Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Steve Jobs resigned yesterday. It was the headline on the front page of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and maybe it was for your newspaper as well (if any of you are still reading newspapers). Reports of sadness in the industry and accolades for an impact on all of society across the world have poured in. His infrequent appearances have been called "cult-like" and a simple announcement by Jobs about Apple and its next product would send the markets up or down depending on the tone of said announcement.
As I sit and write from my MacBook Pro, I realize the impact Jobs has had on the way I do things. Multiply that by millions and you get the idea. And though Jobs cannot take all the credit, he can take credit for being the visionary that has put all of this at our hands. It is not Jobs' skill at engineering or his leadership ability that will be missed the most but his ability to visualize, communicate that vision and then make that vision a reality. Steve Jobs gave his company something to shoot for and, more often than not, they hit the target.
This morning there are millions of people as well who are having an impact on this society. They will not receive headlines or accolades on a world wide level. They may not even receive a simple thank you. They are young and old. Men and women. Some possess great skill and others are more challenged. You will meet these people on the street, in the store, at your workplace. And you, yourself, may be one of these world changers that take the Scripture at the top of this page to heart.
We are followers of Christ who sincerely do all that we do as if we are doing it for Christ himself. The vision Paul puts before us is of a people that will do the best job possible, to the highest quality available, not for personal gain or accolades, but just for the fact that we are doing it for Christ. The goal is quality all across the board, at all levels of life.
Whatever we do, Paul says, do it for the Master. So I strive to be the best husband I can be to please Christ. If I can do that, my wife receives the greatest benefit. If I Pastor to please Christ then my congregation and community receive the greatest benefit. Our employers will receive great benefit if we work the assembly line, teach our students, fix the cars as if we are serving Christ.
A better society does not come out of serving ourselves but, as Paul says, doing all things as service to Christ. Our society may reward us for this or not. Paychecks or a thank you or recognition may be forthcoming, or not. And though the Bible promises us an inheritance for such actions, that is still not the motivating factor we should have in doing the best in all we do. We do all things, from the majestic to the mundane, to please Christ.
Try it and see how your family and friends will benefit, your employer will benefit, your community will benefit and how you will benefit. Visualize serving Christ in all things, communicate that vision to yourself and, then, make it happen. It will change the world.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Vacation Edition: Stones
Joshua 4:1-7
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
Joshua 4
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
When we had first moved to Minnesota in 1995 our stated goal was to take a vacation every two years back home to Maine. That is a tradition we kept to until the last four or five years as both sets of our parents continue to age anddeal with various health issues. Now we come home every summer and one week of the winter Patty heads to her parents and I to mine.
Every year we go home we always think it is the last year the kids will come home with us. Yet this year was more of the same. Morgan, recent graduate from college, recently licensed as a minister with the Assemblies of God, and recently engaged, wanted to bring her fiancee, Levi, home to meet the family and to see the sights. Jordan, entering his final year of college, brought his girlfriend, Abby, home for the same reason. (Let me say before going further my children have chosen well).
There is something about going back home and every year we hit the same places: the beach, the mountain, Queechee Gorge, the golf courses, Martell's Ice Cream, Two Lights and on and on. We never get bored when coming home.
This year we all attended service at Emmanuel Assembly of God in Portland. Emmanuel Assembly holds a special place in my heart for it is there that God dealt with my me and persuaded me to enter the ministry full-time. It is also there that God gave Patty and I Pastor Ken and Beth Wilcox who invested in us, helped us grow in our faith and prepared us for what lie ahead in ministry. My "pastor template" is fashioned after the care, compassion and sense of duty Pastor Wilcox displayed in front of me. It is no mistake that I still call him Pastor because, in many ways, he still remains so.
We head back to Emmanuel Assembly every year not just to visit old friends. In all honesty, not many of the people we fellowshiped with from 1990-1995 are still there. Many have passed away, many have moved on to other churches. But I can go to Emmanuel Assembly of God and go to the spot at the altar I had knelt one Sunday night and I finally gave in to God's call on my life.
