Musings of the Created

Are you praying?

2012-01-06T11:47:00.001-06:00

It is mind-boggling to me that there are as many "methods" for "growing" a church as there are churches that need to grow! Yet, when I read the Bible, the only growth I can find is what God Himself has brought about. Paul makes it perfectly clear in 1 Corinthians 3:6, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth (ESV).

So, I have challenged Immanuel Baptist Church (where I pastor) to make 2012 a year of prayer. We are seeking God's face. We are asking Him to give us boldness in proclaiming the Gospel. We are praying specifically for our lost friends and family. We are praying for a church-planting movement to break out in our association, state convention, nation and among the unreached peoples out to the ends of the earth.

I am praying for you, dear Christian, as Paul prayed.

I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened, that you will know the hope to which you're called, that you may know the greatness of His power, and the riches of His glory.

Who has our heavenly Father placed on your heart to pray for? Are you praying?

Merry CHRISTmas!

2011-12-08T09:42:00.001-06:00

I suppose I'm just not a "good" Christian. I don't get upset when some minimum-wage-earning clerk at the store says, "Happy Holidays!" instead of Merry Christmas. I have several reasons for not letting this get to me. Let me explain.

1) One of my first jobs was as a retail clerk. On a typical 8-hour shift at my register I would ring through somewhere over 100 orders. By the end of the day, "Merry Christmas" simply meant move on and give me the next customer. It didn't mean anything to me as a clerk. And if it didn't mean anything to me (having repeated it ad nauseum) then I'm sure it didn't come across as being particularly meaningful to the hearers. I wonder how many other checkers feel this way?

2) Currently, my son and my wife work in retail. They both tell me they mix it up to not be bored. They may say, "Have a great day!" and mean it! They may say, "Merry Christmas!" and mean it! It depends on the customer and the moment of the day. Neither of them have mandates from their management about the words to use. They are simply trying to be sincere in talking to their customers. Nothing sinister here. I wonder how many other checkers feel this way?

3) The words "Merry Christmas" simply don't mean what we want them to mean anymore. To someone who is lost, "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas" are synonymous with "Happy Chanukkah" or "Happy Kwanza" or "Seasons Greetings" or "Have a nice day." Simply greetings, no intent behind them whatsoever.

So, this is what I propose this CHRISTmas season. Instead of wearing buttons that demand people give you the words you want to hear, why not love people and introduce them to the CHRIST of CHRISTmas. This is the time when we remember the miracle of the Incarnation, but the Incarnation would be just a blip on the radar of history if Jesus doesn't go to the cross and offer atonement for our sin. In other words, Christmas doesn't mean much without Easter. So let's tell people about Jesus. His miraculous birth, His perfect life, His horrific death, and His victorious resurrection! Then we can give them the perfect CHRISTmas present, the opportunity to receive eternal life!

I simply can not get over the fact that Jesus reserved His harshest rebukes for the religious leaders (Pharisees, Saducees, etc). He called people to follow Him. He healed and loved. He demanded standards that are simply impossible without the Comforter (The Holy Spirit of God). So, let's not demand that lost people act like they are saved and understand what CHRISTmas is all about. Let's just love people and introduce them to our Savior. Let's preach the Gospel to our world. I'm pretty sure that is what Jesus wanted.

Oh, and by the way......

I guess I'm just weird.

2011-11-07T13:42:00.002-06:00

God has been adding to our congregation. It is very evident to me that the growth is coming directly from Him. I am working to be faithful. I am thoroughly enjoying what God is doing at Immanuel.

The wounds from my past raise up their heads every now and then and I get worried about what bad thing might be getting ready to happen. Then, I confess my unbelief and thank God for the great things going on this moment. I know that is the right thing to do.

But those are not what I feel weird about. I feel weird in my feelings that I just don't have this whole thing figured out. I am surrounded by friends and peers who seem to just know exactly where they are going and exactly how everything should be. I don't have that kind of vision (perhaps I'm just not a visionary).

All I know for sure is that I need to do whatever God puts in my path next.

Perhaps a couple of examples to show how weird I am.

The North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has it all figured out. They have completely changed the way the relate to our state convention and our local association. They say it is for the better, the planting of more churches, the saving of more souls. And I have to admit that I was not a fan of most of what NAMB put out in the last bunch of years. Yet, I wonder if this rapid wholesale change of everything at once is the right tact to take? I'm weird. I wonder if a more phased approach would have been better. But, alas, the place where I serve has no voice in how we relate to NAMB. We are too small to even be eligible to have someone from our area on the board. So, those who think they know better dictate terms and tell us how it is going to be. I suppose (in the name of full disclosure) I should say that I am still not a fan of what NAMB is doing, though I like the motivation of churches and salvation increase.

At the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention meeting this past weekend, attendance was sad. I have many pastor friends and know of many of the churches in our convention, but most were not present. And I have the same problem in my association. The NAMB changes require action at both the convention and the association. Yet, the majority of the churches simply don't come to the meetings. And I wonder what keeps them home. Mind you, wading through business sessions is not my idea of a good time. But if I am going to ask my people to give sacrificially to the Cooperative Program, shouldn't I do all I can to help guide the very organizations that we are giving to? But I guess my friends have a better view of how things work than I do.

I wrestle with involvement. I ask the question, "What as the organization (SBC, MWBC, Association, NAMB, etc.) done for my church?" And I can answer, "Nothing." But haven't I preached against the "what's in it for me" attitude in my church? Is the Cooperative Program helping to advance the Gospel? If so, then we should seek to help that process. We give money, but we can also give time. And give time with no expectation of return except the advancement of God's Kingdom. Perhaps you know better.

Are SBC causes the only game in town? Absolutely not. But if we support them with our money (i.e., the Cooperative Program) should we not also support them with our time?

Focusing on working for the Kingdom with no expectation of visible return is a very different way of thinking. But then, I told you I was weird.

Things have changed...........

2011-11-01T10:38:00.001-05:00

I was looking at this almost defunct blog and realized how much things have changed in my life since my last post. That post, I am embarrassed to say was in April of 2010. In September of 2010, I started a new chapter in ministry as the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Racine, WI (about 3 hours south of my previous ministry).

I went from being the pastor of about 20 people to the pastor of about 50 people. I went from a home office to an office at the church. I went from a very rural, farm-based setting to a very urban, blue-collar setting. In short, everything around me changed.

In that same time, my younger daughter turned 18 and moved out. My older daughter, who had moved out nearly 3 years ago, moved back in. And my son turned 18 and is a senior in high school and is making plans for college.

So, combine a complete change of setting with being on the verge of empty nest and I should be an emotional basket case. But I have to tell you, I'm not. Not at all. God has been my rock, my refuge, my provider, my strength, my comfort, my wisdom and any other goodness you could possibly see in me. He has done it all, and I am very grateful.

There is one thing that I would really love for God to do for me. I still own a house that I don't live in. I would like to have a house here, in my new ministry setting. This is not whining, but a request of you, faithful reader. Would you pray that my old house gets sold and that the offer we are currently working on would be accepted? This housing market would say that neither is really possible, but God often does the impossible (see, for instance, virgin birth, blind men seeing, deaf men hearing, lame men walking, etc.)

Oh, Father, please be glorified in giving me the desire of my heart, a house. Thank you. Amen.

No, Freedom isn't free

2010-05-27T17:15:00.003-05:00

This is my favorite Memorial Day poem. I plan to read it as part of my remarks at our community Memorial Day Service.

Freedom Isn't Free

By Kelly Strong, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard

I watched the flag pass by one day,
it fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I look at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud;
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I wondered how many men like him
Had fallen through the years,
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mother's tears?

How many pilot's planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldier's graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of taps one night
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play,
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times,
Taps had meant "amen".
When a flag had covered a coffin,
Of a brother, or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons, and husbands
With interrupted lives.

And I thought about a graveyard,
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington,
No freedom isn't free.

It happened over coffee..............

2009-10-14T09:18:00.002-05:00

I have a regular group of people that I meet with every Monday morning over coffee. We discuss everything. Politics, religion, sports, current events, and even farming. We have decided that there is no taboo subject. Well, at least it used to be that way. Something happened this week that is at the same time disturbing and indicative of our society. And, lest you think I am pointing fingers, I want you to know that I have been guilty of the very thing I am calling out.

We were teasing around about nationalities. I, being the only Norwegian heritage person at the table, said that the greatest Norwegian joke I had heard happened last week when the Nobel Peace Committee awarded President Obama the Peace Prize. I suppose a hand-grenade would have had less impact than that simple phrase.

I was lambasted, chastised, and shouted down. Any attempt on my part to enter the debate was met with louder opposition until I just exited the conversation. I turned my attention to another of our party and changed the subject, but the tirade continued.

All this leads me to the point of this post. What happened to civility? Joe Wilson calls out the President of the United States and I hear some conservatives say it was a good thing (I disagree). I express my opinion about an award and I get shouted down without a chance to defend my position. What has happened to civility? I am not saying we need to engage controversial topics with a lack of passion or zeal, but we need to be polite. No name calling, no shouting. Just because I disagree with a certain committee's choice does not mean I am a "hater".

I have been guilty of the same when I was defending the unborn. I didn't listen to the other side. I just got louder. And louder. And louder. I don't think this is pleasing to our Lord. Paul said, "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." (Colossians 4:6, NASB) It is not gracious to shout the opposition down. It is not gracious to refuse to listen with respect. Not respect for the position, but respect for the person.

I wish I could say this was limited to conversations with unbelievers, but I have also seen it at denominational meetings. It is one thing to disagree, it is another thing entirely to beat down someone who has been created Imago Dei (in the image of God). Let me issue a challenge to those who call Jesus Christ Lord. Let's lead by example. Let's restore civility to conversation. Let's make sure our conversations are "seasoned with grace."

I'm a slacker, but I finally have something to say

2008-01-17T15:27:00.000-06:00

So much has happened in the months since I last posted. I really don't know what to say about all that. If you know me, you know it has been a very challenging (yeah, that's the word we are supposed to use, not difficult, draining, exhausting, debilitating, depressing, etc.). Let me just say I hope God is done giving me opportunities for growth for a little while. I don't know how much more growth I can handle. (And, yes, I know God is the one who determines how much I can handle, not me.)

But that is not why I chose to post today. I chose to post about something that I am already tired of and not looking forward to in the next 10 months or so. I think the word for it is "Race 08". And really, I only have questions at this point with no answers. Questions like, why do we have to choose the next president in January when the Constitution clearly states that the general election is to be held in November? Why have some evangelical leaders decided that protection of the unborn (while very worthy) is the only cause we are to be concerned about? What about the war on terrorism? What about our downward spiraling economy? What about our upward rocketing energy prices? What about the rising costs for our farmers? What about feeding the poor? What about caring for the downtrodden?

The easy answer to the last two is that evangelicals should be doing those within their churches. We should not be expecting the government to do it for us. But certain evangelical leaders have decided that we should go along with a candidate's stance on everything else as long as they are pro-life and can win the election. I have a problem with that. What if they are pro-life, but anti-Christian? Think it can't happen? What if they are pro-life and anti-right to bear arms? Life is important and innocent life must be protected, but it is not the only fish in the barrel of our country. We need a candidate who can address ALL of our concerns, not just a pet few. Oh well, I guess I have rosey glasses.

I will study the candidates. I will make an informed decision, but not until the primary here and ultimately in November. Selling me with sound bites will not work. The candidates need to write position papers on many of the pressing needs of our nation. Will it happen? I doubt it. So, I'll have to do the work of discernment by watching and reading everything they say. Difficult as it will be (and the biased press certainly doesn't help), I am committed to making an informed choice.

Now, if we could just find some good news to report instead of polls about who might get elected...

Why does it always boil down to pride?

2007-08-29T12:38:00.000-05:00

In preparing for some teaching times, I have repeatedly come upon the problem of pride. I have defined it as the need to win. For instance, if I get in a disagreement with someone and get to the place where I feel like I have to win, I am battling pride. Now, there are times when we have to stand up and say what's right is right and what isn't right is wrong. But the Bible is not clear on every area of life (i.e., what color toothbrush should I buy next?). And when I get into the debate, am I more about winning or sharpening a brother's (or sister's) knowledge of the Sword? I'll be honest. Sometimes both are true at the same time.

But what really gets my goat is when someone declares that they have the only correct interpretation for EVERY Bible passage. Inevitably, I hear this when someone wants to bring an accusation against me. They know the proper context of the Bible and it applies only to me (or my family). Some passages are just plain simple to understand. You shall not murder (Exodus 20:13). Ok, I don't think we can disagree on what that means. But others are open to interpretation.

How about: He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (1 Timothy 3:4). What does managing a household "well "look like? And what exactly does "under control with all dignity" look like? I'm sure that each of us has a picture of what we think those terms mean. And I am equally sure that there are not many of those pictures that look exactly the same. Could it be that Paul intended that Scripture to be applied by a particular person to a particular person? Timothy was a young pastor and this epistle is written as a sort of guideline to him. It is absolutely useful for every person that claims Jesus as Lord. But what do we do when we don't agree on the interpretation?

We have 2 options.

Option 1)We can undermine one another and fight to prove that we are right and anyone else is wrong. That is the prideful way. We will be insisting on winning the argument. And it will cause division in the church when we pick things like that to harp on. Then we have to go to Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them. Our Lord Jesus did not want fights in His bride, the church. He didn't want us to be so busy "purifying the church" that we never witnessed to the world. But pride often rules the day and we get our feelings hurt. Then we can think of no "graceful" way out of the divided mess we are in, so we bail out.

or Option 2) I think there should be more talking and less blaming in the church. I think there should be more work to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. (Romans 16:19b) And I think we could accomplish it easier if we took to heart Ephesians 4:1-16:

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN." (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

May God richly bless you as you seek His will and His face.

Sliding in under the wire

2007-08-14T09:10:00.001-05:00

If I wait just 6 more days, it will have been 2 full months since I last posted. So, I am not going to wait and then I can't be accused of not posting for 2 months (just for 7 weeks, which may or may not sound worse!).

Today, I am just wondering. Wondering if my attitude towards posting is just like our attitude towards talking to a lost person. Do we wait until our own idea of the 11th hour to talk to someone about Jesus? Are so-called, death-bed conversions the fault of the person dying or the people who neglected to share? Again, I am just wondering.

English philosopher Edmund Burke could have been describing our generation when he said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing." Yes, if we do nothing then we should expect nothing in the way of change. If we truly care about the plight of people dying without the Savior, then we should be doing something. The fact that we are doing nothing shows we don't care. We always expend our resources (time, talent, money, etc.) on things we are truly passionate about. If you are unsure and would like to find out what is important to you, try this analysis over the next week.

1) Create a "grid" that is 24 columns across and 7 rows long. Label the columns 1 hour increments for the whole day (i.e., 12:00AM, 1:00 AM. 2:00AM, etc). Label the rows the days of the week (i.e., Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.)

2) Now, when you begin this exercise, simply come up with a code that indicates what the majority of that hour was spent doing. For instance, I use "ZZ" for sleep, for the hours 12:00AM - 5:00AM, I would put "ZZ" in each block. Do something similar for every activity you do during the day and keep track. Again, label the hour according to the majority of the time spent during that hour.

3) At the end of the week, tally up the number of hours you spent in each of your activities. You should have 168 total when you complete the exercise. And, for that week, whatever had the highest number is what you spent the majority of your time doing.

Another way to measure priorities is to categorize your expenditures (e.g., tithe, car repair, home improvement, food, going out to eat, etc.) Go through your check book (or credit card statements) and tally up how much you have spent on each category. It will give you a snapshot of what was important to you financially.

The hard work begins after we do this kind of analysis of our life. If we don't like the results, we have to change. And that change will require effort and determination. So, find out what is taking all your resources (time, talent, money, etc.) and, if God convicts you through this exercise, change to be the full person God wants you to be. You can do it. And I think God would be pleased and we won't be waiting until the last minute to do things that are important. We won't be (like this post) sliding in under the wire.

Intentionality

2007-06-20T06:53:00.000-05:00

I don't even know if it is a word. I am beginning to think that the modern "church" in America has become something Jesus never intended it to be. A shocking statement, I know. Hang in there with me for a moment and see if you think I might be on to something.

Jesus' last words to us are recorded in what we call The Great Commission. Every Gospel has some form of commission in it, but the two most well known are Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:7-8.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." -- Matthew 29:18-20

He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." -- Acts 1:7-8

What I want us to see is that Jesus did not say we are to build big, beautiful buildings where Christians gather. He did not say we were to offer every new program we can find in order to build up (or edify) Christians. Now, there is a place for both in the church that calls Jesus Lord. We are to spend time together in worship and fellowship. We are to work to learn more about our Lord through His Word. But the purpose of all of those is to get us ready to be engaged with a world that is lost and dying with no hope of eternal life. If one more program in the church would equip us to win even one more person to Christ, then I am all for it. But if the program only exists to attract believers from other churches, what's the point? In the above two passages, Jesus did not call us to glean from the fields of other churches. He called us to harvest from the fields of the lost.

How do we do that? I am so glad you asked. Every Christian needs to make a deliberate effort to be engaged with lost people. Get to know them. Get to love them. Get to the point where you call them friend. Then, tell them about the most important person in your life, Jesus. If they reject Him, then continue to be their friend. If they accept Him, then get them plugged in to a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church where they can grow and be a witness themselves.

Think about this for just a moment. It has been said that the average person hears a Gospel presentation 10 times before they decide to act on it. And you never know which time the person you are sharing with is hearing. In other words, you may be only on the first time they have heard the message, or maybe the fifth, or maybe the tenth. You don't know, share anyway. What would happen if we committed to pouring our lives into just one person this year with the express purpose of sharing the Gospel with them? If every member of Bethany did that, and the general statistics for evangelism held true, we would see 3 new believers within 1 year. That's only a 10% growth! Now, what if God really blessed us and we saw 20% kingdom growth? We would see 6 new believers in that same period. But notice what happens very quickly. In the next year, if we saw the same growth rate (20%) we would expect 8 new believers. Then, the year after that, we could expect 10 new believers. In three years, we would have increased the Kingdom by 66%! And it wouldn't take long at all before we would need to start thinking of new church starts to keep people reaching and growing.

Seeing God's revival fires sweep through our area requires 2 things. God's people repenting of their own sin and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the lost all around us. Make some deliberate connections with lost people today. Don't wait any longer. Let's see what God can do through people that genuinely care about people going to hell for eternity. Let's start caring enough to share.

