biology class we’d talked about the definition of life: to be classified as a living creature, a thing needs to eat, breathe, reproduce, and grow. Dogs do, rocks don’t, trees do, plastic doesn’t.

Fire, by that definition is vibrantly alive. It eats everything from wood to flesh, excreting the waste as ash, and it breathes air just like a human, taking in oxygen and emitting carbon. Fire grows, and as it spreads, it creates new fires that spread out and make new fires of their own.

Sometimes when i watch people trudging through their daily routines, I think that fire is more alive than we are – brighter, hotter, surer of itself and where it wants to go. Fire doesn’t settle; fire doesn’t tolerate, fire doesn’t ‘get-by.’”

There’s a fire available to us that’s fully alive and active and fills us with zeal and enthusiasm for God and life and people. The question begs to be asked – how does a person get this incredible, living fire? There’s only one way. The Bible tells us in Matthew 3 that Jesus is the One who gives the Holy Spirit and Fire. So if fire is something that Jesus wants us to possess, then why wouldn’t we pursue it!?

There was a study done once by someone who wanted to find out what the top commands of Jesus were. Not word-for-word but the general tone of the commands.

The study found that the third most spoken command was “Fear not” followed closely by number two, which was “Believe.” The number one command Jesus taught was, “Be made whole.” I believe part of the number one command would be fulfilling Jesus’ desire for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and fire!

Filled with God’s Spirit and His Fire would undoubtedly be part of “Being made whole” in my book. I want to do everything possible to pursue, take hold of, and obey His Word & will for my life because life is always better with God!

So let’s take up the cause of being ‘fire bugs.” What a novel idea and I bet God would agree. Spread the fire. And just how do we do that? First off, hang around with other fire-lighters. (Go to church!) Attempt fire-lighting deeds for God. (Remember, some people go about doing good. Others just go about.) Be instant in-season and out. (When God speaks, don’t put Him off. Someone else will get your opportunity. Do the work the others won’t do. Pay the price the others won’t pay. Reap the blessings the others won’t reap.)

And one last thing – guard your hearts’ fire like a treasure! As William Booth brilliantly observed, “The tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your heart. Anyone who has tended a fireplace fire knows that it needs to be stirred up occasionally.”

Bob and Susan Beckett pastorThe Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

The post Those Fire Bugs appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Is the truth really being told when commercials claim they can make a 71 year old look like a 17 year old? Perhaps they just got those numbers accidentally reversed. Not! I don’t believe for a minute all those claims about being younger, stronger, live to a 100 or get rich quick schemes actually work. If they did – where are all these amazing old, healthy, beautiful, rich, marathon running hundred year old people? Truth is – nowhere in my neighborhood, unfortunately, or I’d be signing up for all this stuff.

Truth in the Bible is portrayed as an unchanging reality that initially flows from God Himself. God embodies truth. Denying truths lead to all kinds of messes in every area of peoples’ lives. That’s why it’s imperative to get truth. Pr 23:23 advises us to “Buy truth – don’t sell it for love or money; buy (instead) wisdom, buy education, buy insight.”

As I have mentioned before – truth is dying. So it’s imperative that we ask the hard question of “what is truth?” This is truly life’s most important question. Determining what is true is no doubt the most essential and necessary quest of our human existence.

Bottom line here is that we have a huge decision to make during our brief but fun-packed lives. If it’s true that God is who He claims to be, then follow Him. And if you personally decide that God is just not your gig, then follow one of the other hundreds of religions in the world today. But before you decide be sure and ask yourself – but is this true?

If God is true then in the beginning before time started ticking, God spoke words no one could hear because there was none present to hear them and the world spun into existence at the creative word of His power.

If it’s not true then everything is here from an accident. A crash created something beautiful. A wreck caused order and life to come from nothingness.

If God is true He created man in His image. We are breathing in God’s breath. If it’s not true then man is a well-shaven monkey who is his own sovereign. Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.

If God is true there is a righteous judge. There is a law-giver to whom we are accountable.

If it’s not true every moral law should be abolished. There is no right or wrong and we should do what is right in our own eyes.

If God is true there is a heaven. There is a hell. There are angels. There are demons.

Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life. He lived the life we couldn’t live to be die the death we should have died. He rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father.

