Lake Louise Church of the Nazarene

My mom, Manya. I call her, "Momya."

Someone once said, “The best years of my life were spent in the arms of another man’s wife…my mother.” Mother’s Day is the official “spoil your mom day.” We wax poetic about how great mom is, was, or could be. We buy sappy cards with interesting poetry, and take her to dinner to tell her how much we love our mom. Thanks goodness it’s only one day a year.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother. I love my daughter’s mother. I even love my wife’s mother. That doesn’t mean that I have always been kind to my mom. There were times that I was way less than kind and loving to her.

I have caused her intense pain. I made her cry. Evidently, giving birth is really difficult and painful stuff. I mean, I don’t remember going through the birth canal (Thank you, God!) but I do remember seeing what our adorable daughter did to my wife’s sweet disposition. Also, giving birth is not all that pretty. In fact, I have been told of a time when men weren’t allowed into the delivery room. After watching the birth of my daughter, I can’t say that keeping men out wasn’t such a bad idea. Nevertheless, here we are, more enlightened and in touch with our experiential knowledge of childbirth. I digress.

What amazes me about childbirth, and all the festivities that are associated with it, is that women will go through it again. I have two sisters that were born after me. I don’t imagine that it gets any easier after the first one. In “Cheaper by the Dozen,” Bonnie Hunt’s character, Kate Baker, has 12 children. She is being interviewed by Regis and Kelly. Kelly asks, “Did you have them conventionally?” To which Kate replies, “Well, uh, after the sixth one, they just kind of walked out.” I’m not sure, but I think all babies come by force and difficulty.

Not only did I cause my mother pain in childbirth, but I was no walk in the park as a child: I got sick, hurt, was grumpy, picky, mean, and stubborn. More than once I am sure my mom tried to sell me to the Gypsies. I you are a Gypsy and you are reading this, I am past my prime so the offer, I hope, is void. Raising children is hard, heart-breaking work.

So what does Mother’s Day have to do with God? I am so glad that you asked. One day, when I was feeling particularly sad about how I treated my mom (hence, why I am glad Mother’s Day is once a year), I apologized for my horrible behavior through the years. She looked at me and, with all seriousness, said, “You were a delight.” I know I wasn’t a delight, but she was serious.

Mom’s teach us a lot about God, I think. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes about love. “Love keeps no record of wrongs” (verse 5). A mother’s love is a forgiving love, a patient love, a hopeful love, a long-suffering love. I’ve treated God no differently than I have my mom. I have caused God pain. I have not always listened to God’s wisdom and gone my own way, which caused us both pain. But, through it all God continues to speak wonderful words of affirmation and love. I think when I see God face to face and share all of my shortcomings; I will hear God say, “David, you were a delight.”

Happy Mother’s Day!

Dave is the pastor of Lake Louise Church. You can reach him at pastor@llcn.org or 248-236-5141

I officiated at a funeral last week. It was a tragedy all around. A young woman, 20, commited suicide. She happened to be a lesbian. One of the triggers for her was a betrayal by her girlfriend. It was too much and this young woman made a bad choice to end her life. 

At the funeral, a friend of the family said something to that effect. After the service another young lady got after me about how I shouldn’t blame homosexuality for the suicide. Nothing like that was said. But, I believe that was what she was expecting. There has been a long history of the churches dim view of suicide and homosexuality. So, this young lady was loaded for bear. She was ready to hear condemnation and wrath. She got was she was looking for, I guess. 

 You don’t have to be a lesbian to hear things that aren’t there. You could be divorced, had an abortion, stolen something, or lied. If you are looking for a judgmental or angry God you will find it even in the midst of love. Recognizing that we all have filters on the way we hear things will help in hearing what is really being said. Asking questions, like this young lady did, will help clarify the meaning of things. Then, we can all move forward to hearing with new ears.

What are you looking for when you are talking to people or going to church? Are you looking for grace, hope, and mercy? Or are you looking for condemnation, guilt, and shame?

Philip told Nathanael that he found the one they were looking for. What are you looking for?

Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (NIV) .

I was thinking about this and realized that I would never be able to bring a gift to the altar. So what do I do with this? How do I live this ideal out in my life?

I must realized that this is as much about communication as anything. Often people have something against us because of a wrong perception. We said something that was misunderstood. We cannot just say that it is there problem and they have to get over it. We must a least take some time to restore our relationship with that person. Sometimes that means swallowing some pride. Either way it is taking time to care.

How many times have you thought about someone that has wronged you and wished they would come and apologize? Why are these other people different than us?

What does God need to do in your life so that you will be able to worship without always having to leave the altar first? What attitudes need to change?

What do you think? What does Jesus challenge you with today?

Scripture: Matthew 2.13-3.6

   MT 2:16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

Who do you blame for the slaughter of the children? Herod, the Magi, or God?

How to you reconcil the pain that Jesus’ coming into the world has already brought, he is still just a baby, with the peace he is supposed to bring?

What choices will you make when faced with Jesus?

For the past couple of years I have been reading through the One Year Bible. The One Year Bible, if you are not aware, is a daily reading consisting of Old and New Testament readings and readings from Psalm and Proverbs. This past year I read exclusively from the New Testament.

My approach to this reading was devotional and transformational. I used an idea I picked up from Wayne Cordiero from New Hope Church in Ohahu, HI. He has a Life Journal and I took the idea of using his idea for devotions. He uses the initials S.O.A.P. which stand for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer.

When I read through my Scriptures for the day I ask God to highlight a passage for me. Then, I under line that passage and write in my notebook. I will write the date, and then write the passage out. My observations vary, as will yours. I then procede to the application of that passage. Here I will often ask a question(s) of how this passage or the idea of the passage applies to my life. My reason for asking questions is that it puts me in a listening mode. Finally, I write a simple prayer which applies to the Scripture.

Here is a linkto the One Year Bible reading plan: http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/ This year I am writing the dates in my TNIV as I go along.

A couple of ideas that may help  you in this process. First, don’t worry if you get behind. I used to freak out if I missed a couple of days and then try to get caught up. It was not liberating in the least. If I miss a couple of days, I just pick up on the day. If you want to know what happened, or feel lost in the story, go back and read it. But not get chained to it. Second, just be consistent. I have devotions five days a week. If you can only manage two, do two. If it is one, it is one. Build up to a regular habit of five to seven days. Don’t try to go from zero to sixty when you haven’t been able to get to 25 with out pulling a muscle. 

Finally, enjoy this time. Share some of your devotions and your thoughts. I will post some of my devotional thoughts through the week, but since this is a new discipline for me, I ask for your grace as I struggle with making this a regular practice.

Oh, before I forget, make this a priority in your day. It does not have to be in the morning, but it should be at a time when you are most awake and aware. That may be the morning, lunch break, or evening before bed.

If you have any struggles or challenges, let me know. 

Dave