The passage from Joshua is important because God instructed Joshua to put up a reminder of God's goodness and faithfulness and provision in getting to the Promised Land. This pile of stones was not to be placed there for that generation but for the future generations who would see the stones and ask "What is that?" And the response would be the wonderful story of God leading them out of Egypt.
All of us have stones in our life that we can take our children, our grandchildren, our friends to see. It may be a picture, it may be a place, it may be a building but it will be a reminder of when God was faithful to us and a reminder that he will be faithful again. It will also instill in the future generation the truth that if God spoke to Dad, provided for Dad, healed Dad then God will be there to do the same for them.
This is why it was important to bring Levi and Abby to Emmanuel Assembly, for it is there it all started. If Emmanuel Assembly never happened, we would never have moved to Minnesota and Morgan would have never met Levi and Jordan never would have met Abby.
Thank God for the stones that bring back not just the memory of his faithfulness but the hope of who He still is.
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
Joshua 4
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
When we had first moved to Minnesota in 1995 our stated goal was to take a vacation every two years back home to Maine. That is a tradition we kept to until the last four or five years as both sets of our parents continue to age anddeal with various health issues. Now we come home every summer and one week of the winter Patty heads to her parents and I to mine.
Every year we go home we always think it is the last year the kids will come home with us. Yet this year was more of the same. Morgan, recent graduate from college, recently licensed as a minister with the Assemblies of God, and recently engaged, wanted to bring her fiancee, Levi, home to meet the family and to see the sights. Jordan, entering his final year of college, brought his girlfriend, Abby, home for the same reason. (Let me say before going further my children have chosen well).
There is something about going back home and every year we hit the same places: the beach, the mountain, Queechee Gorge, the golf courses, Martell's Ice Cream, Two Lights and on and on. We never get bored when coming home.
This year we all attended service at Emmanuel Assembly of God in Portland. Emmanuel Assembly holds a special place in my heart for it is there that God dealt with my me and persuaded me to enter the ministry full-time. It is also there that God gave Patty and I Pastor Ken and Beth Wilcox who invested in us, helped us grow in our faith and prepared us for what lie ahead in ministry. My "pastor template" is fashioned after the care, compassion and sense of duty Pastor Wilcox displayed in front of me. It is no mistake that I still call him Pastor because, in many ways, he still remains so.
We head back to Emmanuel Assembly every year not just to visit old friends. In all honesty, not many of the people we fellowshiped with from 1990-1995 are still there. Many have passed away, many have moved on to other churches. But I can go to Emmanuel Assembly of God and go to the spot at the altar I had knelt one Sunday night and I finally gave in to God's call on my life.
The passage from Joshua is important because God instructed Joshua to put up a reminder of God's goodness and faithfulness and provision in getting to the Promised Land. This pile of stones was not to be placed there for that generation but for the future generations who would see the stones and ask "What is that?" And the response would be the wonderful story of God leading them out of Egypt.
All of us have stones in our life that we can take our children, our grandchildren, our friends to see. It may be a picture, it may be a place, it may be a building but it will be a reminder of when God was faithful to us and a reminder that he will be faithful again. It will also instill in the future generation the truth that if God spoke to Dad, provided for Dad, healed Dad then God will be there to do the same for them.
This is why it was important to bring Levi and Abby to Emmanuel Assembly, for it is there it all started. If Emmanuel Assembly never happened, we would never have moved to Minnesota and Morgan would have never met Levi and Jordan never would have met Abby.
Thank God for the stones that bring back not just the memory of his faithfulness but the hope of who He still is.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Vacation Edition: Re-writing History
John 8:31-33 "To the Jews that believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?
As I sit in the Appalachian Trail Cafe in downtown Millinocket, my vacation has officially started. I have treated myself to a helping of chopped tots and onions, a cup of coffee, and the buzz and murmur that is the hometown diner. And with it come memories.
I love my hometown, as any other person does. The memories are as strong as the coffee, but like a good cup of coffee does from time to time, memories can give me heartburn and keep me up at night. Not all the memories of growing up in the Magic City are magical yet they are part of my heritage, a part of my past, a part of the legacy I pass on to my kids.
