My friends in Christ,
I am sitting in Zale Lipshy Hospital with Marlane, my wife (so far three days during this stay), awaiting a healing of her neck pain and arm numbness that she has suffered for the past five weeks. It’s been a tough ordeal for her especially since she has a high threshold of pain. I know that I would be curled up in the fetal position, whimpering, and wanting to be sedated to the maximum possible, but not the case for Marlane.
As we await the new procedure – injection of steroid into her spine, and the known associated risks of internal bleeding, infection, and paralysis – I am reminded of Psalm 46:1-5 in The Message:
God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in sea storm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, GOD of angel armies protects us.
River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city, this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe, God at your service from crack of dawn.
Oh how important it is to know and remember and proclaim that God is ever present within our storms. As the song “Praise You in the Storm” recorded by Casting Crowns states:
Praise You in This Storm
words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms
I was sure by now, God,
You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God
who gives and takes away.
Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
Marlane and I have shed many tears in this storm and we are saying our Amens. It is my hope that you can do the same. Also, even in the moments when we seem to not be able to praise Him in the storm, we know we have the rest of the Body of Christ to do the praising for us. Lord, thanks for catching our tears and being a safe place to hide. Amen…again, again, and again!!!!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
what do we make of it
My friends:
It's been some time since I wrote in this blog. And here it is the week of the masaccre at Virginia Tech. Listening to the testimony of Mr. Ryan Clark of his giving heart and smile that could make everyone smile. Ryan was a senior with a 4.0 GPA, three majors, and pursuing a PhD. He gave his life to his fellow students and gave to children at Camp Big Heart, reaching out to those special needs campers. Ryan gave his life when he encountered the gunman in his dorm. He gave his life but it is so raw and so hard to deal with such a tragedy.
I know that many of us are affected by such an incident and we all want to go into lockdown. I am especially aware of those of you who have you children away at college, hoping it is a safe environment, wanting to bring them home, and yet, know they need to remain at school. I am keenly aware of those of you from my generation who are having flashbacks concerning similar incidents on our college campuses. It just doesn't make sense and we are all crying out in some way, "WHY?"
I believe it appropriate to share some encouraging thoughts from Timothy Merrill, executive editor of Homiletics.
GOD LEFT THIS PLACE A LONG TIME AGO
What happened at Virginia Tech was very technical, methodical, very precise.
But the aftermath was anything but. It was very human, very non-technical, very passionate.
Henry Brinton, Senior Minister at Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia, and past Senior Writer for Homiletics and still a regular contributor, says that his congregation has seven VT students-all unharmed-and a number of VT grads among their members. They are shocked.
And so are we.
T.S. Eliot said in The Wasteland that "April is the cruelest month, breeding/ lilacs out of the dead land."
It would appear he's right. This incident occurs within days of the 8th anniversary of Columbine. We couldn't have imagined that after Columbine we'd be pulling dead bodies out of the dead Blacksburg ground yet again and in such awful numbers.
There's a scene from the Oscar-nominated film of last year, Blood Diamond that's provocative. The movie is set in 1999 Sierra Leone while a civil war rages fueled by conflict diamonds which are sold to pay for weapons. Leonardo DeCaprio plays Danny Archer, the anti-hero, a mercenary with something of a conscience, who-along with good guys and bad guys-is hunting for this huge pink diamond. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) meanwhile, is leveling entire villages, chopping off the hands of some so they can't vote in elections, and snatching young boys to become soldiers in the rebel army.
In a quiet moment of reflection while mayhem explodes around them, Danny Archer chats with a journalist, Maddy Bowen, and reveals that his "Mum was raped and shot and . Dad was decapitated and hung from a hook in the barn. Sometimes I wonder . will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? Then I look around and I realize. God left this place a long time ago."
When events like the carnage at VT happen, it shatters our peace, it intrudes upon our consciousness, it interrupts and irritates and saddens and shocks, and we wonder if indeed God hasn't left this place a long time ago.
