Mission Possiable

Last week I had the privileged to travel with the Carthage Nazarene Congregation to the Dominican Republic. During this trip, we spent time building an addition on the church in Santiago and teaching children and adults about Jesus in Vacation Bible School settings.The privilege came in the fact of two directions. For one, I am not a member of their church. Matter of fact, I am not a member of their denomination. I am a Presbyterian minister. They allowed me to be included and a blessing to the Santiago community. They also were a blessing to me.

This is a picture from the night we took off from Carthage. We left the church by eleven o'clock at night to travel to St. Louis. It was a long night of travel and and longer day of air planes and transfers. It was fun.

This is what you look like on the last plane ride of a long journey.

I will admit that I could fill this whole page with pictures. People took pictures of work, children, worship, instruments, and much more. You can look at my Facebook page for more pictures.I had a blast.

I must admit that a long time ambition of mine was realized while on this trip. I was invited to preach at a church plant in the country one evening. I dreamed about an opportunity to travel to a foreign country and preach through a translator. The pastor gave me the opportunity and I took it. I will admit it was different and harder than I am use in America, I will take the opportunity all over again.

Me and Arodi Sanchez (Cross Cultural Pastor of Carthage Naz.)

I was blessed beyond measure by the love and grace shared by the people of the Dominican Republic. I was also blessed by the love and support from the Carthage Nazarene team. I am refreshed by the experience, but yet troubled.

Coming back, I miss the grace and passion I saw in the eyes of the church in the Dominican. They were small but did not see that as a problem. With courage and strength, they were determined to serve the people and tell others about Jesus. Now, I struggle to see where I fit in the world back home. I struggle with a reality that the congregation I serve is tired and lost hope and passion. They see closure as a better option than hope. I came back to the national meeting of my denomination not talking much about serving people in real ways and equipping the local church to be a witness to the Kingdom of God. I hear reports of political grand standing and wishful hopes that never seem to get translated to the front line of service. Lastly, I come back to me struggling to hear God. I struggle to understand where I am being calling to serve beyond the temporary position in Springfield. I am curious where God is calling me to be next. What new plans are in store for me. I will keep searching for answers. What I find most exciting is how much God can accomplish in a short time when we are open to listen.

Mission Trip

I am preparing to leave for my first international mission trip tomorrow. I have participated in a number of mission trips to serve people here in America. I have been in downtown Cleveland, OH; Pittsburgh, PA and D'Iberville, MS. In these locations and others, I served by building structures, making repairs and other structure work. I have not been out of the country in over 20 years. I needed a new passport and stuff.

I must admit that I have mixed emotions about this trip. I am excited for everything I about to learn from the people in the Dominican Republic. They will have new construction techniques and I will have the opportunity to live in a language that I have not studied at all. Besides, This will be the first trip where the whole of the trip is not revolving around construction. We will spend our mornings working on addition to the church building that will expanded the service and care ministry of the congregation. The afternoons we will conduct Vacation Bible School and camps for basketball and baseball.

I must admit I am also very anxious about what is about to happen. This is not a group that I am use to being with on a regular bases. I am not close friends with anyone in the group (at least as of yet) and I have anxiety issues. So, the details are not in my control nor am I in charge of much except counting people before we go anywhere.

With all these emotions, I live in the grace of God. I know God has called me to be a part of this trip and learn from so many people. Any and all prayers for the days ahead are appreciated.

Seek Good

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. 
Amos 5:14-15

Introduction

During seminary, I was required to study ancient Hebrew (this was both for my denomination and school). The last class in the study was biblical research (exegesis is the technical term).  I chose a passage from the prophet Amos to study and write a paper. I would say in the course of study that I became very close to the book. I enjoyed the research and getting to know this great book. Recently I was brought back to this book in my devotions. My love for this book was reawaken.

At this time in history, the people of Israel are split between two nations, North and South. The northern kingdom keeps the title of Israel while the southern kingdom is only known as Judah. Amos is sent to the whole of the people of Israel, but he is specifically preaching to the people of Israel. 

I find the work of the prophet interesting in that the first prophecies are against other nations and against the enemies of the Israelites. The prophet lists through all the troubles caused by the other nations. Amos even gets to the point of listing of the sins of Judah. Then the attention is brought to the people of Israel. The sins they have committed that caused God to turn God's back on them and the repercussions of these actions. 