It is interesting looking back on my youth. Most of the memories that keep me up at night are now seen through adult eyes and with adult sensibilities. I realize now the moments when I was a jerk, the people I hurt, and the true motives behind some of my actions as a youth. Some of them are particularly cringe-inducing. If one of my kids had acted like I did growing up, I would have slapped them into the next week.
We all have memories we would change if we could.Yet, mingled with those memories are the things that I would never change. The memories that keep me up at night for a good reason. The ones that bring a smile and a laugh and pride in accomplishment.
Good, bad or indifferent my history plays a key role in what I pass onto my kids. My legacy includes both the good and bad memories and the lessons learned from both. To re-write my history to ignore the more painful parts would diminish what I have become today. To ignore the moments I was less than perfect or to explain away certain actions because of "youth" would dishonor God and the place he has brought me thus far.
Christ's famous "...and the truth shall set you free" is spoken in the above passage. But the reaction of those listening is what catches my imagination. They are re-writing their past. "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone!" is a statement both true and untrue at the same time.
Though it is likely this particularly group of men listening to Christ have never been slaves to anyone (though they find themselves under Roman rule) they changed the perspective when they bring up their heritage. Their people certainly were slaves to the Egyptians. And the story of God's provision and escape at that time has carried the Hebrew nation through thick and thin. To forget that particular past, no matter how painful, means to forget where God stepped in and that is a dangerous thing.
Somewhere along the line these group of men lost the correlation of the God of their past with the God of their present. To forget they were slaves at one time and God set them free means they have forgotten the God that set people free be it from tyranny or sin. The Hebrew nation could have been long forgotten if not for God's intervention.
To re-write our history, no matter how painful the history might be, means we may write out God in the process. When we wipe God from our past it means we do not pass on to our children the God who has changed us, set us free and intervened in the worse moments of our life. To re-write our past means we re-write God to being only an icon in a stained-glass window or a bed-time story on par with the Easter Bunny or Good Night, Moon.
To re-write our history means our children do not see the God who is active in all parts of our lives. To tell the story that God saved me, delivered me, or changed me means, at one point, I needed saving, delivering and changing. And though those things may be painful to dredge up, it is also a testimony of a great God who is there not just when things are going well, but is there, ready to free me in my times of slavery.
I can think of no better legacy to pass on than what God has done for me in my past. Faithful in my past, God has proven faithful in my present and will prove faithful in my future.
I encourage you to embrace your past in full, even the painful parts, and look back on it with adult eyes and sensibilities. If we do so we will see how God has changed us, where God has intervened for us, and has shaped us to be who we are in Him.
As I sit in the Appalachian Trail Cafe in downtown Millinocket, my vacation has officially started. I have treated myself to a helping of chopped tots and onions, a cup of coffee, and the buzz and murmur that is the hometown diner. And with it come memories.
I love my hometown, as any other person does. The memories are as strong as the coffee, but like a good cup of coffee does from time to time, memories can give me heartburn and keep me up at night. Not all the memories of growing up in the Magic City are magical yet they are part of my heritage, a part of my past, a part of the legacy I pass on to my kids.
It is interesting looking back on my youth. Most of the memories that keep me up at night are now seen through adult eyes and with adult sensibilities. I realize now the moments when I was a jerk, the people I hurt, and the true motives behind some of my actions as a youth. Some of them are particularly cringe-inducing. If one of my kids had acted like I did growing up, I would have slapped them into the next week.
We all have memories we would change if we could.Yet, mingled with those memories are the things that I would never change. The memories that keep me up at night for a good reason. The ones that bring a smile and a laugh and pride in accomplishment.
Good, bad or indifferent my history plays a key role in what I pass onto my kids. My legacy includes both the good and bad memories and the lessons learned from both. To re-write my history to ignore the more painful parts would diminish what I have become today. To ignore the moments I was less than perfect or to explain away certain actions because of "youth" would dishonor God and the place he has brought me thus far.
