How firm a Foundation

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”

attr. to John Keith, pub.1787

                This has always been one of my favorite hymns ever since I sang it in college.  I like the metaphor of a foundation of faith because foundations are so important to the Christian family.  Since I am always doing some small project’s at home I find foundations are really important.  Now I am tiling shower walls and providing a good foundation is very important, because mortar is soft and gravity is constant.   As I lay my first course of tiles, I understand they will be the foundation for the remainder of my tiles.  They must be straight, level and evenly spaced. 

As I work on my tiles, I have been aware that materials only get you so far.  My tiles should make it easy; they are solid and square, two things that help create a firm foundation.  But, having good materials is only a start, it is setting the foundation that is so important and it is hard, time consuming, frustrating, and needs lots of shoring up until the mortar is set.  It is because gravity is always working against our ability to create a square and level foundation.  It is always exerting constant pressure opposite to my goals.

               As a Christian parent I need to realize that it is not just about getting the right raw materials in my kid’s lives.  In many ways this is one way we are blessed in the Church, we have Sunday school and Awana, so our kids are loaded up with good raw materials.  But, as I am learning with my tiling job this is just a start.  Read Matthew 7:24-29, it is the parable about the foolish man building his house on the sand.  The issue is not the materials, both the foolish and wise man have heard the teachings of Jesus.  It is about practice, it is about shoring up our beliefs in the mortar of life. 

                Our kids need opportunity to wrestle with and decide how their beliefs fit into the life we are helping them build.  Because good building materials do not guarantee a good home, it is the skill of the craftsman using the materials that creates a solid home.  It is the same in our lives.  How are you managing your building materials?  Are you demonstrating your skill as a craftsman to your children and grandchildren?  

                The culture we live in is working on our foundations like gravity or a river as the hymn suggests, every day we deal with ideas that are opposite to our belief system.  At times it seems like we are knee deep in the torrent.   How can you shore up your kid’s beliefs?  Talk to them about things you see, and help them wrestle with the Biblical truths that reinforce right thinking or repel bad thinking.   When they are wrestling with who they are remind them of who God says they are.  Pray with them regularly.  Do not avoid topics that scare you or shake your beliefs, these are the most important!

I am praying, God gives you strength and patience for the hard work of setting a firm foundation in your kid’s lives!


For more info on the Nevala Family and our transition from Pastor's Family to Missionary family, Check out: www.walkinginobedience.com

Emperors, Presidents, and Christians, Oh my!

                For the last several months, I have been walking the High School Sunday School class through the book of Romans.  We have been talking about what it means to be a follow of Jesus.  This week we will be looking at Romans 13.  Although I have looked at this passage before, it really caught my attention with the current tension between our nation’s leadership and the Church. 

                In this passage, Paul is talking about how we should relate to the government.  I understand that this was written before democracy and “we the people”, but should this still apply to us today.  This passage follows the Romans 12 passage that talks about being transformed.  It is a continuation the list of behaviors Christians should strive toward.  At the beginning of chapter 12 we find that people naturally conform to the world, not to God.  We need God and His Spirit to be at work in our lives to bring about the transformational thought processes.

                In our culture, we have to be good stewards of our vote and be diligent to understand the issues we face as country.  But, once the vote is cast what is our responsibility to the leadership that has been established by God.  Paul, the author of Romans was not living in a good time for government leadership; they had people in power that were Godless too.  It was written during Nero’s reign, he was known for having Christians captured to burn them in his garden at night for a source of light.  In fact Paul was imprisoned for time in his life because of his teaching, but he challenges us to still give the respect and honor of the position.  We see this evidenced in Paul’s life.  Think of the jailer who was saved because Paul respected him enough to stay in prison after being released by God during an earth quake.  Would we be willing to sit in jail and allow the jailer to do his job?  The result was the salvation of this man and his family. 

