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Looking back at you

So a little over a month ago our church started this practice of holding the Lord’s Supper a little differently.  Used to you would go to a table that had the elements laid out and you’d tear some bread and dip it in the juice.

Now though we have two people go up and hold the plate & bowl and as a person takes a tear of the bread and dips it in the juice those holding the elements recite something.  I’ve been a ‘holder’ on several occasions but today I noticed something amazingly different a beautiful that I had never picked up on before.

Typically I look at the bread, I’ve always held the bread and wife holds the juice bowl, and take little notice of the people walking up.  But today for some reason I kept my head up as I recited “Body of Christ, broken for you” and in doing so I noticed the beautiful diversity that’s at the Vineyard.  I’m not sure of the count but I know that I saw so many different shapes, sizes, colors, ages, of God’s creation . . . it was an awesome site of how the Kingdom of God is.  Just something that stuck out to me today.

Morning drive

God reveals Himself in the oddest of places some times . . .

     I was driving to work yesterday morning; I had the top down on the car and enjoyed the nice crisp air the morning had brought.  The sun was up but a fog had settled on our part of the Tennessee Valley . . . not too thick but thick enough.  As I turned on the last leg of my trek to work the sun was ahead of me at my 2 o’clock.  At times the sun would shine through in full force and nearly blind me, other times the fog would cover completely and black out the sun entirely.  However most of the trip the sun resided in an area of fog that was not so thick that it couldn’t shine through but thick enough that you could sit and stare at the sun and not regret doing so.  I relished this view as it gave me a chance to see the sun for what it is; the thought came to me in regards to how small it looked from such a great distance.  Knowing though that the earth was minuscule in comparison to the sun, just as I am minuscule in comparison to the earth.
     I was immediately struck with the imagery of God.  When the clouds are thickest it may seem as though God is not there . . . but He is, ever persistent just on the other side of our problems.  He burns away the darkness like the sun burns away the fog.  We look for God in those hard times and sometimes it seems as though He’s not there, but he is, just on the other side.  Only when we start to come out of our darkness can we see Him.  In that moment when we see Him on the other side we are able to gaze upon the true nature of God.  Loving, caring, seeking; ever shining on His children.  Through that veil of ‘not so thick fog but thick enough’ we are able to view Him in His glory.  We are awe-struck by His presence and watch as the rest of the darkness is burned away.  Finally His revealed self shines through basking us with light and warmth.  Our paths are lit and our beings fed by His presence and Spirit.

We are minuscule in comparison to a Great and Holy God, yet He is mindful of us.  How great is our God!

31 July 2008

Scripture~
2 Chronicles 33-34, Psalm 27, Mark 6

     So what was I doing at 8 years old? I wasn’t running a kingdom . . . nor by the time of 18 was I well on my way to casting all the idols out of the kingdom and rebuilding the temple. I guess I got a slow start! I know this much though, in reading todays scriptures . . . the land of Israel had turned her back on God. But upon finding the Book of Law as they were rebuilding the House of the Lord the King, upon reading it, immediately mourned! Israel had forgotten herself, but upon reading the word of God she was put right. Same goes for us I think. Only by reading of God’s word do we learn more about His nature and loving way. By my posting calendar one can tell that I have not been the best at keeping up with my Soap; but today’s Old Testament passage alone speaks to the importance of it. Lord I pray that I understand all the more how important it is to read Your Word daily!

29 July 2008

Scripture~
2 Chronicles 29-30, Psalm 25, Mark 4

     I think we’ve all been there in regards to the Old Testament passage. I know that in my own life I was a young Christian and then rebelled against God. It’s not so much that we actively rebel but I think we actively forget who God is. But our God is a loving God who forgives those who seek Him. I love the picture of a King praying to God to pardon those unclean but are seeking after Him. I was unclean when I started to seek after Him again, praise God that I was not told that I couldn’t because of some legalistic edicts. Because it’s in the active pursuit of God that we are made clean.
     This ties in with the New Testament reading as well in that as that young Christian the other things of the world were getting in my way. Now as I continue to grow one thing I lack is a continual quiet time where I can study the word of my Lord and seek His face. Someone has said to me recently, speaking generally, when was the last time you sought God. You know I think I’m good at trying to do little things here and there to help others in different areas. I do this because of the talents I’ve been given and I feel a calling on my life to share those gifts. As it goes so often I get the sense that I could be doing more . . . not more for others, but more in seeking after God, seeking my King and Savior.

