Suffering has dominated the headlines this past week.  Whether it was the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal that has claimed over 6,000 lives and 130,000 homes or the massive protests occurring in Baltimore as well as other cities, the news cycle has had no shortage of heart-wrenching messages to deliver.  So much so that the disgusting work of ISIS in the Middle East continuing to murder, kidnap, rape, torture, and sell fellow human beings has gone largely unmentioned.
It’s easy to despair in situations like these.  I’m not sure what kind of person you are, but I’m a pessimist and a realist at heart.  My first thoughts upon hearing terrible news like Nepal or Freddie Gray is to ask God, “Lord, why did this have to happen?  When are these things gonna change?”  And it’s really easy for me to get down and feel like there’s nothing I can do to change the world.  What can I do to help people thousands of miles away who have literally lost everything they own and have no idea where their next meal is coming from or where they will sleep tonight?  What can I do to break down a system of racism and indifference towards people of a certain color and socioeconomic background that has been established by the very political and social infrastructure of this country?  What can I do to change the world?
One answer is – not much.  As an individual, there’s not a lot that this simple man can do.  I have no power.  I have no authority.  I can barely manage my own life – how am I supposed to fix anyone else’s?
But there’s another answer to that question if we call ourselves Christians.  And that answer is to save the world.  As Christians, we believe in a living God who loves His creation and desires for the reconciliation and restoration of all things.  We believe in a God who will “wipe every tear from [our] eyes” (Revelation 7:17).  We believe in a God who commands us to “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).  We believe in a God who says that “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).  This is the God we follow, this is the God who will save this world.
Education will not save this world.  We are more educated now than we have ever been.  Politics will not save this world.  Look at the rise and fall of all the empires, political movements, and even the current state of affairs in the United States to see what politics has done to improve the world.  There is literally nothing that can save this world from itself other than the redeeming, restoring, reconciling, revealing love of Jesus Christ evidenced by the cross.
Of all the news coverage I saw online of the chaos going on in Baltimore, one of the most striking was when a reporter asked a pastor who was surveying the aftermath of his church’s community service buildings being burned down, “What do you see?”  And the pastor replied “I see revival.  I see the opportunity to rebuild from the ashes.  I see a Church that's been resilient… I see us coming back even bigger and better than before.”  This is who we are.  We are the church.  We are literally the body of the resurrected Christ in the world today.  We are the ones who bring the kingdom of heaven wherever we go.  We are the ones who have the power of the Holy Spirit flowing out of us to touch the lives of everyone we know.  This is who we are.  The task we have is clearer today than ever before.  Will we meet the challenge?
There is a Jewish proverb that states, “I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.”  Thank God for the shoulders of Jesus Christ that were broad enough to be stretched upon a cross for our sins.  Thank God for the shoulders of the church that are broad enough to be stretched across the world to save it.  Thank God for our shoulders that, though they may seem small, are doing what God has given us the strength to do, whether it be to give sacrificially, pray unceasingly, and love inconveniently.

From Pastor David’s Heart
May 3, 2015

The NFL draft is coming up this Thursday, and it is definitely one of the things that I look forward to each year. Not only because I am curious as to who the Cowboys will be drafting, but maybe more importantly, it means we’re just that much closer to the start of the NFL season. It’s a part of my personal countdown to September that starts with free agency and the draft followed by OTAs, rookie minicamp, training camp, and the preseason. This year’s draft is particularly more exciting for me because the Cowboys have a huge hole to fill at running back. I’m still hoping that AP will get traded to the Cowboys, but in the event that that doesn’t happen, I want to know who they will be drafting.
Every year before the draft, all the NFL teams go through a process of evaluating the college players. They come up with a board that ranks all the players at each position. They even have an overall board, where they rank who they think the best players are regardless of position. I believe this year, the best player overall is supposed to be quarterback Jameis Winston from Florida State. In order for each team to come up with these boards, they go watch players at the NFL combine and even invite certain players for something called a Pro Day. They watch the players run through drills which vary depending on the position that they play. They interview the players, and they watch their college game films. You can just imagine how much work they put in to evaluate hundreds and hundreds of players, and I’m sure each board will have similarities and differences among the different teams. Then on draft day, they use that board to decide who to pick based on what players are taken and what players are remaining. I can imagine it’s a lot of headache and pressure trying to pick players who they think will be successful in the NFL. If they miss on a pick that means time and money is wasted, and they’ll have to deal with a lot of angry fans.
Which really got me thinking, why would these coaches and scouts put in all this effort to make sure that they picked the “right” players? I conclude that it’s because we are imperfect human beings. Since we are imperfect, we need to find the best in order to succeed. For NFL teams to win the Super Bowl, they need a team filled with as many good players as possible. I don’t think there ever was a team that won the Super Bowl with a bunch of no-name scrubs. There was never a team that won with a lot of “Mr. Irrelevants” on their team. Mr. Irrelevant is the nick name given to the last player chosen in the draft.
On the flip side, we see in the Bible that God didn’t have to put in a lot of effort and research to find the best servants for Him to use. He didn’t have a servant board that ranked everyone from best to worst. He was able to use anyone even the most unqualified. God doesn’t have to stress because He is perfect. He can take a team of imperfect people and make them successful. Jesus had the first football team, the 11 disciples (Judas doesn’t count). They were a bunch of no-name scrubs. They all ran away when Jesus died on the cross, and yet God used them to build the church. God used them to spread the good news. God used them to really change the world!
When it comes to serving, it’s not about our worth. It’s not about our skills or talents. It’s about God’s perfection. It’s about Him. God can use Mr. Irrelevants like you and me to do great things.

From Pastor Eugene’s Heart
April 26, 2015