We are are morning family. I leave for work at 7:15 and the kids are usually up by 6 AM at the latest. On Saturday I kind of wish they would sleep in, but during the week I am glad they are early birds because that means I can sit down and have breakfast with them. During breakfast you never know where the conversation might turn. Today's topic was the devil and hell. It went something like this...
"Daddy, the devil is bad and people who do not love Jesus have the devil in their hearts," says Anna. (This sounds offensive, but the truth is her theology is right--1 John refers to anyone who does not Follow Jesus as "anti-Christ"--probably a little different than what we are use to thinking of when we think of the term anti-Christ, but the truth is, Jesus said either we are for him or against him and if we are against him we are "anti-Christ").
"What the 'Debil', Anna?" asks Seth.
"The Devil is red with horns," replies Anna.
"Where did you learn what the devil is like, Anna?" I asked.
"From TV. I saw him on TV. He is red and has horns and has a sharp thingy," explains Anna.
"Where the 'Debil' live Daddy? He live in my heart?" asks Seth.
"No, he only lives in people who do not want to love Jesus," Anna again explains.
"The Devil use to be an Angel named Lucifer. The Bible tells us he wanted to be the boss instead of letting God be the boss. So, God made a place called Hell so Lucifer, the devil, could be boss there. All the other angels who wanted Lucifer to be boss went to hell with him and they became, what is called demons. Now, every person gets to decide if they want God to be boss of their lives", I shared this because I did not want the TV to be the final word my kids receive on any topic, especially biblical topics.
"Yes," Anna chimed in, "The people who do not want Jesus in their hearts go to the bad place. But if you let Jesus in your heart, heaven is beautiful and fun and you get to be with Jesus all the time."
At the end of this conversation with my kids, I heard another voice. It was not an audible voice, but a voice that was just as real and deep within me. God asked, "Do you still want me as boss of your life?" It was a good question for me to be forced to answer as I approach a New Year. May be it will be a good question for you to answer for yourself as well.
Do you want God to be boss of our lives? Sometimes I fear that I want God to love and forgive me, but I don't want him telling me what to do. However, I know the truth is that he is not satisfied with anything less than having complete control of my life..funny thing is...when I give up control everything always turns out better...why do I so often protest?
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
"Enough Light for the Next Step"
This morning I prayed in reference to a particular situation, "Father, I need your clarity and direction." No sooner had I prayed that, then God responded by putting this Scripture verse in the forefront of my mind: Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet." I smiled and said, "Thank you, Father." This morning, right when I was seeking direction, he sent his word of truth to me and it was exactly what I needed to remember.
"Your word is a lamp to my feet," reminds me that God has not promised to light up the path like an airport run way. I would prefer that, but he does not promise that. Instead he promises to give me enough light for the next step. If I will learn to trust him for the next step, then he will give me enough light for the next step and with each step, I will find the direction I seek.
The more we learn to trust God to reveal enough light to give us the next step, the more we learn to walk through open doors and not try to break down closed doors. Today, I had a door close. With that Bible verse in mind, I was able to back up and say, "OK...that door is closed for a reason. Now, it is time for me to look for the next open door. God give me light for the next step to take."
The more we learn to trust God to reveal enough light for the next step, the more we learn to listen to his Word. God will never lead me to do anything that is contrary to the teaching of the Bible. I can trust that and let it guide me.
The more we learn to trust God to reveal enough light for the next step, the more seriously we take our connection to the Body of Christ. God gives us the church--that is the people of God--to help us hear from him. Many times God has used the experience, challenge or encouragement of a brother or sister in Christ to point me in the right direction.
Most of all, that verse reminds me that God wants to light up the path for me. He will not leave me stranded in the dark. In fact, if I am running in the dark it is probably because I quit walking in the light he gives me for each step and have tried to run on out in front his light. Learning to follow Christ is about learning to depend on him one step at a time.
"Your word is a lamp to my feet," reminds me that God has not promised to light up the path like an airport run way. I would prefer that, but he does not promise that. Instead he promises to give me enough light for the next step. If I will learn to trust him for the next step, then he will give me enough light for the next step and with each step, I will find the direction I seek.
The more we learn to trust God to reveal enough light to give us the next step, the more we learn to walk through open doors and not try to break down closed doors. Today, I had a door close. With that Bible verse in mind, I was able to back up and say, "OK...that door is closed for a reason. Now, it is time for me to look for the next open door. God give me light for the next step to take."
The more we learn to trust God to reveal enough light for the next step, the more we learn to listen to his Word. God will never lead me to do anything that is contrary to the teaching of the Bible. I can trust that and let it guide me.
The more we learn to trust God to reveal enough light for the next step, the more seriously we take our connection to the Body of Christ. God gives us the church--that is the people of God--to help us hear from him. Many times God has used the experience, challenge or encouragement of a brother or sister in Christ to point me in the right direction.
Most of all, that verse reminds me that God wants to light up the path for me. He will not leave me stranded in the dark. In fact, if I am running in the dark it is probably because I quit walking in the light he gives me for each step and have tried to run on out in front his light. Learning to follow Christ is about learning to depend on him one step at a time.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
"Who then Will You Please?"
Recently, I received a call from someone in the community. The individual explained that they had just moved here from another state. I welcomed her and thanked her for calling. She then got straight to the point. She said, "Are you a hell fire and brimstone preacher?" Before I could answer, she went on to say, "I mean are you like John Hagee (a well-known TV preacher)I want a preacher like John Hagee. Well, are you?" I said, "If you are looking for a preacher like John Hagee stay home and watch him on TV because all you get here is me. And to be very honest, I have no interest in being likened to John Hagee." She hung up and so far as I know has not visited Living Hope.
The Bible gives a great challenge in Galatians 1:10 that is difficult to live, but the more you do, the more freedom it brings. "Am I now trying to win the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." I think these are good words for us to hear as we approach Christmas. As you think about how you will fit in all the extra holiday parties and as you try to figure out how you will buy all the gifts that are expected that you can or cannot afford, I encourage you and me both to remember the words of Galatians 1:10.
Christmas is a time when we are all put to the test of this verse: To whom will we play? Every person in your life has there own set of expectations of you. If you try to please one person you will offend another. Some of us will have yet another Christmas of stress and depression as we try to make everyone happy. But if you do that it is not the fault of the others in your life, it is your own. Just because people have expectations of you, does not mean you have to try to live up to them or down to them. Instead, Galatians 1:10 says to play to an audience of one...the ONE and only One that really matters. In fact, when you seek to live to the approval of God's love and purpose for your life, then you find yourself becoming, as one woman in our church family calls it, "Comfortable in your own skin." What a gift of God it is to know who you are and who you are not! What a gift of God to play to an audience of one rather than an audience of a 100 different expectations! What a gift of God to know that when I seek God's a approval it leads me to become more free in the me he made me to be!
Friends, let somebody else try to make everyone else in your life happy. Then you can concentrate on pleasing God and enjoying the freedom and acceptance that comes in and through Christ. So, again I say to my disappointed caller, "If you want John Hagee, watch him on TV." Because I am learning to be less and less interested in being who others want me to be and more and more hungry to let God make me who he made me to be!
The Bible gives a great challenge in Galatians 1:10 that is difficult to live, but the more you do, the more freedom it brings. "Am I now trying to win the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." I think these are good words for us to hear as we approach Christmas. As you think about how you will fit in all the extra holiday parties and as you try to figure out how you will buy all the gifts that are expected that you can or cannot afford, I encourage you and me both to remember the words of Galatians 1:10.
Christmas is a time when we are all put to the test of this verse: To whom will we play? Every person in your life has there own set of expectations of you. If you try to please one person you will offend another. Some of us will have yet another Christmas of stress and depression as we try to make everyone happy. But if you do that it is not the fault of the others in your life, it is your own. Just because people have expectations of you, does not mean you have to try to live up to them or down to them. Instead, Galatians 1:10 says to play to an audience of one...the ONE and only One that really matters. In fact, when you seek to live to the approval of God's love and purpose for your life, then you find yourself becoming, as one woman in our church family calls it, "Comfortable in your own skin." What a gift of God it is to know who you are and who you are not! What a gift of God to play to an audience of one rather than an audience of a 100 different expectations! What a gift of God to know that when I seek God's a approval it leads me to become more free in the me he made me to be!
Friends, let somebody else try to make everyone else in your life happy. Then you can concentrate on pleasing God and enjoying the freedom and acceptance that comes in and through Christ. So, again I say to my disappointed caller, "If you want John Hagee, watch him on TV." Because I am learning to be less and less interested in being who others want me to be and more and more hungry to let God make me who he made me to be!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
"Mine!" Warning:You will either like this post or hate it
I find it interesting that children demonstrate such a strong sense of possession. For instance, Anna and Seth may not have any interest in a particular toy of theirs, but the moment the other wants to play with it he or she is quick to proclaim their domain with a loud and clear, "Hey, that's mine!"
Early on children learn to hold on tight to what they call,"Mine!" Of course, what makes a young child's sense of ownership even more interesting is the reality that everything they possess is given to them. My 4 and 2 year old cannot say they have worked for anything they have received. They call my and Kimberly's house theirs, but their names are not on the title. They say the vehicles are their van and their car, but last I checked they have never made a car payment. The truth is everything they have is mine, not theirs. However, they live as though they are the reason they have what they have.
Of course, our children learn this from us adults. Just because we earn a pay check and pay the bills, we believe that all that we have is ours. Its my house, my car, my TV, my bed, my snow blower, my money...because I have it, we conclude, it makes it mine. Just because we believe that does not make it true. The truth is, that is the farthest thing from the truth. The truth is, nothing we have is ours.
The Bible says, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." The Creator is the only one on earth who has the right to claim domain over anything on earth. Its not my house or my car or my money...its His! I would not have anything without him having created the substance out which all that I have is manufactured. God is the source of all and there by the rightful owner of all. Everything that I have is merely entrusted to me by God. My house is really God's house. My car is God's car. My money is God's money. This means that what I have I am to treat with care and to hold loosely because, after all, nothing is mine; it is all His.
This is one of the reasons Kimberly and I give tithe and offerings. A tithe is 10 percent of one's income. Malachi 3:10 says that if we do not give God 10 % of the money we earn to his work on earth then we are robbing God. Yeah, that is a strong statement, but it is a true statement...if everything is God's and he asks us to give a portion of what is his back to him, then if we do not do so we are robbing Him.
But then Malachi 3 goes on to explain that we are not just robbing God, we are robbing ourselves. It says, "Test me on this [that is give God his 10%] and see if I don't open the flood gates of heaven to you." Kimberly and I have tested God on this and we have found him to be true to his word. He has never left us without what we need. In fact, he has opened his flood gates to us. I could share many examples of how God has asked us to give over and beyond our tithe and we do not know where the money is going to come from, but we give it and then, in amazing ways, money comes from unexpected sources. I can also share how God has opened his flood gates to us in non-monetary ways by us being willing to give what he asks of us. The truth is...if you do not trust God enough to give him what he asks, you are not holding on to what you need, you are robbing yourself of what God wants to pour into your life.
Do you realize that if everyone who says they believe in Jesus would do what Jesus says with tithe and offerings, then 30,000 children would not be dying daily of starvation, 1 child would not die every 15 seconds from unclean water, 15,000 Africans would not die to day due to preventable and curable disease, 40% of the world's population would not have to survive on less than $2 a day and 143 million orphans would be cared for in a way that today they can only dream of?
People regularly ask me, "Pastor, how can I tithe in my current financial situation?" My answer is, you must do what Kimberly and I do. We adjust our lives to live on 90% and then we always have at least 10% to give. It will mean you have to decide if you trust God or not. This is not a money issue. It is a trust issue. If you trust God when he says test me on this and I will open the flood gates to you, then it will be worth you adjusting your living to the 90% he entrusts you with...what will that mean for you? I don't know. I know for us, God has asked us to give over 10% and so it has meant we have made a choice not to have cable and not to have texting and not to ever by clothes unless they are on sale at the end of the season, etc...the point is, when God asks us to do something we must decide if we are going to trust him.
So, next time you hear a child holler, "Mine", ask yourself if your life is teaching him or her that everything they and we have is "HIS."
Early on children learn to hold on tight to what they call,"Mine!" Of course, what makes a young child's sense of ownership even more interesting is the reality that everything they possess is given to them. My 4 and 2 year old cannot say they have worked for anything they have received. They call my and Kimberly's house theirs, but their names are not on the title. They say the vehicles are their van and their car, but last I checked they have never made a car payment. The truth is everything they have is mine, not theirs. However, they live as though they are the reason they have what they have.
Of course, our children learn this from us adults. Just because we earn a pay check and pay the bills, we believe that all that we have is ours. Its my house, my car, my TV, my bed, my snow blower, my money...because I have it, we conclude, it makes it mine. Just because we believe that does not make it true. The truth is, that is the farthest thing from the truth. The truth is, nothing we have is ours.
The Bible says, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." The Creator is the only one on earth who has the right to claim domain over anything on earth. Its not my house or my car or my money...its His! I would not have anything without him having created the substance out which all that I have is manufactured. God is the source of all and there by the rightful owner of all. Everything that I have is merely entrusted to me by God. My house is really God's house. My car is God's car. My money is God's money. This means that what I have I am to treat with care and to hold loosely because, after all, nothing is mine; it is all His.
This is one of the reasons Kimberly and I give tithe and offerings. A tithe is 10 percent of one's income. Malachi 3:10 says that if we do not give God 10 % of the money we earn to his work on earth then we are robbing God. Yeah, that is a strong statement, but it is a true statement...if everything is God's and he asks us to give a portion of what is his back to him, then if we do not do so we are robbing Him.
But then Malachi 3 goes on to explain that we are not just robbing God, we are robbing ourselves. It says, "Test me on this [that is give God his 10%] and see if I don't open the flood gates of heaven to you." Kimberly and I have tested God on this and we have found him to be true to his word. He has never left us without what we need. In fact, he has opened his flood gates to us. I could share many examples of how God has asked us to give over and beyond our tithe and we do not know where the money is going to come from, but we give it and then, in amazing ways, money comes from unexpected sources. I can also share how God has opened his flood gates to us in non-monetary ways by us being willing to give what he asks of us. The truth is...if you do not trust God enough to give him what he asks, you are not holding on to what you need, you are robbing yourself of what God wants to pour into your life.
Do you realize that if everyone who says they believe in Jesus would do what Jesus says with tithe and offerings, then 30,000 children would not be dying daily of starvation, 1 child would not die every 15 seconds from unclean water, 15,000 Africans would not die to day due to preventable and curable disease, 40% of the world's population would not have to survive on less than $2 a day and 143 million orphans would be cared for in a way that today they can only dream of?
People regularly ask me, "Pastor, how can I tithe in my current financial situation?" My answer is, you must do what Kimberly and I do. We adjust our lives to live on 90% and then we always have at least 10% to give. It will mean you have to decide if you trust God or not. This is not a money issue. It is a trust issue. If you trust God when he says test me on this and I will open the flood gates to you, then it will be worth you adjusting your living to the 90% he entrusts you with...what will that mean for you? I don't know. I know for us, God has asked us to give over 10% and so it has meant we have made a choice not to have cable and not to have texting and not to ever by clothes unless they are on sale at the end of the season, etc...the point is, when God asks us to do something we must decide if we are going to trust him.
So, next time you hear a child holler, "Mine", ask yourself if your life is teaching him or her that everything they and we have is "HIS."
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
"Life is Hard"
My high school history teacher use to start most every day by saying, "Life is hard and then you die." (Yeah, he was a really upbeat and positive guy...but his message stuck.) I do not know anyone who is living in reality that would not agree that life is hard. The news media acknowledges this reality every day and we all shake our heads and agree, "Yes, life is hard."
However, there is something about life being hard that it seems the majority are not willing to accept as reality. Call it ignorance or out right denial, but I am willing to argue that the majority of the world has not accepted that while it is true that life is hard, our choices make my life harder or less hard.
