Skunk Watching

            This Sunday evening while returning home from my parent’s house I spotted a skunk on the road.  This skunk was not just running across the road like you see most of the time, but it was taking a slow stroll up the other lane walking away from the van.  I wanted give my kids the chance to see this wild animal up close, normally this is the last kind of animal you want to encounter at a close distance but we were in the safety of our van.

            I slowed the van and pulled carefully alongside the skunk.  When I got even with the skunk I told my kids to look out the window of the van.  At about this same time the skunk noticed us, its tail popped up and I slammed on the gas.

            We were lucky because skunks will normally flip their tales up to give a warning first.  And once we drove away the skunk dropped his tail and walked off the road.  I was disappointed that the skunk was hostile toward us, getting a close up view of a skunk is rare opportunity, especially without the risk of getting sprayed.  If the skunk understood that my intentions were to only look and not harm it, we could have had a great close up inspection of this animal.  But the skunk was interpreting our behavior as harmful.

            This is really something that people deal with on almost a daily basis.  When we interact with others we have to try to interpret what they are saying and what they are trying to tell us.  The end result is sometimes we are misunderstood or misunderstand others.  What we intended to say and do are interpreted wrong and feelings get hurt.  And our experience dictates how we interpret our world around us.  Just like with the skunk, even though I meant no harm to the skunk it warned me to get way, because most times when cars and skunks interact, it ends badly for the skunk.  But my family and I were only curious not dangerous.  Like the skunk we can take a kind word by another person to mean the complete opposite because of hurt that has happened in our past.  How many times have you been surprised when you have unintentionally hurt someone else’s feelings?

Romans 12:17-19 (NLT)

¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”^[a]
says the Lord.

When our interpretations of other actions or words ruffle our feathers, it is our choice how we respond. I believe Paul makes a great point here because of the many times we misinterpret the actions of other as evil, when in reality they may just be insensitive.  Our response then puts us in the wrong, creating a cycle of evil for evil.  Forgiveness lets us off the hook from the negative feelings we have for others.  In most cases the people we hold grudges against never even realize how they hurt us, they were insensitive not intentionally evil.  When we forgive others we can once again, try to live in a way that shows God’s love to others. 

The Right Tool for the Right Job

            As some of you may know I love working on projects around the house and really like to make things with my hands.  But it seems with each new project I find it would be easier to complete if I had a more specialized tool.  Recently I tiled a tabletop and found that the grout float I was using was just falling apart or clogging up.  After I completed the project I discovered that I was using the wrong tool for the job, it was for un-sanded grout and I was using sanded.  I basically wore it out by sanding it down and it did not last like it should have.

            Using the right tools and using them correctly makes all the difference in the world, and sometimes using the wrong tool just destroys the tool.  I have broken several screw drivers using them as pry bars, and several shovels using them to pry big rocks out of the ground, notice a pattern (Maybe I need some pry bars?).  These tools where not the right tools for the job, and in the end just caused me stress and cost me money. 

            In the church it is the same way so few people take the time to find out what their gifts are.  Then often times we just fill spots with the most willing person.  Then end result is that we burn people out or just destroy them and they disappear from our Churches. The pressure to perform in unnatural ways can be just as destructive to a person as it is a using a wrench like a hammer.  

            So, what do we do?  Just not serve?  Of course not we have to try a few things out, get our feet wet.  We need to pray that God directs us to where we are gifted to serve.  As difficult as it is to complete a project without the required tools or the wrong tools, the church does not function unless everyone is doing what only they can do.  What kind of tool are you?  How are you unique?  What gifts and passions do you have?

My challenge:

 Read 1 Corinthians 12 which is followed by 13 the love chapter Paul ties together love and understanding your place in the Body! Also Ephesians 4

Then ask God how he wants to use you?

Check your passions what things really grab your attention and get you exited?

If you have kids, Watch “A Snoodle’s Tale”  by Veggie Tales.  It is a great starter to begin a conversation about what God has made you to do!

Just Stocked

I love going fishing in the spring with my son at this little pond near my home.  Each spring this pond is stocked with a bunch of little rainbow trout.   We can run over to the pond in the afternoon and many times we catch our small limit of three fish each in no time.  It is fun easy fast action fishing, and then we enjoy eating our fresh catch together.   Sometimes,  We wish fishing was always this easy, these young trout are hungry and lost, so it is really just about getting the hook in front of them.

As a hobby fisherman I enjoy when Jesus talks about fishing, and challenges the disciples to be fishers of men.   It is great that fishing is a sport passed down from father to son, most of the time.  I also love how contagious fishing becomes when you are with a great fisherman.  I have a friend, a music teacher by trade but he is a truly gifted fisherman.  You cannot spend an afternoon fishing with this guy and not have the time of your life.  When he is catching fish it is like being with a child on Christmas morning.   His energy pulls you in and drives you to keep your line in the water, knowing any minute you will be able to share his joy, and catch some fish.

