Life Giving Stories – Being Ready

            What do you live for?  It’s a pretty important question and the answer drives everything we do.  Different seasons of our life get us thinking about different ends.  When we are young, we live for fun, success, or fame.  In the middle years we begin to live for successful children and a secure retirement.  In retirement we can, interesting enough, come full circle and live for fun, doing what we want, having experiences that are meaningful.

            One of the beliefs of the Christian faith is creation had a beginning and it will have an end.  God was in control of the beginning and God will be in control of the ending.  At the end of this life though, there is a life that is promised for eternity.  And there are two options for eternal life – one option is eternity with God enjoying his glory.  It isn’t about harps and clouds and white robes.  It is about joy beyond our imagination, peace that can’t be disturbed, and love deeper than we could have thought.  We don’t know exactly what eternity with God will be like but think about it this way – what is the most pleasurable, enjoyable, peaceful, exciting, fun, adventurous experience you have ever had – multiply the intensity of that experience a thousand-fold and you get a small sense of life with God.

            There is another option as well.  It is eternity without God.  We don’t know what that means exactly either but it will be exactly opposite of eternity with God.  Life with God is a life of light, peace, joy, love and hope.  Life without any of that seems quite torturous.  It isn’t a very pleasant thought.

            “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13, ESV)   How would it change your today if you lived with this perspective of forever?  How would it change how you talk to the people in your life?  How would it change the way you spend your money?  How would it change the way you spend your free time?  What you live for?

            Confession time:  Most of the time I’m quite “today” oriented.  I’m caught up in work and bills and kids and cars and…, and…., and…  Can you relate?

            Everything is going to come to an end some day.  I believe it is more likely we will come to an end on this earth before this earth comes to an end but the result is the same – we’ll stand face to face with Jesus.  Are you ready?

            There is a great chapter in the Bible where Paul tries to help people understand the other side of eternity.  In 1 Corinthians 15 he is comforting the church with the promise of an eternity with God.  At the end of it all he moves back to today with these words:  “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV)

            Paul tells us, in light of eternity, work for Jesus today.  And everything you do for Jesus will not be without reward. 

Dear Jesus, I do not know when you are coming again but I believe you are.  In the mundane details of my life today, lift my eyes to see your greater purposes.  Help me to live for you today and be a conduit of your love wherever you put me.  Thank you for your grace to carry me through.  Amen.

Peace and grace,

David

Life-Giving Stories – Wise and Foolish Builders

            A few years ago I was standing in line at the hardware store (aka – adult male candy store) and I overheard a couple of guys talking about their houses.  One of them was doing some major remodeling which required him to take a look at the foundation.  This was one of the older houses of our community and when he uncovered the foundation, what he found was it consisted of a big rock at each corner!  No wonder he was having structural problems in his house!

            If you have ever traveled in a third-world country or in an area where there is extreme poverty, you can see some pretty amazing construction methods and wonder how they ever stay up.

            The Gospel of Matthew records an extended account of the teachings of Jesus that is commonly referred to as The Sermon on the Mount.  It starts in chapter 5 and Jesus lays out for his hearers what a Kingdom of God minded person does.  He teaches about multiple contrasts in behavior between a person who follows him and a person who doesn’t follow him.  This wouldn’t have been new kind of teaching for the Jewish people listening to Jesus.  The religious teachers of the day regularly interpreted the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) and taught people how they were to live.  But when Jesus finished his teaching, it said the crowd was amazed because “he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”  (Matthew 7:28-29)  Jesus taught the people like, well, like God!  He had authority and he was saying if you want to live a life pleasing to God, live THIS way and don’t live THAT way.

            At the end of this long section of Jesus’ teaching, he caps it off with his story of the wise builder and the foolish builder. (Matthew 7:24-27)  The wise builder is someone who builds on a solid foundation.  The foolish builder is someone who builds on an unstable foundation.  In his story, the storms of life (that are guaranteed to come) hit both of the construction projects.  One stands firm, the other collapses.

            In Jesus’ story, he likens our lives to the builders and makes it clear that the difference between being wise and foolish is obedience to his teaching.  Jesus wasn’t looking for people to believe him, he was looking for people who believed and followed him.  And following Jesus means living in obedience to what he taught.  If you truly believe something, it will change the way you live.  Jesus knows that and he clearly lays out the measuring rod for faith is how you live.  If you don’t obey Jesus’ teaching, you really don’t have belief and faith in Jesus.  It isn’t about perfection, it is about intention so don’t get hung up on the “am I or am I not saved” not-so-merry-go-round.  Focus on being a follower of Jesus, knowing he will always lead.