If it’s not true literally centuries of people have wasted their lives believing in and serving an illusion. Martyrs have lost their lives in vain. The 500 witnesses recorded in

the New Testament who saw the resurrected Son of God were all men suffering from great depths of delusion!

So now…where’s ‘the dare?’ You may not believe anything about God, but I dare you to spend just one hour looking into these amazing claims about Him. I’m sure you have spent time house hunting, or looking for a new car, or shopping for new clothes. But how much time have you spent checking out God and your eternity?!

The Duke of Wellington once haughtily drew himself up to his full height and thundered to one of his staff officers, “God knows I have many faults, bur being wrong is not one of them!” We may feel like the Duke a times when it comes to believing in God – “I’m not wrong.” But, just in case…what if you are?! Selah!

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

The post Truth or Dare? appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Recently there’s been an increase in interest in our culture about life after death.

There are many people who claim to have the ability to contact dead relatives reuniting them with family for one last conversation. I certainly don’t advocate this practice of contacting dead people and I believe it’s demonic. But it does demonstrate the curiosity that people have about the afterlife. As the Bible tells us: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Death is called the great equalizer – in the end it visits all people.

But death is not the end of existence. We are eternal beings who exist after this physical body is caput. Unfortunately, many people don’t prepare themselves for that moment. They leave it all up to fate. What will be will be.

You have probably heard the phrase – “If these walls could speak.” I say to heck with walls – what if dead people could speak?! Now that would be something!! I have always wondered what people would say to us if they could come back for just a few minutes. Would they magnify the glories of heaven or the miseries of hell? I wonder what Billy Graham would say? Probably a lot different from what the past leader of Iran – Ayatollah Kharmenei, would say! And what about recently departed Ted Turner? Now what would he have to say about eternity?

But, in fact there is a Biblical account of two dead men speaking. The story is told about Lazarus and Dives. This is actually a pre-Christin account. Our first dead man – Lazarus, was not a Christian but was saved on the basis of the Old Testament dispensation so the account is in pre-Christian terms. I won’t take the time to go into all the details here but it’s an interesting study to do on your own.

Basically this is a conversation between a rich man and a very poor man. They were on opposite sides of a great gulf separating those who were ‘saved’ and those who were ‘lost.’ The rich man was in Hades not because he was rich and had fine food, but because he had zero concern about following God’s laws etc. God’s requirement is that we do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him. Dives failed to do any of these while alive and was justly condemned.

Dives saw in hell what he never saw on earth. He was raging but not against injustice. When Abraham points out the contrast between his life and that of Lazarus, Dives knows he’s there justly and he knows he never repented.

So now he pleads for his brothers to be warned so they would repent and not end up as he is. For the first time he knows the truth but now it’s too late. Dives wanted Lazarus to return to his five brothers and warn them. But honestly, they would probably kill Lazarus for telling them their brother was in hell. How could he ever prove he was from the land of the dead?

As Abraham told Dives, if his brothers rejected Moses and the prophets, why would

they listen to this former poor man who begged food at their gate every day?! Point taken! If the Old Testament was sufficient then, how much more is our New Testament a sufficient revelation to escape hell and gain heaven by faith now In Jesus Christ?

But if a person rejects this New Covenant then all the evidence in the world will not move him.

One cold night in December of 1959 machine guns blazed and took down one Roger Toughy, a former member of Al Capone’s gang. He was shot down in front of his sister’s house in Chicago. It had been only 23 days since his release from prison but he knew too much about the underworld. They had a saying – dead men don’t talk. So down he went.

But as we have found – dead men do talk. People are still talking about Roger Toughy 65 years later – what exactly did he know? And in fact, Hebrews 11:4 tells us that “he being dead still speaks.” In other words – read the Living Word of God! It and the people therein will speak volumes to you about eternal life -heaven & hell. After all

– what have you got to lose?

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

The post If Only the Dead Could Speak appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

At lunch one day, he was serving the faculty members. He took their orders and returned with a tray full of food when the unthinkable happened. He took a misstep and watched helplessly as the plates slid off the tray and spilled onto an especially well-dressed professor. Ouch! Paul tried to wipe off the food but only made it worse. He volunteered to have the suit dry-cleaned but this fabric couldn’t be cleaned that way. “Whatever it takes I will do sir.”

