The Urban Christian

2012-02-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Vision Problems

A popular contemporary Christian song has as its chorus the rhetorical question, “How Great is our God ?”. The answer is obvious. Our God is really, really, really great. However, if we turn the Chris Tomlin lyrics around slightly, we have a very powerful question. If we ask, “How great is our God?” we find a question that may help us immensely in our Christian experience. Let me explain.

If you are like me, as life comes at you it is easy to get overwhelmed by it or very frustrated in it. It is easy to have in one’s soul a sense of discouragement. I think that all of that is normal. However, as a believer in the LORD Almighty and a follower of His Son Jesus Christ it seems my perspective should be much different. When it isn’t different, someone could rightfully ask, “How great is your God?”

I think most of us need to get a fresh vision of the greatness of God. One need only think about the universe for a few moments and one will be awestruck by just how great our God is.

Do you know that the Milky Way, the Galaxy we live in, is 5.88 Billion light years across. That means if I start on one side of the galaxy and if I travel at the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second, in just about 6 billion years I will arrive at the other side. And remember, our galaxy is just one of billions of galaxies in the universe.

We don’t know how wide, deep or high the known universe is because we can’t measure it. It is impossible to measure. We do know that it is humongous. It was created by, as one author has put it, a “giamongous God”. God’s immensity is demonstrated by the fact that He spoke this universe into existence from nothing. The Bible also tells us that He measures the universe with the width of His hand (Isaiah 40:12). This poetic language should make us pause and exclaim “How great is our God!”.

I think two things happen when I understand how great God is. Psalm 8, where the Psalmist proclaims “Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth” brings out these two truths. In light of the immensity of God the Psalmist (David) sees how small and insignificant we really are. He says “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Ps 8:3-4)”. Then he realizes how special and important we really are to God. He continues, “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet (Ps. 8:5-6)”.

God is great and His love for us is great. You and I could not be more loved or better cared for as His children. In addition, He has great plans for us, both for now and in eternity. What we need to do is focus on Him and who He really is. As we do so those enormous overwhelming situations that we are facing will look small in comparison to our great God. Let us sing with the ancient hymn writer, “Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art, Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.”
Blessings, Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

This Year, Skip Christmas

2011-12-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

In the holiday movie comedy, “Christmas with the Kranks,” Luther and Nora Krank decide to boycott everything Christmas. Instead they decide to use the money they save to go on a trip to the Caribbean. Their friends and neighbors are mortified by their lack of the holiday spirit, especially since they were usually the must raucous celebrators of Christmas in the neighborhood. By movie’s end though, by some miracle, they finally come to celebrate the season and everyone lives happily ever after.

With all the hustle and bustle, is it any wonder someone would want to skip Christmas? You’ve probably thought about doing just that, but you have never had the nerve to vocalize your thoughts much less act upon them. You were afraid someone would brand you a scrooge or look at you as if you were unspiritual for not having the Christmas spirit.

Today, I want to propose something radical. I think all the trappings we put on Christmas hide its real purpose. I know that all the stress we feel at Christmas robs us of the joy associated with the season’s true meaning. I am sure that we all agree that the busyness of the season squeezes out any genuine reflection of its significance. I loathe, as you do, that the season is all about anything but what it is really all about. My proposal is quite simple. This year, skip Christmas. Instead of Christmas, as our world knows it, really celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

This is a noble proposal don’t you think? Instead of trying to multi-task this holiday season be single minded. First and foremost, decide you and yours will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Savior of the world.

How, you may ask. can we possibly do this? Let me suggest five very simple ways this can be accomplished in our lives.

First, don’t get caught up in the Christmas shows but rather get re-acquainted again with the real Christmas story. Let me remind you that “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, and “A Wonderful Life” are not the real deal. We find the real story in our Bibles in the gospels. Take time to read and meditate on this, the greatest story ever told. Make sure your family does the same.

Secondly, don’t focus on your gifts but rather worship the Gift-Giver who gave the ultimate gift. Christmas is not about what we can do to show others we love them. It is about what God has already done to show us the greatness of His love for us (See John 3:16). The best gift you or I have ever given or that we have ever received cannot compare with what God has given. Our response to Him should be like that of the Apostle Paul who proclaimed “Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift!”

Thirdly, don’t look for the Christmas mood but rather live out the message found at the coming of our Lord. The “Christmas spirit” is elusive at best. The words about Jesus’ coming are not. He came to seek and save that which is lost and we must do the same. He came to give a better quality of life and we should seek to experience that as well. How silly it would be for us to give out gifts at Christmas without telling people about our Savior.

Fourthly, don’t get caught up in putting up decorations. Instead make sure you put on the mind of Christ. At His first advent it is said of Jesus “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” (Philippians 2:6-7a). People are not impressed by our houses trimmed with lights. They are, however, drawn to Christ when our lives reflect His light via our good works.

Fifth and finally, don’t over romanticize about the babe in a manger. Instead, remember that the baby is the Lord of glory. One day He will come again to this earth. He will set up His kingdom and He shall reign forever and ever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah; hallelujah. Amen. Hallelujah; hallelujah. Amen.

Blessings,

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Jesus and Zuccotti Park

2011-11-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

The Occupy Wall Street Moment suffered a set back this week when the NYPD evicted the protesters from Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan. The protestors had been there for nearly two full months and are vowing to return. The OWSM (Occupy Wall Street Moment) in New York has given rise to similar protests in major cities across the United States as well as in some foreign countries. It is not yet known if the police and other authorities are now prepared to permanently squelch the protests because of concerns over violence and other illegal activities.

Regardless of how you feel about the OWS protests and movement it would do us all well to listen to what those involved are saying to us in a broader sense. There is a powerful message for God’s people to understand and act on.

The OWSM comes out of the discontent many in our world have come to know with reference to our capitalistic society. Please don’t misunderstand me here. I am a firm believer in capitalism as an economic system. It is my opinion that socialism is another name for shared poverty and I really don’t want anything to do with that. However, let it also be said that capitalism and its cousin materialism are petri dishes for the cultivating of the lusts of the flesh and lusts of the eyes and the greed, covetousness, and jealousy associated there with.

Over the last few months we have heard statements dealing with “the inequality of wealth distribution” and the need for a more “equitable system”. The cry has been, “we are the 99%”. Many, if not most of these protestors are feeling cheated out of their share of “The American Dream”. They believed, as most of us have, that the ticket we need to dance at the ball was a college education. Based on that assumption, they borrowed and borrowed to get that ticket only to find that the dance had been cancelled. They feel that they were duped and they are mad as heck about it.

This movement is not going away anytime soon. In one form or another it is here to stay. Thus, it is critical that the church not turn a deaf ear to this group of people. These protestors in our city and in cities all over the nation and globe speak to a real yearning in the heart of men and women for fulfillment, for more to life than they are presently experiencing. God’s church has a message for “such a time as this”.

Right now across our culture the strong cries for forgiveness of student loans, provision of high paying jobs and lower salaries for corporate executives are actually a desire for the dignity a job brings, the feeling of security money in the bank imparts, and the liberty and autonomy that moving away from home surely gives. The OWS cause is based on the common felt needs shared by all people.

Here is the good news. God’s people, the church, have an app for that. In John 10:10 we read “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Speaking to His disciples 2000 years ago Jesus Christ recognizes and declares that we have an enemy who is seeking to bring ruin upon individuals using any means. Jesus also wants them and us to know that the purpose for His coming is to give us not just life but beyond that, He offers us life to the fullest.

Through Christ we know the dignity of being made in the image of God and having such worth that God sent Jesus to die for us. Faith in Christ enables us be secure and have a peace that is not determined by the circumstances of lives. The Christian doctrine affirms the equality of all people and promises freedom and liberty from the power and penalty of our sin.

We have the real treasure that the Occupy Wall Street Movement needs and desires. A personal relationship with Christ meets the deepest need of the hearts of those all over the world who are crying out in frustration. Heads up church, we’ve got what they need. Let’s seek to meet all who are without Christ where they are and lead them to where we have been lead by the grace of God.

In His Service,

Dave Watson - An Urban Christian

Ten Years Ago Today

2011-09-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Ten Years Ago Today – By Dave Watson, An Urban Christain

Ten years ago it was a beautiful September morning,
A perfect transition from summer to fall.

Ten years ago it was just another work day, a school day, a Tuesday
A Primary Day to choose Mayoral candidates

Ten years ago the city felt good, housing was up, the economy was great, stocks were high and our spirits were even higher.

But all that changed ten years ago, ten years ago today.
And we will never forget!

Ten years ago terror struck our city
Struck our towers, struck them twice

Ten years ago evil incarnate showed up and did the unimaginable
Nearly three thousand innocents were murdered, murdered in broad daylight

Moms and dads, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers,
Snuffed out by the thief who comes but to rob and to kill and to destroy

Oh the horror ten years ago, ten years ago today.
And we can never forgot

And then their were the firefighters and cops
The probies and the vets who ascended the towers and never came back

They journeyed from their firehouses & their precincts as they had so many days before
But this time it was different, different in the worst kind of way
For many it was the last ride of their lives

They fulfilled their calling as public servants.
They were and always will be NYC’s Finest and NYC’s Bravest

They became forever this cities heroes ten years ago, ten years ago today
And we must never forget

Today it’s 9-11 instead of September 11th
Today we are still on edge, still nervous about another attack

Today they have filled the hole and began the rebuilding
Today they say there’s closure since we got Bin Laden

But today there are still empty seats at dinners
Today there are empty seats at christenings, at graduations and at Little League games too.

Today there are empty spaces where dad was suppose to be at the wedding or where mom was suppose be at the baby shower
But most of all there are empty places in our hearts

So Lord we pray this day we will feel your presence and know your love.
Without you we can’t make it through this season, this day

They say time heals all wounds but Lord, you don’t say that, they do
Some holes are just so deep that gravel and steel and buildings and time cannot fill them.
Only eternity can. Then You will wipe away every tear from our eyes
Until then, we can never forget

The horror, the pain, the disbelief,
The courage, the faith, the duty, so clearly displayed
Ten years ago, ten years ago today

No Changing the Channel

2011-06-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

This past week, the Mayor of our fine city inferred that myself and others who are against the sanctioning of same sex marriages by the state were “civil rights obstructionists.” Though I don’t agree with this title, I am grateful for his characterization. I am grateful because it beats the other names such as homophobic, bigoted and blanky-blank-blank that anyone who dares oppose the gay marriage lobby is called. I don’t agree with the characterization because though I am firmly against same sex marriages, I do firmly believe that all individuals are created in the image of God and thus they have value in His eyes beyond our comprehension. I also affirm with the founding document of this nation (The Declaration of Independence) “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Equal Rights
With that said, I want to give four reasons to explain my opposition to the sanctioning of same sex marriage. First of all I think that the argument that equal rights means that we all have the same rights is incorrect. Equality is not sameness. We are all equal but we are not all the same. Our rights are equal but they don’t play out the same. Women and men are equal, but who they are and what they can and cannot do is not the same. Reality requires that I accept the fact that though my wife and I are equal under the law, she, not I is able to conceive and bear a child. She is different from me biologically. If someone advertises on Craig’s List for a surrogate to carry a couples’ child and I apply and I am turned down for no other reason than my gender, have I been discriminated against? No. I simply do not have the equipment that would qualify me for this task. I am equal but I am not the same. My equality doesn’t give me the right to be something I am not. Same sex couples may indeed be equal to hetero-sexual couples, but they are not the same. The biology and psychology of their relationships are different than those of hetero-sexual couples.

Definitions
This brings me to a second point. Marriage is the union of two individuals. No matter how much effort same sex couples put into their relationship, they cannot experience exactly what married couples experience in regard to this union. No matter how committed they are to one another, no matter how long they stay together, they will never have the ability to fully reflect what marriage is and has been for centuries. Hetero-sexual couples consummate and unite themselves via a very specific act. This consummation has both physical and psychological ramifications. This act is not reproducible in same sex couples. In addition, married couples, with few exceptions, conceive children through this act. Also, married couples bring two different psyches to their union -- male and female. This is for the benefit of each other, the benefit of child rearing and the benefit of society in general. This unique union of male and female makes up a married couple. It is improper to lead anyone to believe that they can experience what marriage is without having the potential to share in this basic element of what marriage has always been. Marriage is the union of male and female, intimately, both physiologically and psychologically.

I am not claiming that same-sex couples don’t have love for one another, but to assume that their love is the same as the love of heterosexual couples is simply incorrect. Love is a broad word with many different meanings. I love my mother but my love for my wife is quite different than my love for mom. I love my brother and sisters but my love for my wife is quite different from my love for my siblings. I have some friends both male and female whom I really love, but again my love for my wife is different than that love. To love someone of the same gender, no matter how intensely, is not the same physically and psychologically as the love that a man and a woman share. This love requires that the participants go far beyond their own understanding and seek to live with, understand, sync with and become a partner of someone who, by their very nature; thinks, feels, and acts very differently than they do. The love and level of commitment which exist between same-sex couples may be many things, but it is not the same as the love that exists between two people from two different genders. Therefore, it can be called many things but it cannot be called a marriage.

Unintended Consequences
Thirdly, I believe that the law of unintended consequences must strongly be considered here. I am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My convictions both Biblically and personally make it impossible for me to preside over a same sex marriage ceremony. Should I be forced to do these marriages regardless of my convictions and religious beliefs? I am sure you would agree that I should not be forced to violate my convictions. Presently I am quite confident that I would not be forced to officiate for this type of ceremony. However, if our state redefines marriage to include same sex couples, I expect that the requirement that ministers perform these ceremonies is not far behind. I realize that this sounds like I am overly concerned about how this will specifically impact my profession…but let’s look at the social impact more closely.

