sometimes

I got back last night from a 3 day pastors conference. The content was very good, and I always get smarter when I go to this event. And as my daughter likes to say, "Dad, you really need to get smarter."

So here is my airport experience. Tuesday I woke up at 3:30 am and hit the road. The highway was wide open. I drove right to the parking spot. They put me in row 6, space 7. It doesn't get much better than that. The bus was there before I got out of the car. At the terminal there was no one in line to print boarding passes. Three people in security. The plane was on time. It was half full. Everyone spread out. the direct flight arrived on time and I was second in line in the rental car line. I had paid for an economy car, but they put me in an SUV. Nice.

Then there was the way home. I got to the airport at 1230. the plane was to take off at 2:15. I was supposed to be home at 515 KC time. The plane is on time. No the plane is delayed 90 minutes. Then three hours. Then the flight is cancelled. There is another flight that leaves at 5pm. Everyone rushes to the nearest counter to make new arrangements. I listen to the hatefulness that so many passengers are delivering to the counter staff, who of course are personally responsible for the delay. Long and short of it is, they route me through Denver and i finally get home at 11pm.

To me, the activity of God is not in whether he made the flight be cancelled or not. I don't see his activity in whether my prayers [desires] were answered. Where i see God's activity is in how all of the passengers chose to respond to the circumstances. Some were ugly, some were graceful. I could almost pick the Christians out for you. They were trusting and patient.

Some times in life you get what you want. Sometimes in life you get what you get. I am glad to be home.

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

dissent

Dissent. To differ in opinion. To challenge the status quo.

Weak organizations and weak people fear dissent. It makes you feel that there is something to hide. On the other hand, strong, healthy organizations welcome questions and disagreements because they know that we only learn when people ask questions. The truth is never afraid of questions.

Do you live in an open or a closed system? Do you allow other ideas to challenge your world view?

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

mentors

Be sure to read the prayer of Thomas Merton that was shared by Erin in a comment on yesterday's post. I may not be doing this right, but I believe that my desire to please you, does please you. Awesome.

Mentors. A mentor is someone who helps you "get it." They help you leave your little Pollyanna world and face reality. They comfort, advice and challenge. They hold you accountable. Everyone needs one. A child is mentored by his parents. But what happens after he or she is out of the house? Well we are just supposed to know what to do. But we don't, do we?

A mentor does not have to be a forever thing. You can have someone mentor you on a project, through a problem, or over a cup of coffee one afternoon a month. It does not mean turning your life over to a maharishi. But, to not have a mentor is to indicate that I don't need any help. I have it together. I have the answers. Surely all of us can learn from someone. I had a seminary professor who said, "never trust a pastor who isn't someone else's sheep." That can be applied to all of us. Who is mentoring you? Who is calling you forth toward your potential? Who is helping you get it?

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

prayers

A week ago Sunday I mentioned that one of my confessions would be that I feel that I have not done as good of a job as I could have/should have, visiting with you about prayer. Trying to help you understand the purpose of, and benefit of Godly prayer.

I share these three prayers with you over the last few days to give you a picture of what I think are some of Christianity's best prayers. I asked you to read them and look for the common themes. Several of you commented, and you get it.

If you take a moment today and read them again, you will see the common themes. Prayer submits me to God. Pray brings my heart to kneel. In prayer I am lost in him and in his purpose. In prayer I realize that nothing on my heart or mind compares to basking in his presence.

Now at this point someone will say that God cares for our needs and concerns. I would agree. But these should not be the primary focus of our praying. Our praying needs to be about spending time with the Master........ with no strings attached.

When I come to your house to dinner, it is about us hanging out and enjoying each other. It is not about me asking you for everything.

This is such a change to the thoughts of most American Christians, who think that God is a spiritual vending machine...... prayer in - blessings out. The monastics, and the great Christ followers of all time, found peace and rest in the presence of the one that they loved.

And so in prayer, I lose myself in Him. I find myself in him. I retreat from the world, so that I can return to it as the person he made me to be. In prayer I say, not my will but thine. In prayer I deliver my time, talent and treasure to him for his disposal. It all came from him anyway, and our lives find perspective when our focus is leaning into him instead of worrying about our stuff.

I also find it a bit interesting that often in prayer, you are the answer. Not that you are some power broker, but often, the answer that we seek comes from us simply releasing ourselves to do and be what God calls us to be. This principle is illustrated in the old story of the person who was going to ask God why he allowed so many people to die of hunger, but then the person decided not to ask, because he/she was afraid that God might ask the same of us. Why do we allow so many people to die of hunger? And so, as I am submitted to God, I can become the answer to many of my prayers.

There is so much to say on this subject, but this post is long enough. May you find the place in prayer where worldly concerns are absorbed and dissipated by the sheer joy of holding fast to the one that you love, and who loves you like no other.

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

the youth rock

Tomorrow we will talk about the three prayers. Today, I can only write about the awesome mark that the youth made on my life yesterday. So, ok, I am easy. If anyone is hungry to be touched by God, it has to be the preacher that does not have to preach on a particular Sunday. For once in your life you get to go sit in the pew with your wife and listen to the service.

The youth did not disappoint us. The music was awesome. The singers were awesome. The speakers were awesome. The energy from the youth group was beyond description. If you missed it, I am sorry for you. If you intentionally skipped it, then you have reaped the reward for that choice.

Young people, you were awesome. I was blessed. I can only hope that I give to others the same touch of God that you gave to me at the youth service on Sunday. I can't tell you how excited I am for you and how proud I am of all of you. Thank you!

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

3 favorite prayers pt.3

St. Ignatius of Loyola 1491-1556 was a Spanish priest who founded the Order of Jesus [Jesuits]. He is the patron saint of spiritual retreats. He left some pretty cool prayers. Here is one called surrender:

Take O Lord and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. All that I am, and all that I possess, you have given me. I surrender it all to you to be disposed of according to your will. Give me only your love and grace. With these, i will be rich enough and will desire nothing more.

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

3 favorite prayers pt.2

John Wesley [1703-1791] was an Anglican Priest who inadvertently became the founder of the Methodist Church. He was a fiery preacher who led thousands of people to Christ. Travelling by horseback all over England he would preach three times per day. The common people of the day responded with joy to his message of grace.

Wesley spoke seven languages and wrote a ton of books. Consequently, he made a lot of money, but lived a very austere lifestyle and gave the rest to the poor. Among his many writings is a prayer that has become known as the Wesley Covenant Prayer.

I am no longer my own but thine. Put me with what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing. Put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee. Exalted by thee or brought low by thee. Let me be full or let me be empty. Let me have all things or let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thou are mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

Good stuff.

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

3 favorite prayers pt.1

I have three favorite historic prayers. I am going to share them with you over the next 3 days. They are awesome. See if you can see a common thread within these three prayers.

St. Francis: Giovanni Fransesco de Bernardone 1181-1226. Patron Saint of animals and the environment. He organized an order of friars which would become known as the Franciscans. You see a lot of statues of him in gardens. We have one at our house. Although he only lived for 45 years, he left quite a mark on the world, and he left one of my favorite prayers.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master-
Grant that I may not seek to be consoled, as to console.
to be understood, as to understand.
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
Amen.

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

myth #4

Oh no. We are going to become a mega church. If we become a mega church, a lot of people are going to leave. We don't want to be a mega church.

Ok. So, what is a mega church? And, who gets to decide when there are enough people?

Personally, I am sick to my stomach thinking about how many people are here now. I go to meetings with people who have attended for years, and I don't even know them. It drives me crazy.

But, who of you would like to stand out at the front door and tell the really new folks that they can't come in? We have enough. You can't come in because we don't want to become a mega church.