For instance, the economy is hard right now on most all of us. But that reality does not remove the choice we have to be wise or foolish with our money. Making a choice to not live within your means is a bad choice that will make life all the harder and no one should be expected to rescue you from living that way. Learn to live according to what you earn, even if you wish it were more, and you will make a good choice that helps ease the burden of a bad economy and does not try to put the burden of your poor choice on someone else.
The same is true in our relationships. Relationships are hard work. But a poor choice of talking at each other and not hearing one another, only makes it more difficult. The choice to quit trying to win an argument and to start trying to bring resolution to a relationship is a choice that simply makes life easier.
The same is true for our health. We are all guaranteed that disease or injury will get us all. However, that does not mean we have to be stupid about it. The choice to take care of this body, which the Bible calls God's temple, only makes life easier. (Now, that is one hits me square between the eyes).
It is also true of what we think and speak. Life is hard enough, with out us making the choice to consume our minds in negative thinking and our mouths in speaking death. The Bible says we live what we think and what we speak gives power to God or Satan in our lives. So, make the choice to think on whatever is good as Philippians admonishes and speak life and guess what...you are making a choice to not make a hard life even harder.
These words I have written may sting, but the reality is God gave us a choice as an act of love. He could have removed our choice, set everything in stone and said, "Now live what I give and you have no choice about it." But our Father loved us so much that he limited himself by giving us free choice. Then he showed us all the more love by showing us the way to make choices that lead to life and blessing rather than curses and death. Choosing God's way does not mean life will cease to be hard, but it does mean that it will free us to have a good, whole, free, even joyful life in the midst of the hard. But, again, even that requires a choice. And it is no simple one. It requires nothing less than all.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Acknowledge the Lord in ALL your ways and he will make your paths straight." Do you believe that? If you do, then you will make the choice to acknowledge him; that is put him first in ALL--your relationships, finances, health, past, present, future, etc. Then, even when life gets hard, at least your path will be straight for matter what you will know that be it easy or hard, your path is leading you straight to the arms of God and his best.
One way to acknowledge God in all is to make the choice to do the small things you can to bring the presence of Christ to others every day. What is one small thing you can do in that way today? Life is hard, but it does not mean we can't make it a little easier on someone else in the name of Christ.
However, there is something about life being hard that it seems the majority are not willing to accept as reality. Call it ignorance or out right denial, but I am willing to argue that the majority of the world has not accepted that while it is true that life is hard, our choices make my life harder or less hard.
For instance, the economy is hard right now on most all of us. But that reality does not remove the choice we have to be wise or foolish with our money. Making a choice to not live within your means is a bad choice that will make life all the harder and no one should be expected to rescue you from living that way. Learn to live according to what you earn, even if you wish it were more, and you will make a good choice that helps ease the burden of a bad economy and does not try to put the burden of your poor choice on someone else.
The same is true in our relationships. Relationships are hard work. But a poor choice of talking at each other and not hearing one another, only makes it more difficult. The choice to quit trying to win an argument and to start trying to bring resolution to a relationship is a choice that simply makes life easier.
The same is true for our health. We are all guaranteed that disease or injury will get us all. However, that does not mean we have to be stupid about it. The choice to take care of this body, which the Bible calls God's temple, only makes life easier. (Now, that is one hits me square between the eyes).
It is also true of what we think and speak. Life is hard enough, with out us making the choice to consume our minds in negative thinking and our mouths in speaking death. The Bible says we live what we think and what we speak gives power to God or Satan in our lives. So, make the choice to think on whatever is good as Philippians admonishes and speak life and guess what...you are making a choice to not make a hard life even harder.
These words I have written may sting, but the reality is God gave us a choice as an act of love. He could have removed our choice, set everything in stone and said, "Now live what I give and you have no choice about it." But our Father loved us so much that he limited himself by giving us free choice. Then he showed us all the more love by showing us the way to make choices that lead to life and blessing rather than curses and death. Choosing God's way does not mean life will cease to be hard, but it does mean that it will free us to have a good, whole, free, even joyful life in the midst of the hard. But, again, even that requires a choice. And it is no simple one. It requires nothing less than all.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Acknowledge the Lord in ALL your ways and he will make your paths straight." Do you believe that? If you do, then you will make the choice to acknowledge him; that is put him first in ALL--your relationships, finances, health, past, present, future, etc. Then, even when life gets hard, at least your path will be straight for matter what you will know that be it easy or hard, your path is leading you straight to the arms of God and his best.
One way to acknowledge God in all is to make the choice to do the small things you can to bring the presence of Christ to others every day. What is one small thing you can do in that way today? Life is hard, but it does not mean we can't make it a little easier on someone else in the name of Christ.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
"Bo-ba"
"Bo-bah"--pronounced: bow-bah is one of our 2 year old's favorite words. Bo-ba is Seth's word. He made it up some time ago. While we do not know how he came up with this word, we know exactly what the word expresses for him. Bo-ba is his joy-word. It is the word he uses when no words he knows can express the excitement he is feeling. For instance, when Ma maw knocks on the door he lets out a, "Hey there ma maw...bo-bah" or when we announce that we are getting ice cream he may let out a loud bo-ba. He often takes off running or leaping in enthusiasm as he shouts, "Bo-ba; bo-ba."
For many people, the upcoming holidays are bo-ba thieves. The stores start playing Christmas music and you start going to a dark place. You associate Thanksgiving and Christmas with stress, family arguments, unmet expectations, the loss of a loved one and a whole slew of negative emotions. O, yes, the holidays can be a major trigger for all kinds of negative emotions, can't they be?
That is one of the reasons we have begun looking at a Christmas passage in the Bible from Isaiah 9 so soon in the season. It is my prayer that rather than be blindsided by the holidays, you will experience the presence of Christ this Christmas by bringing his presence to others.
Last week, we accepted the challenge to seize any small or big opportunity God will give us to bring his light of love into someone Else's' darkness. In fact, I have an opportunity for you right now. Lori Fearn a member of Living Hope was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer. Lori is young and her children are in high school and college. The only option for Lori is a liver transplant. What if we flooded Lori's email box with emails of care and prayer? Even if you don't know her, you can express your concern as a brother or sister in Christ. Would you send a email to lorifearn@yahoo.com ?
Make this Thanksgiving and Christmas less about putting presents under a tree and more about small and big acts of bringing God's presence to this Christmas and I won't be surprised at all, if some Sunday this season you spontaneously shout out a loud and strong, "BO-BA, BO-BAH." At least that is what I am praying and believing for you!
For many people, the upcoming holidays are bo-ba thieves. The stores start playing Christmas music and you start going to a dark place. You associate Thanksgiving and Christmas with stress, family arguments, unmet expectations, the loss of a loved one and a whole slew of negative emotions. O, yes, the holidays can be a major trigger for all kinds of negative emotions, can't they be?
That is one of the reasons we have begun looking at a Christmas passage in the Bible from Isaiah 9 so soon in the season. It is my prayer that rather than be blindsided by the holidays, you will experience the presence of Christ this Christmas by bringing his presence to others.
Last week, we accepted the challenge to seize any small or big opportunity God will give us to bring his light of love into someone Else's' darkness. In fact, I have an opportunity for you right now. Lori Fearn a member of Living Hope was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer. Lori is young and her children are in high school and college. The only option for Lori is a liver transplant. What if we flooded Lori's email box with emails of care and prayer? Even if you don't know her, you can express your concern as a brother or sister in Christ. Would you send a email to lorifearn@yahoo.com ?
Make this Thanksgiving and Christmas less about putting presents under a tree and more about small and big acts of bringing God's presence to this Christmas and I won't be surprised at all, if some Sunday this season you spontaneously shout out a loud and strong, "BO-BA, BO-BAH." At least that is what I am praying and believing for you!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
"Cheering or Booing?"
Here we sit the day after elections...Certainly some in our church family are cheering and some are booing. (By the way, that is one of the things I love about Living Hope--we make a big deal of Jesus not politics!) And someone will want to ask if I am cheering or booing over the election results? Over the years people have wanted to pin me down...get me to openly show my allegiance to one party or the other...Some assume the reason I don't is because of fear of loosing tax exempt status for the church. The truth of the matter is, I do not reveal my political passion because I have very little.
You see, 29 years ago, my American Citizenship took a far back seat to my citizenship in the Kingdom of God. The longer I follow my King, Jesus Christ, the less I cheer or boo over election results. Its not that I don't care. I do care..I vote at every election...I have my my personal opinions, but I do not believe the hope of America or any nation, for that matter, rests in any political party or candidate. My hope, our hope, the world's hope is in Jesus Christ alone. And, as much as it will disappoint both sides of the aisle, Jesus refuses to give his support to any political party.
Jesus made it very clear in his life, teachings, death and resurrection that he did not come to be made king by any political party, but to be made KING of every person, every where. In John 6 Jesus fed the multitudes and the people loved it. They thought for sure, having that kind of power, Jesus would be the new king of Israel. But John 6:15 says, "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again into the hills by himself." The people wanted a political Messiah, but Jesus would have nothing to do with it then. Why would we think Jesus would have anything to do with it now? I guess, the reason we want to get Jesus to choose political sides is because it would be easier to have him be king of a nation than to allow him to be KING of our lives. John 6 (I encourage you to read the whole chapter) goes on to reveal a conversation in which Jesus tells the people who wanted him to be king that he had come not to give them what they wanted politically that would merely satisfy for the moment, but to give them BREAD to eat that would make them never hunger again. The response of the people was that many of them stopped following Jesus that day. They wanted a king, not a KING.
I am not saying to not care about or to not be involved in the political process. But what I am saying is that we let Jesus put things in perspective for us whatever our political preference. Jesus came to be the Savior of the world and at the end of the day he will do that regardless of who is or is not in office. And if Jesus was interested in saving the world and not winning an election, it makes me wonder if that ought to tell we the Church, about where our priority ought to be?
You see, 29 years ago, my American Citizenship took a far back seat to my citizenship in the Kingdom of God. The longer I follow my King, Jesus Christ, the less I cheer or boo over election results. Its not that I don't care. I do care..I vote at every election...I have my my personal opinions, but I do not believe the hope of America or any nation, for that matter, rests in any political party or candidate. My hope, our hope, the world's hope is in Jesus Christ alone. And, as much as it will disappoint both sides of the aisle, Jesus refuses to give his support to any political party.
Jesus made it very clear in his life, teachings, death and resurrection that he did not come to be made king by any political party, but to be made KING of every person, every where. In John 6 Jesus fed the multitudes and the people loved it. They thought for sure, having that kind of power, Jesus would be the new king of Israel. But John 6:15 says, "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again into the hills by himself." The people wanted a political Messiah, but Jesus would have nothing to do with it then. Why would we think Jesus would have anything to do with it now? I guess, the reason we want to get Jesus to choose political sides is because it would be easier to have him be king of a nation than to allow him to be KING of our lives. John 6 (I encourage you to read the whole chapter) goes on to reveal a conversation in which Jesus tells the people who wanted him to be king that he had come not to give them what they wanted politically that would merely satisfy for the moment, but to give them BREAD to eat that would make them never hunger again. The response of the people was that many of them stopped following Jesus that day. They wanted a king, not a KING.
I am not saying to not care about or to not be involved in the political process. But what I am saying is that we let Jesus put things in perspective for us whatever our political preference. Jesus came to be the Savior of the world and at the end of the day he will do that regardless of who is or is not in office. And if Jesus was interested in saving the world and not winning an election, it makes me wonder if that ought to tell we the Church, about where our priority ought to be?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
"To Be or Not to Be?"
We live in an amazing time of of technology!
Technology allows us to be with one another without needing to be near one another. There is great advantage in this. For instance, our children are able to "Skype" with their grandparents who live 3 1/2 hours away. I have friends, who are missionaries, who are able to easily stay in touch with family and friends through email. I pray with a soldier in Afghanistan through Face book. We live in amazing day of technology that allows us to be with one another without being near one another.
However (You could tell a "however" was coming, couldn't you?)...However, while this technology enables us to be with folks we cannot be physically near, our technology can also become a tool of enabling that excuses absence of physical presence from those with whom we are geographically near enough to be present.
It is possible to use technology as an excuse to not be physically present. For example, when I was growing up, my dad's job had him travel a lot. However, he paid close attention to my and my brother's schedule. I never remember him not being physically present at those games and events that meant the world to us. Today, we have the technology to excuse our physical presence even if we could physically be there. Rather than paying attention to the important events of one another's lives, we can simply have someone give us a live video feed from their phone and we can watch the little league game or the kids choir concert from our desk while we work. Rather than visit a friend who is struggling, technology can give us an excuse to send a quick email. Rather than listen to the joy in the voice of a loved one celebrating, we can click a "like" button on Face book and quickly be on with our day.
Don't miss hear me..I am not saying to not use technology...I am using it right now...what I am saying is, like anything else technology can enable us to connect or it can enable us to excuse ourselves from taking the time to truly BE with others. Yes, "to be or not be?" That is the question in this day of technology.
Will I BE at my child's game or will I watch it on-line later? Will I talk to my spouse or shoot off an email? Will I pick up the phone and ask a hurting friend how she is doing or tag her in FB about Farmville? Will I enter into being real, transformed, connected and poured out in a community of faith or watch TBN on TV or Living Hope sermons on-line? Will I take my eyes off the screens of technology and look in the eyes of another to see the image of God in the "least of these"?
You know, that is why we make such a big deal about this Sunday. Because we cannot find a substitute or make up for not BEING here to celebrate the crucial spiritual steps that are taken in baptism and child dedication. We are not just a church service on Sunday, we are the Body of Christ. I know some come here each week simply to warm a seat, sing a song and hear a sermon, but I also know that the many more of you are here because you truly are participating in helping us BE a church that is real, transformed, connected and poured out! I want to thank you! I also want to encourage you. You may not feel like you are doing much watching people being baptized, but Romans 12 says this is what the Body is about, "Rejoicing with one another when one rejoices!" This Sunday, you re going to be doing that. Please pray for those being baptized...Satan tends to really attack people before they take this step. Please cheer...if thousands can cheer over an over-paid jock scoring a touch down, how much more should the people of God rejoice over God's saving grace?! Don't hold back! Be obnoxious in your praise! It is going to be a great day! What God will do in you and through you this Sunday is nothing that can be captured with even the best of our technology.
BE present with God and others, because one day we will happily or despairingly realize that all that really mattered in this life is all that will matter in eternal life and that is BEING with God and Being with others. Isn't that what Jesus said the greatest commandment was, "Love God and love others"? And how can we love without Being with God and with others. "To be or not to be?" Don't make it a question....just BE...Be the Church...Be a friend...Be a parent...Be husband/wife...Be with...Be for...Be in...Be at...BE!
Technology allows us to be with one another without needing to be near one another. There is great advantage in this. For instance, our children are able to "Skype" with their grandparents who live 3 1/2 hours away. I have friends, who are missionaries, who are able to easily stay in touch with family and friends through email. I pray with a soldier in Afghanistan through Face book. We live in amazing day of technology that allows us to be with one another without being near one another.
However (You could tell a "however" was coming, couldn't you?)...However, while this technology enables us to be with folks we cannot be physically near, our technology can also become a tool of enabling that excuses absence of physical presence from those with whom we are geographically near enough to be present.
It is possible to use technology as an excuse to not be physically present. For example, when I was growing up, my dad's job had him travel a lot. However, he paid close attention to my and my brother's schedule. I never remember him not being physically present at those games and events that meant the world to us. Today, we have the technology to excuse our physical presence even if we could physically be there. Rather than paying attention to the important events of one another's lives, we can simply have someone give us a live video feed from their phone and we can watch the little league game or the kids choir concert from our desk while we work. Rather than visit a friend who is struggling, technology can give us an excuse to send a quick email. Rather than listen to the joy in the voice of a loved one celebrating, we can click a "like" button on Face book and quickly be on with our day.
