Tuesday, June 14, 2011

It Begins

Hello friends.

We have launched a new site.

I will not be updating here any longer, thought former posts will remain live for the time being. Heidi will still occasionally update her personal blog.

You can now find us at designedbycreativity.com

This is officially the beginning of a new opportunity for us, and hopefully for you.

Details will be on the new site under the page Beauty in Wordscape, and will soon after be moved to make room for you.

Come journey with us.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Last Minute Grace

Excited today to have my wife guest post an amazing story of Grace that we witnessed first hand.  Enjoy the passion in this post and feel free to click the links and follow these amazing people on Twitter!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Surrendered

Last weekend was our district youth convention, you can search it on twitter under the hashtag EODYC or #EODYC to find all the tweets that went out.


This is my brief summary, no not summary - more like a concentrated synopsis of greatness, glory and commitment.  


Here's the honest truth, I don't remember a ton of the words that came from Banning Liebscher's mouth, in fact I remember more the irony of my dear wife slugging the guy as he went to the stage to preach and in the end interact with students in a healing service.  


Friday night started out with a concert from Gungor, the guys and girls who used to be a strictly worship band from somewhere in the great United States, but are now more hipster Christian indie band then anything else, yes they still rock the worship songs, but they do so in scruffy beards and stage 3 V-necks (click the link, it's worth the read).


Then the 'epic' event to launch all YC weekends.  Chris Chase (aka Chrischase101) pops the crowd into a frenzy by singing Rebecca Black's 'Friday', you can view the effort by clicking here.


After all the fun, from Chase, card tricks, speakers getting punched and the total loss of sleep, God moved. In spectacular yet simple ways.  From commitments to say yes to God, and a move of the Spirit as students and leaders surrendered to God and agreed to become the chosen and not just the called, to all generations receiving healing by the word of testimony and activating their faith.  We saw asthma leave the building, broken tailbones healed, a girl with what seemed like shattered everything give word to having no pain and fresh ability to move.


Youth pastors and leaders were prayed for, revivalists were called on, and WE were challenged to not sit and watch but to take it home with us and live it out.


I don't want to miss all the importance of the weekend for any of you, but since we have some students sharing on Sunday morning, I want to leave most of it for them to share, then I will possibly regurgitate some more.


Here's what I took home:


When we attend an event like this one, we encounter God on a new level, one we have never witnessed before, mostly because for many of us the only time we see 1200 people in one place is in high school, not in a church service.  This changed that for our 8 students and 3 leaders.  God rushed in and they responded, with joy and excitement.  But what happens after we leave on Sunday?  Is it just life back to normal?  NO!  Not if you raised your hand and had even an inkling of sincerity behind it.  And if you raised your hand because others did, well that's another story and blog post in itself.  If you meant it at all, you made a public declaration that you are going to serve God now from that moment with the same passion you showed all weekend, even in the face of trial and temptation and discouragement.


We are called and now we are the chosen, God has asked something of our lives, and we need to deliver on it.  


Closing thought: If your faith didn't cost you anything, it isn't worth much.


Q4U: what do you feel God has placed in your arena of life for this moment?

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Declarations (delusions?) of grandeur

Can you guess what I am going to say?  Everyone else is right?  The whole world is caught up in it after all.  You can't watch the news of go on the internet, check your email or call someone without hearing the words. 



Friday, May 13, 2011

Leaderless Leadership

I am honored to have Jeremy Postal as a guest blogger this week.  His words are both honest and challenging, please take notice of his statements especially if you are in ministry in any way.  You will find a link to his personal website below the blog so you can get to know him better, go check it out.  Thank you Jeremy for your words.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Spirit of Innovation

A couple of weeks ago I have the opportunity to have a guest post on People of the Second Chance, if you haven't had a chance to read it, you can find the blog post here: Grace That Covers All..

We had district conference over this week, 3 of the most challenging and confirming days of my year.  I saw the leadership of our district receive a ratification vote of well of 90% for each person, witnessed the passion in the lives of pastors from around Eastern Ontario, and came away with a few very earth shattering moments concerning my own faith.  I want to share with you the 3 words that I have been both affirmed and crushed by, almost in a parallel moment.

