Political Endorsement

By the time you read this you may have already voted, but at the time of my writing this, election day is not quite here. I do my best to stay away from voicing political opinions. I don't mind giving my opinion on many of the issues, but endorsing candidates is something that I've never done. But the political scene in our day and time has led me to feel a very strong need to endorse someone. The rest of this bulletin article contains some of the promises and part of the platform I hear from this individual.

The Promises:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

The Platform:
"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth."

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Before we get too worked up about which candidates were elected to office, let's remember that God elected to love us long before we were old enough to vote. Life as I know it is best when we live worthily of that calling.

Lost!

Saturday night I couldn't help but wonder what one of the farmer's who first broke the ground on the South Plains would have thought if someone would have told them that one day people would pay money and then stand in line for thirty minutes for the chance to walk through a corn field. On Saturday night alone hundreds of people showed up at the Corn Maze outside of Lubbock to pay money and navigate their way through a maze cut into a corn field. Why would people pay money to walk through a corn field? Why would anyone knowingly enter a maze? The only reason I can figure out is the allure and excitement of being lost.

Now my personal opinion is that there is no possible way to actually get lost at the corn maze. Everyone who goes through knows that they will not actually be lost in the corn maze. But that knowledge does not prevent the inevitable from happening…practically everyone finds themselves muttering, "we're lost," at some point along the way. They have a map. They have a sheet of clues. There are other travelers on the path. There are workers watching over the maze. But everyone makes a wrong turn and gets lost at some point along the path. At some point everyone will come to a point when they don't know which way to turn.

In the corn maze that's fine – in fact, it is fun. But the sad reality is that many of the people you meet today are lost. They don't know which way to go. They don't know where to turn. And even though they have access to a map, clues, fellow travelers, and even workers along the path, they still find themselves hopelessly lost.

Maybe they are still having too much fun being lost to seriously consider needing to know how to navigate the maze of life successfully. Perhaps they continue to believe they can make it on their own without any help. Or maybe they can't understand how to read the map or have learned to not trust the people who try to point them in the right direction. Whatever the case, we, like all the generations prior to ours, live in a lost world.

I realized one thing while I was walking through the maze – if someone had been yelling at me that I was lost, it would not have helped me. The same is true in life's maze. Here's what will help: Help them understand the map. Walk with them to show them the path. Point them in the right direction and away from danger. Direct their attention to the one who knows the way out of the maze. Above all, patiently love them like Christ loved you. Oh, and don't forget to have fun along the way – a smile never hurts!

Life as I know it is about helping others successfully navigate their way through the maze to find the one who gives life...

Bad Fathering from a Good Source

I'm sure that after I post this I will have visits from child welfare experts. You see, I did a bit of bad fathering Saturday...I got my kids to work. The strange thing is, they enjoyed it. They kept asking if they could go work a little bit more. And the only hint of an argument arose because one was getting to work more than the others were.
By now you are probably thinking that this is just another story and that the "work" really wasn't work. So here's what happened on Saturday. It was a normal Saturday morning. The kids were being lazy watching cartoons or Hannah Montana (not ESPN as I've tried to train them to watch). And for some reason that I honestly cannot remember, I thought about the big pile of rocks behind the house. So I called for a huddle on the back porch. I told the kids that I would pay them a nickel for every bucket of rocks they hauled off. I found four smaller buckets and after each large bucket of rocks they hauled off they placed one rock into their small bucket so that we could have an accounting of the work that they did.
For most of the rest of the morning, they took turns filling a bucket and hauling it off. During that time they laughed and played and worked really hard. I was impressed. In fact, I was so impressed that I wanted to reward them for their behavior and their attitude toward working that day.
That afternoon (before happy hour at Sonic had ended) I asked if they were through working. When they assured me that they were through working for the day, I had them put up the shovels and count their rocks. I paid out the money that they earned. Then I told them how proud I was of the way they had worked and as a result I was going to give them more than they earned. Then I took them to Sonic and bought them their favorite drink.
As we were about to pull out of Sonic I told them the spiritual lesson that I had learned from God during my short time on this earth: when I am joyfully obedient to do the things he has asked me to do, He rewards me with more than I have earned. It is because of the love that God has shown to me that I know how to love my children. So my fathering may be bad, but some of the lessons I've learned come from a really good source.
Life as I know it is best when we cheerfully follow God's commands.

The Silence of Forgiveness

Deserted streets. Closed doors behind which families gather around a simple meal. The smoke from hundreds of cooking fires slowly lifts its hazy grasp. Jerusalem is virtually silent.

Silence is sometimes peaceful. At other times, though, silence is eerie and heavy. The silence in Jerusalem on the evening of Passover must have been an eerie, heavy silence. During the day Jerusalem bustled with activity. The walls of the city could barely contain all of the pilgrims who had come bringing their sacrifice to the temple. Each sacrifice bleated out its own music during that long and fateful day. Then, as hour after hour slowly crept by, the sounds of the sacrifices diminished. Family after family returned from the temple carrying their Passover meal which had been sacrificed on an altar.

As this scene unfolded in my mind, I couldn't help but think about the silence of forgiveness. I couldn't help but think about what it must have been like to witness the thousands of sacrifices which attested to the sinfulness of so many souls and the extravagant grace of the Almighty God to forgive. And I couldn't help but think about my own sinfulness and how trivially I treat God's grace and forgiveness. There is no bleating of sheep speaking out my sins. There is no long walk up the hill to present my sacrifice before God. Rarely is there any point in my life where I am confronted with the reality of my sins.

But tonight I hear the silence. And the silence is deafening in my ears as I think of the Lamb. The Lamb I think of in this thick silence is not a cute and cuddly pet that must be given at too young an age, but the all-powerful Son of God who willingly walked that road and laid down his life for sinners.

Too often I fail to think about the price for my sins. I ignore the reality of Paul's words that the wages of sin is death. I trivialize sin and think that it is no big deal for God to forgive me yet again. I ignore the fact that the sin in my life actually destroys the life that Christ came to give me. And so tonight I am reminded by the silence of forgiveness.

Life as I know it came at the cost of God's Son.

What Are You Thinking?

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Let's start a list of true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy things to think about. Just add a comment (if you are on facebook - please click on the link and go to my blog and add a comment there) about something that you are thinking about that fits the Philippians 4:8 criteria.

Your Nose is Like the Tower of Lebanon

Today's reading in The Daily Bible (May 26th for those of you who will want to follow along) is Song of Solomon. If you haven't read Song of Solomon and are unfamiliar with it, its a... ummm... its about... Song of Solomon is a conversation between a lover and a beloved (and some friends who keep chiming in at seemingly inappropriate times). As with much poetry, it is difficult for me to follow exactly what the writer is trying to accomplish in this short book. And the difficulty is compounded by the fact that it is just hard to understand the sultry language that lover and beloved use to woo one another.
The plain cold fact is, if I told my wife, "your nose is like the tower of Lebanon," I would have the honor of sleeping for a couple of days...and when I finally awoke in the hospital room, my vision would be blurry for a few more days. But apparently, for Solomon, the tower of Lebanon is a pretty sexy compliment for a nose back in the day. (Personally, I didn't think there was a really good compliment for a nose - I know its nice to have one, but never found myself really admiring any one's nose.) I also never knew that temples that resemble pomegranates are a turn on. I thought the temple was supposed to be a gentle depression, not a prominent lump on either side of the head. (Turns out Frankenstein's monster is actually devilishly handsome in Solomon's eyes.)
Here's the deal - the language you use isn't really that important when you are conveying your love to someone as long as you communicate. Others may think your words are corny or stupid or funny or outright distasteful, but if your spouse understands you and the love that you are conveying it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. The real tragedy is in failing to communicate. To have a lovely bride and not tell her how beautiful she is in your eye is a good way to lose the intimacy of your marriage. To know the words to say to make your handsome husband feel like a king and never speak them is a good way to prevent your marriage from being the powerful union it could be.
If you haven't yet read "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman, read it. Learn how to speak to your husband or wife in a way that will cement your relationship together. Practice writing a note to her about how beautiful she is. Whisper in his ear how handsome he is to you. Read Song of Solomon together and take turns complimenting each other's features. ("Your waist is a mound of wheat" is another of my favorites.)
Life as I know it is best when I practice telling my wife how beautiful she is. I confess that I don't do it enough. How about you? When is the last time you told your husband or wife how beautiful they are?