Or.....

2007-05-30T13:59:00.000-05:00

I am not going to deny that I have sometimes placed my desires ahead of God's, but I don't know if my particular problems in the last few weeks are related to that or the fact that I have disobeyed one of the "Big 10".

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." (Exodus 20:8-11, NASB)

Can I share with you a little secret? This pastor must have thought he was Superman, because, as I look back, I went 20 straight days without a day off. Now, sometimes it seemed that events conspired against me. But sometimes I just made bad decisions to work. Yesterday, I took a "mostly" sabbath. And I think I need to rename my day off to my sabbath. And I need to remember the commandment that says to do NO labor on that day. For me, that means turning off my computer. If you know me, you know that will be difficult. It also means I will be taking the idea of rest more seriously.

Let me tell you what I think I need for rest. Rest is not me being lazy on the couch all day long. I got some rest on Monday of this week by weeding my vegetable garden and cutting my lawn. It is restful for me because it has absolutely nothing to do anyone else. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being with people. I love my church family, but sometimes I just need to be alone with my God. And if I understand the Fourth Commandment properly, that is what the sabbath is supposed to be. Time spent away from our earthly labors and time spent with God. I believe it is the right thing to do to spend a few hours of my sabbath playing with my children. I believe it is the right thing to do to spend time with my wife. All of these are restful to me. However, my email, my books, my e-books, the internet, and the TV are all things that quickly drag me back to my work. I can't read a news article without wondering if it would make a good sermon illustration. I can't read my email without thinking of how I need to reply, or what I need to do. I can't read books (other than the Bible and devotional books) without thinking of how I can use what I have just read in ministry. In short, the line between my vocation and my life becomes very blurry.

So, I commit here, in a very public way, to turning off my computer for at least one contiguous 24-hour period per week. I will read my online devotions and then shut-down until the next day when I read my devotions again. This will be a challenge for me, but I must do it. I need it. My family needs it of me. And my God commanded it of me. I must obey.

Now THAT was dark

2007-05-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

Pardon me while I borrow your shoulder to cry on. I am just emerging from one of the darkest places I've experienced in my life. It had to do with some criticism. It had to do with the passing of some friends. But more than anything else it had to do with pride and disobedience on my part.

At some point in the recent past, I started thinking I was both capable and successful at building a church. I am neither capable, nor can I be successful at producing fruit that can only come through the work of Jesus Christ. I can be obedient, but obedience in the Biblical sense is usually linked more to suffering than blessing. Please don't get me wrong. I am not looking for any sympathy or pity from you, faithful reader. Nor am I advocating some kind of self-mutilation gospel. God has promised to supply all my needs. He has said His Spirit will comfort me when I am hurting. He has also said I am to be obedient even when (or maybe even especially when) things are not going well by my definition. I still need to trust Him. Paul trusted even though he suffered tremendous persecution (see 2 Corinthians 11:22-31). What Paul reminds me of is humbleness before God. When things are going well, I must give God the credit and especially the glory. When things are going, from my view, not so well, I must give God the credit and especially the glory. And this is a discipline I am still laboring towards.

What I must remember is that God did not promise me a 2000-seat auditorium packed to the aisles with people just wanting to hear God's word through this pastor. Rather, God promised me wealth untold and rewards unspeakable when my life is complete and I stand before Him. And, yes, those rewards will be wonderful, but the one reward I want more than any other is to hear the One who laid His very life down for me say, "Well done, my good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." (Matt 25:21)

It is a lesson I am still learning in my heart, even though I know it in my head. Could I ask you to pray for me that God re-invigorate me to be obedient even in difficulty? Thank you in advance. I see light now. It is not near as dark around me as it was. Praise God for His light!

Mystery shopper

2007-05-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

I've recently become a mystery shopper. As such, I am to go to the business and shop as normal, except I am to note every detail of the experience. The company that has employed me wants honest feedback about how they are doing in the customer service area. I don't want to reveal what business I have been assigned because it might taint the way I am treated and thus make the report not as meaningful.

But I was thinking about this concept of "mystery shopping" in the context of a church. I wish we could get the kind of feedback I am giving to this business. They want to know if their facilities were clean and well cared-for. They want to know if their employees are being professional. In short, they want to know if there is anything they could do to motivate customers to bring in more customers. In terms of church, we need to ask the same kinds of questions. We need to recognize that God is ultimately responsible for working in people's hearts, but we do play a part. So, next time you go to your church, take a good hard look around. Let me walk you through some of the questions that come to mind from my "mystery shopper" assignments.

1) When you pull up to the facility, is there plenty of parking?
2) Does the landscaping and property look well cared for?
3) Does the lobby look clean and welcoming?
4) Are the people friendly?
5) Were you welcomed as soon as possible?
6) Did anyone ask if they could help you be more comfortable?
7) Did anyone ask if you would fill out a visitor's card?
8) Did anyone ask you to come again in the future?
9) Were you told of opportunities for fellowship?
10) Were you told of opportunities for Bible study?

Or, to boil it down to the very essence of these questions, was there anything humanly possible that could have been done to help you in your decision to come back (or not) to the church?

I think every church member of every church should go through this kind of analysis of the church. And, when you find where you church is not quite what you think it should be, don't complain. Take the lead. Start working on the area that bothers you most. If you need help in that area, ask for it. Don't be a lone ranger. If we genuinely worked to remove barriers in our facilities and attitudes, we might be surprised at the way God works through us. We might begin to understand even better what it means to wrap a towel around our waist and wash feet. In other words, we might comprehend what it means to become a servant to all.

May God bless you richly as you seek to partner with Him in seeing His Kingdom grow.

It's just not enough

2007-04-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Well, it has happened. An American hit has decided it needs to do more. And the premise sounded so good. American Idol Gives Back is a great concept. Get people to donate money for the purpose of fighting disease and hunger around the world. But I have to be honest, it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Let me explain.

For one thing, the whole show seemed somewhat exploitive. It almost seemed like they were hoping someone in the African village would die to make the story more poignant. How sad. The tragedy of AIDS and malaria and poverty around the globe is very real. I don't want to make light of real suffering. But I resent the producers of American Idol using this tragedy for their gain. We should never forget that TV is all about ratings and this kind of tug-your-heart-strings programming is intended to boost ratings. I am not impressed. Nowhere in Scripture does it talk about parading the suffering in front of people in order to gain. There is a difference between informing of suffering and exploiting suffering. Too bad American Idol doesn't know that difference.

And to hear Ellen Degeneres personally donate $100,000 to the cause at first brush sounds pretty good. But then you start to realize that she makes nearly 10 times that amount per week with her talk show, plus endorsements, plus guest appearances. As you add up the amount of money she is raking in, it becomes apparent that what seemed to be a great gift turns out to be hardly anything in comparison. Using rough figures based on my salary, I should have called in to American Idol and pledged $1 and my gift, in proportion to my income, would have been greater than Ellen's. How sad!

Those of us who claim Christ as Lord do need to get much more serious about meeting the needs of the hungry and sick from our backyard all the way around the globe. After all, James writes: Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
(James 1:27). The cause of the orphans and widows should not be out of the church's sight. We can not stop with filling their bellies and healing their maladies, however. We need to not only meet their physical needs, we need to lead them to the one who can meet their spiritual needs. It is good to feed the hungry, but if we don't tell them about Jesus in the process we have only solved a temporary problem when there is an eternal problem on the line. I am saddened that worldly people like American Idol have decided to take the church's role. It only meets half the problem.

Unfortunately, I predict that American Idol will talk about how great a job they did on April 24 & 25, 2007. They will still be talking about it after all the money they raised is spent. There will still be children and moms dying in Africa and there will still be kids unable to read in America. Suffering on the globe will continue, but those involved with American Idol Gives Back will have eased their own sense of guilt by saying they tried to help.

One time...

Back then...

How sad.

April Snow

2007-04-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

My kids looked out yesterday and said, "Dad! I thought it was spring! But there is snow all over the place. Will we ever see warm weather again?" I assured them that we would indeed see warm weather and that an April snow never lasts long. But it does bring a certain melancholy. Things were beginning to green up. Buds were swelling on the trees and shrubs. There were shoots of all kinds of plants starting to poke their way up through the soil. Birds were singing. The new life of spring was starting to be felt. The weather was warm. And while the first snow of winter is beautiful and exciting, a late spring snow is still beautiful, yet dreary. We don't want to see the gray skies anymore. We want to see the bright blue sky, the electric green grass and leaves, the rainbow colors of flowers. Black and white just comes up short when you are getting excited about spring.

Sometimes this is exactly what we go through as a church. We start to see signs of new growth. We start to see excitement. And then a snow storm hits. For me, personally, the metaphorical snow storm has come by the news of some loved-ones in Christ going home. Now, I don't mean this to be depressing and I am not depressed by the news, but I would have loved to sit down with some of these people who have known me all my life and tell them about what God is doing. I am elated that all of these elderly saints have passed out of their pain into God's light. I know that they are better off; that their pain is gone; that their minds have been refocused. I know that they are at the feet of the One they always lead me to, Jesus. They were my elementary -years, Sunday School teachers. They watched me grow up. They ached when I strayed and they rejoiced when I came back to what they had taught me about obedience to Almighty God. They are in a better place, no doubt, but I still miss them. I long to fellowship with them again and I will, but not in this lifetime. I long for Spring.

Lord, wake me up from my slumber like the budding of a tulip in the spring. Take the dreariness of the gray skies and snowy terrain away. Help me to see, and to live, according to your beauty. And please bring the growth of you Kingdom through my (and my church's) efforts. Thank you. Amen.

Here you come again...

2007-02-28T11:25:00.000-06:00

Dolly Parton may have made the song famous, but every Christian should be singing the tune when they hear the story of Jesus' family tomb. In case you haven't heard it, James Cameron (who brought us movies like The Terminator and his most famous, Titanic) has found some supposed scholars that agree with him. Together they claim to have found the family tomb of Jesus and that some bones they found were the bones of Jesus in a box next to his supposed wife Mary Magdalene. I could spend my time here refuting this story, but it has been amply retorted by scholars much smarter than I am (for example, check out what Al Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Seminary, has to say about this whole mess). Instead, I want to give some thoughts as to the ramifications of these type of claims.

It all began back in the ancient world. At the end of Matthew's Gospel, (Matt 28:11-15) we read, Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' "And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

Even right after Christ rose from the dead, they were making up stories to prove it was false. If you study history you will find that these claims of so-called archeology have been brought up again and again. They are not new and they are not even really surprising. Is it at all surprising that a man who raised his arms above his head and declared, "I'm the king of the world!" would want to undermine the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? No, not at all. And the timing is so significant. As we are in the period of Lent and as we are approaching the day of Easter when we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, surely the enemy of God would want to squelch any talk of the life-changing message of the Gospel.

That message is simply: Jesus came to Earth by virgin birth. He lived a perfect, sinless life. He died a criminal's death to pay our penalty for sin, and He rose on the third day to sit at the right hand of God and intercede on our behalf.

If the Resurrection is not true, then the whole story falls apart and man can then re-create God in man's own image. That would be much safer than acknowledging that we are the created ones and our maker expects us to obey Him. So, once again, the world tries to kill the Gospel. Are you ready to stand and proclaim it in the face of opposition? That is what we must be ready to do. Jesus is not dead, He is alive! And because He is alive, He is active in our lives today. Let's shout it from the rooftops over the top of Hollywood and any other would-be detractors.

Talk about hitting home

2007-02-20T10:54:00.000-06:00

So many things that happen just don't make sense. But sometimes, God uses seemingly senseless circumstances to wake us up. That happened to me today.

Our church has rented those giant blow-up bouncers for our picnic for 3 years. And we have always leased from the same company, or should I say, man. Nick was committed to making sure his customers felt like they were important. And most people who enjoyed Nick's services, never even met him. He would come before your event and set up the bouncer and then he would come back afterwards to take it down. Most of the people who would enjoy the bouncer would either not be there yet when he set it up or long gone when he took them down. But he always asked how your event went when he came to take it down. And he always wanted to know if there was something he could have done better to help your event be better. What a great guy. Nick passed away suddenly this past Friday and his widow tells us that with Nick's passing, so goes the company. So sudden, so unexpected, so shocking.

But what upsets me more is that I did not fully present Jesus to Nick. I enjoyed talking with him. He was younger than I am. I assumed we would have years to talk. I was wrong. And it reminded me how little we know about the people we come across. Do they really know Jesus? Will we have a second chance to share Jesus with them? Are we so busy building relationships that we are not making disciples? These are questions that are just flooding my mind as I come to grips with the passing of this genuinely nice guy.

Lord, help me to be ever aware that each breath is given as a gift from you, and help me not to waste even one of them. Amen.

It's almost over

2007-01-24T09:34:00.000-06:00

Sadly, I have found that I am weaker than most people I know. The average for not keeping up with New Year's resolutions is sometime in February. Here it is, towards the end of January and I am still only batting .500. But that is not what I wanted to post about today.

Today, I wanted to talk briefly about a lighter subject than my usual fare. Today, let's look at football. For about 21 weeks a year (the length of the NFL season), football is high on the conversation list. But, I have found that once my team is eliminated from Super Bowl hope, the football conversations decrease. Then after the Super Bowl, football conversations all but cease until draft time and then it is quiet again.

For the first time in my memory, I actually am rooting for a team in the Super Bowl that is not the Green Bay Packers. I must confess it is a strange feeling to be pulling for someone other than the green and gold. But, you ask, can a Packer fan actually want the Bears to win? No, this one can't. As much as I admire what Lovie Smith has done down in Chicago, there is something wrong with cheering for your team's arch-rival to win. Yes, that means I would like to see the Colts win on February 4. But it is not because of fine football that I like that Colts, even though I think they have played some good football this season.

I want the Colts to win because of their head coach. Tony Dungy is a man that I respect more than words. He is a man who is an unashamed Christian. Lovie Smith is also a Christian man, so why Tony Dungy? Because of what he has said over this past year. In case you don't know, at the end of the season last year, Tony Dungy's son committed suicide. I can not imagine the pain that he must of felt, but his words are what ring clear to me. "My faith in Christ is what has got me through." And he said those words just one week after his son's death. Then I started reading what people who knew him had to say about Tony Dungy, and without fail, they knew that his faith would be the thing that kept him going through this personal tragedy. At that point, Tony Dungy became somewhat of a hero to me. Here is a man who has suffered what I believe to be one of the worst tragedies possible in the death of a child, and he points to Christ.

Then, this year, the Colts won the AFC Championship game, thus putting two black coaches in the Super Bowl and guaranteeing that not only will this be the first Super Bowl with a black coach, but that this will be the first Super Bowl won by a black coach. In light of this, Tony Dungy said, “The Lord set this up in a way that no one would believe it. The Lord tested us a lot this year, but He set this up to get all the glory.” Tony Dungy lives his faith.

And he has been so consistent in his walk with the Lord that everyone who knows him expects him to point to Christ. Now, I don't want to put him up on a pedestal so high that he can't live up to it. But because of his example of unwavering faith (and because he is not a Chicago Bear), I would like to see him win the Super Bowl.

Status report

2007-01-12T11:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I made all these great promises to myself on this very public forum and here it is one week later and I haven't done well. I have yet to set foot on my treadmill. I have not updated my prayer partners. I have not spent the no-TV time with my family. I am posting this week. I have done more private praying and I am expecting God to do more than I could ever think or imagine. So I guess 50% is not so bad.

But prayer is what I want to dwell on today. We are doing a study on prayer at our weekly prayer meeting. Two weeks ago, we looked at a concept that I never really thought of before and I am trying to implement it in my prayers. It is not easy. I have been praying the same way for all of my life, and this new concept is only 2 weeks old. I have to learn to be patient with myself.

Here is the concept that is giving me such a challenge. When we pray, do we give God the answer we are looking for? Or, do we just lay the concern before Him and trust that He will take care of it in His perfect way? Let me illustrate. In John 2, when Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to Him at the wedding feast, she did not come to Him and say, "Jesus, they are out of wine, make some wine." Instead, she said, "Jesus, they are out of wine." Then she told the servants to do whatever Jesus asked them to do. She knew Jesus would take care of it in the perfect way. Throughout the book of Acts, we see prayer meetings where the concerns were raised, but never the answers. The more I have studied this idea, the more Biblical I find it to be. Instead of praying the answers, we should pray the problems. God is big enough, wise enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to solve our problems in a perfect way. So, as a challenge, try to lay your concerns before God without dictating what you want to Him. Be patient with yourself, for most of us, this will be a new way to pray.

May God bless your desire to pray His way.

Annual checklist

2007-01-04T11:05:00.000-06:00

Yes, in many ways this is another New Year's post. If you read in the "blogosphere" at all, you will know that a vast majority of the posts in the last week or so have been about New Year's resolutions. And I am not being extremely creative or new in this post.

Every year in the very early part of January, there are things that I just have to get done. I have to pay for my dogs' licenses. I have to start looking and thinking about taxes. I pull out an annual calendar and start looking at things that I already know are scheduled throughout the year. I hope you take the time to start thinking about this new year and the new opportunities that God will put before you. It is an exciting, albeit office-bound, time for me. I don't get out much this time of year. I am working on planning and scheduling. I have found that the early part of January is relatively quiet. Things get busy again towards the end of the month and then straight through until camp in July. But January is a time to look at last year and think about next year.

And, in the spirit of the season, I should resolve to accomplish certain things this year. But I am tired of New Year's resolutions that don't make it much past February (if that long). I am tired of the inevitable sense of failure that I have, yet another, goal unrealized. So, instead of merely resolving this year, I would like to ask for your help. I am going to list some things I want to do this year, and I am asking the regular readers of this blog to ask me about it, publicly. If you press on the word "comment" at the bottom of every post, you will be taken to a form where you can post a comment to what I have said. Rather than always commenting on this particular post, feel free to ask me at any time, on any post how I am doing on my New Year's goals (or, if you must use the word, resolutions). So, without further ado, here are my goals for 2007:

1) To post at least once per week on this blog.

2) To get off my rather large backside and get on my treadmill at least 3 times per week.

3) To spend at least 4 hours per week in non-TV time with my family (this may seem small, but it will take some work on all of our part).

4) To spend more time in private prayer. (alas, this seems to be one of the things I sacrifice the quickest when things get busy, but it should be the thing I hold on to the tightest).

5) To ensure I get an update out to my prayer partners at least biweekly.