The Sins

What did the people do that was so wrong? The first and most important action was they turned their backs on God. God had sent prophets and Nazirites to help the people.  The people killed the prophets and most importantly they oppressed the poor in search of greater wealth. Through all of these actions, God's anger enraged. The time was to come when the people were to be punished for the sins. The prophet calls gives a chance of grace to the people of Israel.  

Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it. Amos 5:6

 Today

I was taken back by the advice of Amos 5 to turn back to God and the call to do good. I am curious how this works in a modern situation between the "liberal" ideology and the "conservative" ideology. One is calling upon a less open market and sharing of wealth while the other calls for a more open market. Are we in the face of a time similar to Amos? Are we putting profit ahead of people? These are the words against the people of Israel:

For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines. Amos 2:6-8

We as followers of Christ live in perilous times. We are called to do the good God and serve the poor. We also must be cautious and not create a culture of dependency on the gifts of the church.

Sabbath

And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. Ezekiel20:20¹

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heard on high. Isaiah58:4 ²

“God established the Sabbath, the day of rest, not simply to exact from people what is due to him. Nor did he establish it merely that people might rest. Therefore the prophet Ezekiel explains how God’s Sabbaths should be sanctified or kept holy.”³

Sabbath

This morning I poured myself into the church office and opened my Bible program and looked at he reading from a book I have been going through, “365 Days With Calvin” It is a devotional book based on the writings of John Calvin’s commentaries. Today’s reading struck me with the idea of Sabbath. I remember well being taught what the word means and the reason why it was given. God told the people of Israel that the earth was made in six days and God rested. The same will be for the people of God. They will labor six days and rest on the seventh. We hold to a similar principle in U.S.A. today. We just get confused about which is the seventh, so we take off two days a week. The Jewish/Christian mind at work. Respect for the Jews and the Christians. But most people do not get the old dedicated days off any more. The U.S.A. still recognizes a five day work week, but not always coming to a close on Friday.

American Church Frustration

This frustrates many people, episodically those of us in the church world who see numbers quickly falling off. We blame all the world about taking over our Sunday mornings. We remember the good old days when everything was closed and everyone went to church. At least some people in the church speak about these days. I do not remember these times. Since I can remember, everything has had hours on Sunday. The hours may not be as long as today, but lots of places were open. Then I ask myself, “Am I helping to stop the business from being open on Sunday?” I get gas. I go out for dinner. I get supplies from the store. My actions are not helping the condition. Let alone the fact that God calls people to a Sabbath, a day of rest.

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

As I read the selection today from Calvin and the Bible, I realized that the Sabbath was not about rest and maintaining a rule. It is also not about a day of the week. It is about an intentional encounter with God. No matter what day each person has to take a break, a day of rest. We need to give that time to God and let God restore us. The true reason for the Sabbath was to identify the people from the rest of the world as the people of God. Not because of a break, but because they gave something important to God, time. We can accomplish the same today. We can demonstrate to the world we are followers of Christ by giving something important to God, our time.

I want us to remember that he Sabbaths was about giving time to God to celebrate and rejoice in the Holiness of God. How will you celebrate God? 

 

1 Calvin, J., & Beeke, J. R. (2008). 365 Days with Calvin (p. 149). Leominster; Grand Rapids, MI: Day One Publications; Reformation Heritage Books.

2 The New International Version. (2011). (Is 58:4). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

3 Calvin, J., & Beeke, J. R. (2008). 365 Days with Calvin (p. 149). Leominster; Grand Rapids, MI: Day One Publications; Reformation Heritage Books.

Sent : John 20:19-31

This is the link to my sermon on Sunday for any who might feel called to listen.

Happy Easter

I hope you had a blessed day in celebration of our savior’s resurrection. I want us to remember something important the next few weeks about Easter. All of these ideas to reflect and ponder are a deep part of the faith we own and live. As we grow deeper in our understanding of the faith and the following of Jesus, the Kingdom of God has a greater potential of reality in the lives of those around us.

