Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8

Dad had many sayings. One I heard almost too frequently when going to work with him was ’90-day wonder.’ I don’t think this is unique to the Navy. The phrase referred to someone who attended a civilian university or college then entered the Navy’s OCS (Officer Candidate School) program. By no stretch of the imagination was this an endearing or positive name. Quite the opposite. It referred to someone who didn’t have the experience to back up what they commanded others to do. They had the ‘head knowledge’ on what needed to be done but didn’t understand any of its purpose or implications. My dad’s line of work wasn’t as dangerous as combat, but his job did involve missiles, bombs, and ammunition, all of which have great potential for harm. Having the experience was so important.

In many ways, our spiritual life emulates our experiential life on earth. In life, experience can take center stage in many things. In our spiritual life, the heart holds that place, so much so that the things we say come directly from it, good and bad (Luke 6:45). Diving into the Bible, studying it, making it a priority moves the things we read and learn from our head to our heart. But sometimes, that journey from the head to heart doesn’t always take place.

If, in searching your heart and soul, you realize your heart isn’t where you thought it was, even after years of what you believed was a relationship with Christ, Jesus is still right there waiting for your surrender! If this is where you are, set thoughts of pride aside and surrender! Or, if you find your relationship with Jesus is solid, but haven’t publicly demonstrated it in baptism, seek to be baptized! While not having saving ties to your relationship with Christ, it will demonstrate to others your soul’s journey with Christ. Should you be blessed to have a solid relationship with Christ, and have demonstrated it in baptism, pray for those around you who may not have the same ‘experiences’ as you, and be willing to share (1 Peter 3:15)!

By Rich Obrecht

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”  His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:13-17

In June 1942, it seemed to many the United States was backpedaling, suffering repeated defeat to the Japanese armed forces. It didn’t look good for the foreseeable future! But unknown to all but a few, code breakers in Pearl Harbor had ‘hacked’ the Japanese military communications code. Using this information, the US Navy figured out where the next attack would occur and determined a strategic plan for an astounding naval defeat of the Japanese Navy. This turned the table for the Pacific conflict. Yes, the war continued until September 1945 with many battles and loss of life for both sides. Nevertheless, this particular battle, Midway, turned the tables of this aspect of World War II and the United States was on the offensive for the remainder of the Pacific war.

The same could be said for what Jesus was doing to the Jewish tradition. Jesus’ teachings kept moving the focus of God-worship from where the people were to where God meant it to be. All of the Jewish practices and sacrifices were being shifted and moved to be Jesus centric. The temple was being moved from an iconic structure in Jerusalem to the human heart. The focus of practices was being moved from a legal to a love aspect. Their earth’s axis was shifting! If ever a ‘turning of the tables’ was experienced, they were neck deep in it! Their checklist to God was shredded.

The Jewish traditional practices when Jesus arrived on the scene were very old. As time progressed, layers upon layers of practices were added to the originals outlined by God through Moses. As time moved on, they became rote, highly repeated, what some of us might call a rut. I once heard a preacher say ruts were graves with the ends knocked out. How descriptive that was for me, and I’ve never forgotten it. If you find your prayer, praise, and posture towards God becoming rut-like, perhaps changing things up would help. Consider your praise and worship patterns, whether prayer, singing, journaling, reading the Bible, or one of many other things, and doing them differently for a time. A week, or perhaps a month would do. Turn the tables for yourself to reinvigorate your time with Jesus.

By Rich Obrecht

When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom  and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. John 2:9-11

I finally have a hobby! I’d always said my hobby was reading. Then, one year, I followed the lead of someone in my family who made wine from kits, and I was hooked. I found my hobby! Four years later, it’s grown to me being a member in a club (Thanks, Ken!) as well as attempting to make wine on my own. It’s been a wonderful experience and has really filled my heart with wonder at the metaphorical aspects of wine making as it relates to my faith.

While today’s winemaking involves many aspects of chemistry I wasn’t aware of, when this miracle happened, things were different. I’d always been told (and believed) the wine mentioned in the Bible was only juice, like juice purchased off the grocery shelf. Since I began making wine, I’ve found that’s just not true. Grapes have natural yeasts on their skin, almost begging to get to sugar in the fruit. Once the skin is broken, it begins fermenting the sugars into alcohol and CO2. In Jesus’ time, they didn’t have a way to preserve the wine, so wine eventually turned to vinegar. Unlike today, where older wine takes precedence, they believed the newer the wine, the better. Like me, they didn’t like drinking vinegar.

Our journey to Jesus and his presence begins with renewal. This doesn’t mean we get a new body right off, but rather a new relationship with our Savior. This new relationship could be full of abundance. This is a descriptive word that has been hijacked by some circles to mean a life on earth that is abundant in wealth and prosperity. Nothing could be further from the truth! Our relationship with Jesus is abundant as in the gifts of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22). Wealth and prosperity may come our way, but not as our primary goal in faith.

As you listen to the song “New Wine,” contemplate what an abundant life means to you. What would it be if surrender was your desire? As the song brings out the process of winemaking (crushing and pressing), perhaps new perspective will flood you, maybe as a metaphor for our life in Christ. In considering this, and the freedoms illuminated in the gospels and song regarding your surrender, perhaps you’ll begin to see a different view on abundant life.

By Rich Obrecht

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. John 1:14-18

On my trip to Kenya, Africa, this past February to work with Tyler and Amy Maxwell’s ministry, I was able to talk with many of the nationals working with them reaching the street children of Nairobi. One man in particular, during a jaunt from one part of Nairobi to another, shared his journey to Jesus. Essentially, having been an active Muslim, upon reading the Bible, he was amazed that God was his Father, he could call him thus, and that God was incarnated into his creation! This concept led him to step over the threshold of faith and become a Kingdom dweller!

While coming to the understanding God was available without encumbrances to even him, this man’s experience was finalized by the fact that Jesus was incarnated among his creation, ultimately to die an undeserved death of redemption for that same creation. Anyone who would do this, go to this length to understand human experiences firsthand, and then purposely lay himself on the cross to die an agonizing death, gripped him at the root of his heart and drew him to the Kingdom.

This view, or perspective, was new and refreshing to me. I’ve been steeped in Western Protestant tradition all my life and this understanding of Jesus and God was different. Hearing this man’s view caused me to step back and see Jesus and God in a new light. Perspective is very important. Interactions with differing cultures and how they see and perceive God and Jesus help my vision of them to grow in breadth and depth.

Being completely transparent and honest with yourself, take some time and compare your perspective between God and Jesus. Reflect on these differences between God and Jesus, and why you believe they might have these differences.

By Rich Obrecht