Forgive Us

What did Jesus mean when He taught His disciples to pray “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”?

First of all, it is important to consider this phrase in the context of the entire Sermon on the Mount, and more particularly, in the context of the model prayer Jesus taught His disciples.

Jesus had already told them

"...If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God" (Matthew 5:23-24 MSG).


It is important to note here that Jesus did not specify whether the brother had a justifiable cause to have ought against you. That is, He did not say that they had to be right in their anger toward you. It does not necessarily mean that you had to do something wrong before you seek reconciliation.

The underlying motive behind this command is love. We are to love our brother so much that whether he is right or wrong, we should make every possible effort to be reconciled to him.

Jesus then talked about turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39) and giving more than is demanded (5:40-42). Then He says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).


Again, the underlying principle, as Jesus states in this passage, is love. The perfect example of love is seen in the work of the Trinity—God so loved the world that He gave His Son. The Son so loved the world that He was willing to give His life that we may live. The Holy Ghost so loves the world that He still works to reconcile fallen man to Holy God through Jesus Christ! In other words, God’s love for mankind is seen in His willingness to forgive us and reconcile us to Himself.

If we are to be in proper fellowship with the Father, Jesus says, we must not only love God but our fellow man, too. In fact, John said it this way: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21).

The evidence of God’s love toward us is in His forgiving us of our sin and bringing us back into fellowship with Him. The evidence of our love toward God is our obedience to His Word. The evidence of our love for our fellow man is our willingness to forgive them when they sin against us!

Baby Girl

CONGRATULATIONS to Brent and Savannah Human on the birth of their new baby girl, Addie Chevelle. She was born yesterday at around 1:45 weighing in at 4lbs 11oz and 17.5" long.

I went over to see Brent, Savannah, Eli, and Addie Chevelle yesterday at Methodist Hospital in Oak ridge. Addie is absolutely adorable...and tiny! Eli is a bit jealous and was trying to keep everyone's attention for himself.

We are proud of you, Brent and Savannah, and pray the Lord will bless you and your family abundantly!

Ruth Barber

Last night I went to White House, TN—along with Mother, Dad, Kim, and Bill—to express our condolences to the family of Ruth Barber. Mrs. Barber was Jennifer’s maternal grandmother.

They will be having the funeral this morning, so please continue to remember this family in your prayers.

A Note From Marcia

Dear Chip and everyone at New Beginnings,

Thank you so very much for all your prayers. We have been very blessed with many prayers and God has given me a lot of comfort during this time. It is hard to let go but I know my dad is in a better place, and to know he is not suffering anymore gives me a lot of peace. God has been here with me, sometimes carrying me until I can walk alongside him again.

God has blessed me with such wonderful friends/family within The Church and I am so grateful for this gift. You are all the best.

I thank you so much for the planter/flowers. It is truly lovely and will remind me of your love and compassion for a long time to come.

Thank you all again for your prayers. We appreciate them so very much, and will see you soon.

Love, Marcia

HOW DO YOU PRAY?

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:5-6).

Jesus instructed His disciples not to be like the hypocrites when they pray, for they pray out of the wrong motive. The insincerity of their prayers is seen in the fact that they prayed to be seen of men. They were missing the most essential dynamic of prayer—it is a conversation with God, not a show.

In Matthew 15 the Pharisees complained to Jesus because His disciples were not following the ceremonial washing of hands before the meal. Jesus responded by saying to them, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:7-9). They had developed a religion with lots of external activity but no sincere love for God in the heart.

Hypocrisy is something we must all guard against. To do this, we must maintain a real and vital relationship with our Heavenly Father. When we begin to draw back from the Lord in our hearts, the temptation is usually to keep up appearances. The temptation is to continue to go through the outward form of religion hoping no one will notice the change that’s occurred in our hearts. This is hypocrisy.

In order to have the favor of God when we pray, we must approach Him with a sincere heart, and that means that we love Him as our Father. And because we love Him, we willingly and sincerely keep His commandments.

Yes, we will still have our struggles and difficulties in this life! There is a great deal of difference between a person trying to do the right thing and have some difficulties and a person who has resolutely chosen to do the wrong thing and tries to justify it. Failure doesn’t make you a hypocrite. Pretense and insincerity do!

