A Tribute to Dr. Brian Newman

Posted on July 25, 2012 by jeff warren

I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m shocked, I’m sad, I’m confused, I’m challenged… I’m envious. Paul’s words from Philippians 1:21 come to mind. “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” All of us who have been impacted by Brian have experienced an unbearable loss. Those who never knew him have missed out on an unspeakable blessing. I’m one of the blessed ones. I have lost a dear friend, brother, and partner in ministry. I will miss Brian in a million ways. A friend of mine says, “Grief is the price we pay for love” and I am certain, the greater the love, the greater the grief. This is why we are all grieving so much.

I’m often asked at a time like this, “How do people who do not know the Lord make it through something like this?” My answer is always the same: “They don’t.” Oh, they may live on; they may make it to the next day somehow. They may press on in some way and “make it through”. But God has not called us to just make it through life. Following Jesus means that we experience His abundant life in us through all things. The NIV says, we are “more than conquerors” through Him (Romans 8:37). The NLT says it this way: “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us”. Those of us who cling to the grace of Jesus and seek to live in step with the Spirit, live above and beyond whatever may come our way. We know that we are fully alive as we grieve with hope and weep through breaking loss. The Gospel is not that we receive Jesus and all of life will go well for us, or we’ll never get sick, or never walk through tragedy. The Gospel is this: Whatever we face in life (or death) we get Jesus and He is more than enough for us. We are called to live life to the full in Him. His love that defines us comes without condition, never changes, and will never fail us. The extraordinary life that Jesus envisions for us is one of reckless abandon and unrestrained joy because we have Him. We are defined by His love and that is enough for us.

I know Jesus better because I encountered Him in Brian. He lived like Jesus – for others. He has forever impacted my life for the better. In Galatians 5:22, Paul, this painter with words, presents a portrait he calls the “fruit of the Spirit”. Here is Paul’s list of qualities that are present in a life that is being transformed by His Spirit. You tell me (if you knew Brian), do these words not describe him? “Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..” This is the Brian I know and love. This is a portrait of Jesus.

Thank you God for the great gift you have been to me through Brian. I look forward to seeing him soon. By the time I do (and it could be today), he will have met every person in heaven and will be ready to joyfully introduce me to each one. I look forward to that. Until then, for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

ENOUGH

Posted on December 2, 2011 by jeff warren

This fall at PCBC we walked through a series of messages asking the question, “How much is enough?” “When is enough, enough?” “How much is enough to give?” “How much is enough to keep?”

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Liberating Truths That Lead to a Life of Generosity

1. God owns everything.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” Psalm 24:1-2
“‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” Haggai 2:8 God owns any and all kinds of currency and wealth.
“You have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 God owns all of us.

2. We are stewards. We are managers of all that is His.

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” I Corinthians 4: 1-2

3. What we sow determines what we reap. (vs. 6) Whatever you put in the ground is what’s coming up later. This natural law is spiritual law as well.

4. God wants us to be generous and cheerful givers. (vs. 7) The amount of the blessing of your harvest is determined by how much you sow. The question is not, “How much should I sow?” The question is, “How much do I want to be blessed?”

5. We are blessed to be a blessing. (vs. 8-11) We’re “enriched in every way SO THAT you can be generous on every occasion.” The moment we hang on to the blessings of God, His blessing stops.

6. God prospers us, not to raise our standard of living, but to raise our standard of giving. (vs. 10-11) The way we excel in giving is when we determine to cap our lifestyle.

7. How we spend our money reveals our hearts and exposes our priorities. (vs. 11)

8. God multiplies our giving into transformed lives. (vs.12-14) Only God can do that.

9. Our giving is an act of worship. (vs. 15) Oswald Chambers defined worship as “Giving back to God the very best He has given me.”

The Generosity Challenge: “Test me in this” Malachi 3:10
• Start giving
• Become a percentage giver
• Give the tithe
• Give beyond the tithe

God issues the challenge to us all. He dares us to believe in Him, to trust that He will be faithful. At the start of this Christmas season, determine to be a giver. This will be the greatest Christmas you’ve ever known if you will simply practice the simple truth of Jesus: It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Have you taken the Bible for granted?

Posted on June 28, 2011 by jeff warren

How much do you love God’s Word? Do you cherish it? Do you read it? Do you know what a gift it is to your life?

Please take the time to watch this inspiring story. Let it challenge you to NEVER take God’s Word for granted. Study it. Love it. Obey it.

Let it draw you to Jesus.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9dpmp_-TY0]

A confusing week for atheists

Posted on November 24, 2009 by jeff warren

Thanksgiving has got to be a strange time for the atheist- having a deep sense of gratitude for all of life’s blessings but not knowing who to thank. In fact, the atheist who celebrates Thanksgiving is a hypocrite in the highest degree. It seems strange to be thankful for oneself. I suppose you can be thankful for others’ acts of love but in the end, isn’t life itself is a gift? And if it’s a gift, is there not a Giver?

