I'm imcomplete. I want to be a better Christian, but for some reason my life is missing something. I'm dissatisfied with being less than what God wants for me. I'm not finished as a Christian.
I've always wondered what it really meant to be a Christian. Growing up I was taught that I had to be good, which I understood to be kind, never cheat, follow the commandments, etc. It's like I just thought that Christians had this uncanny ability to know right from wrong. I also knew that I had to believe in God and in Jesus. But believe what about them, that they existed? That they cared for me? These answers seemed to me then, and even now, to be such vague explanations. I always wanted a better description.
One of the things I have discovered about being Christian is that belief is only the beginning. Once we believe that Jesus existed, and that He did so to show God's love to the world, and to redeem us from our rebellion, then we are supposed to become like God in our thinking, our action, in our living. That means that we must learn how God thinks, acts and lives. And this is the greatest challenge.
"God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness." (Titus 2:11-14, The Message)
Our job as Christians is to strive towards a God-filled, God-honoring life and God shows us how. What that means for us is that Christianity is a never ending quest, for a life complete in God. For now I am still an unfinished picture awaiting some broad and careful brush strokes of God. Soon I'll be more complete. My life is imcomplete only because God isn't done with me yet.
And that's good enough for me.
Peace ><>
PC
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Friday, February 10, 2006
The Key to Truth
Not all talk about God is truth. Not all what we call truth about God is true. The challenge is to discover what is true about God and what is not. The church, as it began, struggled with this idea because of the wide variety of teachings about God and about Jesus. The Church grew so fast and spread quickly into the the Roman Empire which was widely diverse culturally. This led to a theological dilemma as different understandings about Jesus were being taught.
My wife used to hate theology. I'd come home from a day at Seminary to share some new insight and my wife would want to cover her ears and shout, "La, la, la, la...I can't hear you." You see she believed that theology was an attempt to undercut God somehow, to reduce God to some concepts that would depersonalize God's very nature and make God harder to trust and believe. The thing is, theology is just the opposite. Literally theology is words about God (It's Greek, theos = God, logos=words) or God-talk.
Now God-talk can be good or it can be flawed, or bad. Good theology, bad theology. There have been plenty of both. The reason to bring this up today is that the Church in America is having a theological crisis of sorts. It has allowed for so much diversity in its theology that the Message has gotten lost, forgotten, or at least watered down. While the church is nearing 2000 years old some theological diversity is expected coming through those many generations. But the truth remains our goal.
Paul described the Christian faith so simply so many times: the love of God, the promise of God, the Son of God, the grace of God, and our obedience to God. Now I realize that this leaves much room for diversity, but if you read Paul's letters you'll find it consistent, just as God is. Our job is to love God as we are loved, love each other as God loves them, treat everyone fairly, live above the fray, be forgiving, generous and gracious. To define it further, to establish rules and regulations is to miss the point. The Message of God in Jesus was never about keeping people out, rather to draw people in.
Paul described a leader that "He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the message." (Titus 1:9a, The Message)
The Message is the Word of God, the Word of God is Jesus. The closer we get to him, the more we reflect him and the words we learn about him, good theology.
Get a grip...on Jesus and "receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you." (Titus 1:4, The Message)
Peace ><>
PC
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Is God Fair?
Okay, so I'm slow today. Came home sick from the office yesterday, and recovering at home today. Hopefully this bug I have will go away soon. I have so much yet to do this weekend! Anyway, to todays devotional thought...
Why is it that people like to accuse God as being unfair? If things go right its to their credit, but if things go wrong, it must be God's fault. Life is unfair, God isn't. Circumstances, consequences are unfair sometimes. God never is.
My neice, Julie, is 38, has two small children, a happy marriage and is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. She is smart, energetic, compassionate and faithful. And she is dying.
I wish there was some way to explain it, to make sense of it, to make the circumstances different, but God hasn't allowed for such understanding. The cancer that is eating away at her life will not relent and soon the battle she has been waging for some time will be over. Is it fair? NO! Is it God's fault? No. Has God been present for Julie and her family? Absolutely!
God has a very different view of what's fair and just. God doesn't rely on our systems, but has God's own, God's economy of justice. What's fair to us may not be fair to God. God sees in much clearer ways than we ever will. Our version of fair usually has our best interests at heart. God's version of fair takes care of God's and our bests interests.
God is fair and just;
He corrects the misdirected,
Sends them in the right direction.
He gives the rejects his hand,
And leads them step-by-step.