How will this impact the owners of catering halls in our city and state? What if they don’t want to allow a same sex marriage in their hall because of their convictions? Could they say no to a same sex marriage reception? Not on your life! This is true of florists, of jewelers, of bakeries, and of limo companies not to mention the lawyers and obstetricians who might be called upon later. The bottom line is that almost everyone in our culture will have to accept and participate in same sex marriages regardless of their personal convictions no matter how strong their beliefs may be. There will not be a conscientious objector clause. I can almost hear the refrain now, “if you don’t like it…move”. Is this the direction our politicians and Mayor really want to take us? It is as if they feel those of us who oppose same sex marriage have been left back on the evolutionary chain while they have soared to new heights and new understandings. As far as they are concerned, we are still in the dark ages but they have been enlightened by their education and friendships. I find in this thinking a certain intellectual elitism that is dangerous as well as offensive.

No Turning Back
Fourthly, if same sex marriage becomes the law of this city and state it will soon result in a much broader definition of marriage then we can ever imagine. If two people of the same sex can be considered a married couple then why not three people from the same sex or two males and one female or four females and one male as is allowed in some countries. The state of New York’s recognition of marriage as being between one man and one woman stems from a Judea-Christian tradition. Proponents of same sex marriage want to do away with one part of that tradition (one man and one woman) while attempting to keep other parts of the tradition (only two people in a marriage) intact. Their only logic for this is that this is the way they want it to be. If the parameter by which marriage is defined is based solely on the whims of certain special interests at any given time, what is to prevent us from accepting any number of different “pairings” or “groupings” of individuals in the future? We may soon be left with an institution that is impossible to define or defend.

The other night while I was watching one of my favorite television programs, a scene which I found objectionable came onto the screen. In response, I didn’t call the network to complain. I didn’t write a letter to the editor. I just simply changed the channel. The reason that I am addressing this issue now, the reason I am speaking out now is that if same sex marriage becomes the law of our land there will be no opportunity for us to “change the channel.” If we change the definition of marriage, our society will experience change on virtually every level. This change will forever be imposed upon us all. There will be no opportunity for us to avoid the changes that will ensue. It is impossible to alter the foundation of a society without altering the very essence of that society. Marriages and families are the foundation on which our society stands. If we allow marriage and family to be redefined, our children, our grandchildren and our great grandchildren will live in a culture that will be forever altered. And that, my friends, would be a grave and grievous mistake.

Respectfully,

Dave Watson
An Urban Christian

Christ or Camping – Who should we believe?

2011-05-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

The belief that Jesus Christ will come again is a clear teaching of the Bible and is accepted by most of Christendom as a whole and almost all evangelicals in particular. The statement of faith of both the National Association of Evangelicals and the Staten Island Association of Evangelicals reads, “We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ…..and in His personal return in power and glory.” The statement of faith of nearly all evangelical churches is similar. As Christians, we are told to be “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). It is said of us that we “eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20) We are even admonished to “Watch therefore because you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”(Matthew 24:42)

The doctrine of last things, or eschatology as it is sometimes called, is meant to be a great motivator for the followers of Christ who were told that “This same Jesus …will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven.”(Acts 1:11) Sadly though, teaching about the return of Christ has often been used to abuse and confuse. That is what Harold Camping and Family Radio are instigating now with their unfounded, unbiblical claim that judgment day is May 21, 2011. They have even gone as far as predicting the hour -- 6:00 P.M.

I have been a committed follower of Jesus Christ since 1973. I can remember the various predictions about the return of Christ through the years. In 1988 I received a booklet in the mail entitled “88 Reasons Christ will Return in 1988”. The next year I got the sequel, “89 Reasons Christ will Come in 1989.” In 1994 I remember some radio host predicting Christ’s return that September. That individual was Harold Camping. This will not be the first time he has been wrong and has wronged many.

After telling His disciples about His return and warning them about false predictions of messiahs, Jesus Christ told his followers the following in no uncertain terms:
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”(Matthew 24:36) Could a verse of Scripture be clearer than this? We can’t know the hour and we can’t know the day”. Could the context be more clear? Jesus is warning against speculation about His return. Christ himself is telling us not to put dates and times on His return. Having studied Greek, the original language of the New Testament, I want to assure you that the original language does not read, No one knows except for Harold Camping.

The belief that Christ will come on May 21st 2011 and bring in a judgment day is built first on incredible arrogance. Harold Camping and his followers claim that Jesus’ words regarding no one knowing the day and the hour have been voided. They believe they have received special knowledge, an opening of a prophecy heretofore closed to us. Supposedly, the true followers (Camping and his supporters) of Christ now understand that which has been hidden in the past. It is incredibly sad to me that many believers in Christ would embrace the speculations of this group over the words of our Savior.

The belief that Christ will come on May 21st 2011 and bring in a judgment day is built also on incredible assumptions. One of the greatest of these assumptions is that we know for sure that the creation of the world occurred in 11.013 B.C. In addition, there are so many other ludicrous assumptions I can’t address them all here. Suffice it to say that none of them is provable through the Bible that this group claims to believe. None of them! The only way to these assumptions is to take Harold Camping’s word.

I have had the wonderful privilege of teaching a class on the Second Coming of Christ and other matters related to Judgment Day for fifteen years at the New York School of the Bible in Manhattan. I have been privileged to teach a similar course at the church I pastor as well as teach and preach in depth on the Old Testament prophecies of Daniel and the New Testament book of Revelation. I am a true believer and a serious Bible student and I find Camping’s teachings to be completely unfounded and unsupported by the Bible.

Why are so many sincere Christians buying ads and hunkering down for the end? I think we as believers have forgotten the instructions of Paul the apostle from the First Century. At the end of his letter to the Thessalonians, a letter that frequently mentions the second coming of Christ, Paul simply says, “Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22). All prophecies about the end must be tested. In this case we test the prediction of May 21, 2011 against the words of Christ. When we do this, the result of our “testing” need not go farther than the fact that Mr. Camping is giving a specific date and time for Christ’s return. This automatically disqualifies his prediction. Remember, Jesus said that accurate predictions of the date and time of His return would not be possible!

As Christians, we are those who have “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10) It is true, that we are eagerly waiting for Jesus to come back, but we know we can’t predict when. Thus, we need not be caught up in the eschatamania (hysteria over end times) as some now are, or the eschataphobia (fear of last things) of so many others. Christians should strive to live as if our Lord were coming back today, but plan as if He is coming back years from now. Our belief in the return of Christ makes us seek to please Him everyday so that when He returns we will not be ashamed.

Speaking of being ashamed, Harold Camping and those involved in perpetrating this unbiblical rouse should be ashamed. On May 22nd they will be embarrassed. Unfortunately this is only one of many unbiblical teachings that Mr. Camping has actively propagated. Camping’s positions are not the well thought out, well reasoned beliefs of a serious Bible scholar. Instead, they are the random, baseless, careless ramblings of someone who should not be taken seriously. When Christ does return, Mr. Camping and his followers will have much to answer for.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

“In Christ and on Facebook”

2011-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

The other day while I was riding home on the Staten Island Ferry I had an interesting technology moment. As the Ferry slowed to dock, the passengers began to congregate near the front of the boat. As I observed the crowd I noticed person after person being obsessed with their smart phones and tablets. I was actually tempted to take a picture with my Blackberry and post it on Facebook. It seemed to me that less than half the people crowded there were talking to anyone standing there. Many however were communicating with someone somewhere else.

“If a tree falls down in the wilderness and there is no one around to hear it does it still make noise” is a thought provoking question that has been asked for centuries. It makes us contemplate what makes something real. The answer of course is “yes. it still makes noise”’ because. my experience of it is not what determines its reality. Whether I or anyone else experiences the hearing of the noise of the falling tree the cause and effect of the event still happens.

We live in a media driven culture. Because of the proliferation of the smart phone in general and the IPhone in particular, we can record in picture or video almost any event of significance. Through the interfacing of social media like Facebook and Twitter or upload sites like Youtube for video and Flickr for pictures, almost instant global sharing of any significant moment in time is possible.

The recent death of death of Osma Bin Laden at the hand of Navy seals was greeted by scores of people ages 18-29 gathering in front of the White House in Washington and at Ground Zero in Manhattan. With their smart phones charged and ready, they sought to record the moment. Within minutes, the death of Bin Laden and this generation’s experience of it inhabited the cyber world now known as "the cloud".

The majority of people now in our culture were raised in front of digital media. Among them an interesting axiom has emerged. Stated simply it is “If I can’t post it or see on it on Facebook then it isn’t significant”. Reality has become dependant on what I can experience through virtual media. Its as if all of life is a movie and only by recording and posting it are we really a part of it.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a great consumer of the various media technologies. Here is the problem with all this though. My relationship with the Lord is real, dynamic and life altering. It is significant and it is not subject to Facebook, a picture can’t be taken of it and posted.

Matthew 6:6 reminds us regarding our prayer life, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Please note the reality of our private time with God. Matthew 6:3-4 speaks of our good deeds and reminds us, “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Please note the power of our anonymously done good works.

I want to be real and genuine in my faith. The world of social media, smart phones and flip cameras cultivate superficiality. This occurs because we begin to become actors in a play for everyone to see. Thus, we start acting instead of living authentically. To some degree, participating in the unreal world of social media is unavoidable. Today, let’s keep in mind that the deepening of an authentic faith, a real faith occurs as I privately meet and respond to Jesus Christ not as I post what I want others to see of me on Facebook.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Rx for Urban Eyes

2011-04-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

We live in a very crowded city that moves at a very quick pace. The Ferry gets so full we wonder if it might tip over. The Express Bus is often so crowded there seems as if there are as many standing as sitting. The Subway sometimes resembles a row of sardine cans with strap hangers packed in from end to end. For drivers, the Expressway often looks like more of a parking lot than a freeway. All this as we hustle and bustle from place to place in this thing we call the commute.

This overcrowding combined with the frantic pace has led to another interesting phenomenon. Many of us have developed an amazing eye condition. We are able to look right at people and not ever really see them. The technical term for this is “the glazed over look” or "Urban Eyes".

I have found myself sitting on a train or bus and looking straight ahead with all my thoughts to myself, really not seeing anyone. This eye condition is certainly helpful as a self-protection device. If we ever actually looked at someone we might get a “Are you looking at me?” from the subject of our gaze. That would of course be extremely awkward not to mention somewhat dangerous.

In the last few days for some reason I have been challenged regarding my eye condition. I have been reminded of the example of Jesus when confronted with the needy multitudes. It is said of him that “…When He saw the multitudes; He was moved with compassion….” (Matthew 9:36). I also remember His encounter with the rich young ruler. There it is said of Lord that “……Jesus, looking at him, loved him…” (Mark 10:21).

One of the more interesting narratives in the New Testament involves Jesus, the woman at the well and the disciples near the Samaritan city of Sychar. As the disciples went to town to find food, Jesus engaged the Samaritan woman in conversation about her soul. When the disciples came back it was apparent they had told no one in the town about Jesus. They had been too worried about their growling stomachs to notice anyone. They suffered from an eye condition very similar to mine.

Jesus confronts the disciples about there food obsessions. Then, with the whole town making its way to him because of the witness of the recently departed Samaritan woman, He gives his disciples a very poignant command. He says, referring to the oncoming crowd, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest. (John 4:35)

The disciples needed to lift up their eyes and see the Samaritans as Jesus did. I need to lift up my eyes and see the people in our city as Jesus does. I suspect you may have the same need as the disciples and I have. The words that follow are to a song that would make a powerful prayer for all of us as I close this article. The song writer prays:

“Let me see this world, dear Lord, As though I were looking through Your eyes.
A world of men who don’t want You Lord, But a world for which You died.
Let me kneel with You in the garden, Blur my eyes with tears of agony;
For if once I could see this world the way You see, I just know I’d serve You more faithfully.

Let me see this world, dear Lord, Through Your eyes when men mock Your Holy Name.
When they beat You and spat upon You, Lord, Let me love them as You loved them just the same.
Let me stand high above my petty problems, And grieve for men, hell bound eternally;
For if once I could see this world the way You see, I just know I’d serve You more faithfully.” (Words and music by Mike Otto, Copyright 1979)

An Urban Christian
Dave Watson

Build A Hospital

2010-08-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

OF MOSQUES AND MEN

Last week I had a great visit from some friends of mine from Virginia. They wanted to see our fair city as most of out of towners do. So my wife and I, with our kids, trekked them into the city. One of the sites they wanted to see was ground zero so, of course, we took them there.

Ground zero is now a busy construction site and there is not really a whole lot to see. In spite of this, it still pains me to go there. It also still hurts every time I look at our beautiful skyline with the two missing pieces forever etched in my mind. I wish I could forget but I can’t. On September 11, 2001 we lost nearly 3000 fellow New Yorkers, we lost the symbols of our city’s wonder and greatness but we also lost so much more.

We lost our sense of security because it seems we can never really believe we are safe again. We also lost our innocence because we experienced an unspeakable horror. Those who did the deed and those behind it hoped and prayed to Allah that 50,000 of us would die and that our city would economically, socially and spiritually collapse. They wanted more than the towers, they wanted us. But for the grace of God, they would have gotten their wish.

Not content with the 1993 attack, the terrorists tried again and on 9/11 they succeeded. But they weren’t content with the carnage they caused on that dreadful day. They’ve tried again and again to do our country and our city more harm. In their thinking they should not stop until they have destroyed us or killed themselves in the process, because after all we are the great satan - the infidels against whom the jihad most be fought and won.

After our short visit to ground zero my friends asked me to bring them to the site of the controversial proposed “Ground Zero Mosque.” In less than a New York Minute we were there. When I stood at the corner of Park Place (the street where the Mosque will be built) and Church Street I was flabbergasted. Without exaggeration, this Mosque is being built at Ground Zero. If, on 9/11, you had been standing on the spot where I took my friends that day you would have met your Maker.

The building of a Mosque here is not an issue of rights granted by our Constitution. It is not an issue of religious rights but it is an issue of doing what’s right. Clearly it is insensitive and it could be construed as being malicious. Please remember, for the Islamic terrorists, flying the planes into the towers was an answer to their prayers vindicating their hatred of America. Sadly and tragically this is the thinking of many in the Muslim world, even many who live in this country, even some who worship in this city.