                To me it seems there is little difference with how the church and those outside of the church look at their government leadership, we are equally prone to show disrespect toward our leadership as our lost peers.  I understand that we are just conforming to our culture, but this is not our calling.  Are we more willing to attack their bad choices then praise the positive things our leaders do?  I realize this seems difficult at times, but could you imagine the peace that it would create in your life.  I see many posts on Facebook and hear discussions that are far from being peaceful or respectful.

                How can Paul write these things?  Doesn’t he realize the difficulties the government can create?  Paul is thinking from a Kingdom mindset, there is nothing that any law can do to remove us from God (Rom. 8:38-39).  The reality is our earthly home is corrupted and gets more corrupted leading up to God’s judgment and salvation.  What do you think has more impact on our world?  Complaining and disrespect about our worldly governments or sharing with a lost world about the wonders of God’s Kingdom!

Romans 13:1-7

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. ⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.


For more info on the Nevala Family and our transition from Pastor's Family to Missionary family, Check out:  www.walkinginobedience.com

Treasures and Pearls

Matthew 13:44-46 (NIV)

 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

            This is one Parable that I do not remember teaching, until very recently.  I think I just skipped over it because it made me uncomfortable.  First, I did not fully get what it was saying about the Kingdom of heaven.  Second, I was not sure what to make of selling everything because most Christians can follow Jesus and keep their stuff.  Even in Acts you do not see this as a universal principle, some people did sell everything and others did not.  Even Zacchaeus only sold half of all what he had, while Matthew the tax collector sold everything.  So what was Jesus trying to tell us about the Kingdom of Heaven by this passage?

            When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven he is not talking about an earthly Kingdom. But at the same time, it is made up of people from all over the earth.  The highlight of the Kingdom is that those who are a part of it live and think differently.  Here is how I see it:  I feel that sinful thinking is like this, the many good things God gave us are twisted so they lead us away from God. So kingdom thinking is the opposite, the good things we have are twisted in great ways that bring us closer to Christ likeness.    

            And this passage is really not about investing, as in both stories the men sell everything to buy something of seemingly equal value.  But like I said I think this passage is about how we think, so that is why I feel I now have a better understanding of this passage.  I just came back from Honduras and while in Honduras I met some people who think differently.  And when I ran across this parable it was like a light bulb flashed to life above my head.  It is about understanding true value, going from just having stuff to having a treasure worth treasuring. It is about knowing what God treasures.  Because it is in human nature to treasure things that are not worthy of our hearts, unfortunately we give our hearts away cheaply.  Understanding true treasure is really about seeing what God sees, and treasuring what God treasures.

            I think it is interesting that Jesus used two illustrations here.  I believe it is because people are unique and God works with our uniqueness.  Not all treasures are going to shine as brightly for me as they do for someone else.  But, we need to keep our eyes open; we need to always be on a treasure hunt. 

            But now I sit back, and think… It seems my wife and I have just had the chance to stumble across our treasure… What kind of thinking drives us? 

The Plans I Have!

I think humans seem to run in two groups; those who could care less about tomorrow or those of us who are constantly thinking about and planning for our future.  Although I believe plans are very important, I am beginning to feel that I put too much value in the plans I have made for myself. 

As I stood outside this morning waiting for the kids who walk through my crosswalk I begin to think about the plans that I am always making.  I was struck that lots of my plans start with doing what God has called me too, and then planning how I am going to live out that calling.   But then I get frustrated along the way when things do not go as I have planned.  What struck me is that I get frustrated where MY plans take over.  I started to think about Abraham and especially the plans God laid before him.  Cold air and lots of traffic noise seem to get my brain going in the morning; hopefully it is not just the exhaust fumes.  Look with me at Genesis 15 and 16.  Here is a little piece.

Genesis 15:2-6 (NLT)

But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.  You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”  Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

When I reread this passage this morning I had to smile, and notice that Abraham was a planner too.  God has just promised to bless Abraham in verse 1 now in verse 2 Abraham is right away making a plan to accomplish God’s blessing.  Since he had no children he was looking to his servant to carry the blessing.  God steps in and lays down his plan, “Abraham you will have your own son” basically a reminder, hey Abraham this is My (God's) plan for you.  So what does Abraham do he set a new plan to action (we read about this in Genesis 16) to accomplish God’s blessing and Ishmael is born.  And was Ishmael God’s plan for Abraham?  No, once again Abraham is trying to accomplish what God had promised He would accomplish.

