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Mark Winebrenner

Mark Winebrenner
As your OneCrown LivRite Coach, Mark Winebrenner brings his training as a business and personal development trainer and coach along with years of group and individual mentorship experience to serve LivRite members, staff and community as a Christian leader and mentor. Mark joined the OneCrown team June 2018 and has been working with the club to implement the LivRite Coach services of OneCrown and looks forward to getting to know the LivRite members. When away from work, Mark spends time with his bride Sharon of 22 years, 2 sons and 2 grandchildren. Mark and Sharon are active members at iTown Church. One of Mark’s favorite scriptures is Galatians 2:20: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God.” Mark’s coaching philosophy is summed up in Proverbs 20:5: “Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out.”

Recent Posts

Holy Hijack, Batman

Posted by Mark Winebrenner on Apr 8, 2019 1:33:33 PM

cross in skylight 1

As a kid in the early 70s, I watched reruns of the 1966-1968 Batman series starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. At that age I watched it more as a serious action crime show and did not understand nor appreciate the wonderful humor. According to Wikipedia, Executive Producer William Dozier once described it as the only situation comedy on the air without a laugh track. After seeing some of the episodes as an adult, I agree.

 

One of the running jokes that appears in every episode is Robin’s “holy” exclamations such as “Holy Guacamole” or “Holy Hole in a Donut”. According to BuzzFeed, Robin made 359 such statements during the 3 season, 120 episodes run. That’s three “holies” per show!  A member of the BuzzFeed staff listed and rated all of them. Holy Hijack came in at 170.

 

“Holy Hijack” describes well what secular cultures have done to two prominent Christian celebrations, Christmas and Easter. Of the two, the cleverest crime was the commandeering of Easter. For Christians, Easter is the day we remember and celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead.

 

Over the years people have argued about the origin and meaning of the word “Easter” and when that word was used in conjunction with this Christian celebration. Frankly, I don’t really care. At the core this is not a matter of one day being any more important than another. It is simply a day set aside since the second century for Christians around the world to collectively celebrate what God has done because the entire Christian faith rests on this one event.

 

“For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.”

1 Corinthians 15:13

 

As a self-proclaimed witness to Jesus’s resurrection, even Paul, who wrote over half of the New Testament, said he and all the apostles would be a bunch of liars IF the resurrection never happened.

 

“And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.”

1 Corinthians 15:15

 

Yet most of the apostles were executed for teaching about Jesus and the resurrection. You can also count Jesus among the liars because He said:

 

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” John 11:25

 

Would you die for a lie?

 

Today in many homes Easter is recognized with little more than a Santa-like, candy-giving rabbit and the tradition of finding plastic eggs filled with treasures.  The National Retail Federation estimates Americans will spend over $18 billion this Easter mostly on clothing, candy and gifts. Of course, there is nothing wrong with fun family traditions. The hijack is the diversion of our attention away from an event that has the power to forever change us and the world.

 

Listen to God’s heart for you: “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead.” Philippians 3:10a

 

What is the power God promises?  

 

“And God will raise us from the dead by His power, just as He raised our Lord from the dead.” 1 Corinthians 6:14

 

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance-an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

1 Peter 1:3-4

 

There is no dispute that Jesus lived and was crucified. There is no dispute that the apostles lived and died for their faith in Him. What is disputed and must be settled in your heart is whether they were all liars and lunatics, willing to die for a lie, or God did raise Jesus from the dead as your Lord and Savior.

 

Just like He did with His first disciples, Jesus asks each of us today, “Who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:15

 

If you want to experience His resurrection power in your life, invite Him to be your Lord. It will be an Easter you will never forget.

 

Topics: Encouraging Words

Saving Daylight

Posted by Mark Winebrenner on Mar 5, 2019 12:47:17 PM

Daylight Savings

Don’t hate me but I like Daylight Savings Time. I do enjoy more sunlight during the evening hours, especially after a full day’s work. Of course the notion of literally saving daylight is silly. We will always get the amount of daylight preordained for each day of the year. I suppose calling it Daylight Relocation Time or Daylight Reallocation Time does not have that same virtuous, cause-worthy sound to it.  

 

I believe Daylight Savings is man’s simple acknowledgment that time is our most precious commodity and we should seize the opportunity to make the most of every sun-lit moment. Life is a miracle and how we spend our time is important. Once time is spent, it is gone and (please catch this) we never know how much is left.

 

In 1993 Garry Hoy, a lawyer in Toronto, fell to his death from the 24th floor while demonstrating to a group of visitors that the glass in the windows was unbreakable. Instead of using an object or tool of some sort, Hoy threw HIMSELF against the glass, which did not break. However, he popped out the entire window from the frame! Wouldn’t you like to know what he was thinking on the way down?

 

Maybe you would never do something that stupid, but you never know when some goofball like Hoy may land on you.

 

Psalm 39:4,5 frames this truth as a prayer. “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered-how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to You; at best, each of us is but a breath.”

 

A single breath taken during our lifetime represents our entire earthly life compared to eternity. Yet for so many of us, we think eternity is far off and of no immediate concern, when it is but a breath away. This Psalm is a beautiful prayer yet also a stern reminder to always have eternity in view. It is not far off. Mr. Hoy found that out.

 

As a Christian one of my favorite life perspectives from Scripture is that my citizenship is in heaven, not here on earth. (Philippians 3:20). I may currently reside in America, but I belong to Jesus and my real home is with Him in heaven. My last breath on earth will be immediately followed by my first breath in eternity; this will happen in a breath’s time.