If the Mosque is built, on Fridays (every Friday) and on holy days the call to prayer will go out and the faithful will gather and proclaim “Allah is great” in the shadow of one the greatest atrocities ever committed in the name of Allah. Just writing of it nauseates me. What is equally as bad is that many who pray on those days will be quietly giving thanks to their god for the devastation caused on 9/11 on that very block ---an event that they believe was an answer to their prayers.

Our President and Mayor have weighed in on this issue and they are wrong--- ridiculously wrong. I am sure that a great number of Muslims are peace loving people. I am also sure that far too many Muslims for our comfort have sympathies toward the radicals. Listen closely for unapologetic outrage from Muslim leaders next time Christian missionaries are executed like they were in Afghanistan last month. Tune in to talk radio, network news or surf the web when the next bombing or hijacking or senseless murder of innocents occurs in the name of Allah. As hard as you try, you will not find an unqualified condemnation. The best you will get is “Not all Muslims are like this”. What we should hear is that those who have done these deeds are contemptible and damned. That the perpetrators are not martyrs but murderers. What we get is a whole lot less.

The building of the Mosque at ground zero would not be a celebration of our pluralistic society but rather a supreme example of insensitivity and bad taste. I am not bigoted and intolerant for suggesting this project go elsewhere. To make this type of accusation toward me and others who feel this way is to be bigoted and intolerant. Over the last nine years, I have watched our city slowly move forward toward healing. I have been to the firehouses, I have spoken to the first responders, I have been to the yearly memorials. I don’t appreciate the horrific wound caused in the name of Allah being re-opened in the name of Allah. If those in the Muslim community genuinely want to promote healing they could learn a lesson from the Jews, the Catholics, the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Baptists and the Presbyterians, they could build a hospital.

Dave Watson
An Urban Christian

“Come Soar with Us”

2010-06-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6

This past Memorial Day Weekend I was at my mother’s house in Massachusetts. My mom wanted to make us something special for breakfast so she whipped up some blueberry muffins for my family and I. The muffins looked perfect, but when you bit into them something was clearly missing. In her haste to make the muffins, my mom had left out the critical ingredient of sugar. The muffins didn’t taste bad just not as the recipe intended.

In the Christian life one of the most critical ingredients is faith. For our Christian life to be as God intended we must live as people of faith. Without faith, as the above text indicates, we can’t please God. In addition, it is through faith that we are actually saved according to Ephesians 2:8-9 which states “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” In fact, all of the Christian life is lived by faith and not by sight, as we are told in
2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Regretfully for many of us, faith (authentic submission and dependence on God), is often missing in our Christian walk. We recognize that we couldn’t save ourselves and thus we cried out to the Lord to rescue us. We now, however, think or believe that we can pull off the Christian life with a minimal amount of help from God.

The importance of faith to our everyday walk cannot be overstated. Hebrews 4:2 warns us of the danger of hearing the promises of God and not applying them by faith when it says, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” It is possible for us to know the wonderful promises of God and yet not benefit from them because we don’t mix them with faith.

Most super-strong glues come with two tubes in the package. The two solutions need to be mixed together to obtain a bond. One of those tubes has a strong adhesive in it. Unless it is in the compund the mixture won’t stick. In many ways faith is the adhesive, the epoxy that allows the promises of God to stick to us. If we don’t mix the promises of God with faith they are of no benefit to us.

Faith is so important to our Christian experience we can’t afford to neglect it. Beginning Sunday June 6th and continuing throughout the summer months we will be talking about faith from the book of Hebrews chapters 11 and 12. We invite our members and friends in the coming weeks to “Come Soar with Us” as we learn to fly on the wings of faith”. It is our hope and prayer that we as church family will have a faith-filled summer.

Blessings,
Dave Watson
An Urban Christian

Why Have We Been Blessed?

2010-04-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Psalm 67:1-2 - God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Our text for today, Psalm 67, begins with a simple prayer for the mercy, blessing and favor of Almighty God. You and I have asked God for this many times just probably with different words. We say things like “Lord, forgive me for the way I acted today”, or “Dear Jesus, help me to get the raise I so desperately need” or “Lord, may the test results show nothing abnormal”.

These are all the legitimate prayers of God’s people in need. (A position, I might add, we are all in almost every minute of every day of our lives.) They are the normal petitions of the human heart. They are real prayers from real people.

When I ask for God’s mercy I am recognizing that I don’t deserve or earn what I am asking for, but because He is gracious and merciful I am asking for it. When I ask for His blessing I am admitting that what I can do for myself is woefully inadequate, so I need His help. Finally, when I ask for God to shine His face upon me I am asking for His grace, His unmerited favor. This idea is taken from the priestly prayer of Aaron over the nation of Israel in Numbers 6:24-26.

Praying for the mercy, help and grace of God is all well and good but we should probably ask ourselves a very basic question as we lift up these requests. That question, simply put is, “Why should God bless me?” The profound answer is found in verse 2 of this Psalm.

The verse says that the purpose of God’s blessing upon His people is “That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” So there you have it. God blesses us so that others may be blessed. God answers our prayers not just so our situation can be improved but so that His way might be made known on the earth and so that the nations might know about His glorious salvation.

I prefer to think that the only reason God answers my prayers is because He loves me. I want to believe that I am so important to Him that He blesses me just to bless me. If either of these were the only reason for the blessing of God it would foster an incredibly self-absorbed attitude in all of us. We would be constantly crying, “bless me, bless me, bless me” and “give me, give me, give me” as if God were some cosmic ATM with the password “In Jesus Name”.

Surely, God blesses us out of His concern for us, but His purpose and plan are much greater. He gives to us so we might give to others. He blesses us so that His ways, His salvation might be made known to all.

Let me suggest a very powerful, yet easy, exercise. Take a few moments to list as many blessings that God has bestowed upon you as you can think of. Take a minute or two to read over all of these blessings and then ask the Lord to help you understand His purposes for blessing you. Ask Him to show you specifically how His mercy and blessings upon you can be used to advance His kingdom and His agenda. In other words, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”.

Blessings (with a purpose),

Dave Watson
The Urban Christian

Crisis in Haiti

2010-01-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the republic of Haiti has left the Capitol city of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas devastated. Because Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, and least able to help itself, this disaster is more tragic than any words could describe. The pictures that we have seen over the internet and on our televisions tell only a fraction of the story. The damage on this Caribbean Island of over nine million people has been described as “Biblical” in proportion.

You, like me, have probably asked yourself why God would permit such a natural disaster to happen. I will readily admit that I don’t know exactly all the details of God’s master plan. I also am quite sure that it is not because of a curse on Haiti because of a pact with the devil, as a certain televangelist has alleged. The referenced pact is disputed by many. In addition, if it did occur (it was supposedly made in 1791) it is ludicrous to think it would somehow be binding on the people of today. In addition, we do well to remind ourselves that numerous founders of the United States of America were alleged to be Free Masons; a secret organization that many feel is at its core, demonic. Are all our problems to be blamed on the past sins of a few?

At times like these I remind myself that we live on a fallen planet. Romans 8:22-23 tells us that the whole creation groans and travails for the redemption of God’s people. We also note that the book of Revelation speaks of events far worse than this. Thus, I tell myself that in a broken world everything is broken. Haiti’s woes sadly illustrate this point to the max. This doesn’t mean that God could not have prevented the earthquake. But for reasons we won’t know this side of heaven, He chose not to.

It seems far too easy for me from this distance to say we must trust Him. I pray my Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ will, by God’s grace, be able in this dark hour to claim His promise in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose. I pray that they will be comforted by the words of Romans 8:38&39 which tell us that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, not height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because we are now focused on Haiti it might be good for us as believers to inform ourselves about this small country that shares an island with the Dominican Republic.
Haiti was founded via a slave revolt against the French in 1804. It had been France’s richest colony. It has had a difficult history marked by exploitive and tyrannical leaders. The most recent of these leaders were the Duvaliers (Papa Doc and Baby Doc) who ran the nation from 1957 to 1986. In 1994 the United States helped the country to hold democratic elections. It has valiantly struggled in recent days to put aside the dismal past and develop a hopeful future.

Haiti is primarily a Catholic country, though freedom of religion is one of it tenants. Along with their Catholicism many Haitians practice Voodoo, a development of West African Spiritism. Thanks to God’s grace and recent evangelistic efforts, evangelical Christians now make up over 25% of the population. There are presently nearly 500 evangelical missionaries working in Haiti in a variety of vocations from healthcare to church planting.

Still, why would God allow this to happen? I don’t claim to know the answers to that question. Allow me, however, to suggest a few things we know right now that God would want us to do.

1. Pray for Haiti. It is now on our spiritual radar screens. We should be praying for our brothers and sisters there and hurting as they are hurting. We should be praying for the missionaries there and the unbelievable task before them. We should be praying for many to find Christ in the wake of this disaster. We should be praying for the relief these people so desperately need. We should be praying for the stability of the country and the government, especially President Rene Preval.

2. Give for Haiti. They need our money in addition to our prayers. Truly if having given to the least of these we have given to the Lord, so having given to the restoration of Haiti we have given to the Lord. In the next few months, our church, Calvary Chapel will have a fund that you can give to. All monies received will go to a ministry or ministries that will provide physical relief and a spiritual message to these hurting people

3. Go to Haiti. Let’s get serious. In the next few weeks we’ll be making you aware of short term ministry opportunities with reputable agencies. If enough of us are moved by God to go we will form our own team and go together with one of the agencies.

4. Learn from Haiti. Sometimes when we read the Scriptures and end times prophecies we look at it as a fairytale. Sadly, the disaster in Haiti illustrates the fact that immense devastation can occur in a very short time. This should sober us as it relates to what the Bible says about the end of the age.

5. Care about Haiti. It is my prayer that this horribly tragic situation will cause us to turn our hearts to this nation and its people.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Money Matters

2009-03-13T16:45:00.001-07:00

The news media and political pundits have been throwing around terms like socialism, communism, and capitalism with quite a bit of regularity lately. With the hope of clarifying some things, I begin my article with some simple definitions

Socialism: You have two cows. The government takes one of your cows and gives it to your neighbor.

Communism: You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for your share of the milk, but it's so long that the milk is sour by the time you get it.

Capitalism: You have two cows. You lay one off, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when she drops dead.

I’m not sure if these definitions adequately describe for us these governmental and financial systems. Truth be told, most people are more concerned with whether or not they can make ends meet than with the definitions regarding their economic systems. However, I am sure that the Scriptures give us sound advice regarding our finances no matter the economic system and no matter the economic circumstances we find ourselves in.

As we scan the headlines on the worldwide web or in the local newspaper we need to remember that the Bible speaks to our world and to our personal situations.

As we read “Stock Market loses 50% of It’s Value Since Last Year” we are reminded of Proverbs 23:4-5 which admonishes us, “Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”
Biblical Headline: The only thing we can count on in regard to money is that it will fly away.

As we try and get our arms around “401K’s Causing Many to Reconsider Retirement Plans”, we note Matthew 6:19-21 - “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Biblical Headline: Our treasure must be in heaven not on earth.

It is alarming to read “Unemployment Could Go Above 10%”, therefore, we must embrace Matthew 6:25 & 33 - “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?.... But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Biblical Headline: We’ll have what we need as we put Him first.
It is somewhat apocalyptic to see, “California Drought May lead to East Coast Food Shortages”. Therefore, we must be find comfort in the words of David in Psalm 37:25 - “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
Biblical Headline: God will take care of His children.

Sadly we read, “12% of Borrowers Behind on Mortgages or In Foreclosure”. We know from Proverbs 22:7 that, “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.”
Biblical Headline: Understand the consequence of debt.

It is troublesome to be informed that, “Decline in Charitable Giving Hits Non-Profits”. In this light we must live out 2 Corinthians 8:2-3 - Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
Biblical Headline: God wants us to be generous in spite of, not because of, our circumstances.

Finally, it may be true for some that “Individuals in Depression Over Recession”. However, this need not be the case for us. We can claim Hebrews 13:5-6 – “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’. So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”
Newsflash: What we have or do not have does not define us. God’s presence in our lives is what makes the ultimate difference.

Dave Watson
An Urban Christian

Recent Prophecies

2009-03-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

A recent posting on the blog of Rev. David Wilkerson has caused a great stir among believers and non-believers alike. In his blog, Wilkerson warns of coming social unrest that will result in riots and fires. He attributes these to America being under the wrath of God. He tells us that "God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations."

Those who have responded to this blog have tended to fall into three camps. There are those who completely reject Wilkerson as having no credibility and write him off as a kook. I assure you, that is not the case. He actually has a bit of a track record in the prophecy arena.

Others have completely embraced his recent words almost uncritically. Wilkerson's words are taken almost as Gospel. This group would believe that Wilkerson is, after all, a man of God in touch with God. Thus, what he says must be accepted and we must be careful what we say against him because the Scripture says "Touch not the LORD's anointed or His prophets."

A third response is the "I don't know" approach. This, "I hope he's wrong but maybe he's right -- but I don't know so I'm going to freak out a bit" methodology probably is not that helpful. Certainly, there must be a more reasoned perspective.

Believe it or not, the Bible is very helpful in clarifying matters such as this. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 speaks to us as believers saying, "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." A few words of explanation and application are in order.

Quenching the Spirit means "to extinguish a flame." We should not be those who simply pour cold water on something someone says is Spirit-led just because we don't like it.

Despising prophecy means "to look down on or ridicule." We should not reject out of hand a message someone claims to be from God just because it doesn't jive with our thinking.

Testing all things means that we "examine or take out for a test drive" the claims. We should not accept claims uncritically. Our testing should involve what we know about God -- our God sense; what we know about the Scriptures -- our Bible sense; what we know about the person -- our people sense; and what we know about what's going on in the world -- our common sense.

Holding fast to the good means that I "make my own that which passes the test, and believe it." We should not throw away the proverbial baby with the bath water. We must eat the meat and spit out the bones.