To get at this question, let's go over a few things:
1. WHY ARE WE SURPRISED?
One online media resource splashed the word WHY? over the web page pictures of the horror. The bigger question is "Why not?" Why wouldn't this sort of thing happen from time to time in our culture?
It's happened before: Columbine, which was followed by other schoolyard shootings in subsequent years around the country. Amish country last fall, postal shootings, workplace violence, the McDonalds massacre a number of years ago, the Texas clock tower murders of 16 passersby by Charles Whitman, the Manson murders, and more.
Judy Muller on NPR's "Morning Edition" (it will be on their web site later today once they have cycled through their West Coast broadcasts) recalled a remark made to her following the Columbine shootings. A woman at the 'makeshift memorial' of flowers and teddy bears that appeared almost immediately said, "The really sad thing is that we already know what to do." Muller went on to talk about all the public rituals and so forth that we now know must follow such events. We've done it before. We've buried our children.
2. IN THE AFTERMATH OF THIS VIOLENCE, WE CAN EMPATHIZE WITH OTHERS WHO LIVE WITH VIOLENCE EVERY DAY.
Not to minimize, but to place in perspective, consider those who live with violence that even exceeds what happened in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Monday. In Baghdad, the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, the West Bank, Darfur, the Sudan, and elsewhere, children of God suffer and die on a daily basis in human-generated violence.
3. WE CAN'T SHIELD OURSELVES IN ANY ABSOLUTE SENSE FROM RISK.
Americans, perhaps more than any other people in the world, are a risk-adverse people. We try to protect ourselves from EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. You can review the examples-some ridiculous-here. This impulse tends to overlook the luxury of being able to protect ourselves from what are sometimes innocuous dangers-compared to the real horrors we too frequently ignore or to which we turn a blind eye-that our fellow human beings endure incessantly.
4. PARENTS ARE THE POWER.
We must remind our parents that they HAVE THE POWER. We must ask fathers to be men and develop a spine and backbone. We ask parents to love each other and to love their children, even if that means saying NO to them-and believe me, it does.
Granted, some psychos and cold-blooded killers come from good homes and loving parents. Some people are born without a conscience, and others, for reasons we don't really understand, manage to bury it, despite loving homes.
Yet nurture IS an important component. This is an opportunity, not to blame parents, but to empower parents to be: PARENTS. The Virginia Tech shooter was a student from Centreville, Virginia, just a few miles from Brinton's church. "It appears that he was the classic loner-a mystery to everyone," says Brinton. "Parents are not doing their jobs when they allow their children to withdraw from a community of support and accountability."
5. WHAT WOULD JESUS HAVE US DO NOW?
The answer to this question is in the Gospel [John 21:1-19] text for this Sunday.
It's Eastertide. If you're feeling like "God left this place a long time ago," you're right. It's Eastertide. The tomb is empty. He left THAT place, only to visit us in a NEW PLACE.
The opening verse of the Gospel reading says that "Jesus showed himself again to his disciples."
THAT'S what Jesus wants to do this Sunday morning with your congregation: To show himself again to his disciples. The text goes on to say, "And he showed himself in this way."
So WHAT WAY is Jesus going to show himself to us?
Peter's response in verse three is to say, "I'm going fishing."
That's often what we do in situations like this. We simply want to get back to what we were doing before: fishing or shopping.
Jesus says, "Feed my sheep."
That's all we can do right now. But is there anything else?
But we're called to be feeders. Henry Brinton is working with his staff to gather Virginia Tech students, along with their families and friends, for an evening of conversation and prayer. It's so important to respond to these events as a community and to look for where God is at work and to look for where God is at work in the aftermath of violence and death. "We need to affirm that God always gives the gift of new life," he says, "and that God can reclaim Virginia Tech as a place for kids to grow in knowledge and faith."
God has left the tomb already, and God is with us now. Amen.
There will be a special time of remembrance this Sunday for the victims of Virginia Tech and for our lives and society at all three worship services. Jesus is Resurrected!