I thought that we were supposed to win every person that we could to Jesus Christ and his church. If that is so, then how do you stop that? When do you get to stop that? Do you ever get to decide how big your church will be? Isn't it a blessing if others want to come to your church? I am sure there are lots of churches who wish that they were at capacity and still others want to come.

Jesus did not stop with the 12. Nor did he stop with the 70 or the 120. There are millions of Christians all over the world, and he keeps trying to win more. So should we. It is not about our comfort, or how many, it is about us hearing the call of Christ to reach out and working to fulfill our potential. Is there someone that you know that you want to invite to church?

The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. pray that God would send others to work the fields. God wants everyone to come to a knowledge of him. he wants everyone to come into a relationship with him. We have no right to stop that because we are uncomfortable around crowds.

Sorry, but that is just the way that it is.

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

myth number 3

Building myth #3 = we should not spend the money on a building, but we should spend the money on missions.

Ahh. So awesome sounding. But if we took that advice 12 years ago, we would still be spending $3,000 per year on missions. Fact is, the money we spent to build the building in 1999 opened the door and increased the potential so that now we are spending 100,000 per year on missions.

Making room for others grows the soil from which larger missions ideas grow. There are dreams for us out in the future in mission that we will never know if we do not invite others to join us.

Truth is, it is a both and. When others join you, your potential grows. But, that will never happen unless you make room for them. It all goes together. Space for people that will hear God's call and join us in mission. It all goes together.

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

building myth 2

If yesterday's post was building myth one: we have enough room. Today can be building myth two: the pastor only cares about new people.

Ouch.

If that were true, the only people that I would care about were the 125 that were here in 1994. Everyone else, since then, is technically "new". Because they have all been won to the church by the outreach efforts of the original group. Fact is, your pastor cares deeply about every single person in the church. Young, old and in between. Child, youth and adult. God's family includes every single one of you and it is my job to reach you when you are outside the church, care for you once in the church, and send you out into the world to reach others.

That is the cycle. We come in. We get our feet on the ground. We go out. Without the going out, there is no church, just a country club. And the going out into the world, by definition, implies reaching out to others.

It is not that the pastor cares for others more than those who are here, it is that the pastor's deep desire is that we all fulfill God's purpose by continuing to reach out. When we stop doing that, we have forgotten what the church is about.

So the pastor cares about all of you. And the pastor cares about all of you enough to not allow us to sink into our easy chair and decide that the world revolves around us. The gospel is active. It is out there, and it is waiting for your active participation today. I love you enough to challenge you to be about our Father's business.

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

we have enough room

I heard it the other day. Why build? We have enough room for us.

Please stop and think of what that sounds like and what that means.

If the people at Woods Chapel had said that in 1998, there would still only be 250 people in attendance. Everyone else that has joined since then would not even be here at the church.

When we join the church, we pledge to support it by our "prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness." What is our witness to the community if we stop making room for others? We have enough for us. That is all that matters.

When churches decide that they have arrived, they begin the process of dying. People with vision leave. People that want the church to reach out and touch the world, they leave. The church becomes a place that is turned in on itself, where everything is measured by "if it is good for us."

There are lots of churches like this around. Let us pray that our church does not become one. It is a very difficult place to come back from.

Jesus still calls us to reach the community with his love. There are lots of unchurched people in our neighborhoods. There is still this thing called the great commission. Let us draw together in pursuit of God's purpose for our church.

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

victory

This post is shamelessly human. Never count the old guy out.

I was on a canoe trip Friday and Saturday. Same bunch of guys for the last four years. One of the traditions of the trip is that everybody tries to dunk the biggest guy. Don't feel bad for him, this is just what happens when you are the biggest dude on the block. You get used to it.

Well, for years, we have tried unsuccessfully. One at a time, two at a time, surprise attack, nothing worked.

This year, everything changed. let's just say that the oldest guy dunked the biggest guy. Alone. Mano e mano. Yes, it was a surprise attack, but when you are the oldest guy you have to do what you can to settle the score. Regardless, anyway you look at it, he went all the way under.

Yes, he got up and thrashed the old guy like a rag doll, but it was all worth it. Victory is sweet.

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

today's lesson is.....

Romans 12
Place Your Life Before God
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.


I am at my best when I am not trying to fit in...to feel comfortable....to be what someone else expects. It takes to much effort. For me there seems to be little reward or satisfaction in conformity. The older I get the less appealing it has become....life is too short to not explore it and what it has in store for me. My father was that way. He saw things and people from a whole other angle. As a kid I used to think he was just strange, as an adult I began to see and understand him differently....scary when that happens. I suppose the key is to become comfortable in your own skin and understanding that, "God brings the best out of you" if you let him.


Peace,
Lion's Den Man

village people part 2

Back in July I wrote about our family's positive experience with sports, teams and coaches. I mentioned a friend of mine that is both a teacher and a coach, how he loves what he does and how important and rewarding it is to him to help kids reach their potential. Yesterday I got to see him in action. He and his coaching staff had a student athlete that needed encouragement. They understood the situation. They showed compassion. They humbled themselves by sharing their own similar personal experiences and struggles. They brought humor into the conversation. Weaknesses were not mentioned. They worked from the positive. They made the student feel whole and inspired. It was so perfect it almost seemed choreographed....but it wasn't....it was just an honest and pure response made by a few good people who want to make a difference in the life of a kid. Awesome!

As I said before, it takes a village, and I am in a good one.

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

more on guilt

Someone asked if Jesus delivered guilt. What about his pointed painful talks with the pharisees? I guess I would agree that Jesus squared off with a few people. He challenged them to stop oppressing and hurting people. I think there are people and systems in the world today that Jesus would challenge if he were here in person.

I do think that there is a difference between squaring off with someone, telling the truth as you see it, and delivering guilt.

Guilt is something that we use as a tool to manipulate people to do what we want them to do. Parents are known to do this to their children. Some pastors do this to their people. Some churches have a theological approach that is all about casting blame and shame in an attempt to straighten people up. Those that engage in delivering guilt generally tend to do so as a normal part of their mode of operation. They may not even see that they are doing it. After all, aren't they just trying to help people do right? But the end of such behavior is hurt and pain. The end of guilt delivery is broken and crushed people. We end up driving away the very people that we were trying to win.

Yes Jesus squared off with the arrogant. But Jesus did not in my opinion try to motivate people by shaming them or making them feel guilty. I don't think we should either.

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

an ounce

There is an old saying: an ounce of mother is worth a pound of pastor. Let me say it another way: an ounce of love is worth a pound of pastor.

Recently, I delivered an ounce of guilt to someone. Maybe even a half an ounce. And... it crushed them. I did not mean to deliver the guilt, I thought I was trying to do good. But evidently it hurt them. Obviously it hurt them.

I am sorry. Guilt is a very painful thing. Jesus never dealt in guilt. We need to be very careful about delivering guilt. Grace is the alternative. Grace. Grace. Grace. Grace. How can I help you see that you are loved, that you are awesome, that you are forgiven. Grace alone. We go forth, we go forward, we live, by grace alone.

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

grass

Grass. We like it when it is pretty, green and free of weeds. There is a person not far from our house who did some re-sodding in their yard. They neglected to keep the sod watered and it died. What did come up though, was a nice stand of nutsedge. Nutsedge is that stuff that looks like grass but the blades are fatter and it grows really fast. Now the neighbor is watering their nutsedge, thinking it is grass. It is tough stuff to get rid of and definitely not grass.

And so what is growing in our lives? Is it Christian stuff or do we only think it is Christian stuff? How do you know the difference. It is pretty simple really. If what we are doing is Christ centered, it is Christian. If what we do is us centered, it is nutsedge. If self is in the mix, it only looks like the Christian life. To really find the joy of being a Christian, we need to learn to live lives that are void of self-interest. We need to learn and practice giving ourselves away for the sake of Christ.