Celebrating the Not-Lasts

Its the end of the school year and everyone is looking forward to the last day of school. There will be many "lasts" this week. The last Monday of school. The last Tuesday of school...Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. We have already had the last programs. Coupled with the fact that we will be moving in a few weeks, the "lasts" at the end of this school year have seemed to been more poignant than in earlier years. So the actual last day of school will be the last day of this school for our kids...
All of the lasts that have been occurring over the past few weeks have started me thinking about the things before the last. We tend to celebrate the first and the last of everything. The first day of school and the last day of school are days of excitement, but the countless days in between are rarely celebrated. Opening day of baseball season is filled with anticipation and the final game of the world series is remembered, but during the middle of the season the games kind of run together.
If we aren't careful, our life becomes a monotonous drudgery of hanging on until we get to the end of something. Rarely is that type of life fulfilling. The people that inspire you don't meander through days hoping for something else - they take each day and make something good of it. Cal Ripken, Jr. didn't become one of the best known players by taking a day off because he wasn't in the mood to play that day. Brett Favre is respected by his youthful enthusiasm during each game, not just the big ones.
So instead of focusing on the last, focus on the not-lasts. Celebrate each activity, each day and make something of it. And if we do that, then when we have played our last game, we will be proud of our accomplishments.
Life as I know it is lived best when we don't wait until the end to try to live it. Make today count!

The Strength of His Hands

Take a moment to look at your hands. No, really - take a moment to look at your hands...this blog will not go anywhere while you are staring at your hands.
Notice the uniqueness of your hand - from the lines that give your hand character to the fingerprints that are like no other fingerprints in the world, from the callouses that show years of work to the soft pliable folds that can gently caress a tear away. Listen as the scars tell the stories of how they came to be. Remember the hands that your hands have touched and held.
Now then, imagine that you were looking at the hand of Jesus instead of your own hand. Carpenter's hands roughened by years of labor, yet softened by an eternity of loving compassion. Teacher's hands that animatedly punctuated the stories he told. Healer's hands nimble and deft at touching in just the right manner to bring comfort and health. The Savior's hands - rough, soft, animated, lively, nimble, deft...and nailed to the cross.
Can you focus in on Jesus' hand nailed to the cross? Can you imagine the pain of that nail protruding from your own hand? Wouldn't that pain drive you to the point that you would do anything to cause it go away? If it were in your power, wouldn't you pull your hand off of that cross, remove the nail, and walk away?
Isn't that the remarkable thing about God's love shown to us in His son, Jesus Christ? For he did have the power to pull his hand away from the cross. He could have pulled the nail out and walked away. He had the strength, he had the ability, he had the power to escape the cross. But he didn't. Instead of using the strength of his hand to pull away, he used the strength of his hand to stay...suspended on a cross, nailed to a tree, dying for you and me.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." -- Hebrews 12:2

Life as I know it is best when I remember the strength of the Savior's hand and realize that he is capable of holding me safely in his grasp.

Surely He Was the Son of God

Ever been late?
Not the type of late that is the “coming in to class or worship a couple of minutes after it started” type of late. Ever been the type of late that you want to kick yourself for? Like having the realization of the exact words that would have calmed a situation or comforted someone who was hurting – thirty minutes after you said something stupid? Or maybe you were wrapped up in your own little world and didn’t realize that you could have helped someone – until they had turned away and gone down a dangerous path and wouldn’t listen to you anymore?

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54

Of all the people gathered near the cross of Jesus, perhaps the most unlikeliest group we would expect to confess would be the soldiers guarding Jesus. Remember this calloused group of professionals whose job it is to make sure that the condemned die in an efficient, yet brutal manner? They were not looking for anything spectacular. They had no idea who Jesus was. They didn’t know of the rumors or the claims that were being made about Jesus. But the events of the day – the earthquake, the way the rocks split open, the darkness that had enveloped them when the sun should have been shining its brightest – all these things told this brazen group that Jesus was not just a criminal hanging on a cross.
In unison they cry out their cry of worship: “Surely he was the Son of God!”
If only they had realized earlier… perhaps they could have cried out a different song: “Surely he IS the Son of God!”

This morning we gather at this table like we do every week. As a result of its frequency, it can become something that we merely go through with a glazed look and a mind racing toward the afternoon and all the things we have to do today. Before this moment passes us by and we race off to do all the unimportant things we have scheduled for today, stop and take a look around. Listen to the voice of Jesus as he breaks the bread with us. Hear his compassion as he explains the cup of the new covenant.

This morning, let us focus our thoughts and fix our eyes on Jesus. In the few moments that it takes us to eat this bread and drink this cup, let us concentrate our efforts on what this meal means. Let us break the body of Christ and drink the blood of the new covenant with reverent thanksgiving. Let us mourn our sinfulness and stand in awe of God’s grace. Let us confess our specific sins to the Father and feel the warm embrace as he welcomes us to this table and fellowships with us.
We gather around this table to celebrate God’s love shown through Jesus Christ. We gather to remember his death and the life that it brings. We gather to cry out with the soldiers, “Surely he IS the Son of God!”
Don’t let this moment pass without recognizing God’s presence with us.

Change

I'm writing this here to link it to facebook because facebook only allows 420 characters for a status update...and this one will probably be a bit longer.
At the end of June/beginning of July, the information on the side of this blog and the information on the information page on facebook will change. In January I received a call from one of the elders of Garland St. Church of Christ in Plainview, TX. They were looking for a preacher. I quickly told him, "I am not looking for a preaching job." For reasons that I cannot explain, the questions that he asked me and my quick statement that I wasn't looking for a preaching job bothered me. So the next day I wrote a letter to the elders in Plainview saying that I wasn't looking for a preaching job, but if they wanted to look at me they could - because if God was leading us to Plainview, I didn't want to go against what God was leading.
To make a long story shorter, on Monday night of this week the elders called and offered the job and my family has accepted their invitation. We are looking at being in Plainview by July 1st.
So, the things you read in the near future will have to do (I would imagine) with change and moving and saying goodbyes and things like that - if there is time to write. I ask that you keep the church here in Abernathy in your prayers as well as Garland St. and my family.

Perfectly Alright

I remember my dad coaching my little league team one year. As I recall, he was at the meeting and the team needed a coach. He didn't know a lot about baseball, but he coached us. I think about that a lot while I crouch down in the back yard "coaching" Lori as she learns how to pitch softball. (Other thoughts that go through my head while crouched down like a catcher: "I don't think my leg has ever hurt quite like that before," "gonna have to invent some sort of catcher's seat that will propel my body upwards so that I can stand," "please let her chunk one over the fence so she will have to go get it and I can stand for a minute," and "OK, how do you stand when both legs are asleep?") I don't know exactly how to coach her, but I still know a little bit more than her and can see what she's doing that is making the ball miss the mark.

We work on things together. I try to tell her what I'm seeing and offer ways for her to correct her motions so that she can throw more consistently. I constantly encourage her to keep trying. I've tried to notice when her arm starts to get tired so that I can tell her that she will have to concentrate and focus more - hoping that she'll realize that athletic pursuits are also mental pursuits. And I encourage her some more to keep trying, to have a little bit of patience with herself, to focus on the only pitch that matters - the next one.