1.  We already have good ideas.  I went away to the conference with an idea in mind that I felt was decent, the system is almost built, the network ideal for it is completed and the structure is on its way.  And I got frightened by the subconscious thought that everyone would say no, that my idea is not good enough.  As Ian Green spoke these words 'we all have good ideas' I instantly went to thinking about what I had been working on and I knew God was saying to me through this point in the message, 'You have good ideas'.  As for the rejection part of my thought process, that was handled as well, which leads to the second word I felt was for the season I am in.

2.  We can not fail, we can only learn.  Learn how to do something and how not to do something.  Even if my idea is rejected I need to learn from that moment and discover what to change, if anything.  With every idea there is risk, so we need to be active in our faith and understand that people will say no, but you did not fail, you simply have to learn from it and see what needs to be changed in the approach.  God does not set us on a path of success and failure he sets us on a path of growth and learning, so that we can find new ways to advance the Kingdom, to liberate people from bondage, to celebrate who we are, to show that He is a loving God and He is motivated by the cry in our hearts to give us good ideas so we can live better lives until Jesus returns.

3.  A passion for the lost.  This is the word that I came a way with, it's the word that led to the word I came away with.  During my time at the altar I was seeking for God to give me a greater passion for the lost, just as a couple dozen other pastors were doing.  Somewhere in my time of unstructured, raw, driven prayer I realized I was getting no where.  There was no passion building in my heart, no burden for lost souls, no need to be outreach focused and my heart was instantly shattered like a mirror receiving a hammer blow to it's fragile existence.  What I realized in that exact moment was that I cannot receive a greater passion for the lost if I am not seeking first a greater passion for His Word.  This is where knowledge and passion and compassion and justice and liberty and love and wisdom and all that we need to show the lost is held in abundance.  God's word is like a spring of untapped passion and if I am to desire a greater passion to reach those who have not heard the gospel, I first need to have a greater passion to feed my self with the gospel, to be entrenched in the voice of God for every season of my life.  In this, and only in this will I find a greater passion for the lost, because in His Word I will find life and joy, and from that I can share more fervently the story of God, and show that everyones story matters.

If you were at EOD 2011, please share what you brought away from it so we can encourage each other to continue learning as leaders.

For everyone reading this: what is God speaking to you these days?  What is it that you are finding remarkable in life right now?  What's your good idea?  I look forward to hearing from you.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Good Friday and Toilets

Now that you are totally caught off guard, let me explain my Easter weekend to you and how this title came to be.

We had some friends driving up over the weekend, and as part of our routine when people come to visit we follow this statement: If the toilets are clean and the kitchen is washed, grab a seat on the couch, no need to mop.  Even though we do mop, everywhere and vacuum the rest, we always ensure that the kitchen and the bathroom are the cleanest rooms in the house.  I'd explain but this post isn't about why, just that it happened.

If you really want to know ask me in the comment section, I'll explain there.

So the kitchen is clean, the bedrooms are made up, the laundry pile is moved to the laundry room, blankets are set out fresh, floors are clean and one thing it left to do.  The toilets.  I hate this job.  But it needs to be done.  So we grab the vim and the brush and a rag and get to work.  3 toilets to scrub, 3 sinks, 1 bath and 1 shower stall.  Not bad, except again I hate cleaning toilets.  But it got done.

Now for the interesting thought process I went through, on Good Friday afternoon, while scrubbing the grime from the toilet bowl.

It occurred to me that my life may have appeared the way an unclean toilet does.  The outside can be spotless, sparkling even and some may mistakingly comment that you could eat off the lid (never do that).  But when you lift the lid what you see is the build up of mildew, the sight and therefor knowledge that one of the children forgot to flush, and a fear of what may be lurking under the rim or the bowl.  The mere thought of it has you thinking of buying a hazmat suit.  But it needs to be done.

Here's my thought process.  This is so nasty, and to be cleaning on Good Friday, should have done this yesterday.  Wow what was that, so gross.  At least I can reflect on the cross while doing this.  Wait did my life resemble this at one point.  Did the cross take the filth of my life and clean it, would God have said I once was a likened to a toilet?  I mean really, we can all represent well on the exterior, but God looks to the heart of man, is this my reality, have I been made clean on the inside just as I am cleaning the toilet now?

My conclusion: yes, that's exactly what happened.  Am I contrasting the work of the cross, taking away the stain of sin to the work of me cleaning the toilet and it's stains?  Yes I am, because even though I was always presentable on the out side, designed by the creativity and majesty of a loving God, it was the inside that he wants to have as presentable, cleaning away all that I have stored within me and causing me to be stain free.

