Lake Louise Church of the Nazarene

You might be tired of hearing about Haiti. It isn’t because you are cold hearted or uncaring; it just means you are human. We can only see so much suffering and death and destruction before we have to step away to maintain our sanity. Caring hurts. Caring takes its toll. Caring in the midst of such overwhelming need can make you feel insignificant and hopeless. In order to deal with it we tune out. We go to the movies, watch comedies, go for a walk, or go shopping. We do anything that takes our minds off of how horrible things are in the world around us.

We just can’t look at one more sad face, one more orphaned child, one more man that lost his wife and kids. We cannot watch one more mother hold her children as they wait for food and water. It hurts something in our hearts. Somehow our soul gets damaged. The problem is that tuning it out doesn’t really help. We are still overwhelmed, and worse, we ignore the suffering.

Sometimes we think find the answer to the question of why it happened will help. Smarter people than me have tried to answer those questions, so I’m not even going to try. For me, it really doesn’t matter why. I don’t care why the earthquake happened. I don’t care if it was a deal with the devil. I don’t care if it was because of what didn’t happen in Copenhagen. It happened. It was devastating. Lives were torn apart. People that God loves were devastated. God weeps.

In times like these, life is not a theological question to answer. In John’s gospel, the disciples asked why a man was born blind. They asked if it was the man that sinned or his parents. The disciples knew that someone had to have sinned. Jesus said it wasn’t the man or his parents. Jesus says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3 NIV). But it could be translated, “Neither this man or his parents sinned. Let the works of God be displayed in him!” In other words, Jesus said that there is work to be done and we better be about doing it. You and I have the ability to do something about the suffering in Haiti and it will demonstrate the power of God.

That power is not only demonstrated to the people in Haiti, but for us as well. When we are overwhelmed by suffering as in Haiti, we can question God and the way the world works. We can get depressed, angry, or frustrated. We can sit around and try to figure out how all of this happened and what it means for us and them. That won’t help.
If we want to start feeling hopeful again, there is one thing we can do: We can start by giving and serving. When we give to people that need our help, we are participating in the work of God and somehow through that participation, we are filled with the Spirit of God. We become hopeful because God is hopeful. When we give we receive. That is powerful both the people in Haiti and ourselves.

When the man born blind was given his sight, he saw the Light for the first time in his life. Our sacrifices can bring light into the Haitians darkness and our own.

What do you say? Would you give to the people of Haiti so they could see the light? You may not think you can do much, but it will make a huge difference for both you and the Haitians. I promise.

Some want their two front teeth for Christmas. Others just want a Hippopotamus. Barney and Ben want a pair of Hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots. Janice and Jen are hoping for dolls that will talk and will go for a walk. Some just want snow and mistletoe when they get home for Christmas. But the greatest gift ever dreamed of or asked for is a Red Ryder BB Gun, even if there is a chance you could shoot your eye out.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. On these winter days, when the sun goes down too quickly, Christmas lights brighten our otherwise dreary drives home. The occasional carolers sing songs of hope and good news in the frosty night air. People greet each other with phrases that have ‘Merry’ and ‘Happy’ in them. And the music of this season is particularly wonderful to brighten any mood. Yes, Christmas is just around the corner and I am pretty excited about it.

This excitement is not normal for me. Normally around this time of year I manifest the image and likeness of both the Grinch and Scrooge. I get tired of the crowds, the expectation of gift giving as a sign of love, and the general hostility of people insisting on their right to say “Merry Christmas” in stores and restaurants.

You may be asking why this Christmas is different than Christmases past. I have discovered that there is a power to Christmas “presence” instead of Christmas “presents”. The Wise Men gave Jesus presents. Jesus gave us presence.

That very first Christmas was the Christmas when God came down to earth and lived among us. In the middle of all the chaos and ugliness that is the world in which we live, God made his home with us. The greatest gift ever given as not a BB gun or a pony, but Emmanuel “God with us.”

If we take our cue from the Bible, we will recognize that the greatest gift we can give to anyone is our time and attention. The greatest gift we can give is to hold the hand of someone that is invisible to society and let them know that they are seen. We give this gift to people that no one listens to by listening to them. We give this gift when we calm a friend who is facing death and is afraid of what happens next. We give this gift when we spend time with the lonely, comfort the hurting, console the mourning, and encourage the discouraged.

This gift of presence is also the most costly. The gift of presence costs us our time. We know that we cannot save time in a bottle; we cannot keep it to ourselves because time steadily marches on. When we give our time to someone other than ourselves, we are giving something that cannot be regained and will never be able to spend on ourselves. This fact makes that gift of presence the most precious of gift of all.

This year, instead of an iPod touch, Wii, or an HDTV, give the gift that is more precious than silver and gold. Give the gift of your presence. It will make the season brighter and it will make Jesus more real to you and those with whom you share. I promise.

I like buffets. When I was in flight school, there was a buffet that we all went to when we got a weekend pass. It had the fresh yeast rolls (all you could eat) and a bottomless glass of pop. Not only that, it had a large selection of great items. In short, if you left there hungry, it was your own fault.

I go to a buffet restaurant to eat. I go because there is always enough food and that it is a good quality. I don’t have to bring anything to the party except my appetite. Basically, buffets are all about me.

A lot of folks look at church as a buffet. They go to it because it has all of the things they are looking for in a church: great preaching, children’s ministry, teen group, music ministry, friendly people, and ministry to singles, college and career, and senior citizens. There is a little something for everyone and everyone gets something they like.

But churches aren’t really buffets. Church isn’t about being served, it is about serving. You see, when some folks find the church that meets their needs they stay, but as soon as the ‘favorite’ thing isn’t there, they leave. Thankfully, there are some awesome churches out there that do a great job at meeting people’s needs like that. Seriously, they have it all and I applaud them for it. Often, when my church doesn’t meet people’s needs or expectations, I am thrilled to have a few churches to which I can point them.

However, if church isn’t a buffet, what is it? That is a great question and I am glad you asked. I would say that church is more like a potluck. It isn’t about what you get, it is about what you bring that counts.

