Pastor Chris Nunley

The Beginning of BS

2011-09-07T08:05:00.001-05:00

Scripture should create questions in us. Not questions of doubt, although those will come too. But I'm talking about deeper questions like "if this passage says this, what implications does it have for then and for now?" I know that's pretty vague, but the point is to allow the questions to begin to flow in us, to seek more from the scriptures than mere words on a page. It's the difference between simply taking in information from the scriptures to allowing the scriptures to transform us.

In today's Bible readings (get yours here), there are several questions that have come to my mind... (and I want to encourage you to let them come. Invite them. Learn from them.)

1. Genesis 22:15-ff (and following) Abraham is taking Isaac up to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him as a burnt offering according to the word of the Lord. As he makes the preparations, he is stopped from the sacrifice and told, "Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son..."

But wait a minute, Isaac isn't Abraham's only son. Ishmael was born to Abraham and Hagar almost 14 years earlier. Curious. But maybe what God meant is that Isaac is the only promised son, the only son of the covenant. That makes more sense.

It is clear, especially as the New Testament writers wrote, that Abraham's life is a foreshadowing of what God will do with Jesus when he allows the sacrifice of his only Son, Jesus Christ. But then is Jesus the only son of God, because are not all of us called sons and daughters? Jesus was called the only begotten Son; the only Messiah (anointed One), so the parallel still works, but on a different level.

2. In Matthew 7 Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with some great challenges and says, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew7:13-14, NRSV)

A straight forward lesson from Jesus, or is it?

I've always wondered what exactly Jesus was talking about. What does it mean to find and take the narrow road? Is it the road to perfection that I mentioned the other day? Or are there other requirements?

While the perfection comment comes in a previous chapter, it's still in the same sermon. So what is he talking about exactly?

Matt. 6:33, "But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This was about worry and trusting in God daily, that like Abraham, God's righteousness will be given to us, not earned as we grow in faith.
Matthew 5:48, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (see previous post) This is about living up to a new standard, even taking the 10 commandments to a new level. It's beginning to see through the specifics of the law and see the reasons for the law and begin to keep the spirit of the law as true faithfulness. (Because it's well documented that we cannot live up to the perfection that seems to be required. Since we all fail miserably, what's the point of continuing? It's about the journey toward perfection (a key Wesleyan concept).
"Do not judge." (or be hypocritical!) "Do not give what is holy to dogs." Or rather, don't make the holy common, or take what is holy for granted. The Golden Rule (do to others as you would have them do to you).

These are what immediately precedes the "narrow gate" comment. Now while I believe that Jesus was beginning to close this sermon and so is referencing all that went before it, we cannot forget these final and key ideas about the narrow gate. In fact, is it not because of their placement, that they should be given greater attention? I believe that the narrow gate Jesus describes is a life free from judgment of others, a healthy fear (awe, respect) of God's holiness (including laws, scripture, tradition) and a life that is defined by humility, love and grace toward others. This is what it means to really live that abnormal life, along a narrow road.

I know that there is more than one post here, and while there are several points to this, the one I really wanted to stress today is the questioning that lead to the discovery.

Yes, all of this is BS...but the right kind of BS...Bible Study. And it happens only when we allow ourselves time in them and their work in and on us.

Keep at it!

Peace ><>

Perfection

2011-09-05T09:29:00.001-05:00

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48, NRSV)

If there is one thing about my life that is painfully obvious it is that I am not perfect.

Just ask my wife.

Yes, my name is Chris and I am imperfect.

This passage from Matthew's Gospel has always bugged me for the simple reason that I cannot live up to it. None of us can. Even the best people, great Saints of God are shown to be imperfect. Saint (Mother) Teresa revealed her doubts about God in her dairies. St. Francis was impulsive and would go about naked. So if even the saints can't reach this perfection, why does Jesus give us such an impossible task? It's enough to make the best person, the most faithful person, simply want to give up.

But maybe it's not about being perfect after all.

Maybe its all about striving for perfection.

There are times that I think I will never change. That all my efforts are in vain. But then, somewhere down the road, I notice something, a slight difference in my behavior, in my thought process. I recognize that ever so slightly, I have been changing for the better. Sometimes is because of my own efforts, but mostly it's from the work of God in me.

The point, I believe, in Jesus' command here is simple...to put ourselves fully, wholly into the hands of God and let the perfection come when it will. It may mean sacrificing our desires, biting our tongues, altering our habits, changing our destinations in order to meet the demands of faith. It's not that we have to be perfect, but that we strive for it.

For it is in that effort that we find a deeper connection with a perfect and holy God.

Peace ><>
pc

One Step...

2011-09-03T07:36:00.004-05:00

I gave a challenge to the church I serve: Read the Bible Every day and attend a class, Sunday School or small group. My goal is to become a church filled with followers of Christ, i.e. disciples. Now don't get me wrong. There are many disciples already in the church and even more people who believe in Jesus Christ, but there are lots of people who need some spiritual maturity. And I'm committed to bringing them along in that endeavor.

Years ago I discovered what real discipleship was. Leading a youth group and a young adult sunday school class required me to study and learn in order to stay at least a half-step ahead of those I was trying to teach. That process molded me. It made me trust God more than myself. It made me think about things I always took for granted. And it required something from me that I had never considered, sacrificing my naive faith for something much deeper, much more profound.

It didn't happen in a day.

It didn't happen in an instant.

But over weeks, experiences, questions, doubts, discoveries, I began to develop a faith in Christ that was authentic and powerful and life-changing.

In fact, it made me wonder if I had even been a real Christian before?

It is a journey that continues to this day, a journey of discipleship and I'm challenging a new set of friends to join me.

I pray you will.

Peace ><>
Pastor Chris

Read the Bible every day (via a reading calendar)
Join Disciple Bible Study
Join Pastor Chris' Class on Wednesday Evenings (SOUL FOOD)

A Pastor's Response after UBL's Death

2011-05-05T14:35:00.306-05:00

THE News
Last Sunday night, like many of you, I waited with curious anticipation for the President's announcement. And even though the press got wind of the news just prior to the official press conference, I still stayed up and watched.

Like most people, I was surprised. UBL has become more of a legend than a real person and I was almost sure his infamy would last much longer than his life; and it may yet. In fact, I was almost sure that he had died quietly a few years ago, only to be "seen" in many places kind of like Elvis. But then the reality hit me, "we got him" began to ring in my ears and I had a strange feeling flow through me.

I didn't feel joy.
I wasn't sure what I wanted to feel. Surprise and relief are the two things I identified right away and even then there was a pang of guilt in feeling them. I was relieved that a key purpose for nearly a decade of war was finally reached and that maybe, just maybe, the wars we were fighting would begin to come to an end. But the strange feeling remained.

I didn't stay up long, just heard the announcement and a few commentaries and then retired for the night only to be bombarded with images and stories the next morning. My twitter account was overflowing with snippets to read, details to sort through and videos of parties that had spilled out into the streets throughout the nation. The strange feeling had returned. But while I saw pure joy and hatred in the celebrations, it wasn't what I was feeling...like I shouldn't feel it.

Since then, I've been thinking and praying long and hard about how to respond to this key event in our nation's history, the death of Usama Bin Laden, at the hands of our US Military. And the primary reason for this response is that it wasn't just a death of an enemy combatant against our nation; but that he didn't die from his medical condition; or at the hand of one of his enemies (which are many, even within the Muslim world). Rather it is important because it was us, an American soldier, in an American team, using American helicopters and an American made bullet. It's significant because now the eyes of the world are on...America!

And whether it's accurate or not, or fair or not, when the world looks at America, they see Christianity, or at least equate them together, much more than we do. And while many in our nationwould love to keep the US identity firmly rooted in Christianity, this is one time where I'm not so sure I'm one of them. Don't get me wrong, I know our history and whether or not it was ever fully a "Christian Nation" is still up for debate. What I know now, thoug

h, is that we are far from that ideal, even though the world (I'm speaking in broad generalities here) still sees the US actions throughout the world as a reflection of our Christian faith, especially when it paints Christians as intolerant, narrow-minded, hypocrites.

That's a problem.

But then it's almost always been that way.

My real purpose in writing this response, though, is to deal with the strange feelings deep inside of me; and recognize that maybe there's a better response than what we've seen on the news...especially as Christians. I want to be true to who I am called to be according to the scriptures and our Methodist tradition and theology. And I want to offer you that point of view. I don't expect you to fully agree with me, and that's okay. Even our staff had a variety of responses. But I do pray that this furthers our conversation concerning earthly and heavenly things.

Now I know that the Bible can be used by just about anyone to justify just about anything. So I want to steer clear of those pitfalls. Instead I want to hear clearly, even if it is challenging, what the scriptures say about treating our enemies.

The Holiness Code in the book of Leviticus showed Israel how to create a healthy community in the midst of radical differences among peoples. And while we often remember the principle, "an eye for an eye and tooth for tooth," we often forget "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:18, NRSV)

This is long before Jesus said it was the second greatest commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39, NRSV)

Wisdom is often revered over principles of law, so how do we miss this, "Do not rejoice when your enemies fall and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble, or else the Lord will see it and be displeased and turn away his anger from them." (Proverbs 24:17-18, NRSV)

Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be the children of your Father in heaven; for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous...be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:44-45, 48, NRSV)

Jesus even went so far as to qualify a neighbor by using a story of a Samaritan to help an Israelite...sworn enemies! (Luke 10)

Paul also taught, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God...do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:19, 21, NRSV) and also, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law."(Romans 13:10, NSRV).

Even our tradition has important things to say about a Christian's response to evils in this world. John Wesley was very firm in his expectations of Christians in the early methodist societies (small covenant groups). He believed in complete sanctification in this life and it was our task to work towards this "perfect" nature of Christ. To get there he wrote what are known as the general rules. Here's a sample:

"It is the therefore expected of all who continue therein that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,
First: By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced, such as...doing to others as we would not they should do unto us."
Secondly: By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men."

In other words, Wesley expected those who confessed Jesus Christ would always keep the golden rule, never hurt others and by doing all the good possible to every person, every day.

So what does this mean for us?

I believe Jesus expects more from us. It means we must temper our celebration and not rejoice at the death of one man, even our sworn enemy, for every life has value to God. I believe there can be rejoicing that justice will be done, but through God's providence and not our hands. I believe that if we respond with love and forgiveness, we'll see a difference in our enemies. And I believe that if we pray like Jesus told us to pray we'll see things change, even if the only change is us.

So pray with me...
...that we begin to see our enemies as God sees them.
...that we put aside our own hatred and learn to love radically.
...that we gain the strength to forgive those who have harmed us and our nation.
...that we have the courage to call all people regardless of differences, our neighbors
...that we trust the words of Jesus more than we trust our own feelings.

..and be the change we seek.

Peace ><>
Pastor Chris

Leviticus 19:18
Proverbs 24:17-18
Matthew 19:19
Matthew 5:44
Romans 12:19
Romans 13:10

Lent 2011 - Day 7

2011-03-15T08:42:00.000-05:00

Lent is a journey toward holiness; toward a more intimate interaction with the Divine; and as John Wesley would describe it, a practice in self-denial. (Which to him is the ultimate expression of the Christian faith.)

I don't disagree...and because of it am feeling a bit guilty.

For some reason it was important to stay up late to find out if Brad and Emily would end up together and why they have been so challenged in their relationship since it officially began. And since I didn't even begin to watch this "important" until after 10:00....

I'm tired this morning because of it and guilty.

John's sermon on "Redeeming Time, from sleep" is about just that, sleep; getting enough of it, and only enough, because too much is dangerous to body, mind and soul.

One of the things I love about John Wesley is his practicality. He saw the importance of living the faith and sought for himself and his parish (the whole world) the faithful daily practice thereof...even if it meant steering clear of the guilty pleasure of sleeping in.

It's not that simple pleasures are bad in themselves, like eating a couple of (boxes of) Girl Scout cookies or watching a (few) NCAA Basketball game during Lent, but that the simple pleasures can quickly become habits that waste valuable time that could be spent loving God more fully.

While it is true that most of us could spend more time with God daily, it is also true that we should not deny ourselves of all things pleasurable or worldly. We live as with a foot in the world and a foot in heaven, and therefore must carefully and mindfully travel that narrow road that leads from here to there; that each step should be carefully planned and taken.

It's a journey toward holiness (and wholeness) that requires self-denial, or more specifically, careful choices in what we do, how we spend our time, our sleep, our leisure.

Yes, we can get whatever sleep we need. We can even watch March Madness while eating a box of Girl Scout Cookies, but only as long as we keep to our self-imposed Lenten disciplines and keep our love of God first and foremost in all our practices. Because that's what gives us the life we need anyway!

Peace ><>

Lent 2011 - Day 2

2011-03-10T08:09:00.000-06:00

John Wesley once said, "Prayer is the lifting up of the heart to God: All words of prayer, without this, are mere hypocrisy."*

In the season of Lent, one of the key practices we are to be about is prayer, but according to this, it's not the words of prayer that are important, nor even the length of prayer, but the reason for our praying. It's the heart of the matter, literally.

I don't know about you, but I needed to hear that. I, too, often get distracted in my own prayers and their purpose. I mean, I know why I pray, but the question is, "is it for the right reason?" When we lift up our prayers is it just our desires for God to work, or some kind of balm for our own soul that says we believe God might just hear us and maybe answer?

Or is it as it should be, to lay bare my heart to God?

This Lenten Season my task is simple, to dig deep in to my own soul and reveal whatever I find to a God who is longing for it, and ready to salve whatever pain it costs. Because the goal of Lent is to prepare ourselves to fully embrace the resurrection, which means we need to fully embrace God who fully embraces us....no matter what.

So, dig deep and open up!

Peace ><>

*Day 1 of 40 Days of Wesley: Sermon #26 Upon the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, Discourse 6.

Day 2 of 40 Days of Wesley: Sermon #48 Self-Denial

A Journey...Lent Included

2011-03-09T07:30:00.000-06:00

I know it's the beginning of Lent. I look forward to this every year because of it's potential impact on the life of the church, but mostly because of it's impact on me! Like most Christian holidays for me it is a re-centering on what is important about my task and calling. It's a time to peel back another layer and discover more of God and deepen my relationship with Christ.

But this year, it's also the beginning of another journey on which I recently embarked.

On Sunday, March 20th, I'll say good bye to a church I've served for nearly 9 years, and an area where I've lived for almost 13. It will be a difficult farewell because I'm leaving some dear friends and the many disciples that I've nurtured. It's also hard to leave the familiar, the comfortable, the predictable, the groove...

... that may have turned into a rut!

My new journey will take me to Newburgh, Indiana, just east of Evansville right on the banks of the Ohio River. At least that's where the old church used to sit, on a bluff over looking the water, when 200 years ago this week a Methodist Circuit Rider started a new church. I begin sharing in this rich tradition on April 1st as I begin at Newburgh United Methodist Church as its new Lead Pastor.

So this year for my Lenten Journey I will be reading a John Wesley sermon each day and work at doing the very thing Lent is really for, falling more in love with God every day.

I hope you'll join me.

Peace ><>
pc

Day 2 of 2011

2011-01-02T07:13:00.000-06:00

40 Days of the Gospels - Day 6

I've taken advantage of the last few days of Holiday to rest, plan and enjoy my family. We've gone out to eat, seen a movie, read most of a new book I received for Christmas, even caught a parade and a game on New Years Day. It's been really nice to take some time to relax a bit and nurse this cold I have been acquiring slowly for the past week.

It was nice because I know what today brings. It's the beginning of a new year of ministry that has many remnants from the past year to complete and new possibilities for the future. There are wrinkles that have already shown themselves and that makes for some challenges already, but I will not be discouraged. I will face forward to where God is leading, charge ahead, and see where it takes me, and us.

Which is why this weekend has been so important. It has been a centering of sorts. It was a Sabbath.

In today's 40 Days of Gospel reading, Jesus teaches about the Sabbath; that it was not an unbreakable law, but a day for us to use as we need. Sure it means rest, but it also includes faith practice, worship, study. For many of us it also includes family time, activities, etc. It's up to us to use as we see fit, but to make sure we honor God in all of our activity of the day.

I love my Sabbath times. They keep me true.

Peace ><>
pc

Happy New Year - Day 1

2011-01-01T11:49:00.000-06:00

1-1-11
Today is the day many people around the world will establish some self-inflicted rules for the year, New Year's Resolutions. Oh, sure, they are just some simple goals to reach, weight to lose, dreams to live; and I meant to use the description "self-inflicted" instead of "self-imposed" because that's a more apt term. It's not something we have to do, or even need to do, but it is something many of us often do.

Keeping them is something altogether different. In fact, that's the real challenge, to overcome our bad habits in order to create new ones; to develop discipline for our lives and make life better somehow.

I'm doing it too, this year, and for some good reasons.

In this new year I have several goals for myself. Not all of them are resolutions per se, but some personal goals I want to reach. They are not all every day tasks or disciplines except one...

...this blog.

It was January 1, 2006 that I began a year of blogging. I wanted to make it 365 days. I didn't make it, but still posted over 250 times and had hundreds of comments from people around the world and my congregation. This year I am going to do my best to blog every day.

But what to post?

There are times these posts will be devotional, hermeneutical (Bible interpretation), inspirational or simply personal but mostly they will be prayerful. Truly, I'm not writing for any particular audience except God and myself. In a sense it will be a continuation of the sabbatical journey I began in 2009 and I'm inviting anyone to come along on my own inner journey.

Every journey begins with a single step. So here we go.

Peace ><>
pc

Day 3 - Matthew 5-7

2010-10-11T09:10:00.000-05:00

We've just started our cycle again in reading the Gospels in 40 days. I pray that you will continue to allow the scriptures to speak to you even as they become more familiar to you. Don't let their familiarity make you lax in the reading, still come to them with enthusiasm asking the Spirit to speak clearly through the words of the day.

I am sure when you do this, you will discover something new and fresh every time you read!

Today we are reading Jesus' sermon on the mount that includes the beatitudes and Jesus' explanation of the expectations of God (via the Commandments).

There are many parts of this passage that strike me every time I read it.

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth...You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill." (Matthew 5:13a, and 14a, The Message)

It's a good reminder to me that God is expecting me to make a difference wherever I happen to be. I'm to bring light to dark places and to spice up the bland. It's my task to be a catalyst for positive change in the world, but especially in my world, in the place I live, among the people around me.

And so are you!

That's the very nature of the kingdom, not to be an island of escape from the world, but rather becoming the change we want to see in the world!

In fact, our worship centers shouldn't be called sanctuaries, rather lighthouses. Sanctuaries are places of safety, refuges where the world can't touch us. But they also become hidden to those on the outside, making what happens within to be secretive, and distrusted.

No, our places of gathering should be more like lighthouses, prominently perched on key places revealing both the dangerous and safe passages.

So today, not just in the reading or in your study but also in your normal, everyday lives, be a beacon of hope in the name of Christ!

Peace ><>
pc

Day 34 - John 4 & 5

2010-10-01T08:02:00.000-05:00

I've always loved the story of the woman at the well. It's so Jesus to be where the outcasts will be, to engage those who are used to being alone and ignored, to bring the lonely closer to the inner circle.

It's also about real life.

O sure, it is about the life that Jesus gives and that is the most important aspect of the story, but it's also about the real lives we lead; the messes we create or that are created for us and the lives that are created through them.

We are often defined by what has happened to us.

You remember Sully? Captain Sullenberger was the pilot that landed the airplane on the Hudson river in New York City a couple of years ago. You didn't know him before that. He flew hundreds of planes, and many thousands of passengers without hardly being noticed...until that day when a hero did the impossible. Now you know him as Sully the Hero! And it just happened, without a plan, without his fore-knowledge.

How about Lindsay Lohan? You might remember her for her many roles in family friendly movies like the remake of the Parent Trap or Herbie the Love Bug? (or several others) But you'll more likely always remember her for drug addiction, her wild partying, the headlines on the Enquirer! Sure some of what has happened to her was her own fault, but some of it was the circumstances of her tragic life as a celebrity. I'm sure if you asked her, she wouldn't have planned it this way!

I know most of us won't relate to either of these people, not really, yet there is something about their lives that seems familiar. How unexpected circumstances can define who we are.

And it is precisely here that Jesus meets us, at the center of our truth; our life as we know it.