            So, how about you?  According to Jesus’ measurement, are you wise or foolish?  There is a storm coming that is going to test your construction methods.  What are you going to do about it?

Peace and grace,

David

Life-Giving Stories – Two Lost Sons

            “All who wander are not lost.”  It is a great bumper sticker.  And it is how some push back on the Bible’s assertion that if you aren’t in relationship with Jesus, you are lost.  Many people don’t like to be seen as lost.  They say, “What do you mean I’m lost?  I’m not lost!  I’m doing exactly what I want, where I want, when I want and how I want.  I’m anything but lost!  LEAVE.  ME.  ALONE!”

            Lost-ness is about perspective, isn’t it?  If we see ourselves as independent, beholden to none, then wherever we choose to go and whatever we choose to do is just fine.  But if we see ourselves as loved by Another with a purpose for living and being greater than our personal appetites, that is another story.  It is, in fact, a story Jesus told.

            In the Gospel of Luke (chapter 15), he records three of Jesus’ stories about lost-ness.  Jesus clearly sees anyone who is not in right relationship with God as being lost.  Each of the stories emphasizes that to be lost is to not be where you belong – a sheep not with it’s flock, a coin not with the other coins, two sons not with their family.

            The story of the two lost sons is about rebellion, humility and a loving father.  The younger son expresses his rebellion against his father externally by dishonoring the family by demanding his inheritance, leaving the family and pursuing a life that is opposite to the father’s values.  The older son expresses his rebellion through bitterness for being good with no apparent reward and bitterness toward his father for showing compassion toward his brother when he crawls back like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs.  Both brothers have rejected the essence of the father and both need to repent – only one does in the story.

            It is hard to admit being lost.  Ask any wife who has gone on a road trip with her husband!

            Wife:  Do you know where you are going?

            Husband:  Of course I know where we are going!

            Wife:  This doesn’t look familiar or seem right.

            Husband:  I’m taking a short cut.

            Wife:  Maybe we should ask for directions.

            Husband:  I’m not lost!

            To admit we are not where we should be, that we are not living out our divine purpose requires humility.  We need to experience humiliation, which we fight to our very core.  But God is not making fun of us, he is not humiliating us.  God is waiting to receive us no matter where we have gone, what we have done, who we have been.

            I don’t like being humbled.  The older I get, the more prideful I realize I am.  But I also realize the only way to experience the life God intends is through humbly receiving God’s love, admitting my ways are not God’s ways and allowing him to take the lead.

            How about you?  Are you where you are supposed to be?  Have you discovered God’s divine purpose for your life and are living it out each day?  If not, you are – in the words of Jesus – lost.  How low will you go before you are humbled enough to return to God?  He is waiting to throw you a party.  I hope you come!

Peace and grace,

David

Holy Sex

 In the movie, Apollo 13, there is a famous line uttered by Tom Hanks playing the character Jim Lovell.  “Houston, we have a problem.”  It was a bit of an understatement as the spacecraft was in danger of not completing its mission and all the astronauts being killed in the process.

            That line is appropriate for our day and age when it comes to having a Biblical view of sexuality – “Houston, we have a problem!”

            There have been many different views in popular culture but by far the most prevalent view today is sex is a personal way of self-expression.  Timothy Keller states this view in his book The Meaning of Marriage,  “[Our culture sees] Sex is primarily for an individual’s fulfillment and self-realization, however he or she wishes to pursue it.”

            One of the Biblical expressions of being a follower of Jesus is that Jesus becomes the Lord of your life.  (See Romans 10:9)  The idea of Jesus being Lord means that Jesus is in charge.  For those who are followers of Jesus, this is the daily choice we face – who is going to be in charge?  Am I going to be in charge or am I going to relinquish control to Jesus?

            For a person who is not a follower of Jesus, this idea that someone else would be in charge of me is absolutely ludicrous.  If there is one thing that Americans value, it is their freedom.  No one tells me what to do – I am the captain of my own ship; I am a rock, an island; I make my own destiny.  Of course, they are all lies, but that doesn’t make them less popular.

            This popular view of sexuality is a reflection of our belief that we are in charge and the goal of life is to figure out how I can be most self-fulfilled.  And it is in direct opposition to a Biblical view of sexuality.  The Apostle Paul sums up the Biblical view of sex and life most succinctly in his first letter to the Corinthian church (6:19-20):  “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.”  In other words, God is the one in charge – you aren’t.  It isn’t all about you and your self fulfillment, it is all about God and his glory.