6) To tell someone the good new of Jesus at least once per week and to tell my church that I have done so.

7) To expect more from God and less of myself. "For me to die is gain and to live is Christ." I tend to think more is riding on me than I should. I have some responsibilities, but the ultimate growth of the Kingdom of God is God's work. I am to be His obedient servant, but I am not the producer of results. God alone does that.

I think those sum it up pretty well. Again, I am asking you, as a reader of this blog, to post a comment fairly often asking me how I'm doing. I trust that God will prompt you when I need the nudge.

May God bless you richly this year.

They haven't stopped trying for 2000 years

2006-12-22T09:49:00.000-06:00

I was watching the History Channel try to explain away the miracle of Christ's coming to Earth. They were trying to say that what we hold to as true from the Bible is not true at all. For instance, they claim that Mary was a politically-savvy young woman who knew that the Jewish resistance to Roman rule needed a boost. So, as she is pregnant, she decides to make sure her son would be thought of as a descendant of David and that is why they went to Bethlehem. The whole story of the census is false.

To undermine the virgin Birth (or ANY portion of the Biblical account of the Incarnation of Christ) is to make sure that Jesus is not who He claimed to be. If He wasn't conceived in a miraculous way, then He was just a man. And, as just a man, He was at best the starter of a new religion, but definitely not a Savior and not worthy of praise. You see, if He really is just a man then He is not "Immanuel", God with us (see Matthew 1:23), He is lessened. And if He is just a man, the cross becomes less than the full atonement for our sins, because God didn't hang there, a man did. And if "just a man" hung on that cross, He could not have been doing it for anyone else. He may have been innocently convicted, but He certainly was not dying to pay the sin-debt of all mankind "once for all" (see Romans 6:10). So, while there are those who want to downplay the significance of Jesus' birth, we, as people of faith, need to speak out. They are not just attacking portions of the Bible, they are attacking the whole Bible. If one part is false, then all has been called into question.

Which brings me to another thought about these "historians" and the way they are doing their "science". Throughout the centuries, there has been effort after effort to undermine the Holy Scripture. In the church that calls Jesus Lord, these have all been labeled with one word: heresy. Heresy simply means "false truth". It is putting forth an unproven theory as truth. This theory may (or may not) make sense in our limited understanding, but it is placed in the public forum as absolute fact. The validity of the Bible is a perfect example. Every time the Bible has come under attack as being false, there has been found evidence to the truth of God's word. Yet, when some unbelieving archaeologist finds one piece of papyri or one engraved stone that somehow refutes the Bible, then the papyri or the stone is assumed to be true and the Bible false. Can I ask a simple question? If the Bible has proven to be true every time it has come under attack, then should we not assume that the Bible is the one that is true and the papyri or the stone are the ones that are wrong?

It comes down to something called a world-view. If your world-view allows for the Bible to be false, then you are comfortable saying that the "new" evidence is correct and the Bible is proved false. But if your world-view holds to the inerrant, infallible Word of God, then the "new" evidence is the one that is suspect. And, Christian, we have been allowing the secular world-view to color our view of Scripture for far too long. Let's have a truly Biblical world-view. The Bible says that God's words will not pass away (Matthew 24:25). We need to stop allowing these unbelieving people undermine our faith in almighty God. He either is who He says He is, or we are to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:12-23). But there is no middle ground here. You either believe it, or you don't.

Let's keep the truth of Christmas (Immanuel) in the foreground. Let's remember that Immanuel not only came to earth in a miraculous way, but that He also died for our sins and on the third day He rose from the dead. It is the basic message of the Gospel. It must either be believed or rejected. Do you believe?

What exactly is a "rut"?

2006-12-07T08:24:00.000-06:00

I think I have not communicated what I mean by being stuck in a rut. I still believe in the team concept and I am not giving up.

What I mean by "stuck in a rut" is that we have not seen any new believer baptisms in the last year. Now, what that tells me is that we (and I absolutely include myself in this) are not leading others to Christ. The "rut" I am referring to is one in which we are just going through the motions.

It may be that we are just in a natural ebb of the "ebb and flow" of church life. If that is true then I am speaking out of turn. But it may be that we are not "ebbing", but just complacent. We are saying to ourselves, "This is as good as its going to get." That attitude saps the strength from both the one who shares it and anyone who hears it.

Team-based church is a means, not the end. I believe it is the biblical model for accomplishing the tasks assigned to the church by God Himself. The end, however, is seeing ever-increasing numbers of people coming to saving faith and giving God the glory. It is God's glory that should be our goal and nothing less.

Instead of being a cheerleader and saying, "Come on, let's go!" I want us to get on our knees (physically if possible). I want us to seek God's face. I want us to implore, with all that we are, the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers. I want to see this generation come to know Christ. I want to see our villages and townships and counties transformed by almighty God. I ask you to join me in this prayer.

Stuck in a rut

2006-12-06T08:01:00.000-06:00

I feel like we as a church are stuck in a rut. I was hoping the change to team leadership would be the wake up call we need, but we haven't really emerged from the funk. It seems that we are content to just keep existing the way we are. Church is something we do one night a week and on Sunday. While true, this may be all church is, it is certainly not all that Christianity is. This is a very dangerous position in my estimation.

God never called us to be there when we feel like it. He never intended for us to be loyal as long as things are going our way. I, as the pastor, am not asking for your loyalty to me. I am pointing out that God requires your loyalty to Him.

He did not say we would be His pals. A pal will definitely be there when things are going well, and may, or may not, be there when things get tough. He did not say we would be His acquaintances. An acquaintance just checks in every now and then and really doesn't know, or want to know the details of what is going on. No, the imagery Jesus used for His church is much stronger than these worldly examples.

Jesus said the church (and that is the people who call Him Lord, not just a building) is like a flock of sheep. If you have ever been around sheep, you know that they are near-sighted, dumb, smelly animals. They can't see far enough in front of them to stay out of trouble. And even if they could see it, they would probably wander into trouble anyway. And the smell, it is unlike anything else I have ever smelled, and that is not a good thing. So, if we are sheep, we must have a propensity for getting ourselves in trouble (guilty on my part) and not smell so good either (sin leaves a rotten funk in God's nostrils). Maybe if we were to see ourselves more like sheep, we wouldn't be so dogmatic about having things our way.

Jesus said the church (and that is the people who call Him Lord, not just a building) is full of slaves. He didn't call us to be His equals, but His servants. We are not saved to do our bidding, but His. We are not His to do everything we like, but to be obedient to our master.

Jesus said the church (and that is the people who call Him Lord, not just a building) is full of children. In all the other images up to this point, there is lacking the key ingredient of love. He loves us. And just like little children, we don't know it all. We sometimes think we do, but we don't. And our loving Father gives us direction and even discipline when we need it. He guides us and comforts us. He picks us up when we fall. He is indeed the ultimate Father figure.

Finally, Jesus said the church (and that is the people who call Him Lord, not just a building) is like His bride. A bride is someone with very intimate knowledge. Someone who is in it for the long haul. Someone who is unlikely to put her own needs ahead of her husband's needs (see Proverbs 31). Jesus called us His bride. We need to become more like a blushing bride than a boasting groom.

So, rather than proud, pull-ourselves-up-by-our-bootstraps people, we need to be more like sheep and slaves and children and brides. There is much more to Christianity than church on Sunday. Are you really living your faith? Or are you just existing? Let's break out of this rut and trust almighty God to bring about a tremendous result. Are you ready?

Guest blogger

2006-12-01T08:12:00.000-06:00

The following was sent to me by a dear sister in Christ. May you be as challenged by it as I was. Thanks, Joan. --Pastor Tony

Just my penny’s worth..... PRIORITIES

Webster’s definition:

pri-or: 1-earlier in time or order, 2-taking precedence logically or in importance.

pri-or-i-tize: to list or rate in order of priority.

What is a priority? It’s something you put ahead of something else because it’s logical to do so, or because it’s more important to do it first. Some priorities are easy to rate and accomplish (eating, sleeping, working, playing, etc), while others are not (schedules, plans, events, world situations, etc). Some we have much control over, others not.

We know we need a certain number of hours of sleep, so we schedule them.

We know we need food to keep us going, so we schedule our meals.

Our careers require us to be somewhere at a particular time, so we schedule our time.

Everyone needs a little “relaxing time” to rest and rejuvenate our bodies and our spirits, so we try and schedule some of that.

Let’s look at some particular priorities most of us have. You can put them into whatever order you wish, add your own to the list, and number them from 1-? as they fit into your life.

Family (spouse, parents, kids, extended family)

Friends (people other than family you enjoy spending time with)

Other relationships (co-worker, boss, teacher, etc)

Job (as a means to provide the things you need and want)

Health (what you eat and how you take care of yourself and those you love)

Wealth (how much money or material assets you have)

Education (continuing to learn new things)

Fun (vacation, parties, hobbies, music, TV, games, etc)

Transportation (car, truck)

Home (where you live)

God

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When you have your list compiled, take a close look at what matters the most to you. Is it something that only matters for a short time, or for the rest of your life? Is it something that won’t matter tomorrow, in a week, a year, 2 years, ten years from now? Then ask yourself: Do I need to change some of my priorities?

In His Word, God tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world -- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does -- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17, NIV)

Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T10:02:00.000-06:00

A quick post to say public thanks for what God has given me.

I am thankful that God has called me to a great church that has a passion for Him.

I am thankful for the members of Bethany and the love they have showered on me and my family.

I am thankful for my children. Even though the teen years can be tough, I am in awe at the responsibility God has given me with these three precious lives. I look forward to seeing them grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord as well as into responsible adults. I am thankful for this opportunity. There is no task like parenting.

I am thankful for my wife. She is the love of my life. She is the heart of my ministry. I don't always think of the right things to do, but she reminds me. She is my partner. She is my helpmate. As I rapidly approach the point in time when I will have lived with her longer than any other person on the planet (even my parents), I find myself in continuous awe that God would bless my life with such a beautiful person. Marci, I love you today more than I did when I asked you to marry me. You are an absolute blessing in my life and I am eternally grateful to God for you.

Finally, I am grateful and thankful to God almighty who sent His only Son to purchase my pardon. All of the above are awesome gifts from Him, but the gift of eternal life, bought with the blood of Jesus is what I am most grateful for. I can never repay or honor Him enough. He is my Lord, my Rock, my Shield, my Comforter, my Redeemer, and the recipient of all my praise. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Are you trying to put God in a man-sized box?

2006-11-14T11:45:00.000-06:00

If you are a saint and say, "I will never do this or that," in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father.

Oswald Chambers wrote this in his devotional "My Utmost for His Highest" (you can read the whole devotional here). The point of the entry is for us to quit thinking of God in human terms. He is not just "the big guy upstairs" who decides how things are going to go on a whim. He is almighty God, the Creator of the universe and all it contains. He not only made it all, He knows it all. We can tell God absolutely nothing that He doesn't already know. We can not "overburden" Him with our prayers. We can not assume that He will eventually get fed up with our foul-ups. We can not think that He is not thinking of us. All of those attitudes are putting Him in a man-sized box.

It is very human to assume that someone else doesn't have all the facts. It is human to assume that someone doesn't want to be burdened with more needs. It is human to assume that someone else will eventually tire of us. It is human to think that someone else will forget us for a season. All of these are very human traits and very much not anything at all like God.

It is God who has "clothed" the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. It is God who even has the hairs on our head numbered. It is God who knew that I would sin and provided a payment for my sin debt in the ultimate sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus. It is God who knows more than I could ever even think or imagine. And frankly, it is God that I will trust in even before it looks like there is no other option.

Are things looking good for you right now? Trust God. Are things looking rough for you right now? Trust God. As a matter of fact, no matter what your circumstances or needs or complaints or rejoicings, trust God. He is the only one who can resolve every problem, fill every need, and guide every step. If you think any less of God than as the ever involved, ever caring Father, then you are making Him out to be less than He is. And it may work in your feeble imagination, but it is absolutely nothing like God Almighty. He just won't fit in a man-sized box.

The 80/20 rule

2006-11-08T08:55:00.000-06:00

There is a little mentioned but very true fact about church life in most churches. It is called the 80/20 rule. It states that 80% of the work in a church is being done by only 20% of the people. And I think that the ratio may be closer to 90/10 than it is to 80/20. Why is that? Why is it that the majority of people who are members of a local church are not doing anything in conjunction with the church's ministry? I have a couple of theories.

My first theory is that there are people who are strong leader types and they know the things that need to get done so they just do them. It is not necessarily out of a passion to do it well, just a sense of it needs to be done and I don't see anyone else stepping up to do it, so I will. Most of these folks are in the 20% that does so much. We are not talking about a bad thing. It is always good to see people doing things to advance God's kingdom through His church. The only thing about it is that it may be stopping someone who is not a strong leader from doing what they are truly passionate about. They figure if it is already being done by someone else, they must not be needed.

My second theory is that there are people who just don't know what to do in church. Perhaps they were raised without a strong church influence in their lives. Maybe they were brought up in a different religion where things were handled differently. Whatever the reason, they just don't know how to be helpful. And the sad part is, the pastor keeps telling them to get involved, but they don't know how.

I believe that team-based ministry that our church is currently taking on is the answer to both of these theories. We will put the strong leader types on a team with those who are not so strong. We will put those who just don't know on a team with those who do know. The idea being that the strengths of each person are then used shoulder to shoulder. Together we can conquer the 80/20 (or 90/10) rule. It is not the model of church given in the Bible.

Think of how great every church would be if all the people called by God to be in that church were working in their own strengths, the way God wired them, to accomplish His purposes. I believe God would richly bless a ministry like that.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
--Ephesians 4:11-13

Why the fuss?

2006-10-31T11:13:00.000-06:00

FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. --Ephesians 5:31 (NASB)

Do you think God could have made it any clearer? He says quite simply that a man should leave and cleave to a woman. Adam and Eve were male and female. There is really no place in the Bible for a "committed relationship between two consenting adults" outside of marriage and marriage is reserved for a man and a woman. Period. End of discussion. So why all the fuss?

Because human beings are bound and determined to live however they want to live. In the USA, we are being told we must let everyone live they want to live and not even call things right or wrong. You see, if one way is right, then that must mean there is a different way that is wrong. So, in the name of tolerance, we must not ever say our way is right, because that means someone else's way is wrong. Baloney!!!

God has set a very definite standard in His Word. It is not a relative standard. It is a clear standard of right and wrong. And, if I may be frank, sex outside of the bounds of matrimony is WRONG! We missed that message somewhere in our fight for "sexual freedom" in the last 40 years. But the Bible is clear, it is wrong. It was wrong in the historical context of the Biblical writers and it is wrong today. Call me a fundamentalist. Call me intolerant. But in Wisconsin, with one of the simplest to read constitutional amendments I have ever read, we are being told that marriage is not as important as God has said it is. If marriage is the picture of Christ and the church, then it must be important as defined in the Bible.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. --Ephesians 5:25-30 (NASB)

“Marriage. Shall section 13 of article XIII of the constitution be created to provide that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state and that a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state?” --From the Wisconsin state ballot

Seems pretty simple, so why all the fuss?

The enemy is working, are you?

2006-10-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today I heard of problems in the lives of 4 different pastors from our area. Each of them is different. All of them are related to the pastors' families. It makes my heart sick to think of the enemy getting his way in the lives of people who are closest to those who are charged to equip the saints (see Eph 4:11-12).

On the other hand, I am excited. Satan has no desire to work where God is not at work. Satan has no reason to be involved where God is not active. So, if those who are equipping are under attack, surely God is about to do something good. Is that exciting to you?

The question becomes simply this. If Satan is at work and God is at work, then shouldn't we be at work? Should we not be like God's hands and feet and lips even now? Are you?

Snapshots

2006-10-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

As I look back over my life, I am struck by how much like a picture album my memory is. I remember snippets of time. There is the image of my lovely bride at the back of the church on that day 19-1/2 years ago. There is the picture of my precious little girl (now 15 and wanting to drive) in her car seat watching me bowl. There is the image of the precious moments doll look of my other little girl when she first came to live with us (she is now 13 almost 14). And I remember my son as this screaming, squirming little thing (he just turned 13).

Pictures. I have lost so many memories of them growing up. I was the dad with three kids under three and then I blinked and I am the dad of three teenagers. They have gone from being totally dependent on me (and of course, their mom) to not wanting us to even know everything in their life. We knew every little detail and now they try to conceal. I suppose it is part of the growing up process. We, as parents, must learn to let go and let them make choices, even bad ones. Don't get me wrong. I still get on to them about not cleaning their rooms or about the way they are treating other people. I am still trying to guide them into adulthood, but as the light at the end of the tunnel of parenthood seems to draw nearer, I also realize that my advice will soon have to be kept to myself. I will have to wait and agonize as I watch them make mistakes I could have kept them from making. I will have to trust in God to keep them in His care. I can't be their protector forever.

And yet, I am struck by how much they know about God. They do not fully comprehend Him (Neither do I). I see them trying to learn to trust in Him, but being frustrated when things don't go the way they want it to. Then they blame God because He didn't answer in their way, in their time. Then it is my job to ask the hard questions. What would have happened if God would have answered in your way, in your time? Would the circumstances brought more glory to God or to you? When you told the story of what happened, would you have talked about your great prayer life? Or would you have told how God answered in a way that you never imagined?

We all could use those questions in our lives. God is our heavenly Father, and He wants us to trust in Him. He wants us to go to Him for advice and guidance. And, yet, He allows us to make foolish decisions and then waits for us to cry out to Him for help. Then, He picks us up, brushes us off, and gives us a hug. He takes us by the hand and begins to walk on the path He always wanted us to walk. Not that He was surprised by our mistakes. He knew we would make the wrong choice. No, I don't fully comprehend it, but I know this: God is sovereign. He is in control. And I am comforted by that thought.

You never know

2006-10-06T14:42:00.000-05:00

How many little things do you do that may give you the opportunity to share the Gospel with someone who doesn't know Jesus? Let me give you a recent example of how God worked in my "little things" this week.

I have a Monday morning appointment for coffee. I get the chance to visit with folks who are not members of my church. Some of them are saved, some are not. I still consider these folks friends and I am sorry that they do not have the hope of Jesus Christ, but that is why I am there.

My dear bride made apple butter this year and we took some to our coffee shop friends. One of them decided to call us and tell us how much he enjoyed that apple butter. We were not home, so he had to sit through our rather long answering machine message. I know it is long, but I don't want to change it. I really like the message. Why? Because it is my favorite passage of Scripture from the Bible. It is:

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31, NASB)

If you call my house, you will hear those words and then a polite, "Please leave a message after the tone."

