Mark Beeson

The Place of Peter's Denial

 

 

I went to the very center of the room, adjusted the settings and laid my little camera on the floor. With the lens aimed straight up at the ceiling, I set the timer for a 2-second-delay and pressed the shutter. The result is this picture. It's the ceiling at the site of Caiaphas' Palace; it's the place where Peter denied Jesus.

I was proufoundly moved in the dim light of that lonely moment. I prayed a quiet prayer: "Strengthen me Lord. I am certainly no better than Peter. When I'm tempted to fall away, help me stay true. Make me a faithful disciple."

Unfaithfulness is disappointing.

All of us long for honorable relationships. We want those committed to us to to be faithful. We long for people to keep their promises. Even as sin breaks relationships, we still desire faithfulness. We want it. We need it.

I have good news.

No matter what, even when we sin and fall away, GOD remains steadfast, faithful and true. We can count on GOD. His unfolding plan of redemption and restoration intercepts our free-fall in sin.

GOD is faithful. 

If you've ever been hurt by unfaithfulness, whether your own or someone else's, I hope you'll remember what's true; GOD still loves you and He has already acted to restore you to a right relationship with Him (and with those around you). The Light of GOD's Truth "which enlightens everyone" (John 1:9) allows each of us to exercise our freed will and respond. And since sin is fundamentally about broken relationships, it's important that we respond.

GOD acts; we accept or resist.

It's important that we take our next step into new, redeemed relationships where we can demonstrate to the world what it means to be made right with GOD. That's a big part of what it means to be the Church, where every congregation is a little outpost of the Kingdom of Heaven in the midst of a broken world.

Respond to GOD's action. Respond to GOD's unmerited favor. Accept GOD's invitation. Celebrate GOD's loving faithfulness in an outpost of Christ's Kingdom this weekend. 

 

Matthew 26:57-58  -  Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

 

In Good Hands ...

 

 

There's something wonderful about knowing your kids are in good hands.

In fact, knowing someone's true intentions is usually a pre-qualifier for placing our children in their hands. We don't willingly give our kids to just anybody. 

When someone puts their hands on our children, we expect it to be for loving protection, guidance, discipline and care. We want our kids to be in good hands. (As you can see in the picture above, my grandchildren are in good hands when they're with their Grandma Luanna.) 

We don't want our children to fall into the "wrong hands" and we have high-voltage reactions when we think someone has laid hands on them for nefarious reasons.

• I think that's one reason why the world got so fired up when hundreds of young Nigerian girls were recently taken by militants from the Islamic terror group Boko Haram. In a widely circulated video their leader said, "I abducted your girls. By Allah, I will sell them in the marketplace," 
  
  
• I think that's one reason why Pope Francis recoiled at the idea that any person trusted to guide children would betray that trust and harm them. In Israel this week, he said, "Sexual abuse is such an ugly crime ... because a priest who does this betrays the Body of the Lord. It is like a satanic Mass."

I could go on and on. You could too. There are way too many illustrations of the tragic consequences children suffer at the hands of evil people.

We want our children to be in "good hands."

• I think that's one reason GCC has always focused so much talent, time and resources on ministry to families. From Day One, Sheila and I started GCC with a clear and focused ministry designed to help families. We put our children in the hands of our very best leaders. From the day they're born, until the day they graduate from High School, Michiana's children benefit from a touch by GCC.
  
  
• I think that's one reason we have so many children are registering for Middle School Summer Camp.
  
  
• I think that's one reason we have so many children are registering our Granger & Elkhart SpringHill Day Camps.
  
  
• I think that's one reason we have so many children learning about GOD's Love in "Little People Church" during each and every weekend service.
  
  
• I think that's one reason we have so many children enrolled and blossoming in our Early Learning Center ... where "Little is Our Specialty."
  
  
• I think that's one reason we have so many children volunteering to serve others, lead groups, facilitate worship and engage Bible Study.
  
  
• I think that's one reason we have so many children following faithful parents and GCC leaders as they follow Jesus on GOD's mission of redemption and restoration.

Remember friends.

We're in GOD's Hands and that's a very good place to be.

 

Mark 10:16  -  Gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

 

Who Are You on this Memorial Day?

 

 

“Wherever you are, there you are.”

My mom told me that, but I doubted the voracity of her little axiom (probably because she was my mom, and moms are supposed to be doubted by their prepubescent sons as a proof that they are young and stupid though they believe themselves to be mature and erudite).

Mom's little dictum about being "who I am, wherever I am" has never been more apparent to me than when I’m traveling through foreign countries. And since I was in The West Bank last week, walking the desert rim of Masada a few days before Memorial Day, my experience there hooked Mom's quaint little saying and pulled it up from my reservoir of “Mom’s Memorable Mantras.”

