Just recently I came across Dan's comments on the stages we all go through with "the church." (It's from Leadership Network's, "The Nines" event.) Watch it, and let me know what stage you think you're in. Love to hear your thoughts on this one.
As I write this, the 33 Chilean miners are being brought to the surface. The news outlets are at a fever pitch to show the rescue – and the reunion – of these courageous men who’ve been trapped for over two months. International resources and ingenuity have flowed nonstop into the amazing effort to bring back the 33 men who were once feared lost. More after the jump...
I cannot fathom what those men must have endured. First, the initial terrifying weeks of waiting and wondering. Would they be found? Or would they perish in the mine? Then, the news that their rescue would take months. And how about the families on the surface? What must it have been like for them? Watching their faces, their anticipation prior to the reunion is beyond description. Their loved ones who were once feared lost have been found! But their story reminds me of our story. Because many years earlier, someone else poured nonstop resources and ingenuity into a rescue plan. And the people who were trapped with no way to save themselves…well, that would be me. And you. Listen to Jesus’ own comments:
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10)
Jesus embarked on the most incredible rescue mission in the history of mankind. And he was looking for you and me. Honestly, I don’t want to think of myself as lost. Neither do you. It’s not very flattering. But can you imagine if, when the rescue pod opened in the mine, some of the miners said, “No thanks…we’re not lost.” We’d say, “You’re not dealing with reality, friend.” Similarly, every man, woman, and child is lost from God’s perspective. Jesus’ life and mission are stark testimony to that fact. He shows up and says, “You’ve been trapped in a broken world of sin. I’m here to set you free. Follow me.”
The picture Jesus paints is that our Heavenly Father is waiting at the top of the mine shaft. And when we’re lifted to freedom by faith in the person and work of Jesus, the celebration is beyond description! At last, those who were lost have been found!
When it was discovered that the miners were alive and needed rescue, everyone determined to do whatever it took to bring them to the surface. Followers of Jesus know that all around us are people who are lost from God’s family. What are you willing to do to help re-unite them to their heavenly Father? How many days will it be until they’re brought to the surface? What will you do to bring them to the rescue pod which is Jesus Christ?
Someone recently sent me a video link about a guy who spent an entire year trying to live out ALL the commands in the Bible. You can watch it if you've got a few minutes. Or else join me after the jump.
One interesting thing that this guy noticed was that as he changed his behavior to align with the Bible, it started to change what he believed. Typically we think it goes the other way: change your beliefs, and your behavior will follow. Just like the quote, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right!" Guess what? It turns out, there's truth in BOTH of those approaches.
Which brings me to the topic of the habits we choose. I talked with a friend this week who keeps a rug in his office so he can take time out to kneel in prayer. Have you ever tried that? I have. And when I kneel or lie face down in prayer, it affects me. It affects my attitude, my thinking, my beliefs. Which is kind of the whole point behind spiritual practices (a.k.a. spiritual disciplines). I'm reminded of one of the Screwtape letters in which the wily master tempter points out to his nephew how to succeed in their cause (Satan's cause). Simple convince the human that what he does with his body has no impact on his soul. (If you've never read C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters you've missed something great.)
So what about you? Have you ever tried to pray on your knees, or lift your hands in submission during prayer? Or during a time of worship? Have you ever considered fasting (from certain foods, all foods, etc.) to see the impact it has on your interior life? Have you ever considered silence or solitude to see how your behavior influences your beliefs? What about giving something away to see if it cultivates generosity? Why not try something this week? Choose a habit. Let your body lead the rest of you. Let your behavior influence your beliefs. Then let me know how it goes.
Preached again this morning to the church at Sakila. Since my Swahili vocabulary is limited to about 40 words I relied on the amazing interpreter, John Matthew (pictured here). I'm convinced he made me sound better than I do in English! :) Thanks, John Matthew. You're a true friend & brother in Christ.
After almost two weeks of non-stop ministry in Sakila, our team took a one day safari at Tarangire National Park. Among the many breathtaking views was this one of a giraffe, which happens to be the national animal of Tanzania. It's truly amazing to view God's creation like this. :)
So yesterday I accompanied the Bishop into town (Arusha) to get some mnuch neede supplies for Jim and his carpentry ministry at the compound. I discovered there ain't no such thing as Home Depot. :) We stopped at about ten hardware stores. We would approach the counter, tell them what we were looking for, then show them the sample we'd brought. We hit on about 60 percent total. That was a success! :) The picture is of the main street in Arusha right next to one of the hardware stores. Notice the variety of vehicles on the road. Oh, and traffic is on the opposite you're used to!
Finally we got a glimpse of the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro. We dragged the whole team & the Bishop up to the roof for this picture at dinnertime. Its kinda faint, but you can see the mountain behind Jim Glass.