Jesus said, "Look no further, don't wait any longer, I am the Messiah." Your Savior! He's dipping into the well of living water ready to pour it into you, to establish a life-giving and never ending spring of life in you!

Right when you need it the most.

Peace ><>
pc

Gospels Day 25 - Luke 8-9

2010-09-22T07:19:00.000-05:00

I pray you are finding a blessing in the reading of the Gospels! It's day 25 already, more than halfway through. So keep it up! And if you find yourself behind...don't make a big deal of it, just start with today and keep reading each day.

This process is about building discipline, habit-forming in this daily diet of scripture. Each day feeding on Jesus' teaching sometimes bringing great insight, others simply reminding us of the stories we have known for a long time. All of it informing both our minds and our spirits of just who Jesus is and what he expects of us!

"We're not keeping secrets; we're telling them. We're not hiding things; we're bringing everything out into the open." (Luke 8:18, The Message)

The challenge is not to find the hidden message in Jesus' teaching. No, it is to discover it in every word he speaks, every miracle he does, every action he takes.

Jesus is calling us to trust him like the bleeding woman and our reading with expectation is like reaching out in faith to touch the hem of his robe.

My prayer that as you reach out towards Jesus, you may never be the same!

Peace ><>
pc

Losing Yourself

2010-08-17T11:01:00.000-05:00

This was the title of my message Sunday. It was taking a look at Jesus' message in Matthew 10:39, "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." NRSV

It was a comment on the challenges Jesus brought to the status quo, the disruption of life as we knew it, and even our response to the religion of the day. He didn't come to bring peace?

No, he did not come not to separate families, but it would happen anyway.

Rather Jesus wants us to stop being what our families tell us to be and living into the personas that are placed on us by others, friends, colleagues, the media and even the whole world! Because that's not who we really are.

But who are we, then?

Jesus said the only way to find that is to empty ourselves of all of that other stuff. To take off the masks and stop the masquerade living. He simply wants us to strip our souls bare, to the very vulnerable most basic of selves; to empty our own expectations...

...and embrace Him alone and completely.

It's a challenge for us, because the outcome of this process isn't in our power, it's in His.

But it's the only way to find our real life, whole life, eternal life.

Peace ><>
pc

I'd love to hear your comments.

Warm Feelings

2009-10-14T10:37:00.000-05:00

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

Yes, Kemosabe

2009-10-12T07:16:00.000-05:00

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 ><>
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Pestering God

2009-10-07T07:18:00.000-05:00

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 ><>
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That Poor Fig Tree

2009-10-06T07:24:00.005-05:00

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 ><>
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Praying...but never alone.

2009-10-05T09:17:00.004-05:00

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 ><>
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Just Because

2009-10-01T06:19:00.003-05:00

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 ><>
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Another Foundation

2009-09-30T05:51:00.002-05:00

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 ><>
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The Jesus Way of Life

2009-09-22T07:31:00.002-05:00

Matthew 28:19-20

God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life. (Mt 28:19, MSG)

It's really an awesome thing to me that God granted such an important task to me...and to you. You see, we are the Church. You might remember it in your membership vows. It became official that day. Our common task, our co-mission, as the Church is to help others know this life, this Jesus!

If you are not a member of the Church, then let me say it another way...

...our task is to help you know the real story of Jesus the Christ, the real story of how he taught us to live by grace and mercy and love, the real story of how this life brings blessing to all who live it, regardless of their life circumstances or yours.

It means I want to help you, because that is my task as a Christian...and so does Christ.

So, you may not believe, but I want you to. We'll not force it on you. It is simply a gift. And if you don't accept it today, we'll be here again tomorrow and every day. And if you don't understand it, we'll find another way to explain it, to show it, to make it real to you.

We'll do whatever it takes, pay whatever it costs, build a space that will make you comfortable so you can hear and can know the Jesus way of life.

Peace ><>
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The Blessed Life

2009-09-21T10:21:00.002-05:00

John 13:1-17

Jesus challenges Peter's understanding of the differences between serving and leading. He learned that day that to truly lead he would have to serve. In fact, that's the very definition of the blessed life, learning to serve others.

I love how Jesus makes it very clear to the disciples that their relationships together, how they deal with one another, love one another, support one another, and serve one another will be the example for the church for the future. This is the very Gospel lived out and it's not Jesus' example that's key, rather it's theirs!

Which brings us to our dilemma today...it means that the Good News life (living out the Gospel) is our task. We are to be the examples of love, service, forgiveness to the rest of the world! But it's not just a duty or a requirement...

...it's the key to a blessed life.

So, serve someone today, heck, serve everyone today and you'll start to get it!

If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life.
John 13:17

Peace ><>
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Week of September 20th Devotional Readings

2009-09-20T09:24:00.000-05:00

Sunday Matthew 20:20-28; Romans 15:1-9a
Monday John 13:1-17
Tuesday Matthew 28:19-20
Wednesday Acts 1:1-22
Thursday Hebrews 13:1-3
Friday Genesis 18:1-8
Saturday 1 Corinthians 9:19-27

Exploding with Good News

2009-09-18T07:12:00.000-05:00

Acts 10:33-43

I love how this passage opens in The Message.

And now we’re all here in God’s presence, ready to listen to whatever the Master put in your heart to tell us.”
Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone. (Acts 10:33-36, MSG)

Peter was not used to spending time with Gentiles, especially sharing the Good News that he had understood as Good news to the Jews. And now here he was exploding with Good News, a plain truth, a story that needs to be heard not by his people alone, but by ALL people. He was talking to Cornelius who lived in Caesarea and was a captain of the Italian Guard. Cornelius was a God fearing man and had gathered many of his friends and family to listen to Peter's message. In fact, he had called for Peter after a dream.

But...What does this have to do with your need for God?

It's simple. God has a story to share with you. The story is the Good News of God's work in Jesus Christ who lived graciously and lovingly, showing the world the most important attributes of God...

...and he wants you not only to know the story, but to accept it as truth; to trust that God has revealed Godself to the whole world in order to get to you!

To call you one of God's own children; to give you an ultimate love and real peace.

I know why Peter was exploding with Good News. He received the story as his own and it changed his life for the best! God just wants to do that with you too.

Peace ><>
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The Seed Inside

2009-09-17T07:02:00.000-05:00

Romans 12:1-2

There's something buried deep inside of you. It's been there from the beginning and if you're like most people, you are trying to find that thing, develop that thing. It's been your life-long goal up to this point and I might venture to guess that you'll spend most of the rest of your life focused on it. It's your ultimate potential, what you can be. It's the best you you can be...and it starts as a seed.

The problem is, it is not just buried in some dark dry place awaiting the warmth of spring and a good watering, rather it is locked away and we don't have the key to release it!

Sure we can be pretty good, we can get relatively close to that potential on our own with the right circumstances, but our best...is just out of reach.

I've been trying to answer the question this week, "Why Do I Need God?" And this is one of those reasons.

Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:2, The Message)

God holds the key to seed of our best self. I know that sounds like mixed metaphors, but wait. It's not so simple that God simply unlocks our potential and "poof" there it is! Instead God unlocks it and finds it still in an unfinished form. In other words, God has to unlock it, prepare it, grow and develop it. Yes, God will and wants desperately to do this for you!

Too many people believe that to become a Christian is to become something strange, but the reality of it is, when we bring God into our life, let God begin to work in us, we don't get strange, we get perfected.

With Christ and only Christ, can we reach our full potential.

The seed is already there. Ask God to help it grow!

Peace ><>
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Turn Back

2009-09-16T06:30:00.001-05:00

Matthew 4:12-17 (23-25)

As Jesus began his ministry, he moved from his hometown to Capernaum, a small fishing village on shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had it's beginning many centuries before when the Isrealite Tribe of Naphtali settled there. But before Jesus arrived there, so had many Gentiles. It was a simple village that you might miss if you blinked even on a camel's back.

Yet Jesus began his ministry here, even centered it here, and started preaching a simple, but profound message that we still need to hear,

"Change your life, God's kingdom is here." (Matthew 4:17, MSG)

The word "change" here is usually translated "repent" and comes from the Greek word, metanoein which is specifically a turning toward God! So when Jesus calls us to change, he is saying literally, change direction and face God!

It's not that God sees our life as so bad or terribly sinful, rather that we are facing the wrong way, focused on the wrong things. It's simply a call to bring us back into relationship with the One who created us.

It doesn't take much to distract us. As I'm writing this morning, I've had to get up from my computer no less than 8 times for something, dogs barking, needing let out, needing let in, needing fed, talking to my kids, my wife, fixing another cup of coffee, etc. We're busy with so many things, even details that seem very important and can include things at church. But paying attention to these "important" things is not paying attention to God.

And God simply wants our attention, but interestingly doesn't demand it from us, just asks us to...

...turn back.

Prayer: God, I lose my focus so easily, I get busy with life's details, and I forget you. Help me to be mindful of you even in the midst of my busy life, to ask you to come along with me and when I stop, even for a moment, to face you and know I am yours.
Amen.

God's Creating Hand

2009-09-15T06:46:00.000-05:00

Psalm 104:24-30

Are there things in this world that still surprise you? I saw the latest picture from the refurbished Hubble Telescope the other day. It was an incredible image of 3 Milky Way-type galaxies that looked like they were in a sort of orbit together.

The amazing thing is, these images are not pictures of something that happened long ago, rather they are still images of the creative process in action, galaxies in process! The creation is still being formed, altered, recreated, perfected.

Did you know that this is exactly what God is doing with you?

Yes, God has created, but is still working. While the scriptures say that God rested on the seventh day, that doesn't mean God is still resting! There is an active role God is playing in all of Creation still today. Listen again to the Psalmist's words,

"All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it. If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute - take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud; Send out your Spirit and they spring to life - the whole countryside in bloom and blossom." (Psalm 104:27-30, MSG)

No, God is not finished with us. We have been made by God's hand, but we are also still being molded, perfected...

...by God's creating hand.

Prayer: My life is not exactly as I have made it or wanted it. There have been many things happen to make it what it is. Mold me, God into the image you have for me. Don't take your Spirit from me, but send your Spirit and give me new life. Amen.

God Made You for a Purpose

2009-09-14T06:31:00.003-05:00

Genesis 2:4-25

I've always been a hard worker. My parents taught me well and always gave me responsibilities at home, some might call them chores: keeping my room clean, dusting the house, mowing the yard, taking out the trash, washing the dishes and many other things as my Mom would direct. I'm sure that I complained some, but it was life as I knew it and I learned some good habits.

During the summer school breaks I also began finding work. At 12 I started working for George who owned a small grocery in town and opened a concession stand at the town pool selling fountain pop, popcorn and candy bars. The very next summer I started to work as a life guard, and no less than a certified Red Cross Junior Lifeguard!

From those early days until now, I've worked, never unemployed for more than a couple of weeks at a time, even in college. From lifeguarding to McDonald's grill cook, to dining hall dish washer, to diamond salesman, industrial tool sales, insurance sales, financial planning finally to pastor one of the things I've always known is that I'm created to work.

So are all of us.

"At the time God made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground - God hadn't yet sent rain on Earth nor was there anyone around to work the ground." (Genesis 2:5-6a, MSG)

It may not sound like much fun, but there's something important in this statement and in God's creative purpose. We were created intentionally for more than one purpose. One of them is to work!

As communities were built, jobs were divided up among the members so that all would survive, even thrive. Everybody had a task and everyone had different skills to put to work. It's part of God's ultimate design. My skills help you, your's help me and so on. Each of us fit into a grand plan of a relational community, by God's hand.

Yes, God made you intentionally, for a purpose...

...to Work!

Prayer: God, there are times that I don't think I have much to offer. I don't seem to be great at much or confident in my abilities. Yet I see that you have given skills to so many others. Please help me discover the skills you have given me so that I can use them for the good of all humankind and for you. Amen.

Just Decide!

2009-07-22T07:15:00.002-05:00

God is patient and I'm grateful.

God waits...and waits...just hoping and praying that one day,we'll come to the place where we will finally decide to do more than just believe in His existence, to study His actions, to read His Word, to know His story.

Yes, God waits...and waits...with patience and grace for people to move off the fence of indifference and apathy, of indecision and doubt.

Yes, God waits...and waits...for the Kingdom of Heaven to finally break out and be visible and powerful and life-altering not only for those in it, but also for those who can be affected by it.

Yes, God waits...and waits...for us to finally follow in His footsteps, to love sacrificially, to give generously.

and so God waits for us simply...

...to decide.

"I've come to start a fire on this earth - how I wish it were blazing right now! I've come to change everything, turn everything rightside up - how I long for it to be finished....That's the kind of decision I'm asking you to make." (Luke 12:49, 59, MSG)

Peace ><>
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Passionate Worship - Day 1

2009-02-01T20:10:00.002-06:00

We do not come into worship in order to squeeze God into our lives, rather we come into worship to meld our lives into God's.(my paraphrase from Schnase's book)

I love to worship. There's something mysterious that happens in it. It's energizing, life-changing. Worship molds me, moves me. It's one of the greatest joys I have. Whether I'm leading or participating at COFS or in the other places I visit, when worship begins, I'm almost giddy with anticipation. I try to come ready and waiting to see what God will do next! Most of the time I succeed.

How about you? How do you come into worship? Expectant? ready?

Worship is one of the important ways we fulfill the Shema, to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. But it requires our full attention, our whole heart. Like I said this morning, "where there is no passion there is no worship."

How do you respond to that statement?

What is it about worship that engages your passion?

I pray this week is filled with conversation so that our worship can grow in its passion each week.

See you in church!
Peace ><>
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Wait for It...

2009-01-21T07:43:00.004-06:00

My kids were asking about our new building the other day, things like, "How soon would it be done?" "Why will it take so long?" "Why won't it would go quicker than that?" And it got me thinking the same things...

Now, I wanted to talk to our builder and ask why it was taking so long. I mean, why can't our project happen just like on TV?

You've probably seen the program, Extreme Home Makeover. Ty and his crew "surprise" a family (who all happen to be conveniently home at the time of the crew's arrival), send them on a vacation (usually to Walt Disney World), and then proceed to plan, tear down, and build a house in an hour (okay, it's actually a week, but still...). And I'm not talking tearing down one shack to put another. I'm talking big, expensive homes, with all the trimmings of pools, landscaping, fountains, etc. And when the family returns home from their vacation they find a massive crowd and the big reveal extravaganza.

What a difference a week makes.

So, here we are 2 weeks into the project and it's not done! There are no walls, roof, carpet, anything that looks like a building. What's taking so long?

Okay, so I'm not crazy. I know that there is TV magic going on, the same way that TV chefs magically finish a perfect meal in 30 minutes. (except for Rachel Ray, who can actually do it! :) And I don't expect our building to be done in a week.

Yes, there are significant things happening each week and I'll expect to see some changes each week, but there's something good about waiting patiently, even though that's not my most treasured gifts. (in fact I'm not sure it's one of my gifts or not!) Waiting is good for us.

Waiting allows God to work in God's time.

Waiting allows us to live in to changes, to God's plans, to circumstances surrounding us.

Waiting allows the mind and heart to catch up with actions.

Waiting allows for knowledge and wisdom to be used for decision-making.

Waiting allows for more possibilities.

Impulsivity often leads to mistakes, poor choices, shoddy work, etc.

So I'm glad our building isn't done yet. We're not quite ready for the space or the ministry it will provide.

And I'm glad God makes me wait because the outcome is always better than when I charge ahead in my own time.

So whatever you are anxious for...wait for it...

...and you'll rarely be disappointed.

Peace ><>
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Come On...Snowing Again?

2009-01-19T07:55:00.002-06:00

I'm torn this morning. Actually, it's more of a deep conflict within me. You see, I love snow and if it's going to be cold anyway, I'd rather have the white stuff covering the ground than the bleak look of a dry winter. A good snow cover is beautiful, it's like a winter wonderland and although it's cold, it's pleasing somehow, maybe because it's bright and clean.

There's something uplifting about snow on a winter's day. It's quiet, peaceful, blocking out a great deal of other ambient sound. It brings with it a craving for hot chocolate and crackling fireplaces, curling up in a soft chair with a good book and a day of peace and rest.

Yet it rarely happens that way.

I remember as a kid (and you probably do, too) that the snow overnight just might lead to school cancellation and a "snow day." With that, the snow clothes were gathered from the closet, extra socks, gloves, scarves were donned, sleds were carefully collected and dusted from the garage and a bunch of us would meet at the local hill on the north edge of town. It wasn't much of a hill, but it was a lot of fun. Large ruts had been made by the rains and run off of this man made hill, but that led to obstacles when covered in snow. We didn't mind the rocks and bumps either because they made for nice ramps by which we would crash and roll and laugh out loud as we climbed the hill to do it all over again.

But where did those days go?

I said I was conflicted...that's because while I love the snow, I'm also tired of it, well not the snow itself, rather the cold. I find that I'm less tolerant of the cold these days, in fact I hate it.

Okay, so I'm not supposed to hate and after 46 years in Indiana you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. So that led me to look out the window this morning (after watching the news last night) and asking..."come on...snowing again?"

But then the sun poked through the clouds a few minutes ago, creating shadows and highlighting the big white flakes falling softly on our front yard and I was reminded that this cold and snow and winter has a purpose. That God is still working and recreating; and the process (in Northwest Indiana anyway) is a beautiful one. For that I am grateful and humbled.

So, let it snow...and where's my sled?

Peace ><>
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A Day Off

2009-01-09T08:28:00.002-06:00

Today is my day off. Once a week, I take a day that will be focused on all the things at home that have not been completed. It is also supposed to be a day to relax a bit from the rigors of work, to calm the mind, to spend some additional moments of meditation, reading, and prayer. Yet I always seem to get back around to working some. I guess it's a part of the vocation to which I have been called.

Ministry never ends. There is always a need. There is always a bit more tweaking that can be done to a sermon...and the list goes on. So it's more of a semi-day off, but I'll take it.

Today's tasks will include taking down the Christmas decorations in the house and packing them away and getting my 2008 files cleaned out and put away so that 2009 can be filed appropriately. They are not bad inside tasks since we're supposed to get up to 8 inches of snow!

But regardless of the day, whether working or not (actually it is whether I'm at the office or not), it is another day to be faithful as a witness, to refocus my heart and mind, to reacquaint myself with my family, to relax.

I hope you take at least one of them a week and a few of them together once in a while. They are good for the soul for even God took a day off from creating!

So enjoy your day...I sure will!

Peace ><>
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Motivation, or lack thereof

2009-01-08T07:34:00.002-06:00

This morning I feel little or no motivation to do much of anything. I know you probably didn't want to hear that from me, but that's what happens in a blog, insight into the inner workings of someone's mind. It's not that I don't want to do my job, I do; it's always on my mind. Today, though, I'm just overwhelmed by the amount of work that remains on my agenda for the next few weeks. I have lots to do, have accomplished much already, yet the stack doesn't seem to get any smaller!

So, today is going to be a challenge.

For example:

I set my alarm to get up early...I hit the snooze.
I planned on getting to the office early...I'm still in work out clothes.
I planned to exercise...I'm still at the computer (in work out clothes).
I planned on a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and a glass of milk...hasn't happened.

Now the clock is ticking, reminding me that I should be in the office in just a bit and I haven't hit send on this yet nor accomplished anything else. (and I'm still hungry)

How do we get motivation when it just doesn't exist? (I expect that you expect to find some insightful answer that will help all who read this to experience an epiphany as to the location of a well of motivation from which we can drink as often and as freely as needed. Unfortunately, I'm still looking and am expecting that from you!)

Today, I'll still take Yoda's advice to "do or do not." Some things I'll do, others I'll wait for another day. I'll work on the pile in front of me and start from the top (and finish prioritizing them so what's on top is most critical).

As for motivation...maybe I'll just plan for a nap in the middle of the day and sleeping in tomorrow. And while neither of those is likely, I'll just hold on to one thing I know I can always trust in, that "in Christ I can do all things." (Philippians 4:13)

And that's enough for any day.

Peace ><>
pc

Hearing God

2009-01-07T07:40:00.002-06:00

I wonder sometimes can we really hear God?

What I mean by that is, can we hear with our ears the voice of God? Has anyone? Ever?