Was this a strange development for Good Friday, not within my train of thought.  Maybe this comparison is a little off the wall for you, but I am content in realizing I was not made clean by good works or good looks, but by the cross, and let me tell you, I was a mess.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

But for a tree

When I was young I used to love going out to my grandparents house.  They had this large farm house on the highway with large hedges in the front that we would look on in amazement in the winter with the beauty of Christmas lights, and in the summer we would throw grasshoppers into the spider webs and watch as the poor insects were slowly cocooned by silk webbing and drained of their blood.  The yard was very large setting up on a field that encompassed 2 sides, and a cherry orchard on the the other.  I discovered quickly that there is nothing as sweet as the taste of a fresh picked cherry on a summer day, except maybe two, but we never stopped at less then five.

The only downfall of the cherry trees?  We weren't allowed to climb them.  This made for a difficult childhood of tree climbing as there were many grandchildren that wanted to be in the trees.  The answer to this was the one large tree that was on the side yard, just off from the cherry trees.  I am not sure what type of tree it was, but I remember large white blossoms at times.

This tree was twisted in various directions, so many limbs shooting off reaching out for just a little more sunlight and rain.  A swing that had long been neglected for the beckoning of the top branch, who could reach it first.  Many family photographs were taken in front of the tree, with many children in the tree, some with only legs showing, others hanging upside down.  That tree made summer at my grandparents the focal point of my childhood.

But for a tree I would remember only the other trees that we were not allowed to climb.

There is another tree that made wonderful memories in my life.  Maybe you've heard about it, maybe you have found yourself in the same place I have.  At the base, looking up in amazement to the only one who climbed the tree and conquered it.  Perhaps you have seen the look of guilt and anguish on others faces as they walk by, or even anger, pity, disdain and unbelief.  But I have found a place at the bottom of the tree and I have gazed up in wonder at the maker of the tree, who is also the one hanging on the tree.

I have come various times in various states.  Alone, confused, frustrated, lost, and I have wrapped my arms around the trunk pleading for one more chance to get it right.  I have cried on the tree, laughed near the tree, danced around the tree, and been embraced by the one who came down from the tree.

Jesus found his way to the top of the tree.  The horrible, t shaped, heavy, twisted, maniacal, shame filled, death proven, life giving, beautiful, unrelenting, grace and love anointed, glorious tree. 

He climbed that tree, though pain and sadness filled his body, he climbed with a purpose, and a sense of joy.  This tree will make a difference.  It wasn't his first encounter with a tree, he had cursed a tree once that was not bearing fruit.  This final tree would bear fruit, it would bear pain, humiliation, scorn, and death.  But it would also bear life, as the author of life rested upon it.

The joy of the cross is often missed, we see the bruised, beaten and bloodied savior on the tree, the cross and wonder why he would do such a thing.  To live a perfect life and then be strung up and destroyed.  But the joy in his heart as he hung there on a Friday, was the knowledge of the eternal value he was setting forth for any who would believe.  He paid it all as a lamb led to slaughter for the eternal value of our souls.

Jesus climbed that tree and while he was on the top he began to weep, perhaps in the same way he wept at Lazarus' tomb, maybe with a little more intention and passion, maybe with a fire in his eyes that no one saw because they were swelled shut.  But Jesus wept, and when he cried out 'it is finished' he conquered the tree, and no one else ever did.

But for a tree you and I have been made free.  
But for a tree the blood of Christ would not be seen.
But for a tree the wrath of God would be released.
But for a tree the love of God can now take seed.
But for that tree you have been saved.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Anniversaries

3 years ago today my family and I, including my dad and inlaws, made our way across most of Ontario, from the west tot he east, and began to plant roots in a new community.  We drove our rented Thrifty cube van, and a few cars for nearly 6.5 hours, through valley's, over hills, around curves that seemed to never end, and got to experience some amazing country side.  We found our way to a beautiful little town called Smiths Falls.


Tomorrow will mark the day that we took possession of our house, the first house we have a mortgage on, hooray for not renting.  It was the second house we looked at on our tour of homes that were for sale in February 2008, it was the only one that we really liked.  It also had 2 others bids on it, which we now have found out, both bids were from couples in our church.  The deciding factor for ours being the winning bid?  Our closing date was only 4 weeks from the day we made our bid, the day we were to start in Smiths Falls at our wonderful church.