For a successful potluck to take place, everyone needs to bring something. Maybe it is your best dessert or casserole. It might be fresh baked bread, or your best fried chicken. Regardless of what it is, you have to bring something to the party.

In a church setting that means that each of us bring something to the service. It could be enthusiasm. It could be your musical talent. It could be encouragement. You bring whatever you have to the party and that is what makes church sizzle.

When each of us brings something to the worship service, or the work of the church, we all enjoy the experience, and we have plenty to go around when a visitor or two shows up.

So instead of looking for a buffet, why not look for a place where you can bring something for everyone to enjoy? It will increase your enjoyment and make it a much more fun place to be. I Promise.

On the TNT series “Saving Grace” Holly Hunter plays Detective Grace Hanadarko. Grace is a complicated person. She drinks way too much, chain smokes, and is extremely promiscuous. She has a last chance angel named Earl who is trying to make sure Grace is not lost. Hence the title, “Saving Grace.”
In a recent episode, ‘That Was No First Kiss’ Grace sees her best friend’s husband kissing another woman. She confronts him and then has to tell her friend, Rhetta, about his infidelity. There is a particularly powerful scene when

Rhetta comes over to Grace’s house. She says:
“How can you live with yourself? Do you have any idea how much pain you’ve caused? How many marriages you’ve damaged, all because [yelling] you don’t care if the men you sleep with are married?
[scoffs] Well, now you have to care, Grace. We both have to care, because now it’s happened to me, and it hurts! I am in so much pain I can’t breathe, I can’t… pray. And I can’t love you, knowing this is how you make other women feel.”

Sin is just a concept until it gets personal. Sin is just something that happened to someone somewhere and yes it sucks, but hey, we’re okay, right?

Rhetta knew what kind of life her friend lived. They talked about Grace’s conquests several times. But now, Rhetta feels the sting of betrayal. Now she can identify with how other wives must have felt. Now, it isn’t just some example in a text book somewhere. Now it stings.

That is what makes Jesus different. Jesus doesn’t just know about sin, he experienced it. Sin isn’t just something they talked about in heaven; it is a real experience, with real pain, and real consequences. Sin hurts and Jesus knows that full well.

Jesus said to Saul, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me” (Acts 9.1-5)? Jesus wants us to stop sinning, not because it is a bad thing to do, but because it hurts him to see us take advantage of each other.

John Donne, a 16th Century metaphysical poet, wrote:
“All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated…As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness….No man is an island, entire of itself…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

As each death diminishes each of us, so too does sin. There are no victimless sins.

To repeat the words of Rhetta, and to maybe hear them as the words of Jesus,  “We both have to care, because now it’s happened to me, and it hurts.”

Have you ever wondered what would happen if people didn’t spiritualize everything they wanted to do?

In Bible college, students would say that they felt that God was telling them to do any number of things. Some said God was telling them to leave school, drop a class, add a class, go into the ministry, or get out of the ministry. Here in Oxford, I have had married people tell me that they were leaving their spouse because they finally found the person God wanted them to marry.

God has told folks to kill their children, start fires, divorce their spouse, and any number of other things.

God sure gets a bad rap.

And how do you argue with someone that says God told them something. It is a way to end the discussion not start a one. Anyway, one of the administrators at Bible college would say, “If it is okay with you, could we leave God out of the converstation and talk about what is going on in your life?”

I would probably ask the person to quit hiding behind God and let’s talk. Either way, you get the point.

What would happen if we quit blaming God and started to take responsibility for our actions? Why don’t we?

This week, take some time to listen to what you are feeling and thinking about a situation and what is going on in your life. Then, when you need insight, go to some trusted friends and get their take on the situation at hand. Finally, when you make a decision you can be honest about your motivations and you won’t have to hide behind God anymore. And, God’s rep will not get so beat up…

In the Legend of 1900 Tim Roth plays a man that has never been off the ship on which he was born. He has an amazing gift for music. Toward the end of the movie there is an opportunity for him to get off the ship and onto dry land. The ship was so limited, the world before him so free. And yet, at the time of decision, he refuses to leave the ship. When asked why, he talks about the piano.
1900: Take piano: keys begin, keys end. You know there are 88 of them. Nobody can tell you any different. They are not infinite. You’re infinite… And on those keys, the music that you can make… is infinite. I like that. That I can live by… You rolled out in front of me a keyboard of millions of keys, millions and billions of keys that never end. And that’s the truth Max, that they never end. That keyboard is infinite… and if that keyboard is infinite, then on that keyboard there is no music you can play. You’re sitting on the wrong bench… That is God’s piano.

1900 found freedom in the limitations. We often look at limitations and restrictions as inhibiting our creativity. According to 1900, that just isn’t the case. Look at all the music that has been created on a piano, with only 88 keys. Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Debussy, to name only four have created breath taking beauty with only 88 keys.
Maybe 1900 has a point. What if freedom is found in limits? We are free to drive on the roads because there are limits to how we drive on those roads. We are free to travel because of the laws and restrictions to our driving. The alcoholic finds freedom by not drinking. We don’t find freedom by engaging our every desire, but restricting our desires.
Imagine for a moment that we eliminated gravity. It is our ‘bondage’ to gravity that gives us the freedom to move. If it were eliminated, we would be free, but unable to move. In order to move, we would have to invent ways that would allow us to live without drifting aimlessly into space.
What would happen if you and I looked at God’s limitations differently? What if we decided to look at them like 1900 looked at a piano’s keys? Would we still feel that God is limiting our freedom because God’s one desire is to make sure we have little of no fun? I think 1900 might teach us that God is showing us how to have an abundant, beautiful, and creative life.

So much has happened, and not a lot of that went as planned. I had hoped for better and more frequent internet access, but it didn’t happen.

Taking a laptop would have been a good idea. Maybe one of those little ones would be great for a trip like this. Anyway, the updates were far fewer than I had intended.

Over the last week some pretty cool things happened. Here are some highlights:

I was riding through White Springs, Florida when I saw the Suwannee River Church of the Nazarene. I took a picture of it and then went looking for the pastor. He was in the parsonage next door. I knocked, he answered, and invited me in.

We talked over a cup of coffee for a about 20 minutes when he started to talk about how hard things were going for him. The church was trying to get rid of him and in the process they were wounding him and his wife.