When we do, oh what joy! It feels good! And the good news is, no matter where you are on the journey, you can begin today to live the life that is about loving others. God is love so when you love others, you will find him in your midst.

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

family

There are those moments when everyone is smiling and all is well. Don't let them go by without giving thanks to God. Because other moments may be coming where you will look at the pictures and remember the times and wonder.

Into each life a little rain must fall. Rain causes the flowers to grow. Sand irritates an oyster and produces a pearl. God makes all things beautiful in his time.

Look long term, keep busy and enjoy the pictures.

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

church for sale

Beautiful little white church for sale in Ben Lomond, Calif.

When churches forget why they are here, they begin to die. The people forget about the great commission and turn inward. They forget that Jesus came to serve rather than to be served. Their sanctuaries become less and less filled. Joy is replaced with fear. The average age of the congregation begins to soar. Pretty soon the handwriting is on the wall. People begin to make plans to close, to merge, to end the dream. You see this repeated all over the country.

Sometimes I take time to wonder- who were these people, what were their dreams? Where did they go? What happened to the fire?

The remedy for this disaster is simple. Churches have to recover a sense of why they exist. They must refocus on the call of Christ. They, we all need to sniff out self-centeredness as it appears in our church world view, and find again the purpose to which Jesus calls us. When we do this, the church thrives and dry bones come back to life.

When you come to church, are you primarily looking for something for yourself, or do you realize that you are an important part of the plan of God to reach out and care about the people that he brings your way? Do you find your joy in what you get or what you give?

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

plumbing and wildlife

Someone asked about the plumbing for the shower. Is there hot water or does it just run off the roof. Interestingly enough, the water pipes, both hot and cold are attached to the kitchen sink, they run outside, around the perimeter of the cabin, totally exposed to the weather, and finally back to the shower. The water was hot and it felt really good.

Another interesting thing about this camp was the number of deer that seemed to roam around with no fear of man. Now why would anyone be afraid of Quakers anyway? I saw many deer while I was there and they were very cooperative when I wanted to take their pictures.

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was so trusting.

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

the haven pt 2

Someone asked what the bath room facilities were like at the haven. Well, there is a toilet inside the haven. but there is not a sink in the bathroom. the sink is in the kitchen. So, you go there to wash your hands.

The shower is outside. It is the kind of situation where you know no one is around, but you still feel kind of funny taking a shower out where anyone that came along could see you. See the picture?

We don't like to feel uncomfortable, but sometimes that is just how life is. Quaker life is simple. There is a mop and a bucket to clean the floor but no chemicals. Clean it with regular water. I think that is just how life used to be. And somehow, it is simple and it is good. I really enjoyed the stay.

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

the haven

The name of the place that I stayed last week was "the haven." It was a nice cabin almost to the end of the road. The haven is one of several cabins that belong to the Quaker Center in Ben Lomond, Calif.

No TV, no airconditioning, but you really didn't need it. Nice, but basic. Simple. That is the Quaker way.


To find a place of quiet is so important, and you don't have to go to California to do so. Today at 9am I baptized a young man at the beach at the cove behind the main Lakewood Clubhouse. It was so quiet and peaceful and beautiful back there at 9am.



Simple. Quiet. Good.



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

difficult things

[the pop up box that some of you were experiencing in the last few days has been resolved. It was not a virus. A picture that was posted was somehow directing readers to the woods chapel server which calls for a password. Sorry about the concern. It should be fixed now.]

Difficult things

Sometimes I get to visit with folks about difficult things that they are facing. Divorce, Family feuds. Problems at work. Etc.

Many of the problems that we face are not easily resolved. Some are not resolvable. Sometimes we are powerless to change what is happening and we are left dealing with things that turn into ongoing open wounds.

One of the best pieces of advice that I have collected over the years sounds something like this: "yes this thing makes you mad, yes this thing is very disturbing, yes we wish it was not here. What ever you do, be sure to conduct yourself in a manner that years from now you will not regret your behavior." In other words, yes this is a tough time, but don't act vindictively. Don't hurt the other people just because you are hurt.

If you can be kind when your heart is breaking, you can always look back on that chapter of your life with no regrets. Sometimes I have to take my own advice.

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

crowds

Odd. I don't like crowds. I am ok with crowds at church. I have learned to get used to it, and I know that we are supposed to win every person that we can. But in the rest of the world, I am not into crowds.

My counselor tells me that I am an introvert in an extrovert's world. I noticed my nervousness about crowds on my trip last week. After being alone in the forest for a week, I spend the last day in San Francisco because my flight left from there. When wandering around some of the famous places by the bay, there were big crowds.

If it was bad enough, I did not even go in. Some place that I really wanted to see, but I would just walk on by because I did not want to deal with the bodies. When given the choice I will always choose the restaurant with the quiet corner, the grocery store when there are no lines, the road less traveled.

I don't know what that is all about. Quiet is good, silence is golden. I am glad for the chance to win ever person that we can, but lots of people make me nervous. Oh well.

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

fear

I have some stories to share from last week.

United Methodist Pastors are required to spend two weeks each year in continuing education. Everyone knows that preachers need to get smarter. Often continuing education consists of going somewhere and sitting in a seminar. One of the things that I have chosen to do the last three years is to take a week and go to a camp in the California Redwoods to read. I am constantly accumulating books that I need to read, and a week sequestered away with a pile of books is one way that I have found to get them digested.

So I am at this camp last week outside of Ben Lomond , California. The camp is at the end of a very narrow road. There are no street lights, you can barely call it a street. My cabin is at the end of the road, the farthest up the hill. This is a one way road and in some places you can barely sneak a car past the trees.

One night, after spending the afternoon at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and stopping for Pizza on the way back to the cabin, I arrived after dark. And let me tell you, it was dark. I realized as I pulled up in front of the cabin that this is about as quiet and dark as a person is ever going to find.

I have to walk from the car to the cabin in the pitch blackness of the night. Did I mention that there are signs all over this part of the country warning you about the presence of mountain lions? I was never so glad to get into that cabin and shut the door.

Fear. I wish my worst fear was fear of the dark. I guess one good thing about worry and fear is that it tends to push me back towards God. When I find myself in the valleys of life, my heart tends to look harder for the Shepherd.

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

silence

Silence- we don't know very much about it. That is one reason, that each year I take a retreat to the redwood forest. Silence. There is nothing quite so quiet as being the only person for miles, out in the middle of a forest.

Silence reminds us that our souls are important. It reminds us that there is something going on in this world besides the crashing noisy input of our society. The great masters of the faith considered the practice of silence to be an important Christian discipline.

I thank the Levite for posting in my absense. Most days I had no readily available access to the internet- and I survived!

The noise of life can turn us into something that we don't want to be. Turn the TV off. Go sit outside for 30 minutes and just sit. Silence is good for the soul.

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

what service will you attend?

I remember leading communion as a youth pastor in Camdenton, Missouri. We had 2 services to break the bread. The first service, I took the loaf, broke it in half, telling the congregation that this was the body of Christ broken for them. The 2nd service I went to reenact the breaking of the same loaf, and the kids decided that it might be fun to fill the already broken loaf with jelly beans. So you can imagine what happened when I went to break bread. This is the body of Christ .....bouncing jellybeans across the alter for you. Let's just say, I was not filled with laughter at this moment ---but I do remember it quite clearly.

So which service do you attend?

We have 5 of them now at our church on Sunday morning.....soon to be six when the Beacon launches a Saturday night service August 21st. Do you like contemporary, traditional, blended, organic or cutting-edge? Do you like the preacher to tell great stories or quote from the scriptures? Do you like the worship leader to energetically lead the choir or band, or do you prefer a more contemplative worship? And how about the visuals ---lots of flowers, motion backgrounds, or not? What about the sound levels and the lights? Should we pass the offering plates or just put boxes in the back of sanctuary? And communion, how often, real bread or wafers?