So, between the wonderful apple butter and the message on my answering machine, I walked in to my regular coffee meeting this week and was asked why I kept that message on my machine. Of course, I replied that it was one of my favorite verses because it talks about drawing all of our strength from the Lord. And I get all of my strength from Jesus who died on the cross for me. He is my savior and my strength.

Two seemingly unrelated things, apple butter and an answering machine, that came together in God's perfect plan to present the Gospel message to people who need to hear it. I am honored to be used by God in this way.

What unrelated things have you done that have given you the opportunity to share Jesus with someone who doesn't know Him?

Better Focus

2006-10-05T11:06:00.000-05:00

I was having a real problem with my eye-glasses. When I bought them nearly 4 years ago, I had a non-glare coating put on the lenses. Over the last 4 years, with much abuse, the non-glare coating started to deteriorate. If you looked at my glasses in the right light, they looked severely scratched. The actual lenses were not scratched, just the anti-glare coating. I thought it was not effecting my vision, but I was wrong. I could see at distance ok, but I could not see at all up close. If I were reading a book, I had to take those glasses off in order to be able to focus on the letters and words on the page.

I solved this problem by grabbing an older pair of glasses that I still had lying around the house. And I have to tell you, it is very much different. I am seeing much better without that hazy, scratchy mess in front of my eyes.

Can I be candid with you for a moment? My glasses were a physical sign of something that was also going on in my work as pastor. There have been some things that I thought I could just ignore and still be able to forge ahead. One of those things was some strategic thinking and planning. I haven't done a good job of thinking about the future of Bethany. I love Bethany and I appreciate greatly the role this church has played in our area of the world. I would hate to think that the impact of Bethany would somehow diminish on my watch. So, I need to put together a strategic plan of where we are going. Church strategy ultimately boils down to how we are going to build God's Kingdom in the time we are given here on earth.

I believe the change to a team-based governance is just the beginning of God positioning us for the future growth He is going to bring. I need to be seeking God's voice in how we will continue with (and through) growth. I would ask for you to pray with me for God's vision. That it would be clear and unmistakable. That it would be in sharp focus and not clouded by any distractions. That God would be glorified through every task we attempt as a church. Most of all, that the lost all around us would be introduced to a Savior who loves them too much to ignore them.

We stand on the verge of greatness. Will you engage? Or will you just wait and see what happens? This is not the time to be withdrawn from God's work. This is the time to be active (perhaps more active than you have been in your entire life) in order to reap the harvest that God has placed before us. So, begin by praying. Pray often. Pray and when you think you are done praying, pray some more. Let's seek God's laser-sharp vision and then let's work to accomplish what He shows us.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB)

a NEW creature

2006-09-27T08:42:00.000-05:00

I have had two conversations recently that are just echoing in my mind. Both of them in regard to sin in a professed believer's life. Let me try to summarize without revealing details.

One person talked about the sin in their life as being inevitable. It was the "cat-out-of-the-bag" argument. It goes something like this. Would we not agree that once this sin has been committed, it is impossible to truly go back in our own mind? In other words, I have become a sinner. And since I have sinned and I can't forget the sin, I am constantly feeling guilty about having committed that sin. I have even asked God to forgive me, but I can't forgive myself. Therefore, since I can get no relief, I am doomed to repeat this sin for as long as I shall live. You can't "unring" a bell. The cat is out of the bag.

The second person talked about good intentions in the long run. It goes something like this. Since ultimately, my intentions are good, whatever occurs now is good. Regardless of the Scriptural teaching, I have every intent of being obedient someday, so today is just a precursor to someday. It may be wrong today, but I will do what it takes to make it right tomorrow. My good intentions prevent this action from actually being sinful.

To both of these arguments I simply say, "Baloney!"

The first case is a very elaborate case for justifying the fun of sin. Yes, I said it. Sin is fun (at least for the immediate moment we are sinning). Rather than deal with the guilt (and perhaps even conviction of the Holy Spirit), I will attempt to sweep it under the rug by declaring that I can not help but to be a sinner and so I will go on sinning. If that is true why did Paul say the following: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB) We are not trapped in the old. We have become new through Jesus. And to stay with the old is to deny what Christ did for us on the cross. When we become new, we have the old stains of sin washed away. They are no longer with us. Therefore, the guilt we are feeling is either coming from our own lack of repentance, or from the pit of hell. I tend to think it is the former. We don't want to truly repent from the sins that we enjoy, so we justify our actions instead.

The second case is also a case of justifying the sin. Once again, it is bringing everything we can think of to bear in order to "feel" justified. But our only true justification (which means declared just) comes from Jesus' completed atoning work on the cross. Let's give up this idea that the short-term wrong will be justified in the long-term. The ends do not justify the means. Jesus came to earth with the intention and purpose of fully paying the price for our sin. He accomplished that task. Every action He performed, every word He spoke, were pointed to the cross where He died. The means were not different from the ends, they were the road by which the ends were reached. We need to let go of thinking that we can do what we want in the here-and-now as long as our heart is right in the then-and-there. We, as those who call Jesus our Savior and Lord, should be living as such every moment, every day.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23, NASB)

Parenting and pastoring

2006-09-19T11:13:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already heard about this story, please read it here. In short, these parents did not approve of what their 19-year-old daughter was doing with her life, so they tied her up and planned to force her to do the right thing.

Of course, this is the temptation for every parent. We are so motivated to see our children become what we know they are capable of, that we sometimes lose all sense of reason to get them there. Most of us would not tie-up our 19-year-old and force them to live according to our standards. We are probably tempted to do it, but we don't actually follow through.

Pastoring is very similar in that, as a pastor, I desire to see the people God has placed in my care thrive and become all that I believe God would have them be. But I can not grab hold of them and tie them up to force them to be obedient to God. If God's word says not to do it and someone decides that is what they are going to do, all I can do is try to warn them about the consequences of their disobedience. I long to do more. But that is not what God has called me to do.

The position of pastor has been called being the "under-shepherd". Jesus is the true leader of the church, I am just His hireling. However, shepherds rarely pick up the sheep and move them to the right path. Shepherds call out, they use their crooks to gently nudge, they protect the flock from danger, but they don't really force the sheep with physical means.

In multiple places in the Bible, God has referred to His children as sheep. My desire as a sheep with shepherding responsibilities, is to provide as much guidance as possible, but I can't live someone else's life. At some point, we, as parents, have to let the adult child go and let them live their life, mistakes and all. As a pastor, I have the same agony. People are going to live their lives, and when they choose disobedience, I will weep and wait for God to bring them back to the fold.

Computers and such

2006-09-15T08:48:00.000-05:00

I was just thinking about computers and how computer designers are trying to "create" thought. There are even systems designed that can "think" called artificial intelligence. But even though these machines seem to think, the truth is still an old computer term called GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). If the inputs to these systems is corrupt, the output will be corrupt.

A computer has only two main things that make it up: storage and processing.

Storage can be defined as the hard-drive, the memory, the CD-Rom drive, the DVD drive, floppy drives. Basically, these are all things that "hold" or store data. Now, data can be just facts, or it can be instructions (programs) that tell the computer what to do. But just because storage has a program, doesn't mean the computer will execute it. If you leave the CD on the shelf and never put it in your computer, the computer will never process it. It is just storage.

Processing is when the computer executes the instructions (runs the program) that has it read the input and do whatever it is the program is supposed to do and produces some kind of output. It can be something as simple as adding numbers and producing a sum, or reading a certain kind of file and producing an image, or picture. It can be as varied as surfing the web or reading email or playing solitaire. All of these, at some level, take input, run a series of instructions, and produce output. This is the "brain" center of the computer.

I give you this very simplified, basic lesson on computers to demonstrate how man is trying to "create" thought. Our brains are a combination of storage and processing. You have memories and all of those memories put together make up your storage. Those memories may be pictures of events and things in your past, or they may be instructions. Your parents told you not to touch things hot, and now you don't touch hot things. It is an instruction.

It requires input. Your eyes see that the burner is on. Your skin feels the heat before it causes any damage.

It processes. Mom said not to touch hot things. This is hot.

It produces output. I will not be touching the burner.

Yet, the problem is that we are also bound by the law of GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). When we overwhelm our storage with things that are not of our Lord, we are filling up with garbage. When it comes time to make decisions, our minds only have garbage in and so we make disastrous choices (garbage out).

For instance, in the very near future we will going back to the polls to vote. There are many conflicting messages out there about the things and people we will be voting on. Let me give you a sure-fire way to vote. First, get educated on the issues and filter them through the Bible. Perhaps some questions to get you thinking. What are the most critical issues placed before our country today? Have you sought out God's word for an answer? Have you prayed to God about these same issues? Are you making your decisions based on TV ads or on prayerful, thoughtful searching of God's word and matching the issues to God's standard? Mudslinging is at an all time high. Instead of filling our storage with garbage, let's fill our minds with God's truth. Then, instead of GIGO, perhaps we will have TITO (truth in, truth out).

9-1-1 or 9/11

2006-09-12T11:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the 5-year anniversary of the horrible attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I remember that day..............

I was in a hurry that morning. I was still in school. I was driving from my campus house to the classroom building when the radio said that apparently a plane had crashed into one of the towers. To be honest, my first thought was that it was a little plane, not a big jet-liner. I remembered when a small plane crashed into an office building in Florida a few years before. I really thought it was more of a trivia question than anything else.

I got to class and we were interrupted twice as someone came in to tell us what was really going on. I did not have time on that day to talk with anyone. I had to get to my job. I went from the classroom to my car and listened to the news all the way to work (about 1/2 hour drive). I was in shock about what was going on. I remember hearing the news and wondering how I could stay up on it while trying to order my work-day. I had a project that had to be completed.

I got to work and there was an e-mail announcement that there was continuous TV coverage being shown in the main conference room and that anyone who wanted to could spend their day in that room. I went down and saw for the first time the towers collapse and the horror of what was happening grabbed me. I was in a half-panicked state. Would they hit Kansas City? We only lived 5 miles from the airport. What was going on? Was my family in jeopardy? Question after question flooded my mind, but there were no answers.

There were people at the office who knew that I was a seminary student and they asked for my counsel. I did the best I could, but I encouraged everyone to pray. We needed our Lord to make sense of this.

5 years later and it still doesn't make sense. Why would anyone think it was God's will to kill that many people? How could any human being think that this would be the right or proper course of action? But I must admit, it confirms what I already know. In Psalm 14:1 the Bible says, "...there is no one who does good" (NASB). If indeed "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Then why are we so shocked when sin goes to its logical conclusion. "The wages of sin is death." And certainly the sin of those who hijacked those planes ended in death. They killed themselves and took as many as they could with them to the other side. There they faced the judgement of the Almighty. I know there were some in that crowd that came before God that day that were called goats and others that were called sheep. Some were welcomed into heaven, others were condemned to hell. It is a sad thing to remember.

How many of those who died actually planned to die that day? Very few, I would surmise. How many of those who died were prepared to meet their maker that day? Unknown. What are we doing to prepare people to meet their maker today? We don't know how long anyone has to live. We do know everyone needs Jesus. In many ways, 9/11 became the remembrance of the ultimate emergency call. I hope Christians realize that lost people would dial spiritual 9-1-1 if they knew they were to die in the next moments.

So, on 9/11, let's remember to be the rescuers and to answer the 9-1-1 call to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus. That will be the best thing to remember.

"Modern" education

2006-09-07T13:22:00.000-05:00

I just read an article on Yahoo! that is relevant in so many ways to our American, "enlightened", culture. (You can read the full article here). From that article, I copied this quote:

Traditional education is obsolete and fails to teach students the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and effective communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century, principal Shirley Grover said in an interview.

"It's not about memorizing certain algebraic equations and then regurgitating them in a test," Grover said. "It's about thinking how math might be used to solve a quality-of-water problem or how it might be used to determine whether or not we are safe in Philadelphia from the avian flu."

It almost sounds logical, but it is crafty in design. Those "algebraic formulas" are memorized in order to give a basis from which the mathematical thinking can grow. In other words, what is being said here is that we can expect tomatoes to grow where we haven't planted any seeds. You have to have the basics in order to go to the next level of complex thought. This "new" education robs the kids of the basics.

But that is the way of our society. You don't need the basics to jump to the right conclusion. We can assume that people are going to live correctly in an orderly society without any basis. We have all seen in the last 30-40 years where that kind of thinking has gotten us.

The Bible is not our moral compass and school shootings start to occur. Prayer is banned in schools and cheating on tests sky-rockets. The Ten Commandments are deemed religious and not the basis for law, and murders and thefts and adultery are at an all-time high. Is it any wonder? You have to have the basics before you can move on to the conclusion.

You can't build a house that will last without a foundation. You can't have a culture that is good without God. They are the same thing. This idea that the ends are more important than the means is just not Biblical. And in our culture, we have already begun to reap what is sown in this flawed philosophy.

Legalism or love

2006-09-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

I am not a legalist. I don't believe that ANY works of man can somehow contribute to salvation. Jesus died on that old rugged cross to purchase fully my pardon. There is nothing else required of me to be truly saved than to believe that He is indeed the Son of God and He died for my sins. Legalism adds to that definition of salvation anything that has the appearance of being holy. If driving your car too fast is not holy, than you are not "truly" saved if you speed. If being overweight is not holy, than you are not "truly" saved if you overeat. If television is not holy, then you are not "truly" saved unless you throw out your TV. You see, legalism wants to add to the message of salvation. It wants to judge whether or not people are saved by whether they believe in Christ and do all the right things. That is not the picture given in the Bible.

However, let us, who call ourselves Christians, not assume that because our salvation doesn't hang on how holy our lives are that we are free to live unholy lives. Yes, indeed, we are free in Christ. Paul talks extensively about our freedom in the Lord in 1 Corinthians 8, but he gives a caution that we must never allow our freedom cause another person to stumble. So we have to be careful how we exercise this freedom in Christ.

And there are many people who say we are covered by the grace of God, therefore our sins have been cleansed and we can live as we want to. In Romans 6:1-2 Paul writes, What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin live in it? I love the concept of grace. That we are given what we do not deserve. And we need to be very aware that we don't need to keep on "not deserving" the gift of grace.

Legalism would add to salvation, but discipline comes from the Lord. In a local church, it is imperative that sin is pointed out. That we hold one another accountable to the Bible. It is our guidebook. It is the very words of our God. And if, in the words of the Bible, something is wrong in our brother or sister's life, then we should lovingly point out where the problem is. It should never come from a sense of superiority or spite, but from a heartfelt desire for our brother or sister to have the fullness of God on their lives. God can not tolerate sin. That is why the wages of sin is death. The only covering for sin is Jesus' blood, but that doesn't free us to sin because it is already covered. We are still called to a higher standard. And when we are reminded of that standard, we should be grateful and seek to be obedient to God.

Helping Christian brothers and sisters to identify sin in their lives is not legalism, it is love.

Yes, I am still breathing

2006-09-01T09:21:00.000-05:00

I am just breathing really heavy, like a marathon runner at mile 20. I can offer no apology for my lack of posts. No glib excuses. It is true that now, on Friday morning, I have already logged something like 52 hours of work (Sunday included). I guess I should remind myself that ministry is never a 40-hour-a-week thing. I must continue. I must "run with endurance the race set before me" (see Hebrews 12:1).

Anyway, I tell you that as a way of explanation, but that is not what is driving me to post today. I am in awe of what God is doing and I wanted to share just a peek of what I am seeing. This past Sunday, I had a very good meeting with the deacons of our church. It went longer than I had anticipated. No sooner than I had walked in the door at home, there was a phone-call, "We need to prayer-walk. Are you coming?" I do not pass up opportunities to pray with brothers and sisters in Christ for the salvation of ANY group of people, especially a community that I live in. So, I went.

Monday evening, I went to a meeting in Appleton where I heard about some exciting happenings as we are sensing God's hand at work in a mighty way. It was a good meeting. Tuesday, my little brother came up to go on his final home inspection before he closes and comes up here to pastor a church. We stayed up until 2 AM Wednesday, then had to leave by 8 AM to see the home. We also met some of the community leaders he will be seeking to minister to. I saw great opportunities for ministry, but I have been called to the country, not town. I went from there to another meeting where a dear sister in the Lord and I discussed her upcoming baptism. I then had to get a new driver's license.

The people at the licensing place that I go to are exactly the opposite of any stereotypes you have seen on TV or heard lampooned on the radio. They are kind and polite and engaging and they make a rather mundane process pleasant. I got home from the DMV in time to study up for Wed night's Bible study and then went to that. Thursday had a scheduled meeting in the morning that went much longer than I should have let it. I got home in time to eat lunch and then there was a follow-up phone call. I prepared for prayer meeting Thurs night and got there early enough to focus my thoughts and then to pray.

I say all of this to try to demonstrate how God is at work. The meetings I had this week were all about God's Kingdom. They were discussing everything from sin to baptism to church-planting to church-discipline. There was talk of grace and mercy as well as justice. In short, there was evidence that the Holy Spirit is moving in the lives of both believers and unbelievers. And I am excited.

I started by saying I was a little tired. But as I wrap up this summary of God's work, I am energized. I look forward to what God is going to do. When I get tired, I just need to remember Galatians 6:9:

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

I certainly do not want to faint. If I did, I would miss God's harvest. Can you feel the excitement?

Sin is such a pain

2006-08-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was weeding my garden and saying some not-so-nice things about Adam. In Genesis 3:17-19 the Bible says:

Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, `You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

As I bent over the plants and sought to make sure I was grabbing only weeds and not some of my tomatoes, I was struck with the thought of how ugly sin really is. And it was Adam's sin of eating of the forbidden fruit that introduced sin into the human race. Of course, weeding a garden is the natural time to blame it all on Adam, but we need to be careful. We choose to sin. We decide that, at least for the moment, sin is more appealing than the alternative. We choose a quick thrill right now over our relationship with God.

I suppose I should tell you about those weeds I was pulling. From business to laziness, I had not taken care of those weeds yet this year. I went up to start working and those weeds were as tall (sometimes taller) than my tomatoes. They had big, thick stems on them. Those weeds were trying to take over. And they won at least one of the battles. I found a tomato cage completely empty after I started pulling out the weeds. The tomato had been choked and died from the weeds. These weeds were nearly overwhelming to look at as well as keeping the tomatoes from ripening. So I pulled them out. 5 wheel-barrow loads later, the tomatoes were free.