Hollis and Gloria were beaten and battered people. This kind of stuff frustrates me. How do Christians justify this kind of thing? Paul thought he was doing God’s work and found out how wrong he was on the road to Damascus. Maybe each of these people will have an Damascus road experience.

We prayed and I tried to be an encouragement to them. Hollis told me that I had no idea how timely and important my visit was to him. Later that week, after Sunday service, I called to tell him I was praying for him. He told me that he had been telling everyone that he was visited by an angel that looked like a biker.

On Monday, June 22, I was starting to head home from Decatur, GA. I wasn’t going to take the back roads for two reasons: I was tired of the heat and I was ready to be home.

Even though I sort of thought I would miss the adventure, I was ready to be home. On I-75 I was passed by a guy on his bike. The only reason I remembered him is that he was so happy and gave a big thumbs up as he passed.

We end up at the same gas station and started talking. He offered to take me the back roads up to Lookout Mountain and then to Chattanooga. So off we went into the mountains. After we got to the top he asked me if I would want to go find a cave with him. Evidently this cave was something he found 30 years ago and wanted to take his son and grandkids to. I wanted to say no, but said yes.

We hiked in the woods for about 40 minutes, it was hot, humid and we were sweating like it was raining, but it was a riot.

John is an interesting character with a great life story. I was glad I went.

Finally, I had been to Florida and back. I was about 90 miles from home and my tent and bed roll fell of my bike. Really? Fell off? Yep. Some guy tried to tell me, but I could figure out what he was saying until I stopped for gas. Oh well…

Anyway, the trip was great. I will write more later. So it isn’t really the final entry…just the beginning of a new adventure.

Every journey begins someplace. Mine began in Oxford, almost three weeks ago. I was actually pretty nervous about leaving for a round trip to Key West, Florida and back. Even though I was excited to go, I was nervous about leaving. There were all these questions I needed answered, for some reason. Where would I stay? What if I get lost? What if I break down? What if I run out of money? On and on the question went until I had to leave.

The bike was checked out by a really good mechanic. I had saved all the money I was going to need. And, my folks let me borrow a gas card as an early birthday present (thanks Mom and Dad!). So off I went. As soon as I got into Toledo, I got lost. Trying to avoid highways requires a lot of turns and, well, that was all I needed to get lost. Getting back on track took me off schedule, but hey, I’m having an adventure. Anyway, back on the road, a big storm was coming through. Something flew into my eye and it wouldn’t wash out. I couldn’t find my goggles for driving at night, and my left eye was swelling shut. I was putting on my rain suit at an abandoned gas station, with nothing else for miles. I couldn’t find my night goggles so I was driving down the road with a swollen eye, at night, in the rain, on the highway (yes, I know…what was I thinking?) I find a hotel and get set for the night. Which, by the way, caused me to spend almost all the money I had alotted for the week.

That was just the first 150 miles. Since then my battery died and I had to walk a mile and a half to get a new one, the spring fell off my kick stand, and my place to stay in Key West fell through.

Another thing that I noticed was I got focused on the destination and not on the journey. I didn’t stop for pictures. I didn’t stop along the way just to look around. I just kept going and going and going. I felt like an energizer biker bunny or something. One of my friends told me to slow down and enjoy the trip. It was good advice. Now I stop to take pictures and smell the roses, or hybiscus. And, I am taking the time to enjoy all the things that make an adventure an adventure.

What is keeping you from going on your adventure? Is it not knowing what will happen down the road? Trust me, all the preparation and you will still not be ready for all the things that will happen. Heck, everyone told me to take an extra clutch cable, they never mentioned an extra spring for the kick stand. Problems are going to come up and you will deal with them. Over the course of these miles, I have had to ask directions and get help from strangers. It’s hard to go on an adventure without letting people in to help. That’s part of the fun.

So what’s keeping you? Everything I was freaking out about happened, and more. And this is the greatest trip I have ever taken. I have gotten to be in downtown Jacksonville, on the James River, with great friends at night. I have met and stayed with complete strangers that cooked me breakfast. I have seen alligators swimming in a canal, iguanas running across the road, and a huge variety of birds I never knew existed. None of which I would have seen if I didn’t take the first step and get going on my trip.

I stood at the end of US 1, mile marker 0, and there are two signs right across from each other. One says, US 1 End. The other says, US 1 Begin. Every journey begins somewhere. My goal was Key West, but then another journey began where the other ended.

If all of this happened on a simple trip to Key West, what kind of things can you expect on your spiritual journey? Probably a lot of the same things. You will have troubles, trials, and tribulations. You will have to trust strangers and ask for help. But, you will have the time of you life, if you just get going on the trip. It will be a riot, I promise.

The Journey Begins

The heroes in residence at NAPA Auto Parts

There wasn’t a lot of activity on Sunday. Cody had to go on base for a five hour stint. It wasn’t expected, so it threw a little crimp in their departure plans. While Lindsay was packing, I told her that I was sorry we didn’t do more (I was feeling a little like I didn’t do much with her). Lindsay looked at me and told me the visit was awesome. She said it was great to be able to relax and not be alone. In my line of work we would call this the Ministry of Presence. Just being available and present is healing and good.

I checked on my bike and it was dead. Cody gave me a jump, I took the bike for a short ride, started it later, and thought we were good. Also, I had Lindsay take my tennis shoes back home as I wasn’t going to need them. At this point you should be hearing some kind of ominous music, like someone was making a big mistake. Well, about an hour after they left, I checked on my bike. It was dead. I started trying to find places that would carry a motorcycle battery.

Well, I found one that was .8 of a mile away. I took out my battery, and walked to get the new one. I sure missed my tennis shoes. But, I was thankful that I didn’t have to take a car battery back.

One interesting thing I found. I have VZ Navigate on my phone, but it is really hard to trust. It is trustworthy, but it is just hard to trust it. At one point it told me that I had arrived at my destination. Well, if Di’ Shekinah is a Georgia code word for NAPA Auto Parts, then I was there. I asked a guy if there was a NAPA store around. I couldn’t see any street sign, so I was nervous. Well, I was just a half a block away. So, while it is reliable, it is just hard to trust.