Death Notice

I learned yesterday that Ruth Barber passed away. She was the grandmother to my sister-in-law, Jennifer. The family will receive friends at the Austin & Bell Funeral Home in White House, TN tonight (9/17) from 4-8 pm and tomorrow night (9/18) from 5-8 pm. The funeral will be on Wednesday at 10 am.

Please join me in prayer for this family.

Arrangements for Charles Tenney

To all our friends and family who we love I need to let you know that my dad, Charles Tenney, passed away Friday night (9-14-2007). We are having the visitation on Monday, 9-17, at Cuneo-Columbian Funeral Home on Grand Avenue in Franklin Park from 3 to 9 pm with a short service at 7:00. In lieu of flowers we ask for donations to Elmhurst Home Healthcare and Hospice, 855 N. Church Court, Elmhurst, IL 60126. They helped Laurie take care of dad since January and they were the most wonderful group of people and became almost like family after so much time.

We will be going to Fergus Falls, Minnesota for the burial with a short graveside service on Saturday morning at 11:00. Prayers for our continued safe journeys until we get back home in Tennessee.

To those of you who got the previous email from me asking for prayer, we want to let you know how much we appreciate them. We know those prayers got us here safely Wednesday morning and helped us get through the time we spent at the hospital with dad this week.

For those of you who can join us, and those of you who can't, we love and appreciate all of you. If anyone needs to call us while we're here in Illinois, our cell phone # is 931-265-1470.

Marcia & Dan Juday and Family

Sad News

I received the sad news this morning that Sister Marcia Juday's father passed away last night. Dan and Marcia left on Tuesday night to go to Chicago to see him upon hearing that he had been taken by ambulance to the hospital. He hadn’t been doing well for some time. Please join me in prayer for Marcia and Dan, and for the entire family.

On Character

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they
become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits.
Study your habits, for they will become your character.
Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
--Unknown

Is This Not Love?

I was reading through some illustrations this afternoon and ran across this one. It ministered to me, so I thought I'd share it here.

Is This Not Love?

To kiss the hands that smite,
To pray for them that persecute,

To hear the voice of blame,
Reap undeserved shame,
And still be mute—
Is this not love?

To give for evil good,
To learn what sacrifice can teach,

To be the scoffer's sport,
Nor strive to make retort
To angry speech—
Is this not love?

To face the harsh world's harms,
To brave its bitterness for years,

To be an unthanked slave,
And gain at last a grave
Unwet by tears—
Is this not love?

—Susie M. Betts

—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations

Arrangements for Phyllis Burgess

The family of Phyllis Burgess will receive friends from 1 PM to 4 PM on Sunday, August 26 at Hood Funeral Home in Crossville. The funeral service will begin at 4 PM.

Please keep this family in your prayers!

Passing of Phyllis Burgess

I received the sad news this morning that Phyllis Burgess passed away. Phyllis had been in a horse-riding accident on Sunday and had been in critical care at U.T. Medical Center in Knoxville until today. I will post funeral arrangements as soon as I know them.

Please be in prayer for her husband, Doyle, and her two children, Brady and Darby.

Our First Service

Our very first Sunday morning service as New Beginnings was on August 12. There were 21 in attendance. This first meeting was in the Sam and Zella Lawson Memorial Chapel in Crossville. We are very thankful to Willis Lawson for opening this chapel up to us.

Prayer Request

I was informed last night that Phyllis Burgess was life-flighted to Knoxville following accident on a horse. She is in critical condition. Please pray for her.

Getting Settled

It's been a busy week, but I'm getting settled in. I made the move from Wartburg to Crossville on Saturday. There were several people who helped, for which I am deeply thankful. Today my phone and internet were connected (I've missed access to the internet). Now that I'm back in the groove of things, I'll try to post updates on a regular basis.

Be Wise

Well, I was taking a break from the dreaded work of packing up for a move, and I sat down and started to read from the Proverbs of Solomon. His wisdom just seemed to minister to my heart as I read and considered the work we will be doing in the Plateau Region.