(Psalm 25:8-9, The Message)
Although I wish I could make circumstances different for Julie. I have to hold out that God has a plan for this. That what God has promised, "that all things work out for good, for those who love the Lord." (Romans 8:28, my paraphrase) will hold true. I have to believe that.
We may not understand everything that happens in life. But we can reach out for the hand of God to lead us every step of the way.
That's God's promise!
Peace ><>
PC
Why is it that people like to accuse God as being unfair? If things go right its to their credit, but if things go wrong, it must be God's fault. Life is unfair, God isn't. Circumstances, consequences are unfair sometimes. God never is.
My neice, Julie, is 38, has two small children, a happy marriage and is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. She is smart, energetic, compassionate and faithful. And she is dying.
I wish there was some way to explain it, to make sense of it, to make the circumstances different, but God hasn't allowed for such understanding. The cancer that is eating away at her life will not relent and soon the battle she has been waging for some time will be over. Is it fair? NO! Is it God's fault? No. Has God been present for Julie and her family? Absolutely!
God has a very different view of what's fair and just. God doesn't rely on our systems, but has God's own, God's economy of justice. What's fair to us may not be fair to God. God sees in much clearer ways than we ever will. Our version of fair usually has our best interests at heart. God's version of fair takes care of God's and our bests interests.
God is fair and just;
He corrects the misdirected,
Sends them in the right direction.
He gives the rejects his hand,
And leads them step-by-step.
(Psalm 25:8-9, The Message)
Although I wish I could make circumstances different for Julie. I have to hold out that God has a plan for this. That what God has promised, "that all things work out for good, for those who love the Lord." (Romans 8:28, my paraphrase) will hold true. I have to believe that.
We may not understand everything that happens in life. But we can reach out for the hand of God to lead us every step of the way.
That's God's promise!
Peace ><>
PC
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Child-like, NOT Childish
If you've been at the church ever, you've probably seen my wife carring a baby. It doesn't matter which one really, just babies. She loves kids, which is partly the reason why she is the Director of Children and Family ministries. It's not unusual for her to end a conversation with an adult just so she can go be with a child or pick up a baby. They are that important to her. They are people, too.
She grew up in a large family, the last of 5 kids. I grew up as the oldest of 2. The average family in the United States has roughly 2.3 children. Many times through the years, we have been derided for having 4 children. It was outside of the norm. People would ask us why we'd have so many. We can't imagine having any less and had at many times talked about having more. (Not lately. We've long since discussed and look forward to grandchildren someday, in the future, many years from now.) So our family is above average. What can I say, we love kids.
I was visiting a church a few years ago and I like to read all of the stuff they have in the pews, just to see what a church is about. One of the nicely published documents was a parents guide to having children in worship. Some of the things on it were: We welcome children of all ages in our worship, children's activity packets are available from the welcome center or ushers, children make noise, but it probably bothers you more than it does us, and my favorite, "if your children are bothering others around you, we'll pray for those other people!" They welcomed children and they welcomed families.
The Children's Ministry, O-Zone, at our church is something to be proud of, but not because it is a trophy, but because the children matter to us and to God. We do children's ministry because we have to care for all of God's children, equally. The same reason we have to care for youth, and young families, married and single adults alike, the young and the not-so-young, the healthy and the infirmed. Our ministry must reflect the kingdom of God, where all are treated with equal care, love and grace.
Jesus told his disciples when they tried to keep the children away from him, "Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these." (Matthew 19:15, The Message)
In the first Century, children were worth little. Parents loved them, but as a society, children were set aside. Not until they had a use in the society did they gain any value. That's not Jesus' view. He breaks down the hierarchy of human importance and levels the playing field. Children have as much of a place in the kingdom as adults, the poor as much as the rich, the oppressed as much as the oppressors, gentiles as much as Jews. As unique as we all are, we are the same in God's eyes. We are children, God's children. The Kingdom of God is for all of us, equally.
Peace ><>
PC
She grew up in a large family, the last of 5 kids. I grew up as the oldest of 2. The average family in the United States has roughly 2.3 children. Many times through the years, we have been derided for having 4 children. It was outside of the norm. People would ask us why we'd have so many. We can't imagine having any less and had at many times talked about having more. (Not lately. We've long since discussed and look forward to grandchildren someday, in the future, many years from now.) So our family is above average. What can I say, we love kids.
I was visiting a church a few years ago and I like to read all of the stuff they have in the pews, just to see what a church is about. One of the nicely published documents was a parents guide to having children in worship. Some of the things on it were: We welcome children of all ages in our worship, children's activity packets are available from the welcome center or ushers, children make noise, but it probably bothers you more than it does us, and my favorite, "if your children are bothering others around you, we'll pray for those other people!" They welcomed children and they welcomed families.