Don't miss hear me..I am not saying to not use technology...I am using it right now...what I am saying is, like anything else technology can enable us to connect or it can enable us to excuse ourselves from taking the time to truly BE with others. Yes, "to be or not be?" That is the question in this day of technology.
Will I BE at my child's game or will I watch it on-line later? Will I talk to my spouse or shoot off an email? Will I pick up the phone and ask a hurting friend how she is doing or tag her in FB about Farmville? Will I enter into being real, transformed, connected and poured out in a community of faith or watch TBN on TV or Living Hope sermons on-line? Will I take my eyes off the screens of technology and look in the eyes of another to see the image of God in the "least of these"?
You know, that is why we make such a big deal about this Sunday. Because we cannot find a substitute or make up for not BEING here to celebrate the crucial spiritual steps that are taken in baptism and child dedication. We are not just a church service on Sunday, we are the Body of Christ. I know some come here each week simply to warm a seat, sing a song and hear a sermon, but I also know that the many more of you are here because you truly are participating in helping us BE a church that is real, transformed, connected and poured out! I want to thank you! I also want to encourage you. You may not feel like you are doing much watching people being baptized, but Romans 12 says this is what the Body is about, "Rejoicing with one another when one rejoices!" This Sunday, you re going to be doing that. Please pray for those being baptized...Satan tends to really attack people before they take this step. Please cheer...if thousands can cheer over an over-paid jock scoring a touch down, how much more should the people of God rejoice over God's saving grace?! Don't hold back! Be obnoxious in your praise! It is going to be a great day! What God will do in you and through you this Sunday is nothing that can be captured with even the best of our technology.
BE present with God and others, because one day we will happily or despairingly realize that all that really mattered in this life is all that will matter in eternal life and that is BEING with God and Being with others. Isn't that what Jesus said the greatest commandment was, "Love God and love others"? And how can we love without Being with God and with others. "To be or not to be?" Don't make it a question....just BE...Be the Church...Be a friend...Be a parent...Be husband/wife...Be with...Be for...Be in...Be at...BE!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
"Won't You be My Neighbor?"
Stephen and Debbie Gilliland hosted a block party in their neighborhood for "Don't go to church, Be the Church" weekend. Over 50 of their neighbors, children to Seniors, came to their house to eat and meet. A few of their neighbors that came, up to that day, they had only seen in passing. That night they did not just learn their neighbor's names, they laid a foundation of friendship that they are continuing to build upon.
The Gillilands shared how this has opened the door for them to share about their faith in Christ and their church family. The reason they are sharing is because their neighbor's are asking. Then, last Saturday evening their was a knock on the door. Three little girls, sisters, were standing in the cold when Stephen opened the door. The girls said, "Grandpa Steve, can we have a cup of milk?" The mother was too embarrassed to make the request, but the girls were not. Stephen had just bought a fresh gallon that day. He gave it all to the girls. All of this because they opened their home and said come on in.
How can we love our neighbor as Jesus commands, if we do not even know our neighbors? I will be the first to admit, I am quite comfortable not knowing my neighbors, but from the day we moved in three years ago, God challenged us that loving our neighbors requires us to get to know them. So, Kimberly and I have seized every opportunity possible to get to know our neighbors. What we have discovered is we truly do love our neighbors. We have great neighbors. Of course, you wonder if they think the same of you. Then this month we received an invitation from two different neighbors to come to their homes.
My point is, this: God does not have you in your neighborhood, country home, apartment complex or condo so you can keep to yourself and escape the world. He has you there to be the Church where you live. You are there to make Christ's love tangible. The question is are you?
If not, it does not take a lot. A simple wandering across the street and knocking on the door is a great start. Making sure your light is on to hand out candy on Halloween is an even easier opportunity--your neighbor's will actually come to you. Just do something to love your neighbor and then don't be surprised when you are the one God uses to fill a child's cup with milk and a families hearts with hope.
The Gillilands shared how this has opened the door for them to share about their faith in Christ and their church family. The reason they are sharing is because their neighbor's are asking. Then, last Saturday evening their was a knock on the door. Three little girls, sisters, were standing in the cold when Stephen opened the door. The girls said, "Grandpa Steve, can we have a cup of milk?" The mother was too embarrassed to make the request, but the girls were not. Stephen had just bought a fresh gallon that day. He gave it all to the girls. All of this because they opened their home and said come on in.
How can we love our neighbor as Jesus commands, if we do not even know our neighbors? I will be the first to admit, I am quite comfortable not knowing my neighbors, but from the day we moved in three years ago, God challenged us that loving our neighbors requires us to get to know them. So, Kimberly and I have seized every opportunity possible to get to know our neighbors. What we have discovered is we truly do love our neighbors. We have great neighbors. Of course, you wonder if they think the same of you. Then this month we received an invitation from two different neighbors to come to their homes.
My point is, this: God does not have you in your neighborhood, country home, apartment complex or condo so you can keep to yourself and escape the world. He has you there to be the Church where you live. You are there to make Christ's love tangible. The question is are you?
If not, it does not take a lot. A simple wandering across the street and knocking on the door is a great start. Making sure your light is on to hand out candy on Halloween is an even easier opportunity--your neighbor's will actually come to you. Just do something to love your neighbor and then don't be surprised when you are the one God uses to fill a child's cup with milk and a families hearts with hope.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
"Everything I touch I mess up"
It seems that everything I do this week, I mess up. I have sent people the wrong letters. I confused a meeting with the wrong date. I thought I was helping a situation and found out I was just messing things up. Everything I touch I seem to mess up this week. I am not looking for pity. I can wallow it that all by myself. This week in a very real way, I have been reminded of how weak I am. This week, in a fresh and real way I have been reminded of how prone I am to error.
So, what shall be my response? In days past I would relentlessly beat myself up. In some sick way, I really believed that if I punished myself long enough, then some how that would make up for my mistakes. But that is the old and Jesus has and is continually making me new "by the renewing of my mind." Even today he has reminded me that "in my weakness, his power is made perfect." Even now he reminds me that, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Even now I am reminded that "apart from Christ I can do nothing" but "I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength." Jesus even looks me in the eye through his Word and says, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
The old Chad would have wallowed in pity and then beaten himself up for days, making me of no use to God or anyone, but I just want to give credit to Jesus' healing truth. I stand on who Christ is and what he has done and not on who I am or what I can do. Hallelujah!
Thank you for listening and if you are struggling today, I pray that even now you will be lifted up!
So, what shall be my response? In days past I would relentlessly beat myself up. In some sick way, I really believed that if I punished myself long enough, then some how that would make up for my mistakes. But that is the old and Jesus has and is continually making me new "by the renewing of my mind." Even today he has reminded me that "in my weakness, his power is made perfect." Even now he reminds me that, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Even now I am reminded that "apart from Christ I can do nothing" but "I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength." Jesus even looks me in the eye through his Word and says, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
The old Chad would have wallowed in pity and then beaten himself up for days, making me of no use to God or anyone, but I just want to give credit to Jesus' healing truth. I stand on who Christ is and what he has done and not on who I am or what I can do. Hallelujah!
Thank you for listening and if you are struggling today, I pray that even now you will be lifted up!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
"A Jogger's Invitation"
This story was shared with me from this past Sunday.
A first time guest joined us for worship. Someone asked her how she found Living Hope. She replied, "A jogger told me about you." She went on to explain,"I was driving around town looking for a church. I saw a jogger. I pulled over and asked him if he knew of a good church for me to visit. The jogger told me to check out the church two doors down at Mcewen. He told me that the church was 'good people and they do a lot to help others.' So, I came in for a visit."
Living Hope Church, thank you for BEING the church! I hope you receive this as encouragement and affirmation that stepping out to be poured out is making a difference. Even a jogger who does not attend Living Hope, but lives in the community, sees something of God in you. Praise God! Praise God!
See you this weekend for our "Don't Go to Church, Be the Church!"
A first time guest joined us for worship. Someone asked her how she found Living Hope. She replied, "A jogger told me about you." She went on to explain,"I was driving around town looking for a church. I saw a jogger. I pulled over and asked him if he knew of a good church for me to visit. The jogger told me to check out the church two doors down at Mcewen. He told me that the church was 'good people and they do a lot to help others.' So, I came in for a visit."
Living Hope Church, thank you for BEING the church! I hope you receive this as encouragement and affirmation that stepping out to be poured out is making a difference. Even a jogger who does not attend Living Hope, but lives in the community, sees something of God in you. Praise God! Praise God!
See you this weekend for our "Don't Go to Church, Be the Church!"
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
"The Waves"
When we were on vacation we spent some time at my cousins home. They live about 15 minutes from the beach. One day we all packed up and spent half a day playing in the sand and splashing in the sea.
It was interesting that both Anna and Seth specifically and separately asked me this question, "Daddy, you won't let the waves knock me over will you?" They both wanted to enjoy playing in the ocean, but they wanted to be certain that they would not be knocked down and drug under the water by a wave. As a father who is well aware of his weaknesses, I was quick to give a very honest reply, "Anna," I said, "Seth, " I said, "I will do my best to keep us from being knocked down by the waves, but I can't promise we will not fall. But if waves do knock us down, I will make sure we both get back up." They both seemed OK with that answer and so in the water we went.
As I was thinking about this, my first thought was to write, "You know, as an earthly Father I cannot promise the waves of life won't knock us down, but our heavenly Father can make that promise." Now, that sounds very nice and I very much appreciate such assuring words. It is comforting to think that God will always keep me safe.
However, God does not make us that promise. When we ask, "Father, you won't let the waves knock me down will you?" We want him to say, "Of course not, my child. I will keep you safe." But he does not make that promise. He says the rain falls on the just and the unjust and yet that does not at all diminish his love for his children ( my paraphrase of Matthew 6:45). Faith is not knowing that God will not let the waves of life knock us down. Faith is knowing that even if the waves knock me down, God will get me back up.
I wonder how many Christ Followers play it too safe? You are waiting for clear skies and calm seas before you set sail in trusting God in anything. You might as well leave the marina, because God does not promise you or me smooth sailing. In fact, there are many more biblical references that warn you of wild waves than tranquil seas. Noah went on a 40 day nightmare of a cruise, Jonah saw the inside of a fish, Daniel slept with lions, 3 faithful Hebrew friends faced the furnace, Moses wandered the dessert with complaining people for 40 years, Paul was stoned, imprisoned, beaten, shipwrecked and bit by a snake...o, and, well, Jesus was hung on a cross. Does God promise you not to be knocked down by waves, let me put it as gently as I know how, "NO!"
And yet, he asks you to walk out into the ocean any way. Without apology, he asks you to risk everything not knowing what the outcome will be...will you be found standing? Or will you be swept away by the rip tide? Faith is moving forward before you know the answer.
But one thing you can know is that whether you stand in the waves or they knock you down, your Father will be there to pick you back up. Water may fill your mouth, the salt may sting your eyes, you may feel like you are going to die...you may even die...but one way or the other, if your are his, then he will pick you up.
Normally, it is at this point that I find a nice Scripture to sum it all up. The truth is the Bible is full of stories and verses that say what I have just shared. You don't need me to find one for you. You need to find your own. Find your own promise of God's to stand on because one thing is for sure: If you re going to follow Jesus, he is going to call you out into the deep and where he calls you there will be waves and where there are waves you may get knocked down.
It was interesting that both Anna and Seth specifically and separately asked me this question, "Daddy, you won't let the waves knock me over will you?" They both wanted to enjoy playing in the ocean, but they wanted to be certain that they would not be knocked down and drug under the water by a wave. As a father who is well aware of his weaknesses, I was quick to give a very honest reply, "Anna," I said, "Seth, " I said, "I will do my best to keep us from being knocked down by the waves, but I can't promise we will not fall. But if waves do knock us down, I will make sure we both get back up." They both seemed OK with that answer and so in the water we went.
As I was thinking about this, my first thought was to write, "You know, as an earthly Father I cannot promise the waves of life won't knock us down, but our heavenly Father can make that promise." Now, that sounds very nice and I very much appreciate such assuring words. It is comforting to think that God will always keep me safe.
However, God does not make us that promise. When we ask, "Father, you won't let the waves knock me down will you?" We want him to say, "Of course not, my child. I will keep you safe." But he does not make that promise. He says the rain falls on the just and the unjust and yet that does not at all diminish his love for his children ( my paraphrase of Matthew 6:45). Faith is not knowing that God will not let the waves of life knock us down. Faith is knowing that even if the waves knock me down, God will get me back up.
I wonder how many Christ Followers play it too safe? You are waiting for clear skies and calm seas before you set sail in trusting God in anything. You might as well leave the marina, because God does not promise you or me smooth sailing. In fact, there are many more biblical references that warn you of wild waves than tranquil seas. Noah went on a 40 day nightmare of a cruise, Jonah saw the inside of a fish, Daniel slept with lions, 3 faithful Hebrew friends faced the furnace, Moses wandered the dessert with complaining people for 40 years, Paul was stoned, imprisoned, beaten, shipwrecked and bit by a snake...o, and, well, Jesus was hung on a cross. Does God promise you not to be knocked down by waves, let me put it as gently as I know how, "NO!"
And yet, he asks you to walk out into the ocean any way. Without apology, he asks you to risk everything not knowing what the outcome will be...will you be found standing? Or will you be swept away by the rip tide? Faith is moving forward before you know the answer.
But one thing you can know is that whether you stand in the waves or they knock you down, your Father will be there to pick you back up. Water may fill your mouth, the salt may sting your eyes, you may feel like you are going to die...you may even die...but one way or the other, if your are his, then he will pick you up.
Normally, it is at this point that I find a nice Scripture to sum it all up. The truth is the Bible is full of stories and verses that say what I have just shared. You don't need me to find one for you. You need to find your own. Find your own promise of God's to stand on because one thing is for sure: If you re going to follow Jesus, he is going to call you out into the deep and where he calls you there will be waves and where there are waves you may get knocked down.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
"The Cherry in Pepto-Bismol"
I just want to publicly thank the folks that came up with the idea of flavoring Pepto-Bismol with cherry. For years I have turned to Pepto-Bismol for digestive aid (hope that's not TMI). All those years, the original taste about made me gag. However, the cherry flavoring has completely changed the experience. I actually enjoy taking two tablespoons of the pink product. So, thank you for using modern technology to not only aid my digestive tract but comfort my taste buds. I am a grateful customer.
I think we could all learn something from Pepto-Bismol. Its manufacturer figured out that if you can make it taste better, people are more likely to swallow it. I wonder how beneficial learning this lesson could be for our relationships with others? Most of us, even the least confrontational of us, when we are pushed far enough manage to blurt out words of truth, that may be truth, but because they lack flavoring, the one who needs to hear it the most won't ever swallow it.
Proverbs 15:1, puts it like this, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
Now, there is truth to live by! What kind of impact could this make on our marriages, our conversations with our children, our interactions with our co-workers, our dealings with customer service, etc? Proverbs 15:1 tells us what would happen. Truth in our relationships is just like Pepto-Bismol...its a whole lot easier to swallow when flavored with the cherry called gentleness.
I think we could all learn something from Pepto-Bismol. Its manufacturer figured out that if you can make it taste better, people are more likely to swallow it. I wonder how beneficial learning this lesson could be for our relationships with others? Most of us, even the least confrontational of us, when we are pushed far enough manage to blurt out words of truth, that may be truth, but because they lack flavoring, the one who needs to hear it the most won't ever swallow it.
Proverbs 15:1, puts it like this, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
Now, there is truth to live by! What kind of impact could this make on our marriages, our conversations with our children, our interactions with our co-workers, our dealings with customer service, etc? Proverbs 15:1 tells us what would happen. Truth in our relationships is just like Pepto-Bismol...its a whole lot easier to swallow when flavored with the cherry called gentleness.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
"Pulling Weeds"
It seems that the only thing really growing in my yard these days are weeds. Up until the past month I was especially proud of how green and weed-free my front yard had remained. Those days are gone!
