Life Lessons

by

Lessons From A Thanksgiving Day Gathering

I had planned on preaching a compilation sermon this morning of all six components of my current Sunday evening “Giving THANKS” sermon series.  God had other plans as He gave me a different “Giving THANKS” sermon to share at the North Wayne Mennonite Church this morning.  It was a sermon that I know God has been teaching and preparing me to share, but definitely a different direction and outline than I had planned.  Oh, and I realized this new direction for the sermon on the drive to church this morning. 🙂

Anyhow, this version of “Giving THANKS” is based around a “made-for-the-movies” stereotypical family thanksgiving day.  Here are six things I think we can learn about giving thanks from a traditional Thanksgiving Day gathering.

We start by giving Turkey!  I know, you probably have the same reaction that the congregation did this morning — “What?  Did he say what I thought I heard?  He didn’t just say turkey, did he?”.  Yep, I said turkey!  When you think of Thanksgiving, for most people, the first thing that comes to mind is turkey.  It is the traditional main course, the very center and substance to the meal which surrounds it.  When I say, “give turkey”, that is what I mean — give thanks with substance and meat at its very heart.  Don’t settle for simply mouthing the words thank you when you can give thanks with turkey — with real depth and meaning behind it.  This is a thanks that settles in and satisfies the deepest reaches of a person’s being.

Another key element to a Thanksgiving Day gathering is giving Humor!  Without a good sense of humor, Thanksgiving and other family gatherings can fall apart quite quickly.  We give thanks when we don’t take ourself too seriously.  God says that a cheerful, or merry, heart is good medicine!  I believe that there are boundaries that need to be kept when it comes to humor but laughter is not only good for the spirit, it is good for the body.  This is not only true of an individual but it applies to a family, or a church family, as well.  Don’t take every situation more seriously than it ought to be taken.  True joy can shine through brightly when you give thanks with humor.

Does anything symbolize the American Thanksgiving Day gathering any more than a table overflowing with every variety of food imaginable — a table of Abundance?  Jesus said He came to not only give us life, but to give us life abundantly!  Do you give thanks with abundance, or just enough to get by?  When we want to celebrate or to remember great things, we would likely never ask how little can I do and still look good.  No, we would examine our resources of every kind to determine how abundantly can I celebrate to make my joy known to all.  When we want to express deep-felt thankfulness it ought to be the same way — not what do I have to do but how much can I do.  Your generosity overflows when you give thanks with abundance.

Ahhh . . . turkey, plenty of good humor, an abundance of food . . . I’m tired.  What good Thanksgiving Day gathering would be complete without a Nap?  We give thanks when we give Naps!  When we allow a person to relax and rest we communicate that we value both them and their time.  If every interaction with a person has you walking away knowing that they expect something from you it is not likely that you will feel a true appreciation regardless of any words of thanks.  Resting is a God-given concept and gift that we typically don’t use enough ourself and seldom think to give to others.  The sabbath concept, a day of rest, is connected by God to the fact that on the seventh day He rested from His work of creation.  We, and those around us, are more tolerable when we give thanks with naps.

What family gathering is complete without that cousin that’s . . . well, he’s just different.  Regardless of his different looks, different political views, different lifestyle, different pie preference, or different whatever, he is part of the family so we give Kindness.  Extending kindness doesn’t mean that we agree or approve of everything about him — we may pray and work desperately to influence positive change in his life.  It does mean, however, that we acknowledge his value as a person and do our best to include him in the family celebration of the Thanksgiving Day gathering.  We all sin and find ourself in need of God’s greatest kindness — the undeserved gift of forgiveness and salvation through the blood of His Son, Jesus!  It is this example that we must follow when we give thanks with kindness.

Finally, the part that no one really needs but no Thanksgiving Day gathering is complete without — Sweets!  Take away the pie, the ice cream, the cookies, the fudge, the chocolate, the candies, and the other desserts and what do you have?  You have one very unhappy and disappointed family!  Sweets are those over-and-above extras in life that shout “thank you” in ways that little else can.  When we really want to give thanks, we adopt an “and then some” attitude.  We do what is expected and required . . . and then some.  We walk the extra mile.  We take the extra time.  We give the extra attention.  With our actions we say loudly, “you’re worth it!”.  Just as dessert completes the Thanksgiving Day gathering, our expressions of gratitude are completed when we give thanks with sweets.

So, how are you at giving THANKS?  I pray that as you gather with others this Thanksgiving day, you would give “Turkey”, give Humor, give Abundance, give Naps, give Kindness, and give Sweets!

by

Pure In Eyes

This is part of a series of writings I am working on to expand the post I published last week, Pure In HEART.  This series will be taking a more detailed look at each point of that post.  Today I look at part two, Pure in Eyes.