Now, it’s on to Jacksonville to see my friends, Al and Lisa Lewis. Al was my roommate in Flight School. Woo Hoo!

Forsyth Park

A guy in the park took the picture. I knew it was going to cost me something. I was right. Great picture though.

On Saturday we all went to Savannah for the day. Savannah is beautiful, really beautiful. The focus of our trip was to go to Forsyth Park. It was raining. We were wet. So, while we enjoyed being together, it would have been more fun if we had more than one small umbrella. I took some pictures that will hopefully give you a sense of the beauty.

We spent a little bit of time walking around, getting wet, and enjoying our time. We got tired of being wet so we went to see Up in 3D, which was wonderful.

Forsyth Park

The Fragrant Garden in Forsyth Park

I rode from 8:30am until 5:30pm. It wasn’t that horrible…it wasn’t that great. Just because I can ride that far doesn’t mean I should. But, seeing as how I made such good time on Wednesday, I decided to go for it and get to Lindsay and Cody’s a day early. Cody has been in the field training and Lindsay has been home alone, so it was an easy choice.

Well, almost easy. Lisa Lackey is a friend from high school. She and her husband, Michael, were going to let me stay at their place for the evening on Wednesday. I was pretty excited about it and was really looking forward to getting to know them better. When I made the decision to go straight to Lindsay’s I had to call Lisa and let her know. It was disappointing to have to miss the opportunity, but it was worth it when I saw Lindsay.

We watched “Twilight” together. When the character Edward showed up for the first time on screen, she let out a gasp. Seriously. Ruth’s gasp getter is Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver) and mine is Raquel Welch. It runs in the family.

One of the things I noticed on my ride is that I may talk about relaxing and enjoying the journey, but in reality I am all about the destination. I might not like to hurry but it is where I am comfortable. So I devised a plan for the rest of the trip. First, I am going to seriously reconsider how many miles I need to make in a day. If it needs to be 250, so be it, but I am going to take long and frequent breaks. I’ll get a cup of coffee and just watch people for a while.

Another thing that was torturous was that I could not get “I Dreamed a Dream“ out of my head. It was the rendition that Susan Boyle sang on Britain’s Got Talent. Hundreds of miles were accompanied by the first line of that song. It was maddening. 

well, here’s to relaxing…

Lindsay and me after the long, long ride.

Day four was a do nothing day. I played video games, watched a movie, and read a bit. Nothing to report, and that isn’t a bad thing.

I got another late start. My former pastor, Dan McDowell pastored in a town outside of Dayton, Ohio called Fairfield. My eye was still swollen, and for some reason I was having problems with allergies. Allergies have not been a problem ever since I lied about having hayfever so I could fly helicopters in the Army. While I was on the road, Dan called and told me breakfast was probably going to have to be lunch. I went to his church and sat through their staff meeting. We went to lunch and got caught up. It was a great time.

I asked Dan what for three prayer requests. Here they are”

1. Community and Church — idolatry. Eugene Peterson wrote some great stuff about this in his book, “Living the Resurrection.” Dan’s concerns here are with all the things we sacrifice our time and resources to that distract each of us from announcing the kingdom of God here on earth.

2.  Family — He and Lois want to be in the right place of ministry. His wife, Lois, would be happy to retire in Fairfield, he is unsettled about where he should be. He asks for guidance that if Fairfield is the place that he would have peace about it. Also, he asks that you pray for Nick and Emily, his kids. He prays that they would find godly partners for their lives. And over all this, that God’s will would be done.

Since I was behind a bit, I decided to go one more day for a long ride. Long rides are easier, in my mind, when I think about having a hotel room at the end of the day. I just didn’t want to think  about having to find a camp site and set up in the dark. With that in mind, I just kept riding. My mom, Manya, didn’t like (I don’t think) the idea that I was going to keep going for a lot longer than I had planned. I ended up in Newport, TN. There was a sign on the highway for the Motel 6 with 21 newly redecorated rooms. When I got there, I checked into one fo the nicest Motel 6s I have ever seen.

It was clean, and the service was friendly. Honestly, for the price it was well worth it. At check in, I noticed the general manager’s name was Reverend Tim Grooms. At check out, I asked if it was okay if I took his picture and asked for a prayer request for the blog. He is a supply preacher and runs a really great hotel. 

He is a great guy and here is his web site: www.gracethroughfaith.net. His prayer request is simply for God’s Will for his life.

Tim, thanks for a great stay! If you are ever in Newport, TN stay at the Motel 6. You won’t regret it. 

Dan McDowell, friend and former pastor. We had a great time.

Reverend Tim Grooms the awesome manager of the nicest Motel 6.

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

Jesus says, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I cam to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. Form now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (Luke 12: 49-53, TNIV).

How many times have I wondered about how this could be with Jesus being the Prince of Peace. The more I thought about it the more ridiculous it all seems. But then I started thinking about the life of Jesus. He ate with Tax collectors and sinners. His love for the unlovable, the unpopular, the misfits and outcasts got him in deep water with the religious leaders of his time.

Love will be the dividing line. Loving someone that is disapproved of by our family or loved ones can create a rift in our family relationships.

The way I imagine this working is if a family member is killed and I go to great lengths to love and forgive the offense. What would happen if I were to bring the murderer home for dinner? How would my family react?

Imagine trying to love a terrorist? Perhaps that is the same thing as a whiter person loving a black person in the 40′s or 50′s.

The division, I believe, will be because we are called to love the people others are comfortable hating.

What do you think?

The Hollywood ending is a happy ending. Fairy tales end on a happy note of “and they lived happily ever after.” We like happy endings way more than unhappy endings. We want the hero to get the girl, the bad guy to get what he deserves, and everyone to live happily ever after. It’s just the way it is.

Angelina Jolie’s character, Jane Smith, from the movie “Mr. And Mrs. Smith” says what the movies quite often don’t say. She says, “Happy endings are just stories that haven’t finished yet.”

Easter is not about an ending. It isn’t about how the story ends. The Easter story isn’t about the disciples disappointment turning to joy or their tears turning to cheers. Easter is about a new beginning. Easter is about a happy beginning.