Through all of this, Lori thinks the goal is to be perfect. She often gets frustrated when she sails one over the fence or rolls one toward some point between third base and home plate. And she also thinks that I expect her to be perfect with every pitch...because I keep holding the glove in the same spot asking her to pitch to that exact same spot over and over and over.

And somewhere in all of this, I've learned that I'm not the only one doing the coaching and Lori isn't the only one being coached. In that crouched down position watching pitch after pitch hit or miss the mark, God is coaching me. The lesson that He's slowly been teaching me is that He's not looking for perfection. He's looking for effort and attitude. He wants me to improve, but He knows I'll never be perfect. And still, He holds the glove in the same spot and asks me to hit the target over and over and over...

Life as I know it is sometimes learned when the knees hurt and the legs fall asleep and the heart swells with the joy of watching a child learn. God calls us to be his children. And if there's one thing I've learned from being a father, its that I love my children. And God desperately wants us to realize how much he loves us.

And Mary Stood Nearby

How often are we called to take our minds back to the cross? How often do we try to imagine that scene? How often does it come out looking like a silhouette or like a scene we saw in a movie once?
This morning I want to ask you to take your minds back just a little ways away from the cross. A little to the side of the cross. Imagine the scene as you hear these words from John’s gospel…
“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother…”

Have you ever seen the cross through her eyes?
Watching your own son die?

Have you ever stood in her place as God offers forgiveness to the world?

We talk freely about God sending his one and only son into the world to save sinners. Somehow we think that God had everything worked out and so it didn’t really hurt him all that much. We figure that God already had the power to destroy death, so what did it really matter that Jesus was going to be dead for a couple of days.
But have you ever seen the sacrifice from Mary’s point of view? She didn’t know he would rise again. She didn’t fully understand the battle that was being fought or the victory that was being won that day. She saw her son – beaten and bloody, hanging, dying, on a cross. Perhaps she remembered the words Simeon had spoken when she and Joseph had taken Jesus to the temple after he was born, “and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”

This morning as we gather around this table, let us remember the real sacrifice that was made. Let us remember the pain and anguish of this sacrifice. Let us be touched again by the real, raw, emotions present with us at this table. And let us be thankful that the sacrifice was made that can bring us peace.

How to Give - by Luke Gauntt

How do you decide what to put in the collection plate on Sunday? I remember the younger days when I would optimistically pull my wallet out of my back pocket and slowly open it up. More often than not, there was nothing in it. If I did see bills, I always hoped for a couple of ones...and prayed that I didn't have just a five or a ten...cause that causes a dilemma - give it all or keep it all???
With the invention of Dave Ramsey, we are now able to calculate exactly how much we should write a check for each week. But I know that there are still emotional struggles when the collection plate passes by. I know that there are people in pews struggling with how much they should put in...will they be able to pay all of the weeks bills if they put in what they wanted to put in...? So, for all of us who struggle, I offer this solution to how to give that I learned from my son, Luke, this morning.
Before the offering was about to be taken, Angie pulled out her wallet. In the bill section, she had three ones. She quietly pulled them out and gave them to the older three children. But Luke, sitting in her lap, didn't get a dollar to put in the collection plate. So after passing out the bills, Angie opened up the change pocket on her wallet and asked Luke if he wanted to get some money out to go in the collection plate. He quickly stuck one fist in and grabbed as many coins as he could. After retrieving a handful of coins, he stuck his other fist into the coin pocket and again retrieved a handful of coins. Then, he dove back in with his first fist, still filled with coins, and tried to pull out even more coins.
That's how to give.
Life as I know it is lived abundantly when we keep reaching deep down inside so that we can give more and more and more.

That Day

“I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29)
Toward the close of the Passover meal that was transformed into the meal that we celebrate today, Jesus gave his followers hope for the future as he promised that he would drink the fruit of the vine with them in the Father’s kingdom. We tend to focus on that part of the sentence, reminding one another that Jesus is coming back for us and that we will be with him throughout eternity. It is good to encourage one another in this manner…in fact, Paul tells us to do so in I Thessalonians 4:16-18 as he writes,
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
But these words also imply something else, in the meantime Jesus is absent. Jesus said that he would not drink the fruit of the vine again until he drank it in God’s kingdom. In the upper room, those who drank the cup heard that Jesus would not be feasting with them any more for a while. His absence would soon be painfully real to them. They would be facing the world without him from now on. Yes, he had promised the spirit, and the spirit did come, and Jesus is with us in spirit today, but he is not physically present as he once was.
The disciples who ate in that upper room would face the pain of a cruel world. They would be persecuted. They would suffer. And they would ultimately die – most of them as martyrs. The fact that we continue to gather around this table reminds us of the same thing. In this world we will face trouble and persecution, pain and loss…our Savior is presently absent. We cannot escape that fact.
But he will return. And we will go home. And we will feast with him. And we will never again face pain or loss or suffering of any kind.
In the meantime, we gather around this table, remembering the pain that Jesus went through on our behalf so that we could be cleansed of our sins. And we also gather around this table to wait for his return, when all the pain will be washed away with our sins and we will be brought into the glory of the kingdom of God.

God's Plan for Your Life

“I know God has a plan for my life – I just wish I knew what it was.” We are quick to quote Jeremiah 29:11, and even quicker to allow that promise of God to bring us to a state of anxiety because we are afraid that we’ll mess it up somehow. Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We read that and immediately envision one single solitary path among the millions of possible paths…and start thinking that if we miss that one single path we will miss out on God’s blessings.
I know. I’ve been there. Worrying and worrying about all the “what if’s” in my life. Using all kinds of bad theology to support my anxiety.
So, let me share a little bad news and then lead you to a new way to look at God’s plan for your life. Here’s the bad news…if we are going to claim Jeremiah 29:11 as a personal promise that God is making to each one of us, then it seems we must also claim Jeremiah 29:10 as a personal promise that God is making to each one of us. Listen to this bit of encouraging news, “This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.’” If we are going to claim the good news that God wants to prosper and not harm us, give us hope and a future, then we must realize that he also keeps his promise to give us over to Babylon for a time so that we can learn to repent of our waywardness. The good news of Jeremiah 29:11 comes after the Israelites have spent 70 years in exile.
On top of this, God is not making this promise to an individual – he is making it to his collective people, the nation that he sent into exile because they had turned their backs on him and worshiped other gods. I will not say that we can’t take this as a promise to each of us – I do believe that this is God’s desire for each one of us. However, it is important to realize that even though he brought his people back out of exile, there were many who still suffered during that time. Not everyone got all of the exciting blessings that we imagine when we read Jeremiah 29:11 for ourselves.
Now, back to where I was heading when I started writing this – God’s plan for our lives. We all tend to get anxious about whether we are living the life we are “supposed” to live – did we make the right career choice, did we marry the right spouse, did we make the right move? May I direct your mind to another scripture as you think about all of these issues?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.”
These are the words we read in Proverbs 3:5-6. If I read them thinking about which path I should take (out of the millions of available paths), I find not one single path that is pleasing to God, but a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. And when that lifestyle is pleasing to God, then he will take care of making sure the path is straight. It isn’t about choosing the right career, its about working for the Lord in whatever work you find to do. It isn’t about choosing the “right” spouse, but about making the decision to love your spouse in the same way that Christ loves the church. It isn’t about making all the right moves, but about serving God in those moves.
Live as I know it is full when we trust God with all our heart and let him worry about making the paths straight for us.

The New Covenant

(Here is another communion meditation from a few years ago... Hope it helps us to remember the reason we gather together on Sundays...)