Testing Character

Scripture~
Luke 23:32-43; Romans 12:9-16; Philippians 2:1-11

     I don’t know if it’s the case with everyone but a lot happened in my life when my father passed away. Sure there was the typical, “You’re the man of the family now” sort of stuff but the larger changes were under the surface. It is unknown what exactly my father died of but the process was slow . . . he had been going downhill for a while when he went into the hospital for a procedure just after his birthday, he never came home; a month and a half later he passed away.
     Now I deeply miss my father, but I can never thank him enough for the lessons he taught me in the final days of his life. Dad was a decent guy, I would go as far as to say he was the typical man raised in the South. Showed respect, always helped others, didn’t make fun of anyone, laughed a lot, loved hanging out with family, and he didn’t seem to let things get to him too much. He was no saint by any stretch of the means, he had his flaws just like we all do.
     You’ll note that I didn’t say much about him being a man of God. We went to church off and on growing up, I knew that dad believed in God and his faith was placed in Christ. I wouldn’t say that he was overly religious though. Todays reading reminded me of my father . . . especially during the last days of his life. I am the way that I am because I was raised to be who I am. If there are a few HUGE turning points in my life the death of my father was one of them. The reason was his strength of character stayed until the end.
     In the new testament readings from today we’re given a guide on how to live. How to be humble, show respect, how to love, and so on. Romans 12:9-16 (read on to 21) gives us the groundwork for a peaceful society. In fact I’d go as far as to say that if a man were to model his life after this passage that few things could come along to rattle him. But Christ didn’t just leave us with instructions on life, but also in death. We are called to be salt and light of this world, but if we lose it in the end then what strength is there? If we should ever have peace it’s then isn’t it?
     Christ was obedient to the end, but not just in following God’s will; Christ showed mercy and compassion as He hung on the cross. Asking His Father to forgive those that mocked Him, because they didn’t know what they were doing. I imagine the scene with horrific clarity as Christ hangs on the cross . . . telling the Criminal next to Him that “Today you shall be in paradise”. To the end, Christ showed love, compassion, humility, kindness even to His enemies; even to those that were driving nails through His body.
     We all see hard times. We all have moments where we want to break and run. In being obedient through life, even unto death, we follow our King in likeness as we are called to do. If I were to have ‘cliff notes’ on how I need to act it would be these passages. They serve as a reminder, a mirror, and judge on my life. I’m not perfect, I often fall short of the mark. My hope is that one day, when the time comes, if I am in my father’s place towards the end of my life that I will be able to show the strength of character that he did in holding onto his faith and these verses, even to the end. Because of my father’s strength I sought out the source . . . because of the source I am the man I am today.