Later that day, Paul sat before the same professor in an engineering class that he now taught in a food-stained suit. Afterwards he approached Paul. “Mr. Leonard, I believe it’s only fair that you buy me a new suit.” Paul gulped but agreed to meet him downtown at the men’s store – a pricy one that only sold expensive tailor-made suits. Of course, to pay for such a suit would take months of payments.

But Paul met the professor there and after choosing a fabric and getting fitted for the new suit, the professor turned to the tailor: “Mr. Leonard will be responsible for the bill.” As the professor started to exit the store he turned to Paul, “Are you sure you want to do this? “Yes sir…It will take time of course, but I…” The professor interrupted him with words directed at the tailor. “See that Mr. Leonard is fitted for a suit just like mine. And put them both on MY BILL.”

Going the extra mile. Both these men were willing to take that road. But these days going the extra mile is everywhere. Buy a certain gasoline and your car will go the extra mile. Bosses tell employees to go the extra mile for customers. There’s even a vitamin that will help your body go the extra mile.

Walking the extra mile in the Bible refers to going beyond what is required or expected. In Matthew 5, Jesus teaches that if someone forces you to go one mile, you should go with them two. When Jesus said these words, Palestine had been occupied by Rome for about 100 years. The Romans had learned to conquer lands and then use the people for their own good.

If a soldier were on a journey, he could compel a Jewish man to carry his burden for one mile. This was humiliating to the Jew and the Romans loved it. Every Jewish boy would have a marker set one mile from his home. They would refuse to go any further than that. But Jesus was trying to get them to be the example. Do more than is expected of you. It’s not like they needed more exercise – Jesus was trying to tell them to go the extra mile for even for your enemy! Hard to do. As someone once remarked: Go the extra mile. It’s never crowded.

Jesus went the extra mile when He (The Word) agreed to become flesh and dwell among us and live that sinless life so that all who believe on Him as their perfect substitute can be saved from eternal separation from their Creator! His mission was clear – He was about the business of dying. He truly went the extra mile for us!

Johnnie Cochran – the well-known lawyer for O.J. Simpson – once answered the question, “Which historical figure would you wish to have had for a client?” answered: “Jesus is the person I would like to have defended. I would have relished the opportunity to defend someone who was completely innocent of all charges and a victim of religious persecution. However, because of His mission here, He would have undoubtedly declined.”

Yes – of course He would have declined. Jesus had already committed to that extra mile. But His extra mile was not for more gas mileage, more energy or vitality, or product based. It was solely and purely a labor of love towards us!! Selah!

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Heme, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCItychurch.org

The post The Extra Long Mile appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Everybody wants to be a leader in our society these days. Even bookstores have shelves and shelves of books on being a leader – “Dare to Lead” – “She thinks Like a Boss” – and “The Rising Leader” to name just a few. There’s even a leadership book for children called, “The Little Leader.” I was able to find one on ‘following’ – “The Art of Followership: How Great Followers Create Great Leader.” – which brings us right back to leadership.

But interestingly, Jesus calls us to be followers. In fact, Jesus used those exact words 21 times in the Bible. In Luke 9 Jesus said: “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way take up your cross daily and follow Me.” Those who heard those words and had that invitation often ran off to their friends & family and flatly stated, “We’ve found the Messiah – come and see.”Jesus was a faithful, trustworthy, and reliable leader – easy to follow someone like that.

Frank believed that 5 was his special number. He was bon on May 5th, had 5 children and lived at 555 East 55th Street. At the track on his 55th birthday, he was surprised to find a horse named Numero Cinco running in the 5th race. So 5 minutes before the race, he went to the 5th window and put 5 thousand dollars on Numero Cinco. Sure enough, the hose finished 5th. Poor Frank. His trust was in a number or the fortune behind a number. Often we don’t find that the path we’re taking is not trustworthy until it’s too late.

Those who would follow Jesus must be intentional – it’s a calculated decision to follow – not just an emotional choice. Authentic discipleship doesn’t follow salvation automatically – always a choice. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wisely noted: “Salvation without discipleship is cheap grace.” And there’s nothing cheap about what Jesus did on the cross for us! So – let’s check out that Luke 9:23 verse again in the Message Bible: “Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat – I am.” So the art of ‘followship’ is a very intentional resolve.