As we reflect on the process of buying this house, we see God in so many areas.  The neighborhood we are in, the price of the house, the fact it was on the market for a few months without selling, even down to the agent that showed us around.  Bet he was happy, he said in all his years of selling only one other time did he sell a house the day he showed the house.


Friday will mark 3 years since my first day in office, April 1st.  Imagine if that was some elaborate April fools joke, getting a family to move up here for April one, then at noon yell out April Fools, we didn't actually hire you.  Thankfully God's sense of humor isn't like that and either was our churches.


I met some inspiring and very kind people that first day in office as they came to get a sneak peak at the new blood who had taken up residence.  Each one sharing words of life and love as they shook my hand and passed through my office, which was being rearranged and stocked full of books and media.


April 6th will mark 3 years since my first Sunday at Bethel.  In this time I have learned numerous leadership and life lessons.  I have been taught many God values and preaching stand points.  I have developed my own style of ministry, and I have planted myself into a community that desires change and needs hope and love.  April 6th is a special day for my family and I, it was the day we began this journey with the people of Smiths Falls and our new family at Bethel.  It is also the day I shared what I believe was an inspired message about our church and town.  I want to reflect on that message briefly, travel back with me 3 years, lets see what God has done in our lives since that day.


Who am I?  We looked at my past, how I was brought up, the things I had experienced over the years.  I shared my heart for the people of Bethel and the community I now live in.  I expressed how I had a sense that this was home, not just a post that I had been called to for a few years, but home.  We walked through my love for spreading hope and joy to others through kindness, regardless of how that takes form.  And I concluded with a section called God of this city.  


Loosely based on the Chris Tomlin song, complete with video presentation revolving around photos of our town.  I shared about the move of God in this great town that we need to anticipate, that the spirit of revival would flow through our streets and the people would see that the heart of God was for their lives to be covered by his grace and love.  


What I have learned is that God wants to do a mighty work in this town, I know we hear it a lot, but he really genuinely does want to accomplish great things.  I have dreams and hopes for my life and those around me.  So does God.  My hope is that I can see His dreams take form in this town, see his hand move in a powerful way, and that I can be a part of what he does here.


3 years is not a long time, only a small mark on the line that is my life, but God is doing some great things, and I love the fact that he isn't done with me yet.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Follow

As I was going over the list of people I follow on twitter and those who follow me I began to question why I follow certain people.  There are a couple of 'celebrities' that are on my list.  Not anyone that you might consider to be top profile names, but those in the sports world that give updates on trades and other things that I have some interest in, OK a lot of interest.  I have some people on there that some may consider christian celebrity, mostly music related, and I follow them because I like to see where they are touring, if they are coming anywhere near my area, and too see when new albums are being released.  I have some pastors that I enjoy learning from, an organization I have a commitment to and then I have family and friends.


It occurred to me that while not all of these are important in my life, they each offer something into who I am.  The glaring omission?  I don't have the bible passage a day feed coming through, or C.S. Lewis even.  I won't get to in depth as to why, but the basic reason is that I would hate to have this as my only scripture based moment of the day, because I have fallen into that trap before.  Not with twitter but with printed devotional material, one sentence of scripture and some kind words, there I'm done for today.


As I contemplated following the person or persons who update this feed I wondered about Jesus, would he follow the feed, would he 'retweet' the passages that came across his screen.  Or would he just offer his words to those who followed his tweets.  Then my mind went a new direction.  Who would we find that followed Jesus.  Of course this is all under the pretense that Jesus would need to be physically with us right now and spend any amount of time on social media venues.


Would we see other religious figures on his list, movie stars, professional athletes, musicians, those who claim to love him, those who do.  How many people would use him in their tweets, Hey @Jesus, you the man.  Or #ff (friday follow) his name.  We live in a day where the added thanks to God and Jesus is no longer cool, it's more taboo.  How many times in years past was God thanked for a grammy or oscar by people who lived indifferent to the gospel?  Now those are not spoken as often.


People may follow him, because let's face it, if God is on the scene you want to be at least near what he is doing.  Then another tunnel swept my train of thought away.  Would we really follow?  Like the people who came to Jesus and said I want to follow you, and he challenged them to sell all their possessions or let the dead bury the dead.  Would we Friend him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter alone, or would we lay it down and follow his footsteps?  Chase after him through the wilderness, ride through the storm with him, wash feet at his side, pour out our lives for his cause?


I know where his loyalties are to me, but where would mine be if he stood behind me right now?  Where would yours be?  Would he be welcome at your dinner table, or just on the computer screen?  Would you follow the man, or just the tweets?


