Communications

Expect More

2011-02-03T13:57:00.002-05:00

“Expect more – pay less.” I believe that is Target’s motto. I think it means that we should expect quality and service, but that it shouldn’t cost us a lot. In many ways, it is a motto that reflects the expectation of most of us as consumers. We want good quality, but we don’t think we should have to pay a lot for it – at least that’s what we want. The other side of the coin when it comes to motto’s is “You get what you pay for.” My Dad worked to ingrain that in me. He always encouraged me to pay a little more, especially for things like shoes, tools, and appliances, because they would last longer and would be less likely to have problems.

It’s an interesting contrast when you bring these into the conversation about faith, following Jesus, and church. When we view church as a consumer, we can easily embrace Target’s motto. I expect a lot from my church (attention, programs, quality, etc.), but I don’t expect to have to give much to get it. My role is to come on Sunday. The church’s role is to meet my expectations. I’m the consumer/customer and the church is the purveyor of religious goods and services.

But most of understand that this doesn’t really work when it comes to relationships. If I don’t “invest/give” in my relationships, I know they won’t be what they could. If I just make demands on my wife and/or son/daughter but don’t invest in them, care for them, listen to them, and serve them, then I end up with broken, strained relationships with those closest to me. It may be a little crass to describe this as “getting what we pay for,” but the principle is true.

Target doesn’t have many expectations on its customers. It is doing everything it can to get you in the door and get you to buy its products. But it’s a business that wants your business and so keeping the customer happy is a primary goal. As consumers, it seems to be true that when we get a lot and don’t have to spend a lot, that we are most happy, so companies like Target live by keeping the customer happy.

But faith, following Jesus and church are not Target. The goal is definitely not to keep the customer happy.

I do think an appropriate motto might be “Expect More.” I believe that part of the reason the church is struggling and becoming less influential in our lives and culture is because our expectations have all but disappeared. I’m not talking about the unhealthy expectations we can bring into the church and even in relationship with God where we really believe the purpose of the church and God is to make us happy and keep us free from trouble. I’m talking about the expectations we place on ourselves in following God, the expectations we place on our friends/family to encourage us to follow God, and the expectations we have of God to actually act like God today. I think we expect so little of ourselves, each other, and in turn, God. We need to expect more!

We need to expect that we’d sin less and serve more. We need to expect that we’d listen to God’s direction and do what He says. We need to expect that we’d sacrifice for Him as he’s sacrificed for us. We need to expect that we’d really love our wife/husband like Christ loves the church. We need to expect that we’d raise our children in such a way that Jesus is priority, the Bible is true and incredibly helpful, and that God really does do supernatural works today.

What really do you expect of yourself in your relationship with Jesus? What do you expect of yourself as you consider your part in Christ’s body, the Church?

The only one who is really –at the end of the day- hindering your growth and keeping you from experiencing His life is YOU. We expect so little of ourselves. It’s OK not to pray, not to read the Bible, not to love people that are hard to love. It’s OK to gossip some, covet some, keep the stuff God gave us for ourselves. It’s OK to get intoxicated, lie a little, not make disciples, and definitely not share my faith with someone else. It’s OK to leave the faith development of my children up to the church.

It’s not OK! Expect more. Expect more of yourself. The “fair weather” Christian who is more driven by worldly values and avoiding discomfort actually HINDERS the gift of Jesus being experienced by others. I think it is important that we see this truth personally. If you choose to expect very little of yourself in terms of following Jesus, then you become a barrier to the people in your life seeing and receiving the gift of Jesus.

Our lukewarm approach to faith makes God sick to his stomach. He wants to spit us out.

We should expect more of each other. We’ve allowed accountability to be defined as judgment and defined judgment as bad. We’ve embraced the relativistic view of personal faith. If it works for you, then who am I to judge? We may clamor that we don’t do that with other religions, but we definitely do it within Christianity. We look away from the trees that claim to be rooted in the good soil of Jesus but yet bear no fruit. Not following Jesus has become OK in the church, as long as I keep coming to church. Church attendance has taken the place of discipleship. We should expect more of each other. I believe that is what love does and what Jesus expects of us.

How can we really call each other friends and family when we don’t talk about or share our faith? How can we define love if Jesus isn’t a part of the conversation? How can I say I love you and not encourage you to grow and be willing to rebuke complacency and sin? We like reading Paul and celebrating Jesus’ life, but we definitely might think a little differently if they wanted to be our accountability partner.

Expect more of your brothers and sisters in Christ AS you are expecting more of yourself. Nobody can follow Jesus for you, but as you expect more of yourself, it is imperative that we ask for help and expect help from fellow followers of Jesus.

Expect more from God. In no way does God need to give more. He is perfect and there is nothing He needs to do differently. But we ought to expect more of God to be seen in our lives. When we start expecting more of ourselves, we start to live by faith. When we live by faith, we open the door for God to act, and we see that God is faithful and that God can do abundantly more than we can ask for or imagine. God can heal any broken relationship. God can heal any disease. God can change any heart. God can help us walk through any tragedy. There is nothing that God can’t do. We should expect Him to act like and look like God in our lives. He may not do what we want, but it doesn’t change the fact that He could do anything.

When we live by our strength and ability, not much is possible. Hence, we don’t often risk or step out of what is comfortable. But in His strength and ability, all things are possible, so there is always HOPE.

Expect more. Give yourself away. Watch what God will do. You have nothing to lose (that's worth keeping) and everything to gain.

The Power of US

2011-01-04T08:35:00.000-05:00

I remember the instructions clearly, “You have to get over the 12 foot wall.” I looked at the wall. It was smooth. There was no way I was going to jump high enough to reach the top. “It’s impossible,” I thought to myself. I wondered if the folks I was with felt the same way.

Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t supposed to get over the wall on my own. I wasn’t asked to do something that was impossible. It was only impossible if I didn’t take advantage of the people I was with.

So we began. A couple of the more athletic guys stepped forward. They bent down and began to push another up the wall. They were both about six feet tall, and the person they pushed up was six feet tall, so with their arms extended, they reached at least fourteen feet high. The person on top grabbed the top of the wall, and with some pushing from below, pulled himself over the wall. He did it. One of our team members was over the wall. Instead of taking off and leaving us behind, he turned around, leaned over the wall, and began to help the next person who was being lifted up by the two athletic guys. In a matter of a few minutes, almost all of our team was over the wall. But now what? We had two on the ground left. One of them put the other one on his shoulders and slowly but surely the one on the shoulders began to reach up the wall. He was being slowly pushed up by the one who was carrying him, while at the same time two of the people on top of the wall reached down and grabbed him and began to pull. Just like that he was up and over the wall. Only one left.

How was this last one going to get over the wall?

One of the people on top of the wall leaned over really far, so far that others on the wall had to grab his legs. They slowly lowered him back down the wall so that he reached about 1/2 of the way down the wall. The person on the ground reached up and jumped. Miss. Miss. Miss. Almost . . . miss.

But then about the fifth try, after the person was lowered as far as possible, they linked hands. The folks on the wall began to pull the person up who was grasping the person on the ground. Slowly but surely the team lifted both people up over the wall. The entire group had accomplished what was impossible for one person to accomplish. I was amazed. I was one of the people who went over the wall even though at first I thought it was impossible.

“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” John 14:12-14

What a promise that Jesus makes to us! We will do “greater works than these,” the works that Jesus himself did? That is what the text says.

From the very beginning, we see our tendency to approach life with a “Let ME do it” attitude. It is not at all unhealthy when it comes to a lot of life, but when it comes to the “faith based” approach to life, it fails. It is impossible for us to follow Jesus and keep His commandments and reach the world IF we try to do it on our own. Jesus didn’t ask us to do anything on our own. His approach is “Let US do it.” It is community based. It is relational. It reflects dependence upon others and Him to be able to climb the walls He asks us to climb.

Your marriage isn’t what is ought to be. Hear Jesus says, “Let US do it.”
You’re not making disciples. “Let US do it.”
You’re stuck in sin. “Let US do it.”
You’re overwhelmed with guilt and shame. “Let US do it.”
And on and on it goes. Whatever wall you face, Jesus is saying, “Let US get over it together.”

So often we spend time focused on the wall. I could have jumped and jumped to try and get over the 12 foot wall on my own. I could have sat in despair because of the hopelessness I felt looking at the wall. But the change came in me when I stopped looking at the wall and started to focus on US. I saw the US and began to realize it wasn’t up to ME to get over it. I felt so much more hopeful when I began to see the power and strength in US.

As Jesus asks you to follow Him, maybe it is a better plan to focus more attention on the US. We tend to live in the ME, but as we focus on the US, I think, we began to realize that no wall is too high, no relationship is too broken, no task is too great for US to overcome.

US = you and me and our brothers and sisters in Christ and the Trinitarian God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit).

There is nothing that US can’t do.

Keeping Your Word

2010-11-22T15:07:00.000-05:00

Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

The context for this verse is where Jesus tells us not to swear by anything. He is not talking about cursing. He is talking about the promises/commitments we make to each other. Jesus is saying there is no need to back up your promise by swearing by something – by God, by heaven, by earth, etc. In essence He is saying that we need to let our word stand on its own. When we say yes, we need to mean yes. When we say, ‘No’, we need to mean no. We act in honesty and integrity when we do what we said we’d do.

Integrity is not a word we often hear in relationship to the Christian faith. Most often this term describes a character trait. A person with integrity is a person who tells the truth and acts in appropriate, moral ways. We don’t lie or steal or cheat.

All of us would like to be described as a person of integrity, and if we don’t lie, steal, cheat, then we might define ourselves as a person of integrity. But I think there is so much more to this concept then what we often consider. To be a follower of Jesus is to be a person of integrity. You are not following Jesus if you are not acting with integrity. But it means so much more than not lying, cheating or stealing. It means in every aspect of our lives we act in integrity. One helpful definition is, “Doing what we said we’d do when we said we’d do it.”

I say to John, “I’ll play with you in a couple of minutes.” After twenty minutes go by and I am still not playing with John, I have an integrity gap. I’ve said one thing and not done it.

When I say to Alisa, “I’ll be home at 5:00pm” and then show up at 5:27, I have an integrity gap.

When I say to Alisa, I am committed to honoring you and being faithful to you, but then let my eyes wander on other women or think unclean thoughts, I have an integrity gap.

When I promise to do something for someone, but don’t follow through, I have an integrity gap.

When I say to a friend in need, “I’ll pray for you” and don’t, I have an integrity gap.

Sadly, today, we often accept these small integrity gaps as normative. We’ve learned to really not count on each other’s word. We’ve just accepted the reality that keeping your word means less than keeping your word. If you do it most of the time, well, that’s great – better than most.

But here’s where it get interesting. When I lack integrity in my life – even though it’s in the “small” things, more than likely I lack integrity in the things that matter most – specifically my relationship with Jesus Christ.

To claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ implicitly means a commitment to full obedience to His Word. God has shown Himself to be completely trustworthy in keeping His Word and He asks us to do the same. When I say I am a follower, I have committed to loving my enemies, making disciples, proclaiming Christ crucified, denying myself, meeting the needs of the least of these, etc. These are not optional requests; they are mandates. When I choose not to do them, I lack integrity in my relationship with God. All of us have integrity gaps, but that is not an excuse to continue to live with gaps in our integrity.

There is hope and growth offered to us in the midst of these gaps. It doesn’t change the expectation that God has that we live in integrity in relationship to Him, but it gives us an opportunity to grow into integrity and not let guilt and shame keep us from His Way of life.

Another helpful definition of integrity involves 4 important steps: 1) I keep my Word. 2) When I fail to keep my Word, I honor my Word by seeking to clean up any messes I’ve made – apologize, ask for forgiveness, etc. 3) I become present to the consequences on myself and others when I fail to keep my Word. 4) I re-promise to keep my Word.

So often our integrity gaps are ignored. We fail to follow through and keep our promise and we do nothing about it. We begin to see that we can get away with this and it becomes a normative way of being. We think being a person of integrity really only matters in the big things. But if we look at integrity through the expectations of Jesus, everything we do matters. Every gap in our integrity has negative consequences on us and the people around us.

One of the most powerful ways we truly live into the integrity God desires is when we are willing to do the hard work of honoring our Word. We promised something and we didn’t follow-through. If we are willing to admit this gap to ourselves, to God, and to the people affected, we have an opportunity to grow and to encourage the importance of integrity.

For example, John is not fully aware of my integrity gap when I say I’ll play with him in a few minutes and either it’s 20+ minutes or I don’t play with him at all. But he is learning something about me that I don’t want him to learn. “Dad says some things that can’t be trusted.” I’m aware of this gap, and I need to do the hard work of honoring my Word. When I say to John, I’ll play in a couple of minutes I need to follow through on my word. I ask him to follow through on his word and I ought to expect this of myself. So here is how the conversation needs to go for me to honor my Word.

“John, I need to apologize. There have been numerous times I’ve told you I’ll play with you in a few minutes. More than a few minutes go by. I’m sorry I didn’t do what I said I’d do. I want you to know that when I say I’ll play in a few minutes that you can believe that. I need to work on that and I am asking for your help. I’m making a promise to you again that when I say a few minutes, I mean it. Can you tell me how you feel when I say I’ll play with you and don’t do what I say?”

That took all of a minute to say this to my son, but it is some of the most important work I do in his life.

You’ve said some things to significant people in your life and are not following through. You’ve made promises, commitments, vows, and more than likely there are some gaps in your integrity. Are you willing to do the hard work of cleaning up the mess you’ve made?

Remember the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13. One of the significant ways that this church was affirmed was because they kept God’s Word. They did what they promised to God. They lived in obedience. They trusted God’s Word to them, and in return they sought to keep their word to Him.

I can’t emphasize enough the significant work that God desires to do in each one of us – not only through our obedience – but also through our willingness to do the hard work when we are disobedient.

Where are you failing to keep your Word? Will you honor it? Will you do the hard work that honoring your word entails? Growth, healing, the abundant life that God promises is greatly hindered without a willingness to do this work. It is the work of grace and forgiveness and love.

The Bible & Orphans

2010-11-07T07:21:00.002-05:00

A father to the fatherless . . . is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.
Psalm 68:5-6

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.
Proverbs 31:8-9 (NLT)

The helpless put their trust in you. You are the defender of orphans. . . Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them.
Psalm 10:14, 17-18 (NLT)

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27 (NIV)

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
Isaiah 1:17 (NLT)

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.
Deuteronomy 10:18 (NIV)

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.
Matthew 25:35-36 (NLT)

Do not deprive . . . the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
Deuteronomy 24:17-18 (NIV)

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praises of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Ephesians 1:4-6 (NIV)

Once our eyes are opened we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows that we know and holds us responsible to act.
Proverbs 24:12

The Global Orphan Crisis

2010-11-07T07:16:00.005-05:00

This information comes from Dan Cruver’s sermon titled, “The Cosmic Significance of Adoption: What It Means for Us and for Orphans." For this sermon and many other helping resources on caring for orphans, go HERE (www.orphansunday.org).

The Global Orphan Crisis
There are 143 million orphaned and vulnerable children in our world. If all of these children were moved to the country of Mexico, Mexico’s population would more than double,growing from 108,700,000 to 251,700,000.

There are approximately 47.5 million orphaned and vulnerable children in Sub-Saharan
Africa.

There are approximately 5.9 million orphaned and vulnerable children in Middle East and North Africa.

There are approximately 37.4 million orphaned and vulnerable children in South Asia.
30.1 million orphaned and vulnerable children live in East Asia and Pacific.

9.4 million orphaned and vulnerable children live in Latin America and the Caribbean.

There are as many orphaned and vulnerable children living in Ethiopia as there are people in greater NYC.

Almost 1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe.

That’s our world.

What about the United States?
More than 800,000 children pass through our country’s foster care system each year. There are over 500,000 children in our foster care system right now. 129,000 of those children are waiting to be adopted right now. That’s how many people live in the capitol of South Carolina.

Approximately, 25,000 children age out of the foster care system each year, many with no support system and little to no life skills. There are currently over 5,400 children in South Carolina!s foster care system. Over 1,500 of them are waiting to be adopted. So far this year only a couple hundred of them have been permanently placed in homes.

This brings us to this question: How many total children are adopted each year? Between 118,000 and 127,000 children have been adopted every year since 1987. More than 50 percent of all adoptions are handled by public agencies or come from countries outside the United States. More than one-third of Americans have seriously considered adopting, but no more than 2 percent have actually adopted. Only 4 percent of families with children (1.7 million households) contain adopted children.

With this many orphans in the United States and in the world, the church has a monumental task before it if it is to practice true religion. "James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction." "The church has its work cut out for it.

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So here’s the big question: how is the hope of our glorious future as God’s sons through adoption even possible? How is it possible that God can take “children of wrath” and give them an unbelievable future on a renewed earth? What has God done to give us this hope that is laid out in Romans 8:23?

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

. . . Paul says, “God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, (so that the eternal Son become the incarnate Son) born under the law.” The law under which the Son became incarnate meant condemnation for us. As Paul says earlier, this law ‘held us in bondage.’ It could not give us life. It could not quicken us. Rather, it puts us to death because of our sin.

But God sent His Son, His eternal Son, who became incarnate Son without ceasing to be the eternal Son, and he lived his life under the law in order to fulfill it. To paraphrase what Paul says in Galatians 3, “The curse of the law was placed upon his shoulders.”

At the cross the One who in the garden of Gethsemane cried out, “Abba, Father, remove this cup from me,” willingly submitted to the will of the Father on our behalf and went to the cross. At the cross this Son cried out, not ‘Abba, Father,’ but “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” He experienced at the cross what we sons of disobedience, children of wrath deserve.

Why did Jesus do that? Why did God send forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem us? Why did he do this? Paul tells us in verse 5: “that we might receive adoption as sons.” Jesus bore the curse of the law that we might be brought into the household of God to share in the love that has existed between the Father and the Son for all eternity. We who by nature are sons of disobedience, we who by nature are objects of wrath, are brought in to share in this amazing love which will one day fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

. . . He accomplished redemption! He took the curse of the law upon his shoulders and was forsaken by the Father so that we might receive adoption as sons! And on the day of resurrection Jesus says to Mary, “Go to my brothers and tell them I’m ascending to my Father and YOUR Father.” YOUR FATHER! Mission accomplished! (my emphasis)

What's in it for me?

2010-10-05T08:39:00.003-04:00

Sometimes being a Christian (and pastor especially) feels like being a salesperson. I often feel like I have this great product with great benefits and my whole existence is focused on getting you to ‘buy’ this product. What does a salesperson do? He or she tells you everything that is good about their product. And nowadays, the focus is on telling you how the product is going to make your life better. The overriding question that the salesperson is seeking to answer – even though you may not ask it out loud – is “What’s in it for me?”

The army’s motto during the time of the World Wars was “I need you.” That was enough to encourage people to sign up. The country needed them and so, for the greater good of the country, people said yes. Today the motto has changed. It addresses the question above. Today it’s “Be All That You Can Be.” It is not country centric but individual centric. The army will help you be all that you can be.

Sunday after Sunday, the pastor can feel called to lay out all the benefits of signing on to Jesus and following Him. You get this and that. You’re promised and guaranteed this and that. You get to go to heaven. You get to experience peace and joy and love. You won’t have to worry anymore. You get guidance and strength and comfort. You get to make a difference in the lives of others. You get blessed. It’s similar to the “Be All That You Can Be” promise of the army.

How would you answer this question: “Why are you a Christian?”

Is it primarily because of what’s in it for you?

Consider asking someone about to be married: “Why are you getting married?” If they responded with, “Well that’s easy. I’m getting married because of what’s in it for me. I get this person who loves me, serves me, says encouraging things about me. I’m not alone. I have someone to eat with, sleep with, talk with. I have someone who’ll do at least some of the housework, maybe bring in some income, and really make me feel ways that I want to feel.” What do you think about this response?

Or what if the question was: “Why are you having kids?” “Well, that’s easy. I’m having kids because of what’s in it for me. It will be fun. They’ll help me look good. I’ll have a chance to mold and shape them into who I think they should be. They’ll love me and take care of me when I get old. They’ll help with the household chores. I’m sure they’ll be entertaining at times. I want to be a Mom/Dad and I can’t be one unless I have a child.” What do you think about this response?

I hope the following responses make you uncomfortable. They are just not right because they are coming from a selfish perspective. They reflect the consumer driven and transaction nature of relationships that permeate our culture. “What’s in it for me” has become one of driving forces of our lives. We make decisions based on this. We base relationships on this. And in doing so, we show very clearly that what is most important is me - my happiness, how I feel, what’s best for me.

How does that perspective fit into the life that Jesus is calling you to live. Does he want people who are in it for the benefits? Do you want a husband or wife who is only in it for what you do for them? Do you want a mom or dad who is looking for you to build up their identity, to make them feel good?

The best example of the opposite of this perspective that I see on a daily basis is my wife, Alisa. I watch her day after day SHOW LOVE for John. Her love for John is what motivates and drives her to set aside her own wants/needs to serve him. There is no transactional nature involved. She is not doing it so he will do something for her. She serves, sacrifices, and gives because she loves him. There are definitely benefits to being in John’s life and being his mom, but she is not at all driven by what’s in it for her.

What’s in it for you with Jesus? Everything. Is that what ought to drive us to follow him – so we can get what he offers? No. What drives us in following Him is the love we found in Him which enables us to love Him (albeit imperfectly) but it is love that is the foundation of our commitment to Him.

By the way, the full story of what’s in it for you with Jesus is found throughout Scripture. It isn’t just heaven and joy. It is also suffering and sacrifice. It is courage and risk-taking. It is humility and dependence. It is ultimately dying to self. It is seeing the hard truth about who you really are and receiving the gift of Jesus and His grace in spite of yourself.

What's in it for me being a Dad? John & Anna
What's in it for me being married? Alisa

Sure there are incredible benefits to being a Dad and being married. But they pale in comparison to the gift of the relationship I have with these incredible people in my life.

Maybe it is not completely inappropriate to ask what's in it for me with Jesus. Because maybe there is a good answer to that question. It is not the benefits; it's Him. What's in it for you and me when we surrender ourselves to Jesus ultimately is the gift of Him - a relationship with our Lord, Redeemer, Savior, and King.

Teammate vs. Referee

2010-09-28T13:59:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine is helping coaching middle school football. It has given me a chance to live vicariously through him as we’ve talked about coaching and team and football. It’s been fun for me, and I think he is really enjoying not only the experience but the relationships (with students, coaches, parents, etc.).

Sports like football have rules. Without the rules, it would be like Calvinball. (You’ll know what I’m talking about if you are a fan of Calvin & Hobbes. If not, ignore my reference and read on.) Calvinball had no rules. You made them up as you went. It was chaos.

Football has rules. There are boundaries. There are sidelines and end zones which mark the field of play. You don’t play outside of these boundaries. There are specific ways you score points. There are limits to the number of players on the field. There is a limited amount of time the game is played. You have equipment you must wear and rules you must follow. Otherwise, you are penalized for not following the rules. SO, there are referees that exist to enforce the rules during a game. We might not always agree with their decisions, but they have final authority when it comes to enforcing the rules.

Often, we love the referees when they call something in our favor or when they penalize the other team. We don’t love the referees when they call something NOT in our favor or they penalize our team. They get yelled at a lot. It is not an easy job, but it is an important job to make sure the game is played by the rules.

There are also players – teammates. These are the people who are actually on the field of play who have to abide by the rules of the game. They get to hit, tackle, run, block, pass, etc. They get to enjoy the exhilaration of the game as well as deal with the emotions of winning and losing. The referees don’t do any of this. They don’t get to play. They watch and manage the game and make sure the rules are followed.

Following Jesus is like playing football. (That’s probably not a sentence you’ve heard before, but stick with me.) Yes, I know, you don’t really get to hit and tackle, but in many ways, following Jesus is similar to playing the game of football. There are rules to follow. There are boundaries to keep. There are certain things we do that are penalized because they are breaking the rules. We are on a team. It is not an individual sport. We experience ups and downs throughout the experience. Unlike a football game, which lasts for 60 minutes, following Jesus is a game that lasts a lifetime. There is a start, but not really a finish. It may not be about winning and losing in the way a football game is, but it is about living and dying. When we play we find what it is to live, and amazingly so, we also have the opportunity to invite others out of the stands and into the game. We have the chance to encourage others to move away from dying and into living.

There is a referee, too. However, unlike the football refs, this referee is perfect. He never makes a bad call. He is always working toward helping and encouraging the team to succeed. We may not always enjoy his input in our lives when we are breaking the rules, but we can know he is always making the right call and always seeking to help us grow and enjoy the game even more.

Part of the challenge we face in playing this game of life is the temptation to take over for the referee. We are all tempted to be referees. We like wearing the striped shirts, blowing our whistles, and pointing out the infractions in others. Our sinful nature has a propensity toward judgmentalness, so we are very prone to taking on the role of referee in the lives of others.

It is not our job. We are teammates not referees. Teammates are in the game. Referees are not. God has given us the rules and boundaries so that we experience His life - that’s when the game is most exciting, meaningful, and joyful. He did not give us rules so we could all become referees – pointing out each other’s faults and shortcomings.

I’m not denying the important role that accountability and tough love play. Any good team recognizes how important it is to hold each other accountable to playing the game to the best of our ability AND playing the game as a TEAM.

It is one thing for a fellow teammate, who you know loves you and is committed to your success, to challenge and encourage you in a different direction or point out a place where you are falling short. It is quite another story when someone wearing a striped shirt and blowing a loud whistle – not on your team and not in the game – begins pointing out all of your shortcomings and faults.

If you are not following Jesus, but believe it’s your job to tell others how they need to change, then you are a referee. You need to get in the game and on the team.

If you are following Jesus, play as a team. Be teammates.

The Freedom to Feel

2010-09-22T13:46:00.001-04:00

Jesus wept at the loss of his friend. Jesus cried in anticipation of the difficult road to the cross. Jesus displayed a range of emotions – he felt deeply and he was perfect.

I was in a meeting today and the person speaking started to get choked up. He apologized.

I was with a group of people last week and numerous people started to cry. Some seemed embarrassed.

I was listening to someone share her story and she started to cry. She said, “I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.”

Often people in my office cry. I have a box of Kleenex on my desk for that reason. And invariably, they are either embarrassed or apologetic or disappointed in themselves for letting their emotions come to the surface.

You’ve been there, too. Someone starts to get emotional and it makes us uncomfortable. We are tempted to tell a joke or distract or simply act like nothing is wrong and ignore the person struggling.

OR we’re the one with the emotions starting to bubble out. We fight them. We hide them. We apologize that we’ve ‘lost control.’

John hit his head pretty good at school the other day. It was enough for his teacher to call us. One thing she said surprised me, “He didn’t cry.” Yet, a few days later, John and I went golfing and he accidentally bumped his head with a golf club. He fought the tears for a moment, looked at me, and started to cry. He already feels (for some reason) that crying at school is just not as accepted as when he’s with his dad. I’m not trying to say that’s right or wrong just interesting.

Some people haven’t cried for years. Some are proud of that.

Some cry at the drop of a hat. Most are embarrassed by their inability to control their emotions.

I don’t think Jesus was an emotional basket case. I do think he felt deeply and sometimes those feelings overflowed.

It’s been an emotional few weeks for the Sauer’s. We are definitely emotionally tired. But we are also overwhelmed with joy. It is so good even though it’s been so emotional. Life has become more real and meaningful in these last few weeks. Tears flowed. It was hard to catch my breath. I looked silly. I didn’t care.

I believe when we live deeply, we feel deeply. When we step into this life God has for us, our hearts will be transformed. We’ll feel more. I’m not saying you have to cry a lot to follow Jesus, but I am saying your feelings will change (and grow) as you live His life.

Jesus loves. This love moves him deeply. He weeps. He challenges. He calls us to His way of life because He knows what that will mean for us and He loves us so deeply, He can’t help but express His emotion. He also feels deeply for us when we live apart from Him. He feels deeply for those who reject Him. He feels deeply for those who do not know Him. He feels deeply for those who do not feel deeply for Him.

Authenticity includes being transparent with our feelings.

I was deeply moved today by this man who, with tears in his eyes, expressed his conviction of his lack of love for those who are lost. He was overwhelmed with his emotions as he was convicted of his lack of compassion. He was crying out for God to help his heart be more reflective of God’s heart. He saw clearly that to ignore the needs of those apart from God was to have a heart of stone – very much unlike the heart of Jesus.

Love and tears go hand in hand. Take away those moments when you felt deeply in your life. I bet you can hardly imagine your life without those moments. I hope and pray that more and more of them come for me. I believe they do and will when I truly seek after Jesus and His Way of life.

You never have to apologize for letting Christ’s heart change yours. It's gonna show.

Seven Deadly Spirits - T. Scott Daniels

2010-09-13T09:38:00.002-04:00

Next Sunday, Sept. 19th we begin a series taking us through the seven letters to the churches in Revelation 1-3. Revelation is an important and difficult part of Scripture. There are lots of different views and interpretations of this book. Some base our understanding of the future on Revelation. Some see it as primarily symbolic and not literal. Some avoid it all together. Our focus for the next few weeks will be in the first three chapters. I thought a little help in preparation would be good. The following are quotes from T. Scott Daniel’s book, Seven Deadly Spirits: The Message of Revelation’s Letters for Today’s Church.

I believe the purpose of this great and awesome revealed word to the early church was not to give the church the key to predict the future but to give the followers of Christ in the first century the ability to view from the perspectives of the divine the culture that surround them. (19)

The primary force that opposes the gospel in John’s vision from Patmos is not the beast or the Antichrist but the principality and power he names Babylon. (20)

Babylon holds a special place in the great and populated pantheon of Jewish oppressors and captors, especially for the biblical prophets. Particularly in the book of Daniel, the reader discovers that the primary problem of Israel’s second great exile was that life in Babylon wasn’t nearly as oppressive as their days of slavery in Egypt. Egypt violently oppressed the Israelites. Although many people died at the hand of Pharaoh, the children of Israel were not invited or tempted to become Egyptians. The distinct problem of the Babylonian exile was that the culture of Babylon gave enough freedom and offered enough wealth and power to their Israelite and Judean captives that the greatest risk the people faced was not slavery and oppression but that their children would become Babylonians. In fact, when we read the famous stories of Hebrew children facing the fiery furnace rather than bowing to the king and Daniel accepting the lions’ den rather than accepting restrictions to his faith, we realize that their faith was demonstrated in their ability to resist the lure of the Babylonian empire and not be assimilated into or be conformed to the culture. (20)

Situated in another empire, Rome, John the Revelator recognizes that the primary challenge his brothers and sisters in the early church face is not just sporadic persecution but the constant lure to compromise with the new Babylon. Like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel before them, the first-century Christians must constantly be alert to the ways the empire is pressing them into its mold. The book of Revelation gives the early church the language – the linguistic glasses if you will – to see that the goddess Roma (the spiritual embodiment of the power of Rome) will not give them the abundant life she promises; instead, like Babylon she will lure them into a variety of compromises that will conform them to her values and rob them of the abundant and eternal life they have received and are experiencing through the Lamb. (21)

The Revelator recognizes that it takes a special set of skills to live a faithful Christian life in caesar’s Babylon. Certainly the “visible Caesar” represents the continual threat of violence and persecution inflicted on those who seem suspicious to the status quo because of their perceived disloyalties. The larger letter of Revelation, and the letters within the letter, contains many references to endurance, long-suffering, and hope beyond physical death, but John seems equally to recognize the threat of the “hidden Caesar” that invites us to compromise. To find Caesar in all his hiding places requires the believer to see the world apocalyptically. The spiritual survival of the early Christians depended on their ability to not see Rome as the eternal city but to see her as another Babylon on the way to implosion and collapse (Rev. 19). Followers of Christ cannot view the economics of the empire as “just business”; rather, they must have the insight to see it as the trap and lure of the beast. Disciples, who are committed to overcoming evil with good, must not view political and military power as a necessary means to a peaceful end, but they must be able to recognize in caesar’s chariots and horses the never-ending cycle of the principalities and power’s attempts to overcome coercive power with more coercive power and to stop violence through the use of greater violence. (22)

Each church is caught in a tug-of-war between Christ and its surrounding culture. In each letter, the church is called by the one “who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (Rev. 2:1) to “listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (2:7) and to “conquer” or overcome the forces that are keeping it from fulfilling its divine purpose and character. (22-23)

Stepping Over the Line

2010-09-01T15:47:00.001-04:00

I’m not talking about crossing the line – doing something that you shouldn’t do. I want to encourage you to step over the line.

