Thoughts From Wednesday Worship...September 24, 2008

Yogi Berra, New York Yankees baseball great, said "When you come to a fork in the road...take it." Some of his other quotes are, "You should always go to other peoples' funerals or else they won't come to yours," and "Baseball is 90% mental...the other half is physical." My personal favorite is "It ain't over til it's over." I find that encouraging.

On November 20, 1982, the football game between Cal and Stanford seemed to be over. Cal was leading 19-17. Stanford had the ball on their own 14 yard line. There was only about a minute left in the game. It was 4th down with 17 yards to go for the first down. The game was over. Somebody, however, forgot to tell a young Stanford quarterback named John Elway. He led his team down the field and with about 8 seconds left in the game, Stanford kicked a field goal to go ahead by the score of 20-19. The crowd went crazy. The fans started lining the field. The Stanford band formed in the end zone. The players celebrated so much they were penalized 15 yards. With only 4 seconds left on the clock, all Stanford had to do was kick off and time would expire. The game was over. Somebody, however, forgot to tell the University of California. Stanford kicked off and Cal picked up the ball. Just as the return man was about to be tackled, he lateraled to another player. Time expired. Next, another lateral just in time...then another...then another...then a blind over the shoulder lateral...then TOUCHDOWN! Cal wins the game 25-20 and the Stanford trombone player from the marching band was flattened in the process! It seemed to be over...but it wasn't.

Mike and Teresa (not from JCBC) were in love. They got married in fairy tale fashion...expecting to live happily ever after. 10 years later, they were angry, frustrated, exhausted from child-rearing, isolated...and divorced. Never mind the vows. Never mind the two boys. The marriage was over.

Two years later, Mike became a follower of Jesus Christ. His life changed dramatically and Teresa noticed. Hearts softened. Forgiveness was sought...and given. They were re-married. What was two and became one...then two again..became one again. It wasn't over after all.

Raylene Coopersmith suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. She was declared legally dead. Life support was discontinued. Her family made funeral plans. It was over. Somebody forgot to tell Raylene. She woke up. Funeral plans were replaced a short time later with vacation plans. It wasn't over after all.

A similar story occurred 2000 years ago. A man named Jesus from a town named Nazareth was arrested on trumped up charges. He was put through the mockery of a trial. Ultimately, they nailed him to a cross and with his final words..."It is finished"...it was over. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. His friends scattered. His disciples hid. Evil celebrated. Hope for the Messiah diminished. It was over.

Well...it was over for three days...

Ha! Then he arose! Jesus is alive and well my friends. The only thing "over" is hopelessness.

There are times when we are at the end of our ropes. We are panicky and fearful and without hope. We think it's over...done...finito. When those times occur...just remember...It ain't over til it's over!

So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. (1 Peter 5:10-11 - The Message)

Thoughts From Wednesday Worship...September 17, 2008

I'm a littler later than usual in posting my mid-week worship thoughts. The fact is, given the pace of the past several weeks, I took a time out. Oddly enough, the title of last Wednesday's sermon was, "The Beauty of the Time Out!"

I'm the Chaplain of the Lakeview Academy High School football team. For that (and because I volunteer to head up the chain crew) I get to watch the game from field level. I watch the coaches call all sorts of offensive plays and defensive sets. I see all types of schemes and variations. Very often, however, one of the most important "calls" of the game is "time out."

A time out is most often called at a critical time during the game...when the next play is of particular importance. It gives the team a chance to get out from under the pressure of the time clock and to settle down. There is always a conversation that takes place. The coach may say to his quarterback, "What are you seeing? What is the middle linebacker (or some other position) doing?" Then the coach calls the next play. He gives instruction. The team re-takes the field with renewed focus and determination. The outcome of a game can actually depend on a well placed time out.