I believe I always run into this tension of what I plan and what God plans for my life.  I felt called to serve God and knew that meant going to Bible College, so I planned to attend Moody in Chicago.  Moody did not want me so I planned to attend for a year at Oak Hills in Bemidji Minnesota, and then transfer to Moody.   In the end I stayed at Oak Hills all 4+ years it was a great school and it put me in the place to be equipped and trained for ministry.  But it was not my plan, and I was still greatly blessed, I met my wife and had many great experiences.  I planned on graduating College and serving in a church right away! But that is not what happened I spent 7 years working in a Group Treatment center.  I felt like I was put on the bench, this was not my plan. I spent much of my time there frustrated that I was not doing what "God wanted of me."  Now I think I was just frustrated because my plans were not the same as what God was planning in my life, I just thought my plans were on par with God's.   The reality, once again as I look back I was very blessed by my time “on the bench” working my unwanted job.  I enjoyed the people and the work I was doing.  I was transformed by that job, I will never see the world the same again.   I was blessed freezing, in northern Minnesota for 17 years. Who would have made that plan for themselves? But I was not living my plan,  I guess that is the point.

Time and time again I find my plans bring frustration, but God’s plans bring blessings.  Why is it this way?  I think as people we want a clear plan and destination, we want to make a single life defining change that lays out our course.  We want to be changed just not transformed.   But, God wants transformation, let at Philippians 1:6

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

We are always looking for the ending we see for ourselves. But Paul is reminding the Philippians of the beginning, and then noting that it is God’s work, and His finishing day.  I have to remind myself that my best plans are to keep listening, keep being transformed, keep following and try'n to keep up. 

 

 

Stepping out in Obedience

A few months ago my wife and I spend a week in Honduras serving with World Gospel Outreach www.worldgospeloutreach.org (WGO).  Beside sharing our faith and working to meet the needs of the Honduran people, God was using this time to work in our lives.  God spoke to my wife and me by opened our eyes up to the possibility of serving God in Honduras.

This started as we understood the needs of the organization and noticed how we had specific gifts and abilities to meet these needs and a passion to reach at-risk children.  And really like the direction of WGO.  As we spoke to the leadership we found that not only did we think we fit they asked me to consider a position that really ignited my imagination and pulled at our hearts.  Then we started to pray and asked others to pray, asking them to especially pray that God would make his desires for our life clear.

This makes it sound like it was all pretty easy to roll all this together in our heads.  But, it has been a tug-o-war with our heart.  It has been back and forth as my wife and I talk through what God is doing in our lives, I am truly bless with a Godly wife, with her eyes always in God’s word.  So some days I am all for it and other days I am fearful, but on those days my wife encourages me and back and forth.   I am responsible for the mission committee at our Church and I see what it takes to raise support.  And I also have 4 kids, how does it work to uproot my children and move.  We are just learning Spanish and can barely speak the language.  I walk through my home and I am deeply in love with my stuff and all my little home improvement projects.  All of our fears and excuses seem to be rooted in baseless wants and desires.

But, God is continually encouraging us in forward a motion, it has been amazing how God has encouraged and directed us. This does this mean a decision is made? No..  But, my wife and I have decided that we are following Jesus for a life time and that means doing the hard things too.  So we are trying to discern what God is doing, part if that means we need to explore.  We changed our vacation plans and decided we need to take some time to listen and see.  So we will be taking our family to Honduras for 2 weeks in February.  We felt the best way to understand what it would be like to raise a family in Honduras would be to take our family.  So all six of us now have our passports and plans our set.