I ask this not because I wonder if God speaks. I know for sure God "speaks" I just want to tap in to this communication in the most effective way possible. In other words, I just want to "hear" whenever God "speaks."

Most of the stories where God speaks can be interpreted in two different ways: where God's voice is heard audibly or where the voice is more experienced than heard. Now I don't deny the possibility that God can speak audibly. It's God! And God can do what God wants to do. But that being the case...does God really (or still)speak like that?

Part of me wants to say that God doesn't use our ears to communicate and never has. It may be because I have never heard the sound of God's voice...but I have felt it. Yes, God speaks, but not through the physical, rather through what is spiritual. God speaks to the heart and mind of the soul. It doesn't make it any less real...and for me it makes even more sense as I read those scriptures when people "hear" God.

So how can we "hear" if God speaks rather than through our ears? Silence might be a good place to start, to be still and quiet and block out all that is around and distracting. Or maybe solitude, a whole environment of peacefulness. Reading scripture can lead to just the right circumstances to hear. But it is not the physical environment that affects our God-listening ability rather it is the condition of the heart. Is it ready to receive a message, a call, a confirmation, a critique?

I know that I have heard God...in my heart. But I also know that I cannot hear and do not hear when my heart is not in this divine dialogue.

Want to hear God?

Open your heart!

Peace ><>
pc

Yoda's Wise Counsel

2009-01-06T07:34:00.003-06:00

Yoda, the Jedi Master and the head of the Jedi Council in the Star Wars Series once told his young padawan, Luke Skywalker, "Do or do not, there is no try." His counsel was simple, do the tasks set before you, because even failing at them is still doing them, just not successfully. Yoda just wants Luke not to give up so quickly. It's like a team that forfeits by never entering the court for they will never know if they can win. They have to do before they can do successfully.

I can't help but think about our building addition this morning. It's on my mind for many reasons, foremost because it was officially started yesterday. Today, weather permitting, we'll get footers poured and it will start looking like a building! By the end of the week we'll have walls (block foundations, but still the beginnings of walls!) It is exciting.

It's amazing what simply starting something does to the mind and soul. Planning is good, but doing is even better. It's tangible, visible.

I had looked at pictures of the Holy Land for years, trying to get the lay of the land, the vision of mountains, rivers, lakes, wilderness in the middle east. But the real thing didn't even compare to my imagination. O, sure, when reading a book the imagination is critical to establishing context, then when the movie comes out it looks nothing like the images in your head...This is different. I'm talking about reality, the difference between pictures of the Grand Canyon, the blue-green waters of the Caribbean, or a sunset at Key West and the real thing. There is no comparison, really.

While it's true that we can learn from the experiences of others, we can learn more from our own experiences, which means we have to "get off the bench," sometimes; to get in the game, and feel the adrenaline rush.

Planning is crucial, necessary, but useless if action is never taken!

In this time of the year, it is normal for many plans to be made. This year I'm not going to let a little laziness get in the way of my doing; carrying out the plans I've made.

Whether it's reading the Bible, exercising, getting the house and/or finances in order, then finish the planning and just start!

Remember Yoda's advice, "Do or do not. there is no try." It makes all the difference in re-energizing the mind and the soul.

Peace ><>
pc

Hope for a New Year

2009-01-05T06:58:00.002-06:00

To be honest, I've somewhat dreaded the arrival of 2009. It's hard to say exactly why, maybe it is the fact that I have ended up with more responsibility in this new Indiana Conference than I had planned and this year is the time all the work has to be completed. Regardless of the anxiety (there hasn't been worry, just dread!), 2009 has come anyway and right on time.

Now, I'm looking forward to the year. I know, that's a big turn around from the earlier paragraph, but what's the point of dread anyway? I've learned through the years that dread doesn't really help much and in fact, if we just turn and face the things we are dreading, we often find out that these things weren't that bad after all, and many times turned into great blessings! So it's going to be a good year and I'll tell you why...

It's a year of possibilities. Now I know that every year can be called that, but it's been a common experience that years past have been filled with impossibilities, negative consequences and attitudes. We will finish our building phase this spring. With it there will be some significant changes to the look of our ministries and the way we function week to week. There will be a new way to enter the building, but more importantly, I'm going to be focused on the new way we will be leaving it!

It's a year of making our lives easier. Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I'm not suggesting we all retire to a little place on the water, rather my theme for the year is one that makes life simpler. This year we are going to Simplify. What I mean by that is we will focus on the basics and the necessities of the faith and of being church. We will throw out what doesn't need to weigh us down and be left with a simpler, easier life, both at home and at church. We make things too complicated. We create organizations that are overly complex. And the more complex life is, the harder it is to enjoy and manage. It's not how life was meant to be. It's not how Church was meant to be. This year, we will find a better way on many levels.

Yes, 2009 has great potential. The possibilities are nearly endless. It only takes our facing them one at a time with courage and faith. God has led each of us down a path, so there must be a good reason and a good lesson on each one. We must simply remember the reason each (Christian) year begins not with January 1st, rather with Advent and Christmas, because we need to remember the promise of Christmas, Emmanuel, God is with us. And with that promise there is great hope for a new year...heck, with that promise, it's great hope for any year!

Peace ><>
pc

Facebook Families: Info & Status

2008-09-06T15:51:00.002-05:00

Who are you?
We create our own persona & change it often...
...Often because we are afraid of the person we may truly be.
We are each uniquely created, wholly loved.
There is no distinction between people, all equal in God's eyes.
We need to learn to love the real us.
We can change who we really are.
We have to want to change.
We have to seek the change.
We simply begin with the love of Christ.
And let him grow and live in us.

Peace ><>
pc

Off Track

2008-08-27T08:51:00.002-05:00

I admit that in a busy time, there must be priorities. The problem is choosing the right ones. While I feel guilty about not writing in my blog as much as I would like to, I have had to make a choice not to. This just hasn't been one of my priorities. Maybe it's because I just haven't felt inspired enough to write something. Or because my expectation is that people are expecting more from this than what I can offer sometimes. But truly the reason/excuse is that I have not made it priority.

That's my problem...

I often encourage people to journal their thoughts, prayers, insights in bible study and anything else that comes to mind. "It's a good exercise in self-discipline" I say. Talk about your hypocrites! I have many journals sitting around the house, in my devotional spots, in my office. And they are all written in, a few pages here and a few pages there. None of them are filled up. The most used ones were acquired specifically for my travels and they have some great entries. But upon coming home, they are "tossed aside."

It's like that with anything of value in our devotional/disciplined Christian lives. We may find things that work for us for a time, a while, then because of schedule or habit, we stop one thing to do another. We simply leave the good to try something else, not necessarily better.

I've not been reading devotionally like I should. I've not been praying as I want to pray. I've not been sharing my insights with you because I just simply haven't had them.

I need to focus...

...maybe we all do...

...on what's really important to us.

This summer's activities have been a great distraction for me. they have taken me away from my family more than anything, but also my devotional time, my inspiration time, my sharing time. but I realize what I need, to read scripture, to think and meditate, and to journal (blog) so that others can join me on this journey.

I bought an electric train set years ago. (I had always wanted one as a kid.) The tracks come in short sections that have to be assembled. The most important section is the one that is attached to the transducer, but not just because it electrifies the tracks and makes the train go, but because it also centers the train cars' wheels on the tracks. Every time the train makes its circuit, it has to pass over this re-centering section, so it can continue its journey.

So do we!

Peace ><>
pc

Ok, let's try this thing again.....

2008-08-20T07:18:00.003-05:00

April? That's the last time I posted. And before that? Not too many! After a great start in 2006 and 2007, this year has been pitiful (at least as far as my blog posts!) and for that I am sorry. I've made some promises about continuing a devotional of some kind, even if it isn't daily and I have failed. In fact, it seems like the most common post as of late is my apologies for not keeping up with my promises!

So what does that mean now? Well, for one, I won't make any promises that I can't keep. I will attempt to blog more and as school begins for another year, it is forcing me to re-establish a morning schedule that includes some devotional time. (believe it or not Pastors sometimes have trouble fitting devotions in!) I'm personally reading through Isaiah and the letters of Paul, plus studying the book of Acts for Sunday Morning and Pastor's Class. I'll update this blog with notes on the personal stuff and I'll update the COFS Bible Study Blog with the Acts lessons.

I hope you read this as there will be something new to read. And I pray that you are studying along with me each week.

Peace ><>
pc

GC Days 6, 7, 8

2008-04-30T12:20:00.002-05:00

I knew that I did not get anything posted yesterday as my computer battery died early in the day and I didn't have the energy to post last night when we were finished (about 11:00). Then I realized that I hadn't posted on Monday either! Sorry for all of you who are checking up on what's going on. I'll try to summarized as best I can. (for what I miss you can check out news at www.gc2008.umc.org.

Monday:

Bishop Ernest Lyght began the morning calling the church to , "Wake up!" It was Jesus' parable of the persistent neighbor who sought bread to feed his unexpected guests. We were challenged to remember that we have bread to share, even after midnight, the time of crisis, the time of need; bread that as Martin Luther King Jr. described is "the bread of faith, the bread of hope, and the bread of love."

Bishop Coyner presided at the morning session that began the first full day of plenaries. At this opening session, we elected new members of the Judicial Council and University Senate.

Later in the day the Ugandan Hope for Africa Children's Choir. They were each orphaned or vulnerable before being "rescued" by Bishop and Mrs. Wandabula. The 23 children sang and danced into the hearts of the delegates and guests. Their faces were filled with hope and love and after we saw the conditions from which they were rescued, we understood, many through tear-filled eyes. Their energy and beauty encouraged us all to keep up what we are accomplishing in our missions around the world, especially in Africa.

I couldn't help but think of the work of Kendra and Aaron Jessen, who have heard this calling, to rescue children in this part of Africa. My prayer that they are capable of accomplishing what is in their hearts in the same way the church has for these kids.

The afternoon and evening were filled with debate and votes on many items. Some of the Legislative committees worked through out the day to complete their petitions. A busy day came to a close with most of us falling asleep just as the head hit the pillow!

Tuesday:

Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America brought the morning message on this Ecumenical Day of General Conference. Coincidently, Monday the GC approved the full communion between UMC and ELCA. Bishop Hanson reminded us that while the vine is to bear fruit, it needs to be firmly rooted in order to grow and thrive. The vine also needs pruned in order to bear the most fruit. We, the Church, must be rooted in Christ and be pruned of all that keeps us from the diversity and unity that Christ sought for us.

The day's activities led us to a great blessing with the address by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia. She is a United Methodist product of schools and church and is the first democratically elected woman head of state in Africa. The place was electric with excitement, especially when she left the stage to greet the gathered Liberian peoples in the front rows. That's when the Secret Service Agents scrambled nervously! But fortunately there were no problems, just a joyous celebration. We gathered both North and South delegations for dinner together including Bishop Mike and Marsha and along with Bishop John Hopkins and his wife. Slowly we are getting to know each other. This year will be interesting as we begin to get acquainted in this new relationship.

As the evening wore on, everyone getting weary, some of our delegates decided to retire which allowed me to "get in the game" so to speak, and sit in for the rest of the night. It allowed me to see this process from another perspective. One thing I discovered is that paying attention is critical, because things move very quickly. It's easy to see how quickly you can get weary just from the level of attention that has to be paid. I didn't speak, voted a few times (hopefully in the right way) and enjoyed giving someone a break. That's why I'm here. Maybe this evening I fill in again and get in on the exciting stuff yet to come!

Wednesday:

Bishop Violet Fisher challenged us to remember that Jesus didn't pass by Samaria like most Jews of the day, instead, he went through Samaria. Some texts say he had to go or that it was necessary. Samaritans were considered on the fringe of society. His going through was a justice issue, extending to the woman at the well a universal invitation that goes out to all humanity. Jesus did not need the affirmation of the disciples just as we do not need the approval of our boards or committees to reach to the fringes of our communities.

Simply put, the story of the Samaritan Woman at the well is a story of inclusivity of women and of culture. Racism is still active in our world today, maybe not as much as in the past, but it still lives. Bishop Fisher reminded us simply that

Racism does not belong in the Church!

One of the most beautiful things about our church is its diversity. While we are primarily a church of the United States, that reality is quickly changing. The church continues to grow in many places around the globe, especially in Africa. There are more delegates from the Central Conferences at this General Conference that at any other time in history, and with the steps we have taken, these will continue to grow. Seeing the tapestry of race, hearing the harmony of languages, experiencing the commonness of hospitality and love among us is an encouragement that A Future with Hope is surely what we have in the UM Church. (That's the theme of the 2008General Conference.)

Well, I'm trying to listen to the plenary as I write this. The discussion is on homosexuality and violence, so I better listen. There is good dialogue taking place and I'm missing some of it. So more later.

Peace ><>

GC Day 5

2008-04-27T14:50:00.001-05:00

A creative worship experience opened the day with a "tent" set up for the Scripture Reading from Genesis (Abraham's visitors). Bishop Minerva Marcano then preached a wonderful and passionate message on our true allegiance, God over country and people over laws. As a Hispanic woman, she helped us see the responsibility of the church to care for people over law; to be compassionate to those who seek to better their lives, to care for their families and are dying to do it.

It's such a contentious issue. We are supposed to keep the law of the land, yet our laws seen to be lacking in compassion for some immigrants (called illegals). There is a sense that even our language (calling these people "illegal") is problematic, because we know that God doesn't view any human being as illegal. Jesus came for the least, not the greatest and even goes so far to say that to become the greatest we are to become the least. It seems to me that when we make such distinctions, we are then alienating not them, but ourselves.

After worship, I hopped a cab to Fellowship Church for worship. They have a new Fort Worth Campus that is only 2 miles from downtown and it just opened on Easter. A very welcoming place, in a very simple building that is still not completely remodeled, but had a great children's area, welcome center and The Source bookstore. (stuck in a corner and very creatively done.) An awesome worship band led the singing and gave way to a video message from the main campus. Today's message was from one of the pastors from the Miami Campus. His message I Got It! Was a challenge to allow ourselves to be engaged with the scripture, to own it and to share it. Not just this Sunday, but every time we hear the word of God.

His suggestion is to pray this:

(you) be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful [in your] (area of life). Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everyting written in it. Then you will beprosperous and successful. (name) have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged (by …source of your discouragement), for the Lord your God will be with you ( time and place of discouragement). Joshua 1:7-11.

So the brisk walk back downtown allowed me to think deeply about my own ministry. I wondered what it is that makes Fellowship Church so successful and I've come up with several things:

Hospitality - In the 50 feet between the cab and just inside the foyer doors, I was welcomed by no less than 7 people with smiles and handshakes. Doors were held open and I was asked if my family was with me, then I was given a short tour of the building by another greeter. (even taken to the coffee area for a free cup!) I ended up spending most of the time before worship talking with a couple at the welcome center.
Facility - It wasn't a starbucks décor, rather it was more like a store at the mall, plain cement floors (waxed, shiny and clean, though), warm colors, comfortable furniture. The children's area was bright and exciting, a radical shift from the muted colors of the foyer to brighter hues and simple cartoonish graphics, a separate children's welcome center (check in) and various classrooms led to programming for kids during each worship service. ( I watched many parents enter the sanctuary with security stickers matching their children instead of name tags. It revealed quickly who had kids in the kids area.) The sanctuary was simply, but packed with chairs. The stage was simple, black floor and walls with 3 screens side by side across the back. I only saw one empty chair in the front half of the sanctuary.
Simple, Biblical Teaching that has obvious life application - There is no pretense, just practical life teaching. Even though the graphics were excellent, there were few of them. There was only one video and it was unrelated to the message.
Worship - Excellent, and relevant. Simple from beginning to end with the core of it (one hour from beginning to end) was the message. (about 30 minutes)

The last time I came to Fort Worth I returned home with a new resolve to make the appropriate changes to my own ministry. Some of them have begun, but I have let some of the slide. I simply cannot afford to let them slide anymore; the ministry is too important. It's not that the church has to become something different, rather it is I who has to change. I have mentioned the goal of excellence, but I have allowed less from others and especially from myself.

The rest of the morning I listened in to the last part of the morning plenary. The rest of the day will be in legislative group and an evening of a "Taste of Texas." (Or to retire early to catch Desperate Housewives!)

Another busy day. I'll give you more of a report later. I have many things to think and pray about today.

Peace ><>

GC Day 4

2008-04-26T22:55:00.001-05:00

Downtown Fort Worth this morning was brimming with activity as it hosted a "Walk/Run for the Cure" Breast Cancer Research Fund Raiser. Some 20,000 runners and walkers appeared downtown. It was a crazy morning in Fort Worth.

Worship began with a great drama by the Strangely Warmed Players that was of a sail boat and crew who has never left the safety of the dock, afraid where the wind might take them. A timely word to churches who are afraid to untie themselves and let the wind of the Spirit move them to new places.

Bishop William Hutchinson gave an energetic sermon on the power of baptism: "have we been born into form (of the normal, the bland, the ritual) or into power?"

"have we been born of water only? Or also of the Spirit?" he said. We were challenged to renew our baptism, but not just to move to the water, rather allow ourselves to be moved by the Spirit to the waters of baptism. Or another way to say it: (my paraphrase)"Don't just move when you are called, rather allow yourselves to be moved by the Spirit."

The afternoon was spent in Legislative Groups where there was a lot of discussion on difficult topics.

There remains a deep divide in the UM Church. There is a passionate group who have made it their mission to see that United Methodism fully embrace the cultural phenomenon of mainstream homosexuality. In fact, the pain that is felt by many who identify themselves as homosexual is so deep that is it truly felt by many of us. (definitely not by all.) There is a double standard present in the Church, especially in the US. Clergy, including Bishops, who act immorally and are never censured. So there is a divide that will not be bridged, at least not easily until the church takes a stand to define moral/immoral behavior among its clergy AND it members.

A large, quiet protest took place today outside the Convention Center first by Soulforce, a pro-homosexuality group who passed out flyers, sang songs, held banners speaking harsh language, and simply made themselves known all day. There was also a student gathering that held a prayer vigil outside each of the Legislative Group rooms. What I've appreciated today is the grace with which they were received and in which they came. There was little or no confrontation (that I saw), rather it was focused on prayer and peace.

As I write now, I am saddened. The legislative process at times waters down the power of the Gospel. I fear the same will happen as we move to full plenary sessions. I understand the need to do what we do yet I pray for a new way. We focus on process, rules of order, specifics on words, language, etc. and leave the Christian Conferencing behind. I guess it makes sense that we are in the true gateway to the west, where the stockyards still rustle with steer, horses and dust because we are wrestling with words, ideas and scripture. What we end up with is no less a trophy to the winner and lots of losers left behind to wrestle another day.

I guess Bishop Hutchinson's words were more prophetic than he knew, "will we allow ourselves to be moved by the Spirit?"

It's a good question for the church, but it's equally good for the Conference as well!

Peace ><>

GC Day 3

2008-04-25T22:31:00.001-05:00

It's been a great day.

Last night was late ending. We started the Legislation Groups and some when past 11:00 in just the basic organization. So by the time we settled in, we were wired and tired.

Started early this morning at the Reform and Renewal Coalition (free!) Breakfast where we were prepped for the items of the day, specifically the Judicial Council nominees. There are many nominees from some splinter/edgy groups that have the potential of forcing some radical judicial decisions, even making some of our discipline unconstitutional (United Methodist Constitution not US).

Worship was nicely done again, a rockin' worship band by a UM church from Lake Harriet UMC, Minneapolis, MN (okay, so it wasn't really a rockin' band, but it was more than we've seen so far!)

A great report was given by the group NothingButNets.org it's a partnership between the UMC, the NBA, E SPN, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to purchase and deliver insecticide laced mosquito nets to children in sub-Saharan Africa so that they can sleep without worry about getting bitten by Malaria infected Mosquitoes. 20% of all children under age 5 in this area die of Malaria every year. $10 buys and delivers one net. A young girl of 6 here in the US heard about this project and began collecting money for nets. So far she has collected enough for 4000 nets (yes, that's $40,000 by one little girl alone!). This is a great project we should get behind because it's easy to "sell" and quickly effective. Watch for "Buzzkill" shirts….

More Legislative group meetings until lunch then an amazing presentation by Dr. Mark Yarhouse on Scientific Research, Sexual Identity and Sanctification. I'll say more about this later but let's leave it at this, he brings some refreshing new insight to this challenging issue. And it just may get us further in ministry and welcoming to people who have felt ostracized by the church.