Sin is just like those weeds. If left alone it grows and flowers and ultimately chokes the life out of a believer. Jesus never intended for us to become overgrown weed-beds of sin. His desire is that we would be free from all of the junk and able to produce good fruit for Him. Is there sin in your life right now that is starting to choke your relationship with almighty God? Perhaps it is time for us to do some weeding so we can bear more fruit.

Now that my tomatoes are free, I need to get back to it and free my squash........

To boldly reach out where no one has gone before

2006-08-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

I think there is some fear and concern (I don't want to accuse anyone of worry) about the new church governing structure we are beginning on Sept 1. I am going to address the specifics in a series of sermons beginning Sept 3. But I wanted to take a moment and talk about why this is, in my opinion, a critical step for Bethany.

If we want to know what "church" should be like, we need look no further than the book of Acts (and we find some resolution in the epistles as well). In the Bible, we find that there were no committees. That doesn't sound very Baptist, but the closest thing to a committee I can find in the Bible is the first deacons appointed in Acts 6. They were selected to take care of the needs of widows so the Apostles could devote themselves to prayer and ministry of the word (Acts 6:1-4). There it is, the original (and only) "committee" in the Bible. They were charged with the on-going needs of the Hellenistic Jewish widows. So, from this, we can gather that a committee may need to be formed for an ongoing need.

Instead of getting focused on just the complaints of a few, however, the Apostles wanted to devote themselves to prayer and teaching. Why? That is how God had gifted them. They were passionate and enjoyed working with the Word. They felt the pains of others and were driven to their knees in prayer. God had wired them with specific gifts. If we then look at those first deacons in Acts 6:3, we see they were men of good reputation and full of wisdom. They were also gifted by God for the task they needed to accomplish, namely, feeding the widows.

Now, in the "team" concept of church, the idea is to plug people in to do the tasks that they are gifted to do. And every member of the church is gifted in some way. In Romans 12:6 Paul writes:
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly...
Beginning in September, we will be exploring every member's spiritual gifts and how those fit into the five functions of church (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism). We may find that we are short gifted members to perform all the tasks. Then we will know how to pray specifically for the laborers we need to accomplish God's task.

I know it feels like we are plunging ahead without a map. That we have approved and are marching toward something that is undefined. Let me try to reassure you with some observations. There are no nursery, kitchen, building and grounds, or ad hoc committees listed in the Bible. Rather, in Acts 2, we see God's people in His church practicing the 5 functions that I have already mentioned. If the Bible is truly our guide book, then we just need to figure out together how to do "church" in a biblical way. I am much more excited than nervous. Let's take a leap of faith and see what God will do when His people trust Him to handle the outcome.

Blessed my socks off

2006-08-18T13:11:00.000-05:00

Yup, there is one of my socks that got blessed right off (ok, actually it is just a picture of a sock I found on the net). How did God bless my socks off? He used some very precious people to take care of my heating needs for the winter.

I was blessed with perfection times 2! These very special people brought me pickup loads of wood for my wood furnace. There were 2 pickups and each of them brought 7 loads of wood. 7 is considered the perfect number, so I was blessed with perfection 2 times!

Now, I didn't make this entry to just brag about how awesome people are. I firmly believe these folks were being obedient to God's call on their lives. How do I know that? Well, let me explain. Ever since Hurricane Katrina hit and the gas prices have gone through the roof, my personal budget has been getting tighter and tighter. Please don't hear complaining. God put me here and He hasn't called me away. I have been striving to be content in what God has provided, yet, we were asking God how we were going to pay for our firewood this winter. I trusted that God would take care of it, but wondered how He would do so. Then, these friends show up with all that wood. They gave it us. There were no strings attached.

Excuse me for a moment as I weep over just how awesome God is! He took care of my needs in a way that I had not thought or imagined. He took care of my needs in a uniquely God-like way. I honestly cannot stop thanking Him for that blessing.

That is why I say I had my socks blessed off. This is not the only way God has been blessing our family this year. God has been providing vegetables and meat. God has been providing. I don't know exactly why my faith was so weak, but what I used to say with head knowledge, I now say with conviction, "Our God Reigns!"

If you have never had your socks blessed off, pray for a need and wait for God to answer. If the goodness of God doesn't bring a tear to your eye, I don't know what will.

Thank you, Lord, for your perfect provision.

Are you prepared?

2006-08-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

I remember being in high school grammar courses and learning about cause and effect statements. It is a way of writing where what follows comes from what has already occurred. For example:

Because the lawn mower was broken, the grass grew to be 3-feet high.

And, before you ask, no, my lawn mower is not broken again.

The point is that the English language has a structure that helps us to communicate cause-and-effect.

In the past few days at Bethany, we have witnessed some cause-and-effect circumstances. Let's take a look at some of these cause-and-effect circumstances.

Because Rick Ingle and the Newberrys came up here for the purpose of running evangelistic meetings, Bethany was able to be part of God's harvest.

Because of one person's obedience to God's calling, there are five new believers today.

Because of Bethany's part in God's harvest, we have greater expectation for what God is going to do in the near future.

Wait a minute, is that last one true? Are we as a family of God really increasing in our expectation? I know I have talked in the past about the swelling of Spirit that I feel is building right here in our area. I have mentioned that when the Holy Spirit breaks out in true revival, we can expect to see our friends and neighbors come to Jesus in droves. And Saturday night, we saw five children, who were invited to the services by a member of Bethany, come to saving faith. Yes, I am following up. Will they be members of Bethany? I don't know. This isn't about church-growth. It IS about growth in God's Kingdom. And the statistics bear it out, if God moves and people were saved in the same percentages as have been recorded in the great awakenings of the past, there are not enough seats in every church in northeast Wisconsin to hold them all. That kind of move of God is where our expectations should lie. Are you excited about what God is already doing and the harvest we are about to be part of? If not, check your heart. Are you being obedient in being a witness for our Lord? The harvest will begin when God's people get serious about obedience.

A new take on an old idea

2006-08-10T09:32:00.000-05:00

This morning I started reading In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado again. He is one of my favorite authors. But I was struck this morning by the parable he tells in the very beginning of the book. This is not the first time I have read the book, so I was about half expecting to fly through it before tackling another difficult read. (My practice is, in addition to my Bible, to alternate "easy"reads and "challenging" reads.)

If you have never read this book, I suggest you find a copy and give it a read. In the opening chapter, he gives us this picture of 4 sons who go astray. Each of them has their own struggles and at the conclusion of the parable, the eldest son comes to take them back home to their father. I don't want to spoil the way Dr. Lucado has written this parable, so I will let that summary suffice. What I found particularly interesting this time around was the faces that swam into my memory as I read the struggles of these 4 brothers. Don't worry, I'll not mention any names here. It wasn't in a condemning or harsh way that I saw these dear brothers and sisters as I read of the struggles. Rather, I saw them in a way that broke my heart. They have, for one reason or another, spurned the grace of God. They don't want or are unwilling to accept this free gift.

Grace is unmerited favor, an unearned gift. It is giving what is not deserved. We don't deserve to be forgiven by God. We don't deserve to be offered eternal life through Jesus, God's only Son. If you don't believe me, read the first three chapters of Romans. Conviction flows from Paul's pen in such force that it will drive you to your knees. Then, when you are there on your knees, finish reading the book of Romans and you will see God's mercy and grace that was poured out in abundance for you. And that is when you truly start to comprehend grace. And that is when you truly start to comprehend the love of God.

Grace is powerful and sufficient. Won't you accept God's grace today?

I love "Divine appointments"

2006-08-08T08:24:00.000-05:00

At my usual Monday morning stop, I was blessed to see God at work in my lost friends. It is a coffee shop and I just love to go and drink really good coffee and talk with these folks that I have gotten to know pretty well over the last 2 years. There is the farmer's wife, the trucker, the intellectual, and the socialite. They all come from various religious backgrounds. All of them claim to be Christian, but they have a problem. They have, on more than one occasion, said that there are many ways to get to heaven. I have repeatedly said that without the blood of Jesus and His work of atonement, no one will see heaven. I don't say it with anger or bitterness, but rather with conviction and a sincere desire to see my friends come to know Jesus in so much more than a "religious" way.

Yesterday, I was asked what made someone a Christian. Was it just reading the Bible and praying and going to the right church? My answer was something like the following:

No, there is nothing you can do to make yourself a Christian (see Ephesians 2:8-9). It is not in your works that Christianity is defined, but in the condition of your heart. When you can admit to God that you are a sinner and believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sin and confess Him as Lord of your life, then you are a Christian (see Rom 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10). Now, in God's infinite wisdom, this conversation was the last thing we said as we had to leave to pick up our children. We were able to also ask them to come to the harvest meetings at our church earlier in the conversation.

I am blessed to have been used by God to bring the message of the Gospel to these folks. The Lord provided the opportunity and I am pleased to say I was able to be obedient. Praise God for the opportunity and for the life-changing message of the cross.

Now, if only He will bless me to see them actually come to faith in Christ, but nevertheless, I will be obedient.

Uninhibited

2006-08-02T13:27:00.000-05:00

I heard something this morning that brought a smile to my face. I heard children singing God's praises at the top of their lungs. They weren't worried about what other people thought or what other people said. They were having fun praising God.

Of course, that is one of our goals in VBS. To lead children to experience God in a new and life-changing way. They heard the A-B-C's of salvation:

A - admit to God that you are a sinner. Repent and turn away from your sin.
B - believe that Jesus is God's Son and that God sent Jesus to save everyone.
C - confess your faith in Jesus as your Savior and Lord and let him live with you forevermore.

Can you imagine? A room full of kids just singing out as loud as they can words like:

- I'm gonna tell the world how wonderful He is; let His praise be on my lips.

- On the Obey Highway, we'll follow the directions that Jesus gave.

- Telling other people what God has done, making disciples in every nation.

- But, Lord, I know you'll guide me, you'll stay right beside me. And you'll show me how to make it.

I am truly blessed to have been part of this time. And did I mention that none of these kids are older than 9 years old? I think we all could learn something from these kids about lifting our voices in praise to our Lord. They were uninhibited and we should be also. Worship should be from the heart. And true worship does not notice what the person next to you is doing. True worship does not care what other people might think. True worship is about getting all of our heart, soul, and mind focused on Almighty God. And when we do that, we'll be able to worship uninhibited.

Give it a try at the very next opportunity you have to worship. Worship with abandonment. Let your Lord know how much you love Him. I think it might change your life. Actually, I know it will change your life.

The value of summer camp is no secret

2006-07-27T12:06:00.000-05:00

While I was the youth camp pastor at our camp this year, we encountered spiritual warfare. Then, when I came home, I read this article in USAToday. It seems the enemy (AKA Satan and his cohorts) also knows about the value of camp. There is something unique about gathering a bunch of kids together in an environment that is steeped in what you are trying to teach. Now, I could get very analytical and say that we are both trying to accomplish the same thing for a different cause, but I don't think that is true.

What we try to accomplish at our Christian camp is to bring kids into a life-changing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This other camp is just trying to re-enforce what the parents already believe. It is actually just a cheap (although not financially cheap, I am sure) knock-off of the genuine thing. It is Satan up to his old tricks. The same old bag of junk he has been using for thousands of years. Take what is good and pure and counterfeit it with a dark, twisted meaning. Make no mistake, whenever God begins to move in such a way that lives are transformed, Satan and his minions will copy and corrupt the very human vehicle that God is using. In this case, Bible camp is replaced by a secular-humanist (or naturalist) camp. It is not cool. It is not unique. It is the fool's gold of camp. It may seem to be a good thing, but upon deeper examination, you realize its just a hunk of junk. Not worth your time, attention, or money.

Pray for Bible camps that are going on even as you are reading this entry that God would be glorified. Also, pray for our VBS that begins next week that kids would come to know Christ either for the first time, or in a new and life-changing way.

See you at camp.........

Roller Coasters and such.....

2006-07-21T10:26:00.000-05:00

Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? Modern roller coasters have special accelerators that shoot you right up to speed in seconds, but I like the older coasters. The ones where you get slowly pulled up a huge hill and have that pause of anticipation at the top before you begin the plummet back to earth and all the small hills and twists and curves. It is a thrilling ride. The thing I really want to focus on is the ride up the first hill. It is usually accompanied by a clanking sound as the ratchets that keep you from going backward lock onto the next crossbar. So, as you go up you have this clankity-clankity-clankity sound.

I feel like God is preparing us for something thrilling. I feel like we have been on the uphill climb since I came to be pastor here. Let me just give you a brief overview of what I am feeling.

We started out three years ago with thinking of ways we could reach into the communities. Clank

We pulled a parade float in 9 parades both in 2004 and 2005. Clank

We pulled VBS back to the church building in 2004 as we tried to reclaim our heritage. Clank

I remember saying that I thought it would take three-years or more for people to remember that Bethany had a great VBS for kids. This year, we have received a call from someone who attended Bethany's VBS in years past and they wanted to know if we were bringing the bus. We said we no longer have a bus, but we would be happy to provide transportation. Clank

In our prayer group on Thursday nights, we are starting a study entitled And the place was shaken. In it we will be looking at prayer meetings in the Bible and modeling our prayer time from those examples. We want to experience the power and presence of God every Thursday night. Clank

We are operating a picnic this year in Caroline that we hope will be a blessing to the community and also provide us with people who need to know Jesus. Clank

We have harvest meetings coming up as well with evangelist Rick Engle and the Newberrys providing the music. Oh that we truly experience a time of harvest. Clank

God is at work all around and through us. Are you ready? I feel like we are just about to the top of the hill. And we may already be there. This time, right now, before our outreach events begin, may very well be the pause before the thrill begins. We may be perched at the beginning of the most thrilling adventure any of us have ever experienced. So, put your hands up to the Lord, look ahead at what God is going to do. I can't wait to see what God is going to do next................

Are they serious???????

2006-07-20T08:31:00.000-05:00

Crazy. That is the only word I can think of. If you dare, read this link from USAToday

I call it crazy because it is unverifiable malarky. There is simply no way to trace lineage the way this woman is claiming. There are NO records that can tie them together. It is like me saying I have a photograph of the ancient Israelites passing through the Red Sea. Not only did photography not exist in the ancient world, but how could it be preserved? Modern record keeping techniques did not exist. At best, scrolls were kept in jars such as we found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but there was not even that level of keeping through the dark ages. That's why they are called dark. We don't know that much about what went on in that period of time. Only fragments of stories.

So, to claim that your family heritage can be traced through history to Jesus is just malarky, or craziness. God preserved what He wanted us to know in the Bible. There are other documents, but, for the most part, they only prove the Biblical accounts. And there is the gap called the dark ages when very little was published.

It seems Dan Brown revived an ancient heresy with The Davinci Code, and now every one and their cousin wants to cash in on it. How sad. Wouldn't it be better if we all just focused on the truth as God has revealed it instead of grabbing these ancient false teachings? Read the Bible and know the truth.

I'm ba-a-ack

2006-07-18T08:42:00.000-05:00

There are so many thoughts that are flooding my mind from the last two weeks. I have been overwhelmed at how God has been speaking to me. I'll try to share as the thoughts become distinct. Right now I am just trying to put two thoughts that may be related together. How is is that the work of camp and the ease of vacation can come together to provide inspiration? It is a mystery.

Just one thought as a challenge to us all. While driving back yesterday, we passed through some "smell zones". One zone had the unmistakable aroma of a black and white creature commonly called the skunk. If you have ever driven by where a skunk has sprayed, you know what I am talking about. It comes on suddenly and remains for what seems like many miles before you can breathe again.

We passed through another zone that smelled strongly of onions. I like onions, so it didn't bother me in the least. But the smell still permeated the car and stuck with us for quite some time.

The last zone I remember smelled of cedar. Like a cedar-lined chest. There was this wonderful strong cedar smell and it seemed to last longer than the other two combined which brings me to the point of this particular post.

We are called by God to live lives that are a pleasing sacrifice to Him (see Eph 5:1-2). The point being, I hope that our lives are being lived for God such that we are pleasing to Him. I hope we are not a stench in His nostrils like that skunk zone I mentioned above. I hope that we are not even a little pungent to Him like that onion zone. I pray that we are more like that cedar zone that was warm and lovely. A pleasing aroma to our God and King. We are a pleasing aroma when we are obedient to our God.

How do you smell today?

I'll be gone for a little while

2006-06-29T16:34:00.000-05:00

No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth. I have been very busy. As I wrote before, I have many sermons to deliver in the upcoming week. I figured it out and I will be delivering 7 sermons in 8 days. I will preach at my church on Sunday and then preach Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at youth camp. I have Saturday off and then I will preach again on Sunday. I have a very busy week coming up. I am in the midst of preparation this week. The week after all of this craziness, I am going on a vacation. I will not have access to the internet for the next 2 weeks. Please be patient with me.

I hope to be able to blog more when I get back. The preparations for camp have been taking more time than I anticipated. Not a bad thing, just a busy thing. I am reminded once again of that 168 number (24 hours X 7 days). I think I could accomplish much more if I didn't have to sleep. Anyway, God bless you for being a reader of this blog and I'll "talk" with you again in two weeks.

So much junk

2006-06-27T08:09:00.000-05:00

The international space station is full of trash/junk/garbage. (see this link) When I read this article this morning, I was struck by how much of a parallel to modern life this is. The space station has a pretty good excuse. When the shuttles were grounded after Columbia broke up in 2003, there was no way to get the garbage out. So, the station started to fill up. Now, however, a new shuttle is going to go up, but it is going to drop off more than it can pick up, so the pile will just get larger.

Sound like anybody's life that you know? The modern American marketing campaign has one goal (and really only one goal). It is to get you to be dissatisfied with what you have so you will buy a new one. And what it is is really immaterial to this entry. If you have something and you are not satisfied with it and you want to replace it, the marketing campaign has worked on you. Don't you feel manipulated? I know I often do.

See my earlier posts on Old + New = Broken. During the time I was having all of those lawn-mower issues, I considered ditching that old tractor and getting a new one. But, during my devotions one morning, I was reminded of this passage written by Paul in Phillipians 4:11-12

...for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Paul says he learned how to be content. He didn't need more stuff, he needed to be content. In our quest to get more stuff and to be discontent the way the marketers would have us be, let's remember the calling of the Bible, God's very voice, and learn to be content in whatever circumstance we are in.