With these verses in mind, what do we do with David Wilkinson's recent prophecy? We can't dismiss it, we can't mock it or ignore it. What we can do is test it, throwing anything out that fails the test and believing and acting on what is found to be trustworthy based on our knowledge of Scripture, our knowledge of God, what we know about the speaker, and what we know about current world events. In other words, we should take seriously that which passes the test.

Rev. Wilkerson is not like the Old Testament prophets who spoke "Thus says the LORD." If anything, he is like those of whom Paul says "for we know in part and we prophecy in part" and "we see in a mirror dimly" (1 Corinthians 13:9 &.12) 1 Corinthians 14:29 says "let two or three prophets speak and let the others judge."

Because prophecy today is at best "in part" and at best, we see in glass dimly, it is necessary for what is prophesied to be judged, to be sifted through. Therefore we must follow through with the Biblical principles I have just outlined in evaluating Rev. Wilkinson's blog, as well as any others that may come our way.

Dave Watson
An Urban Christian

What’s So New in the New Year?

2009-01-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

As I write this article 2008 is gone and 2009 is upon us. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are memories and many New Year’s resolutions have already been broken. So what’s so new about New Year’s you may ask? I’m so glad you asked that. I just happen to have a very Biblical answer.
The concept of new or newness is found throughout the Scriptures and in this concept we find great hope as well as great expectations. Perhaps the most important idea is found in Laminations 3:22-23 which says “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not, They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” One very important thing is new every year, every month and every day, it is the LORD’s mercy. Our gracious God never runs out of mercy and grace toward you and I. The Hebrew word for mercy here is “hesed” and it means “loyal love”. Thus we know that God’s unfailing loving kindness to you and I is brand new 24/7 365 days of the year. That’s what’s new in the New Year.
A second concept of newness is found with reference to all who claim to know Jesus Christ as personal Savior. The Bible speaks of us as having a new birth (1 Peter 1:23) We are also told as new born babes to desire the pure milk of God’s Word. (1 Peter 2:2) This new birth experience has changed us dramatically. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says of us “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Thus we know that we are indeed new people, a new creation because of Christ. That’s what’s new in the New Year.
A third concept springs from our new life in Christ. We find in this new life new opportunities and new responsibilities. Paul in Romans put it like this “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) In essence he is saying “because we died and rose with Christ we can live like Christ”. That’s the opportunity. The responsibility is found in Ephesians 4:22-24 where the apostle says “That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”. We must and can choose to put off the old man, the old garments of sinfulness which are no longer in style for the believer and we must put on the new man, the new stylish clothes befitting a Christian. Thus we have a new lifestyle. That’s what’s new in the New Year.
A fourth concept that is worthy of our consideration is with reference to the body of Christ, God’s Church. In Ephesians 2:14-15 we read “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” God’s newest institution is the church. In it, He has broken down the walls of racial division and made one brand spanking new man of which we are a part. Thus we are now part of God’s new community of people from every tribe, tongue and nation under the heavens. That’s what’s new in the New Year.
The foundation of the new birth, the new creation, the new lifestyle as well as the new community is our fifth and final concept. It is the New Covenant. This new covenant was promised in Jeremiah 31:31-33 and it is spoken of by the author of Hebrews as being a better covenant based on better promises (Hebrews 8:6) Jesus Christ is the Mediator of this covenant and He initiated it during the Last Supper when he took the Cup of Thanksgiving and said “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) In that same breath He promised us a future kingdom with Him saying “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” Thus we are reminded as often we eat the bread and drink the cup of the LORD’s death till He comes. May His return be what’s new in the New Year. Amen.
Maranatha, Even so come Lord Jesus,
Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Reflections on Inauguration Day

2009-01-28T18:39:00.000-08:00

“In the year King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on the throne, high and lifted up and the train of His robe filled the temple”. These words, written by Isaiah, describe the transitional nature of political leaders, governments and even nations. It also describes for us the permanence of God’s rule in the universe. He is always completely in control. In our nation we believe that we elect our leaders but, in actual fact, our Sovereign God selects them. Daniel proclaims, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise; And knowledge to those who have understanding.” This truth should give us assurance and strength. God, for His purposes, gives us our leaders.

A closer look at the words of Isaiah from a New Testament perspective reveals an even greater truth. In John 12:41 we see that the One Isaiah is speaking about is none other than Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord and always has been and always will be. He is Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth. He is Lord of you and He is Lord of me. He is Lord over all the leaders of all the nations great and small.

On April 30, 1789 after the revolutionary war right here in New York City, George Washington took the oath of office to become our very first President. As he did so, Jesus was Lord. On March 4, 1797 when John Adams took the oath to become our second President, Jesus was Lord. On March 4th, 1861 when the country was about to be torn apart by the issue of slavery, Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as our 16th President, and Jesus was Lord. On March 4, 1933 while the country was in a deep depression and Germany was beginning it’s rise to world power, Franklin Roosevelt took the oath to become our 32nd President and as he did so, Jesus was Lord. On January 20, 1981 as the Soviet Communist Empire was expanding in the world and Nuclear War was a real possibly, Ronald Reagan became our 40th President, and on that day too, Jesus was Lord.

I hope you see the trend. Things may change on earth but they remain the same in heaven. Thus, our hope is never in earthly kings or leaders but in the heavenly King of the universe. Thus we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We pray for our leaders and for all those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-2) because we know that the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord and that like rivers of water He turns it however He wills. (Proverbs 21:1). We give our leaders their due honor, for that is what we are commanded to do. (1 Peter 2:17) However, our total obedience and absolute allegiance goes only to the One who saved us with His precious blood, our Savior, Jesus Christ, for He is Lord.

Today, as always and as always will be, God is on His throne. Therefore you and I can, and should, say “On January 20, 2009, in the year Barak Obama was sworn in as our 44th President, I saw the Lord, high and lifted up and His train filled the temple.”
And yes, Jesus is still Lord.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Missing Christmas

2008-12-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

The images of Christmas are quite vivid in most of our minds. You haveprobably heard about the boy who, when asked about the Christmas story, could only remember the three maggots who brought gold, frankincense and smurfs to the baby Jesus.

In addition to this distorted image of Christmas, there are many other ways that we view Christmas. Some see it as a time of giving and thus, shopping. Some think of family. Others are reminded of plays, candy, and presents.
It is, as one writer has said, ``harder and harder to see Christmas throughthe wrapping paper of our culture.''
In 1989, the actor Charles Durning made a film entitled, ``The Christmas That Almost Wasn't.'' The film portrays Santa as very unhappy. He is so bothered by the greed and selfishness of the world that he has threatened to cancel the holiday, thus causing everyone to miss Christmas. Sadly, almost everyone misses Christmas every year.

How is it that we miss Christmas? We miss Christmas when we don't personally receive the gifts that the Lord Jesus Christ came to give us. Jesus came as a Savior to save us from our sins and to give us a new life, as well as eternal life. We miss Christmas when we don't receive his free gift of salvation.

We also miss Christmas when we fail to personally give the gift of ourselves to Jesus Christ in worship and thanksgiving. We almost always give gifts to those whom we love. Why, we should ask, do we forget our Lord.

The ``how'' of missing Christmas is simple but the ``why'' of missing Christmas is somewhat more complex. Let me suggest some reasons why we miss it that are taken right from the Biblical account of the very first Christmas.

Firstly, it is very possible to miss Christmas because we are preoccupied. Like the innkeeper who had no room in his inn for Joseph and the very pregnant Mary (Luke 2:7), we are not hostile or unsympathetic. We are just very busy. The shopping, the Christmas parties, the Christmas concerts, the wrapping of gifts, etc., make it so very easy for us to miss Christmas. It takes a real effort to focus on the real reason for the season.

Second, we can miss Christmas if we are perplexed about the Christ child. Just as those who heard the shepherds' first announcement of the Savior's birth (Luke 2:18). These individuals marveled at the good news, but did not personally go to check things out for themselves. They missed Christmas. Sadly, to most people, who Jesus really is and what he came to do is some what of a blur. Growing up in church I had a vague idea about the identity of the baby Jesus, but I understood very little of the implications of His coming to earth. I made very little effort to checkout His claims. Frankly, I was comfortable in my ignorance. The result was that for many years I missed Christmas.

We can also miss Christmas because of our own fears regarding Jesus Christ. I call it the phobia of Christmas. When Herod and the Jewish leaders were approached by the Magi from the East they were troubled (Matt. 2:1-3).The Magi sought a new born king. King Herod feared that new king might take away his title as king of the Jews. Jesus comes not only to us as a Savior, but as our King. We miss Christmas when we are afraid to give Christ full reign in our lives because of the changes that He most certainly would require.

Lastly, we can miss Christmas because of pride. The chief priests and scribes were experts in the law. They even quoted Micah 5:2 to Herod about the whereabouts of Christ's birth (Matt. 2:4-6). Yet they failed to seek out the Christ child. They were content in their religious tradition. They had a concept of a Messiah that they were comfortable with. Evidently, the Jesus that the Magi sought was not what they were looking for. We must never forget that it is not the religious traditions that make Christmas. It is Jesus. Let's be sure not to replace Him with ceremony.

In a few short days Christmas will come and go. Let’s not miss it. Let’s put aside our preoccupations with the presents and focus on the person of Christ. Let’s deal sincerely with the questions we have about Christ. Let’s search the Scriptures to find the answers. Let’s bow down before Him as King. Let’s humble ourselves in His presence.

Regretfully, this year many will once again miss Christmas. Don't be among this group. Jesus Christ extends an invitation for us to experience Him and His salvation all year `round.
Receive His free gift of salvation with its forgiveness of sin and
eternal life today and in turn, give to Him the gift of your heart.

Merry New York City Christmas,

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Reflections on the 2008 Election

2008-11-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

In a couple of days Americans will go to the polls and pull a lever to elect a new President of the United States of America. We are truly a privileged people. Christians in centuries past had to put up with maniacal dictators who persecuted and martyred our forbears. Even today there are places in the world where believers are suppressed and oppressed. Because of our freedoms I hope you will avail yourself of the right to vote. Being a good Christian means being a good citizen, rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, so go and vote on Tuesday, November 4th.

A sample of internet sites from and for believers will yield a multitude of reasons to vote for one candidate or another. Many times we are told to pray and seek the Lord’s leading as to who we should vote for. I do believe we should pray. However, I don’t think we should so much seek a leading as we should seek discernment. We need discernment to see through the media’s hoopla and the candidates’ smoke and mirrors. They are, after all, politicians. But there is more.

As Christians we have been given the infallible, life-changing, inspired Word of God. From these Scriptures we can discern, at best, which candidate we should vote for or, at worst, which candidate not to vote for. It seems to me that there are five timeless truths in Scripture that give us the guidance we need.

These truths are:

Principle #1 - A commitment to a pro-life position – All life is sacred because we are all made equally in the image of God (Genesis 1:27-28). The life of the innocent unborn is indeed precious. The Scriptures teach us that God supervises our creation in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16) and that He has a purpose for us from before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5). In Amos 1:13, God promised to judge the Ammonites for their mistreatment of the unborn. God is clearly on the side of the unborn, so the person we vote for should be fully of that persuasion as well, both in their personal and political convictions.

Principle #2 - A commitment to a pro-traditional family position – From the time of Creation, God has defined marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman; Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve or Eve and Elaine (Genesis 2:22-25). Same sex marriage and or polygamous marriages are outside of God’s design. A society cannot survive without strong traditional families. Every effort should be made to hold this Biblical model up as the standard. What’s more, any perversion of God’s original design for the family is both dangerous and destructive to a society. The person we pull the lever for should share God’s view of marriage and the family.

Principle #3 - A commitment to a pro-Israel position – God promised Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you.” This Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional and carries through to today. It behooves our nation then to bless Israel, to support her. This is a Biblical conviction we should embrace and hold to. It doesn’t mean we don’t confront Israel’s evils and faults. Israel doesn’t get a free pass to do whatever it pleases. However, it is clear that the Jewish nation is still the apple of God’s eye and we and the person we vote for should see them that way.

Principle #4 - A commitment to a pro-Judeo/Christian values position – Proverbs 14:34 tells us that “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people”. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount reflect what the Lord means by righteousness. Psalm 94:20 asks, “Shall the throne of iniquity which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You?” The Lord says He will have no part with the kingdom/nation that legislates evil behavior. As Christians, we should support those who share our values. We live in a pluralistic country, but we are under no obligation to vote for those who don’t share our Judeo/Christian values. These values are a major foundation for the goodness of our land.

Principle #5 - A commitment to a pro-compassion position -- Psalm 9:17-18 tells us, “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.” It is clear that God cares about the poor and needy. The Church should have that same concern and so should those we vote for. Turning our back on those who are genuinely in need can result in God turning His back on us as a nation.

I encourage you to use these five simple principles to determine which candidate would best reflect our Christian values. As believers in Jesus Christ we are told to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Thus, we don’t vote a political party but our Savior’s priorities. We cannot vote our color, but His creed. We don’t vote our ethnicity but His ethics. We don’t merely vote for “A Change we can believe in”, we vote according to “God’s Word that we can count on.” We don’t vote “Country First”, we vote “Christ’s Kingdom First.” We don’t even vote according to our pocketbook, but rather, we must vote according to His principles. And in the end, our prayer is not for what we want but what He Wills.

If you aren’t sure where a candidate stands, Google that candidate and the principles above. This time around, let’s be sure we search the Scriptures, search the internet, search our hearts and on Tuesday, search out our polling place.

As a citizen of the United States of America I am grateful for the privilege of voting to elect a president and other public officials. As a citizen of heaven I am grateful for the knowledge that the Lord ultimately selects our leaders. Daniel 2:20 tells us that the Lord “changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings”. First, foremost and always though, you and I are committed to follow one person, our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is our only real Hope both now and eternally.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

On the Money

2008-10-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

We live in very confusing times. Political leaders are warning of a dire economic crisis. Elected representatives are stumped as to what to do. The Stock Market is up and down like a yo-yo. Credit is tight and sales of antacids are up. Gas prices are high and consumer confidence is low. Presidential candidates try to offer hope while the media seeks to instill fear. What’s a person to do in the midst of this craziness?

