The Beauty of the Butterfly

Posted on October 9, 2006 by gophumek | Permalink 0

The Beauty of the Butterfly
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Last week I spoke of the mystery of Christ. I hadn’t planned on continuing the mystery motif this week, but I witnessed something this morning that was amazing and mysterious to me.

There were lots of beautiful Monarch butterflies above my house this morning. They were floating past our house toward the southwest. My son and I watched as three or four would appear, then five more, and a straggler would fly by once in a while. We even saw one butterfly that was in quite a hurry. We didn’t exactly know where they were coming from or where they were going. I then did some research on the internet concerning butterfly migrations. This is the time of the year when the Monarch butterfly populations fly to Mexico. You can google information about these migrations to see just how amazing they are.

From this event, I gained a bigger respect for God’s creative abilities. The butterfly’s innate ability to find their way to a certain forest in Mexico every year is not happenstance. This just doesn’t happen because of some accidental boom billions of years ago. The big mystery to me is how anyone can think there is not a creator behind the butterflies and their yearly journey. Today’s Bible verse speaks of the beauty of God’s creation and our inability to grasp what He has done. Please make time to read this verse today, think about the words, and thank God for his creative powers.

Attributes of God

The Mystery of Christ

Posted on October 3, 2006 by gophumek | Permalink 0

The Mystery of Christ

Colossians 4:3

Whether it be eastern religions, new age mysticism, or paganism, more than ever, people are interested in the spiritual and the mystical. People are attracted to the mysterious. Spirituality, in its very nature is mysterious. What does this mean for the church? Well, it means we should embrace the mystery of Christ. We can use this mystery, which Paul speaks of in Colossians 4:3, as a way to reach out to those pre-Christians (unchurched) who long to fill the spiritual void in their lives.

There are a lot of ways in which to study this mystery of Christ. He was present at the beginning of the world but wasn’t fully revealed until the first century. Prophecies concerning Christ were written centuries before his birth. The book of Mark has a theme about the secrecy of Christ. The themes of the Trinity and the way in which the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of us are filled with mystery. Then there is His virgin birth and His resurrection. Come on, you can’t get much more mysterious than that!  And to top it all off, living a Christian life pleasing to Christ is down right mysterious at times. Having self-control and patience is a mystery to me more often that I’d like to admit.

You too may have some mysterious aspects about Christ of which you’d like to delve into a bit deeper. We should not allow eastern religions and the realm of the new age to capture the market on mystery. We should not allow seeking souls to reject Christ because we’ve made Him so bland and plain. I think the most mysterious thing in the world is how a man named Jesus would suffer a torturous death on a cross for me and for you.

Attributes of God, Ministry

Special Message

Posted on September 14, 2006 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Hello y’all,

I just wanted to let you know I’ll be out of town for the next two Mondays. There will be no devotional tidbits until Monday October 2nd. If possible, could you please say a special prayer for my wife and I as we attend the Kairos Church Planting Discovery Lab in Oregon. The lab will help determine if Mary Ann and I have the abilities needed to be involved with church planting. Please pray that we can demonstrate these abilities at the lab. We would really appreciate you setting time aside on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for such a prayer.

In Christ,
Brian Humek

Ministry, Uncategorized

Keep Pressing On

Posted on September 11, 2006 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Keep Pressing On

Philippians 3:12-14

I wrote today’s devotional last week. But in recognizing what day this is, I am writing a short preface to this devo at 8:13 a.m. I remember it was about this time five years ago when some students at preaching school turned on the television before Dr. Bill’s Biblical World class began. We watched in disbelief as we saw replays of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center tower.

We didn’t know what was going to happen the rest of that day. America was under attack. None of us had ever experienced that feeling before. Efforts we know nothing about have helped keep America safe since that day. Americans – soldiers, FBI, CIA, NSA, airport security agents have all kept pressing on during the past five years to keep us safe. I commend their efforts. I think the above remembrance is in line with today’s devotional. Life is indeed all about "pressing on."

Time flies doesn’t it? It has been almost 20 years since I began reading THE UNDERGROUND EMPIRE by James Mills. This book looks with great detail, into the world of illegal drug trafficking. As a youth, I had a fascination with big level drug dealers and how their organizations were structured. Don’t ask me why.

The basic point of this tidbit is to celebrate my achieving a milestone. I have finally made it to page 800. For those of you who think I’m almost finished reading this book, you be the judge. It has taken me almost 20 years to read 800 pages. Mathematically, that means I’ve read on average, 40 pages a year. I only have 365 pages to go. Judging by my past, I should be done reading this book in nine years. I will keep on reading. One day, I will finish this book.

I will, as the Apostle Paul writes, “keep pressing on.” Whether it is finishing a 1,165 page book, completing a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, working on a successful marriage, or living a life worthy to be called a “Christian” life, perseverance is the key. We must keep going. We must be more energetic than the Energizer bunny. Despite setbacks, we must go forward with our desire no matter what obstacles are placed in our path. Let us help one another back up when life knocks us down. Does that sound like a good plan to you?

A bit of preaching, Struggles