Sometimes I feel that we approach selecting a church or a service to attend the same way we might order off of a menu (a nice hymn, with a touch of scripture, a great prayer, and an inspiring sermon --to go please) But what if our approach was different? What if we asked how will our service to the Lord be worship? What will we do, what will we give, how will we show this day that we love the Lord? Let's make our worship --to serve. To rob a quote from JFK: let's ask not what our church can do for us, but what we can do for the church.

So here it is . . . .just showing up on Sunday morning is not enough . . . .I said it.

And it hurts.

Because I spend a lot of my work preparing for Sunday mornings. Bill Hybels, leader of the Willow Creek Church, likes to say that the local church is the "hope of the nations." And why shouldn't it be, after all we are "the body" of Christ. And we should be bouncing more of our lives across the alter, spilling out into the streets and cities where we live, speaking into the broken lives of our neighbors, friends, and our families.

If you attend Woods Chapel, you are a missionary. We make sure that you know that being a part of our church involves giving yourself away. If you haven't figured out what that means yet for your life, talk to someone on staff at our church. We have lots of opportunities for you to serve the poor, the orphans, the aliens, those in prison, the widows.

Jesus asked Peter 3 times, "Do you love me? --then feed my sheep." What was it that Jesus told his disciples when the 4000 people needed to be fed? "You feed them."

Rise up Church --we are Christ's plan A and there is no plan B (check out the book Radical by David Platt subtitled, "Taking back our faith from the American Dream," this theme is all over this book) ---let's get to work!

Holy Spirit rise up among our people and let us lay down our lives for YOU.

AMEN

the levite (thanks for letting me sound off this week --Jeff will be back tomorrow)

Belly Laugh

Psalm 126

"When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with LAUGHTER, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy"

Jennifer and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary on August 12th. My one piece of advice for every new couple getting married is this ---be sure and LAUGH together as much as possible. Laughter can get you through a lot of difficult moments. Just don't laugh at the wrong times.

We were driving back on our 1300 mile trip from the East Coast. After a long day of potty breaks, crumbled gold fish crackers , pillow fights in the back seat, not enough clean pacifiers, and a car smelling like 2 days of french fries. Jennifer had been pushed to the limit and broke through the bickering with this phrase "We're not stopping for diarrhea!" I looked at her, a little shocked by what had come out of her mouth and then bursted with laughter. When these phrases come up, I like to keep a log of them, and reuse them whenever possible. This was a classic and I won't be letting go of this anytime soon.

So when the 5th child douses himself in powdered sugar and uses a pack of thawed, yet uncooked hot dogs as a teething toy, When the 4th child is collecting a small fortune of smarties in the air vents, the 3rd child is literally climbing the walls, and 1 & 2 are having a disagreement over who is the meanest, then what can you do but laugh...It's more than good medicine.

Find somebody you can laugh with....We need more laughter in the church....when's the last time you laughed until it hurt...... fill your home with laughter, because there's enough difficult stuff in this world. In fact, try this: mark down every time that you worry about something today ---and for every worry that you have ---find a joke to share with someone. For where there is laughter, there is joy.

And if you run out of jokes, ask our pastor .....he's got some good ones.

Taste and See that the Lord is good. ---have fun with this tune.

the levite

A Holy Moment

Have you ever had one? One of those moments that is so pure, so true, so awesome, where you could say that was unmistakably God's presence. Make no mistake, these are unplanned, spontaneous moments where God steps in. Jeff has been sending me these pictures of the Redwood Forest that clearly display the awesomeness of our God in creation. Our response to seeing the rockies, or the black hills of South Dakota, or the grand canyon, or the birth of a child, is certainly one of awe.

But holiness...this is me shuttering before my creator and realizing God truly is in this. It's not an emotion, or a revelation, or an aha moment. This is Zechariah coming out of the temple upon hearing the news of a Savior...This is you and me experiencing the forgiveness of sin (Psalm 130:4)

We live in a time where there is very little that our culture recognizes as sacred anymore. And yet, God has put within us, a need and desire to experience holiness.

I invite you to wrestle with the words of this song by Addison Road. Catch a glimpse of His holiness and you will rediscover what it means to fear God. And the fear of God, after all, is the beginning of wisdom.

What Do I Know of Holy

verse 1

I made You promises a thousand times

I tried to hear from Heaven

But I talked the whole time

I think I made You too small

I never feared You at all No

If You touched my face would I know You?

Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

(CHORUS)

What do I know of You

Who spoke me into motion?

Where have I even stood

But the shore along Your ocean?

Are You fire? Are You fury?

Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?

What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

VERSE 2

I guess I thought that I had figured You out

I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about

How You were mighty to save

Those were only empty words on a page

Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be

The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

Consider God's holiness today.

Make it a great one,

the levite

Church Music

David Crowder's last album that he released was called "Church Music." If you're not sure who the David Crowder Band is, you may want to get more familiar with him. He has touched a nerve with many young worshipers by cultivating a new and creative sound that explores reinventing the old and using electronic media and unorthodox instrumentation. Of course church music is changing --always. For example check out the Michael Gungor band or Matt Papa --you may be hearing these in church soon. (Think Coldplay or One Republic)

So what is church music? We immediately might think about opening the hymnal and turning to page .... or we might think of the folk tunes of the early praise and worship movement "Seek Ye First" or of course, the crowning jewel of the praise and worship movement "Lord I Lift Your Name on High." Do I keep up with the trends --no way. But I do recognize that when a singer or musician or composer creates something beautiful, or powerful, or mysterious, or when it captures an emotion or truth where words have failed, God is present.

When it comes to how we present this in the church, when we have a body of people who obviously have different tastes in music and are moved by different styles....how do we approach selecting music? I suppose this is my job. I believe that we can begin by finding those songs that capture the heart beat of God, sung in a way that the instrument or the one who delivers the song connects the words in a way that people are allowed to enter into a glimpse of God's holiness, His eternal and mysterious nature.

Southern Gospel: Check out the Isaacs --this arrangement of "It is well" gets me every time
Black Gospel: I love the Mississippi Mass Choir --"I'm not tired yet."
Choral Music: I got to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when they came to KC --it was tremendous.
R&B --Toby Mac has struck a chord with many, I love "City on our Knees"

I guess the question that we need to be asking as we prepare church music is simple. And it's not what style, what singer, what genre, how fast, or slow, what instrument, how old is it. But Does it indeed move us into a place where we can enter into God's presence. My hope is that it happens for you at our church and perhaps you can assist me as we consider together, what is that music that stirs the soul to a more profound conviction, confession, confrontation with our Maker.

Peace,

the levite

Lukewarm Christians

I didn't grow up a Methodist. I grew up in the First Christian Church in Jefferson City, Missouri. I've been a part of a Presbyterian Church, a United Church of Christ, and a few others along the way. But I'm always curious to hear how people define what being a Methodist is about. One guy in our church says --"they're not too hot and not too cold, kind of right in the middle."

A lot of people want to define churches as being liberal or conservative, fundamentalist or not. I am thankful to be a part of a church at Woods Chapel whose leaders are more interested in seeing lives transformed for the sake of Christ and His glory, rather than trying to define a "Christian" world view that makes practical sense in our world. Most of what Jesus did, after all, didn't make sense to his followers.

Back to the soup .....if it's not too hot or not too cold then it's, well, lukewarm. Francis Chan has some pretty strong words to us who are "lukewarm" Christians --check out "Crazy Love." p65-81. This chapter really shook me up because I realized that there is nothing lukewarm about following Jesus and loving Him with ALL our heart, mind, soul, or strength. What does this even look like?