Jesus was supposed to remind his followers of the exodus. He was supposed to tell the story about how the Jews had been enslaved in Egypt and how God had brought them out of slavery with a mighty hand. He was supposed to talk about the angel killing the firstborn of those not protected by lamb’s blood and about the Israelites leaving Egypt in a hurry and about crossing the sea on dry ground and about manna from heaven.
But he didn’t.
Instead, Jesus took the unleavened bread and defined it as his body. Then he took the cup and instructed all of his disciples to drink from it explaining, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26)
The disciples were expecting to hear the exodus story from long ago, the story that they knew so well. Instead they heard a new exodus story. The story Jesus tells is not a story about God demonstrating his powerful mighty arm through plagues and death. This exodus story is not about placing the blood of a lamb on the exterior of a house. This story is not about leaving in a hurry and having to eat unleavened bread. It is not a story of crossing the sea on dry ground. The story Jesus has for those who will follow him is not a story about the past – it is the story of a new covenant established with his blood.
The new exodus story is the story of God displaying his power through unending love, unimaginable grace, and unmerited favor to all those who will follow him. It is the story of being immersed in Jesus’ blood so that our entire lives are covered by his blood. The story is about leaving slavery to sin and accepting the life that he offers.
This morning we take part in the new story of the exodus. We pause to remember how God worked to bring us to where we are today. We pause to remember the love of Christ and his sacrifice. We pause to look forward to the day when he returns and we are taken home with him. We pause to be thankful.
This is our story. We were slaves to sin, but God chose to bring us out of sin. He sent his son to rescue us from those sins. He offers us forgiveness through the blood of his son which was shed as he died on a cross. He offers us new life through the same power that raised Jesus from the grave.
Let us remember this story as we eat this meal with thankfulness and as we live our lives in a way that brings glory and honor to him.

Video Game Church, Part 4

This is a long article. You might want to set aside some time to think about it or print it off and read it later. Please don't stop half-way through and not return to it. If it is helpful, feel free to share it with others in your church - either by referring them to this blog or by printing the articles off and handing them out. There is no copyright on any of this - use it as you see fit. And may God bless you as you seek to work in His kingdom today.
Steve

So what does a church look like when it is immersed? As strange as it may seem, I have actually seen glimpses of an immersed church. Perhaps we can use a glimpse to help inform our vision of what an immersed church looks like.
The immersed church I am envisioning is a small group on a mission trip to Mexico. The purpose of the trip is to work on building a church building. Each person has dedicated a week of their life to go on this trip. Each person has paid their own way to go on this trip. Each person knows going in that the week will be a physically demanding week – a week that they will use skills that they do not possess on the van ride into Mexico. But each person is willing.
On Monday morning, the job for the week is laid out. By the end of the week, there is a point that this group must reach so that the following week another group can continue building from that point and work on the next phase of the building. The person who has the master plan in mind helps the leaders of the mission team see what all needs to be done during that week. From that point on, everyone has the same objective in mind – to complete the task for that week. But even though the objective is the same, each person begins to take on different jobs and tasks to make sure that the objective is complete.
During the course of the week there will be difficulties that arise – obstacles that must be overcome in order to complete the objective. But in my experience, these difficulties do not destroy the team as long as the entire team is motivated to accomplish the same task. Instead, the team will grow extremely close during that week. The hard work and reliance upon one another draws them closer to each other. They learn to share the work load. They learn that there are moments when they will be strong when others are weak, and they learn to lend a hand. They also learn that there are times when they are weak and have to accept someone else’s hand to help them with their task. Together they will doubt whether they will be able to accomplish all that they are called on to do that week. But together they will work together until that task is accomplished and they are successful.
During that week, they will also share in true worship experiences. They will sing songs together each evening. They will pray together each evening. They will think about scriptures together each evening. And during these times they will draw closer and closer to God as they learn to depend upon Him each day for the strength to do the things they have gone to Mexico to do.
The mission team is an immersed church. They are completely immersed in what they are asked to do for one week. They will work as long and as hard as they need to in order to accomplish that task. Obstacles and difficulties are overcome as they work together to solve problems. And worship becomes a relational experience. This has been my experience when I have been on mission trips.
So if this is a glimpse of an immersed church, how can we make this normative rather than anecdotal? How can we make our own congregations immersed bodies who operate in this manner rather than stagnant organizations that meet once or twice a week? Here are some of my conclusions based on my experiences…
1. Commitment from each member.
To go back to the image of kids playing video games – I’ve noticed that the kids who aren’t actively playing the game aren’t immersed in it like the ones with their hands on the controllers. For a church to completely immersed in the work of being the church, each member must have their hands on the controllers – they must be active and committed to the vision of that congregation.
2. Purpose/Mission.
What is the mission of your congregation? Do you know? Do you have a role that you are seeking to fill in your community? If not, your congregation may be struggling to find an identity. The members of your congregation might seem less committed than you think they should. It is hard to commit to a vague notion. Churches (and probably this would be the task of the leadership of the congregation) must do the hard work of looking in scripture to find what churches are supposed to be. Then they must do the hard work of looking in their community and seeing what the community needs. And then that church must do the hard work of beginning to meet the real needs of the people in that community.
3. Biblical unity.
Here’s the hard reality – God didn’t establish one mold for all Christians to be poured into. He didn’t give you the same talents he gave me. If our job in Mexico was to level a large section of land so that we could pour a four inch concrete floor with columns for the walls, and everyone decided that our job was to tie rebar – we could not accomplish our task for the week. For some reason that makes sense when we talk about building a building, but it seems like a foreign language when we try to apply that to the church. We tend to have in mind that we must all think and act alike. For a church to truly be immersed in the things we need to be immersed in, we must each learn to be the part of the body that God has called us to be. (I Corinthians 12)
4. Face difficulties and obstacles together.
Too often, whether in work settings or churches or homes, difficulties and obstacles become a reason to become angry with someone else rather than an opportunity to work together to become stronger. My focus in this article is the church, so I am mainly thinking about how the church reacts when something happens that some members do not like. It is time that we mature to the point that we can share our concerns with one another without judging. And as we share or learn of concerns, we must discipline ourselves to commit ourselves to working with the rest of the congregation to find a solution. It is only when the entire body works together to overcome an obstacle that the entire body can overcome an obstacle. If we are not all working together some will hurdle the obstacle while others get stuck. When that happens we are no longer a unified body.
5. Learn how to be strong.
Being strong does not mean dominating. It means that a person has the ability to help someone else who is weak at the moment. Being strong is not a permanent condition or a universal condition. I am strong some times while not strong at other times. I am strong in some areas, but not in others. We need to learn to recognize our strengths and use them to benefit others.
6. Learn how to be weak.
Being weak does not mean that we are less than the strong. It merely means that we need some help to face the situations we are in. But being weak is so offensive to us that we would rather suffer for weeks or months or years rather than accept the help that is offered by someone else. We need to learn that its OK to lean on someone else for a time. And during that time we need to learn how to serve someone else – so that when we are strong, we can assist someone who is weak. Some loads are too heavy to lift by ourselves. If we are stubborn and insist on lifting it ourselves, we will only injure ourselves…and then the load will fall on even more people to lift.
7. Sacrifice our own desires in order to meet the objective.
On a mission trip where we work to build a church building, each person has a desire during the day to return to the hotel. Sitting in an air conditioned room or relaxing in a pool is much more desirable than hauling off more debris or hauling a dozen more mixer loads of cement in five gallon buckets. But if the job is to be done – the desires must be sacrificed. We live in a world that says our desires are more important than the objective. It is time to turn that around.
8. Worship in Spirit and Truth.
Worshiping in Spirit and Truth is more than getting the acts right. It is the worship of the heart whose sole desire is to praise God. I have often found that the act of worship is most pleasing when I have immersed myself in the work God has placed before me. Showing up at a building to sing a few songs and endure a message is rarely worship if the way we live our lives the six days prior to that hour reflect very little about the relationship we claim to have with God. Tex Williams once said, “If you want to improve your sex life, you need to improve the other twenty-three and a half hours of the day. If you want to improve your Sunday worship, you need to improve the other six days of worship.”
9. Learn to rely on God for strength to accomplish our tasks.
This is a hard lesson to learn. We often pray for God to work and then expend all of our energy trying to show him how he needs to work. We must practice listening to the Spirit and feeling the urgings of the Spirit as he guides us. We must realize that “success” is up to God, and that it is our job to do the good deeds that he has prepared for us to do (lessons from Nehemiah 2 and Ephesians 2). How much time do churches spend worrying? And how much time do they spend walking in the faith and assurance that God is working?
10.
I really should have a tenth point here so that this could be some sort of top ten list. So feel free to add a point and send it to me. But to have a complete list might give us the sense that we could accomplish all of this if we follow a certain pattern of steps. This is not the case. All of this is said to illustrate the simple point that if we will learn to live like the Bible calls us to live we will be effective and productive in the work God has called us to do.

