In Other Words

My blog has moved!

2009-12-30T10:36:00.003-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know I have relocated my blog to http://jimharger.wordpress.com. Please follow me there! -jim

Is a community of believers the answer we should seek?

2009-11-16T17:48:00.001-07:00

One of the challenges many church leaders face is developing communities of believers within our churches. It is the topic of many discussions. In fact, just this morning I had a conversation revolving around this topic. We talked about a couple of books that discuss doing church as described in the book of Acts. As I continued to ponder this throughout the day, something came to mind. Is it possible to do church in the same fashion as it was in the first century? Since there are a few modern-day examples, I used to think so; but it does not seem to be the norm. Now I am beginning to question this idea.

In today’s society, people are busy. Some would say that we are too busy. We spend a great deal of time away from home working at our jobs. Add the fact that many people commute 50 or more miles to work each day, and the workday can be 12 hours or more. When we get home, many of us spend our evenings chauffeuring our children around to different activities such as soccer practice, baseball practice, youth group, scout meetings, and other similar activities. By the time we get home from all of this, it’s time to retire for the evening so we will be ready to begin again the next day.

In my neighborhood it is not uncommon to see people drive down the street toward their homes, watch the garage door open as they pull into their driveways, and then close once they are in the garage. I never see the person. I would be challenged to recognize many of my neighbors if they were to walk up to me and say hello. I used to frown on this when thinking about how churches can reach people in our neighborhoods. After reflecting on it a bit more, it is easy to understand why churches struggle with building communities when people find it a challenge just to spend time with their immediate family. Many people simply do not have the time to be a part of a faith community, much less doing so in a similar manner as described in the book of Acts.

When describing most churches, we see people gathering for an hour to an hour and a half every Sunday morning. They arrive at church and greet one another as they find a place to sit. During the worship service, it may be customary to have a time when everyone stands to say hello to those sitting near them. After the service, they may have a couple of brief conversations as they leave the church to return home. All in all, many people spend only a few minutes actually interacting with other people, yet we expect to create communities of believers under these circumstances. Is it any wonder people feel uncomfortable when placed in small groups where the only thing they have in common is the initial of their last name or the zip code in which they live?

When we look at the community as described in Acts, we see the people of the church eating together and spending time in fellowship. In the first century, people lived, recreated, and worshipped within walking distance of their home. Everything was located nearby, and people rarely ventured more than a mile from our home. It was much easier, and some would say necessary, to be a part of such a fellowship. People today no longer live in organic communities as the people did in the first century.

So what is the answer to building a community of believers? I am beginning to wonder if we are seeking the wrong answer. Perhaps the answer is not to build (dare I say) artificial communities of believers within our churches. After all, they barely know one another. Perhaps the answer is equipping and encouraging the people of our churches to bring their faith and beliefs outside of the church into the community in which they are already a natural part. Hmm, sounds like discipleship is the answer we should be seeking.

Do you understand the secret to the kingdom of heaven?

2009-10-21T08:38:00.001-06:00

This morning I am continuing my reading through the Gospels. I am reading them as I continue to ponder discipleship and what it means to our churches. This morning a couple of things seem relevant.

In chapter four, we read of the purpose of the parables. Beginning in verse 10, those that were around him asked about the parables. It is interesting to note that there were more than just the twelve apostles. Jesus answered them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables.” Later, in verse 34 it says, “He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.”

Two things come to mind as I reflect on these passages. First, there were more than just the twelve apostles with Jesus at this time. Many followed him, but some may have done so out of curiosity. Jesus says that the secret of the kingdom of heaven has been given to them, but perhaps they did not all accept it. Perhaps, the better way to state it would be that not all of them had the faith to accept it. Jesus goes on to explain the parable of the sower. It would seem many of those that followed him fit into the illustration other than that given in verse 20.

The second thing that comes to mind is from verse 33 and 34. Mark writes that Jesus continued to speak in parables, but then “privately to his own disciples he explained everything.” This shows that even though Jesus called his twelve disciples, and that they were given the secret to the kingdom of heaven, they must continue to be taught to understand the parables.

In our churches today, many Christians have received the gift of salvation; yet, they do not pursue Jesus as a disciple by studying the scriptures. If Jesus had to teach the apostles that he called to understand the secret of the kingdom of heaven, does it not make sense that we need to be diligent to seek the wisdom as taught in scriptures all the more? We should not take for granted our salvation, treating it as nothing more than a get-out-of-jail-free card. Jesus called us to be his disciples; and as such, we should purposely pursue the secrets of the kingdom of heaven through prayer, study, and teaching.

Something to ponder today…

Army of Spears

2009-07-29T15:17:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday, our pastor spoke of the origin of his last name. My wife did a little research and found the origins of our last name on ancestry.com. It is English from a Norman personal name composed of the Germanic elements hari, heri ‘army’ + gar, ger ‘spear’, ‘lance’. In other words, we are an army of spears, only our spears are the word of God!

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword” Hebrews 4:12 (New International Version).

Just Do It!

2009-07-28T09:35:00.001-06:00

Continuing with our look at Spiritual Discipleship…

The second chapter in Sander’s book is “Conditions of Discipleship.”

“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” Luke 14:27 (ESV)

Oswald opens this chapter discussing how Jesus seems to be “intent on alienating [the crowd’s] interest and actually discouraging them from following him.” He goes on to say, “The line Jesus took with the impressionable crowd was the exact opposite of much evangelism today.” Rather than focusing on the benefits of following him as a disciple, he spoke of the “difficulties and dangers” and “sacrifices.” Jesus was not interested in the number of people who followed him; he was interested in the quality of those who chose to make the necessary sacrifice to be disciples (pp. 19-21).

We must challenge not only ourselves, but also those around us to “bear [our] own cross” and be true disciples of Jesus Christ. It will be difficult. It may be dangerous. It will definitely demand sacrifice. However, as Oswald writes, “following Christ is not a joyless experience” (p. 24). True joy and happiness come to those who follow Jesus Christ. And if that is not incentive enough, try following the popular directive, “Just do it!”

Holy Bible. (2001). English standard version. Wheaton, IL: Standard Bible Society.

Sanders, J. O. (1990). Spiritual discipleship: Principles of following Christ for every believer. Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute.

The “Rest” of the Story

2009-07-27T09:20:00.001-06:00

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb 4:11-13 (New International Version)

As with many books of the Bible, Hebrews is one I have read many times, yet each time I read it I glean more knowledge and insight. This morning is no exception.

My daily reading led me to chapter 4. I have been reading from different translations over the past few days, and this morning I read from the NIV Study Bible. The wording and study notes helped me understand what it means to enter into the rest of God, and how our faith determines our ability to do so. As I often do, I pulled out another translation to compare.

This morning I reached for the ESV Study Bible and read the same verses and accompanying study notes. The ESV study notes are a bit more cumbersome to read and understand, but well worth the time and effort to work through. This morning, however, it was not so much the study notes that sparked the “ah-huh” moment for me as it was the grammatical structure of the text.