More Legislative group meetings finished the day.

But on a more personal note...

I met Benton Heisler on the shuttle from the airport to the hotel. He is a District Superintendent in Western Michigan. We've had dinner together last night and tonight. We've had some wonderful discussions about ministry, about struggles in our conferences and many friends in common. It's amazing how God places the right people in our lives to bless us and help us grow. Benton will be one of those not only for this conference, but for years to come I'm sure.

Holly Grant is a lay delegate from East Ohio (far east). She is in the Legislative Group I have been sitting in on with Kim Reisman. (of our delegation) I sat with her at the Renewal Luncheon and talked about her ministry with her husband (a pastor of about the same sized church as COFS) and our common beliefs in the traditional conservative views of Methodism.

It really has been a beautiful day on many levels. God is doing something like we've asked, the Holy Spirit has been moving. When one bishop from Africa, Joao Somane Marchado, began to preach some simply began to weep. It was a passionate sermon, a challenge to get back to our first love, Jesus Christ! It begins and may God continue to touch hearts and lives in this General Conference.

Tomorrow will be much of the same. We'll be in a plenary session until lunch and then legislative groups until 11:00 p.m.

This evening I took a walk to Walgreens to get some medicine for this terrible cold I've contracted and turning in early. More tomorrow, very tired.

Peace ><>

Day 1 – Official Opening Day

2008-04-23T23:37:00.001-05:00

It's been an interesting day. Tiring, but interesting. The conference finally opened in the morning allowing registration, an exhibit hall and Cokesbury book store to open! (Yes, I bought 2 books already with more to come I'm afraid!)

The Day's session began with worship and Holy Communion. Bishop Huie gave a great sermon on the Hope of Resurrection. It was poignant and pointed, a good word for the opening. A good word for anytime. There is hope in Christ, in the face of all hopelessness of the world. Christ still stands as a beacon of hope. When natural disaster, death, destruction, fear, human atrocities, etc happen in the world, Christ still stands as one who provides hope, of forgiveness, of future, of love.

We closed with Holy Communion given to the entire 6500 people by the Council of Bishops. Scattered throughout the auditorium, the bishops served all as we sang together. A heart warming moment, to begin with the prayer of unity and the act of commUnion.

Then the fun began, a 2 hour 45 minute meeting to establish the rules of conference. While interesting, it was also challenging. (and now I'm ready for bed!)

There is a hope and a positive attitude that is permeating the meetings so far. At least that's the feeling I am getting from our delegation, from many of the South Indiana group and others I've talked to. Our prayer has been to call forth the movement of the Holy Spirit and allow all delegates and leaders to be moved in the way the Spirit would move. May we not get caught up in language, in procedure, in rules of order, in untying us from the bonds of Grace. Rather, let Pentecost happen within us here.

That is our prayer. I hope it is yours as well.

More to come tomorrow.

Peace ><>
pc

Opening Day

2008-04-23T08:20:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to decide how to spend the day exactly. I've much reading to do to catch up on some of the proposed legislation and then I have to decide which legislative committee to attend.

Church and Society #2 will be dealing with issues related to the social community and the Social Principles which has many key issues coming before it: (Petition Numbers: Issues)

#80034-C2P161.C Amending the definition of marriage to be "between two adult persons" replacing "between a man and a woman."

#80959-C2-P161.A Amending the definition of family removing "men and women" and "mothers and fathers" replacing with "loving parents," "same gender parents" and "two parents".

#80028-C2-P161.G a redefinition of our stance on human sexuality, specifically homosexuality.

#80449-C2-P161.G A replacement section on Human Sexuality

(There are many more petitions that are similar and these will be either combined into one or more specific possible actions)

P161.J – on Abortion There are many more petitions dealing with our stance on abortion, some to restrict if further, others to open wider the door. Our traditional stance has been to oppose abortion (a true pro-life position), with the possibility of legal abortion but only where the mother's life is at risk or where an unacceptable pregnancy could bring devastating damage to life. (I'm not exactly sure how that has been interpreted.)

Another main issue is whether to remain a member of the organization Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

There are many other issues and (non-binding) resolutions that are proposed, but the bulk of the conversation will be from the above I believe.

Discipleship will be dealing with the report of the GBOD, the study of ministry (and ordination services), the creation of a new UM Hymnal and others.

Faith and Order will be about the ordering of the church, hearing the report of the Study of Ministry and propose changes to our mission statement from the Council of Bishops (#80272-FO-P121) to include the phrase, "to make disciples for Jesus Christ" for the transformation of the world. There will also be issues on candidates for ministry, personal and sexual conduct of ordained persons.

General Administration will deal with the Council of Bishops Report and the Connectional Table, also the Global Nature of the Church report that affects how the UM Church will be organized in the coming years, changing from a US centered ministry with world wide mission (Central Conferences) to a world-wide Church made up of Central Conferences (which the US would become a Central Conference). It's a big deal and an interesting look at the change of the church. The Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table bring this proposed change, which has the most far reaching effects for the whole church.

Okay, so that's a lot to take in before I ever leave my hotel room on opening day, but that's the nature of General Conference.

Pray for us! We are praying for you and the whole Church!

Peace ><>
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UM General Conference 2008

2008-04-22T22:50:00.004-05:00

It's travel day.

Early this morning I boarded a bus for O'Hare Airport for my flight to Fort Worth, Texas. It's only a travel day, to get organized with the delegation from Indiana. We met this afternoon at the hotel and then downtown to register and share a meal together. it was good to get our team together and begin the prayer process that is so important to this conference.

Already I've been surprised by the action of God. On the bus to the airport I encountered a woman named Susan traveling back home to Oklahoma after staying with her grandchildren for the past week while her daughter and Son-In-Law went on a trip they had won through work. Susan and her husband moved to OK to work at a presbyterian ministry and they remain there in other things. It was a great spiritual conversation.

But at the very next stop, our District Superintendent Michelle Cobb joined us. It is good to catch up with Michelle, she has so much insight for the church, a real prophet with a heart for Jesus. I truly appreciate her partnership with us, she is a blessing more than many know.

Then I met Joe, an aftrican-american who was going to California to be with his brother who was dying.They had been estranged through their mother, but had been reaquainted through his illness. Both are Christians so the time is bittersweet. We parted with mutual blessings.

On the flight I met Terry, an account executive at Caterpillar. A devout Christian who grew up Moravian, father of one 15 year old daughter who loves volleyball and is learning to drive. We had many things in common. Our conversation included the relationship between the UM Church and Caterpillar Inc. after the recent use of Cat equipment by Israel to destroy homes and lives in Gaza and the West Bank. But we didn't end there, we also discussed many things: world travel, flying, family, world history and contemporary issues of world politics, and faith. Terry also had a son, Michael, who died at birth, a pain he still bears deep within.

On the shuttle I met several people from California, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, and Michigan. They included Rev. Dr. Andy Langford, who edited the 1989 UM Hymnal and is working on the proposal to update it. He is also good friends with Riley Case, my clergy mentor and fellow Confessing Movement Member. Brendon is a District Superintendent from W. Mich. and was instrumental in putting the plan together for the uniting of the Michigan Conferences. While the vote failed (by only 13 votes in one conference and an overwhelming victory in the other.) he is still working on the details to bring back to the conferences later. Many fresh ideas went into this plan that we in Indiana may want to look at more carefully.

After dinner we ended the day with a long bus ride back to the Hotel, where I am staying with Rev. Dr. Frank Beard. Frank is a dear friend and colleague who will be up for the Episcopacy this summer at Juridictional Conference. (He may become a Bishop).

it has been an exhausting day, but a day filled with little nudges from God. In fact, all of our days are that way if we only pay attention. It is the place we are praying we remain, right in the palm of God's hand and will.

Pray for us...
Peace ><>
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Lenten Disciplines

2008-02-13T06:11:00.002-06:00

Last Wednesday was February 6th, Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. That's the 40 non-Sundays before Easter. (because every Sunday is a little Easter Celebration!) Many protestants don't recognize Lent but it is important for all Christians for many reasons.

One of the practices of Lent is to give up something for the season as a self-sacrifice in order to take control over one's passions and desires. It is called a fast and can take many forms: no meat on Fridays, skipping a meal, skipping a whole day of meals, not watching TV, staying away from chocolate, etc. Another Lenten discipline is to add something to our lives that we know we need, maybe it's more prayer, reading the Bible every day, doing a devotion, attending church every Sunday, the list can go on.

Lent was traditionally used as the time to prepare for baptism on Easter Sunday.

It's the time to stop doing the things we shouldn't and to begin the things we should already be doing as Christians. (not that chocolate is all that bad for us anyway.) It's just a good reminder that we aren't who we ought to be!

I had promised myself a couple of Lenten disciplines. One of them is going well, a fast that I have kept so far and plan to keep throughout Lent. The other, well it isn't going so well as you are very well aware, it's 8 days into Lent and this is the first post.

Yes, one of my self-promised Lenten disciplines is to blog every day. I didn't even promise myself that it would be every morning, just every day. I've messed that one up already, but I've discovered it's never too late to begin a new good habit.

So here's my promise to myself (and to those of you who faithfully check this blog for new entries), I'll be writing daily through Easter. (After that we'll see if I can continue the practice.)

It's because I want to have a holy Lent, a disciplined Lent, a time to focus on what's really important to me and to you. It's because life so easily and often gets in the way of our faith practice. It's easy to take advantage of the only day of the week to sleep in, to skip a prayer, to have that self-forbidden treat. It's easy to lose sight of the goal of Lent and to replace it with something we really care about, the self. Yet we can do that any day, even if we shouldn't.

So...how are you doing on your Lenten Disciplines? It's not too late to start. It never is when it comes to matters of faith. It may not be Ash Wednesday, but it is still a Lenten day. Make it holy as you work on your own holiness.

Keep a holy Lent!

Peace ><>
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PS: O, yeah, because Sundays are little Easters, it has been the practice of some to break their fast on Sundays only to pick it up again on Monday. I usually forget this myself, but then again, for me it's not healthy to blow the practice of discipline just for a little indulgence. That's what we are trying to over come anyway! So the Sunday thing, that's up to you to ask yourself, what do I really need on Sunday, a little discipline or a little chocolate?

Looking for faith in the lost and found

2008-01-24T12:52:00.000-06:00

I've been hearing a lot lately from people who are simply at the end of their ropes. They have felt like they are getting the shaft from life itself, a Job-type experience. (You know, the Job from the Bible. Yeah, that kind of feeling.) It's a look with suspicion toward the future because it doesn't look to hold much hope because it will probably look pretty much like today.
Okay, so it's common to feel like this sometimes. But lately it seems to have grown...and may be infectious, becasue I may have caught it too.

No, I am not climbing aboard the pessimist train, I can't afford even a short ride there. But then again, none of us can.

I was driving to a meeting the other day listening to my new Bible (gotta love audio Bibles!) and I heard psalms 42 & 43. As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God...my heart is breaking...why am I so discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again --my savior and my God!

That's it! That's what we needed, I needed! A simple reminder that discouragement comes not from circumstances, but from our focus. When we look to humans to bring us hope, we will always be discouraged. When we look to human institutions, to friendships, to prosperity, to new circumstances (the list could go on nearly forever) to bring us happiness or even to change our attitude, we'll fail because they are only temporal. A new car is only new until you drive it off the lot or maybe until the new models come out. Then it loses it's luster. It's the same for anything, absolutely anything that is not God!

That's why those psalms touched me so this week. They reminded me that my discouragement was simply misplaced faith. While it is okay to have faith in people and circumstances, this cannot take the place of nor sit above our faith in God, who's never changed, left, or wavered in dependence and trust.

Discouraged? Lost your faith? Don't look in the Lost and Found, it's right where you left it and the last place you'll look...within. It's not lost, just misplaced. Re-place your faith in God...

...For you are God, my only safe haven...Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God - the source of all my joy.

Peace ><>
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Lent 2008

2008-01-08T12:21:00.000-06:00

I know it seems like Christmas just ended (hey wait, it did just end!), but now it's time to think of Lent and Easter. So, I'm seeking your help. I'm always looking for some interesting topics for sermon/study series and I wonder if you might have some ideas.

Some ideas have already been tossed around:

Use thoughts/themes from the book, "The Case for Christ" - Lee Stroebel
Also the book,"The Case for Easter" - Lee Stroebel
Questions about Jesus
The intersection of Jesus life/my life
Traditions of Lent from the ancient church

As you can see, there's lots of possibilities. So if you are interested in one of these topics or have ideas of your own, share them with me so we can we prepare a great Lenten series.

Thanks for your help.

Peace ><>

Shhhhhh! Listen.

2008-01-03T12:07:00.000-06:00

I've been accused of ignoring my wife, and kids, and parents, etc. Some call it selective hearing and just maybe it's that or as I find myself in the midst of middle age, it just may be the hearing that's going. Although I reserve the right to deny this!

I've had to learn to focus on listening to what she has to say, or more to the point, what she is "really" saying. It's helped our relationship because:
1. She knows I'm listening
2. I hear her.

These two things are critical to building a relationship. Without them I dare say there is no relationship at all! Regardless the type of relationship you are trying to build, friendships, partnerships, marriages, etc. listening is critical.

I remember being in grade school. It's there that I learned how to listen. O sure my parents taught me well how to listen, sunday school teachers and others helped as well. But in school, I learned the skills of listening. It's here that I discovered the difference between sitting in the front or the back of the classroom; next to friends or more independently; leaning into the teacher or leaning back in my chair. It's here that I learned how to learn through my listening posture. (By the way, just because I learned it doesn't mean I always did it! I'm talking about being a kid here!)

But listening to God is a different story, or so I'm told.

One of the most asked questions of me as a pastor is about hearing from God. Have I heard God's voice? Do people hear God speak today? Does God even speak in the same way today? Why haven't I heard God? It is one of our great desires to hear God, like the Biblical heroes of old who heard with loud booming voices and who easliy recognized the voice as the Almighty's. I wonder, though, if it were always so clear. Did these great people of faith really hear God audibly? or was it much more subtle, like a thought that washes over the consciousness? Or maybe it was more like a 2x4 to the side of the head that knocked them faithful (like Jacob who wrestled with God and walked with a limp the rest of his life!).

There are bible references for booming voices, but fewer that we might expect. Most of the times God speaks it is much more like Elijah hearing through the "sheer silence" of the moment. It's not very often that a chorus of heavenly angels come to us to make announcements for God. (now that's something we could do for worship!)

So my answer to those questions: Sure, God speaks, non-stop, 24/7/365, but the message isn't usually preceeded by neon signs or a routine schedule. Instead God just speaks, hoping, waiting, for an opening to get a word in edgewise. The key is to get in the right posture to listen, anxious, ready, quiet.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! (The Message, Proverbs 3:5-6)

You may remember this passage another way:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and rely not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight.

It's simple, God is speaking in all that we do, work, play, rest, so quit talking, get quiet, focus on Him...

...and listen!

Peace ><>
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Resolution Problems

2008-01-02T08:59:00.000-06:00

I was thinking yesterday about New Year's Resolutions. Why is it that we often fail to achieve our goals for the year? Is it lack of discipline? Is it lack of faith? Is it lack of motivation?

My son in law cracks me up with his New Year's Resolutions. Every year he begins a Lenten-style fast from something. One year it was chocolate and he vowed not to eat or drink anything with chocolate, even the smallest hint of it! And except for one inadvertant indulgence of a coffee drink that he didn't realize had just a bit of the stuff, he succeeded. For him this is a time of personal discipline, to overcome the cravings of the body and soul. It's what the Lenten fast is really all about, he just takes it to the extreme. But it has some great benefits as many of us lack discipline which is why we so often fail.

I don't have the desire to give up something like this through the year. It' not what New Year's Resolutions are for, but personal change is. It's about meeting goals, doing something different, changing the future, changing our destiny.

Sure there are a lot of reasons why we fail, but the one that seems to plague most of us is simple, we expect a different outcome this year but won't do things differently.

You know that is one definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results!

Yes, we often go into a new year with new expectations but not significant changes. Yet New Year's Resolutions usually require some change to our behavior, our outlook, our activity......in order to achieve different results by the end of the year.

It's the very same thing with our life of faith. Repentance is this practice, turning around, facing the other direction, walking a new way, towards Christ! But our life of faith will never grow or change without this specific and intentional action on our part. No one can do it for us.

Growing in faith, learning to pray, understanding the Bible, meeting new goals and resolutions for this year takes one simple thing to make them successful...

...Our success really depends on us doing something...different.

Peace ><>pc

Nuovo Anno Felice (Happy New Year!)

2008-01-01T10:23:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I don't speak Italian, but I did want to get your attention. It's a new year and you know what that brings don't you?

New possibilities! (like learning a new language?)

These possibilities are for all of life, too. They can be personal, spiritual, familial, professional, and many others. The big question is whether you will seek new possibilities or just continue in the status quo, stick with the same old program, live in the rut your life has already formed...

...or you can change.

I don't have a long list of resolutions, but I do have some goals for this year; some things that I want to accomplish, to experience some things that I've never done before. But to accomplish them I need some new disciplines. So in essence, I've made some resolutions.

First of all I have taken Wesley's Covenant Renewal to a new personal level. That means that I will be focused more completely on my own spiritual enrichment in this year. I've struggled personally at times this past year as I have studied much, but with an agenda to teach/preach instead of grow. My focus this year is to become a more fully functional Christian who also happens to teach Bible, preach Gospel and pray continuously!

I want to push myself physically this year. I swam on a triathlon team a couple of years ago and did very well (even though I was much more out of shape than I realized!). This year I may rejoin a team in the Valparaiso Triathlon and just maybe do the whole thing myself! Beyond this I'd like to run in a race or two with my ultimate goal in running a marathon sometime in the near future (the next 10 years, no sense pushing myself!). That means I've got to get in shape. I'm not dissatisfied with my weight, nor my body shape, I'm just out of shape. So, I'm going to fix that.

I'm going to make the most of every opportunity with my family this year. I'm going to be a grandfather some time in February, I'll be teaching my youngest daughter to drive (starting yesterday if she has her way), we'll take a nice vacation this summer and steal as many days as possible to just be together and enjoy one anothers' company. It's critically important because it will be a crazy, busy year. I'll be traveling more than ever, going to Fort Worth in April for 2 weeks for UM General Conference, to Grand Rapids for Jurisdictional Conference in July and all of the driving in between for meetings and such. We're still building at COFS, so there are the details and meetings that are required for all of that, plus all of the normal meetings, visits and events required for shepherding a large church. That makes my family time all that more important.

Lastly (well not really, I'll be seeking new possibilities wherever they might come this year!) I am going to write something. I've been working on several book ideas, Study ideas, classes to teach, sermon series. I work on several of these each year, but this year I'm going to complete at least one of them preparing to try and publish it. While I'm at it I also will be doing more of this...blogging. I didn't do very well last year. It was to be devotional in nature and I let too many people down. So I'll be writing often and seeking feedback. I pray you will read and write back.

So, I choose to change!

It will be a new year filled with lots of stuff! Yet it will all be good stuff, the right stuff. (Plus all of the things that life throws in along the way.) They're all possibilities, not probabilities. They are not guaranteed, nothing is. But it's the possibilities that makes life exciting. Sure I enjoy my life just as it is, but with a few changes here and there (and there are always changes) I will find even more joy in it, as long as I keep Christ first!

Feliz Año Nuevo llenado de los possiblities nuevos del dios para usted. (spanish)
Il nuovo anno felice si è riempito di nuovi possiblities del dio per voi. (italian)
(Happy New Year filled with God's new possiblities for you.) (english, in case you didn't get it.)

Pace/Paz/Peace ><>
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A Positive Perspective

2007-09-17T08:13:00.000-05:00

Eugene Peterson, the author of The Message, The Bible in Contemporary Language, calls Paul's letter to the church at Philippi (Philippians), the happiest book of the Bible. Why? Because in it you can sense Paul's sheer joy that has come from Christ alone, in the midst of his difficult circumstances. Paul was truly happy in his life, in his faith, in his ministry and he wanted to pass it on.