Confessions of a closet legalist

2006-06-23T09:23:00.000-05:00

I have a tendency to try to "earn" favor with God. Yes, I know the Scriptures that have probably just run into your memory. It is not that I don't intellectually know the truth. I know that I can't earn any favor with God ("for by grace you have been saved"). I know that any favor I receive from God is not based on my actions but on His love ("For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life"). In my mind, I know the drill. The problem is not in what I know but in how I feel.

You see, I know me. I know so much about me. And I am really not worth the sacrifice that God provided on my behalf. It is hard for me to really understand that belief is enough. That Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection removed my sin burden for all eternity because I believe and confess Him as Lord. Surely, there must be more required of me than something so simple as belief. I must work harder because I haven't done enough to justify in my heart the agony of Christ. I must toil longer because it must have felt like an awfully long time to be hanging on that cross.

Yet God's word is simply "Believe". Now, this is not intended as an excuse to quit working for God. James tells us that faith without works is dead. The point may be subtle, yet it is very important. We are not saved by our works, but we are saved unto our works. We work out of a sense of obedience to our Lord, not out of a sense of earning our salvation. So, we are not called to believe and do nothing else, but at the same time, we must never get to the point where we think we are working in order to somehow be deserving of God's gift of salvation.

Legalism is an attempt to earn one's salvation by being "good enough". The Bible says we can't get there. So let's labor with joy because it pleases our Lord and not because it gets us anything.

Old + New = Broke (Finale)

2006-06-20T07:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, I got all the parts replaced on the mower deck and one of my kids started mowing. Five minutes later I heard those dreaded words, "Dad, your mower is broke again." The drive belt snapped. Here we go again, back to the store for another belt. 30 minutes to drive to the store, 10 minutes to find the right belt and pay for it, 30 more minutes to drive home, and about 30 minutes to actually install the new belt. All in all, just over one hour to completely get the mower going again. And it is working, the whole lawn is cut. Finally.

The interesting thing about this whole saga, however, is that it occured over weeks at a time. When I replaced the blades and mower deck belt, it took about 45 minutes of work, but then the pulley broke. After waiting over a week to get the new pulley, I got the old one off in about 10 minutes, but I broke the mount bolts. After 2 days I got the new bolts and installed them in about 20 minutes, but then the drive belt broke. I had other obligations, so it took almost a week before I had the time to get to the store and buy a replacement belt. All-in-all, what could have been an afternoon (4-5 hours) of work turned into weeks of waiting to get parts. It is really frustrating to know what needs to be done and be unable to do it because you don't have parts. I felt like the broken mower was hanging over my head on a thread.

It was all very distracting and very nit-picky. I understood what needed to be done. The goal was to get the mower working so the lawn could be mowed. I knew where I was headed. But these pesty little distractions just kept getting in the way. Blades and belts, pulleys and bolts, nothing earth shattering or permanently broken, just irritation factors.

Don't we often get distracted from our real goals by pesty, nit-picky things? They just keep piling up, and while we know they are just short-term bumps, they do keep us from accomplishing what God would have us accomplish. Why? Because even though they are not a major focus, they take time to handle. And since we only have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, that time is taken from our major purpose. I couldn't mow the lawn, because I had to fix the lawn mower. The grass kept growing, but I kept having to push back my mowing day in order to fix the mower. I never forgot the purpose of what I was doing, but I was a little aggrivated that I couldn't get it done in my time, on my schedule.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
--Hebrews 12:1-2

A wise pastor friend of mine once said, "God is always on time. He is never late and seldom early, but always on time." I love that statement. We need to keep our focus on God's time. We are just told to keep our eyes on the goal and keep pressing for it. God will deliver, in His way and His time. "Fixing our eyes on Jesus" and pressing on for the goal. And it will be for the ultimate good for those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28).

Now, if I could just get my weed-eater working.............

A new day in the SBC?

2006-06-16T08:47:00.000-05:00

I don't normally discuss denominational politics in person or on this blog, but the events of the SBC this year compel me to comment. I am truly excited about what looks like a radical change in the SBC. No, we are not walking away from God's Word. It is not really a theological change that I see. It is not so much a change in what we, as Southern Baptists, are doing but more of a change in how we are doing it.

Like many others have said, I salute those who brought our denomination to a firm stance on the inerrant, infallible Word. They have laid the groundwork for a bright future as the SBC seeks to advance the Gospel of Jesus from our backyards all the way around the world.

I do have this one problem, and perhaps it is just a perception on the part of a small-church pastor. It seems to me that I don't know the "right" people to ever have a voice in the convention life. It seems to me that the direction of the SBC is beyond any input this little church would like to provide. With some of the recent events at our boards, I was becoming increasingly uneasy with advocating the CP to my people. How can I look at a lady who is just existing on her Social Security and ask her to give sacrificially when certain leaders are living high on the hog? How can I tell her that her money is welcome, but her baptism may not be? How can I ask her to support our missionaries around the world with her money, but not her private prayers? These are troublesome issues.

But I have great hope in our new president, Dr. Frank Page. He has said he wants to keep the doors as wide open as he can so that all Southern Baptists can participate. I hope he is true to his word. I am also excited about Wiley Drake being the 2nd VP of the convention. I believe he can be the voice for us "little guys" (churches with less than 100 members in attendance on a given Sunday). He has said that is his goal in his new position, I hope he also is true to his word.

Let me clarify by saying I don't know either of these men personally. The reason I have hope is because of their words. It is my prayer that we will indeed see a new day in the SBC. A day of true cooperation between those who have much and those who have not so much with the sole purpose of evangelizing a lost and dying world. That would be something I could easily support to my members.

Here is the video interview with Wiley Drake that encouraged me.

Preparations

2006-06-15T07:23:00.000-05:00

In the next 4 weeks I am preaching 9 times. That may not sound like much to some readers, but it requires a tremendous amount of preparation. 4 of those 9 are at the church that I pastor. The other five are at a youth camp. The message of the Gospel remains the same regardless of audience, but the presentation style, the delivery, are radically different. Paul tells us about this tweaking of our delivery in his first letter to the church at Corinth.

I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
--1 Corinthians 9:22 (NASB)

That must be the focus of any preparations we do. Not that will go well or that somehow our reputation will be built. No, in all our preparations, the goal should be that we can by all means save some. The Great Commission was not given only to pastors. It was given to the church. Our goal as believers should be to share the life-changing message of the Gospel. If that is our goal, all the unseen work of preparation will be worth it! All of our energy leading up to the event will be seen as sweet labor! It will no longer feel like work, but joyous obedience to Jesus!

So, whether it be a picnic, VBS, revival meetings, camp, or any other activity that we are undertaking, let's do it as a task that is seeking to reach lost people for Jesus. It will make our labor much easier.

Do you believe?

2006-06-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

Pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
--Ephesians 6:19-20

In the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street", that was made in 1994, the question is posed of whether or not people believe in Santa Claus. As the plot continued to unfold, more and more people were seen sporting buttons that had the simple 2 words, "I believe!" At the end of the movie, we even see 2 of the villains with "I believe!" buttons concealed in their clothing. They were afraid of their boss who opposed everthing about Santa Claus in the name of business.

As Christians, I think we are sometimes like those villains in the movie. We do believe, but we are afraid of whatever there is around us in the world. We are afraid of scoffing by friends or neighbors. We are afraid we will be thought of as somehow inferior because of our belief in Jesus Christ as God's only Son. We are afraid of offending others, because our media (radio, newspaper, television, etc.) has spent billions of dollars telling us that we should never be offensive to anyone for any reason.

Of course, that "offensive" bullet only works on Christians who would call sin, sin. It doen't work for us to be offended when we are called ignorant or uninformed or intollerant. The only people who are allowed be offended are those who oppose traditional, Judeo-Christian values. The question then becomes, do we cry "foul" anyway? If we know that our offense is unimportant to others (and especially in our media outlets and even in the courtrooms of the USA), do we bother to stand up and speak anyway?

We need to be not be so concerned about what others think and much more concerned with what our Lord thinks. Once again, I am not necessarily advocating political action on the part of believers. I honestly believe that the greatest changes possible in our society will come not by partisan politics, but by the life-changing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can't legislate prayer back into the schools, but when every teacher, administrator and student has been radically changed by Jesus, we won't be able to keep prayer out either. From the mess on Capital Hill, I am saddened to say we may not be able to legislate an end to the wholesale murder of innocent lives under the euphemism of abortion, but when every doctor and every nurse have their eyes opened to the grace provided by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, no one will be able to find medical professional willing to sacrifice life.

In short, we can wear our "I believe!" buttons under our clothes and only bring out our faith in the "right" company, or we can be bold for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and watch the world be saved and changed through His power and His might.

I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I believe in Jesus! Do you believe?

We need each other...

2006-06-10T14:35:00.000-05:00

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
-- Hebrews 10:23-35

The context of these verses is talking about what our response should be to God. God provided His only Son as the only perfect sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world. How should we respond? The author of Hebrews tells us in 10:23-25.

We all know people that this passage applies to. We know people who do indeed forsake the assembling together. But before we get self-righteous and point fingers at Sister Sue-more-pious-than-you, we need to take a look at our own lives in light of God's word. This passage does not only talk about the assembling together, but also the encouragement of a church family for us to do good. When you have had a particularly draining week, know that you can get recharged in fellowship with God's people.

That great prince of preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, said it better than I can: "The church of God is not to be a haven for saints, but a hospital for sinners." When we are beat up by the world, we come to the church to be patched up and encouraged before we go back to battle. How often have you woken up on Sunday morning and thought how much easier it would be to sleep in? How tempted have you been to not come to church because you were too tired to get anything out of it? I believe there are two reasons to push through our fatigue in order to be together as a family of God:

1) We should push through in order to be encouraged ourselves. We are refreshed and revived when we can gather and listen to all that God is doing in the life of His church. We get excited to know that God is at work. It will lift your spirits and energize your emotions to come and worship and fellowship with God's people.

2) Even if we aren't encouraged ourselves, our hearts should be looking for ways to encourage others. You may not need encouraging. You are fine and dandy this week. Some exciting things have happened. God has blessed you in miraculous ways. Your brothers and sisters in Christ need to hear about this great week. They need to hear you praise God for His work in and around and through you.

I honestly believe there are people in both of these categories every week at a church gathering. There are those who need encouraging and those who need to encourage. As a matter of fact, I doubt that there is ever a week when every Christian is not in one of those two categories.

So, this Sunday when you look at the clock and think about whether or not you can make it to church. Remember what God said through the author of Hebrews and go to church. You need it and so does every other Christian.

See you in church.

Old + New = Broke (the saga continues)

2006-06-08T11:37:00.000-05:00

My new part came in! Yeah! So I went out to replace it. I was able to get two of the four bolts out with no problem, but then I couldn't get the other two out without a "helper". A "helper" is a piece of pipe that goes on the end of my ratchet handle to extend the length. It provides an extra long fulcrum so more torque can be applied to the bolt. The problem with "helpers" like that is sometimes they work well and the tight bolt is turned by the extra torque, but more often than not the extra torque just breaks the head of the bolt off.

Yep, you guessed it. Those two remaining bolts broke right off when I put the "helper" on them. It's not really a problem since the part that has the rest of the bolt still in it is the part I am replacing. I just need two more bolts so I can finish the job. I have to replace what I broke in the name of "helping" those bolts to come out.

There are times when we resemble old rusty lawn-mower bolts. We are stubborn and insistant that we have the only right answer. We hold ourselves in place no matter how much pressure is put on us. God often uses a "helper" to break us out of our stubbornness and pride. Sometimes that "helper" is a Christian brother or sister who helps us to see the sin in our own lives. Sometimes that "helper" is just the message of the Word. If we are truly like that bolt, we have a choice. When the pressure is applied we can be like the two bolts that I was able to get out with a normal wrench. We can decide to let go of those things that are hindering us. Or, we can be like those two bolts that I had to apply the "helper" to. We must get broken before we turn loose of whatever it is.

The author of Hebrews used the analogy of running a race for the same point:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
--Hebrews 12:1-2

We really need to lay aside that sin that is dragging us down and fix our eyes on Jesus. Don't be like a stubborn, rusty bolt. Let go when you feel God's conviction. Don't wait to be broken. Brokenness can be a good thing, but we don't have to wait until we are shattered to be obedient.

Now, if I can just find some replacement bolts.............

And so it begins....

2006-06-06T10:25:00.000-05:00

First of all, let me publically say, "Thank you!" to those dear people who took care of my yard. You know who you are. From the bottom of my heart, "Thank you!" You have no idea the depths that you touched my heart by your selfless acts of devotion. I am excited to be working alongside you as we seek to build God's kingdom. Your heartfelt love and devotion to our Savior and to one another as well as your passion to see the lost come to Christ are a testimony for all to see.

Second, last night the associational leadership approved a partnership to reach people on the other side of the world. We agreed to make reaching these unreached people a priority in associational life. I am thrilled that we are all sensing God's leadership in this direction.

Third, I also know of a pastorless church that is on the verge of calling a pastor. I am very excited about this one for two reasons. The church is a daughter church of the church I pastor. And the pastor-candidate is my little brother. I am excited at the possibilities of joint ministry. And I rejoice that this church is looking for such a passionate under-shepherd.

These are just the highlights of the way I have seen God moving in the past week. It looks to me like there is a tidal wave building. I am praying that it is a tidal wave of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will see the many lost in our communities come to saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. This would be the answer to my (and others') prayers for the last three years that I have been here.

Are you excited? Can we pray with confidence like Elijah did on the mountside with the prophets of Baal? Let's pray the very words of Elijah:

O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.
--1 Kings 18:36-37 (NASB)

Great plans

2006-06-02T08:27:00.000-05:00

David had decided that he needed to build a house for God. He envisioned a great temple, very ornate, a tribute to the One who had been with David since his youth. It was indeed a great plan. And, if you know the story, it was built, but not by David. Rather, God told David through Nathan the prophet that David's son would be the one to build the temple.

Many of us would have crumbled at that point. We want to do what we want for our Lord when we want to do it. We pray for it. And we know that God answers prayers. But it has been said that God answers our prayers in three ways: yes, no, or wait. We love it when He answers, "Yes!" We understand (and are secretly disappointed) when He says, "No." But I think we really chafe at the bit when He says wait. Patience is a virtue that is missing in many of our lives. We need to look at David's response when Nathan told him that Solomon would be the temple builder. We find it 2 Samuel 7:18-29.

Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD , and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord GOD. Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD! For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God. Now therefore, O LORD God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken, that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, `The LORD of hosts is God over Israel'; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You. For You, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, `I will build you a house'; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant. Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever."
(2 Samuel 7:18-29, NASB)

David's response was simply to acknowledge that God is faithful and to trust that His will is best. I think we should be more like this "man after God's own heart."

Old + New = Broke

2006-06-01T14:44:00.001-05:00

I have lived a modern example of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 9:16-17:

But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.

What applies to wineskins in the 1st Century also applies to equipment in the 21st Century. My lawnmower wasn't working right. I figured out the mowing deck is where the problem was. It looked to me like the drive belt was too loose and the blades were just dull hunks of metal with not enough meat left to even sharpen. So, I bought and installed a new drive belt and new blades. I then began to cut my yard (ok, some would say I was mowing hay, my yard was overgrown). After I had been working for about an hour-and-a-half I heard a terrible clunk and then noticed that I was only cutting with one of the blades. I shut down and found that one of the blades was not connected to the drive pulley correctly. Actually, the connecting bracket had broken off the pulley. So, now I have to make a hard choice. Do I replace the drive pulley? Or, thinking this lawn mower is going to start costing me money every time I get on it, do I replace the mower? I don't have the money to replace the mower, but I also don't have money to be replacing each piece of my current mower. I'll let you know when I've made up my mind....

The point, however, is that sometimes new things cause more problems than they fix. In church life, there is a time when we need to reach out and try new things. There is a time when we need to be thinking creatively about how to reach a lost and dying world. But this creativity must be accompanied with some caution that our "new ideas" don't destroy some old, but still good, things already going on in the church. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

On the other hand, there are times when we are doing something church wide just because it has always been that way. When we begin to think of new ways to reach out, it could be that these old ways need to be tossed. In terms of my lawnmower, if I replace the pulley, that would mean that every part of the left-side of the cutting deck was new except the housing. It could very well mean that I will enjoy years of service from this mower. I had to completely replace every part of that left-side, but the result is satisfaction and good work.

So it should be obvious that sometimes we need to completely replace and sometimes we just need to work a little harder at getting the old and the new to work together. As we start to think about church work in a new way, let's think of any things that need to be replaced and do so, but let's also look at anything we can do to make the old and new work together. I believe the result will be satisfying to our Lord and good work by His church.

What a year this week has been.....

2006-05-31T09:55:00.000-05:00

This week I have heard about three marriages that are ending. I have learned of pain in some people's lives that can not even be appropriately expressed in words. You would have to see the faces I have seen to really understand the level of pain. I have also learned of my brother eagerly seeking to come up into this area to minister. I have experienced tremendous spiritual mountaintops and devasting spiritual valleys and it has all happened in less than one week.

And what I have learned through this week is to seek out my Lord for His comfort. I am called (and I believe gifted) to work with people through personal pain. The problem I have is often I take the pain on myself and it just eats at me. This week, I have had to rely on God to provide both my comfort and comfort to those I am talking with because my personal well was dry. I just couldn't muster any more sympathy. I felt like a lifeless ragdoll. I just didn't have anymore of me to give.

Then, in my devotional time, I read Psalm 86:1-13. I find great comfort in these verses and it reminds me of the adage: "The main thing is keep the main thing the main thing." And the main thing is God and His Kingdom. Here are those verses:

Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me;
For I am afflicted and needy.
Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry all day long.
Make glad the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For You will answer me.
There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works like Yours.
All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
For You are great and do wondrous deeds;
You alone are God.
Teach me Your way, O LORD;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
--Psalm 86:1-13 (NASB)

Preacher on a hot, asphalt roof........or not!

2006-05-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I talked about the weather forecast. Today, I want to tell you how I reacted to that forecast. I went around the house and opened windows. I put the storm windows up and made sure screens were in place at every window that I could. We have triple-track storms on all but 7 windows in our house. Of those 7, I have screens for 6 of them. For those 6 windows, I have to take down the glass storm windows and put up the screens. It is a task that has come to mean to me that warm weather has arrived in Wisconsin.