Grace and peace,
Jack
It's been some time since I wrote in this blog. And here it is the week of the masaccre at Virginia Tech. Listening to the testimony of Mr. Ryan Clark of his giving heart and smile that could make everyone smile. Ryan was a senior with a 4.0 GPA, three majors, and pursuing a PhD. He gave his life to his fellow students and gave to children at Camp Big Heart, reaching out to those special needs campers. Ryan gave his life when he encountered the gunman in his dorm. He gave his life but it is so raw and so hard to deal with such a tragedy.
I know that many of us are affected by such an incident and we all want to go into lockdown. I am especially aware of those of you who have you children away at college, hoping it is a safe environment, wanting to bring them home, and yet, know they need to remain at school. I am keenly aware of those of you from my generation who are having flashbacks concerning similar incidents on our college campuses. It just doesn't make sense and we are all crying out in some way, "WHY?"
I believe it appropriate to share some encouraging thoughts from Timothy Merrill, executive editor of Homiletics.
GOD LEFT THIS PLACE A LONG TIME AGO
What happened at Virginia Tech was very technical, methodical, very precise.
But the aftermath was anything but. It was very human, very non-technical, very passionate.
Henry Brinton, Senior Minister at Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia, and past Senior Writer for Homiletics and still a regular contributor, says that his congregation has seven VT students-all unharmed-and a number of VT grads among their members. They are shocked.
And so are we.
T.S. Eliot said in The Wasteland that "April is the cruelest month, breeding/ lilacs out of the dead land."
It would appear he's right. This incident occurs within days of the 8th anniversary of Columbine. We couldn't have imagined that after Columbine we'd be pulling dead bodies out of the dead Blacksburg ground yet again and in such awful numbers.
There's a scene from the Oscar-nominated film of last year, Blood Diamond that's provocative. The movie is set in 1999 Sierra Leone while a civil war rages fueled by conflict diamonds which are sold to pay for weapons. Leonardo DeCaprio plays Danny Archer, the anti-hero, a mercenary with something of a conscience, who-along with good guys and bad guys-is hunting for this huge pink diamond. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) meanwhile, is leveling entire villages, chopping off the hands of some so they can't vote in elections, and snatching young boys to become soldiers in the rebel army.
In a quiet moment of reflection while mayhem explodes around them, Danny Archer chats with a journalist, Maddy Bowen, and reveals that his "Mum was raped and shot and . Dad was decapitated and hung from a hook in the barn. Sometimes I wonder . will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? Then I look around and I realize. God left this place a long time ago."
When events like the carnage at VT happen, it shatters our peace, it intrudes upon our consciousness, it interrupts and irritates and saddens and shocks, and we wonder if indeed God hasn't left this place a long time ago.
To get at this question, let's go over a few things:
1. WHY ARE WE SURPRISED?
One online media resource splashed the word WHY? over the web page pictures of the horror. The bigger question is "Why not?" Why wouldn't this sort of thing happen from time to time in our culture?
It's happened before: Columbine, which was followed by other schoolyard shootings in subsequent years around the country. Amish country last fall, postal shootings, workplace violence, the McDonalds massacre a number of years ago, the Texas clock tower murders of 16 passersby by Charles Whitman, the Manson murders, and more.
Judy Muller on NPR's "Morning Edition" (it will be on their web site later today once they have cycled through their West Coast broadcasts) recalled a remark made to her following the Columbine shootings. A woman at the 'makeshift memorial' of flowers and teddy bears that appeared almost immediately said, "The really sad thing is that we already know what to do." Muller went on to talk about all the public rituals and so forth that we now know must follow such events. We've done it before. We've buried our children.
2. IN THE AFTERMATH OF THIS VIOLENCE, WE CAN EMPATHIZE WITH OTHERS WHO LIVE WITH VIOLENCE EVERY DAY.
Not to minimize, but to place in perspective, consider those who live with violence that even exceeds what happened in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Monday. In Baghdad, the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, the West Bank, Darfur, the Sudan, and elsewhere, children of God suffer and die on a daily basis in human-generated violence.