We have been wrestling with a passage in Matthew 12 where the Pharisees are asking Jesus for another sign, Jesus calls them faithless.  The reason Jesus has a problem with their request is the fact that they have heard about everything he has already done. Jesus lists other towns that have been more faithful with less signs.   I think it is really tempting to wait until we are sure he really means it by ignoring what God is already doing in our lives.   Like with our kids how many times do we have to tell them to do something before they should get it done.  We expect that if they hear and instruction once they should immediately follow through.  But, many times they are so caught us doing what they want to do that they have no problem waiting for the 4^th or 5^th request.  I am not afraid that God will ask me to do something but whether or not I will stop to listen and follow through. 

Just do it!

2 Timothy 1:5-7

 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.  This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

            This was one of the scriptures I was given in Honduras, it was written on a card and it was lying on the table when I sat down for breakfast.  It is a powerful piece of scripture to start my day.  It is so easy to feel inadequate to the tasks that are set in front of me sometime.  I was tired that morning and on the schedule for Evangelism.  I was not afraid of Evangelism but more about being able to connect and find common ground with the Honduran people in those short moments that day.  We seemed so different and in many ways we are, but there are some small pieces of common ground to find.  For me it was kids and family.

            I am often shocked at how God will put something in front of me and I begin to worry if I can pull it off.  Then I am reminded that it is not a solo mission, God’s spirit is in me. But, I am quick to create my own roadblock and then struggle to see my way through them.  But the roadblocks only exist in my mind, not in the mind of God and not in reality. 

            It is like Paul tells Timothy in this passage, Timothy has been given a gift to be used to serve God.  How much different is it for us?  The Jesus told his followers that the spirit would come and gift them, and Paul reminds Timothy and us to fan the flame and put it to work. 

            If God gives us the passion, and set our heart to motion we have to realize that he will empower us to see it through.  I think it is also good to put ourselves around others to help fan the flames for us.   Let other people see in us what refuse to see in ourselves. 

            You will not know what God can do in your life until you step out and let his spirit work in your life.  So, Just do it!

 

            I pray that God will work in your life this New Year and move you in new direction past self imposed roadblocks that have stood in your way too long.  Have a blessed New Year!  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

 

Missing our place in the Plan

            As we approach Christmas I am amazed at the extent to which God went to reach his broken people.  He held nothing back; he touched down to earth those 2000+ years ago to provide hope.  This was His big event; the fix for all of lives sufferings, maybe not in the immediate but for certain in the eternal.  Because God set His big plan into action we live in hope and celebration, that is our focus at this time of year.

            God has gone so far to make sure He is not a secret, He came to earth, and He shared his good news.  But not only that He made sure it was all written down for us and we can pick up his Bible and get to know him better each day.  He also designed His Church so we would have the opportunity to connect and be fed together, and to use our gifts to minister to each other.

            But as we read God’s word we have to realize even with all that God has done to let us know about him we still need to respond.  I was thinking about the story of Deborah, a Judge in the Old Testament (Judges 4-5).  She would really be an insignificant Judge if not for the fact that she shared God’s message with Barak and he would only move forward on his conditions.  If you remember the story Barak was suppose to deliver the Jewish people from Sisera.  God had the plan and the place, but Barak did not want to it God’s way.  He set his own plan in place of God’s.  Although he moved forward he missed out in providing the deliverance of Israel.  In the end a women, some milk, and a tent spike ended Sisera’s life. 

            I am shocked by how many times my conditions get it the way of what God is doing.  We have our time frame and our plan.  But God often has the right plan and at the right time, we can either choose to respond or miss the opportunity.  The good news is, God will still accomplish his plan, and the bad news is we may not have the blessing of seeing it through.  How would you like to be in the Bible like Barak, a person who got their place in scripture for being stubborn and missing out!

            This time of year is a reminder that God is trying so hard to get our attention.  We need to let his passion for us, build our passion for him, and fuel his plans for us.

 

The Story of Heller and Victoria

I spent a week in Honduras in early October, so I thought I would start telling a few of my stories.  I had many opportunities to share the Gospel many people, and although it is always incredible when people accept Christ, I had a few stories that really touched my heart.  This is the Story of Victoria and Heller!