A central reality of Easter is that it is not just a day. We celebrate Easter on a specific day with bunnies, eggs and a special meal. But according to the church calendar, it is a season. The Easter season starts on Easter Sunday and lasts through the Sunday prior to Pentecost. It is during this time we remember that Jesus did not just appear on the first day of the week to the disciples and disappear into heaven. We are taught through Scripture that Jesus appeared to many people in the days leading up to Pentecost. Our liturgical brothers and sisters celebrate the day we believe he ascended into heaven as Ascension of the Lord (this year on May 5). We read about this day in Matthew and Luke. The disciples are given instructions to go and make disciples and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The other reality of Easter is that it is not just a season or a day. Every Sunday is a celebration of our Lord’s resurrection. The tradition started by the early followers of Jesus was that they gathered daily for the worship of God, morning and evening. A special worship service was celebrated on the first day of the week. The Sabbath was still kept on Saturday as the “seventh day” for rest. Every Sunday is a celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. We should enter with joy on Sundays. It is because of this reality that during Lent, all fasts are forgotten on Sunday as a day of celebration.

Easter is all through the year. We are to live a life that demonstrates and tells others that we have a savior who died for our forgiveness. But more importantly, Jesus is alive now and in the future. The death means nothing without the resurrection. There is no defeat of death without a resurrection. It is in the Good News of this life changing event we live, we act and we tell others. Celebrate Easter every day.

First Tuesday in Advent

Today is the first Tuesday in Advent. It is the first week of Advent for that matter, but today has me a little confused about the season and the world we live. This Tuesday has been given a special meaning, Giving Tuesday. It is this new concept for this Tuesday that has gotten me thinking. Not just this, but also a post I read last week about statements made by Pope Francis. 

Last week a report came out stating that the Pope was calling Christmas a charade this year. Now, I must admit that I cannot find the first article I read this in and thus I am not linking to that article. This article from the Rolling Stone is similar to the original article. The main difference is less bashing of the Roman Catholic tradition that I found in the original post.  

I will admit that I had not given much thought to the article till Sunday rolled around. We had a discussion in Sunday School about the topic of the Pope's remarks. Most people disagreed with the Pope, as many have. The others in the conversation said that Christmas is real this year especially because of the events going on. We need the hope and light that Christ has brought into the world just to maintain a personal if not global hope for the future. I agree. We need the hope Christ brings. But, I also disagree.

My disagreement is not because of the wars, killings, terror attacks, death, homelessness gone rampant, hunger, refugees lost in politics, or any other society problem. I think Christmas (especially in the west) is a charade. It is exactly because of what we have made this Tuesday into why I believe. The Friday after Thanksgiving is Black Friday. A day of spending all we have to get the right gifts for our loved ones. Then, if we have not spent enough, Monday is Cyber deals for all those items we want to get shipped to us online. So, the majority of time after a holiday of giving thanks for what hs been provided is all about getting more stuff. So, a few smart people in the Non-profit world came up with a social media idea of #GivingTuesday. We take this day aside in the busy season to give a little something to the needy or a Non-profit. We give back. Isn't Christmas about giving to others already?

If we need to be reminded to give back on a special day with a hashtag, then Christmas is a charade. I hope that I can find a way to dig through the mess of the glitter and glitz to find the gifts given to me through Jesus and offer them graciously to others. I hope I can find a little of real meaning of Christmas.

Stewardship

During November, I spend my Sunday sermon time on stewardship. Now most other pastors are probably doing the same thing or they just finished a series on Stewardship. It seems like the church year likes to point out near the end of the calendar year that you need to give the church money. We also push the idea that we want you tell us what you are going to give next year. I find this a little humorous since all of society is telling you right now is the best time to spend for Christmas. Sounds like we started that train long before any other store.

I have been told I should focus on stewardship throughout the year and preach sermons regularly on the topic in the year. I was taught at seminars that we need to keep people reminded of the responsibility of stewardship every month, not just during the campaign. The last thing I am always reminded as I read through the Bible, Jesus talked about money more than anything else (well maybe love you neighbor is more) in His teaching. Yet, I don’t talk about money.

In my sermons I like to stress how time and talents are just as important a gift to the church and to God as the cash we drop in the plate. Rarely will I call out people to give till it hearts. I will give people opportunities to give extra. But, I tend not to focus on money.

I think I finally came up with an answer for why I don’t talk about money. Recently colleague was being asked questions to join my presbytery (read region of church government). He was asked, “What is the one question you did not want to be asked?” Profound question. He replied with issues of money and being asked to look at his checkbook. He admitted that he is not as trustworthy in Christ as he would like according to his spending. Wow!!! Someone admitted this. The individual is a minister!! There is truth in the world. On Sunday, I figured out in the middle of my stewardship sermon why I don’t like talking about money.