We go forward from the old story where death has the final word, to a story where life has the final word. It is a great big, brand new story that will never end. By thinking of Easter as a new beginning we open the door to more enduring joy throughout our days, months and years.

“He is risen!” Is not the shout of joy just before the ending credits. It is the shout that fills the screen at the beginning of the movie.

He is risen! What a great way to start a story.

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?

A friend of mine told me about a ski trip he was going to take with a friend of his. The guy he is going with is not a Christian so my friend promised he wouldn’t preach at him. I told him that he could probably get away with preaching at him every waking moment if he changed how he understood preaching.

Through the years there have been several different methods of evangelism. One of my favorite programs is called Evangelism Explosion. I like the program because it sounds dangerous and manly. I get to carry a bunch of “Spiritual Dy-No-Mite” around and create Holy Ghost explosions – Exciting!  With EE, as it is known, you go to a person’s door and ask, “If they were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?” Good question, I guess, and the program works really well in a lot of places.

There is another program from a group of folks that say they use the evangelism method that Jesus used. You ask a series of questions; have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever taken the Lord’s name in vain? And because no one can say no to those questions they run the person through the Ten Commandments (Charlton Heston not included) and how Jesus can save them from the hell they have earned. There is a video that shows one man using this method with a Native American man. He asks them these questions and does the whole spiel. This Native American doesn’t come to salvation, but he is at least thoughtful about the questions. Now, this is the part that killed me, the evangelist says he wants to pay the man for his time. They Native American looks surprised especially when he receives a $1,000,000 bill. A white guy gives a Native American guy fake money! Does anyone see the irony in this? Not the best evangelism moment.

These methods work even though all of them are confrontational, in-your-face approaches to what we Christians call the Good News. Yes, I am making a bit of fun of them. However, I have used these methods and I know they work.

Back to my friend and his ski trip: He promised that he wouldn’t preach at his friend. Well, he is probably thinking about evangelism like the programs I just discussed. It is all about confronting the sinner and telling them how rotten they are without Jesus in their lives. It is all about refuting the reasons for not believing in God. It is about logical arguments and logical answers to the questions from skeptics. It is a hard fought battle and when the dust has settled you pray that there will be a new name in Glory (insert your name here).  The problem with these methods, while somewhat effective, is that most people don’t want to be ‘preached’ at.

The method I suggested was from St Francis of Assisi. He said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” What is the message that requires no words? In 1 John 4.12 the writer says, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” Love makes God evident to people. When we love, we share the Good News of Jesus Christ by letting God shine in our lives. God does the evangelizing while we do the loving.

Imagine that, you share the very presence of God when you love people. But this is a different kind of love than what everyone else does. This kind of love is for our friends and enemies. It is for those that are kind and cruel. It is a love that makes absolutely no sense to anyone because it is so abnormal. But what is abnormal to us is normal for God. And if we make this our preaching, we can preach all day long for weeks on end without a complaint.

Maybe you would like to learn more about this amazing love. There are a lot of great churches in our area, check one out and find out what I have been talking about. You will be amazed, I promise.

Dave is the pastor of Lake Louise Church of the Nazarene. You can reach him at 248-236-5141.

Scripture: Matthew 1.1-2.12

As Matthew writes the genealogy of Jesus there are four women mentioned: Tamar, Rahab, Uriah’s wife Bathsheba, and Mary. He writes, “and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” (Matthew 1.6). Normally, I don’t get into little details where I try to find out ‘why’ as if it were a trivia question, but this stood out to me.  Tamar posed as a prostitute to fool her father-in-law to sleep with her. Rahab was a prostitute. Mary was Jesus’ mother. But Bathsheba is unnamed.

Why? People that were familiar with David’s story would know who Uriah’s wife was, wouldn’t they? She is not named.  I don’t know why she is not named, but she is there nonetheless. She is unnamed and yet she is a part of the redemption story.

Our story, whether it is noble or shameful can be a part of the same story. The question is whether we are willing to let God have all of our lives, even the ugliness, and let God help us become a part of that story.

Father, help us surrender all of our lives to you that we might become a part of the greatest story ever told (and lived). amen.

The Bible declares that “God is Love” (1 John 4.16b). The writer of 1 John also declares that “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment” (1 John 4.18a). How would we describe this love? Paul describes this kind of love in 1 Corinthians 13. After he describes the futility of gifts and knowledge without love, he tells the readers about love.

1 Corinthians 13.4-8a: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Now, let’s take a moment and consider that if Paul is describing love, could we better understand God through his description? What if, for the sake of this discussion, we replace the word ‘love’ with the word ‘God?’ Do you find a more understandable picture of this love?

Instead of Love being patient and kind, we get a glimpse of God. Now read the same passage, what do you see? God is patient, God is kind. God does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud. God is not rude, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, God keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.

What an amazing picture of God that emerges. God is love and look how wonderful that love is for each of us, for all of humanity. That is truly good news!

This love is not conditioned by our response to God. Romans 5.8 says that God demonstrated his love for us in this, “that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We had not repented. We had not stopped insulting, beating, berating, mocking, or humiliating Jesus. And yet, Jesus died for all of them and all of us – He died for the world. Imagine how much hatred and bitterness the people felt when Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23.34). They knew what they were doing. They were executing an enemy of Caesar. They were executing a revolutionary. They were executing a person that claimed to not only be equal to God, but to be God. Blasphemy! They believed they were right, not wrong. Jesus forgives them. That is truly amazing love. To love your enemies like that is amazing.

Maybe you are thinking that this is just something Jesus has done, and not something we are supposed to do. That is not what Jesus tells his listeners. Jesus says, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5.44-45). If we are to be ‘sons of our Father in heaven’ we must do good for everyone. Surely not the evil, not the unrighteous! Yes, even them.

I hear some of you protesting. I hear some of you wanting to execute divine wrath and judgment. James and John were rebuked by Jesus for wanting to call fire down from heaven (Luke 9.54-55). Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world (John 3.17). Jesus Christ is our example of love in action. Jesus is our model for how to live in this world. Jesus lived the life we are to embody. Jesus is our example. But, you say, what about wrath, judgment, condemnation? What about hellfire and unrepentant sinners? What about justice and revenge? What about it?

