Stickin' it to the man

Jesus was always getting in trouble with the Religious leaders of his day. Rather ironic since he was God in flesh...but of course, they didn't believe that. We can read about one particular incident in Mark 2 where Jesus and His crew were walking through a grain field. They were hungry so they picked some of the heads off of the grain and ate it. Some Religious leaders witnessed the event and accused them of breaking the law.

Imagine...it is against their law, their religious law, to pick grain on the Sabbath. That particular law came as a result of some interpretation of other scriptures. Teaching upon teaching over the centuries became the basis to add to the law to create what some Rabbi's called a "hedge" around the law. The hedge or margin was there to keep you as far away as possible from breaking the law. In this case, the 4th commandment was being protected.

Jesus points out to them though that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Thus, humans could do what was appropriate on the Sabbath without fear of breaking the 4th commandment. The commandment was meant to give life, not restrict it.

Jesus was, in his own way, stickin' it to the man. "The Man" being the religious leaders who totally missed seeing God. Ironic, sense the Sabbath was a means to provide greater clarity in seeing God.

Not at all an expert on this subject or practice of it, but here are some things I have done to viennefesh:

• Take a hike...literally...where I have to be quiet
• Drive, anywhere and listen to worship stuff
• Jog
• Devote daily...usually morning for me...involves Scripture and prayer. I hear journaling helps, but I have never been consistent with it. Although this is a form I guess.
• Withdraw weekly...I am a stickler for my day off. Since I work on Sunday, Friday is my day to be with my family. Sometimes it is hard to even find time on that day to withdraw, but it is worth it even for just a short while.
• Starbucks of course...sit and pray...sit and read and alway, always drink coffee.

Anyway, the point is that it is important to get a rhythm to it, but the content can be as fresh as you make it.

Happy sabbath.

This post brought to you by....Starbucks

As I drank from my Starbucks on Sunday, I shared that Starbucks is an image of a Sabbath rest, otherwise known as "viennefesh" to me. Now at Suncrest, we have quite a few Dunkin Heads, which is a completely different image. Starbucks is about experience. Dunkin is about getting your coffee and getting on with your day. That's why I love Starbucks. Okay, I do really like the taste. Some don't...with weaker taste buds. :) But my point is, I don't want something else in my life encouraging me to hurry up. Get in, get out. I like it that there is a place, a coffee place even, that reminds me to slow down...stop...and reflect. Hmmm...I sure hope our church does that.

A great resource for Sabbath is Mark Buchanan's book, "The Rest of God." Mark masterfully writes about the need for Sabbath and how to actually practice it. Here are some highlights for me:

"The truly purposeful have an ironic secret: they manage time less and pay attention more (78)."

Quoting Henry Nowen: "My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted until I discovered the interruptions were my work (79)."

"Those who sanctify time and who give time away-who treat time as gift and not a possession-have time in abundance (83)."

"God loves to make his power perfect in our weakness, to show up in splendor when we show up in faithfulness, obedient but inadequate, trusting but inept, with nothing in our hands but our need for him (169."

Pick it up. You won't regret it.

And just for some fun, I'm not the only one who thinks Starbuck's rocks. You can click here to read about it even though stinkin' Consumer Reports gave props to McDonalds. What???

Viennefesh! - some reflection on my message

If you missed the message you can get the audio or notes here.

I'm guessing that most from Suncrest do not want to hear the word "viennefesh" one more time after Sunday, but I have to use it at least one more time. Not only do I like saying it, but it stresses an important principle for our life: We need to create space for God in our life. We need a rhythm in our life that allows us to connect with our Creator on a daily, weekly and even yearly basis. God is not always heard in the storm or in the rush of our life. That's why we desperately need to STOP and listen.
There's a great story in 1 Kings 18 and 19 about the prophet Elijah. It is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. In 18, Elijah challenges false prophets to prove their god is real. They don't, but God does prove himself and Elijah is shown to be a true prophet. After this episode, his life is threatened and what does he do after this great victory? He runs for his life with his robe tucked between his legs. In 19, we read that he basically is so spent that he begs God to take his life. I think that he was so emotionally and physically drained from the events of chapter 18 that he thinks God has left him. After he is reassured by a visiting angel, he is told to travel on to Mount Horeb to meet God. He does so and this is what happens:

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:11-13)

God was not in the wind nor the earthquake nor the fire. Where was he? He was in the gentle whisper. Now my point is just this: sometimes, a lot of the time, we have to slow down long enough we can quiet down so we can hear God.

Tomorrow I want to recommend a book that helps in the practical realm of how to do this.

Preview of weekend video

Here's a preview of a video I made for the weekend. I'm so excited because our band is going to cover the Snow Patrol song "Chasing Cars." This will play on the screens while they play. Talking about Rest this weekend. Note: This version of the video is not the final version. In fact, I have a quote in there twice. Ooops. Had to correct that.

