The end of the world?

Last Saturday was the date given for the end of the world.  But we’re still here.  I’m not really interested in bashing the predictions of someone else.  Those who choose to dabble in predictions will have to sort out the confusion that inevitably ensues.  I’m interested in why this is so interesting, and how I can better make sense of what God does have to say about the end of the world.

First, why is this so interesting?  I think we find it fascinating because there’s something in us that yearns for more than just this life.  No matter how much we focus on the here and now, there’s that nagging sense of what might lie just over the horizon of time.  We really want to know what’s going to happen.  If anyone says they have absolutely no interest in the future, we often suspect them of being too locked into the present, almost near-sighted.  I think God has created us with a desire to know more than just what we see and touch and hear and feel.  As one writer put it, “If nothing in this life truly satisfies, maybe it’s because we were made for another place.”  Which leads to the second question.

How do we make sense of what God says about the future?  It’s clear that God has something planned beyond just this life.  John describes the “new heaven and new earth” in Revelation 21.  All the mess, all the brokenness, all the decay, disease, and death…all that will be swept away, and God will restore and renew his creation.  BUT, it’s also clear that we don’t know when that will happen.  Even Jesus didn’t know (Matthew 24:36).  BUT, immediately after telling his disciples that neither he nor they would know when, he urged them to always be ready.  (Read about it in Matthew 25)  In other words, precisely BECAUSE you don’t know when, live like it could be any day!  Which is how I believe God desires for us to live.  Like any day could be the last day of this life…of this part of the journey.  And if you read the stories of anyone who’s had a close encounter with death, it changes how they live.  If you really live like today might be the last day on this earth, it WILL change how you live!  It will keep you focused on things that really matter.  It will help you tune in to God and his plans.

So how will you live today?  Will you live fully alive to God and his plans?  If you do that, then all talk about when the world will end won’t bother you.  Because you’ll be living this life in light of the next one.  And that’s the way to fully live…and to Ignite HOPE!

- Pastor Mark 

My life in the gutter

Every couple years I pay someone to clean out my gutters. I know it’s time because we have to exit our front door through a waterfall. Every rain storm brings odd splashing noises on both sides of our townhouse.

Something gets clogged in the gutter or downspout, and the rain gets backed up. It doesn’t flow through the downspout like it’s supposed to. Then it fills up the gutter, causing it to sag ominously under the weight. Finally, the rain from the gutter gets dumped all over the front and back of my house. It’s actually destructive to the house, and to the yard. Yuck!

It seems like my relational life can be like that gutter. Maybe yours is, too. Things get clogged up with stuff like conflict, avoidance, busyness, lack of boundaries, unforgiveness, etc. The relationships don’t “flow” the way we’d like them to. Then our relationships start to sag under the weight they weren’t intended to carry. We wonder how long they can hold up. And things like emotions, reactions, words, and patterns start to spill over in places where we don’t want them. They start to cause long-term damage to us, to others, to our future, and more.

So what’s the solution? We need someone to help us clean out the debris in our relational world. Someone to get up on the roof of our lives, get a good view of the problem, and start clearing out the junk. The good news is God is up for the job. The same God who designed us for life-giving relationships is the same God who has the wisdom and the power to help us change.

Our current series, “iRelate” is designed to help us tune in to God’s design and God’s plans for our relationships. And in the process, to “unclog” those aspects that are causing the problems. We started with our relationship with God. Then we moved on to conflict. Last week was forgiveness. Any of those areas could clog things up, and start to cause long term damage for our life. I hope this series will continue to help you grow in your relational health, and experience more of the life-giving dynamics of relationships, and less of the clogged up, overflowing, damage-causing problems that afflict us all. By the way, this week is about boundaries. I don’t know about you, but I can always use help in this area! Hope to see you Sunday.

- Pastor Mark

Tony Porter on "act like a man"

Interesting, thought-provoking talk...comment below.

When God seems distant

Ever get the sense that God is out there somewhere…but not down here in your life?  Maybe you’ve prayed, read, meditated, or listened to some music, but it’s all so distant?  Here’s a strategy I’ve found to be powerful in breaking through…

Pull up a chair…someplace where you’re comfortable.  Maybe it’s in your living room, your favorite restaurant, your man-cave, or your office.  Then pull up another chair for God.  If it helps, close your eyes and picture God sitting there.  Then open your eyes and start a dialogue.  

You may find yourself in awe that God is interested in sitting down with you.  You may find yourself overcome with gratitude for what God’s done.  You find yourself apologizing for patterns, behavior, thoughts, or attitudes.  And you may find yourself talking about important concerns and people in your life.  When I do this, I find it much easier to “listen” to God.  And to talk with him. 

If talking to God with your eyes open seems strange, it might help to know that closing your eyes to pray is a relatively recent practice, going back only a couple hundred years.  And there’s good reason to believe it was implemented in order to keep kids from getting into mischief while prayer was taking place.  Nothing bad will happen if you don’t close your eyes while you pray.  So go ahead, open your eyes, and open your life to a God who is very near, and very real.  Your relationship with him will never be the same.

Isaiah 55:6  Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Pastor Mark