Life as I know it is a lot like a mission trip. And the trip will only be successful when the whole church realizes that we have a mission to do and each member of that church begins to work toward that goal.

Video Game Church, Part 3

Immersed in the lifestyle of Jesus. Immersed in the practice of the early church. Now for the third immersion – immersed in the Holy Spirit.
What??? A Church of Christ minister speaking of the immersion of the Spirit? How can that be?

Listen to what Jesus says:
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give food gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:11-13 (NIV)
Has the church failed to ask for that which we need – the Holy Spirit? Have we used our human strength to nullify the working of the Spirit of God in our congregations? Have we used our intelligence so much that we have puffed ourselves up to the point that we do not realize our weakness and how much we need to ask the Holy Spirit to indwell our churches once again?
If so, is it any wonder that people are leaving dissatisfied with the church? For if the church is not empowered by the Holy Spirit, then the church has nothing to offer other than the things the world offers. If Christians are not guided daily by the Holy Spirit and teaching others to live under the guidance of that Spirit, the church is weak and ineffective in producing Christ-like followers who make a difference in the world around them.

So what does it look like to be immersed in the Holy Spirit? Should we expect the miraculous manifestations that the early church experienced? Would it bother you if I said, “maybe”? I don’t believe that those manifestations are common or necessary to prove that one is immersed in the Holy Spirit, but if God chooses to work in that way, should I stand in opposition to that?
Here is what I have in mind when I speak of Christians and the church being immersed in the Spirit. We must begin to be spiritual humans and not merely humans. We must begin to think about spiritual matters. We must realize what the Bible clearly teaches – that the things of the world don’t matter while the Spiritual matters are of everlasting importance. Being immersed in the Spirit means that we practice keeping in step with the Spirit, as Paul urges the Christians to do in Galatians 5:25. Being immersed in the Spirit means that the church and the members of the church develop the fruits of the Spirit in their lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Before you write this off and say that this is just pious talk or unnecessary, let me ask you one more question. How much time do you spend seeking the Holy Spirit? Have you asked God for the Holy Spirit like a child asking your parent for the food you need to survive? Or are you sitting idly by thinking that mere church attendance is a sufficient demonstration of the life of Christ?
Life as I know it is best when we do our best to keep in step with the Spirit. I have not fully realized what this means, but I am growing and maturing – and God is faithful to give us good things when we ask… so I’m learning to ask.

Holy Moments

I've learned that the quietness of Sunday mornings can be special when interrupted by a child. This morning it was my youngest, Luke, who quietly walked into the den. I was sitting in silence thinking about the lessons and sermons of the day and straining to hear God's voice over my own thoughts. Luke snuggled up next to me, never saying a word. As the pre-dawn light faintly illuminated the den, I noticed his fingers beating out their own rhythm - following their own pathway to illustrate whatever was happening in his mind.
We continued sitting there for fifteen or twenty minutes - neither of us saying anything. Him snuggled up to me, me watching his hand and thinking of how small it is compared to mine (how large it is compared to the tiny hand it used to be - how small it is compared to what I anticipate it will be one day). I fought back the stinging in my eyes as I continued to watch the rhythm of his ever-growing hand... And I thought about how God looks at me and longs for me to snuggle up beside him in the quiet still of the early morning.
The silence was eventually broken when Luke got up to go get the Nintendo DS. But he came back and sat right beside me and started to play. And I found myself enjoying just sitting there watching him play his game - even though I cared nothing about the game he was playing. And again, I thought about God looking at me and longing for me to sit beside him as I play my games (which may not interest him in the least).
And without my realizing it - I had heard God's voice.
Life as I know it is best when I snuggle up close to God.

Drink From It, All of You

While Jesus and the disciples were making their way to Jerusalem for the last time, the mother of James and John approached Jesus, bowed down, and asked that her sons might be promoted above everyone else in God’s kingdom and that they might sit on either side of Jesus. After their mother made this request, Jesus addressed the brothers by asking them if they could drink the cup Jesus was going to drink. They readily agreed that they could drink the cup. I believe they argued this way because they thought it would assure them of their place at Jesus’ side. Then Jesus told them that they would drink of his cup, but that he could not guarantee their place at his side in the kingdom – that decision would be up to God alone.
Somehow the ten heard about the favor asked of Jesus by James and John and their mom. Their power play led to division among the twelve. Ten were against two. The NIV uses the word “indignant” to describe the reaction of the ten to the twelve. The desire of James and John to be promoted, to drink the cup of Christ, divided the group.

A few days later the twelve found themselves in a room together with Jesus eating a very important meal. During the meal, Jesus revealed that there was a traitor among them. Judas then left the group at some point to gather the posse that would arrest Jesus. During that same meal, Jesus took a loaf of bread, defined it as his body, and gave it to the disciples to eat.
“Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.’ ” (Matthew 26:27)
Together they would all drink the cup that night. No one would be excluded. No one would be elevated above the rest. No one more important, no one less. The cup of Christ is an equalizing force. It humbles the exalted and exalts the humble. It unites us all together as one group. Around the table there is no discrimination, for we are all forgiven sinners who have been saved by the power of the blood of Christ.

I invite you to take your mind back to the cross this morning. Remember the sacrifice that was paid. Remember the cup of suffering that Jesus drank on our behalf. Remember the drink he took on our behalf as he tasted the wrath that our sins demanded. As we take part in this feast, let us be thankful that we have the opportunity to drink from the cup of Christ. And in our thanksgiving, let us remember that all who drink from the cup drink from it equally.

Video Game Church, Part 2

As a member of the Church of Christ denomination, I am required, when asked, to tell you that my favorite book of the Bible is the book of Acts. We love to study Acts. And every study of Acts that I remember sitting through focused on immersion. The theme of the study is always Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Incidentally, I am also required to list this as my favorite Bible verse.) The study of Acts in Churches of Christ typically bounces from one conversion story to the next emphasizing the centrality of immersion in each story.
Don’t let my tongue in cheek attitude lead you to think that I don’t believe in immersion for the forgiveness of sins. I believe that this is what is taught in the Bible and it is a practice that the church must continue. The point I want to make is that we may have focused on the act of immersion for the forgiveness of sins and missed the real story of the church in Acts. Yes, baptism is essential – but immersion also seems to be crucial to the earliest church.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and good, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47)
Would it be OK if I changed the word “devoted” to “immersed”? Going back to the image of my children immersed in video games, this is the point that I want to make - the early church immersed itself with being the church. They immersed themselves in the teachings of the apostles. They immersed themselves in fellowship. They immersed themselves in breaking bread together. They immersed themselves in prayer. These are the four pillars of the early church.
For the new convert in Acts 2, baptism literally led them to a new life and, perhaps more importantly, to a new way of life. Christianity was not a religion with set times to come together each week. Christianity was a new community, a new culture, a new ordering of society. About this new society, Chris Seay writes, “Although this young and thriving church had no political influence, property, fame, or wealth, it was powerful. Its power was centered in living the gospel. The people valued one another more than any possessions. They came together as a large, passionate, healthy family where it was natural to pray and share all of life together.” (Seay, Chris; The Dust Off Their Feet: Lessons from the First Church; Thomas Nelson Publishers; Copyright 2006; p. 10.)
Notice the characteristics of this new society into which they were immersed. Together. Common. Gave (to anyone as he had need – not as a part of a worship service). Every day. Together. Broke bread (no distinction given as to whether this was a common meal or the Eucharist). Together. Glad. Sincere. Praising. Enjoying. Daily.
When I picture this earliest of churches, I see them as intent on being Christians as my kids are at playing video games. All outside distractions become minuscule as they immerse themselves into this new reality of Christianity. Is this the inner longing of those who leave church in search of Christ? Is this what will bring church-goers out of their dazed zombiness?
Life as I know it is best when we are immersed in the new way of Christian life.