On Monday, I bent over a pulled a weed..then I pulled another...then another...before long I had pulled every weed in the main part of my front yard. Last night I started pulling weeds on the side of my house. I pulled one weed, then another, then another...Next thing I knew, Anna was pulling weeds, then Kimberly and then Seth started taking piles of weeds to a pile in the back yard.
As I was pulling weeds, I noticed something. As long as I focused on one weed at a time, I made progress. The moment I stood back and saw all the weeds in the yard, I wanted to give up. I think the same applies to the weeds in our lives. I wonder how often we defeat what God could do in us because we see how far we have to go, become overwhelmed and give up before he can start. What if all God is looking for is someone to let him pull one weed at a time? What if instead of looking at loosing 70 pounds, we just looked at loosing one pound? What if instead of trying to work on ten things wrong in our marriage, we sat down and began to look at just one? What if instead of trying to read the entire Bible, we determined to read just one chapter or even one verse a day? What if instead of wrestling with all our hurts, we started bringing just one to the Father? Then, as we watch God pull that one weed, we would be ready, open and energized to let him take us to the next. I really think Satan helps us see everything that is wrong, so that we cannot focus on the next one thing God wants to make right.
Over and over again that is how Jesus said the Kingdom of God works in our world. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough" Matthew 13:33. The weeds of our lives and of this world can be eliminated...hunger can be stamped out, human trafficking can be brought to an end, every orphan can be cared for, poverty can be broken one weed at a time. And if every church would pull just one weed, just think of how beautiful the landscape of this world could become!
Let's go pull a weed!
On Monday, I bent over a pulled a weed..then I pulled another...then another...before long I had pulled every weed in the main part of my front yard. Last night I started pulling weeds on the side of my house. I pulled one weed, then another, then another...Next thing I knew, Anna was pulling weeds, then Kimberly and then Seth started taking piles of weeds to a pile in the back yard.
As I was pulling weeds, I noticed something. As long as I focused on one weed at a time, I made progress. The moment I stood back and saw all the weeds in the yard, I wanted to give up. I think the same applies to the weeds in our lives. I wonder how often we defeat what God could do in us because we see how far we have to go, become overwhelmed and give up before he can start. What if all God is looking for is someone to let him pull one weed at a time? What if instead of looking at loosing 70 pounds, we just looked at loosing one pound? What if instead of trying to work on ten things wrong in our marriage, we sat down and began to look at just one? What if instead of trying to read the entire Bible, we determined to read just one chapter or even one verse a day? What if instead of wrestling with all our hurts, we started bringing just one to the Father? Then, as we watch God pull that one weed, we would be ready, open and energized to let him take us to the next. I really think Satan helps us see everything that is wrong, so that we cannot focus on the next one thing God wants to make right.
Over and over again that is how Jesus said the Kingdom of God works in our world. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough" Matthew 13:33. The weeds of our lives and of this world can be eliminated...hunger can be stamped out, human trafficking can be brought to an end, every orphan can be cared for, poverty can be broken one weed at a time. And if every church would pull just one weed, just think of how beautiful the landscape of this world could become!
Let's go pull a weed!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
"100 MPH"
Do you ever feel like you are going 100 MPH? For those families whose children started back to school today, you may even feel like you have whiplash. It is go here...run there...back to the house...grab a bite to eat and don't let the door hit you as you leave...zoooom...daaaash...(hey, give me a break...it is hard to make fast car noises in type)...100 MPH! If you ever feel like that, then know that you are not alone. I feel like I have been going 100 MPH today.
Let's face it...we live in a culture that values speed. Our culture gives us the message every day that the prize goes to the one who can cram the most in and get the most done in the fastest time. Of course, no one knows what the prize is... Unless, you count heartburn, headaches, short-tempers, negative attitudes and insomnia as prizes. I don't count them as prizes, but I can count on them to be my norm when I expect of my self, my life and my family to keep going 100 MPH, 7 days a week.
However, can I let you in on a little secret our culture does not want you to know? I am looking over my shoulder as I type, hoping that the cultural KGB will not bust down my door for what I am about to share. Are you ready? This could change everything for you and me...here it is:
Just because our culture tells us everyone has to go 100 MPH every day, does not mean we have to live that way.
I know...its completely counter cultural, but is true! I can pull off the highway. It OK to take a side road where the speed limit is only 25 MPH. Heck...you can even pull off at a rest area for a while. I know..this is hard for most of us...we feel like we need to be going all the time. We feel like rest is a waste. We feel guilty if we are not being productive every second. We think it is normal to be busy from dawn to dusk. Friends, its not normal...its INSANE!
I am drawn back to the Scripture we looked at on Sunday in Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." The truth is pulling off the highway and being intentional about rest, recreation and reflection is not counter-productive it helps you to be more productive because it renews your strength.
We all complain about our busyness. Why not quit complaining and do something about it?! There is no better time than the first day of school to be intentional about being counter cultural in this way. Here are some ideas:
* Establish a "Nothing" night one night a week. Whether this is the same night every night or determined at the on-set of each new week. You and your family will come to look forward to this night in which nothing is planned...nothing has to be done at home or any where else...it will become an evening of refuge that you will anticipate together.
* Establish a daily time of quiet for just you and your Father in heaven. I use a time of journaling and Scripture reading to help me find my Center for the day. An evening walk is also a great time of re-focusing on God for me. It is amazing how this renews my strength. God is near. The question is where are we?
* Block out sabbath time. What do you do before and after worship? Don't just count the hour here on Sunday as worship. Give yourself an hour before worship to begin changing channels. Keep the TV off and find ways to turn your heart and mind on to the things of God. Do this as a family. Then after worship use the ride home to talk about not just what was said, but what it was speaking to you personally. Let the conversation go as long or as short as needed. Then pray silently or out loud together that what God said on Sunday stays with you and is played out all week.
* Budget for a vacation. We have made a decision we will do without many other things during the year (Cable TV, texting, eating out, etc.) so we can save enough money each year to get away. Whether you can get away for a day, a weekend or a week, getting away does the heart good. It is like an annual sabbatical.
The list of ideas could go on and on, but ideas mean nothing unless they are put into action. I challenge us, church, to be boldly counter cultural in this way. If others want to go 100 MPH, 7 days a week, they can do so. I will pray for them as they crash and burn. But as for me and my house, we be intentional about pulling off the highway so we can enjoy the scenic route occasionally and the rest stops regularly.
Let's face it...we live in a culture that values speed. Our culture gives us the message every day that the prize goes to the one who can cram the most in and get the most done in the fastest time. Of course, no one knows what the prize is... Unless, you count heartburn, headaches, short-tempers, negative attitudes and insomnia as prizes. I don't count them as prizes, but I can count on them to be my norm when I expect of my self, my life and my family to keep going 100 MPH, 7 days a week.
However, can I let you in on a little secret our culture does not want you to know? I am looking over my shoulder as I type, hoping that the cultural KGB will not bust down my door for what I am about to share. Are you ready? This could change everything for you and me...here it is:
Just because our culture tells us everyone has to go 100 MPH every day, does not mean we have to live that way.
I know...its completely counter cultural, but is true! I can pull off the highway. It OK to take a side road where the speed limit is only 25 MPH. Heck...you can even pull off at a rest area for a while. I know..this is hard for most of us...we feel like we need to be going all the time. We feel like rest is a waste. We feel guilty if we are not being productive every second. We think it is normal to be busy from dawn to dusk. Friends, its not normal...its INSANE!
I am drawn back to the Scripture we looked at on Sunday in Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." The truth is pulling off the highway and being intentional about rest, recreation and reflection is not counter-productive it helps you to be more productive because it renews your strength.
We all complain about our busyness. Why not quit complaining and do something about it?! There is no better time than the first day of school to be intentional about being counter cultural in this way. Here are some ideas:
* Establish a "Nothing" night one night a week. Whether this is the same night every night or determined at the on-set of each new week. You and your family will come to look forward to this night in which nothing is planned...nothing has to be done at home or any where else...it will become an evening of refuge that you will anticipate together.
* Establish a daily time of quiet for just you and your Father in heaven. I use a time of journaling and Scripture reading to help me find my Center for the day. An evening walk is also a great time of re-focusing on God for me. It is amazing how this renews my strength. God is near. The question is where are we?
* Block out sabbath time. What do you do before and after worship? Don't just count the hour here on Sunday as worship. Give yourself an hour before worship to begin changing channels. Keep the TV off and find ways to turn your heart and mind on to the things of God. Do this as a family. Then after worship use the ride home to talk about not just what was said, but what it was speaking to you personally. Let the conversation go as long or as short as needed. Then pray silently or out loud together that what God said on Sunday stays with you and is played out all week.
* Budget for a vacation. We have made a decision we will do without many other things during the year (Cable TV, texting, eating out, etc.) so we can save enough money each year to get away. Whether you can get away for a day, a weekend or a week, getting away does the heart good. It is like an annual sabbatical.
The list of ideas could go on and on, but ideas mean nothing unless they are put into action. I challenge us, church, to be boldly counter cultural in this way. If others want to go 100 MPH, 7 days a week, they can do so. I will pray for them as they crash and burn. But as for me and my house, we be intentional about pulling off the highway so we can enjoy the scenic route occasionally and the rest stops regularly.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
"The Well"
When the well is dry, you can either die of thirst or dig deeper.
Jesus had something to say about that in John 7:37 & 38.
Jesus had something to say about that in John 7:37 & 38.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
"Daddy, when is Friday?"
Yesterday evening our family was taking a walk together after dinner. Anna and I began talking about Living Hope's Father/Child camp out.
She asked, "Is it time for the camp out today?"
"No," I said, "that is not till Friday."
"Friday?" She said, "When is Friday?"
Friday will not get here soon enough for her. She can't wait! She is in full anticipation of this special time. She has been asking about it since last year and talking about it regularly since I told her I signed us up a few weeks ago. Anticipation comes easily for children. Wonder, awe, hopes, dreams and even wishes come naturally to their wide-eyed perspective on the world.
Of course, we have all lived past the day of such child like luxury. We've taken a a few courses at the school of hard knocks. We long since learned that stars are just stars and nothing to wish upon. We've quit wasting money on wishing fountains. "It is what it is," we moan as we march in the ruts of life.
But, if we'll let him, Jesus has come to get in our face and challenge our lack of anticipation.
Jesus came teaching a gospel of anticipation. (By the way, just in case any one wonders, the word "gospel" means good news). He came teaching us to anticipate what is and what is to come in the Kingdom of God. Take some time to read through the parables of Jesus on the Kingdom of God. He preached anticipation into existence. He also prayed it into existence.
The Lord's Prayer is a powerful example, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name, they kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation. Deliver us from evil."
The first word prompts anticipation. Jesus tells us to approach God as "Father." Actually, even our translation of Father is too formal. The word Jesus uses is "Abba" which is better translated, "Daddy." That is a word of anticipation. Even human daddy's, at least the ones who have earned the right to be called daddy, don't withhold their love from their children. How much more so is it with your Daddy in heaven? The first words of this prayer evoke the image of a young child running shouting, "Daddy, Daddy" as his Father enters the house after a long day of work.
"Hallowed be your name" is a prayer of anticipation. It is asking God to make himself known in our lives and in our world. It is taking a realistic look at what our world puts in the spot light and saying, "Daddy, put the spot light on you."
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That is a request of bold anticipation. Jesus challenges us to not just go through the motions, but to actually, pray, act, live, expect God's Kingdom of heaven to break in on earth. What in the world are we the church doing shaking our heads at the evil and suffering of this world? our job is not to shake our heads and let the world go to hell. Our job is to redeem the world in which we live from the grips of hell's suffering and evil. 30,000 children may die daily from starvation and 200 children may be going hungry on the weekends in our community and the only option Jesus gives his Church is to do something in the name of Christ about it! Thank you for being a church that understands that this line of the Lord's prayer can only be prayed with your hands and feet moved to action as the hands of feet of Jesus' love.
"Give us this day our daily bread" is also a supplication of anticipation. Few of us know what it is like to go to bed not knowing how our basic needs will be met in the morning (However, let us not close our eyes to the millions around the world for whom this is true). But Jesus says that as his Follower we can lay our head down at night not knowing from where what we need will come, but fully anticipating that it will come. He will meet our needs.
"Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil" are also prayers of anticipation. Why do we assume defeat before the battle begins? How many of us have resigned ourselves to the fact of continual, habitual failure to sin? How many of us tell others, "That's just how I am? Its how my family as always been. Its how I will always be"? How many of us look at the mountains of evil in this life and say you can't overcome that? Jesus does not let us get away with such small thinking. He challenges us to anticipate what his death and resurrection has already guaranteed...VICTORY!
"Daddy, when is Friday?" was my daughter's question of anticipation. Jesus invites us to live in anticipation through Him..."when" is coming and he wants to make "when" now and one day "when" will be way beyond now. Will you be a Follower of Christ who prays and lives out this anticipation? Will church who anticipates God's Kingdom breaking in? Will we be a church whose love in action allows others to anticipate God among us?
She asked, "Is it time for the camp out today?"
"No," I said, "that is not till Friday."
"Friday?" She said, "When is Friday?"
Friday will not get here soon enough for her. She can't wait! She is in full anticipation of this special time. She has been asking about it since last year and talking about it regularly since I told her I signed us up a few weeks ago. Anticipation comes easily for children. Wonder, awe, hopes, dreams and even wishes come naturally to their wide-eyed perspective on the world.
Of course, we have all lived past the day of such child like luxury. We've taken a a few courses at the school of hard knocks. We long since learned that stars are just stars and nothing to wish upon. We've quit wasting money on wishing fountains. "It is what it is," we moan as we march in the ruts of life.
But, if we'll let him, Jesus has come to get in our face and challenge our lack of anticipation.
Jesus came teaching a gospel of anticipation. (By the way, just in case any one wonders, the word "gospel" means good news). He came teaching us to anticipate what is and what is to come in the Kingdom of God. Take some time to read through the parables of Jesus on the Kingdom of God. He preached anticipation into existence. He also prayed it into existence.
The Lord's Prayer is a powerful example, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name, they kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation. Deliver us from evil."
The first word prompts anticipation. Jesus tells us to approach God as "Father." Actually, even our translation of Father is too formal. The word Jesus uses is "Abba" which is better translated, "Daddy." That is a word of anticipation. Even human daddy's, at least the ones who have earned the right to be called daddy, don't withhold their love from their children. How much more so is it with your Daddy in heaven? The first words of this prayer evoke the image of a young child running shouting, "Daddy, Daddy" as his Father enters the house after a long day of work.
"Hallowed be your name" is a prayer of anticipation. It is asking God to make himself known in our lives and in our world. It is taking a realistic look at what our world puts in the spot light and saying, "Daddy, put the spot light on you."
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That is a request of bold anticipation. Jesus challenges us to not just go through the motions, but to actually, pray, act, live, expect God's Kingdom of heaven to break in on earth. What in the world are we the church doing shaking our heads at the evil and suffering of this world? our job is not to shake our heads and let the world go to hell. Our job is to redeem the world in which we live from the grips of hell's suffering and evil. 30,000 children may die daily from starvation and 200 children may be going hungry on the weekends in our community and the only option Jesus gives his Church is to do something in the name of Christ about it! Thank you for being a church that understands that this line of the Lord's prayer can only be prayed with your hands and feet moved to action as the hands of feet of Jesus' love.
"Give us this day our daily bread" is also a supplication of anticipation. Few of us know what it is like to go to bed not knowing how our basic needs will be met in the morning (However, let us not close our eyes to the millions around the world for whom this is true). But Jesus says that as his Follower we can lay our head down at night not knowing from where what we need will come, but fully anticipating that it will come. He will meet our needs.
"Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil" are also prayers of anticipation. Why do we assume defeat before the battle begins? How many of us have resigned ourselves to the fact of continual, habitual failure to sin? How many of us tell others, "That's just how I am? Its how my family as always been. Its how I will always be"? How many of us look at the mountains of evil in this life and say you can't overcome that? Jesus does not let us get away with such small thinking. He challenges us to anticipate what his death and resurrection has already guaranteed...VICTORY!