After all when we boil down everything in this life, one decision needs to be made above all others, where does your heart lie?  Are you seeking the Kingdom, or just the recognition of it's benefits?


Jesus called us to follow him, not the illusion of a man or deity on social media sites.  
@Jesus doesn't speak to you, @Jesus doesn't change your life.  @Jesus doesn't supply your every need.


JESUS does, follow him.


*on a related note, someone created an @Jesus twitter feed with now over 200 000 followers.  Read some of the tweets, and to my shock and surprise, it's not Jesus.  #heartbreaker

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Harvest



On Sunday morning I had opportunity to preach a message on the harvest field.  It wasn't assigned by our pastor, I did however feel some spiritual prompting to bring the message.  Why?  I've never wanted to guess at why God wants certain things spoken at specific times, so I won't speculate now, however I do find it refreshing that I find online a few other people shared from the same text on the same day.   Here are the fine or major points from the message.  


Luke 10:2 He told them "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (NIV)


John 4:34-36  My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.  Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until the harvest'?  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.  Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.


1.  Jesus is instructing those he was sending out to ask God where they should go into the fields.  Where to bring the story of salvation.  He is also instructing us to ask God to send the workers, not those around us, quite literally, US.  Jesus was giving instruction in typical form, ask God to send you.  He is the Lord of the harvest and he needs workers, not people to say, God send someone to my neighbour they need to hear about you.  He wants us to go, those who claim to know and follow Christ, we are the workers he wants in the fields.


2.  The harvest fields are the people around us that have not heard the good news, or do not have a relationship with Christ.  These are the fields God is sending us to, all we need to do is be willing to answer, Here I am Lord send Me.


3.  While in the harvest fields we may come up with a reason to not do the work.  Let's face it, the farming task of harvest is hard work and you get dirty, so is the spiritual task of working in the fields, sowing in fertile soil so God can reap, and we may not like the toll it can take at times.  Have you ever said or heard the words, some one else will get to it (read them) or I have enough time, I'll do it tomorrow.  Both can cause us to stop doing the will and work of the Lord, drifting into a sense of sleepy faith only perking up when our favorite song is played on Sunday morning.  Neither is the word of God. 
Here's why.
If we claim that someone else will do the work, we miss the blessing of sowing into someone's life the words that could bring hope and God's love.  Imagine the scene at the throne of Jesus when your neighbor runs and thanks someone you never met for sharing about Christ with them, yeah someone else did the work, but it could have and maybe should have been you (read me).  We don't need to be an extravert or an amazing evangelist we just need to care about the eternal state of those around us, those we live with even.
If we claim we have enough time, we are just lying to our selves, the truth is we don't know how much time we have on this earth.  When our last breathe will be taken, when our friends last breathe will be taken, when Jesus will return.  We need to stop fooling our selves into thinking we have more time and do the work we are called to do now, because now is the time to do the work.
Worry about their salvation not their perception, doing this only leads to more lost souls, Jesus never cared what people thought of him, only that He loved them.


4.  The workers are all those who claim to be the church, the living organism that is body of Christ.  The mouths that share the good news, the feet that bring aid to those in need, the hands out stretched to serve where needed.  


5.  We are living in the end times, no dancing around it, no trying to hide from it, this time is prophesied in scripture, we are seeing the last days right now.  I'm not a dooms dayist, I simple hope to see the return of Christ, but first I want to see my friends and family come to Christ in a moment of honest surrender to him, in salvation for their souls.  I am a harvest worker, I am part of the church, I must do the work.




If you claim to be a Christian, you are a harvest worker, get busy.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Prize and Pitfalls

Friday night we started a series looking at the pitfalls of life and the one real prize that we have to look forward to.  We began by looking at how to chase after the prize with 5 individual issues that are important in the life of a Christian when we look at life as a race.


And we concluded with the thought that the race can be won, when it is run in a specific manner.  With perseverance, passion, not being satisfied with the things of the past, not looking back, trusting that you will not fail and knowing that the one who is in you is greater then the one who is in the world.  With this in mind we all have the capacity to win the prize, but we must in the very least put effort towards it, be in training and finish strong.


But in all this one thing is catching my attention more and more.  I haven't devoted a huge amount of energy to it, because it has the appearance of a peripheral teaching to the main teaching I am in right now.  But I will take these few minutes and scribe my thoughts for you, maybe it will lead to something from there.