In the NIV (and several other translations), the paragraph on God’s rest ends with verse 11, and a new paragraph begins with verse 12. In the ESV (and the NASB), the paragraph ends with verse 10, and a new paragraph begins with verse 11. You may be asking, “So, what’s the big deal?” Well, the fact that the paragraph in the ESV begins with verse 11 ties that particular verse in with 12 & 13; and in so doing helped me to understand the context of verses 12 & 13 in relation to verse 11.

In other words, there is more to entering the rest of God than simply taking a day of rest; we must also be faithfully obedient. Moreover, we cannot fool God if we try to deceive ourselves by our actions. “The word of God is living and active…discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” Hebrews 4:12 (ESV). God knows if we are living our lives in faith or not; we cannot fool him. In order to enter the rest of God, we must strive to live our lives in faith and obedience to God. We must understand and accept what Jesus Christ did for us, and place our trust in Him. Only then are we truly able to enter into the rest of God.

Holy Bible. (2008). The ESV study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Holy Bible. (2002). Zondervan NIV study Bible (Fully Revised). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Blessed are the Merciful…

2009-07-22T16:18:00.001-06:00

Continuing with our look at Spiritual Discipleship, J. Oswald Sanders discusses the Beatitudes in the chapter, The Ideal Disciple.

He begins the chapter with the statement,

The Old Covenant of law could pronounce only a curse on those who failed to fulfill its demands. The New Covenant, which was sealed with Christ’s blood, does not reduce the law’s demands but imparts the desire and the dynamic to fulfill them. The “thou shalt, thou shalt not” of the Old is replace by the “I will, I will” of the New. (p. 11)

What a great way to put it. Rather than being a list of rules to follow, the New Testament is an inspiration to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Sanders goes on to outline the Beatitudes into eight conditions of life. The first four are passive personal qualities: spiritual inadequacy, spiritual contrition, spiritual humility, and spiritual aspiration. The next four are active social qualities: compassionate in spirit, pure in heart, conciliatory in spirit, and unswerving in loyalty.

The quality that strikes a chord with me is compassionate in spirit. Sanders writes, “It is possible to have a passion for righteousness and yet lack compassion and mercy for those who have failed to attain it” (p. 15). He goes on to write, “To become mercy, [pity] must graduate from mere emotion to compassionate action.” In other words, to be merciful, we must be willing to do more than just feel pity; we must be willing to do something. More than that, we must be willing to encourage those who have fallen into sin to turn away from sin and turn to Christ. Perhaps if we were less inclined to judge, and more inclined to show mercy we would see more come to know Christ. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” Matthew 5:7 (English Standard Version).

Sanders, J. O. (1990). Spiritual discipleship: Principles of following Christ for every believer. Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute.

Do we practice the doctrine of “easy believism?”

2009-07-20T09:37:00.001-06:00

In the introduction of his book, Spiritual Discipleship, J. Oswald Sanders discusses the meaning of the word discipleship. He gets right to the heart of the matter when he says, “It is one thing to master the biblical principles of discipleship, but quite another to transfer those principles into everyday life” (p. 8). In other words, there is more to discipleship than just knowing God; we must live what we know. “It means living with the purpose to obey what is learned. It involves a deliberate choice, a definite denial, and a determined obedience” (p. 8); otherwise, we are only practicing what Sanders refers to as the doctrine of “easy believism.”

Jesus Christ is looking for disciples who will commit to a lifelong walk of learning, loving, and living the teachings of Jesus Christ. Are you willing to make such a commitment? It is not always easy, but the rewards are eternal.

Over the next few days, as I read Spiritual Discipleship, I will share with you my thoughts and comments of what he writes in this book. The first chapter is “The Ideal Disciple.” Until then…

Sanders, J. O. (1990). Spiritual discipleship: Principles of following Christ for every believer. Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute.

The fact of the matter is…

2009-05-21T16:42:00.001-06:00

As I sit and reflect on what I read in one of my textbooks, a thought occurred to me. Is it more productive to listen to talk radio in order to stay abreast of what’s going on in the world; or is it more productive to limit the time spent listening to the political pundits and focus on learning new ideas? (I am beginning to think I spend an excessive amount of time listening to talk radio and not enough time studying.) The answer is obvious. It is better to spend the day learning new ideas rather than just listening to the opinions of others.

It is so easy to accept what we hear in the media as factual when much of it is nothing more than speculation and opinion. Do the facts back up the opinions we hear? Or are the opinions based on a spin of the facts to justify a political position or bias? One phrase I hear pundits use that always raises a red flag with me is “The fact of the matter is…” That usually means they are about to put a spin on the subject.

With that in mind, I think the more time I spend in my studies, the more I will learn. The more I learn, the better my skill of accurate thinking will be. The better I am at accurate thinking, the better I will be at forming an objective opinion.

Now, back to my studies…

Are you allowing God to use you fully?

2009-05-19T09:46:00.001-06:00

I am rereading the book, Spiritual Leadership, by Oswald Chambers. I originally read it while a student at Colorado Christian University. You know how that goes; you read it quickly, glean what you need for class, and then move on. This time I have decided to read it slowly and spend more time reflecting on the message.

Chapter Two discusses the search for leaders. Sanders (1967) writes, “The Bible shows us that when God does find a person who is ready to lead, to commit to full discipleship and take on responsibility for others, that person is used to the limit” (p. 17). That statement caused me to pause. I thought to myself, am I being used to the limit? I had to honestly answer no. That led to the question, am I allowing God to use me fully? Ah, that is the question.

Sanders continues, “If the world is to hear the church’s voice today, leaders are needed who are authoritative, spiritual, and sacrificial” (p. 18).

Authoritative leaders have a vision and are confident in where they are going. Leaders with such confidence bring authority to their leadership and inspire people to follow them

Spiritual leaders have a close relationship with God and spend time in prayer and reading Scripture. Sanders writes, “Without a strong relationship to God, even the most attractive and competent person cannot lead people to God” (p. 18). Isn’t that what it’s all about? If leaders are not leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, than none of the rest matters.

Leaders follow the example of Jesus Christ and learn to be servant leaders. Through serving others, leaders set the example for others to follow. Servant leaders also spend time equipping and preparing others to lead.

After reflecting on all three of these attributes, it all came together. A spiritual leader who has a close relationship with God understands His will. A leader who understands God’s will has a vision. A leader who has a vision carries His authority to fulfill that vision through servant leadership.

God is always searching for leaders. It isn’t that He can’t find any, but people may not respond to His call. Are you ready to make that commitment to be the leader God has created you to be? Are you allowing God to use you fully? Those are the things we need to consider.

Reference

Sanders, J. O. (1967, 1980, 1994). Spiritual leadership: Principles of excellence for every believer. Chicago: Moody Press.

Some final thoughts

2009-01-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Some final thoughts on the chapter “Velcroed for Growth” from the book Contrarians Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne…

Osborne wraps up this chapter writing,

It’s imperative that we somehow find a place where our reality speaks louder than our image, where the upside of positive peer pressure spurs us on to greater heights, and where we’re positioned to receive the help we need the moment we need it. (p. 69)

It is in small groups that we have the best opportunity to develop and cultivate the close and transparent relationships necessary for this to happen. It’s not something that happens overnight; in fact, it may take a long time. But we are talking about eternity, are we not?