Jesus knew a little something about the value of a time out. He had made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem amidst the cheers and shouts of the crowd. He began a week of intense teaching. During the week, he cleared the temple saying, "you have made my house a den of robbers." He gathered his followers in an upper room where he predicted that one would betray Him and another would deny him three times before the sun came up the next day. He had even predicted His own death. It was a panicky, fearful, chaotic, emotionally frenzied time. Jesus said to His friends, "Come to the garden to pray with me." Or... Jesus called a time out.

As Jesus made his way to the garden to pray, it was a critical time. The fate of the whole world depended on what would happen during the next 72 hours. Jesus took the time to settle down. He had a conversation with His Father saying, "Abba...Father...if there is any other way...let this cup pass." In a moment that passed just between Jesus and His Father, He knew what had to be done. Jesus said, "not my will, but Yours be done." God...if you will...called the play. Jesus arose with renewed focus and determination. When the soldiers came for Him, led by the betrayer, Jesus simply looked at him and said, "Friend...do what you came for." (To read about the actual events...not just my paraphrase of them...read the accounts found in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.)

We often find ourselves panicky, fearful, and emotionally frenzied. Our world seems chaotic. We may be in the depths of despair or caught up in overly enthusiastic, impetuous pursuits. The most important thing you can do in those times just may be calling Time Out! Settle down. Have a conversation with your Father (of the heavenly kind...although the earthly kind can often be counted on for some pretty good perspective). Receive your instructions (or...discern what you feel is best or what must be done). Arise with renewed focus and determination.

Time out over. Game on. Put me in coach...I'm ready to play.

The Power of the Auto-Signature

The words on this blog are about to start gushing forth. Many of you knew Tiffany or knew of her. Many of you know that she died this week following a brutal, hard fought battle with cancer. She was 24. Many of you know that, as her pastor and as one who loves her and her family, I've been working hard to process it all...I've been working hard to balance "doing my job" with grieving. I'm going to write about it. I'm going to write about my tears and make-up stained suit coat. I'm going to write about Jean and Cindy who waited for me in the parking lot yesterday (funeral service day) to simply love me and encourage me. I'm going to write about a text message I sent to Tiffany's husband this past Monday morning at 11:46 a.m. I'm going to write about standing in Tiffany's room at Budd Terrace Hospice - hanging on by a thread - and being so moved by the reminder that "God Loves Us" as I stared at a hand-made card created by a 3rd grader with those three simple words colored on it. I'm going to write about it all...but not today.

I was encouraged today by...of all things...an "auto-signature." You know, that little e-mail tool we have which automatically appears with each e-mail we send. It usually has our name, title, and contact information. We don't think too much about it normally. We set it up and then forget it.

Perhaps we should be more intentional with it. It is, after all, our electronic identifier. If I were my 20 year old son, I might choose the words that appear on a hat of his that read, "Girls love me...Fish fear me." Or if I were my 17 year old football playing son, I might simply choose, "#7" as my auto-signature.

Jim is a colleague of mine. He is an extraordinary minister whose particular expertise is working with students. Ordinarily, his auto-signature would read, "Minister TO Students" or "Minister OF Youth." Jim did not choose "TO" or "OF" as his identifier. Rather he chose, "Minister WITH Youth." He chooses not to be "over" them as their leader. He chooses not to be completely "under" them as their servant leader. He chooses to be alongside them...as a fellow minister...as they minister to each other and to the world.

If there is anything I've learned in the past few weeks...and this week in particular...it is the power of the word "with."

As soon as I can remember how to change my auto-signature...I'm gonna do it. In the meantime, I am with you...alongside you...and will be forever grateful that YOU are WITH me. God's peace everybody.

Thoughts From Wednesday Worship...September 10, 2008

(Photo by ladybugdiscovery - Flickr)

Connie and I get up early each morning to read the bible and to pray together. Our dog, Shinzy, usually joins us close by. During one of our readings, I was struck by the words, "Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,..." Wow! The God of the universe, the Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega is actively extending his grace and peace to me! The thought occurred to me that this truth should foster a response. It should catalyze my day to day living. Then it hit me...