The Bishop & me on the hill overlooking much of Arusha, including the orphanage. He'd like to put a radio antenna and a prayer tower here one day. As we walked the hilltop, we saw an older woman walking thru the cornfield partway up the hill. Turns out she was the one who sold the hilltop to the Bishop.
This week kicked off with a bang. I preached yesterday with a translator...first time for me. Thankfully John Matthew was a phenomenal translator. :) and the worship music is like nothing else. Who knows, I might even be able to learn how to dance!
On Monday Sandra finally got to go to the orphanage. The kids there are fascinated with long hair, and love to play with it. Sandra's red hair is even more of a novelty! (see picture) She came home with quite a bit fewer strands, but had fun nonetheless. The whole team from Seneca Creek is a delight to serve with. They continue to "Ignite HOPE" here in Tanzania. :)
Today was the first day we got to serve at the clinic, the orphanage, & the carpentry. Wow! Stories of God showing up, guiding, providing, and more. And the eye-opening, soul- shaking experiences of seeing the poverty leave us in tears. We are so dependent on God here. We're learning to pray, to flex, and to serve. We're releasing our "rights" on a regular basis. And this entire team is nothing short of a joy to serve with. Thank God for each of them!!
Tonight during dinner the skies finally cleared, and we got to see Mt Meru. Everyone put down their forks & ran to the roof to see. (see photo) And just then the music from the adjacent church was playing, "shout to the Lord!" Truly a worshipful, mountain-top moment. :)
We're still hoping to see Kilimanjaro before we leave...just need clear skies in the other direction.
Today I was reading Jesus' scathing comments to the Pharisees in Matthew 23. He blasts them for not practicing what they preach. He scolds them for doing religious things so others would notice. He accuses them of being the blind leading the blind. He labels them snakes. But then he pulls out the "H" word. Hypocrites. Not once, not twice, not three times, but SIX TIMES he calls them hypocrites. (They sound like folks to avoid at all costs, don't they?)
I often find the Pharisees easy to dislike. I like to imagine how much different I am, you know, with my knowledge of God's grace through Jesus Christ. Silly Pharisees...all worried about things that don't matter.
Then later this morning I opened an email from www.throwmountains.com (which, by the way, is a totally worthwhile site). And one line in the email hit me between the eyes. It was a "Mirror, mirror on the wall" moment. It said...
Hypocrisy happens when I care more about what people think of me than what God thinks of me.
Ever look in the mirror and wish you hadn't? Yeah. That's what happened. Silly Pharisees. Silly pastor. Mirror, mirror that I see, wonder what God thinks of me.
School's out and summer's here! And with summer comes all kinds of opportunities to go places and do things. So as you make your summer plans, I'd encourage you to adopt a "summer reading program" which is unlike any you've tried before. There are no paperback books or bestsellers. In fact, there's no reading required on your part! Here's how it works.
Your life is a story...it's the story of what God is doing in your life. And your "story" is being read by those around you. So during your summer travels, remember that WHEREVER you are, SOMEONE is engaged in a summer reading plan, and YOU'RE the story that they're reading! What does that story look like? Is it an interesting display of the Author's masterful work?
And if you're wondering whether it's important, or worthwhile to make Sunday worship gathering a part of your weekend, remember this: People walk through the door each Sunday morning looking for good "reading material." They're looking to see if God is writing a story they can believe in. A story they can relate to. A story that will inspire or encourage them. A story of hope. So by simply showing up and letting God direct your conversations on Sunday morning, you could be part of someone else's life-changing "summer reading program." Never underestimate the power of a story.
What's your story? Let someone else read it this week.
So this morning we had a great discussion (thank you Dave Dillon). And as usual, I took too much time, and had to chop things out as I went along. I hurriedly mentioned a couple resources as place to begin the journey of learn what we can about faith and our political views. Here are the books I mentioned:
I recently watched an episode of the popular TV series, “Biggest Loser."And I’m beginning to understand why it’s so popular.Here’s what jumped out at me as I watched:
These people are honest about their struggles.
Their lives are actually changing.
They depend on their team to help them.
They take seriously the impact they have on the rest of the team.
They don’t want anyone to have to “lose,” (a.k.a. leave the show) even those whom they don’t like
They’re all experiencing hope.
We’re attracted to these things.What’s more, this is a GREAT picture of what the church could be.Think about it:
Honesty about struggles
Genuine life change
Depending on one another
Accountability to the team
Desiring to see everyone “win” even through conflict
Experiencing HOPE.
How many of these are present in your church?Or your life?Personally, I’m about 4 out of 6.I’d love it if you could share your thoughts, ideas and experiences in this area. Just click on the "comments" section below this note.