So the mantra in our society is live a "balanced" life ---"everything in moderation" --some of us believe this came right out of the scriptures. As someone with an artistic temperament, I have no problem discarding this philosophy. Us artistic types, after all, are a little manic in most things we do. But we only have to look as far as Jesus himself to discover that balance was not a principle that governed His life. Look at the story of the samaritan woman in John 4 , the disciples were concerned with Jesus getting something to eat, Jesus was concerned with this ladies life being transformed. Look at the feeding of the 5 thousand in Luke 9 --"send them away" say the disciples, "we are tired and there is nothing to eat." Following Jesus does not require balance, but obedience.

Look, there are hard things in our life and some of you might be experiencing the pain right now. Some of you have been in it for awhile. Don't abandon the faith, celebrate the chaos, check out what James or Peter or Paul have to say about suffering (James 1:2-8 or 1 Peter 4:12-13 or Romans 5:3-5). Perhaps God is using this time to draw you back to Him. And remember John 15:5 --we are the branches shaking in the wind, but as long as we are attached to the vine...the fruit will come. And I don't know about you, but I want to bear great fruit for Him......, but it only happens in a season ---there is winter out there and it is His season too. Check out Nichole Nordeman's song about this "Every Season" --great song.

Okay, so tomorrow we talk more about music....

the levite.

orange toothpaste

5 kids brushing their teeth at the same time, in the same bathroom, jockeying for position in the sink. It's a Sunday night at the Bartman house and we are shutting it down. They are all at different stages of brushing: some have the technique and the spitting, some go for a swipe and a drool, some just open their mouths and scream. By the time you get done, you definitely have a mess, large clumps of toothpaste, and one left by the sink dumping water back and forth in two 2 inch cups. A short story, a prayer, and the magic hour is over.

This is our life and day by day we are learning when we need to encourage, when we need to be silent, and when we need to correct. So we are overwhelmed, but it is quiet, and we'll do it again tomorrow.

So I've been asking the question a lot lately, and so I give it to you this morning: how are you starting and how are you finishing? Are you running the race to win the prize, or are you counting the seconds until the next ...game, meal, test, paycheck.

Okay, so I don't like the big messes, or the noise, or the whining, but when I stop and consider that God has given us this moment then my response is worship. Yes, worship. Thank you God for giving us this opportunity to see large clumps of orange toothpaste in the sink.

Oh yes ......and a life verse from me James 4:17 .....check it out

the levite

a friend

How do you define a friend. They are just a call away. They stand beside you. They laugh with you. They cry with you. When everyone else has given up on you, your friends are still there. When you are at the end of your rope, your friends sit with you and console you.

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share.

If you feel alone today, he awaits. If you have come to the end of yourself, he beckons you to come to him. He is that friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is just a call away.

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

the invisible bird part 2

Although she assured us that she was not, the rest of the family had a lot of fun thinking my wife was crazy for a day. Read yesterday's post now if you have not done so and come back here after you have. Josh chimed in, asking the timeless question, "did she hear the invisible bird sing?"

So we have resolved the mystery. We have a wonderful gal who does a bit of cleaning at our house on Friday. This is needed since my wife travels and no one else who lives here knows how to pick anything up. Anyway, I hear her call my me: "Pastorrrrr...........please come here, there is a creature!!"

I go in and check it out and sure enough, there it is. It has crawled underneath the cross leg of a table and wedged itself into a spot that is about two inches tall. I hate to admit what happened next, but please understand that I cannot have this thing loose in our home. My wife would kill me if it takes flight again.

I get a broom. She pulls the table out of the way. I pin it down. It goes to heaven. That is the short version. We take a couple of pictures. Are you ready for this?

I assume that it took refuge one night in a fireplace vent and then crawled in through the fireplace grate. Nice.

We are going to give my wife another chance.

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

the invisible bird

I am across town picking up a mattress. Kids going off to college. We found a good bed sale. I am talking to the sales person. The phone rings. It's the wife. She is frantic. She has been buzzed by a bird four times in the house. Or maybe it was a bat.

I grin. She is hiding in her bedroom and won't comeout until I get home. I take my time.

When I get home, I check every inch of the house. No bird, no bat, no wasps. She must be hallucinating. Scott comes home. He checks the house. Nothing. The cats are lounging. If there was a bird in the house, they would be all over that. If a fly gets in the house they chase it until they catch it and eat it. If there was anything in the house, they would be on point.

So we are going to keep an eye on my wife, why don't you watch out for the imaginary bird.

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

entitlement

I am entitled to that. I deserve it. I want it. It should be mine.

Our country promises us life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Interesting that they put the word "pursuit" in there. No guarantees. No entitlement.

Over the years we have come to define happiness as "having more stuff." Entitlement is a disease that I see in the teenager who wants their parents to buy them an I-phone. I see it in Lindsey Lohan. Unfortunately, I occasionally see it in myself. In fact, it is probably there, within me, more often than I do actually see it.

The Christian faith does not promise us stuff. It does promise us a relationship, the results of which are love, joy, peace, patience, etc. Hope in this life and a place in God's heavenly home. But the joy of the heavenly home is not about the idea of a mansion, it is about being with God for eternity. Relationship. With God. Brings joy.

What are you pursuing in your life? What are you after? What do you expect to make you happy? What are you investing your time, talent and treasure in? Are those things letting you down? And Jesus says, "come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

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

unconditional love

I love you. Forever. Nothing that you can do or say will ever change that. I may have to withdraw for a spell so that you can learn to take responsibility for your life, but I will always love you.

Love is doing the right thing, even when it brings discomfort to the one that you love. Love is ultimately about wholeness, not comfort.

I wish for each of you, at least one person in your life that loves you unconditionally. A friend. A cousin. A spouse. Someone that says, I will never leave you. For each of us, God is that person.

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

the wounded dog

My daughter is looking for a used car. If you know of one that would be good for a college age kid, please give me a call.

Today from 4-10pm I will be working at 7th and Sterling in Sugar Creek at the Hillcrest transitional housing property. If you want to help paint, let me know.

The wounded dog. The wounded dog curls up in the corner. He has a hard time falling asleep because he is startled by every little noise. His sleep is fitful, because he dreams of times past when nameless faceless humans were chasing him and striking him. He is uncomfortable in his new home because he is not sure that people are to be trusted. Kids scare him too, so his life has been a journey from home to foster home to animal shelter to foster home and so on. Many wounded dogs end up being euthanized because they just can't adjust to a normal family.

They don't know what to do with a kind touch. They enjoy a back scratch, but it is so hard to get used to, because their mind has been trained to fear human touch. People that love the wounded dog feel sorry for him. They want to help him and care for him, but he just has a lot of trouble responding positively to kindness.

The wounded dog. The wounded dog is some of us. Hurt as a kid, many humans live out their lives hiding, fearful, or snapping at others. If you are one of them, we offer you true friendship. Love that will not be withdrawn. Christ. The grace of Jesus Christ. In time, Jesus makes all things better.

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

love hurts

Love hurts. It just does. There is an inseparable connection between love and pain. We usually only think of love as a joyful thing, but sometimes, love hurts.

Someone you love dies. Something that you love goes away. Someone that you love leaves the church. Someone that you love is in trouble.

And you hurt.

That is just the way it is. If you didn't love them, it wouldn't hurt. So I just remind myself that this kind of hurt is ok. The only way to get rid of it is to stop loving and no one wants to do that.

Love hurts. And it is still a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

hillcrest pt. 2

Tuesday afternoon and evening will be Hillcrest day for me and a few others. From 4pm-10pm I will be at the Hillcrest site in Sugar Creek at 7th and Sterling. Painting, trim work, and removing a floor.

If you can help, let me know. Kim, Jamie, Doug and Ann, thank you for your offer and I hope you can still make it. Anyone else, let me know.

If you cannot help on Tuesday at Hillcrest, please make a point to help someone, somewhere during that time. Heck, we should do that every day.