Speaking from the perspective of a man, I find these types of relationships very difficult to find. Friends like those that Osborne describes are the ones you can pick up the phone and call anytime. They are the friends you can talk to about anything; no matter how difficult the subject.

I remember a day when I was sitting with my wife talking (probably over a fine cigar and a cup of coffee) and I confessed to her that I don’t have many friends. I had even fewer that I would consider close. People who know me would find this hard to believe with my charming and winning personality; but Beth knows me well enough to know this was absolutely the case.

As we continued talking, I recalled the many friends I had in the Army. Unfortunately, relationships in the military are short-lived. Just as you get close to someone, one of you rotates to a new assignment. Even so, these relationships were strong because we depended on each other in order to accomplish our mission. Even after ten years, I still long for the camaraderie of the Army.

…On a side note, I was recently contacted by one of my army buddies. He called me out of the blue after more than 15 years. He now lives in another part of the country. It was great to hear from him, and we continue to talk every now and again. Anyway, back to what I was saying. What was I saying? Oh yeah, I don’t have many friends…

A few years ago I had a few friends like the type of relationship we are discussing; but, as you may have read in a previous blog, I lost contact with most of them. I am currently working to reestablish connection with them.

My point is it takes time to develop the kind of relationships we need to grow spiritually. With all of the commitments we have, we simply don’t have the time. Or is it that we don’t prioritize our time in order to make time? That’s what I think it is. We only have so many hours a day and we have lots to do. We have to make choices.

Drawing from my time in the army, perhaps we need to look at our spiritual growth as a mission. Do I dare say, “A mission from God”? We need the camaraderie of other Christians in order to accomplish the mission He has given us. Perhaps if we depended on each other as I used to depend on my teammates in the army, we would develop the life depending relationships we need.

I shared this with my wife, and she brought up a good thought. We talk a lot about missions overseas, and other things of that magnitude, but we don’t talk much about our mission right here in our homes and neighborhood. We have a mission to raise our families in a Godly manner. We have a mission to love our neighbors as we do ourselves. We have a mission to continue to grow spiritually. Small groups are the best way to accomplish these missions. Perhaps we need to be a bit more diligent in accomplishing the mission close to home.

And those are my words… Or in this case, those are our words…

Honesty

2009-01-14T14:35:00.002-07:00

Continuing with our series on the chapter “Velcroed for Growth” from the book Contrarians Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne…

The third accelerator Osborne refers to when discussing the purpose of small groups is honesty. Osborne writes,

If I want to grow spiritually, I must be honest enough to let people in on the issues I’m facing and the reality behind the image I portray. I also need friends who are honest enough to tell me the truth—even when I don’t want to know it, or it hurts to hear. (p. 67)

He goes on to say this type of honesty is hard to come by. Of the three accelerators, it’s my opinion that this is by far the hardest to accomplish.

The kind of honesty we need is the kind we can only get from close and transparent relationships. We need brothers and sisters in Christ who know us well enough ask those difficult questions; the things other people may find offensive. We need brothers and sisters that love us enough to be honest.

Typically, we don’t find these kind of relationships in a once a week visit to church. When we see people in church, the common greeting is “How are you?” Our typical response is “I’m good!” Is that the honest truth? Perhaps. When we ask others how they are doing, do we really want to know or are we just being sociable? I would venture to say most of the time we are just being sociable. In a public setting where we see people only occasionally, this is appropriate. But if we are serious about our spiritual growth, we need more than just casual relationships. We need relationships with people we can be honest with.

We find this kind of relationship in small groups. Over time, people in a small group come to know each other intimately. They develop close and transparent relationships; one in which people have trust and love for each other. In these relationships, people really do want to know how the people in their group are doing. In order for us to have this type of relationship, we must be vulnerable and transparent; and in this world, that goes against the norm. Paul teaches, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2 (English Standard Version). There comes a time when we need to ignore what the world thinks and focus on what God thinks.

Honesty is not easy; it means being vulnerable and transparent. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what we need to continue to grow spiritually.

Next time, I’ll wrap up this look at “Velcroed for Growth.” Until then…

The Upside of Peer Pressure

2009-01-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Continuing with our series on the chapter “Velcroed for Growth” from the book Contrarians Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne…

The second accelerator Osborne refers to when discussing the purpose of small groups is peer pressure. Osborne says close and transparent relationships allow peer pressure to be used as a positive force in developing spirituality (p. 65). He cites Hebrews as an example of positive peer pressure:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (English Standard Version)

By continually meeting together, we develop close and transparent relationships and encourage each other to grow spiritually.

Parents understand the concept of positive peer pressure. We constantly keep an eye on the friends our kids hang out with. We drive them back and forth to youth group so they will be with other Christian kids. We talk to their teachers and coaches to see what kind of people they are. We have their friends over for dinner so we can get to know them. We do all these things so we know the type of influence their friends have on their life. We want them to have positive peer pressure. If we do this for our kids, shouldn’t we do this for ourselves?

Have you ever hung out with someone from Georgia? It doesn’t take long before you begin speaking with a southern accent and drinking sweetened ice tea. I have friends and family in Texas, and if I spend any time with them I begin speaking in a Texas drawl and rooting for the Cowboys. Y’all know what I mean. It rubs off.

Peer pressure works the same way. When we hang around people who are strong in their faith and character, it rubs off on us. Osborne writes, “The best way to produce [a long-term, life changing] kind of spirituality is to hang around those who are already experiencing it” (p. 67). The more we hang around with spiritually strong Christians, the stronger we become.

In small groups we hang around people who encourage us to love one another and to do good works. In small groups we develop close and transparent relationships with other believers. In other words, small groups create the positive peer pressure we need to be spiritually strong.

Next I’ll reflect on the accelerator honesty. Until then… Y’all be good now, ya hear?

The Velcroing Power of a Small Group

2009-01-11T05:00:00.004-07:00

Continuing with our series on the chapter “Velcroed for Growth” from the book Contrarians Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne… The first accelerator Osborne refers to when discussing the purpose of small groups is connectedness. According to Osborne,

“The primary reason to be in a small group setting is not to learn more biblical information. It’s not to develop great friends. It’s not even accountability. It’s connectedness. Belonging to a small group, small church, or any other form of close and transparent relationships velcroes me to the people and information I’ll need when a need to grow or need to know crisis shows up.” (p. 64)

A friend of mine used to say, “Now don’t hear what I didn’t say.” In other words, Osborne is not saying Bible studies, friendships, and accountability are not important aspects of small groups. What he is saying is connectedness is the primary reason to be in a small group. The other things are secondary. I would go further in saying the other aspects are results of being connected. Bible studies are always more affective when we know the people we are studying with. We feel comfortable asking questions or sharing ideas. Real friendship only comes from being connected. True accountability only comes from real connections. How many of us can say that we have connections like this?

