God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. (Ephesians 3:10-12, NLT)
I'm continually struck by the fact that God wants to use the church. In fact, the church was a part of God's plan all along.
It's a good reminder that to nurture the church, to develop the church, to perpetuate the church is our responsibility...and it is done through our work together. (which is the topic next week.)
But the other reality is that when we do work together as the church, we experience God!
You are probably asking, "What does that mean?"
Jesus said, "they will know you are my followers because you have love for one another."
I'm sure you've felt the good feelings of doing good works. You know, that warm, tingling feeling that moves down through your body that comes from helping someone in need; or performing an act that makes a difference to someone; or eating chocolate! These don't even have to be life-changing things, but simple acts of kindness, love, and forgiveness that lead to good feelings. That is the very presence of God! And if you are like me, you want these good feelings as often as possible. (so I keep chocolate in my office most of the time!)
So, to experience God, we act like Christ to others...
...and when others act like Christ to us...
...and the place that happens the best is in the Church...
...wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in Christ's name.
Peace ><>
pc
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Yes, Kemosabe
Hebrews 10:19-25
I'm going to date myself a bit (it seems like I do that often these days!), but as a kid I used to love the Lone Ranger. (I'm sure it was in re-runs by the time I watched though.) He was always saving the day. With wisdom and speed, he would run the bad guys out of town, put others in jail and help those who needed helping. He'd even make the women swoon.
What a guy! Everyone wanted to be like the Lone Ranger. He was the epitome of the "good guy."
It's his title, though, that has a life of its own; as our society continues to believe we can "do it on our own." We have a Lone Ranger complex. It's probably not a real psychological diagnosis, but it definitely has it's place in most of our lives. I've heard it said often, "I can do it myself," or "I don't need anyones help," even in my own family, even coming from my own mouth!
And as I recall, there was one paradoxical thing about the Lone Ranger that I never fully understood, he wasn't alone!
That's right, he had Tonto who would address him with a respectful, "Yes, Kemosabe," even though none of us knew what that meant! (and still don't for sure.) Maybe it was a reminder that while the Lone Ranger was the Hero, he couldn't have done it without help. (I've always loved this Far Side interpretation.)
It's a good reminder to us, though, that we can't do this faith thing without help. We weren't meant or created to "go it alone." That's why the author of the book of Hebrews was so insistent on not neglecting to meet together, but to support and encourage each other and in doing so, their faith was strengthened...
...and at the same time, they were able to experience the very presence of God more readily.
Yes, Kemosabe, you need help to be fully present with God!
Peace ><>
pc
I'm going to date myself a bit (it seems like I do that often these days!), but as a kid I used to love the Lone Ranger. (I'm sure it was in re-runs by the time I watched though.) He was always saving the day. With wisdom and speed, he would run the bad guys out of town, put others in jail and help those who needed helping. He'd even make the women swoon.
What a guy! Everyone wanted to be like the Lone Ranger. He was the epitome of the "good guy."
It's his title, though, that has a life of its own; as our society continues to believe we can "do it on our own." We have a Lone Ranger complex. It's probably not a real psychological diagnosis, but it definitely has it's place in most of our lives. I've heard it said often, "I can do it myself," or "I don't need anyones help," even in my own family, even coming from my own mouth!And as I recall, there was one paradoxical thing about the Lone Ranger that I never fully understood, he wasn't alone!
That's right, he had Tonto who would address him with a respectful, "Yes, Kemosabe," even though none of us knew what that meant! (and still don't for sure.) Maybe it was a reminder that while the Lone Ranger was the Hero, he couldn't have done it without help. (I've always loved this Far Side interpretation.)
It's a good reminder to us, though, that we can't do this faith thing without help. We weren't meant or created to "go it alone." That's why the author of the book of Hebrews was so insistent on not neglecting to meet together, but to support and encourage each other and in doing so, their faith was strengthened...
...and at the same time, they were able to experience the very presence of God more readily.
Yes, Kemosabe, you need help to be fully present with God!
Peace ><>
pc
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Pestering God
Luke 11:1-13
I believe that many people are afraid to pray.
They are afraid that:
they will say the wrong things...
they might make God angry...
they won't get answered anyway...
they are simply pestering God!
Regardless the reasons we don't pray (or are afraid to) the reality is that God is waiting on us to pray. Yes...waiting, with anticipation, to hear from us, from you!
And there is no pestering God.
If there is something on our mind, then we are supposed to pray about it. And if it is there every day, then pray about it everyday...every moment, even. God just wants us to call.
