Do we really care?

As a church we have been given one really important job. We are to reach the world with the life changing gospel of Christ. The real question we must ask ourselves is, “Do we really care about those around us?”

This is more than a yes or no answer. If you say you care and do nothing to share the life changing message of Jesus Christ, then the real answer is you don’t care. I think the church has forgotten the God given mandate to make a difference in the world. Oh, we do things for ourselves and we generally take care for ourselves, but that’s not the mission. When are we going to wake up and realize that our love for Christ should manifest itself in action? Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. A community that doesn’t see the church involved in their lives is a church that has lost its effectiveness.

You may be asking, “How can I make a difference?” Here’s the thing; you can’t change the world unless you allow the Holy Spirit to change your life. Pray for a desire to reach out to people. There are many ways you can reach out. You don’t have to have a “ministry” or be “in ministry” to reach out. Take a pie to a neighbor, do some yard work for an elderly person or a single mom. Help that person change a flat tire. Volunteer somewhere.

Every Christian is a minister and we are all called to make a difference. After all, we know the Way the Truth, and the Life.

Are you a hearer of the Word or a doer?

Think about it.

Last week our great nation celebrated it’s 232nd birthday. As I thought about the years, I fondly remember the bicentennial. The U. S. Mint celebrated 200 years of independence by minting the bicentennial quarter. When visiting Philadelphia on Navy business in 2000, I had an opportunity to stand where our founding fathers of the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence. Thomas Jefferson penned the now infamous words in the preamble to our Constitution: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.” Patrick Henry said, “”It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations. The battle is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, ALMIGHTY GOD! Give me liberty or give me death!”

I find it ironic that we live in a nation that so desperately wants to be independent, yet our early leaders were so dependent upon God. As we celebrate this great nation’s independence, I encourage you to be completely dependent upon the God who loves you with an everlasting love.

What day is it?

My plan for the week was to provide a nice, new covering for a house in St. Marys. Brand new vinyl siding. The house is going to look great. About 1:00, that’s 1300 for you military folks, the clouds rolled in, not the puffy white clouds that cause you to think of your third grade science class. These were angry black clouds that carry the promise of rain. They were red according to my radar picture. We have been in a drought for as long as I can remember, including the year we had several hurricanes. The skies opened up and the much needed rain came.

As I sat at my desk worked on Sunday’s sermon (my new plan), a thought occurred to me: it’s the last day of June. What happened to the first 29 days? I have been deficient in providing the inspiring words that are often, well sometimes, okay, occasionally found in my blog. Life happens even when we want to push the pause button, or even send life right to voice mail. Sometimes in our busyness, we lose sight of what’s important. Family, friends, laundry, and most importantly, spending time with the Lord. If you want to be an authentic Christian, set aside a block of quality time to spend in fellowship with Christ. He is worth your time and you will be enriched just by being in His presence.

That’s a Good Question

Tragedy strikes everyday. I learned today that Steven Curtis Chapman’s daughter was killed in an accident. My prayers for comfort are being heard by the God that not only hears our prayers, but has the power to answer them.

When tragedy strikes, our first question is normally, “Why?” I don’t think it is an unreasonable question, after all, Jesus asked His Father, “Why” (Matthew 27:46) This side of heaven we may never know the answer to the whys of life. In heaven, I don’t think it will matter . . . for Christians, we’ll worship our Savior face to face no longer walking by faith, but walking by sight. But we’re not there yet and we must walk a walk of faith. It’s a difficult walk, but God has not left us to walk alone. His Holy Spirit dwells within us comforting us in sorrow and strengthening us in weakness.

Tragedy struck my life on May 5, 2008 that left me asking, “Why?” Two dear friends were killed in their home. These were not your ordinary, everyday friends. These were real friends. These were the kind of friends that called just to talk. There was no let’s get to the point of why you called, we just chatted. We talked about the Lord, about our children, our jobs, our goals. We talked.

The answer to the why question is difficult yet the answer is right in front of us. We live in a world where sin still reigns. As long as we live in this world, we will struggle with, and against sin. In Romans 7, Paul spoke of his struggle with doing as the Lord leads and the struggle to overcome the power of his flesh. It was a battle, a struggle. Paul provides good news in Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” We have been set free by Jesus Christ.

Even when we know the answer to all of our why questions, it doesn’t change the outcome. The bottom line is that our trials serve to refine us. Just as a jeweler refines gold to make jewelry, our Lord refines us through the trials of life to make us pure. The Apostle Peter says it this way, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1: 6-7)

I thank the Lord for the time I had with T.J. and Cindy. I knew them for 14 years . . . in my mind it was too short. Nothing ever takes God by surprise. Being an authentic Christian means trusting that God is the One that knows tomorrow as well as He knows yesterday. The walk of faith is hard, but it is a walk we must take, but don’t be weary, God, His Son, and His Holy Spirit are walking right there with you.

