I spent my Friday away from the office. I try to do that as often as possible. We all need a day off once in a while. I think of it more as a "day away" because it is usually still filled with study, reading, and final preparation for Sunday. I had big plans for the day and it barely got started when the plans began falling apart. I didn't accomplish what I wanted to, but I still tried to keep my Sabbath holy. Now all I have to do is focus through the rest of this day.
Distractions can throw us for a loop. In a moment those changed plans alter our mood and spirits in a way that we can no longer focus on what is really important. The tiniest detail can mess up our day, our devotional time, our focus. I've laughed many times at the prayer I've seen in greeting cards and on many refrigerator magnets. It goes something like, "Lord, so far it's been a good day, I haven't lied, cheated, gossipped, swore or done anything to displease you. But now it's time to get out of bed. Please help me through the day. Amen."
Now that is an honest prayer. It's from a humble heart and one who knows the distractions of life, but also from one who recognizes what has to be at the center. Sabbath has a great purpose. It was created not only to give us a whole day to focus on God, but also to reshape our lives so that we live in Sabbath-type ways every day. In a sense, God was helping us live through 6 days, realign on the seventh so that the next 6 days would be aligned with God. It was never to be a stepping stone or a kind of check-off list ("Now that the Sabbath is over I can go on with my life." And don't tell me that you've never thought about it that way. So far I've discovered everyone I know, even the best of Christians have thought this way at least at some time.)
Sabbath is a day to focus on God, so that, our whole lives are completely focused on God. Peter said it this way, "Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." (1 Peter 1:18, The Message) Not some subconscious sense, but a wide awake, in your face, arm-in-arm life with the Creator. One that is intimate and public, includes the best of us and the earthiest, until our life and God's are intertwined.
Journey's sometimes contain detours, wrong turns, and if you have girls traveling with you, plenty of stops along the way. God understands that. So Sabbath comes every week. Is God in focus? Or have you forgotten? The point is not just a future with God but the present, because the future depends on what happens today. Let's get back on the road and up to speed. It's early, we just got up and haven't messed up much yet. God help us through the day, with You!
Peace ><>
PC
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Friday, February 03, 2006
The Sabbath was made for Football?
What will you do this Sunday? Like many across the world I'll probably sit down in front of the TV to watch an apparent important cultural event, the Super Bowl. You know, that event between the great new commercials. It's not the game many of us has hoped it would be (and no I never prayed for the Colts or the Bears to be in it, I simply rooted the Colts on. For good reason I don't think God cares much about football.) but I'll watch anyway. It is a Sunday event. It's the final game of the season and the end to months of Sunday afternoon activity. What comes next? NCAA Basketball? Golf?(The PGA season just started this week) It seems there is always some Sunday activity that steals our focus.
This evening (or late afternoon) officially begins the Sabbath. It starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. This is the traditional way of looking at the division of days instead of starting and stopping at midnight (after the invention of time, standard time, time zones and clocks.) It's the difference between the Jewish faith who begin their Sabbath by attending to worship on Friday evening and the Christian faith who begin their "sabbath" on Sunday morning. Each is designed to start the day right, to refocus and realign the mind and heart towards God. But it's not supposed to end at worship's last amen.
Something I have foundvery interesting about Synagogue services is that it's not uncommon for a pot-luck dinner almost every Friday night. When worship is over, the community gathers for a meal. It is also not unsual to meet again on Saturday for other activities, continued worship time, and special events. While it is also true that busy Christian churches can have as many gatherings, they are usually for different purposes. In Judaism it's about keeping the Sabbath, something that most of us in the Western Christian Church have lost. We need to learn from our Jewish brothers and sisters and our Muslim brothers and sisters about Sabbath keeping.