Greg is on someone's blog

Greg made the big time on Jon Ferguson's blog. He was at a gathering of Lead Pastor's who are a part of the New Thing Network.

Grace on wheels

Here's my 3 year old riding a bike! I can't believe it. Some friends gave us this bike and I thought it would be great for like next year. Oh no, she hopped on and away she went.

Jerry Falwell's legacy

Jerry Falwell's funeral is being held today and it makes me wonder about his legacy...and mine for that matter. I have recently heard more about his life, but before that I didn't think that well of him. In my eyes it seemed that he did more to undermine a positive image of Christ followers then many. And yet, when I think about what he accomplished through planting a church and starting a college, I see that a lot of good has come out of his life. My opinion comes mostly from some of the bonehead statements he has made on TV. Some of the highlights are his comments on teletubbies promoting homosexuality and 9/11 being caused by homosexuality and abortionists. I mean, come on!

And yet, listening to people who knew him I see a side of him that he didn't promote very well...and I wish he had. Listening to former students of Liberty University, I heard of a man who was full of fun and friendliness. A man who would joke with the university students and attend as many sporting events as he could. Larry Flynt, founder of Penthouse and apparent friend, commented on LarryKing that while he disagreed with his views, he knew Falwell to be a man of character and a friend. Wow! That's some pretty good stuff to be said about you. I would love to have that said of me by people who don't even know Jesus.

It makes me wonder though what goes into a legacy. How could Jerry have acted differently so that most of the world would know him as a man of character...a man who loved deeply? I will never know what it's like to live in the spotlight like he has, what's it like to have every word you utter scrutinized, to speak before you think on national TV, but I do know that people are watching and listening. I think Falwell would be one of the top people that many would point to when talking about having a problem with Christians. There are a couple books coming out that speak to the fact that a lot of people don't like Christians, but do not have a problem with Jesus. Are we not supposed to be reflections of Him? Are we not supposed to be "little Christs?" May the words of my mouth reflect Jesus' words. May I get out of the way so others can see Jesus. More than just thinking before I speak I want my life to be so consumed by Jesus that I even if I do speak before I think it will be reflective of that relationship with Christ, not about my agenda.

My brain hurts

So I have been filling out these assessment forms for a leadership assessment conference I will be at in June and it has fried my brain. I have answered more questions about my psyche, personality, giftedness, habits, traits, family, finances and everything else under the sun that I don't think there is a question I haven't been asked.

The psyche profile was just funny. Some of my favorite questions:
-T or F - I flew over the atlantic 30 times last year. Ummm...T.
-T or F - I have not seen a car in over 10 years. ONce again, T.
-T or F - When I am alone, I get the distinct feeling that some is watching me. Of course, but I even get that feeling when I am preaching...Oh wait...yeah.

All worth it in the end. I will share some about the reason for the assessment later, but for now, my brain hurts. Good thing there I have a whole hour of The Office tonight! Just in case you need a recap in order to enjoy tonight's episode:

Here's some fun for the day

Day out at the Dunes

Here's some shots from our day at the dunes. I know, I am obsessed with the dunes. And no it wasn't a day for swimming. It was a day for digging and exploring and climbing and hiking.










I am thinking about marketing a new fitness video. It's called Dune climb your way to a better body in 3o days. What a great workout.











We managed to find this nice little spot up in the dunes that sheltered us from the wind. Great for playing and posing.











Oh yeah, she likes to pose.

Things that make me smile, laugh or otherwise thankful I was alive to hear

In no particular order:

• Not having to say "venti coffee of the day with room for cream please" because they have it ready for me by the time I get to the counter I my regular spot...Starbucks in the Radisson, Merrillville.
  
• Live performance from Dustin Kensrue, lead singer of Thrice on Relevant Magazine's podcast. He takes a decidedly different direction on his solo album Please Come Home. Think heavy influence of Johnny Cash. Dustin, a Christian, has always let his faith shine through his music without sacrificing art.
• Watching my kids sleep.
• And this quote from a Lead Pastor who will remain nameless:
  

"She holds this distinction in my life as the only girlfriend I have ever had who 's spent significant time in prison. How about that for ya?"

Ahhh...yes.

What's grandma doing at the dunes?

I love that quote. There is a connection here. I'm going to take a little risk and share something that could be perceived negatively. If so, so be it. Two things converged for me recently. First, I read this quote:

"The most important spiritual discipline for pastors who talk about God a lot is solitude and silence; learning to be quiet and create space for God." - Dallas Williard

Second, the elders at Suncrest give the ministry staff a day a year for a personal retreat and Greg asked us to take it in May this year. Typically I will take a day and do a lot of praying and planning in my ministry areas (flowcharts and everything). This year, however, in light of the quote and some other things I decided to take a day for silence and solitude and spent it at the dunes. Now, I recognize the distinct privilege I have here in that the vast majority of people do not have an opportunity to take a work day for such a thing as this. The reality for a pastor though is that if you give spiritually and you don't take in enough you starve to death. And I was getting close to that. God used my time of solitude in great ways. He clarified some things for me as well as spoke into my life in a great way. It wasn't that He had not been speaking, I just wasn't doing a great job of listening.

