March, 2014

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Power

Monday, March 31st, 2014

I opened up my browser to MSN Monday morning and the first news which greeted me was North and South Korea had taken shots at each other. History tells us it largely about POWER. North Korea wants power over South Korea.

Everyone probably knows the events which have consumed the news about Ukraine over the past couple of months. From the refusal of signing a document with the EU, international events have changed. A peaceful protest which turned ugly. Resignation. Rejoicing for a new hope and beginning. Russia overtaking Crimea with threats of more encroachment. It is about POWER.

Raising the price of gasoline to astronomical heights, not because it is best for the consumer, but because it lines pockets with more cash. POWER.

In our own country we have rival gangs fighting for territory. We have drug lords refusing to budge an inch lest someone get a piece of their action. Government overstepping its bounds trying force its medical mandate upon companies who do not support it.  POWER.

Local pastors “lord it over” their flock as though they are serving a bunch of hard-headed wild boars instead of sheep. POWER.

For many of us there is a greater picture of POWER. It is the antithesis of what our world sees as power. It is the CROSS. Paul wrote these words in I Corinthians 1:18 and also in verse 24.  One of my favorite Scriptures is found in Galatians 6:14: “May I never boast except in the cross of Christ.”

What was thought to be a sign of weakness (crucifixion) turned out to be the ultimate POWER trip. Not in a bad way, mind you, but in the best way. Enemies defeated in one fell swoop. And even today the “ground is still level at the foot of the cross.”

POWER-real POWER-comes not from threats or aggressive moves. Real POWER is best shown by the Greatest of all. This song illustrates what I’m try to say to a “T.”

What is power to you? How is power shown?

Pride

Sunday, March 30th, 2014

Pride is one of those words which immediately separates the sheep from the goats.

Pride can be bad. We all know that. If we know someone who is filled with pride, we associate that type of pride with arrogance. Man, what a turn off. It doesn’t matter what walk of life a person is in- sports, acting, pastors, business-we seek to avoid them. I read an article just the other day about  baseball players who are not very well liked because of their arrogance. Nothing turns people off to a pastor quicker than arrogance. (I now whereof I speak).

Pride can also be good. We should take pride in doing a job well. We should feel pride in a task accomplished, especially if it was outside of our comfort zone. A parent should take pride in their children.

And it just so happens that is what my post is about today. My pride in both my girls.

Today (Sunday) is a monumental day is Tami’s life. She is running a 1/2 marathon. I’m proud of her for the life change she has made, largely due to her health. It hasn’t been easy. She has had some setbacks, even recently. (She just found out she has to have sinus surgery April 14th). Weather and some health issues has limited her training, but I am thrilled she is trying anyway. She texted me about being nervous and I told her I am proud of her; I loved her; relax and Live the Adventure!

May 2nd my youngest daughter, Janna, will run her first 1/2 marathon. More on her closer to her marathon.

I’m not really sure where they get it. Jo doesn’t run. I don’t run. Not only do I not like it, my body couldn’t take it. But I’m proud of both of them. After all, a father is allowed to brag is he not? 🙂

What/who are you proud of?

Update: She finished!! Yeah Tami! You are my hero!

Conversations

Thursday, March 27th, 2014

Wednesday I had two interesting conversations…totally removed from the other…two totally different people…two totally different points of discussion…and yet they are tied together. Let me explain.

Earlier in the afternoon a woman came to see me in my office. I had made an offer of “if you need to talk just let me know.” Yesterday was that time. She and her family began attending OVCF a number of months ago-off and on-mostly off. I’m okay with that; it is their choice. I found out why. She likes OVCF, likes the people, likes the music, but misses her home of 20 years..and especially her pastor. I don’t preach like he does since I don’t do a verse-by-verse sermon (ala John MacArthur).

The other conversation was with a man and his wife who have been attending faithfully for over a year. He loves the people, loves the church…but can’t stand the music (he likes the old hymns). They keep coming. Why? He absolutely loves my preaching. For the record: I like this guy a whole lot better.  🙂  I kid.

It definitely got me thinking. Two people. Two different viewpoints. Two different responses. One hates to miss; the other struggles to come. The reality is no church is for every one. What some like others can’t stand. I know what the woman wants and actually said, “You know, if I knew of anyone in this area who preaches like that I would tell you.” I don’t, so I can’t. And while this man doesn’t like our music, I love his heart for Jesus and his love for the people they have come to know.