There is a line in each of our lives which separates our comfort zone from our risk zone. As you approach this line, you tend to experience things like fear, anxiety, and unease. Because of these normal responses to this line, most of us move back into the area of comfort.

We see a friend or family member heading in the wrong direction. We begin to think about what we ought to say to encourage them back in the right direction. We start to feel anxious, so we decide to do nothing.

We hear of a need that moves our heart. We feel strongly that we need to help. As we begin to move closer to doing something about it, we begin to doubt, so we do nothing.

We sense Jesus calling us to take a step of faith in our lives. We are hesitant and afraid of what this will mean, so it is easy to distract ourselves with our own busyness or justify why taking a risk isn’t the right decision. We do nothing.

All of these describe instances of moving toward the line that separates comfort and risk and how often we stay in the area of comfort.

This is not the Jesus Way. This is not the pathway of the Epic Life. It is safe, comfortable, easy, but not biblical. And if we’re honest, many of us, if faced with the decision to give up what we’ve found in this life, won’t take the risk. If given the chance to pursue a life of risk-taking and adventure where we’re called into the unknown having to be dependent on something outside of ourselves, most of us balk. “Why would I choose that?” “Why would I give up my good and comfortable life?” “What would I risk it?”

These are legitimate and important questions. And what’s true about them is God gives you the opportunity to ask them every day. It’s not a one-shot experience. You may choose comfort today, but God is going to invite into His life tomorrow. The invitations will keep coming no matter how often you reject them.

The Jesus Way involves stepping over the line. It means stepping over the line at work. It means stepping over the line in relationships. It means learning to live a life where Jesus’ Way of living is your guide. You are dependent upon Him and not yourself. It will not be comfortable. It will not be easy. It will not be safe. But it will be good and epic and abundant and life-changing and kingdom building and obedient and joyful and . . . it will be life as life is meant to be lived.

In fact, another way to describe what I’m saying is that it will be a life where the steps you take are steps of faith not certainty. You will have to put your foot in places where it is not clear whether you will find solid ground. You’ll have to trust in the one you can’t see with your eyes to be the foundation upon which you walk. Steps of certainty are found in the land of comfort. Steps of faith are found in the Jesus’ Way.

Right now, I believe, Jesus is encouraging you to step over the line. It may be in a relationship. It may be in your walk with Him. It may be in a willingness to do something that makes you uncomfortable, but you believe it is what God wants you to do. Don’t move away from these feelings of fear and anxiety. Step into them. Step into them knowing that you step into the arms of God. Though you may trip and struggle and even suffer, know that THIS LIFE is His life, and His life is a life that truly changes the world and will definitely be a life that enables you to experience the promises of His joy, peace, purpose, love, hope, and freedom. Comfort is easy, but it is also shallow and self-centered and in the long run empty.

If you don’t believe me, then look at Jesus’ life. Look at His disciples. Look at what they found. LIFE by stepping over the line, by stepping in faith, by stepping into a place where they were forced to depend upon their Father.

A Letter to YOU from God

2010-07-08T08:20:00.003-04:00

Too often the voices we listen to in our lives are not God's voice. We are encouraged to live in shame and guilt or pride and self-righteousness. These voices define our identity and color our ability to see ourselves, each other, and God clearly. I'd encourage you to write a letter to yourself from God. What would He say? What would He say about what you are going through? What would He say about who you are? What would He say about how He feels toward you?

I came across the following letter HERE. I hope this helps you to discern what God is trying to say to you.

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
(Psalm 139:1)

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
(Psalm 139:2)

I am familiar with all your ways.
(Psalm 139:3)

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
(Genesis 1:27)

In me you live and move and have your being.
(Acts 17:28)

For you are my offspring.
(Acts 17:28)

I knew you even before you were conceived.
(Jeremiah 1:4-5)

I chose you when I planned creation.
(Ephesians 1:11-12)

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
(Psalm 139:15-16)

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
(Acts 17:26)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
(Psalm 139:14)

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
(Psalm 139:13)

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
(Psalm 71:6)

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
(John 8:41-44)

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
(1 John 4:16)

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
(1 John 3:1)

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
(1 John 3:1)

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
(Matthew 7:11)

For I am the perfect father.
(Matthew 5:48)

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
(James 1:17)

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
(Matthew 6:31-33)

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
(Jeremiah 31:3)

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
(Psalms 139:17-18)

And I rejoice over you with singing.
(Zephaniah 3:17)

I will never stop doing good to you.
(Jeremiah 32:40)

For you are my treasured possession.
(Exodus 19:5)

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
(Jeremiah 32:41)

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
(Jeremiah 33:3)

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
(Deuteronomy 4:29)

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
(Psalm 37:4)

For it is I who gave you those desires.
(Philippians 2:13)

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
(Ephesians 3:20)

For I am your greatest encourager.
(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
(Psalm 34:18)

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
(Isaiah 40:11)

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
(Revelation 21:3-4)

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
(Revelation 21:3-4)

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
(John 17:23)

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
(John 17:26)

He is the exact representation of my being.
(Hebrews 1:3)

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
(Romans 8:31)

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
(2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
(2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
(1 John 4:10)

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
(Romans 8:31-32)

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
(1 John 2:23)

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
(Romans 8:38-39)

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
(Luke 15:7)

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
(Ephesians 3:14-15)

My question is…
Will you be my child?
(John 1:12-13)

I am waiting for you.
(Luke 15:11-32)

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Epic - John Eldredge

2010-06-02T21:01:00.001-04:00

The following is an excerpt from John Eldredge’s book, Epic: The Story God is Telling and the Role That Is Yours To Play.

Walk into any large mall, museum, amusement park, university, or hospital, and you will typically meet at once a very large map with the famous red star and the encouraging words You are here. These maps are offered to visitors as ways to orient themselves to their situation, get some perspective on things. This is the Big Picture. This is where you are in that picture. Hopefully you now know where to go. You have your bearings.

Oh, that we had something like this for our lives.

“This is the Story in which you have found yourself. Here is how it got started. Here is where it went wrong. Here is what will happen next. Now this – this is the role you’ve been given. If you want to fulfill your destiny, this is what you must do. These are your cues. And here is how things are going to turn out in the end.”

We can.

We can discover the Story. Maybe not with perfect clarity, maybe not in the detail that you would like, but in greater clarity than most of us now have, and that would be worth the price of admission. I mean, to have some clarity would be gold right now. Wouldn’t it?

Start with the movies you love.

I’m serious. Think about your favorite movies. Notice that every good story has the same ingredient. Love. Adventure. Danger. Heroism. Romance. Sacrifice. The Battle of Good and Evil. Unlikely heroes. Insurmountable odds. And a little fellowship that in hope beyond hope pulls through in the end.

Next, I want you to notice that all the great stories pretty much follow the same story line. Things were pretty good, then something awful happened, and now a great battle must be fought or a journey taken. At just the right moment (which feels like the last possible moment), a hero comes and set things right, and life is found again.

Have you ever wondered why?

Every story, great and small, shares the same essential structure because every story we tell borrows its power from a Larger Story, a Story woven into the fabric of our being . . .

All of these stories borrow from the Story. From Reality. We hear echoes of it through our lives. Some secret written on our hearts. A great battle to fight, and someone to fight for us. An adventure, something that requires everything we have, something to be shared with those we love and need.

There is a Story that we just can’t seem to escape. There is a Story written on the human heart.

As Ecclesiastes has it,

He has planted eternity in the human heart. (3:11)
(10-13)

Christianity, in its true form, tells us that there is an Author and that he is good, the essence of all that is good and beautiful and true, for he is the source of all these things. It tells us that he has set our hearts’ longings within us, for he has made us to live in an Epic. It warns that the truth is always in danger of being twisted and corrupted and stolen from us because there is a Villain in the Story who hates our hearts and wants to destroy us. It calls us up into a Story that is truer and deeper than any other, and assures us that there we will find the meaning of our lives.
(14-15)

Prayer & Faith - E.M. Bounds

2010-05-27T13:27:00.002-04:00

Here are a few excerpts from The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer.

. . . prayer is simply faith, claiming its natural yet marvelous prerogatives – faith taking possession of its illimitable inheritance. . . when faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live.
(13)

. . . when faith is broken down, the foundations of spiritual life give way, and the entire structure of religious experience falls.

And besides this, giving diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:5-8

Faith was the foundation on which other things were to be built. Peter does not enjoin his readers to add to works or gifts or virtues but to faith.

The faith which creates powerful praying is the faith which centers itself on a powerful person. Faith in Christ’s ability to do and to do greatly, is the faith which prays greatly.
(14)

Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honored; it takes God at his Word, and lets him take what time he chooses in fulfilling his purposes, and in carrying on his work. There is bound to be much delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions – knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made.

Pray on. Wait on. You cannot fail. If Christ delay, wait for him. In his own good time, he will come, and will not tarry.
(15)

Patience has its perfect work in the school of delay. In some instances, delay is of the very essence of prayer. God has to do many things, antecedent to giving the final answer – things which are essential to the lasting good of him who is requesting favor at his hands.
(16)

True prayers are born of present trials and present needs. Bread, for today, is bread enough. Bread given for today is the strongest sort of pledge that there will be bread tomorrow. Victory today, is the assurance of victory tomorrow. Our prayers need to be focused upon the present. We must trust God today, and leave the morrow entirely with him. The present is ours; the future belongs to God. Prayer is the task and duty of each recurring day – daily prayer for daily needs.

As every day demands its bread, so every day demands its prayer. No amount of praying, done today, will suffice for tomorrow’s praying. On the other hand, no praying for tomorrow is of any great value to us today. Today’s manna is what we need; tomorrow God will see that our needs are supplied. This is the faith which God seeks to inspire. So leave tomorrow, with its cares, its needs, its troubles, in God’s hands. There is no storing tomorrow’s grace or tomorrow’s praying; neither is there any laying-up of today’s grace, to meet tomorrow’s necessities. We cannot have tomorrow’s grace, we cannot eat tomorrow’s bread, we cannot do tomorrow’s praying. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof; and, most assuredly, if we possess faith, sufficient also, will be the good.
(17)

An Excellent Article on Faith

2010-05-27T13:21:00.003-04:00

I found a very helpful article in the recent Banner - the Christian Reformed Church's monthly publication. It's titled Faith Amid the Fog and its by Pastor Ron Vanderwell. You can read it HERE.

Synod of the Great Lakes - Convictions

2010-05-18T14:10:00.001-04:00

Do you ever wonder about the role of denominations? I recently received a document with the following vision that is extremely encouraging to me about the direction of the Reformed Church in America, specifically the region our church is in, the Synod of the Great Lakes. I hope this encourages (and even challenges) you. See if your convictions resonate with these.

OUR CALL:
Following Christ in mission together, led by the Holy Spirit, and working with all the partners God provides, we believe that God is calling the Reformed Church in America over the next ten years to focus its efforts and resources on
- starting new congregations and
- revitalizing existing congregations,
thereby empowering fruitful and faithful ministries for the glory of God.

I. Convictions:

We believe:

A. Jesus Christ will build his church through some of us, in spite of some of us, and without some of us. (Matt. 16:18) JESUS WINS!!!

B. The church of Jesus Christ exists to fulfill the Great Commandments (Matt. 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20).

C. It is the central calling of the church to consistently place participation in God’s mission at the center of its life and ministry, and to choose God’s mission and reign before treasured traditions, popular trends, personal preferences and valued relationships.

D. Regarding faithful and fruitful ministry in the twenty-first century, our congregations have only two options: deep transformational change (Luke 5: 36-38) or slow death. In all deep change processes there will be conflict. Therefore, conflict management skills are essential to the transformation process, so that the conflict can be life-giving, not life threatening.

E. People, including congregational leaders, experience transformation into Christ-likeness by embracing the wonder of the GOSPEL of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, “for God shows his love for us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) “For by grace you are saved, through faith, not because of works, lest anyone should boast. It is a gift of God. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2: 8-10) A sign of this transformation will be increased love for God in Christ and other people, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

F. Personal transformation of congregational leaders through the GOSPEL of God’s grace in Jesus Christ precedes congregational transformation. (Romans 12:1-2)

G. Therefore, as go the congregational leaders, so goes the congregation. (Acts 6:1-7)

H. Healthy churches grow and reproduce in a variety of ways.

I. The proven strategies to reach new people for Christ are planting new congregations and renewing existing congregations. These approaches are “two sides of the same coin”, represent God’s work, and produce results for the sake of the GOSPEL. However, the data indicates that the single most effective strategy is planting churches.

Stumbling Blocks

2010-05-18T14:08:00.001-04:00

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:23

“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!” Matthew 18:6-7

“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.” Romans 14:13

“We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. Psalm 56:13

As I read these texts, I am challenged by the reality that I can be a stumbling block. People can actually trip over me and be encouraged to change course (away from God) because of me.

I was raised with an understanding of faith which meant going to church. We didn’t talk about faith. We just went to church. Now please understand I am not trying to say that what my parents did was wrong, but it was a stumbling block. They weren’t intentionally trying to confuse us; they did what they knew. It’s a stumbling block to our children to teach them that faith is about attending a church service once a week. It compartmentalizes faith and gives the false impression that faith is a part of my life not the foundation of my life.

When I don’t pray out loud with my children, I’m a stumbling block.
When I don’t care for the least of these, I’m a stumbling block.
When I don’t read the Bible, I’m a stumbling block.
When I gossip in front of others I’m a stumbling block.
When I won’t do the hard work of restoring a broken relationship, I’m a stumbling block.
When I define worship based on my preferences, I’m a stumbling block.
When I see myself primarily as a victim, I’m a stumbling block.
When I won’t let people into my life, I’m a stumbling block.
When I don’t intentionally seek to make disciples, I’m a stumbling block.
When I believe God owes me, I’m a stumbling block.
When I get intoxicated, I’m a stumbling block.
When I treat employees poorly, I’m a stumbling block.
When I lie in front of others, I’m a stumbling block.
When I claim faith and live by my own power, I’m a stumbling block.
When I call Jesus Lord and spend no time with Him, I’m a stumbling block.

Do you remember in Genesis 3 what the serpent did? He gently encouraged Eve to question whether God was really trustworthy. He sought to plant a seed of doubt. “Maybe God doesn’t know what He’s talking about.” “Maybe what I think and want will be better for me.” Eve tripped. Adam tripped. They both stumbled away from God and began living a life of shame, where they actually felt the need to hide from God. (We’ve become so good at hiding now. We are experts at keeping people from knowing and seeing the truth about us.)

We have the opportunity to be like the serpent in each other’s lives. The serpent used words primarily. For us, it tends to come with our actions. Just the fact that we are too often prone to say one thing and do another has become one of the greatest stumbling blocks to people coming to faith in Jesus. They look at the followers of Jesus, feel judged and see hypocrisy, and WE trip them up on the path to Jesus.

What part are you playing in the lives of others? Does your life do more to trip people up on the path to Jesus or is your life an encouragement to keep walking toward Him?

Ask the people of your life. I’m not kidding. Ask them.

“How does my life encourage you in your walk with Jesus? How does my life get in the way?”

A Question on Homosexuality

2010-05-11T08:38:00.001-04:00

I received the following question recently and thought you’d be interested in this conversation.

Question
This is not urgent, but sometime, could you give me some insight on homosexuality? I have always believed that it is a sin and that the person has a choice, but lately several of my Christian colleagues are going over to the secular philosophy that it is genetic and therefore not a choice. What is your opinion?

My Response
I believe the Bible is clear when it comes to homosexual behavior. It is sin. The more difficult question has to do with homosexual orientation. I believe people can have a predisposition toward members of the same sex, but I would see this in the same category as the predispositions we all have toward certain sinful behaviors. I am drawn to certain sinful practices more so than others. Whether that has to do with how I was raised or how my nature has been tainted because of sin, it is still sin if I choose to give in to these inclinations. However, having the inclinations toward same sex relationships is not sin. It is temptation. The voice inside of us that encourages homosexual behavior is not the voice of God because God never contradicts what He’s said in His Word.

The Church has done a pathetic job of really loving the homosexual community. We’ve been good at judging and excluding and even condemning. I hope that changes. I hope that the Church has a “room for all” perspective. I don’t mean we affirm or accept sinful practices as if we just turn and look the other way. But too often we start by trying to change people’s behavior instead of loving them to Jesus. What the homosexual community needs more than anything else is to see Jesus tangibly lived out by His Church THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS not statements of condemnation or anger.

Jesus is the agent of change. There is no transformation for any of us away from our sinful inclinations without the power of the HS at work within us. We’ve often lived under the false assumption that the church exists for those who have overcome the sin in their lives and now they are ready and welcome in the church. That is not the picture of church I see in the NT. The Church definitely needs to be a place of support and encouragement for fellow followers, but the Church also needs to be a place where people can explore Jesus, see how He’s working in others, and experience Him through His followers. If people can only come once they’ve rid their life of sin (impossible for all of us anyway), our churches will never have the kingdom impact God desires.

Children Matter

2010-05-11T08:36:00.002-04:00

“Let the children come to me.” Jesus

“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Jesus

“The real integration of children into our lives is happening all across the world – just not very much in Western society. Here we have forgotten that there is really no higher calling than to raise a child. We tend to do a lot for our children but not nearly enough with our children.”
Wes Stafford, Too Small to Ignore, p. 33

Definition of failure: “to succeed at something that doesn’t really matter.” Stafford, p. 93

I’m becoming more and more aware of how often I succeed at things that really don’t matter. Stafford calls that failure. I’m having a hard time arguing with that perspective.

Hardly anyone would disagree with the statement that children matter. It is never a ‘failure’ to invest in the life of a child. We would all affirm the importance of children and the priority they ought to be in our lives, churches, and communities. Children matter.

God has helped affirmed their importance and stated some things that really turned our understanding upside down. He said things like, “unless you become like this child, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” or “you need to have faith like a child.”

For me, the rubber meets the road in the midst of the daily requests I receive from John for my attention. Whether its Uno or Frisbee golf or playing a computer game or reading, John always has a plan for my life. I’m often torn. I often don’t want to do what he wants me to do. I also have a plan in my head for my own life. I have ideas about the things that I want to do. John rarely if ever wants to buy into my plan, and sadly, my plan often involves doing something on my own.

To succeed at something that doesn’t really matter is failure. So often my plans fit into this category. I’m definitely drawn to them. They keep my attention and entertain me, but they almost always don’t matter.

John matters – more so than most of the rest of my life – but in the day to day life it is tempting to lose sight of living this out. It is easy to say that John matters and that being a parent is one of the highest callings I have, but the proof is shown in how I live. Do I live out how much he matters? Do I invest in him not only in the games we play but in the conversations we have? Am I “training him up in the way he should go”? Am I modeling a commitment to prayer, God’s Word, caring for others, being a godly husband, serving, listening, etc.? I know that is a lot to consider, but it matters. This is the stuff that really matters.

John’s not going to remember how many times he beat me in Uno or how many fish we caught or how many books we read or all that we talked about. But he will remember whether or not his dad spent time with him. He will become the man that he’ll become due in a large part based on the dad he had. And he will also form ideas, impressions, values, beliefs, etc. based significantly on the ideas, values, beliefs, and impressions of his dad.

I can’t lose sight of the gift I have in John. It’s not just about doing my part so that he turns out well, it’s enjoying the gift it is to be a part of his life. There is more joy to be found here than in the multitude of others plans I create for myself that really have no eternal significance.

Every child (yours and mine and those in between) matters.

Thoughts on Faith - Buechner

2010-04-26T10:31:00.002-04:00

The following are excerpts from Fredrick Buechner’s excellent book, Secrets in the Dark.

The world and all of us in it are half in love with our own destruction and thus mad. The world and all of us in it are hungry to devour each other and ourselves and thus lost. That is not just a preacher’s truth, a rhetorical truth, a Sunday school truth. Listen to the evening news. Watch television. Read the novels and histories and plays of our time. Read part of what there is to be read in every human face including my face and your face. But every once in a while in the world, and every once in a while in ourselves, there is something else to read—there are places and times, inner ones and outer ones, where something like peace happens, love happens, light happens, . . . . And when they happen, we should hold on to them for dear life, because of course they are dear life. They are glimpses and whispers from afar: that peace, light, love are where life ultimately comes from, that deeper down than madness and lostness they are what at its heart life is. By faith we know this, and I think only by faith, because there is no other way to know it.

“By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear,” says the author of Hebrews. Faith is a way of looking at what is seen and understanding it in a new sense. Faith is a way of looking at what there is to be seen in the world and in ourselves and hoping, trusting, believing against all evidence to the contrary that beneath the surface we see there is vastly more that we cannot see.

What is it “that is seen,” as Hebrews puts it? What is seen is the ruined landscape I saw through the train window, the earth so ravaged you can’t believe any green thing will ever grow there again. What is seen is all the streets in the world like Forty-Second Street—the crazy drunks, the child whores, the stink of loneliness, emptiness, cruelty, despair. Maybe most of all what is seen, if we’re honest, is that there is in all of us what is both sickened and fascinated by such things, attracted and repelled. What is seen is a world that tries to sell us what kills us like the cigarette ad and never even gives it a second thought, as you and I rarely give it a second thought either but rush to buy what the world sells, and in our own way sell it ourselves.

Who or what created such a world? On the face of it, there seems to be only one answer to that question. We ourselves created it—that is the answer—and it is hard to see on the face of it—hard to see—that what created us can have been anything more than some great cosmic upheaval, some slow, blind process as empty of meaning or purpose as a glacier. But “by faith,” says Hebrews, we see exactly the same world and yet reach exactly the opposite answer, which is faith’s answer. “By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God,” it says, “so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.”

By faith we understand, if we are to understand it at all, that the madness and lostness we see all around us and within us are not the last truth about the world but only the next to the last truth. Madness and lostness are the results of terrible blindness and tragic willfulness, which whole nations are involved in no less than you and I are involved in them. Faith is the eye of the heart, and by faith we see deep down beneath the face of things—by faith we struggle against all odds to be able to see—that the world is God’s creation even so. It is he who made us and not we ourselves, made us out of his peace to live in peace, out of his light to dwell in light, out of his love to be above all things loved and loving. That is the last truth about the world.
(70-71)

Ambivalent answers from God?

2010-04-20T08:24:00.002-04:00

I was recently asked the following question via email. I thought it was a good question and one worth sharing.

The Question

Does God give ambivalent answers to prayer? I guess what I mean is, is there always a clear cut answer, such as 'do this' or 'don't even think it'? Can an answer be left in doubt or is it just the human mind that perceives the doubt? Is there such a thing as a 'murky' answer to prayer?

My Response

"If any of you is lacking wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord." James 1:5-8

'Does God give ambivalent answers to prayer?' I guess, from our perspective here on earth, we can't help but say, "Yes." However, I don't believe God ever responds with uncertainty. He knows exactly what He is doing (or not doing). James says we need to "ask in faith, never doubting . . ." and I believe it's very important that we do this. But what are we putting our faith in? The easy answer is God and that's right. However, I think we blur our perspective because we really put our faith in THE ANSWER. If I hear clearly and know just what I need to do, then God is trustworthy and faithful to the promises He's made. If I don't have the answer, either a) God can't be trusted or b) there is something wrong with me.

If we put our faith in God and we define faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1) AND we define 'hope' biblically meaning guaranteed, then we KNOW God will answer. But more often than not, God's answer is not in direct response to our question. He is interested in doing a work IN us not just FOR us. So when I prayed that God would heal my dad of cancer, He didn't just say, "No, Chip, I will not do that." Instead He said, "I've heard you. I care deeply about you and what you are feeling and desiring. Trust me, and even though you will not get what you want, you will find in me what you need regardless of the answer you seek. So just because I do not respond with a YES doesn't mean your faith in me should be any less certain."

What's God's ultimate goal with us? It is to draw us to Himself (and in doing so the world will see Him in us). Regardless of what we ask for or not, God is always working in our conversation with Him to fulfill this ultimate goal. We often think if He'd answer us the way we want, then we'd be more easily drawn to him, but if you think about that as a parent, you realize how foolish that is. God doesn't revel in not giving us what we want, but He loves us so deeply, He won't always give us what we want. To Him it's not a transaction that ought to be the focus, but a relationship, and nobody does relationships better than He does.

I just finished reading an outstanding chapter on faith in Fredrick Buechner's book, Secrets in the Dark. It’s worth reading and addresses some of these challenges of faith.

The Rhythm of Life

2010-04-13T08:23:00.001-04:00

If you haven’t heard yet, I’m teaching a dance class. The questions and ‘concerns’ about this endeavor have been downright entertaining. “Are you qualified to teach dance?” “Who taught you?” “Are you really going to dance?” “Are you really going to make me dance?” “What does dancing have anything to do with God?” “Are you serious . . . dance . . . on Sunday?”

Have you ever found yourself singing out loud to yourself and even dancing? Have you ever felt like you just need to move? Don’t you have that song or artist that just gets you out of your chair? Your feet start tapping, your body starts swaying, etc.?

Do you know (and feel) the rhythm of creation?

God made the two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night – and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night . . . (Genesis 1:16-18a)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance . . .
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

Spring reminds us of this rhythm of life. Plants are sprouting. The rich color of green covers our landscapes. Birds are returning (and singing). The rhythm is driving us outside and we see an increased spurt of activity – raking, mulching, spring cleaning, planting, watering, discarding, etc.

Think about your typical day: rest – rise – eat – work – eat – work – eat – play – rest. Now John’s rhythm is different than mine but he has a rhythm: rest (not enough) – rise (too early) – eat – play – eat – play – eat – play – rest.

Take any of us out of our rhythm and it may seem nice for a while, but there is something inherent in each of us about keeping this rhythm. Remove eating or resting and it becomes even more pronounced.

Think about the seasons. Spring (planting/new life) – summer (growing) – fall (harvest) – winter (dying/rest).

Think about relationships: It is not good for man to be alone. (Genesis 2:18) We are created to be in relationship. There are important rhythms we have in relationship. We need to love and be loved. We need to give and to receive. We need to listen and be heard. We need help along the way. We really are out of sync when we are out of relationship both with each other and especially with our Creator.

Because there is a rhythm, there is an opportunity to dance. In fact, I would suggest that God created us to dance to the rhythm of His creation. And when we dance to His rhythm, we experience a freedom unlike anything else we’ll ever experience.

Have you ever felt that freedom when you dance? Have you ever experienced that joy and abandonment when you’ve just let your body move to the music?

Although God is probably not asking us to gyrate our bodies throughout each day, He is inviting us to move to the rhythm He has created within creation and which He has instilled within us.

What a God!

2010-04-05T15:43:00.002-04:00

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven – and the future starts now! God is keeping a careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all – life healed and whole.

I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”
The Message, I Peter 1:3-9, 13-16

What a God we have! What a gift we’ve received in our salvation.

There is nothing better. There is nothing that can bring us such joy. There is nothing else that can lead to a life (no matter what) of REJOICING.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

We experienced a feast at Easter. It was a table filled with delicious fruits, vegetables, meats, and treats. The table overflowed with lots of food. Could you imagine having such a feast by yourself? Can you imagine coming to this table and seeing that you are the only one there? What a waste? I can’t possibly eat all that is there. There is so much more than I could ever want or need. Others have to come.

Thankfully, there were others at this feast. A huge part of the joy of the meal was not simply good food, but good friends and the opportunity to get to know each other better. There is something very right about SHARING in the feast together. It wouldn’t be the same if I (or you) was alone.

Now imagine what you’d think if the table was filled with a little food and not very good food. You’d be much more hesitant to want anyone else to experience this meager table. For one, there is not enough to go around and two, who would want to eat this simple fare anyway? Based on what you see on the table can determine how much you want others to be there and share in the meal.

The table of God’s salvation is the most amazing feast you can imagine. It’s a table that overflows. There is no way you would ever imagine sitting at this table alone. Others have to come. So bring everyone from your church and every Christian you know and seat them around this table. It is still way too much for even this crowd to enjoy. More have to come. The feast is so splendid and beautiful and there is such quantity, more just have to come.

Too often, I (and maybe you) lack the urgency that we see modeled in the disciples. We fail to see the significance of the table we sit at. We fail to see the overwhelming bounty of God’s grace right before us. And as a result, we too easily forget about the people around us, those who have not responded to God’s invitation to come. We sit there too focused upon the minutia of our lives and fail to see the feast before us. Until we truly see and keep looking at the gift of our salvation, we will be less likely to invite others to come. And isn’t this our calling? We are called to be family members who are invited to bring everyone we can to partake at this table. There is more than enough.

May God help us long for every person we know to come and sit at God’s table of grace. May we not get so caught up in the busyness and distractions of our life that we forget our true calling and we fail to look closely at the feast that lies before us. May you and I commit to praying for our lost friends and family every day, asking God to bring them home and asking God to use us to help them see the Way.

Prodigal God - Keller

2010-04-05T15:42:00.001-04:00

These are excerpts from Timothy Keller’s book, The Prodigal God.