I had a 16 year old boy named Heller come and sit down with me.  I began to ask him questions.  He excitedly told me that a friend had brought him to the Church 3 months ago. He continued and explained to me that he had heard the Gospel and accepted Christ.  Not only that but, the Church had a group for him, it was specifically for teenagers and that he was taught from the Bible every week.

I then asked him how I could pray for him.   We never got to his prayer request but I bet his prayers were still answered, wait and hear how the story turns out…

At this point, his mother was brought over to join us.  She immediately shared to me how thankful she was for the ministry of the Church.  She went on to explain to me that her 13 year old son was part of the Compassion International program.  You know the Christian organization that cares for children for a dollar a day.  This younger son started to attend this Church about year ago.  He had invited Heller to come with him to Church.  The mother with tears in her eyes explained that both the boys had accepted Christ and she was so excited for what Jesus was doing in her boys’ lives.

Now the story gets interesting…  Heller turns to me and says through the translator, “My mom is not a Christian and my brother and I have been asking her to accept Christ and go to Church with us!  She won’t.”  I almost fell out of my chair, this mother had just told me about how Jesus was impacting the lives of her 2 boys.  I started sharing the Gospel with her.  When I got done I asked her, ”Do you want to receive God’s free gift?” 

She said, “No I am not ready.”  I was surprised or shocked.   Like I said earlier this is the women that just told me the impact Jesus had in her son’s lives. 

So I asked her again, “Do you really think Jesus is doing something in your boys?”

 She said, “Yes Jesus is at work in there lives... but I am not ready?”

I said, “Heller just told me that both he and his brother have asked you to accept Christ.” 

Once again Victoria said, “yes, but I am not ready?” 

I said back, “Do you know your boys love you so much that they never want to be apart from you, they want you to join them in heaven someday?

At this Victoria’s tears came into Victoria’s eye’s she said to me, “I want to accept Christ!” 

I prayed with her to receive Christ.  Heller looked liked a teenager that was just given keys to brand new car, but he knew it was better then a new car, he knew how important this decision was for his mother. He was so excited to share the good news with his brother, and now he was so glad they would now go to Church as a family.  

I bet if his mom had not walked up at that moment, he would have asked me to pray that his mother would accept Christ!  What do you think?  I think God was already answering Heller's prayer before he had a chance to ask.  I just had the privilage of sitting in as God's Ambassador and speaking God's words of truth to Victoria. 

My prayer for this family is this:  That there testimony will now be, “Jesus has done so much for my family!”

 

Fair Weather Fans

          A few years ago when I moved to Wisconsin it seemed like Packer Fever was a contagious disease, you could hardly go anywhere without being surrounded by people sporting green and gold.  This is Wisconsin and the Packers are dearly loved but it seems that the shine of that super bowl year is wearing off.  It is not that the Packers are a bad team they may even be just as good at doing what they did the year they went to the Super Bowl.  But is seems the other teams have adjusted their defense to keep the Packers passing game better under control.  But in a few short years, I see more and more shirts and sweatshirts with other team logos and colors.  I even saw Wisconsin license plates that said “MN VIKES.” I know insanity right?

It is amazing how fickle of fans we can be.  But, moving beyond football it is surprising how quickly we fall away and our passions sway.  Our team does not perform as well as they once did, or our dream job becomes a nightmare.  The love of our life becomes the enemy we hate.  Why is it that people are so prone to these swings in our loyalties?  Why do our minds become so caught up with the negatives we see rather than the positives that won our hearts in the first place?

Just think the Apple IPad was first went on the market in April 2010.  They release their 3^rd model in March of this year.  How can a company keep releasing updates of the same product  so close together?  People just won’t keep buying the same thing over and over again, right?  Especially when 84 million of the first 2 version of  IPad’s were already in consumers hands?   But in just the first 4 day the IPad 3 was in stores Apple sold 3 million,  That is 3 million in 4 days.  Apple just released the IPhone 5 and already sold 5 million IPhones in the first weekend. 