When Peggy and I were dating, we'd spend what seemed like hours on the phone together. I'd sit in our living room at the phone desk (this is way before cordless phones which begins to date me!) and talk quietly so no one else could overhear our conversation. But as I remember it, there wasn't much to listen to because we'd spend much of the time in silence, no one saying anything. Fortunately it wasn't long distance either.
Prayer is simply having God's attention and giving God ours. And if our time together is just sitting quietly together, then that's okay too. It doesn't bother Him a bit..in fact, it's what he wants.
Ask and you’ll get;
Seek and you’ll find;
Knock and the door will open. (Luke 11:9, MSG)
So don't think you will pester God, just ask for what you need...
...and you'll get.
Peace ><>
pc
I believe that many people are afraid to pray.
They are afraid that:
they will say the wrong things...
they might make God angry...
they won't get answered anyway...
they are simply pestering God!
Regardless the reasons we don't pray (or are afraid to) the reality is that God is waiting on us to pray. Yes...waiting, with anticipation, to hear from us, from you!
And there is no pestering God.
If there is something on our mind, then we are supposed to pray about it. And if it is there every day, then pray about it everyday...every moment, even. God just wants us to call.
When Peggy and I were dating, we'd spend what seemed like hours on the phone together. I'd sit in our living room at the phone desk (this is way before cordless phones which begins to date me!) and talk quietly so no one else could overhear our conversation. But as I remember it, there wasn't much to listen to because we'd spend much of the time in silence, no one saying anything. Fortunately it wasn't long distance either.
Prayer is simply having God's attention and giving God ours. And if our time together is just sitting quietly together, then that's okay too. It doesn't bother Him a bit..in fact, it's what he wants.
Ask and you’ll get;
Seek and you’ll find;
Knock and the door will open. (Luke 11:9, MSG)
So don't think you will pester God, just ask for what you need...
...and you'll get.
Peace ><>
pc
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
That Poor Fig Tree
Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it. (Matthew 21:22-23, NLT)
I had the privilege a few years ago to lead a group of women from our church in a Disciple Class called "Jesus in the Gospels." It was one of the most fun classes I've ever led and one I hope never to forget. We had such great discussions and discovered some amazing insights from these great women of faith. One of my most precious memories of that class took place when we studied this passage.
it follows a story of Jesus going to a fig tree to get something to eat and upon finding nothing, he curses it "never to bear fruit again." As the disciples walk by the fig tree the next day they are astonished as they find it withered and dead. That's when Jesus simply told them that this is what happens when you believe what you pray!
What makes this so memorable is that one of the ladies in the class, Alice Ann, never got over this action by Jesus. Now she did not question Jesus' power or even the message he taught through it, she just didn't understand what the poor fig tree had done to deserve such a curse. And it wasn't just one class session that we discussed this...I believe we talked about it almost every class until the end of the year!
It was a bit comical to be discussing something totally different when Alice Ann would say, out of the blue, " I just don't understand why that happened to that poor fig tree."
I appreciated her questions and her undying trust in Jesus Christ and I'm sure He got that question when Alice Ann got to heaven!
But I also wonder how often we miss the point of something because we can't get over the details?
And I wonder how often we pray without expecting anything in return?
That's really the point of the story anyway. Jesus was always provocative in some way, here he challenged the disciples to see how to pray with expectation; to speak it, believe it and it will be done!
Do you believe what you ask for will happen? Or are you more concerned about the details of how it will get done? This is where our doubts come from and what we need is to over look the details and just wait with anticipation on the results of our prayers.
This group of ladies sure didn't miss this part of the story. In fact, while we talked about "that poor fig tree" all year, we also saw amazing things happen because of our prayers as a class...
...because we believe what we asked and we trusted our requests in the hands of a faithful God.
Peace ><>
pc
I had the privilege a few years ago to lead a group of women from our church in a Disciple Class called "Jesus in the Gospels." It was one of the most fun classes I've ever led and one I hope never to forget. We had such great discussions and discovered some amazing insights from these great women of faith. One of my most precious memories of that class took place when we studied this passage.
it follows a story of Jesus going to a fig tree to get something to eat and upon finding nothing, he curses it "never to bear fruit again." As the disciples walk by the fig tree the next day they are astonished as they find it withered and dead. That's when Jesus simply told them that this is what happens when you believe what you pray!
What makes this so memorable is that one of the ladies in the class, Alice Ann, never got over this action by Jesus. Now she did not question Jesus' power or even the message he taught through it, she just didn't understand what the poor fig tree had done to deserve such a curse. And it wasn't just one class session that we discussed this...I believe we talked about it almost every class until the end of the year!