Elder brothers obey God to get things. They don’t obey God to get God himself-in order to resemble him, love him, know him, and delight him. So religious and moral people can be avoiding Jesus as Savior and Lord as much as the younger brothers who say they don’t believe in God and define right and wrong for themselves. Pg. 42-43

Because sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Savior, Lord, and Judge just as each son sought to displace the authority of the father in his own life. Pg. 43

There are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord. One is by breaking all the moral laws and setting your own course, and one is by keeping all the moral laws and being very, very good. Pg. 44

The gospel: In its view, everyone is wrong, everyone is loved, and everyone is called to recognize this and change. Pg. 45

The first sign you have an elder-brother spirit is that when your life doesn’t go as you want, you aren’t just sorrowful but deeply angry and bitter. Elder brothers believe that if they live a good life they should get a good life, that God owes them a smooth road if they try very hard to live up to standards. Pg. 49-50

If a group believes God favors them because of their particularly true doctrine, ways of worship, and ethical behavior, their attitude toward those without these things can be hostile. Their self-righteousness hides under the claim that they are only opposing the enemies of God. When you look at the world through those lenses, it becomes easy to justify hate and oppression, all in the name of truth. Pg.54

Elder brothers may do good to others, but not out of delight in the deeds themselves or for the love of people or the pleasure of God. They are not really feeding the hungry and clothing the poor, they are feeding and clothing themselves. The heart’s fundamental self-centeredness is not only kept intact but nurtured by fear-based moralism. Pg. 62

The last sign of the elder-brother spirit is a lack of assurance of the father’s love. The older son says, “You never threw me a party.” Pg. 63

Elder brothers have an undercurrent of anger toward life circumstances, hold grudges long and bitterly, look down at people of other races, religions, and lifestyles, experience life as a joyless, crushing drudgery, have little intimacy and joy in their prayer lives, and have a deep insecurity that makes them overly sensitive to criticism and rejection yet fierce and merciless in condemning others. What a terrible picture. Pg. 70-71

Pride in his good deeds, rather than remorse over his bad deeds, was keeping the older son out of the feast of salvation. The elder brother’s problem is his self-righteousness, the way he uses his moral record to put God and others in his debt to control them and get them to do what he wants. His spiritual problem is the radical insecurity that comes from basing his self-image on achievements and performance, so he must endlessly prop up his sense of righteousness by putting other down and finding fault. Pg. 77

To truly become Christians we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness, too. We must learn how to repent of the sin under all our other sins and under all our righteousness-the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord. We must admit that we’ve put our ultimate hope and trust in things other than God, and that in both our wrongdoing and right doing we have been seeking to get around God or get control of God in order to get hold of those things.
It is only when you see the desire to be your own Savior and Lord-lying beneath both your sins and your moral goodness-that you are on the verge of understanding the gospel and becoming a Christian indeed. Pg. 78

Jesus had not come to simply deliver one nation from political oppression, but to save all of us from sin, evil, and death itself. He came to bring the human race Home. Therefore, he did not come in strength but in weakness. He came and experienced the exile that we deserved. He was expelled from the presence of the Father, he was thrust into the darkness, the uttermost despair of spiritual alienation-in our place. He took upon himself the full curse of human rebellion, cosmic homelessness, so that we could be welcomed into our true home. Pg. 101-102

The Bible insists on using sensory language about salvation. It calls us to “taste and see” that the Lord is good, not only to agree and believe it. Pg. 107

The climax of history is not a higher form of disembodied consciousness but a feast. Pg. 110-111
Jesus is saying that the inevitable sign that you know you are a sinner saved by sheer, costly grace is a sensitive social conscience and a life poured out in deeds of service to the poor. Younger brothers are too selfish and elder brothers are too self-righteous to care for the poor.

Christianity, therefore, is perhaps the most materialistic of the world’s faiths. Jesus’ miracles were not so much violations of the natural order, but a restoration of the natural order. God did not create a world with blindness, leprosy, hunger, and death in it. Jesus’ miracles were signs that someday all these corruptions of his creation would be abolished. Christians therefore can talk of saving the soul and of building social systems that deliver safe streets and warm homes in the same sentence. With integrity. Pg. 112

Christianity is by no means the opiate of the people. It’s more like the smelling salts. Pg. 113

Jesus doesn’t love us because we are beautiful; we become beautiful through Jesus’ sacrificial love. He is the ultimate spouse to us, his “bride,” in the gospel. Pg. 118

If we say “I believe in Jesus” but it doesn’t affect the way we live, the answer is not that now we need to add hard work to our faith so much as that we haven’t truly understood or believed in Jesus at all. Pg. 124

There is no way you will be able to grow spiritually apart from a deep involvement in a community of other believers. You can’t live the Christian life without a band of Christian friends, without a family of believers in which you find a place. Pg. 125

Christians commonly say they want a relationship with Jesus, that they want to “get to know Jesus better.” You will never be able to do that by yourself. You must be deeply involved in the church, in Christian community, with strong relationships of love and accountability. Only if you are part of a community of believers seeking to resemble, serve, and love Jesus will you ever get to know him and grow into his likeness. Pg. 127

Life of the Trail - The Summit

2010-03-23T08:35:00.001-04:00

Brian and Mabel recently received the great news that their adoption of Mehret is all set. They leave in the middle of April for Ethiopia to pick up their 5 year-old daughter. Praise God.

Mehret knows she has a family in Michigan that wants to adopt her. She’s received cards and pictures of her new family. She even has a few pictures of her room, her new house, and the community of Charlevoix. She knows that is where she is headed to live with her new family, the Carsons.

Imagine for a moment what is going on inside her head. She doesn’t really know the Carsons. She’s never been to Charlevoix or Michigan or the United States. She’s seen pictures, but pictures are a far cry from the actual experience – of being in the place you see in the pictures.

Her life is different today because of what she anticipates in the future. She knows she’s leaving, so I’m sure there are a lot of mixed feelings. “Do I really want to leave? I’ll miss this or that or him or her. But I have a new family who says they love me and has a room for me and new stuff.” Because of where she is going, it affects how she views her life today. We experience this same thing when we have a vacation coming or we’re pregnant or about to get married. We look at our life today differently because of what is coming in our future.

As you consider this journey you're on with Jesus, what is the destination? What does the future hold for you? These are important questions and how you answer these questions affects how you live today. Is there a better place, a better day, a better life coming? Or is this the best there is? Can you affirm the song that says, “This world is not my home”?

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world – the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches – comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.
1 John 2:15-17

“It’s summit day.”

I clearly remember those words coming from the mouth of our guide. It was the day we were going up to the top of the mountain. We were going to climb up to 14,000 feet. It was an exhilarating experience. The oxygen got quite a bit thinner. The effort it took to climb was more intense. All of us kept looking up to see if we could see where we were headed. The summit was never easy to see until you reached to top.

What a view. It was worth all the effort, all the struggles, all the pain and hunger and discouragement. To see from the top was more satisfying than any of us imagined. We took pictures. We gave hugs and high fives. We sat and enjoyed the view. It was glorious. You could see all around you. You could see further than you’d ever seen before. What a joy.

But sooner than anyone wanted it was time to climb down. We couldn’t stay or live on the summit. We had to head back down into the valleys.

But there is a day coming when we will stay on the summit. We won’t climb down. We won’t live in the valleys any longer. We will enjoy the mountain top eternally. There will be no letdowns, no suffering, no brokenness, no discouragement. We will be home because home is on the summit with the guide who has brought us here. We will not know what it all looks like until we get there. We have a few pictures and glimpses like Mehret but we won’t really KNOW until we are there. That will be home. That is home. Everything else is just what we see in a mirror dimly.

Live for the summit.

Grafting and Pain

2010-03-23T08:34:00.000-04:00

It is just a little ironic that the day after I spoke on “Grafting,” I actually had a tissue graft done in my mouth. (Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?) This past Monday, they sliced out a chunk of gums from the top of my mouth and attached it to the front of my mouth. It took about an hour. I experienced no pain. I did close my eyes the entire time so I couldn’t see any of the instruments going in or stuff coming out. Yet, there was no pain. Even as I write this article today (the afternoon of the procedure), I’m experiencing no discomfort. I have some wads of silly putty in my mouth to protect the areas that were worked on, but so far no pain. I just can’t eat much and can’t speak. Thank goodness for shakes.

What a gift it is that technology and medicine have advanced to the place where these procedures can be done quickly and with little (if any) discomfort. The ability to numb is quite remarkable. It definitely leads to some funny feelings and awkward moments, but it also keeps the nerves from sending the PAIN message to your brain.

We can’t say the same thing about being grafted into Christ. With grafting comes pain. If we are to remain connected to the vine and bear fruit, we can’t avoid pain. The “dying” to self that the Bible talks about is not an easy process. It is hard to experience and it is hard work to let our “self’s” die.

It is interesting how many opportunities there are in our lives to pursue numbness. Our world offers all sorts of opportunities to avoid and deaden pain. The obvious ones are drugs and alcohol, but other common numbing agents are busyness, entertainment, avoidance, denial, distractions, etc. We are good at avoiding pain. In fact, for some it seems to be the purpose of our existence. If the number one desire is pleasure it makes sense that what we seek to avoid (at all costs) is pain.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not promoting a masochistic approach to life where we define success based on the amount of pain. Instead, I am acknowledging that the primary purpose of the Christian life is not the avoidance of pain and would add that being grafted into Jesus inevitably means suffering and pain. That’s why it’s not the easy path. That’s why Paul promised persecution and Jesus promised that we’d be hated by the world. That’s why rejection cannot be avoided or “tickling” the ears of men embraced.

You might argue, “Well, of course, suffering and pain are inevitable. We all live in a broken world.” I would agree, but also add, imagine the choice the disciples had following Jesus’ death and resurrection. They could have chosen to stop risking their lives for his sake. Yes, their lives would have some experience of suffering due to the brokenness of this world, but do you think it would have cost them their lives? Would they have been martyred if they had rejected Jesus and stopped following? I doubt it.

Do you think our friend and his family in Nigeria would experience the same level of suffering if they chose not to obey God’s commands to reach the Muslim world for Christ? Do you think our friends in Nepal would experience the same level of persecution if they chose to reject God’s call to reach the lost in Nepal? Do you think your middle class, American life will be the same if you fully commit yourself to following Jesus Christ? Do you think it will be just like your non-Christian neighbors?

But what’s interesting about this discussion is that it really is not about the pain or suffering. Those are natural consequences to denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus. They are not the focus. He is. His life is. The experience of purpose and hope that His life brings far outweighs the costs, even when the cost is your life. I know that few of us have ever been in a situation where our faith might cost us our lives, but whether we’ve experienced it or not doesn’t mean it isn’t true. How far do you take it when Jesus says, “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life”? (John 12:25) Is there anything that God could ask you to give up that would cause you to reject Him and say, No? Your health, family, possessions, job, house, life?

Life on the Trail - Suffering

2010-03-11T09:09:00.001-05:00

I played soccer in high school. Soccer in Fergus Falls, MN, was a new sport and did not necessarily receive a lot of support from the school system. But slowly but surely we made progress. My senior year, we actually had a new practice field, yet it was so poorly constructed and cared for, it was more like farmland that is mowed really short. One day while playing, I slid for a ball. It was a bad idea now that I have the chance to look back. I stripped off the skin on my entire shin because the ground was dry and hard. It didn’t bleed. It seeped. I won’t go into any more detail, except to say that it took a long time to heal. I went and visited my Young Life leader a few days after the accident. He took one look at my leg, went into their house, and came back with a bottle of peroxide. His plan was to pour peroxide all over my leg. I wasn’t so fond of the idea, because I thought it would include a great deal of pain. He agreed that pain would be part of this experience, so I wondered out loud why I would choose to experience pain. He smiled and poured the bottle on my leg. Yep, sure enough, there was pain. It actually bubbled on my leg. Fun.

My friend told me that the peroxide would help the wound to heal and make sure it didn’t get infected. It made sense, but I sure wasn’t a fan of the pain.

I see pain pretty frequently. I was going to say because of my job, which is true, but I bet you, too, see pain around you. I see it in the physical challenges that people face whether because of old age or cancer or injury. I see pain in the emotional turmoil of broken relationships and the hurts that have happened. I see the pain that is caused by fear and anxiety which often hinders people experiencing joy and peace in their lives. I see pain as I read about some of the tragedies and turmoil that are taking place around this globe (Haiti, Chile, Kenya, Nigeria, etc.).

Suffering just happens. It is unavoidable. It is not fair or equal. Some seem to suffer so much more than others. Suffering happens to kids and adults. There is often little explanation as to why certain things happen to certain people. God just doesn’t seem interested in telling us why suffering happens. That is more than a little frustrating at times.

The Bible says a few things about suffering:

Here’s what Job said to God about his suffering:

I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me. Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked? Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as humans see? Are you days like the days of mortals, or your years like human years, that you seek out my iniquity and search for my sin, although you know that I am not guilty, and there is no one to deliver out of your hand?
Job 10:1-7

Paul’s take is quite a bit different:

. . . we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4

Here is what Joseph (thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, spent years in the Egyptian prison, falsely accused) said to his brothers who sold him into slavery:

Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.
Genesis 50:20

It is tempting to blame God for the suffering and stay focused on being a victim. Yet, it seems that based on these Scriptures and the multitude of examples of suffering in the Bible, that is not what God desires. He gives us freedom to tell him how we feel, but I also believe He really longs to do a “good” work in us through these challenges. Please understand I am in no way minimizing the pain or struggle that comes with it, but I also am learning that God promises to help us grow and it is often in these experiences where growth happens.

If I believed God caused Jeff Bakker or Jack Balchik to get cancer, then I would really wonder about what kind of God we worship. But what I see God doing, although very difficult for the families directly involved, is good. It’s hard, but good. I’m sure if you asked them if every moment is good, they would say, No. Suffering is suffering and no one wishes that upon themselves or anyone.

I hope and pray that God will heal their cancer. I pray for that. But I also trust God to do (or not do) what is best, even though He may not do what I want.

Editor's note: Jeff passed away last night (Thursday, March 11th around 1:30am). God answered our prayers for healing - not necessarily the healing we wanted, but God has healed Jeff more fully than we know. Jeff is home - praise God.

Please keep praying for these families and others, too, who we know are facing very difficult roads.

Doctrine

2010-03-03T16:03:00.002-05:00

This quote struck me today. It comes from John Piper.

"Doctrine is humankind's feeble attempt to comprehend an incomprehensible God."

Life on the Trail - Integrity

2010-03-02T08:25:00.002-05:00

Just as a week backpacking in the wilderness causes one to be ‘authentic’, it definitely also brings to the surface your true values. It tests your integrity. Will I do what I’ve committed to doing as a Christian and will I be who I claim to be as a follower of Jesus Christ? (This is also strongly tested in marriage by the way and in family life overall.)

Here are a few scenarios:

Scenario #1: Tonight, the crew on the trail is going to use the meal you’ve been carrying the past three days. This is good news, because it means that tomorrow you’re pack will be significantly lighter. That’s easier on your shoulders and your back. Less pain for you. But, you are well aware that a few of the folks you are backpacking with are struggling with the weight of their packs. Will you offer to carry some of their load?

Scenario #2: It’s your turn to help cook the evening meal. Tonight, you get to have GORP, which is a mixture of granola, oatmeal, raisins, peanuts, and M&M’s. After four hard days on the trail, this is like an ice cream sundae. You can’t wait. As you are divvying up the GORP among the group, do you take more for yourself? Do you pick out a few extra M&M’s for your cup? Do you even eat a little now while everyone else is off setting up camp? No one would know.

Scenario #3: It’s sharing time, and you’ve been encouraged by how people are really encountering God and experiencing His presence and strength. You haven’t been experiencing that at all. You’ve felt selfish, overwhelmed, and even discouraged as you’ve been seeing the truth of yourself come to the surface. Do you tell the truth or make up some story about how you also have been overwhelmed by God’s presence? People have also shared how they’ve been praying for you. You haven’t been praying for them, but is that what you say?

Scenario #4: One of the members of the team has been really struggling. They’ve complained about injuries, needed extra help, and have generally been very hard to be around. As you are walking with one of your friends, he/she begins to complain about this other person and even questions whether this person’s injuries are real. Do you join in? Do you spend time criticizing this person who has been struggling or do you lead the conversation in a more appropriate direction?

Scenario #5: Someone needs to go dig the community BIFF (bathroom in forest floor). You are tired from a day of hiking. Do you volunteer?

Scenario #6: You’ve committed to no impact hiking, and as you are walking along you see some trash – definitely not yours. Do you stop and pick it up?

Scenario #7: Someone asks if anyone has an extra pad to help with their blisters. You have one left. Do you give up your last one? Do you keep it in case you need it?

Consider how easy it is on the trail to let our Biblical values be trumped by worldly (selfish) values. Take a look at the following lists. Which values tend to have more of an impact on your life?

Biblical values / Worldly values
Serve / Be served
Give / Take
Suffering leading to growth / Suffering leading to bitterness
Humility / Pride
Compassion / Judgment
Least of these / Seat of honor at banquet table
Dying to self / Worshiping self
Looking for God’s approval in secret / Pleasing people in public
Storing up treasures in heaven / Storing up treasures on earth

Are you doing what you said you'd do as a follower of Jesus Christ?

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

Empowered by . . .

2010-02-24T08:25:00.001-05:00

As Nicodemus is wrestling with all that Jesus is saying about being ‘born again,’ Jesus says something that I’m sure only exasperated Nicodemus’ confusion, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” (John 3:5)

Water and Spirit?

For Nicodemus, he is wrestling with this new revelation that his ancestry, membership in the Sanhedrin, and his works are not enough. They do not lead to the new birth that Jesus is talking about. Instead, he is challenged to be born of water and Spirit. We never find out how Nicodemus responded. Later in John 7:50-52, he shows courage protesting against the condemnations of Jesus without giving him a hearing and in John 19:40, Nicodemus brings a lavish gift of spices to anoint the body of Jesus after his death. But beyond that, we just don’t know.

Water and Spirit. Have you been born in water and Spirit? What does that mean to you?

Water is a little more clear, I think, to most of us. Being born in water connects us with baptism which is the sign and seal of our forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ. To be born of water is to be forgiven by the work of Christ.

What about born of Spirit? Most of us would remember what happens at Pentecost in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit comes upon the believers and they are forever (not just in that event) transformed. They are ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire rest upon their heads and they speak in languages they never learned. Soon after, Peter testifies to Jesus and thousands come to faith. And from this point on, the church explodes from a very small group of believers to a movement that spans the entire known world. These forgiven believers, after having been born of the Spirit, go on to fulfill what Jesus said to them, that they would do even greater things than Him. (See John 14:12)

My point here is not to bring up the ongoing debate of two baptisms. Some Christian denominations believe that based on what you see with Nicodemus and what happens at Pentecost, that we are to experience two unique baptisms: one by water – one by Spirit. These can occur at different times and often the baptism of the Spirit is confirmed with the gift of tongues (not speaking different known languages, but speaking a spiritual language that only a Spirit-filled interpreter can decipher).

My point is this: Too many of us have not embraced the truth that we are not only forgiven, but we are empowered (filled) with the Holy Spirit. We believe our eternity is all set, yet we live the rest of our lives dependent upon our own power. The Spirit dwells within us, but we are not dependent or interested in the Spirit’s leading. Imagine how different our lives would be if we lived every moment knowing that God Himself was with us and would give us the power to do what we can’t do ourselves.

Maybe we’ve misinterpreted our understanding of one of the most often quoted Scripture passages: Philippians 4:13. It says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” We view this verse similar to how we view Olympic athletes. Look at their hard work, their commitment. Look at all the support they receive from family, teammates, their countries. Wow, it’s amazing what THEY do. And it’s true, THEY do it. No one empowers them to ski the moguls or skate with such precision. THEY do it. Maybe we see God as the cheerleader who sits in the stands or the coach who’s prepared us for the event or the family that has been there all along. So then, with God’s help, I go do it. I do it with His strength. But what is so important for us to embrace is that we are called to a life of letting God be the one who acts in us. I don’t do it; He does. He does it through me. Yes, I have to be a willing vessel, but when the time comes to stand on the podium, He deserves the medal, not me.

Life on the Trail - Pace

2010-02-22T15:41:00.000-05:00

I remember one of the guides on our backpacking trip continuing to say to me and a few of the other “macho” high school students, “It’s not a race up the mountain. Slow down. You need to enjoy the hike.”

He was right. If I took the time to pace myself and look around, I saw a whole lot more than when I was focused on getting up to the top. There was so much to see. Every 25 yards, there was a different view. If I looked around, I had the chance to see all sorts of different angles of God’s creation.

It’s easy to get focused on getting where you think you need to go. I have the same problem in the car. I get completely focused on the car ahead of me and concentrate on getting to my destination as fast as possible. It’s like I rush to rest. If I hurry and get there quickly, I can rest and not worry about driving anymore. If I can get up the trail quickly, I can rest, have a snack, and put my pack down. But it is as if the entire journey to the top had no value. It was just a way to get to the rest. I stopped looking at the hike as part of the experience but instead looked at it as the burden I had to endure in order to enjoy the breaks. I basically denied any of the value of the time between the breaks.

How true is that today? We live for Friday – Sunday. We live for vacations. We live for 5pm and on. It’s as if Monday – Friday, the time between our next vacation and our ‘workday’ have no significant value. We just need to “endure” so we can enjoy.

But what I learned on the trail was that often the time on the trail was some of the most meaningful time. When I stopped rushing and began to focus on what was around me, I started experiencing the benefits of the journey not just the destination. Most importantly, I started to enjoy the gifts of the people who I hiked with. It became a time to listen to their stories – to find out more about what matters to them – to ask them how they are doing (not just on the trail but overall). Even though we’d get occasionally winded and our bodies definitely did not always feel great, we began to focus on each other instead of the struggle. What a difference that made on the experience.

Some people say, “Stop and smell the roses” or “Find the joy in the journey.” Whatever works for you, I’d encourage you to consider the moment you are in as one in which God desires to express love and encourage joy. In essence, I think sometimes God is trying to say to me, “Chip, you are never going to arrive in this life. Stop rushing and pushing and beating yourself up for not getting as far as you want. When you hurry, you tend to make a mess and you tend to miss out on what I’m trying to show you and share with you RIGHT NOW. Stop blocking my joy by determining yourself when it will come.” Aren’t we guilty of this so often. “I’m going to be happy when . . .” We fool ourselves into thinking that a weekend activity or vacation or television show will finally bring us that contentment we seek. Yet God says, “No, contentment and joy and peace are found ON THE PATH, not when you take a break or think you will arrive once this or that happens.

How many times have my wife and son been within four feet of me in the car, and I totally ignore them and the opportunity to connect with them because I am so concerned with getting to our destination. It’s become a joke now in our family. We can go hours without speaking because Dad can’t focus on anything else. I want that to change. I want to enjoy the people I’m with, care for them, invest in them, and make them the priority regardless of where I’m at on the trail. I believe that is what Jesus did. He never seemed to hurry. He never seemed to see people as distractions. I definitely have a lot to learn.

Life on the Trail - Authenticity

2010-02-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

By far my favorite experience in youth ministry was the backpacking trips we took with Young Life. Each summer, I would take a group of 6 – 12 high school students on a hard-core backpacking trip in Colorado or Wyoming. It was physically challenging and not for the faint of heart, and typically, I would bring students who were mature for their age and maturing in their faith. I loved this trip and here’s why.

Authenticity.

Let’s define authenticity as a refusal to hide or pretend. It’s a commitment to be ME, warts and all.

The trail demanded authenticity. You may try to hide and pretend, but because of the physical demands, lack of sleep, limited food, and overall difficulties of living outside, authenticity happened. Plus authenticity encourages more authenticity. As one student was willing to express their authentic self it encouraged others to do the same.

Plus, no showers, no change of clothes, no deodorant, no bathrooms, no mattresses, led to all of us being dirty, smelly, tired, and outside of our comfort zones. We were all experiencing the same challenges. We could all relate to what each other was going through. It was good, very good.

I never had deeper and more meaningful conversations with students than out on the trail. I never heard such honesty, and even desperation, as students were seeking to make sense of their lives, figure out who they are, seek to follow Christ, and wrestle with some of the pain they’d experienced already in their young life.

It was a rich time. It was so rich because it was so real. There were no masks, no trying to look or sound good, no pretending that I had my life all together. I saw lots of tears. I saw anger. I saw sadness. But I also saw hope and courage and joy. I saw a deep longing for connection, which we experienced in a unique way on these trips, but the connection went far beyond a backpacking trip. It was a longing for connection with God and others. Each of us saw the connections being made on the trail, and it led to a yearning for this experience throughout our lives.

We often talked about going home as the trip came to an end. It was a conversation which contained both sadness and hopefulness. Sadness that this experience was over and we couldn’t live here backpacking in Colorado. The sadness was also reflected in us by wrestling with the ‘need’ to put on the mask again – to be driven by a desire to please others or to look a certain way so we’d be accepted. Each of us felt the pressure to ‘keep up appearances,’ but I think each of us felt the inauthentic nature of this pursuit. Would we be who we were before we came and fall back into the same ruts? Or would we have the courage to be ourselves? This hopefulness was seen in a desire to be different. We saw how our warts kept us from experiencing connections with each other, and we committed together to live differently and be different. We felt the challenge of being real with people, and we were overwhelmed with the gift it was to feel and be connected with others who loved us in spite of our warts.

Jesus consistently called His Church to unity. He called for a unity of the body. Often, I think our perceptions are that this means we get along. We agree with each other about the fundamentals of following Jesus Christ. But I believe Jesus is saying more than embracing the same doctrinal truths that make us Christian. I believe He is a calling us into authenticity with each other – a recognition of our deep need to be connected as a primary means by which we experience intimacy with Jesus. We aren’t connected in this way by agreement, but only in relationship. And apart from authenticity, there really is no relationship in the way God intended. It’s amazing, too, how authenticity eradicates what the people of the church are criticized for more than anything else – hypocrisy. You can’t be an authentic hypocrite. They are mutually exclusive.

Holy Conversations

2010-02-09T15:29:00.000-05:00

I have a book I’ve been hesitant to read in my pile. It’s titled Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time. It’s by Susan Scott and on the cover it defines fierce as robust, intense, strong, powerful, passionate, eager, unbridled. Can you see why I’ve been hesitant?

At our recent Ridder retreat, the phrase “holy conversations” came to the surface and it has stuck with me. We were challenged with this statement, “Fostering holy conversations in the life of the congregation is a primary leadership task.”

What is a holy conversation?

I believe a holy conversation is a God-led, God-initiated conversation that has the potential for those involved to grow. This growth is not simply the acquisition of new information, but this growth is personal. I become a better person because of my willingness to enter into these holy conversations because I open myself up to the work God desires to do in me through relationships with others.

Holy conversations tend not to be easy conversations, but they can be the most important conversations we have with each other.

Here are a few examples:

A father and son have a broken relationship, unwilling to talk. Yet a holy conversation is what can bridge the gap that has separated them.

A spouse is struggling with their husband/wife’s behavior and it is breeding separation in their relationship. A holy conversation is needed to help heal what is broken.

A person is struggling with me or the church about something that has happened and is tempted to talk with everyone else. A holy conversation takes places when we talk to the person or people we are struggling with.

Two friends have been friends for a long time, but they have never talked personally about their faith and the challenges and joys of following Jesus. A holy conversation can help their relationship be a place of support and encouragement in each other’s faith.

A person is feeling alone and struggling with any sense of direction and hope in their life. He or she feels like they are losing their faith. A willingness to ask for help from a friend and admit how they feel is the beginning of a holy conversation.

Sharing with a friend or family member about the joy that you are finding in this life – the thankfulness you feel for what God is and has been doing is the beginning of a holy conversation.

I make it a habit of asking people in my life how I can pray for them, and am willing on the spot to pray with them. What a way to begin a holy conversation.

Holy conversations are grounded in authenticity. They are filled with truth. They are honest, heartfelt and often difficult to have. They force us to act in integrity and they spur us on toward living a life of faith. They take us into unknown territory and they call on us to have courage and to act in obedience. They involve feelings, fears, confession, forgiveness, encouragement, hopefulness, trust, and love. They lead us toward restoration, redemption, reconciliation, and grace. They are acts of love. Having holy conversations is a way we express love to the people around us. They take us to the core of what matters in life and they open the door to a level of relationship that God has created us to have – not only with him, but with each other.

Obviously, I am not suggesting ONE conversation clears everything up. No, it is a commitment to being a person who enters into holy conversations throughout our lives. We have them at home and work. We have them with friends, family, and each other. We commit to moving beyond the superficial. We move beyond hiding the truth. We move beyond the temptation to gossip and complain. We, in love for Jesus and each other, initiate and welcome this level of conversation.

It won’t be easy. But in the end, it will be good.

I bet that God is encouraging you to have some holy conversations with some folks in your life. I bet it is God that is spurring you on to have them. Will you be obedient to His nudging? Will you take the risk and act in faith? Will you open yourself up to this level of conversation? Will you trust God that if He is calling you to into this place, that He will not only equip you, but He will bless you through it?

Jesus was the model of one whose conversations were always holy.

Choosing THE Valentine's Card - skitguys

2010-02-09T09:24:00.003-05:00

Have you every struggled picking out the perfect card for Valentine's Day? Skitguys are here to help. Find help by clicking HERE and watching LOVE WORDS.

Heaven

2010-02-04T13:51:00.010-05:00

Here are a few very helpful articles and resources as you consider heaven. We each come with presuppositions and perspectives that must be examined in light of Scripture. Heaven is definitely worth looking forward to and it won't be about clouds and harps and non-stop singing.

Read on.

N.T. Wright's article in Christianity Today, Heaven is Not Our Home.

Peter Kreeft's article, "What Will Heaven Be Like?" in Christianity Today.

Randy Alcorn's article, A Person and A Place: Safely Home which I found at his website, Eternal Perspective Ministries, where you can also find a list of a variety of articles concerning heaven HERE.

I would also suggest the following books:

Heaven by Randy Alcorn
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright.
Heaven is a Place on Earth by Michael Wittmer
Probing Heaven by John Gilmore

Email from Haiti

2010-01-23T08:44:00.001-05:00

This is an email from Pastor Jean Petite-Frerer, a pastor we support in Port au Prince, Haiti.

To all our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world:

Greetings,

As most of you might already know, Haiti was hit on Tuesday, January 12th, with a devastating earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale. All symbols of governmental authority have been erased as most government buildings have been demolished including the National Palace, the Supreme Court, the Public Works Department, the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Education, etc.

Most of the symbols of our culture as a people that existed in Port-au-Prince have also been reduced to rubble. We have lost many important personalities. Many universities no longer exist and many families are missing a loved one or have had all their earthly possessions and hopes destroyed.

With no electricity, the people are sleeping in the streets or in any open spaces because it is not yet safe to go back into any building of any sort. There is also the added emotional trauma of repeated tremors throughout the day and night, some harder than others. Adding to all of this is the fact that many hardened criminals are on the loose as the prisoners from the major prison in Port-au-Prince have all escaped. (for these reasons we would ask that no one, except emergency relief workers, try to visit us for the time being)

Yet, the apostle Paul reminds us not to grieve as those without hope amidst trouble. We are further reminded in the gospels of the two houses that were built and went through similar hardships, yet their fates were not the same. The reason for this was their foundation; one was built on the sand, the other on the rock. This is an opportune time to show what we truly are made of.