As I have watched the news over the last week I have tried to navigate my way through all the reports and commentary. However, all of my efforts have just left me frustrated. Our political leaders do not seem to have any real definitive answers.

As I mull over the role our Christianity plays in daily life I move from frustration and fear to faith and peace. It seems to me that, as believers, there are at least five simple anchors that we can drop that will hold our lives steady when we find ourselves in tumultuous times or circumstances. Please allow me to share them with you.
Anchor # 1 - The Creator of the universe is not surprised by any of the present happenings in the Stock Market. This is true because God is omniscient, He knows everything. He knows the future completely even when it takes an unpredictable turn. The early church father Augustine wrote, “To confess that God exists, and at the same time to deny that He has foreknowledge of future things, is the most manifest folly.”
Anchor #2 - Our Heavenly Father is ultimately in control of the affairs of this world, even in the world financial situation. Speaking of Him in Daniel 2:21, the Scripture states, “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise, And knowledge to those who have understanding.” God is always in control. He is Sovereign. As our Father we can be sure He has our best interests in mind. The One who holds the future holds us in the palm of His hand.

Anchor #3 - God should be praised no matter what happens around us, even in a fiscal crisis. The Biblical character Job is legendary for suffering. His example is one we should aspire to follow. Having lost everything he says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.(Job 1:21)” We should seek to praise God not so much for what He gives us as for who he is.
Anchor #4 - The Lord Himself has us given timeless truths in His Word that are relevant even in challenging economic times. Biblical principles and promises are something we can take to the bank (figuratively speaking). The borrower will be a server to the lender (Proverbs. 22:7). We do reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). If I seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness all these things (the meeting of my needs) will be added unto me (Matthew 6:33). In His Word I can hope unashamedly.

Anchor #5 - The Solid Rock of our salvation is the only safe place to put our trust when things on Wall Street affect us on Main Street. .The Psalmist, King David, tells us, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2) Later on he will say “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:2) Thus, we can say, ”God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

These five anchors can be summed up in one simple phrase. “In God We Trust”. In times of financial crisis or economic uncertainty we do well to follow this command. It is more than a cliché. It is way of life and it is “right on the money”, literally.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

September 11, 2008

2008-09-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

This morning around 5:30 A.M. the alarm on my PDA sounded. When I got up to shut it off I got a chill in my bones as I read to myself the date. September 11th.

I really don’t know how and I really don’t know why but I am and it seems I will always be affected by those two words. September 11th.

I just came from the Firehouse where almost everyone in Engine 158 was gathered. Some of the retired guys had even come back. We had breakfast, we laughed, we joked. But at 8:46 we stood in front of the house and were silent and somber as we remembered the 343 members of their department who had died on September 11th

I don’t understand how much of the country goes about their business today. I don’t understand how business can be as usual. How can you go to class, how can you buy a new pair of pants or a DVD? How can you have a party? I guess everyone copes with things there on way. But I just want to shout “Don’t you know it’s September 11th. “

Like masochists who need the pain I think we must grieve. We must remember the horror of the 2968 who lost their lives in New York, in Washington and in a field in Pennsylvania. We must hear the strained voices as their family members read the names of the loved ones they’ve lost. We must see their tears. We must cry with them. Not to do so would be sacrilege. It’s September 11th.

This is a day like none other. I guess it’s our generation’s and our kid’s generation’s Pearl Harbor. But I really don’t know. It seems so odd. Our elected officials treat it like a holiday and I really think it should be. It could be called “The Day Things Changed Forever, September 11th.”

On this day those of us in this in this city want to be close to our families. We want to hug each other, eat together, and catch up with each other. We miss those who aren’t with us. We ask in advance “what are you doing on 9-11”. We seek religious experiences, that is we watch the coverage of ground zero or we attend a ceremony, go to a firehouse or write. We sing or listen to our 9-11 hymns; Amazing Grace and God Bless America. We hear the 9-11 bells ringing, those sharp pings marking the striking and then falling of the towers and the crashing into the Pentagon. Then we watch the tree lighting; those two overwhelming spotlights from Ground Zero at dusk, piercing the sky where once those two beautiful towers touched the heavens. It has all the hall marks of a holiday. We just will never be able to say “Happy September 11th. “

I know there is much to be thankful for today. Things could have been much worse. We’ve not been attacked in 2557 days, we‘ve made improvements in security. So much good has come out this unthinkable evil. But there are still boys and girls who don’t remember or never met their dads. There are 8 year olds who want their missing mommies when they fall down, there are grown men who were robbed of a lifetime with their sons, grown women who will never help their daughters prepare for her special day, middle age husbands and wives who will never celebrate a 25th wedding anniversary. It seems so unfair, so wrong. One day, a few moments, marred these lives forever just seven years ago on September 11th

We make memorials, lay wreaths and try to make sense of it all. Sometimes life doesn’t make sense. I wish for our nation, for myself and for my city for more than moment of silence. I think in light of this extremely loud and incredibly close event we should have a yearly national day of silence. Perhaps if there was a sacred Sabbath, a day where we shut down, we could know in a life altering way, the presence of our God, comforting our souls and strengthening our hearts, showing us the way. Then we might be able to commemorate “The Day God Changed Us Forever, September 11th. “

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Got Integrity?

2008-04-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

The long political season is in full bloom around us. The candidates are in mid- season form as they and their surrogates exchange charges and counter charges with their opponents. On a daily basis we have new accusations involving each candidate’s integrity. The “spin” is not that lies were told but that individuals misspoke or had a memory lapse of some sort. Finding truth in the midst of a political campaign is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

A sad fact in politics is that one of the first casualties of any campaign is the candidate’s integrity. Unfortunately, this political season seems to be no exception. As a society, we have come to expect a lack of integrity from our elected officials, therefore, we are not surprised or disappointed when it comes to light. Sadly, we seem to willingly accept this lack of integrity as normal instead of demanding better from those who desire the great privilege and responsibility of leading us.

In contrast to our society’s standards for those who would lead us are God’s clear demands for integrity. As King Solomon was ascending to the throne of Israel the Lord set forth His conditions for blessing and prospering Solomon’s kingdom. He said, “Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom…”(1 Kings 9:4-5a) In Psalm 78:72 we get a little more insight into David’s leadership when it says “So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”

Integrity from a Biblical standpoint is important because of what it means and what it implies. The Hebrew word for integrity is “tom” and it means “soundness” and “completeness”. Someone with integrity doesn’t lie, deceive, or swindle because, spiritually speaking, they are complete. Their heart is sound. They don’t have gaps in their character. Character flaws and defects cannot help but affect someone’s behavior. A sound and complete heart, a heart of integrity, grows out of respect and reverence for God and His Word.

Life is filled with many challenges. There are many pitfalls and snags that can easily derail us. Integrity is an indispensable quality that keeps us on the right track. Proverbs 11:3 tells us that “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” King David beseeches the Lord to “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You” (Psalm 25:21). He prays “Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.” (Psalm 26:1).

Integrity is not just something that is of benefit to the one who possesses it. It is also of great benefit to those around that individual. Specifically, this soundness of heart follows the family of the person who has integrity. In Proverbs 20:7 we read, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.” Integrity then, is critical not just for public officials but also for parents.

The concept of living a life of integrity comes into play in yet another area. When it is all said and done we will be judged by our integrity. Psalm 7:8 says “The Lord shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me.” Scripture lets us know in no uncertain terms that “man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart”. When we are judged, our soundness, our completeness, our lack of hypocrisy, will be what God evaluates.

As far as God is concerned integrity is one of, if not the most, important quality for us to possess in terms of character. We see how valuable he considers it in Proverbs 19:1 where we read “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.” In other words, the one who “walks the talk” is better than the one who “talks the walk” no matter how good his/her talk is.

This is probably why Job clings to his integrity so tenaciously. In the midst of his suffering he says, “Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me” (Job 27:5). Later he proclaims “Let me be weighed on honest scales, that God may know my integrity” (Job 31:6).

Almost all the verses for this study on integrity are found in the wisdom books of Scripture. If you or I are to be wise people we are going to have to be people of integrity. Begin to pray this very day that God will help each of us to be just that. May who we say we are as Christians line up with who we really are in heart. And as that sound heart guides and directs our words and deeds, our reputation will not require defense or spin.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

He's More than a Story

2008-03-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

More Than a Story

He’s more than a story.
He is risen and is Our Savior
The sinner can be forgiven
The transgressor can be transformed
The corrupt can be cleansed

He’s more than a story
He is alive and He is the author of new life
The cheating politician can be born again
The adulterous call girl can find salvation
The moral failure can have a second and a third and a fourth chance

He’s more than a story
He has left the tomb and is the reconciler of all men
The white supremacist bows to the supremacy of Christ
The black panther falls to the lion of Judah
The anti-semite is a child of Abraham
The racist is a lover of all men.

The slave trader has become the slavery reformer singing amazing grace
Archie Bunker has become William Wilburforce crying against the injustices of bigotry

He is more than a story
He is here and He is the great deliverer
He delivers the addicts from their self medicating and gives them peace
He delivers the hedonists from their self indulgences and gives them joy
He delivers the depressed from their self-loathing and gives them hope

He is more than a story
He has won and we share in His spoils
We are no longer overcome but overcomers
We are no longer victims but victors
We are no longer bond but we are free

He is more than story
He has beaten death and the grave forevermore
He has changed our temporal goodbyes to eternal hellos
We are not afraid – Because for me to live is Christ to die is gain
Death where is thy victory, O grave where is thy sting
Made like Him, like Him we rise, ours the cross the grave the skies, alleluia

He is more than a story
He is exalted and been given a name that is above every name
Those who are satan possessed He indwells
Those who are satan oppressed He empowers
Those who are satan obsessed He enlightens saying “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world”

He’s more than story
He is our living hope and our daily helper
The ugly sinner is a lovely saint
The spiritually defeated is more than a conqueror
The lost and undone has been found by God’s Son

Yes, He is more than a story
He has prevailed and owns the world
We look not to the united nations but the Healer of all nations
We believe not on earthy judges but in Heavens Just One
We trust not in human leaders but in the King of kings and Lord of lords
We listen not for election results but bend our ears for that final trumpet when riding on a white horse He will return in all his glory to repay every evil, right every wrong, reward every deed and reign forever

He is more than a story
He is risen and He is the central figure of history. He calls each of us follow Him.
He is risen and He is the central figure of my life
He’s everything to me and since I met Him things have never been the same

Burglar Proof Your Home!!!

2008-02-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

The last few evenings my sleep has been disturbed by a nightmare. I don’t ever remember having this one before. In this dream I am confronting a burglar in my home. It really is quite scary and I don’t remember the outcome either night. I just know I woke up shaking.

It is possible that coverage of the Staten Island Ninja burglar has gotten to me. It is also possible that I’ve seen or heard too many commercials for house alarms. Regardless, after this nightmare I couldn’t help but be reminded of Jesus’ words in John 10:10 when he said: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Jesus is obviously talking here about Satan, His enemy and our adversary. He is warning us about the devil’s designs upon our lives. Though two thousand years have passed since Jesus spoke these words they are very applicable to us today.

When you and I come to faith in Christ we pass from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the Son (Colossians 1:13). We are no longer blinded by the god of this age, (2 Corinthians 4:4) but God has given to us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). We have a very privileged position.

As believers, the Scriptures give us some very sound advice regarding protecting ourselves from the thief, the liar, the accuser of the brethren, namely, Satan. We do well to take these admonitions seriously. We ignore them at our own peril.

In his letter, James the brother of our Lord tells us, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:7-8a)”. Simply put, resisting Satan requires submitting to God. Every time I obey God I am protecting myself from the evil one. Every time I choose not to obey God I am opening myself up to Satan’s schemes. Thus, we must submit ourselves to God.

Peter, a man Jesus described as someone sifted by Satan, writes a similar admonition to us. He states “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-9a)”. There is danger on almost every side. Therefore, we must be alert at all times. We must watch ourselves.

The most prolific New Testament writer, the apostle Paul gives us the most extensive set of prescriptions reading our battle with the forces of darkness and their perverse leader. He commands us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11)”. He then goes on to enumerate for us our armor for the battle. We are to gird ourselves with the belt of truth, don the breastplate of righteousness, put on the helmet of salvation, shod our feet with the sandals of peace, and carry with us the Sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith. As a soldier would never go into battle without his armor, we should not face our foe without the protective armor that God provides. Everyday we must arm ourselves.

Earlier on in this same letter Paul gives a critical bit of advice. He says “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:26-27).” When I allow my emotions to rule me and I don’t deal with my anger I give strategic ground to Satan, I give him a foothold, a strategic location from which he can launch an offensive attack. Thus, I must check myself. I must not sleep on my anger. I must go to bed having my heart right with God and others.

In summary, I need to burglar-proof my home and my life. I need the S.W.A.C. Shield. Daily I must Submit myself, Watch myself, Arm myself, and Check myself. Not to do so will result in a real-life spiritual nightmare.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Get in Shape in 08

2008-01-31T18:59:00.000-08:00

A month of this New Year has already past. Time flies when you are having fun or closing in on fifty years of age. Before too much more of this year goes by I want to encourage each of us to accept a very special challenge.

My personal challenge for 2008 is to get in shape. I want to be in the best shape of my life as I face this year and the coming years ahead. These years may hold difficult times as well as overwhelming joys. I want to be in great shape to endure and enjoy them.

You are probably saying “It’s about time -- Pastor Dave needs to get off the couch and over to Balleys.” I would be the first to agree with you and I intend to do just that. However, the shape I was speaking of was my spiritual shape. My challenge to myself as well as to you is in regard to our spiritual shape.

Our inner man, just like our outward man, needs to be cared for. Indeed, failure to care for the soul will cause damage that can be more severe than not caring for the body. Neglecting the soul causes spiritual maladies like apathy, apostasy and hard heartedness. With this in view, here are some surefire ways to get your soul in great shape this year.