3. WE CAN'T SHIELD OURSELVES IN ANY ABSOLUTE SENSE FROM RISK.
Americans, perhaps more than any other people in the world, are a risk-adverse people. We try to protect ourselves from EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. You can review the examples-some ridiculous-here. This impulse tends to overlook the luxury of being able to protect ourselves from what are sometimes innocuous dangers-compared to the real horrors we too frequently ignore or to which we turn a blind eye-that our fellow human beings endure incessantly.
4. PARENTS ARE THE POWER.
We must remind our parents that they HAVE THE POWER. We must ask fathers to be men and develop a spine and backbone. We ask parents to love each other and to love their children, even if that means saying NO to them-and believe me, it does.
Granted, some psychos and cold-blooded killers come from good homes and loving parents. Some people are born without a conscience, and others, for reasons we don't really understand, manage to bury it, despite loving homes.
Yet nurture IS an important component. This is an opportunity, not to blame parents, but to empower parents to be: PARENTS. The Virginia Tech shooter was a student from Centreville, Virginia, just a few miles from Brinton's church. "It appears that he was the classic loner-a mystery to everyone," says Brinton. "Parents are not doing their jobs when they allow their children to withdraw from a community of support and accountability."
5. WHAT WOULD JESUS HAVE US DO NOW?
The answer to this question is in the Gospel [John 21:1-19] text for this Sunday.
It's Eastertide. If you're feeling like "God left this place a long time ago," you're right. It's Eastertide. The tomb is empty. He left THAT place, only to visit us in a NEW PLACE.
The opening verse of the Gospel reading says that "Jesus showed himself again to his disciples."
THAT'S what Jesus wants to do this Sunday morning with your congregation: To show himself again to his disciples. The text goes on to say, "And he showed himself in this way."
So WHAT WAY is Jesus going to show himself to us?
Peter's response in verse three is to say, "I'm going fishing."
That's often what we do in situations like this. We simply want to get back to what we were doing before: fishing or shopping.
Jesus says, "Feed my sheep."
That's all we can do right now. But is there anything else?
But we're called to be feeders. Henry Brinton is working with his staff to gather Virginia Tech students, along with their families and friends, for an evening of conversation and prayer. It's so important to respond to these events as a community and to look for where God is at work and to look for where God is at work in the aftermath of violence and death. "We need to affirm that God always gives the gift of new life," he says, "and that God can reclaim Virginia Tech as a place for kids to grow in knowledge and faith."
God has left the tomb already, and God is with us now. Amen.
There will be a special time of remembrance this Sunday for the victims of Virginia Tech and for our lives and society at all three worship services. Jesus is Resurrected!
Grace and peace,
Jack
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Call to Produce
Dear Friends in Christ,
As we continue through the calendar year at Wylie UMC, I want to encourage you to give of your time and energy to pray and work for healing and reconciliation within our community. Healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation are the characteristics of the Church, the Body of Christ, and Christ calls us to practice these virtues with one another.
Over the next year, we must work towards healthy change and new and deeper levels of strength, moving towards unity in Christ. This requires all of us to go to our knees before the throne of God. We should go to His throne as members of the family, the family of Wylie UMC and the family of God.
As our family journeys forward to make disciples of Jesus Christ, let me encourage each of us to search for the grace to forgive and to receive forgiveness where needed. I am aware that we have some differences of opinion among us, but if we work “to keep the main thing, the main thing (Jesus Christ and His mission),” those differences will be resolved. I am also aware that God calls all of us to become producers of the Gospel rather than just consumers. I recall the famous words of JFK as a template for our call as Christians in the Church, “…ask not what your (God’s) [Church] can do for you—ask what you can do for your (God’s) [Church].”
In order to be better producers and begin fulfilling God’s call to repentance and reconciliation, we must start with prayer. Prayer is foundational and prayer is crucial to the ministry and mission of Wylie UMC. So as one of the pastors of Wylie UMC, I encourage all of us to…
- Pray for a spirit of kindness with honesty, truth and love (Ephesians 4:15-16).