The Super Bowl turned out to be a decent game. And plenty of us watched it. But 7 days earlier was the Pro Bowl, a game which many of us did NOT watch. The game was even moved from it's traditional time slot one week after the Super Bowl in an effort to boost viewers. But the problem is not the time slot...the problem is the game. The reason I (and many others) don't watch the Pro Bowl is simple: there's nothing at stake. It doesn't matter. It's just for show. Plenty of talent and skills, but nothing's on the line.
Contrast that with the Super Bowl. Everything's on the line. Teams have worked all year, and many players have worked their entire career for this game. Everything is at stake. Every play matters. And THAT is what makes it so "watchable."
It got me to thinking about church. Is church like the Pro Bowl, or the Super Bowl. A Pro Bowl church has plent of talent and skills, but week after week, it's as if nothing is on the line. On the other hand, a Super Bowl church realizes that what they do matters. A Super Bowl church understands that EVERY week, EVERY thing is at stake!
What's at stake is the young child who has yet to learn that Jesus wants to be their "forever friend."
What's at stake is the adolescent who experiences a God who accepts them, even when their peers won't.
What's at stake is the man who's had success at work, but is searching for a life worth living.
What's at stake is the couple wondering if God can restore their crumbling marriage
What's at stake is the spiritual explorer looking for a place to ask tough questions about faith and God
What's at stake is the woman who's blown it big time and is searching for a God who will give her a second chance.
Every week at Seneca Creek we serve and sacrifice because of what's at stake! We take to the field to ensure that people can find a pathway to the God who created them, the God who loves them, and the God who longs to redeem and restore them for a life that matters. And we "suit up" in order to blaze the trail to the adventure of following Jesus in every aspect of life. In short, we refuse to be a "Pro Bowl" church. This week, the Super Bowl is on again. Get your game on!
Yes, it's happened again. The snow has fallen over the weekend and the county has opted to close the schools. But, we've got a plan that will allow us to still "meet" together. This Sunday at 11:00 a.m. we'll broadcast our first-ever live webcast worship service. From the convenience of your own home you'll be able to participate with everyone else simply by accessing the event through your computer. And yes, you can bring your bagels and coffee with you. :) Here's what you need to know.
On Sunday morning, go to our website and click on the main slide that will be counting down to our service time. We encourage you to "show up early" to look around. We'll have the happenings online, as well as links to upcoming events and online giving, and even a connection card that you can fill out and submit via our website. Plan for an extra 10 minutes at least to get acclimated to the features. We'll even have a chance for you to interact with others at Seneca Creek through live chat.
At this point we don't know what the roads will be like on Sunday. But if they're not too bad, and if you want to create a little community and participate in this event with others, we encourage you to gather with a couple other friends and enjoy the webcast together. If you're in a small group you may want to try getting together. If you're not in a group and wonder if any other Seneca Creek folks are in your area, why not visit our Facebook site and ask around. Just be cautious sharing confidential information. You may want to use the message function for specific info.
If you have friends who can't go to their church because of the snow, invite them to join you online this Sunday at www.senecacreek.org.
So whether you're by yourself, with family, or with a group, we're looking forward to seeing you online this Sunday morning. And as always, we welcome your suggestions on how to make it even more helpful for you. See you on the webcast!
It's easy to believe that God is acutely aware of all my shortcomings. Which is true. But it's easy to then believe that God is mostly interested in my shortcomings. I think he's more interested in my success. And by success I don't mean money, or many of the other means by which we measure it. I mean he wants me to fully live. To become everything he had in mind. I think God is kinda like a parent who stands on the sidelines cheering their child on. "Way to go! You can do it! You're almost there! I believe in you!"
In fact...if I'm really still for a moment, I think I can hear him cheering. And it inspires me to press on. Can you hear him?
It seems like the problem is not that we make (and then neglect) resolutions, but rather that we don't make enough resolutions. Once a year is too infrequent. Life doesn't stand still for 12 months. I want to keep growing, changing, and pursuing the life God has called me to. So here's some of my resolutions to get started with in January:
1. Ask five key questions at then end of each day: • What did I procrastinate today? • Whom did I encourage today? • How did I lead others today? • What am I proud of today? • Where did God show up today?
2. Make a new resolution each month
3. Blog weekly
4. Become a better leader by asking more questions, evaluating more systematically, and trying more ideas
5. Quit using unkind words
What are some of your resolutions? Join the conversation by clicking on the word "comments" below this line, or try this link.
I'm blessed to be married to a wonderful & beautiful woman.
I'm the extremely proud father of two daughters.
I serve at an amazing church where we are learning to live out the gospel in real time in real life. God is so good to me.
I'm a veteran rookie in life. Always learning.
I'm also a former Marine, and an avid cyclist.
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