I want to be the man my dog thinks I am.

She thinks I love her. I don't have anything against her - I'm just not crazy about the idea of having a dog. Every time I sit down in the family room...remote in hand...she comes and lays down in front of me. She rolls on her back, legs in the air, so that I will scratch her belly. I always do it. She thinks it's because I love her. Fact is, I just want her to move along. I don't want to sit there and look at her with her legs up in the air. Not to mention...I'd like her to get off my rug!

She thinks I am patient. When she is outside, she lets us know she wants to come back in by scratching the front door. The white primer can then be seen beneath an otherwise black door. Every Saturday...I repaint. She thinks I am patient. She can't hear what I am mumbling under my breath. She can't know that I just can't stand having a front door that looks like a dog lives on the other side of it! It has nothing to do with patience.

She thinks I am so kind because I take her to the pet spa for a haircut, bath, tooth brushing and nail clipping. The fact is, I keep her hair cut short because I detest the shedding...and the business end of a Swiffle Sweeper. I have her bathed because I don't want to do it myself. I clip her nails to help save my hardwood floors. I have her teeth brushed because her breath stinks! It has nothing to do with being kind.

She thinks I am faithful because the first thing I do each morning is open the door and let her out. My motive is altogether different. I don't want to have to clean up the mess that will result if I don't let her out! Not faithful...but rather self-serving.

She thinks I am peaceful. I'm not home much. When I am, I am mostly asleep. Not to mention that every time I lay down on the couch...I just fall asleep. I have never seen the end of any movie rented from Blockbuster. Shinzy thinks I'm a peaceful man when really I just can't stay awake.

She thinks I'm good because I no longer make her wear a shock collar for our underground fence. To be truthful...I lost it. It's not being "good"...it is being absent minded.

She thinks I am so joyful because when I come home each night I walk in the front door and yell, "Yohoo...Honey...I'm home!" Connie will always greet me or calls back to me. We look forward to seeing each other at the end of the day. Shinzy gets in on the act. She comes to me, wags her tail, hops up and down a little...she thinks my excitement is about her.

When I stop to think about it...I would like to be the man my dog thinks I am.

Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

I think I'll go scratch Shinzy's belly...and then take her for a walk.

I Wonder What Would Happen To This World...?

A singing, song-writing hero of mine was Harry Chapin. He died in 1981. He once wrote,

"If a man tried to take his time on earth

And prove before he died

What one man's life could be worth...Then I wonder what would happen to this world."

I am generally an optimistic person. I have great hope for the human race. I think that most of us desire to be people of worth...to lead impactful lives...to make a difference...to be relevant. We want it to have mattered that we lived. I do think, however, that we sometimes mis-step along our way to relevance. We have the human tendency to mistake so many things for the relevance we seek. We waste so much energy.

We work hard to be known by the "right people"...to earn their favor...to impress them...to be in their inner circle. We mistake being included for relevance.

Some, in positions of authority and leadership, work hard to surround themselves with "yes people." They spend so much energy developing a following...a group of adherents. They mistake always being told that they are "right", or "brilliant", or "admirable" with relevance. (By the way...it is not leadership either.)

I wince at the stories of people abandoning devoted spouses for "younger models" in an effort to rediscover youth. Youth is not relevance. Neither is attractiveness or allure. Our egos have nothing to do with relevance.

Some spend a great deal of energy learning things...can quote great works of literature...can recall historical facts...can take philosophical stances...can articulate personal and historical theological insights. Nothing wrong with any of that right up to the point that intellectual prowess and cognitive superiority take the place of relevance.

Popularity (which requires a tremendous amount of energy) is not relevance. Achieving success by the world's standards is not relevance. Being "accepted" is not relevance.

So what is?

Perhaps Paul got it right in his letter to the Galatians (5th chapter). If we can spend our energy on living lives that are characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...then we may just have a shot at being relevant. It might just matter that we lived.