Those are God’s areas of divine right, not ours. Listen to what Paul says in Romans: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12.19-21). Who is our enemy? Is it a person that abuses children? Is it the homosexual? Is it the pedophile? Is it the adulterer? Is it the prideful? Is our enemy the gossip, glutton, greedy? Who is our enemy? Paul says that we were enemies of God and yet God saved us (Romans 5.10). If we are to follow the example of Christ, if we are to be children of God, we will follow the example of Christ Jesus.

Do I struggle with God’s wrath? Yes, honestly I do. When I see Jesus I have trouble seeing a God that is filled with wrath. But if it comes down to wrath, judgment, condemnation, and hell I will defer to God’s great love for us. I will follow the example of Jesus and follow him. In the end, I have no problem with God being God. What I have a problem with us humans thinking we know who to judge and condemn? I have a problem with us trying to do that work of God the Father when our example is Jesus.

The fruit of the Spirit of God is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). These are qualities we can obtain to live the life of Christ in this world. These are the tools we use to help bring redemption and healing to the lost and suffering. There is no law against these things. However, should we choose to execute divine wrath and judgment against the people God wants to save, there is a consequence. Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7.1-2).

God has come more than half way to help us, to heal us, to love us. God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. He has demonstrated time and time again that he is in love with us, not angry at us. Come, feel and know true love today.

Man do I hate politics. Some would say they are a necessary evil, needed to help quell the chaos that is rampant in this world. I can give you that. But seriously, I hate politics. There is nothing but division in politics. Each person says they have the answer, the know the solution to the puzzle.

I was on Facebook and there was a post about James Dobson’s letter to the America of 2012. Then there was a post from Jim Wallis. Wallis’ letter is here http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=3283 and there is a link within that page to Dobson’s letter. Honestly, I read some of each and was overcome with some sort of malaise. I got depressed. That is saying something for me.

On my walk today I was thinking about all of this and I started to think that our politics are showing a side of us Christians we might not realize. I know when anyone says something like that they are proclaiming that they have the answers and insights others don’t. And yet, at the risk of sounding like a self-righteous know it all, I will proceed.

Does it bother anyone besides me that we are seeking power and authority through government? Didn’t Paul talk about God’s strength being made perfect in our weakness? I know, I know, all of you exegetes out there will tell me that I am taking this verse our of context, but the Scriptures seem full of weakness, humility, service, submission, being last rather than first. Weren’t the Herodians aligned politically with the Herods? Didn’t Jesus come to challenge all of that?

But I digress. Government isn’t really the problem. The poor are not the governments problem, but mine. Hunger is not the government’s problem, it is mine. The homeless is not the government’s problem. These and many more problems are my problems. In the last days, when Jesus separates the sheep and goats, he will not ask what government did, but what I did. Did I visit, feed, clothe, shelter, or care for those in my life? I will not be able to say, “But Lord, Obama/McCain said they would do all of that so I wouldn’t have to.” Man will I feel cheated when I realize all of my tax dollars that were promised to solve all of these problems did not get me in good with Jesus.

It is not the government that drops bombs, I push the button. It is not the government that kills on the battle field, I pull the trigger. The government is not the answer, not the solution, I am. Jesus never said, “well, don’t tell me your problems, go to Caesar. I heard they have a childcare program that will educate and feed your children.”

I encourage you to vote on Nov. 4th. Just remember that you are the one to do what needs to be done.

The Christian life does not happen in a vacuum. It is a shared experience. It is life lived with and among people as we follow Christ. The challenge is that we often forget the communal, life-lived-together aspect of the faith. When that happens, sermons take on an extreme amount of importance. The words the preacher speaks begin to take on an importance of epic proportions. A preacher needs to say all of the right things all of the time. Why? Because we are excluding the key component of living lives for others to observe and emulate.

We forget that our lives are to be examples. We are supposed to help people learn about Jesus by the way we live our lives. We help them when we apologize when we are wrong. We help them when we give sacrificially. We help them when we love our enemies. We help them when we live in such a way that Jesus Christ shines through. The faith is easier to understand when it is observed than described.

 My wife, Ruth, was taking part in a management class. The communication exercise was not easy. The instructor gave each person a shape. There were straight lines, triangles, circles, and squares. These shapes and lines were put together into a shape. Each person had to give detailed instructions on how to draw the shape. There was a catch, however. They could not use the words of the shapes to describe them. A triangle now becomes a geometric shape in which the sum of the angles equals 180 degrees. There are only three sides to this shape. That is a lot of words to describe a triangle.

Well, Ruth is brilliant and thought the best way to describe this shape would be to show it to them. She cut the design out, pasted it to a piece of paper and wrote, “Draw this shape.” The instructor said that was not the intent of the exercise. I thought it a great way to get it done.

Imagine the life of Christ; there have been countless volumes written about the life Jesus lived and the example he gave. Without an example to follow there is a void and we will fill the void with something. That something is words.

I am not against words. I am a preacher. But if no one is living the Christ life in my congregation, I need to use more words than I know. Let me put it this way: People will learn more quickly how to forgive when they have seen it, experienced it in their lives. People will learn to pray when they have seen it.

I was fixing my motorcycle when I learned this lesson. The bike was idling roughly and there were some problems with it at highway speeds. My friend and I started to look through the manual for some trouble shooting ideas and there it was right before my eyes. They had instructions on how to not only eliminate the problem, but how to keep the bike in top working form. There were a lot of words used to describe something I realized my friends had quickly demonstrated for me. Their examples filled the vacuum words would had to fill if they did not show me.

Don’t get me wrong, we need words. But the words are a part of the package, not the total package. Jesus didn’t say the Bible was useless. He showed us how to live the Bible. Jesus said, “Follow me.”

Where are you today? Do you expect your preacher or your professor or books or movies to say everything that needs to be said about the Christ life? If so, does that expose a vacuum in your life? Maybe evangelism is a simple as saying, “follow me as I follow Christ.”