There are a lot of Christians today who are like a boyfriend who is always eyeing other girls. We lose our focus too easily. Sunday afternoon meals at the local restaurants, trips to the Mall or Wal-Mart, a movie at the theater or from Blockbuster (or Netflix), a kid's soccer game, or __________________ (you fill in the activities that you do on Sunday afternoon.). It's always something. The focus on God doesn't last long. Our Sabbath has grown ever shorter. Now instead of a day, God barely gets an hour from many of us. Sabbath is not just a day to do whatever we want, a day off, a day of working around the house or napping. It's supposed to be a day focused and rested in God. Not an hour, not half a day, but a whole day.
"But now, take seriously what I tell you. Quit desecrating the Sabbath by busily going about your own work, and kepe the Sabbath day holy by not doing business as usual." (Jeremiah 17:24, The Message). Sabbath is to be about focusing on God and on the things that make for a holy (set apart) life. This can include things like family gatherings, church gatherings/meals, study, prayer, rest all centered on God. Now I'm not saying that when the family all gets together we all should bring our bibles and spend the day in study and prayer (although that doesn't sound so bad to me.). Our time is holy when we do the things that please God, like bonding with your family, serving those who need, setting work aside to read and rest and enjoy the creation and the creator.
That's what Sabbath is for...
...you!
To take and use and enjoy life, enjoy God...Sunday, Saturday, any day, a whole day.
Can you just imagine how life might shift its direction if we live with this kind of focus on God? It's how God planned it. It's how God is waiting to respond.
Make an appointment with God...
...And keep the Sabbath.
Shalom ><>
PC
This evening (or late afternoon) officially begins the Sabbath. It starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. This is the traditional way of looking at the division of days instead of starting and stopping at midnight (after the invention of time, standard time, time zones and clocks.) It's the difference between the Jewish faith who begin their Sabbath by attending to worship on Friday evening and the Christian faith who begin their "sabbath" on Sunday morning. Each is designed to start the day right, to refocus and realign the mind and heart towards God. But it's not supposed to end at worship's last amen.
Something I have foundvery interesting about Synagogue services is that it's not uncommon for a pot-luck dinner almost every Friday night. When worship is over, the community gathers for a meal. It is also not unsual to meet again on Saturday for other activities, continued worship time, and special events. While it is also true that busy Christian churches can have as many gatherings, they are usually for different purposes. In Judaism it's about keeping the Sabbath, something that most of us in the Western Christian Church have lost. We need to learn from our Jewish brothers and sisters and our Muslim brothers and sisters about Sabbath keeping.
There are a lot of Christians today who are like a boyfriend who is always eyeing other girls. We lose our focus too easily. Sunday afternoon meals at the local restaurants, trips to the Mall or Wal-Mart, a movie at the theater or from Blockbuster (or Netflix), a kid's soccer game, or __________________ (you fill in the activities that you do on Sunday afternoon.). It's always something. The focus on God doesn't last long. Our Sabbath has grown ever shorter. Now instead of a day, God barely gets an hour from many of us. Sabbath is not just a day to do whatever we want, a day off, a day of working around the house or napping. It's supposed to be a day focused and rested in God. Not an hour, not half a day, but a whole day.
"But now, take seriously what I tell you. Quit desecrating the Sabbath by busily going about your own work, and kepe the Sabbath day holy by not doing business as usual." (Jeremiah 17:24, The Message). Sabbath is to be about focusing on God and on the things that make for a holy (set apart) life. This can include things like family gatherings, church gatherings/meals, study, prayer, rest all centered on God. Now I'm not saying that when the family all gets together we all should bring our bibles and spend the day in study and prayer (although that doesn't sound so bad to me.). Our time is holy when we do the things that please God, like bonding with your family, serving those who need, setting work aside to read and rest and enjoy the creation and the creator.
That's what Sabbath is for...
...you!
To take and use and enjoy life, enjoy God...Sunday, Saturday, any day, a whole day.
Can you just imagine how life might shift its direction if we live with this kind of focus on God? It's how God planned it. It's how God is waiting to respond.
Make an appointment with God...
...And keep the Sabbath.
Shalom ><>
PC
Thursday, February 02, 2006
...imagine the possibilities...
It's going to be one of those days.