In many ways the world is God’s gymnasium for us. It is after all, God who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). To get in shape in 08 I must see my life in this way. I am in God’s gym and everything that comes my way is designed or permitted by God to exercise me. That strenuous place of employment is a stairmaster sent to develop my endurance. Those difficult relationships are the heavy weights designed to strengthen me. Those trails and tribulations are the treadmill permitted by God to insure my heart’s good health.

My spiritual diet is going to play a major role in my soul’s welfare in the New Year. Here are a few simple suggestions. Take in some of God’s Word, our spiritual meat and substance, everyday. Days on end without time in the Word make the soul malnourished. It’s been said that “Seven days without prayer and Bible reading make one weak”. One Proverb a day can make our souls wise. Five Psalms a day keeps our souls worshipful. A regular reading of the gospels will stir our souls to Christ-likeness.

I would be smart to eliminate certain things from my soul’s diet as well. Books, magazines, movies, websites, or TV programs that lack virtue have no place on my plate. They are junk food at best. Negative people and influences can be toxic to the soul and thus should be avoided whenever possible.

In addition to our diet, our conversation with God -- our proper breathing, if you will, is critical. Daily, I need to make time for this conversation. Minute by minute I need to be conscious of this conversation. Prayer enables my soul to draw strength from God as well as claim God’s promises. I need to pray for forgiveness when I sin, pray for wisdom when I am confused, pray for help when I am in trouble and pray a huge “thank you” when God answers my prayers. It is well with the soul that prays.

For my soul to “get in shape in 08” I am also going to need to enlist a personal trainer. By this, I don’t mean just the Lord. We all need mentors, or in contemporary language, we all need a “life coach”. Joshua had Moses. Elisha had Elijah. The Disciples had Jesus. Timothy had Paul, and Paul had Barnabas. We need someone with experience, who knows the ropes, to keep us accountable. Who is your spiritual life coach?

Finally, for my soul to be healthy in the New Year, it is going to need rest. Yes, I said rest. The Sabbath rest is a Biblical principal that just can’t be violated without causing harm. My life schedule must carve out time for rest and restoration. Rejuvenation takes down time. If I don’t take time to “come apart”-- I’ll just plain come apart.

Welcome to the gym. Get in shape in 08.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

Don’t Read This!

2008-01-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

New York City is truly a great place to live. As I begin my 19th year living in the Big Apple I feel qualified to make this statement. Let me explain.

Perhaps the greatest thing about living here in our fair city is that we share it with some eight million other people. Obviously you know that, but you are still wondering why living here is so great. Simply stated, I have found that living with so many people in such a large city allows me to always have someone else to blame for my problems and failures. I never have to take personal responsibility, or experience accountability. Everything that happens can always be someone else’s fault. Let me elaborate.

I have a little problem with tardiness to meetings with other Pastors. I usually start later than I should and thus show up late. I’ve had this problem as long as I can remember but here in the city I can blame it on the traffic. I don’t even have to go into a long explanation. I just walk in the room and say, “Has anyone seen how bad the expressway is today? Wow, when are they going to do something about that?”

I have always eaten chocolate and other sweets when under stress. I could get away with it when I was younger but now it shows. Fortunately, I’m here in the city and it’s easier to rationalize because, you know, living with all these people and dealing with all this traffic stresses all of us out and how can I help but indulge in a little “comfort food”?

I have, like everyone else, a hard time carving out a place for time with God in His Word and prayer. The city moves so fast and, you know it’s hard to keep up and well, it just makes this quiet time thing almost impossible. Don’t you agree? It’s not my fault. What’s a man to do?

Being a good citizen or a good employee can be hard. Doing our part to make the city better or giving an employer a day’s work for a day’s pay is really just too much to ask. Fortunately, we live here with all these people… so, since almost no one cares about being a good citizen or a good employee, we have the “everybody’s doing it” or in this case “nobody’s doing it” defense.

Given the fact that there are so few authentic Christians among us, this excuse-laden mindset can be easily extended into our daily walk in the world. I mean, after all, what do you expect? It is crazy to think we could actually make a difference. We are outnumbered 1000 to 1. The best we can hope for is mere survival. Who could blame us if our language is a little, shall we say, “colorful”? Or if our ethics are a little, shall we say, “shady”? We’re doing the best we can! What’d you expect, it’s hard here!

It’s the Mayor’s fault, it’s the commute’s fault, it’s the neighborhood’s fault, it’s the boss’s or the job’s or the big company’s fault. These excuses provide a somewhat reasonable defense and all sound great. Well, they do sound great, if you want to be a victim.

In 1 John 5:4-5 we read, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” These verses make it clear that as a Christian I’m not a victim, but a victor. I am not overcome, but an overcomer. Thus, I really have no excuse. I have no one else I can blame.

The apostle Paul wrote this to the Roman Christians, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12) This points out the truth that not only am I responsible for my actions, I am also accountable to God. I can’t blame anyone else for what’s up with me and I am going to stand before God and explain my actions to Him.

With my responsibility and accountability clearly in view I do well to follow another exhortation of Paul to the Romans. After calling for total surrender to God, in Romans chapter 12, verse 2, Paul says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I can get above the world’s low expectations by allowing God through His Word to transform me into an individual who seeks His goals and ideals for my life.

My watch words for the New Year are personal responsibility and personal accountability. I’m taking personal responsibility for my spiritual growth because I will be personally accountable for my spiritual health. I’m taking personal responsibility for my physical conditioning because I will be personally accountable for my physical condition. Since you have read this article, you too are now personally responsible and personally accountable. I warned you about reading this.

Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Dave Watson – An Urban Christian

Christmas Traditions

2007-12-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. Seeing this Peanuts classic from the late Charles Shultz is a major tradition in my life. I saw it when it first ran on TV in the 60’s. I was only six years of age. I believe I have seen it most every year since then. I almost have it memorized yet its simplicity still touches me, still reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas.
Just like Lucy who is consumed with the piano player Schroeder, or Charlie Brown’s sister Sally who is consumed with what gifts she should get, or even Charlie Brown’s dog Snoopy who is consumed with a decoration contest (which he wins by the way) it is easy for us to lose focus at this time of year. Commercialism, if we are not careful, can crowd out all the love, joy, and peace Christ came to give us.
A major way to fight this crowding out effect is to establish meaningful Christmas traditions in our personal lives as well as in our families. These traditions can help us keep the main person, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the focal point of our Christmas celebration. May I be so bold as to suggest a few traditions worth starting.
The first tradition on the list should be Scripture. Reading or listening to the Scripture daily should be a priority during this Holiday season (also called Advent). Advent reading schedules are available at Church. These readings take us through the Old Testament prophecies of Christ up to His birth. These Scriptures may be familiar, but they never grow old. If you haven’t already, start a meaningful tradition, participate in daily Advent Bible reading or listening.
Another helpful tradition is service. Selfless, sacrificial acts which result in nothing being given back to us are a perfect way to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child (Operation Christmas Child, for example). Quietly and anonymously give a gift, financial or otherwise to someone in need. Cleaning someone’s yard or visiting someone who gets few visits from anyone else are other examples worth trying.
Perhaps a neglected but easily added tradition is singing. The singing of Christmas Carols was introduced in the Colonies (as we use to be called) to turn Christmas back into a spiritual holiday. Some Friday or Saturday night, turn off the television, invite your family and friends to gather around and let the songs “rip”. Mix Jingle Bells in with the classics like Silent Night and Joy to the World. Stay away from Handel’s Messiah and everyone will do just fine.
The greatest Christmas tradition any of us can do is to share. I am not talking about giving gifts. I am talking about speaking to others about Jesus. Sharing the message of Christ. The shepherds on that first Christmas who had heard the angels and experienced the Christ child “made widely known the saying which was told them” (Luke 2:17). Should we do any less than they? There is no better season than this to “Go tell it on the mountain”. Who in your life has not yet received the most important gift of Christmas, the Savior who is Christ the Lord? Leading someone to Christ, now that’s a Christmas tradition worth starting!
Finally, we should stand. Stand with those of like precious faith. Attend Christmas church services. Don’t let holiday shopping keep you from your church family. Encourage other believers in the neighborhood and at the workplace. Gather your family and friends together and in one accord give thanks to God for Jesus, God’s indescribable gift!
Merry Christmas!
Dave Watson
An Urban Christian

Keeping the Faith

2007-09-23T18:28:00.001-07:00

Keeping The Faith
“O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust” 1Timothy 6:20
The tiny Pacific island of Nauru is located between Hawaii and Australia. It is inhabited by some 13,500 people. It is only twelve miles in circumference and eight square miles in total area. At one time, it was a pristine paradise with sufficient resources to take care of its population. That is no longer the case.
Nauru is rich in phosphate, an ingredient in fertilizer and a much sought after commodity. At one time, because of this valuable mineral, the Island nation boasted of the second highest gross national product per citizen in the world. Over the last century, almost every ounce of the phosphate has been strip-mined leaving the Island’s interior decimated. The native population has been spoiled by the riches the phosphate bought. They adopted a western diet and now are a world leader in per capita diabetes and obesity.
With its national resources squandered, the tiny country found itself bankrupt and began allowing offshore drilling for oil in abundance and became a holding place for dangerous unwanted refugees. Today, electricity is rationed and the infrastructure is crumbling. Fifty percent of the working force is unemployed. There is serious talk of simply abandoning the Island and relocating everyone somewhere else.
When I think about this tragic Island I can’t help but think of the evangelical church in America. We are rich beyond belief in Christ. We have, however, not guarded that which has been entrusted to us. We have allowed ourselves to be stripped of our blessings in the name of prosperity. We have adopted the world’s diet of materialism and accommodation, and we have become religiously fat and spiritually unhealthy. Our churches are being abandoned by the next generation because we offer them nothing of substance. We have not kept the faith.
Keeping the faith... that is our theme for this fall. Nearly twenty centuries ago the Apostle Paul felt the need to charge his spiritual son in the faith, Timothy. He proclaimed, “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust” (1 Timothy 6:20). Today we do well to heed his words and go and do likewise.
Rarely does a month go by that a prominent Christian or Pastor is not implicated in a scandal. The airways are filled with many national ministries whose message qualifies at best as Christianity Lite and at worst as heresy. Doctrinal truths once held so dear are now negotiable.
On a more personal note, we all know of professing believers who are no longer active in church. We know of others who are essentially going through the motions when it comes to the things of God. Sadly, many of us can probably identify a few who have completely left our Lord.
Jude, the brother of our Lord, in his short epistle wrote, “I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3) This is an important command to obey. It is, however, a command we don’t seem to know how to follow.
Beginning September 9th and continuing for the next 12 weeks, we will be studying the Bible’s instructions regarding how we can keep the faith. The book of First Timothy will be our guide. I cannot think of a timelier message for God’s church and God’s people in these perilous times. Please make every effort to join us for this critical series. See you Sunday. Until then, keep the faith!

It’s Not Just Another Day

2007-09-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

It’s Not Just Another Day

Last year we observed the Fifth Anniversary of the terror attacks on our country. Here in our city there were tears, moments of silence and various commemorations. My daughter, who saw the Towers in flames as she walked to her High School, sent me an Instant Message from her out of state college. She was frustrated and angry. “They don’t understand” she wrote from her campus. Some of my own friends who have moved out of state called me on that day. They were appalled. Their neighbors were treating September 11th just like any other day.

This coming Tuesday is not just another day. We can never let it be just that. September 11, 2001 was the day the world changed. It was the day terror fell from the sky. It was the day the unthinkable became a stark reality. It was the day we realized how vulnerable we are and how powerless our government can be. It was the day “In God We Trust” became more than a sound byte on our currency. It became all we had.

I know that many want to move that day to the furthest recesses of their minds, but in this city we can’t. We have 2752 families whose loved ones were victims of that unspeakable horror. We continue to have a giant bull’s eye on our collective backs for the terrorists to take aim at. We have a skyline that looks like a giant jigsaw puzzle with two important pieces missing. September 11th is not just another day, and we can never let it become such.

Some 2900 years ago, the writer of Ecclesiastes penned, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot….a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…. (3:1-4)”. There is an appropriate time for everything we must do.

On 9/11 it is our time to mourn with those who lost so much six years ago. It is our time to weep for our collective losses. It is our time to remember the heroism of 23 of our Finest and 37 Port Authority Police Officers who died protecting and serving us. It is our time to pay homage to 342 of our Bravest (78 from our Borough) who ran into danger, saving thousands of lives while losing their own. It’s not appropriate for this date to be just another day.

Ecclesiastes goes on to say that there is, “a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain” (3:5). Tuesday is also our time to embrace those who are with us. We should honor firefighters, cops, and EMS workers. We should applaud those everyday heroes who in spite of their fears go into work just a few blocks from Ground Zero. They have chosen not to be victims but victors. We should embrace them, we should thank them and we should emulate them.

In Ecclesiastes we also read, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (3:12). Though our souls will live forever, we cannot presently understand all of God’s plans. Right now, it is impossible for us to comprehend how God can make an event like 9/11 into a thing of beauty. Yet He can, and He will. It is not yet our time to fully understand, but the Scriptures also tell us, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Until then, “It’s not just another day”.

It rained today on 9/11

2007-09-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

It rained today on 9/11 and it seemed so out of place
I guess it’s the first time on the Anniversary the heavens have been unfavorable toward us
But it is an intermittent and inconsistent rain, not a hard driving storm like we had some six years ago.

The sky was cloudless and the sun shined brightly that September morning
But it rained that day, oh how it rained.
It rained terror and fear as first one plane and then another plummeted the skyline of the place we call home.
And it rained horror, unspeakable horror as debris and people, yes people, fell from the sky with twisted steel and melted soot and ash
A flood of pain, hurt, and grief followed that bitter driving storm
The waters almost devoured us and most certainly overwhelmed us

Like the rains of late fall it made the trees so barren and life so cold.
It chilled us to the bone and we wished so badly that we could come in out of the rain,
but it seemed there was no shelter, no place to hide, the rain was everywhere

Serendipitously another storm followed, a much different kind of rain let loose.
It was a much needed deluge of hope, strength, and mercy poured out by heaven,
The second storm diluted the first with heroism, courage and grace.
Were it not for this second storm we may not have survived.