I this series on pitfalls and the prize I have constructed a target board for our youth to throw a dart at, in hopes of hitting the very small center circle and win a prize, from 15 feet away.  There are also 3 larger circles in which the word pitfall is written, this is where the 'game' takes place.  As an illustration to the point that we have many pitfalls to avoid in life, and the prize is center in our life, they must try to negotiate the distance and trials to win the prize, or they have to walk through a pitfall, a disgusting, yet entertaining pitfall.


The teaching on this game?  Matthew 7:13-14:


“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."


Here are my thoughts on this passage, again you may have your own ideas and images of any given passage, I'm not asking for you to agree with me, just to indulge me as I share my thoughts with you.


Life can be tough, finances, health, relationships and so many other areas take our time and attention, and soon we find our selves worn out, full of anxiety and looking for a way out.  There is a door.  Do you remember the tiny little door in Alice in Wonderland, the one that led Alice on a journey of fantasy and amazement?  Think of that door as a gate, and make it just as narrow as it is short.  Why does it have to be so small, how can I possibly fit my life style, my past, my current issues, my ego, all my wants and desires through that tiny little gate.  How can God ask me to try and fit through there as I am right now?


That road right there, the huge gate on the left side, I can fit through there with no struggle, no problems and I can be me with no fear of life.  And just as quickly as the decision is made to enter the wide gate is made the first trouble comes our way and destruction sets in on us, doom is coming, and it started because the easy road was wide and accessible. 


The narrow gate requires one thing of us, to see beyond what we have created as a small mindset, its all about me, my lifestyle, my ego, my money, my toys, me, ME, ME.


The narrow gate asks us to shed it all, and allow God to reform us into the masterpiece he originally intended.  The wide gate?  Come with all your issues, allow them to weigh you down, no need to think about others, just live your pitiful, trial stained life and the wide gate will add to it.  So much so that you will soon have no hope.


The narrow gate, it is made of hope.  Actually, the arrow gate is made of a man.  Jesus.  He is the gate, the way to the Father.  His way is narrow, but it is also a light burden, a path to reformation, a stretch of road to a prize that no man, no woman, no possession can offer.


The narrow gate is the only way to achieve real life, and it's not a fight to get through it or to walk down the narrow path.  It's aided by Jesus as you pass through the gate, which again is Jesus (John 10:7-10), so your life has a helper, a guide, a friend and an intercessor.


The way to real full life is narrow because it does not leave room or make excuses for heavy expectations and tarnished goals or faulty gods.  The way to life is narrow because it keeps you focused on the prize.


The path to destruction is wide because in it's great span, you can easily be distracted by the many 'great adventures' life can offer, ones that weigh you down, tear apart your self worth, give you a horrible image of others and eventually leaves you weeping in a corner for one person to help you.


Find the narrow road, find life, live life, win the prize.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Be Still

A few months ago our Pastor preached on Psalm 46:10, specifically 'Be still and know that I am God'.  He shared a lot of great insights in these 8 words, how they apply to our lives and took us through some of the context of the passage.  But I have to admit I that I was in a semi non-productive state as far as my listening skills were concerned.  The second he spoke the words be still and know my mind started to race.

I began writing down and picking apart how many ways these words can be emphasized in our lives, what situations they could apply to, and if by removing one word, or rearranging them a little the context for our life changes almost completely from what we see in this passage.

I'll take you through some of them and add some emphasis for different context, feel free to add your own in the comments.

BE STILL and know that I am God - ever feel so busy that you started to think of your self as greater then who you actually are.  Perhaps you were accomplishing some great things in this time of business, and your ego got a little too large for your circumstance, BE STILL, know that HE is God.

Be still and KNOW that I am God - sure we talk about it, maybe even try to live our live this way, to know that He is God, that he has everything under control, that God has perfect timing for whatever comes into our lives, and he will make all thing work together for good.  BUT do we really fully understand what it means to trust and know that He is God?  I can say the words over and over, I know that you are God, but do I really trust him to act on that?  Because at the root, intrinsically designed into the knowledge that He is God, is the action of believing that He will be God, and He will act on all that He has promised.  Know that He is God and in this your heart, your mind, your fears, your anxiety and all that doubt can be still.