Christ's famous "...and the truth shall set you free" is spoken in the above passage. But the reaction of those listening is what catches my imagination. They are re-writing their past. "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone!" is a statement both true and untrue at the same time.
Though it is likely this particularly group of men listening to Christ have never been slaves to anyone (though they find themselves under Roman rule) they changed the perspective when they bring up their heritage. Their people certainly were slaves to the Egyptians. And the story of God's provision and escape at that time has carried the Hebrew nation through thick and thin. To forget that particular past, no matter how painful, means to forget where God stepped in and that is a dangerous thing.
Somewhere along the line these group of men lost the correlation of the God of their past with the God of their present. To forget they were slaves at one time and God set them free means they have forgotten the God that set people free be it from tyranny or sin. The Hebrew nation could have been long forgotten if not for God's intervention.
To re-write our history, no matter how painful the history might be, means we may write out God in the process. When we wipe God from our past it means we do not pass on to our children the God who has changed us, set us free and intervened in the worse moments of our life. To re-write our past means we re-write God to being only an icon in a stained-glass window or a bed-time story on par with the Easter Bunny or Good Night, Moon.
To re-write our history means our children do not see the God who is active in all parts of our lives. To tell the story that God saved me, delivered me, or changed me means, at one point, I needed saving, delivering and changing. And though those things may be painful to dredge up, it is also a testimony of a great God who is there not just when things are going well, but is there, ready to free me in my times of slavery.
I can think of no better legacy to pass on than what God has done for me in my past. Faithful in my past, God has proven faithful in my present and will prove faithful in my future.
I encourage you to embrace your past in full, even the painful parts, and look back on it with adult eyes and sensibilities. If we do so we will see how God has changed us, where God has intervened for us, and has shaped us to be who we are in Him.
Friday, July 8, 2011
AMEN....
If you were to attend Hill City Assembly of God this weekend, you would see a new addition to the interior decoration. Above our main doors is a cut slab of wood engraved with the word "amen". This piece of wood came from a sawmill one of my parishioners frequented and it hung in his home for many, many years. For the 10 years I knew Wayne, I never noticed it in the house.
Wayne passed away a couple years ago and my memories of him are fond. There is a significance to the "amen", which we added to the wood. Wayne was afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome and was diagnosed when he was nine. He lived to the age of 70.
One of the characteristics of Tourette's is the vocal outbursts that take place. Usually they are vulgar and filled with profanity, but not with Wayne. When he had an outburst the words "That's right!" or "Praise the Lord!" or "Amen" would be expressed. It was quite encouraging to a young picture to be "amen-ed" so vociferously.
Amen is an interesting word. Many of us think of it as a word that connotes the end, or a finish because we relate it to the end of our prayers. But I would say that Amen is more a beginning than an end.
Amen means "So be it." It is a word of affirmation that what has been said is true. This is why Amen is shouted out as encouragement to preachers. It is saying "That is good!" or "That is right!"
Amen is also a word of faith. When we pray and finish with Amen, we are stating that what has been prayed to God has been heard by God and God will answer. We pray "Thy will be done" and finish with "So be it."
I like to relate amen to Jean-Luc Picard's catch-phrase. For those of you who do not know, Picard is the captain of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and is the best of all the captains run out during the franchise. (FYI: Picard, Kirk, Janeway make the top three)
After Picard would gather information and assess the situation he would ask opinions of Ryker, Worf, Data or Laforge and when he came upon a solution he would bark this command: "Make it so." The crew had to take some responsibility in "making it so."
So it is with prayer. If we were to pray for the poor we must take some responsibility for the poor. If I am to pray to become more devout in study, I must take some responsibility in becoming more devout. Pray to be a better husband? I must take some responsibility for that improvement.
Obviously, there are some prayers that only God can make so. But even as we pray for the healing of a small child, can't we do our part to encourage and affirm the child and the family that not only have we prayed but we care?
Amen does not end the discussion, it is the beginning of God's action and our responsibility.