In the book of Hosea in the Bible, God uses Hosea’s marriage to an adulterous wife to illustrate the way Israel had treated God.  But our fickleness seems to be equal to the nation of Israel, it seems weekly on the news our nation is making it stand against God.  But it is not just our nation it is the hearts of the people, as the greater majority of people turn from God the quicker our nation is going to turn as well.  Read the book of Hosea I think you would find many things that reflected the world we live in today.            

Is there a solution?  I think the big answer is we have to stop being so interested in seeking what we want, to be honest it seems like we do not know what we want!  We have to seek after what God wants us to seek after.

Matthew 6:31-33 - So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

                I do not believe this means that if you follow Jesus you will be the first in line for the new IWhatever.  But it means that when we are seeking what God wants, we will learn to be satisfied when God meets our needs.  God changes our priorities to be in line with His, His wants become our wants, His values become our values.    God paves the streets of heaven with gold not to show his earthly wealth but to demonstrate how our value system is so much different from His values system.  What would your life look like if your value system mirrored God?  What worries would you be able to live without?  Maybe we should stop trying to figure out what we want and trust that God knows what we need.

Just follow the Recipe!

2 Timothy 3:14-17

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,  and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

             Working in the Church I can see that so many of us can relate to Paul’s description of Timothy.  My son’s first real song he sang was “Jesus Loves Me”.  He liked it so much he would walk up to people and say the “THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO!” They would ask him what the bible told him? I taught him to say, “Obey my mommy and daddy.”  Everyone was amazed at his wisdom.  Most of us in the church probably have similar stories about our kids and/ or can say the same thing about how we were raised.

            As I read this passage I am caught up with the simplicity of God’s plan.  Then I think about the complexity of ministry in the church.  All the things we do to build up and eventually get to the simple truth of learning God’s word, applying it to our lives, and teaching to others.  This week I was watching a youth promotional video, the youth in the video say, “I loved this conference because I could see that Christians can really have fun!”  This is a common way youth events and many other church events are promoted.  But, are all the complexities, the lights, music, and entertainment what it takes to convey God's simple truth?

            The Celebrity Chef, Emeril Lagasse’s catch phrase, “Bam! Kick it up a notch!” was used frequently to explain how he made simple recipes mouthwatering good.  We see this same idea applied just as freely to how we live out our Christian faith and shape our ministries.  Bam! We take God's simple truth wrap it in amazing new ingredients and now we have finally made God fun.  Like God actually needs us to help him rewrite his plan for humanity.  We traded the amazing message that the God, who made the universe, loves us and went to great lengths to win us back… with a flashy plan to make Christianity fun, and filled with counterfeit joy.   We trade cheep fun for the life changing message of Christ.

            I have had tons of “Christian fun” as Youth Pastor, I saw the best concerts, and I love whitewater rafting, it is about my favorite water sport.  But, in reality nothing is better than talking to a High School friend who gave his live to Christ as a teen and the joy of seeing God breathe new life into him.  Or speaking to a former student, who is trying to figure out how he can use his gifts and talents to reach homeless people! He is now teaching me!  We may laugh about the time he shot me in the back with a paintball, but the really joy that surrounds our relationship is result of God’s word thoroughly equipping him for every good work.

            As we look at our upcoming ministries this fall I wonder, what if we just focused on allowing God's word to breathe in us and equip us?  What would God call you to do this year?  Who has God laid on your heart to share his amazing message with?  What truths have you know from Childhood that God want to use to shape your life?
 Just following the Recipe sometime is all the “Bam!” we need!

Our True Nature

This year’s big question for VBS was, “What is your true nature”?   They talked about who you think you are and how others really see you.  And that even though try to hide your true nature,  but hard circumstance often reveal our true nature.   The VBS program then had us ask some really great questions that are relevant to all ages.

1.       Where does your Peace come from?  Answer: Psalms 46:1

2.       Where do true riches come from?  Answer: Philippians 4:19

3.       Where do you draw true power from to avoid Temptation?  Answer: 1 Corinthians 10:13

4.       Where do you go to find True Love?  Answer: 1 John 3:16

5.       Where do we find true Hope?  Answer: Psalms 33:20-21

Our true nature is shaped by how we answer these 5 questions.  But it is not only about knowing the right answers but it come to living them as well.  As I think about this I cannot help but compare it to how computers and my smart phone process information.