Bittersweet may be a good description of the day. Today we say good bye to a dear member of our church. She was one of those fixtures that will be greatly missed. Someone not replaceable, not with her gifts, her spirit, her character. She touched many with her encouragement, her correction, her compassion, Jesus' grace. She was a friend to all. She was my friend, and we will miss her deeply.
I mention this because writing a message for a funeral such as this is one of the greatest challenges I face as a pastor. Even though it is an awesome task to speak on behalf of God every week (if that weren't intimidating enough), it is even more challenging to speak a word to catch the character of a person in order to celebrate their life. You always leave something out. It is impossible to describe a life in a half hour or less. In fact its impossible to do it in an entire day. It's an impossible task.
Ever face impossible tasks, impossible odds, things much too difficult for your strength or your spirit, things way outside your comfort zone, things that didn't fit your skill set? Sometimes in this life we get dealt some blows that we wonder how we'll ever survive, and expectations that we can do the impossible. Somehow we have survived, some of those times we've accomplished the tasks and some times we have failed. Yet impossible tasks seem to keep coming our way. How long can we face them and escape with our lives?
"Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." (Matthew 19:26, NLT)
I've been reading this passage this week over and over. I'm using it Sunday for the message and this one verse continues to stick out to me. God is saying something to me through it and I think he is saying it for your benefit even more than mine.
All things are possible!
Not because of us, but because of God. Whatever we face.
Possible.
This is not simple glass-half-full optimism, this is a promise. And it only takes one call.
"Look at this: look who got picked by God! He listens the split second I call to him." God is simply awaiting the chance to help. Every resource in heaven at our disposal, not for our unlimited use, but for our help, to make the impossible, possible. And when we cry out for help we find we "have God's more than enough; more joy in one ordinary day...for God has put [our] lives[s] back together." (Psalm 4:3, 7, 8, The Message)
All of heaven is ready, God on the edge of his seat just waiting for our cries.
And help is on the way.
Peace ><>
PC
Bittersweet may be a good description of the day. Today we say good bye to a dear member of our church. She was one of those fixtures that will be greatly missed. Someone not replaceable, not with her gifts, her spirit, her character. She touched many with her encouragement, her correction, her compassion, Jesus' grace. She was a friend to all. She was my friend, and we will miss her deeply.
I mention this because writing a message for a funeral such as this is one of the greatest challenges I face as a pastor. Even though it is an awesome task to speak on behalf of God every week (if that weren't intimidating enough), it is even more challenging to speak a word to catch the character of a person in order to celebrate their life. You always leave something out. It is impossible to describe a life in a half hour or less. In fact its impossible to do it in an entire day. It's an impossible task.
Ever face impossible tasks, impossible odds, things much too difficult for your strength or your spirit, things way outside your comfort zone, things that didn't fit your skill set? Sometimes in this life we get dealt some blows that we wonder how we'll ever survive, and expectations that we can do the impossible. Somehow we have survived, some of those times we've accomplished the tasks and some times we have failed. Yet impossible tasks seem to keep coming our way. How long can we face them and escape with our lives?
"Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." (Matthew 19:26, NLT)
I've been reading this passage this week over and over. I'm using it Sunday for the message and this one verse continues to stick out to me. God is saying something to me through it and I think he is saying it for your benefit even more than mine.
All things are possible!
Not because of us, but because of God. Whatever we face.
Possible.
This is not simple glass-half-full optimism, this is a promise. And it only takes one call.
"Look at this: look who got picked by God! He listens the split second I call to him." God is simply awaiting the chance to help. Every resource in heaven at our disposal, not for our unlimited use, but for our help, to make the impossible, possible. And when we cry out for help we find we "have God's more than enough; more joy in one ordinary day...for God has put [our] lives[s] back together." (Psalm 4:3, 7, 8, The Message)
All of heaven is ready, God on the edge of his seat just waiting for our cries.
And help is on the way.
Peace ><>
PC
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Things to do before I die...