So far we have responded to the situation in very small ways due to lack of means. As you may know, many streets have dead people lining them or have the dead trapped under collapsed buildings. Because of this, we went and helped transport some of the dead to a common grave for burial yesterday. Today, instead of helping those already dead, we attempted to keep those who are alive from dying of dehydration and lack of food. We say attempt because what we did was very insignificant to the size of the need here. We were able to purchase 20 bags of rice on credit and distribute five pound packets to 147 people. What is this, though, amidst millions of people in trouble?

We have also been able to establish relationships with three wholesalers who have agreed to sell us food items on credit for distribution. Because the owners fear their warehouses will be broken into and looted they have asked us to purchase every item and to move all of it out of their warehouses. That being the case we have arranged for a police escort by some men in our church who are on the police force. The food will be transported to a separate location and distributed to those in need.

We are, therefore, asking you to hear this Macedonian cry for help. We need food, water, medical supplies, clothing, toiletries, feminine products, and diapers for children. As most of these resources can be purchased locally our greatest need has become funds to help purchase them. Even though the airport is presently flooded with aid coming in from various governments, it will be some time (if ever) before the hurting people in our community will see any of it.

For now, we are all living on the streets or in open spaces; however, when those that can move back into their homes do so thousands will still be left homeless on the streets. We are, therefore, asking you to partner with us in making an impact for His Kingdom and for His name's sake.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness and surely reward your generosity. God bless you.

Jean Petite-Frerer

To donate – make checks payable to Church of the Living God and write Haiti or Frerer in the memo line.

You can turn them into the church office or mail them to: Church of the Living God
1514 Brimley Road
Traverse City, MI 49686

Holiday Joy

2010-01-04T16:24:00.001-05:00

Our family went away for Christmas. We headed west to see my sister and her family and my Mom and her husband, Wes. The journey was fairly uneventful other than some weather/road challenges and a sporadic car sound (which led to a repair in Wisconsin).

However, I wanted to share about a car ride that was pure joy for me. Due to the above car issue, we rode to my Mom’s with my sister. And on the way back from my Mom’s to my sister’s, we (John, Alisa & Chip) were with my sister and her kids (Mary, Emma, Cade, and Jack). Thankfully we were not in a Mazda Miata but a big Yukon (or something like it). Mary and Alisa were in the front engaged in all sorts of conversation. I and the kids were in the back two seats. The first hour went fairly smoothly with each doing their own thing, but after an hour, the tension of close contact with family was leading to arguments, teasing, blaming and telling on each other. I determined that as the lone adult in this chaotic atmosphere, I needed to do something. So we played a few “car games.”

The first game we played had to do with me asking each of the kids a question. They had to respond as quickly as they could. The only catch was that you could not say the sound of the letter R. So instead of “What’s wrong with you:?” “Nothing. I’m just a little tired.” It became, “What’s wong with you?” “Nothing, I’m just a little tied.” This may sound silly and infantile, however, it was also very entertaining to see each child struggle saying words without the letter R. “Whe’e ae we going?” “I’m not sue, but I hope we get the’e soon.”

That lasted for about fifteen minutes before it was clear it was time to move on.

The second game, which I highly recommend with kids, and even adults, is to tell a story together. I would start the story by saying, “Once there was this kid, Jimmy, who loved to play outside. He loved to wander through the woods looking for animals and anything else he could find. But one day, he had an adventure he’d never forget. As he walked deeper into the forest, he heard a noise he’d never heard before, so he turned and much to his surprise saw a . . .” (Next person’s turn). They carry on the story. What stories we told in the back of that Yukon. There was a 12 year old and a 10 year old and a 7 year old and a 6 year old and a 41 year old. We laughed and laughed at the creativity and imagination of these stories unfolding through our different personalities and senses of humor. But like any activity, it gets old and we (I) knew that was taking place when all of our stories began to lead to flying cows causing things to blow up. Plus, we had the added challenge of John. Every time it was his turn, he would end the story no matter if he was the second or tenth person to share . . . “and then the flying cow blew up the forest and flew away. The end.”

These two games were so much more entertaining than whack Uncle Chip in the back of the head until he turns around and tickles us. That was fun for them, but not so fun for me.

All of this reminds me of a simple truth worth stating:

SPEND TIME PLAYING AND INTERACTING WITH YOUR KIDS. KIDS ARE GIFTS. SOON, THEY’LL GROW UP. WHAT JOY THEY BRING. INVEST IN THE KIDS IN YOUR LIFE. SPEND TIME WITH THEM.

Counterfeit Gods - Timothy Keller part II

2010-01-04T14:13:00.004-05:00

Here are a few more excerpts from an excellent book, Counterfeit Gods, by Timothy Keller:

According to the Bible, idolaters do three things with their idols. They love them, trust them, and obey them. “Lovers of money” are those who find themselves daydreaming and fantasizing about new ways to make money, new possessions to buy, and looking with jealousy on those who have more than they do. “Trusters of money” feel they have control of their lives and are safe and secure because of their wealth. (56-57)

Yet, even though it is clear that the world is filled with greed and materialism, almost no one thinks it is true of them. They are in denial. (58)

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus . . . went from being an oppressor of the poor to being a champion of justice. He went from accruing wealth at the expense of people around him to serving others at the expense of his wealth. Why? Jesus had replaced money as Zacchaeus’s savior, and so money went back to being merely that, just money. It was now a tool for doing good, for serving people. Now that his identity and security were rooted in Christ, he had more money than he needed. The grace of God had transformed his attitude toward his wealth. (64)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

Jesus gave up all his treasure in heaven, in order to make you his treasure – for you are a treasured people (1 Peter 2:9-10). When you see him dying to make you his treasure, that will make him yours. Money will cease to be the currency of your significance and security, and you will want to bless others with what you have. (67)

What breaks the power of money over us is not just redoubled effort to follow the example of Christ. Rather, it is deepening your understanding of the salvation of Christ, what you have in him, and then living out the changes that that understanding makes in your heart – the seat of your mind, will, and emotions. Faith in the gospel restructures our motivations, our self-understanding and identity, our view of the world. Behavioral compliance to rules without a complete change of heart will be superficial and fleeting. (68)

The Idolatry of Success

One sign that you have made success an idol is the false sense of security it brings. The poor and the marginalized expect suffering, they know that life on this earth is “nasty, brutish, and short.” Successful people are much more shocked and overwhelmed by troubles. As a pastor, I’ve often heard people from the upper echelons say, “Life isn’t supposed to be this way,” when they face tragedy. I have never heard such language in my years as a pastor among the working class and the poor. The false sense of security comes from deifying our achievement and expecting it to keep us safe from the troubles of life in a way that only God can.

Another sign that you have made achievement an idol is that it distorts your view of yourself. When your achievements serve as the basis for your very worth as a person, they can lead to an inflated view of your abilities. (75-76)

The idol of success cannot just be expelled, it must be replaced. (93)

The Signs of Political Idolatry

One of the signs that an object is functioning as an idol is that fear becomes one of the chief characteristics of life. (98)

Another sign of idolatry in our politics is that opponents are not considered to be simply mistaken, but to be evil. . . After each election, there is now a significant number of people who see the incoming president lacking moral legitimacy. The increasing political polarization and bitterness we see in the U.S. politics today is a sign that we have made political activism into a form of religion. (99-100)

(Reinhold Neibuhr said) . . . pride in one’s people is a good thing, but when the power and prosperity of a nation become unconditioned absolutes that veto all other concerns, then violence and injustice can be perpetrated without question. (102)

Niebuhr argued that human thinking always elevates some infinite value or object to be The Answer. That way we feel that we are the people who can fix things, that everyone opposing us is a fool or evil. But as with all idolatries, this too blinds us. (106)

Pride

One of the great ironies of sin is that when human beings try to become more than human beings, to be as gods, they fall to become lower than human beings. To be your own God and live for your own glory and power leads to the most bestial and cruel kind of behavior. Pride makes you a predator, not a person. (121)

The Year of the Bible

2010-01-04T13:32:00.004-05:00

This is not to say that 2010 is a year where the Bible should be more important than it was in 2009 or that we will put less emphasis on it in 2011. The hope is that 2010 will be a year in which all of us grow in our commitment to be in God’s Word and our commitment to live out God’s Word. It isn’t simply about accomplishing our reading plan; it’s about incorporating what we read into our daily lives. It means nothing to God for you to read the entire Bible in a year and live contrary to what you’ve read.

For some of us, the Bible really plays no active role. Yes, we’ve heard most of its stories. Yes, we have it read to us each Sunday we go to church. But too few of us are actively investing time and energy into not just reading Scripture but meditating and reflecting on what God is saying to us.

Foundational to growing in faith is to reflect on Scripture. We can’t claim commitment to Jesus Christ and ignore what He has said. It’s like taking a new job and saying to your new employer, you know, I’m not real interested in your job description. I’m going to make that up as I go.

Here are a few suggestions about how you can increase your commitment to being in God’s Word:

1. Tell someone else about your new plan and ask them to hold you accountable. You could even do this together and plan to meet consistently to talk about what God has been showing you.

2. Don’t give up if you miss a few days, even a week. Keep at it. It’s like exercise. If you miss a few days, the worst thing you can do is stop. Keep going and don’t beat yourself up for what you haven’t done, focus on what you can do today.

3. Find a resource (commentary, devotional) to help provide direction and additional insight. Be sure you have a Study Bible. They are helpful in better understanding the text you read. The NIV Study Bible, Life Application Study Bible, or the ESV Study Bible are all good options.

4. Read Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart’s book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth OR Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart’s book, How to Read the Bible Book by Book .

5. Every time you open God’s book, ask Him to help you hear what He desires to say. Make prayer foundational to your time in God’s Word. Remember, the goal is not to figure it out and understand everything, it’s to be drawn into the presence of God so He can speak and help you to grow.

6. Remember if you want drama, intrigue, suspense, mystery, action, a love story, and even some comedy, there is no greater book than the Bible. If you ever wonder if God could use someone like you, the Bible makes very clear that God doesn’t pick the most capable; He picks those who makes themselves available to Him.

7. Memorize. You can’t underestimate the significance of letting God’s Word dwell in your heart. You can do it. Everyone can. At the very least, try. Don’t talk yourself into not trying because you think you can’t. Know that the voice of discouragement is not God’s. He calls us to memorize, and He never asks us to do anything He doesn’t equip us for. Memorizing almost always is thwarted not by “I can’ts” but by “I won’ts.” You can. Will you?

8. If you have access to the internet, use it in your study. There is an unending supply of great resources for Bible study and theology. The sites I frequent most are:

a. www.desiringgod.org – John Piper’s excellent site
b. www.monergism.com – Type in an area of interest and see the vast resources that come.
c. www.challies.com – One of the most well-known Christian blogs. It’s his full-time job. He reviews all sorts of books.
d. www.biblestudytools.com – A great resource for deepening your Bible study.
e. www.crosswalk.com – A comprehensive sight with devotionals/resources
f. www.biblegateway.com – An online Bible – can choose from lots of versions

Let the Word of Christ dwell in your richly. Colossians 3:16

Will you make the Bible one of your most important New Year’s resolutions? Will you let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in 2010? Let’s do it together.

Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe - Osborne

2009-12-14T15:33:00.006-05:00

I hope the title got your attention. It is the title of a book I recently read that is very enlightening and challenging. It is by Larry Osborne and worth the time to read. Here are the ten dumb things that smart Christians believe:

1. Faith can fix anything.
Faith is not a skill we master. It’s not an impenetrable shield that protects us from life’s hardships and trials. It’s not a magic potion that removes every mess. It’s a map we follow. (17)

2. Forgiving means forgetting
Forgiveness is a decision lived out as a lengthy process. The expectation that those we’ve wronged should simply forget about it is not only unreasonable; it’s emotionally unhealthy. People who can’t remember what happened to them or who bury their pain are not spiritually mature; they’re mentally or emotionally handicapped. (25)

3. A godly home guarantees godly kids
The myth that a godly home guarantees godly kids (and godly adults) is not just untrue. It’s not just wishful thinking. It’s spiritually dangerous. If we buy into it, we become especially vulnerable to two things that are never part of God’s plan: unwarranted guilt and foolish pride. (44)

4. God has a blueprint for my life
The fact is, God doesn’t have a blueprint for our life. Never has. Never will. He does, however, have a game plan for our life. And the difference is important.
(57)

God doesn’t care where we work so much as how we work, where we live somuch as how we live, and even whom we marry (as long as it’s within the faith)so much as how we do marriage. (60)

5. Christians shouldn’t judge
The idea that Jesus forbade his followers to judge is a myth. Refusing to make judgments or call sin, sin, is not what Jesus asks us to do. . . Refusing to do so leads to costly spiritual consequences, not only in the lives of those of us who refuse to judge but also in the lives of those who never have their sins pointed out. (72)

Underlying the idea that we have no right to judge the beliefs and moral standards of others is another widely held belief. It’s the dogma that truth and morality are relative – the conviction that there are no universal spiritual truths and no universal moral standards. In other words, in the spiritual and moral realms, two diametrically opposing viewpoints or standards can both be true at the same time. (74)

6. Everything happens for a reason
Those who assume that everything that happens has God’s fingerprints all over it fail to distinguish between what God allows and what God causes – what God permits and what God prefers. The Bible makes it clear that there are a number of scenarios where the dark trials of our lives have nothing to do with God’s wonderful plans for our lives. (93)

7. Let your conscience be your guide
The idea that our conscience is a trustworthy moral guide is a myth. (108)

It’s a spiritual thermostat. We set it to the standards we choose. We determine when it kicks in and when it stays idle. Our conscience doesn’t tell us if we’re violating God’s standards. It tells us when we’re violating our standards. (110)

8. God brings good luck
As for Jesus, he certainly never promised his followers a long run of good luck or earthly success. He promised forgiveness. He promised eternity. But winning lottery numbers, job promotions, good health, and riches? Not exactly. (124)

9. A valley means a wrong turn
I’m not talking here about the kinds of valleys and trials that are completely out of our control – the medical issues, tragedies, and injustices that we can do nothing about except suck it up, trust God and endure. I’m talking about the kinds of valleys we can avoid or wiggle out of if we so choose. (139)

. . . the idea that every long-term valley is a mistake and should automatically be wiggled out of is a fallacy. It’s based on a spiritual urban legend . . . the belief that God only leads us to the mountaintop and that long-term valleys always mean a wrong turn. It ignores the long history of God’s dealings with his people and the clear teaching of Scripture. (140)

10. Dead people go to a better place
Jesus and the Bible are quite clear – the wicked don’t go to a better place. There’s a real hell. It’s not the devil’s playground. It’s not a perpetual wild party. It’s Satan’s worst nightmare. (156)

The widespread denial of any sort of actual judgment or a place called hell is nowhere more evident than when we deal with death. It’s here that it becomes obvious that funeral assurances are much more than a social custom. For many if not most folks, they’re a deeply held, core belief. (157)

The cross and salvation are central to the gospel. Once we lose any real concept of hell, the natural consequence is more than just putting us at odds with Scripture; it eventually devalues the cross, redefines salvation, and turns obedience into an extra-credit spiritual add-on. (163)

Counterfeit Gods - Timothy Keller

2009-12-14T15:24:00.003-05:00

After a brief hiatus from reading, I’m back to the books. I recently read one I found very helpful and think you will, too. It is called Counterfeit Gods and it’s by Timothy Keller. I strongly recommend this book. Here are some excerpts:

The very things upon which (people) were building their happiness turned to dust in their hands because they had built all their happiness upon them. In each case, a good thing among many was turned into a supreme thing, so that its demands overrode all competing values. But counterfeit gods always disappoint, and often destructively so. (xvii)

What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. (xvii)

An idol is whatever you look at and say, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship. (xviii)

The Bible uses three basic metaphors to describe how people relate to the idols of their hearts. They love idols, trust idols, and obey idols.

Idols capture our imagination, and we can locate them by looking at our daydreams. What do we enjoy imagining? What are our fondest dreams? We look to our idols to love us, provide us with value and a sense of beauty, significance, and worth.

Idols give us a sense of being in control, and we can locate them by looking at our nightmares. What do we fear the most? What, if we lost it, would make life not worth living? . . . We look to our idols to provide us with a sense of confidence and safety.

. . . we can locate idols by looking at our most unyielding emotions. What makes us uncontrollably angry, anxious, or despondent? What racks us with a guilt we can’t shake? Idols control us, since we feel we must have them or life is meaningless. (xviii-xxii)

Why is getting your heart’s deepest desire so often a disaster? In the book of Romans, Saint Paul wrote that one of the worst things God can do to someone is to “give them over to the desires of their hearts” (Romans 1:24). Why would the greatest punishment imaginable be to allow someone to achieve their fondest dream? It is because our hearts fashion these desires into idols. In that same chapter, Paul summarized the history of the human race in one sentence: “They worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Every human being must live for something. Something must capture our imaginations, our heart’s most fundamental allegiance and hope. But, the Bible tells us, without the intervention of the Holy Spirit, that object will never be God himself. (3)

As many have learned and later taught, you don’t realize Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

Many, if not most, of these counterfeit gods can remain in our lives once we have “demoted” them below God. Then they won’t control us and bedevil us with anxiety, pride, anger, and drivenness. Nevertheless, we must not make the mistake of thinking that this story (Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac) means all we have to do is be willing to part with our idols rather than actually leave them behind. If Abraham had gone up the mountain thinking, “All I’ll have to do is put Isaac on the altar, not really give him up” – he would have failed the test! Something is safe for us to maintain in our lives only if it has really stopped being an idol. That can happen only when we are truly willing to live without it, when we truly say from the heart: “Because I have God, I can live without you.”
(20)

We learn that through all of life there runs a ground note of cosmic disappointment. You are never going to lead a wise life until you understand that. (37)

No person, not even the best one, can give your soul all it needs. . . .This cosmic disappointment and disillusionment is there in all of life, be we especially feel it in the things upon which we most set our hopes.

When you finally realize this, there are four things you can do. You can blame the things that are disappointing you and try to move on to better ones. That’s the way of continued idolatry and spiritual addiction. The second thing you can do is blame yourself and beat yourself up and say, “I have somehow been a failure. I see everybody else is happy. I don’t know why I am not happy. There is something wrong with me.” That’s the way of self-loathing and shame. Third, you can blame the world. You can say, “Curses on the entire opposite sex,” in which case you make yourself hard, cynical, and empty. Lastly, you can, as C.S. Lewis says at the end of his great chapter on hope, reorient the entire focus of your life toward God. He concludes, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world [something supernatural and eternal].” (39)

Some years ago I was doing a seven-part series of talks on the Seven Deadly Sins at a men’s breakfast. My wife, Kathy, told me, “I’ll bet that the week you deal with greed you will have your lowest attendance. She was right. People packed it out for “Lust” and “Wrath” and even for “Pride.” But nobody thinks they are greedy. As a pastor I’ve had people come to me to confess that they struggle with almost every kind of sin. Almost. I cannot recall anyone ever coming to me and saying, “I spend too much money on myself. I think my greedy lust for money is harming my family, my soul, and people around me.” Greed hides itself from the victim. The money god’s modus operandi includes blindness to your own heart.

Why can’t anyone in the grip of greed see it? The counterfeit god of money uses a powerful sociological and psychological dynamics. Everyone tends to live in a particular socioeconomic bracket. Once you are able to afford to live in a particular neighborhood, send your children to its schools, and participate in its social life, you will find yourself surrounded by quite a number of people who have more money than you. You don’t compare yourself with the rest of the world, you compare yourself to those in your bracket. The human heart always wants to justify itself and this is one of the easiest ways. You say, “I don’t live as well as him or her or them. My means are modest compared to theirs.” You can reason and think like that no matter how lavishly you are living. As a result, most Americans think of themselves as middle class, and only 2 percent call themselves “upper class.” But the rest of the world is not fooled. When people visit here from other parts of the globe, they are staggered to see the level of materialistic comfort that the majority of Americans have come to view as a necessity.

Jesus warns people far more often about greed than about sex, yet almost no one thinks they are guilty of it. Therefore we should all begin with a working hypothesis that “this could easily be a problem for me.” If greed hides itself so deeply, no one should be confident it is not a problem for them. (52-53)

Hold Onto the Ball

2009-12-07T16:20:00.002-05:00

I’m sorry for all the football illustrations, but I am who I am.

The news media in Minnesota is all over Adrian Peterson (the Viking star running back) because he’s leading the NFL in fumbles. It is interesting to hear all the opinions and advice for Adrian about how he can better hold onto the ball, most of which come from people who have never carried a football competitively in their lives.

One of my pet peeves in watching a football game often takes place when someone scores a touchdown by running into the end zone. Often the person immediately lets go of the ball as soon as they cross the goal line. They do this because they can. The football simply has to “break the plane” of the goal line and it counts as a touchdown, so the player really doesn’t need the ball anymore. This is the crux of this article. We quickly let go of the ball which is the only way we can score a touchdown. Without the ball, you can run across this goal line over and over again, but it holds no meaning. But if you have the ball in your hands, it becomes a touchdown, worthy of celebrating.

Sometimes people view the Christian life in much the same way. We need Jesus to be saved, but once we are “saved”, we drop Him. We’ve received our ticket to heaven (or so we think), so we don’t need to carry him around any longer. We have what we wanted; what do we need him for?

One of the more challenging aspects of studying Scripture has to do with the numerous conditional clauses that you find throughout Scripture. Conditional clauses are the “If . . . then . . .” statements you see throughout.

One of the most familiar and a difficult one to truly understand is Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Often this is interpreted to mean that I just need to pray this prayer, admit my sin, and believe Jesus really is who the Bible says, then I’m all set. My place in heaven is guaranteed. No matter what I do from this point on, I am saved because at one point in my life I confessed and believed.

But you can’t interpret one verse without looking at the rest of Scripture. So add these to your consideration as you ponder what Romans 10:9 means.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’
Matthew 7:21-23

“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”
Matthew 10:32-33

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:3

“. . . he (Jesus) has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him – provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” Colossians 1:22-23

“Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.” I John 2:3-6

We can’t let go of the ball. It would be like building a new house on a solid foundation and then, once the house is done, pulling the foundation out from under the house. The house will not stand and neither will we unless we cling to the One who brought us into His salvation.

God calls us to a life of faithfulness not simply a moment. He doesn’t just ask for everything at the moment of salvation and then gives it all back. He keeps asking. He wants everything. And when we say, “I give you my life,” Jesus expects that we do just that every moment of every day of our lives.

As Heidelberg Catechism answer 1 says, “That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ . . . because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.”

My marriage is a great example. I haven’t given my love to Alisa, which is past tense. I am giving my love to her. It is an ongoing commitment I’ve made as her husband.

Are you giving yourself to Jesus each day? That is what He desires, even expects from those who call themselves His followers.

One Man's Faith continued . . .

2009-12-07T08:12:00.004-05:00

Here is the follow-up email I received - an answer to prayer:

Dear friend,

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evill For Thou art with me!! God saved us from an extremely Dangerous mission that we could have been with the Lord by now ! But He kept us for the work ahead!!! We are safe and sound!!!! We look forward to more fruitful services.

The Muslim leader is in my house right now!! the first attempt was very successful!!! Thanks for praying and fasting, The detailed explanation will come later. we are busy searching the scriptures day and night in my sitting room and will let him go on monday in the next 48hours to return later. This is a miracle!!!!

I cannot thank you enough! Be blessed and will call you later.

Your brother

David

One Man's Faith

2009-12-03T09:35:00.001-05:00

This is an email I received this week from a man who has and continues to risk his life to try and help others (especially Muslims) come to faith in Jesus Christ. Names have been changed to protect those involved.

Dear friend,

Because we have the Holy Spirit it is never difficult to take risks for the sake of Christ and the Gospel! After all, he has commission us to be His witnesses and ambassadors. Hence our Gospel does not simply go with words, but with power, and with the Holy Spirit and DEEP Conviction. For it is God who works in us both to will and to act according to His good purpose.

A Muslim official has asked me to come in person to pick him up to come into our Discipleship Center. He wants to visit for some few days and then go back to prepare to come permanently for discipleship. This is a miraculous good news! Praise The Lord! However it is also very, very dangerous, because this leader is under 24 hour surveillance. I believe if it is God who is calling me, He is able to protect, but it will be a miracle if I am able to go and come out with him. It would be a disservice to him and to the Kingdom to not go, and it would be unfair for me to send someone else because the risk is extremely high, so I am going in the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR!

I am going because God is not interested in my ability to do it right, but in my sincere availability to go in obedience! Being available to God is being willing to obey Him no matter what the cost is. I am going in obedience to the glory of God! And it is about Him alone! May the Name of the Lord be Glorified!

I am planning two evacuation attempts. The first attempt will be this Friday after Mosque, and if we are unsuccessful and are still alive we shall attempt the second time Monday or Wednesday next week. Please pray as the Lord leads you and, if it is possible, I would be glad if you would fast for a day as well. Pray for safety in danger, strength in fear and worry, calmness regardless of the consequences. Pray that I will love Christ above family concerns! Pray that my actions will inspire our team to emulate daily dedication of trust and commitment to the generations that the Lord is raising as army to go into the Muslim world with boldness in obedience and holy calling!

Please do not worry, but please pray! "But those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires!" Romans 8;5

Hey friend, do I sound scared? Yes, you know I am not that brave! It is just mere faith, availability and obedience!

I will keep you posted.

Thanks for your prayers.

Your brother

(David)

Not a Fan

2009-12-03T08:48:00.000-05:00

I am a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. It’s been a good year so far, and I’m very hesitant to make any claims or exhibit any arrogance. I’ve been a fan of the Minnesota Vikings ever since I started being a fan of anything. I was raised in Minnesota, so it was natural that I follow Minnesota sports. For me, being a fan means I follow their progress. I get frustrated when they play poorly and I rejoice when they do well. There is an emotional attachment that I’m sure has some unhealthiness within it. I like talking Minnesota football. I collect Minnesota football cards. I read the Minnesota sports page on line, and I even frequently visit a few Minnesota football blogs.

Do I personally know any of the players? No. Have I ever been to a game? Nope. Do I know what it’s like to be at a practice or in the locker room? No. Would I be welcome at their practice or in the locker room? Nope. Do I receive any compensation from the Minnesota Vikings organization for the role I play? Not a cent.

I’m just a fan.

I watch them play. I don’t play. I criticize or brag about their performance depending upon how they do. Do they care about what I think? No. Do they consult me on any of their decisions? Nope. Will I receive a ring if they win the Super Bowl? No, I won’t.

I’m just a fan.

The other day I received a cd set of sermons from a friend in the church. The title of the sermon series is “not a fan: completely, committed, follower.” I have not yet listened to the sermons, but the title itself got me thinking.

There is a huge difference between being a follower of Jesus Christ and a fan of Jesus Christ.

The fan observes from a distance. The fan watches but does not participate. The fan eats and drinks but sure doesn’t get dirty or bruised. The fan goes home after the game and does nothing to help prepare the team for next week. The fan has little if any responsibility for the team. The fan is passive. If the fan doesn’t like what he or she sees, the channel is changed or the stadium is left. Fans come and go.

The follower has a much different and greater role. The follower is in the game. The follower gets dirty and bruised. The follower is part of the team. The follower doesn’t just get to play, the follower practices, listens, learns, grows, and seeks to encourage other team members. The follower is always part of the team whether it is good or bad.

A fan may know a lot about the quarterback. They may be able to share all sorts of details about their life and the statistics of their performance. They can remember moments when the quarterback shined and moments when the quarterback seemed to let them down. But the fan only knows the quarterback from a distance. There is no relationship.

A follower knows the quarterback. The follower can not only share details about the quarterback, he or she can do so based on personal experience. The follower has spend quality and quantity time with the quarterback. He or she can remember moments when the quarterback helped, encouraged, challenged them personally. They can talk about the impact the quarterback has had on their life, and how important it is to them to do what the quarterback says, because they know the quarterback knows what is best for the team.

The church can be filled with fans. People who come and watch and don’t participate in the “GAME OF LIFE.” They watch, criticize, and hope that others will carry the ball down the field. They hope the teams does well, but they are there to watch and see.

The Church is made up of followers. These are people who give their lives to follow the quarterback and He leads them through the “GAME OF LIFE.” Their hands are dirty, their bodies tired, but they are experiencing the thrill of the game. They hope the team does well, too, but they know that they must be in the game. They are needed, and even more than that, they know how much they need the quarterback to lead them as they participate in a game that is filled with so much joy and excitement, they can’t imagine being anywhere else.

Are you a fan or a follower?

Loving the Children

2009-11-25T09:24:00.005-05:00

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Matthew 19:14

"Then Jesus took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” Mark 9:37

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes.” Matthew 18:1-6

I participated in the recent Summit Against Abuse and Assault in Charlevoix and I was overwhelmed. It is time for all of us to take a stand against the ravages of abuse, especially the abuse of children.

How prevalent is child abuse?

- 1 million children per year confirmed (does not include all the unreported incidents)
- 2,000 children die every year because of child abuse
- 1/5 girls and 1/7 boys by age 18 will be abused
- 1.1 million runaway/throwaway children in the U.S. – often runaway because of abuse
- 241,000 children are prostituted in the United States each year
- The rate of child abuse is 10x greater than the rate of cancer
- U.S. government spends 10x more on cancer prevention than child abuse prevention
- 94 billion dollars are spend every year on aftercare for child abuse

What about the sexual exploitation of children?

- 20% of children ages 10-17 have been solicited sexually online
- 100,000 – 300,000 children are exploited sexually every year
- average child prostitute sees 4-10 customers a day
that’s 1,460 – 3,650 sexual victimizations per year, per child
- avg age of sexually exploited child is 14
- 18.5 million pornographic images/videos of children produced each year
- If a child runs away or is thrown out of their home, and they spend more than 30 days on the street, it is almost a guarantee they will end up in the sex trade industry and become a sexually exploited child.
- 70% of victimizations come at the hands of someone the child knows and trusts

Child abuse is a sin.
Child sexual abuse is a sin.

It is the work of the Enemy who is seeking to destroy children.

“. . . it would be better for you to have a millstone tied around your neck . . .”

All forms of child abuse do exactly what Jesus warns us about. They keep children from God.

“How could God let this happen?”
“Where was God when my own dad was sexually abusing me week after week, year after year?”
“Why did the church provide more support to the offender than to the victim?”
“Why did the church condemn the victim and show mercy to the offender?”
“Why did the church start avoiding me and my family when I reported the abuse?”
“How could the church let this happen in their own building?”
“Why do I feel like I did something wrong by telling the truth?”
“Why doesn’t the church believe me?”

One of the devastating consequences of being a victim of abuse is the temptation to reject God and the church.

It may not be an easy topic to talk about, but it must be addressed. We cannot claim to love our children and the children in this community without acknowledging the reality of this evil that as one person described “is the playground of Satan.” There is nothing that he wants more than to destroy the weak and innocent ones among us. A prime target is children. Our silence only furthers his cause.