Hope to see you at the Lord's house today.

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

helping

Yesterday. Yesterday I am bummed out. Random reasons. Dumb little things that I am worried about and feeling crummy about.

Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda, here I am at, Camp Granada, camp is very entertaining, and they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining.

I received an invite to help someone out. It was totally voluntary and not something that I should do because I am a pastor. If I chose to do it, it would be because it was a good thing to do.

I thought of ten reasons why I was too busy. Then I looked at how I was feeling about the day. Feeling crummy and being worried. I realized that going to help the person was not just what they needed, it was exactly what I needed.

Immediately, upon making the decision to go, I felt better. And spending that time helping that person, was one of the most rewarding things that I have done in a while. I forgot my problems and the blues melted away.

Wait a minute, it's stopped hailing, guys are swimming, guys are sailing, playing baseball gee that's better, Mother Father kindly disregard this letter.

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

police report

Today I will go to the police station and fill out a report. I don't know that I have ever done that before. On Monday, my daughter went to the Royals game. While there, she misplaced her wallet. In her wallet were the normal things that a college student has. A debit card, driver's license, AAA card, and no cash. Oh yes, and she had Dad's credit card.

See it is that time of the year when college students buy their books. Online and with a credit card. Dad's card. And so goes the wallet, so goes the credit card.

You wonder if it is in lost and found. You wonder if it was vacuumed up by the giant clean up trucks. You wonder if it is on the side of the road somewhere. And you wonder if the bad guys got it.

So you cancel everything. The debit card, the credit card et al. Only one problem. Since you don't really use credit cards, you forgot which one you gave her, and you cancel the wrong one. So, on Thursday afternoon, [and why they wait until Thursday, I will never know, but I am grateful,] you get the phone call. "Mr. Brinkman, we are calling as a courtesy to let you know that we suspect fraudulent activity on your account."

Instantly I knew what happened. I cancelled the wrong card. After about 30 minutes on the phone with Capital One [the viking people] I have the entire story. From 3pm to 5pm yesterday afternoon, my credit card was used successfully twice and was declined four times at gas stations in the area of 25th and troost. Thank the Lord that the computers at the credit card companies just don't think that you should buy gas at a whole bunch of stations within a few hours.

It's funny. We lost the card and we cancelled the wrong one, but you still feel violated when you find out that someone is using your card like that.

I am making a police report today. Maybe with the dates and times, they can find a video tape at the station and catch the people who think that this is what you do when you find someone's wallet.

I guess I want you to know that if I find your wallet, you will get it back, with every stitch of cash. Heck, I will drive it to your home and drop it off. And to those who got a couple of free tanks of gas on the Brinkman's yesterday, well, if I knew that you needed it that bad, I would have just given it to you.

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

good things

I witnessed a couple of really good things yesterday. Someone got some good news in the employment world, and someone else got some good news regarding one of their children. I was able to witness, share and enjoy the good feelings.

Now I am thinking about all the days that nothing really "special" happens. Just another average day. Well, when you think about it, those days are pretty special too. We grow so accustomed things that we stop seeing the good.

We are so fickle. Do you remember when you were so excited to get some new thing that you have? And now, you walk by it and don't even notice it? It brings you no more joy?

Stop and look and see the things and the people in your life. Good things are going on. It is a beautiful day.

stories

I told a couple of personal stories in worship on July 11th. They were stories of my call to ministry. Most of the people present had not heard them before because I have never told them in a sermon like that before.

I have been hesitant to tell those stories, not because I was afraid that someone would not believe them, but because they are very powerful and very personal and I have never wanted anyone to feel funny if they don't have a story like that.

I have now heard from one person who does not believe what I said.

I am sorry about that. I wonder what it feels like to think that your pastor made up those stories. But the fact of the matter is, as out of the ordinary as those stories are, those things happened to me, exactly as I related them. I cannot deny them or change them, or explain them other than to relate what happened. I am not sorry for them, I am not embarrassed by them. It just is what it is.

And so we each thank God for our lives and our stories and it's another beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Triangle

The Grandview Triangle. It will always be the Grandview Triangle. You can call it three trails crossing if you want to, but to those of us who grew up with the traffic jams there, it will always be the triangle.

Now there is a massive engineering failure in the new highway system. Did you see the pictures on the news? Wow. An entire chunk of the big retaining wall slide down the hill. The wall was followed by tons of dirt and two lanes of westbound 470.

I remember when 470 did not exist. I remember when 435 did not exist. I remember driving to Lees Summit in 1978. I had to take Bannister road all the way out. Now some will be experiencing the same traffic patterns. If you want to get to Overland Park from Lees Summit, good luck.

I love and respect engineers, but you have to marvel at the way that God's world can confound our greatest designs. We have subdued much of the earth, but God is still God.

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

Hillcrest

After mentioning in service that I wanted to use God's talents and abilities more often to help others, I got a call from a friend. He is the project manager for the new Hillcrest facility in Sugar Creek.

I went down there on Friday and took a tour and received some assignments. There is painting of walls, painting of trim, there is an old floor that needs to be pulled up with crow bars. There is some trim to remove and replace and there is some other trim that needs to be installed.

Hillcrest is a program that houses homeless people and trains them to reenter the world. Hillcrest provides financial counseling and helps the people get back on their feet. I am not explaining what they do very well, but it is a very good program.

If you would like to help me paint walls, paint trim, pull up an old floor, or remove and install some trim, please comment with your name and phone number or send me an email.

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

accomplishment

There is joy in accomplishment. Saving enough money to pay your bills. Working hard on a project until it is completed. Evaluating and solving a problem.

Mowing the grass. Painting the house. Reading a book. Getting a college diploma. Each task that we do gives us the joy of a job well done.

Some want the joy without the work. The freedom without the responsibility. My Dad always said, "work first, play later." It is great advice. The book of Ecclesiastes has alot to say about the joy that men and women can get from their toil. If you enjoy your job, your work or your task, then you understand that, but if you don't it makes it a little harder.

The scriptures ask us to work as if working for the Lord. Next time you are in the middle of some task or career that you find less than satisfying, change the way that you see your tasks. You are working for the Lord. Does that change your perception?

There is great joy in life in accomplishing things that need to be done. Get up early, apply yourself, sweat, drink a glass of water and stay with the task. The reward at the end is the satisfaction of a job well done.

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

Mad

People get mad for the strangest of reasons. Some people will drop you like a stone for next to nothing. You didn't mean for something to go the way it did, but they are done with you. Maybe the thing didn't go the way they think it did, but they are done. My favorite is when you do the right thing and people get mad. Or when someone does something wrong and you call them on it, and then they are mad at you.

Anyway, life is too short to carry a grudge. Life is too precious to walk around with an angry heart. Love keeps no record of wrongs.

If you are mad, get glad. Get your silly pride out of the way and forgive that person. You will be letting both of you out of prison.

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

Oil Leak

Well maybe we have this crazy oil leak stopped. I hope so. I say we, because it is all of our leak. If you drive a car, then you use some of the oil that they get out of the ground. I like cars so I am ok with drilling for oil, but I sure wish this had not happened.

I wonder what God would say. "Hey, people, thanks for poking a hole in my earth and soiling the beaches and killing the sea. Good work."

But we have technology and it brings us many good things. It also makes us go faster and farther and live more dangerously. Technology gives us lots of joy but we can also allow it to rob us of the simple things of life. We watch TV instead of sitting on the porch and talking to neighbors. We rush all over town in our cars instead of staying home and reading good books.

Well, those are choices that we make. I hope the oil leak is stopped for good. I am pretty sure that God is hoping that it is stopped too. If nothing else, I think there is a little party in heaven today because the hole appears to be plugged.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, and less oily. Be sure to see the good.

what are you reading?