            Lest you begin to think I am a prude or a spoilsport (and even worse, that you would view God that way), know that God designed and created our sexuality for wonderful pleasure and joy.  But we only experience that when we live according to the owner’s manual.  A fine wine will still make us drunk and sick if we guzzle the whole bottle.  The finest sports car will still blow up when we red line the engine constantly.  It is not the wine’s fault nor is it a defect with the car that ruins the experience, it is the fault of the user.

            God is clear on what Holy Sex is all about.  When we become clear about it and live according to God’s design, there is great blessing.  We’ve got to read, study and understand the owner’s manual though.  And, if God talks about it, we should be talking about it too. 

Holy Sex.  It isn’t a misprint or a contradiction.  It is a blessing.

This Sunday at Cold Springs Church - 8, 9 and 10:30 we are going to continue our series on meaningful relationships with Like Me!  Holy Sex.  You don't want to miss it!

Peace and grace,

David

Like Me! Falling in Like

            A few years ago I was standing in line at the hardware store and a couple of friends were talking about the project they were working on.  As one friend described his house it became apparent that is was one of the very old homes in our community.  One of the problems he discovered was with the foundation – there wasn’t one!  Apparently, back in the day, the foundation consisted of a pile of big rocks under each corner of the house.  The rocks had slipped on his house and now the house was off kilter.  That would be quite the project – and quite the problem!

            Foundations are critical.  If there is a good foundation, there is the chance to build a solid structure.  But if the foundation is off, then everything is thrown off and it quickly becomes a mess.

            When it comes to building meaningful relationships, love is what makes them meaningful.  But love has many nuances.  For the Greeks, they used four different words to describe love.  In CS Lewis’ book “The Four Loves”, he describes the simplest and most foundational form of love as Appreciative love.  This Appreciative love can stand on its own but it also weaves its way into meaningful friendship, meaningful erotic love and meaningful covenantal love.

            If there was one word I would use to understand Appreciative love, it would be delight.  When we “like” someone there is a certain level of delight we take in them.  Delight finds enjoyment in someone.  We find ourselves choosing the longer line at the grocery store because we “like” a certain employee and they are working that line.  We go to Starbucks at the same time and use the drive-through because we have come to delight in the smile and friendly banter of the barista.  Appreciative love finds us stopping and just drinking in our children and grandchildren because they are just so goofy, silly, crazy – they are just so… delightful.

            Charlie, one of my softball buddies, has this great way he engages in the encouraging chatter toward his teammates on the field.  It’s always positive and it ends with this unique, sort-of-funky upward voice inflection.  Every time I hear it, I smile.  It’s just delightful – it’s him and it’s good.  I told him I appreciated it.

            The problem with Appreciative love is, no doubt, it won’t be long before we run into things we don’t appreciate or we don’t find delightful in another.  What then?  Well, we can pretty quickly fall in and out of like.  And much of it is dependent upon time, location, opportunity and choice.  Everyone has undelightful things about them.  The deeper loves look beyond those things and search for and focus on the delightful.  But here is the kicker – you can’t get to deeper, more meaningful loves without first finding delight in and appreciating another.

            So, here’s the assignment – practice “liking” others.  Seriously.  Look for the things that are delightful in others.  Look for the things you can appreciate.  In your struggling marriage, find the good.  In your punky, driving-you-crazy kid, find the delight.  In your overbearing, controlling parents, find what you appreciate.  It isn’t all there is to love but it is foundational to love.  And it is your choice.

Peace and grace,

David

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4, ESV)

WE vs. ME

“We is always ________________ than me.”

What fits in the blank?  What would you put in?  For some, “We” is a word of disappointment and pain.  Friends, family, church, bosses, co-workers, neighbors have let them down so the blank is filled with decidedly negative thoughts.  It may be the temptation to fill it in with “more disappointing”, “more unsafe”, “more hurtful”, etc.  The challenge of life leads to greater isolation from others because – so the thinking goes – if you don’t get close to me, you can’t hurt me.

            But no one wants to be alone and lonely.  Sure, we all want our space at times but we were designed for relationship on pretty much every level – emotionally, physically, sexually, spiritually, mentally.  There is a reason that solitary confinement is a known effective punishment that can eventually lead to complete breakdown – emotional, physical, mental and spiritual.

            So, what would the Bible put in the blank?  What is the Biblical benefit of the “We” in our life?  How about this:  better, stronger, wiser, safer, richer.  Sure there is a cost – like my wife reminded me, we always uses more toilet paper than me!  How true, how true.  Especially when the “we” are kids.

