important things

Important things.  We decide what  is important by how we use our resources, how we spend our money and how we spend our time.  If you run though my check book you can total up what we spend on various things and see what our family values.

Humans are funny.  Christians are funny.  We talk about what we love.  We talk about what we think is important, but we spend a good deal of our time and money on those things that will not satisfy.

Today I encourage you to release yourself from worry about the things that are not that important.  Just for one day lets not worry about how we look or if we have new clothes.  Lets not worry about entertaining ourselves or others.  Lets turn off the TV.  Lets not worry, period.  Maybe that will free us to to do some of the really good things.

Ride a bicycle.  Sit in the afternoon with a friend.  Call someone who has been on your mind.  Say thank you to someone unexpectedly.  Attend worship.  Go to the park.  Walk the trails at church.  Spend some quiet time with our Father.  At the end of the day I think we will all look back and say it was a beautiful day.

It is a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

arrogance

Arrogance.  Not one of the fruit of the spirit.  Arrogance is so bad, it isn't even a nice word.  Just to see it in print gives me a queasy feeling.

Arrogance is defined as an "offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride."  

I trust that you have none of this within you.  I trust that you flee from this at every turn.  It is bad in a human.  It is worse in a Christ follower.  It is inexcusable in a pastor.

Let us with joyful hearts pursue our Father and His interests.  Let us always consider the feelings and needs of others.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good, and flee the bad.

if a tree falls

If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to hear it, does it make any noise?

Here is another way to look at that.  While you and I are totally self absorbed by our life, what is God doing in nature?  While I am driving a car, sitting in front of a computer, buying groceries or sleeping, what is God doing?

While I am engaged in all of those busy human behaviors, God is up to some pretty cool things.  Trees are blowing in the wind.  Grass is growing.  Flowers are budding out.  Stars are exploding.  Planets are spinning around.  The sun is baking.  Birds are flying.  Cats are taking a cat nap.  Trees are falling in the woods and making noise.

While I am blithely going about my human chores, God is doing His work.  I may not be thinking of Him and His actions, but He is still up to His work.  He never takes a day off.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to look up from your tasks and see the good.

surgeries

From the department:  random things to blog about:  surgeries that I have had.

1993- Ring finger on my left hand was cut open under local anesthetic to remove chips of wood.  Seems that if you hit your hand with a hammer hard enough, you can drive all sorts of things into your tissue.

2001- Right shoulder, rotator cuff.  Tried to do it orthoscopically, ended up having to cut me open.  Seems that sliding headfirst into home plate can tear up a shoulder pretty badly.

2004 - Cataracts.  Both eyes.

2005 - Right knee scoped.  Cartilage removed.  Arthritis removed.  Bone spurs cut off.

2008- Gall bladder removed.  Again, tried to do it laproscopically, ended up having to cut me open.  The scar tends to scare young children.

2012- no surgery.  That makes it a beautiful year in God's world, be sure to see the good.

older

When I was younger, I wanted to know more about God.  I wanted to learn all of the right doctrine.  I wanted to be sure that I was right all of the time and had all of the right answers.

Now, I am older.

The more I know, the more I know that I don't know.  I am no longer content to know doctrine.  I want to know God.  I realize that my thoughts about Him can never contain or capture him.  Instead, I want to get lost in the wonder, the joy, the goodness, the glory of our Father.

I know now that I do not and will never have all of the right answers.  But I can point you in the direction of the one who shares our burdens and loves us unconditionally.  For me, that has become enough.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

surprise

The surprise of hospitality.  It is odd, but when someone is nice to us, when someone is kind or hospitable, it can almost be surprising.  We are so used to being stepped on by others and ignored, sometimes kindness is unexpected.

