Linus’ Blanket

Everyone remembers Charlie Brown. Remember his little friend Linus? What did Linus always carry around with him? His blanket. You hardly ever saw Linus in a Charlie Brown cartoon without his “security” blanket.
When you travel, what item do you always have to take with you? For me, it’s my computer or a book. Even if I don’t ever touch them while I am gone, I always take comfort in knowing it is there if I need to get in touch with someone or escape to a quiet place. After Jesus had died and risen, he was traveling through towns on his way to Jerusalem just before He ascended into heaven. Luke Chapter 9 talks about this in detail, but if we look in verses 51-62, we see where Jesus is talking about the comforts of life. What exactly was He talking about? Our lives can become so comfortable, our houses so safe to us, that we leave no room for Jesus in those and many other parts of our lives. How can we call that comfortable?
Many of us have said that we would follow Jesus. Many of us have “sacrificed” things in our lives to follow them. But, what have we “really” sacrificed? Have we dropped our “security blankets” for Him? In verses 59 and 60, someone comes to Jesus and says he will follow, but throws a stipulation on it first. Sometimes as fathers and husbands, we hide behind our families and use them as a security blanket to shy away from doing what Christ wants us to. Have you ever felt pressure from your family to slow down on your commitment? What does Christ mean by “total” commitment when it comes to our family? I know that it doesn’t mean totally shutting them out. I have seen pastors, for example, completely ruin their families because they were not taking care of them.
Outside of the family, what other sacrifice is there? Leaders emerge when they are asked to sacrifice by serving in areas that are “beneath” them or outside their comfort zone. True friendship to others and loyalty to Christ are exemplified when it costs something. Ever helped someone at 1 am when they needed you? Or did you head back to bed? In our society, that is America specifically, sacrifice is hard to understand. It’s a foreign concept to a generation of “me” or “#1.” Think about this: when are you most tempted to quit following Christ and run back to the security of your “blanket?”
Half hearted sacrifice takes no risky steps of faith.

-Jeremiah McBride

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Amazing Grace

Written by Jeremiah McBride

Ask yourself this question: How do you think God views you? Is He looking at you like a rebellious son and waiting to come down and squash you when you do something wrong? Or is He looking at you like the father or coach who wants to see you succeed even though you will inevitably screw things up?

This perspective drives how we live our lives for Christ. Paul wrote Romans during one of the hardest times in Christian history: there was infighting, there was corruption, there was persecution, there was death. But in Romans 8, Paul talks about God in a way we may not fully understand. “….nothing can ever separate us from God’s love………….-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Are we separating ourselves from God’s grace?

God loves us unconditionally, which is a far cry from what we as humans can comprehend at times. His love is not tied to our behavior, but to our hearts. Do you remember a time when you were growing up where you felt like your parent’s approval was tied to your behavior? What conditions have you put on a relationship with someone else?

Think back to the Old Testament for a minute. Even though Israel failed over and over, God always forgave them. Israel normally repented after they had been caught and were suffering the consequences. Guilt and condemnation are the worst motivators for doing what is right. But, kindness from you or someone you have hurt can turn guilt from a motivator to an avoider. “Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Romans 2:4).

Recall an experience when you were granted huge amounts of grace for a huge screw-up. How did that affect your attitude? Tie this back to Matthew 18 when Peter asked how many times we should forgive. What is 70 times 7? It doesn’t stop there. Is God worth us working at showing the grace He has shown us? Unconditional grace is a choice, not an emotional reaction.

So, who do you need to show grace to?

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thoughts from Jeff Allinder

So fellas, we talk at Frat House about a lot of things relevant to the daily walk of a Christian man, but I submit that the most important thing for those of us who are married to do well (outside of our faith) is to love our wives. Ephesians 5 tells us to “love our wives like Christ loved the church.” The context of that is agape love, or “self-sacrificing” love. What does it mean to love your wife that way? Here are my thoughts:

- Since there are thousands of ways and all relationships are different, here are just a few:
• Listen to her even when you don’t want to/heard it before/know how to solve the problem
• Go to the chick-flick
• Cook for her
• Watch HGTV
• Give her mom’s-night-out (bathe the kids and pick up the house before she gets home)

You get the idea – the point is to put her needs first. Then do it again. And again. Get joy out of serving her with no expectations for quid pro quo.