So when the people of my church see the piece of wood with Amen on it, I hope they will remember Wayne. I also hope they will take what they heard from God that day and take responsibility for it and apply it to their hearts and lives.
When we say "Amen" we are partnering with God to "make it so."
Wayne passed away a couple years ago and my memories of him are fond. There is a significance to the "amen", which we added to the wood. Wayne was afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome and was diagnosed when he was nine. He lived to the age of 70.
One of the characteristics of Tourette's is the vocal outbursts that take place. Usually they are vulgar and filled with profanity, but not with Wayne. When he had an outburst the words "That's right!" or "Praise the Lord!" or "Amen" would be expressed. It was quite encouraging to a young picture to be "amen-ed" so vociferously.
Amen is an interesting word. Many of us think of it as a word that connotes the end, or a finish because we relate it to the end of our prayers. But I would say that Amen is more a beginning than an end.
Amen means "So be it." It is a word of affirmation that what has been said is true. This is why Amen is shouted out as encouragement to preachers. It is saying "That is good!" or "That is right!"
Amen is also a word of faith. When we pray and finish with Amen, we are stating that what has been prayed to God has been heard by God and God will answer. We pray "Thy will be done" and finish with "So be it."
I like to relate amen to Jean-Luc Picard's catch-phrase. For those of you who do not know, Picard is the captain of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and is the best of all the captains run out during the franchise. (FYI: Picard, Kirk, Janeway make the top three)
After Picard would gather information and assess the situation he would ask opinions of Ryker, Worf, Data or Laforge and when he came upon a solution he would bark this command: "Make it so." The crew had to take some responsibility in "making it so."
So it is with prayer. If we were to pray for the poor we must take some responsibility for the poor. If I am to pray to become more devout in study, I must take some responsibility in becoming more devout. Pray to be a better husband? I must take some responsibility for that improvement.
Obviously, there are some prayers that only God can make so. But even as we pray for the healing of a small child, can't we do our part to encourage and affirm the child and the family that not only have we prayed but we care?
Amen does not end the discussion, it is the beginning of God's action and our responsibility.
So when the people of my church see the piece of wood with Amen on it, I hope they will remember Wayne. I also hope they will take what they heard from God that day and take responsibility for it and apply it to their hearts and lives.
When we say "Amen" we are partnering with God to "make it so."
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
What God has joined together...
Matthew 19:6
King James Version (KJV)
6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Tonight, a young man asked for my daughter's hand in marriage. I was not surprised because both Morgan and Levi have been talking in "we" terms for quite awhile; they have explored ministry positions as a couple and have been planning their future together.
Yet it was a wonderful moment. Again, I knew this day was coming and had planned all sorts of witty rejoinders to make Levi sweat a little. But in the moment none of those came to mind. All that I could say is "Yes." And in the end I said, "All I ask is that you take care of her."
Levi may not know it but he is an answer to prayer. Ever since Morgan was a little girl my wife and I have prayed for the man she would marry. We have prayed that he would be a strong man of God. We have prayed that he would complement Morgan and that the two would have a strong impact for God, whether full-time ministry would be in the works or not. We prayed for a man who would be strong enough for Morgan, who is a strong person in her own right. We prayed for a man that would have a heart for God and a heart for our daughter.
Levi is that and more, by all accounts. He has a great sense of humor that is dry and sarcastic, which should serve him well with both the Valley and Wilson side of the families. He loves sports. He is a musician. I have yet to hear him preach, so I will hold off giving him an A-plus until then (or until he takes me to Wrigley, then I don't care how he preaches).
Here is the one thing that clinched it for me: Whenever Morgan is with Levi she has the look about her that she is safe. A father could ask for nothing more than that his little girl will be safe.
As perfect as Levi is, he and Morgan will have their share of rough moments. Moments when they will have to choose to love when they do not feel like love is in the air. Ministry can bring a couple closer but it can also drive a wedge between two. They will learn the ups and downs and the balance that will be needed to sustain a marriage, a family and a life together. A lot of things will try to "asunder" them, but the key will be the first part of the verse.