The Proverbs of Solomon are designed to teach people how to live their lives properly, allowing God to be in control. It’s not about us, it’s all about HIM!

Here are a few things that ministered to me today:

1. Put God in whatever you do. Proverbs 16:1-4, 9, 33

2. Double check to make sure your motives are right. Proverbs 16:2, 25; 20:9

4. If you want your friendships to last, use your tongue wisely. Proverbs 16:28; 17:9; 17:14; 20:3

5. It’s better to have peaceful relationships than lots of money. Proverbs 17:2

6. Work hard at whatever you do. Proverbs 18:9; 19:24; 20:13

7. Jesus is the best and most faithful friend you’ll ever have. Proverbs 18:24

8. Don’t blame God when things go wrong. Proverbs 19:3

God is so awesome! I am convinced that He is going to bless abundantly as we press into the future, but His blessing is, of course, contingent upon us being obedient to His Word. We must walk wisely, and always trust in Him.

I'll Be Moving Soon

Well, it's time to pack up and prepare to move from Wartburg to Crossville on Saturday. I have found a beautiful little place in the mountains, and I just love it. It's a little bigger than what I've lived in for the past seven years, and much more private (although I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here).

The next few days are going to be busy ones, so I may not have time to post here again until next week. I promise I'm going to try to do better about giving regular updates, though.

For anyone who may be interested, my new mailing address is P.O. Box 262, Crossville, TN 38557.

The Beginning of NEW BEGINNINGS

It is true that there are numerous churches in the Plateau Region, and one might wonder why we would be interested in starting yet another. I have considered this question myself. The fact is, there are still thousands of people who are unsaved and do not go to church anywhere.

I was reading a book from the Center for Biblical Leadership today, Evangelism and Assimilation, and noted the following paragraph:

"There is a deceptive philosophy in the air that says there are already too many churches. Some, perhaps, may feel there are too many of our own congregations in their area. The validated, authenticated, unmitigated truth is that there is no such thing as OVER-CHURCHING in America or the world as of yet. I personally doubt that such a day will ever arise.... To believe that there are already too many churches is an indictment for ingrown introspection with no vision for the Master's harvest."

Our goal at New Beginnings is not to work in competition with other churches. As I have said before on this blog, there is an estimated 53,000 people in Cumberland County, and a growing minority population and the vast majority of them do not attend church anywhere. The harvest is ripe, let's start harvesting.

It's Time For A NEW BEGINNING

Yesterday I began my new ministry as a church planter. Last night I met with a small group of 18 to discuss our mission and how we would proceed. As we began our meeting, I asked those present for a commitment to assist in the mission efforts as we reach out into the area to win new people to the Lord with the goal of organizing a church. Seventeen people signed their names. There were some who were unable to attend tonight whom I believe will also commit to this work.

One of the first things we discussed was the need for a name that would help to identify our mission and our target. Several ideas were brought up and discussed. Finally, someone spoke up and said, “I think we need a name that will demonstrate change. Something that will give hope.” Someone else said, “Like, maybe, New Beginnings.” The Holy Ghost seemed to put His approval on this suggestion, as there was spontaneous praise and worship and an awesome sense of His presence in the room. New Beginnings Family Outreach Ministries was adopted by one accord.

As we proceeded with discussion I was informed that another church has already committed to adopt us as a mission partner with a monthly gift. Additionally, we were given a one thousand dollar check by someone else to assist in the harvest.

I never cease to be amazed at what the Lord is doing. This is definitely a God thing!

What A Day!!!

It has been a busy day, indeed. My father and my brother came to Sunbright with a U-haul trailer to help me load up my office and move it to Crossville. A very special "THANK YOU" to Josie Eldridge and Ronnie Norris, who came to help us load the trailer. Since I don't have a place to live there yet, we placed it in storage.

I was dreading the idea of going house shopping, but it seems that the Lord has opened a door to provide a beautiful dwelling for me and a small chapel in which we could have services on a temporary basis. It simply amazes me how God has directed every step we have taken by faith and then proven Himself by making provision for us. My excitement seems to grow on a daily basis.