Have you ever made a list of the things you'd like to accomplish before your death? Big goals, dreams, risky things, fun things, places to visit, etc. It sounds like an interesting exercise and one the things I vow to do before I die is make this list!
Some of the things I would have put on the list I've actually already accomplished like completing Seminary, visiting Israel, diving in the Gulf of Mexico, Rock Climbing in Colorado, swim with dolphins, visiting Napa Valley, Los Angeles, Washington DC. I've done a lot of really fun things but my list would grow quickly. There are many other things I want to do such as: sky dive, tour Europe, Africa, China (and several places in Asia), and Alaska; take a space flight (or be the first Pastor in space!), hike the Grand Canyon, White water raft, drive a Ferrari (actually owning one used to be my goal, now I'd be satisfied to just drive one.), be in a movie, write a book, and the list goes on.
I'd like to accomplish a lot of things and I will as they come up, but the list is not filled with musts, just wants. If I don't accomplish any of them my life won't be empty by any means, but my life is not defined by the things I have done or left undone. Life is not lived by a check list.
And neither is a life with Christ!
A man once came to Jesus asking "what good thing must I do to get eternal life." (Matthew 19:13-30, The Message) I noticed in this passage the words, good thing. It's as if he was dissatisfied with the simple instructions he had learned about living for God, these normal everyday things like keeping the commandments. He had accomplished all of them, surely that would be enough, he thought. So he looked for that one thing that would put him over the top, that one good deed that would make God look his way, to put him on the pedestal, for heaven to call out his name in praise. But seeking after God is not as simple as checking off good deeds.
While living for Christ is filled with things to do, our action is important, it is the devotion that is first. (Not devotional, or devotions, but devotion. Dedication to the cause, commitment to the journey, a covenent with Christ!) Remember, this life is not about me or you, it's about Christ. Once we grasp that, with our selfishness in check, we can get to the tasks of Christ, not check list, but a daily to do list (like keeping the commandments every day.) There is only one thing that can give us eternal life, our faith. But then that demands of us daily action to live it, to live the very eternal life that is the goal. We get to start it now by living in the nature of the kingdom, with equity, justice, compassion, grace, and love to all around us. This is the action of heaven.
What do I want to accomplish before I die? First on the list is pleasing God by living for the Kingdom...
Every day!
I'll start again, today. Join me.
Peace ><>
PC
Some of the things I would have put on the list I've actually already accomplished like completing Seminary, visiting Israel, diving in the Gulf of Mexico, Rock Climbing in Colorado, swim with dolphins, visiting Napa Valley, Los Angeles, Washington DC. I've done a lot of really fun things but my list would grow quickly. There are many other things I want to do such as: sky dive, tour Europe, Africa, China (and several places in Asia), and Alaska; take a space flight (or be the first Pastor in space!), hike the Grand Canyon, White water raft, drive a Ferrari (actually owning one used to be my goal, now I'd be satisfied to just drive one.), be in a movie, write a book, and the list goes on.
I'd like to accomplish a lot of things and I will as they come up, but the list is not filled with musts, just wants. If I don't accomplish any of them my life won't be empty by any means, but my life is not defined by the things I have done or left undone. Life is not lived by a check list.
And neither is a life with Christ!
A man once came to Jesus asking "what good thing must I do to get eternal life." (Matthew 19:13-30, The Message) I noticed in this passage the words, good thing. It's as if he was dissatisfied with the simple instructions he had learned about living for God, these normal everyday things like keeping the commandments. He had accomplished all of them, surely that would be enough, he thought. So he looked for that one thing that would put him over the top, that one good deed that would make God look his way, to put him on the pedestal, for heaven to call out his name in praise. But seeking after God is not as simple as checking off good deeds.
While living for Christ is filled with things to do, our action is important, it is the devotion that is first. (Not devotional, or devotions, but devotion. Dedication to the cause, commitment to the journey, a covenent with Christ!) Remember, this life is not about me or you, it's about Christ. Once we grasp that, with our selfishness in check, we can get to the tasks of Christ, not check list, but a daily to do list (like keeping the commandments every day.) There is only one thing that can give us eternal life, our faith. But then that demands of us daily action to live it, to live the very eternal life that is the goal. We get to start it now by living in the nature of the kingdom, with equity, justice, compassion, grace, and love to all around us. This is the action of heaven.