Video Game Church, Part 1

My kids become engrossed in video games. I guess anyone with kids knows that engrossed is a bit of an understatement. They become zombie-esque while they play video games. Anything other than the sights and the sounds of the game fade into oblivion before reaching their senses. I call to them, knowing they are impervious to my call. I call again and again. And finally, after a slight escalation in volume, their heads begin to turn away from the game…and yet their eyes remain fixed on the screen. They mumble, “yeah,” but have no idea what has been said. They are immersed in the game.

Over the last couple of years I have heard more and more Christians express their dissatisfaction with Christianity. The religion of Christianity has turned many away from their local church in order to pursue Christ on their own. Those with a burning desire to follow Christ find themselves stifled in the midst of others who claim to have that exact same desire. One by one, Christ-followers seem to be waking up from a zombie-like trance and seeing the glazed over looks in the pews next to them (or you can insert your Matrix image here)…and they are no longer satisfied with continuing Christianity as it has been handed to them.
What, if anything, has gone wrong with Christianity? And what, if anything, can be done to “fix” it?
Before I embark on answering these questions, let me admit that I am no expert. I have not started any successful program to solve the problems I perceive. These are just my thoughts and observations as I strive to live my life to glorify God.
In Romans 6 Paul addressed a potential problem in the church – people believing that since they had been immersed they could sin as much as they wanted to sin and allow more of God’s grace to cover them. (Whether we want to admit it or not, I fear that our current view of grace is nothing more than what Paul was addressing in this passage.) In order to combat this way of thinking, Paul says:
…don’t you know that all of us who were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into his death? We were therefore buried with him through immersion into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:3-4 – Note: I changed the NIV’s translation from “baptized/baptism” to “immersed/immersion.” The Greek word means to dip or immerse.)
Perhaps we have forgotten that we were immersed into Christ. Or perhaps our view of our baptism has been a limited view of our immersion. On October 15, 1982, I walked down the outside aisle of the church auditorium and filled out a card stating that I wanted to be baptized. Tears filled my eyes and ran down my cheeks. I knew that this was a turning point in my life. I vividly remember looking out over the people gathered that Wednesday night as Ray Melton said, “this is your new family.” Then he plunged me beneath the water and I came up a new person. The tears of joy continued the rest of that night.
If October 15, 1982 becomes the date of an event in my life, then I missed the point of my immersion. That would be like going through all the events of May 28, 1994 and then devoting myself to spend an hour a week with my wife…unless there was something better to do. If our immersion becomes an event instead of a complete immersion into the death of Christ and the new life that it brings, then Christianity is doomed to suffer the fate of adherents walking around with glazed over eyes wondering why they put so much effort into dressing up on Sunday mornings…and finding something better to do than spend an hour a week with the one to whom they pledged themselves.
Life as I know it is best when we are completely immersed in Christ.

Roll Back the Stone

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. Matthew 28:1-4

Let me ask you to think about a simple question this morning: What if the stone had never been rolled back so that the Marys could see inside the empty tomb? What if the angel had never appeared on that Sunday morning? What if Mary and Mary had never gone in to see where Jesus’ body had been laid?
If those things had not happened, we would not be gathered here this morning to remember what Jesus did on our behalf. Without the empty tomb and witnesses to the empty tomb, we would have no hope of resurrection or eternal life. The apostles and early disciples would never have preached the message of Jesus Christ, they would have never endured the persecution they endured, they would not have done all the things they did… Peter, Andrew, James and John would have gone back to fishing. Matthew would have gone back to his tax collector’s booth. Simon would have gone back to scheming ways to overthrow the Romans. And you and I would have never heard about the Son of God coming to earth.
We gather this morning because the stone was rolled away from the entrance to the tomb. We gather this morning because the Lord is risen. We gather this morning because he will come again.
So as we eat this bread and drink this cup, let us remember the hope that he has given us. Let us remember the power we have through him. Let us remember the calling we have received to be his people and continue the mission of reaching out to those in this world who need to know of the risen Savior.

A Fool's Holiday

There’s a spider on your shoulder. No, really. Look! Its big and hairy and its crawling toward your face!!! … April Fool’s!!! Hahahaha
That works a lot better in person. Especially when the person is under five years old. Yes, its April 1st – April Fool’s Day. The “holiday” for simple-minded pranksters (self included). A celebration of silliness. Oh, and lest we forget, its also the Thursday before Easter – a real, honest to goodness, actual holiday that celebrates the resurrection of the Son of God. One of my facebook friends powerfully noted the intersection of the two with this status update: “I’m confused whether this is the day that we play pranks on people or if this is the day where we remember the last supper and Jesus praying and being arrested…”
It seems ironic that April Fool’s Day should occur during the “Holy Week.” At first glance, what could be further apart than a celebration of fools and the celebration of the Risen Lord? But look again… Maybe this is THE perfect time for April Fool’s Day to occur.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” – I Corinthians 1:18-25
Later on in the same letter, Paul, in a completely different context, says, “We are fools for Christ…” (I Corinthians 4:10)
Life as I know it is best lived as a fool…for Christ. Celebrate the new life that you have in Christ this weekend. Celebrate the fact that he rose from the dead. And when someone calls you a fool, just look them in the eye and gratefully say, “thank you for noticing – can I tell you about the one who made me this way?”
And if you don’t yet have that new life in Christ – get in touch with me. I’d love to help you find what I’ve found. You can find me on facebook or leave a comment and I will get in touch with you.

How Does It End?!?!

Grandmother read the last chapter of a book first. Before she invested her time in reading the entire book, she wanted to make sure she liked the way it ended. If she liked the ending, she would read the rest of the book. If she didn’t like the ending, she would give the book away or take it back to the library or throw it in the garbage can.
Her logic doesn’t make complete sense to me. I have often wondered why you would read a book if you already knew how the story ended. When the movie Titanic came out several years ago, I had little desire to see it – after all, I knew that towards the end of the movie the boat would sink. Knowing the ending takes away the mystery. Reading the last chapter takes away the suspense of finishing a chapter and having to start another one to find out how the plot lines will unravel.
So I don’t read the last chapter first when I read a book. But in my life – I find that I want to know the end before I endure the suspense and the mystery and the wonder of the story slowly revealing itself to me. I feel this way especially when answers seem slow in coming or the storyline doesn’t go the way I think it should. In those moments I want to skip to the next chapter or fast-forward a little way and see how things are going to work out. Let’s face it, sometimes the pages of life just turn too slowly.
Now, having said all of that, let me tell you about the last chapter of a story that will not take away the suspense or the mystery or the wonder of the story. It is the story of Easter. The discovery of the empty tomb is the beginning of a chapter that leads to a life of mystery and suspense and wonder. Satan tried to write the last chapter on the cross, but God displayed his power in raising Jesus from the dead. The cross reminds me of my guilt and shame… and God’s love and mercy. The empty tomb reminds me of my new life in Christ. And this life in Christ is ever-new, ever-surprising, ever-amazing, ever-incredible. Sure, there are times that I want to know how the chapter ends – but I already know the story ends with God’s love and that is good enough for me.
Life as I know it is often mysterious, sometimes gut-wrenching, occasionally bland, and full of unknowns. But life as I know it is also possible because of the one who died for me. For that reason, I will do my best today to live my life to glorify Him.