What we impart

Scripture~
Proverbs 24:33-34; Proverbs 4:1-27; Mark 10:13-16

     I have often thought about how my knowledge and appretiation of God grew by leaps and bounds as my daughter started to walk. Mind you we were ever so thankful for her before, but the understanding increased when she started taking off on her own. The church we attended at the time had a rather large sanctuary so I’d set her down and let her go. She walked off, free to go where she willed, but I was always there just 2 or 3 steps behind. She didn’t pay attention to me much, oh she’d look over her shoulder ever now and then; but for the most part she just went exploring. There was the stage that was off limits and we had to be mindful of others walking around the room; but off she was to a world of discovery. When she’d had enough I’d slip her up on my shoulders and we walk back to mommy who may or may not be finished talking. As I let my daughter make her own decisions I was reminded of our Heavenly Father and how similar my chasing after my daughter was His chasing after me.
     In this great wisdom I’ve learned to appreciate Littlefoot a little bit more every day. For as many lessons as she’s taught me, I have several lessons to teach her. To teach her the importance of discerning what things are important and what things you can let go. Tonight we talked about Fighters (jets) as they flew over head. We also took our first bike ride and got in some punching lessons. I hold nothing back from Littlefoot; I think I’m taught not to do so, especially in these passages. Time is short, and there is so much wisdom to share. All of our loving moments are times of learning. If by the time of adulthood she had the brains of a genius or the leadership qualities of Ronald Reagan; if she did not have wisdom when it came to basic of what’s right and wrong, and what really matters in the world; then I would have failed her as a parent. I love my daughter very much, I’ll continue to impart wisdom to her.

Harsh fact

Scripture~
Psalm 63:1-8; Psalm 17:6-15; John 10:22-30

     While this is not somewhere I am now it is somewhere I have often been. It was quite a painful time and even to this day it’s effects can be felt. I think it is quite by accident that we put our faith in people who by their very nature are flawed as all humans are flawed. The error comes in putting your faith in a person, be it friend or pastor, and then being shocked when they fail you. I’ve seen some churches have so much faith in their pastor, that when he dies or leaves the church that the church itself goes with him. I’ve lost more good friends than I care to count to the passage of time; each loss hurt deeply and in some cases shook my faith.
     But that was my own doing. I’m a much ‘higher mileage’ person now so I’d like to say that I’ve learned my lesson. Well, and to a degree I have. As the scripture from today says, we should place our faith in God alone. Obviously we need the cloud of witnesses, like minded believers that we can ‘hang’ with. But our faith and focus must never waiver from God. Something that stuck me from the Psalm 17 passage . . . when friends are plenty and life is good it’s easy to have the faith. But faith’s true test comes when friends betray and your allies seem few; when God alone is with you. Oh but what an ally we have in Him. Christ went through the same thing . . . all His friends left Him in His greatest hour of need . . . He knows what it’s like far beyond what I can say.

If not us, then who?

Scripture~
Micah 6:6-8; Amos 5:14-24; Matthew 25:31-40

     It seems daily now I’m learning something new about the Lord, the world, and my role in it. During my teen years, say after . . . well starting high school and up until graduation; I really had this sense that I wasn’t going to make it. That my life would be over shortly after graduation so I saw no real importance of making long term plans or long term impact. Oh I was or did my best to be a good friend, I listened, advised, etc; but I honestly didn’t see much beyond the summer of ‘95.
     Then, during that summer I got involved with someone who showed me a church and a closeness to God I had never known. Still I advised friends, but now from a different vantage point. I’d love to say it’s been a smooth ride since then but I’ve had my dark valleys; some so dark only a select few know what happened. There was a time in my life when I would . . . well, let me just get to the point.
     I think we’ve (Christians) have done a good job of totally removing ourselves from society. This is perhaps one of the worst things we could have ever done; not to mention the most foolish. I remember talking with my wife about helping out some people we know, it’s really been taxing on us and she’s ready to break and to be truthful I was too . . . but in seeking God on His release from the situation all I got back was, “If you don’t, who will?” There are times I wish God would give easy answers.
     But as always, He’s right (ok that statement is just funny because God can’t be wrong) because if we don’t, who will. I will borrow an argument from a friend of mine, why is it that when you want to find say good Rock music that there’s a Christian Rock music section and a non-Christian Rock Music section? Why is there a Christian video channel and a non-Christian video channel? We are not to be “of the world” but I think we’ve gone too far . . . to the point of not even being “in” the world. But if we’re not in the world then how can we effect it?
     As followers of Christ we should be on the front-lines of compassion ministries such as taking care of the orphans, the home bound, the homeless; instead we’ve turned that over to the government. We should be involved in the arts; music, literature, film-making, painting. Instead we’ve created our own sub-culture where the ‘dirty’ sinners can’t touch us. We, and this one is a new one for me, should be the best gardeners on the planet. Meaning, we are charged with taking care of creation (Gen 1:26 & 2:15) instead we have turned it over to those who have made creation a god in it’s own right, “mother earth” indeed. The church left Hollywood around the late 50’s to early 60’s and immediately a decline in moral character began.
     We’ve turned what God intended for relationship and communion into a daily Sunday right. We’ll profess with great piety that we don’t work on Sunday yet go out to eat after church (I’m not saying that eating on Sunday is wrong, but if you refuse to work on Sunday and then go out to eat then isn’t that kind of hypocritical). It’s not about the clothes we wear or the music we listen to or what we eat or drink . . . it’s (Micah 6:8 ) to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. What sort of people are we if we keep this gift to ourselves? Are we not denying the great commission and thus denying Christ when we sit in our ivory towers and talk about how the world “should” be? We should be out there, in the world, not “of” the world, but “in” it . . . tending God’s creation.