I am not interested in a timid life. I’m not interested in playing it safe or keeping the boat steady. I refuse to accept the belief that this world is the way it is and there is nothing I can do about it. I want to challenge the perceptions of what is okay and what isn’t. Injustice, selfishness, greed, pride, hatred and bitterness are part of life, but that doesn’t mean they are acceptable. They must be confronted and challenged and changed. If I am timid, I am pretty sure change will not occur.

Change will take courage. I do not want to die with more left to give because I was afraid of trying, of getting hurt, of losing. People tell me that I am not facing reality when I talk about the redemption of the world. The world is the way it is and we are just waiting for Jesus to come back and make everything right again. That kind of thinking makes it is easy to want to take care of myself and make sure my future is certain. It is easy to make not doing anything at all sound spiritual and right when all I am doing is hiding my fear. It is easy to want to play it safe and not try to make a difference. I want every moment of my life spent in the worthy pursuit of proclaiming the message of hope and redemption Christ offers. I do not want to spend it living in fear. I would rather fail in great ways than not try at all. I would rather be laughed at for trying than to sit on the sidelines wishing for the courage to try.

Change also requires a willingness to love sacrificially. To love people means to risk rejection and to be misunderstood. I do not want to be afraid of love just because it hurts when it’s lost. Believe me; trying to redeem this world will hurt. Your heart and mine will be broken a thousand times if we decide that the people of this world deserve better that what they are currently getting. I want to face the challenges of this life, and of this world, knowing that I will have my heart broken time and time again. In fact, I want to love so deeply that it feels like a truck has been dropped on my chest when I lose that love. Because that kind of sorrow is only found in the deepest, most intimate of relationships. If avoiding sorrow would cheat me of that kind of love, I will not do it.

Since loving risks so much I can be tempted to protect my heart; however, there is a dangerous door that is opened with an unbroken heart. While keeping my heart from breaking, I risk becoming less compassionate, less caring, and less human. When I avoid the suffering and sorrow of this life, I avoid the things that make me human. I am also unwittingly avoiding the things that make me more like Jesus. Every time I rationalize not going to the dark places of sorrow and despair because it is just so sad and hopeless, I cheat myself of meeting with Jesus. Every time I rationalize not going to these places, I cheat others of experiencing the proof of Jesus’ love. Protecting my heart makes me less human and the world a darker place.

When I die I want to know that there was nothing held back, nothing left to give, and no reserve. I want to know that I used every ounce of love, grace, and mercy Jesus empowered me with to change the world. I want to have given all I have to bringing the hope and love of the risen savior into a desperate world. I want to be totally spent in living my life to the fullest capacity God has given me. I do not want to stroll into heaven and run to meet Jesus. I want to be so tired that all I can do is drag my body toward that pearly gate, unable to stand for lack of strength. And, when my hope is realized in seeing Jesus, I want to hear him say, “You look tired. Well done!”

When you think about it, the resurrection of Jesus is a pretty unbelievable story. A lot of my friends told me about their Easter services and about what their preachers preached. One I liked was about doubting your doubts. This is pretty true when it comes to the resurrection. It doesn’t appear that anyone believed Jesus was alive on that early morning. The report was that Jesus body was gone and no one knew where it was taken.

After the initial shock, Jesus appears to Mary. She runs to tell the others about it. Mark 16.12 says that they didn’t believe her. The Bible says that even when the disciples finally see him, some doubted (Matthew 28.17). Even seeing Jesus was not enough to make them change their minds. This is an unbelievable story. It was unbelievable then, it is unbelievable now. But it happened.

We spend a lot to time trying to convince people about the reality of the resurrection. We try to use logic, the Bible, and other historical witnesses to get people to believe that the resurrection happened. I don’t know that this really works.

This is a lot like the story of “Horton Hears a Who!” Horton is an elephant that hears some voices coming from a speck of dust. He actually hears their voices. The problem is that he is the only one that can hear it. Everyone else thinks Horton is crazy. And yet, Horton hears them and knows that he knows that he knows they are real. Horton tells the Whos that they are in danger and they need to make themselves known to the animals in Horton’s world. Every Who starts yelling, “We’re here! We’re here! We’re here!” Every voice is important to make the animals in Horton’s world hear the Whos.

All around us God is trying to make himself known. The Godhead is announcing “We’re here! We’re here! We’re here!” We catch a whisper of it when we serve others. We hear a whisper when we feed the hungry and clothe the naked. We can hear it faintly when we see a sunset or hear a baby laughing. We hear it when we see people in love. But they are only whispers. It’s not loud enough for the world to hear.

What we need to make the resurrection real to people is to live like people who believe it is real. Every voice is important. Every voice is needed. What would happen if we all decided to put our petty differences aside and actually serve the people around us? What would happen if the world around us saw all of our churches serving our communities out of love, with no expectations of getting anything back? What would happen? They would hear heaven shouting, “You are loved! You are loved! You are loved!”

I think the people would begin to hear the truth of the resurrection. They would begin to hear, “He’s alive! He’s alive! He’s alive!” We, all of us, the Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Lutherans, Nazarenes, Brethren, Presbyterians, Assemblies of God, Episcopalians, and everyone else need to work together to announce the reality of the resurrection. If we would do that, amazing things would happen. 

All of the sudden, out of nowhere, the world would hear in our loving actions that Jesus is indeed alive. He is risen! He is alive! He is here! Will you join me in announcing the unbelievable? Will you help me make the resurrection real by loving everyone and everything like Jesus loves? None of us can do it alone. It will take all of us to make the voice of heaven heard. I can’t wait to hear it, can you?

What difference would it make if we knew that whatever happened to us, God could bring something awesome out of it?

What difference would it make if we knew that no matter how hard or painful our life situation was, God walked with us and would give us the strength to make it through?

What difference would it make if you knew that no matter how hard the battle or how fierce the foe, you could not lose?

Life will beat us up. Life will try to steal what joy we have. Life will hurt. And, at the end of our lives we will bear the scars of a thousand battles. We will have wounds that show the ferocity of those battles.

We will look back with tears and shake at the terrors we have faced.

We will have fought the good fight.

We will have given everything we had to living this life.

We will have no regrets.

We will stand on the other side of life victorious.

What difference would it make if this is what you believed?