Does it have to be painful?

Today I was “blessed” to make my semi-annual visit to the dentist. Why bother? You sit in a chair nearly upside down with a very stylish bib around your neck. If you’re lucky, you also get to wear some very fashionable safety glasses. These are necessary to protect your eyes from any flying shards of teeth, plaque, or calculus (not the math kind) that may be ejected during the cleaning process. I followed my hygienist’s advice (mostly) from last time. She told me to floss everyday. I made a conscious effort to do as she suggested . . . mostly out of fear that I would get a lecture on the finer points of preventing tooth decay, gingivitis, and gum disease. She was careful to scrape all the harmful things away from my teeth. She flossed for me. Finally she polished my teeth. The dentist came in for his 20 second poking of my teeth and declared, “I guess you can keep them.” My dentist, quite the comic.

Amazingly enough, my cleaning wasn’t as painful today as it has been in the past. No bleeding, no stuck instruments, no prying between my teeth. Perhaps my hygienist was feeling especially compassionate today. It was fairly pleasant. Okay, that’s a stretch. I got to thinking; isn’t going to the dentist just like our spiritual walk? The Lord spends a significant amount of time cleaning our lives. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes we bleed. Sometimes, when there is decay, significant work is required. At the dentist, it may include drilling. Just like the dentist (I think), the Lord does not desire to inflict pain on us for the sake of pain, it is required to get rid of the garbage in our lives that can hurt us, the things that will eventually lead to decay.

If we want to live as authentic Christians, we need to accept the cleanings the Lord provides on a daily basis. He plans are for us to prosper, never to harm us. God wants His children to live lives that glorify Him and reflect His workmanship in us. Oral hygiene and spiritual maturity both take time and effort, but the benefits are worth it.

The Fragility of Life

My last post chronicled the repair efforts to my son’s motorcycle. I’m glad to say that it is running well. We are still battling spark plugs that foul every four days. The last time was Saturday night. The motorcycle runs great then all of a sudden, it quits. Seth called at about 10:30 pm and said his bike quit running. I went to pick him up and we put the bike in the back of my truck with the intention of looking at it after church the following day.

We had a great Easter service. The church was full, there was great music, we had flowers, we had someone accept God’s free gift of salvation and joined the family of God. It was an absolutely picture perfect day. Beautiful blue sky, warm temperatures. We came home and ate a wonderful Easter meal with friends.

After lunch, I told Seth that I would look at his motorcycle. I pulled the plugs and cleaned them and put them back in. The bike cranked right up. Seth’s eyes lit up and said, “Let’s go for a ride.” I made a few phone calls to get our riding buddies together. Five of us took off on what promised to be a great time together. We rode in an area with no houses and new asphalt. We made several laps around a giant circle. We stopped to chat and I set some ground rules and reminded everyone to ride safely.

Robert was in the lead with John, Seth, me, and Bruce following. When I came around that last curve, I didn’t see Robert, but saw John slowing down. I thought Robert had gone around again. Seth slowed and stopped as did I. I thought it strange that John stopped. I thought maybe was something was wrong with his motorcycle. It is always supposed to happen in someone else’s group. Tragedy had struck. No one crashes that rides with me. I am an ardent supporter of formal motorcycle training. I am a graduate of the basic and experienced rider courses offered through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. We ride in control. We ride safely.

When I saw Robert laying in the grass and dirt just off the road, my initial thought was, “Robert did not crash.” I quickly got off my motorcycle and ran to Robert. John and I got to him about the same time. Robert was moving and John and I both told him to be still. Both of are trained in basic first aid and we both knew there could be something seriously wrong with his neck. Seth called 911 and I called his wife. As a pastor, I can tell you there is just about nothing worse than informing a loved one of an accident or other tragedy.

The ambulance came and took my friend, one of my sheep to the hospital. One of the shepherd’s jobs is to protect his sheep. Did I fail the Lord? Did I fail my friend, one of our church members? Many things come to mind as you replay the events in your mind. What could I have done differently? Bruce and I went to the hospital and met his wife. We sat and waited together for word about Robert. It was a busy day in the Trauma Department. Three gun shot wounds and a very serious car accident that resulted in one person suffering a broken back in three places. Robert’s injuries were of lower priority. Small comfort when no communication is being made to Robert’s wife.