Yes it rained today on 9/11, much like it did six years ago

The Big Apple Meets the Big Easy

2007-08-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

This past July 7th-14th I had the privilege of leading a team of 15 members of our church family, Calvary Chapel, to participate in rebuilding and ministering efforts in New Orleans. Two years after the disaster of Hurricane Katrina the city is still in ruins. Sadly, it looks as if the hurricane was just last week and the work of rebuilding has just started.

Eighty percent of the city (Its land mass is three times the size of Staten Island) was under water and 60,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. The water marks, many reaching nearly to the roof, are clearly visible on the homes that are left. Less than half of the city’s population of 450,000 has returned. With very few exceptions (the French Quarter being one of them) the city resembles a deserted urban center in a futuristic sci-fi movie. Over and over as we worked in the shadow of the Superdome I shook my head in disbelief mumbling “This! In America?”

Our team, made up of nine males and six females, ranged from 14 – 62 years of age. We were charged with insulating a quad (a four apartment house) in Central City. We worked across from a crack house but never felt in danger. The agency we worked with, Compassion, is a brand new creation of the Evangelical Free Churches of America. It has run 10,000 volunteers through its home base, Trinity Evangelical Church, in Covington Louisiana (Covington is located some 40 miles north of New Orleans on the other side of the 25 mile long Lake Pontchartrain Causeway).

Under the steady and patient direction of our “home brought” contractor (Sam Autry, Island Brick) we were able to accomplish all of our assigned tasks, despite the unbearable humidity and heat that is the Gulf Coast. By the end of August this quad will be complete and ready for occupancy. On the same street as this quad, as well as the surrounding streets, there remain blocks and blocks of houses just sitting vacant and waiting for someone to find a way to repair them or tear them down (Picture streets and streets of bungalows similar to those in Midland Beach- except damaged.). Whole housing projects (think of the Harbor Houses or the Berry Homes) remain decimated and virtually abandoned.

The businesses are slow in coming back because the people are slower in coming back. There are FEMA trailers everywhere. We even saw a FEMA mosque. Houses of worship did not escape Katrina. They aren’t being rebuilt with any speed because they have so few parishioners to occupy them or they have no pastors to lead them. It is a sad state of affairs when there are shepherds with no sheep and sheep without shepherds.

More than anything else our group’s desired purpose was to demonstrate in a tangible way the love of Jesus Christ to the hurting people in this once proud city. We gave cold waters and Gatorades to passersby. We hosted two impromptu barbeques on the front porch of the quad. Everyone we met was surprisingly open with us. They told us their situations and allowed us to pray with them. About half the people we met were from New Orleans and had either weathered the storm or come back. Almost all, from the little children to the grandmas, were still struggling with the impact of the storm.

We met a neighborhood store-owner trying to make a go of it but with very little business. We prayed with her and we all bought waters or sodas. We met a woman with a motorized scooter but no home of her own. We prayed with her asking God to provide her needs. We meet a retiree with her mother. They had just returned and seen their former home for the first time in two years. They asked for help to clean up the mess. We referred them to a local church and once again prayed for them. Five young men we met had recently gotten out of prison. They were more than willing to share their story with us and accept our prayers and literature.

We met small construction crews from different parts of the country. We met day laborers from as far away as El Salvador (Half of our team spoke Spanish so we communicated easily). All were in New Orleans because there was work and the pay wasn’t bad. Based on our experience, it seems that half of the population is now made up of these workers. We also saw many other volunteer groups from churches across America. The great untold story in our national media is the role that America’s churches are playing in the rebuilding of lower Mississippi and Louisiana.

Our last day in the city we visited both the lower Ninth Ward near the broken levies and the French Quarter. The French Quarter appears to have come back well. The sounds of life are all around. However, “the bowl of the city” which encompasses the lower ninth is eerily quiet. Vacant buildings and deserted blocks don’t make much noise.

There remains much uncertainty regarding the future of New Orleans. Will the levies hold if there is another storm? Will the politicians do the right things regarding the city? Will the city’s population come back? Two years ago New Orleans nearly died. She was in critical condition, on life-support, barely breathing. Today she is still in critical condition but at least she’s stable. Our team left New Orleans with an overwhelming burden for its people and a desire to do more to help them. We are planning another trip to the area sometime in 2008 to do want we can. It’s not going to be easy for the Big Easy. She needs all the help she can get.

Dave Watson - An Urban Christian

Summer Past and Summer Future

2007-05-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

A long, long time ago, 27 years to be exact, I spent my first summer in New York City. I arrived with a team (nearly 60 of us) from Liberty University in early June and left the city in late August to return back to college. I was twenty years old at the time. I was foolish, naïve, proud, and scared. I came to minister to the upper west side of Manhattan. I believed we’d change the city for God that summer. Instead, God used the city to change us.

As I look back on my life, I view that short 75 day period of time as one of the most life changing times I can remember. Our team experienced cross cultural ministry first hand. We were a group of mostly middle class Caucasian kids placed in Washington Heights among people of Latino and Jewish heritage. We learned about poverty and despair as we knocked on doors and met people in the most desperate of situations. Our eyes were opened to so many things and we began to view the city and the people in it, in a very different way. Of all the amazing things we saw and experienced, however, the most remarkable was seeing men and women come to Christ and have their lives dramatically changed. The Lord used us in spite of ourselves.

Life change is quite interesting. It rarely occurs in a positive way by accident. Positive life change occurs when it is intentional. The changes in my life during that summer so long ago happened because of some very specific steps that our team took in order to foster a climate of spiritual growth. These steps will put you and I in a place where positive growth and change are almost inevitable.

First of all, our team members were committed to the Lord and to doing what He wanted. God desires that all of us be surrendered to Him so that He can shape us. “Living sacrifices” tend to crawl off the altar and need to re-consecrate themselves on a daily, hourly, moment-by-moment basis.

Secondly, we also were committed to the body of Christ which for that summer, was our team. Maturity doesn’t occur in a vacuum. It happens in the context of God’s family. As we serve Christ together we help each other grow up into His image.

A third critical element of our climate for change was our time for personal devotions with the Lord. We hit the streets every day to share our faith with complete strangers. However, before we left our home base each day we read our Bibles and prayed. Once a week we did almost nothing else but spend time with God. The result of this was that our souls were so filled with the Truth of God’s Word that sharing it with others was no problem at all.

Fourthly, we were actively sharing our faith. Telling others about Christ keeps us sharp. It reminds us how lost we all are without Christ. It reminds us of the power of the Gospel and the depth of God’s grace to those of us who have believed and to those who are still lost. I have never met a person who is actively sharing their faith who is not growing in their relationship with God. Along with the privilege of sharing our faith came the responsibility of discipling those who made professions of faith. Caring for new believers in Christ is every believer’s job and it does immeasurable good for both the givers and receivers of that care.

Fifthly, we made time for exercise and fun. We played basketball and softball two days a week. We went to ball games and saw all the great sites of this city. We ate ethnic foods and went on picnics. We truly enjoyed ourselves.

As I look at the summer ahead of us my prayer is that it will not be a wasted time, but one in which each of us grows as a Christian. I know that spiritual growth will not happen accidentally. We must create an atmosphere in which that growth will occur. This will involve commitment to God and to His plan for our lives. It will also require a commitment to those in our church family. We will need to plan to have a devotional life that will spiritually enrich us. We will also have to be people who share Christ with others and do what we can to foster growth in those who already know Christ. Finally, we’ll need to make time for exercise and entertainment. That will help keep us fresh and energized.

Have a great summer

Dave Watson - An Urban Christian

Definitions

2007-04-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me, or so the kids’ song goes. My mother repeated this little ditty to me countless times in my youth when my brother or sisters would tease me or my “friends” would mock me. It is a great truth that our society and we as believers would be smart to learn.

Recently, an old washed-up radio talk show host made some very ill advised and very inappropriate remarks about a fabulous women’s college basketball team. ( Imus and Rutgers for those of you who are not following me). Suddenly, his vile words became a national incident and he was summarily fired. The basketball team, which was rightly offended, held a news conference and defended themselves against these hideous remarks.

The media culture had made these stellar athletes and college students into victims. Unfortunately, the students bought into their victimization. In doing so they gave a tired old disc jockey way too much power. They acted like he had the power by his words to define them. He didn’t, until they let him.

I wonder how many of us allow others to define us by their words or even by their actions. For some of us there is a tape that plays all day long in our heads and hearts that tells us who we are or are not. It is the recording of parents, family and friends who through the years called us losers, underachievers, stupid, limited, too aggressive, too religious, Jesus freaks or inappropriate. It is the video image reflected in the media of too short, too tall, too heavy, too poor, not cool, not important and a million other adjectives.

We should not allow ourselves to be defined by what others say about us or by what they expect of us. We cannot be defined in either of these ways unless, of course, we allow ourselves to be, unless, we choose to be victims.

It is important that we find our definition in something much more significant. We need to define ourselves by two very important criteria. These are:

1) What God calls us
and
2) What God calls us to be.

The Bible lets us know quite clearly what God calls us. In Genesis 1:26 we read, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness... let them have dominion’”. Psalm 139:13-14 tells us, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” Throughout the Scriptures we are said to be special creations made in the image of God.

The fact that we are made in God’s image gives us great value. As the bearers of the likeness of the Almighty we can make moral choices. We are told to reflect who God is. We are to have dominion over the earth. We are different and distinct from the animals. We are unique.

The way we look, our personalities, our motivations are all reasons for celebration. We are who we are at our core because God made us this way. He alone defines us. Praise God. Hallelujah. Amen.

In Ephesians 2:10 we read the following, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” This verse lets us know what God has called us to be. The Greek work for “workmanship” is “poiema”. It is the word we get our word “poem” from. A great poem is a work of art, a masterpiece. God tells us that in Christ (that is to say after salvation) we are His masterpieces. As masterpieces we are created for good works. This is what God has called us to be.

As God’s masterpieces we should not subject ourselves to the critics of this world. We have been created by the Master Sculpture. We are His new creations and “God don’t make no junk”. Our purpose is good works so let’s get at it. Praise God. Hallelujah. Amen.

There is ultimately only one dictionary that defines me, and it wasn’t written by Webster. If I keep in mind that God defines me as His special creation in this world and His spectacular new creation in Christ, I will avoid the pitfall of victimization hoisted upon me by the media and all other sources, including myself. We are, after all, more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

Dave Watson - An Urban Christian

They should be stressed over finals and papers. “We’re all so sorry” seems so empty and shallow.

2007-04-17T10:38:00.001-07:00

Late April is crunch time for students on college campuses. Their pace picks up as they cross the street. Their speech becomes faster because their minds are over-loaded with last night’s reading assignment, computer screens and due dates. Their perpetual caffeine state might add to the rpm level.

It is no different in Blacksburg Virginia, home of Virginia Tech. I spent five years there as a pastor working mostly with college students. It is not a sleepy Virginia hamlet. It is a dynamic, bustling college town. This time of year attendance at church and small group Bible studies for students gets a little thin. Those who make it to such events emphatically ask for prayer about papers that are due, upcoming exams and summer internships. That’s the way it should be. Now something has changed. They have more urgent prayer needs now.

Students at Tech got robbed yesterday, and to say “we’re all so sorry” seems so empty and shallow. Their sense of normalcy is gone forever. Belief in fellow students is shaken. One of their own has betrayed them. Is there another traitor on campus, in your dorm or townhouse, on your floor? They should be stressed over finals and papers.

Ambler Johnson is primarily a freshman dorm known for the things a freshman dorm is supposed to be known for. All that died yesterday. Now it is a crime scene. It will be remembered as such for years to come. The home of a co-ed's murder and a hero RA’s tragic death. How do you go back to that dorm? How does anyone sleep there again?

Norris Hall is a classroom building. My wife once worked in the building right next to it. Tech is known for its engineering program and many of the engineering classes are held there. It is place for the interchange of ideas and, the education of the mind, a place to hand in papers and take exams. All that died on Monday shortly after 9:00 A.M.. Now it is a house of horrors, the home of the greatest shooting massacre in American history. Every campus tour for a decade to come will point that sad fact out. How do you feel safe going to class there? All other memories of Norris move to the recesses of one’s mind and the terror of 4/16 moves front and center.

College is a season for great friends and good times with academic exercises sandwiched in between. The university experience at VT has been changed. It is a time to grow up. But please, not this fast. Now it’s a time for grieving and guilt. Grieving over loss. The loss of friends, the loss of security, the loss of hope. Guilt because you blew off German class because of Sunday night’s party and were rewarded with life on Monday. Guilt because everyone you cared about is okay but others have great losses and are wounded so bad. They should be stressed over finals and papers. “We’re all so sorry” seems so empty and shallow.

Adrenaline gets you through a few fleeting days but then all too quickly reality comes in like an unwelcome spring nor’easter. It chills one to the bone. Today a Tech student said, “I lived through Columbine, I lived through 9/11 and I’ve lived through this.” That’s what is so bad. This generation has had to see and live so much tragedy. I fear they will be labeled, “the tragic generation.” At the time when they should be stressing over exams and finals they have to worry when the world might blow up on them.

It is as if the thief who comes but to rob, kill and destroy identified by Jesus in the gospels has taken special aim at this generation. The students at Virginia Tech as well as those on college campuses across our country need our prayers. They are not the Columbine generation, they are not the 9/11 or now the Tech Massacre generation. They are so much more. They are the future. They are the hope and possibilities of this new millennium. They are the moms and dads and grand moms and grand dads of the century to come.

We are told not to be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good. Let’s pray that we and those who have seen, heard and experienced so much tragedy may find the God given grace and wisdom to overcome such unbridled wickedness with overpowering good.

