Dave Burchett's Blog

Life’s circumstances can be hard to accept for even the most mentally ­healthy—​­if such people actually exist. The truth is that many of us are dealing with frustrations and challenges everyday. It is so easy to get caught up in our own resentments that we lose sight of the sacred all around us. And it is very difficult to see challenging circumstances as critical building blocks to spiritual maturity. Paul was dealt some pretty bad hands during his missionary journeys. I suspect it would have been easy for him to question God about his lot. After all, it was God who very aggressively recruited Paul onto the team while he was traveling to Damascus. But Paul knew that difficulties are a vital part of the ­spiritual-​­growth program. Here is what he wrote from prison. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show

The post One Secret To Navigating Life Is Counting Your Blessings first appeared on Charisa Stories.

I have written about this social media trend but I think it is worth revisiting. After a tragedy occurs it is a common social media reaction to attack people of faith for offering “thoughts and prayers”. These posters assume that anyone expressing those sentiments don’t really care about solutions to prevent future violence. Our culture seems to have lost the ability to recognize two things can be true at once. I honestly believe I can desire cultural improvement while praying for hope and comfort to victims and their families available through faith in Christ.  So here is the challenge for Christians in this season. How can we love those who assign terrible motives to what may be a completely sincere and caring response? Perhaps start by seeing if anything in the criticism is valid. I spent 40 years in television production trucks so rough language doesn’t impact me much. But I have to admit the language and anger directed toward

The post What Is The Reason To Attack Thoughts and Prayers? first appeared on Charisa Stories.

There is a question about grace that confounds me. “If grace based theology as the way to live out the Christian life is true then why is it not more popular in the church?” That is a great question. I have been swept away by grace. Everything in my life has been changed by taking away my performance based faith and believing in Christ’s performance for me. During a recent football telecast I thought about a parallel between one of my least favorite football strategies and this grace conundrum. Perhaps it was an insight from the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it was simply because my brain is not wired to factory specs. But this idea popped in my mind. A lot of football teams play a defense that is called the prevent defense. That style of defense is designed to allow the opponent short yardage gains as the defense tries to prevent big plays and long touchdowns. The theory is that if you can

The post Has Satan Devised A Prevent Defense For Our Faith Growth Offense? first appeared on Charisa Stories.

I love how God can connect with His children in creative ways. In recent days I went through a period of discouragement. My spiritual and emotional meters were registering dangerously low numbers. I grew increasingly disappointed with myself because none of the things I was dealing with were dangerous issues. I wondered why I was so down. There were several discouraging events but nothing major. I prayed to the Lord to get me back on the path of trusting Him as I drove to a meeting. I was listening to 70’s music when a song by Carol King popped up. I love her voice so I turned up the volume. The lyrics hit me between the eyes. When you’re down and troubledAnd you need a helping handAnd nothing, nothing is going right Hmmmm. Interesting. I can relate to those words for sure. Is this song a request someone made for my current journey? The song continued. Close your eyes and

The post Did God Cue Up Carol King To Heal My Heart? first appeared on Charisa Stories.

I know people who are considering whether putting their faith in the message of Jesus Christ is legitimate. I went through that same journey years ago. I had many doubts then but, to be honest, they often focused on the wrong issues. My uncertainty centered around people who brazenly wore the label of Christian but their actions showed little or nothing worthy of my commitment to their message. I had not done an intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually honest dive into the most important question. Is Jesus who he said he is? I wrote a book titled When Bad Christians Happen to Good People where I explored behaviors of people claiming to be followers that did not represent the message of Jesus. The proposed title of the book was “Don’t Reject Christ Because of Christians”. I got caught up on that worthless detour. Because of the influence of a few followers of Jesus who gracefully and lovingly influenced me I made

The post Considering Christianity? What Is The Most Important Question To Explore? first appeared on Charisa Stories.