Morgan and Levi have an advantage because God has joined them together. They both are seekers of God and in turn, God has sought them out and put them in the place they are today. I do not believe they are together by chance or circumstance but they are together because a loving God has put them together and they were both sensitive enough to the Holy Spirit to listen when He spoke.
As kids are wont to do, they will forge ahead with the life that is ahead of them-with the life that God has for them. I could give them plenty of advice and let them reap from the harvest of my experience, but that would be slim picking indeed. Knowing the plans they have already, they will be moving even farther away from us which makes Dad excited for what is ahead but a little melancholy.
But now my task is to pray not just for Morgan but for Morgan and Levi (and any little grandkids that may come along---hint, hint). I am pleased. God has answered my prayer.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
"Hammy"
Most Monday night's this Summer finds me playing softball for our church in a church softball league. Some of our younger, lady members call it "Old Man Softball" and to that there is some truth. It is good that us "old guys" have those young whippersnappers to rely on or it would be a very long night.
Anyone who knows me understands that sports has been a huge part of my life. I am one of those sappy old-timers that thinks sports is a great analogy for life and we can learn many things about living from the playing field.
This has been an interesting softball season for me. Mentally, I am still that young kid that can make all the plays and run the bases with reckless abandon. Realistically, I have pulled my hamstring in both legs this Summer trying to make all the plays and run the bases with reckless abandon.
After the latest "hammy"I whined to my wife as we were driving home from the ball field "I don't understand? This has never happened to me. I have never had these leg issues!" And she placed her hand gently on my leg and said "But, honey. You are getting older."
Which bring the older me back to the softball field this past Monday. My legs felt fine, not great, and I determined to use wisdom as I played. Of course, my wife is in the stands saying "Be careful, Babe." One of my younger friends says "Hey now, don't run too fast today. One base at a time."
Old Man Softball.
Well, I do hit and I hit well. Hit line drives all night with a couple towards the fence that in my younger days would have been triples but this night they were just jogging-stand-up-doubles. As they replaced me with a faster, younger runner I come into the dug-out.
"Hey, Pastor, nice wheels" one of the young wisenheimers smirks at me. I laugh. And then Z chirps in"You gotta run for Jesus!" Laugher all around. It really is a great bunch of guys and gals.
But in that slightly sarcastic, little dig at his pastor there is a lot of truth.
Christ would say about his mission to this planet "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." John 4:34.
Paul would tell the Colossians "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." 3:23
In other words, run for Jesus. We need teachers, doctors, actors, housewives, administrators, plumbers, and (you fill in the blank) who do the things they do as if they were doing them for God. Because in the end, we are. God has created us with talents and gifts not to keep them to ourselves selfishly, but to allow others to benefit and enjoy our gifts as well. We glorify God by doing well what God has put us on this planet to do.
So run for Jesus. Even with a pulled hammy.
Anyone who knows me understands that sports has been a huge part of my life. I am one of those sappy old-timers that thinks sports is a great analogy for life and we can learn many things about living from the playing field.
This has been an interesting softball season for me. Mentally, I am still that young kid that can make all the plays and run the bases with reckless abandon. Realistically, I have pulled my hamstring in both legs this Summer trying to make all the plays and run the bases with reckless abandon.
After the latest "hammy"I whined to my wife as we were driving home from the ball field "I don't understand? This has never happened to me. I have never had these leg issues!" And she placed her hand gently on my leg and said "But, honey. You are getting older."
Which bring the older me back to the softball field this past Monday. My legs felt fine, not great, and I determined to use wisdom as I played. Of course, my wife is in the stands saying "Be careful, Babe." One of my younger friends says "Hey now, don't run too fast today. One base at a time."
Old Man Softball.
Well, I do hit and I hit well. Hit line drives all night with a couple towards the fence that in my younger days would have been triples but this night they were just jogging-stand-up-doubles. As they replaced me with a faster, younger runner I come into the dug-out.
"Hey, Pastor, nice wheels" one of the young wisenheimers smirks at me. I laugh. And then Z chirps in"You gotta run for Jesus!" Laugher all around. It really is a great bunch of guys and gals.