I know there are some people who are annoyed by positive thinking, positive words. I have been accused by some of being too "excited" about my ministry and the ministry of COFS, possibly because I use the word often. But then again, if I am excited, so what? Isn't that the point of living, to enjoy the work of Christ in our lives? And to celebrate what God is doing in the life of the church?

I'm guilty...of being easily excitable, of enjoying the joy that Christ brings me every day, of encouraging the church to feel the same way, of wanting the church to catch the Spirit of what Christ is doing in our midst. I'm in good company of great positive people who have discovered the joy of the Lord.

But then again, why aren't we all this positive? Thinking of who and whose we are, loved and forgiven children of God, we should be the happiest, most positive people in the world! Our lives are lived in the power and beauty of the grace of God! We have every reason to rejoice, which is exactly what Paul's message is to the Philippians AND to us!

He summed it up nicely like this...

Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm His bounty. Live versus even more life! I can't lose. Philippians 1:21, The Message.

Neither can we!

Have a happy day!

Peace ><>
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Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

2007-09-06T07:53:00.000-05:00

You no doubt remember this famous fairy tale line. "...who's the fairest of them all." You may not say it each morning when you look into that mirror for the first time. Rather you're probably like me and utter that "ughhh" at first glance. (It's probably because of the now famous Nunley Hair that is created by the pillow during the night.) But today I want you to take another look in the mirror at the person not the hair or the lack of make-up. Do you love the person looking back?

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out - in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? Galatians 5:13-15, The Message

While it's easy to claim this free life in Christ, it is harder to fully explain and to live. It's because we are so inclined to live by rule and law. And where there are no rules, we usually make them up for ourselves, not so much for others to live by, but for us to live by. We need some rules to lead us, but whose rules?

I'm anticipating a football game this evening. It's the NFL Season Opener as the Colts host the New Orleans Saints. It will be an exciting evening as so many of us have waited patiently for the last 7 months for footbal to begin again.

But as I watch football and other sporting events I find it interesting to watch the reaction to calls by the officials. One simple whistle can evoke cheers and boos at the same time. It all depends on which side of the call your on. Why is it that we want a tight game for our opponents and a more liberal game for us?

I believe it is exactly what Paul is talking about to the churches in Galatia. The difference is in how they see themselves. They claimed freedom as long as it was good for them, for their own self interest. The problem with this kind of freedom is that it's not freedom at all, but another rule of law...ours. And that's not what God has in mind for us.

Instead of always looking at how we might benefit from any circumstance, freedom is acting in love to benefit someone else. It's learning to love yourself so that we can truly love others. It's a new freedom to love beyond our selves and to accept our selves all at the same time. That's the freedom Paul describes and God designed.

So look in the Mirror today and love that mug looking back at you. God sure does. And when you do, you'll find it quite liberating to share that love with those you meet.

Peace & Love ><>
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$12 M Hairess

2007-09-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

I've discovered the job I'd love to have, the primary caregiver for Trouble. Trouble is the now famous dog of the late Leona Helmsley who just inherited a cool $12,000,000. (Yes, that's six zeros.) And the caregiver also received several million! It pays to be an heir, especially a hairy heir. (I just couldn't resist.)

But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance. Galatians 4:4-7, The Message.

The benefits of being an heir are simple and understandable. (Except for the 2 Helmsley grandchildren who got nothing from her estate!) Those on the outside are left to observe while the benefits of the estate are distributed to the insiders. And we have been called insiders, children of God, heirs with Christ!

Yet there are times when we don't live like heirs of God, either because we don't believe it or on the other side, we think it puts in a special position. But we are heirs simply because of our faith in Christ and that puts on us a great reponsibility.

We have been made free to live the life God created for us, a life of generosity and grace, the way of our ancestor, God. We may not have $12M to spend, but we do have a life to spend in a way that honors the one who generously named us in the estate.

That's the duty of the heir...

...of us, children of God!

Peace ><>
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Back Again!

2007-09-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are back from our camping excursion. We had a great and relaxing time in the "wilderness" of the campground. It had most modern features except wireless internet! That's why there have been no posts for the last few days. But thanks to all of you who just keep checking in.

Peace ><>
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The Generous Gift of Generosity

2007-08-30T07:29:00.000-05:00

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God. 2 Cor. 10-11, The Message.

While this week's devotions haven't all been about making great friendships, they are related to that effort. What we think about ourselves, how we live with Christ, and how we live Christ are a part of the process. But one of the most precious gifts God has placed in our friend-making tool box is the gift of generosity.

I've given plenty of gifts to my friends and I've received even more. I can't count the times or the ways in which I've given or received. They're too many. It's because giving in this way is something that comes from deep within us. It is a joy to give to those we love and care about. And rarely to do we even think about the cost or the sacrifice, most of the time we just see a need and we give!

That's because when we give like this we become more like God!

God is generous, in fact extravagantly generous, giving more and more and more than what we need or what we ask for, or what we expect. Paul told the church at Corinth that the reason God gives in such ways is so that we can give too.

Isn't that the way God works in all areas?

God loves so that we can love.
God teaches so that we can teach.
God forgives so that we can forgive.
God cares so that we can care.
God gives so that we can give.

Yes, we are blessed to be receivers of all that God blesses us with, but we are not to leave it at that. Rather we are channels through which God works, loves, forgives, gives. It's not a place of privilege but a place of responsibility; humility rather than honor.

God is using us, clay pots, for divine purposes, so that as we are filled, we pour out on those around us so that we all receive the best from God!

It's called the Generous Gift of Generosity!

Peace ><>
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Ordinary Beauty

2007-08-29T07:01:00.000-05:00

I love pottery. It seems that when we go places that have arts and crafts vendors, I'm drawn to the pottery. There's something about the hand crafted containers, something imperfect, beautiful. Maybe it's because even when pieces are made to match, there are always slight differences, every one absolutely unique. I've collected many pieces of pottery, from new chalices that sit on the shelf in my office and the variety of pieces on the shelves at home, to the piece in this picture that I found on an archeological dig at biblical Bethsaida.

Pottery is an important tool in archeology. It helps pinpoint the date of a layer of civilization, but it also helps us to see the daily life of people in the bibilcal time. It helps us see what Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 4,

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. ou know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. 2 Corinthians 4:7-8, The Message.

As bold as Paul was in his ministry and preaching, he was still humble in his faith. He knew who he was because of Christ and that gave him great power. Paul saw himself as a simple clay pot that doesn't have great value except that any vessel can hold things of great worth...and we do.

That's why the analogy is perfect for us. We are clay jars, unique, imperfect, and absolutely beautiful created by God's own hand.

Yes, you are a unique and ordinary yet beautiful vessel of God...

...created to hold His very presence for the world to see.

Peace ><>

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Spray Tans, Tanning Salons, & Just Basking

2007-08-28T07:12:00.000-05:00

Tans are (still) all the rage. The quest for the glow of bronzed skin is an industry unto itself. There's an aura about a dark sun-tan, it signifies many things, but mostly beauty in that tawny brown, glowing flesh. And it matters little anymore whether that outburst of melanin comes from a true tan coming from hours spent on a deck in the backyard, a towel on the beach or a chaise next to the pool. It doesn't matter if comes from just a few minutes a week in a tanning salon, all the same benefits without the hassle of time. And if it doesn't affect melanin at all, but is the kind of tan that's nothing more than whole body cosmetics, that's okay, too!

It's all about the glow.

It was pointed out to me recently that for someone who likes to spend their spare time outdoors (camping, working outside, etc.) that I'm not very tan. It's true. This season, I've not spent the time outside that I would prefer, but the fairness of my skin doesn't truly represent my passion for the outdoors.

But I'm after another type of glow.

Whenever, though, they turn and face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are - face to face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone [like the law]. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like Him. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, The Message.

This is the glow I seek and it can come only as I spend more and more time face to face with Christ!

O sure there are some who put on this kind of "spiritual tan" thinking that somehow it can come from microwave Christianity in only a few minutes a day, or others who think that a "spray glow" is enough, as long as one looks like they are Godly.

But we know those don't work. In fact we can see right through them. The glow of Christ in us comes not from the skin, but from within. It comes in kindness and mercy; in love and forgiveness; in patience and action. It's evident where people get their spiritual tans...

...basking in the radiance of the Son!

(and I think it's time to roll over!)

Peace ><>
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The Gospel in One Word

2007-08-27T07:05:00.000-05:00

"...we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love." 1 Cor 13:13, The Message.

The theme of this week is bFriend, discovering the power of Christian Friendship. It's one of the main themes of Paul's letters to the church at Corinth, getting along with others. In other words, God is interested in the kind of friends we make but even more in the kind of friends we become.

It's really true that if we become great at befriending others, we will have many great friends, but if our goal is to have great friends without being a great friend, we'll find ourselves lonely.

There's a really simple reason we are to focus on becoming a friend rather than making friends...it keeps our trust in God.

Too often we humans get tied up in each other's lives to the degree that we depend on each other instead of God. So when our friends let us down, it ruins our day, our week, our lives. But that's when we are focused on making friends.

Rather God wants us to focus on becoming great friends because in doing things that great friends do is to depend on God for the strength to do them. Paul concludes his "love chapter" with this charge, "trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly." And in so doing we can become the greatest of friends...

...of God...

...and of others.

Get out of the way!

2007-08-22T08:18:00.000-05:00

"It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us...Say the welcoming word to God - "Jesus is my Master" - embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not doing anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation." Romans 10:8-10, The Message.

I don't know why we make this life of faith so complicated, but we do. It's that life becomes so often about us rather than about God. That is what St. Paul says, that the quest for God (or religion) centers on us rather than on God. And when our focus becomes selfish, it becomes sinful and instead of moving towards God, we move in the opposite direction.

In other words, our greatest obstacle in receiving all that God has in store for us, in trusting in the one who loves us, even in fully believing in Christ is...us!

A simple question, then, for the day...are you in the way?

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God has done for you is the best thing you can do for Him." Romans 12:1, The Message.

I know that in my personal life of faith, I struggle with what constitutes my needed attention and what becomes selfish. I struggle because many times my identity as a person is often equated with my profession, my vocation. So sometimes even personal time feels selfish. Yet the struggle is important because I've lived without it before and when the struggle doesn't exist it's because I'm too focused on myself to see the bigger picture, the free life with God. In other words, I often get in the way.

I've discovered that the answer is to dedicate each day to God, to choose to be a servant, to choose to have faith. It's the choice to get out of the way and see God work in and through me.

That's what God simply wants from all of us to get out of the way!

Peace ><>
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Welcome Back, Self!

2007-08-21T07:54:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's been a while. There have been so many things happen this summer that has made me lapse (or fail miserably, depending on your perspective) in blogging. I've disappointed many of you who were daily readers. I've let you down and I'm sorry. My goal is to get back into the groove as the kids go back to school and I get on a more regular routine. (yeah, like that is really going to happen!)

Anyway, I do hope someone reads this. (I see that there have been almost 3-4 hits per day still, that gives me hope!) But I also hope you respond. This blog was created not only to be a devotional thought from me, but a devotional discussion, where we as a community can look at a passage, a daily thought and add our own two cents in it. So, here goes...a new chapter for a new day.

"But sin...doesn't have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it. Grace, because God is puting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life - a life that goes on and on and on, world without end." Romans 5:20b-21, The Message.

I'm a little behind in my daily Bible reading. I end up reading weeks and months ahead for my sermon planning but try to come back to the daily scripture readings so that I can spend time devotionally. Today I read this passage from Paul's letter to the Romans and it was just what I needed to hear.

Grace. That's what I need today because of the thoughts that have been going through my mind; because of the pain that people cause; because of the trust that is broken; I could go on, but I won't. The details of my issue aren't important in this space, the really important thing is grace. I need it, God gives it. The church needs it, God grants it, I try and live it.

I only wish it were that easy.

This morning I'm focusing on the meaning of grace for me so that I can show grace toward others.

Maybe you can do the same.
It's a healthy exercise and we might just all be more spiritually fit for it.

Peace ><>
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Turn It Around and Turn It Up!

2007-05-24T06:40:00.000-05:00

I can't stand your religious meetings.
I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want justice - oceans of it.
I want fairness - rivers of it.
That's what I want. That's all I want.
Amos 5:21-24, The Message

I love contemporary worship music and I have lots of it, listen to it much of the time. But a few years ago when I was given the task of leading a praise team I was confronted with a reality of worship music that I hadn't noticed before, some songs used for worship, even some of the most popular songs didn't address God.

I don't mean that the songs weren't about God because they spoke of the goodness of God, but songs about God are different that songs sang to God. So I started paying attention. I also discovered that this wasn't just a problem of new contemporary worship songs, but was also true of many hymns. It's not uncommon (in these songs) to sing about God, proclaim characteristics of God, challenge people to sing for God, come to God but never speak directly to God.

In the book of Amos God calls it ego-music. It's music that makes us feel better, but doesn't do anything between us and God. And isn't that the purpose of most singing in worship, to draw us closer to God?

At least that's what God says. "When was the last time you sang to me?"

Listen carefully to the songs you sing today. Maybe it's time to change our tune so that we aren't singing for ourselves...

...but singing to God!

So Turn it around and turn it up...God's waiting and listening.

Peace ><>
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Famished

2007-05-23T07:05:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been so hungry that it felt like your insides were beginning to devour one another? Fasting can bring on this feeling, so can simple starvation. Now most of us haven't suffered from starvation, at least for a long time, but we have felt the pangs of an empty stomach.

Do you remember how it feels to be without a drink of water for a while, a powerful thirst that comes from working, exercising or being stranded in the desert? Your mouth goes dry and it becomes hard to swallow. Saliva production ceases and it feels like your mouth is filled with sticky goo. That's real thirst.

We know what these feel like because somewhere in our lives we've experienced both of them, even if slightly. We also know the feeling of cool water on a parched tongue, the satisfaction of a simple sandwich to an empty stomach.

That's the image Amos is sharing with Israel, that God's true desire fo them was to hunger and thirst for Him!

But they didn't.

The truth is that's still what God wants, for us to have a healthy appetite, a ravenous hunger, a powerful drought, to be totally famished...

...for God!

Just imagine the bliss of the spirit as our famine is filled with the feast God has prepared just for us. It's okay to be hungry, in fact it's critical that we are...

...famished!

Peace ><>
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Can't Outwit God

2007-05-22T06:18:00.000-05:00

I became a big fan of Survivor this season. I taped it every Thursday and usually stayed up late to watch it. I got into the characters and drama, the alliances and backstabbing, the broken deals and the word kept. It was pure drama all season. The tag line for Survivor is Outwit, Outplay, Outlast. It's the outwit part that usually plays the biggest role in the outcome.

It's the behind-the-scenes stuff that makes the game interesting, the secrets, the hush-hush meetings on remote parts of the island, all a part of the outwitting strategies people come with. Some smart people though are outwitted early in the game, trusting the wrong people, making the wrong promises, revealing the wrong secrets. The game of outwitting isn't unique to a reality game show, though. It's a game we all play in some way with God.

But we can't outwit God!

Our alliances, our deals, and especially our secrets are not kept from God. He's in on every detail of our life, sees what we do and who we really are. God knows our motivation for our actions and when we are trying to keep to ourselves, even what we are trying to keep to ourselves.

Israel, Judah and all the nations around them who have made alliances, deals and even fought wars couldn't keep anything from God. Nothing is sacred. Not even the "pagan" nations. All must stand before God's judgment. The book of Amos begins that judgment call for all the nations. No one was exempt. God knows everything and will judge accordingly.

Too often we fight against God trying to outthink, outwit, outplay in this game of life. But we can't. The good news is, God is on our side, making an eternal alliance with us, offering us the ultimate immunity from judgment (tribal council). No, we can't outwit God...

...so we embrace Him instead, because that's what He desires anyway.

Peace ><>
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Here's Your Sign

2007-05-21T08:02:00.000-05:00

Bill Engvall, one of the Blue Collar Comedy guys, has as a part of his routine that some people should wear signs that say "I'm stupid." So when these people ask a stupid question, he gives some smart remark followed by "Here's Your Sign!" It's his way of saying watch out for the obvious, or simply pay attention! Like one time when he was packing to move, the moving truck was in the drive way, packing boxes were lining the driveway and one of the neighbors comes over and asks, "you moving?"

We don't want to be stupid, so we have to pay attention to the signs, especially the ones from God.

The prophets Joel and Amos gave us a sign that St Paul used in his writings to the churches, the "Day of the Lord." The language of Joel is used to describe the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon all the believers,

I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people.
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters.
Your old men will dream,
your young men will see visions.
I'll even pour out my Spirit on the servants,
men and women both. (Joel 2:28-29, Msg)

I doubt if any of the disciples asked any stupid questions that day like, "I wonder if this means something?" They saw the signs because they were prepared. They were praying because Jesus had told them to. They were expecting something and it came.

I don't think we expect to see signs or Spirit-filled events so we don't. It's not that they don't happen, we just miss them. Even on the day of Pentecost some didn't see the signs of power, they just saw people they thought were drunk. Peter should have said to the religious leaders at the end of his sermon, "Here's Your Sign!"

It's these voices of truth, the prophets, who give us insight into what's really going on, the signs to look for, the language to name them. We still live in the that time, the Day of the Lord. The Spirit of God is still being poured out on all God's people and the signs of power are all around us. We just have to open our eyes and be expecting to see just what God is going to do next...

...maybe even through us.

That's right! The Disciples were expecting a sign and they became the sign! At COFS, we've been praying for Spirit-signs and over the past few months we've seen many. But we were not just waiting or wishing for them. No, the key to seeing is praying for them and expecting them.

If you need a sign (from the spirit) today, do so with prayerful expectation and wait with eyes wide open.

It'll happen.

Peace ><>
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Focus

2007-05-18T07:23:00.000-05:00

I remember the intensity in her eyes, the seriousness of her voice, the comfort of her presence and the shock to me as I came out of my panic. I was only about 5 and was on the neighbors front porch waiting for my friend to come out and play. Randy's tricycle was unoccupied so I hopped on for a ride around the porch. Well, not actually around the porch as it wasn't that big, it was actually a ride a bit forward, then back and over again. I was just sitting and waiting, until I found myself strangely on the ground with the trike on top of me.

Somehow I had dropped a back wheel off the porch and back I went down that long 18 inch drop. It happened so fast that I didn't remember the fall, just the sudden stop! And did my head hurt. Embarrassed, I got up and walked toward across the yard towards my house holding the back of my aching head.

That's when I felt the warm goo, brought my hand around to see what I had fell into and discovered the bright red of my own blood. The walking turned to running, calm turned to panic and the quiet turned to screams. I can only imagine what my Mom felt as I entered the house, blood dripping down my hand and the back of my neck, but I do remember her soft hands cupping my face and those calm eyes looking into mine and telling me it was going to be okay.

There was something about that embrace that broke my panic, that helped me to see more clearly. I was reacting the way 5 year olds react, maybe the way many of us still react to tragic circumstances, but my reaction was met with peace, with great love and it turned my attention to what was best for me, to reveal what actually happened, what hurt, what's next.

That's how I imagine God, a tender, loving parent that will take us by the face and help us focus. No matter where our attention goes, how wildly we react to life's circumstances, what's actually happening, God is always there to bring peace to His children, to lead them to a safe place, a better place, to turn our faces to very face of God.

When Israel was only a child, I loved him..but he ran off and left me.
Still I stuck with him, led him, rescued him...I was the one pulling his wagon, lifted him to my cheek, bent down to feed him...And why? Because I am God and not a human. I'm the Holy One and I'm here - in your midst. Hosea 11: selected verses

It was a quick trip to the hospital that day, my aunt held me on her lap with a wash cloth against my head. A few stitches later we were headed back home. The healing process well on it's way...O not because of the stitches, but because of the hands on my face turning my eyes and ears toward a voice of reason, to help me focus on what's important, what's real, what's right.

It's what God does to help us focus and bring us...

...Peace ><>
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Centering

2007-05-15T06:43:00.000-05:00

I'm after love that lasts, not more religion.
I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings.
Hosea 6:6, The Message

This coin is called a widow's mite because of the story of the widow who put two copper coins in the Temple Treasury. Jesus said that she gave out of sacrifice not of abundance and that her gift was worth more than the others given. The coin is actually a Prutah, an equivalent to a penny. It has value, but not much. But what I want you to see is how the coin is struck. It's off center.