Again, the seeds for this series came from God through a song that took up residence in my mind for the better part of a week.  🙂   I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me — and thus a series of writings.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I want to look at five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart and I begin with this post focused on what we take in through our eyes.

Remember the old church preschool song?  “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see . . .”.   The Bible has much to say about the seriousness of what we take in through our eyes.  The Psalmist writes, “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.  Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”  (Psalm 119:36-37)  Jesus tells us, “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”  (Matthew 18:9)  The Psalmist also tells us to “set no worthless thing before my eyes” and indicates that some have fallen away because of the things they have allowed their eyes to dwell on.

We live in a visually bombarded society with images constantly coming at us varying from that of great wholesome beauty to that of intense evil.  Could you imagine if there were a filter for our eyes that would automatically block out any unwholesome view?  How much of your favorite TV show would you end up actually seeing?  How much of your on-line computer time would be dark because the visual is blocked?  I hope it is obvious that if we are intentionally filling our eyes with worthless things then we have a serious problem.

For most of us though, the purity of our eyes is more often contaminated by what we unintentionally observe than by what we seek out.  In some ways this is even more dangerous to us because it ends up filling our eyes, and our mind, in a way that we hardly recognize the influence it has over us.  What we see over and over, whether intentionally or not, influences what we believe is normal and right.  This visual influence will attack your area of greatest weakness and you won’t even realize why you’re unhappy with your looks, your body size and image, your car, your home, your relationships, or whatever it is that you’ve continually seen that looks better to you.

So how do we maintain a life that is pure in eyes?  Sometimes we have to go to the extreme of cutting out, or blocking, images that are constant stumbling blocks to us.  This “gouging out of our eyes” to images that we cannot gain mastery over is preferrable to allowing what we see to draw us away from our relationship with Christ.  Sometimes we just need a reminder, some accountability, to not let our eyes dwell on that which is impure.  It is bad enough to see certain things but to have our eyes return to them a second, third, fourth, . . . time probably means we are not all that serious about being pure in eyes.

If the eyes are indeed the windows to the soul, what amount of light are you allowing into yours?  Are you maintaining a pure heart through a deliberate approach to maintaining purity in what you allow before your eyes?

I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!

by

Pure In Humor

This is part of a series of writings I am working on to expand the post I published last week, Pure In HEART.  This series will be taking a more detailed look at each point of that post.  Today I begin with Pure in Humor.

Again, the seeds for this series came from God through a song that took up residence in my mind for the better part of a week.  🙂  I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me — and thus a series of writings.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I want to look at five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart and I begin with this post focused on our view of humor.

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”  Ephesians 5:2-5

What do you find funny?  How would others describe your sense of humor?  Dry?  Witty?  Missing?  Off-color?  Depends on who  you’re with?  What does it look like to live pure in humor — with no “obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking”?  Social media can be an incredible tool to communicate and connect with people in positive ways but the openness of it can often be a window into our soul that is much darker than we would care to admit.

As one that has been involved in vocational ministry for many years, I admittedly have been somewhat protected from what seems to be a gutter-ball slide of society into an acceptable culture of “obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking”.  If you have to start a story or joke with, “this may be inappropriate, but . . . “, it probably shouldn’t be told.  🙂  There’s nothing wrong with people knowing, because of what you believe and stand for, that what they’re about to say you wouldn’t find funny.  Polite laughter, so as not to offend, often appears to be implied approval or acceptance.  It is somewhat ironic that we will laugh at an offensive joke so as not to offend the joke-teller while we are offended, or at least ought to have been offended, by what was said.

While people who know me as a minister, or even as a Christian, may throttle back on what they say in person, the on-line social media is a whole other arena in which everything you post is out there for all to see.  It is sad to see how many people on my “friends” list use everything from mildly suggestive to downright obscene language in their posts and comments.  Everything is tagged with “lol” and we’re supposed to just laugh it off because it wasn’t meant to be serious.  I’ve heard it all.  “Get a life.”  “It’s no big deal.”  “Everyone talks like that — it doesn’t mean anything.”  “Times have changed.”  “What century are you living in?”  And on it goes.  The truth is, I can’t control what anyone writes, says, or finds funny — except for myself.  While it may be tempting at times to throw out words for shock value or laugh at things I know are inappropriate, God continues to call me to be pure in HEART and part of that calling is to live with purity in my humor.

Jesus says that what is in the heart is what comes out of the mouth.  The words that we use — whether in speech or writing — provide a window to our very heart and soul.  What we find funny, and the things we view as humorous, tells a lot about who we really are inside.  Yes, laughter really is good medicine but as we seek to be pure in heart, we really must pay close attention to seeking and having great purity in our humor.

I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!

by

Pure In HEART

I had a song running through my head today . . . or at least a line from a song that took up residence in my mind for the day.  🙂  I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I think there is a lot that can go into that, but here are five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart.

