TO ETERNITY AND BEYOND

IT’S A GOOD THAT OUR CHILDREN HAVE A FAIL-SAFE mechanism that keeps them from remembering much, if anything, of their first year of life. If they did they would surely carry with them the memory of their father throwing them 10 feet in the air and they would most likely need life-long therapy. I have come to see that there is a fine line between giggles of glee and shouts of terror.  I’m sorry kids if dad marked you for life, but you did look like you were having fun.

 

Speaking of high-flying fun, this year’s Vacation Bible School theme is: “To Eternity and Beyond,” although I am a little hard-pressed to think about what IS beyond eternity? But I do get the idea and it is a good one. Our desire is to help our young space cadets discover the greatness of their heavenly Father (See Psalm 139:1-18 for our flight plan) and to discover His great love for each of them. He is the God who is big enough, strong enough and loving enough never to drop them no matter the heights from which they may be falling.

Our flight plan will take them from gazing at God’s work in the heavens to His work in the earth. We shall sing, shout, dance and laugh as we discover the wonder of our God. We shall get some dirt under our fingernails as we discover the work of planting a garden, while learning about our mission project of helping families build sustainable farms in Haiti. And of course we will have a delicious time at snack-break, delightful time constructing our week-long craft project and a delirious time with Captain Andy and the crew of the Gameship Surprise!  All-in-all it will be a week that shall be out-of-this-world.

You can be part of this eternity-shaping event, even if you can’t breakaway to join us, you can pray us through this journey of discovery. Please join us as we seek to set a straight course for the children and their families as we fix our gaze upon God and His eternal plan. The count-down has begun, pray with us for a safe and life-changing  adventure.

LIVING THE LITURGY

Horologe3 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SAY WHAT YOU WANT but there is something comforting about liturgy. It’s nice to know what’s coming next in the order of things, and even nicer when you know what those elements mean in the larger scheme of things.

A few weeks ago we took a huge step (literally) and had laminate flooring installed throughout our house. I really like the look, but there have been a couple of drawbacks. First laminate flooring feels and sounds different when you walk on it, which makes it more difficult to sneak out to the kitchen for a late-night cookie jar raid. Second, is that we rearranged the furniture, making it more difficult to get around in the dark. It’s amazing how accustomed one becomes to having furniture in certain places.

The lesson for me thus far is to take it slow when traversing the den when the lights are out. The goal is to keep my toes from banging into the newly rearranged furniture. Now, I suppose we could have put things back the way they were, to live in the old pattern of things, but the truth is I like the new lay-out. Sure it’s different and it’s taking some getting used to, but it actually makes more sense the way we now have it. Soon I am sure I will get around in the dark with no problem and to that cookie jar.

Every church has a liturgy, be it high church or low or somewhere in between, we all have ways we like to have things and most of us feel it’s best to leave things the way they are. I don’t care if you’re young or old, change never comes easy, but sometimes it is needed if for no other reason than to see that there may be a new way of experiencing an old truth that allows that truth to glow with new life. Sure there may be a few stubbed toes along the way, but soon enough a new comfort is reached and an old way can brim with new life, in fact you might even find it more comfortable that you’ll wonder why we didn’t do this sooner. 

DEATH IS NOT THE END...

THIS POWER SHORT FILM reminds us that death can bring a community together. Death is not something that should be shrouded away, but rather embraced.

For the Christian community death is not the end, but it is the doorway to the glorious reality of God's presence for eternity. In death we are allowed to once again practice the communal act of carrying another. Death, with all its inherent pain and loss, can also be a time for us to practice what we believe as those who have trusted in the death, and the resurrection, of Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for this short film and for the artists who created it to remind us of the power of community and caring and of passage.
 
The Coffinmaker from Dan McComb on Vimeo.

A SABBATH'S REST

A couple in a Hammock. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

TAKING A DAY OFF FOR REST is increasingly more difficult. Whether it's more games our kid must attend or it’s the extra work our boss expects us to complete, or maybe we’ve been going at it so hard that when that day arrives we are too overwhelmed to even rest.

Yet, the Sabbath, that day created by God for us, is still part of the Commandments. Yes, I realize that Jesus fulfilled the Commandments for us, but that does not mean they are still not good for us. When you take a close look at them you will notice they were created for our good. Those who seek to keep them, even in a incomplete way, can still draw a huge benefit from them. Especially that middle Command that unites the upward focused Commandments with the outward focused ones. The command to remember the Sabbath, and to keep it holy, maybe better, to keep it wholly.

Jesus reminded His followers that the Sabbath was made for us, not us for the Sabbath. It is a gift from a gracious God for our good. The sad reality is that Sabbath-keeping, especially among the Jews, became more of a burden than a blessing. This was not what it was created to be, so how do we keep the Sabbath a blessing?