It was a bit comical to be discussing something totally different when Alice Ann would say, out of the blue, " I just don't understand why that happened to that poor fig tree."
I appreciated her questions and her undying trust in Jesus Christ and I'm sure He got that question when Alice Ann got to heaven!
But I also wonder how often we miss the point of something because we can't get over the details?
And I wonder how often we pray without expecting anything in return?
That's really the point of the story anyway. Jesus was always provocative in some way, here he challenged the disciples to see how to pray with expectation; to speak it, believe it and it will be done!
Do you believe what you ask for will happen? Or are you more concerned about the details of how it will get done? This is where our doubts come from and what we need is to over look the details and just wait with anticipation on the results of our prayers.
This group of ladies sure didn't miss this part of the story. In fact, while we talked about "that poor fig tree" all year, we also saw amazing things happen because of our prayers as a class...
...because we believe what we asked and we trusted our requests in the hands of a faithful God.
Peace ><>
pc
Monday, October 05, 2009
Praying...but never alone.
Matthew 14:23
I always wanted to "go up into the mountain to pray." You know, just like Jesus did. Not that I think there is something special about any particular mountain or that we can get closer to God by being at a higher elevation. Heaven is not reached by height as the people at Babel discovered long ago. But to get away, really away from all the distractions in order to focus on God, on prayer. It sounds great and nearly impossible!
No matter where I've gone, I've never been able to fully focus my mind and soul in prayer. There are always distractions, either by the environment or from within. There always seems to be something getting in the way and not even a mountain can help that!
I've spent some time alone in the Galilee and I discovered something. Even in the places of Jesus' most intimate prayers, he had distractions. Some of them were similar to mine, the weather, the view, the sounds of nature and even the inner distractions of hunger, of the day's schedule, the future. What is strikingly different though between Jesus' prayer time and mine is his focus. He had much more on his mind than we every will, yet he was able to pray. What we miss at times though is that he prayed often all night!
I wonder if it was because of his distractions?
Regardless of what they are or how many there are, the good news for us is that we can get around them just like He did, by simply praying. The truth is, while we are never truly alone, away from our thoughts, or circumstances or even our environment, we are also never alone from God! Which means that if we are not able to get away to the mountain, then we go to God wherever we are, whenever we can. And if our prayers last all day, in between tasks, during down times, while commuting to work or to the grocery, then so be it.
The important thing is to pray...because God is where we are and waiting to hear from us!
Peace ><>
pc
I always wanted to "go up into the mountain to pray." You know, just like Jesus did. Not that I think there is something special about any particular mountain or that we can get closer to God by being at a higher elevation. Heaven is not reached by height as the people at Babel discovered long ago. But to get away, really away from all the distractions in order to focus on God, on prayer. It sounds great and nearly impossible!
No matter where I've gone, I've never been able to fully focus my mind and soul in prayer. There are always distractions, either by the environment or from within. There always seems to be something getting in the way and not even a mountain can help that!
I've spent some time alone in the Galilee and I discovered something. Even in the places of Jesus' most intimate prayers, he had distractions. Some of them were similar to mine, the weather, the view, the sounds of nature and even the inner distractions of hunger, of the day's schedule, the future. What is strikingly different though between Jesus' prayer time and mine is his focus. He had much more on his mind than we every will, yet he was able to pray. What we miss at times though is that he prayed often all night!
I wonder if it was because of his distractions?
Regardless of what they are or how many there are, the good news for us is that we can get around them just like He did, by simply praying. The truth is, while we are never truly alone, away from our thoughts, or circumstances or even our environment, we are also never alone from God! Which means that if we are not able to get away to the mountain, then we go to God wherever we are, whenever we can. And if our prayers last all day, in between tasks, during down times, while commuting to work or to the grocery, then so be it.
The important thing is to pray...because God is where we are and waiting to hear from us!
Peace ><>
pc
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Just Because
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.john 14:21
I'm in Orlando this morning. I arrived yesterday with my daughter's car, filled to the top with her stuff. (mostly shoes!) We travelled these 1125 miles in a '97 pontiac with just enough room for us to sit because our daughter, Alli, was transferred here for her job and she needed our help. So here we are...staying a few days in her tiny, cramped apartment, seeing where she is going to work, helping her get to know Orlando (and taking a day to visit Disney!). Why would we do this?
It's simple...just because we love her.
Now, we could love her from Indiana, sending her stuff via UPS, selling her car and sending her the proceeds to buy another and simply pray for her well-being and that would be fine and perfectly acceptable. Or we could have just wished her well and sent her with a moving truck all by herself. Or even just telling her "Good luck, we love you and we'll pray for you."