The Children's Ministry, O-Zone, at our church is something to be proud of, but not because it is a trophy, but because the children matter to us and to God. We do children's ministry because we have to care for all of God's children, equally. The same reason we have to care for youth, and young families, married and single adults alike, the young and the not-so-young, the healthy and the infirmed. Our ministry must reflect the kingdom of God, where all are treated with equal care, love and grace.
Jesus told his disciples when they tried to keep the children away from him, "Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these." (Matthew 19:15, The Message)
In the first Century, children were worth little. Parents loved them, but as a society, children were set aside. Not until they had a use in the society did they gain any value. That's not Jesus' view. He breaks down the hierarchy of human importance and levels the playing field. Children have as much of a place in the kingdom as adults, the poor as much as the rich, the oppressed as much as the oppressors, gentiles as much as Jews. As unique as we all are, we are the same in God's eyes. We are children, God's children. The Kingdom of God is for all of us, equally.
Peace ><>
PC
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Plate Spinning
I'm struggling this morning with a lot on my mind. There are unfinished things on my desk. There are uncompleted tasks on my task list (yes, I make lists so that I won't forget things. I am past 40!) There are so many important things I want to accomplish that I can't get to them fast enough. There are others depending on me. There are even more who are demanding my time. But there are not enough hours in the day, not enough days in the week.
I've always done okay on tests when I was in school, most of the time. They were never great stressors, just simply another hurdles on the path to get over. But this is a different kind of test. It's one that is checking my faith, my leadership, my resolve. I think God is testing me to see just what I can handle.
It's like spinning plates.
This dates me somewhat because if you're less than 30, you probably have no idea what that is! Many of you have seen plate spinners on TV, those long wooden poles on top of the table and at the top of each pole is a plate, spinning like a top. I've always wondered how they did that. I can't even get a frisbee to spin on my finger (I can do a better job with a basketball.). But a few years ago I realized that life can sometimes be like spinning plates. Each one important to keep rotating, nurturing each one carefully making sure none get neglected or CRASH!
"Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life."(James 1:12, The Message)
Ever spin a plate? We do it all the time. The challenges come when we are asked to spin our limit. Taking on one too many (or two or three) and more than one can fall. The other side of this is if you only spinning one and the rest of the plates are just sitting, waiting. Sure it's easy to just spin one at a time, but most of us have the skill and gifts to spin several.
The life Christ is calling us to is to be somewhere near our maximum, not minimum; to find our groove; to get in on the action of Christ and not be a spectator watching others spin. Today, I'm going to keep some plates spinning and set some aside. There are some I've been spinning that don't have my name on them. I'll be passing them on to those whose names are revealed, because I want others to know the joy of action in the Kingdom of God.
"But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God - the free life! - even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action." (James 1:25, The Message)
Keep 'em spinning (but watch the one on the end. It's looking wobbly!)
Peace ><>
PC
I've always done okay on tests when I was in school, most of the time. They were never great stressors, just simply another hurdles on the path to get over. But this is a different kind of test. It's one that is checking my faith, my leadership, my resolve. I think God is testing me to see just what I can handle.
It's like spinning plates.
This dates me somewhat because if you're less than 30, you probably have no idea what that is! Many of you have seen plate spinners on TV, those long wooden poles on top of the table and at the top of each pole is a plate, spinning like a top. I've always wondered how they did that. I can't even get a frisbee to spin on my finger (I can do a better job with a basketball.). But a few years ago I realized that life can sometimes be like spinning plates. Each one important to keep rotating, nurturing each one carefully making sure none get neglected or CRASH!
"Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life."(James 1:12, The Message)
Ever spin a plate? We do it all the time. The challenges come when we are asked to spin our limit. Taking on one too many (or two or three) and more than one can fall. The other side of this is if you only spinning one and the rest of the plates are just sitting, waiting. Sure it's easy to just spin one at a time, but most of us have the skill and gifts to spin several.
The life Christ is calling us to is to be somewhere near our maximum, not minimum; to find our groove; to get in on the action of Christ and not be a spectator watching others spin. Today, I'm going to keep some plates spinning and set some aside. There are some I've been spinning that don't have my name on them. I'll be passing them on to those whose names are revealed, because I want others to know the joy of action in the Kingdom of God.
"But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God - the free life! - even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action." (James 1:25, The Message)
Keep 'em spinning (but watch the one on the end. It's looking wobbly!)