Whenever I add a new piece of software it changes my technology by adding functions to make it better or more complete. For example, I have an app on my phone to track all my family’s schedules in one place it streamlines my life, it keep track for whom, where and when each event happens.  Then sends me reminders about when everything is scheduled to take place.  What a great tool to have right at my finger tips.  It changes the nature and value of this device.  Kind of like our VBS challenged us to change our nature.

But when you add programs or apps like this to my computer or my phone it involves a two step process.  The first part is the Download.  In this process the phone collects all the information it will need to perform these new tasks.  When we come to Church, read our Bible, or listen to someone teach about the Bible we are in this download process. We are gathering information that can change our lives and impact our nature.  But as we all know, just knowing something is not the same as using the information in our lives.

The second process my phone does is the installation.  It takes the downloaded information and tells the phone what to do with it.  If I installed a game it would tell the phone how I would use the phone to control the game, and what to show on the screen, where to save progress and so on.  Once all the connections are made the app functions correctly.  But sometimes when I go to add a new app, the two steps of the process do not happen automatically.  Then I am frustrated when my phone will not do what it is now suppose to do.  To make the new app work I have to go back and install it manually.  This is much like the Christian life, it takes time and intention to take what we learned about God and make it part of our life. It also takes a willingness to be changed, ever notice how you will try to make a change on your computer a warning will pop up and ask if you really want to do what you just told the computer to do.  How many times do we go to make a change and once we start we stop the process and end up unchanged. Knowing all the right information is not enough, we have to install it into our lives and be willing let it change us.

So for our true nature to be changed we need to listen to God and learn from his word, this is the download.  Then I have to take the information and let it begin to change how we think and act this is the install.  We have to internally let God test us and examine our heart and minds to see if the information is just downloaded and stored.  We do this to allow God to Change our true Nature.

Psalm 26:2
Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;

Escaping the Routine

            Once again this motorcycle related,  but I do have an hour drive both ways to class and I am alone in the car so it gets me thinking. 

            I drive a scooter and it is different from riding a motorcycle.  I know you are thinking that it is geek ride and yeah that is me.  But it is missing two important controls, and has one in a different place.  On a motorcycle there is a clutch on the left side of the handlebars and a shifter by the left foot peg.  The rear brake is located at the right foot peg.  Unlike a car the front and rear brakes work independently, but are both important to use together when you want to stop.  This is especially important in an emergency stop, if you only use the front breaks in this situation, it is very easy to fly over the handle bars and into traffic. 

            My scooter has no clutch and where the clutch on the motorcycle is on the left side of the handle bars I have my rear break.  And I do not have to shift my scooter; it is more like a three speed automatic.   But last night at class,we were working on emergency stopping, which requires using all four of these controls together. 

            In normally driving situations I have no problems using these controls together to move through the driving courses.  But on emergency stops when I had to rely on my instincts to work the controls, I found I kept trying to stop the motorcycle like my scooter.  I even locked up the breaks once; this is very bad for a motorcycle because if you lose traction it is easy to tip over.  As we did this drill I became more and more frustrated and nervous.  I was falling back to my scooter patterns, because when you drive a motorcycle it is fairly common for people to get in your way and I regularly gain real life experience on my scooter.

            So my thoughts…

Romans 12:1-2

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. 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.

            I am a creature of habit and patterns, I have even found myself driving to work on days off, when I am suppose to be going somewhere else.  I get in the car and the autopilot engages and off I go following my routine.   Transformation takes time and remolding, that is the purpose of the motorcycle class you do these frustrating routines over and over again so it to becomes a pattern.