Have you ever used a public restroom? They can be amazingly dirty places. I have cleaned more than my share of bathrooms from schools to restaurants. I used to be shocked with what people do in a restroom. There were times when I stood flabbergasted and would ask questions about how these bathrooms got so trashed. Questions like “How far were you standing from the urinal?” “Was the seat stuck and you couldn’t put it up?” “How could you miss?” And, in all of my experience, I have come to believe that people don’t treat their own bathrooms like public bathrooms.

A friend of mine owns some rental properties. One of the houses was abandoned by the renter and it was trashed. They used a claw hammer on the walls, and it was adorned with crayon drawings on every wall. I wonder if the renters would have treated that house differently if they owned it.

For the most part, we treat things differently if we own them or are borrowing them. These things are not ours so we are a little less careful than we would be otherwise. I don’t know that it is universal, but public bathrooms make me wonder.

What does this have to do with God or Christianity? A lot actually. “This world is not my home, I’m just passin’ through,” is a common phrase in Christian circles. And the Apostle Peter refers to the believers as strangers in the world. These words give a person the sense that we are not here for the long haul. We are just visiting because this isn’t really our home. We are just renting, not buying.

But what if we have misunderstood what the biblical writers are talking about? What if we have been treating this world like a rental, and it is actually ours to keep? I know, I know, I can hear some of you getting ready to call me a heretic. But give me a minute.

If we are just passing through and going on to a better place, it is easy to look at the problems of this world and think they are someone else’s responsibility. But Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6.9). We are supposed to pray for God’s kingdom to come here on earth. We are called to be representatives of God’s kingdom on earth.

“In John 18 and 19,” theologian N.T. Wright says, “we find Jesus himself standing before Caesar’s representative, speaking of a kingdom which is not from this world but which is decidedly for this world, speaking of a truth which will blow Caesar’s kingdom right out of the water, speaking of power which comes from God and because of which the earthly wielders of power are to be called to account.”

We are called to confront the problems of this world. We are not only called, but we are given power to challenge the authorities of this world. We are called to fight injustice. We are called to confront hunger, discrimination, hatred and prejudice. We are not called to pray that God deals with these problems while giving us an airlift to heaven. We are called to make a difference in this world for the kingdom of God. If we keep thinking that we are escaping this world we can have a tendency to treat it like it is a rental. It isn’t a rental; it is a place we have to redeem.

Let me go back to the restroom idea. If we think of the earth as some place we are going to escape, we will likely treat it like a public restroom. We go into a bathroom because we have to. We need to use it. We look around at how dirty and disgusting it is and think that someone should really come in and clean it. We would be right, someone should clean it up. That someone is us!

This Lenten season, will you join me in considering what it means to be representatives of God’s kingdom on earth? Will you join me in making a difference and bringing heaven here on earth? I don’t want to talk to Jesus one day and find out I treated his prized possession like a rental or a restroom, do you?

1. Why don’t people go to church?
2. Can a Christian be a Christian and not go to church?
3. Is it still church if people struggle and don’t always agree?
4. What makes a church a church?
5. Is the church about here and now or there and later?

Church is messy because it is filled with people. These people have ideas, opinions and preferences about how things should and shouldn’t be. Sometimes people don’t get their way and they leave a church body. They don’t have fellowship with other Christians and are at risk of dying spiritually.

As I struggle with some friends about how a new church would look in our community, we are asking some of these questions. People leave, people fight, people disagree. Is it still church? because if it is, we need to change our concept of what it means to be the Church.

Want to be part of the process, send me your thoughts and ideas.

     What am I going to write regarding New Years that you would even remotely care about? Seriously, it has all been done before. Each year they trot out the “Ten Best…” of whatever. We are told how to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions and how to pick ourselves up after we have failed to keep our resolutions. We will be bombarded with advice and tips and tricks for all of this. So, here we are…another New Year…one more “Top Ten” list…another resolution to make.

All of this thinking got me thinking. What if I could give you one thing you could do this year that might just make everything else easier? This idea is really simple, but not at all easy to do. This idea will require you to unlearn some of the things you already know and replace it with different information. But, if you can get past that, it may just change all of the other stuff you are doing. For example, (I cannot believe I am doing this!) here is a list of the “Top Ten Resolutions”: More time with family, get in shape, lose weight, quit smoking, enjoy life more, quit drinking, get out of debt, help others and get organized. You probably fit in there somewhere, right? I know I do.

     What is that one thing that will make it easier? Accepting how much God loves you. Wait, don’t quit reading. How many of us are defined by the job we do? Lots of us think we are what we do. We are identified by our job or profession. We get our sense of worth and value as a human being by the pats on the back and the praise of customers, bosses or parishioners. We struggle and strive to do a good job and it is never enough. There are lots of us who get our identity from the things we own. We have a great house, cool car, take great vacations all because that is how we measure our worth and value. Some of us work so hard for things that we think will make our lives more enjoyable that we don’t enjoy them because we are working so hard at getting these things. Some feel the pressure of all of it and drink and eat or just veg out. Bleak, eh?

     I can hear you ask, “What’s love got to do with it?” Love has everything to do with it. It isn’t a second hand emotion…sorry. God loves you with an everlasting love. It is unshakable. God doesn’t love you only when you do the right things. God’s love is steadfast and true. The Apostle Paul has a great description of God’s love: It is patient and kind, not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs.

     If we truly understand God’s love, we don’t need stuff to make us feel better. We don’t need booze or food or sex or money or a title or anything to make us feel better. All of those things are temporary. When we recognize and accept the love God has for us, we are free from what anyone else thinks about us. We don’t need things to make us anyone because we are already someone in God’s eyes. We are already loved perfectly and completely by God. And, since God is unchanging, we don’t have to worry about God changing God’s mind.

     Since we don’t have to work so hard for things to make us feel better about ourselves, we are free to enjoy life and spend more time with the family. We can get out of debt because we don’t need to keep up with Joneses. We can help others because we know that God will take care of us. We can do almost everything on the list (I am still waiting to get organized!) when we fall in love with God like God is in love with us. There are a lot of great churches to help you on your journey to better understand God’s love for you. Why not start the New Year off right and fall in love with God? It will change your life, I promise.