Peace ><>
PC
Monday, February 06, 2006
Fingerpaints or Masterpiece
I was disappointed last night. I watched the Super Bowl awaiting with great anticipation a great game and the much hyped commercials. The game did have its own drama as the momentum shifted from one team to the other on many occasions, yet it still left me empty. (Probably because neither of the really important teams were playing, like the Colts or the Bears!)
And as I think of the commercials I have to ask, where were the funny ones? I was expecting to be blown away with creativity, rather I was bored with mediocrity. I kept flipping channels (It's a guys preogative to use the remote as much as possible!) just to see if there was something else of greater interest. The Super Bowl didn't meet with my expectataions this year.
Ever seen a child's fingerpainting? The simple strokes and shapes, the creative use of colors. Few of us would ever critique such a painting. We'd just admire it and tell the child what a great painting it was. In my office there is a place I keep just for pictures that children color or paint for me in Sunday School or at home. It is fun to receive these special gifts.
But what if Monet's medium had been finger paints? What if Rembrandt had tried his hand instead of his brushes? Would we think the same of them? O sure if we had a fingerpainting by Rembrandt today, it would sell for millions. But what if all his paintings had looked like a child's? We wouldn't even know who he was. There is a difference in expectation. A painting by a child is supposed to look like a child painted it. A painting by a more skilled person is supposed to have a different quality.
The same can be said of a Christian. There is a time to fingerpaint, and there is a time to work on the masterpiece. If we are still fingerpainting, we're not growing up. Maybe it's time to pick up a brush and begin painting on a grander scale. We're not children anymore. God's expectations for us change as we grow. Fingerpaints just won't do anymore.
The author of the book of Hebrews uses an image such as this to describe the basics of our beliefs. It's good to have a solid trust and understanding of the basics and a life that reflects these basic beliefs. "But there's so much more. Let's get on with it!" (Hebrews 6:3, The Message). The journey we are on demands that our roots of faith grow deeper so that our lives like a tree can grow ever taller and wider. There's an expectation that our faith will grow and that our influence will too. We never get to the place where we "make it" as a Christian. The destination is not some level of behavior or even simply the kingdom. The destination is not heaven, but the journey is the destination. And God expects us to be making progress and not detoured or stopped along the way.
"And now I want each of you to extend the same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them." (Hebrews 6:11-12, The Message)
Peace ><>
PC
And as I think of the commercials I have to ask, where were the funny ones? I was expecting to be blown away with creativity, rather I was bored with mediocrity. I kept flipping channels (It's a guys preogative to use the remote as much as possible!) just to see if there was something else of greater interest. The Super Bowl didn't meet with my expectataions this year.
Ever seen a child's fingerpainting? The simple strokes and shapes, the creative use of colors. Few of us would ever critique such a painting. We'd just admire it and tell the child what a great painting it was. In my office there is a place I keep just for pictures that children color or paint for me in Sunday School or at home. It is fun to receive these special gifts.
But what if Monet's medium had been finger paints? What if Rembrandt had tried his hand instead of his brushes? Would we think the same of them? O sure if we had a fingerpainting by Rembrandt today, it would sell for millions. But what if all his paintings had looked like a child's? We wouldn't even know who he was. There is a difference in expectation. A painting by a child is supposed to look like a child painted it. A painting by a more skilled person is supposed to have a different quality.
The same can be said of a Christian. There is a time to fingerpaint, and there is a time to work on the masterpiece. If we are still fingerpainting, we're not growing up. Maybe it's time to pick up a brush and begin painting on a grander scale. We're not children anymore. God's expectations for us change as we grow. Fingerpaints just won't do anymore.
The author of the book of Hebrews uses an image such as this to describe the basics of our beliefs. It's good to have a solid trust and understanding of the basics and a life that reflects these basic beliefs. "But there's so much more. Let's get on with it!" (Hebrews 6:3, The Message). The journey we are on demands that our roots of faith grow deeper so that our lives like a tree can grow ever taller and wider. There's an expectation that our faith will grow and that our influence will too. We never get to the place where we "make it" as a Christian. The destination is not some level of behavior or even simply the kingdom. The destination is not heaven, but the journey is the destination. And God expects us to be making progress and not detoured or stopped along the way.
"And now I want each of you to extend the same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them." (Hebrews 6:11-12, The Message)
Peace ><>
PC
Sunday, February 05, 2006
No Easy Task
Today's message is the first in a series entitled, Pushing the Easy Button. We'll be looking at the difficulties we face as Christians, especially the demands Jesus places on we who follow. Our text this week is Matthew 19:16-30, the story of the Rich Young Man. Here are some of the notes of the message.