But we came just because of our love for her...and she trusts us...has faith in us...and loves us back!
There's something exciting that happens when love is reciprocated.
You see, it works the same way with God. Faith is the catalyst for our relationship with God not the prerequisite.
When we love God, when we show our faith, lean and trust in God's actions, then something more happens. It's not that God will refuse to do things for us and with us, but when there is a true relationship, then God acts more completely with us.
Faith changes things.
So, here we are in Florida, facing another 80something degree day (while it's in the 60's at home!) just because...
I wonder what God might do for us today...just because?
Peace ><>
pc
I'm in Orlando this morning. I arrived yesterday with my daughter's car, filled to the top with her stuff. (mostly shoes!) We travelled these 1125 miles in a '97 pontiac with just enough room for us to sit because our daughter, Alli, was transferred here for her job and she needed our help. So here we are...staying a few days in her tiny, cramped apartment, seeing where she is going to work, helping her get to know Orlando (and taking a day to visit Disney!). Why would we do this?
It's simple...just because we love her.
Now, we could love her from Indiana, sending her stuff via UPS, selling her car and sending her the proceeds to buy another and simply pray for her well-being and that would be fine and perfectly acceptable. Or we could have just wished her well and sent her with a moving truck all by herself. Or even just telling her "Good luck, we love you and we'll pray for you."
But we came just because of our love for her...and she trusts us...has faith in us...and loves us back!
There's something exciting that happens when love is reciprocated.
You see, it works the same way with God. Faith is the catalyst for our relationship with God not the prerequisite.
When we love God, when we show our faith, lean and trust in God's actions, then something more happens. It's not that God will refuse to do things for us and with us, but when there is a true relationship, then God acts more completely with us.
Faith changes things.
So, here we are in Florida, facing another 80something degree day (while it's in the 60's at home!) just because...
I wonder what God might do for us today...just because?
Peace ><>
pc
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Another Foundation
John 3:16-21 & 5:24
I've been thinking a lot about marriage these days. Maybe because I've been asked to do so many weddings in 2010 and I've got one next week. But I've probably thought about it because I've experienced so much grace in my own marriage over these past 28 years and have sought the real reason for our "success."
"Successful" marriages are usually described as marriages that are still together. I'm not convinced, though that this is the case. I've seen many marriages that while they are still together, they are far from successful. Rather, successful marriages are the ones where love grows and grace abounds every day. But how does it happen?
It's not an accident. Successful marriages happen on purpose and they are not built on love!
Marriages built on love alone may not fail, but they may wane. Human love can be fickle and therefore sometimes untrustworthy.
Marriages need something else, something that love can build on, partner with, something that is equally eternal and divine...
...Marriages that are successful are built on commitment. (I'm planning on writing a book someday about this!)
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall have life eternal. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 (Translation mine.)
Yes God loves this world and always has, but there was a commitment made to Noah, a covenant with all creation. And it is upon this covenant that the rest of God's actions are built. God's commitment and love are what Jesus ultimately fulfilled in this marriage between heaven and humanity.
What does that mean for you? While it's true that God loves you, it's also true that God is committed to you. So even if you act in ways that may put love into question, the commitment stays sure.
Just like in my marriage. We are together not just because of our love, but because of our undying commitment to one another and to God.
Peace ><>
pc
I've been thinking a lot about marriage these days. Maybe because I've been asked to do so many weddings in 2010 and I've got one next week. But I've probably thought about it because I've experienced so much grace in my own marriage over these past 28 years and have sought the real reason for our "success."
"Successful" marriages are usually described as marriages that are still together. I'm not convinced, though that this is the case. I've seen many marriages that while they are still together, they are far from successful. Rather, successful marriages are the ones where love grows and grace abounds every day. But how does it happen?
It's not an accident. Successful marriages happen on purpose and they are not built on love!
Marriages built on love alone may not fail, but they may wane. Human love can be fickle and therefore sometimes untrustworthy.
Marriages need something else, something that love can build on, partner with, something that is equally eternal and divine...
...Marriages that are successful are built on commitment. (I'm planning on writing a book someday about this!)
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall have life eternal. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 (Translation mine.)
Yes God loves this world and always has, but there was a commitment made to Noah, a covenant with all creation. And it is upon this covenant that the rest of God's actions are built. God's commitment and love are what Jesus ultimately fulfilled in this marriage between heaven and humanity.
What does that mean for you? While it's true that God loves you, it's also true that God is committed to you. So even if you act in ways that may put love into question, the commitment stays sure.
Just like in my marriage. We are together not just because of our love, but because of our undying commitment to one another and to God.
Peace ><>
pc
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