Try it yourself.  Start practicing radical hospitality.  Go out of your way to be kind to everyone.  They will be pleasantly surprised, and you will find life much more enjoyable.  It is surprisingly fun to be hospitable.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

the last time

Do you remember the last time someone talked to you?  They left you with a feeling.  A good feeling or a bad feeling.  Someone talked to me a couple of years ago- it was rough.  I remember it well.  It has left a painful feeling with me for several years.  Every time I think of them, I remember the last time we talked and what they said.

I suspect that it can be a positive thing as well.  If someone leaves you feeling joyful and happy, then your last encounter with them will always be remembered as a good one.  You will think of them and be happy.  [Betty you are this kind of a person.]

Now, imagine who you will talk to today.  You are leaving an impression.  Are you touching them with grace or with judgment?  Will your words mark them for good or ill?  You have a chance today, and so do I to bless everyone that we come in contact with.  I'm in.  Let's go love someone for Jesus.  Two years from now, they will remember what we said and how we said it.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

feeling good

Having had a bout with a bad knee has reminded me of something very important in life.  The gift of health.  We take it for granted all of the time.  We just expect that we will always feel good.  Then when we are sick, we sometimes even feel resentful that we are under the weather.

Good health is a great blessing.  Although being sick helps us to appreciate being well, we should always appreciate and be thankful for feeling good.

Thank you Lord that I am healthy today.  I do not have a cold, and my knee is feeling much better.  Thank you.

What do you have to be thankful for?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

my knee

Several have asked what is going on with my knee.  Well, me and my knee have 55 years of history together.  The first 21 were very good.  The last 34 have been touch and go.

I hurt my knee when I was 21, playing intramural football in college.  I went out for a pass, dove to catch it, and was landed upon by the defender, who later became my room mate and dear friend.  In that encounter I am sure that cartilage was torn.  I ended up at the hospital.  They told me that they could cut me from mid calf to mid thigh, but that I was so young, they wanted to give me some time to see if it healed.  Arthoscopic surgery did not exist back in the dark ages.

Well, it did heal, sort of.  It has never been right.  I have hurt it several times over the years.  Several times in softball, and several times painting the house.  Five years ago I had it scoped.  They told me then that if I came back to them, they would want to replace the knee.

So, it has been so long since I hurt it, and I have been feeling so good, I totally forgot how fragile it is.  When I was on my reading week in the California redwoods a month ago, I decided to exercise every day.  So I got up early and ran every day.  It felt great.  Until I woke up on the 4th day and my knee was as big as a watermelon. 

I have been on steroids to keep the swelling down.  I have been icing it. It is feeling better.  I know that I did not hurt it, I just aggravated it.  So, all is well, it is feeling better every day.  And now you know, the rest of the story.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

sleep

Lately I have been having trouble sleeping.  It is unusual for me.  I find myself going to bed at 10 or 11pm and waking up at 3:30 or 4am.  Sometimes when you wake up, you know that you are done sleeping.  This is what has been happening to me.

I am not sure what to think about it, or what it means, but I am getting a lot more done during the day, simply because the days are longer.  Maybe that's not a bad thing.  Every cloud has a silver lining.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

maturity

I no longer remember where I read this, but it has become one of my favorite quotes.

"Spiritually mature people are those who have learned to set aside their own comfort and personal preference for the sake of the mission."

How do you deal with change?  How are you interfacing with the mission?  Is your life mission aligned with God's mission, or do you prefer something different?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

church growth

I have two thoughts on church growth.  The first thing that is needed for your church to grow, is for the church to be doing the right things.  Good preaching, solid programs, strong missions, all taking place within a healthy culture.  The concept of healthy culture we will discuss another day.

If all of that is taking place, I believe that most churches will grow unless something gets in the way.  There are all kinds of things that can get in the way and be a barrier to growth.  If you don't have enough places to park, enough seats at the prime service times, if you don't have adequate access to your building, all of these will hinder growth.  Barriers must be removed, at any cost.