A few suggestions:
- Parents must talk with their kids about this reality. Help them understand that no one should touch their private parts and if anyone does, they need to tell someone until they are heard.
- Parents need to help children understand the difference between sinning and being a victim of someone else’s sin.
- Many offenders tell children it is their fault and that they are just as guilty as the perpetrator for participating in this activity.
- Parents need to help children understand that secrets can be very bad especially when they are asked to keep secrets from one or both of their parents.
- Parents need to help their children understand and avoid the dangers of the internet.

Would you allow a stranger to come into your child’s room and close the door and spend time alone with your child? Of course not, but many parents allow this behavior to take place on the internet.

In a loving and helpful way, ask your church, school system, law enforcement, etc. what they are doing to prevent child abuse. Become an advocate for kids and help these organizations do everything they can to protect the children in our community.

Check out the following websites for helpful information:
Grace – www.netgrace.org
Halos – www.charlestonhalos.org
Faith Trust Institute – www.faithtrustinstitute.org
Google the “Darkness2Light” training curriculum
Watch the DVD “Hear Their Cries”
National Child Protection Training Center – www.ncptc.org
Great web site for those in law enforcement/judicial system

Pray for children in our community – for those abused and in the midst of abuse.

Giving Money Away

2009-11-09T16:15:00.002-05:00

The following are excerpts from Randy Alcorn’s book, Money, Possessions & Eternity.

If Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, then he is not our Lord. (5)

Can we put Christ before all, deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow him (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27), with no apparent effect on what we do with our money and possessions? (9)

The more America has gained wealth, the less the Church has addressed the subject of giving. Perhaps that’s why the percentage of income Christians give away has been declining for thirty years. In fact, dollar for dollar, the average American gave more during the Great Depression than today. (174)

The meaning of the word tithe is “a tenth part.” Today the term tithing is often erroneously used of all giving. People talk about “tithing” fifty dollars, when they make two thousand dollars a month (a tithe of which is two hundred dollars, not fifty). You can donate 2 percent or 4 percent or 6 percent of your income, but you cannot tithe it . . . (174)

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Proverbs 3:9

Tithe denoted the amount of the offering, firstfruits the nature of the offering. . . The first 10 percent of God’s provision was returned to the Lord. God was regarded as the provider of the harvest. The firstfruits reminded people of God’s ownership. They saw God as the source of all life and blessing. Parents hoped their children, by witnessing this regular, systematic giving of wealth to the Lord, would grow up understanding their infinite debt to God, and their need to continuously honor him by their worshipful giving. (175)

The nature of firstfruits requires that it be taken “off the top.” It’s both the best and the first. As soon as it’s harvested or received, it’s to be given to the Lord. It’s not to be stored up, hidden, hoarded, or distributed in any other way. Those who kept the best and gave God the leftovers brought God’s judgment on Israel. Giving back to the Lord what was rightfully his was a thermometer of faith. When Israel slid spiritually, they ceased to give as they should. When they ceased to give as they should, they slid spiritually. (176)

No one ever had to say, “I feel led to tithe,” or ask, “Would you like me to give the firstfruits, Lord?” The answer had already been given in Scripture. Voluntary giving started after the firstfruits. The tithe was never a ceiling for giving, only a floor. It was a beginning point. . . The tithe was a demonstration of obedience. Voluntary offerings were a demonstration of love, joy, and worship. (178)

Tithing’s stated purpose is “that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:23). Tithing is intended to train people to put God first in their lives. Because the giving of the 10 percent represents the other 90 percent, tithing symbolizes the giving of one’s whole life to God.

Tithing gives perspective. It reminds us that all we are and all we have is from God. Tithing is not a tip thrown mindlessly down on a table after a meal, but a meaningful expression of dependence upon God and gratitude to him. (179)

The tithe is God’s historical method to get people on the path of giving. In that sense, it can serve as a gateway to the joy of true “grace giving” today, just as it gave rise to the spontaneous, joyous, freewill giving we see in various Old Testament passages. It’s unhealthy to view tithing as a place to stop with our giving, but it can still be a good place to start. Remember, even under the first covenant, tithing was never a maximum standard – it was merely a starting point. (183)

With his emphasis on sacrificial giving Jesus never once suggested that the “floor” set by the tithe is now invalid, but simply that the ceiling of Christian giving is far above it. When Jesus told the disciples to go the second mile, he assumed they had already gone the first. (184)

Why not tithe?

There are many common arguments against tithing, including the following:

“Tithing is legalism.”

Any legitimate practice can be done with a legalistic attitude. In such cases, the fault lies with the attitude of our heart, not with the practice itself. . . Legalism can be a convenient label to cover our unwillingness to obey God.

“I must pay off my debts rather than tithe.”

Why am I in debt in the first place? Is God responsible for my unwise or greedy decisions that may have put me there? And even if I’ve come into debt legitimately, isn’t my first debt to God? Isn’t the tithe a debt to God since he says that it belongs to him and not to me? If we obey God and make good our financial debt to him, he’ll help us as we seek to pay off our debts to others. But I must not rob God to pay men.

“If I’m going to tithe eventually, I’ll need to move toward it slowly.”

I’m often asked, “If I haven’t been giving at all, won’t God understand if I move toward it gradually, starting at 3 percent or 5 percent?” What if I told you I’ve had this habit of robbing convenience stores, knocking off about a dozen a year. But then I say to you “This year I’m only going to rob a half-dozen!” Is that better? Well, yes. But what would you advise me to do? The solution to robbing God is not to start robbing him less, it’s to stop robbing him at all.

“I just can’t afford to tithe.”

If tithing is God’s will and he promises to provide for those who trust and obey him, won’t he allow me to get by on 90 percent rather than 100 percent? In fact, aren’t I a lot safer living on less inside God’s will than living on more outside of it?

If my tithe seems to be a lot of money, I should praise God! It proves how abundantly he has provided. When people tell me, “I can’t afford to tithe,” I often ask, “If your income were reduced by 10 percent, would you die?” They always admit they wouldn’t. Somehow, they would manage to get by. That’s proof that they really can tithe. The truth is simply that they don’t want to. (188-189)

Incompletions

2009-10-28T19:53:00.000-04:00

Full disclosure: This article is not about football, however I am going to use a football illustration. If you don’t like football, please keep reading. If you do like football, I hope you are willing to read an article that isn’t just about football.

An incompletion in football is when a quarterback attempts to throw a pass but that pass is not caught by a receiver on the quarterback’s team. So a quarterback may be 12/16 in passes for the game meaning that the quarterback threw 16 passes, 12 were completed, and 4 were incomplete.

The incompletion I want to talk about today has nothing to do with throwing a football. An incompletion is an integrity gap. An incompletion takes place when I don’t keep my word and even becomes worse when I don’t honor my word. An incompletion is a mess (small or big – still a mess) that a person makes because of a lack of integrity.

As we think about the plans God has for Community Reformed Church, we have to think about the incompletions in the life of Community Reformed Church. The incompletions at CRC are the sum total of all the integrity gaps that exist within the lives of those who are a part of CRC. It is nearly impossible for Community Reformed Church to live into God’s preferred future for us while ignoring the incompletions that exist within our church body. These incompletions often include places of unforgiveness, promises we have not kept, brokenness in relationships within the church body, things we’ve said about who we’ll be as a church but not lived out, etc.

God will not ignore our incompletions and neither can we if we desire to live into God’s preferred future. BECAUSE God’s preferred future involves growth in each of us, and so often the growth that needs to happen will happen as we seek to close our gaps in integrity. By seeking to honor our word by cleaning up the messes we’ve made, we put ourselves in places where we grow. Cleaning up a mess is some of the most difficult work we ever do. It means admitting fault, saying we’re sorry, and asking for forgiveness. But yet it also means, being forgiven, being set free from guilt, and no longer feeling separated from someone else in the church.

God’s preferred future for us is not simply about changing what we do, but instead it’s about changing/growing who we are.

Like any quarterback, none of us are perfect. We will all occasionally throw completions. We will all have gaps in our integrity. The goal is definitely perfection, but none of us will be perfect. The challenge comes in how we respond when our errant pass (integrity gap) affects another. Will we blame them? Will we act like nothing happened? Will we take responsibility for our mistake and grow through our willingness to live in restored relationships?

One direct result of working through our integrity gaps is that we grow in hope. Brokenness that has seemed insurmountable is seen to be surmountable. Feelings of separation begin to diminish and even disappear. Hope comes and grows.

Think about that truth as you consider God’s preferred future for Community Reformed Church. Do you have hope about what He has in store for you? Do you know it means growth in you? Will you do your part in addressing the incompletions in your life? Will you work to close the integrity gaps that you’ve created? You can be a means by which hope grows, not only in you, but in the people of CRC, and believe it or not, that hope will impact people far beyond our church body.

The Church and Money

2009-10-26T13:00:00.001-04:00

I hope seeing the word ‘church’ and ‘money’ in the title doesn’t keep you from reading this article. My guess is you already have reservations about reading it because of those two terms in the title.

We are currently budgeting for 2010. The consistory has reviewed a rough draft budget for 2010 and we briefly discussed it at our October consistory meeting. It was an interesting conversation and brought to the surface a couple things I want to address.

1. The church is not out to get your money. One of the most common perceptions of people on the street is that the church exists to get their money. Sadly, churches have at times promoted this perspective by begging, pleading and even guilting people into giving more. There is no desire on the part of the leadership to do this. We believe it contradicts Scripture and our understanding of why we give. It is not primarily for the church to function but instead to reflect our trust in God and our faithfulness to Him.

2. We seek to operate on a needs-based not wants-based budget. We really encourage those making requests for next year’s budget to do so based on their needs not wants. It is the church’s responsibility to make good stewardship decisions regarding the use of the resources given.

3. We wrestle with the balance between basing decisions simply on what happened last year and faith. Is the decision about budgets simply a common sense, logical decision that is easily made by seeing what our income and expenses were last year? How does God fit into the conversation? What part does faith and prayer and seeking after His direction play in this decision? Obviously, it is important we consider the facts and we then work out of our faith. But what does that mean in considering a budget for 2010?

4. Giving is an act of obedience to God not the church. Your giving is a spiritual issue between you and God. Giving reflects a trust in God to provide, a recognition of God being the source of our resources, and a commitment to offer our first fruits, not our table scraps, to Him.

5. We desire to give more away as a church. One of our vision statements says, “to love and serve those outside the church as much as those within.” We believe this means the stewardship of our time and money. We are not yet there, but we hope over time, CRC grows in being a church that can say with integrity that we are living into this vision. This means in a very simple way, that 50% of our budget ought to go to help those outside the church. We are currently between 15-20% of our budget going to those outside the church.

6. Giving more away will happen if we give more not as we cut more in the church budget. Because our budget is needs-based, we don’t have a lot of room to decrease. Yes, there is always some room, but that goes back to the issue of faith and not just math in making these decisions. But even if we focused on cutting, we could only increase our percentage of giving 10-15% on a very bare bones budget for the church. However, if giving is the means to give more away, there is no limit to how our giving can grow. The typical percentage of income a church-goer gives in the United States is 2.6%. During the Depression that number was 3.3%. We have a giving problem in the church in North America, and it’s so much more than a church budget issue, it is a spiritual issue.

7. Giving always includes money. Recognizing that times are very tight for many, giving is still always about money. You can give your time and you can rationalize that as your tithe, but that is not how God views giving. It always includes money. The baseline is 10%, but God desires that through our willingness to let go of our material possessions, we can better grab a hold of Him and see Him (and not ourselves and our bottom line) as the source of our security and hope in this world.

Many churches in this difficult economic time are forced to make difficult decisions about how they use the resources they do have. Numerous churches are choosing to cut their givings. They are sacrificing what they give away because they see it as the only way to keep their staff and their lights on. In no way am I making a judgment statement. It is just true. Churches are having difficult, even heart-wrenching conversations about what they can and can’t do.

2010 Budgets will be made available after the November consistory meeting. I hope you’ll look carefully at this document. I hope you’ll consider prayerfully what this says about who we are as a church. Pray for the leadership as they seek God’s direction regarding these decisions.

Giving does include a commitment to the church, but so much more than that it is a commitment to God. As you consider your own financial decisions, please seek after God’s direction. That has to mean seeking after His direction in Scripture. Please don’t simply give to the church because you perceive a need; give to Him and if you are not sure what this means, ask Him. Giving is an act of obedience not benevolence.

"Daddy, let's cuddle."

2009-10-05T10:19:00.002-04:00

“Daddy, let’s cuddle.”

It was getting late. It was close to the time John (our 6 year old son) needed to start getting ready for bed. His routine is about a half an hour process before he actually is lying in bed with the lights off. And he is good at every stall tactic imaginable.

My son is good at making requests in the final moments before it is time for bed. “Can I have a snack?” “Can we play a short game?” “Can I watch AFV (America’s Funniest Videos)?” He is a little man who always has hope that he’ll get to do ONE MORE THING before he’s off to bed.

I had just sat down with my feet up on the bed. I had my laptop in my lap and I was excited to check the scores and highlights of all the sporting activities (especially Twins) that had been taking place that day.

“Daddy, let’s cuddle.”

“Not right now, John.”

“Awwwwwwwwww,” groans my son.

And then the voice of my conscience spoke audibly. (Her name is Alisa by the way and she is my wife.) I hear her say from a distant room, “You’re not going to snuggle with your son? It won’t be long and he won’t want to do this anymore.”

I don’t always like what my conscience has to say, but she was right – again. So I hopped in bed with John. He just sat right next to me and was playing with one of his toys. No talking, just touching – being together.

Cuddling and 40 year old men who are into sports is an interesting connection. But John needs it, and I believe his Dad does too. There is something good about being together, being silent, and being close. It is interesting because what is communicated is powerful and it has no need of words. What is said is, “I love you. I love being with you. I need to be with you.”

One of the other things I’ve noticed about cuddling (being the expert I am) is that it is often in these times that the words that are spoken are the most meaningful. It is when John and I are close that he asks some of the deeper questions. “Is God here, Daddy?” “Why are some kids mean to me?” “Why do you have to go to work so much, Daddy?”

The depth of communication changes – for the good – both in being present and silent – but also in the meaningful conversations that sometimes result.

John, once again, has found a way to help me to grow. John, once again, has taught me some things about life and relationships because he is much more willing to express his needs.

Here is a critical one for me: I have to disconnect. I am amazed by the draw of connection which now affects me. Whether it is the TV or internet, I am discouraged by how much I desire to be connected. In fact, I would say it another way. I am distracted. I like being distracted. I like having my attention drawn to these things, but I am distracted from much better things.

The other part that stands out is my need to be with my Father.

Ecclesiastes says it this way,

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for they do not know how to keep from doing evil. Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few. (5:1-2)

It is not a question of whether we should draw near to God; it is a question of how. We need to come, but we need to come as one of the created before the Creator, as a finite human being before an infinite God, as a child before his or her Father. We need to come and honor, respect, and LISTEN to Him. So it will always mean we come and be silent. Silence has to be a part of coming into the presence of God. We need to hear what he has to say far more than we need to speak. He has the words of life, encouragement, direction, hope. We don’t.

And like John, we just need to be in the presence of our Dad. We may have trouble using the word “cuddle” but we need to be next to Him. We need to remember He’s there and with us. And we need to hear him say, “I love you. I love being with you. You need to be with me.”

If silence has no place in your life, that needs to change. If your relationship with God consists of talking at him, that needs to change. Please don’t hear this challenge as an attempt to guilt you into acting, but instead here this challenge as an invitation from Him. He is inviting you to spend time with him, to be still and know He is God, and to bring you to the place where you will be filled.

It’s time to disconnect. It’s time to stop being distracted. It is time to make Him the focus of your attention.

God's Chisel by skitguys

2009-09-28T13:56:00.001-04:00

If you haven't seen this video, it's powerful. Watch God's Chisel and share it with others.

More Thoughts on Worship

2009-09-28T13:37:00.009-04:00

From Fredrick Buechner’s book, Secrets in the Dark, chapter 20 – The Church.

. . . Jesus made his church out of human beings with more or less the same mixture in them of cowardice and guts, of intelligence and stupidity, of selfishness and generosity, of openness of heart and sheer cussedness as you would be apt to find in any of us. The reason he made his church out of human beings is that human beings were all there was to make it out of. In fact, as far as I know, human beings are all there is to make it out of still. It’s a point worth remembering.

It is also a point worth remembering that even after Jesus made these human beings into a church, they seem to have gone right on being human beings. They actually knew Jesus as their friend. They sat at his feet and listened to him speak; they ate with him and tramped the countryside with him; they witnessed his miracles; but not even all of that turned them into heroes. They kept on being as human as they’d always been with most of the same strengths and most of the same weaknesses.

And finally when it comes to remembering things, we do well to keep in mind that the idea of becoming the church wasn’t their idea. It was Jesus’s idea. It was Jesus who made them a church. They didn’t come together the way like-minded people come together to make a club. They didn’t come together the way a group of men might come together to form a baseball team or the way a group of women might come together to lobby for higher teachers’ salaries. They came together because Jesus called them to come together. That is what the Greek word ekklesia means, from which we get our word “church.” It means those who have been called out, the way the original twelve were called out of fishing or tax collecting or running a kosher restaurant or a Laundromat or whatever else they happened to be involved in at the time.

. . . One way or another Christ called them. That’s how it happened. They saw the marvel of him arch across the grayness of things – the grayness of their own lives perhaps, of life itself. They heard his voice calling their names. And they went.

They seem to have gone right on working at pretty much whatever they’d been working at before, which means that he didn’t so much call them out of their ordinary lives as he called them out of believing that ordinary life is ordinary. He called them to see that no matter how ordinary it may seem to us as we live it, life is extraordinary. “The Kingdom of God is at hand” is the way he put it to them, and the way he told them to put it to others. Life even at its most monotonous and backbreaking and heart-numbing has the Kingdom buried in it the way a field has treasure buried in it, he said. The Kingdom of God is as close to us as some precious keepsake we’ve been looking for for years, which is lying just in the next room under the rug all but crying out for us to come find it. If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that the Kingdom of God in the sense of holiness, goodness, beauty is as close as breathing and is crying out to be born within ourselves and within the world; we would know that the Kingdom of God is what we all of us hunger for above all other things even when we didn’t know its name or realize that it’s what we’re starving for. The Kingdom of God is where our best dreams come from and our truest prayers. We glimpse it at those moments when we find ourselves being better than we are and wiser than we know. We catch sight of it when at some moment of crisis a strength seems to come to us that is greater than our own strength. The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it. (147-149)

From C.S. Lewis’s book, The Weight of Glory, p. 25-26

If you asked twenty good men to-day what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old he would have replied, Love. You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive. The negative ideal of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if abstinence and not their happiness was the important point. I do not think this is the Christian virtue of Love. The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

From Fredrick Buechner’s book, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, p. 97-98

To worship God means to serve him. Basically there are two ways to do it. One way is to do things for him that he needs to have done – run errands for him, carry messages for him, fight on his side, feed his lambs, and so on. The other way is to do things for him that you need to do – sing songs for him, create beautiful things for him, give things up for him, tell him what’s on your mind and in your heart, in general rejoice in him and make a fool of yourself for him the way lovers have always made fools of themselves for the one they love.

From John Piper’s sermon, Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism from Psalm 63:5-6 found at www.desiringgod.org.

Therefore, if you feel no delight in the wealth of God's glory, nor feel any longing to see and know God better, nor feel any sorrow that your longing and delight are so meager, then you are not worshipping. Isn't it clear, then, that the person who thinks of virtue as overcoming self-interest and who thinks of vice as seeking our own pleasure, will scarcely be able to worship. For worship is the most hedonistic affair of life and must not be ruined by the least thought of disinterestedness. The great hindrance to worship is not that we are pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures.

Jeremiah put it like this:

My people have exchanged their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:11–13)

The great barrier to worship among God's people is not that we are always seeking our own satisfaction, but that our seeking is so weak and half-hearted that we settle for little sips at broken cisterns when the fountain of life is just over the next hill.

Worship - John Piper

2009-09-25T08:05:00.003-04:00

The following are excerpts from a couple sermons by John Piper – “The Inner Essence of Worship” and “The Curse of Careless Worship.” You can see these sermons in their entirety at www.desiringgod.org. Type in the titles above.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
Philippians 1:18-24

. . . the main point was that the New Testament reveals a stunning silence about the outward place and forms of worship and a radical intensification of worship as an inner, Godward experience of the heart manifest in everyday life. The silence about outward forms is obvious in the fact that the gathered life of the church is never called "worship" in the New Testament. And the main Old Testament word for worship (proskuneo) is virtually absent from the New Testament letters.

The intensification of worship as an inner, Godward experience of the heart is seen in the words of Jesus that the hour is coming and now is when worship will not be located in Samaria or Jerusalem, but will be "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:21-23). Inner spiritual reality replaces geographic locality. And we see it again in Matthew 15:8-9 when Jesus says, "This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me." Worship that does not come from the heart is vain, empty. It is not authentic worship. It is no worship.

. . . the essence of worship is not external, localized acts, but inner, Godward experience that comes out not primarily in church services (though they are important) but primarily in daily expressions of allegiance to God - in your sex life, in the way you handle your money, or keep your marriage vows, or speak up for Christ.

. . . worship, whether an inner act of the heart, or an outward act of the body, or of the congregation collectively, is a magnifying of God. That is, it is an act that shows how magnificent God is. It is an act that reveals or expresses how great and glorious he is. Worship is all about reflecting the worth or value of God.

Notice from verse 20 what Paul's mission in life is. He says it is "my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted [the key word, "magnified" - shown to be great and glorious] in my body, whether by life or by death." So what Paul is saying is that his earnest hope and passion is that what he does with his body, whether in life or death, will always be worship. In life and death his mission is to magnify Christ - to show that Christ is magnificent, to exalt Christ, and demonstrate that he is great. That's plain from verse 20 - "that Christ shall be exalted in my body, whether by life or death."

The essence of worship is experiencing Christ as gain . . . it is savoring Christ, treasuring Christ, being satisfied with Christ.

I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

1. The pursuit of joy in God is not optional. It is our highest duty.
There are millions of Christians who have absorbed a popular ethic that says it is morally defective to seek our happiness, even in God. This is absolutely deadly for authentic worship. To the degree that this ethic flourishes, to that degree worship dies. Because the inner essence of worship is satisfaction in God, experiencing God as gain.

Therefore I say to you that the basic attitude of worship on Sunday morning is not to come with your hands full to give to God, but with your hands empty, to receive from God. And what you receive in worship is God, not entertainment. You ought to come hungry for God.

Recovering the rightness and indispensability of pursuing our satisfaction in God will go a long way to restoring authenticity and power of worship.

2. Another implication of saying that the essence of worship is satisfaction in God is that worship becomes radically God-centered.

Nothing makes God more supreme and more central than when a people are utterly persuaded that nothing - not money or prestige or leisure or family or job or health or sports or toys or friends - nothing is going to bring satisfaction to their aching hearts besides God. This conviction breeds a people who go hard after God on Sunday morning.

If the essence of worship is satisfaction in God, then worship can't be done authentically as a means to anything else. You simply can't say to God, I want to be satisfied in you so that I can have something else. Because that would mean that you are not really satisfied in God but in that something else. And that would dishonor God, not worship him.

Genuine affections for God are an end in themselves. I cannot say to my wife: "I feel a strong delight in you - so that you will make me a nice meal." That is not the way delight works. It terminates on her. It does not have a nice meal in view. I cannot say to my son, "I love playing ball with you - so that you will cut the grass." If your heart really delights in playing ball with him, that delight cannot be performed as a means to getting him to do something else.

Careless Worship

But you say, 'What a weariness this is,' and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. Malachi 1:13

So the origin of careless worship is a failure to see and feel the greatness of God.

But how does this cause careless worship? Malachi's answer: It makes a person bored with God and excited about the world. If you don't see the greatness of God, then all the things that money can buy become very exciting. If you can't see the sun, you will be impressed with a street light. If you've never felt thunder and lightning, you'll be impressed with fire works. And if you turn your back on the greatness and majesty of God, you'll fall in love with a world of shadows and short-lived pleasures.

. . . And when you become so blind that the maker of galaxies and ruler of nations and knower of all mysteries and lover of our souls becomes boring, then only one thing is left—the love of the world. For the heart is always restless. It must have its treasure: if not in heaven, then on the earth.

And so when it is time to bring sheep from the flock to sacrifice, what do you bring? You bring the sheep with disease and broken legs. Or you steal a sheep to bring. Why? It's obvious. The good sheep sell better and you love money more than God.

So there it is: the origin of careless worship is a failure to see and feel the greatness of God. And so God becomes boring and the world becomes exciting, and worship . . . well, there may be some social usefulness in keeping up a front of religion, but O how the heart beats fast for the world.

Nature of True Worship

And what is the nature of true worship? I would put it like this. The nature of true worship is worship that does two things:

1) it expresses the feeling of God's value and greatness;

2) and it seeks to sustain in the congregation that same spiritual sense of God's immense worth and beauty.

Or to put it another way, true worship

1) comes from a heart where God is treasured above all human property and praise,

2) and it aims to inspire the same God-centered passion in the hearts of the congregation.

The Soil of Obedience

2009-09-17T20:23:00.000-04:00

I’ve spent a lot of mental and physical energy trying to grow grass - easier said than done.

Right now, we have bare spots popping up in our lawn. I’ve pondered that problem. I’ve taken a shovel and dug under and around those spots because I thought it might be grubs. I have not yet determined the source of the problem.

I’m good at growing weeds, but I’m not so good at growing grass.

When I share this challenge with others one of the first questions I receive is “Have you had your soil checked?” My soil checked? How do you check your soil? Who checks soil? What are they looking for? It’s dirt, right?

I’m coming to learn how important your soil is to growing grass. It can be too sandy, too acidic, not acidic enough, needing lime, etc. I’m learning that what you plant your grass in will have a huge impact on how it grows (or not).

We are all familiar with the parable Jesus taught about good soil (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15). Your seed won’t grow on the path. It will struggle growing if choked out by weeds. If the soil is shallow, you’ll see little growth. But if the seed lands in the good soil, growth is inevitable.

We can’t make ourselves grow; that’s God’s work. But we are responsible for where we place ourselves and who we place ourselves with. We can decide where we place our seed.

I want to suggest and challenge us to place our seeds in the soil of obedience.

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6-7

One of the interesting things about the book of Colossians is Paul’s emphasis on the challenge of false teachers, false philosophies, and deceit. He was very concerned that the Colossians had the right understanding of faith. What they believed mattered and he wanted to make sure they believed in Jesus Christ as Lord “as you were taught.” Paul recognized that false teachings lead away from Christ and undermine what it means to live for Him. Plus, if you no longer have faith in Christ as the Lord, Son of God, Messiah, then you no longer obey. Why would you? It’s easy to move from Christ as Lord to you as Lord.

What we believe matters. If that is undermined, if we allow false teachings to find a place in our lives, it is reflect in how we live. We don’t live for Him; we live for ourselves.

What we believe directly affects what we do.

If we believe in Christ as Lord and that we are His, we do what He tells us to do. We obey. We are planted in the soil of obedience.

Consider for a moment where that has led you. Consider what has happened when you sought to obey. I bet you grew. I bet it wasn’t easy. I bet you look back and are glad you did obey.

When we obey, we grow. (Growth doesn’t mean easy or only good feelings. Growth is often very hard.) When we obey, God puts us in places and with people where growth happens. It’s important to remember that this obedience in not simply into church or with Christians. The soil of obedience will take us into the lives of those in need, we’ll be challenged, we’ll have to trust in God’s help, we’ll be uncomfortable, and we even may experience rejection and persecution. But we’ll grow.

Live your life in Him, it says in Colossians. Rooted and built up in the faith. Abounding in thanksgiving. When we put ourselves in the soil of obedience, our foundation (roots) will grow and deepen. Our character, person will develop (be built up). We won’t remain the same. And proof that this growth is taking place will be the experience of abounding in thanksgiving.

A couple obedience questions:

1. Are you in God’s Word? This is the soil of obedience.
2. Are you encouraging others to grow in faith? This is the soil of obedience.
3. Are you giving your time and money to Him for His work? This is the soil of obedience.
4. Are you taking time to pray and listen to God? This is the soil of obedience.
5. Are you offering Him your job/career/future? This is the soil of obedience.
6. Are you abounding in thanksgiving? This is a sign you are in the soil of obedience.
7. Are you making decisions dependent on His direction? This is the soil of obedience.
8. Are you reaching out to those in need around you? This is the soil of obedience.

And on and on the list goes.

Obedience leads to growth. Obedience reflects what you believe.

If you look at how you live (what’s important, priorities, focus, use of time and money), what do you believe?

Are you growing? Apart from obedience, growth is stunted and even at times non-existent.

The Complete Book of Discipleship - Hull

2009-09-08T15:16:00.001-04:00

The following are excerpts from my readings over the sabbatical. The following excerpts come from Bill Hull’s book, The Complete Book of Discipleship. I hope these help you as you consider what it means to follow Jesus.

We don’t just amble our way into discipleship. We make a conscious decision to live by faith. We agree to join others who’ve committed to follow Jesus rather than try to lead Jesus. We fundamentally give up the right to run our own life. In other words, you can follow your heart, your dreams, your gifts, your personality profile, and seek the right fit. But all that’s inferior to following Jesus.
(119)

Saying no to self in order to say yes to God. The only righteous role of self-denial is to eliminate any obstacle that blocks saying yes to God. When my will conflicts with his will, self-denial makes following his will possible. Jesus wants me to deny myself the right to be in charge of my own life.
(121-122)

First we choose the life. We set aside any competing priorities and follow Jesus. Then he reveals our mission en route.

When we wait at the entrance to the path of obedience for full instructions before we start walking, we can never find our mission. That knowledge is found only en route.

By accepting non-discipleship Christianity, many people don’t have a mission. So they sit in the pew and wait. All those missions never completed – what a tragic loss to people’s lives, and how much poorer it has left the church and the society we live in.
(124-125)

Accompanying Mother Teresa, as we did, to these different activities
for the purpose of filming them – to the Home for the Dying, to the
lepers and the unwanted children, I found I went through three phases.
The first was the horror mixed with pity; the second, compassion, pure
and simple; and the third, reaching far beyond compassion, something
I had never experienced before – an awareness of these dying, and
derelict men and women, these lepers with stumps instead of hands,
these unwanted children, were not pitiable, repulsive or forlorn, but
rather dear and delightful; as it might be, friends of long standing,
brothers and sisters. How is it to be explained – the very heart and
mystery of the Christian faith? To soothe those battered old heads,
to grasp those poor stumps, to take in one’s arms those children
consigned to dust bins, because it is His head, as they are His stumps
and His children, of whom He said whosoever received one such
child in His name received me.
Malcolm Muggeridge (132-133)

I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are
turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into
something a little different from what it was before. And taking
your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your
life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a
Heaven creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature
that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with
itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with
God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one
kind of creature is Heaven: that is, it is joy, and peace, and
knowledge, and power. To be the other means madness, horror,
idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at
each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.