I’m not saying anything new here. No church fits all people. We need to allow people the freedom to find the body which best suits their needs. It’s just that ours is…nah, I’m not going to say that.  🙂

What approach does your pastor or church take toward people like these two?

Oh, and for the record: I love them both.

Hoot

Wednesday, March 26th, 2014

Today is going to be “fun” day here. I came to the office Wednesday morning and saw this on another blog. I absolutely loved it!  It is a hoot! Please take a moment to watch it and let your inner child loose.

Sometimes, in our efforts to grow up, we forget how to have fun, how to be a “child.”

As for the two actors, I think it was great they were willing to take part. They made a child’s day.

And if you really want to laugh, check out this video on YouTube. It was one of my favorite songs from the summer of 1969. I graduated in ’70 (and yes, I am tha-a-a-a-a-t old).

Have fun today. Don’t take life too seriously. Laugh…long and hard and often…even at my expense.

How about you? Have any funny videos you can share with me and my readers today? Any nostalgic songs you can link to?

Rules

Tuesday, March 25th, 2014

Rules are good…..sometimes.

Rules are bad…sometimes.

Rules are meant to keep order and control…all the time.

Seriously, I think we can all agree that rules have their place. I’m glad there are rules in sports. I would hate to think of the chaos if there wasn’t. There have to be rules of the road. Again…chaos if not. Rules for what is right and wrong is important. Paul said he would not have known sin if it hadn’t been for the law, he would not have known what covetousness was if the Bible had not said, “Do not covet.”

But rules can also be downers. They  can put the kabosh on some thinking and dreams. “You can’t do that. It is not possible.” If left up to rules, David would have never challenged Goliath. What he wanted to do was improbable.

Rules have tended to limit our thinking. Have you ever wondered why, when we were kids, the Bible stories read to us were meant to inspire dreams of impossibilities being made possible with God? And yet as adults, the same stories become observations of how it was “once upon a time.” Why is it that what I learned as a kid is now inapplicable?  Why do we become so tame in our thinking?

Have we bought into the rules which say, “God doesn’t work that way anymore?” I’m not talking about wackiness. I’m not talking about the stuff of hucksters. I’m talking about the whole idea of taking God at His word and trusting. Trusting and doing. Trusting and stepping out. Trusting and dreaming the impossible to become possible.

What do you think? Why do we stop dreaming?

More

Monday, March 24th, 2014

This past Sunday we sang a song which had this chorus:

“We are hungry, we are hungry, we are hungry for more of You/ We are thirsty, O Jesus, we are thirsty for more of You.”

To be honest, and I know this is up for grabs (discussion), I’m not sure the real desire is for more of God. The real issue is for Him to have more of me.  That may seem miniscule to some, so am just saying it (and still working through it).

At the same time, I understand the gist of the song. There should be in the heart of every Christ-follower a hunger and thirst to know Jesus more. (Again, if I am double-speaking then remember I am thinking it through). The whole idea of “be filled with the Spirit” is being controlled by the Spirit. That comes from Him owning more of me, filling every room in my “house” with His presence.

There is something I am really sure about though: We can’t take people where we haven’t been. We can’t give what we don’t have. This really goes for all walks of life, you know? I can’t talk to someone about the dangers of drinking because I have never had a drink. But I can talk to someone about the dangers of porn or about riding bicycles.

My post here gave the idea that I didn’t think much. I do…as someone very strongly reminded me in a personal email. I stand in front of people every Sunday as God’s spokesman, hopefully sharing with them some of my personal journey/study with the Lord.  Forbid that I should stand in front of people with nothing to say from God.

A life honed in private at the Master’s feet will reveal itself in public before hungering and thirsting hearts. (I’d ask you to tweet that if I tweeted. 🙂 )

I want to hunger and thirst for Jesus. If that means to want more of Him, then I stand corrected. Either way, I want Him to control more of me.

Any thoughts?

Health

Sunday, March 23rd, 2014

I confess: I am somewhat obsessed when it comes to my health.

But not so obsessed that I don’t eat things or do things which often call that into question.

At 61 it is a given I have pretty much set my course of health. But I also have a lot to live for (particularly a certain 7 year old grandson), so I have decided to make some changes to my diet. It has been a month now since I have had a Diet Dr Pepper. Not that I think drinking pop is wrong; it is just that I was drinking way too much of it. I have changed my snacking habits, especially after 5:00. (Yes, I still eat ice cream…just a smaller portion).  🙂

CHANGE. IS. HARD.