Mom was right when she said, “I am who I am wherever I am.” Even Popeye the Sailor Man agreed with my mom. He often said, “I yam what I yam.” 

I was at Masada last week but I was still me ... 'cause I yam what I yam: a Christ-follower, Sheila’s husband, a pastor in our Lord’s Church and a proud citizen of the United States of America.

"Wherever I am, there I am," so reading the final words of a Jewish leader telling his people (the night before the Romans breached the fortress walls of Masada) that death was preferable to slavery, made me think of Patrick Henry’s 1775 speech to the legislators of the Virginia Colony. He said: ”Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Today is Memorial Day.

"I am who I am wherever I am," so I paused this morning to thank GOD for the freedoms we enjoy. America's freedoms are unlike anything the world has ever known. Our liberty is, in no small part, the consequence of firm and faithful resolve, rooted deeply in Christ and nurtured by the Truth of GOD’s Word. Ours is freedom purchased by sacrifice. Ours is justice tempered by righteousness.

Liberty is ours because millions of men and women are willing to stand and defend our Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic, sacrificing themselves in defense of our inalienable GOD-given-right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

"I am who I am," so today I honored the men and women who died in the Armed Services of the United States of America.

I hope you marked this day according to Major General John A. Logan’s 1868 order to decorate graves “with the choicest flowers of springtime.” He advised: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

May GOD bless the United States of America.

 

Philippians 1:19-25   -   I’m going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a pulpit! Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose.
    As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues.

 

The Teaching Steps of the Temple Mount

 

 

My time in Israel marked me.

I carried your prayer requests with me every day, praying over them everywhere I went.

• The conversations I had with my fellow travelers from GCC inspired me.
• Bearing the sacred burden of your requests for prayer sobered me.
• The places I visited astounded me.

One of those places was the Teaching Steps, also called the Rabbis' Teaching Steps. They were expansive stairs serving those approaching the Temple from the south.

See those massive stones pictured behind us?

It was 70 AD when the Romans knocked the wall of the Temple Mount down to this level, so those six-foot-tall stones are the original Herodian stones and they’ve been in place for more than 2,000 years. Jesus probably touched this wall and I wanted get a picture of my precious bride standing in front of it. So we walked to the top of the Teaching Steps and I gave Dr. Blechl my camera. He captured the moment.

The whole experience was quite moving and at my first opportunity I wrote a few notes about Jesus' teaching in my journal (Mark 13). The magnificent architecture of the Temple was impressive but decades before the Temple fell Jesus warned his disciples the whole works would end up in a heap of rubble. 

I seized and recorded my insights because I always want to remember, "The Teacher and His Word matter more than the step upon which He stands to deliver it."

Sheila and I returned from Israel exhausted and invigorated. Both of us are jet lagged, and it’ll take a few days to recover from all the hummus, falafels, tahini, baklava and shawarma we ate, but we’re back and it’s good to be home. 

  

Mark 13:1-2  
     As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! How big the stones are! How beautiful the buildings are!” 
     Jesus said, “You’re impressed by this grandiose architecture? There’s not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble.”      

 

Basilica of the Agony

 

 

Sheila and I went to Jerusalem with about 4 dozen GCC'ers last week. When we visited the Mount of Olives I took this picture of the ceiling inside the Basilica of the Agony. 

Tradition says it's the place Jesus toiled in prayer prior to his betrayal, arrest and crucifixion.

I prayed here for GCC.

I prayed here for you.

 

Mark 14:32-36
    Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” 
    He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” 
  

Ten Years With GCC ... Each!

 

Today our staff celebrated the incredible ministries of two phenomenal GCC leaders: Dustin Maust and Jason Miller. They've been on staff with us for 10 years and it would be impossible for me to identify a single GCC'er they haven't inspired, informed or motivated. 

I love these guys.

 

 

Dustin is husband to Brinn and father to twin boys: Max & Moses. He is the Creative Director at GCC and you can check out his VIMEO media work here and experience some of his brilliant artistry here. 

 

 

Jason is pastor, artist & teacher. He also owns a dog (which makes that dog a really lucky dog). He's a Teaching Pastor at GCC. You can benefit from his writing here and gain a little traction from his teaching here. 

Jason and Dustin are great men, worthy of honor and respect.

 

Romans 13:7b  -  Give respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

  

Mother's Day Weekend Baptisms

 

I was busy talking with our candidates for baptism this weekend but I took a few random "baptism" pictures as I walked through the worshipping crowd.

This was a Mother's Day to remember!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
- This Photo taken by my friend Adam Tarwacki - 

 

Next steps (for all of us) include three Wednesday evening gatherings : May 21st, 28th & June 4th. Each is 90 minutes. Each is offered in Elkhart, LaPorte and Granger. And each gathering is designed to help us take a step toward Christ ... together. 