We might really want to concentrate on the love and kindness parts.

"If a man tried to take his time on earth

And prove before he died

what one man's life could be worth...

Then I wonder what would happen to this world."

Thoughts from Wednesday Worship...September 4, 2008

(Photo by Melissa C Photography, Rossville, GA)

I love watching live interviews on television. It doesn't matter whether it's a post-game interview after a sporting event, a live interview at a political convention, or just a local television reporter covering a human interest story. Most of the time, it is not the interview itself that interests me. Rather, it is the people in the background. Namely, it's the guy in the background that suddenly finds himself in the camera shot. He's on TV! First he has that "deer in the headlights" look. Then he smiles and starts to gesture...sometimes wildly. The thing that tickles me most, however, is when he picks up his cell phone to phone a friend.

I can almost hear the conversation. "Hey...turn on your television to channel 11." "I'm on TV!" "Got it on? Can you see me?" Once he knows he is being seen, he'll then start to smile and gesture some more. The whole thing is really quite funny.

I can't help but wonder, however, who is he calling? Who is on the other end of the phone call? How does he decide?

Most likely, the person on the other end of the call is his "go to guy." Go to guys are important. They are the folks that we choose to involve in the goings on in our lives. No matter the circumstance...times of fear and panic, times of failure and disappointment, times of great joy and success (or even when we find ourselves on TV!), our go to guys share it all.

Jesus had His go to guys. Among them were the 12. I think of Jesus calling them to follow Him. I think of the times He took them away from the crowd to spend time with them alone. I wonder what they talked about. I mean, they were together for three years or so. We only have a relatively few documented conversations recorded in the gospels. I think of the night of Jesus' arrest when He asked His go to guys to go with Him to the olive grove to be with Him while he prayed.

Jesus appreciated them I think. He calmed their fears. (John 14 - "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God...trust also in me.") He served them. (He washed their feet on the night of their last supper. John 13 - "Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.") He promised to always be their go to guy. (Matthew 28 - And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.")

So, the question is, "Who would you call to say..Hey...turn on your TV! Do you see me?" Who is your go to guy? Appreciate the gift of him/her. Don't take him/her for granted.

Perhaps a better question is, "Who in your life would think to call you?"

Here it comes...

(Photo by Sara Lee)

Phil Collins once sang the words, "I can feel it coming in the air tonight..." I know the feeling. I know what the week is going to bring. I know what I am going to be confronted with as a pastor.

I will be with him as he struggles to make decisions about continuing to treat, or not to treat, his wife. She's 24.

A different wife, a friend and neighbor of a church member, will have to face the reality that her husband is gone...to the arms of another...breaking every promise and shattering every dream. They have five kids.

He's coming in on Wednesday. He's the brother of a church member. His cocaine/crack/meth addiction has deeply affected the rest of the family.

Surgeries, tests, pathology reports. I can feel it coming in the air tonight. And, I'll be there. Along with scores of other caring, loving people who choose to minister...to get their hands dirty. People who choose to stand alongside. To encourage. To support. To catch.

Here is my prayer for all of us.

Lord, your consistency in my devotion. Your fervency in my prayers. Your simplicity in my lifestyle. Your humility in my attitude. Your purity in my motives.

Your faithfulness in my commitments. Your unselfishness in my relationships. Your forgiveness in my conflicts. Your gentleness in my actions. Your kindness in my marriage.

Your blessings in my brokenness. Your strength in my weakness. Your courage in my convictions. Your joy in my circumstances. Your will in my priorities.

Lord, Your contentment in my disappointments. Your wisdom in my decisions. Your discipline in my day. Your vision in my dreams.

Your purpose in my steps. Your peace in my storms. Your presence in my home. Your power in my life.

Your tears in my eyes. Your voice in my ears. Your thoughts in my mind. Your work in my hands. Your words in my mouth. Your love in my heart.

(Prayer taken from I Saw the Lord - Anne Graham Lotz)