- Pray for the courage to ask the hard questions and to resist the easy answers.
- Pray for a discerning spirit among the bodies and for the gift of Wisdom and Love to permeate each gathering (1 Corinthians 13).
- Pray for the reconciliation of conflicts and broken relationships.
- Pray that all of us will be "encouraged in heart and united in love" (Colossians 2:2-3).
As the Holy Spirit leads us in particular directions of prayer, may we covenant to pray the words of the following scripture over our meetings, small groups, Sunday School classes, worship, meals, choir practices, band practices, and our own lives in the days, weeks, and months to come:
Colossians 3:12-17 (NIV)
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
O God, may we be true to your Word. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jack
Note: I am indebted to Dr. Ellsworth Kalas, Interim President, Asbury Theological Seminary for his wise words and inspiration of this challenge for Wylie UMC.
Friday, February 23, 2007
thought provoking article from a colleague
My Friends in Christ:
The current issue of our local edition of the United Methodist Reporter contained an article in the Faith Forum section from a colleague, Rev. Andrew Thompson. The article sturred my soul to evaluate our commitment to Christ and His Church, and I hope the Spirit challenges each of our souls. Rev. Thompson's article is included in its entirety by his permission and permission of UMR. Thank you, Andrew Thompson.
The current issue of our local edition of the United Methodist Reporter contained an article in the Faith Forum section from a colleague, Rev. Andrew Thompson. The article sturred my soul to evaluate our commitment to Christ and His Church, and I hope the Spirit challenges each of our souls. Rev. Thompson's article is included in its entirety by his permission and permission of UMR. Thank you, Andrew Thompson.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jack
GEN-X RISING: Growing out of a 'country-club commitment'
Andrew C. Thompson, Feb 20, 2007
Ever heard of a "country-club commitment"? It's the kind of commitment people make when they join a country club. First, they shop around looking for the club that has all the right amenities: a nice golf course, a fancy restaurant, indoor tennis courts and a swimming pool for the kids. When they find the country club that suits them best, they join. They show up to play golf and eat at the restaurant when it suits them. And they give money to keep themselves in good standing with the club. Of course, if anything ever happens that really irritates them -- say, a new manager in the Pro Shop that they don't like or another club member who makes a callous remark -- they just withdraw their membership and find another nice club down the road. That's the country-club commitment. But of course, the country-club commitment doesn't just apply to actual country clubs. You can substitute "country club" with the word "church." Change out all the images, too, so that "restaurant" becomes "worship service," "swimming pool" becomes "youth group," and so on. Sound familiar? It should. American Protestants treat their churches like they were made for their entertainment. We approach life in the church as if it existed solely to meet our "needs." We live in the world of the Almighty Individual, where personal prerogative is supreme. And so, we are willing to change churches the way we might decide one day to shop at Macy's instead of JCPenney. It is also an attitude that comes from an almost non-existent understanding of discipleship. For those of you who have joined a church before, do you remember what you pledged? If you joined a United Methodist Church, you made a vow to be loyal to the church and to support it with your prayers, your presence, your gifts and your service. It is a promise that should be considered as serious as our marriage vows. And once we have made it, the only proper reason for a transfer of membership is a permanent move to a city too far to commute on Sundays. In a way, the prevalence of the country-club commitment represents a supreme form of cynicism about the church-a cynicism that says that the church is not about Jesus Christ, rather, it's about me. As I was reminded by a fellow pastor recently, such cynicism is "both easy and empty." It's easy because it only requires a commitment that imitates the standards of the surrounding culture. The cynical Christian is the one whose discipleship hinges on the fragility of his ego. At the slightest instance of discomfort or unhappiness, he pulls up stakes and moves on. And it's empty because those who fall into such cynicism become spiritual nomads. They convince themselves they will be happy and fulfilled when they find the "right" congregation. So they wander from church to church, never realizing that the real problem is with themselves. Such carefully constructed consumer egos do not need to be stroked and coddled; they need to be obliterated. We should remember that the church is the same institution the New Testament calls the Bride of Christ (Rev 21:2). With such a high pedigree, it is unbecoming for us to treat her as a prostitute, to be used and discarded as we see fit. We should also remember that we are a fundamental part of that Bride. Our membership in her does not call for a country-club commitment. It calls for a covenantal commitment, where the pledge made is understood to be lifelong. Only with a covenantal commitment can we begin growing into real Christian maturity. Only then can we resist the temptation to act like petulant children, gathering up our paper dolls and going home when we grow tired or cranky. And only then can we enter into a relationship of true love, forgiveness and reconciliation with our brothers and sisters in the household of faith. Our reward for such maturity will be great indeed: a deeper relationship with the Bridegroom who beckons to us.