Is this what Jesus was thinking when he challenged his disciples, the fact that this occupation was passed down from father to son.  Or was it the joy of pulling nets up from the unknown full of fish.   Maybe he also realizes how frustrating fishing could become when you are not able to get on the water due to weather.  I would think he even knew how a great day to be out on the water can be ruined when you cannot find fish. 

Luke 5:4-9 (New Living Translation)

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

⁵ “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” ⁶ And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! ⁷ A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

⁸ When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” ⁹ For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.

But This is not Fishing with Jesus

Jesus filled the nets with fish for Peter, and Peter was astonished as I would be too.    Jesus shows Peter what He can do with fish then calls Peter to do the same thing with people.  It is interesting that Jesus used ideas like this; his ideas at the same time could be incredibly simple and yet incredibly amazing.   Read this and really listen to the words.

Matthew 9:36-38 (New International Version)

³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

As I was beginning to get excited about fishing in this little stocked pond, this passage you just read popped into my mind fresh and new.  Earlier I told you how easy it was to catch these fish, because they were lost.  This is the reality of the world surrounding followers of Jesus; we build up great evangelical strategies and programs.  Sometimes I wonder if these just distract of from the harvest.   But, Jesus is telling us to get the nets in the water there are lost people  all around us.  Be Fishers of men!

So if Jesus is telling us the truth, we should expect that the world around us is teaming with people ready to be harvested into a life with Him.  We just need to cast our nets, by sharing our stories and God’s Truth.  Good Fishing!

Simple Remodeling?

This month my wife and I started, some home repair our goal was to do some simple much needed remodeling in our home.  Our house is about 50+ years old and there are many original parts that were in need of updating.  First we had 3 exterior doors that had lived out their lives on our home and no longer kept the cold or wind on the outside.  And the walls had all been painted for sale the typical sterile cream and were in need of new paint.

During the process of replacing the exterior doors, we felt that one of our “transition” doors seemed more in the way then useful.  So we took it out along with a 70’s era room divider, which was just a space waster.  So that involved some demolition then simple sheetrock work, taping and mudding.  Then as we replace our exterior doors we notice how poor the adjacent doors now looked so we replace 3 interior doors, and now realize that down the road we will also have to replace the 6 remaining interior doors.  So this simple project has also grown to enclosing a screen porch that is in need of repair. 

As I live out the Christian life the more I realize that God has not called us to a “Simple Remodel.”  I believe that is why it is easy for so many believers to live untransformed lives.  Because once you start making changes it is scary when you realize how each change bring into focus other areas in life that need repair.  It is like adding a new ceiling light to the room and now the empty nail holes that once held pictures are now glaring eye sores.  Or the dings that you never noticed in the trim are now more common then smooth pieces.   Look at Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV, ©2011)

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

This is a common passage with profound truth.  As we begin to transform our lives we begin to see our lives in this new light of Christ.  It is a lot like my house the more I make small improvement the more my perspective is changed.  I do not often realize how much I have conformed to the world until I have made some steps to improve myself, by conforming instead to Jesus.  The great thing about transforming my life is that unlike my house, my life is not limited by a budget.  It is only limited by my willingness to put my faith to work.  And as my faith is used to transform my life, the more my faith bank account expands.  This happens when we truly begin to understand and be assured of God’s faithfulness too us.  It is like making home improvement with someone else footing the bill. 

So my challenge to myself this week and you if you chose to accept it, is to begin looking for conformity to the world in myself and begin trading them out for conformity to Christ.  I realize that each step is just part of the life long process and ultimately I will continue to find more areas that need changing until the end.   I know that I do not have to trust only in what I think I can accomplish but what God can accomplish in me. So, I embrace this promise and prayer, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.(Philippians 1:3-6)

Why Abram? And Why Ur

     This is an incredible question that readers of the Bible have had to wrestle with as they embrace God’s word.  It is not just Abram, this processes of moving from familiar to unknown is found in several places in the Bible.  There are many names you can insert in these questions (Joseph, Moses, Ruth, even Jesus). Why does calling and moving always signify significant change in the Bible?  As Pastor Matt, I deal with and wrestle with this reality.  The average Pastor serves his congregation for about 7 years in our culture.  After completing my first 7 years in ministry I recently faced my third challenge of relocation.   And to my surprise it came out of the blue when although things were not perfect at my church, I felt like I had really found my groove in the community I served.   