C. S. Lewis (138)

Training, not trying: I think we should outlaw “trying.” Trying occurs when disciples try to reach a goal without the proper tools. Training, however, means that we commit to rearrange our lives around the practices of Jesus. We don’t try to practice spiritual disciplines: fasting, silence, solitude, chastity, sacrifice, study, and so forth. Instead, because Jesus practiced them, we train in spiritual disciplines. We’ve answered the call to follow him and to learn from him, so we want to live our life the way Jesus lived his. And over time, through a patient process, we allow the positive effects of discipline to change us.
(143)

. . . you can’t give yourself as a sacrifice and at the same time manage your image.

(144)

. . . Jesus led with weakness, failure, and rejection. He moved straight into everything that the human spirit naturally abhors. An attitude of willingness is the rite of passage to ministering as Jesus ministered, to following in his footsteps, to giving ourselves for others. As an associate of Mother Teresa once commented, “She is free to be nothing; therefore, God can use her for anything.”
(146)

Trust is key, because we only take in the truth we trust. And that trust has to do with the messenger as much as the message. When you trust someone to the point you become vulnerable, you’re giving that person permission to speak into your life. This is where transformation traction takes place.
(156)

Just as humility is Jesus’ primary character trait, it should be the foundation we build on as we seek to follow him and be formed into his image. Think of it this way: without humility, there’s no submission; without submission, relationships of trust can’t exist; without relationships of trust, we won’t make ourselves vulnerable; without vulnerability, no one can influence us; and without influence, we won’t change.

Submission means saying, “I choose to let others love me.”
(158-159)

In fact, the most pressing need in most local congregations is that we own the truth that all of us are ministers. It seems that most Christians believe they’re consumers. They see their faith and life in the community of their congregation as a way to receive benefits from Christ, a way to set some sore of “get into heaven” card that salvation provides. This leads to acceptance of non-discipleship Christianity.
(172)

Eugene Peterson put it bluntly when asked if the church can reform:

Hasn’t happened. I’m for always reforming, but to think that we can
get a church reformed is just silliness . . . We have a goal. We have a
mission. We’re going to save the world. We’re going to evangelize
everybody, and we’re going to do all this stuff and fill our churches.
This is wonderful. All the goals are right. But this is slow, slow
work; this is soul work, this bringing people into a life of obedience
and love and joy before God. And we get impatient and start
taking shortcuts and use any means available. We talk about
benefits. We manipulate people. We bully them. We use
language that is just incredibly impersonal – bullying language,
manipulative language.
(173)

The world needs more than the secret holiness of individual
inwardness. It needs more than sacred sentiments and good
intentions. God asks for the heart because he needs lives. It
is by lives that the world will be redeemed, by lives that beat in
concordance with God, by deeds that outbeat the finite charity
of the human heart. Man’s power of action is less vague than
his power of intention. And an action has intrinsic meaning;
its value to the world is independent of what it means to the
person performing it. The giving of good to the helpless
child is meaningful regardless of whether or not the moral
intention is present. God asks for the heart, and we must
spell our answer in terms of deeds.
Abraham Joshua Heschel (181)

We make a conscious decision to live by . . . (Jesus’) pattern of life: a life of submission, sacrifice, and obedience, built on a foundation of humility.

This part of the process both marks the starting line and represents the essence of discipleship. We make following Jesus our life’s goal and intent. Faith is following and following is faith. The first action requires creating time and space to train. We don’t try to become like Jesus; instead we make a commitment to train to become the kind of person who naturally does what Jesus would do.

Mission refers to God’s mystery that you only find yourself when you lose yourself in serving others. . . Perhaps the greatest sacrifice is giving up the right to run our own lives, putting to death the dream of creating our agenda and of being in control.
(191-192)

The Gift of Being Yourself - part 2

2009-09-08T14:02:00.002-04:00

The following are excerpts from my readings over the sabbatical. They address the need we have to know ourselves. This may sound like a pursuit of self-absorption. Read on and see what you think. These excerpts come from David Benner’s book, The Gift of Being Yourself.

Focusing on sins leads to what Dallas Willard describes as the gospel of sin management – a resolve to avoid sin and strategies to deal with guilt when this inevitably proves unsuccessful. But Christian spiritual transformation is much more radical than sin avoidance.
(65)

Discovering our core sin tendencies is helpful because it lets us deal with our problems at their root. But even more than this, it is helpful because discovery of our core sin tendencies will inevitably fill us with such despair and hopelessness that we will have no option but to turn to God. Spiritual transformation does not result from fixing our problems. It results from turning to God in the midst of them and meeting God just as we are. Turning to God is the core of prayer. Turning to God in our sin and shame is the heart of spiritual transformation.
(67)

Everything that is false about us arises from the belief that our deepest happiness will come from living life our way, not God’s way.
(75)

Something else that we know from experience is how to hide and how to pretend. At some point in childhood we all make the powerful discovery that we can manipulate the truth about ourselves. Initially it often takes the form of a simple lie – frequently a denial of having done something. But of more importance to the development of the false self is the discovery that our ability to hide isn’t limited to what we say or don’t say. We learn to pretend. We discover the art of repackaging our self.

In short, we learn how to present our self in the best possible light – a light designed to create a favorable impression and maintain our self-esteem.

While this might seem quite benign, the dark side of pretending is that what begins as a role becomes an identity. Initially the masks we adopt reflect how we want others to see us. Over time, however, they come to reflect how we want to see our self. But by this point we have thoroughly confused the mask and our actual experience. Our masks have become our reality, and we have become our lies. In short, we have lost authenticity and adopted an identity based on illusion. We have become a house of smoke and mirrors.

Nothing other than truth is strong enough to dispel illusion. And only the Spirit of Truth can save us from the consequence of having listened to the serpent rather than God.
(78-79)

The core of the lie that Adam and Eve believed was that they could be like God without God. But without God the most we can ever do is make ourselves into a god.

We are not God. We are not our own origin, nor are we our own
ultimate fulfillment. To claim to be so is a suicidal act that wounds
our faith relationship with the living God and replaces it with a
futile faith in a self that can never exist.

. . . what we get when we choose a way of being that is separate from God is the life of the lie. It is a lie because the autonomy that it promises is an illusion. We do not become free of God by a disregard of Divine will. Instead, by such disregard we forge the chains of our bondage.

What we get when we choose a way of being that is separate from God is the life of the false self.

The false self is the tragic result of trying to steal something from God that we did not have to steal. Had we dared to trust God’s goodness, we would have discovered that everything we could ever most deeply long for would be ours in God. Trying to gain more than the everything God offers, we end up with less than nothing. Rejecting God, we end up with a nest of lies and illusions. Displacing God, we become a god unto our self. We become a false self.
(79-80)

Basing identity on an illusion has profound consequences. Sensing its fundamental unreality, the false self wraps itself in experience – experiences of power, pleasure and honor. Intuiting that it is but a shadow, it seeks to convince itself of its reality by equating itself with what it does and achieves. Basil Pennington suggests that the core of the false self is the belief that my value depends on what I have, what I can do and what others think of me.

Because it is hollow at the core, the life of a false self is a life of excessive attachments. Seeking to avoid implosion and non-being, the false self grasps for anything that appears to have substance and then clings to these things with the tenacity of a drowning man clutching a life ring. One person might cling to his possessions, accomplishments or space. Another may cling to her dreams, memories or friendships. Any of these things can be either a blessing or a curse. They are a blessing when they are held in open hands of gratitude. They become a curse when they are grasped in clenched fists of entitlement and viewed as “me” or “mine.”
(81)

We think of our attachments as anchors of well-being. We feel good when we are surrounded by what seem like innocent indulgences and think they secure a state of pleasure that would not be ours without them. In reality, however, they sabotage our happiness and are hazardous to both our spiritual health and our psychological health.

Ultimately, attachments are ways of coping with the feelings of vulnerability, shame and inadequacy that lie at the core of our false ways of being. Like Adam and Eve, our first response to our awareness of nakedness is to grab whatever is closest and quickly cover our nakedness. We hide behind the fig leaves of our false self. This is the way we package our self to escape painful awareness of our nakedness.

The problem with the false self is that it works. It helps us forget that we are naked. Before long, we are no longer aware of the underlying vulnerability and become comfortable once again.

But God wants something better than fig leaves for us. God wants us to be aware of our helplessness so we can know that we need Divine help. God’s deepest desire for us is to replace our fig leaves with garments of durability and beauty (Genesis 3:21). Yet we cling to our fig-leaf false self. We believe that we know how to take care of our needs better than God.
(82-83)

Touchiness dependably points us to false ways of being. And the more prickly a person you are, the more you are investing in the defense of a false self.

The things that bother us the most about others – our pet peeves – also point toward falsity in our own self.
(83-84)

Every moment of every day of our life God wanders in our inner garden, seeking our companionship. The reason God can’t find us is that we are hiding in the bushes of our false self.

Having first created a self in the image of our own making, we then set out to create the sort of god who might in fact create us. Such is the perversity of the false self.

Coming out of hiding is accepting God on God’s own terms. Doing so is the only route to truly being our unique self-in-Christ.
(88-89)

The true self is who, in reality, you are and who you are becoming. It is not something you need to construct through a process of self-improvement or deconstruct by means of psychological analysis. It is not an object to be grasped. Nor is it an archetype to be actualized. It is not even some inner, hidden part of you. Rather, it is your total self as you were created by God and as you are being redeemed in Christ. It is the image of God that you are – the unique face of God that has been set aside from eternity for you.

We do not find our true self by seeking it. Rather, we find it by seeking God.
(91)

Jesus did not merely accept the identity that others offered him. Had he done so he would have, like us, been pulled in many different directions.

But he did not look to the expectations of others to understand who he was. Instead he looked to his relationship with God.

Jesus gave glory to God by being himself – deeply, truly, consistently. Thomas Merton says that “to be a saint means to be myself.” Sanctity is finding our hidden and true self in Christ and living out the life that flows from this self in surrender to the loving will and presence of our heavenly Father.
(95)

The way of the true self is always the way of humility. Pride and arrogance move us toward our false self, but humility and love allow us to live the truth of our being.

(98)

Too often we think of God’s call (or our vocation) solely in terms of what we do. People speak of being called to the ministry or feeling called to work in healthcare or teaching. However, while doing will always be involved, vocation is much more than our occupation. It is the face of Christ we are called from eternity to show to the world. It is who we are called to be.
(101)

The self is not God. But it is the place where we meet God. There can be no genuine spiritual transformation if we seek some external meeting place. God’s intended home is our heart, and it is meeting God in our depths that transform us from the inside out.

In Christian spiritual transformation, the self that embarks on the journey is not the self that arrives. The self that begins the spiritual journey is the self of our own creation, the self we thought ourselves to be. This is the self that dies on the journey. The self that arrives is the self that was loved into existence by Divine love. This is the person we were destined from eternity to become – the I that is hidden in the “I AM.”
(103)

The Way We Pray - Skitguys.com

2009-08-25T20:41:00.001-04:00

I've found a new video site worth checking out. It's skitguys.com. If you've seen Napoleon Dynamite, you'll appreciate this video. Even if you haven't, you still may enjoy this entertaining look at how we pray. It's called The Way We Pray.

The Gift of Being Yourself - Benner

2009-08-25T20:38:00.001-04:00

The following are excerpts from my readings over the sabbatical. They address the need we have to know ourselves. This may sound like a pursuit of self-absorption. Read on and see what you think. These excerpts come from David Benner’s book, The Gift of Being Yourself.

It is a profound irony to write a book promoting self-discovery to people who are seeking to follow a self-sacrificing Christ. It might well make you fear that I have forgotten – or worse, failed to take seriously – Jesus paradoxical teaching that it is in losing our self that we truly find it (Matthew 10:39). As you read on I think you will see that I have done neither.
(13)

The goal of the spiritual journey is the transformation of self. As we shall see, this requires both knowing our self and God.

. . . identity is a challenge only for humans. A tulip knows exactly what it is. It is never tempted by false ways of being. Nor does it face complicated decisions in the process of becoming. So it is with dogs, rocks, trees, stars, amoebas, electrons and all other things. All give glory to God by being exactly what they are. . . Humans, however, encounter a more challenging existence. We think. We consider options. We decide. We act. We doubt. Simple being is tremendously difficult to achieve and fully authentic being is extremely rare.

Our true self-in-Christ is the only self that will support authenticity. It and it alone provides an identity that is eternal.
(14-15)

We should never be tempted to think that growth in Christ-likeness reduces our uniqueness . . . Paradoxically, as we become more and more like Christ we become more uniquely our own true self.

Identity is never simply a creation. It is always a discovery. True identity is always a gift of God.
(16)

“There is no deep knowing of God without a deep knowing of self and no deep knowing of self without a deep knowing of God.”
John Calvin (20)

“A humble self-knowledge is a surer way to God than a search after deep learning.”
Thomas a Kempis (20)

Self-knowledge that is pursued apart from knowing our identity in relationship to God easily leads to self-inflation. . . Unless we spend as much time looking at God as we spend looking at our self, our knowing of our self will simply draw us further and further into an abyss of self-fixation.
(23)

Though we glibly talk about a personal relationship with God, many of us know God less well than we know our casual acquaintances. Too easily we have settled for knowing about God. Too easily our relationship with God is remarkably superficial. Is it any surprise, then, that we haven’t learned much about our self as a result of this encounter?
(31)

Many of the things we know about God we know objectively, accepting them as facts on the trusted testimony of Scriptures and the community of faith. These ground our more personal knowing, serving as an anchor in times of doubt and a frame of reference for making sense of our experience. This bedrock of beliefs will be elaborated by experience but never replaced by it. God’s intention is that we know Divine love by experiencing it. But even when our Divine Lover seems distant, we can hold confident to the hope of the steadfast nature of God’s love because of the testimony of Scriptures and the witness of others.

Transformational knowing of God comes from an intimate, personal knowing of Divine love. Because God is love, God can only be known through love. To know God is to love God, and to love God is to know God (I John 4:7-8). The Christian God is known only in devotion, not objective detachment.
(34-35)

What God longs for us to experience is intimate knowing that comes by means of an ongoing relationship.
(36)

What God wants is simply our presence, even if it feels like a waste of potentially productive time. That is what friends do together – they waste time with each other. Simply being together is enough without expecting to “get something” from the interaction. It should be no different with God.
(40)

Richard Rohr reminds us that “we cannot attain the presence of God. We’re already totally in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.” This is the core of the spiritual journey – learning to discern the presence of God, to see what really is.
(42)

Genuine self-knowledge begins by looking at God and noticing how God is looking at us.

Divine love is absolutely unconditional, unlimited, and unimaginably extravagant.

In order for our knowing of God’s love to be truly transformational, it must become the basis of our identity. Our identity is who we experience ourselves to be – the I each of us carries within. An identity grounded in God would mean that when we think of who we are, the first thing that would come to mind is our status as someone who is deeply loved by God.

Coming to know and trust God’s love is a lifelong process. Making this knowledge the foundation of our identity – or better, allowing our identity to be re-formed around this most basic fact of our existence – will also never happen instantly. Both lie at the core of the spiritual transformation that is the intended outcome of Christ-following.

Every time I dare to meet God in the vulnerability of my sin and shame, this knowing is strengthened. Every time I fall back into a self-improvement mode and try to bring God my best self, it is weakened. I only know Divine unconditional radical and reckless love for me when I dare to approach God just as I am. The more I have the courage to meet God in this place of weakness, the more I will know myself to be truly and deeply loved by God.

The God who is Divine love is known only in human community. Deep knowing of perfect love, just like deep knowing of ourselves, demands that we be in relationships of spiritual friendship. No one should ever expect to make the journey alone. And the knowing of self and God described in these pages depends on being accompanied by others on our journey into the heart of God.
(49-52)

Genuinely transformational knowing of self always involves encountering and embracing previously unwelcomed parts of self.
(52)

Self-acceptance and self-knowing are deeply interconnected. To truly know something about yourself, you must accept it. Even things about yourself that you most deeply want to change must first be accepted – even embraced. Self-transformation is always preceded by self-acceptance. And the self that you must accept is the self that you actually truly are – before you start self-improvement projects!

Until we are willing to accept the unpleasant truths of our existence, we rationalize or deny responsibility for our behavior.

If God loves and accepts you as a sinner, how can you do less? You can never be other than who you are until you are willing to embrace the reality of who you are. Only then can you truly become who you are most deeply called to be.
(56-57)

Crucifixion should be directed toward our sin nature. And we must first accept it as our nature, not simply human nature.
(58)

Prayer is meeting God in the darkness and solitude of that secret place. Nothing less than such an encounter with God in the depths of our soul will provide access to the deep knowing of both God and self that is our true home.

What makes this encounter possible is looking at God looking back at us.
(59-60)

Most of us are quite willing to embrace reality when it fits with how we see ourselves and the world, and when it is not overly unpleasant. However, when our life experiences confront us with things about ourselves that we are unwilling to accept, we call on psychological defense mechanisms to help maintain a sense of safety and stability. While these unconscious strategies help with short-term coping, they block long-term growth. This is because they distort reality. Ultimately, their function is to protect us from unpleasant truth.

The human capacity for self-deception is astounding. (Jeremiah 17:9)
(62)

To see God as God is – not as who we want God to be – requires that we see our self as we actually are. For the same cloud of illusions obscures our view of both God and ourselves.
(63)

Some Christians base their identity on being a sinner. I think they have it wrong – or only half right. You are not simply a sinner; you are a deeply loved sinner. And there is all the difference in the world between the two.
(64)

Be a Hope-Bringer

2009-08-04T13:24:00.002-04:00

Here’s one of the questions I am really wrestling with: How do I care for the least of these? I believe God defines this group broadly. It would include physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. These needs are all around us if we are willing to enter into people’s lives. I get that and still have a long ways to go in living into that, but where I am specifically struggling has to do with the physical needs question.

I look around my life here in Charlevoix, MI, and don’t see a whole lot of physical needs. We have our share of food pantries and resale shops. There are definitely people struggling with addictions to drugs and alcohol. And there are some that are definitely struggling paying their bills. But there is a difference between physical needs here and the physical needs there - there being in places like Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and in some locations in Central and South America and Asia.

I went to Kenya and experienced some things I will never forget.

I saw kids living on the streets – no Moms or Dads - kids as young as my son. He’s 5.
I had a young girl offer me her baby. She wanted me to take it.
I had a young man ask me to take him off the street. He’d been there over 8 years.
I walked through a couple slums and saw kids playing in the filth and stench.
I heard Sabina’s story – a young girl who was gang-raped and became pregnant.
I heard Cindy’s story – a mother of two who chose to give her boys to an orphanage because she was dying of AIDS.

I encountered suffering. I saw things that didn’t make sense at all. Where is God? How could he possibly allow these horrific things to take place? I was emotionally and spiritually overwhelmed and some of that continues. I haven’t been completely dulled and numbed by being home – away from this. But some numbing and dulling has taken place. It makes it easier, but I definitely don’t think it’s better.

We just can’t ignore these needs and call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ. We just can’t.

God hasn’t called you or me to fix these problems. We can’t. But he does call us to be part of the solution. In fact, solution is the wrong word. It’s compassion. When we see the truth of what some people experience in this world, we can’t just turn away. It’s like the Levite and the priest who saw the man alongside the road and passed by. We can’t pass by.

“Don’t fail to do something just because you can’t do everything.” Bob Pierce

We cannot get paralyzed by the immensity of the challenges. Read that sentence again and this time read it through the lens of your Biblical knowledge. Remember the stories of men and women who acted on God’s behalf. Think Moses, Joshua, David, Nehemiah, Peter, etc.

We cannot get paralyzed by the immensity of the challenges.

Too often, we do.

“What can I do about the AIDS pandemic?” “How can I help the orphans who are thousands of miles away from me?” “What can I possibly do about injustice?” “I don’t know how to help people still in slavery around this world.”

Those are outstanding questions. They are worth asking. But where we get paralyzed is when we ask them on our own. We think we can actually answer each of these questions for ourselves. But we can’t. We don’t know. We may be tempted to send a check to some reputable organization that helps some of these people in need, but as much as that might calm our conscience for a while, it does not address these questions appropriately, because it continues to address them on our own. We do something. We feel better. We can go back to our normal lives. I did my act of charity – God is now happy with me – I get extra credit.

Here is what I’m learning. Only God can answer those questions for me. The problem is I haven’t been asking. The problem is I’ve gotten caught up on my life and my routine and my plans and my agendas and so I’ve stopped asking – I’ve stopped caring.

When we get so lost in ourselves, we lose perspective don’t we? All of a sudden the color of my car really matters. If my sports team isn’t doing well, I am emotionally affected. I find myself caring a ton what others think of me even though I don’t really respect them. I want what I want and I deserve it. Whoa. How did I get to this place? A place where selfishness reigns and I actually believe others exist to serve me? Sin. That’s what it is. That’s what keeps bringing me to this place. I am separated from God. I no longer rest in his arms. I live for me, by my power, with me as the focus of my worship. No wonder I don’t care about those who suffer. I don’t even think about them – there is no space to because I’m filled up with me.

You cannot serve two masters. You just can’t.

If sins reigns, it reigns in my perspective of others, God, and me. I see God as my holy Santa Claus, people as my servants, and me as the King. Now I know we have trouble thinking we’d ever say this out loud, but it is definitely how I sometimes live.

What could the poor people of the world who just want my money – what could they possibly do for me? They just want stuff from me. If my perspective is sin, I can see absolutely no reason how they fit into my plans. They are completely off my radar screen. I won’t even ask the questions above. Why would I? They have nothing to do with me. They just get in the way of my plans – keep me from fulfilling my wants.

Back to God’s true part in my life. When he’s king, I’m not. When he’s king, then I began to realize that life in his kingdom is very different than life in mine. If I look to him as king, then the questions above become priority and the questions above are looked at through the eyes of humility. I can’t answer them. I am not in control. It is not up to me to figure this out, because I know I can’t. If I really see people the way God does, then I will long for them to experience his love and I will remember that Jesus says that when we care for those in need, we see Jesus. No, that’s not a typo. Jesus is in disguise among the people in need. Poor people. Hungry people. Broken people. Oppressed people. Discarded people. Displaced people. Unwanted people. His people. He’s there. And boy do we need to find him. Boy do I need to find him.

It’s an interesting theological question. Jesus is everywhere, right? Jesus is always with us. But yet, in this interesting text in Matthew 25, we see Jesus say he is there among the hungry, sick, naked, prisoners in a unique yet real way. When we care for the least of these, we meet Jesus.

And what is maybe the most challenging part of this call is what it does for us. We need to care for the least of these because of what Jesus does when we meet him in this way. He transforms us.

When we sit in our comfortable homes, leading our comfortable lives, Jesus is definitely there with us. But because of our unwillingness to step into the messiness of this world, we are not transformed in the ways God desires to transform us but more than likely are being “conformed to the pattern of this world.” (Rom. 12:2)

Mother Teresa said something that just haunts me.

“It’s the greatest poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

The decisions I make to live the lifestyle I live leads to children dying? Is that really true? Because I choose to live the way I live and not give the way I’m called, children die? Isn’t that a little over the top? Is it?

Worth pondering for a moment. Worth even asking God if this is true. Worth not reading on and just ignoring what she said. Worth really engaging with God if it is true a child could live if I would give. Ask him.

If it was your child who was hungry or being abused or alone, what would you want people to do who had the power to do something? How would you feel if you knew that across the ocean lived a bunch of people, even those who claimed to follow the same Jesus as you do, who spend more on cosmetics and garbage bags than on helping brothers and sisters in Christ in need? Really, how would you feel?

We can do something. What we can’t do is nothing. Indifference is sin.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King Jr.

The worst sin towards fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that’s the essence of inhumanity.
George Bernard Shaw

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.
Martin Luther King Jr.

When is the last time you asked God for help in knowing how to care for the least of these? Now before you start the progression of beating yourself up because you haven’t for a long time, pray now. Instead of letting a voice inside of your head that is not God’s take you down the path of guilt and shame, let God’s voice direct your path which is always toward hope – not only hope for you to live into this call, but hope for those who have begun to lose hope.

You can bring hope. And that is exactly the role God has called every single one of us to embrace – bringing hope. Being a hope bringer.

You see, when you come into the presence of God, he will change you. He doesn’t want acts of charity to alleviate guilt. That is self-centered. He wants hearts that so reflect his that compassion pours out when we see people – especially when we see people who suffer, who experience injustice, who have lost hope. As C.S. Lewis said, we are called to become little Christs – people who have been so influenced by our time with Him, that we speak, act, think, and love like him.

If we’re not seeing Jesus, we’re not becoming like him. We are not transformed by intellectual efforts, by having the right thoughts, or by living by our self-determined lists. We are transformed when we live in his presence. When we let him touch our lives, change our hearts, as we follow him. Then we’ll end up where we need to be and we’ll become who he longs for us to become.

As we bring hope, we find hope. As we see joy, we experience it. As we love, we are loved. As we give, we receive. It is the irony of the gospel. It is the way of Jesus.

It’s funny how much I want to tell you what to do. In fact, I actually see it as part of my own defense mechanism for not doing anything myself. At least I told you what to do. I’ll give some suggestions at the end, but I’m not telling you what to do. God will. Talk to him. Let him speak through the passions and experiences of your life. There are people in need who you have been designed to help. I don’t know who they are. I don’t know where and when. I know he does. Let’s ask.

One thing I believe we all need to do is become more aware. We need to look for information and help in understanding the truths of what is taking place around the world and in our communities. We need to ask questions and pursue accurate information. And I hope more than anything else, it leads us to face-to-face encounters with people in need, so we can see Jesus and hear what he wants to tell us. And so he can break our hearts. Heart-breaking is good and necessary because our hearts have become calloused and hardened. Only Jesus can soften our heart, so we need to go where he does this work.

Go to www.who.int. (World Health Organization) Click on health topics – pick one that grabs your attention. Each of them has a statistics page. Read. Click on countries. Pick one that grabs your attention. Read. Then pray for this issue – pray for the people affected – pray for the people trying to help – listen to the Holy Spirit’s nudgings (or not). Is he asking you to do more here? Keep clicking. Keep asking. Keep praying.

Do a web search on an issue that peaks your interest. Instead of shopping or checking out the latest scores, take fifteen minutes and seek out information on poverty, malnutrition, AIDS, water challenges, slavery, needs of children, the sex trade industry, orphans, etc. It isn’t entertaining, that’s for sure, but it is a much better use of this vast resource of information. Go to www.one.org and help make poverty history.

Often it is awareness that is the key to helping us know how to act. It is awareness that helps us be more in tune to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. It is often when we are confronted with suffering, we realize we can’t just turn away. We must act.

The Hole in Our Gospel - part 3

2009-08-03T09:43:00.003-04:00

Here are a few more excerpts from an excellent book, The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns.

Today we live in a media-saturated, Internet-connected, cell phone-equipped world in which everything that happens anywhere is instantly available everywhere. We are assaulted by images and stories of human tragedy and suffering, 24/7. International aid organizations broadcast their messages constantly via the Internet and other media outlets, providing convenient “on-ramps” for those who want to help but don’t know how. Lack of awareness is no longer an issue. And yet only about 4 percent of all U.S. charitable giving goes to international causes of any kind. We have become detached and indifferent toward the constant and repeated images of poverty and adversity that bombard us. In fact, our apathy has even earned its own term: compassion fatigue. But we cannot claim that we don’t know our distant neighbor is in need – not anymore, not today.
(102)

. . . for the first time in the history of the human race, we have the awareness, the access, and the ability to reach out to our most desperate neighbors around the world. The programs, tools, and technologies to virtually eliminate the most extreme kinds of poverty and suffering in our world are now available. This is truly good news for the poor – or is it?

Not really, because we are not doing our part.

Here is the bottom line: if we are aware of the suffering of our distant neighbors – and we are – if we have access to these neighbors, either personally or through aid organizations and charities – and we do – and if we have the ability to make a difference through programs and technologies that work – which is also the case – then we should no more turn our backs on these neighbors of ours than the priest and the Levite should have walked by the bleeding man.

Listen to the words of a modern-day prophet, and let them challenge you:

Fifteen thousand Africans are dying each day of preventable, treatable diseases – AIDS, malaria, TB – for lack of drugs that we take for granted.

This statistic alone makes a fool of the idea many of us hold on to very tightly: the idea of equality. What is happening to Africa mocks our pieties, doubts our concern and questions our commitment to the whole concept. Because if we’re honest, there’s no way we could conclude that such mass death day after day would ever be allowed to happen anywhere else. Certainly not North America or Europe, or Japan. An entire continent bursting into flames? Deep down, if we really accept that their lives – African lives – are equal to ours, we would all be doing more to put the fire out. It’s an uncomfortable truth.

This is a prophetic voice, one of both passion and vision. I wish I could say that it belongs to one of the great Church leaders of our day, one who is leading the Church of Jesus Christ to the front lines of the battle against poverty and injustice in our world. But, no, this voice that should shake our churches to the core with its high call to moral responsibility is the voice of a rock star – one who may have done more to advance the cause of the poor in the last twenty-five years than anyone alive. His name is Bono, and he passionately answers the question, who is my neighbor? Then he bids us, as Jesus did, to go out and love them “as ourselves.” His impassioned plea gives voice to the moral responsibilities inherent between those who suffer needlessly and those who have the power to intervene.

Listen again to Bono’s call to our generation to make our mark on history:

We can be the generation that no longer accepts that an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies – but will we be that generation? Will we in the West realize our potential or will we sleep in the comfort of our affluence with apathy and indifference murmuring softly in our ears? Fifteen thousand people dying needlessly every day from AIDS, TB, and malaria. Mothers, fathers, teachers, farmers, nurses,mechanics, children. This is Africa’s crisis. That it’s not on the nightly news, that we do not treat this as an emergency – that’s our crisis.

President Carter identified a hole in our society, defined by poverty, human suffering, and inequality. He sees a world unraveling at an alarming rate as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, creating greater and greater social and international disparity and isolation. Bono sees a hole too – in our morality. He sees the world’s poor, beaten and bloody, lying at the wayside, while the majority of us pass by without stopping. Either way you look at it, there is a hole that needs to be repaired – and it’s getting deeper.
(104-105)

The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. Flannery O’Connor
(106)

Homosexuality and the church

2009-07-28T10:45:00.003-04:00

Obviously, this is a challenging and controversial topic in the life of the church. I came across this blog posting, Sharing the Gospel in the Gay Village by Pastor John Bell at www.challies.com and found it helpful. Please be sure and read the comments - all of them - as you consider this difficult and important conversation. Please pray that men and women like us, who follow Jesus, would live out Christ's love for all people.

The beauty in the poor

2009-07-28T10:26:00.002-04:00

The beauty is not in poverty but in the courage that the poor still smile and have hope, in spite of everyting. I do not admire hunger, damp or cold, but the disposition to face them, to smile and live on. I admire their love of life, the capacity to discover richness in the smaller things - like a piece of bread that I gave to a boy which he ate crumb by crumb, thinking it was better so. While the poorest of the poor are free, we are excessively worried about the house, money. The poor represent the greatest human richness this world possesses and yet we despise them, behave as if they were garbage.