"Daddy, when is Friday?" was my daughter's question of anticipation. Jesus invites us to live in anticipation through Him..."when" is coming and he wants to make "when" now and one day "when" will be way beyond now. Will you be a Follower of Christ who prays and lives out this anticipation? Will church who anticipates God's Kingdom breaking in? Will we be a church whose love in action allows others to anticipate God among us?
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
"Roller Coaster Rides & Rocks"
I will always be loyal to the Beast as my favorite roller coaster, but I have to say the Diamond Back at Kings Island is a cool ride. I enjoy a good roller coaster...the anticipation as you make your way up the first hill...your stomach jumping to your throat as you race down that hill...the twists and curves at break-neck speeds...I love it!
However, I wish I could leave the roller coaster at the amusement park. You and I both know life can be quite a roller coaster. For instance, this week I have visited with a Mom and her newborn (Congratulations, Cameron and Marci), prayed with friends before surgery (Praying for you Heather) and met with a family to plan their loved one's funeral (We express our sympathy, Darlann).
See what I mean? Life is roller coaster...life is full of ups and downs, unexpected turns and twists and sometimes it can feel like it is going by at break-neck speeds. The roller coaster called life can leave you crying tears of joy one minute and tears of sorrow the next. Some of us do our best to try to manage the ups and downs, but the truth is most of life is completely outside our control. Our best laid plans cannot plan for the twists that lie ahead of which we presently are clueless. How do you deal with the roller coaster?
I look for a rock. Life may be a roller coaster but that does not mean I cannot get off and stand on the rock. When was the last time you stood on a huge rock? I encourage you to find one. Then climb up and stand on it. Feel how strong and stable it is under your feet. Ask a friend to push on that boulder and then stop and think about the fact that you cannot even feel the effect of all the energy they are exerting to move you. Stand on top that rock and perhaps you will have a divine encounter.
The psalmist had such an encounter. If there is one thing Israel is not in want of, it is rocks. Rocks are everywhere there! I can see the psalmist standing on one of those dessert boulders and praying these words:
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted
me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and
gave me a firm place to stand" (Psalm 40:1-2).
Just because life is a roller coaster does not mean you can't get off the ride and stand on the rock. Better put, since life is a roller coaster we cannot afford not to regularly get off and stand on the rock. As I think about this, I feel a strong pulling to the Rock. When I force myself to step off the ride and just stand on him, it is amazing how things make more sense...its incredible how peace finds its way back to my heart and mind...its astounding how much more clearly I can hear the still, small voice of God's truth...its encouraging to be reminded that no matter what happens next, in Christ, one way or the other, I will be OK. In him, my Rock, I find permission to enjoy the ride and I find something to hold onto when the ride is more than I can bear. This is no religion...this is no self-help technique...this is not about positive thinking...this kind of rock can only be found in a real and personal relationship with Jesus. He is the Rock!
I invite you to step off the roller coaster for a few minutes today. Set aside the cell phone...turn off the TV...stop doing whatever it is the roller coaster tells you that you must do...and take just a moment to stand on the ROCK.
However, I wish I could leave the roller coaster at the amusement park. You and I both know life can be quite a roller coaster. For instance, this week I have visited with a Mom and her newborn (Congratulations, Cameron and Marci), prayed with friends before surgery (Praying for you Heather) and met with a family to plan their loved one's funeral (We express our sympathy, Darlann).
See what I mean? Life is roller coaster...life is full of ups and downs, unexpected turns and twists and sometimes it can feel like it is going by at break-neck speeds. The roller coaster called life can leave you crying tears of joy one minute and tears of sorrow the next. Some of us do our best to try to manage the ups and downs, but the truth is most of life is completely outside our control. Our best laid plans cannot plan for the twists that lie ahead of which we presently are clueless. How do you deal with the roller coaster?
I look for a rock. Life may be a roller coaster but that does not mean I cannot get off and stand on the rock. When was the last time you stood on a huge rock? I encourage you to find one. Then climb up and stand on it. Feel how strong and stable it is under your feet. Ask a friend to push on that boulder and then stop and think about the fact that you cannot even feel the effect of all the energy they are exerting to move you. Stand on top that rock and perhaps you will have a divine encounter.
The psalmist had such an encounter. If there is one thing Israel is not in want of, it is rocks. Rocks are everywhere there! I can see the psalmist standing on one of those dessert boulders and praying these words:
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted
me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and
gave me a firm place to stand" (Psalm 40:1-2).
Just because life is a roller coaster does not mean you can't get off the ride and stand on the rock. Better put, since life is a roller coaster we cannot afford not to regularly get off and stand on the rock. As I think about this, I feel a strong pulling to the Rock. When I force myself to step off the ride and just stand on him, it is amazing how things make more sense...its incredible how peace finds its way back to my heart and mind...its astounding how much more clearly I can hear the still, small voice of God's truth...its encouraging to be reminded that no matter what happens next, in Christ, one way or the other, I will be OK. In him, my Rock, I find permission to enjoy the ride and I find something to hold onto when the ride is more than I can bear. This is no religion...this is no self-help technique...this is not about positive thinking...this kind of rock can only be found in a real and personal relationship with Jesus. He is the Rock!
I invite you to step off the roller coaster for a few minutes today. Set aside the cell phone...turn off the TV...stop doing whatever it is the roller coaster tells you that you must do...and take just a moment to stand on the ROCK.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
"Not Responsible"
Have you ever noticed just how many "Not Responsible" signs are posted here and there?
"We are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property," warns one parking
lot sign.
A dump truck traveling down I-75 in front of me, throwing rocks at my
windshield, had this sign plastered on its rear, "Not responsible for damage
caused by thrown debris"
Kings Island reminds me at every ride that I ride at my own risk and that it is
not responsible for my bodily harm or death.
I seem to be seeing "Not Responsible" signs in more and more places. It makes me wonder, who is responsible?
Never is that question more important than when it comes to our children and teens. Who is responsible for the physical, emotional and spiritual health of the next generation?
The first answer to that question is obvious. We parents are first and foremost charged with that responsibility. Somewhere along the way it seems our culture has deceived us into delegating the responsibility of our children to others. We were told to leave the teaching to the schools, the preaching to the church, the playing to the recreational league, the babysitting to the video game and so forth. Our culture has even gone as far as to suggest that your role as a parent is less significant with each year your child ages. Its as though our culture is handing us a "Not Responsible" sign and urging us to put the responsibility for our child into some one else hands.
I want to encourage you, parents, don't let anyone or anything diminish your influence in your child's life. God gave that child to you. You and I can either play the role of the victim or we can play the role of parent and make sure that for every voice our child hears, they also hear ours.
That being said, I have already felt the overwhelming responsibility of parenting and my kids have not even started school. That is why I am thankful that at Living Hope, so many of you take on the role spiritual parents to my and the other children and teens of our church family. One of the reasons we do not hire a Children's Pastor is because we do not waqt to do anything to lessen the participation and buy in we have from so many of you in our children's ministry. It is powerful for a child to see multiple adults pouring into their lives every week in the Kidz Zone classes, Transitions (6th graders), FUEL Teen ministry and Kidz Bible Quizzing. The children experience first hand that it is not just mom or dad who says loving God and others matters most, but many, many others!
This week is fantastic example. Almost 80 adults are serving almost 200 children in our High Seas Adventure Vacation Bible School. It is powerful to see men and women, many of whom do not have children who are VBS age, investing so much in our children. Thank you! As a pastor and, even more so, as a parent I say, "Thank you for not putting up the 'Not Responsible' sign."
Next week our teens will head to Nashville for a Mission Trip. They will have a blast while they make a significant difference. But none of that would happen, if not for the committed adult leaders, many of whom, who do not even have teens of their own, taking vacation days from work to serve your teens. Because these adult leaders do not hang up a "Not Responsible" sign, the teens of Living Hope not only will make an impact and be impacted on the mission trip, they have that opportunity every week in our FUEL small group at the Nuckols home in Springboro. (Just on a side note, I cannot for the life of me figure out why some parents make it a priority to get their teens to everything but the youth ministry).
In short, be encouraged, parents, to take full responsibility for your child. Living Hope Church, I encourage you to not weary in the good you invest in children and teens here. You are all doing an incredible work of God and only time will tell, and perhaps only heaven will fully reveal, just how much of a difference you have made by changing a diaper on Sunday, going to a quiz meet on a Saturday, piling in a van for a teen mission trip in the summer or passing out snacks to 200 hundred little hands in VBS.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 affirms your value as it says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your children. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
"We are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property," warns one parking
lot sign.
A dump truck traveling down I-75 in front of me, throwing rocks at my
windshield, had this sign plastered on its rear, "Not responsible for damage
caused by thrown debris"
Kings Island reminds me at every ride that I ride at my own risk and that it is
not responsible for my bodily harm or death.
I seem to be seeing "Not Responsible" signs in more and more places. It makes me wonder, who is responsible?
Never is that question more important than when it comes to our children and teens. Who is responsible for the physical, emotional and spiritual health of the next generation?
The first answer to that question is obvious. We parents are first and foremost charged with that responsibility. Somewhere along the way it seems our culture has deceived us into delegating the responsibility of our children to others. We were told to leave the teaching to the schools, the preaching to the church, the playing to the recreational league, the babysitting to the video game and so forth. Our culture has even gone as far as to suggest that your role as a parent is less significant with each year your child ages. Its as though our culture is handing us a "Not Responsible" sign and urging us to put the responsibility for our child into some one else hands.
I want to encourage you, parents, don't let anyone or anything diminish your influence in your child's life. God gave that child to you. You and I can either play the role of the victim or we can play the role of parent and make sure that for every voice our child hears, they also hear ours.
That being said, I have already felt the overwhelming responsibility of parenting and my kids have not even started school. That is why I am thankful that at Living Hope, so many of you take on the role spiritual parents to my and the other children and teens of our church family. One of the reasons we do not hire a Children's Pastor is because we do not waqt to do anything to lessen the participation and buy in we have from so many of you in our children's ministry. It is powerful for a child to see multiple adults pouring into their lives every week in the Kidz Zone classes, Transitions (6th graders), FUEL Teen ministry and Kidz Bible Quizzing. The children experience first hand that it is not just mom or dad who says loving God and others matters most, but many, many others!
This week is fantastic example. Almost 80 adults are serving almost 200 children in our High Seas Adventure Vacation Bible School. It is powerful to see men and women, many of whom do not have children who are VBS age, investing so much in our children. Thank you! As a pastor and, even more so, as a parent I say, "Thank you for not putting up the 'Not Responsible' sign."
Next week our teens will head to Nashville for a Mission Trip. They will have a blast while they make a significant difference. But none of that would happen, if not for the committed adult leaders, many of whom, who do not even have teens of their own, taking vacation days from work to serve your teens. Because these adult leaders do not hang up a "Not Responsible" sign, the teens of Living Hope not only will make an impact and be impacted on the mission trip, they have that opportunity every week in our FUEL small group at the Nuckols home in Springboro. (Just on a side note, I cannot for the life of me figure out why some parents make it a priority to get their teens to everything but the youth ministry).
In short, be encouraged, parents, to take full responsibility for your child. Living Hope Church, I encourage you to not weary in the good you invest in children and teens here. You are all doing an incredible work of God and only time will tell, and perhaps only heaven will fully reveal, just how much of a difference you have made by changing a diaper on Sunday, going to a quiz meet on a Saturday, piling in a van for a teen mission trip in the summer or passing out snacks to 200 hundred little hands in VBS.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 affirms your value as it says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your children. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
"Consumer or Consumed"
I have a pet peeve with those who work at fast food cash registers. I hate it when I walk up to order and the cashier just stares at me. I hate it when he or she says nothing...no, "Hi, how can I help you? or "May I take your order?" More and more I seem to be meeting cashiers who just stare at me. How am I suppose to know if he or she is ready to take my order? So, I have started staring back. I refuse to guess when they are ready to take my order. If they're ready, they can tell me. Otherwise, I will stare as long as they want. It is now a meter of principle. I can feel my blood pressure rising even as I type.
Why do I feel so strongly about this? I suppose it is because some where along the way I bought into the message that "The customer is always right." So, when the fast food clerk refuses to have the decency to ask for my order I feel he/she has violated my consumer rights.
Ah, yes, consumerism runs thick in my veins. I suppose there is a place for it. After all, we are all consumers. We consume air, food and so forth. However, consumerism is a spiritual growth killer for the individual Follower of Christ and for the Church. What is really frightening is that the consumer mind set is so brought with us into the church that we even say out loud, "We are shopping for a church right now." What? One cannot shop for a church. A church is not something you buy or some place you go, a church, the Church is a people, not a product. Being involved in the life of the church, God's Body on earth, is something that is costly--it costs time, money, talent, energy and more. Church is not something I attend, but something I live. The hour on Sunday, is merely the place to come together as one Body to be sent out to serve and live out the love of Jesus 24/7. Jesus put it this way in Matthew 16:25, "Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever looses his life for the sake of the gospel gain it." That completely blows my consumer mindset to kingdom come!
I want to thank you for being a church that has always allowed us to not be a consumer driven church. That day we start catering to what church people want, need or prefer, is the day we become ingrown and absorbed in self-preservation. Like it or not, we are who we are at Living Hope. We don't care about how you dress, whetehr or not you spill coffee on the carpet or if you like the music or not.
What makes you an incredible church is that instead of being consumer-driven, you are letting God consume you in a real relationship with Him and others that is transforming you more and more into his likeness because you recognize that to grow we have to be connected, which then fills you up to be poured out to Be the love of Christ to others!
This Saturday is a great example. The total number of sign ups for the Kids Against Hunger Factory are 392! Consumer driven people don't sign up o serve even when 1 person + 2 hours = 1 child fed for 1 year who would otherwise starve to death!
Why do I feel so strongly about this? I suppose it is because some where along the way I bought into the message that "The customer is always right." So, when the fast food clerk refuses to have the decency to ask for my order I feel he/she has violated my consumer rights.
Ah, yes, consumerism runs thick in my veins. I suppose there is a place for it. After all, we are all consumers. We consume air, food and so forth. However, consumerism is a spiritual growth killer for the individual Follower of Christ and for the Church. What is really frightening is that the consumer mind set is so brought with us into the church that we even say out loud, "We are shopping for a church right now." What? One cannot shop for a church. A church is not something you buy or some place you go, a church, the Church is a people, not a product. Being involved in the life of the church, God's Body on earth, is something that is costly--it costs time, money, talent, energy and more. Church is not something I attend, but something I live. The hour on Sunday, is merely the place to come together as one Body to be sent out to serve and live out the love of Jesus 24/7. Jesus put it this way in Matthew 16:25, "Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever looses his life for the sake of the gospel gain it." That completely blows my consumer mindset to kingdom come!
I want to thank you for being a church that has always allowed us to not be a consumer driven church. That day we start catering to what church people want, need or prefer, is the day we become ingrown and absorbed in self-preservation. Like it or not, we are who we are at Living Hope. We don't care about how you dress, whetehr or not you spill coffee on the carpet or if you like the music or not.
What makes you an incredible church is that instead of being consumer-driven, you are letting God consume you in a real relationship with Him and others that is transforming you more and more into his likeness because you recognize that to grow we have to be connected, which then fills you up to be poured out to Be the love of Christ to others!
This Saturday is a great example. The total number of sign ups for the Kids Against Hunger Factory are 392! Consumer driven people don't sign up o serve even when 1 person + 2 hours = 1 child fed for 1 year who would otherwise starve to death!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
"For Nothing is Impossible with God"
Last month was my 11 year anniversary at Living Hope. I vividly recall, my first month here in Centerville. I was handed the keys to a building that housed a church that had completely disseminated. Everyone I met, seemed to say, "For some reason a church never seems to fly there." I was young, inexperienced and very much aware of my inadequacies.