The Source of Freedom

Scripture~
Gen 2:15-17; John 8:31-36; Gal 5:1-15

     As one who often counsels I find it a hard question . . . well not hard but an often question of why, if God wants us to be good would he allow us to do evil. The answer is Free Will. We, as human beings, have free will. We can choose to do good or evil; we can choose to follow Christ or Satan. The Genesis passage stresses that from the beginning we were born to be free.
     But why? Well, God could have made us in any way He saw fit. Let’s play it out like this; my wife and I have a daughter, now we could have taken all the money and resources we’ve invested on and in her to do something else. Let’s say we did that and created a machine, an android if you will. We could program it to love us as we saw fit. But that wouldn’t be real love. Forced or programmed love is not real love at all; it’s simply a programmatic response to a set of rules. Now, go back and set things to as they are now. When my daughter wraps her arms around my neck and tells me that she loves me, or better still when she says, “You’re my favorite deputy dad” . . . I know that comes from the heart and it means more to me.
     God did not want machines; He wanted people. No glory is brought in having a bunch of machines which are commanded and forced to love Him. But a people that has the free will to do as they please, choosing to love Him . . . glory is indeed there. There is an untold and often unseen freedom that comes in serving Christ. I have yet to see the bible as a long list of rules or my service to my King as something to dread . . . a forboading list of do’s and don’ts.
     I think perhaps that is one of the greatest lies the enemy tells us about the bible and serving God. Satan would tell you that you can be just as great as God, that you can be . . . or are . . . just as wise and that this is all there is and you should do whatever you want. This sounds like freedom, but it’s the best snare laid by the enemy to date. Think about it, lets say you enjoy the freedom of sleeping with whomever you wish whenever you wish . . . how many people have I spoken to that regret such a decision. But it’s your right to take the drugs of your choice . . . and how quickly you become a slave to those drugs. Get drunk all the time and become a slave to the bottle. Chase your career and become a slave to that chase. Pursue riches until the end of your life and die an empty cold individual. I would go as far as to say . . . and I say this carefully . . . chase religion with all it’s legal trappings and become a slave to the Law.
     Or, accept the gift of true freedom offered by Christ as described in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. I can drink alcohol, have sex, play games, worship, work, build relationships, anything I want . . . within the boundaries set by Christ. I am not burdened by such religious doctrine of “who is fit” to come to church or are my clothes good enough . . . because Christ has set me free to worship Him and placed me in a church that gets the point of a relationship with Christ.
     In the end, we serve one of two masters. We are either subjects in the Kingdom of Christ; or subjects in the kingdom of darkness. The enemy would have you believe that there are many masters of this world, but the kingdom of darkness is full of empty kings that are nothing more than puppets to the master of deceit. In John’s passage Christ speaks of the freedom found only in Him. I would ask those who suffer under the burden of legalism to read on in that passage. You either serve Christ, or you serve Satan; there is no gray area . . . there is freedom in Christ, indescribable freedom . . . freedom that I thankfully enjoy today. Praise God for it!