Keeping with the focus of Osborne’s book, the people in our small group are the ones we should turn to when in need. They should know us well enough to know when something is bothering us. “When we’re in a place where relationships are genuine and transparent, there’ll always be someone ready to give us what we need.” Whether it is a shoulder to cry on, or words of wisdom, people we are truly connected to will be there to help.

Over the past couple of years, I was so busy with my career that I lost the connections I had with a core group of men. I was trying to do too much, and it consumed me to the point that I no longer had time for friends. Last August something happened that made me reevaluate my life, and I made a decision to make some changes. Making these changes provided me the opportunity to renew connections with my friends. It will take time to reestablish these connections, and some may be lost forever; but I know God will bring people into my life that I need. I just have to be sure to develop and nurture my relationships so there will be true connectedness. And through these connections I will once again have the spiritual growth, friendships, and accountability that God desires us all to have.

Next I’ll reflect on the accelerator peer pressure.

Velcroed for Growth

2009-01-10T05:48:00.004-07:00

Over the next few days I want to review a chapter from the book Contrarians Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne. He wrote a chapter titled “Velcroed for Growth” that is very appropriate for Real Life Connections.

As a way of introduction, Osborne writes how people who isolate themselves find it difficult to get help when they need it. The reason? Because no one knows about it. “But those who have close and transparent relationships experience a completely different reality. When a crisis hits, they usually find people quick, even eager, to help” (p. 61). Osborne continues on writing “Developing close and transparent relationships is an important part of preparing for life’s inevitable calamities.” How do we develop these kinds of relationships?

Most people assume church is the answer to close relationships. Osborne disagrees because churches have become too big. He asserts that churches are primarily for teaching and encouraging spiritual growth; small groups are the best answer to developing close relationships. He compares small groups to the “house churches” of the New Testament; a small group of people gathering on a regular basis, building transparent relationships with each other.

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” Acts 2:46-47 (NIV).

In accordance with the title of his book, Osborne says it’s contrarian to be part of a small group. He says only a small percentage of people who regularly attend church are part of a small group. Sadly, most people only have one or two close friends who know them well enough to be transparent. Moreover, in most cases, our spouse is one of those two! Why is this the case? According to Osborne it’s because small groups are pushed and advertised by churches to provide a benefit we never fully realize. We attend small groups to study the Bible or for some other purpose, when all along we miss the main point of a small group.

Osborne says the greatest value small groups can provide is “accelerators of spiritual growth.” The accelerators are connectedness, peer pressure, and honesty. Over the next few days I want to spend some time reflecting on these three accelerators. They seem to go hand in hand with the purpose of Real Life Connections. Until then…

Where has the week gone?

2009-01-09T10:37:00.001-07:00

Where has the week gone? I hear people ask that question all the time. I never seem to accomplish all I set out to do. For the most part, I get the important things done; but there are some things I wish I had more time for. For instance, I spent a good deal of time working with my online students, I spent a good deal of time working on my coursework (it never seems like enough!), and I spent some time writing (I wish I had more time for that!). But did I spend enough time with my family? Did I spend enough time with God in prayer?

When I was working in administration at CCU, I never had time enough time for family. In fact, there were days that I didn’t see my kids at all. I would leave before they were up, and get home after they were asleep. For several months, I traveled every other week and would be gone for days at a time. It was by my choice, but just the same, it was a lot of time away. Been there done that! That’s all changed now.

Now I eat breakfast with my family every day. My wife helps me with this. She wakes me up each morning asking, “Do you want to eat breakfast with us this morning?” (Men, if you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s a subtle hint.) I’m glad she does; otherwise, I would lie in bed until who knows when and miss the best part of the day! This morning I shared some Scripture with my boys and we talked about it for a few minutes. We discussed the passage, and then talked for a minute about how reading different translations can affect our understanding. In the case of this particular passage, it was a small difference, but nonetheless, it did make a difference. I feel good that I take the time to spend with them and help get their day started off on the right foot.

Did I spend enough time with God? No, I don’t think that’s possible. Lately I have had a strong desire to spend more time in Scripture and prayer. I find myself staying up late reading after everyone goes to bed. I can honestly say I spent more time with Him this week than I did last week, so I am making progress.

So, did I accomplish all I set out to do? No, but I feel it has been a productive week; and I have done my best to spend time on the important things: My God and my family. Next week I hope to spend more time with friends. My prayer is that you will spend time on the important things in life, too.

The Most Resilient Person I Know

2009-01-07T11:08:00.001-07:00

When I teach my Adult Studies Seminar I tell the story of a woman I have a great deal of respect for. She is someone who has shown herself to be more resilient than anyone I know. She is my wife, Beth. I will tell you one specific instance and perhaps you will agree.

Before I tell this story, let me give you some background. As you may recall from my bio, I am retired from the United States Army. Beth has been with me from the start; in fact she was with me prior to any conversation about joining the Army. You see, she and I met while we were both attending Iowa State University. For reasons I won’t go into here (it’s a story for another time), I dropped out of school after my freshman year. A short time later, I came home and told Beth that I had enlisted and was shipping out in seven days. I never thought of discussing it with her first. We were married after boot camp, and she dropped out of Iowa State to go with me to our first duty assignment. She only had one year to go to graduate.

Now to my story. In the fall of 1990, we were coming to the end of our three-year tour in Germany and looking forward to returning to the U.S. and our next assignment. About three months before we were to leave Europe, my father suddenly passed away. The way my mother describes it is he was sitting at home one Sunday afternoon talking about how anxious he was to see me and my family when he had a stroke and died. We hadn’t been home in almost three years, and now he was gone. Well, I got word of his death and we flew home as quickly as possible. We arrived in Iowa about two days later and buried my father.

In the military, they have something called “early return of dependents.” It is a program designed for just such an occasion. When a soldier is within 90 days of returning stateside, and they go home on emergency leave, they have the option of leaving their dependents in the states, and returning to their duty assignment to pack up their family’s belongings and ship it to their next assignment. Beth and I decided to take advantage of this program, so I proceeded to return to Europe and pack up our household goods and ship them off to our next assignment in Albany, New York.

Did you happen to note the date of this story? It was during the buildup of the first Gulf War. There were already troops in Saudi Arabia from the states, and we knew there was a good chance that units from Europe would be called up to deploy there too. Beth and I discussed this prior to my return to Europe, and decided if my unit is called up to deploy, she would go back to ISU and finish her degree. So, here I was, back in Europe living in the barracks because all of our household goods had been shipped off to Albany, and what should happen but my unit is called up to deploy to the Saudi Arabia. I knew it would happen since we were one of two Cavalry Units in Europe and the leading force of VII Corps. If any unit was going to be deployed, it would be us; the Second Armored Calvary Regiment.

I remember very vividly the night I called Beth and told her that she should go and register for classes that Spring at ISU. She immediately knew that meant I was being deployed.