What do I want to accomplish before I die? First on the list is pleasing God by living for the Kingdom...
Every day!
I'll start again, today. Join me.
Peace ><>
PC
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Idiots and Dummies
Barnes and Noble, and the countless other modern day bookstore/library/coffee shops, are filled with books that are meant to help people like us fix our own problems, straighten out our own lives, get to the place we envision. They are self-help books and there are thousands of new ones published each year, books for dummies, complete guides for idiots, how-to's for women and men, kids and grown ups. If you don't know how do do just about anything you can find a book to teach you. But can we truly master things like gourmet cooking through a book? Can we discover our true selves by reading a great philosopher's ideas? Self-help books have done great things for us, but they have also played into the human condition that "I can do it myself." The thing is, we can't do everything ourselves.
We've been talking about discipline this past week in exercise, finances, and our organization. And it is important to learn discipline, but discipline cannot take us the whole way we are headed, the same as self-help books cannot get us where we are going. They both help, but we need an outside influence, a leg up. We can only get so far on our own. At some point we need a guide, something to bridge the gap between our breaking point and the goal. No matter how hard we try or the resolve we have, we cannot finish this race on our own terms or our own strength. We need help. We need Jesus. (There is a great new song that is coming to mind this morning by David Crowder Band, Here is Our King. Press ctrl+N for new window then click on Listen. That opens up a new window so you can listen AND finish the blog.)
"In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all." (Romans 8:3b, The Message)
I know it sounds trite. You've heard it before. But the truth remains. Jesus is the bridge to get us to where we need to go. I'm not talking heaven, although we need him for that, too, rather I'm talking about life, here. If humanity were as good as it could be, there wouldn't be billions spent on those self-help books. We recognize our need and even make light of it. Why else would we even be seen buying books for idiots or dummies? We need the help only God can bring us. We need God's hand to set our lives right and even to keep us on the right path.
"Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life." (Romans 8:5, The Message) What is it that God can bring us that we alone can't do? We don't know right from wrong without God. We don't know our right direction for living with out God's life giving action not only for us, but in us. Self-help even reveals its flaw in its description, self. When self is our focus we miss the larger picture of life. When we have discipline and focus on the self we end up building for ourselves a prison that we cannot break out of. But with Christ, we learn (not earn) a spacious freedom for living. When we focus on God, our life opens us dramatically. We see life in all it's fullness, as if scales were removed from our eyes.
We've focused on discipline not to see how badly we have failed, but to see how much we need God. The discipline we need is not about getting better, it is about focus. When our lives are focused on God completely, all falls into place. Fall into the arms of Christ today and enjoy the freedom in his life that makes our self-discipline so sweet.
Grace & Peace ><>
PC
We've been talking about discipline this past week in exercise, finances, and our organization. And it is important to learn discipline, but discipline cannot take us the whole way we are headed, the same as self-help books cannot get us where we are going. They both help, but we need an outside influence, a leg up. We can only get so far on our own. At some point we need a guide, something to bridge the gap between our breaking point and the goal. No matter how hard we try or the resolve we have, we cannot finish this race on our own terms or our own strength. We need help. We need Jesus. (There is a great new song that is coming to mind this morning by David Crowder Band, Here is Our King. Press ctrl+N for new window then click on Listen. That opens up a new window so you can listen AND finish the blog.)
"In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all." (Romans 8:3b, The Message)
I know it sounds trite. You've heard it before. But the truth remains. Jesus is the bridge to get us to where we need to go. I'm not talking heaven, although we need him for that, too, rather I'm talking about life, here. If humanity were as good as it could be, there wouldn't be billions spent on those self-help books. We recognize our need and even make light of it. Why else would we even be seen buying books for idiots or dummies? We need the help only God can bring us. We need God's hand to set our lives right and even to keep us on the right path.
"Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life." (Romans 8:5, The Message) What is it that God can bring us that we alone can't do? We don't know right from wrong without God. We don't know our right direction for living with out God's life giving action not only for us, but in us. Self-help even reveals its flaw in its description, self. When self is our focus we miss the larger picture of life. When we have discipline and focus on the self we end up building for ourselves a prison that we cannot break out of. But with Christ, we learn (not earn) a spacious freedom for living. When we focus on God, our life opens us dramatically. We see life in all it's fullness, as if scales were removed from our eyes.
We've focused on discipline not to see how badly we have failed, but to see how much we need God. The discipline we need is not about getting better, it is about focus. When our lives are focused on God completely, all falls into place. Fall into the arms of Christ today and enjoy the freedom in his life that makes our self-discipline so sweet.
Grace & Peace ><>
PC
Monday, January 30, 2006
Inner Beauty
Conferences are tiring, to mind and body. My soul isn't tired because it was uplifted by some exceptional worship over the past 5 days, but my body is tired from traveling and my mind is racing with all of the stuff crammed into it. It's not all organized yet and maybe it's a reminder to me that I'm not as organized as I'd like to be with my life and my ministry. Things aren't the way they should be quite yet and it disrupts me on the inside.
"God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside." (1 Thess. 4:7, The Message)
This verse is both an encouragement and a prodding. It challenged me yesterday to think and pray hard for myself and for the things that I need to do in my own disordered life, to make the changes necessary for me, so that the inside can know peace. It's about making the tough decisions, saying the hard things, doing the difficult tasks because to allow them to remain only keeps the Pepto-bismal company in business. Disorder of the mind is as real and as destructive as a disordered life. It makes for restless sleep and stress filled lives.
Erwin McManus, a Pastor and author said that "90% of the time when we say we don't know what to do in situations, we simply lack the courage to do what we know we need to do." It's not an undecided mind that is restless and disordered, it's an undisciplined one! Jesus came and lived among us for several reasons: to show us the way to the Father, to open the door to the grace of God, to give us an example of a disciplined life and heart, and to give us courage to do the hard and right things.
What's on your mind? Is it seeking direction or courage? What does your heart tell you? Mine says to do what you already know to do so I can find the beauty of an ordered life on the inside. May God give us both the courage to find it.
Peace ><>
PC
"God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside." (1 Thess. 4:7, The Message)
This verse is both an encouragement and a prodding. It challenged me yesterday to think and pray hard for myself and for the things that I need to do in my own disordered life, to make the changes necessary for me, so that the inside can know peace. It's about making the tough decisions, saying the hard things, doing the difficult tasks because to allow them to remain only keeps the Pepto-bismal company in business. Disorder of the mind is as real and as destructive as a disordered life. It makes for restless sleep and stress filled lives.
Erwin McManus, a Pastor and author said that "90% of the time when we say we don't know what to do in situations, we simply lack the courage to do what we know we need to do." It's not an undecided mind that is restless and disordered, it's an undisciplined one! Jesus came and lived among us for several reasons: to show us the way to the Father, to open the door to the grace of God, to give us an example of a disciplined life and heart, and to give us courage to do the hard and right things.
What's on your mind? Is it seeking direction or courage? What does your heart tell you? Mine says to do what you already know to do so I can find the beauty of an ordered life on the inside. May God give us both the courage to find it.
Peace ><>
PC
Sunday's Post
Have you ever had one of those days when nothing happened as you expected? That was yesterday. We traveled home from Texas after attending Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas. I was going to sit down, complete the weeks readings and post a thought or two. But I didn't get home until late, sat at the hospital until later, then sat up even later with friends. Needless to say, I didn't get much accomplished. So, if you were depending on me yesterday, I'm sorry I let you down. The scripture was at least listed for the day and there will be a new post in a few minutes for Monday.
Peace to y'all (Texas is rubbing off on me.)
PC
Peace to y'all (Texas is rubbing off on me.)
PC
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)