Sometimes folks ask me why growth is important at all.  The answer is that growth is about reaching people.  Humans.  Souls.  Jesus asked us to go and make disciples.  Not just enough so that we can pay the bills, not just enough that we feel comfortable, but to win everyone that we can, every time that we can.  That is our mission.  It is what Christians are supposed to be doing.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

annoyed

I am annoyed.  Annoyed with myself.  Because, occasionally, for no particular reason, I get annoyed.  Over the smallest things, the dumbest things.  I can feel it coming on, and I try, but usually I cannot stop it.  Somewhere down inside, it is still about me, I guess.

Life is too good and life is too short to be bothered by the little things.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  I have to keep reminding myself of this.  An hour from now, I am going to be embarrassed because I allowed this thing to annoy me.

Keep at it.  Don't give up.  Today is another day.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Heartache

Since I spilled my guts yesterday, let me tell you something else.  What do people think of pastors?  Are they cool?  Boring?  Irrelevant?  Do they have an easy job?  Do they have a hard job?  Whatever people think about pastors, sometimes there is a lot of heartache.

When you have to visit with someone who had a terminal illness.  When you visit with someone who has a sick child.  When you visit with someone who is dealing with unfaithfulness or divorce.  When you have to bury those that you personally love, there is heartache.

I thank God that His shoulders are big.  Big enough to cry on.  I thank God that He is always there, always ready to comfort us.  He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

It is a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

our pasts

Our pasts affect us.  Sometimes, what we do today is a result of what we have experienced in the past.  It's like if you see a dog that shies away from people, you wonder who beat him when he was a pup. With that said, I have something to share.

I spent a few years, during my formative years, in and around churches that practiced or delivered the following: 
1.   Heavy layers of guilt
2.  casting supposed demons out of people
3.  believing that they were [myself at the time] superior to non-believers and most other Christians.
4.  Everyone was expected to raise their hands during worship.
5.  No one could ever question the pastor.
6.  During prayer meetings, people would be literally pushed over so that they laid on the floor.
7.  Everyone was expected to come for the customary altar call. 
8.  If you did not receive Jesus in the prescribed manner, then you were told that you were not a true Christian.
9.  Spiritual gifts were to be exercised and put on display in a very specific manner.
10.  There was only one way to look at the second coming, and if you didn't agree with that, well, again, you didn't fit in.

Wow.  There I said it.  Is that a lot of baggage or what?  Does that explain a few things about why we do what we do?  Here is the end result of these experiences from my past for me/us today.

1.  I get very nervous when I see anything that smacks of manipulation at a church.  I have become a strong believer in the power of the Holy Spirit to illicit a response from someone without a pastor or worship leader forcing the issue.  In fact, some of my favorite stories of conversion happen to people away from the church and with no pastor present!
2.  I despise guilt.  Jesus didn't use it and it is a terrible motivator.
3.  I have become a big believer in the fact that we cannot press God into formulas, bullet points or little boxes.  He works with people in various ways and we cannot contain him or create the perfect recipe.  Those that try to do so always end up looking silly.
4.  I believe in complete honesty and full disclosure.  Whatever you want to know about our church, its programs, finances, and ministries, if you attend WCC, this information is available to you.
5.  I want our commitments to Jesus and our practice of the faith to come from a place of absolute, complete freedom, clarity and sincerity.

Sometimes the pain and craziness of our pasts help us to live a healthier today.  I hope this has been the case for me.

It is a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

the best commitments

Commitments.  What are the best ones?  I suggest to you today that the best commitments are those that are made with complete clarity.  No pressure, no worries.  We choose to do what we do because we are deciding it on our own without any outside interference.  No manipulation, no tension.  We are choosing to do what we want to do because it is flowing out of who we are.

Somehow, I think that God is pleased with such decisions.  Clean commitments.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

change

Prayer changes things.  Beware of those who think that prayer is going to change or manipulate God.  Prayer changes things, and I am the thing.  The whole point of prayer is that it draws me away from myself and closer to our Father.

Someone asked for the quote from Bob Fillmore- here it is.

"The Conversion of the Heart is a metamorphosis.