First, see it as a gracious gift from a gracious God who truly desires you to enjoy it. Second, be proactive in practicing Sabbath, by that I mean; plan for it and keep it religiously. Here are some things to include in your Sabbath that will help you reap the greatest blessing from it. Let’s form those ideas out of the word REST.

   R = Remember = plan for it weekly. Give thanks for it daily.

   E = Exercise = take time for play. A walk in the park, catch with the kids. Get your hands dirty.

   S = Sleep = take a nap. Read a book. Give space for repose.

   T = Talk = To God, to family, to friends. Take time for worship and fellowship.

Well, surely this list is not near complete, but it’s a good place to start. We all need this gift the Lord has given. For some it may fall on a Sunday, for others on a Monday. The day is not as nearly as important as the choice to celebrate this gift from God, and to do so unto His glory.

WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT?

ONE OF THE THINGS THE PASTORAL CALL AFFORDS ME is the opportunity to be allowed to peer into the lives of people. Some grant you the opportunity to peek around the curtain of their souls and see that the Great and Powerful Wizard is nothing but smoke and mirrors.  

Some let you have this peek behind the curtain because they desire to be set free from those trappings that have held them in bondage for so long. Sadly, there are also those who want you to see behind the shroud but for no other reason than to let you see how bad it is.

I guess, as a doctor to souls, that is what saddens me the most. Not the torridness of their tragedies, but their deep desire to truly not be healed. For some reason the pain that they are experiencing is less painful than prospect of being healed.

This great little video short paints that picture oh, so well. Jason Headly's creative art is at once both powerful and sad, and speaks well to the issue at-hand.

THE CATHARTIC BLOG

SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO BLOG YOUR THOUGHTS in order to get things of your chest and out of your spirit so that you can think more clearly.  Consider this one of those blog-posts.

The catharsis is arriving from the book I am reading (started reading it for Lizzie's sake to see if I could help her move her photography future on a little bit.) The book is by Michael Hyatt entitled, Platform: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World, and of course, once I started reading it the lessons proved be personally-focused into my own little world.

In the beginning of the book Mr. Hyatt writes about one of the first things needed in building your platform is having something to sell or say that contain a "Wow!" factor. Kind of like coming through the Wawona Tunnel and seeing Yosemite Valley expanding before you. As I thought about the wow factor to my platform (preaching, teaching, pastoring) I realized I didn't have one.

I am saddened by the reality that I cannot seem to place my finger on that wow factor even as it relates to my relationship with Christ, His covenant, His commands or His church. Now, I know some of you who are reading this who know me maybe disagreeing with me, or worried about me, if you are thank you...may that lead you to prayer for me. But the reality is that none of these things seem  to be producing the wow factor that I need and that I desire.

This all saddens me because it makes me think that I have settled into the "Methodological Mediocrity of Ministry. My prayer is, "LORD, how do I escape and return to the "wow" of You and Your work?

I suppose this is a good question to poise to each of us from time to time. Some of the answer, I guess, is found in the Scriptures at the bottom of my journal pages of the last two days (interesting how that just seems to happen.)

"If you want to know what God wants your to do -- ask Him, and He will gladly tell you." (James 1:5)

"Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

Good places to start for this cathartic heart.

JUXTAPOSED IS JUST THAT: a review

JUXTAPOSED: FINDING SANCTUARY ON THE OUTSIDE, by Daisy Rain Martin, a book I was given to review, was one in which I could find very little sanctuary for my soul.

From the cover design to the warning that this book should be only read by those who are over the age of eighteen, left me wondering what I would find within it's pages.

To be completely honest, the pdf copy I was given to review was not well put together, and that might have left me put-off from the beginning. I think the biggest issue for me is that it read like a soap opera or an attempt to write a spiritual biography in the words and pictures of Las Vegas, not task not easily done. And the length of the pdf version at over 460 pages was a daunting task, and with true full-disclosure, I did not read every page.

I guess the problem for me is that I was personally not grabbed by the story of her life, which had its very tragic moments. They story of her struggle is one from abuse to moving toward the possibility of accepting a God who loved her, while seeming to allow some very tragic events to overshadow her life.

I am sure that Ms. Martin's story will ring true for some, and I prayerfully desire that it can bring hope to those whose life is also in a state of juxtaposition between the realities of a life without God and those within the sanctuary of His love.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE END?

HAVING BOTH MY PARENTS IN HEAVEN, along with my wife's and with my role as a pastor, death seems always before me. And to be honest, the older one gets (like me) the closer it seems on a personal level.

As a pastor I have often told our senior saints at the church that if they really love their kids they would get things in order while the getting's-good, this also includes getting rid of the boat-load of stuff most of us Americans horde in our homes, garages, and storage units.

Recently, I came across this TED video, dealing with ideas on getting ready for the end of life issues.  These are some good ideas and well-worth watching for your sake and for the sake of those you love.