One night, I laid in my bed, unable to sleep and sobbed. I mean I broke. Had anyone been with me, I would have been embarrassed. As I cried, I prayed...better put, I wallowed in fear and self-pity...I cried out, "God, I don't know what I am doing. I don't know how lead a church that is established let alone start a new church. I don't have enough experience. I am so young that people look at me as a kid not a pastor. What if this all fails? What if everyone figures out how scared I am?" I poured out my honest confession to the Father. And somewhere in the midst of my crying, questioning and doubting, the Father interrupted me. His word to me was clear and concise, "Luke 1:37, 'For nothing is impossible with God."
God was asking me to make up my mind where I would put my faith. Would I put my faith in myself, my abilities, my resources, my experience, my education or would I put my faith in him? Would I dare to believe his promise, "For nothing is impossible with God." What choice did I have? I knew I could not do it. And that day, by his grace, I dared to believe he could do anything! I have carried that truth with me ever since. Sometimes that truth encourages me and sometimes it convicts me, but for 11 years now it has been a rock on which I have found solid ground. Praise God! Hallelujah! Our Father is faithful to his word!
I write these words after just returning form Centerville High School. I was invited to represent our (and 6 other churches and multiple local businesses and organizations)Food 2 Go ministry. I shared the heart of Food 2 Go to 20 High School Students and three adult advisors, who deemed Food 2 go to be one of four finalists for Spirit Chain (an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for charity).
I was given the honor to share that 6 churches and multiple other groups are working together to wipe out child hood hunger in our community. One of the School District's social workers rearranged her schedule to come and speak with me about Food 2 Go. A high-up administrator saw Linda Parks, who came with me, and shared how Food 2 Go is valued by the school district for the impact it is making on the children, the Elk Enterprise Special Needs Students and the community as a whole. (That reminds me, last month, I had the honor of praying at the Dedication ceremony for the new Public Works building. The Mayor, started the ceremony by sharing with the audience about Living Hope and the 5 churches that work together through Food 2 Go).
What is this? A public School inviting a church to share? What is this? Government officials talking about churches at public events? Al I can say is, "For nothing is impossible with God!"
And you know, what, that is just one example. This Sunday I will share a huge "For nothing is impossible with God" moment as I share about the Pancake Breakfast giving. And then the list could easily go on from there...from the 52% who are taking their faith so seriously they are involved in small groups and discipleship, to our healing ministries (Celebrate Recovery, Prayer Ministry for inner Healing, Freedom from Anger), to Bloc 25, to Vacation Bible School, to our Mission Ukraine Orphanage Partnership, to the Home Repair team, to Don't go to Church Day, to the 100% offering give away, to 100 people coming to know Christ last year...and I could keep going!
And do you know why? Because nothing is impossible with God! But in order for God to do the impossible, it takes more than a pastor to believe it, it takes a whole church. Thank you for being that church! Thank you for being a church that stands up, lives out and dares to believe, "FOR NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!"
What's the impossible thing for you today? Come on...take my hand...climb up on this rock of truth and believe with me, "For nothing is impossible with God!"
One night, I laid in my bed, unable to sleep and sobbed. I mean I broke. Had anyone been with me, I would have been embarrassed. As I cried, I prayed...better put, I wallowed in fear and self-pity...I cried out, "God, I don't know what I am doing. I don't know how lead a church that is established let alone start a new church. I don't have enough experience. I am so young that people look at me as a kid not a pastor. What if this all fails? What if everyone figures out how scared I am?" I poured out my honest confession to the Father. And somewhere in the midst of my crying, questioning and doubting, the Father interrupted me. His word to me was clear and concise, "Luke 1:37, 'For nothing is impossible with God."
God was asking me to make up my mind where I would put my faith. Would I put my faith in myself, my abilities, my resources, my experience, my education or would I put my faith in him? Would I dare to believe his promise, "For nothing is impossible with God." What choice did I have? I knew I could not do it. And that day, by his grace, I dared to believe he could do anything! I have carried that truth with me ever since. Sometimes that truth encourages me and sometimes it convicts me, but for 11 years now it has been a rock on which I have found solid ground. Praise God! Hallelujah! Our Father is faithful to his word!
I write these words after just returning form Centerville High School. I was invited to represent our (and 6 other churches and multiple local businesses and organizations)Food 2 Go ministry. I shared the heart of Food 2 Go to 20 High School Students and three adult advisors, who deemed Food 2 go to be one of four finalists for Spirit Chain (an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for charity).
I was given the honor to share that 6 churches and multiple other groups are working together to wipe out child hood hunger in our community. One of the School District's social workers rearranged her schedule to come and speak with me about Food 2 Go. A high-up administrator saw Linda Parks, who came with me, and shared how Food 2 Go is valued by the school district for the impact it is making on the children, the Elk Enterprise Special Needs Students and the community as a whole. (That reminds me, last month, I had the honor of praying at the Dedication ceremony for the new Public Works building. The Mayor, started the ceremony by sharing with the audience about Living Hope and the 5 churches that work together through Food 2 Go).
What is this? A public School inviting a church to share? What is this? Government officials talking about churches at public events? Al I can say is, "For nothing is impossible with God!"
And you know, what, that is just one example. This Sunday I will share a huge "For nothing is impossible with God" moment as I share about the Pancake Breakfast giving. And then the list could easily go on from there...from the 52% who are taking their faith so seriously they are involved in small groups and discipleship, to our healing ministries (Celebrate Recovery, Prayer Ministry for inner Healing, Freedom from Anger), to Bloc 25, to Vacation Bible School, to our Mission Ukraine Orphanage Partnership, to the Home Repair team, to Don't go to Church Day, to the 100% offering give away, to 100 people coming to know Christ last year...and I could keep going!
And do you know why? Because nothing is impossible with God! But in order for God to do the impossible, it takes more than a pastor to believe it, it takes a whole church. Thank you for being that church! Thank you for being a church that stands up, lives out and dares to believe, "FOR NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!"
What's the impossible thing for you today? Come on...take my hand...climb up on this rock of truth and believe with me, "For nothing is impossible with God!"
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
"How Secure is Your Freedom?"
I hope you have a very happy Independence Day! I also hope you will consider this question as you celebrate: What if my freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others? Think about that...your freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others.
On Friday night I went to the WPAF Tattoo at which one of our Brother's in Christ, Bernie Delong, was honored for his service during the Korean War. On Sunday, Karen Alexander, gave me the Afghanistan address for her son, Jake, who is now serving his country in combat. I am quite sure these two men understand the implications of this question: What if my freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others?
You see, it is easy in the Land of the Free to not give much thought to all the other lands that make up this world that are not free and to think, "Well, that is too bad, but thank God for our freedom." However, every soldier on the front lines today understands in a very real way that the lack of freedom of others puts our freedom and their lives at stake every day.
Do you see what I mean? Your freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others. For instance, the human trafficking market is bringing in around 34 billion dollars a year. For years, people have been sold as sex and labor slaves around the world and yet little noise was made about it here in our country. And while our heads were turned to this sin, it moved into our homeland. People are now trafficked through the US into slavery. When we turn our heads to the bondage of others, Hell starts building a prison camp in our own backyards.
Furthermore, as Followers of Christ we have been given a freedom that is greater than any country, including our own, will ever know. However, our freedom in Christ (and our freedom as a nation for that matter) does not give us permission to be apathetic toward the lack of freedom toward others. I am so thankful to be a part of a church family that not only believes that but dares to live that! Thank you! Praise God for you!
That is the point of this Sunday's Pancake Breakfast! It is a reminder to us as Living Hope Church that in Christ we are never given permission for any reason to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others whether they be next door or a continent away. Sunday is a tangible way for all who participate to step down from the sidelines and get involved in doing something for 30,000 children who die every day in a world that throws 30% of its food away. Sunday is also about witness. It is a chance for us to say, "We did not cancel worship services for a Pancake Breakfast. No, this pancake breakfast is a worship service!"
If you missed the video on Sunday or want to see what we did not have time to show, go to nomorehunger.us and click on videos. It is the "Sam and Esther" story.
See you Sunday any time between 8-10 AM. Invite lots of friends and family and let's BE the CHURCH!
On Friday night I went to the WPAF Tattoo at which one of our Brother's in Christ, Bernie Delong, was honored for his service during the Korean War. On Sunday, Karen Alexander, gave me the Afghanistan address for her son, Jake, who is now serving his country in combat. I am quite sure these two men understand the implications of this question: What if my freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others?
You see, it is easy in the Land of the Free to not give much thought to all the other lands that make up this world that are not free and to think, "Well, that is too bad, but thank God for our freedom." However, every soldier on the front lines today understands in a very real way that the lack of freedom of others puts our freedom and their lives at stake every day.
Do you see what I mean? Your freedom is only as secure as the freedom of others. For instance, the human trafficking market is bringing in around 34 billion dollars a year. For years, people have been sold as sex and labor slaves around the world and yet little noise was made about it here in our country. And while our heads were turned to this sin, it moved into our homeland. People are now trafficked through the US into slavery. When we turn our heads to the bondage of others, Hell starts building a prison camp in our own backyards.
Furthermore, as Followers of Christ we have been given a freedom that is greater than any country, including our own, will ever know. However, our freedom in Christ (and our freedom as a nation for that matter) does not give us permission to be apathetic toward the lack of freedom toward others. I am so thankful to be a part of a church family that not only believes that but dares to live that! Thank you! Praise God for you!
That is the point of this Sunday's Pancake Breakfast! It is a reminder to us as Living Hope Church that in Christ we are never given permission for any reason to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others whether they be next door or a continent away. Sunday is a tangible way for all who participate to step down from the sidelines and get involved in doing something for 30,000 children who die every day in a world that throws 30% of its food away. Sunday is also about witness. It is a chance for us to say, "We did not cancel worship services for a Pancake Breakfast. No, this pancake breakfast is a worship service!"
If you missed the video on Sunday or want to see what we did not have time to show, go to nomorehunger.us and click on videos. It is the "Sam and Esther" story.
See you Sunday any time between 8-10 AM. Invite lots of friends and family and let's BE the CHURCH!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
"Through"
What if many people encounter a crisis of faith and some even lose faith simply because of a failure to understand the importance of one word. That word is "THROUGH." For instance, take a look at Isaiah 43 which serves as one among many examples of the place of "THROUGH" in our journey with Christ.
Isaiah 43: 1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 43: 1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
The Bible and, in particular, the above verses are full of God's promise to we his children. He promises us that he will be with us, he will not allow the waters to sweep us over or the flames to set us ablaze. However, he does not promise we will not go THROUGH the waters, rivers and fires. If anything, he is very honest with us. He says here that it is not if, but when we face the waters and the fire that he will sustain us with his presence.
I wonder how many people get mad at God or believe he no longer cares because some where along the way they were not informed of the THROUGH. Our Faith is a THROUGH faith. As Followers of Christ we are not exempt from or somehow protected from going THROUGH the waters and the fire. Jesus put it must straight forward when he said, "In this world you will have trouble." If you live in this world, you will walk through the waters and fires. God promises us that.
Our faith becomes real to life when we come to expect, believe and reply on God's promise to us in whatever we go THROUGH. He promises to be with us. He will go to hell and back with us...he will never leave us...we need never go it alone. He promises not to allow the waters to sweep over us. We may be neck deep in the THROUGH, but he promises to give us what we need, when we need it (not before) as the waters rise. No matter how hot it gets as you walk THROUGH the fire he promises you will not need to stop, drop or roll. Rather He will give strength, resources, hope and more so that you can keep on walking until you come out on the other side.
When we accept the THROUGH of life and what that means for our faith see the water rising and the fire spreading, instead exerting what little energy we have on wondering why God does not care or blaming God for what he has allowed, we can use that same energy to look where God is and what he has promised to do for us in the THROUGH.
What are you going THROUGH right now? Isaiah 43 is God's word of promise to you! Why not pause, meditate on it and give God a chance to make that ancient promise personal.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
"What if?"
What if the difference between those who see God working where others do not even see God has to do with the "what if?" The Bible, from beginning to end, is a story of people daring to pray and live out the, "What if?"
Noah asked, "What if that really is God telling me to build a huge ship in the middle of the desert?
Abraham asked, "What if its not too late for me and my 90 year old wife to have a baby of our own?"
Joseph asked, "What if my own brothers selling me off as a slave was the best thing that could have ever happened not just for me but for my whole family; including my brothers?"
Moses asked, "What if I did give up shepherding, walk into Egypt and say, "God says let my people go?"
Joshua asked, "What if marching around Jericho could bring down walls?"
Ruth asked, "What if staying with a bitter mother-in-law in her grief is the right thing to do?"
Samuel asked, "What if a shepherd boy that no one else sees as anything but ever being a shepherd could be greatest king of Israel?"
David asked, "What if God can forgive adultery and murder in such a real way that you become known as 'a man after God's own heart'?
Nehemiah asked, "What if we stopped talking about rebuilding the temple and started actually doing it?"
Job asked, "What if instead of cursing God in my pain, I kept on trusting him?"
Isaiah asked, "What if God could take my unclean lips and use them to to turn God's people back to his love and way?"
Daniel asked, "What if I remain faithful to God even if it means the lion's den?"
Hosea asked, "What if marrying a prostitute will preach louder than any message I could ever preach?"
Shepherds asked, "What if God is as close as a baby in a manger?"
Peter, Andrew, James and John asked, 'What if there is more to life than making a living?"
Matthew asked, "What if God is not afraid to hang out with sinners like me?"
Paul asked, "What if God did not come to save a people but all people; what if in God's eyes there is no Jew or Greek, rich or poor, male or female?"
James asked, "What if trials are a reason to rejoice?"
John asked, "What if Jesus is knocking on the heart of the church, but he will only knock so long before he returns?"
The list of biblical examples could go on and on...The real question is will we carry on the example? Will we dare to pray and ask the, "What if?" Its no surprise that those who do are the ones who see God working where others can't even see God.
What would your what if be this week? Email me your, "what if's?"
Here is one to get us started: What if this summer Living Hope Church and Franklin Church in working with Kids Against Hunger could offer children something more than dirt to eat in Jesus name?
Noah asked, "What if that really is God telling me to build a huge ship in the middle of the desert?
Abraham asked, "What if its not too late for me and my 90 year old wife to have a baby of our own?"
Joseph asked, "What if my own brothers selling me off as a slave was the best thing that could have ever happened not just for me but for my whole family; including my brothers?"
Moses asked, "What if I did give up shepherding, walk into Egypt and say, "God says let my people go?"
Joshua asked, "What if marching around Jericho could bring down walls?"
Ruth asked, "What if staying with a bitter mother-in-law in her grief is the right thing to do?"
Samuel asked, "What if a shepherd boy that no one else sees as anything but ever being a shepherd could be greatest king of Israel?"
David asked, "What if God can forgive adultery and murder in such a real way that you become known as 'a man after God's own heart'?
Nehemiah asked, "What if we stopped talking about rebuilding the temple and started actually doing it?"
Job asked, "What if instead of cursing God in my pain, I kept on trusting him?"
Isaiah asked, "What if God could take my unclean lips and use them to to turn God's people back to his love and way?"
Daniel asked, "What if I remain faithful to God even if it means the lion's den?"
Hosea asked, "What if marrying a prostitute will preach louder than any message I could ever preach?"
Shepherds asked, "What if God is as close as a baby in a manger?"
Peter, Andrew, James and John asked, 'What if there is more to life than making a living?"
Matthew asked, "What if God is not afraid to hang out with sinners like me?"
Paul asked, "What if God did not come to save a people but all people; what if in God's eyes there is no Jew or Greek, rich or poor, male or female?"
James asked, "What if trials are a reason to rejoice?"
John asked, "What if Jesus is knocking on the heart of the church, but he will only knock so long before he returns?"
The list of biblical examples could go on and on...The real question is will we carry on the example? Will we dare to pray and ask the, "What if?" Its no surprise that those who do are the ones who see God working where others can't even see God.
What would your what if be this week? Email me your, "what if's?"