When this coin was used, its value didn't depend on its perfectness. A prutah was a prutah, kind of like a penny is a penny whether it is a shiny, new 2007 or a 1943 beat up and discolored copper. But there is a difference in lasting value. You can buy a prutah today like the one above for about $15. But if you find one that is struck in the center, that is more "perfect" then you will pay $35-75. And if you find that 1943 copper penny, it could be worth in excess of $85,000! (Obviously it is a very rare thing.)

Had the prutah's strike been centered, the coin would have more lasting value.

Centering is critical.

Centering is also intentional and takes time and effort.

It's what God wants most from us, to center our lives on Him!

Many times (if not much of our lives) we go through the motions of faith, or more realistically we go through the motions of religion. Relationally we are far from God even though we might work at growing in knowledge and in practice. But God never wanted religious shows or music that caresses our ears and soothes our soul. God never wanted spilled blood or burnt flesh as sacrifices. God wanted us, the real us, the present us and still does.

Centering is the practice of focusing our mind and heart and soul on God. It can be a daily prayer, a practice of reading scripture, a devotional, a time of quiet meditation that has no other purpose than focusing on God as our goal. It is a practice of relating to God, of being with God.

Life is complicated and for most of us a bit crazy. And while getting life under control may be our goal, we find it next to impossible to do. It's because we need to re-center on God. And while that may not "fix" the complex life we lead, it does something to our spirit, it calms and reassures us that God is in control, at the center, where God has always longed to be.

Peace ><>
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Presence

2007-05-11T08:13:00.000-05:00

MySpace
AOL Instant Messenger(I'm Bibdigger)
Xanga
Facebook
Web Pages
Podcasts
ebay

Today, there are countless ways to be present to one another. That without moving away from the computer screen, mouse and keyboard, people can be connected, conversing, buying, selling, revealing, relating, you name it. We can go to church online (I don't recommend it except as an alternative to being away or being ill!), vacation online, watch tv online, work online (telecommuting) and have relationships online. In an age where the computer and the internet has created a separation from human contact the ways that the internet is growing and being used is all about one thing, being present in human contact!

We have a need NOT to be alone. O sure we like our alone time, personal space we call it, but we long for contact. So we go to places where we can make friends, where we can be seen, where we can be ourselves (or at least where we can pretend to be someone we are not). We long to be present to others and them to us. So we've created a variety of means to be present 24/7 with each other.

We've got the right idea, but often miss the present One.

24/7 presence is God's idea. Personal revelation, blogging, text messaging, voice mail are all things that God's been doing forever. Okay, maybe not with a computer or a cell phone but think about it...God may not have a web page (actually there are millions of pages that speak of God, but be careful, not all of them are on God's behalf!) but God does have Creation and history, Scripture (blogging?), Prayer (text messaging?), Prophets and preachers(voice mail?). God's working still on being present to us all the time.

We need each other, we also need God. We're wired up that way. Don't neglect either today. Be present today with your family and friends...

...and with God! And I'm sure you'll get exactly what you need for the day!

Peace ><>
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Monkey Wrenches

2007-05-10T07:06:00.000-05:00

That's what's thrown in the works sometimes. It's the detours around the predicted path, the unexpected part of the journey. We all have them periodically. They take us to new places, to some familiar places, to some places we don't want to go, yet it is our journey so we just go with the flow.

Last evening we were heading out of the driveway when it happened, you know, the detour...

Because of a project for school, my daughter was staying home from regular church activities. She was in a playful mood, and came out to say good bye to the rest of us and when she jumped down off the running boards of my SUV (all of about 8 inches from the ground) she twisted her ankle. Although not a serious injury, she is one of those drama kids! (No, she wasn't acting. It was her first real serious injury and her reaction was just as serious.) So off to the hospital instead of Bible Study.

(And a great thanks to all of you who instead of studying with me, prayed for us and for Hannah!)

Fortunately that 3 hour trip to the Emergency Room wasn't as serious as it could have been. The ankle wasn't broken, just a sprain and we're back to normal at our house again. What is interesting is how we were able to see the hand of God.

One of the things that happens at any emergency room (that they don't show on ER!) is the waiting. While we were surprised at the attentiveness and quick response we received, once the paperwork is finished, and the x-rays taken it's all about the waiting, waiting for the Dr., the answers, the pain medication to kick in, the discharge papers to sign, etc. But what do we do in the waiting?

We took some pictures, laughed, talked about both important and non-important things, but mostly we watched, listened and waited. We watched the staff, the other patients and their families, the activites going on in the hospital. We watched for people we knew and especially for opportunities to be in ministry while we were there. We listened to the conversations around us (not eavesdropping or spying, but just listened) for needs, hurts, questions that were plaguing the other "waiters." We listened to the nurses who had questions for me about some spiritual issues. (I did put on my clergy badge just in case it might help get some quicker service. It didn't help!) We listened to the intercom and prayed during a Code Blue for an infant patient and I'm sure a frantic family.

Yes, we were sidetracked for the evening, but just maybe for a purpose. We sought God anyway, in our circumstances and we found Him at every turn. I'm not surprised. It wasn't a test. It is a practice and an expectation.

Monkey wrenches are not just interruptions to our routine, they are perspective changers. They are hands placed on either side of our faces pointing our eyes in a specific direction helping us focus on what's been right in front of us the whole time but looked right past. Maybe they are just God's fun way of getting our attention. (?) Whatever they are, I like them. Maybe because I'm used to them. It's called ministry and to a greater extent, it's simply a part of life. And the greatest part about them, they point us to God...

...if we're paying attention.

Peace ><>
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Life Witness

2007-05-07T07:40:00.000-05:00

Some would do almost anything to stay out of conflict, out of the spotlight. Most do not like to be singled out from a crowd for any reason. And when it does happen most would compromise much, maybe every thing just to stay out of the way and remain conspicuously in the background, to remain in the crowd.

It's those times and those compromises, though, that show who we are, what we are made of, what we really believe. These are really God given opportunities to give a life witness. What does yours say?

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3 is about just that. They were singled out because they were not bowing to a statue. (of Nebuchadnezzar?) But when given a second chance by the king, they didn't compromise, they didn't work to please the king. Instead they dug deep into themselves and their faith and showed some God-given intestinal fortitude(guts). And when they did reveal their faithfulness to God, two things happened...

1. Their lives were witnesses. They went into the fire not kicking and screaming, but willingly. They said, "If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us...but even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference...we still wouldn't serve your gods." (Daniel 3:17-18, Msg)

2. God's work was a witness. Nebuchadnezzar saw with his own eyes what happened. It wasn't a magic trick or an illusion. It wasn't anything that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did or could have done because it was God who showed up in the furnace.

When we are faithful, our lives tell a story AND God is revealed. But it takes the first to bring about the second. In fact, when we fail to show our faith, or we show our lack of faith, God is mocked.

Think of Peter on the night of Jesus' betrayal. God surely wasn't revealed in his life as he denied he was a part of this movement or a friend of Jesus!

His life witnessed to something. Yours and mine do to. The question is, "What?"

I don't know what I'd do if someone bound me preparing to throw me into a furnace. I'd like to think that I'd go praising God and praying for God's help in God's own way. But when our life is on the line it's hard to tell what we'd do. Yet that just may be when the true nature of our faith is revealed.

May God grant us strength to be ready for that time, should it ever come!

Peace ><>
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Guilty!

2007-05-03T07:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am. And I suspect you are, too. We're guilty of the same thing that Israel/Samaria and Judah are. We've turned away from God, lusted after other things we've deemed more important, settled on priorities that don't have God at the top. But we've never lost faith, so how can we be guilty.

I don't know about your faith (sure I know some of your stories, but not the whole stories). But what I do know is that I have never lost faith in God. I've believed in God my whole life. There has never been a time that I can recall where I turned away and dis-believed in God. I may have doubted some details, questioned things, wondered about miracles, the nature of Jesus, the goodness of God, the existence of other gods, the truth in other faiths, but never doubted that God oversaw it all.

I've believed in Jesus, trusted in his forgiveness, depended on his acts to rescue me (my Savior), listened to his teaching, counted on his promises, asked for his provisions, and graciously received his gifts. But though I trust God, believe Christ, never wavered even for a moment, I'm still guilty of putting God in the background.

Life is so complicated. Day to day things infiltrate my mind, my tasks, my focus. It's easy to bypass prayer, set aside study, postpone a scripture reading. Family pressures, jobs, demands of friends, organizations, etc. all play a role in shifting our priorites. (which happen almost daily, if not more often!) But it is these very things, the simple things, the daily things, the important things, that turn away our attention so quickly, so easily.

The people of God were disciplined for many reasons, years and generations of rebellion. But it didn't start out so intentionally; actually it was very subtle and innocent. It was a desire for hunger, shelter, protection, self-preservation, and many other daily pressures that led to their guilt. And we can point to the one thing that started it all, is the basis of all their sin...and ours...

...putting God aside.

Therefore God, the Master, says, Because you've forgotten all about me, pushing me into the background, you now must pay for what you've done.

Yes, we are all guilty whenever we put God aside for anything else. And it can happen easily, daily, and become habit. What God desires is our simple and daily recognition that we have a tendency to turn away and the solution is for us to simply focus on Him, put God first, make Christ not only our Savior, but make Him our Master and Lord.

Because being lost to God's grace is not about losing faith, it's about taking it for granted.

Peace ><>
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Memory of Shame

2007-05-02T07:41:00.000-05:00

I remember very well some of the things I did as a child that were not pleasing to my parents. I remember telling a few white lies that were quickly tangled into a mess, I got caught in them and faced the consequences. O, they weren't major, but they taught me a great lesson. I remember them well. Mom may remember them, too.

But they weren't held against me.

I've done good in my life, too. I helped around the house, learned to dust and clean, mow the yard, help Dad with projects, washing the cars, landscaping, etc. But these don't make me better than my brother or any body else. I remember them, so do my parents.

But they don't put me on a pedestal.

That's how God works, too.

There is no list of good or bad, weighed on a scale to see which one weighs most. This is not the way God works. Rather, God looks at the heart.

Shame is guilt internalized. Repentance is shame's wisdom in action. Right living is faith lived out.

I'm not one who would quote Hollywood stars mainly because they rarely have anything to quote unless it was a line from a movie. But I read a quote that struck me the other day.

There's a lot of hypocrisy sometimes within certain religious groups. And I just wish peole could maybe preach less and act more, you know. That would be nice.
Billy Bob Thorton, Actor

God is looking at both our heart and our action to see how they match.

"I'll judge each of you according to the wy you live. So turn around! Turn your backs on your rebellious living so that sin won't drag you down. Clean house! No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel? I take no pleasure in anyone's death. Decree of God, the Master. "Make a clean break! Live!" (Ezekiel 18:30-32, Msg)

How we live is critical. It's how God lives. "I act[ed] out of who I am, not by what I felt." (Ezek. 20:9, Msg)

Peace ><>
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Shame On You....

2007-05-01T06:17:00.000-05:00

I heard this occasionally when I was a kid. Now I wasn't a bad kid, rather, I was very normal (I think). I'd make mistakes, try things my own way, test the waters so to speak. But when I did, instead of spankings (very seldom) I would hear, "shame on you!" or "you know better than that!"

I know I didn't appreciate it at the time and it may have scarred my psyche, but it also did something that I never expected, it taught me something important, something valuable and as I look around the world today, something increasingly rare...shame. My mother taught me the power and the value of shame. Shame is a gift if used correctly and where there is no shame, there is unrestrained action.

The lack of shame led to the downfall of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Samaria (Israel). They weren't ashamed because they had relaxed their moral standards, lived in ways that pleased themselves. Most everything was proclaimed acceptable and shame was forgotten. Living was more about feeling good (being happy?). That was Ezekiel's task, to teach Judah shame, so that they would come back to God.

Life has so much more to offer than the pursuit of happiness...

...it is the pursuit of righteousness (right living).

There is such a thing as morality and it comes not from humans, but from God. It is morality that brings the basis of shame. This shame is a wall that protects what is precious, living God's way, which is they way humans were created to live. Shame is deterrant to rebellion, to acting inappropriately, to forgetting God and God's principles. Shame is a key to living the right life.

But don't we hate feeling shame? Yes we do, but that is exactly the point. Shame is what leads us to confession and repentance, but is also the remnant, the memory, that protects us from sinning again. It is like the memory of getting burned the first time, you don't touch hot things again (intentionally). Shame steers us in the right direction.

I'm thankful today that my Mom taught me shame. She never said she was ashamed of me, rather she told me I should be ashamed of myself. While God isn't pleased with our actions, but rather than just being ashamed of us, God wants us to learn to be ashamed of ourselves so that we can live rightly.

Yes, shame is the beginning of a life not of happiness, but of great joy!

Peace ><>
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When All Seems Lost

2007-04-27T07:05:00.000-05:00

I had the best intentions yesterday. I even sat staring at the empty posting screen on my computer for the longest time, reading over the day's scripture over and over. I thought of several things to write, even had paragraphs written, but not one of them ready to post. It was one of those days. We all have them, where we just can't think straight; where there are so many other things going on that it's hard to concentrate on even the important ones. So I erased them and went on to something else.

But that's exactly what I was trying to write about. There are times when the details of life, circumstances with kids, choices, futures, get to a challenging point, where anxiety, worry, can get the best of you. Where you even wonder if you are hearing the word of God right, if at all.

It's where the people of Judah had found themselves. Jeremiah had been preaching, pleading, warning them for years. Now the doom he predicted was coming. The truth he preached was being realized (as was the false hope of his adversaries). Yet even in the doom of God's messages to Jeremiah was some glimmer of hope, some future promise, something that the people latched on to, even while in chains being led away to Babylon;

Look around. What I've built I'm about to wreck, and what I've planted I'm about to rip up. And I'm doing it everywhere - all over the whole earth! So forget about making any big plans for yourself. Things are going to get worse before they get better. But don't worry. I'll keep you alive throu the whole business.(Jer 45:4-5)

The hardest thing in the world to do is to keep a "glass half full" attitude when life is at its darkest. It is usually that optimistic guy you want to strangle when all is lost, yet that's the person God wants us to be. The one who holds on to faith even in the darkest hour, in the midst of death, in chains being led away from the only promises you've ever truly believed in. That's when God wants us to hold on to Him, hold on to faith.

And it's the place that's the hardest to hang on.

It's where we recognize our true place, helpless, looking to the the only One who can make a difference, God.

Oh listen, please listen; I've never been this low.
Rescue me from those who are hunting me down;
I'm no match for them.
Get me out of this dungeon
so I can thank you in public.
Your people will for a circle around me
and you will bring me showers of blessing! (Psalm 142:6-7)

So what do we do when we are lost?

Stop and ask directions...

...from God!

Peace ><>
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Agony

2007-04-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

That's the song we've been singing in our house for the last week. It's one of the comical songs from the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods which Boone Grove High School recently produced. For no reason, and at random times someone in our family might just break into the chorus singing, "Agony! How you cut like a knife." It was a funny play (with even funnier renditions playing at our house daily) but real agony is felt in our nation.

What happened at Virginia Tech was a great tragedy and one that will not quickly be forgotten. At least I hope so. I don't want it to be forgotten because this tragedy speaks not of the miscues of the campus police or of the doctor's mis-diagnosis or even of Virginia's or University's policies on gun control. This tragedy is about the human condition.

Every day I hear or read another argument how this could have been avoided had gun control been legislated differently, if the VT "gun free school zone" policy had been rescinded, if professors and students had been allowed to carry concealed weapons, if, if, if...

The if's are only pointed fingers in order to blame something else, someone else, to refuse to look at what might be a deeper problem...we missed an opportunity to help a lost kid!

Yes, I said "we." It wasn't the doctors or the faculty or even the students. It wasn't the various campus ministries that represented ecumenical faith communities or even the church. The fault lies with all of us.

We are in agony because this young man was in agony because we didn't reach out to make a difference. It's partly our fault.

The group Superchic[k] has a song entitled Hero, written after the Columbine massacre.

No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him
Cause you want to belong, do you go along?
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It's not like you hate him or want him to die
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side
And a kindness from you might have saved his life
Heroes are made when you make a choice

[Chorus:]
You could be a hero - heroes do what's right
You could be a hero - you might save a life
You could be a hero- you could join the fight
For what's right, for what's right, for what's right.

Could something have been done to prevent this tragedy? Maybe. Just maybe the answer is us.

I've been silent on the tragedy at Virginia Tech, not because I want to avoid the conversation but because there seems to be so much being said that one more voice, even if rational and wise, might be drowned out by the flood of opinions and commentary and the unending newscasts. I've read the Bishop's call (and other's) to prayer, some other's call to action (although they haven't specified what that is), the call for more legislation (or maybe signs posted - NO GUNS in School as Ann Coulter said this morning). And of everything I have read and heard, the best solution I've found so far to fix the agony we feel is to become who God called us to be.

Yes, much of the agony that is felt is guilt, not because any of us could have stopped this tragedy, but all of us can stop one of them, by being the body of Christ right where we are. There are other Seung-Hui Cho's, Eric Harris' and Dylan Klebold's (Columbine, CO) out there, maybe even next door. And their agony will not be fixed by gun control legislation favoring either side. Their agony can only be healed by grace...

...from God...

...through people like us every day.

Peace for today and for eternity for the victims of the VT Massacre
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Beginning Right

2007-04-24T06:56:00.000-05:00

I long for its aroma every morning. The fresh ground, dark roasted nuttiness that filters through the house. It almost feels like a cartoon odor, that ghost-like cloud of aroma that stealthily finds my nostrils and with its caffeine-power lifts me up each morning. It's coffee, man. I may be addicted, but it gives me just the right kick to start my day. And I'm not alone. Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, even Family Express and Speedway have made their mark in jolting America every morning. They are attempting to help people start right each day.

At least that's the goal, starting right. But just maybe the best way to begin is not with a caffeine injection, rather a right attitude that can really make for a better beginning?
A few years ago a friend gave me this pocket labyrinth. I carry it every day and like any labyrinth (a tool for prayer)you follow the path in, spend time with God and then prepare to come out again to face the world. When i run my finger over it is to remind me that coming out well demands my going in well. Which is exactly what we need to do every day.

While Jeremiah was speaking God's judgment and doom to Judah, he also held out hope for them that if they were to begin well daily, then their lives would be spared. While they would still be sent/taken into exile to Babylon, it didn't mean that they should stop trying to live rightly and the best way to begin each day is with a sense of justice.

Start each day by dealing with justice. Rescue victimes from their exploiters.

It's a good bet (although we shouldn't) that few of us wake up every day with this thought, "I need to rescue someone from their injustice today." That sounds more like what Superman or Captain America might do. But it was God's word to Judah and is God's word to us. It is a reminder that God cares not only how we live our lives, but how we respond with the character God wants to develop in us. God has a great sense of justice and has called for his people to respond in the same way. Justice matters to God and it should to us!

It's a way to begin looking at the day differently, much like we see differently after our first cup of coffee because remember, this life is not "all about me" anyway. It's about God and if we begin like God does, we are well on our way to the right destination!

Enter well...every day.

Peace ><>
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The Temptation of "What's Best for Me Right Now"

2007-04-19T08:06:00.000-05:00

I know I guilty of making rash decisions. There are times when I have deliberated all of a couple of minutes before making huge decisions. And they have not always turned out to be the best ones! Yet I have to admit, I'm not the only one. In fact we live in a society that pushes and depends on us making quick decisions. The "Limited Time Offer" sales, "Tax Time", Inventory reductions, Only a few days left, even the phone calls and emails that say you have to act right now or the opportunity will be gone.

Why is it that we are pushed to make such quick decisions? Because to think about them, to rationalize them, to look carefully at the benefit versus the cost most of the time we would pass. But it's not the fault of the advertisers. Instead they are just capitalizing on our human condition. They know our decision making process better than we do. They know that our "want" is stronger than our "need" most of the time. So, we make many decisions based upon what's best for me right now (in the confusion of wants/needs).

You are probably asking why I mention this today. IN Isaiah 36, Rabshekah, the General of Assyria's army is standing outside the wall of Jerusalem speaking to the leaders and to the people listening in. He makes an offer that sounds pretty good, a new life, if they will only join in a peace agreement with Assyria. Not a bad plan, until he continued, "Name one god that has ever saved its countries from me. So what makes you think that God could save Jerusalem from me?"