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14, ESV)

“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22, ESV)

“A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” (Proverbs 24:5–6, ESV)

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, ESV)

            “We” is how God intended us and created us.  But there are many who are far from “We” and lost in “Me.”  There was an article in the November/December 2010 AARP Magazine entitled All The Lonely People.  (OK jokers - no, it isn't my subscription!)  A few of things they discovered:  Over 44 million people are lonely and long to connect to someone else.  Most are ashamed that they are lonely and it drives them further away.  The highest percentage of people who suffer loneliness are those in their 40’s and 50’s but it affects all ages.  And, there was a 15% jump up to 35% who would be defined as chronically lonely from a similar survey 10 years previous.

            Now, let me ask you a simple question and the answer is not Disneyland:  What should be the least lonely people/place in the world?  The answer?  The Church!  But, I’ll bet our statistics aren’t a whole lot further off.  I’ve known many who have wandered away from CSCC and, after a little prodding, their reason was they didn’t connect – they were in a big group of people, all alone.  That breaks my heart.

            The essence of being a disciple is to Love God with everything we have and to Love People sacrificially.  Being a disciple of Jesus means we step out of our comfort zone to make room in our lives, reach out and just start loving people.  It starts with simple conversation – noticing when people are there and when they aren’t and then reaching out to them.

            We is always better than Me.  Find someone that needs a “We” and be Jesus in their life, love God, love them.  Make room, reach out, start loving.  It’s as simple and difficult as that!  And for those of us who are lonely, it is up to us as well to take the risk to step out, reach out and begin to take steps of trust.  Yep, you are going to get hurt, disappointed and let-down some of the time - just like you do to others.  But it doesn't change the truth that you need others and others need you.  Take the risk.

We is always better than Me.

Peace and grace,

David

Is the message of Jesus to "be good"?

             Did you know that not once does the Bible say, “Be good.”  My friend Steve says to me that he can sum up pretty much any Sunday with this – “Be good, do good.”  Now, the Bible does say we are to “do good.”  But it doesn’t say anything about “be good.”  There is a reason for that.  In our language, “be good” has the following meaning:  be nice, be safe, be polite, be considerate.  “Being good” has a sense about it of some benign, non-threatening, bland idea of niceness.  Steve is probably more right than I want to admit.  Too often the message we can walk away with is that we just need to “be more good.”

            Here are some facts to think about:

·      The typical U.S. Congregation draws an adult crowd that’s 61% female, 39% male.

·      Over 70 percent of the boys who are being raised in church will abandon it during their teens and twenties. Many of these boys will never return.

·      This Sunday almost 25 percent of married, churchgoing women will worship without their husbands.

o   Stats taken from www.churchformen.com

What these statistics seem to indicate is the typical message of “be good” is coming through loud and clear to men and they aren’t impressed.  So, by and large, they are staying away and walking away.  That is a travesty.

Is “be good” really the message of Jesus?  Is “niceness” the ultimate Christian virtue that we are to attain to?  I think not.

One of my favorite books is by John Eldridge - “Wild at Heart.”  I think every man should read it.    His message is pretty simple and it is this – every man needs three things – an adventure to live, a battle to fight and a beauty to rescue.  I like that and I actually think it is a pretty good summary of the story of Jesus.  You can’t read the story of Jesus without recognizing the drama of adventure.  The story of Jesus is full of battle – John’s telling of the birth of Jesus in Revelation is the in form of a cosmic battle against Satan.  And, the New Testament makes it clear that Jesus fought for and continues to fight for his Bride – the church  (that would be you and me!).  Adventure, battle, rescue.  All the elements of a great story.

The last thing I want men to come away with on a Sunday at Cold Springs Church is to “be more good.”  I long for all but especially the men of CSCC to see their lives as a story that is fully discovered in God’s story.  I want men inspired to go for the adventure, to rush into the battle and be the hero through the power God.  I want men to see that the goal of life is not to be a good husband/father/man but rather to be a mighty man of God that is a holy husband/father/man.  “Goodness” is safe, holiness is dangerous.  We need more dangerous men that take seriously the call of God that transforms their world with the love of God.  Being good will keep you out of trouble but that isn’t what Jesus’ life was about.  Jesus’ life was about a deep connection to God that directed and empowered everything he was and did.  And Jesus was dangerous.

Men, it’s time to step up and move beyond good and pursue being holy.  I need you, the church needs you, the world needs you.  Step up!

I’ve got your back.

David

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)