General Eisenhower used to demonstrate the art of leadership with a piece of simple string. He’d put it on the table and say, “Pull it and it will follow wherever you wish.

Push it and it will go nowhere at all. It’s just that way when it comes to leading people. They need to follow a person who is leading by example.” So basically Jesus is calling us to be followers who will then lead others by our example. It’s lead, follow, or get out of the way! “Lead” (take the initiative in guiding others – “Follow” (support the leader’s vision) – or “Get Out of the Way” – (step aside if you’re not contributing effectively.)

A story is told about a young salesman who was disappointed about losing a big sale. As he talked with his sales manager he complained, “I guess it just proves you

can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” The manager replied, “Son, take my advice – your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty.”

And thanks to the Holy Spirit we really have an easy job. All we have to do is testify and be a witness and He will do the rest. As Acts 1:8 so wonderfully tells us – “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” To the ends of the earth…think Hemet fits that bill?

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information you may contact them at Dpcitychurch.org

The post Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Today though, you just might find – pro gamer, YouTube streamer, or professional cuddler – at the top of that list.

Times have changed but kids today still have ambitions. One 2nd-grade class was given an assignment of drawing a picture of what they wanted to be when they grew up. One girl drew a picture of what appeared to be her mom dancing beside a pole with people holding out money for her. She wrote: “When I grow up I want to be just like mommy!” You can imagine what the teacher must have thought.

The next day the students’ mother sent this note to the teacher: “Dear Miss Jones, I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out of every single snow shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room which several people were fighting over. Her picture isn’t me dancing around a pole. It’s me selling the last snow shovel we had. From now on I will remember to check her homework.”

The Apostle Paul urged believers about having a holy ambition. In other words – make your life count for God. But truly there is also a dark side to ambition. Webster’s dictionary defines it as “an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power.” And if you check out self-help books written about ambition you come up with titles like: Looking Out for Number One, Every Man is a King, and The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck. That’s the world’s idea of ambition.

Paul wrote in Philippians that we should do nothing out of selfish ambition. The Message translation put it this way: “Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet- talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” It’s a holy ambition to want to work toward making a difference in our world.

But it’s often challenging to get this message across to our younger generation!

There’s a hilarious story about a young college student who was being interviewed for his first job. The interviewer asked, “So what kind of salary are you looking to make?” The college grad replied, “Oh, somewhere around $150,000 a year.” The interviewer said, “And how about six weeks paid vacation, full medical & dental plus a new car leased for you every year?” The college grad said, “Are you kidding me?” The interviewer replied, “Of course I’m kidding you — but you started it.”

If your ambition is to get rich just for the sake of having riches, that’s not a holy ambition. If your ambition is to become famous just so people will know your name, that’s not a holy ambition. But when your ambition is to please God and advance His kingdom, He can use the rich and famous!!

It’s said that Alexander the Great was not satisfied, even when he had subdued the nations of the known world. He wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. Alexander died at an early age in a state of debauchery, depravity, and wantonness.

Hannibal, who filled three bushels with the gold rings taken from the knights he had slaughtered, committed suicide by swallowing poison. Few noted his death, and he left this world completely unmourned. Both very sad with pitiful and tragic ambitions!

We’ve said it before but this amazing little verse deserves another look. Psalm 127:1 reminds us: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” Simply stated – commit your plans to God! Commit your finances to God. Commit your ambitions to God!

Doug Fields gives us a great perspective on all this: “I am not suggesting you shouldn’t work hard, but I am suggesting that if you are defining your value by the chase – by your ambition, your work, and your achievement – then you are simply chasing after the wind, and ultimately it is meaningless.”

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

The post The Ambitious Chase appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

   Patton first saw combat and gained fame chasing Poncho Villa in 1916. He earned a Purple Heart in 1918 for combat wounds while under German machine-gun fire. And interestingly, his grandfather – Benjamin Davis Wilson – was the second elected major of Los Angeles (1851) – Mt. Wilson is named after him.  

   Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was aware of Patton’s fighting style and aggressive tactics, but also considered him “indispensable to the war effort.” A situation arose in 1945, around taking the city of Trier. Here is how the dialogue went between these two generals: Gen. Eisenhower: “You are to bypass the city of Trier, as it will take four divisions to capture it.” Gen. Patton’s reply: “Have taken Trier with two divisions. What do you want me to do? Give it back?” Classic George!

   Taking territory is an interesting endeavor and even more so when considering exactly what type of territory we’re talking about. Let’s understand that God’s territory and economy doesn’t operate by the same principles that the world runs on! 

   There was once a king in the Bible – Jabez – who prayed this prayer: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil.” God granted him what he requested. But notice what Jabez didn’t pray for – he didn’t ask for more power, more wealth, or more troops. He asked that the Lord would enlarge his territory. So what is that exactly?

   As it pertains to us, I would venture to say part of gaining territory is winning the lost to Jesus Christ. But gaining territory also means asking for more opportunities to share our good news. Romans 10 asks: “But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” Hint: The simple rule of evangelism = Those who know, tell those who don’t.

   The story is told of a famous evangelist who was preparing for a meeting in a large city. He wrote a letter to the major asking for names of individuals who had a spiritual problem and needed help or prayer. The major responded with a copy of the city directory. 

   Lord – enlarge our territory – take us out of our comfort zones as we shop for groceries, stand in line at the post office, or go to the gym. The next time you wait in your car at a red light, watch the pedestrians as they cross in front of you and pray for them. It’s not that difficult. Enlarge your territory! Ask God for courage like Moses, a fervor like the believers in the early church, an obsession for showing Christ to others like the Apostle Paul, and a radical desire to spread the faith like Peter! 

   Once, while waiting in a cemetery for a funeral service, evangelist Charles Simeon (1759-1836) walked among the graves, reading the markers. He found one that especially caught his eye: “When from the dust of death I rise, To claim my mansion in the skies, E’en then shall this be all my plea- “Jesus hath lived and died for me.” 

   Simeon was so impacted with this gospel message that he looked for someone to share it with. He saw a young woman, obviously distressed, and shared it with her. He visited her the next day and found poverty & squalor. Her aged mother was dying and her two small children were dirty and trying to warm themselves by a small fire.

   Simeon visited again the next day, this time bringing assistance. Later, the young woman told him that she had been in the cemetery for five hours, trying to work up the nerve to take her life. Needless to say – Simeon’s interaction with her not only saved her life but I suspect her soul as well. It doesn’t get much better than that!

   Please – never forget – you may well be the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read!

Bob and Susan Becket pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

The post Territory Tales appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

   Let’s face it — we all love shortcuts. It’s like the kid who was told to clean his room but he stuffs all his things under his bed ‘cause he’s in a hurry; or our friend who tried to take a shortcut to Death Valley through a desert route – gotta love GPS! The shortcut didn’t work out and he eventually had to backtrack. Really – there is no shortcut to anything worth doing right. As someone once put it: “A shortcut is sometimes the longest distance between two points.” 

   Shortcuts – they can certainly be convenient, and for the most part they are quite harmless. But really – there are some things that we just can’t afford to shortcut – think diets, safety measures with equipment, or — our relationship with our Creator. 

   Many believe there are shortcuts to God. But Matthew 7 tells us this: “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do.”

   Donald Miller once quipped – “The problem with Christian belief – I mean real Christian belief, the belief that there is a God and a devil and a heaven and a hell – is that it is not a fashionable thing to believe.” No – it’s not fashionable because it’s a narrow way and most people want a shortcut – a broad way to God. 

   As one Biblical scholar put it, the broad way has all kinds of tolerance for sin. Every ‘man-made’ religious system is part of the scenery of the broad way – the easy way – the shortcut. But think about it – people often criticize Christians because we believe there is only one way to God. But, as a pastor once commented: “If God said there were forty-eight ways to salvation I’d preach and write about all forth-eight of them. But there aren’t.” Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from Me.” No short-cuts. 

   Tiger Woods starting golfing when he was three. On the pro circuit he would hit as many as 1000 practice balls each day. There are stories of him practicing 14 hours a day, putting on the green for hours with bleeding hands, all the while he was number one in the world making 50 million per year. He would tell you in a heartbeat that he took zero shortcuts on his road to success!!

