remember haiti...is there anyone listening?

Let's keep praying for the people of Haiti and all the relief workers. Rejoice Church will be taking up a special offering for Haiti on Sunday, Feb. 14th. We will using the offering to give to 3 particular organizations. 1) Mountain Faith Mission 2) Samaritian's Purse 3) World Relief. Between these three organizations both small and large, we will be personally sending a worker from our church through Mountain Faith Mission and helping many people in the mountainous areas. Then Samaritan's purse is one of the most effective relief groups providing water, shelter, counseling, and the gospel. Thirdly, World Relief has had a presence for several decades in Haiti and has been helping with clean water, blankets and pastoral leadership.

In our prayers...

forgiveness, brit hume and tiger woods

Forgiveness? Who would have ever thought that the topic of forgiveness would cause so much tension! It all started, when Fox News analyst Brit Hume suggests that for 2010, Tiger Woods turn from Buddhism and toward Christianity. His explanation (see above video) is that Christianity offers true redemption, forgiveness and restoration, which Buddhism does not. Obviously his words were surprising to his co-workers and to national news. What do you think? Does Buddhism offer true forgiveness? Does Christianity offer true forgiveness through faith by grace in Jesus Christ? Needless to say, Brit Hume has been taking some heat on the "airwaves" and on news media across the nation and youtube.com

Good news: Rejoice Church unashamedly believes that Jesus Christ is the one who offers forgiveness to anyone who believes. We believe that Jesus is the only one who can forgive us of our wretched sin both public and private. We understand that God's Word, the Bible, teaches that all of us are in the same condition without Christ. The human race is deserving of only God's wrath, and eternal judgement. That only Christ offers hope for this life and the next.

Have you received forgiveness from Jesus Christ? Do you extend this same forgiveness to those around you? May each one of us have the courage that Brit Hume had to present the good news of Christ in a loving and winsome way to those who are far from Him! -casey cariker

forgiveness and apologies seem to go hand in hand

Yesterday, I (Casey) got the opportunity to preach to the Rejoice Church North Campus about forgiveness. The challenge was for each of us to consider obeying Christ by making forgiveness a spiritual discipline of our lives. It seems real easy for me to desire forgiveness from others, but not always freely desire to forgive others. Then on other occasions I seem willing to forgive and forget but refuse to want to ask forgiveness or even say humble words like: I'm sorry, will you forgive me?! In fact, sometimes asking someone to forgive you can be harder than any possible act that requires words. Recently I started reading "The Reason for Sports-A Christian Fanifesto" by Ted Kluck. This book really is just a simple collection of essays about life, sports, and Christ. It's a easy read and light on the brain. ha! But overall, Ted does a good job challenging each one of us to look at all of life, including sports through the life and teachings of Christ. In the first chapter, "It's Hard to Say I'm Sorry", Ted after telling as story about his own son, Tristan being willing to apologize after making his neighbor's nose bleed...Ted writes the following:

"The cross and the gospel, are by nature offensive. It's off-putting to suggest that sin exists in a world that tries so hard...to justify it. As athletes, we want to thank God for our touchdowns, write "all things are possible" in marker on our wrist tape or shoes, and kneel in the end zone after we score. But that's only half the story. We want to live like Jesus. Give talks. Maybe even start nonprofit foundations. But perhaps the most Christian thing we could do, from stage, is acknowledge our own sin. And as fans, we need to realize our role models are human, sinners just like us, and extend the grace to forgiven when they sin and act for their own self-interests."

It's my prayer that I will be a person who is willing to forgive others as Christ has so infinitely forgiven me. Then on many occasions when others experience the forgiveness of a brother or friend or co-worker, its in those moments they will be drawn to the greatest forgiver of all-Jesus Christ. And for that: I will never apologize.

-casey cariker