Life Lessons

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What Are You Planting?

Liberty Park Gardens

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”   1 Corinthians 3:6

Gardening can be an enjoyable hobby.  In faith, you plant a seed in the ground with the expectation that it will produce the plant that it is supposed to.  After the seed does what it is designed by God to do, produce a plant, we often spend much time in cultivating the soil around our plants and making sure they have the proper amounts of water and nutrients.  We do this because we have a goal of seeing the plant  mature and produce the flower we desire to bring beauty to our garden.  Or perhaps we are waiting for that fresh tomato off the vine, or the fresh picked sweet corn or other vegetable that just isn’t the same from the store.  We don’t mind the work because we are able to anticipate the results we enjoy so much.

The question I want to ask is, “In God’s kingdom, what are you planting?”  Are you involved in sowing the seed of the gospel?  Do you plant the seeds of the good news of Jesus in the lives of those around you?  Do you do this in faith, expecting the seed to produce that which it was designed for?  How about once the seed germinates and sprouts into growth?  Do you care for the soul that has been reborn through the seed which was planted?  You see, a person’s immersion into Jesus Christ is a sprouting of the seed that has been planted.  This new growth must be taken care of.  I always tell people that I work with that when they are baptized, it is only the beginning of their life in Christ.  The best, and hardest, is yet to come.  They need to grow!

I would encourage you to spend time planting the gospel in the lives of others.  Also, spend time nurturing the faith of those who are young in Christ that they would mature and produce fruit.

As we do our part, may we always remember it is God who brings the increase.

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Power to Save the World

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:  first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”  Romans 1:16

This year was the thirtieth anniversary of the original Star Wars movie and true Star War fans were out in force this year celebrating.  As this series has made its way to DVD, audiences continue to eagerly view each installment of this drama.  Many go to enjoy the technical aspects of the film.  Yet, I believe that many more are fascinated by the ongoing battle of good versus evil.  People are intrigued with this “force” that is so powerful it can change the way people think and act.  People cheer when the “force” is able to guide individuals to accomplish great things for the good of entire nations and civilizations – even entire galaxies! 🙂

How quickly we forget that we have access to something much more powerful and lasting than any “force” a movie writer could ever come up with.  As Christians, we have available to us a power that can save all of mankind from the ultimate evil.  This power is not as mystical as the “force” and not as flashy as a light sabre.  This power is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. 

Paul tells us something remarkable about this gospel.  He is not ashamed of it.  Paul understood clearly that he had nothing to be ashamed of.  By taking hold of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he had a power that exeeded anything he had known before.  It was something to be proud of.  There was no shame in sharing this glorious gospel with others.  It was because he recognized the gospel was the only power  that could save mankind from thier sin that he would boldly proclaim this gospel at every opportunity that he had.

Have you tapped into this power?  If so, do you live like you know the power to save the world?  May your life share the gospel of Jesus to a world that desperately needs salvation. 

May we not be ashamed.

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Dead or Alive?

The Great Salt Lake 

“Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Luke 6:38

I was out on Antelope Island last night in the midst of the Great Salt Lake in Utah.  The trip out was interesting because you have to cross a lengthy causeway where the air is filled with a horrific stench.  The combination of the salt, sulfur, and decaying matter causes a smell that makes most other smells seem tolerable.

The island itself was beautiful!  There are 40 freshwater springs on the island that provide fresh water for an abundance of wildlife and plant life on the island.  It is amazing to see all of this life that is surrounded by a lake that is dead.  The springs provide living water in the midst of despair and decay. 

Today, we were in Provo and were able to see Utah Lake.  This lake is entirely different in nature as it contains freshwater and much life.  The interesting thing is that the two lakes are connected by a river.

So, what’s the difference?  The Great Salt Lake is a taker only and not a giver.  Fresh water flows into it, but there are no streams of water flowing out.  The minerals and salinity simply build up within the lake so that it reaches the point that life cannot survive.  Utah Lake, on the other hand, not only takes in fresh water, but it has an outlet that passes it along.  The flow of water into, and out of, the lake allows it to maintain a freshness that makes life possible.

Our spiritual lifes are similiar.  We have a choice to make.  Will we be takers only, or givers as well.  A taker is willing to benefit from the love and giving of others but is unwilling to pass any of that along.  Soon life becomes stagnant and the soul becomes a “dead sea” within us.  We were created to both give and receive.  To maintain a healthy spiritual life, we must be constantly giving that which has been given to us.  Jesus points this truth out throughout His life and in the verse above, we see that we cannot outgive God.  Nothing we give can ever empty, or deplete, the love God has for us.  In fact, our giving of God’s love to others serve to increase it in us – not decrease it.

May you be found giving so that life flourishes in and around you.

 

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Thermometer or Thermostat?

Thermostat“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”  Romans 12:2

I would like for you to think about two items you have in your home.  These two items usually are not given a lot of thought until you become uncomfortable.  The first is the thermometer.  By design, it tells us the temperature of our surroundings.  Nothing more, nothing less.  If it is hot, it will reflect a hot temperature.  If it is cold, it will reflect a cold temperature.  You see, the thermometer makes no direct difference in its surroundings.