Researchers have conducted studies of patients who have undergone major heart surgeries and found that two years after surgery, 90% of those patients had not changed their lifestyle and found themselves in the very same health condition they were before surgery.

THAT’S. NOT. GOOD.

I have been able to cycle more since the weather has broken. I have been gradually adding mileage (allowing my surgically-repaired knee to get stronger) and rode for 18 this past Friday.

THAT. IS. GOOD. (for me anyway)

There is also a Good and Not Good spiritually. There are those who take their health with a blase’ attitude. That’s. not. good.

There are those who take it seriously. That. is. good. They will make the changes needed for continued good health.

Do you take care of yourself physically? How so? More importantly: do you take care of yourself spiritually? How so?

Thinking

Thursday, March 20th, 2014

One of my pet peeves, but also one of the things I fall short in is the ability to think. Wait…wait…wait. Before you get out your “I agree” signs, please hear me out. 🙂  I left out a word.

DEEPLY.

I fail to think deeply.

What I mean by that is I am not blessed with a mind which goes deeply into things. For example, I believe in God…wholeheartedly. But please don’t ask me to debate that. I believe in the Trinity, but please don’t ask me to go into the nether regions trying to explain or understand it. I yawn and nod off while trying to read books which are deeper than 6 feet. (However deep that is I am clueless). To a fault, I tend to take things at face value.

However, I can think. I can reason. I can make decisions on whether to believe or not believe. My bone of contention is with those who take things as “gospel” without investigating or hearing the issue out. I dare say we would not have the whole health-and-wealth ungospel if people were thinking Christians. We are often like a dog-and-pony show. Follow the latest trend. Saddle up to the latest hot prospect in the media. He/she plays a tune on the flute and we follow in lock-step.

I found this post to be both insightful and full of honesty and good stuff. It is also a thinking man’s post. I hope you will take the time to read it. More than that, I hope you will decide to be a thinker. Don’t just take something as “gospel” because someone said it.

Are you a thinker?

Thanks

Thursday, March 20th, 2014

I try to be really regular in my posting. Every night at 8:00 I try to have a new post hitting here and whoever is in the RSS feed. I failed this time. It’s the old “Life Happens” thing. And Wednesday was truly one of those days. I’ll not bore you with the details, but as I laid in bed last night (for about a minute or two) my thoughts went to this post. I decided then what I would write about, but wasn’t about to get out of bed to do it.

Over the past 6-8 months or so, our media has gone nuts. After working so smoothly for 6-9 months, it suddenly decided to go spastic on us. The nature of our worship room requires 2 fairly large TV screens mounted in corners and a big screen mounted straight ahead then lowered for viewing. (I hope that makes sense). One Sunday they began to randomly cut out on us. It has become more frequent AND ANNOYING as time has passed. Ryan (techgeek) has worked and researched diligently trying to find out what is the culprit. After countless hours there was still no answer. Everything he tried seemed to say, “I am the answer” until result-time, then FAIL (unless you take Thomas Edison’s view of “that is one more experiment we know doesn’t work.”). Again, I won’t bore you with all he tried (I’m not even sure I know), but suffice it to say nothing worked. Others were involved in trying to solve the “challenge” but we came up empty. Finally, after another Sunday of getting flash burns, one of our guys brought his lift in and with Ryan’s advice ran a separate VGA cable (yeah I know…say what?) to the projector. It stayed on. More cable is being ordered for the TVs. It hampers us doing some things smoothly, but at least it solves the flash burn issue.

All I want to say is Thanks Ryan. Thanks David. Thanks Scott. Thanks Mark. You guys deserve humongous words of gratitude for going above and beyond. Someone asked me last night in my “66” class how I felt about being here. It is guys like these who make it THE BEST church I have ever had the privilege of pastoring.

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I would like to leave you with something to think about:

“God is not trying to keep you safe, He is trying to keep you from a meaningless life.”  (Seen in Surrendered and Untamed by Jason Clark-p.72)

Any thanks you would like to share today?

TRUE?

Tuesday, March 18th, 2014

OR FALSE?

This post is going to be really short compared to most of mine. 🙂 But I need your input, i.e. help.  Here’s the deal:

I’ve been working on a sermon for Palm Sunday on John 13:1-17. As I was working on it a thought crossed my mind. I’m not sure if I am done developing it…or if it is even true. That is where you come in at. My thought:

You cannot have love without humility; you cannot have humility without love.

True or false? This is not a trick question. There is no right or wrong. I want to know whether you agree with that statement or not. Along with your “yes” or “no,” would you also please include why/why not?

Thanks. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.