As I sat in the small waiting room of the Trauma Department, the Lord reminded me of some very important concepts that we often take for granted. We don’t know what is around the next corner; we don’t know about tomorrow; in fact, we don’t know if tomorrow will come. James 4:14 reminds us that, “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” We must live our lives with the expectation that Jesus could appear at any moment and we need to be about the Father’s business. Too many of us live for a tomorrow that may not come. We’ll start our diets tomorrow, we’ll spend more time with our children tomorrow, we’ll pay off our debts tomorrow; we’ll get into the Word tomorrow; we’ll start serving the Lord tomorrow. As Christians, we must live for today. We make grand plans for our lives and inform the Lord what we plan to do and then expect Him to bless it. If our desire is to live as authentic Christians, we need to start with right now. Do you have a list of all those things you plan on starting tomorrow? Pray for the Lord’s guidance. Seek Him first. God does not want to be your last resort, He wants to be your first choice. When we ask, God will often rearrange our priorities.

Contextually, we need to look back one verse in James. James said, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (James 4:13-14) James speaks of big plans. When we went by Robert’s house to get him, he had just cut the grass and taken a shower. He poked his head out the door of the house and said he’d be ready in a couple of minutes. He didn’t know what that afternoon would bring let alone tomorrow. Today, five days later, Robert is at home. He’s in a wheel chair. No, it’s not like that. In the accident, he broke his right ankle and left wrist. It makes using crutches rather difficult. He also fractured two ribs and bruised his liver. This past Tuesday, an orthopedic surgeon attached a plate in his ankle. It will aid in healing. The prognosis? Three months with no weight on his ankle. It could have been worse. Robert is an experienced rider. He too, graduated from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s basic rider course. He was wearing his helmet, riding jacket with armour, gloves, long pants, and boots. He suffered a small scratch on his right arm. We praise the Lord that He had His hand on Robert. Robert will make a full recovery. . . . and will ride again. Why did he crash? He ran over some gravel in the road while in an aggressive lean on a curve. It was an accident. It happens. . . . that’s why we dress for the crash and not the ride.

What about Robert’s Suzuki SV1000? It didn’t fair as well.

Revitalized Life

In February 2007 my son, then 17, purchased his first motorcycle, a 1992 Suzuki GSF400 Bandit. Not really a dream bike, and it was certainly nothing to look at. It was a bit rough. In fact, when it was delivered, the front brake caliper was tie wrapped to the forks and the read was tie wrapped to the swing arm. It seems as though the calipers were frozen. . . .with the brakes applied. The bike was stored outside and had survived two hurricanes, the last being Katrina.

My immediate thought was, “What a great project for us to rebuild this bike.” My thoughts were met with enthusiasm and eagerness. As I began the rebuilding process, I noticed a glaring problem. It wasn’t the exhaust pipe filled with water, it wasn’t the cylinders full of water, it wasn’t the frozen brakes, it wasn’t the rusted chain. It was my son. He wasn’t there. It seemed our schedules never quite matched up. I’m not knocking him, he goes to college full time and has two jobs. But this was something I wanted to do together. I wanted to impart my mechanical knowledge on him. I wanted him to learn by taking things apart. Well, things that don’t work. He’s had plenty of practice dismantling perfectly good things, but that’s another story.

Over the past year, he has provided money for parts, but little hands on time. As I near completion (waiting on parts) of the overhaul, I reflected that our Christian walk is a lot like that motorcycle overhaul. We want it to work, but we don’t want to invest any time into the process. We want to be smart about the Bible, but we don’t want to spend the time to get in the Word. We like to read books about the Bible, but don’t really study the Word alone. We go to Bible studies that study the latest Christian bestseller instead of digging in the Word. We want it easy. I’m all for instant oatmeal and microwave popcorn, but we can’t have instant or microwave Christianity. The only way to have an authentic Christian life is to allow the Holy Spirit to infuse us with His wisdom as we study God’s Word for what it is; God’s personal words to his children.

We grow stong through the tough times, through trials, and through suffering. It is through those difficult times that we are refined and purified. Allow the Lord to purify and refine you because your faith is more precious than gold or silver.

We’ll have father son time, my son just bought his first car. It seems like the man in brown comes nearly everyday.

Does authenticity matter?

Have you ever thought about what it means to be authentic? The Secret Service trains its counterfeiting experts to identify all the characteristics that make our currency authentic. When you know what the real thing looks like, its easier to spot the fakes.

Over the past couple of years, the Lord has brought me through a period of trials and sufferings. I’m sure that you have faced similar problems. How we react to adversity reveals our true character.

I am new to the blogosphere and I will endeavor to bring you words that will help you, as a child of God, come to live out your faith with authenticity.

Have I arrived? Hardly, but I identify with the Apostle Peter. Sometimes I am quick to speak and slow to listen. Through this blog, I’d like to share what is on my heart. Perhaps it will strike your heart as we walk on the path of authentic Christianity together.

Authenticity matters to the Secret Service, but more importantly, auhenticity matters to God.