Be still AND KNOW that I am God - these two words create an action on our part, an opportunity to bring our faith to the front of our lives.  If the verse read 'Be still I am God' there is now no action required of us, God places all the emphasis on himself in this case, it almost becomes a command to us, Be still my servants, I am God.  Like a scolding father to his children running around the house.  But with the AND KNOW we are given the opportunity to act on this comment from God, and have faith that he will stand by us.

Be still and know that I AM GOD - not that I feel an overt need to explain this one, but here it is.  Adding emphasis here we are given the assurance, that the creator, the one who loves us, chases us, embraces us and disciplines us, is indeed the one true God.  Imagine the thoughts process if it read be still and know that I am A god.  Question after question floods my mind, which god, where are you, who do you favor, how do I meet your requirements?  Instead "I am God' reassures me that I only have to live a life that can bring glory to the Father and he will take care of the rest.  This statement gives me peace, that no other god is out there that is higher then the one speaking to me, no other god has the ability to give and take away, no other god can change the circumstance of my life.  Why?  Because the one I serve has offered me peace in the statement, Be still and know that I AM GOD.

Finally my favorite.

BE STILL and know that I am God - what are you doing right now?  Stop.  What are you thinking about?  Stop.  What are you listening to, watching, reading (yes even this post)?  Stop.



Now listen.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Attitude Adjustment

A couple of weeks ago I was involved in a minor car accident.  I was sitting at the church waiting to merge into traffic when a man who was working in the lot next to us backed into our parking lot and subsequently into the back passenger side of my car.  I did have time to honk three times and check to see if I could accelerate quickly onto the highway, but no such luck.  All of this is consequential, the reason I write this is because what impacted me must was how my level of reaction changed through the next 20 minutes.


It started as most people would react.  Anger and frustration.  As the van backed into me I was struck with the thought of, how can you not look out your back window when you're reversing.  After the impact he looked at me and I made what in my estimation was a critical error in character.  With his eyes locked on mine, and his mind already circling about how this happened and what he was going to say to his wife, the police and insurance company, I raised my hands shook my head and smirked at him.  No grace for the moment, no mercy over a mistake.  I got angry and I showed it.  Then I got out and felt foolish.  My countenance must have been quite impressive at that moment, a little dumbfounded by the accident, still angry at the man, and now ashamed of my initial reaction.

And then all I could say was, well I guess I'll go call the police.  I went back to the church slightly afraid that I was going to come back out and he'd be gone, also unsure of what to say, "Hi I need an officer at my church, some guy backed his van into my car as I sat waiting to merge, and I think I may have offended him."  No I didn't say that but I actually wanted to.

When I got off the phone I called my wife and told her all about it so she knew why I wasn't home for lunch.  I went back to the door, adjusted my coat and invited him in to keep warm.  I tried to make conversation with him, but I assume he felt ashamed as he wasn't answering my question very in depth at all, almost avoiding the situation as much as he could, wanting to be anywhere else but in the church with me, waiting for the police to come and take our reports.

After the officer arrived and we gave our reports I offered a good sense of care and a small amount of pity over the situation, and released him from my presence by saying, have a good day, I'll move ahead and let you go.  And I haven't seen him since.

So why blog here and not on my other site.  Because of the way my reaction changed so drastically in the 20 or so minutes of the encounter.  From anger and frustration to shame and guilt to compassion and care.  It had nothing to do with the church building, it probably didn't have anything to do with being a pastor at the church, or any church.  But it did have everything to do with God.

Conviction, relief, grace, love, compassion, care, hope and mercy.  How can a person run through this gambit of emotion and inner turmoil in such a short period of time concerning one person?  Easy, God intervened.  I wonder how far I would have gone if this had been a few years ago when I was nearing the burnout state of life, had a slight anger problem and couldn't see the need for grace and mercy.

But then I spent 6 months healing and refueling my life.  I felt a substantial amount of growth in that time, and I gained a compassion for people that I had previously not known.  God intervened and reintroduced me to the fact that I am created in his image, with part of his nature within me.  Be holy for I am holy.  What a profound statement.  And in that statement I find the reason that my reaction went from anger to grace.  God intervened and brought my spirit to a moment of realization that I was not being in any form, holy.

I am thankful for that moment, for God reminding me who I am meant to be, and who I am meant to be like, and even for the accident.  I would only hope that I can meet the man again, under different circumstances, maybe over coffee, discussing life circumstances, and why grace is so important.

Take it from me, every chance you get to show grace, use it.  And remember that you are instructed to be holy, because you are made in God's image, and His image is one of holiness.

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