This Is My Body

(Here is another communion meditation from a few years ago. May it be a reminder of the reason we gather together each week with fellow brothers and sisters.)

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ ” (Matthew 26:26)
By now the apostles are used to Jesus saying and doing some things that seemed strange at the time. They have learned to trust him even when things don’t exactly make sense. But they must have still been dumbfounded when Jesus passes bread around the table with the explanation, “This is my body.” His natural body was present, but Jesus alludes to a different body, saying that this was now his body.
It probably didn’t make sense until Jesus used a similar meal to reveal what he was saying to his followers. It happened on the day of his resurrection. Two of Jesus’ followers are leaving Jerusalem heading toward the city of Emmaus. As they were walking, Jesus came up and walked with them as they discussed the recent events.
Apparently his body was different somehow, for they did not recognize him as he walked and talked with them, but, “when he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.”

“This is my body.”

Picture the scene in the upper room a bit differently now. Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks and breaks the bread giving it to his disciples with the instruction, “take and eat.” Then, looking around the room at each person, putting his arms around those on either side of him, he says with great pride and joy, “this is my body,” referring to the people in the room as well as the bread that was broken. That’s not the way it is recorded, but that is the reality of what was happening that night. It is the same thing he was doing on the road to Emmaus – showing his new body to those who had seen his old body. In the upper room Jesus was putting his arms around his followers, the ones who would become his body on earth after he was gone. And he was encouraging them by giving them something that they could hang on to after he had returned to the Father.
The scene continues to unfold before us today. And those words continue to be powerful words as we break the bread and eat. But it is more than bread, it is community. It is brother and sister, uniting together to become something powerful. It is member being joined to member so that we become a whole. As we gather around this table and partake of this feast, Jesus puts his arms around us, his brothers and sisters, and says to the world, “this is my body.”

And as we eat this bread, let us remember that we share this meal of the body of Christ as the body of Christ with the body of Christ.

My Doggie Has a Second Name...

Our dog’s name is Breeze. She has been a huge part of our family since this past September. And she has been a tremendous blessing to us. But she now has a nickname – “Satan.” I beg a little bit of patience from all the pet lovers reading this. It is actually a biblical name. And I don’t call her that in public – just when I’m working out.
Here’s the reason for the new nickname. When I exercise, Breeze goes ballistic. If I’m lifting weights, she will sit and watch me, waiting for that moment that I am done and I relax. Then she skillfully closes in on me and licks me. But that’s not the reason for the nickname – just supporting evidence. The real reason for the nickname is what happens if I do anything involving jumping or running. As soon as I begin, her tail starts wagging. After about the second bounce she begins jumping with me. By the fourth bounce she is usually jumping at me. As the dance continues she will begin growling and nipping at me (all the while her stubby tail wagging ferociously) and pawing at me and shoving me sideways into walls or other objects…until I stop. When I stop, she will stop and stand there panting with her tail wagging waiting for me to start again.
In the midst of this behavior this morning, I told her to git several times. For those not from Texas, that’s a real word that means go away, leave, get out of here. And even though Breeze has lived in Texas most of her life, her mom is from Colorado and apparently she didn’t learn the word “git,” because she didn’t. With the repetition of the word, I began to add a familiar verse to my Texas rebuke and wound up saying, more to myself than to the dog, “get behind me, Satan!”
It was in that moment that I heard Jesus’ rebuke of Peter a little bit differently. The name has always been problematic. Did Jesus actually call Peter, Satan? I think Jesus does that because he has just changed his name from Simon to Peter and was illustrating that he was not acting like the Peter he was supposed to be, but was acting as one who was trying to lead Jesus astray. So redact the secondary name change and listen to what Jesus says.
“Get behind me! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” -- Matthew 16:23
I began to hear this as less of a rebuke and more of a call to discipleship. Jesus is not telling Peter anything other than what he called him to beside the Sea. (“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” – Matthew 4:18-20) In both cases, Jesus is calling Peter to walk behind him. To go where he goes. To do what he does. To say what he says. They are both invitations to discipleship.
I wonder how many times I try to lead Jesus. I accepted the call to follow, but often become impatient walking behind Jesus. Instead I find myself nipping at his heels and doing my best to push him forward. As a result, I become a stumbling block…having in mind the things I want and not the things of God.
Life as I know it is lived best when I walk behind Jesus, patiently going where he goes, quietly saying what he says, humbly doing what he does. But sometimes I forget and I get in the way and I need to hear him calling to me to get back in line, “get behind me…”

Weight Room Wisdom

One of the most memorable sayings of my teen years is “no pain, no gain.” It was the weight room mantra. Every coach I ever had indoctrinated us with the idea that if we did not endure some difficulties off the field, we would not improve our performance on the field. I was reminded of that teaching this morning as I added a few pounds to my workout. And with every ounce of strength within me I fought back the retort that I had grown fond of during my teen years as I heard another coach chanting the oh-so-familiar mantra. My juvenile retort was, “no pain, no pain.”
I have never been a big fan of weightlifting… scratch that – I have never been a big fan of exercising. Loved sports. Loved playing the games. But did not like the discipline of exercise. Now as I approach my ___-ieth birthday, I find that I need the discipline of exercise. So this morning I fought the urge to skip my weightlifting and actually added a little bit of weight to my not-so-routine routine.
It was in the midst of this exercise in pain that I began to think about the spiritual condition of … . I hesitate to identify any one group here, because I think this is one of those issues where all groups are united. We are all united in the spiritual condition of adequacy. If it were a syndrome (sin-drome), it might be labeled the “just enough” syndrome. Mark Buchanan would call it living in the borderland worshiping a safe god syndrome (see his book “Your God is Too Safe,” Multnomah Press, 2001).
The essence of this mindset is that we look for the least amount necessary to be saved. Some view that as a prayer asking Christ to be Lord of their life. Some define that as baptism. Some believe the prayers of a priest are necessary. However they define the least amount needed to be saved, they go to that mark. And there they sit for the rest of their lives, content with the notion that they are safe.
As I was working out this morning and struggling to keep a positive attitude toward increasing the amount I was lifting and wrestling with the idea that I had been guilty of spiritual laziness along with the rest of …, this passage came into my head:
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” -- 2 Peter 1:5-11
Make every effort.
Add to.
Increasing measure.
Life as I know it is best when we don’t settle for spiritual minimalism. Or, life as I know it is best when we add spiritual disciplines in increasing measure to our lives. Yes, it is difficult – at first. But just like lifting weights, we become accustomed to them and get to the point that we can increase a little more. I am at the point of realizing that more exercise is needed in my life for me to get in the shape I need to be in – which means the even more painful step of adding cardiovascular activity to my exercise. (YUCK!) It will be painful. But it will be beneficial. Perhaps there is a spiritual discipline that I need to add as well. And, yes that will be painful, too. And just like lifting weights, results will not be seen overnight. It is a discipline that yields results with extended intentional use. But that’s life as I know it and I know that I don’t want to repeat the spiritual mantra of “no pain, no pain” anymore. I want to be effective and productive. And for that to happen I must make every effort, add to, and increase the measure of my spiritual walk each day.