The Rev. Thompson is working on a doctoral program at Duke Divinity School. He blogs at www.genxrising.com.
Copyright 2007 UMR Communications. Reprinted with permission."
Saturday, February 17, 2007
for me and for you
My fellow walk across the room journiers:
As I recall mentioning several weeks ago, I read one Proverb chapter per day for that associated day's date. Well, reading Chapters 15-17 challenged me. These chapters were a wonderful plumbline, measuring tool, and instrument of correction and encouragement. There was almost a sense of getting back to the basics of faith in action.
However, I confess, I fell into a trap while reading several of the verses. In my mind I began to comment or judge the verses. You may have done something similar as this: "This verse applies to me, but this next verse or phrase applies to (name or group)," and you fill in the blank.
For instance, look at Proverb 15:1-5 from Peterson's paraphrase The Message, and see if you don't have the propensity for the same:
1 A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.
2 Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense. 3 God doesn't miss a thing—he's alert to good and evil alike.
4 Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.
5 Moral dropouts won't listen to their elders; welcoming correction is a mark of good sense.
Yes, this is terribly wrong. If scripture is for transformation of the reader, then scripture is to judge, challenge, convict, encourage, uplift, etc., the reader. When we read scripture it is not to build a case against another, but to primarily build a case of correction and encouragement for self.
Lord God, forgive us for those times when we read your transforming Word and see how it can transform others, rather than transform our own heart, mind, and soul. Fill us with your grace-filled Word today, being transformed as you deem necessary. In the transforming name of Christ. Amen.
Grace and peace in the journey,
Pastor Jack
As I recall mentioning several weeks ago, I read one Proverb chapter per day for that associated day's date. Well, reading Chapters 15-17 challenged me. These chapters were a wonderful plumbline, measuring tool, and instrument of correction and encouragement. There was almost a sense of getting back to the basics of faith in action.
However, I confess, I fell into a trap while reading several of the verses. In my mind I began to comment or judge the verses. You may have done something similar as this: "This verse applies to me, but this next verse or phrase applies to (name or group)," and you fill in the blank.
For instance, look at Proverb 15:1-5 from Peterson's paraphrase The Message, and see if you don't have the propensity for the same:
1 A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.
2 Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense. 3 God doesn't miss a thing—he's alert to good and evil alike.
4 Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.
5 Moral dropouts won't listen to their elders; welcoming correction is a mark of good sense.
Yes, this is terribly wrong. If scripture is for transformation of the reader, then scripture is to judge, challenge, convict, encourage, uplift, etc., the reader. When we read scripture it is not to build a case against another, but to primarily build a case of correction and encouragement for self.
Lord God, forgive us for those times when we read your transforming Word and see how it can transform others, rather than transform our own heart, mind, and soul. Fill us with your grace-filled Word today, being transformed as you deem necessary. In the transforming name of Christ. Amen.
Grace and peace in the journey,
Pastor Jack
Thursday, February 1, 2007
investment
My "walking" brothers and sisters:
For the first time in about six to eight weeks, at least before Christmas, I attended True Grit Men's Bible Study at Starbucks Murphy this morning. It was hard to get up and go, but I was glad to be there with the other six brothers around the table. They asked me to introduce myself to them since they had forgotten my name and what I did for a living...this was all in jest of course (at least I hope). What a wonderful reunion, for sure.