Here is one to get us started: What if this summer Living Hope Church and Franklin Church in working with Kids Against Hunger could offer children something more than dirt to eat in Jesus name?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
"Beauty in the Rain"
I am a sunshine and blue sky person. I do not handle gray and gloomy days very well. However, as a Father I try to teach my kids to see what even I have trouble seeing so that eventually one day they will be able to see better than I. So, whenever it is a rainy day I tell Anna and Seth, "Look at how God is helping the flowers, trees and grass grow. Thank you, Jesus, for the rain!" I say it as much to convince me as I do to teach them. Then, last night the four of us were taking a walk and it began to sprinkle. Anna said, "This will help us have beautiful flowers and help the grass grow." I smiled to myself and thought, "Now she is teaching me."
It is a lesson we are all well served to learn. Obviously it is natural for all of us to want sunny, blue sky days, but we also know that "in this life," as Jesus said, "you will have trouble." Dark clouds will roll in and the rain will fall. And when it does I am confronted with a question, "Am I willing...am I able... to find beauty in the rain?" It is not a beauty that you celebrate so much as it is a beauty that you respect. Just as rain has its place in nature so can it have its place in our lives. It does not mean that we have to enjoy it or want it, it just means that since we know life's rain will fall we can either curse it or some how, by God's grace, learn from it.
Today I have attached this link. It is a song called, "Bring the Rain." This song sings it better than I can write it. I invite you to set aside a few minutes today to stop everything, close your eyes and just listen. As you listen to the song, invite Jesus to let you hear his voice. What do you need to hear about the rain in your life? Can you find beauty in the rain? I welcome you to share your own story with me. Here is the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU
It is a lesson we are all well served to learn. Obviously it is natural for all of us to want sunny, blue sky days, but we also know that "in this life," as Jesus said, "you will have trouble." Dark clouds will roll in and the rain will fall. And when it does I am confronted with a question, "Am I willing...am I able... to find beauty in the rain?" It is not a beauty that you celebrate so much as it is a beauty that you respect. Just as rain has its place in nature so can it have its place in our lives. It does not mean that we have to enjoy it or want it, it just means that since we know life's rain will fall we can either curse it or some how, by God's grace, learn from it.
Today I have attached this link. It is a song called, "Bring the Rain." This song sings it better than I can write it. I invite you to set aside a few minutes today to stop everything, close your eyes and just listen. As you listen to the song, invite Jesus to let you hear his voice. What do you need to hear about the rain in your life? Can you find beauty in the rain? I welcome you to share your own story with me. Here is the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
"The Hardest, Easiest Thing"
Today I attended the Funeral of Vic Cassano. Around here his name is a household word because of his success with his business, Cassano's Pizza. However, around Living Hope, some of us had the chance to get to know the man behind the "Pizza King," through his son, Chris, and family. Vic would occasionally worship with us here even though he was a devout Catholic. I always knew that when he visited he would hunt me down after the service to ask questions about the sermon. We had some really good after-service conversations.
Today one of those conversations really stands out. I see a man like Vic and I think to myself, "There is a man who has it all together. He is successful and he makes it look easy." However, Vic was the first to admit that his personal life and his business life had its share of ups and downs. For instance, Vic had polio when he was a child and had the last rites. He also faced major set backs over the years in his business. But it was through those setbacks that he learned the hardest, easiest thing to do.
He explained it to me this way one day after a worship service: "Chad,I can tell you a day that my life and my faith took a major turning point." He then described a series of major set backs in his life and business. He said, "I kept praying for God to fix this and give me that." Then he said, "One Sunday my Priest was talking about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night he was arrested. As Jesus sweat blood he prayed, "not my will, but yours." Vic said,"All of the sudden it hit me. I was praying for the wrong thing. I was praying for what I thought I needed, when what I needed to do was give it over to God and ask him to give me his will. His will is always best isn't it? "
"I believe so, " I said.
He said, "Me too. From that day on I learned that when things are not going well, the best prayer for me to pray is not what I think should happen but to trust him to give me what he knows is best."
It was obvious Vic was not just saying empty words. He was speaking from real faith and life experience. This is how Jesus had taught him to live and he lived it!
Friends, that is the hardest , easiest thing to do. It is the hardest because it is so hard to come to the point where we trust that God's will is better than our own. It is the easiest because the more you let go, give something fully into God's hands and trust his will more than your own, the more you get see God move and work in ways that you could not have even imagined.
I have found this to be true in my life. Peace, joy, hope, strength, freedom...it is all available to us through Jesus Christ every moment of every day. He is withholding nothing from us...he gave everything for us. But every time I find myself lacking it is because I am holding on to something that belongs in his hands.
You can trust his will. It may not always be what is most comfortable or desirable for the moment, but eventually we will find what Jesus showed us...when we pray God's will even death can't hold back a Resurrection...a fresh start...new life...hope eternal!
Who needs to do the hardest, easiest thing in the world today? Who is holding on to something and all the worrying, trying and crying can't change? Its as hard and simple as praying, "Father, not my will, but yours."
Today I need that prayer. I am wound tight with stress. I am holding onto things that the Father is wiling to hold for me. I trust his will. "Father, you know...I give you....not my will, but yours."
Vic it was an honor to begin to get to know you. I wish we had more time. Thank you for reminding me of the hardest, easiest thing in the world. You are right...it works!
Today one of those conversations really stands out. I see a man like Vic and I think to myself, "There is a man who has it all together. He is successful and he makes it look easy." However, Vic was the first to admit that his personal life and his business life had its share of ups and downs. For instance, Vic had polio when he was a child and had the last rites. He also faced major set backs over the years in his business. But it was through those setbacks that he learned the hardest, easiest thing to do.
He explained it to me this way one day after a worship service: "Chad,I can tell you a day that my life and my faith took a major turning point." He then described a series of major set backs in his life and business. He said, "I kept praying for God to fix this and give me that." Then he said, "One Sunday my Priest was talking about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night he was arrested. As Jesus sweat blood he prayed, "not my will, but yours." Vic said,"All of the sudden it hit me. I was praying for the wrong thing. I was praying for what I thought I needed, when what I needed to do was give it over to God and ask him to give me his will. His will is always best isn't it? "
"I believe so, " I said.
He said, "Me too. From that day on I learned that when things are not going well, the best prayer for me to pray is not what I think should happen but to trust him to give me what he knows is best."
It was obvious Vic was not just saying empty words. He was speaking from real faith and life experience. This is how Jesus had taught him to live and he lived it!
Friends, that is the hardest , easiest thing to do. It is the hardest because it is so hard to come to the point where we trust that God's will is better than our own. It is the easiest because the more you let go, give something fully into God's hands and trust his will more than your own, the more you get see God move and work in ways that you could not have even imagined.
I have found this to be true in my life. Peace, joy, hope, strength, freedom...it is all available to us through Jesus Christ every moment of every day. He is withholding nothing from us...he gave everything for us. But every time I find myself lacking it is because I am holding on to something that belongs in his hands.
You can trust his will. It may not always be what is most comfortable or desirable for the moment, but eventually we will find what Jesus showed us...when we pray God's will even death can't hold back a Resurrection...a fresh start...new life...hope eternal!
Who needs to do the hardest, easiest thing in the world today? Who is holding on to something and all the worrying, trying and crying can't change? Its as hard and simple as praying, "Father, not my will, but yours."
Today I need that prayer. I am wound tight with stress. I am holding onto things that the Father is wiling to hold for me. I trust his will. "Father, you know...I give you....not my will, but yours."
Vic it was an honor to begin to get to know you. I wish we had more time. Thank you for reminding me of the hardest, easiest thing in the world. You are right...it works!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
"Thy Kingdom Come"
I am again blown away and praise God for a church family that remains consistently and boldly open before God. Sunday, was a significant day in the spiritual journey of 170 brothers and sisters in Christ in our church family. That is the number of people who made a once and for all decision to completely submit their kingdom to God's Kingdom.
On Sunday, I promised to send a follow up letter to encourage those making this decision this week. I have decided the most appropriate way for me to do that is through this weekly blog, which I will also print for anyone who may be among those who do not have internet access. Furthermore, since this is a step that Jesus will lead everyone Follower of Christ to take, I figured it would be an encouragement to all of us no matter where we are on our faith journey.
Submitting my kingdom to God's Kingdom involves the following:
OUR CHOICE:
Central to every step in our journey with Christ is our will. God has made up his mind that he will never violate the human will. To violate the human will would be to rob humanity of love. For without the choice to reject and deny love, one does not have the freedom to truly receive and give love. Thus, every step we take with Jesus shares one common denominator and that is our choice.
This includes submitting our kingdom to His. Jesus imitates the invitation, "Anyone who would come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." In response we have a choice: Will I deny myself--Will I put my will and wishes second to God's will? Will I take up the cross--voluntarily give myself to the work of God's Kingdom on earth?"
A choice is simple and yet challenging. It is as simple as saying yes and as difficult as really meaning it. Nonetheless, the decision 170 people made on Sunday was made by a choice of the will. Let us not underestimate the power of this God-given freedom to choose.
GOD'S GIFT:
Just as every step we take with Jesus involves a choice the choice for every step is the same: In our relationship with Jesus a new step always requires a choice to receive what God gives. Just as we do not earn our salvation, we do not earn the reign of His kingdom in our lives. The choice that was made on Sunday was a choice to receive from God what only God can do. Only he can make his Kingdom of love reign and rule over our hearts and minds. As much as full surrender is a choice, it is even more so a gift from God. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful to do it." Read that last line again. That says it all!
THE PROMISE:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" Galatians 2:20. Many people, including myself at one time, are afraid to make a choice to receive God's full reign in our lives because we believe a lie. We believe to surrender everything to Christ will mean that we will lose out, miss out, not have fun, not achieve our dreams, etc. The point is, we believe that to submit our Kingdom to His, will in some way produce negative results. The opposite is true. In the verse mentioned above, Paul writes the truth about this step of faith...the truth is whenever we die, then we are free to truly come to life. Remember, Jesus promised to give us abundant life now and forever. The decision to submit to God's Kingdom merely puts one in a position to freely and increasingly discover what it means to live in this new life. Jesus says it best in Matthew 16:25, "Whoever tries to save his/her life will lose it, but he/she who looses his/her life for the sake of the Gospel will gain it."
THE PROCESS:
This step in our journey with Christ is by no means the final step. This is merely one more step in a process of steps that will continue until we see Jesus face to face. We never arrive in this life. The journey with Jesus is a continuous and daily following. Therefore, this step of full surrender is a once and for all decision but it is not at all a final decision. It is a once and for all decision with daily implications. Every day in small and big ways for the rest of my life I will be called upon by Jesus to live out my full surrender to him in what I do with my time, talent, money, suffering and so on and so forth. The decision you made on Sunday simply means that from here on out every time Jesus asks for you to deal with something or give something for him the answer has already been settled. To Jesus our answer from here on out will always be, "Not my will, but yours."
THE GOAL:
The goal of every step we take with Jesus can be summed up in one phrase, "Christ-like Love." If you want to know where Jesus is taking you take a look at his life. In Christ we see that God's love is not passive it is active. God's love is not simply for the individual, it is for the entire world. God's goal for every believer, and that is the Church, is well put in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus dares us to pray, believe and live in such a way that our lives usher in his Kingdom into our world!
I am praying for you this week! Please do not hesitate to email or call me with any questions or thoughts on this subject.
On Sunday, I promised to send a follow up letter to encourage those making this decision this week. I have decided the most appropriate way for me to do that is through this weekly blog, which I will also print for anyone who may be among those who do not have internet access. Furthermore, since this is a step that Jesus will lead everyone Follower of Christ to take, I figured it would be an encouragement to all of us no matter where we are on our faith journey.
Submitting my kingdom to God's Kingdom involves the following:
OUR CHOICE:
Central to every step in our journey with Christ is our will. God has made up his mind that he will never violate the human will. To violate the human will would be to rob humanity of love. For without the choice to reject and deny love, one does not have the freedom to truly receive and give love. Thus, every step we take with Jesus shares one common denominator and that is our choice.
This includes submitting our kingdom to His. Jesus imitates the invitation, "Anyone who would come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." In response we have a choice: Will I deny myself--Will I put my will and wishes second to God's will? Will I take up the cross--voluntarily give myself to the work of God's Kingdom on earth?"
A choice is simple and yet challenging. It is as simple as saying yes and as difficult as really meaning it. Nonetheless, the decision 170 people made on Sunday was made by a choice of the will. Let us not underestimate the power of this God-given freedom to choose.
GOD'S GIFT:
Just as every step we take with Jesus involves a choice the choice for every step is the same: In our relationship with Jesus a new step always requires a choice to receive what God gives. Just as we do not earn our salvation, we do not earn the reign of His kingdom in our lives. The choice that was made on Sunday was a choice to receive from God what only God can do. Only he can make his Kingdom of love reign and rule over our hearts and minds. As much as full surrender is a choice, it is even more so a gift from God. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful to do it." Read that last line again. That says it all!
THE PROMISE:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" Galatians 2:20. Many people, including myself at one time, are afraid to make a choice to receive God's full reign in our lives because we believe a lie. We believe to surrender everything to Christ will mean that we will lose out, miss out, not have fun, not achieve our dreams, etc. The point is, we believe that to submit our Kingdom to His, will in some way produce negative results. The opposite is true. In the verse mentioned above, Paul writes the truth about this step of faith...the truth is whenever we die, then we are free to truly come to life. Remember, Jesus promised to give us abundant life now and forever. The decision to submit to God's Kingdom merely puts one in a position to freely and increasingly discover what it means to live in this new life. Jesus says it best in Matthew 16:25, "Whoever tries to save his/her life will lose it, but he/she who looses his/her life for the sake of the Gospel will gain it."
THE PROCESS:
This step in our journey with Christ is by no means the final step. This is merely one more step in a process of steps that will continue until we see Jesus face to face. We never arrive in this life. The journey with Jesus is a continuous and daily following. Therefore, this step of full surrender is a once and for all decision but it is not at all a final decision. It is a once and for all decision with daily implications. Every day in small and big ways for the rest of my life I will be called upon by Jesus to live out my full surrender to him in what I do with my time, talent, money, suffering and so on and so forth. The decision you made on Sunday simply means that from here on out every time Jesus asks for you to deal with something or give something for him the answer has already been settled. To Jesus our answer from here on out will always be, "Not my will, but yours."
THE GOAL:
The goal of every step we take with Jesus can be summed up in one phrase, "Christ-like Love." If you want to know where Jesus is taking you take a look at his life. In Christ we see that God's love is not passive it is active. God's love is not simply for the individual, it is for the entire world. God's goal for every believer, and that is the Church, is well put in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus dares us to pray, believe and live in such a way that our lives usher in his Kingdom into our world!
I am praying for you this week! Please do not hesitate to email or call me with any questions or thoughts on this subject.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Three of the Most Hopeful Words in the Bible
"Where are you?" I think these three words offer some of the most hopeful of all the words in the Bible. The larger context of that question may help you see why I have drawn that conclusion:
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Adam and Eve have just turned their backs on God. They have broken trust and intimacy by believing a lie over truth. In place of open companionship, they now hide in shame. The separation from one another and God is overpowering. They hear God call out to them. Instead of running to him they remain hidden.
What will the Father do? Will he rant and rave? Will he send down lightning? Will he simply walk away from them as though he never created them? Certainly, something like that is what Adam and Eve expected. Perhaps we expect the same. But God is not limited by our expectations. God, instead, asks, "Where are you?" In that question God shows that he is not only their Creator, but their Pursuer. God did not just give them life, he now offers to restore their lives. God asks that question not because he does not know where they are but so they can see for themselves where their sin has taken them. He offers this question to help them see that the distance they now feel from God is not because he has moved, but because they have. He asks this question to show them that even though they are hiding in shame, he wants them to be found.
Can we slow down the pace of this day long enough to hear that question for ourselves?
"Where are you?"