            In the Christian life it is the same thing, many times we want instant change and we can for times change patterns, but then when we are stressed or frustrated we revert to our known way of doing things.   So how do we create new patterns, we follow someone that knows the right pattern.  We watch what and how they do things.  I think this is why Jesus said this,

Luke 9:23-25 (NIV)

 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

           The reason patterns are hard to break is because we often hold them dear, they meet felt needs.  Changing patterns means that we have to accept loss, in the case of Christianity it may be loss of instant gratification to gain long term blessing.   But the only way to do this is to focus on His pattern and imitate it in our lives. 

Riding in Circles

                In my last blog I noted that I am currently taking a motorcycle riders course.  The class is divided up into two parts the classroom and hands on riding motorcycles.  Since, I last talked about the book side of the class last week, today I will talk about my reflection on the riding portion of class. 

                I was really excited to be part of the riding portion of the class; I love the opportunity to learn by doing.  So last Wednesday I rode for three and half hours.  I think I traveled maybe a mile or two in slow circles.  The class is made up of many different people with different experience levels.  I have had my permit for 3 months if you subtract the winter, and have driven over 1000 miles on my scooter.  Some of the others in the class were sitting on a motorcycle for the first time.  So at times the riding was very slow paced and boring and I didn’t not feel the challenge the way first time riders were challenge. 

We spent the first half of the class learning how to use a clutch.  My first 3 cars were stick and using a clutch is really the same on a bike as a car.  Others in the class had never even driven with a clutch in a car.  For you who have driven stick you realize that it is about getting the feel of the clutch and the friction zone, although challenging at first it over time it begins to feel like second nature.  So we rocked back and forth over and over again to get the feel.  This first half of class was boring, I was not being challenged.  Ever feel like you have already heard it all before?  That was the feeling I was having at this point.

The next part of class we started to weave though cones and practice driving skills. This part of the class was great!  I had opportunity to practice shifting up and down through gears.  I drive a scooter and my scooter does not have gears or a clutch, but for the class we use regular motorcycles.  Most people drove around in first gear.  But this was my opportunity to practice shifting through the gears.  This part of the class flew by, and we were done in no time.  I left feeling confident in my ability to shift a motorcycle.  This was a skill I knew I needed to learn.

As I thought about my experience, I realized that we can trapped in these same kind of situation in life.  And I think this can also play out in the church, we can get stuck in circle of learning and study then what should be life-giving sucks the life from us.  We go from service to service or Bible study to Bible study without first putting in to practice the new things we have learned.  Could it be that what we lack is forward motion?  We have the fuel we just have to get our hearts in gear!

Many times in Church we are tempted to put in the minimum, we do not want to busy up our lives.  I could have done the same thing if I just rode like my peers in class, and stayed in first gear.  But, then the second part of class would have been as disappointing as the first.  When we put in minimum effort we get minimum results and quickly lose interest.   Listen to Paul’s Challenge. 

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NIV)

 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

                Paul is talking about maximum effort and focusing on purposeful development, “Strict Training” and “not aimless”.  In church do you find yourselves repeating steps over and over again, failing to take the challenges we face whenever we are confronted with God’s Word?  Is the time we spend between Bible studies and sermons time we are training ourselves or are we just coasting?    When we allow God’s word to live in us and work in us, I believe we truly understand what it means to live.  When we follow God’s word we put in extreme effort and see extreme results.  Because knowing God’s word is only important if we do what is say.

James 1:22-25 (NLT)

 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

To escape the circle we get caught in we need to:

… Know where you need God’s impact on your lives and make the most of any opportunity you have to hear God’s word. Look in the mirror and get to know yourself and be real about where you need to be changed.  Then like I did in my class take advantage of the time you find yourself in the circle to think through and prepare for the change you need to make.   Then even if you find yourself in the circle, you are prepared to take time to listen to what God is telling YOU. 

… Put ourselves in situation where we can be stretched.  Find opportunities to serve God that are out of the routine.  You know the routine you have been living.  Paul challenges us to train like an athlete.  For the average person this means a change of routine, couch potatoes and athletes have significantly different lifestyles.  Take that step respond to God in your life and see what happens.  James calls the results a blessing!