2 of those old-fashioned kind of windows are on the second floor. The only way to get to them is to get up on the roof of my back porch. That roof has fairly new black asphalt shingles on it. I tried to go up yesterday afternoon, but the shingles were simply too hot for me to get on. Call me a wimp, but I decided to wait until this morning to exchange those windows with screens. This morning, the roof was not hot at all and it was an easy task to swap them out. It probably only took me 15 minutes to completely do the task, including setting up the ladder, getting the screens, actually swapping, and putting everything away. Quick task, easily done at the right time, difficult to do at the wrong time.

Have you ever felt like you were swimming up stream in a task you believe God has put before you? I'm not talking about the difficult road of discipleship, that is certainly going to exist. I am talking about feeling like every opportunity you discern crashes and burns in a horrible mess. Yet, you know that the task is of God. What is happening? I think what you are feeling is the frustration of doing it on your own. Oftentimes, when God places a task before us, we accept it and say, "Alright, Lord, I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done." Folks, this is not right.

God does not call us to go off and do His work in our power. He calls us to do His work in His power. If you are bumping into roadblock after roadblock, then you may need to re-examine who you are trusting in to get it done. Instead of joining God in His work, are you asking Him to join you in your task? It takes a fundamental change in your will to seek God first. One of the easiest ways to know it is of God is to ask yourself who will get the glory when the job is done. Are you looking to get pats on the back from your friends for your work? Then you are working for your own glory. Or, are you longing to hear people say, "Look what God did!"

There are many things on the horizon that we are beginning to wonder about. We need to first, and foremost, be on our knees seeking God's guidance as to which task He would have us on, which task would bring Him the most glory. That is the call of our Lord. If we wait on Him, we will find the task easier, like getting on a roof in the morning instead of the afternoon.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
--Isaiah 40:28-31 (NASB)

The danger of acclimation

2006-05-26T07:41:00.000-05:00

Today, the weather man said it was supposed to get up close to 80F. Tomorrow it will be 85F. Sunday the temperature is supposed to reach 90F. This could be an entry on the accuracy of weather forecasting (or lack thereof), but it is not. It just made me realize how we can become so accustomed to the status quo.

The day I moved from Kansas City the temperature reached 98F. When we got up that morning to go get the moving truck, it was already 80F. And, to be perfectly honest, that 80F didn't feel all that hot. I had been living in Kansas City for 3 years at that point and I was used to hot summers. Then we got to Wisconsin.

The week after we arrived here, the church had already planned to put a new roof on the building. So, I went to help with the roofing project. I'll never forget someone telling me how miserable it was going to be the next day because the temperature was supposed to get up to 82F. I laughed out loud. But today, the thought of the high being even close to 80F is not laughable. I think it is too hot. What changed? I did. I have become used to the lower temperatures here and so my definition of hot weather has changed. I have been acclimated.

I think our tolerance of sin is like getting used to a new climate. There are times when we get so used to seeing sinful behavior that we no longer are even surprised by it. It doesn't bother us in the least. Perhaps the greatest example of this sits in many of our living rooms, the TV. Yes, I watch it too. But I have noticed over the years of my life that what is acceptable to be broadcast has changed for the worse. It used to be an occasional cuss word, now shows seem too innocent if they don't cuss every episode. Even commercials, it used to be you only saw women's undergarments on mannequins, but now we have live models parading these dainty garments in full view.

And you know what concerns me the most? Most of us don't even hear or see it anymore. At best we ignore it, but more likely we accept it as the norm. What happened? Through gradual exposure by the TV execs, we became acclimated. We became used to that which we used to deem unacceptable. Of course, this TV thing is only the most obvious example I could think of that just about all of us share. The principle applies in many other areas of our lives as well.

How do get out of this mess? Those who call themselves Christian need to heed the words given to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4-5: But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first...

If we repent our tolerance of sin and return to our first love, Jesus, we will find a fresh relationship. It will be like the first time you are able to open your windows in the spring and the wonderful aroma that fills your house. It will be fresh and new and lovely.

It is time to re-acclimate ourselves toward God.......

Because it works....

2006-05-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

For most of my adult life I struggled with heartburn. And I am not talking about an occasional rough night after a particularly spicy meal. I knew if I ate too much sugary food, or fresh vegetables, or spicy food, I would pay the price with a very uncomfortable evening and lots of antacid. It was a fairly miserable existence. I enjoy all those foods that caused me so much pain.

Then, last fall, I went to the hospital with what I thought was a heart attack. Turns out it was just the worst case of indigestion I had ever had. Don't worry, I am getting to my point. As part of the treatment, the doctor told me to pick some over-the-counter pills to combat the indigestion. I did that. And I was amazed that my heartburn problems went away. I don't mean they lessened, but they actually went away. So, now I am sold on these little pills. Why? Because they work.

All that to say this, we are commanded over and over in the Bible to have faith in God. To trust that He will do what He says He will do. If we were just to accept all that as true, we would still strive to be faithful. But God knows our weaknesses. He understands when we struggle with our belief. That is why He surrounds us with people who can remind us of all the great things He has done.

In the Old Testament, the prophets were often found reminding the people of the way God had delivered them from Egypt. In the New Testament, we see reminders of the awesome sacrifice Christ made on our behalf. And those are just broad examples. When you get down and out, take a moment and remember what God has done for you personally in the past. It will change your outlook. You will become "sold" on a life of service to the everlasting Father and Creator.

Why do I believe that you will be more devoted? Because it works. Just like that little pill is a reminder to me of what I once dealt with and am now free from. We need to remind ourselves of what we once were (sinners in need of grace) and what we are now (sinners that have received grace).

But the psalmist said it better than I have:

I shall remember the deeds of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy;
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
You have made known Your strength among the peoples. --Psalm 77:11-14

Limited resources

2006-05-22T08:09:00.000-05:00

I find it very interesting that nowhere in the Bible does God talk about people discussing how to afford to accomplish God's task. We are called to be good stewards of what God has given us, but we are not called to be hoarders. I am not advocating throwing caution to the wind and undertaking every little project that we can think of to run our checking account to zero as fast as possible. That is not what I am saying at all.

Rather, I believe if God puts a task before His church, He will provide the resources necessary to accomplish the task. When those tasks flow straight from Scripture, I believe even more that God will provide. Now comes the scary part. I don't believe God's people should ever shy away from a God-size ministry because we can't afford it. Again, if God lays the mission on our heart, He will provide the means to accomplish that mission.

The key is to remember who God is and have faith in Him. A few posts ago, I talked about my friend and professor and his passionate reading of Matthew 9:36-38.

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

Today I want us to notice who is responsible for the harvest, and the provision of the workers. This passage clearly says that we are to pray to the "Lord of the Harvest" for the workers to accomplish "His harvest." If I can broaden the principle that this teaches I would say we need to pray to our Father for the resources (of any kind) to accomplish His mission. The bottom line is, we need to pray. Don't let resources (or lack thereof) deter you from doing what God has asked you to do. Trust that everything will be in place at the proper time and step out in confident faith that God is indeed the "Lord of the harvest."

The shoe company, Nike, may have said it first, but I believe it. "Just do it."

Today is the beginning

2006-05-21T07:22:00.000-05:00

When I was traveling overseas two weeks ago, we went up into the mountains. We decided to go "swimming" in this mountain river right by our picnic site. I say "swimming" because there is really not much swimming you can do in water that cold. It hurt all the way to the bone to touch that water. We waded out to about waist deep and then plunged under the water. We came back up gasping and laughing at one another's shocked expressions. Then we fairly quickly made our way out of the water.

Today, I will be presenting a new task for our church. I want us to partner with our friends over there that I went swimming with. There are unknowns in the mix. There could be plenty of concerns. But I would like us to plunge in even if it means some personal discomfort. We need to trust that God is who He says He is and that He is indeed in control of it all.

This plunge is not to replace any local work we are already doing or are planning to do. It is in addition to our local work. It could be that we have a once-a-month type commitment to this partnership. If that is how we discern God's will for our church, then that is what we must do, but once-a-month does not really limit any other tasks we are doing. I don't believe our resources are so constrained that we can't take on this partnership. I further believe that this is the beginning of us taking Acts 1:8 seriously. That this is the beginning of our efforts to reach "to the remotest part of the earth." We have been working pretty well at reaching our Jerusalem, and just ok at reaching our Judea, and not really reaching our Samaria much at all.

Once we begin to reach to the "remotest part of the earth" we will have nearly 3/4 of the Acts 1:8 challenge in place. Let's begin to seek God even now for how we can fully implement God's call to the church as described in Acts 1:8.

...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

Let's go swimming...

God is so good

2006-05-20T07:38:00.000-05:00

I must confess that I tend to be a worrier. I try to put a good face on it and act like I'm not worried, but deep down inside my heart there are times when the numbers just don't add up, when there seems to be more month than money, that I begin to doubt God's provision. But I believe God laughs at me when I get into these periods of doubt. He is unfailingly faithful. I have never gone without a need (and most of my wants).

What prompted such a confession this morning? I'm so glad you asked. These gas prices have not been kind to my budget. We have had to tighten up our spending in order to pay for transportation. I am not complaining, please don't think that. I am just stating a fact. One of the changes I had to make was to switch to the more economical vehicle. I had to park my truck. I like my truck, but I can't afford to drive the thing. The problem was that the brakes on the other vehicle were shot and needed to be redone.

It is not like this is the first brake job I have had to have done to one of my vehicles. I had a pretty good ball park number that this repair was going to cost. I also knew that I didn't have quite enough to pay for the repair if my number was correct. Well, due to some very generous people, I had enough to get close to paying for the brakes, but I still thought I was going to be short. And, like every other car repair, things didn't go perfect for the mechanic and there were some parts that needed to be replaced. In my mind the price just went up more. Can you feel my sense of worry? Yes, I was sweating when they called me to come get the vehicle.

I walked in and tried to put on a brave face. I was pretty sure I was going to have to ask to spread the payments out over time. Then I got the bill. Here is where I shouted, "PRAISE GOD!" The amount was $100 less than I had anticipated and I had the full amount to pay. I have looked at the bill and the parts were cheaper than I had thought and the labor was very reasonable. But I believe God moved to work out my need. He knew my financial situation better than I and He made sure the vehicle was repaired within what I could afford. God is so good!

I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised. I shouldn't be so joyous about this provision. But all I know is that I had a need and God provided. If you doubt the truth of that statement, then you doubt that God is able. He is able and willing to help His children. We are to but trust Him and obey Him. He will provide for our needs (and many of our wants). This is not to say that I will get a million dollar mansion or a new luxury sedan, those aren't needs. I got a 10-year-old minivan fixed for an amount that I could afford. That is the nature of needs versus wants. I need transportation and God provided. Bless His name! Of course, Jesus told us it would be this way in the Sermon on the Mount.

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, `What will we eat?' or `What will we drink?' or `What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
--Matthew 6:25-34

Are you trusting Him with your needs today? Give it a try and see how it changes your outlook.

A Thousand Good Things

2006-05-19T09:29:00.000-05:00

I returned from my trip with a clear idea of how to proceed. I knew what I needed to do and mostly how to do it. But I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. This week, I have had more meetings than I care to admit. I have also been informed of several visits I need to make. I am feeling the pressure of 168 (that's 24 hours X 7 days). Some of those hours belong to my family. Some of those hours are for rest. Some of those hours are for my ministry. Yet all of those hours belong to God. They are not mine to claim. At best, I can strive to be a good steward of this very limited resource.

Which reminds me of the old quote I have heard over and over again: "You are so heavenly busy you're no earthly good." In other words, I am so busy doing things for the kingdom that I am not do anything to build the kingdom. I really need to remember the things God spoke to me last week. What is the one thing that is most important on this planet? It is seeing those that are lost and dying come to saving faith in Jesus.

Our Lord said it much better than I am saying it.

He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
--Acts 1:7-8

I wish I knew why

2006-05-17T07:02:00.000-05:00

We are called to be in an ever-growing relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, there are times when I don't fell like I am growing much. I actually feel stagnant. Oh, I still do the things I am supposed to do. I read my Bible every day. I pray. I read devotional guides. I pour over commentaries and other books. I am seeking head knowledge, but my heart seems to be just chugging along, not growing, just existing. What is it that is getting in the way?

There are probably other reasons, but I pulled out an old CD that I used to listen to as part of my devotions. Over time, I had decided that I did not have time to include the musical portion of my morning time. Music touches my emotional center unlike any other medium. It was when I started listening to that worshipful music again that my heart jumped. Suddenly, I could feel in my heart what my head was reading. Emotions flooded my morning and I was struck by the beauty of my Creator. I noticed the sunrise and the contrast of the purple lilac blooms against the white apple blossoms. The clouds rolled in as rain approached and I recognized the hand of God in the clouds and the rain.

In a flash, my heart was in tune again. What changed? I had changed my morning meeting with God into a chore. I was doing it because it was what I was supposed to do. I wasn't necessarily anticipating meeting God. I was just going through the motions. When I heard that music, it reminded me that my morning time is not just going through the motions, but that it is a time of personal worship. I needed to remind my heart of just how awesome God is. Please don't ask what artist I was listening to, or what song touched me so deeply. These are intensely personal. God spoke to me in a unique way. The point is not for you to replicate exactly what I did, but rather to get to the point where God can touch you the way He touched me. It requires a proper attitude, an open heart, ready to receive the blessings of God.

There are times when I bow a knee toward God because it is right to bow before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But there are other times when I bow toward God because I just cannot stand before His greatness. This morning was that kind of morning. I have a glimpse of what David must have been feeling when He penned these verses:

The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
For He has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seeks Your face -- even Jacob. Selah. (Psalm 24:1-6, NASB)

Wherever you go....

2006-05-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." -- Revelation 7:9-10

I was born and raised in the United States. I have lived all my life in the United States. I have never even traveled outside the United States...until last week. Why should I go on such a trip? Because of the above verses. As of today, every tongue, tribe and nation can not lift their voices and cry out to God, because they do not have a relationship with God.

I went to a foreign land in order to seek ways that we can partner to reach other nations, tongues and tribes with the saving message of Jesus Christ. I went looking for how I could bring God to others, but I came back having encountered God in a new way for me.

I experienced the utter helplessness of being in a place where my native tongue was useless. I consider myself to be a polite person. I render common courtesies at every chance I can. This is not boasting, but to let you know how helpless I felt. As we were preparing for the last flight of our journey, we could hear the flight instructions in a language that we did not understand. The lady sitting next to me on the flight showed me the button on the arm rest to make sure I knew how to "return the seat back to its upright position". I couldn't even understand that simple statement. She was kind and smiled at me, but we could not communicate. I said, "Thank you," but I don't think she understood. The language barrier was, at that moment, insurmountable. I felt like such a cad. I couldn't even communicate gratitude. It was awful.

But oftentimes, we who know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior speak in languages that are just as hard for the unbelieving world to understand. We use terms like sin and salvation, but we don't define them. We use terms like repentance and belief, but we don't describe what those things look like in life. We may as well be speaking in a foreign language because the lost in this world can not comprehend such language. But the sad part is that we don't fell bad about mis communicating at this level. We just assume people understood and rejected the message. I'm not so sure that is an accurate assumption. Let's make the Gospel good news again by explaining that sin is rebellion against God which leads to death. Let's let everyone know that salvation is the loving act of God forgiving us for our rebellion and rescuing us from eternal death. Let's explain that repentance is making the commitment before God not to continue in rebellion against Him. Let's make sure that belief means more than just acknowledging existence, but carries with it the knowledge of God's greatness and perfectness as well.

In short, let's tell a perishing world that Jesus loves them and wants them to know Him personally. If we took that mandate seriously, we would work to bridge the barrier of language.

God is our refuge

2006-05-03T08:09:00.000-05:00

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
-- Psalm 46:1-3

In times of trouble, we often quote these verses to others. Oh how holy we feel when we can quote scripture and prove how much we know. However, I wonder how many of us live in the truth of this Psalm. We can tell others that God will be there for them, but do we trust that God will be there for us, personally.

Look at what the psalmist trusts God through. Even though everything we can see to trust in should fail, the psalmist reminds us to trust God. When your world falls apart, are you trusting Him? When the mountains of your life, those things you just know will always be there, fall apart, are you trusting Him? When the waters of turmoil are rising and roaring into your life, do you trust God? When the earth shakes and everything seems so frightening, do you trust God?

I think most of the time we trust in comfort. I don't necessarily mean creature comforts, although most of us in the USA trust that we will have electricity and water and even gas for our cars. We put trust in whatever systems deliver these goods and services. Many of us trust that God wants us to have a blissful, carefree life, but that is not the obedient life described in the Bible.

This Psalm is so rich because it tells us that God is there, very present, to help us through life's difficulties. There is nothing here that says the problems will be removed, but rather that God is there and we shouldn't fear. God will help us, not by elminating trouble, but by comforting us and guiding us through trouble. The troublefree life is a pipe-dream not based in reality. God never promised us a life of ease. And when we twist the christian life to be somehow easy, we are putting our trust in something other than God.

Dear reader, God never promised us life would be a rose garden. Or, as I have heard it said, maybe He did promise us life would be like a rose garden......................thorns and all! Roses are beautiful, but to cultivate roses one will usually get pricked by a thorn or two. There is pain involved. Similarly, life in Christ is beautiful and beyond compare, but it does have its time of pain. Instead of resenting God for the pain, enjoy His presence and help through the pain. You'll find a new love for Him when you can truly claim this phrase in your life: God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear...

What a devotional time with God this morning!

2006-04-29T15:28:00.000-05:00

Let me describe my time with God every morning and it will help you get a glimpse of what I heard from Him today. I begin by praying a short prayer that God would open my eyes to what He would have me learn from His word. Then, I read 4 chapters from the Bible (one from the non-wisdom literature of the Old Testament, one from the Psalms, one from the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, and one from the New Testament). After reading the Bible, I read two different devotional guides. They are just to "prime the pump" of my thinking for the day. Today, I had two thoughts really come to the top of my devotional time.

First, in my Bible reading I read Hebrews 4 which talks primarily about entering into rest with Jesus Christ. That concept of rest is one that often seems fleeting. I know someone is reading this and saying to themselves, "Yeah, right, rest. I'll rest when I'm dead, but I don't see it happening before then." Let met tell you, there is great rest in Jesus, but you have to be fully surrendered to enjoy it. That means you let go of the details of life.