"Where are you?"
Hear the love in that question...hear the hope...hear the promise...Hear the voice of God initiating relationship with you.
Now, allow his question to do what questions are designed to do...they are asked to evoke a response. What is your response to God's question, "Where are you?" Does your answer surprise you? Does your answer convict you? Does your answer put you to shame? He asks that question not to condemn you, but to redeem you. Will you keep hiding or will you walk out into the open and let the one searching for you, find you?
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Adam and Eve have just turned their backs on God. They have broken trust and intimacy by believing a lie over truth. In place of open companionship, they now hide in shame. The separation from one another and God is overpowering. They hear God call out to them. Instead of running to him they remain hidden.
What will the Father do? Will he rant and rave? Will he send down lightning? Will he simply walk away from them as though he never created them? Certainly, something like that is what Adam and Eve expected. Perhaps we expect the same. But God is not limited by our expectations. God, instead, asks, "Where are you?" In that question God shows that he is not only their Creator, but their Pursuer. God did not just give them life, he now offers to restore their lives. God asks that question not because he does not know where they are but so they can see for themselves where their sin has taken them. He offers this question to help them see that the distance they now feel from God is not because he has moved, but because they have. He asks this question to show them that even though they are hiding in shame, he wants them to be found.
Can we slow down the pace of this day long enough to hear that question for ourselves?
"Where are you?"
"Where are you?"
Hear the love in that question...hear the hope...hear the promise...Hear the voice of God initiating relationship with you.
Now, allow his question to do what questions are designed to do...they are asked to evoke a response. What is your response to God's question, "Where are you?" Does your answer surprise you? Does your answer convict you? Does your answer put you to shame? He asks that question not to condemn you, but to redeem you. Will you keep hiding or will you walk out into the open and let the one searching for you, find you?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
"The Jar"
For the past several Sundays we have been praying together over a jar in our worship area full of relationships. Each week the jar has been added to and each week God has been answering our prayers. Here are a few true, jar stories:
• Two friends have been reconciled after 6 months of not speaking.
• A marriage had a major breakthrough and God is resurrecting what was all but
dead.
• A mother and daughter are finding that fresh starts can happen.
• A man has begun to identify his destructive role as an enabler in a
relationship.
• Two brothers are now beginning to act like brothers again.
• Two people have discovered a personal relationship with God through Christ.
Today, I am writing to ask you to write the “Random Thoughts” for this week. What can you add to my bullet point list above? It would mean a great deal to hear what God is doing with the “jar” relationships for which you have been praying. Let’s give God credit! Send me an email.
As you consider your response, please keep on remembering this: Jesus said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name there I am with them and whatever they ask will be given to them.” The context of this promise is nothing more and nothing less than relationships. The sooner we accept that the sooner life with all its joys and tragedies will begin to make sense….the point God wants us to get is all that matters in life and death are relationships…relationship with God and with one another. Nothing else matters compared to that. And until nothing else matters compared to our relationship with God and one another, then we will continue to miss out, live for less, be confused, chase after futility and perhaps reach our last breath realizing we completely missed the point. But as we continue to make this faith journey about one we are to make together rather than solo, by God’s grace, we can throw off the lies of the urgently unimportant and live and die for what is most important.
So, again, I ask, how has God been working in you and your relationships with God and/or others these past several weeks? Thank you for being a church family that remains real and receptive!
• Two friends have been reconciled after 6 months of not speaking.
• A marriage had a major breakthrough and God is resurrecting what was all but
dead.
• A mother and daughter are finding that fresh starts can happen.
• A man has begun to identify his destructive role as an enabler in a
relationship.
• Two brothers are now beginning to act like brothers again.
• Two people have discovered a personal relationship with God through Christ.
Today, I am writing to ask you to write the “Random Thoughts” for this week. What can you add to my bullet point list above? It would mean a great deal to hear what God is doing with the “jar” relationships for which you have been praying. Let’s give God credit! Send me an email.
As you consider your response, please keep on remembering this: Jesus said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name there I am with them and whatever they ask will be given to them.” The context of this promise is nothing more and nothing less than relationships. The sooner we accept that the sooner life with all its joys and tragedies will begin to make sense….the point God wants us to get is all that matters in life and death are relationships…relationship with God and with one another. Nothing else matters compared to that. And until nothing else matters compared to our relationship with God and one another, then we will continue to miss out, live for less, be confused, chase after futility and perhaps reach our last breath realizing we completely missed the point. But as we continue to make this faith journey about one we are to make together rather than solo, by God’s grace, we can throw off the lies of the urgently unimportant and live and die for what is most important.
So, again, I ask, how has God been working in you and your relationships with God and/or others these past several weeks? Thank you for being a church family that remains real and receptive!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
"Minutemen"
"Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name," states Wikepedia.
Perhaps the greatest need in the Christian Church today is for minutemen/women. The need for Christ Followers who are highly mobile and rapidly deployed is greater than ever. There are plenty of Christians with whom God must first check their schedule. There are many more Christians for whom God knows not to even bother to ask. But even in a Church full of the apathetic and unavailable, the Kingdom of God continues to be ushered into existence on earth because in every generation God still has his minutemen/women.
I just got off the phone with one of his minutemen. One of our High School Students, Michael Collins called. He explained that in a high school assembly today a women shared her story of past drug abuse and imprisonment. She will be given her freedom next week. She shared her story to encourage teenagers to choose a different path. After the assembly, Michael and his friend stopped to talk with her. They asked what she would do when she was released from prison next week. She explained her plan was to contact a local homeless shelter until she could restart her life. Michael invited her to Living Hope and shared about Celebrate Recovery. He then called me to see if she could call me for us to see if there was anything we could do as a church. I love it! Praise God! That is being a minuteman for God...You see a need and in the name of Jesus Christ you don't sit around and wait for someone else to act; you act!
I have seen minutemen/women in action every week this school year. They are folks in this church and six others in Centerville. We Had no idea how Food 2 Go would feed 100 children a week who would other wise go hungry on the weekends. But every week...did you hear me? Every week, the food has come in, sometimes just in time, but always in time. Why? One reason...minutemen/women of God are highly mobile and rapidly deployed.
I have watched minutemen/women of God step up every time we have listed the need for people to serve children in our classes on Sunday mornings. We do not have childcare at Living Hope. We have life-changing ministry for the children of Living Hope. The reason we have it is because minutemen/women of God see a need, step up and go the extra mile to ensure children are experiencing the love of Christ.
This week I received an email from the "No Restrictions" Life Group. They are now partnering with Gospel Mission to serve meals to the homeless. This group has also responded to serve those in Appalachia, Ky and to help visit the sick and shut-ins in our church family. The whole group is made up of minutemen/women of God!
In the next month we will watch as minutemen/women of God respond to the need of Ukraine orphans by committing to one of the Expeditions in 2011. The people who respond will not submit to all the reasons why they can't go; they will simply submit to the call of God and watch him make happen what they could not...they will watch him clear schedules, overcome fears and provide the resources. Minutemen/women get to see God do what few others see simply because they are highly mobile and rapidly discharged. People who have to wait for all the ducks to be in a row before they will trust God enough to go don't see God do the impossible, because they don't give him the chance.
We have an incredible number of minutemen/women who make up the church called Living Hope. I thank God for you! You are a powerful force that scares hell to death! Don't back down! Don't give up! And never let those around you, even other so-called Christians, discourage you from going after what God has for you next!
Perhaps the greatest need in the Christian Church today is for minutemen/women. The need for Christ Followers who are highly mobile and rapidly deployed is greater than ever. There are plenty of Christians with whom God must first check their schedule. There are many more Christians for whom God knows not to even bother to ask. But even in a Church full of the apathetic and unavailable, the Kingdom of God continues to be ushered into existence on earth because in every generation God still has his minutemen/women.
I just got off the phone with one of his minutemen. One of our High School Students, Michael Collins called. He explained that in a high school assembly today a women shared her story of past drug abuse and imprisonment. She will be given her freedom next week. She shared her story to encourage teenagers to choose a different path. After the assembly, Michael and his friend stopped to talk with her. They asked what she would do when she was released from prison next week. She explained her plan was to contact a local homeless shelter until she could restart her life. Michael invited her to Living Hope and shared about Celebrate Recovery. He then called me to see if she could call me for us to see if there was anything we could do as a church. I love it! Praise God! That is being a minuteman for God...You see a need and in the name of Jesus Christ you don't sit around and wait for someone else to act; you act!
I have seen minutemen/women in action every week this school year. They are folks in this church and six others in Centerville. We Had no idea how Food 2 Go would feed 100 children a week who would other wise go hungry on the weekends. But every week...did you hear me? Every week, the food has come in, sometimes just in time, but always in time. Why? One reason...minutemen/women of God are highly mobile and rapidly deployed.
I have watched minutemen/women of God step up every time we have listed the need for people to serve children in our classes on Sunday mornings. We do not have childcare at Living Hope. We have life-changing ministry for the children of Living Hope. The reason we have it is because minutemen/women of God see a need, step up and go the extra mile to ensure children are experiencing the love of Christ.
This week I received an email from the "No Restrictions" Life Group. They are now partnering with Gospel Mission to serve meals to the homeless. This group has also responded to serve those in Appalachia, Ky and to help visit the sick and shut-ins in our church family. The whole group is made up of minutemen/women of God!
In the next month we will watch as minutemen/women of God respond to the need of Ukraine orphans by committing to one of the Expeditions in 2011. The people who respond will not submit to all the reasons why they can't go; they will simply submit to the call of God and watch him make happen what they could not...they will watch him clear schedules, overcome fears and provide the resources. Minutemen/women get to see God do what few others see simply because they are highly mobile and rapidly discharged. People who have to wait for all the ducks to be in a row before they will trust God enough to go don't see God do the impossible, because they don't give him the chance.
We have an incredible number of minutemen/women who make up the church called Living Hope. I thank God for you! You are a powerful force that scares hell to death! Don't back down! Don't give up! And never let those around you, even other so-called Christians, discourage you from going after what God has for you next!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
"One Tulip"
Last year I had two nice rows of big, beautiful red and yellow tulips. This year, I have one small, but pretty yellow tulip. That's it...just one. It appears that something ate the others. Every time I look at my front yard I think, "I wish the other tulips would have bloomed." I was thinking that just the other day as I pulled out of the garage..."I wish the other tulips would have bloomed." Then, it hit me...something inside of me said, "Why can't you enjoy the one you have?" Its true. Apparently, I needed the others to enjoy the one. Why? Why couldn't I let the other tulips go, accept that they were not going to bloom and simply enjoy that single, pretty, yellow bloom?
I have been known to do that with more than tulips. How about you? Do you ever find yourself wishing life was like it used to be to the point that you miss out on what life is now? Do you ever long for more even though the reality is you have enough? Have you ever found yourself dwelling on all that is going wrong so much so that you cannot embrace the one thing that is going right? Do you ever miss the beauty of the little things in your pursuit for that which seems so important in the moment, but even a year for now, not to mention 100 years from now, will mean nothing? Do you ever get so focused on what you do not have, that you become blind to what you do have?
God, help us! Help us not to miss the tulips even when only one blooms. Help us not to trade what is most urgent for what is most important. Help us to celebrate what we are given instead grieving what we are not.
For someone like me, it takes a lot of intentionality and work to appreciate the one, but with God's help, each day that yellow tulip is looking better and better.
I think that was what Solomon was getting at when he wrote these words in Ecclesiastes 3:
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
I have been known to do that with more than tulips. How about you? Do you ever find yourself wishing life was like it used to be to the point that you miss out on what life is now? Do you ever long for more even though the reality is you have enough? Have you ever found yourself dwelling on all that is going wrong so much so that you cannot embrace the one thing that is going right? Do you ever miss the beauty of the little things in your pursuit for that which seems so important in the moment, but even a year for now, not to mention 100 years from now, will mean nothing? Do you ever get so focused on what you do not have, that you become blind to what you do have?
God, help us! Help us not to miss the tulips even when only one blooms. Help us not to trade what is most urgent for what is most important. Help us to celebrate what we are given instead grieving what we are not.
For someone like me, it takes a lot of intentionality and work to appreciate the one, but with God's help, each day that yellow tulip is looking better and better.
I think that was what Solomon was getting at when he wrote these words in Ecclesiastes 3:
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
"Bigger"
Recently, the four of us went hiking at Germantown Nature Reserve. It has been a long-time favorite spot of mine. I wondered how the kids would do. They did great! They loved taking this "adventure' as Anna called it. The only time Seth did not enjoy the hike was when Mommy said he was too little to walk the the rock path across the stream. He threw a fit, but Daddy rescued him and let the poor boy just be a boy (Come on, Mom, the worst that could have happened was he fall in a three inch stream and get his clothes wet and dirty). Long story short, we had a great time.
However, there was one part of the journey neither Anna nor Seth could make. They hiked down the large hill with no trouble, but what you climb down, you must climb up and therein was the problem. A big problem. It was a big incline for my long legs, but to them that hill might as well have been Mt. Everest. They could not do it. I was so proud of both of them. Instead of trying to do something they could not do, they turned to someone who could do for them what they could not do for themselves. Seth said, "Mommy, hold me." Anna said, "Daddy, can you carry me?" On our backs they went and up the hill we all went. And at the top, the kids proclaimed, "We made it!"
"We?" I was the one with sweat rushing out of every pour of my body, heart pounding and wheezing like I had emphysema...Was it "we" or "me"? My answer...it was "we." "WE" made it. Anna made it because she asked me to carry her. I made it by putting one foot in front of the other. And at the end of the day, "we" all made it.
Friends, why are you trying to climb the mountain on your own? Are you aching? Are you sweating? Are you trying and getting no where? Learn from my kids...sometimes the reason a mountain is put in front of us is not so we can struggle our way up it, but so we can learn to ask for help. "Jesus, will you carry me?" "Church family, will you hold me?" What if the mountain you cannot climb, is there not to climb, but to get you to accept what Jesus lived, died and rose again to teach us. He can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves...let HIM! Jesus said, "What is impossible with man, is possible with God."
I can see a pretty big mountain from where I am sitting right now. You know what, I am not going to take another step. I falling on my knees and asking, "Father, will carry me?"
What's that...its strength that is not my own...its hope that is beyond wishful thinking...its love that I don't deserve...yes...its, my Father carrying me where I could never go on my own.
There's plenty of room on his back for you too.
However, there was one part of the journey neither Anna nor Seth could make. They hiked down the large hill with no trouble, but what you climb down, you must climb up and therein was the problem. A big problem. It was a big incline for my long legs, but to them that hill might as well have been Mt. Everest. They could not do it. I was so proud of both of them. Instead of trying to do something they could not do, they turned to someone who could do for them what they could not do for themselves. Seth said, "Mommy, hold me." Anna said, "Daddy, can you carry me?" On our backs they went and up the hill we all went. And at the top, the kids proclaimed, "We made it!"
"We?" I was the one with sweat rushing out of every pour of my body, heart pounding and wheezing like I had emphysema...Was it "we" or "me"? My answer...it was "we." "WE" made it. Anna made it because she asked me to carry her. I made it by putting one foot in front of the other. And at the end of the day, "we" all made it.
Friends, why are you trying to climb the mountain on your own? Are you aching? Are you sweating? Are you trying and getting no where? Learn from my kids...sometimes the reason a mountain is put in front of us is not so we can struggle our way up it, but so we can learn to ask for help. "Jesus, will you carry me?" "Church family, will you hold me?" What if the mountain you cannot climb, is there not to climb, but to get you to accept what Jesus lived, died and rose again to teach us. He can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves...let HIM! Jesus said, "What is impossible with man, is possible with God."
I can see a pretty big mountain from where I am sitting right now. You know what, I am not going to take another step. I falling on my knees and asking, "Father, will carry me?"
What's that...its strength that is not my own...its hope that is beyond wishful thinking...its love that I don't deserve...yes...its, my Father carrying me where I could never go on my own.
There's plenty of room on his back for you too.
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