Beth and my daughter, Jackie, who was four years old, immediately boarded a plane and headed back to Germany to be with me. We had no idea how long we would be separated, and Beth wanted to spend as much time with me as she could prior to my deployment.

While she was in Germany she checked into the status of our household goods. She found out they were shipped to Albany, and sitting in storage awaiting our arrival. She told the people responsible for shipping our goods what had happened and that she would be in Iowa for an unknown length of time. They said they were sorry, but there was nothing they could do. The household goods were in Albany, and they could not divert them to another location. You see, there is an Army regulation that states household goods can only be moved once within a year’s time. Well, as you can imagine, that put Beth in a bit of a bind. All she had was what was in the suitcase she brought back to Germany. To make a long story short Beth convinced the chain of command to make an exception and have our things shipped from Albany to Iowa. We found out later that the commander of the unit I was supposed to report to in Albany was the one that made it happen. I will always be grateful to him for making that decision.

We spent three weeks together before my unit had to go. On a Friday, I left for a destination unknown, and Beth and Jackie left the following day for Iowa to find a place to live and get started at ISU. I didn’t speak to her again for 45 days. During that time, I had no idea where she lived or if she was able to registered for classes. When I did finally talk to her she was all set up in a duplex, had Jackie enrolled in preschool, and was registered for classes at ISU.

So there she was. A single parent raising a four-year old and attending classes fulltime while her husband was deployed to Southwest Asia.

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. While we lived in Europe, Beth was our Squadron Commander’s secretary. She had a good idea how our unit conducted battle and exactly what that meant for me. Even though I was a supply sergeant, we conducted resupply operations twice a day consisting of maintenance, supply, and rations. Twice a day we rolled forward to resupply food, ammo, parts, and fuel. Beth knew that I would be right there in the midst of the battle should it come to war.

The way Beth tells the story is once war was declared she immersed herself in her studies to keep her mind off the obvious. Once the ground war started, she says she doesn’t recall anything. She completely shut down. She says she has no idea how Jackie got along because she doesn’t recall anything. Thank God the ground offensive only lasted four days. Only when Beth’s mom called her and told her the war was over did she come back to her senses.

As it turned out, since we were the first unit from Europe deployed to Southwest Asia, we were the first unit to redeploy back to Europe. I was home on leave within six months of Beth and Jackie leaving for Iowa. On a side note, I left for my next assignment in Albany a month later and Beth and Jackie stayed in Iowa so she could finish her degree. She and my daughter moved to Albany that following December. All in all we were separated a year.

I look back on this time and realize how resilient Beth was during this time. She knew what I would be facing and yet still had the courage to go home and complete her degree. She could have stayed in Europe with the other soldier’s wives, but she chose to go to school instead. It was difficult because in Iowa she had no military spouses or support to lean on. Fortunately, my brother and his fiancé were both attending ISU during this time, and were there for Beth and my daughter.

As a soldier, my wife and I have a great deal of respect for today’s military. They face a tremendous amount of hardship with all of the deployments they endure. One thing we agree on is the fact that deployments are just as hard on the families left behind as it is for the soldiers who are deployed. The soldiers are well trained and know what they are facing. Their families are normally in the dark when it comes to what their soldier is doing; and it is my opinion that the families left behind are the ones who must show the most resiliency.

Serving Others Doesn't Come Easy

2007-05-21T07:08:00.000-06:00

I am reading through the Gospel of Mark this week, and as usual, God is speaking to me about an area of my life that needs improvement. This week it is about serving and loving others. Chapter 10 recounts the story of James and John and their request to sit at the right and left of Jesus in Heaven. Jesus asks them if they really understand what they are asking. They answer him saying yes, they understand and are willing. At this point Jesus calls all the disciples together and says, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45) This is the reoccurring theme running through my reading this week.

I was about to write I want to serve in ministry but what I meant to say is I want to work in ministry. I am beginning to see the difference. Until I am willing to serve others, I am not ready to work in ministry.

Here’s the rub. I spent a career in the military as a noncommissioned officer. I retired with 3 up and 2 down. I didn’t serve anyone. Instead, I had others serving me. At that time I wouldn’t have used the term “serve” but “command.” I had upwards of 40 plus soldiers reporting to me at any one time and I only reported to one person. Now, eight years later, I am supposed to turn this completely around and serve the 40 plus. Now don’t hear what I didn’t say. I am in complete agreement with this, and I hope that I present this attitude in my current position. But just the same, it is an adjustment to my natural way of doing things. Ah, but isn’t that the point? I am not to act as one of this world, but as one of God’s children who belongs to another world.

Things to continue pondering…

A Reflection on “Controlling the Tongue and the Wallet: James”

2007-04-07T20:45:00.000-06:00

Two things from this article spoke to me. The first was the section, "The Calls to Patient Endurance and Sharing." I have always wondered at the meaning of James 4:17 which says, “So then, if you know the good you ought to do and don’t do it, you sin.” I got the gist of the meaning, but now that I have had time to reflect on it I understand it’s meaning in a fuller measure.

Davids writes in his article, “Thus sharing is not an optional part of Christian discipleship; persons who withhold the sharing of their goods with the poor show that they have not been grasped by the faith at all, though they may know all of its propositions (2:18-19).” And then later he writes, “Now in 4:17 charity is the difference between living in sin and proper behavior.”[1] Now I get it. When Peter writes if you don’t do it, you sin he is referring to how we show our works by taking care of the needs of others. In other words, if I know of a need and have the ability to meet that need and don’t do it, I am sinning. I am sinning because I am not exhibiting my faith by meeting that specific need. I may have the resources to meet that need, but instead I am worried about my financial well being and keep the resources to myself. In essence, I am saying I do not trust in God.

The second thing was in the application of James in today’s ministry. David writes, “People who adopt a lifestyle of worldly values while mouthing the orthodox confessions are only deceiving themselves.”[2] The thought that occurred to me was how we spend so much time and energy planning for the future. Only today my wife and I were discussing our retirement plans. James says in 4:15-16, “Instead, you ought to say, ‘if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.” We need to be wise stewards of our money, but not worry about it so much. Instead we need to trust God and live our lives in a way that brings glory and honor to Him. We need to be single-minded, not double-minded trying to live in this world on one hand while claiming to have faith in God on the other. “Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (4:4b) “Purify your hearts, you double-minded. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (4:8b, 10)

Thanks to God for His Word.

[1] Peter H. Davids, "Controlling the Tongue and the Wallet: Discipleship in James." In Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans), 236.
[2] Ibid., 244.

My Daily Prayer

2007-02-04T08:16:00.001-07:00

This last week, I have spent much of my time reading about the regeneration we experience as we come to know our Lord. I have also been reading about the power of prayer as seen by E.M. Bounds. These thoughts were on my mind as I read the third chapter of Colossians this morning. I have probably read through it a dozen times or more over the years; but this morning it took me an hour to get through these 25 verses. I read it as a prayer to God to continue my regeneration as I mature in His love.

I have taken the liberty of writing out the 3rd chapter in such a way as to make it my daily prayer, and I want to share it with you so that it may be a blessing to you as well.