Am I telling you to quit working or to quit paying bills? Of course not. Rest is not necessarily the absence of work, but rather the absence of worry. For instance, you sit down towards the end of the month and you realize there is more month than money, are you worried about it? That worry would hinder rest. Instead, we should trust that Jesus promised us we would have all we need and let it go at that. It is an incredibly liberating thing to realize that you really aren't in control. As much as you want to be in control, you can't handle it. So, instead of wrestling for control of every detail of your life, trust God. By that I mean looking at the checkbook and realizing there isn't enough and saying, "Lord, you are better at math and accounting than I am. You know this is not going to work. I give it into your hands. Amen." Say it, believe it, and then do it. Trust that God will indeed handle it.

Second, I was reading from Oswald Chambers' book My Utmost for His Highest. He wrote the following:
Our natural inclination is to be so precise— trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next— that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. We are certain of God even when we are uncertain of our future.

Do you see how this relates to the concept of rest as we see it in Hebrews 4? We can rest when we trust that God is in control of what is, in our mind, uncontrollable. Do you believe it? I think that God sometimes puts us in the place of overwhelming circumstances in order to teach us that He is not overwhealmed. Do you feel like you are drowning beneath the wait of your worries? Let God have them and really trust Him to take care of it. He can and will.

I can tell you this much. As I prepare for this international trip, I have very little idea of what is going to happen. I know that I will get on a plane next Saturday morning and 23 hours later, I'll leave the destination airport to begin working. I know that 6 days later I will re-enter that same airport and begin the journey home. I have the exact details of this part of my trip. I know of two or three things that are supposed to occur when we get there. I am unsure of what day (much less what hour) any of these things may happen. There, now you know about as much as I do. Would it worry you to leave on such a trip? I am confident that God has designed this trip for me and to not follow Him would be to miss out on His rest. So I will go, Lord willing. I am uncertain of the future, but I am certain of my God.

Heartache

2006-04-25T08:30:00.000-05:00

Today, I am aching deep. If you have read this blog for any time at all (and I know I haven't been doing it that long), you know that I have a heart to see lost people come to know Christ in a real and personal way. That hasn't changed.

Today is one of my mentor's birthday. He was a professor of mine at school and he is currently out of the country, working in a harvest field, seeing many people come to Jesus. On his birthday, I recall the several times in class when he would read Matthew 9:36-38. Let me try to write the way my friend and professor spoke this passage.

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, ... {At this point, my friend's voice would catch and he would suck in his next breath through clenched teeth as he tried to control his emotions}

because they were distressed ... {As he uttered the word "distressed" his voice would rise in both pitch and volume as he tried to talk through the sob. Then he would pause long enough to regain some sense of composure}

and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. ... {Again, his voice would crack. He would read these words quickly, trying to actually pronounce the words before the sobs choked out his voice again. After which, he would again pause.}

Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.... {I took 3 different classes with this professor and he read this passage at least once in each class. 2 of the 3 times I heard him reading it, he audibly sobbed on the word few. Then, he would once again fight to control his emotions before continuing.}

Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."... {At this point, he would look up from his Bible and look each of us in the classroom square in the eye and say, "We ARE those workers!"}

I grew up in church work. My dad is a pastor. And while I don't hold anything against all those wonderful, Godly people that were part of my upbringing, it wasn't until I was 35 years old and sitting in a classroom that I actually got a glimpse of the plight of the lost in our world. I remember sitting and hearing that passion from my friend and asking God if I could have just a small measure of passion for the lost like I saw in that man.

My friends, God is faithful. He answered my prayer and it was a horrible answer. On this day, I am heavy-hearted and aching because I have just begun to see the level of lostness all around me. I am moved to tears even as I type this entry when I think that there are people dying that I don't know if they ever heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. I don't know if my professor, mentor, friend will ever read these words, nor do I know if he has even an inkling of the impact he had on my life. But I do know this, if the lost don't move us to tears, we will never be motivated to bring them the Good News.

Thank you, heavenly Father, for Dr. Rogers and Your passion burned in my heart.

Unwanted (and unheard) messages

2006-04-21T07:11:00.000-05:00

I have an email account that I use when filling out online forms. Giving an email address is the only reason I have that account. If I decide that the sender will be sending things I have more interest in, I'll modify the online preferences with my "real" email. I do this to filter out unwanted messages, or spam.

Since I cleaned out my spam account yesterday, I received 70 more messages, none of them wanted, and I might add, none of them read. I peruse spam for one word: "unsubscribe". If they are not sending messages I want to read, then I try to get rid of them as fast as possible. In this case there are products that would be inappropriate for me to comment on. Suffice it to say, I am not interested and I am actively trying to keep from getting those messages.

Sadly, our world today has trained us to filter out unwanted messages. Even when those messages are something we need to hear. Often, the Bible gives us messages that are tough to swallow. We really don't want to hear what God has to say. We don't like the idea that we are displeasing to God. That our sin fixes a great gulf between us and God.

American culture is teaching us that a loving God would not include discipline. But discipline is actually one of the highest expressions of love. If God didn't love, He wouldn't discipline us. But because He loves us, He disciplines us. You don't believe me? Take it from God Himself in Hebrews 12:5b - 7: "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."

Just because we don't like it doesn't mean it is bad. Discipline is painful. Just a few verses later in Hebrews 12:11 we read: All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

So, as we go about life and tough times come (because they will come), let's look for how God is changing us through the hard times. It is His love for us that is at work. Let's not filter out God's work because it is unwanted. And let's not relegate it to being unread or unheard. Discipline from God may not be desired, but it is for our betterment.

Don't filter it out....

Isolation

2006-04-20T08:37:00.000-05:00

I just read an article in Baptist Press (click here) that says baptism in the year 2005 actually declined over 2004. This is an indication that fewer people are coming to a life-changing knowledge of Jesus. Why is that?

I think it may be partially the church's fault. I am a pastor and I love spending time with my church family. But are we so busy doing things with our church family that we never get the opportunity to engage a lost world? What would happen if we made an appointment to deliberately spend some time getting to know some lost people? I don't mean beating them over the head with the gospel, I just mean talking to them and becoming friends. We might find that they are not so bad after all. And we might actually start to feel like they are precious. And we might get to where Jesus was when He looked down over Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37.

"Jerusalem , Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, `BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!' "

His heart was broken for those who would not repent. Are you broken for the lost? Do you really comprehend what it means to be lost? If you do, I believe you would be more deliberate in seeing them come to Jesus.

I feel so human...

2006-04-19T14:12:00.000-05:00

...which is good, because I am human. But I am feeling especially human today because I just can't leave well enough alone.

I decided I had found the perfect program for my computer. Boy was I wrong. Six days and countless hours later, I still can't get to what I need to get to. I am still struggling just to get the silly thing working. How very frustrating!

I think I am on a common theme here for all of humanity. How often do we think we can do it better, or we found a better way? How often do we just plunge straight ahead on what we think is a good thing, only to later find that it wasn't so good after all. Once again, I have to wonder if I am just going to fast. I know better than to mess with a working system. But I just couldn't resist. And, yes, I really do know better. Now, before you go giving me advice on how to recover, let me tell you that I actually know what happened and how to fix it. The problem is that the fix takes time, lots of time. The one thing I don't have much of.

Isn't that the way it is? When we think we know better and charge ahead, we can look back and know exactly what went wrong. We can even give detailed explanations of exactly what happened and how. And we usually know where we went awry and how to remedy the situation. The problem is the discipline of the remedy. We actually have to sit down and do it. It may be painful or tedious or even scary, but we still need to work to get back to obedience.

You know, Paul wrote about this idea. For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I {would} like to {do,} but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want {to do,} I agree with the Law, {confessing} that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good {is} not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. Romans 7:14-20

My computer problems are not related to sin. But my propensity to think I have it all figured out is. May God forgive me.

They just don't get it

2006-04-13T06:34:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to an article in USAToday. The article is fairly accurate in its claims. The problem is, baptism is not just a religious expression. Notice under the link is the summary of the article found on the front page.

Rite of baptism trickling away
"Christians finding alternative paths to God and marrying people of other faiths may mean fewer children and converts will experience the ancient ritual of sprinkling or immersion."

What really gets me is the first 6 words: "Christians finding alternative paths to God". And the paper states it as if it were fact when it is really just a fantasy. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me." (John 14:6 NASB) There are not many ways to God, there is only one way.

God is not some great mystery that can be discovered through some warm, fuzzy emotional event. He is a Holy Father who loves His children, but He is also perfectly just. And that justice demands that the penalty of sin, death, be paid. The real meaning of Easter is that Jesus came and gave His life to pay our sin-debt.

Let me summarize: Jesus came to earth by virgin birth, a miracle from the very beginning. He lived a sinless life. The only man ever to do so. And He died a criminal's death. Why? For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. That's why.

So the next time you hear someone talk about finding other ways to God, remember that Jesus is the only way. What would happen if we refuted every person who made that claim with the life-changing gospel?

Stillness

2006-04-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

You know, life's pace gets so crazy that we don't have time to think. Because of an upcoming trip, I have been told that I need to rest. I need to rest to be able to stay as healthy as possible and be part of what God is doing on this trip. Of course, I get that message on a hectic day in the middle of a hectic week. Is God telling me something?

Then, my biological brother asks if I am free for him to come visit me. I looked at our calendar and we don't slow down until sometime next month. And even those dates are probably going to get gobbled up by one activity or another. It is craziness. My brother and I actually have to schedule time to get together. And if we don't schedule it, we both know we won't have time together. We're so busy...

I have found it too easy to start to slack off on things that are vitally important. My relationships with my wife, my children, my church, my parents, my siblings, my friends, and, most tragically, my God have all suffered as I attempted to do it all in the name of ministry. These are the very things that if you are too busy to do, you are just TOO BUSY!

So, yes, I am just too busy. There, I've admitted it, that gets me 90% of the way to recovery, right? But, you know, in the pages of the Bible, I have found the answer. I have found the key by watching Jesus. At regular intervals during His ministry, Jesus withdrew for some quiet time away from the hustle and bustle. Basically, Jesus understood the power of Psalm 46:10. The KJV says, "Be still and know that I am God." It is powerful, but the NAS has it even stronger. "Cease striving and know that I am God."

When we can learn to actually trust that all the results belong to God. That He does not call us to be super human. He calls us to trust Him. When we really understand that concept with ever fiber of our being to the very bottom of our hearts, then, and only then, will we truly see God's power made manifest in (and with and through) us.

I am going to take some time to cease striving and know that He is God. Will you join me?

Be still....................

Have you ever wondered?

2006-04-11T06:38:00.000-05:00

This Thursday, our church will observe a Lord's Supper. Friday, we will have a day of prayer at the church ending in a remembrance service. Saturday, we have no formal plans. Sunday, we will celebrate our Lord's resurrection. This is a busy week. I am working on Thursday and Friday to help get us into the mood of Jesus' followers on Saturday.

It was Thursday when the first Lord's Supper was given by our Lord during a Passover Seder. Then, the Bible says, they sang a hymn and went out to the garden to pray.

Sometime during that night, the soldiers came and arrested Jesus. They took Him and ran Him through an illegal proceeding. Then they used their trumped up charges to try to have Him convicted by a Roman court.

Pilate was smarter than the Pharisees had anticipated. He resisted their efforts to get a death sentence. Yet, under great pressure, Pilate finally gave in and called for the crucifixion.

All of this happened on Friday, so that by about 3:00PM Jerusalem time, Jesus had died. He was buried before sunset so that the work would not occur on the Sabbath.

It is the Jewish sabbath, Saturday that I really want to focus on in this entry. It is a period of silence from the Bible. We are given no indication of what happened on that day in the text. But, can I dwell on that time for just a moment? This is not Bible, just Tony thinking out loud.

Those who had been following Jesus had seen Him die. Many of them had run away when He was arrested. I am sure word got around that He was dead. They must have felt lost. They must have felt very lonely. Everything that they had begun to hang their hopes and dreams on was gone. Jesus talked of a new kingdom, but now He was gone and there was no one to take up the mantle. Where would they go? What would they do? Could they just return to their normal lives? Too much had happened for that to be right. They had seen God's hand at work in miraculous ways. Life could never be the same again.

Did they expect Jesus to rise from the grave? I don't think so. Even though Scripture and Jesus Himself told them He would rise, they just didn't get it. (I don't think we would have gotten it either). From their reactions on Easter morning, it would seem they were totally surprised by the events of the day. There is no indication that they put the facts together and anticipated Jesus' resurrection.

Which leads me to the question of this posting. Are there not times when we feel as those followers undoubtedly felt that Sabbath day so many years ago? We feel lonely and afraid. We feel like we have seen some things and heard some things and life will never be the same, but right now we feel lonely. What we need to do to break out of this melancholy is focus our eyes on Easter. If the fact of an empty tomb doesn't make your heart jump, I don't know what will. If the fact that man's ultimate fear, death, was conquered by Jesus make you want to shout, I don't know what will. If the fact that the One who conquered death and the grave loves you personally doesn't give you a reason to live, I don't know what will. Have you ever wondered what our life would look like if we lived like it was Easter and not like it was Saturday?

Are they for real?

2006-04-07T08:11:00.000-05:00

2 Timothy 4:1-5, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

I have seen two articles this week that have disturbed me, The Gospel of Judas and Did Jesus Really Walk on Water? I have linked them so you can read them as well. In addition, The Davinci Code movie is slated to be released May 19, 2006. These seemingly unrelated events are actually very related. They are three concerted efforts to refute biblical truth.

The Gospel of Judas is a historical artifact found in the deserts of Egypt. It puts forth the theory that Judas Iscariot was the only one of the 12 who actually understood Jesus' desire to die in order to be freed from His human body. It has been dated to circa 180 A.D. So, nearly 200 years after the fact, someone decides they understand Jesus and Judas Iscariot better than the Biblical Gospel writers who wrote within their lifetimes of events they knew firsthand. It is a ludicrous theory at best. Jesus didn't die because He wanted to. Why would He have agonized in the garden that the cup be taken from Him? He didn't desire death to be freed from His humanity. He suffered death to purchase our pardon.

Did Jesus walk on water? is one scientist's attempt to disprove any of the miracles of Jesus. The theory is that there was surface ice formed on the sea of Galilee that allowed Jesus to appear to walk on water, but in reality, it was ice. The first issue I take with this "finding" is that the author neglects to even mention that Peter also walked on water. And if it were ice, how was the boat undamaged? The ice had to be close enough to the boat in order for Peter to step out onto it. And the Bible also records that there were wind and waves, I have never seen ice that could whipped into waves by the wind. Jesus, as the creator, could bend the "rules" of science in any direction He chose. And this day, He made it possible to walk on water.

The Da Vinci Code puts forth the theory that there is a secret code hidden in the text of the Bible that disproves the deity of Jesus and the infallibility of Scripture. That, of course is an extremely simplistic summary, but it will suffice for my purposes. This book, and now movie, should be called the rallying cry for postmodern thought. It "proves" that Christianity is a creation of man and therefore no different than every other religion in our world. The problem with that idea is that Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father but through Him.

I could go on and on about just these three theories. Yet, we as those who claim Jesus as Lord of our lives, should know His word well enough to refute these theories without great thought. The Bible is authoritative. We just need to know it. It is no suprise that the world is jumping to "new" conclusions about Christ, we are not giving them the truth. We need to stand uncompromisingly on God's word and what it says, that is the only way to refute such heresies.

How well do you know your Bible?

I wonder...

2006-04-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

We, in the USA, are privileged beyond compare in the world. We have more property, more money, and more stuff than any other culture in our world today. No one has as much as we do. Someone reading this may be thinking they don't have all that much, but if you have food for the day and roof over your head, you are already in the top 50% of the world's population. Add to that the fact that you probably have at least one TV, one radio, a microwave, a stove, a refrigerator, a lawn mower... need I go on? We have plenty.

The one thing we don't have as citizens of this great country is hope for eternity. And I know, if anyone is reading this blog, that you are concerned at this point that this post will become a call to arms for voting, or another petition drive, or some other political action. But let me tell you that I am not asking you to do anything in the political arena.

You see, all of the political grandstanding we can muster will not bring us hope. All of the TV speeches we can deliver with great poise and eloquent words will not rescue us from our plight. All of the petitions for changing the laws of this nation will bring about true security and peace. None of those will bring about a permanent change because they are only addressing the symptoms and not the real problem.

The real problem is that those who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ have given up the fight. We have decided that it is easier to give up than it is to stand up. We have decided that it is beneficial to believe that all roads lead to heaven. We have decided that sincerity in belief trumps belief in truth. In short, we have decided that people really don't need to be saved (John 3:3). I know these are harsh words. I know that they sting. But if you really believed that people needed to be saved by the name of Jesus, then you would be telling them about Him, constantly.

It is like seeing someone fall overboard on a cruise ship. You are the only one to witness the fall and you can see the person in the water. They have no life-preserver. Do you throw them a life-preserver, or do you just watch them drown? People all around us are perishing because of their lostness. Are we just watching? Or do we give them what the need, the life-changing power of Jesus?

I wonder what would happen if every Christian took Jesus' words to heart. I wonder what would happen if we each decided to be an answer to the prayer for laborers (Matt 9:38). I wonder what would happen if we would share Jesus with just one person this week. Could the waves of change we seek for our nation be started by such a simple act? Could we see another great awakening? If God's people got serious about doing His will, would our nation change (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)? Would the world change? It's up to you and me.

I wonder...

2006-04-05T16:07:00.000-05:00

Psalm 144:3-4, O Lord, what is man that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that you think of him? Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.

I am just beginning this journey into the blogsphere. I am unsure of my ability to regularly post. I know how frustrated I get by people who I come to know through their blogs and then they quit posting and I feel like a friend has been taken. Join me in praying that I won't do the same.

I opened this blog with a quote from the Psalms because the psalmist said (so much better than I can) what I feel. Have you ever considered these questions? Have you ever really thought about it? I have done complete remodeling of some places. I have taken out the old lath and plaster and replaced it with new stud-walls covered in sheetrock. In a way, I have created walls where walls did not previously exist. (Now, before you think I am too high on myself, I know that I have merely assembled components and haven't actually "created" anything.) My point is, I know the wall is there, but I really don't think much about it ever again. It has now just become part of the house and that is that.

But God is not like that. He didn't create me and leave me as just part of His creation. He didn't just take for granted that I exist. He loves me even now. He loved me before I could even utter a single word. He loves me now when I have uttered words that are not always honoring to Him. He loves even me. You are probably thinking I am a little stuck on God and you would be right. That is why I began my blogging experience with this quote from the Psalms.O Lord, what is man that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that you think of him? Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.