   The trouble with short-cuts is that in taking one, there is a very real possibility that you might not reach your destination! They often don’t lead where you really want to go! (Think God) Buddha can’t lead you to God. Mohammed can’t lead you to God! None of the millions of Hindu gods can direct you to God, nor can Joseph Smith lead you to God!! Taking the ‘God shortcut’ can lead to a lifetime of regret. And actually – that shortcut will lead to an eternity of regret. 

   There’s an amusing narrative about a guy who was driving his aunt and cousins to Georgia from New York. When he got near Georgia, he was exhausted and started looking for a shortcut. He soon found one and left the main road for parts unknown. Soon enough he realized that he was on some type of road through the Smokey Mountain National Park. 

   It was three am in the morning, on a scary, narrow mountain road – no guard rails, and…by his own admission, it was the most terrifying drive of his life! Instead of doing 55 on the highway, he was now crawling at 15 mph with his family having a nail biting contest in the backseat. Shortcuts are just not always what they’re cracked up to be!  

   As Gary Busey once said, “If you take shortcuts, you get cut short.” This one is big – please don’t shortcut yourself out of a life with God!  Selah!

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

The post 48 Ways to God?…Not! appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

   On the drive down we listened to “Oldies but Goodies” on the radio, singing along to just about every song. Guess that makes us one of the “oldies!” A song came along that I hadn’t heard in ages sung by Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction. The song was written in 1965 and recorded in just one take on a Tuesday morning with McGuire reading lyrics scrawled on a crumpled piece of paper.

   I thought as we drove that there’s just something a bit bizarre about listening to a song about our world blowing up at any moment but here we are – almost 60 years later – attending a wedding with grandchildren and great’s – like…we’re still here!! But the song was extremely popular and reached number one on the US singles chart, even as it sparked plenty of political commentary with its provocative lyrics! Why?

   Mainly because so many people believed it – and – people revel in being scared. It’s strange! Fear!! It catches peoples’ attention quite like nothing else. Think about it – our society traffics in fear. Amusement parks try their hardest to scare the puddin’ out of people with monster rides while our culture laces itself with health fears, political fears, and fears from war & violence.

   People intentionally read fear-based novels and watch movies that frighten the daylights out of them. Our internet lists over 550 different types of phobias (extreme fear) with dogs, heights, spiders, water, flying, bees, bats, darkness & dust topping the list. Fear seems to permeate our entire culture today!

   But thankfully, the Bible takes a different view of fear. The two-word phrase “fear not” appears 61 times in the Bible and phrases like “fear ye not” appear another 31 times. The Bible tells us that one day “men’s hearts will fail them for fear.” Things are going to get dicey, but God will prevail — so, fear not!

   Isaiah 43 clinches it all with this: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end – because I am God, your personal God, your Savior.” God has promised to meet you just where you are and at whatever fear level you’re experiencing at any given time! That is amazing!

   This is completely opposite of what the world feeds us. In 1947, the “Doomsday Clock” was adopted by atomic scientists to show how close we are to global annihilation. Back then the clock was set at 7 minutes to midnight. The clock is now set at just 90 seconds. Definitely not moving in the right direction, but here’s THE question: who’s your 911? Who’s your “go-to” when fear attempts to overtake you? A ‘shrink?’ Food? A friend? Or God? As usual, we all have a choice. 

   Trying to wrap this up on a positive note, I’m sure all you parents know it’s scary 

being a parent. We can fear for our children and for good reason – kids are unpredictable, schools are challenging, and our culture can capture our children at younger & younger ages. But here are some whacky things parens have learned while maneuvering their way through the ‘scary’ maze of childhood ~

   ~ A king-sized waterbed holds enough water to fill the entire bedroom 3 inches deep. ~ If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite. ~ A 3 year-olds voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant. ~ Super glue is forever. ~ Garbage bags do not make good parachutes. ~ Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving. ~The fire department in Austin, TX has as 5-minute response time. OMG to all of the above.

   But – here’s the bottom line: Life is a grand adventure. Life is good. Life is challenging. Life takes courage to navigate. So, why not let God be your 911?!

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

The post Who’s Your 911?   appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.