Dave Watson,
An Urban Christian

Reflections

2007-03-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

In just a few short days “Holy Week “or as it is known by some “Passion Week” will be upon us. This is the time when Christians reflect more deeply on the truths regarding the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though there are many appropriate Biblical texts that we could meditate on during this time of year, I would like to share from two that are found in the epistle of 1 Peter.

In 1 Peter 1:18-19 we read, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” These verses speak to me more than any others in the New Testament regarding the price that was paid to set me free from my sin and its consequences. They tell me what I cost God. They demonstrate for me my worth in the eyes of the Creator of the universe.

The verses are clear as to what couldn’t purchase my freedom. This world’s most valuable commodities couldn’t secure my freedom. The currencies of this planet have no value in the spiritual marketplace. In that marketplace, as a slave to sin, I was for sale. I was desperate, but I brought no resources to bid with. I was bankrupt.

Along came my loving Father from whom I was estranged. He paid the highest of possible prices for me. He gave the precious blood of the sinless, spotless Lamb of God -- the Passover Lamb. That Lamb, of course, was His Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This tremendous sacrifice was never intended to cause me to feel guilty. It, in fact, was designed to deliver me from guilt. My mediation on this great truth should cause a huge eruption in my soul. I am loved beyond my wildest dreams. The worth of God’s Son to the Father cannot be fully calculated. The cost of my redemption is beyond measure. My value in the eyes of my Lord is above comprehension.

The second text is 1 Peter 1:3-4 where we read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”
These verses speak loudly to me regarding purpose. They give a perspective on life that is practical and dynamic. They give me hope to keep going.

Based solely on God’s mercy and through nothing that I have done, I have been given a new life. This new life is described as a living hope. It is not a hope only reserved for later times, but a hope that works in the here and now. It is a living hope, not a hope waiting for my death.

This new life is given through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Perhaps Peter has in mind the words of Jesus in John 14:19 when he said, “Because I live, you shall live also.” As he wrote these words, he may have been remembering His own failings, bitter defeat, and the second chance he experienced at the feet of the resurrected Christ. In any case, this hope gives me a reason to live. It gives me the ability to keep going no matter how many times I mess up or how bad I falter. The risen Christ is with me each step of the way.

Let me encourage you right now to take a few moments to personally meditate on these two sets of Bible verses. Re-read them and think about what they are saying to us. In the next week or so be sure to give yourself time to reflect on the price God paid for us and the purpose He now has for all of us through the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, what a Savior. Hallelujah, Christ is risen.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

The Battle Still Rages

2007-02-27T20:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, in the first days of the traditional Lenten season (A holy time for many Christians) and the day after the Academy awards, Oscar winning film director James Cameron held a press conference in New York City to declare that the bones of Jesus Christ have been discovered near Jerusalem. This “new discovery” will be the focus of a documentary produced by Cameron entitled, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus". Predicatively, the media has gone wild, as it always does with anything anti-Christian. The uncovering of the bones of Jesus would put a final nail in the coffin of the Christian faith. This would be better than last year’s fictional “DaVinci Code.”

At the heart of this “new discovery” are 10 ossuaries (small caskets used to store bones), five of which supposedly have inscribed in them names associated with New Testament people we are acquainted with. Those New Testament names are; Jesus, Mary, Matthew, Joseph, and Mary Magdalene. A sixth inscription is purported to read, “Judah of Jesus”. There you have it. What more evidence could we ask for? Jesus obviously didn’t die and rise as we have traditionally believed. He married Mary Magdalene, had a son and they all were buried, together with his parents, Mary and Joseph one mile outside of Jerusalem. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt, right?

Never mind that this is not a new discovery. These bones in these ossuaries were discovered 27 years ago at a construction site. Never mind that a documentary had already aired on this matter in 1996. Never mind that one of the best known and respected archeologists in Israel has said for ten years that there is absolutely no way to prove that this is the bone box of Jesus. Never mind that the inscriptions are difficult to read and translate and are at best open to interpretation. (On one inscription instead of “Jesus” one scholar reads it as, “Hanun”)

Never mind that these New Testament names are the most common of the day and that there are a slew of ossuaries that bear the same names. Never mind that Mary and Joseph are from Nazareth of Galilee and would have in all likelihood been buried there. Never mind that The Israel Antiquities Authority has for years considered this find to be no big deal.

Never mind that if Jesus married, bore children, etc. it would mean that his disciples were running around proclaiming His resurrection and ascension and being martyred in and about Jerusalem and Judea at the same time of his alleged marriage, parenting and home life. Shouldn’t someone have told Jesus he was being trumpeted as the Savior of the world and encouraged him to get off his duff and do something Messiah-like?

Never mind all the facts. Let’s defer to the guy who makes movies and money on movies for the truth on this one. People who write books and make documentaries are the smart ones. Let’s buy into the hype and the speculation, because Christianity is a baseless faith that makes us uncomfortable about ourselves and our sin and we’d be better off without it anyway. Right?

Here are some interesting facts that we might want to consider. There are credible eyewitnesses to where Jesus was buried. According to John, who we now refer to as the apostle John, as well as a woman named Mary Magdalene (Her name sounds familiar) he was buried in a rich man’s grave right next to Golgotha, the place where He was crucified and died (See John 20). John, as well as another man named Matthew, who also participated in Christ’s ministry, took the time to write this matter down shortly after Christ’s death (See Matthew 28). Furthermore, a man named Luke, a physician and historian, thoroughly examined the matter and wrote his conclusions in two books called Luke and Acts. My friends, in a court of law, multiple eyewitness accounts to an event recorded around the time that the event happened will trump speculative, foundationless theories contrived almost 2000 years after the fact every time!

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day tried to keep him in his tomb via a large stone. Three days later on that first Easter so many years ago the stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty, and Jesus was alive. Those who saw him die proclaimed to the world that they had seen Him and that they were changed forever. The Christ-hater turned Christian convert named Paul put it this way in a very early creed (37 A.D.).

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.”

The skeptics of our time want to put Jesus back in the grave. They want to de-throne Him. They want to rob this history-altering figure of His deity and make Him just another good man. Over their silly objections, the voices of truth shout with relentless strains, “Christ is risen, Christ is risen, Hallelujah! Christ is risen, and the world will never be the same!”

In His Service,

Pastor Dave Watson
An Urban Christian

Keeping Christ in Our City’s Christmas

2006-11-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

The day after Halloween the decorations appeared. Like magic they were everywhere. Red bows, silver tinsel, colored lights and, of course, candy canes. Appropriate holiday music quickly followed. Soon we were all dashing through the snow as we all dreamed of a white Christmas and it was only early November.

One would think that with all the early emphasis on Christmas that it would be easy to keep the central figure of Christmas, Christ, central. Regretfully it is not. The pluralists (“There are so many faiths and we don’t want to offend anyone” crowd) and the Secularists (“The idea of God in public life offends me” crowd) have succeeded by there loud objections in taking Christ out of Christmas, leaving us I guess with just “mas”. It sounds silly to say happy “mas” so we say instead “Happy Holidays” or “Have a Merry” meaning and including but never excluding Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, and Festivus (See Seinfeld, 1997).

The end product of all this political correctness is quite sad. We end up attending the office “holiday party” or going to our children’s “winter celebration concert” at school. We find ourselves saying “Have a Happy and a Merry” in the stores as we all dance around the real meaning of the season like it was bottled bubonic plague.

Let’s get some facts straight here. For Orthodox Jews, Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday which was added after the Hebrews Scriptures had been completed. Kwanza is a recent holiday born in the 1960’s to celebrate African heritage. Festivus is fictional. People in this country primarily give gifts this time of year to celebrate the greatest gift of all---the gift of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In reality, merchants make money, schools close, people get together, churches fill
up-- not to celebrate the miracle of the oil in the lamps during the time of the Maccabians, not to rejoice in one’s heritage, but to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Why is His birth celebrated? Listen to what the Bible says in Luke 2:10-11, Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of Davida Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

So here is my choice. I can bow to political correctness and tiptoe around the real meaning of Christmas, or I can be true to my beliefs and proclaim, “Joy to the world, a Savior is born who is Christ the Lord!” The reason Jesus has been uninvited to His birthday is that we have allowed ourselves to be silenced.

As believers we are not called to be obnoxious, but we are also not called to be doormats either. Meekness is not weakness. We are not ashamed of Jesus Christ, He’s our Savior. The Bible tells us that He is the Way the Truth and the Life and that no one comes to the Father except by Him. Respect for the faith of others doesn’t mean I have to shut my mouth about my own. We don’t bow to the wishes of men, we answer to God.

So this year, help our city keep Christ in Christmas. Wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Unashamedly tell others about the Christ of Christmas. Talk about His virgin birth, His claims of deity and His death for our sins. Send overtly Christian Christmas cards, sing poignant Christmas carols and invite people to Christmas services at church. In other words “Go, tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere; Go, tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born.” Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Dave Watson, An Urban Christian

The Firehouse

2006-10-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

In the days leading up to the anniversary of September 11th and on the morning of September 11th I spent time with some very special people. My local firehouse has become one of my favorite places. The guys I’ve met there are such real people. They argue, bicker and cuss at each other but they always have each other’s back. Then they race into a burning building to rescue people they don’t even know and who many others wouldn’t even care about Then they go back to their house and argue and bicker and cuss again. They perform this community service not because of the money and bennies (thought they aren’t bad). They do it because their dad or uncle or grandfather was a firefighter. They do it to keep the legacy going. Their families have ingrained in them a sense of service and this compels them to literally put their lives on the line. They actually love doing it. They want to be part of the action. I’ve decided I need to be more like these real life heroes. I am 47 years of age and I want to be firefighter.
Dave Watson - An Urban Christian

Sounds of the City

2006-10-11T07:23:00.001-07:00

I grew up in a small town (pop. Of 825 not counting cows or other livestock) and have very fond memories of my upbringing there. At night in my small town it was and is very, very quiet. Yes, you hear an occasional car go by and the constant chirping of crickets but there is really no clue as to what is really going on in the world around you. The silence is almost deafening.

The sounds of the city by contrast provide you will all kinds of information. Take last Saturday evening for example. As dusk was settling in, from my open window I heard the moronic melody of the Ice Cream truck driving through my street bringing joy and dental bills to my neighborhood. This was accompanied by the rhythmatic pitter patter of little tykes joyously coming for a sugar fix. In the background, like a sub plot in a Aaron Sorkin TV drama, one could hear the sounds of a fire trucks rushing to a crisis around the corner. Potential glee and probable pain, the irony of the human condition, were both within earshot.

Later that same evening after the important Met and Yankee baseball game were over the neighborhood sounds spoke loudly of the outcomes. The Yankee side of my complex spoke in the hushed tones found at Matthew’s Funeral Home a midst the mourners. The Met side was loud and boisterous, like a popular Bistro on a hoping Friday night. No need for Sportscenter here. Victory and defeat were heard in the voices on the street below. The Yankees had been summarily removed from the baseball playoffs and there cross town rivals the Mets had, in convincing fashion, moved to the next round.

With very little effort one can hear the joys and sorrows of this city shouting up from the concrete. The noise at times can be deafening but it also always informative.

Five Short Years

2006-09-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

Five Short Years

Five short years have passed since our city was viciously attacked on a clear crisp fall morning. I say five short years because it seems like just a day or two ago that our sense of security was shattered and our view of ourselves and our city crumbled with those two magnificent towers. I say five short years because you and I may not remember much from a month ago but we all have vivid memories from that day, September 11, 2001.

Some of us were in office buildings downtown and were witnesses to an unthinkable horror. Others were on express buses or trains that providentially were running late. Still others were in front of a television or near a radio, eyes and ears tuned in but hands furiously dialing a loved one. Some loved ones never answered.

Many, so many, were there at ground zero. Some 2,792 never left. Many, praise God so many, escaped with their lives. But their hearts and minds could not escape. They were forever seared with memories that human beings weren’t meant to have.

A few, mostly New York’s finest and bravest, demonstrated to us with actions what words cannot fully express. Through them we have come to understand what words like sacrifice, courage and heroism really mean. All seemed willing to pay the ultimate price in doing their duty. In the end some 343 firefighters and 75 police officers were called on to give their all. We can never repay them or their families. We will eternally be in their debt.

I say five short years because though books, movies, commissions and politicians have explored and exploited 9/11 no one has really been able to explain it. The Holy, Infinite, Loving, Lord of the Universe stood by, as evil incarnate came to rob, kill and destroy. Our God chose to help us in our deepest need rather than prevent the hurt altogether. I am a theologian, a Bible student and a father, but, this side of glory I will never be able to satisfactorily answer the “why” of 9/11.

I say five short years because at the corner of Broadway and Vessey there is still a huge hole. And yet there are greater more significant holes throughout our city. In neighborhoods throughout our area there are families that will face a fifth Christmas without a dad’s laughter. There are children who will start kindergarten without mom’s gentle hand to walk them to the bus. There are dinner tables that still have an empty chair at an otherwise full family gathering. Holes of the heart are harder to mend than holes in the ground.

They say time heals all wounds. God doesn’t say time heals all wounds. “They” say it. I don’t agree. Time may dull the hurt or ache. It may change the severity. It may cause the wound to be slightly more calloused or not quite as deep, but the wound remains. Heaven heals all wounds. That’s what the Bible teaches. Revelation 21:4 promises us this, “…God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Paul reminds us “...that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

On September 11th I hope to be at the Staten Island waterfront viewing the Tribute of Light through the Postcards Memorial. As I look out over skyline of Manhattan and those spectacular lights, I’ll be praying. Like many New Yorkers I’ll be praying for those families of the victims of 9/11. In addition I will be praying for those who physically, mentally and spiritually are still hurting from this unspeakable tragedy. My prayer also will be that this city that I love so much will know the embrace of the God of love, that He; through His people, maybe even through me, will continue to minister His grace five short years hence… Please pray with me.

Pastor Dave Watson - An Urban Christian