The other item we often look at when we are uncomfortable in our homes is the thermostat.  This also shows the temperature.  However, it is vastly different than the thermometer.  By design, it causes your furnace or air conditioning unit to adjust the room temperature to match the thermostat setting.  If you want to feel a difference in your room temperature, you change the thermostat setting.  The thermostat causes its surroundings to reflect what it is set at.

You may be thinking that this is pretty basic information and wonder what it is doing in this [blog].  You see, we each have a choice to make.  Are you willing to simply reflect the culture around you?  Do you want to live like a thermometer, reflecting your surroundings regardless of what is right?  God would call this conforming.  His instruction to you would be to no longer conform to the world but to be transformed.

As we allow God to renew our mind, we can become thermostats; individuals who stand out and influence their surroundings by their stand for what is right.  I pray that as God transforms you, that you will be a thermostat in the world and not simply a thermometer.

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Accumulating Treasures (What’s In Your Heart?)

I moved to South Bend a little over 6 years ago and left behind a building and a barn full of treasures that I did not have room for in our new place.

The new renters of my old place wanted more space and so my parents decided to rent the building on the property to them as well.  Uh – Oh!  It is full of stuff.  My stuff.  My father-in-law’s stuff.  My parents’ stuff.  All stuff that was too valuable to throw away, but as far as my part of the stuff – stuff I hadn’t needed for over 6 years!

Clean-out time had come.  Everything had to go!  What was worth keeping?  Was anything worth keeping?  The time to decide was here.  Oh . . . did I forget to mention that I’m a pack-rat?  I guess maybe the building and barn full of stuff kind of gave that away. 😛

There were a few things that I felt I could use.  A couple very nice basketball goals . . . an old wooden desk chair . . . something else . . . and something else as well, I guess.  There must have been a few other things, at least we brought 3 van loads home.  But that was nothing compared to the truck and trailer loads that were hauled off and dumped.  Much of it was simply trash . . . waiting for the day that it would be called what it was and dealt with appropriately.  For much of it, that day had come.  There is likely stuff that was kept and saved by myself and other family members that actually fit the “trash” category, but it wasn’t identified as such yet.  Perhaps one day it’s time will come as well.

It made me think of the principles Jesus taught . . . “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  . . . “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”  Wow!  What is the treasure that fills my heart?  What does my mouth sound like because of the treasures that I am storing up.  Is it time for a continual cleaning out and an honest calling of the clutter, trash?  It is not just the garages, basements, barns, and storage buildings that fill up with worthless items.  Much worse is when we let our hearts, minds, and souls fill up with things that are worthless so that the things of the Spirit have no room.

May you and I clean “house” and give the Spirit ample room to live and work!

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Can You Hear Me Now?

I bought a new cordless phone/answering machine last month and I really like it.  I actually hooked it up to the phone line a couple of weeks ago to replace a phone that wasn’t working consistently.  I immediately noticed a difference.  I was no longer getting those hang-up calls on the machine – you know, the ones where someone calls, hears the message, but doesn’t want to leave a message.  They were gone.  Two weeks without any.  This was amazing!

As I contemplated the advanced technology that must be at work to do away with these “blank messages”, I congratulated myself on choosing such a fine piece of equipment.  My analytical mind couldn’t leave well enough alone.  I had to think this through as to how this was possible. 

I slowly began to realize that not only did I not have any hang-up calls recorded, I didn’t have any phone messages recorded either.  Hm-mm . . . two weeks with no one leaving a message . . . that is very unusual . . . must be something wrong with this machine. 

Time to check it out.  Yep . . . plugged in to both power and phone line . . . I can make calls with it . . . I can receive calls with it . . . lights are all on . . . outgoing message is recorded . . . maybe it just needs reset . . . I’ll turn it off and back on again and see if anything changes . . . pressing on/off button . . . what? . . . Did that say “machine on”? . . . That can’t be . . . press again . . . “machine off” . . . press again . . . “machine on”!

Uh Oh!  No messages because it wasn’t turned on.  Everything else was in place, but it was not activated.  People calling were not hearing the message inviting them to talk to the machine, so they weren’t able to leave communication with me.  I’ve wondered why there were no messages and discovered it wasn’t that people weren’t trying to reach me, but that I had the answering machine turned off and therefore was unreceptive to their attempts to communicate.

I wonder how often we wait to hear from God and begin to wonder and question if this “prayer thing” really works.  We get out our checklist of what we think prayer is and ought to include.  Yep. . . . got that . . . did that . . . said that . . . and on we go, wondering if we’ll ever get this right.  Yet how often do we check that internal communication switch – you know; God living in us, the Holy Spirit.  Are we living a life filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, surrendered to God through the power of the Holy Spirit? 

Maybe we’re not consistently hearing from God because we’ve turned off His presence in our life by ignoring the Holy Spirit and the work He can do in us.

It is time to hit that “power button” and allow God’s Spirit to do His work in and through you to the glory of Jesus Christ.  May His message come through loud and clear!