Since I have been raised with Christ, set my heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set my mind on things above, not on earthly things. For I died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is my life, appears, then I also will appear with him in glory.

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Since I have been raised with Christ, set my heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand with You, God. Set my mind on things above, not on earthly things. For I died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in You. When Christ, who is my life, appears, then I also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to my earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, Your wrath is coming. I used to walk in these ways, in the life I once lived. But now I must also rid myself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from my lips. Do not lie to others, since I have taken off my old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of you, its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as your chosen one, holy and dearly loved, clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with others and forgive others if I have a grievance against someone. Forgive as the You forgave me. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in my heart, since as a member of one body I was called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell in me richly as I teach and admonish others with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to You with gratitude in my heart. And whatever I do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to You the Father through him

Love my wife and do not be harsh with her. Do not embitter my children, or they will become discouraged

Obey my earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on me and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever I do, work at it with all my heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since I know that I will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ I am serving. Those who do wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Col 3:1-25 (TNIV)

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My prayer is if you are not spending time with God through His Word, that you would begin to do so. And if you are already doing so, take a little extra time and allow the Holy Spirit to bless you even more. I know for me, it has changed my life, and will continue to do so.

Blessings to you!

Resurrected Life

2007-01-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Jesus’ life, from front cover to back cover, including the dust jacket, is a life shaped by the Jesus Creed. He learned the Shema from his father and mother; he amended it for his followers in the shape of the Jesus Creed. Most importantly, he lived it. We are called to participate in that very life, for is it that resurrected life that can form our lives.

-p. 292, The Jesus Creed, by Scot McKnight.

When I Mention the Word "Vocation"

2007-01-04T06:55:00.001-07:00

When I mention the word “vocation”, what comes to mind? Your job. Your career. I know that’s the way I would have answered. But today in my morning quiet time, I ran across this word twice. I am reading Scot McKnight’s book, “The Jesus Creed,” and finishing a second book by Lewis Sperry Chafer, “He that is Spiritual.” In both books the word, “vocation” came up.

In McKnight’s book, it came up during a discussion of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. “Every vocation is tested by God.” McKnight goes on to use the word two more times in the next two sentences. He uses it in describing the vocation of believers, and the vocation of Jesus. Chafer quotes scripture in which the word comes up. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” (Ephesians 4:1 KJV) When I read the second reference to this word, I stopped and wrote it down with the intention of looking it up.

Here are some of the definitions I found:

1. A regular occupation, especially one for which a person is particularly suited or qualified.
2. A particular occupation, business, or profession; calling.

These were the definitions I expected to find. In other words, this is what I always thought of when I read the word “vocation”. But here are a couple of other definitions:

1. a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life.
2. An inclination, as if in response to a summons, to undertake a certain kind of work, especially a religious career; a calling.

Now this got me to thinking. The first definition begged the question, do I consider my calling a vocation? In other words, do I take my calling as serious as my job? I think many of us should stop and ponder that. The second definition made me stop and question how I look at my calling. Do I consider my calling as a response to a summons from God? Or, even further, do I look at my calling as a certain kind of work? Or do I just look at my calling as something I do on Sundays, and live my life the rest of the week as most of the world does? Things that make you go hmm…

I will spend the rest of the day pondering these things and taking a serious look at how I view my calling. My prayer is this has the same effect on you.

Note: These definitions are from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vocation

We Need to Pray Together as a Body of Believers

2006-10-29T04:19:00.001-07:00

I woke up at 2:20 this morning with a prompting from the Holy Spirit telling me that we need to pray for our church and community. Now, as some of you know, I began seminary this fall and it has absolutely consumed my time. One of the ironic things is with all of the study I have been doing on proper biblical interpretation, the history and culture of Old Testament times, and the writings of the Gospels, my quite time with God is not what it should be. There is a huge difference between studying the historical context and literary structure of scripture, and just spending time with our Father in His word. Well, I am here today to confess that although I may be a bit more educated in the circumstances surrounding the who, what, where, why, and how the scriptures have been written, I am seriously lacking spending time with the One I am spending so much time studying about.

Why do I tell you this? I don’t know except to say that I feel I have neglected my worship, my church, and fellowship with my brothers and sisters and ask your forgiveness. I also vow to spend more time with our Father each day; not just learning about Him, but experiencing Him through prayer and devotion.

But, as I said in the beginning, I woke up this morning from the urging of the Holy Spirit telling me to come together as a church body and pray. So this is my calling to all of my church family to join me on Sunday morning in prayer, and again on Wednesday morning before going off to our busy day in the marketplace. The Spirit was very clear to me that this is to be a time of pray for our church as a body.

One thing I have learned during this first semester at seminary, is most of what Jesus taught us in scripture is not for us individually, but rather for us as a body. Over the last century we as believers have taken the words of Christ and the Apostles to be written to us individually; but this is not always the case. Much of what Jesus taught along with what Paul and the other Apostles wrote was meant to be understood as a church, not as individuals. This is part of what we are to fight against, individualism. We are called as Christians to live and serve one another as a body. In the specific instance of the letter to the Ephesians, Paul is telling us as a church to put on the armor of God to protect us from the Evil one. I included it for you here:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints," (Ephesians 6:10-18, ESV)

There is a perfect illustration of this very thing in the movie “Gladiator”. In the opening scene when the Roman army is about to confront the pagans of old Germany we see the soldiers strapping on their equipment. But when they stand to fight, they stand together interlocking their shields to form an impenetrable wall against the fiery darts, arrows and spears of the enemy. This is exactly the picture Paul writes of in Ephesians. We should all strap on the armor of God, but only when we stand together can we defeat Satan and the fiery darts he throws at us.

So, here’s what I sense God is telling me, and why I am writing this. I will be at Cornerstone at 7 AM on Sunday mornings to pray for our Pastors, our ministry leaders, our Sunday school teachers, and for the people who come to worship with us. I will also be there at 6:30 on Wednesday morning to pray for the same but also for the community of Windsor, and all of the surrounding areas. My intention is not to spend this time praying for each other’s personal needs, but rather for the needs of the body. Having said that, one thing I want to be very intentional of is allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us where he may. I encourage any of you who feel as I do to join with me in this commitment to our church and our Lord.

In His service,

-jim

It’s Not What You Do, but How You Do It

2006-07-31T08:44:00.000-06:00

In the book, “He that is Spiritual”, Lewis Sperry Chafer writes:

True spirituality…is a divine output of the life, rather than a mere cessation of things which are called “worldly.” True spirituality does not consist in what one does not do, it is rather what one does. It is not suppression: it is expression.

He goes on to say…

The world and “worldly” Christians turn to so-called “worldly” things because they discover in them an anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty heart and life. Little is gained toward true spirituality when would-be soul doctors have succeeded in persuading the afflicted to get on without the anesthetic. If these instructors do not present the reality of consolation and filling for heart and life which God has provided, the condition will not be improved.