During my absence, the group traveled through Luke to Chapter 19 and verse 13. We read through the rest of the chapter, taking turns reading, as usual. We returned for discussion to verses 13-27 pertaining Jesus sharing that the kingdom of heaven is like ten servants who were given a king's funds and charged by the king to be good stewards of the funds while he was gone. A lesson on responsibility was about to ensue.
The facilitator posed the first question, "In what areas of your life do you best exhibit responsibility?" We sat their in silence, each of us wondering in our minds (especially my own mind), "what areas of my life do I best exhibit irresponsibility?" It was funny how everyone readily identified with the negative side of the question rather than the positive. Several of us began to think how we are more responsible in some areas and less responsible in others. Jobs for which we are paid show more responsibility than tasks at home or with family.
But it was agreed that the scripture related to how we as disciples are stewards of the life-saving, transforming faith of Jesus Christ. We are given the Single Greatest Gift to share and invest in the lives of others. So then, are we investing the Gift or holding on to it for ourselves? Are we responsible in investing the Gift expecting a return on the investment, ten-fold, five-fold, etc? Or are we receiving the Gift and burying it, hiding it from others, or squandering it for self-preservation? Good questions that were answered at the table, making us think about our investment for the kingdom.
However, when I had my devotional/quiet time later that morning, I read Eugene Peterson's introduction to Proverbs and Proverb 1 in The Message. The investment theme continued. As Peterson pointed out, we are called not only for the saving faith of Christ, to give us heaven as our eternal home, but we are called to be obedient, seek wisdom, share that wisdom, have Christ become Lord. We are responsible to have our lives transformed and in turn fulfill Christ's call in the Lord's Prayer to bring God's "kingdom on earth as it is in heaven."
O God, may we not only receive your Single Greatest Gift of Jesus as Savior but also as Lord. May we not only receive your Single Greatest Gift, but share the same with others, investing it in the live of others, being obedient, seeking wisdom. In the name of the One who walked across the room to us. Amen.
Walking Across the Room together with the Spirit and each other,
Pastor Jack
For the first time in about six to eight weeks, at least before Christmas, I attended True Grit Men's Bible Study at Starbucks Murphy this morning. It was hard to get up and go, but I was glad to be there with the other six brothers around the table. They asked me to introduce myself to them since they had forgotten my name and what I did for a living...this was all in jest of course (at least I hope). What a wonderful reunion, for sure.
During my absence, the group traveled through Luke to Chapter 19 and verse 13. We read through the rest of the chapter, taking turns reading, as usual. We returned for discussion to verses 13-27 pertaining Jesus sharing that the kingdom of heaven is like ten servants who were given a king's funds and charged by the king to be good stewards of the funds while he was gone. A lesson on responsibility was about to ensue.
The facilitator posed the first question, "In what areas of your life do you best exhibit responsibility?" We sat their in silence, each of us wondering in our minds (especially my own mind), "what areas of my life do I best exhibit irresponsibility?" It was funny how everyone readily identified with the negative side of the question rather than the positive. Several of us began to think how we are more responsible in some areas and less responsible in others. Jobs for which we are paid show more responsibility than tasks at home or with family.
But it was agreed that the scripture related to how we as disciples are stewards of the life-saving, transforming faith of Jesus Christ. We are given the Single Greatest Gift to share and invest in the lives of others. So then, are we investing the Gift or holding on to it for ourselves? Are we responsible in investing the Gift expecting a return on the investment, ten-fold, five-fold, etc? Or are we receiving the Gift and burying it, hiding it from others, or squandering it for self-preservation? Good questions that were answered at the table, making us think about our investment for the kingdom.
However, when I had my devotional/quiet time later that morning, I read Eugene Peterson's introduction to Proverbs and Proverb 1 in The Message. The investment theme continued. As Peterson pointed out, we are called not only for the saving faith of Christ, to give us heaven as our eternal home, but we are called to be obedient, seek wisdom, share that wisdom, have Christ become Lord. We are responsible to have our lives transformed and in turn fulfill Christ's call in the Lord's Prayer to bring God's "kingdom on earth as it is in heaven."