On vacation last week I was reading a book about leadership. One of the things that the book said is that we all have to keep learning. Keep reading. Keep learning. Otherwise we get stagnant, complacent and even arrogant, thinking that we have all the knowledge that we need.

I am not asking if you are reading devotionally. I hope that you are. This is a question about what you are reading that is challenging your paradigms. What programs are you interested in at the church? Who are the current great thinkers on these programs? What books have they written? Is one of them in your possession?

When we are all reading and learning from great people, our collective brains and hearts are stronger and we are all more focused on our mission.

Let me know what you are reading. And if you are not reading and would like some ideas, let me know what areas of the church you are interested in.

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

grace alone

Last night I was at the grocery store and I ran into a friend from church. He said, "good sermon Sunday." I didn't remember seeing him on Sunday. He said, "yes I wasn't there, but I listened to the sermon on the web site."

He got a tear in his eye and he said, "gosh I miss church when I am not there, I so miss singing the song 'Grace Alone.' " Crying in the grocery store. I love it.

I was so pleased to see that he was touched by that song because I am touched by it too. I am glad to know that he feels this way about his church, even when he is not there. I always tell people that i love our church, but I am of course a bit prejudiced.

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

how much?

A friend asked me on Sunday, "when Jesus asks us to give all, what does that mean?" I told them that you still have to take care of your family and that if you give away everything and cannot feed your family, that would be wrong. I guess that is as good as I could do on short notice.

Jesus asked us to do some interesting things. Love him more than our father and mother. Lose it all to find our soul. Go and sell all that you have and give to the poor. take up your cross. go the second mile. Ahh, the painful sayings of Jesus that make it clear that he is not just a nice guy who wants to comfort us, but that he is also the leader, the pioneer in a kingdom that demands our allegiance.

So how much do we give to him? This is a life question and a life journey for each of us. I would suggest that it begins with praying about all of your decisions. Including God in your decisions. Don't just buy a new car because you can. Ask God first. Don't just give such and such to the church because that is what you have always done. Ask God how to give. Don't just spend your time doing such and such because everyone else is doing it. Ask God.

As we begin to do this, the big ship of our lives begins to turn in the direction of giving it all to God, because he is now leading us.

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

The Carpenters

Many of you know that our long time friends and members, Bill and Pam Carpenter have left for two years in Paraguay. Pam will be the principal at a school there and Bill will be teaching some Bible Studies and doing what ever else God leads him to do.

They have started a blog of their journeys:

http://billandpamsparaguayadventure.blogspot.com

I am going to add their blog as a sidebar to this one. Please keep them in your prayers.

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

I'm Baaaack!

Jack Nicholson said it in the Shining. I think Jim Carey said it in the Mask. Maybe what he said in the Mask was, "did jah miss me?" After a week of vacation with the family, today, I am back. Back at home, back at church, back in the pulpit. I have missed you all.

I hope to see you a little later this morning at that church with the big green roof!

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

an investment tip

I read this the other day from the well known investor Warren Buffett:

"The power of unconditional love. I mean, there is no power on earth like unconditional love. And I think that if you offered that to your child, I mean, you’re 90 percent of the way home. There may be days when you don’t feel like it — it’s not uncritical love; that’s a different animal — but to know you can always come back, that is huge in life. That takes you a long, long way. And I would say that every parent out there that can extend that to their child at an early age, it’s going to make for a better human being.”

Invest our time…… offer our unconditional love to our children….…good stuff don't you think?

Now let’s take it a step further. Imagine if we did nothing else but follow “to the letter” the greatest commandments.

Matthew 22: 36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

How would the world look if everyone….I mean everyone…… followed those commandments everyday?……..hmm….you think maybe God had an investment tip for us to consider?

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

village people

A few weeks back I attended an “end of a team” soccer party. All but a few of the team members are moving on to college now. The team had been together for 10 years. Most of the original players stayed together. The two coaches stayed the entire 10 years. Great guys. Contributors to the community……well beyond soccer. Character builders. I always knew when I dropped my daughter off she would be returned to me at least the same if not better. No berating. No inappropriate use of language. Always positive. These guys were dead set on not only teaching the game but teaching sound values.... I keep thinking how fortunate my wife and I have been to have had our daughter cared for in this manner. My son has an almost an identical situation with his baseball team....what a difference this makes.

I had breakfast with a high school teacher/coach yesterday. He loves his job. He loves to teach. He loves to help kids grow and learn and reach their potential....awesome.

So I guess I just want to say thanks........not only to these people I have mentioned, but to all those people who take the time to care, to teach and to nurture our kids. It takes good hearted people. It takes a village. I am in a good one.....thank you all.

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

a story to share

This was written the other day by a friend. I thought this was worth sharing.
Peace,
Lion's Den Man

Another Independence Day

Another Independence Day has come and gone. This one seems to have a little more meaning to me. My wife and I got to spend some time with our good friends and their kids. After a long night of fun and fireworks we headed home looking forward to sleeping in on Monday morning. The dog awoke at 5:30AM to go out and we lay down on the sofa and curled up together. It was not long before I was dreaming of a time years ago.

I was on the couch sleeping but not with a dog by my side, it was my son. He was pretty small then maybe 3 or 4 and sound asleep. I reached over to wake my innocent child and he instantly went into the full body stretch that starts with the extension of the toes and ends with the arch of the back and the arms above the head. As a small sound escaped from his lips which indicated the success of the full body stretch he opened his eyes and a smile came across his face with the recognition of a loved one - his Dad. He started talking in that little boy voice that I had not heard in many years.

I suddenly awoke on the couch with my dog still by my side. Happiness, sadness, worries, longing - all of these emotions were running through me as I tried to remember and hold onto the scene that just played out in my dream.

I can’t remember what he said but I still feel the love shared by a smile between a Dad and his Son. You see my son is not here anymore. He is a long ways away. I miss him so. I long for the day to hold him close to me and tell him he is loved. One day I know I will get to do that.

As I mentioned earlier this Independence Day has more meaning to me. I have a better understanding of what families go through as their loved ones serve our country. My son is serving our country and is stationed half way around the world. I do miss him. I worry for him and I want him and his buddies to be safe. I look forward to the day that he comes home so I can hug his neck and tell him face to face how proud I am of him.

We should remember in prayer the men and women of our Armed Forces both past and present who gave of themselves so we can live in this great nation of ours. Before my son went into the military I never thought much about the sacrifices that have occurred that I might have a life here in the United States. That has all changed now.

We also have a God who gave a great sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ for all of us to have everlasting life. I look forward to the day that God puts his arms around me and tells me how proud he is of me. There is something about a Father’s love!

Fisher of Men

connection

I received a text message yesterday from a good friend…… “miss you my friend” The timing was eerie. He had been on my mind quite a bit lately. We are going to get together soon and catch up. It will be good, I miss him.

Last Thursday I received a similar text from another friend. “I was just thinking about you for some reason. Is everything ok?” Well it wasn’t but my troubles seemed to disappear when I read his words.

Interesting how some people connect with us from a distance. What makes that happen? Now I will say that both of these connections were with people I consider to be close friends. People I am not afraid to share my life with. I don’t fear judgment from them. I believe they see me through Christ’s eyes and that is how I always try to see them.

Those who know me, know how strongly I feel about developing friendships that go below the surface. A place where you can let your guard down. There is a bond that we can have with others which brings us closer to Christ. Once that happens I can’t help but feel that God is the one who keeps those connections going even from a distance.

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

no insignificant grace

First, no matter how you appear to others today, everyone has a dark side. You would be amazed if you knew the darkness lurking in the pasts of those people who have made a difference in your life. Regardless of how we look, we all have a past that is neither pleasant nor encouraging.

Second, regardless of what you have done, no one is beyond hope. That is the great hope of the Christian message. No amount or depth of sin in your past can trump the grace of God. If you question that remember Saul of Tarsus.