Now, I know this is talking about how the Holy Spirit fills us, but it got me to thinking. My initial thought was how so many of us struggle with what God wants us to do with our life; and through this many of us end up with a feeling of frustration that leads to a sense of emptiness. In order to fill that emptiness, we look for ways to escape by turning to “worldly” things or activities. But as I reflected on this I came to the conclusion that the frustration may not be so much “what” God wants us to do, but rather “how” God wants us to do it.

In other words, instead of allowing God to use us in the way He designed us, we allow ourselves to be influenced to doing things the way someone else deems we should (albeit with good intentions). Typically this comes from someone in authority or in a leadership position who has influence with believers.

I have heard of pastors (or would-be soul doctors as Chafer refers to them) who convince people to give up things that may be considered “worldly” without realizing how much joy and fulfillment it brings to their life. It may be something as simple as playing softball in a men’s league. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity to witness to friends and teammates, the pastor has convinced the person to give it up “for God” in order to serve the church in some way. The person who follows this advice may end up with a feeling of emptiness. They love the competition of playing softball, but now find themselves doing something that is completely unnatural to them.

A person in this situation may find himself turning to other things to deaden the pain of an empty heart and life. Instead of playing softball they may turn to something as innocent as getting lost in a book instead of dealing with what is bothering him. On the surface this may not be a bad thing; but if it consumes them to the point that they shut out the world and accomplish nothing, it can be very damaging. I’m sure you can think of other habits which may be more damaging. Whatever the habit, it is only a way to lessen the pain of giving up something that brought so much joy. Only when a person deals with the root cause of why they turn to this “worldly” habit will they turn away from it and fill that void by serving God in the unique way they were designed to.

Chafer writes, “How misleading is the theory that to be spiritual one must abandon play, diversion, and helpful amusement!” He goes on to write:

It is a device of Satan to make the blessings of God seem abhorrent to young people who are overflowing with physical life and energy. It is to be regretted that there are those who in blindness are so emphasizing the negatives of the Truth that the impression is created that spirituality is opposed to joy, liberty and naturalness of expression in thought and life in the Spirit.

The bottom line is when we are saved, it doesn’t mean we have to give up everything that brings us joy, but now we must use those things to bring glory to God. Perhaps you like to play golf on Saturday morning with a group of friends. Or maybe you like to ride your motorcycle in the mountains and stop for a cool drink at a place that may be viewed as inappropriate to most Christians. Both of these activities can be opportunities to share the Good News with others who may not otherwise hear it, while at the same time fulfill your heart and life.

Chafer concludes with, “God has provided that our joy shall be full.” We need to be assured that it is okay to live life in the way we were made. It’s okay to do what God has called us to do in the way He made us. When we do this, our heart and life will be so full of joy we won’t need any “worldly” habits to nullify the emptiness. We will be completely fulfilled and filled with the Spirit.

Further Thoughts on Faith Seeking Understanding

2006-07-30T09:36:00.000-06:00

I have spent some time reflecting on the idea of dialectical poles of theology. First of all, since it is described as a pole, that means the two ideas are opposite of each other, and the two shall never meet. I have come to the conclusion that these two ideas are directly related to each other. Instead of being at two opposite ends, I think they describe our journey of faith.

First of all, look at the idea of understanding in order to believe. When we talk about our salvation, isn’t it true that we must come to some sort of understanding in order that we will believe the Gospel message? As a person is exposed to the idea of Christ dying on the cross for their sins, the Holy Spirit gives them the understanding of what this really means. And that understanding leads to faith.

Now, let’s look at the next idea, belief in order to understand. As a new believer realizes his faith, he seeks more understanding through prayer, Scriptures, and other Christians. His faith is what is guiding him and drawing him to know more. His faith is leading him to greater understanding. And that understanding leads to stronger faith in what he believes.

My point is that these two ideas are not opposite ideas, but ideas that build on each other. I see these two ideas as two opposites on a spiraling circle. As one understands, his faith grows; and as his faith grows, he seeks more understanding which in turn develops a stronger faith. This pattern continues our whole life. Every revolution around the circle creates a wider circle, a greater understanding and a greater faith; in essence creating a spiral that continues further and further away from the center. It could be said that as we spiral from the center we are moving away from our selves and closer and closer to God.

And those are my words…

Something to Reflect on Today

2006-07-27T07:47:00.000-06:00

This morning as I pondered my future, I ran across a profound statement made a thousand years ago by Anselm of Canterbury, a monk in the eleventh century. It refers to the conviction of fides quaereus intellectum (‘faith seeking understanding’). He says the dialectical poles of theology include the dual principles of credo ut intelligam (‘I believe in order that I may understand’) and intelligo ut credum (‘I understand in order that I might believe’).

Things that make you go hmm...

For more information about Anselm, check out an article about him at http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/a/anselm.htm.

Classic Literature of Christian Theologians

2006-07-19T07:55:00.000-06:00

One of my professors at Colorado Christian University is an avid reader and collector of classic literature of Christian theologians and authors. He has a personal library filled with volumes of books. It is through him that I have come to love reading the thoughts of these great thinkers.

It began when my professor suggested I read J. Gresham Machen’s book, “Christianity & Liberalism”. This was published in 1923 but seems so relevant today. My professor told me he reads it once a year to stay grounded. The first time I read it I had to read each chapter twice in order to understand what the author was saying. But, as with any good habit, the more I read, the easier it became.

Recently a kindly widow came to our University and asked if we would be interested in her late husband’s books. I eagerly said, “of course.” After she brought in eight boxes the first person I called was my professor. He and I went through the books one by one. My professor knew of many of the authors; as he read them off he would hand them to me with his commentary of the author.

One of the books was “He that is Spiritual” by Lewis Sperry Chafer published in 1918. I have only begun to read this new found treasure, and have begun to take diligent notes. It is available today in paperback through Christianbooks.com.

Over the next few days or weeks, my hope is to make some of these notes and thoughts available to you through this blog. And as I do, hopefully stimulate thought and conversation. When I have completed this book, I will move on to another and do the same.

Until then…these are my words.

Spending Time With God Through His Word

2006-07-11T08:40:00.000-06:00

Over the past few weeks, God has been working in me and teaching me through His Word like I have never experienced before. I have a hunger for His Word that cannot be satisfied. I am reading and digesting books by the score. My passion for prayer has been rekindled. My time with Him has become the dominate activity of my day and I praise God for all of this as I can feel His presence growing ever stronger in me.

This last week, I have spent much of my time reading about the regeneration we experience as we come to know our Lord. I have also been reading about the power of prayer as seen by E.M. Bounds. These thoughts were on my mind as I read the third chapter of Colossians this morning. I have probably read through it a dozen times or more over the years; but this morning it took me an hour to get through these 25 verses. I read it as a prayer to God to continue my regeneration as I mature in His love.

I have taken the liberty of writing out the 3rd chapter in such a way as to make it my daily prayer, and I want to share it with you so that it may be a blessing to you as well.

Having been raised up with Christ, I will seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, and set my mind on the things above, not on the things here on earth; for I have died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is my life, is revealed, then I also will be revealed with Him in glory.