  • Pure in Humor — “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”  Ephesians 5:2-5
  • Pure in Eyes — Remember the old church preschool song?  “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see . . .”.   “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.  Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”  Psalm 119:36-37  “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”  Matthew 18:9
  • Pure in Attitude — “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”  Ephesians 4:22-24
  • Pure in Relationships — ” Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”  1 Timothy 5:1-2
  • Pure in Teaching — “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.  Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”  2 Timothy 1:13-14

There’s the basic outline and a handful of scriptures that God is giving me to flesh out into a sermon. 🙂  I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!

by

Happiness Is The LORD

Happiness seems to be a character trait, or commodity, that is high on many people’s wish list.  In America, we’ve even been taught that it is one of our “inalienable rights” along with life and liberty — the pursuit of happiness.  Against that backdrop it may seem strange that the Bible seems to say very little about happiness — at least about our version of happiness.

I preached a sermon tonight based out of Matthew 25 with a focus on the statement of the master, “Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Come and share your master’s happiness!”  I have to state up front, as I did in the sermon itself, that I’m not sure why God would have me preach this particular message in public when it is an area that I have struggled with greatly.  I think what it comes down to is that the key to happiness is probably not what we usually think it is and happiness itself likely doesn’t look like what we think it ought to.

The title for this post, and the sermon, came from a song that God stuck in my head the entire week.  It didn’t matter how I felt or my perceived level of happiness, this song kept running through my mind and I would find myself singing it in my heart even when, as the song states, the tears would fall.

“Happiness is to know the Saviour, living a life within His favor, having a change in my behavior, happiness is the LORD!  . . . Real joy is mine no matter if the tear drops start, I’ve found the secret, it’s Jesus in my heart.”

As I meshed the story of the three servants in Matthew 25 and the response of the master to their actions with the first verse and chorus of the song, God gave me the following points to go with the word, “LORD”.

  • Happiness is the Learning — The servants who eventually heard the well done and were invited into their master’s happiness were the ones who had “learned” the master.  The song puts it to “know the Saviour”.  Real happiness requires that we put everything we have into pursuit of God.  When we seek him, we will find him when we seek him with our whole heart.  How much desire do I have to know God?  How much effort do I put into learning who God is, how much He loves me, how much He loves people?  Happiness is the learning of who God really is and how much everything real is centered in Him.
  • Happiness is the Obedience — The servants who were welcomed into their master’s happiness not only learned the desires and will of the master, they were obedient to it.  The second phrase of the song says, “living a life within His favor”.  It is hard to imagine living in God’s favor without putting serious effort and intent into living obediently to His will and purpose.  Jesus said, “why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do the things that I say?”.  Happiness is living in obedience to God’s will and purpose — a will and purpose that we learn more accurately as we pursue Him wholeheartedly.
  • Happiness is the Repentance — The third servant in the story missed out on the welcome into his master’s happiness because he chose to hold onto his belief regarding the behavior and attitude of his master.  He seemed to forget who the master was, who the servant was, and the difference between the two.  The song states that part of happiness is “having a change in my behavior”.  Change in my behavior comes when I repent of doing things my way and according to my understanding and start doing them God’s way and trust Him to have my best interest in mind.  Happiness comes when I repent — when I turn away from my selfish will and desire and turn to fully following God in complete trust.
  • Happiness is the Destination — The culmination of my learning, obedience, and repentance is the destination of sharing in my Master’s happiness.  It’s the destination that brings about the real joy that can be present “even when the tear drops start”.  You see, while real happiness comes in what many would consider an unconventional manner — a relationship with Jesus — it also comes in an appearance that doesn’t always look like what people think happiness should be.  Happiness comes when I am secure in my relationship with Jesus and can look forward with great expectation to hearing those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Come and share your master’s happiness!”

I pray that you and I would find true happiness in the LORD!

by

Opened Doors, Closed Doors, and Granted Favor

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
Nehemiah 1:11

I am in the process of looking for a plow truck (similar to the one pictured above, although a V-Plow would be nice 🙂 ) for Michiana Christian Service Camp.  Searching for a used vehicle can be quite nerve-wracking — particularly when it is for a ministry and you are even more acutely aware of the need to be a good steward of funds God has provided.  I want something durable, reliable, and with no hidden or unseen problems that will serve us well for years to come.  With that said, I realize even the best mechanic can’t see inside an engine, transmission, or other major component and predict its longevity with complete accuracy.