We are bombarded with options in this life, with immediate results and satisfaction. If the people of Judah in Jerusalem had taken this offer what would it mean? A peaceful end to a volatile situation? Probably, but to what end? We have leaders in our nation who want to end our engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan immediately and many people agree that this is the best option. It seems what's best for right now, but what about the future? I'm not saying I know the answer because I don't. I too want the conflict to end, but not to sacrifice the future.

Decision making is much more comlex. And as people of God we are better served to weigh our options: the ones that benefit us now against the ones that will benefit us far into the future. The people of Judah made the right decision (with King Hezekiah's wisdom and faith and Isaiah's counsel). I'll let you finish the story in today's reading, how King Hezekiah and Isaiah trusted in God and an amazing event took place. They saw that "what seemed best for them right now" was really a temptation to steer them away from what was best for them in the long run...

...to trust in God!

Let's not make the same mistakes anymore. Instead let's place our decision making in the hands of God who knows whats best for our future!

Peace ><>
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Favorite Things

2007-04-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

I was asked the other day about some of my favorite things and I didn't have an answer for any of them. I realized that I don't have a favorite drink, or dessert, or food, or movie. I have many favorite things, places, experiences and I'm sure you do to.

When I was a kid it wasn't unusual for my parents to ask me to sing something or to show a new step I'd learned in dance class. It was one of their favorite things, even though I rarely complied. Instead I would usually sheepishly say, "No thank you!" Today I wish I had sang and danced more for them when they asked.

As you probably know already I love to travel and my favorite destination is the Holy Land for obvious reasons. I've shared many stories and places and pictures of the things that touch my heart. One of them is Qumran, the Jewish monastic community (Essenes) who created what we call the Dead Sea Scrolls.
This is Dave Ritchie and me after leaving our group and climbing into the mountains. Behind us is the Dead Sea, the cave where the first scroll was discovered and if you look carefully, our group (that look like tiny ants along the ridge). It's hard to tell why this is one of my favorite places, maybe because I've had some opportunity to explore it and it beckons me back to it. I want to scale the cliffs, go into it's caves, see what I might be able to discover.

Favorite things, places, people, beckon us because to experience them is to affect us somehow. They touch our heart in a way that may be indescribable, but it feels good so it becomes a favorite. You know what it's like to see your favorite team play their sport, to visit with your favorite person, to taste your favorite ice cream, to watch your favorite show. You can almost not even think about them without a smile. Just thinking about it affects us.

God's the same way.

God has favorites just like we do, even favorite people throughout the biblical story. (It may not seem fair, but it's true. There are some who just simply get God's attention for their life, their faith, their humility, their devotion, like David, Job, Moses, etc.) The scripture even reveals some of God's favorites. (...as well as the things God hates!) But one of God's favorites might surprise you.

You'd think that a fully devoted life would please God the most and while I agree that's God's goal for all of us, it's rare to find that. Rather one of God's favorite things is actually very simple...

...it's when someone calls out for help. That's right, God loves it when we find ourselves dependent, in need, even desperate. It's where God wants us to be, how God wants to relate to us. It's God's nature to be merciful, generous, gracious, so it makes perfect sense that when we are dependent on God, God gets to act in His favorite ways.

“Your salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on me—
The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do. (Isaiah 30:15, Msg)

Want to please God? A song and a dance might make Him smile, but to really please Him act today in a way that is one of God's favorites...

...cry out for help!

Peace ><>
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The Galilee Promise

2007-04-16T06:33:00.000-05:00

I've had the privilege of spending a significant amount of time in the Galilee. Of all the places in the Holy Land, I love this area the most, probably because of the time Jesus spent here, ministered here, but also because of it's significance to the whole biblical story. It's the land of Naphtali and Zebulun and it's mentioned as the place were the people who walked in darkness would see a great light!

In other words, it is where the Messiah would come from.

There are significant reasons why God planned it this way, first of all, because this land in the First Century wasn't filled with Jews, but was a mix of Jews, Samaritans, and other Gentiles from around the area and world. Tiberius, a large city built during this time in honor of the Caesar (whose name was Tiberius) was considered a pagan city and was avoided by the Jews(and by Jesus). It was here in this international area that God planned to reveal himself to the world, in the flesh.

So for me, the picture above is like home. It represents you and me, the land of Gentiles, full of the darkness of ignorance (or naivete) of God that will be flooded with the light of God, an understanding of Christ!

I always thought that in order to find we have to seek and in order to understand we have to study/read. And while it holds true, it is not exclusive. What I mean is that the people of the Galilee (at least the Gentiles) weren't seeking a Messiah. They weren't studying the Hebrew scriptures (and while the Jews here were doing both, there wasn't a great fervor until after John the Baptist). So when Jesus arrives they found something they weren't looking for. In other words, Jesus comes to meet us where we are instead of us always going to where he is.

That's a great deal of the Good News of God. He has arrived not at the Temple, where he is expected, but at home, where we live, where we work, where we play, where we hurt. The Galilee is the symbol of God's promise, I will be wherever you are.

And it still holds true. Jesus is where we are. He's Emmanuel, which means God with us. We don't have to run after God. Instead we simply have to turn toward Him and He's there. Run away from God and look over your shoulder...He's there.

Isaiah said, "He's coming."

Jesus says, "I AM here!"

In His Grip ><>
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An Easter Gift

2007-04-12T07:12:00.000-05:00

The Easter Bunny brings baskets of goodies every year, colored eggs, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps (preferrably pre-opened and a bit stale) and loads of jelly beans. When I was a kid we'd also get other little spring gifts, plastic outdoor toys, kites, frisbees, whiffle balls and bats and other fun stuff. Sometimes even the traditional basket was replaced with something more creative and usable, a sand bucket or a wagon. It was never like Christmas, but it was always exciting to get something more than candy!

I don't know why or when Easter gifts started, (or how that little bunny can carry all of that stuff) but I do know that Jesus gave an awesome gift that day and it was not just a gift of resurrection to eternal life!

One of the surprising elements of this story happens in John's version as Jesus shows up in a locked room and addresses the disciples,

“Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord! He spoke to them again and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven." (John 20:19b-23, NLT)

Jesus gave his disciples the Holy Spirit on Easter Day and with this awesome gift a great responsibility, forgiveness. We commonly think of the Holy Spirit coming with power at Pentecost in the book of Acts, but I like how John relates it much more practically here. In fact, the gift that Jesus gives is more about forgiveness than with power anyway. The key to living like Jesus, for John, is to be forgiving.

The greatest gift we receive from Jesus at Easter is forgiveness and the greatest gift we can give is the same. In fact that's the real power of the empty tomb, what used to convict us, judge us, send us to our death, can no longer do so because like the empty tomb, it's gone. We are forgiven.

Unless we don't forgive!

Some have misunderstood this passage, that we have been given the power to judge and if we choose, not to forgive the sins of someone. But that's not what Jesus said. Teh Message puts it this way, "If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?” The New King James says, "if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." In other words, you retain not forgiveness, but the guilt of not being forgiving.

The act of forgiving is an Easter gift of God. It's for us and for us to use. We don't learn to accept forgiveness unless we are willing also to forgive!

It's a gift that's only good if we give it away!

Peace ><>
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Easter Week

2007-04-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

Christ is Risen!

(just waiting for your response...)

Yes it is Easter week. The fasting is over and the celebration has begun. We can begin eating chocolate (or whatever you might have given up for Lent) and enjoying the freedom given to us by the death and resurrection of Christ. Our Polish brothers and sisters have given us a holiday to help this event, Dyngus Day, or Easter Monday. It's the day we either recover from the sugar coma from eating the ears off of Chocolate Easter Bunnies or to imbibe a bit on the beverages we gave up for Lent. Either way, it is a day to remember our new place in the kingdom of God.

How are you celebrating this week?

I was planning on playing golf, but the weather didn't cooperate. In fact, I'm now sitting in my office with the rain/sleet/snow hitting my window and making me very cold! I'm eating sweets like they are going out of style (thank God for the Easter Bunny who brought me plenty of my favorites, too!) and I'm still basking in the Easter worship experiences from last Sunday!

But my greatest celebration is still to come...as we continue our Easter celebration each Sunday in the weeks to come!

You see, Easter doesn't happen just once per year, rather it happens every Sunday. That's why we worship on the first day of the week instead of at the beginning of the sabbath (Friday Evening) like our Jewish and Muslim neighbors. We celebrate on resurrection morning...every week! It's to remind us that the risen Christ is to be real in our lives as well, EVERY WEEK, and EVERY DAY!

As Christians we are supposed to live the resurrection life, dead to sin, alive to the very movement of God (the Holy Spirit) within us. Which means it's important to remember that we are Christians every day, not just on Sundays, that worship is for every day, that centering on God is for every day, that speaking to God is for everyday, that being mindful of God is to become who we are at our very core.

I think Easter week is one of the hardest for Christians and for churches. The planning process that leads to Easter Sunday is easily abandoned for the next week and the experiences that follow somehow pale in comparison. It's back to the old clothes in the closet, the regular routine of the weekend, worship that's not quite as full (in seats or in content). We expect less because we often get less. It's a vicious cycle.

So we have to temper our expectations, or maybe even ramp them up. And at the same time, start treating each Sunday like Easter in how we anticipate and how we prepare, both as worshipers and leaders.

Today is the middle of the week, hump day as some call it, the day many will begin cruising through the rest of the week. I'm suggesting instead of coasting, we start peddling, faster and faster because we cannot wait until we gather for another Easter Celebration this weekend! (and the next and the next!) That's the right attitude of Easter.

We cannot afford the post-easter doldrums, it's just the beginning of the celebration, because Christ is Risen...indeed...

...still!

Peace><>
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"Good" Friday?

2007-04-06T09:01:00.000-05:00

What's so good about it? Isn't this the day for Jesus' death on the Cross?

Yes, and that may be exactly why it's called Good Friday.

It wasn't originally. It was "God's Friday" or "Holy Friday" and has had several other names, but it's intent has always been clear, to mark the anniversary of Christ's death. The day has several traditions including "stripping the church" down to a bare altar table (that will display the Christ Candle from Christmas), a crown of thorns and a simple cross. Many other traditions include using black, dimmed lights or darkness in the worship, a tenebrae service (a sort-of reversal of the advent candles) that ends in the extinguising of the Christ candle and complete darkness to mimic the feeling of the day. It's a day meant to have a somber tone, even the music on this day are more like mourning and grief than celebration.

But why good?

As Christians we never are further than a half-week away from an Easter celebration. Each Sunday is a mini-Easter. So even in Holy Week we anticipate the great Celebration that is upon us. That old Sermon and phrase, "It's Friday, but Sunday's a comin'" holds firm and is the glimmer of light even on a dark Friday. We remember the death of Christ, even mourn his suffering while at the same time recognize Paul's word to us through the Church at Colossae,

"For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, 22 yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault." Colossians 1:19-22, NLT

So what does it mean for us today? We should temper our activites, read the story of the Passion, watch the film, attend Good Friday Services, maybe even fast for the day to recognize the acts of Jesus Christ just for you, and that means even if you were the only one, he still would have done it. This day is about God's Love for YOU!

This day is why we sing those strange lyrics "by his stripes we are healed", the "fountain filled with blood", "The Old Rugged Cross", "Nothing but the Blood" and dozens of others. It's because we want to remember; we NEED to remember...It's for US!

It's not just Good Friday...

...It's the Greatest Friday. It's Christ's Victory for You!

Peace ><>
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Maundy (Holy) Thursday

2007-04-05T08:05:00.000-05:00

The word is Maundy, not Monday. My daughter insisted it is Monday Thursday, which is just plain confusing. Then again, she speaks for many who misunderstand the title of the day.

Holy Thursday is the day we remember the Last full day of Jesus' ministry that is filled with action. John's Gospel (from where the term Maundy derives) has the events at a dinner prior to the Passover (which would have been on Friday instead of Thursday)but where Jesus was anointed, then he washed the disciples' feet. The term Maundy is from this event, "a new commandment I give to you..." or in latin, mandatum. It's a reference specifically to the washing of the feet, an act of servanthood Jesus performed and asks us to perform for each other. It's a true sign of a disciple becoming like Jesus.

Today is also remembered for the Last Supper, where Jesus shared the Passover Seder. He broke bread, prepared his disciples, then went out to the Mount of Olives to pray. He fell down at a large rock in the Garden of Gethsemane (above) and began to sweat great drops of blood. His prayer in the Synoptic Gospels says he prayed that "this cup might pass by him, yet not what I want but what you want." John's Gospel reveals much more about his prayer (chapter 17) where he prays for the strength of his followers in the days to come, Thanksgiving for the things God had accomplished, and for the future followers who would eventually believe and serve him. In other words, Jesus prayed for you in the Garden!

Like all of Holy Week, today is another day to remember. But we are not just to remember the things that happened, but also remember the why, the how, the impact it had and still has on our lives. To remember from the Biblical perspective is also to participate in it. The Passover liturgy says, "when we were in Egypt..." as participants of God's saving acts even now. It's exactly what we celebrate today in the Last Supper (Holy Communion/Eucharist), we are participating in the event.

God is still in the act of saving us and we are called, mandated (i.e.Maundy) to remember, to participate, to claim the very saving act of God for us in Jesus Christ. It's a great Holy Day. Immerse yourself in the story. Let Jesus' words speak to you,

"This is my blood of the New Covenant poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me."

It's the price he paid...

...for you!

Peace ><>
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Holy Wednesday

2007-04-04T07:51:00.000-05:00

You know that there are not enough days in holy week? It's true. If we are to discover the whole of the Good News, we need another couple of weeks (at least) to be Holy. But we'll do the best we can with the time we have because we have next year and the year after that!

It's Holy Wednesday, also known as Judas Day or "Spy" Wednesday. But I believe that's the wrong focus. O we should focus on Judas, but not because of his vilification, rather because we are more like him than we care to admit! We focus on Judas today because it shifts tomorrow to the Last Supper, Friday to the cross, the Sabbath and then Resurrection. So today is perfect to look at Judas.

Who is Judas? A faithful disciple, just like the rest. He was accepted by Jesus and by his peers. He was included in everything, every teaching, every miracle, every insider peek at the Kingdom of God that the rest were. So why do we readily set him aside as the villain in the story? Is it because of his betrayal? Be careful...

Who hasn't betrayed Jesus? Peter did even after he promised he never would, even going to death with him, for him, but he did...3 times! Judas did only once. Hmmmm...who's the villain now?

No, I'm not about to make Peter the bad guy, rather I'd like to portray Judas as one like the rest of us, he just caught up in the great tragedy of circumstance. In other words, his betrayal was a catalyst for God's greater purposes, not the downfall of the Kingdom. And there have been other betrayals that have done much more harm to the kingdom. In fact, the betrayals that happen today on a daily basis are much worse than his, and we mostly dismiss them out of hand with little or no thought to our own actions. Yes, we are as guilty as Judas, maybe even more so!

But the Good News for us is that even Jesus, though told us exactly how Judas would be viewed by history and the generations to come, also showed us exactly how he would treat all those who would betray him, with a hand-dipped piece of bread (Communion?). Yes, even in the midst of Judas' disappointment with Jesus (he desired a militant Messiah, taking over Israel and running out the Romans) and his betrayal, Jesus extended grace to him...

...and to us!

Like Judas we are disappointed in Jesus often. It's true! He doesn't do the things we want or expect sometimes. He leaves things undone in the stories and in our lives and we wonder why. We are disappointed with God as we read the vile and bloody stories of the Old Testament, we are disappointed when we are asked to forgive and we don't want to, we are disappointed when Jesus accepts someone we wouldn't think of accepting. Yet in all of this, Jesus still extends his hand to us.

We've betrayed him, often. And he loves us anyway. That's Good News for a Holy Wednesday.

Peace ><>
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Holy Tuesday

2007-04-03T06:35:00.000-05:00

So much of our life of faith is about us doing something different, changing they way we act, think, respond. It's hard work sometimes too. We have bad habits that we try to change using our own strength and waiting, hoping that God will help in some unseen but miraculous way. We long for that help that seems to be so elusive.

The Psalms are filled with these images of hard work or hard times where God seems distant. But there is another image there that is perfect for a Holy Tuesday, our active God who is working on our behalf, doing more behind the scenes than we realize, working on ahead of us to make things better than they could have been, showing up behind us to push us and encourage us along the way, walking along beside us just waiting for us to put our hand in his and walk.

That's right. While a great part of our lives of faith takes our strength, the greatest steps of faith are not to be taken alone, with our hand in the hand of God. But how do we do that?

It's simple and its the only real thing we have to do with our own strength, reach out our hand for God's!

On this Holy Tuesday, in preparation for the Easter Celebration, reach up or reach out for God who is ready to hold us and take us where we need to go, guide us through whatever difficulties that we face, encourage us along the say and never let us go.

It's a great place to be...

...In His Grip!

Peace ><>
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Holy (Week) Monday

2007-04-02T06:31:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted on my blog. Some of you have missed it and told me, others of you have missed it and just been disappointed. But thanks to all of you who have missed it. I, too, have missed writing and I decided that there's no better time to jump start it than Holy Week. So I pray you find it again and trust that there will be something to read in the days to come. Thanks for your patience and encouragement.

We don't know what happened on Holy Monday. It was a crazy week for Jesus, too. He hadn't made great friends in the Temple yesterday, either. It was later, after arriving on the donkey, that he turned over the tables of the merchants and money-changers. The week was filled with a lot of teaching, moving around, going to the temple, dinner at friends houses, preparing for Passover, lots of pilgrims coming into Jerusalem and it's outlying communities. It was a happening week for them too.
Maybe, though, Monday was a bit of a letdown from the "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. Just maybe, Jesus spent the day in a much quieter setting, thinking about what had just happened yesterday, the cries of "Hosanna" still ringing in his ears, teaching his disciples just what those events had meant, or would mean in the future. Maybe it was a day of rest in preparation for what he know was coming in the next few days.

Anticipation of the rest of the week should be our focus. How are we going to most appropriately address the holiness of this week? Are we going to be fully present in the worship, with the Passion story, with Jesus? Today should be a day to ponder, to think, to look back on our lives and prepare for our responses the rest of the week. It's a day to confess our sins, our undesired behaviors and vow to change. (It's called repentance.) Sure we've been doing that all during Lent, but in case we have put it off, now is the time.

We cried "Hosanna" (Save us!) yesterday. Let's cry it again today, but instead of with our lips, make it the prayer of our hearts as we quiet ourselves to prepare for the rest of this Holy Week.

Peace ><>
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Let's Make a Festival

2007-03-20T07:11:00.000-05:00

Every year we do the same thing. Families gather, grills are heated up, drinks are iced down, badmitton nets are erected and the cole slaw prepared all in anticipation of a festival of freedom. (O yeah, don't forget all of the fireworks that continue through the night!) It's the Fourth of July or Independence Day that we remember how we as a nation were delivered from our enemies and became a free people. It's a highlight of the year and we usually feast together.

That's the feeling and sense of the Feast of Purim. It's not a religious festival per se, rather a national one. It commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from the hand of the evil Haman (boo, hiss) by Queen Esther/Hadassah (Yeah! whistles)and her cousin Mordecai. And no festival is complete without the gathering of family and the making of great feasts.

One unique thing that is done on Purim is the reading of the Megillah (Scroll of Esther), but not just a hearing of it. Everyone gets involved in the story. Whenever the name of Haman is mentioned the crowd hisses and boos, but when Esther is mentioned everyone cheers loudly. It's a way to enjoy and remember an important event in history, the making of a heritage, the preservation of a people.

Many don't understand Purim since it has no religious purpose or God-focus. But we should understand it. It's about a nation of people who want to remember and who are grateful for who they are. It's what Americans should be. It's what Christians should be. We must remember not only what God has done for us, but also we must remember who we are...

...a people, united in Christ; a church with one purpose with a heritage we are proud of. So let's celebrate!

Peace ><>
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Your Wall and Mine

2007-03-14T08:29:00.000-05:00

If you built a wall, strong and tall, you'd expect it to serve it's purpose. If it were built to keep animals in or enemies out, to retain your privacy in and other's eyes out, to protect you on the inside and to protect those on the outside, you'd build it to certain standards.