 

Inhale. Now, exhale. That is your life. Are you ready for your next breath?

Topics: Encouraging Words

Eating for Three

Posted by Mark Winebrenner on Feb 28, 2019 1:15:06 PM

Eating for 3

I love good food and when dining out at a busy restaurant, which is rare these days, I love to hear my name called to be seated. It is one of the greatest moments of the week. I usually enjoy the entire dining experience, especially if upon being seated they immediately give me fresh hot bread!

 

My family tries to eat heathy and since you are a LivRite member, you probably do as well. You want to feed your body with both good food and exercise. However, that is only 1/3 of who you are.

 

You have been created a tripartite being, each part needing the proper nutrition and exercise. It goes something like this: you are a spirit, who has a soul, who currently lives in a body. Your body is host to your soul and spirit. Let’s quickly look at the other two parts.

 

Your soul is your mind, will and emotions; together it is what makes you, you. This is your one-of-a-kind uniqueness; the personality fingerprint that God gave you. Just like your body, your soul needs the proper care, nutrition and protection to flourish, all which starts in your mind. What are you feeding your mind? What do you read? Watch? Listen to? Is it nutritional, junk food or poison?

 

The purest and most nutritional food is the Word of God.

 

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)

 

Feed on His Word daily for the proper soul-nutrition. It will also help you identify junk food and poison that you are tempted to consume. It will not take long to learn how the latter negatively impacts your soul.

 

“For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24 NLT)

 

Your spirit is the part of you which connects with God. Our spirit connects with the Spirit of God. Simply put, we feed our spirit through worship and service to others. We worship through prayer and through singing to the Lord from a thankful heart. We serve others by following the example Jesus set. Service is a spiritual act of worship.

 

 

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1 NASB)

 

Take a moment to review your menu from the past month. What needs to be added, adjusted or eliminated to properly care for your whole person?

 

Topics: Encouraging Words

I'm in Love... I'm All Shook Up

Posted by Mark Winebrenner on Feb 12, 2019 1:23:19 PM

 Love

 Love and romance have been the leading theme in movies, songs, plays and fiction literature since the birth of those mediums. Love (and the guilt of men) sustains the floral industry. February, which would otherwise be the dull sophomore month of a new year owes its rock star status to love via Valentine’s Day. Love or the pursuit of love will even make a guy shower and brush his teeth!

 

It is safe to say you would agree that love and the absence of love are powerful forces with either delightful or dreadful affects in your life. So, how did love garner such authority and influence?

 

The origin of things helps to bring context and insight such as that of Valentine’s Day. Not a pretty picture. Essentially, Valentine was tortured and executed for marrying a man and woman in the Christian faith. The power of love moved St. Valentine to do extraordinary things and willingly pay the price with this life. What about the origin of love?

 

1 John 4:10 says in part “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” Please catch the unconditionality of this statement. It is a love that did not and does not require our initiation nor reciprocity. From the very beginning, God loved us, the origin.

 

With so much conflict and tragedy in the world, it is understandable so many people struggle with the idea of a loving God. Who hasn’t wrestled with the question that begins with “If God is a loving God, then why…”. Again, origin.  To understand the love of God, we need to look to the second part of 1John 4:10 “… and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

 

Because of love, God created us for a love relationship with Him. To believe in true love, we must get to know Him through His Son Jesus. However, you and I and every human on earth has the same problem that prevents us from knowing Him well and is the source which leads to the heart break we see in our world. That problem is sin. There is a price for sin and Jesus paid that price on our behalf. God also gives us a free choice whether we will accept this truth and His love by giving our hearts to Jesus.

 

When I think of the extreme measures God went through to capture my heart, it first humbles me then begins to give me a love for Him and for others. I have accepted that God loves me unconditionally through my faults and failures and I am all shook up.

 

 

 

Topics: Encouraging Words

It's Not about the Teeth

Posted by Mark Winebrenner on Jan 15, 2019 4:05:05 PM

It's Not about the teeth

 Last month someone asked me what the most important thing is I have learned in my life! Wow. She did not warn me or even warm me up with “What is your favorite color” or nothing. Just, “Oh, by the way, just wondering… and BAM!

 

The ONE MOST IMPORTANT THING that I have learned.

 

I heard a story about someone asking a 100-year-old man what was one of the valuable lessons he has learned in life. He said, “If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of my teeth.”.

 

Unfortunately, I knew I would not get by with an answer like that, so how do you summarize into a single response the one most important lesson of a 56-year life?

 

I spent the first half of my life with little to no interest in what God thought about me or my life. In 1989 I met Christ in a profound way and began my life with Him. When I got that question, my life flashed before my eyes and I instantly knew the answer. I can do nothing of true value apart from my Lord Jesus.

 

It was sobering but a blessing to get that sudden but loving reminder. I found immediate comfort in knowing that all I need to do to add value into the lives of people around me was to stay connected with my Lord and He will do amazing things.

 

Have you had those moments in life when you say or think “What’s the point?”? I know I have. To get to the point, God has a plan and He wants us in on it, but we get to choose His plan or our own. As someone who has literally lived half my life with Him and half without, I can say without a doubt, His plan is perfect.

 

Jesus says in John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

Nothing of eternal value. Nothing that changes us or others with eternal significance. Jesus wants to do amazing things in us and through us and all we need say to Him is YES. 

 

Topics: Encouraging Words