But in that slightly sarcastic, little dig at his pastor there is a lot of truth.
Christ would say about his mission to this planet "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." John 4:34.
Paul would tell the Colossians "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." 3:23
In other words, run for Jesus. We need teachers, doctors, actors, housewives, administrators, plumbers, and (you fill in the blank) who do the things they do as if they were doing them for God. Because in the end, we are. God has created us with talents and gifts not to keep them to ourselves selfishly, but to allow others to benefit and enjoy our gifts as well. We glorify God by doing well what God has put us on this planet to do.
So run for Jesus. Even with a pulled hammy.
Monday, June 20, 2011
SEEK
I needed a gallon of milk the other day. Skim. So I waited. The gallon of milk never showed up. Eventually I had to get up, head on over to the store and get that gallon of milk. What an inconvenience!
So, I bought a cow. Kept her in a cool place so my milk would be chilled. The first morning after I bought old Bessie I ran out to the barn to pick up my milk. And there she was, chewing and drooling and looking at me with that stupid cow expression.And even though I had the forethought to put a gallon jug out with her, and since I knew she could not read, I put next to it the pink cap so she knew I would want skim, still nothing.
So off to the store again. How frustrating!
John Chapter 4 gives us the great passage of Christ meeting up with the woman at the well. The woman at the well had no idea who this man was or all the speculation surrounding him. She was not aware that over in Jerusalem the signs were pointing to the fact that this man was the Christ. People were conjecturing, gossiping, and talking about Jesus being the Messiah.
John the Baptist had testified to it, proclaiming him the lamb of God, the one whose sandals he was not worthy to untie, the one who would baptize in the Holy Spirit, but Jesus neither confirmed or denied it.
Mary knew her son was the Messiah. She tried to get him to "show it off" by asking him to take care of the lack of wine at the wedding they were attending. Christ would perform the miracle, but no one would know but Mary and his disciples, as Jesus would tell his mother beforehand "My time has not yet come."
The disciples followed Jesus on the strength of his personality, the force of his miracles and the hope that this could be the Messiah after a slew of self-proclaimed messiahs had come across the their path.
Despite all of this, Christ never made a verbal proclamation of his being the Messiah until he makes it to the woman at the well.
The woman at the well?! The women who had had five husbands and now was living with a man who wasn't her husband? A woman who was a Samaritan: a cultural McCoy to Christ's Jewish Hatfield?
Would it not have been best to shout it out at his baptism or at the wedding or to his disciples? Obviously not. How come?
I think the clue is found in verse 23 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."
I will make this supposition: The woman at the well, despite her reputation and background, must have been an honest and open seeker of the truth. And Christ spends time with honest, seekers of Truth.
He does not waste his breath or time on those people who are just in it for the show. He does not open up to those who come seeking self-gratification or that attainment of spiritual stature. He seeks out those who seek the truth. And since Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, he seeks out those who are seeking him.
Think of Nicodemus. As a whole the Pharisees were a dastardly lot but Nicodemus came seeking the Truth and Christ opened up to him the plan that God the Father had put in place: "For God so loved the world...".
Zaccheus was given an audience with Christ for one simple reason. He so wanted to just see Jesus that he climbed into a tree. Christ sought out the seeker.
When Christ says that he comes to seek and save the lost, we understand that he comes to seek and save all the lost. But those who get found by him are those who realize they are lost. He seeks out the seeker.
Too often we treat Christ like the cow in the barn. We expect the milk to be waiting for us when we get there. We expect the milk to pop up on our door step, ring the bell, come into the kitchen, pour itself in a glass and say "Drink me." Yet there is a condition to finding Christ, and growing in Christ...we must seek him.
We must seek him for the Truth. We must seek him to worship the Truth.
We must not just sit and wait. We must seek. Christ says to seek the kingdom of God. Scripture says when we run to him he runs towards us and when we call to him he answers us. James says "We have not because we ask not."
So let us be seekers of Christ. Scripture shows us that as we seek we shall also be found by whom we are seeking.
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