Third, even though your past is soiled, anyone can find a new beginning with God. It is never too late to start doing what is right.

Remember….don’t get stuck on where you were. Don’t waste time focusing on what you used to be. Grace gives us wings to soar beyond it.

These words above came from a book a friend shared with me. He is a good friend to me. He walks with a limp. I walk with a limp. We share our weakness and shortcomings with each other. It helps us move forward. Both of us have accepted God’s grace. Grace makes us feel whole again. Grace allows us to move forward. Grace empowers us to work on His behalf…….

GRACE………No amount or depth of sin in your past can trump the grace of God.


Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

53

July 5, 1957
Happy Birthday Jeff!

Showing Up.

The most beautiful moments of my life have occurred when I simply showed up. Most of the time, I can't predict what is going to happen in a situation. Try as I might, I can't explain every possible outcome. Sometimes I don't have the right answer for the struggling friend. Sometimes I don't really know what it means to worship God right now. Sometimes it's not clear how I should pray.

But I can still go share that cup of coffee and see what happens. I can still limp into the sanctuary and sit down. I can still fall to my knees and wait for the words to come. When I don't know what to do, I hope I still show up.

I think we all go through periods where showing up is the best we can do. If you're in that place right now, it is okay. Looking back, I can see that God shows up, too.

Marking Time.

Holidays are natural markers of time. I can tell you exactly where I was for the last four Fourths. I can even remember what I was feeling on each of those days. Four years ago, I was a little lonely. Three years ago, I was falling in love. Two years ago, I spent the Fourth with Tricia for the first time. Last year, we were soon to be married. Now, look at us. Newlyweds.

And today I’ll be down in the Branch serving Communion at 10:10. Will Willimon compares Communion to a Christian family dinner. Mysteriously, Christ is present with his family. Most of the time, I am strangely aware of his presence and of the special bond I share with my family gathered around the Communion table.

Four years ago, I didn’t feel this way.

Four years ago, I bought a Bible for myself. Growing up, I received a lot of Bibles from other people, but I bought this one just for me. Like I said, I was lonely. I wanted to know if Jesus had anything to say about what I was feeling. The other day, I was flipping through this Bible and I had written on the first page – the one usually reserved for whoever gave you the Bible. It was dated June 28, 2006. Under the “Occasion,” I wrote “Finding God for the 1st Time.”

Now, my understanding of that has changed a little bit. I would say that God found me. I would say that he continues to find me, and I see myself a little clearer in his light. When he finds me, he embraces me, but it is not always the soft embrace of a Mother. Often, it feels like the hard embrace of a Father who will not let go, no matter how hard I squirm.

But today is the day of the soft embrace. I sit still, and I consider all that has changed over the past four years. I have grown – sometimes steadily, and occasionally in anxious fits. There is plenty more growing to do, but I am here now, marking time and giving thanks to the One who finds me and holds on for dear life.

With love,

a young shepherd.

Whose Story Is It?

It seems to me that the Hebrew Scriptures (The Old Testament) were written specifically for the Jewish people, who were trying to obey God. Likewise, The New Testament was written specifically for the Church, the people who understand Jesus to be the perfect human reflection of this God. If this is true, then our scriptures were not written for us to tell people outside the faith how they should live their lives. The scriptures were written for those of us attempting to be the church, so that we may live out these words.

For this reason, I don’t care whether they take the Ten Commandments out of the American courthouses. The question is: Have I obeyed the Commandments today?

I don’t care whether they allow people to pray before high school football games. The question is: Have I remembered to pray today?

I don’t care whether we are pledging allegiance to one nation “under God.” The question is: Have I pledged my allegiance to God, period?

I could go on, and you may disagree with me. I love to dialogue with people about things such as these. Even more, I love the thought of us learning to disagree well. For me, that means that we keep on loving each other in a way that lifts up the person over the person’s opinion, so that our opinions may be shared even more freely.

But the bottom line for me is that I am attempting to follow Christ, and be his disciple, and join together with other disciples in the community we call the church. And that means that I must learn to read the Scriptures in a way that shapes my life, and allows me to be the kind of member of this community that Jesus intended. This does not mean that I am not concerned with “reaching others” outside of the faith. I simply think that I must embody – or live out – my faith in Christ so that others may see. We live in a world that says “don’t tell me; show me” and this is what I aim to do.

After all, is this not the pattern given to us? The Good News is that God did not remain distant from his people, issuing decrees on how we should live. He came to us as a man so that we might see what “God is love” really looks like.

I doubt that people outside the faith really care how much we think they should listen to God’s Word. The question is: Are we listening?

With love,

a young shepherd.

Thoughts on Church

You can’t “go to church.” To use that phrase implies that church is something outside of our selves. It is not a place; it is not a destination; it is not a day of the week; it is not a building. Church is the Body of Christ, which is the group of people choosing to follow Him together in community.

This understanding, “the Body of Christ,” may have lost some of its “oomph” the way that phrases often do. Maybe it is because of overuse or because we haven’t stopped to consider the depth of its meaning. Our bodies are alive. Our bodies are composed of vital organs working together in harmony to perform one singular purpose. This purpose is life.

Rightly understood, Sunday morning – or whenever the church meets for communal worship -- is just one expression of this Body coming together. You might say that this is just one form of exercise for the Body, a way of bringing our spiritual muscles into formation. But I wonder if it is possible for this Body to ever be in shape if we only exercise one hour per week. I wonder if we are missing out on the other forms of exercise that we need.

The point of this post is not to say that “we should be doing more.” Maybe I am simply suggesting that we need more. Maybe many of us are spiritually struggling by Sunday morning, because we have not yet discovered how to be the church together throughout the week. This is not another commandment. It is a recipe for those of us who are spiritually hungry. Jesus’ model of prayer reveals that we should ask for our daily bread.

It is no wonder that many of us are starving if we only remember to eat once per week.

With love,

a young shepherd.

Love is the Answer.

On Monday around one o’clock, I was eating my lunch with my wife Tricia in the coffee bar area of our church's building. Someone came in with a Bible question. He wanted to know what the Bible has to say about some very serious problems his close friend is facing. My wife smiled at me, because she knows me. She knows I live for these moments.

I wish sometimes that I was better at making small talk. If you’ve ever asked me how I’m doing, you may have noticed that I don’t usually have much to say. I’m just not much of a casual chatter. But I love to analyze. I love to wax philosophical. Apparently, so does my new friend from Monday.

At the same time, it is extremely nerve-wracking to sit in front of someone who thinks you have the Answer. It seems to me that life is not that black and white all the time. But as we were chatting, I began to take solace in being unsure. I started thinking that this conversation is more about the search. More specifically, it is about the two of us searching together.

We may not find the answer, but we can look together. We can ask questions together.

Knowing that you do not know is a beautiful thing. It leads us deeper into wonder. And what is even more beautiful is feeling a sense of wonder in the company of your friends. We do not have the answer, but we have time for each other. We have time for conversation. We have time for big questions. We may sense that the Answer exists, but we also sense our own fallibility. The answer eludes us. We’re never sure that we’re sure, and this mystery draws us deeper and deeper into relationship.

When I am struggling, Christ does not always give me the answer. But he always gives me Himself. I am beginning to see that is the answer. I am often overwhelmed by the problems that people are facing around me, but His grace is enough. And his grace is revealed through the simple reality of his presence.

There is a paradigm I can follow. When people are searching for answers, search with them. Make space for them in your life. Be present, and wait for the presence of Christ to transform both of you. After all -- as Paul writes in his First Letter to that little Church in Corinth -- we only know a little bit, and even this will pass away in the end (1 Cor. 13).

But love never ends. Even when we don’t know the answer – or especially when we don’t know the answer – we can choose to love each other.

With love,

a young shepherd.