O God, may we not only receive your Single Greatest Gift of Jesus as Savior but also as Lord. May we not only receive your Single Greatest Gift, but share the same with others, investing it in the live of others, being obedient, seeking wisdom. In the name of the One who walked across the room to us. Amen.
Walking Across the Room together with the Spirit and each other,
Pastor Jack
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Just Walk Across the Room
Christ-followers who walk:
As I ventured through the first few days after sharing with you our journey from Bill Hybels' Just Walk Across the Room, I discovered many folks that God place along my path in my Zone of the Unknown, that is, outside my Circle of Comfort. During these times I had a heightened sensitivity to the prompting of the Holy Spirit asking me to be natural in my reaching out...that is, befriending folks, and meeting them where they are.
I wish I could tell you that I ventured into the Zone of the Unknown each of those times. Lord forgive me, when I disregarded your whisper and made excuses.
However, I hope you would agree, isn't it amazing when we tune in to the Holy Spirit and hear the whisper promptings? Isn't it amazing how God uses these simple communications to reach out beyond our Circle of Comfort, to those hurting, lost, in chaos, depressed, have no meaning in life, and for some, very far from the God who loves them?
Some of you may have said to yourself, "I am not worthy to reachout to someone in that Zone of the Unknown." You are right, not one of us is worthy, but rather, it is through the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ we are able to reachout; I am reminded that those who reached out to me weren't worthy either.
Some of you may have said, "People who stand outside my Circle of Comfort (Sunday School class, or new visitor in worship, a co-worker, etc.) don't want me to talk to them, or reachout to them; they want to be anonymous." Maybe this seems correct in your mind, but didn't someone reach out to you and you were thankful he or she did? Especially when you visit another church for worship, don't you feel rejected when no one steps out of their Circle of Comfort and welcome you?
Just a thought for you and for me. Jesus took the walk toward us in the form of someone else...thank you, Jesus...we are called to do the same, one step at a time.
By the way, did you mail your "God Used You to Help Point the Way" postcard to thank the one who walked toward you and helped point you to faith in Jesus Christ? I hope so...it's not too late.
Walking together in Christ's walk,
Pastor Jack
As I ventured through the first few days after sharing with you our journey from Bill Hybels' Just Walk Across the Room, I discovered many folks that God place along my path in my Zone of the Unknown, that is, outside my Circle of Comfort. During these times I had a heightened sensitivity to the prompting of the Holy Spirit asking me to be natural in my reaching out...that is, befriending folks, and meeting them where they are.
I wish I could tell you that I ventured into the Zone of the Unknown each of those times. Lord forgive me, when I disregarded your whisper and made excuses.
However, I hope you would agree, isn't it amazing when we tune in to the Holy Spirit and hear the whisper promptings? Isn't it amazing how God uses these simple communications to reach out beyond our Circle of Comfort, to those hurting, lost, in chaos, depressed, have no meaning in life, and for some, very far from the God who loves them?
Some of you may have said to yourself, "I am not worthy to reachout to someone in that Zone of the Unknown." You are right, not one of us is worthy, but rather, it is through the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ we are able to reachout; I am reminded that those who reached out to me weren't worthy either.
Some of you may have said, "People who stand outside my Circle of Comfort (Sunday School class, or new visitor in worship, a co-worker, etc.) don't want me to talk to them, or reachout to them; they want to be anonymous." Maybe this seems correct in your mind, but didn't someone reach out to you and you were thankful he or she did? Especially when you visit another church for worship, don't you feel rejected when no one steps out of their Circle of Comfort and welcome you?
Just a thought for you and for me. Jesus took the walk toward us in the form of someone else...thank you, Jesus...we are called to do the same, one step at a time.
By the way, did you mail your "God Used You to Help Point the Way" postcard to thank the one who walked toward you and helped point you to faith in Jesus Christ? I hope so...it's not too late.
Walking together in Christ's walk,
Pastor Jack
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