Of course, Thanksgiving is a distinctively Christian holiday. It all started in 1620 when the pilgrims (at least a third of them) made it to America alive. They invited the native Indians to join them and they gave praise and thanksgiving to God. Our founding fathers saw fit to set aside time of prayer and thanksgiving to God (and yes, specifically to the God of the Bible). Those of us who know God through Christ have no question about whom to thank. Perhaps the greatest gift of all this Thanksgiving is this: You know whom to thank.

So as you go about this week, gather with family, and probably eat way too much, don’t forget that thanksgiving is not simply an attitude or a sense of gratitude. It is an expression of thanksgiving and praise to the One who has given us all things- even life itself. Give praise and thanks to God. After all, thanks unexpressed is no thanks at all.

Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you, Jesus.

Speechless

Posted on August 22, 2008 by jeff warren

It’s surprising for one who traffics in words to find himself at a dead end. But here we are, struggling to find the words to express our gratitude to you, our dear friends, for the outpouring of love that we have experienced over the past few days. Stacy wants you to know that she is overwhelmed by your love. Your words have not only sustained her but have allowed her to prevail in these days. We love each one of you so much.

By the grace of God she is recovering well from surgery. She is experiencing the sweet presence of Jesus and clearly the joy of the Lord is her strength (I caught her singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” yesterday morning). We had the first of many meetings with doctors and we have established a course of action that will include chemotherapy and radiation. We hope to begin chemotherapy in a few weeks which will last for about six months with radiation to follow. We’ll keep you posted. Most of all we want to thank you for your prayers. What a great God we serve. Our Redeemer is faithful and true.

We love you all.

Choosing Gratitude- jeff warren

Posted on November 19, 2007 by jeff warren

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSdP6PqsbJY]

(I’ve been a fan of Sara Groves’ music for years. Now I’m a fan of her.)

Have you ever noticed how some people seem more grateful than others? What’s the difference? Why are some people thankful and others not? What about you? Would others describe you as a thankful person? I think that a life of thanksgiving (or “thanksliving”) is a choice. But I’m also convinced that the more vibrant your walk with Christ, the more grateful you are. When you align yourself and, therefore your life, up with God’s perspective on life (that is, who you are and who He is), you will live a life of gratitude. To the degree that we are not aligned to God’s Way, we become less grateful. It’s possible to choose a life of gratitude but you must first acknowledge a few things…

1. Acknowledge what you have.

The Bible says over and over again to “remember” what God has done for you. The old hymn says, “Count your many blessings- name them one by one… count your many blessings, see what God has done.” Health, home, church, family, friends, job, trials. Are you content with what you have? Or do you always tend to want more? Be grateful for what you have. Why are Americans so seemingly ungrateful? How can such a materialistic people learn to be grateful? What’s the solution?

2. Acknowledge why you have.

Not by your own power. “He has made us and we are His.” Psalm 100:3 Everything you have is from God so “enter His courts with thanksgiving- give thanks to Him.”
Not by your own position. Your position of power or wealth was not of your own doing. We see this in the book of Daniel where Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way that “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes.” Every person of any position has been put there by God. If you have had any success vocationally or financially it’s only because of God. God is the one who gives and takes away. Whatever position you have has been given to you by God.
Not by your own person. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’, says the Lord almighty.” Zechariah 4:6 Why do some people have a sense of entitlement? They seem to think the world owes them something, that they deserve what they want. Others are so humble and so grateful when they receive even something small.

3. Acknowledge how you have.

You are blessed. “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth and He adds no trouble to it.” Proverbs 10:22 Wealth brings great trouble when it comes through ungodly means.
You are loved. Everything we have is an act of grace from God. Romans 5:8 says “while we were sinners Christ died for us.” 1 John 4:10 says, it’s not that we loved God but that He first loved us. And verse 19 says we can now love others in the same way.
You are responsible. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 says, those who are given a trust must be found faithful.” You are a steward of all that you have. How do I steward all that I have been given? I am responsible for the grace that I have received from God.

4. Acknowledge who you have.

Family- express thanks to your family.
Friends- let a friend know how grateful you are to have him/her in your life.
Others- people in your life- your brothers and sisters in Christ. In the end, life is really about who you have, not what you have. If you want friends, be a friend.

Remember, gratitude is always centered on Christ.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

All of God’s blessings begin with Jesus. It’s why Thanksgiving is clearly a believers’ holiday. It reminds me of the atheist who suddenly felt profoundly grateful and realized he had no one to thank. We know who to thank. Our gratitude is ultimately focused on a Person. So, let’s thank Him!