That’s where I think the above verse comes in to this process. 🙂  Some may say, “What does God care about a truck, or buildings, or other “stuff” that a camp may need?”  Yet it is in the context of “stuff” that Nehemiah prays!  He receives word that his Jewish brethren living in Judah are in great need.  The walls of Jerusalem have been broken down and the city gates have been burned.  Nehemiah is concerned for the physical needs of the people and the city.  So, in his position as cupbearer to the king, he knows that the resources exist to help.  I believe he also knows that this process could go extremely well or could be an incredible disaster — kind of like buying a used truck. 🙂

So, Nehemiah does what we all ought to do when faced with a decision — pray!  While he knew the person who could provide everything that was needed, he also knew the God that could move the heart of the king to respond favorably!  Nehemiah didn’t rely on his connections, influence, or ability to convince the king to do what was needed.  Instead he prayed that God would give him success by granting him favor in the king’s presence.  In essence, he is praying that God would open doors that needed to be opened and close doors that needed to be closed in order for the needs of the Israelite people in Jerusalem to be met.  His success was connected to God granting him favor.  Did you catch that?  It wasn’t that the king would grant him favor but that God would grant him favor!  The king was simply part of the resources that God was providing to a servant who was faithfully seeking Him.

So I pray!  I pray that God will give me success in this plow truck search by Him granting me favor in the presence of the seller of just the right truck to serve the camp needs!  I pray that He continues to close doors of potential truck sellers that would be bad for the camp and that He would open the door clearly to the seller of the truck that God knows would be best for the camp!  Would you join me in praying that God would give me success by Him granting me favor in the presence of the right seller?

Thank you!

Update:  . . . and here is what God provided — If you can’t tell from the picture, it is a V-Plow!

plow truck

by

Gaining Perspective

image

I had the privilege of facilitating some high ropes and low course initiatives for a group from Andrews University last week.  The picture above is from one of my favorite low course initiatives that I facilitate.  I’m not super creative so I simply call it the “Golf Ball Transport”.  🙂  The object is to move a regular golf ball about 20 feet from one over-sized golf tee to another using a small metal ring with ten 12 foot strings attached to it.

While it may not sound all that complicated, particularly if you’ve never tried it, this is a great activity for learning the importance of perspective in our communication and actions.  There are few rules to the activity other than each participant must maintain a hold only on the very end of a string and if the ball falls off the ring and hits the ground the entire activity must start over.

Communicating movement based on your perspective isn’t all that helpful when everyone else sees it just a little bit differently.  In this activity, a simple request for everyone to move left simply results in the entire group moving in a circle because each person’s left is in a different direction relative to the ball and tee.  Eventually groups realize that they need to communicate from a common reference point and that their perspective may not give a full and clear picture of where things really are.

How often in life do we insist that people need to move in a certain way because from our perspective that is what makes the most sense to get them where they ought to be.  Unfortunately, we rarely live in the complete center of the will of God where our perspective is actually the same perspective God has.  We must learn to evaluate our movement and actions based on the perspective of God.  It is only after we draw near to that common reference point of God’s will that we can begin to give helpful direction to lead a life that honors God.

I pray that you and I would gain a Godly perspective on our own life first, and then on the lives of those around us as we seek to serve and honor a God that desires all to come into a saving relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus.

by

Where’s The FIRE? (Part 4: Energy)

This is part 4 of a 4 part series entitled, “Where’s The FIRE?”

Part four of this series brings us to a useful aspect of Fire — Energy!  When brought together in proper balance, the three components we’ve addressed so far — Fuel, Ignition, and Respect, can be used to bring about a life-changing Energy!  It is the energy of a fire that warms us and purifies that which passes through it.  When the fuel and ignition source are used with respect, the energy that fire releases can be used with direction and purpose.

It was the combination of the Word of God ignited by the Holy Spirit and used with respect for all mankind that unleashed an energy in the life of the apostles and early church that turned the world upside down!  Paul states that he was not ashamed of the gospel — the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ — because it is the power, or energy, of God that brings about salvation! 

Is your life in Christ filled with energy?  Do you really believe that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength?  Is that “all things” according to His will and desire or “all things” according to what you want?  Some times we want the energy of being on fire for God that the early church displayed but we really don’t want the fuel of God’s Word to be that dominant in our life.  We like victory if we’re in charge and we get the credit but we’re not so sure about allowing God’s Spirit to actively live and work in our life each and every moment we live.  We stand for truth, and rightly so, but when it comes to others we desperately want the Jesus who overturned the money tables more than we want the Jesus who says in love, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.”

I pray that you and I would experience the energy that comes from the fire of God in our life!  May our consistent time in the Word of God fuel us to face whatever comes our way.  May our quiet time of seeking God and listening to His Spirit ignite the Word in our life so that it is living and active.  May our reverence of God give us a respect for people and a respect for the fire of God so that we would not bring damage to ourself or others.  May the energy that we receive from pursuing God in this way be used to change us into the image and actions of Jesus so that our life would be one that turns the world upside down as we lift up Jesus and He draws those that watch us to Himself.