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What Is Hope Worth?

Dad, Daughter, and Gulf of MexicoHope is one of those words that our English usage has managed to neutralize and take the power out of.  Our culture often uses the word to describe a longing for something that we don’t really expect to come about.  We may think it is possible, but not probable.

As a Christian, my hope does not rest on that which I wish for, dream of, or desire.  Instead, my hope is built on a confident expectation that God is faithful and always keeps His promises.  My hope is based on the faith I have in God.  Faith that the Bible defines as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

So, what is that kind of hope worth?  Is it worth life or death?  . . . health or sickness?  . . . wealth or poverty?  . . . strength or weakness?  . . . perfection or imperfection?  . . . joy or sorrow?  The answer is YES!  It is not an either/or question.  Whatever it takes to have true hope is worth it.

As I reflected on my previous post, I thought about some of the “rain” and “storms” that I have encountered in my life.  Things that some people find hard to accept and they doubt that anything could make those situations “worth it“.  Yes, there have been good “rains” as well and those obviously appear worth going through whether they increase faith or not.  As I think about the hope that I have, the following are some of the gentle rains and fierce storms that have helped shape it.

  • Did I want to marry Mary Jane?  YES!  . . . Is it worth it?  YES!
  • Did I want to work for an alcoholic boss?  No.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to spend years too sick to work?  No.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to have children?  Yes.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to raise a daughter with disabilities?  No.  . . . Is it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to get fired from a youth ministry?  No.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to get back into ministry?  No.  . . . Was it worth it?  Yes.
  • Did I want to do ministry with Impact?  Yes.  . . . Is it worth it?  Yes.

The list could go on and would contain things that were desirable as well as things that were not.  Yet each one of these examples, as well as countless others, have served to build, strengthen, and grow the hope that I have within me.  This hope that is a confident expectation of eternity with Jesus.  A hope that is worth whatever it takes to have.

Does it make sense?  Absolutely not!  That is not the question to be most concerned with.  The bigger question is, “What is this hope worth to you?”  As for me, it is worth everything.

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Rain, Rain, Go Away . . .

It rained last night and early this morning.  It got me thinking about that old childhood rhyme.  You remember it, right?  “Rain, rain go away; come again another day.”  I know there is more to it, but that is the only part I would generally hear as a child.

As necessary as rain is, there is something about it that carries a negative connotation and reaction.  I watch the newscasts and they will talk about it being a perfect week or weekend . . . sunny, mid to upper 70’s, and no rain in sight.  Granted, that is the perfect forecast if you like brown.  Not only brown, tanned bodies . . . but brown scorched earth.  Before last night’s rain, the lawns were already starting to show the effects of a period of dryness.  The rain does so much to refresh our surroundings, yet we often fail to appreciate it because it inconveniences us.  I want to work.  I want to play.  I want to be outside.  I want to enjoy the day.  I want to stay dry.  I want . . . I want . . . I want!  Little or no thought is given to what is needed.  The future?  Some other day?  Sure, the rain can come then – just not today.

Aren’t we a lot like that when it comes to the “rains” of life?  (No, not the horse thing. 🙂 )  Oh, we don’t mind the refreshing rains once in a while.  The quiet, gentle, warm rain that is fun to play in and brings happiness.  “Rains” of good news, health, family, promotion, bonuses . . . rains that may disrupt our plans, but we’re happy to change because of the perceived benefit we receive.  It’s the other rains . . . the dark, cloudy, stormy rains that we would just as soon push off to “another day”.  Rains of sickness, grief, unemployment, disease, disability . . . rains that come with the storm clouds. 

If you know me, you might want to sit down as this next statement might be quite a shock.  I might be I am weird.  I love storms.  I remember as a child sitting on the porch in front of huge sliding glass doors watching thunderstorms pass by on a regular basis.  I loved the cloud formations and the lightning.  My parents would tell me that the lightning was actually beneficial to the earth and the farm.  I remember flying through a thunderstorm on an Aeroflot flight in Russia and loving it.  The beauty of being in the midst of the clouds and flashing lightning was incredible.  I still like to watch storms.  Bad weather hits, I want to see it.  The best part is when the storm is over and everything somehow looks different.

You know, it never is “another day”.  We never wake up and say, “Wow!  Tomorrow is here!”  It is today.  We need the rain.  Without it growth doesn’t happen.  Is the rain in your life today a gentle, healing rain, or is it a violent, thunderstorm rain that is opening up parts of your life that you would rather have left alone.  You see, the storms we face can also bring healing once they have exposed our great need.  I think I have faced my share of storms in life, but what do I know?  I’ve had more than some, less than others but I don’t think it is possible to define a “fair share” of storms.  For me, they have always exposed within me my greatest need for Jesus.  Storms that have stripped me of security, health, and freedoms have all taught me that I really didn’t have those things to begin with – only illusions of them.  The beauty of rain coming when it does is that God knows when I need the gentle, healing rain and when I need the inner-person exposing storm. 

I pray that the rain in your life today will accomplish its purpose in bringing healing, growth, and transformation.