If I were to build a wall it would need to be with those same standards, especially if they were to work together. My wall cannot be weak next to your strong wall because a weak section can lead to the destruction of the whole thing and puts the whole community at risk.

In other words, our work in the life of the church is meant to stand together. Your work is as important as mine and everyone elses. If any wall is built to a lesser standard, then the whole thing could come tumbling down.

Your section of the wall is as important as mine!

Nehemiah was called to build the wall of Jerusalem at the end of the exilic period. The people of Israel were streaming back from all parts of the world to discover the wreck the city had become and when Nehemiah saw it, he went immediately to work rallying the people to build their own section of the wall. That meant each section not only had to stand strong, but be interconnected to the walls being built next to it! Which meant that everyone had to work together, plan together, coordinate together. It was one task with a myriad of workers (and chiefs)...working together.

That's the church...working together on one primary task, mission, and a secondary task, community. We learn to coordinate our efforts with our neighbors, learn to love, trust, depend, lean, hope on our neighbors because our work together is critical for the success of the whole community. One works independently and the whole thing can cave in.

Your section of the wall is as important as mine and vice versa.

You have a wall to build and so do I. It's all a part of the plan of God. And when we do it together, the whole thing stands strong.

Peace ><>
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Jumpin' Jehoshaphat

2007-03-07T08:41:00.000-06:00

2 Chronicles 19-23

What is your first response to troubles or challenges? Is it some alternate plan that had been thought through long before, a contingency for just such an occasion? Is it a retreat to a safe place or a hiding place? Or does it become a personal challenge, a chance to prove your problem solving ability, to support a savior complex?

Or how about the most common reaction... PANIC!

Or maybe it starts with a simple statement of surprise, "Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!"

Now I don't know exactly where that phrase came from, and even in some quick research I discovered that no one else really does either. It's probably from 19th Century America who used it as a non-cursing reaction. It may also be a euphemism for Jehovah or Jesus almost as a cry for help, kind of like some people say today, "O, sweet Jesus!"

But I like the idea that it may have been used originally because of the reaction of Jehoshaphat when trouble came his way. The Moabites, Ammonites and the Meunites had united and began a march against the nation of Judah. When King Jehoshaphat heard about it he did what should be our first response...

"Shaken, Jehoshaphat prayed. He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast. The country of Judah united in seeking God's help - they came from all the cities in Judah to pray to God." (2 Chronicles 20:4-5, Msg)

Too often we meet for meetings, we sit around the table, we plan stuff as a church or as groups, ministries, families and we discuss how, make strategies, set visions, and create hopes, but how often do we simply stop and pray. I'm not talking about the opening prayer that's nearly as impotent as many prayers before meals. I'm talking about real prayer that shakes the foundations of heaven.

It's what God is waiting for from us. Sure, we have to respond with action too, but action before real prayer for direction will result in the wrong action or the wrong direction.

Our right response, our first reaction is simple and the most powerful.

Pray!

Jumpin' Jehoshaphat. That's what he did. So can we!

Peace ><>

Seek and Find

2007-03-06T07:34:00.000-06:00

I like it that God doesn't play hide and seek. That game was always so frustrating to me. Maybe it's because I have this great desire to win, every time in every game. I'm a competitive type, I know it and have to be careful that way. It isn't pretty either!

Rather, God plays seek and find. God, instead of being hidden, stands in plain sight just waiting for us to begin the process of seeking. Amazingly (or actually not so amazing really) when we seek God, we find Him! He's sometimes like the elephant in the middle of the room that no one wants to talk about. We're afraid of what God might say about our lives, our behaviors, our past, our direction for the future. We're afraid what God might require of us, ask us to do, how to live. So often we don't seek. And when we don't seek, we rarely find.

"Listen carefully...God will stick with you as long as you stick with him. If you look for him he will let himself be found; but if you leave him he'll leave you. For a long time Israel didn't have the real God, nor did htey have the help of priest or teacher or book. But when they were in trouble and got serious, and decided to seek God, the God of Israel, God let himself be found." (2 Chronicles 15:2-4, Msg)

God is found when we seek.

God sticks close to us as we stay close to Him.

But if we abandon God...look out!

I'd rather keep seeking and discovering the blessings God brings than "reap the whirlwind" that this world brings to destroy us.

Keep seeking!
Peace ><>
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Living Large

2007-03-05T09:23:00.000-06:00

2 Chronicles 6-9 (10-12)

That's the way of life in America. It's the goal of poor, middle class and the rich. It seems to be the one thing most of us can agree upon, we want to live in the most comfortable way possible, in the biggest way possible.

It's what the commercials and ads are trying to sell us, the lifestyle as much as the product.

It's how we have interepreted our rights in the declaration of independence, the pursuit of happiness.

It's what drives lottery sales, gambling boat income and trips to Vegas and Atlantic City (or now to central Indiana to the horse tracks, southern Indiana to the casinos). It's what drives some to deal drugs, skim from the company, steal from a neighbor. The lure of living large is a constant challenge that can lead to compromise in one's own morals and ethical behaviors. It's walking on the edge of breaking one of the ten commandments (and no, it's not the one about coveting although that one is in danger as well).

Solomon had it all, the favor of God, a powerful father who handed him the greatest kingdom the world had ever seen, riches beyond measure, a people who nearly worshiped him before he even became king, and a special gift of God, wisdom that impressed all the world!

But there is one thing that Solomon had that was his (and his kingdom's) undoing...his desire to live large! While the chronicle of his life in these chapters doesn't specifically show his disobedience, it does show through his son Rehoboam whose decisions early in his reign splits the country in two. He learned some bad practices from his father.

Living large can do that. Now there is nothing wrong with living extravagantly. God gave all of this to Solomon. But he wasn't a good steward of what he had been given. His freedom led to multiple wives, various altars to other gods (to please the wives), children beyond counting from his many wives (and other women in his household), which led to a very dyfunctional family and some poor parenting (from their father).

You see, living large is a danger because it clouds our vision. It helps us forget why we have what we have or from whom it came. Living large is the beginning of breaking the first commandment, "Have no other gods before Me."

I enjoy my life and the many comforts that God has allowed me. But I recognize that sometimes I let these comforts direct my mood, my decision making, my life direction instead of God. On my recent journey to the Holy Land this was illustrated to me very clearly. In Bethlehem, a part of the West Bank (Palestinian controlled) I was able to witness the poverty and joblessness of these dear people. Almost 70% unemployment has led many to desperate measures to feed their family and eek out a living. One of them tried to sell me something on the street, which I didn't want, but when I didn't buy, he said to me, "you don't understand how hard life is here." And he was right.

While I didn't need what he was selling, I was basing my purchases on what I wanted more than what someone else needed. I was focused on me. That's the sin of living large.

So I bought from him, not because I wanted his product or because I could have gotten it somewhere else probably cheaper, but because he needed the income. We tried to give to some of these vendors instead of buying, but they wouldn't hear of it. They were too proud to receive hand-outs. They'd rather earn their way, a very honorable way to live.

Yes, living large isn't a sin, but living for the self is.

Peace ><>
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My Part and Yours

2007-03-01T08:12:00.000-06:00

1 Chronicles 20-22

We all have a part to play in this drama of life. Your's is different from mine. St. Paul described it as different parts of the same body. We can't all be eyes or ears or hands or feet. There are smaller roles, more prevalent roles, but none more important than another. But for the life drama to come together as God directs it, we have to fulfill our part.

Ever been to a kid's school production? The younger they are, the funnier they are. Sure they are cute and we are proud as parents to see our kids up on stage even if a missed cue or haphazard fall spoils the production. We don't go to see quality theater and we expect mistakes.

But go to a high school theater production and you expect different results. Buy seats at a local community theater, an off broadway production, or an original at a Chicago theater and you expect something much more professional. Here, the roles are clear and when each performs right, the result is excellent.

David's role was to be king of God's people and to prepare the way for the future. He did that by providing everything necessary to build the faith life of Israel, God's chosen, God's children. Sure his focus was about building the Temple, but I see much more than that. Even David noticed it, "My part in this was to put down the enemies, subdue the land to God and his people." David was always a "man after God's own heart." And his reign was about training his people to do the same.

His methods, though, were unusual. As you probably recall from your reading, Israel's faith history was marred with disobedience and rebellion. They went after other gods, made idols, and forsook the simple laws given to them. So it was David's goal to make the nation safe, free from foreign influence (and temptation brought about by their pagan practices) and focused on their God, "I Am." It's why he wanted to build the temple in the first place.

But he recognized that what was most important was to follow God's direction and not just honor God in the way that pleases us most. (There's a whole other lesson in that statement itself!) So look at what David recognized as Solomon's role (and the role of Israel's leaders), "your part is to give yourselves, heart and soul, to praying to your God." (1 Chron. 22:18, Msg)

Solomon was going to build the temple, but the leaders were to give themselves fully to God in prayer. O that we might learn from this as the people of God.

We all have a job to do. And the key to fulfilling it, especially in this time of Lent, is to pray...

...like we never have before.

And we'll see this God directed drama play out just as planned.

Break a leg!

Peace ><>
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Human Again!

2007-03-01T07:56:00.000-06:00

It's been a week since I've written. That seems to be a pattern for me lately. But I'm just now getting back to the right sleep and waking patterns. I get into a routine and then something happens to take me out of it. Now here we are in Lent, when discipline is the goal, and I'm failing so far. I pray you are not having the same results. At least I feel human again!

It's not something to get too discouraged about though. I feel that if you are aware of the problem, you are halfway to the solution. So at least I'm halfway there! And Lent is 6 weeks long, so I have time.

I'm still reading daily and preparing sermons and studies for the church. (I've just posted the latest studies of 1 & 2 Chronicles.) I pray you are still reading with me. I've heard from some of you that you are either with me or ahead of me. That's great. Keep it up and we'll have a bunch of folks who will complete the whole Bible this year!

We begin 2 Chronicles on Sunday, so even if you are behind in your reading, you can start over with us on Sunday. The message is entitled, iBelieve and it's based on the goal of Israel as they began worshiping in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Don't miss it.

Peace ><>
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Foreign Internet Connections, Jet Lag and other excuses

2007-02-22T07:16:00.000-06:00

I'd be surprised to find out if anyone even reads this blog anymore. It's been a while since the last post and my best laid plans didn't work out. Today is our first day waking up at home after a 10 day trip to Israel/the Holy Land. Right now I am awake and functioning. But who knows what happens later in the day.

We had a marvelous trip. The Promised Land Possee (PLP's or as I called them, my pleeps) discovered why I talk about the landscape and impact of the land so much. It opens up the scriptures like nothing else. Even now, when I think about most any place in the whole country, I have a visual image that helps me understand in a different way.

We went from the Galilee where Jesus grew up and spent most of his ministry, to Judea where He went to the cross in Jerusalem. We saw much, cried often, laughed even more, shared deeply, prayed in some amazing places, and developed a love for this promised land. While we may not be Jews returning to our roots, we were pilgrims discovering a deeper part of our faith heritage that has a long history with the children of God. We are the adopted, appreciating the history to which we have been welcomed to participate. It's God saving history and it includes us because of the work of Jesus Christ!

Over the next many weeks and years, I'll be sharing some insights from my journal and inviting our other pilgrims to share as well for today I want to simply share an insight that I received early in the journey...

The first day was a rushed day where we played tag-team guides and traveled much throughout Judea. We visited Bethlehem (in the West Bank) and the Church of the Nativity, Shepherds field and had our first experience with street vendors who pounce on bus loads of tourists. We traveled down to the Dead Sea and went to Qumran where the dead sea scrolls were found and an Essene community once lived (another sect of Judaism like Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots that were common in Jesus' time) and then on to Jericho. We went to several places, stopped several times, we didn't see much. We missed some important places, were rushed at others and shopped way too much.

The saying is true on trips like this, "we run where Jesus walked."

So we slowed down, our group anyway. We sat in the lobby on Wednesday evening in Tiberias and I shared some insights that might help them in their discovery. The late Bargil Pixner, Biblical Archeologist, professor and author, wrote that the Holy Land is the Fifth Gospel because it speaks in its own way. That's what I wanted us all to experience, what the Holy Land says to us; To let God speak to us through these places through the scriptural events that took place to the very stones and trees who were witnesses to the greatest events of history.

And discoveries we made.

Experiencing the Holy Land is at times beyond words. The pictures (and there are literally thousands that we took together) tell a story, but not completely. And the insight isn't over as we return home. New ideas will come as we read the scriptures and I'll be sharing them as they come to me.

For now, I'm just glad to be home from my trip back home. That's right, I meant to say that. There's something about Israel that feels like home. It's our land, too, not that we are supposed to take our share or move there, but it's ours because of what happened there for us.

Peace ><>
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PS: Come on March 4th at 7:00 p.m. for a Travelogue on the Holy Land. Our travelers will be there to share some of their pictures and insights while we answer questions you may have about this amazing place.

Getting Away with Murder

2007-02-07T07:23:00.000-06:00

I don't know if he just thought he could get away with it. Maybe because he was king or because he was just naive. Then again, maybe he wasn't thinking at all, he was simply reacting to his basic human instincts...take what you want, then make excuses as to why.

I don't think there's ever a good reason why!

King David, the greatest King who ever lived (according to scripture and tradition) made some the greatest mistakes ever committed. (also according to scripture and tradition.) A man after God's own heart, forsook that love for the comfort of a beautiful woman. (and Bathsheba for a chance to be with the king while her husband, Uriah, was away at war. Now I understand the complexities of this story for Bathsheba, how when the king calls, you just comply. But there is nothing in the story that speaks of her refusal. So we'll leave that for another day.) In other words, David messed up!

There's no other excuse. Maybe he was lonely because all of his other wives were against him. It doesn't matter what the reason or the excuse. David did what he did. And he got caught!

Maybe I'm naive, but I believe that rarely do we do what we do because we won't get caught. Getting caught either is far from our minds or not an important factor. Now most of us on the other hand don't do certain things because we might get caught, like speeding excessively, or sticking our hands in the cookie jar. We don't steal or lie because we know that we'll more than likely pay for it. It's the negative the forces the positive. It's Mom's words echoing in our ears, "don't you do that!"

It's why the 10 Commandments are written in that way, "Thou Shalt Not..."

Because we won't get away with it...or for that matter, with anything!

David was caught red-handed and red-faced. So are we. Whether anyone else sees or knows, God does.

We're guilty!

What we can learn is how to cut our losses, end our suffering, come clean. The road of honest living is so much smoother than the road of deception. It's time we come into the open with the one who sees everything anyway. We won't get away with murder or anything else, but we can receive God's forgiveness even in the midst of God's discipline (which David received in a generous portion).

Our mistakes are ours alone. And the road back to the arms of God...

...as easy as turning around, toward God. It's called repentance.

And in the name of Jesus Christ...you are forgiven!

Peace ><>
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The Greatest Kingdom

2007-02-05T08:18:00.000-06:00

And so it begins, the greatest time in Israel's history, the kingdom of David in the City of David (Jerusalem or J-town!). Why was it so great? There are a couple of reasons...

Unity. David united people; helped them to see a new vision of what was possible for a nation of people dedicated to God. Sure it had something to do with David's power and ability as a warrior, but it also had everything to do with David's faith in God and in the phrase that had been spoken of David, "You will shepherd my people Israel and you'll be the prince." (2 Sam 5:2, Msg) It was a promise fulfilled and the people were ecstatic.

God. David had become king, not because he was a great warrior, but because he was "a man after God's own heart." (1 Sam 13:14, NLT) From a child, he was taught to love God, his parents showed faithfulness in a place where parental faithfulness was a longstanding tradition (Bethlehem). David was sold out to God. He didn't care at all what others thought of his faith, He would do what he knew to do. He'd talk to God about the most minor things and would do what God told him to do.

David sought to bring the Ark of God into the city of David, into the center of this nation, this people. He knew that the Ark was the symbol of presence of God and he wanted it at the center for himself and for his people. And he danced as it made its way into the city. When his wife, Michal(Saul's daughter), saw his "foolish" behavior, she chastised him. But listen to how David responded,

"In God's presence I'll dance all I want! He chose me over your father and the rest of our family and made me prince over God's people, over Israel. Oh yes, I'll dance to God's glory - more recklessly even than this. And as far as I'm concerned...I'll gladly look like a fool..." (1 Sam. 6:22, Msg)

Matt Redman wrote a song called "Undignified." (it was made popular by the David Crowder Band) It was based on this passage (as translated in the NIV). It goes like this:

I will dance, I will sing, to be mad for my king.
Nothing Lord is hindering this passion in my soul.

I'll become even more undignified than this
(some would say it's foolishness.)
I'll become even more undignified than this
Leave my pride by my side

It's all for You, my Lord!

It's no wonder God made this the greatest kingdom, his servant, David, was completely sold out to God!

That in itself says something about our lives doesn't it?

The greatest kingdom of God's people were led by the greatest king because he didn't care what others thought of his love for God.

That's what I'm striving for...not the blessing of God...

...rather for an undignified life in my love for God!

Peace ><>
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When God Turns Away

2007-02-01T07:57:00.000-06:00

Saul was in a funk. You may know what that is, you've probably experienced one before. It's a time when things don't seem to be going right, the spirit within you is disturbed, the circumstances seem to be going against you, God seems to be distant, answers aren't forthcoming or easy, or quick enough. It's a personal darkness in the heart. And it's where Saul found himself.

He prayed, but never got an answer. The only thing he knew was that God turned away.

Interestingly, he never asked why...

...because he knew why!

I've heard this recently from someone else, that God wasn't speaking or making things clear. It's really quite simple, although difficult to accept. It's not that God isn't listening or even that God isn't speaking, rather God just may be saying something different than the ears or the heart wants to hear.

God turns away, until God hears the right thing from us.

I remember watching a teacher stand in front of a class (this has been many, many years ago) very quietly, almost staring, waiting. The class, paying little attention was abuzz with conversations, busyness, basic inattentiveness. But the teacher remained quiet, waiting for the awkward silence to creep throughout the room. It's interesting what silence can do.

She didn't yell, or scrape her nails against the chalkboard, she simply stood silent until she had our attention. She wasn't ignoring the class, rather was waiting on their appropriate response.

Saul was crying out, seeking the wrong things and God, not truly turning away, but simply stood, waiting, silent for a heartfelt response, that from Saul never came.

He's never far away. Nor is His eye ever shielded from our circumstance. But He may be silent...

...or saying something we don't want to hear...

...yet patiently waiting on our right response.

And the thing is, we know what God is waiting for, if we'll only admit it, confess it, and come humbly to God!

It's not God that's distant...

...it's us!

Peace ><>
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Loyalty

2007-01-31T08:12:00.000-06:00

I've been "stabbed in the back" before. It's not a nice feeling. It leaves a wake of hurt, broken trust, anger, and disappointment. It puts friendships into question, alliances at risk, and defenses on high alert. You've no doubt heard the term, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." Most of us are very careful after the first time.

Yet as Christians we are supposed to be trusting, gracious, and forgiving. Very difficult things to be when you've been wronged. But that's exactly what Jesus did, how he responded, how he lived. He never rolled over, but stood his ground. While he turned his other cheek, he never laid down and was walked upon. And in his journey to the cross, he continued to look those who condemned him right in the eye! They knew who were the true guilty ones. We, as Christians, need to learn to tap into this strength of character, of faith, of loyalty to a greater truth, even in the face of betrayers.

That was David's character and it needs to be ours! David was loyal almost to a fault. He respected the office of King and though Saul didn't earn respect as king, David gave it anyway, even when he had to continue running for his life. Given the opportunity, Saul would have literally stabbed David in the back, but David refused to retaliate or to defend himself with force. Rather, he showed grace under fire, forgiveness to one who didn't deserve it, a second (third, fourth, fifth...)chance to one who would betray it, in the name of loyalty to the office and ultimately to God.

While we may not be able to change our circumstances or stop betrayals that happen, we can choose how we handle such situations. We can react and respond on the same level as those acting inappropriately or we can turn and face these situations with grace and love.

Besides, backstabbing is a sign of weakness of the foolish, while facing betrayers with grace and love is a sign of wisdom, strength and faith.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us your Spirit for circumstances like this and your example for grace under fire and strength in the midst of great difficulty.

Stay true to Christ and he will give you strength in all matters.

Peace ><>
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