Neither

March Madness is one of my favorite sporting events of the year. Along with millions of other people, I print out a blank bracket of the NCAA tournament and make my predictions. And just like most of the other millions of fans, I watch the games agonizing each time my teams lose. This year is no exception...only this year the madness has been increased. Upsets of some of the top seeded teams have been common instead of rare. As a result, I find myself really enjoying the games while not rooting for either team. My kids ask, "who are you for in this one?" And I reply, "neither, I just hope its a good game."
Neither.
The word sticks out like a sore thumb in a world dominated by either/or's. How can you be for neither team in a contest? How can you watch two competitors and not be for either one? How can you not be one party or another?
I want to suggest that the politics of neither is a very viable option. It isn't a position of passivity or nonchalance. It is not the position of the lazy, but is instead a position of extreme clarity. Here's the beauty of neither:
"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, 'Are you for us or for our enemies?'
" 'Neither,' he replied, 'but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.' " (Joshua 5:13-14)
Jesus would answer in similar fashion on several occasions. When confronted with a woman caught in adultery and asked if he would uphold the law of Moses or make a new command (for which they could then stone him, too), Jesus stooped down to write in the dirt and then turned the mob's attention back to their own sinfulness. (John 8) When asked if a blind man was blind because of his own sins or the sins of his parents, Jesus said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (John 9) Then he healed the man and allowed him to be able to see for the first time in his life.
It is time for Christians to begin looking for neither options. That is to say, it is time for Christians to start looking for God's will...which usually has nothing to do with the two options that are placed before us.
Life as I know it is filled with chances to take a stand on one side or another. But when we have the wisdom to side with neither and simply live as a soldier in the army of the Lord, it is so much better...

Yes, It Is You

(Another communion meditation from a few years back. May it remind us of the reason we come together each week as the body of Christ.)

“I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.” (Matthew 26:21-25)

A more accurate translation of this last phrase would be, “You, yourself have said it,” or simply “You said it.”
One by one the apostles asked Jesus, “Surely not I, Lord?” One by one they admitted their own insecurities and fears. Each one realized that he could have been the one Jesus meant when he said that one of them would betray them. And finally, after Jesus speaks again, Judas asks the question that he already knows the answer to, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” To which Jesus responds, “You said it.”
The difference between the eleven and Judas is subtle to us. In fact, we may not have noticed it. Eleven men ask, “Surely not I, Lord.” Judas asks, “Surely not I, Rabbi.” Almost without exception in the gospel of Matthew, the term Rabbi is used by unbelievers. The term Rabbi was used to identify someone as a teacher. The term Lord shows a relationship that goes beyond the formalities of teacher-student relationship. The eleven display their acceptance of Jesus as their Master. By calling him Lord, they are showing that they want to live like him, to model his behavior, his speech, his actions. By calling Jesus “Rabbi,” Judas recognizes that Jesus is intelligent and wise, but that he is not persuaded to live the lifestyle Jesus has called him to live.
The debate highlighted at this meal continues to this day. Is Jesus Lord? Or is Jesus rabbi? Sometimes the debate makes its way into the public arena as one faith argues with another over the identity of Christ. But the more important debate is the internal debate we have with ourselves. Is he my Lord?
At times he may be our Lord, and we fervently follow him. At other times he may be a teacher whose teaching we can ignore for a time. This morning, as we gather to remember his sacrifice, let us each reflect on our relationship with Christ. Is he Lord? Or is he teacher?
[Pause and think about that.]
We gather around this table as people who call Jesus “Lord.” We accept Jesus as our Master, our Teacher, our Savior. We gather because we want to live like him; modeling his behavior, his speech, his actions. We also gather because we cannot attain what we want – to be like him perfectly. So we come together this morning to eat this meal and be strengthened by our Lord.

Ouch!

Let's be honest - there are times that reading through the Bible is about as exciting as reading a Chinese phone book. Now, I haven't actually attempted to read a Chinese phone book, so maybe this comparison is a little bit unfair - but since the Chinese language uses different symbols, I know that it would not be exciting for me to try to read it.

Recently I have been reading a chronological Bible that is divided up into daily readings. It is called the Daily Bible and was edited and arranged by F. LaGard Smith. For the past month my daily readings have consisted of the laws of Deuteronomy and Leviticus fame, the numbers of Numbers fame, and most recently the physical description of the borders of the territories of each of the tribes of Israel. I made it through the laws...it was hard, but I made it. The parts of numbers where everything is numbered and repeated for each tribe...I kind of skipped over about eleven of the accounts. And yesterday, when it was time to divide Canaan among the tribes - I just turned back to the map in my other Bible...one glance told me what several chapters in Joshua tried to tell me.

In addition to reading from the Daily Bible, I also read a chapter in Proverbs - the chapter that corresponds to the day's date. Typically I read the chapter from Proverbs after I read the other.

I say all of that to say that sometimes the Bible just doesn't speak to me for a long period of time. But this morning was different. This morning just took one verse. In fact, I haven't even made it to Joshua's farewell address yet (at least it isn't more land divisions!). This morning I read Proverbs 15 first. Well, not first. Before I got to Proverbs 15, I had a couple of encounters with the kids... one of them grumbling, all of them not answering questions, one lying ... In the midst of trying to sort out the laundry and explaining myself rather bluntly, I was asked, "are you not happy that we're home today?"

Moments later I read Proverbs 15:1. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." One verse was all it took today for the Bible to speak to me. I was guilty of having harsh words and stirring up anger within my own home.

Life as I know it is frustrating sometimes. In my desire for my kids to mature, sometimes I become immature. And that's why I have made it my goal to read the Bible every day...so that I can receive instruction in the moment that I need it, encouragement in the midst of trials, peace in the middle of storms, and wisdom for tomorrow.

What Price for Jesus?

(Here is another communion meditation from a few years ago. I pray that it helps us to remember the reason we gather together on Sundays as the family of God.)

Did you ever want something that you didn’t have? Maybe as a child your friend or your sibling had a toy that you really liked. If only you possessed that toy…your life would be so much better. But there was a problem. It wasn’t yours. And you didn’t have the money to buy it. But you really wanted it. So you started bartering for it. You start the conversation by saying something like, “Can I trade you something for that toy?”
To which the owner of the toy says, “What are you willing to give me if I hand it over to you?”
You quickly start showing off your treasures. A piece of bubble gum, some army men, a sling shot, and a marble. As each treasure comes out of your pocket, your friend’s eyes light up a little bit more until you finally get that last marble out. And before you can retrieve anything else, he shoves the toy toward you and grabs his loot. The deal was done.
In much the same way, Judas approaches the chief priests during the week before Jesus was crucified… “Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.” (Matthew 26:14-16)
I can’t answer the question of why Judas would go to the chief priests. Some say he was greedy, some say he was trying to get Jesus to start the revolt he thought was going to take place. All I can do is watch his eyes as the treasurer slowly begins placing the coins on the table.
One…two…three. He barely looks at the table.
Seventeen…eighteen…nineteen. His stomach begins to knot, his feet shift.
Twenty-eight. Eyes wide.
Twenty-nine. He is sweating with anticipation.
Thirty. Dirty hands scoop up the coins and Judas quickly slinks away.

The irony of that moment. While Judas saw Jesus as something he could sell, Jesus saw Judas as someone he could save. And so he gave himself.

Judas gave something he did not possess for something he would not keep.
Jesus gave himself, his life, a thing he did possess for someone who would not have him.

But the exchange Jesus made was not just for Judas, it was for all of the Judases, all the Adams, all the Eves, all of you, and all of me. And so, we gather to remember the life that was betrayed for a measly price. We remember the great debt that life paid. We remember that our sins are forgiven. Let us, therefore, accept the memorial feast with thanksgiving and awe.