Mother Teresa

Losing my religion for equality - Jimmy Carter

2009-07-26T12:06:00.004-04:00

I came across this article, Losing my religion for equality, by Jimmy Carter at Jim Herrington's blog. It is worth reading and it addresses the ongoing challenge of the role of women. What are your thoughts?

Where's the joy?

2009-07-26T11:57:00.001-04:00

I was at a t-ball game the other night. There’s nothing like it. The stage is set for a great deal of entertainment when a group of 4-6 year olds get together to play an organized game of baseball. I was amazed at how interested they were in the unique material that makes up a baseball diamond. Every inning, most of the kids in the field were entertaining themselves with some form of investigation or projection of this material. A lot of kicking up dust. A lot of scooping and throwing. A lot of wiping it all over their freshly washed uniforms.

Then you watch the adults. Some were very distracted by the dust kicking of their child. Some were fairly unaware and uninterested in the game, except when their Jonny/Jenny was up to bat. Some felt that their child’s chances in the majors were dependent upon their play that evening. Some just were entertained watching 4-6 year olds act like 4-6 year olds.

I was torn. I am competitive and want my son to do well. It is hard for me to be quiet and not want to give some instruction. I also want him to have fun. I don’t want activities like this to become pressure-filled to the point he loses the fun in an activity he enjoys. But at this point, my son is much more interested in hugging the first baseman than he is in getting his buddy out who happens to play for the other team.

One thing I did see tonight was pure joy. The joy of a 5 year old hitting the ball. The joy of a 6 year old finding the ball in her glove when a grounder with some pace is hit her way. The joy of a dugout full of excited kids who just enjoy the excitement of the dugout without any need to win, compete, or be better than anyone else. The joy just of running. One of the common occurrences following a t-ball game is when our team goes out after the game and runs around the bases. There is no purpose other than they like doing it together and they like to run. Joy.

That’s what I’m looking for. Joy.

I thought I’d find it by getting you to think of me in a way I want to be thought of. Nope.

I thought I’d find it by being smarter than most. Nope.

I thought I’d find it by being a better basketball player than you. That’s not doing it either.

All of these fall far short of what I expect them to offer. In fact, all of them leave me feeling greatly disappointed.

I’ve found people who think of me the way I want to be thought of, but I haven’t found joy – just distance and falseness.

What is smarter anyway? It’s not like I take IQ tests or anything like that. I just like knowing more than most in the field I’m in. But yet that still leaves me filled with lots of information but not joy.

And the basketball part just feeds my competitive nature which leads me to be a jerk more often. Not joy there either.

Somehow, kids get the joy thing better than me. I need to learn from them.

"Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15

Is God disappointed in you?

2009-07-23T16:07:00.000-04:00

I read a lot of books.

It makes me feel smart, I guess. I feel like I can talk intelligently in certain circles because I read a lot of books. I also like the feeling of being someone who knows something, even though that something is a lot of regurgitation of what others know.

I think my pursuit has been fruitful yet distracted. I’ve learned a lot about me, about God, about how people put those two together, but I’m coming to a place where I am finding that my quest has been misdirected.

I’ve been looking for answers to questions I’ve had in my brain. But those answers are not what I need to find.

My pride and ego want me to keep searching, keep reading, keep talking with others because it makes me feel good about myself. But I just don’t seem to be getting much traction in finding THE ANSWER.

That’s it. I’ve been looking for the answer, and I guess I don’t even know the question. I just know that I haven’t found what I’m looking for.

I have this blog. It’s a place where I regurgitate the information I’ve collected, lessons I’m learning, thoughts in my brain. Not many people come to read my blog. I wonder why I care so much that no one seems interested in my blog. It contains great information, but yet I care more about people acknowledging me than finding good information.

It sure seems, doesn’t it, that I care a lot about what others think of me. Yep, it’s true. That’s me, already wondering what you think about me.

Do you appreciate my honesty? Enjoy my conversational style of writing? Find me incredibly self-absorbed? Wonder if there is a point to all of these ramblings?

So I carry this psychosis into my relationship with God. I’m not sure what you believe about God or not, but I am one who believes in God. I wonder what he thinks of me.

In fact, I’ve lived a good part of my life trying to prove to God that I am worthy of his attention and even love. Yet, in that pursuit I’ve constantly felt inadequate and, pretty much, a failure.

I haven’t ever been able to make time consistently to spend with God.

I can’t believe the selfishness I see so often in me.

How can I possibly think some of the repulsive things I think?

Why do I do good – so others think more highly of me? That doesn’t count does it?

I read about Mother Teresa (that’s good, right?) and see no comparison between her faith and mine.

I spent some time with some people who believe in God last night. For most of the time, we just admitted to each other how we were failing God. “I could do this better.” “I don’t ever do this.” “I know there is so much more that I should be doing.”

I started thinking, “What kind of a God do I believe in?” Would he be one to point out all of my deficiencies, which I happen to be very adept at doing? Is that what he would spend his time talking about with me?

Yet each of us in that room, seemed convinced we were failing God and his perspective toward each of us would be disappointment. Is that how you feel? Do you think that is how God feels when he looks at you? Disappointed?

The Hole in Our Gospel - part 2

2009-07-20T15:07:00.003-04:00

Further excerpts from Richard Stearn's book, The Hole in Our Gospel. Please read this book.

"The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment."
John MacArthur
(25)

When we say that we want to be His disciple, yet attach a list of conditions, Jesus refuses to accept our terms. His terms involve unconditional surrender.
(39)

"If money be not thy servant, it will be thy master. The covetous man cannot so properly be said to possess wealth, as that may be said to possess him."
Sir Francis Bacon
(42)

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Martin Luther King Jr.
(53)

Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
Isaiah 58:3-5

God is never satisfied with rituals and liturgies when the hearts of His people remain corrupt. So He suggested in this passage something that ought to stun our own beliefs about prayer – that because of their hypocrisy, He would not even listen to their prayers! . . . So if God is not pleased with man’s prayers and veneration, what does please Him?

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:6-7

If we are to be part of this coming kingdom, God expects our lives – our churches and faith communities too – to be characterized by these authentic signs of our own transformation: compassion, mercy, justice, and love – demonstrated tangibly.
(55-57)

(Read Matthew 25:31-46)

The people gathered before Christ will be divided into two clear groups, the sheep and the goats. But what is perhaps most surprising is that the criterion for dividing the two groups is not that the sheep confessed faith in Christ while the goats did not, but rather that the sheep had acted in tangible and loving ways toward the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, and the vulnerable, while the goats did not. Those whose lives were characterized by acts of love done to “the least of these” were blessed and welcomed by Christ into His Father’s kingdom. Those who had failed to respond, whose faith found no expression in compassion to the needy, were banished into eternal fire.
(58-59)

We learn that Christ’s criterion for determining authenticity of someone’s profession to follow Him is whether or not he or she tangibly cared for those in need. And now we are told that when we do care for them, we are actually caring for Christ Himself – His identity merged with the least and last. There is no “whole gospel” without compassion and justice shown to the poor.
(60)

It takes transformed people to transform the world.
(74)

GRACE and law

2009-07-14T15:09:00.004-04:00

I came across these helpful quotes from Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend's book, How People Grow. I am so tempted to live under the law and often I see God as a law-imposer instead of the Grace-giver.

People do not grow until they shift from a natural human view of God to a real, biblical view of God. The first aspect of that shift has to be the shift from a God of law to the God of grace. People must discover that God is for them and not against them. (66)

Paul contrasts the phrase "under the law" with being "under grace" (see Rom. 6:14-15; Gal. 4:4-5; 5:18). Instead of having a God who is for us and giving us what we need, the law is against us and says we have to earn, through our own performance, what we need. What this means is that life is basically a place where we get what we deserve and we have to be afraid of God (Col. 1:21; Rom. 6:23). To get anywhere, we have to make it all happen ourselves. Law means God is ticked off and says, "Do it yourself." Grace means God is for us and says, "I will help you do it." Grace reverses the law.

When we are under the law - in our natural state - we feel that God is the enemy and that we get what we deserve. We naturally try to "earn" life. We try to do whatever we think will get God to like us or whatever we think will solve our day-to-day problems. Thus, we are trying to "save ourselves" (see Matt. 16:25). We try to get God to not be mad, and we try by our own efforts to grow and resolve our issues. Yet Paul says that this way of living is the exact opposite of living according to faith and grace and that if we choose that law, we end up living out the law in real life (Gal. 3:12). (66-68)

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

When we first look at having a view of God that affects growth, we must begin with grace. But it has to be grace that is more than "forgiveness." This "grace" is God's provision of various resources and tools to help us grow. We do not grow because of "will power" or "self-effort," but because of God's provision. God offers the help we need (that's grace), and then we have to respond to that provision. (68-69)

The law cannot change people or make them grow. It is "powerless" to do that, as Paul says (Rom. 8:3). But the law does provide awareness of "spiritual death," which people need in order to find the God who seeks them. The law makes us conscious of our need for God (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:24). It shows us that we are hopeless to help ourselves.

By realizing my inability to live up to the laws of life, I had reached the end of myself. I was a candidate for grace, for unmerited favor. I was a candidate for God to be for me and to give me things that I did not have on my own. I realized that I was "poor in spirit" and in need of God. (71)

What really is charity?

2009-07-12T07:47:00.003-04:00

The following excerpts come from Amber Van Schooneveld's book, Hope Lives. It is an excellent resource in seeking discernment in how to step into the lives of the "least of these." I highly recommend this resource if you wonder how you can possibly address the suffering that is taking place in our world.

Sometimes I allow myself to be broken. Other times I don’t. And in the times I don’t, I turn to my two good old friends to cope with my confused heart: guilt and charity. I know I ought to be doing something and caring, and I’m filled with guilt. Guilt is a great motivator . . . in the short run. I quickly whip out my checkbook, write a check to the first organization that seems reputable, and wipe my brow. Whew. That’s better. Guilt salved; charity fulfilled.

Maybe I’m guilty for some ills in the world, maybe not. But I don’t think God wants my guilty spirit. I think he wants my repentance, my love. He wants to soothe me with his grace. Grace and love transform, like it did my friend. He started with guilt, but God changed him with love. God transformed him through the Holy Spirit. His heart is broken for this world because of the love of Christ. He loves others because Christ loves him. That is lasting. That is how I want to be.

My charity is less true charity than occasional pity. Giving to “charity,” I think of how I’m being oh-so-good. A gold star on my Christian report card. Extra credit. At the end of each term, when report cards are about to be turned in, I write that check and check of my charity box. I move on, oh-so-benevolent, with a clean conscience.

I think I’ve done something above and beyond my call of duty. I haven’t. I’m commanded to help the poor again and again in Scripture. . . Helping the poor isn’t undeserved charity. It’s justice. Bono put it well: “This is not about charity in the end, is it? It’s about justice . . . I just want to repeat that: This is not about charity, it’s about justice.”

I think I’m learning that God’s justice, what God commands, is that each of his people would have enough bread to live on day by day and be given enough dignity to thrive. It is God’s justice that he has commanded me to give. Not charity. An occasional guilt or benevolence offering isn’t what God wants from me. True charity is love. True charity is mercy. And it’s not extra credit, not an addendum to my faith. As Christians, it’s who we are; it’s our essence.
(34-35)

God, help me.

2009-07-09T17:37:00.005-04:00

I came across this prayer today in Hope Lives by Amber Van Schooneveld. It is a prayer I need to keep praying.

God, help me.

I need you. I can’t care anymore. I don’t want to care anymore. I hear these things, these numbers. I see these children’s faces. I see the mothers’ hollow eyes that don’t even ask for help anymore, and I’m broken. My soul is tired of shuddering.

I’m not you, God. You’re infinite – you can keep looking at this world and still love it and still bleed for it. I’m finite . . . but I know you haven’t asked me to be you. You haven’t asked me to heal every wound. That’s not like you. I look at the way you’ve ordered the world, and I know you’ve given me just one little piece, one little corner of the world to care for. I don’t have to do it all.

But I need your help. I need your strength, your eyes. I need your love that keeps on loving. Mine has dried up and run out. I need your Holy Spirit to fill me and dwell in me and be what keeps me standing and going and loving when my heart fails. I can’t soften my own heart. I need you to soften it.

God, I need you.

(p. 34)

The Hole in Our Gospel

2009-07-07T15:58:00.004-04:00

Please read The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision. Here are a few excerpts. PLEASE read this book.

The idea behind The Hole in Our Gospel is quite simple. It’s basically the belief that being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires much more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world.

If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith – and mine – has a hole in it.
(2)

. . . we are carriers of the gospel – the good news that was meant to change the world. Belief is not enough. Worship is not enough. Personal morality is not enough. And the Christian community is not enough. God has always demanded more. . . Living out our faith privately was never meant to be an option.
(3)

"Faith today is treated as something that only should make us different, not that actually does or can make us different. In reality we vainly struggle against the evils of this world, waiting to die and go to heaven. Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that the essence of faith is entirely a mental and inward thing."
Dallas Willard (15)

. . . focusing almost exclusively on the afterlife reduces the importance of what God expects of us in this life. The kingdom of God, which Christ said is “within you” (Luke 17:21 NKJV), was intended to change and challenge everything in our fallen world in the here and now. It was not meant to be a way to leave the world but rather the means to actually redeem it.
(17)

God’s love was intended to be demonstrated, not dictated. Our job is not to manipulate or induce others to agree with us or to leave their religion and embrace Christianity. Our charge is to both proclaim and embody the gospel so that others can see, hear, and feel God’s love in tangible ways. When we are living out our faith with integrity and compassion in the world, God can use us to give others a glimpse of His love and character. It is God – not us – who works in the hearts of men and women to forgive and redeem. Coercion is not necessary or even particularly helpful. God is responsible for the harvest – but we must plant, water, and cultivate the seeds.
(18)

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. They eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14-21

First, we see the proclamation of the good news of salvation. Take note that the recipients of this good news were to be, first and foremost, the poor, just as Jesus promised in the Beatitudes.

Second, we see reference to “recovery of sight for the blind” (v. 18). . . These references indicate that the good news includes a compassion for the sick and the sorrowful – a concern not just for our spiritual condition but for our physical well-being also. . . Jesus clearly cared about addressing poverty, disease, and human brokenness in tangible ways.

Third, we see a commitment to justice.

God is concerned about the spiritual, physical, and social dimensions of our being. This whole gospel is truly good news for the poor, and it is the foundation for a social revolution that has the power to change the world. And if this was Jesus’ mission, it is also the mission of all who claim to follow Him. It is my mission, it is your mission, and it is the mission of the church.
(22)

"We have shrunk Jesus to the size where He can save our soul but now don’t believe He can change the world."
Anonymous (23)

Joseph & Joseph - Photo update

2009-07-06T10:46:00.003-04:00

Click on the month of April in this blog and you'll see the story of the two Josephs. They are at Tumaini (orphanage north of Nairobi, Kenya). They are doing well. It is truly a story of transformation and life change. You can see it in their eyes. Joseph and Joseph are the two on the right. Their friends, Isaac & James, are on the left.

Try to reconcile this

2009-07-05T13:09:00.005-04:00

This is an email I received today from Janine Maxwell, who is currently in Africa leading groups. She is the key point person for Heart for Africa, an organization that exists to bring HOPE (Hunger, Orphans, Poverty, Education) to children in sub-Saharan Africa. What is Jesus saying to you through this email? I would love to hear. I'm wrestling with knowing HOW to respond.

Trying to reconcile what I saw vs. what I thought ... (a short version of a long story)

I have been to a juvenile remand home twice before in Kenya. Both of those days were unquestionably the worst two days of my life. Juvenile remand is a holding cell where arrested children (age 5-18) wait to be tried for their crime. They stay there for three to nine months depending on the court system. Yesterday I went to a juvenile prison, which is where the girls are sent after they are convicted of such heinous crimes as stealing bananas, loitering on the streets of Nairobi, or even the prostitution of their pubescent bodies. I expected to be overwhelmed with grief as we arrived at this home for 95 girls, but I knew that we might be able to get the youngest (a nine year old) released through the court system to the custody of the Tumaini home.

Once there we were told that they don’t keep young girls there, only girls age 10-18 (!), but once we were able to sit with the girls and visit them quietly we discovered one who was as young as age seven and several others who looked that young too. Their crime? They are orphans. They have committed no crime other than having parents who died and left them without care. Once they are committed to this institution they stay for three years and go to school there so that they are “reformed” when they leave? After quiet discussion with the girls we learned that they have one class of school per day and then spend many hours doing hard labor digging in the field.

If that weren’t enough, they have no toilet paper, no sanitary pads, no underwear and sleep on foam mattresses that have been soaked with urine from the night terrors the girls have suffered over many years. So I looked for this one young girl who we had heard about and were hoping to intervene for. While I looked I had was given a tour of the facility (highly unusual for this to be allowed) and had a 14 year-old girl with her arm wrapped around my neck on the left, another holding my left hand and a little 11 year-old (so she says, I think she was 8) holding tight to my right hand, never letting it go. This little one is named Lydia.

“Lydia doesn’t speak, she just cries all day long”, I was told by the older girls.

Lydia has been at this place for almost one year. Her father was murdered in a home robbery, her mother died of Tuberculosis (a.k.a. AIDS), her 4 older siblings went to find other family to live with and Lydia and her one year old brother went to live with her aunt and uncle. The uncle didn’t like Lydia so he sent her to the local government school for boys. And guess what? (I ask with a huge heaping of sarcasm). The boys all abused her so she ran away. Police caught her, told the uncle she was going to prison, the uncle didn’t tell the aunt, the girls is locked up now and doesn’t speak, just cried.

Another reason Lydia doesn’t speak is that she was badly beaten by a 14 year-old girl named Purity. Purity is a tiny little thing and would hardly be suspected of being a bully, but she is. She pushed Lydia down off the top bunk bed and smashed her face into the old steel bed frame. Lydia’s front tooth is broken, her gums are bleeding and both sides of her face are swollen. “Why did Purity do that?” I asked the bigger girls and they explained that she has lost her mind. Purity was eleven when she first was sent to prison for loitering, again, an orphan. She ran away and as she left the premises she was captured by a gang/cult of men who were lurking in the bushes (apparently they live just outside the girls prisons to catch any runaways). They men gang raped her and then inserted a full size glass Coke bottle in her and left her for dead. When she was found she was taken to hospital and the bottle was removed surgically. She was returned to finish her sentence and is now an understandably unstable and violent young woman. I asked how the girls knew all this if she was not friend with anyone and they continued with her explanation. One day Purity (can you believe that is her name??) was in class and was being unruly. The teacher reprimanded her and Purity started throwing rocks at the teacher. The teacher started to beat her (as is normal in African schools) and she laughed at the teacher and assured the teacher that there was nothing he could do to her that would harm her more than she has already been harmed. She then blurted out to all the story her attack and sat smugly in the corner while the class remained silent.

Girl after girl came up and pleaded with us to take them away. One promised to give us three years of her life when she was finished school if only we could give her a chance. Another said she had no hope because her mother came to the prison and denied that the girl was her child, right to her face. When the girls finish their three-year sentence the government attempts to find the parents to whom they would release her to custody. Most of the children we met yesterday were double-orphans, meaning that both parents are dead. What does that mean? It means that they have noone to be released to. Some will stay in the prison until they are 18 years old and they will be “free” to go … but where.

So here I sit trying to reconcile what I saw vs. what I thought. I thought we would see THE girl that we were to rescue and bring to Tumaini, but I must say I am frozen by the memory of the girls and their stories from our brief 90 minute visit. Does the Lord have one girl who is to be saved? Is it Lydia? Will someone provide sponsorship fees so that we can get permission to bring her to Tumaini. My head is numb and I ask for your continued prayers for wisdom, discernment and peace. This is not right and Jesus wants us to fight for His children.

Completely Wet

2009-06-23T19:58:00.003-04:00

John was next door helping wash our neighbor’s car. So guess what he wanted to do when I got home from work? Yep, wash my car. It needed it, but I was immediately confronted with my lack of desire to let him wash my car because it’s always more work for me to let him DO it. But I got past my selfishness and ‘helped’ him wash my car. Needless to say I got wet. With him holding the hose and spraying the car, it was inevitable. I was OK with getting my feet and hands wet, but sure enough, my shirt and shorts got a little moist. The nozzle on our sprayer sticks and is hard to shut off, so you can just imagine how easy it is to get wet.

I didn’t want to get my shorts and shirt wet, but it happened.

When we give our lives to Jesus, we get wet. In fact, we should get soaked. Every part of our body, soul, mind, and heart is to be covered by Jesus. It is an important part of the reason I like the symbolism of immersion. You get fully dunked. There is no place that is not wet.

But we learn quickly how to try and keep certain parts of our lives dry. We learn how to follow Jesus by partial immersion. We give up control in certain areas of our lives. We obey certain sections of Scripture. We take only certain risks. Yet, in doing so, we stop getting soaked. We start to have certain areas of our lives which no longer get immersed in Jesus. We control them. We determine them. While being dry, they remain safe, controlled, and comfortable areas of our lives.

How wet are you willing to get for the sake of Jesus?

When Joshua invites the Israelites to renew their covenant with God, he says, “ . . . revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods of your ancestors . . . and serve the Lord.”

But before he gets to this part, do you know what he reminds them? He doesn’t start with what they need to do; he starts with what He has done. In fact, he says, “Thus says the Lord . . .” and the rest of this is God actually pointing out what He has done for them. “I took Abraham and led him to Canaan. . . I gave him Isaac . . . I gave (Isaac) Jacob & Esau. . . I gave Esau the hill country . . . I sent Moses & Aaron . . . I plagued Egypt . . . I brought your ancestors out of Egypt . . . You saw what I did to Egypt . . . I brought you to the land of the Amorites . . . I handed them over to you . . . I destroyed them before you . . . I rescued you out of his (Balak’s) hand . . . I handed them (Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Jebusites) over to you . . . I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built.” (Joshua 24:3-13)

What would God say to you about what He has done for you? Maybe it would go something like this. . . “I gave you life . . . I led you through struggle . . . I helped you see who you are . . . I set you free from sin . . . I have you purpose . . . I know you better than anyone else . . . I have not given up on you . . . I’ve given you peace, joy, love, hope, grace . . . I spoke to you . . . I showed you who I am . . . I showed you how much I love you . . . I gave you my Son . . .”

So when Joshua invites the Israelites to renew their covenant with God, they do so standing upon God and what He has done for them. We do the same.

“Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed . . . Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” (24:16-18)

If you are going to keep covenant with God, it means getting completely wet. It means everything. Giving up everything to God. Being faithful in all His commands. Trusting Him to lead you throughout this life, for HE IS OUR GOD!

Listening to Your Life

2009-06-23T19:57:00.001-04:00

This title comes from a devotional from Fredrick Buechner. It’s basically a collection of his quotes broken up into 365 days. It’s good, but I’m not here to discuss this.

I’m learning to listen to my life. You probably are, too.

I’m learning that God speaks through our lives. Based on the circumstances we experience and the relationships we have, God speaks. Some of what he is saying, we don’t want to hear. All of what he is saying, we really need to hear. Some of what he is saying, we don’t hear, because we stop listening to our lives OR we don’t recognize how important it is to listen.

One of the clear ways God is not speaking into our lives is when we start focusing on how others need to change. It is easy to allow our minds and focus to fall on others and how much our lives would be better if they would change. That is not what God is saying, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t speaking. In fact, with what is rumbling around our heads, God is trying to get our attention. He is trying to speak to us about us.

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

When He’s talking to us, He’s talking about us and Him. Sometimes, He’s helping us to see Him. Recently, this has been taking place for me as I’ve been consistently overwhelmed with God’s goodness as I reflect upon Alisa and John. But not only these two, but as I consider my past, my family, the ways God has provided for me, the difficulties He’s walked me through. . . and on and on it goes. God's goodness is clear.

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1

One of the places where God has been speaking directly to me about me is through the difficulties I’m experiencing. Whether it’s some of the personal battles I face in putting God first or living out His love in relationships, it is clear that God is speaking to me about me. He is doing it in love, but it is still hard. I am SO aware that God desires to grow me, but growth is painful and often means seeing our places of disobedience, and for me that is most evident in the places of hypocrisy in my life. I claim to follow Jesus, yet there are specific areas where I am not doing what He has commanded me to do. Trials and temptations are definitely opportunities for Satan to get our attention in unhealthy ways, but as loudly as Satan speaks in these times, God has not stopped speaking. What He says and is showing us we definitely need to hear.

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

God is speaking. Are you listening to your life? Are you open to what He has to say? Are you open to what He desires to show you about Himself, about you, and about the plans He has for you today?

I know not everyone has the chance to go on sabbatical like I will in July. It truly is a gift. But every one of us has the opportunity to take sabbatical from the agendas, schedules, and to-do lists that we create for ourselves. I know that’s easier said than done, but it can be done.

Take time to listen to your life. Take time to allow God to speak into and through the experiences and circumstances you find yourself in. Take time to allow God to speak into and through the joys and difficulties you are experiencing in relationships today. Take time to let God show you who He is, who He is helping you to become, and where He will lead you in this life.

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? Matthew 16:24-26

Listen as God is speaking through your life.

Sins of Omission

2009-06-16T14:01:00.000-04:00

I missed something Sunday that I think needs to be addressed. As I was reflecting on this past Sunday’s message, I had a revelation. Well, it really came as a “Oh shoot, Chip, this would have been helpful to address in our conversation on Sin in the Camp.”

We talked about the importance of not hiding. We can’t keep sinning and we can’t have relationships where sin is not addressed. We each have blind spots where we have trouble seeing our own sin (gossip, love of money – for example).

What I failed to address are sins of omission. If God tells us to do something and we don’t do it, we are being disobedient. We sin.

If God says, “love your enemy,” and we don’t do it (with God’s help), it is an act of disobedience.

As I’ve pondered this in my own life, this is where the sin comes to the surface for me. It is in the sins of omission. It is not doing what God has commanded me to do.

It’s interesting, isn’t it, to compare these sins of omission with the common sins we think of. I talked about the sin of pornography last week and there is no question of its impact on those around us. We have no trouble calling this sin. Yet, if compared with a not praying or not meeting the needs of the least of these, we might be tempted to say the sin of pornography is much worse. It hurts more. Does it? Is that really true? Is it true that doing those things we are not supposed to do (gossip, stealing, lying, sexual immorality, etc.) is WORSE THAN not doing those things we are commanded to do (prayer, Bible reading, storing up treasures in heaven, loving our neighbor, giving our time and money away)?

Does it hurt others when I don’t pray, meditate on Scripture, be a poor steward, not love, not give, etc.?

I believe the answer is a definite YES. It hurts others when I am disobedient to those commands that God calls me to live out. When I don’t do what He asks, it not only hurts me, it hurts those around me. It hinders God’s kingdom from coming and being experienced by the people in my life.

So maybe you wrestled with the message on Sunday because you had trouble coming up with your place(s) of habitual disobedience. Does this help to pinpoint those places when you include our sins of omission? It sure helped me. I’m not saying I am enjoying this conviction, but in order to be complete in our understanding of the sins in our camps, I believe we need to include this significant piece of Scripture. God didn’t just tell us what not to do, He was clear on what we are called to do. There is definitely a lot of room for growth when it comes to addressing (only by God’s help & power) my sins of omission. I’ve omitted some of what He’s asked me to do and that needs to change.

Imagine Abraham’s life if he had not gone to the land God would show him – sin of omission.
Imagine Moses’ life if he had not spoken with Pharaoh.
Imagine Paul’s life if he had not proclaimed the Gospel.

You can avoid all the sins of commission (lying, stealing, coveting, killing, cheating, gossiping, etc.) and still have sin guiding your life.

Sin in the camp includes our unwillingness to do ALL that we’ve been commanded to do.

ReJesus - Frost & Hirsch

2009-06-10T17:41:00.002-04:00

Here are a few quotes from Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch’s book, ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church.

Jesus is the center of all, the object of all, whoever does not know him, knows nothing aright, either of the world or of himself.

Blaise Pascal in Frost & Hirsch, p. 1

The means to know God is Christ, whom no one may know unless they follow after him with their life.

Hans Denck (1)

Surely the challenge for the church today is to be taken captive by the agenda of Jesus, rather than seeking to mold him to fit our agendas, no matter how noble they might be. We acknowledge that we can never truly claim to know him completely. We all bring our biases to the task. But we believe it is inherent in the faith to keep trying and to never give up on this holy quest. The challenge before us is to let Jesus be Jesus and to allow ourselves to be caught up in his extraordinary mission for the world. (10)

In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in Him.
C. S. Lewis (17)

We readily acknowledge that none of us have within us the fortitude, the grace, the courage, and the imagination to actually be like Jesus. It is a lost cause. But it’s a lost cause made worth it by the forgiveness and grace shown us in Jesus’ death on our behalf. By dying for us to set us free from the penalty for our sinfulness, he doesn’t nullify the call to good works and godly living. Rather, he elevates from an endless and hopeless attempt to impress God to a joyful adventure of enjoying Christ’s presence by imitating him. The quest to emulate Jesus isn’t folly. When it’s embraced by those who know they are forgiven for all the ways they will fall short, it is a daring exploit! (17-18)

Through Jesus’ eyes, the church is the sent people of God. A church is not a building or an organization. It is an organic collective of believers, centered on Jesus and sent out into the world to serve others in his name. When we are taken captive by the Nazarene carpenter, we can no longer see ourselves as participants in a similar system to the one he came to subvert. Not only does Jesus undermine temple theology by becoming the temple himself, but also he undermines the sacrificial system by dispensing with sin without reference to ceremonial washings, rituals, or liturgies (“Go in peace, your sins are forgiven”). . . he also plays fast and loose with the legalism of Sabbath keeping. In fact, he subverts the whole religious system. So why would he do that simply to replace it with a Christian religious system? He doesn’t! He is antireligious, offering his followers direct access to the Father, forgiveness in his name, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, to be reJesused is to come to the recognition that the church as the New Testament defines it is not a religious institution but rather a dynamic community of believers who participate in the way of Jesus and his work in this world. (28-29)

We believe that Christology is the key to the renewal of the church in every age and in every possible situation it might find itself. The church must always return to Jesus in order to renew itself. . . Christology must determine missiology (our purpose and function in the world), which in turn must determine ecclesiology (the cultural forms and expressions of the church). (42-43)

When we engage mission only because we feel guilty that we haven’t pleased Jesus and his order in the so-called Great Commission, we satisfy neither Jesus nor our own sense of calling. Rather, says (David) Bosch, mission emerges from a deep, rich relationship with Jesus. The woman whose husband never brings her flowers doesn’t want flowers. She wants him and his devotion. What Jesus is saying to his disciples in Matthew 28 is that little Jesuses will be naturally and normally about the business of making disciples, not to satisfy Jesus’ demands but out of complete devotion for him. (50)

Dallas Willard rightly bemoans the fact that for quite a while now the churches in the Western world have not made discipleship a condition of being a Christian.