Living as a Christian is No Easy Task. The demands are great.
1) Wouldn’t it be great to have a Christian Easy Button? It would sure make difficult things easier. But we don’t.
2) Being a Christian was never promised to be easy.
a. “There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.” (1 Peter 1:6, NLT)
b. “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble, calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?...No!” (Romans 8:35, 37a, NLT)
c. Jesus promised a Cross in His life and in ours.
d. Living as a Christian means giving up your vision, dreams, self (identity) in order to find God’s vision, dreams, identity for you! Give up life in order to find it.
e. It means sacrifice.
Too often Christianity has promised false security, safety, prosperity and peace.
3) When the young man came to Jesus he expected the good without cost.
a. He didn’t expect the price (book or dvd clubs: benefits as long as you pay.)
b. We forget that we must pay a price every day.
c. It’s different for everyone.
d. What’s your problem? We all have at least one.
e. Even the disciples had to learn this lesson. Just because they were with Jesus meant nothing if their lives didn’t start reflecting his. There are daily expectations for them, and for us.
f. Christianity is a daily struggle, not a one time acquisition.
4) What’s expected of us as Christians?
a. Keep God’s ways (i.e. commandments)
b. These are minimum expectations not suggestions, for all God's people!
c. They help us focus on what’s really important
i. Honoring God in the first 4 commandments
ii. Honoring God by honoring others in the last 6 commandments
Living by the commandments is a life truly in the way God expected, desired. It's ethical living and doing right by all.
5) What’s expected of the Church?
a. "What do we get?" Is the wrong question.
b. "What do we get to give away?" Is the right one.
c. Jesus wanted to give us an attitude toward mission. Focusing not on ourselves, but first on God and then on all others.
d. Not a Holy Huddle (where outsiders see only butts) It tells those on the outside that we don’t care. Or more plainly, the church that seeks its own way and not the way of Christ, or is not focused on those who are not there yet (mission) is telling it to go to hell!
e. Not Keepers of the aquarium, but fishers of men. (there’s not much sport fishing in a tank.)
f. The church is never about me.
g. Once I get inside, I’m part of the team.
h. Not easy, but the right answer.
Peace ><>
PC
Living as a Christian is No Easy Task. The demands are great.
1) Wouldn’t it be great to have a Christian Easy Button? It would sure make difficult things easier. But we don’t.
2) Being a Christian was never promised to be easy.
a. “There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.” (1 Peter 1:6, NLT)
b. “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble, calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?...No!” (Romans 8:35, 37a, NLT)
c. Jesus promised a Cross in His life and in ours.
d. Living as a Christian means giving up your vision, dreams, self (identity) in order to find God’s vision, dreams, identity for you! Give up life in order to find it.
e. It means sacrifice.
Too often Christianity has promised false security, safety, prosperity and peace.
3) When the young man came to Jesus he expected the good without cost.
a. He didn’t expect the price (book or dvd clubs: benefits as long as you pay.)
b. We forget that we must pay a price every day.
c. It’s different for everyone.
d. What’s your problem? We all have at least one.
e. Even the disciples had to learn this lesson. Just because they were with Jesus meant nothing if their lives didn’t start reflecting his. There are daily expectations for them, and for us.
f. Christianity is a daily struggle, not a one time acquisition.
4) What’s expected of us as Christians?
a. Keep God’s ways (i.e. commandments)
b. These are minimum expectations not suggestions, for all God's people!
c. They help us focus on what’s really important
i. Honoring God in the first 4 commandments
ii. Honoring God by honoring others in the last 6 commandments
Living by the commandments is a life truly in the way God expected, desired. It's ethical living and doing right by all.
5) What’s expected of the Church?
a. "What do we get?" Is the wrong question.
b. "What do we get to give away?" Is the right one.
c. Jesus wanted to give us an attitude toward mission. Focusing not on ourselves, but first on God and then on all others.
d. Not a Holy Huddle (where outsiders see only butts) It tells those on the outside that we don’t care. Or more plainly, the church that seeks its own way and not the way of Christ, or is not focused on those who are not there yet (mission) is telling it to go to hell!
e. Not Keepers of the aquarium, but fishers of men. (there’s not much sport fishing in a tank.)
f. The church is never about me.
g. Once I get inside, I’m part of the team.
h. Not easy, but the right answer.
Peace ><>
PC
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