I thought maybe God had something else in mind though because as I sat on the beach and was writing some things down, a guy walked by and asked, "Doing a little journaling?"

"Um, yeah," I responded. Deeply spiritual I know. We did a little small talk and he walked on. I thought at first, well, maybe God wants me to have a spiritual conversation with this guy. I didn't like that idea because I really wanted to be alone. But, I wanted to be obedient so I talked and listened and the conversation headed nowhere and before long I was headed on down the beach to a very satisfying day alone with God. The tank isn't getting close to E anymore.

Message Reflection #3 - Experiencing God's Will

There's nothing quite like talking God over a freshly ground cup of coffee. That in a sentence describes the community group I am a part of. Last night we talked about Lost, 24, life and discovering God's Will. What a great combo! Just wait for the post on how we can see signs of God in Lost and 24. :)

Through life, I have always been impressed by people who constantly talk about something being God's will. There have been many times when I wished I could have been as confident as some of them. "How can they be so sure," I would ask. I have learned that they may not always have the confidence they appear to have, but they do have faith. And their statement, "This is God's will for my life," is more of a statement of faith than fact. That is, they have sought God's direction and this seems to be the compass for their lives.

One resource that I have found extremely helpful in discovering God's will is the book Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. If you read nothing else this year, read this one. If you are wrestling with questions of God's purpose for your life then this book will help. Here's the gist:

Big Idea: God is at work in the world around us, always!

So God's will is not like this: God is waiting around for us to get on board with His purpose for our lives, otherwise He can not do anything.

Rather, God is working around us and when we see Him at work THAT is our call to join Him. There are some things that help confirm whether or not we are seeing God at work and He is calling us:

• The Bible
• Prayer
• Circumstances
• The Church
  

All of these together both help us see God at work and they can confirm whether or not He is calling us.

So, if you are wresting with whether or not something is God's direction for your life, view it through the lens of these 4 questions:
1. Does the Bible say it is wrong?
2. Am I hearing anything in prayer?
3. Do circumstances in my life seem to point in this direction?
4. Do the people in my church, community group, ministry team, that is the people who I am doing life with, agree that this is a "God direction."

In the end, these questions can help but to follow Christ is always a step of faith. Everything may not be as crystal clear as you want it, but you can have a measure of confidence that will keep you moving in the right direction.

And yes, I was going for the longest post...

Message Reflection #2 - Umbrella of God's Will

One image of God's Will that is helpful when talking about His general will is to view it as an umbrella. God's general will which includes things like salvation, purity and even helping people know about Christ form an umbrella that we want to make sure and stay under. With this image the idea is that we have a great deal of freedom to live our lives as long as we stay under the umbrella. Essentially we can do anything we want as long as we are under the umbrella.

It is helpful to remember this image because some get too uptight and worried about making the wrong specific next step. "Maybe it wasn't God's will for me to eat at Applebee's today?" I think that is ridiculous. God cares far more that we are in a relationship with Christ, we have an attitude towards obedience and are seeking to grow than where we are eating lunch. (This does presume that eating at Applebee's is not against that person's conscience which is an entirely different discussion for another day I want to put someone to sleep.)

So, to live under His umbrella we need stay consistent in His Word so we can make wise choices. If we don't know what the edges of the umbrella are then we can't really stay under it. The result if we don't? We get all wet! Couldn't resist.

Hopefully this is helpful for thinking about God's general will. It doesn't speak to his specific will which I do believe He does have for us, but certainly we need to understand and pursue His general will before we can get clarity on His specific will for our lives.

If I don't do it...

I have had some really great interaction about Sunday's message. One aspect I wanted to comment on further was this thought we get that goes something like this: "If I don't do it, it won't get done." I have seen this thought used as a guilt trip for motivating people to evangelize. "If you don't tell your friend about Jesus, then they will never hear and will go to Hell." Really? Does it really all depend on me? I certainly believe (and please hear me) that God desires to use us, but if I don't join God in witnessing, He is going to use someone to reach that person with the message. In fact, anytime we help someone step across the line of faith, He has already used several people. We have just been one among many influences.

It is about God and what He can do, not about us.

We can see this specifically in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 and 1 Corinthians 3:5-9.

It was God's power....it's always God's power. He certainly wants us to respond to His call so we accomplish good works, but it is about God's power.

So what does this all mean for us? I think it means this:

We can relax. Yes we want to be responsive to His call, but it doesn't all hang on us. We can do our best to follow God's call and trust that it all ultimately depends on God. The result is that we get to experience the joy and blessing that comes from fulfilling the call of God on our life without worrying that everything depends on us.