I will consider the members of my earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amount to idolatry; for it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come upon me, and in them I also once walked, when I was living in them. But now I also put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from my mouth. I will not lie to my brother or sister, since I laid aside my old self with its evil practices, and have put on my new self that is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created me — a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

And so, as one who has been chosen of God, holy and beloved, I will put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with others, and forgiving others, whoever has a complaint against me; just as the Lord forgave me, so also should I. And beyond all these things I shall put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in my heart, to which indeed I was called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within me, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing others with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in my heart to God. And whatever I do in word or deed, I do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

I will love my wife, and not be embittered against her. I will not exasperate my children, that they may not lose heart. In all things I will obey those who are my masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever I do, I will do heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord I will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom I serve; for if I do wrong, I will receive the consequences of the wrong which I have done, and without partiality.
Based on Col 3:1-25 (NASB)

The remarkable thing about God’s Word is how it speaks to us concerning the present circumstances in our lives. We may have read a particular passage a dozen times, but because of something going on in our life at this particular time, it can speak right to the heart of the matter. God’s Word applies to us everyday.

My prayer is if you are not spending time with God through His Word, that you would begin to do so. And if you are already doing so, take a little extra time and allow the Holy Spirit to bless you even more. I know for me, it has changed my life, and will continue to do so.

Blessings to you!

Who Does God Want You to Be?

2006-07-04T16:33:00.000-06:00

This weekend I have the opportunity to preach both services at my home church. I knew what scripture I wanted to talk about (2 Peter 1:5–8), but I was still struggling with how to apply it to our church. This afternoon, while I was thinking about this, I asked God to help me. “What is it about this scripture that you want me to say?” And then it came to me.

Many of us have read Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life”. The first words in chapter one are, “It’s not about you.” Yet, how many of us look at our ministry and ask the question, “What am I doing?” “What is it that God wants me to do?” Maybe that’s the wrong question. Maybe the right question is “Who does God want me to be?” When we read these words from the thought of who we are, and not what we do, it has a whole new meaning.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:5-8 (HCSB)

The other thing that occurred to me is when we strive to become who God wants us to be, we will in turn find out what God wants us to do. So simple, yet so profound.

And those are my words.

Be Prepared to Tell Your Story

2006-07-02T22:01:00.000-06:00

Are you prepared to share your faith? Scripture says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) This can be a scary thing to some of us. If you are like me, you may get all caught up in the details and preparation.

When I was a new believer I was excited about the change in my life and told anyone that stood still long enough. But as I grew in my faith I began to get wrapped up in how I shared my faith. I wanted to do it right. After all, this is an important thing; someone’s salvation could be at stake.

Now please understand, this is before I realized that nothing I could do would determine the outcome; but at the time it seemed a pretty heavy responsibility. So, I proceeded to get all of the methods available to sharing my faith. You know the type; stuff like the acrostic FAITH, and others. These are great tools. In fact I have one in my Bible for just-in-case (but don’t tell anyone).

Then one day I realized a fancy method or cool acrostic isn’t what’s going to attract someone’s interest in hearing about Jesus. What may attract someone’s interest is me sharing my story, my life change. People identify with real, sincere, from-the-heart stuff; not some sheet of paper with notes on it.

So next time you are given the opportunity to share your faith, do just that; share your faith. Tell your story. You might find that people are more interested to hear what you have to say.

And those are my words.

Help Explorers Discover the Real Meaning of Life

2006-07-01T14:50:00.000-06:00

In my first posting, the question came up, “What is the purpose of the church?” I never intended for the conversation to go in that direction (blame it on being new to blogging). As my friend says in his blog, “I think Rick Warren has written extensively enough on that subject that we can just say – ‘read the book.’” The point I was trying to make was more to expand on Irwin McManus' statement, “Traction comes when outsiders experience the church as a place where honest questions can be asked when people journey together to discover God and find the answers in him.”

I have seen examples of churches that are so focused on themselves, that a new person does not feel welcome in their midst. McManus writes of several examples of this. My prayer is our ministry will always welcome unbelievers and their questions. We want to help them explore their faith; and in so doing, hopefully lead them to a point where they will invite Jesus into their life.

Now before we go any further, don’t hear what I didn’t say. I know the Holy Spirit is the one who saves; it has nothing to do with our intentions, or efforts for that matter. But I do believe we can create an environment that is conducive to helping seekers discover Jesus, and encourage them to take a leap of faith (I couldn’t resist the cliché). And isn’t that what it’s all about? Reaching out to the lost and helping them discover there is a real meaning to their life. That’s the whole thought behind my tagline, “...take hold of life that is real”. (1 Tim 6:19)

Those are my words.

Change Can Be a Good Thing

2006-06-30T20:22:00.000-06:00

I want to encourage any of you who get frustrated with change to stop and think about what is really going on. Has God made some changes in your life in order to strengthen you in some way? Perhaps he is nudging you to make a change in order to grow your faith. I know in my case God is pushing me and my wife to make some changes and they are not going to be easy. But we trust in God and look at this as His pushing us to move on with our ministry; stretching us to do more than we ever thought possible.

When God makes changes to our plans we must look at them in the proper perspective. They are not ours to change, they are His; and in accepting this we are turning our life over to Him to lead. And frankly, I think He is better qualified to lead my life than I am.

Those are my words.

Shouldn’t churches already be this way?

2006-06-29T17:03:00.000-06:00

In his book, "An Unstoppable Force," Erwin Raphael McManus writes:

"The traction comes when we become honest with ourselves and others -- when we become cheerleaders for inquiry and seeking rather than simply knowing and finding. Traction comes when outsiders experience the church as a place where honest questions can be asked when people journey together to discover God and find the answers in him."

When I read this I initially had the thought, “Wow, how profound.” Then I reflected on it for a few minutes and thought, “Shouldn’t churches already be this way?”

Over the past several months I have had an ongoing dialogue with several pastors, ministers, and other lay leaders, about the purpose of a church. The responses range from a place where unbelievers can come and discover God, to a place where mature Christians can be discipled and grow closer to our Lord. Shouldn’t it be both? In other words, shouldn’t churches be a place where the lost can come and explore their faith, ask questions, and discover God; and mature believers can be discipled to grow closer to Christ? Why does it seem most churches are one way or the other?

As people are invited to a church or Bible study, they should be encouraged to ask questions about faith. We should encourage their quest as they explore Truth. When they have their “Ah-hah” moment and invite Jesus into their life, mature Christians should step up and guide them along their new journey. As time goes on they will discover their new self in Christ, recognize their purpose, and be ready to step out on their God-given mission.

Here’s my point. Churches shouldn’t be so seeker sensitive that they only attract the lost and leave mature Christians looking for more; nor should they be so focused on mature Christians that seekers don’t feel welcome, and in some cases, even intimidated. Churches should be full of mature Christians living their life as God designed them. In doing so they will reach out to unbelievers as if to say “Hey, come and live a life that is True.” And when these explorers come to check us out, they should be welcomed and encouraged to seek the treasure waiting for them.

Those are my words.