I often joke that I have been discipled by my dogs! Some accuse me of being “dogmatic” in my beliefs. The truth is God can teach us in so many ways. I have learned from Scripture, church community, good Biblical teaching, and serving others. But I have also learned from God’s creation and especially my canine companions. My book Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace was written about two precious rescued Labs. Joni and I had to say goodbye to both Hannah and Maggie. We weren’t sure if we could find another dog like those two. Through an unexpected God connection we found another canine companion with a heart just as big as Hannah and Maggie but contained somehow in a much smaller body. Bella is a 15 pound Cavapoo with a giant personality that entertains, makes you smile, and warms your heart.I was wondering recently what Bella’s contribution might be if there was a

The post Could Bella Add Some Good Content To My Book Stay? first appeared on Charisa Stories.

The world is a mess. For the record, it has been this way since the fall of man. But I digress. Social media creates fear and crushes hope. That emotional tidal wave can effect followers of Jesus if we don’t recognize the danger of losing our faith focus. David was described as a man after God’s own heart. Yet he dealt with fear and anxiety with transparency and trust. Psalm 27 addresses a major issue. Where do we find hope in a seemingly hopeless world? How can we address the fears that confront us consistently?  In the Psalm David is being pursued and he believes an attack on his life is imminent. He states his hope without ignoring the danger of his current situation. Instead of downplaying his trouble he looks through a different lens. Yep. Things are a dangerous mess. Yep. I could be attacked at any moment. He starts Psalm 27 with the things he needs to remember

The post How To Answer When Fear Knocks On The Door first appeared on Charisa Stories.

One of my favorite Olympic memories involves a runner who was the last to cross the finish line. Derek Redmond was an elite athlete who had a chance to bring home a medal in 1992 as Great Britain’s 400-meter representative. After an ­injury-plagued career, Redmond seemed ready to leave a lasting legacy at the Barcelona Games. He had recorded the fastest time in the first heat and won his ­quarter-final race. Redmond started well in the semifinal, but about 150 meters into the race his hamstring snapped, and he collapsed in agony. Medical personnel rushed to his aid, but Redmond waved them off. He struggled to his feet and began to hobble around the track. He was going to finish the race. Cheers rang out for the actual winner of the race, but then the crowd of ­sixty-five thousand in the stadium began to comprehend the drama unfolding of a solitary figure limping in agony toward the finish. The spectators rose

The post God Is With Us To The Finish Line first appeared on Charisa Stories.

This past week I taught a lesson at my church on the minor prophet Habakkuk. He lived in Judah just before the Babylonian destruction of that country around 605 B.C. The role of Habakkuk as a prophet was completely unique because it appears he did not speak to the people. Instead he spoke directly to God with some honest and uncomfortable questions. Two-thirds of the book outlines that back and forth dialogue. Habakkuk has been described by some as the “man who scolded God”. Not sure I would want that to be my ministry distinctive but his interaction is transparent and instructive for believers today. The book of Habakkuk has been very helpful to me in processing how to deal with the evil that is happening in our world. Habakkuk saw violence and injustice happening all around him and He was asking God why He was allowing this to happen. God didn’t shoot him down for asking those questions. God

The post Is Questioning God Helpful For Spiritual Growth? first appeared on Charisa Stories.

I love the worship atmosphere at my church, Waterbrook Bible Fellowship in Wylie, Texas. Some mornings the songs and spirit impact my heart in unexpected ways. Recently a familiar song from Shane and Shane titled “You’ve Already Won” nearly floored me. The lyrics summarized my decades long struggle where I felt like I had to do more for Jesus or I would not receive His love, forgiveness, and eternal security. I grew up in legalism. We were taught accurately that you are saved by grace. And then it went doctrinally South. We were taught that sanctification came through grit and not grace. You had to work extra hard to stay in good standing with God. And if you sinned and didn’t immediately repent your salvation might (probably would) be compromised. So I served God out of anxiety instead of confidence and trust. I was wrongly convinced that to grow in my faith I had to do more. Try harder. Pray

The post For Years I Fought A Battle That’s Already Won first appeared on Charisa Stories.