In the beginning we are indeed the subject and center of our prayers. 
But in God’s time and in God’s way a revolution takes place in our heart. 
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, there is a shift in our center of gravity. 
We pass from thinking of God as part of our life to the realization that we are part of His life. 
Mysteriously, God moves from the edges of our prayer experience to the center. 
A conversion of the heart takes place, a transformation of the spirit. 
It is a wonderful work of Divine Grace"

It's a  beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

prayer

Someone asked that I post the prayer from the sermon on Sunday.  Here you go.

"Father, I thank you for the people in my life who seem to bring more pain than joy, for I believe you have let our paths cross for important reasons. Thank you for the good things you want to do in my life through the things that bother me.

I'm so glad that you are also working within me to make me more like Jesus -- more patient, more gentle, more loving -- through the very things that I dislike.  Amen."

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

wounds

The wounds we carry.  Someone hurt you.  Someone rejected you.  The betrayal of a friend.  We all have these hurts.  And, lets be clear- they hurt.  They really hurt.

It takes time to heal such wounds.  However, just because it takes time to heal such wounds, does not give us an excuse to ignore them or not work on them.  It does not give us an excuse to lash out at others because we are hurt.  It is never fair to hurt back.  We must also be careful about delivering collateral pain to others.  They are not guilty by association.

I hope that you will join me in the pursuit of forgiveness every single day of the year.  Those folks did hurt you, they did hurt me, but they are still loved by God.

Oh, yes.  There is God.  When I think of Him, I realize that I have to let Him be bigger than any hurts that come my way.  Jesus set the example.  "Father forgive them." 

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

A Tribute

Three weeks ago we held a memorial service for our dear friend, Lynn Woodruff.  Ken and Lynn's nephew Eric Keller is a pastor in Enid, Oklahoma.  He writes a blog and this is what he shared about the service for Lynn.

Blessed By a Funeral

What a crazy week. I've driven about 1,500 miles this week as I went to KC, MO to my aunt's funeral on Monday and went to Arkansas for a conference on Wednesday. Lots of miles, but lots of blessings too.

I was deeply impacted at my aunt's funeral. There were many things that were impressive about the whole experience there. First of all, this church (Woods Chapel) was so loving to my uncle and the family there. You could feel it and sense it. They had their guest services team there. They were opening doors, greeting, directing people. I asked someone if this was normal. They said yes. They do it for most funerals for church members. That was really impressive. A long line formed to offer condolences to my uncle. It went on for about 90 minutes. Person after person expressing concern and love for my uncle and his loss. I must admit, it was not what I expected at all, but it was really neat to watch.

The funeral service was equally impressive. You talk about a life celebration service! That's exactly what it was. If you knew my aunt, then you knew that she was the epitome of kindness and goodness and love. She just had that way about her. It wasn't how she acted, it was who she was. She lived out her faith and commitment to Christ everyday. At the funeral there was story after story after story that people wrote in or shared at the mic about her impact and Christian example. Friends and acquaintances alike shared how they were touched by my aunt's life. It was amazing.

Several take aways for me. First, this church expressed love and care in a big way. The guest services team was even there and this was one of the most well attended funerals I've ever attended. The church lavished concern and caring on my uncle and the family. This is how churches should respond when someone among them loses a loved one. Just showing up so the family knows you care is huge. When in doubt...if it's someone in your church family...show up. Just showing up says we love you and we care for you. It means a lot to a mourning family or individual.

Another take away is that a Christian's funeral should be joyous. I really enjoyed celebrating her life at the funeral. Christians should not mourn as those who have no hope. (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13) There will always be mourning at any funeral, but the Christians should remember that the deceased is with Christ and there is no better place to be. Knowing this, we find a celebration of Christ's love for us is appropriate.