      I am telling you that each of these changes seems to come with increasing grief and heartbreak!  I cannot explain the grief and loss of leaving significant relationships behind.    So why does God put us through these transitions?  Each time I suffer significant changes in relationship and always commit to new unknown relationships.   I move from being loved and having supporting relationships to the unknown of hopeful promise.   I realize I have more knowledge of where I am going then Abram; at least I have met a few people during the interview process.  This change is really like getting married after the first date.  It all comes down to one idea: Do you believe God wants what is best for you even if you do not like how it feels at first?  The answer to this question is what shapes the hopeful promise I trust God has for me.

Genesis 12:1-3

The Call of Abram

 ¹ The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

 ² “I will make you into a great nation,
   and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
   and you will be a blessing.^[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
   and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
   will be blessed through you.

      In this passage Abram is offered this challenging move, but along with it God made Abram a great promise.  God continues to make and keep promises with his people.  To keep this shorter,  please Read Romans 8:31-39.  This passage offers just one Amazing promise for us who follow Jesus. 

                So, why is this painful relocation and incredible transition so valuable for us who are called to lead groups of believers?  As I wrestle with this tonight, I realize a very important reality; movement and Christianity go hand and hand.  I do not believe for every believer it will be geographic, but making some transitions in our life will be equally painful and hard.  Maybe He reserves geographical moves  for his special hard luck cases!   I believe through this process, Pastors and all “moving” believers will become empowered and more empathetic to the pain and BLESSING of following. 

                Making these moves comes with the daunting task of helping people move, and being there to comfort them during the transition.  But we also get to share in the joy of the promised blessing, no matter how painful the transition may seem at the time.  How could I help people follow Jesus unless I had faced extreme painful moves?  And my petty trials are easier then some endure.  I also realize that God presents many ways for us to be moved in our life, it is never a forced move, but we must choose to listen and move.  Sometimes we hop at the opportunity for change and other times we take several false starts before we really change.  Was Abram the first guy God called or was he the first to respond? I will be sure to askGod someday.

            

Why would I move in the first place? 

1.  I believe God wants the best for my life.  Although, it often comes with suffering.

2.  I believe in God’s Word!  God’s word tells me he uses normal people to change the world.  Who would not want to do that?!

 3.   I believe God had a great plan in place when he created the Church and tells us it is like a Body.   When I enter a new “body” of believers, I realize that I bring new gifts to the body.  Just like transplants change people’s lives and opens new doors to the recipient,  I believe that God brings Pastors in to open doors that the Church is poised to open.   Not that churches cannot move on their own,  sometimes people follow God on their own to the promise land like Abram and sometimes he provides guides for them  like Moses.   The church sometimes need people who are learning to traverse uncharted territory to be their guides on these crazy new adventures.   

God, help me to lead other in to the uncharted lands you have for us.  Amen

Day One - My new Adventure

    After many months well maybe more like years at this point I have resisting the trend of blogging.  Today I finally decided to stop making excuses and jump on board.  I always used the excuse that I really do not enjoy writing, but as I get older maybe wiser, I really feel that I need to start taking the time to put my thoughts down somewhere.  It may also be interesting to get some feedback on these thoughts and ramblings. 
     I am a Pastor of Family Ministries so much of what I write about here will revolve around my thoughts about trying to do my best at this type of ministry.  Although some of what I write about will involve my thoughts on being a follower of Jesus, I will try to keep some variety to keep it interesting.  I also like to read, fish, play games, and be around friends and family, so I will also try to write about some of those things as well.  So some day I may just write about the joys of fishing with my dad and my son, because there is nothing more exciting then to see values enjoyed by these three generations together.  Please be patient with me because my thoughts on Christianity will probably also find its way into those blogs as well.  Because, seeing my life outside of the context of the Christian faith would be a little like being a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips.  You know how when you eat these great cookies you always end up with bits of stray chocolate on your fingers and face.  I really see how Jesus gets into all parts of my life the same way. 
     The name of this Blog is "Try'n to Keep up".  As I thought about my life and what it means to be a Christian leader I know this idea of following Jesus is key.  But, also really know in my own life this is a day to day experience.   If I am not diligent in following much of the time I am really just trying to keep up. It is like getting distracted looking at the sugar cereal your parents won't let you by and by the time you look away you find that your parents have moved on to the next row.  As a parent and a leader in a church I am constantly wading through lots of distractions that life throws at me.  You know the kind every one face, Marriage conflicts, Child issues, relationship issues, and "job" frustrations like people with "real jobs" face, etc...   I love being in ministry but just like anything we love to do, we can get caught up in routine and miss the parts we enjoy. 
    So, as I live out my Christian faith I find that I need to spend a lot of time getting my bearing checking my map, the Bible.  It is learning thinking through God's word to find out where I really am and where I am going, that I realize that many times I am not following but really just try'n to keep up.  And Most of all as I struggle to understand what it means to leave a Legacy for my kids and help other do the same I hope to do more than just try'n to keep up.  If you find anything here worth reading, I just pray that you enjoy try'n to keep up, too.