 

ACTS 22:16  -  Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.

 

Ring-necked Pheasant / Phasianus colchicus on Display

 

 

It's been a long time since I saw a Ring-necked Pheasant in the wild so I was surprised when I saw this rooster's cackling, wing-flapping display half-way across an overgrown field near the edge of a ditch.

He was cranked up.

He crowed and strutted: displaying his deep red face-wattles, fluffing his plumage and spreading his tail. He even closed his translucent third eyelid during his frenetic attempt to court receptive hens. (It's actually called the nictitating membrane. He can close it for protection while maintaining visibility, but who cares?  I wouldn't have mentioned his third eyelid at all if I didn't think you were going to lose sleep tonight wondering why his eye looks the way it does.)

Pheasants practice "harem-defense polygyny," where one male keeps other males away from a small harem of females during the breeding season. Hens are attracted to the rooster holding the most resource-rich territory, where their offspring have a better chance of survival.  

Suddenly it's Spring and if this rooster has his way, his descendants will be many.

 

Psalm 147:15-18

GOD launches his promises earthward—
    how swift and sure they come!
He spreads snow like a white fleece,
    he scatters frost like ashes,
He broadcasts hail like birdseed—
    who can survive his winter?
Then he gives the command and it all melts;
    he breathes on winter—suddenly it’s Spring! 

  

Are You Ready For This?

  

 

When I saw this old hand-painted sign leaning against the basement wall of a 150 year old church building, I thought: 

"I wonder how many life-changing revivals started just like this? How many marriages were rebuilt, families were healed and communities were rebuilt because someone believed GOD would act ... so they acted too?"

Restoring a life is hard work; so is mending a marriage, fixing a family or rebuilding a community. In my experience, transformation demands much more of us than secretly wishing upon a star. Wishing doesn't make it so; talking may help; acting changes things. My life is easier when I keep quiet about GOD, when I don't actually do anything. But passive acquiescence doesn't make life better. Better living is the consequence of following Christ.

This weekend at GCC we're baptising hundreds of men and women who have received GOD's amazing grace and decided to follow Jesus.

• They know GOD took action on our behalf. 
• They know Jesus faced all the ravages of sin (guilt, shame and fear) and triumphed over them through the cross. 
• They have received forgiveness and are restored through Christ to a right relationship with GOD. 
• They're rescued from the bondage of sin.
• They've been brought out of imprisonment to Satan and into a new life in Christ.

They're ready for baptism and maybe you are too! If so, register here.

 

Acts 2:37-42  -  Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 
   Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
   Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 
   Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
   All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.

 

Exponential 2014

 

Do you ever ask, "What's true about me?"

Do you ever consider what inspires you, motivates you, and informs your journey? What moves you to action?

I've asked and answered such questions. Here's what I know about me:

• Great preaching inspires me, corporate worship enriches me, and a dialectical method of critical thinking illuminates my mind.
  
  
• People who successfully did something have more credibility with me than people who didn't (even though they write and speak as if they did).
  
  
• Words of a trusted friend mean more to me than the words of a stranger.
  
  
• I wasn't made for myself. I have no ultimate joy or meaning in myself. I was made for relationship and sin is always and ultimately tied to a broken, damaged relationship with GOD or someone else. 
  
  
• Creativity inspires me, the arts engage me and innovations that bear fruit are usually worth the associated risks.
  
  

I know all that so I went with Sheila to Exponential with great confidence in God. It was wonderful. I soaked in Spirit-fueled preaching, teaching, worship and fellowship with six thousand ministry leaders and church planters. 

I went to help others. I left with a renewed soul. 

And I came away with a few pictures.

 

 

"Planting a church was a hundred times harder than I thought it was going to be."  -  Bill Hybels

"When you stand to preach, you should know what you're talking about. If you don't know what you're talking about, your people won't know what you're talking about."  -  James Meeks

 

     

 

 

"We became Christians because someone told us about Jesus."  -  Andy Stanley 

"There was an empty seat next to me ... the worst nightmare of any extrovert!" - Danielle Strickland

 

"Don't forget. You can motivate but you can't transform a human heart." - Matt Chandler 

 

"You guys are making it hard not to believe."  -  Hugh Halter 

 

"Watch yourself preach. You will quit or you will get better."  -  Andy Stanley 

 

"Will you plant a church to care for the children?" - Greg Nettle

"Are the dreams you are living for worth Christ dying for?"  -  Oscar Muriu 

"This is God's highest aspiration for you, that someone will ask you why you live as you live and you'll answer them with the Gospel."  -  Michael Frost 

 

 

You can learn more of what's true about you as you experience GCC this weekend. 

 

1 Corinthians 9:19  -  For although I am free in every way from anyone’s control, I have made myself a bond servant to everyone, so that I might gain the more [for Christ].