Now, let’s move on to the “how” part of the equation. You know that you should be spending time in prayer and reading your Bible on a daily basis. But my best tip for loving your wife outside of that is to choose your friends wisely. Doesn’t make sense? Check this out – you all know that this isn’t behavior you’ll see in a movie, on a HBO series, or anywhere else in our culture. The way to get really good at this is to have friends that are chasing after Jesus every day and working hard to love their wives as He tells us to. You’ll hear their stories and see them putting their wife’s happiness at the top of their priority list. Most of all, you’ll see the results and be challenged to be that kind of husband. As we heard previously from Hal, choose the right events and you’ll have chosen the right path.

Forgive and Be Forgiven- Jeremiah McBride

Why is it so hard to forgive ourselves sometimes? Why is it so hard to forgive others at times?

These two questions can haunt us day and night and it is just the spiritual enemy getting in the way of our one on one with Christ. To examine the depths of these questions, we have to examine ourselves and what David sang about in Psalm 32. Why are we sorry? Is it because we were caught in something we did wrong, are we just sorry because we have to face the consequences, or are we truly sorry for causing pain to someone?

When we don’t forgive ourselves, it begs this question: do we truly believe in the healing and forgiveness of Christ? We are cleaned of our guilt so why do we hold on to it?

Guilt can be a task master if we do not control it. It soon becomes a mechanism against our ability to listen to the Holy Spirit. When we commit the same sin again, and maybe sometimes again, why do we let guilt take hold? We are not strong enough to beat our sin alone. We must rely on the amazing grace of Christ to cleanse us. When we get into habitual sin, that is something we cannot battle by ourselves, the guilt can become that task master and prevent us from truly moving forward to beat the repeat.

Confession is the biggest part of getting over our guilt, of beating the temptation to beat ourselves up. But it is bigger than mere words. It is an attitude change. It is a change in our focus from the guilt of the sin to the wonderful forgiveness and grace of Christ. It also comes down to us owning our sin, and then having the willingness to let it go.

So where do you see yourself? Are you struggling with guilt or struggling with forgiving? Try this:

- Instead of saying I’m sorry (which is easy to do), say, “Will you forgive me?”

- Instead of brooding over your guilt, confess the sin, get it off your chest, and move forward by not remaining stagnant

- Also, check out these other passages to help you this week:

§ Psalm 51- The How of Repentance

§ 1 John 1:9- The Promise of Forgiveness

§ Matthew 18:21-35- A Parable about Forgiveness (for those of us who need illustrations)

Guest Blog- Danny Bergin

Danny gives an authentic view of beginning to follow Christ at CATB, here is his story.

In reflecting upon the events that have taken place in my life thus far, it is dubious in thinking that I will ever be asked to be a motivational speaker. It is not the fact that I am a poor public speaker that makes me unqualified but the realization that I have never experienced any true hardship. I was raised in a good Christian household with loving parents who supported each and every dream that I chose to pursue. I met my wife at the University of Florida and we now have two beautiful daughters.

Before the birth of my first daughter, it would be a true and unfortunate statement to say that, with everything going according to plan, I really did not see a reason to seek God. With her birth, my perspective changed. My wife and I had a candid discussion about how different our children’s lives would be without God. Questions arose about where she is going to be exposed to good moral people, who she is going to associate with, and how she is going to know what path to choose when life presents its problems. A naysayer would proclaim that we are two highly intelligent and educated people that are fully capable of teaching good decision making to children, absent religion. Our parents were the same, but they still chose to follow Christ.

My wife and I had not. We were invited to a local church and immediately felt the fellowship, openness, and energy that was different from other places. Through various groups and services, I have been able to openly voice questions, feelings, and apprehensions I have regarding Christianity without feeling like an errant nail sticking out that is waiting to be hammered down. This openness towards God allows me to be more confident in my beliefs, both internally upon myself and externally towards others.

By beginning to place God at the center of my life, I have noticed a sense of fulfillment and solace that was previously void. My marriage, family, friendships, and career have all benefited tremendously from His guidance and through attending this church. There are still many times that I struggle with putting God first, as I am not even close to perfect. But my struggles are made easier by having other people traveling along with me and keeping me going in the right direction.

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3 Weeks- Starts this Week

Men we have a hook up- Atlanta Bread Company has agreed to open early so we can have Frat House. Plan to come and bring a friend for the next 3 Thursday's.

Thursday, 6am-7am
Atlanta Bread Company
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