Overall, let me just say...well done. The whole experience was well done. I saw Christian brothers and sisters serving, loving, and sharing life together in such a way that it made me think, this is what koinonia (deep fellowship) must have been like in the early church. To Woods Chapel, I commend your Christlikeness. It blessed my soul. Thank you Lord for this example of the way things ought to be when you're a part of the family of God.

http://eric-keller.blogspot.com/2012/08/blessed-by-funeral.html

Today I simply share this with you to again celebrate the life of our friend, Lynn and to celebrate the fine Woods Chapel family.  I am blessed to have you in my life.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Logan's

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.  It is more than a part of my day, it is often a part of my job as a Pastor.  When people want to talk, I often end up with a Breakfast or a lunch on the schedule.  I am glad to do this.

Since I have been on my diet, I have been looking for places to eat that have healthy food.  Subway is wonderful.  Also Applebees and Logan's Road House have several tasty, yet healthy meals.

So, having said all of that, I would like to apologize to a member of our church.  I was at lunch at Logan's a couple of weeks ago with a woman from church and her mother.  We were engaged in some discussion, and another woman that attends our church came to the table.  She just wanted to say hello, she told me that I probably did not know her name, but she comes to Woods Chapel.

Since we were talking at the table, the whole moment took me a bit by surprise.  Looking back, I am sorry if I looked startled, I am sorry that I did not know your name, and I am sorry that I did not handle the whole thing better.  Please forgive me.

It is important for all of us to remember that every person is important. For example, that is not just a neighbor walking back from the mail box.  That is a precious child of God that matters very much to Him.  To the extent that we remember this, we are seeing people as our Father sees them.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

trips

Trips and vacations.  Do you know the difference between a trip and a vacation?  If you take the kids, its a trip.  Ha ha.

I think about places that I like to go.  Northern California.  Florida.  New Orleans.  Where do you like to go?

Now I am going to change the subject.  I am driving down the road, thinking about the cars that are coming the other direction at 55mph.  If one of them crosses the center line, I am going to be going on a trip.  A trip to eternity.

It is a trip that all of us are going to take.  It is not optional.  We are all going to make the journey.  We forget how fragile our bodies are, but in one careless moment, our souls can so easily become dislodged from this earthly house. 

Take care of yourself, and enjoy today.  Enjoy your trips and vacations, and enjoy the gift of this day.  We have a limited number of them left, you and I.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

for each other

Do we go to worship for ourselves, or for others?  Do we stop going when we begin to feel like we are not getting anything out of it?

Sunday the pastor reminded us that sometimes we sing, not for ourselves, but for others.  For those who have shown up that are broken and crushed.  For those who cannot muster a smile much less a song.  We sing for them.  He encourage them by our singing. 

Sometimes worship is about what we give to others, and about what we give to our Father.  The moment we get this, everything changes.  I recently received this comment from a dear friend.  "Before my Christianity dropped 12inches (from my head to my heart), I did not need to be in church. I thought it was all about me, my needs. Now I understand that others in the Church need me to be there, that we all need the Community worship."

May we all come to a greater understanding of how our lives interface with others.  May we all learn to see that we can be a blessing to others.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

a great day

Labor day was a great day for me.  One great moment after another.

It began with a trip to a friend's home where we did a guy thing.... we shot guns.  Very nice.  Lots of fun.  It is hard to explain why this is enjoyable, but it is

Then another friend picked me up and took me out to Blue Springs Lake where we rode in his boat and sat in the water for a couple of hours.

I arrived home to find a 1970 corvette in my driveway.  A friend stopped by to show me his acquisition.  I got to drive it.  Awesome. 

Top it off with a dinner out with my wife.  I am on top of the world.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

visible sins

I once read a story about a group of people that were very mean and judgmental.  They were always looking at others and commenting on their sins.

Then one day an interesting rain storm hit the town.  The rain washed away the ability of people to hide their sins.  Colored marks would appear on the face of the person corresponding to their sin.  Red for adultery, green for lust or envy, black for hatred, orange for gluttony, etc. 