One is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship. Contemporary Western churches do not require following Christ in his example, spirit, and teachings as a condition of membership – either of entering or continuing in fellowship of a denominational or local church . . . So far as the visible institutions of our day are concerned, discipleship is clearly optional . . . . Churches are therefore filled with “undiscipled disciples.” “Most problems in contemporary churches can be explained by the fact that members have not yet decided to follow Christ.”
(51)

Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (51)

Christianity – (minus) Christ = Religion (68)

. . . But for the disciple, the simple truth must remain; one cannot bolt down, control or even mediate the essential God encounter in rituals, priesthoods, and theological formulas. We all need to constantly engage the God who unnerves, destabilizes, and yet enthralls us. The same is true for our defining relationship with Jesus. It is like the story of the Israelites in the wilderness. They tried to shore up the manna from heaven for another day. Religion can give into the same temptation to try to store up and rely on the souvenirs of a past spiritual experience.

The more one replaces a fresh daily encounter with Jesus with religious forms, over time he is removed from his central place in the life of the church. The result of this removal (by whatever means) is the onset of dead religion in the place of living faith. (70)

On the edge of our seats

2009-06-02T14:56:00.003-04:00

(This past Sunday, I encouraged people to ask 5 people to commit to praying for them everyday, and also to offer to pray for the person you ask. I said I might ask the next Sunday if people followed through.)

One of the questions I’ve been receiving this week is, “Are you really going to have people stand up and admit whether or not they’ve asked 5 people to pray for them?”

I’ll interpret what I read between the lines in hearing this question,

“Are you going to ask ME stand up (or not because I haven’t asked 5 people) in front of everyone?”

“I don’t want to do this – it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Who made you the ultimate accountability partner?”

“I don’t like coming to church wondering if I am going to be uncomfortable.”

“I don’t like the feeling of not knowing what could happen on Sunday at church – what I may be asked to do.”

It’s such an interesting tension, isn’t it? Should our Sunday morning worship services be comfortable? Should they be a place we can come and not feel challenged to actually have to do anything that makes us uncomfortable? OR shouldn’t Sunday be a time where we are on the EDGE OF OUR SEATS anticipating God’s presence and conviction?

Should we think Sundays are like hopping in a hot, bubble bath where we are warm and cozy and all our cares seem to drift away?

Or should we anticipate that coming into the presence of God (in this unique, corporate way) will be overwhelmingly good but not comfortable or easy? Can you imagine Jesus saying to his disciples, “Now, is everyone comfortable with me and what I’m asking you to do?” I can’t.

If we expect God is going to ‘show up’ on Sundays and be God that means He is going to speak, convict, call, correct, and confront. He is going to reveal you – what is His about you and what you are still holding onto.

Imagine how God feels/thinks about us when we come looking for him to “fill us up” with love, peace, comfort, good feelings, etc. on Sunday mornings, but yet our lives outside of the church worship service are not acts of worship. We live for us, yet we expect a time of comfort and peace when we come to worship together. Hmmm. That just doesn’t add up. I have no question that God longs for every one of us to experience His assurance and peace. He wants us to trust Him completely that we are not alone, that He has plans, and that we can do that which is impossible because of Him. He wants every one of us to know that and experience that, but it means that we receive what He offers and use it for Him, for the building of His kingdom, for His glory. So when people look at us, they see how good God is.

Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. We are not going to evaluate our worship experiences by how uncomfortable we can make you feel. That’s not the point. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to do the convicting and challenging. But I hope Sundays is a time when you sit on the edge of your seat, because you believe God is there. He is God and he’s there! He is going to speak to you. (He doesn’t just do it on Sundays, but there is something unique about this weekly, “together” experience.) And if God is going to speak, if God is really going to be present in our lives, then we had best not think that it will be comfortable – we best be careful how we really evaluate what happens on Sunday mornings. Because God’s love for you is so great that He’s going to change you – not a comfortable prospect at all, but who God helps us become and how that blesses those around us is exceedingly more valuable than being comfortable. Because so often being comfortable in my life means staying the same and God loves us (me) way too much to let us (me) stay the same. He has so much more for us to experience and become. Let’s move out to the edge of our seat and anticipate (yes, with some fear) that God is going to move.

Quotes on Praying for Others

2009-05-28T11:31:00.005-04:00

If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer.

Richard Foster, Prayer, p. 191

We do not know enough, and our desires are not perfect enough for us safely to be given everything we want and ask for. It is as simple as that.

Dallas Willard, Divine Conspiracy, p. 239

Prayer is never just asking, nor is it merely a matter of asking for what I want. God is not a cosmic butler or fix-it man, and the aim of the universe is not to fulfill my desires and needs. On the other hand, I am to pray for what concerns me, and many people have found prayer impossible because they thought they should only pray for wonderful but remote needs they actually had little or no interest in or even knowledge of.

Prayer simply dies from efforts to pray about “good things” that honestly do not matter to us. The way to get to meaningful prayer for those good things is to start by praying for what we are truly interested in. The circle of our interests will inevitably grow in the largeness of God’s love.

Willard, p. 242

. . . the most adequate description of prayer is simply, “Talking to God about what we are doing together.”

Only a vivid assurance of God’s greatness and goodness can lay a foundation for the life of prayer, and such an assurance will certainly express itself in praise.

Thanksgiving too is an inevitable accompaniment of vital prayer. The purpose is not to manipulate God into thinking we are grateful and that he should therefore give us more.

Willard, p. 243

Now what we see here (Exodus 32:10-14; 2 Kings 19:8-37) is a God who can be prevailed upon by those who faithfully stand before him. . . There is no silver bullet in prayer. Requests may be granted. Or they may not. Either way, it will be for a good reason. That is how relationships between persons are, or should be.

God is great enough that he can conduct his affairs in this way. His nature, identity, and overarching purposes are no doubt unchanging. But his intentions with regard to many particular matters that concern individual human beings are not. This does not diminish him. Far from it. He would be a lesser God if he could not change his intentions when he thinks it is appropriate. And if he chooses to deal with humanity in such a way that he will occasionally think it appropriate, that is just fine.

Willard, p. 246

Sometimes we wait for God to do as we ask because the answer involves changes in other people, or even ourselves, and that kind of change always takes time.

Willard, p. 251

There is no greater intimacy with another than that which is built through holding him or her up in prayer.

. . . Before we begin to pray, we may know that the love of the One who is actively concerned in awakening each life to its true center is already lapping at the shores of that life. We do not do it at all.

Such prayer is only cooperation with God’s active love in besieging the life or new areas of the life of another, or of a situation. If you pray for something other than what is in keeping with that cooperation, you go against the grain, and if you remain in prayer and are sensitive, you will realize this and be drawn to revise it. As in all petitional prayer, the one who really prays must be ready to yield.

Douglas Steere in Devotional Classics edited
by Richard Foster & James Bryan Smith, p.
88-89.

Praying men are the one commanding need of this day, as of all other days, in which God is to have or make a showing. Men who pray are, in reality, the only religious men, and it takes a full-measured man to pray. Men of prayer are the only men who do or can represent God in this world. No cold, irreligious, prayerless man can claim this right. They misrepresent God in all His work and all His plans. Praying men are the only men who have influence with God, the only kind of men to whom God commits Himself and His gospel. Praying men are the only men in which the Holy Spirit dwells, for the Holy Spirit and prayer go hand-in-hand. The Holy Spirit never descends upon prayerless men. He never fills them, He never empowers them. There is nothing whatever in common between the Spirit of God and men who do not pray. The Spirit dwells only in a prayer atmosphere.

In doing God’s work there is no substitute for praying. The men of prayer cannot be displaced with other kinds of men. Men of financial skill, men of education, men of worldly influence – none of these can possibly be put in substitution for the men of prayer. The life, the vigor, the motive power of God’s work is formed by praying men. A vitally diseased heart is not a more fearful symptom of approaching death than non-praying men are of spiritual atrophy.

Jesus was the divinely appointed leader of God’s people, and no one thing in His life proves His eminent fitness for that office so fully as His habit of prayer. Nothing is more suggestive of thought than Christ’s continual praying, and nothing is more conspicuous about Him than prayer. His campaigns were arranged, His victories gained, in the struggles and communion of His all-night praying. His praying rent the heavens. Moses and Elijah and the transfiguration glory waited on His praying. His miracles and His teaching had their force from the same source. Gethsemane’s praying crimsoned Calvary with serenity and glory. His prayer makes the history and hastens the triumphs of His church. What an inspiration and command to prayer is Christ’s life! What a comment on its worth! How He shames our lives by His praying!

Like all of His followers who have drawn God nearer to the world and lifted the world nearer to God, Jesus was the man of prayer, made of God a leader and commander to His people. His leadership was one of prayer. A great leader He was, because He was great in prayer. All great leaders for God have fashioned their leadership in the wrestlings of their closets. Many great men have led and molded the church who have not been great in prayer, but they were great only in their plans, great for their opinions, great for their organization, great by natural gifts, by the force of genius or of character. However, they were not great for God. But Jesus Christ was a great leader for God. His was the great leadership of great praying. God was in His leadership greatly because prayer was in it greatly. We might just well express the wish that we be taught by Him to pray, and to pray more and more.

E.M. Bounds in The Best of E.M. Bounds
on Prayer, p. 147-149

Our Need for Admonishment

2009-05-21T16:27:00.004-04:00

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Who needs admonishment? Not me!

Are you sure?

Most of us try to obey God most of the time. Our percentage would probably be in the 90’s. That’s in the A range, isn’t it? An “A” is defined as ‘above average’ or ‘excellent.’ That’s doing pretty well, don’t you think?

Well, it doesn’t matter what I think; it matters what God thinks. He expects 100% obedience. He doesn’t settle for less. Can you imagine during a wedding if the vows went like this, “Do you promise to love, honor and support this woman?” Groom: “At least 90% of the time – yes.” Would that count as a ‘Yes?’

Let’s look at it another way. 10% of the time you are disobedient, and more than likely, those places of disobedience have been there a long time. You could call them places of habitual disobedience. In that 10%, you (and I) have been habitually disobedient. We have no plans to change because we lean on the 90% obedience and believe that’s enough. ‘It’s better than most.’ But it is does not fulfill God’s standard.

That’s where admonishment comes in. Admonish is defined as “to set right, correct, warn, lay on the heart of someone.” It often involves confrontation, challenge and correction. In the places of disobedience (which is sin), we need to be admonished. We need people to correct, challenge, and confront us on our sin.

“What I become depends on how my Christian friends respond to me when I’m at my worst.” (Sittser, Love One Another, p. 162).

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom . . .”
Colossians 3:16

It is so easy to turn the other way isn’t it? When we see someone choosing to sin, we can easily just rationalize, “it’s none of my business.” Or we like to have this tidbit of information to use against the person in sin. We gossip, judge, belittle – all in an attempt to make us feel better about ourselves. ‘At least, I’m not as bad as __________ who is struggling with the sin of ____________.’

We admonish John daily. We correct his behavior. “John, you can’t hit other people.” “John, you can’t take a toy away from another child.” “John, you can’t talk to your mother that way.” We correct. We challenge. We confront. We do it because we love John and we know he needs to learn how to act appropriately.

Does John like being confronted? No. Does he like it when we correct him? No. Does he respond well to us when we confront or correct? Often, no. Should that change our behavior with him? Should we not correct or confront because he doesn’t like it? No.

The Bible says that this is an important way we love each other. When we see someone choosing to sin, we are called as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to confront that behavior IN LOVE. The goal is always restoration. The goal is always looking out for the best interests of the one who is stuck in sin. It is in their best interests to get unstuck from their sin, and we show love to each other when we help each other get unstuck.

Your habitual disobedience is hindering you from experiencing the life God has for you. You can’t do it on your own. You haven’t yet. So even though it is hard to admit your failure in front of another – especially when being confronted by them – it is an important way that God grows us and helps us to move away from our places of habitual sin.

If we let John get away with inappropriate behavior, we would not be loving him as we should. If we turn our backs to a friend’s adultery, lying, cheating, gossiping, coveting, unhealthy anger, self-righteousness, etc., it would be because we are more concerned with keeping the peace and not being seen as judgmental, then it would be because we love that person.

Let’s really love one another.

Shake It Up

2009-05-14T14:04:00.003-04:00

One of my quirks that some have noticed is my shaking legs. Alisa is well aware of this “irritating” habit. When I sit down, I often bounce my legs. I do it without noticing and it is often the result of a pressure point that causes the muscles in my legs to shake. It can shake the table I’m sitting by. It can shake the pew I’m sitting in. I can easily shake the floor to the point that other people “feel” the shaking my legs are causing.

“Hi. My name is Chip and my legs often shake when I’m sitting down.”

I hope my life shakes you up. I hope my life shakes up the lives of those around me. I hope it won’t only be because of my legs, but because of my life.

Our lives are a lot like a snow globe. If left to ourselves, we become dormant. Snow globes exist to be shaken because in being shaken, they fulfill their purpose. They are seen in the way they’ve been created to be seen.

Each of us has the tendency to find a groove that works for us and stay in it. It happens in all facets of our lives. We find a comfortable place in our marriage and we stay there. We find a comfortable place in our job and stay there. We find friends that “work” for us, a church that works for us and even a lifestyle which we enjoy and doesn’t ask too much of us. It’s normal and natural for us to live in this way. But it’s too easy to become dormant then. Our values become comfort, convenience, and leisure. We value people and experiences which help us stay in this groove.

God has a different plan. He wants to shake us up. And His plan includes ‘shaking’ as a value we embrace. Many of us have been shaken up at times in our lives. Whether through difficult circumstances or transitions in our lives, we’ve experienced what it is to be shaken. It is definitely not always fun. We’re uncomfortable, vulnerable, and often dependent on others in the midst of this challenge. But I also bet that it’s in these places where the most growth has taken place – when you are being shaken.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says it a little differently,

And let us consider how to stir one another on toward love and good deeds.

Stir – shake – provoke would all be appropriate words to describe this process. And note that it says we are to do this with one another. We are to stir/shake/provoke each other with a definite purpose in mind – toward love and good deeds.

There is something contagious about being with people who are shaking out of their love for Jesus. They act different. They talk different. They love different. There is something about them which draws us to them. But it is not comfortable being around them, because they challenge us both in the words they say but also in the lives they live. They shake us up. We cannot remain the same if we spend much time around them.

That’s it! That is not only the kind of people we need to look for in our lives, it is the kind of people we are called to be. The only way a person shakes/stirs/provokes in the way described in Hebrews 10, is if they truly seek after Jesus.

Who is shaking you up? How are you stirring the lives of others? How does your life encourage others to invest themselves in the love of Jesus and living that love out throughout their lives?

One other thing: Often we are tempted to rely on others to shake us up. We go to church and get stirred. We attend a conference and get shaken up. We go on a mission trip and our lives are provoked. These are good, but too often in the between times, our globes return to dormancy. We are stirred for a short period of time and then everything settles back to the way it was before. If we are to be His followers, our globes need to spend more time being shaken than standing dormant. We can’t simply rely on “church/religious” activities. We need to live a life of self-denial, risk-taking, and trusting in the One who is the One. This will lead to a life in motion.

Stirring one another up is what love does. Allowing one another to remain dormant is not love.

Stir One Another Up - Sittser

2009-05-14T14:01:00.001-04:00

The following are quotes from Gerald Sittser’s book, Love One Another.

Jesus called it the narrow way and warned us of its cost. He said that in the Christian life death precedes life, losing comes before gaining, renouncing the world precedes eternal life.

Jesus looks for intent and desire more than capability and success. What matters is that we want to measure up to the full stature of Christ, however far we fall short.

Christians don’t always want to become like Christ. Christians don’t always want to pursue the highest and best to which he calls us. In these circumstances the Bible commands us to “stir up” and “admonish” one another.
(147)

Faith and obedience come hard because of doubt, struggle, temptation, exhaustion, and busyness. Yet in my mind these difficulties are not the greatest obstacle in the Christian life, however prevalent they are. The greatest obstacle is more subtle, which is why the Bible warns us against it so strongly. Scripture calls this problem “lukewarmness.” I call it inertia.

Inertia in the Christian life is dangerous because it seems so natural and justifiable. It’s like water that flows to the lowest elevation possible, where it can rest after cascading down mountainsides. People have a natural inclination to seek that same state of rest and ease. We like things to be convenient and controllable, stable and predictable. We want “givens” because they provide security. Consequently, we fall into predictable behavioral patters – in private life, in relationships and in society. Inevitably free choices become necessities, spontaneous activities become habits, innovations become traditions. Bold action sooner or later turns into “the same old thing.” We like to settle into a routine. Rushing rivers always empty into placid lakes. We tend toward inertia.

Yet stability and predictability cost us something. The cost is sameness, blandness, boredom and sometimes injustice. There is nothing wrong with following a set schedule from day to day. But what happens when that schedule keeps us from enlarging our world with new experiences or challenges? There is nothing wrong with fulfilling different marital roles. Yet those roles might be unfair when children come, the husband goes back to school or the wife gets a new job. There is nothing wrong with policies that make institutions run more efficiently. Yet sometimes rules made for the sake of efficiency and productivity stifle creativity; rules made to give the most experienced people authority may gave way to an “old-boy network” that keeps new blood from rising to the top.
(150-151)

Comfort zone Christianity appeals powerfully to certain legitimate impulses within us. But it is still dangerous. It can lead to laziness of spirit, deadness of faith, a routine that gives the appearance of religion without cultivating a heart for God. It makes us nice, decent, and respectable. It can also lead to dead worship, exclusive churches, lifeless devotions, token service, easy giving, superficial knowledge of the Bible. It is, as the Bible calls it, lukewarmness, which is more perilous than open rebellion (Revelation 3).
(152)

What is true for churches is also true for individuals. Quiet and sensitive people don’t have to become noisy and aggressive; activists don’t have to become contemplatives; scholars don’t have to become popularizers. Stirring up means we become all God meant us to be. It’s not helpful or possible to stir up people to something they are not and can’t be. It’s not right to stir up a church to change so much that it becomes unfamiliar with the church it once was. Stirring up preserves the best of what we already are, the best of the tradition our church embodies. Continuity and change are partners, not enemies.

The secret of stirring up is balance – to push people, churches and Christian institutions beyond the comfort zone without breaking continuity with the past. Balance requires us to expand our vision of discipleship, not change it entirely; to enlarge our capacity to know and obey God, not swing periodically from one extreme to the other.
(159)

Practice, practice, practice

2009-05-05T12:02:00.002-04:00

John wants to play golf with his dad. Last fall, he received a set of kid’s clubs. So last fall, we started hitting balls together. I thought it would involve lots of instruction as I helped John learn to hit a golf ball. I learned there would be no instruction. He just wanted to hit the balls. He was not interested in any instruction. It was (and is) very hard for me not to try and help him. I want to teach him how to align his feet, hold the club, keep his head down, etc. He just wants me to be present and quiet. Well, not just quiet, because when he hits a good shot, he wants me to affirm him in hitting a good shot.

Now that spring is arriving, John doesn’t just want to hit balls, he wants to play golf. This presents a dilemma because few courses (if any) allow a child his age on the course to play. But it also raises the internal challenge in me because John doesn’t know how to play. He doesn’t know all there is to know about playing golf. Who does, by the way? I anticipate a very frustrating experience for me as I “golf” with him. Will he receive instruction? Will he obey the rules? Will we play so slow that we’ll get kicked off the course anyway? Can he last 9 holes?

It reminds me of how we learn something. John wants to play golf, so he thinks the best way to learn is to play golf. He doesn’t want instruction. He wants a club and a ball and a course and his dad to take him.

So often we see learning as what happens in the classroom. We sit and listen to someone who knows what they are talking about. They impart information to us. We learn. We acquire the information and it becomes ours. It is often what happens on Sunday mornings. The preacher preaches and the people learn something new.

But learning is incomplete if it just involves the acquisition of information. We have to apply what we’ve learned. Whether it’s using the multiplication tables we’ve memorized to figure out how much it will cost to buy mulch or putting the letters of the alphabet together to form and pronounce words or keeping my head down when I actually swing the club, we have to apply what we’ve gained in our minds to the actions we take.

I’m learning that learning is often a process with three important components – information, practice, reflect.

Let’s use John and golf as an example. We tell John how to hold and swing the club to hit the ball. He acquires new information. Has he learned how to hit the ball? Yes, he knows how in his mind. He could repeat back the information. Then he practices. He actually grabs the club, swings it, and attempts to hit the ball. He actually practices the information he’s acquired. Then he reflects. Did he hit the ball? Did it go very far? What did he learn in actually doing what he was told to do? Repeat. He receives more instruction (information) about aligning his feet and keeping his head down. He practices holding the club, swinging, after aligning his feet and keeping his head down. Now he reflects. Did I hit the ball? How far did it go? Did I improve on what I did last time? Why did I improve? Repeat. On and on the process of learning goes. We don’t think through this process; it’s just natural.

But somewhere along the way, the church has lost sight of the need for practice and reflection. We are good at telling each other what to do, but whether or not there is any practice or reflection, we don’t know.

You can hear thousands of sermons. You can read thousands of books. You can have all the information and know how to do anything. But it means almost nothing if it’s not put into practice. Do you know how to pray and why we pray? Does that matter if you don’t pray? Do you know the Bible and could quote chapter and verse? Does that matter if you don’t put it into practice? Do you know how to love your spouse? Do you put it into practice?

You see one of the issues which hold us back from practice is that we expect mastery immediately. Or because we’re not very good at it, we stop trying. That’s what practice is for! John will not master golf – ever, but he can grow and learn and enjoy the game of golf. Another reason we hesitate is because we care too much what people think. If I practice and don’t look good, what will people think?

We all need practice. None of us have mastery in following Jesus Christ. But we cannot be content because we know what to do. We have to live into His life. We have to try. We have to do what He tells us to do. We have to practice and reflect as we learn. Because isn’t it true that John is not going to learn golf because I tell him how to do it? He is going to learn to golf by playing – by practicing – by growing through the experience.

Are you putting into practice what you know? It is time for practice. Practice, practice, practice.

Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing. James 1:22-25

Joseph & Joseph - A Journey of Hope

2009-04-27T13:34:00.007-04:00

(Top picture: James, Joseph, Joseph, Isaac)

(Bottom picture: Joseph, Isaac, Joseph, James)

I met Joseph on the streets of Nairobi in November of 2007. He’d been on the streets for 8 years which means he started on the streets (on his own) at age 7. I shared his story at church on December 28th, 2008.

With the passion and effort of Breann Winnell, Heart for Africa decided to help Joseph if we could raise support for the Tumaini Children’s Home in Kenya.

At the same time, Isaac and James, two students at Tumaini, beg David (Heart for Africa social worker at Tumaini) to go and find Joseph and take him off the street. Isaac and James were friends with Joseph when they lived on the street.

On March 15, Jan Biddick and Breann Winnell invite the church to help sponsor the children at Tumaini Children’s Home. That same day, David Kariuki, social worker at the Children’s Home decides to go and see if he can find Joseph on the streets of Nairobi.

On April 6th, I receive an email indicating that David has not been able to find Joseph because the police have recently swept the streets of kids. They are either thrown into jail or herded out of town.

David has not been able to locate Joseph. He said that Nairobi police have been “scattering” street gangs, and that he thinks Joseph may have left the city – Tumaini is on school break right now, and David is going to go to some other places he thinks Joseph might be…he will keep us posted, and asked for our continued prayers.

On April 7th, I receive the following email from Janine Maxwell, vice-president of Heart for Africa:

Today David got up at 3 AM and took James and Isaac back to Nairobi to search again for Joseph. And guess what? They found him! This truly is a miracle because there is an estimated 500,000 children living on the streets of Nairobi so this is like finding a needle in a hay stack, especially since Joseph had changed locations! Amazing grace how sweet the sound!

Joseph was hesitant to go with them. Years of street life, drugs and alcohol can really effect a child's brain, but he said he would go if his friend (also named Joseph) could go with him. David called Bishop David and he said YES! Bring them both in!

The boys are on their way to Tumaini today! Please join us in prayer for them as they go through withdrawl, fear and all the other challenges that they will face.

On April 19th, I receive another email from Janine Maxwell:

We need to join together in prayer today. Joseph and Joseph have run away from Tumaini and convinced young Isaac to go with them back to the street.

This is not unusual for street boys as they are addicted to the street, drugs, crime and it is the only life that they know. Imagine being a 15 year old boy trying to break free from drugs and having to start school in grade one or two because you can't read or write? It can be a huge challenge.

This past Sunday, April 26th, I received another email from Janine:

Praise God from whom all blessing flow! The two Joseph's and Isaac have been found and brought home to Tumaini!!

At 3:00 AM Sunday morning David got up and drove to Nairobi with James to look for the boys again. He was there 2 days last weekend, but they could not be found.

I received the news very early Sunday morning and we are so very thankful for all of your prayers. I don't have many details yet, but will share them as they come. I specifically asked how Isaac was doing as he had been sober for 1 1/2 years. David said he was dead drunk and badly beaten, but he is home. Remember, he is now 12 years old.

The journey goes on.

Two reasons to share this story: First, please pray for Joseph and Joseph and Isaac that they would be set free from street life and experience the gift of God’s love and grace at Tumaini.

Second, it reminds me of how easily I settle for street life. How easy it is to go back to what is easy and familiar. And like Isaac, when we choose to go back to the street, we get hurt and we hurt others. It is a journey – this life. We each need help as we seek to walk God’s path and stop being drawn down our own.

For more information on how you can help, go to Heart for Africa's website: http://www.heartforafrica.org/

Be Subject to One Another - Sittser

2009-04-27T13:32:00.002-04:00

The following quotes come from Gerald L. Sittser’s book, Love One Another (2008).

. . . God . . . intends human relationships to be healthy, harmonious and whole so that, regardless of the positions we occupy in the social order, we will not be aware of who is leading and who is following, who has the most power and who has the least.

Mutual subjection is God’s way of nurturing harmony in a discordant world, unity in broken relationships, healing in a sick society and love in a divided church. It is applicable to imperfect people – like you and me – who belong to imperfect families, work imperfect jobs, participate in imperfect organizations, belong to imperfect churches and live in an imperfect world. It shows us how to function in communities that have tension and conflict running through them. It addresses people who are not married to the ideal spouse, who are not parents of ideal children, who are not members of ideal churches, and who do not have ideal jobs, colleagues, and bosses. Mutual subjection takes the world as it is, not as we want or expect it to be. It requires us to surrender ourselves to God, discerning how we can do his will in circumstances that are less than ideal.
(38)

To be subject to one another implies that we choose to order our lives under the circumstances, relationships, and roles in which we find ourselves. . . In essence, to be subject to one another implies that we acknowledge the necessity of social order, accept our place within it, and transform the social order through the power of radical obedience and sacrificial love.
(40)

Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21

First, (this) command is addressed to everyone.

Paul requires that those who occupy dominant positions in the social order be subject to their subordinates; they are to order their lives under the very people over whom they exercise authority.
(42)

Second, how we obey this command depends upon the particular position we occupy within the social order.

The greater responsibility, however, appears to be imposed on those who occupy dominant positions. Paul commands husbands, fathers, masters, leaders and pastors to imitate Christ, who gave his life for sinners, though he had every right to assert power over them.

Third, mutual subjection appears to correct the natural abuses that occur within the social order, though without abolishing the social order itself.
(43)

. . . all Christians are to be subject to one another “out of reverence for Christ” or “as to the Lord.” Paul adds this qualification for two reasons. First, he wants to remind us that the Son of God himself became subject to us, sinners though we are, all for the sake of our salvation. . .

Though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death –
even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:6-8

. . . Second, he want to assure us that Jesus Christ is now Lord over all.

Subjection puts our rights and privileges at risk, which, considering the values of modern society, might seem foolish. But our subjection is ultimately to Jesus Christ, not to a human being or to a human institution.
(45-46)

Subjection therefore requires us to trust in the sovereignty of God. If we insist on perfect people and circumstances before we become subject, then of course we will never learn subjection. We will be forever waiting for the world to be conformed to our wishes rather than allowing God to use the world, however imperfect, to conform us to his wishes.

It is possible to be subject even when we choose to disobey those in authority over us, provided we challenge their authority in a spirit of subjection, honoring the person and position, though not necessarily their policies.
(47)

The Way of Life

2009-04-23T15:48:00.003-04:00

Our situation, say the Greek Fathers, is like that of the Israelite people in the desert of Sinai: we live in tents, not houses, for spiritually we are always on the move. We are on a journey through the inward space of the heart, a journey not measured by the hours of our watch or the days of the calendar, for it is a journey out of time into eternity.

. . . Christianity is more than a theory about the universe, more than teachings written down on paper; it is a path along which we journey – in the deepest and richest sense, the way of life.

There is only one means of discovering the true nature of Christianity. We must step out upon this path, commit ourselves to this way of life, and then we shall begin to see for ourselves. So long as we remain outside, we cannot properly understand. Certainly we need to be given directions before we start; we need to be told what signposts to look out for, and we need to have companions. Indeed, without guidance from others it is scarcely possible to begin the journey. But directions given by others can never convey to us what the way is actually like; they cannot be a substitute for direct, personal experience. Each is called to verify for himself what he has been taught, each is required to re-live the Tradition he has received. . . No one can be an armchair traveler on this all-important journey. No one can be a Christian at second hand. God has children, but he has no grandchildren.

(from the Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware in Disciplines for the Inner Life by Bob Benson and Michael Benson (1989). Deeper Life Press, p. 25-26.)

Christianity is not just a way to think. It is a way to live. It is not simply something we assent to in our minds; it is seen in every aspect of our lives. We choose each day to live our way or His way. It is a choice revealed in our actions much more than our words.

One of the most important choices I am making to live His way is to spend time with Him. This has been a struggle for me since day one of this journey with Jesus. But I am learning to start there. Instead of trying to do His work, I am seeking to let Him change me. That will not happen if I spend my life trying to live for Him at the expense of living with Him. There is no gimmick or substitute to replace time with God. To live His way is to live with Him.

We want instant results – instant change, instant peace, instant answers, etc. But God’s work on us is more like what we see each spring. If you stare at a tree, it doesn’t seem like anything is happening. But if you keep looking over the course of days and weeks, you begin to see growth. First, there’s buds. They grow. Then you see blossoms or leaves beginning to come. Growth. Fruit. It takes time, but when you plant yourself in God’s presence, growth and fruit are inevitable.

If you want to follow the Way, you have to spend time with the one who knows the Way . . . oh yeah, who IS the Way.

And then and only then, is it well with our soul.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Though Satan should buffet, tho’ trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin – oh, the bliss of this glorious tho’t –
My sin – not in part, but the whole –
Is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!

And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend.
“Even so” – it is well with my soul.

It is well – with my soul.
It is well,
It is well with my soul.
H.G. Spafford