Suddenly everyone looked at each other a little differently.  Now there would be no pretending.  Anyone that focused on the sin of another, had to know that their sins were completely visible as well.

That is the end of the story.  What does it mean for us?  Well, our sins are completely visible to God.  Also, most normal people understand that everyone has their sins.  Healthy people don't spend time gossiping about the faults of others.

Seeing the good means looking at others and focusing on their strengths, not their weaknesses.  It means seeing the best in people, not the worst.  It means doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Happy Day

For seven years my wife Cathy has travelled with her job.  She got on a plane every Monday and flew to some town.  Sacramento.  LA.  San Antonio.  Chapel Hill.  Tampa.  Miami.  Billings.  Denver.  New York.  DC.  And then there were the really cool places that she went to like Wheeling West Virginia and Hazard, Kentucky.

I would go about my business during the week and look forward to her coming home on Thursday or Friday.  As you can imagine, it took years to get used to her being gone so much.  It was also impossible to get together with anyone.  Someone would invite us over for dinner and it was impossible.  When she was finally home, the last thing that she wanted to do was to go somewhere.

Well, all of this is coming to an end.  It has come to and end.  Cathy is on vacation this week, and starts a new job in town later this month.  Her travelling days are over.

This is a happy day and I invite you to rejoice with me.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

elevators

There are many life lessons to learn from elevators.

First, always stand back so that others can get off, before you try to enter.  There isn't room for everyone, and it is just good manners to let others get off before you try to enter.

Second, do not talk on your cell phone on an elevator.  It is not your private phone booth.  Make your calls in private, later.  Same goes for in line at the grocery store by the way.

Third, if you are on the elevator with your friends as well as others that you don't know, respect the space of the others and hold off on your conversations with your friends until later.

Finally, this is shared but personal space.  The people that are on the elevator do not need to be looked at or engaged in conversation.  Frankly, it may scare them.  Just a simple hello is plenty.

Elevator manners say a good deal about who we are.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

investment

I posted last week and referred to the concept of investment.  Investing in others.  The post gathered some comments, so I wanted to clarify further.

When I speak of us investing in others, we do not do this to get something in return.  When we invest in the stock market, we hope to receive a return, but people are not our "projects."  The best human investments are completely self-less.  Just simply doing good to another with no thought that they must reciprocate or do something back to us.

Now of course, this can be taken too far out of context as well.  When I invest in my children, I really hope that they take in what I am saying and follow it.  When I invest in a sermon, I hope it reaches the hearers and they make positive responses.  When God invests in us, he hopes that we will respond with love.

But in our daily life, to invest in another without expecting anything in return is a true gift.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

witness

A few years ago, the United Methodist church added the word witness to our membership vows.  Prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.  Witness scares most people.  I am supposed to do what?

Witness does not mean that you run around scaring people to death.  It doesn't mean that you become an annoyance to others.  It doesn't mean that you leave your normal life to corner folks and talk to them. 

When we are living the Christian life, we are a witness.  Our word and our actions, are a testimony to Christ.  We don't have to tell people that we follow Christ, they can see it.  They can tell that there is something loving and joyful about us.

Our goal should not be to rush out and witness, our goal should be to follow Christ and then just do what comes naturally.  You will know when it is right to talk with someone, and you will know when it is weird.  Stay close to your Father and love Him with all your heart.  If we do that, we can't help but be a witness.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

helping orphans

Someone asked me the other day what they could do to help orphans.  This is what I told them....

Helping orphans is not the answer.  Helping orphans is a symptom of a life that is lived beyond one's self.  Begin to see every person as valuable, every person as a gift from God.  No one is an interruption, no one is an annoyance, no one is in your way.  Every one is God's child, everyone is an orphan.  Everyone is needing of care.

Do this, think like this, every day.  Over and over again.  Then to volunteer or reach out to help orphans in some specific way is simply an out growth of who you are and what you do.  You don't step out of your normal life to help someone, you are constantly helping someone and the recipient this time happened to be orphans.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.