I am not as faithful either. I must admit that my checking account statement would not demonstrate a faith in Christ as much as I wish. I have much to learn still in this world about trusting in Christ. I am willing to give Jesus control over major portions of my life, but I want the reigns in certain areas. I hope my thick skull will one day learn to follow. Till then, I will keep listening. Now I might just be able to preach about money more often. I need a few good sermons on it myself. If I am not preaching to myself, nobody else is listening. 

Our Focus

As I was searching through my Facebook news feed, these two posts we just following one another.

Bipolar Disorder and 7 Cardinal Rules for Life

Now the 7 cardinal rules come from Stephen Covey.

 #1 Make Peace with your past so it does not spoil your present. Your past does not define your future – you actions and beliefs do.

#2 What others think of you is none of your business. It is how much you value yourself and how important you think you are.

#3 Time heals almost everything give time, time. Pain will be less hurting. Scars make us who we are; they explain our life and who we are, they challenge us and force us to be strong.

#4 No one is the reason for your own happiness, except you yourself. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside.

#5 Don’t compare your life with others’ you have no idea what their journey is about. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we would grab ours back as fast as we could.

#6 Stop thinking too much it’s all right not to know all the answers. Sometimes there is no answer; not going to be any answer, never has been an answer. That’s the answer! Just accept it, move on. Next!

#7 Sometimes talk-therapy can cause you and me to over think everything. Sometimes you just have to stop thinking about some things and move on. (listed on http://www.bphope.com/blog/bipolar-disorder-and-7-cardinal-rules-for-life/ )

At first the two posts mean little together. But I red the ling to the blog and then looked at the passage below. I reflected on the 7 riles and this teaching from Paul, and they match very well. Of course Paul's is much shorter than a list of rules. But the rules make some cool signs. In the post, the reader is reminded that someone dealing with a mental illness may struggle with the list of rules. It will be hard for someone on the roller costar of Bipolar to accomplish these. Again, the instruction from Paul would be hard to follow on the same roller costar. 

Even people not dealing with a mental or other illness, these words of Paul to the Phillipians are important. Our lives can be easily crushed by the weight of everything around us that desires more focus, time, and energy. Seek God through Jesus Christ. Seek what is true, right and admirable. As we seek, we might just find some piece. 

Slavery and Grace

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

(Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, 

out of the land of slavery." 

(Exodus 20:2 NIV)

I might have put together two of the most diverse passages in the Bible. They could not be more different. One comes from the Old Testament while the other from the New. Their differences are even greater in fact that one is the opening to the Ten Commandments and the other is a closing teaching in a letter from Paul. Why did I put these two passages from two different ends of the Bible together?

September is suicide awareness month.  Suicide prevention is not as glamorous or cool as cancer reserch to support. People are not out proclaiming they are a survivor of suicide. We do not hold up survivors with applauds and rejoicing.  There are no suicide prevention t-shirts or bracelets. There is not even a commonly know "ribbon" color. Suicide prevention has no cool slogans. In most situations, survivors do their best to hide the fact. Others who have thought about suicide will not or rarely talk about it. Mental Illness has a stigma in society. This is why I have put these two passages together. Individuals with anxiety related illnesses feel like slaves.

I battle with anxiety. The best defense I have found was no defense. I let the anxiety win and just let it control me. Till I allowed it to just about destroy relationships and my life. If it was not for my wife, I do not know what would have been the end result.

But, I saw the passage from Philippians last week on a friends Facebook page and it overcame me. When I read the whole passage, my faith took a dent. Anxiety is part of who I am. Yet, Paul calls us to trust in God and peace will overcome us. When anxiety takes control, there is little peace let alone letting go.

I felt a nudge from God to write an article on this passage last week. I did not as you can tell. It was not till today I got a connection. Exodus is the story of the people of Israel being brought from slavery. I am enslaved to anxiety and depression. I meditated on the passage above. I believe I need to focus first on being freed from the slavery of anxiety before I can give it up to God. The good news of the gospel and for all of us suffering is that we are accepted by God. God does not take us after we become perfect or fixed. In a life lived with God, we learn to trust more and more in God. I am being taught that aspect of my faith.

I write this hoping a few people who read this will look differently at people with mental illness. I am sure some people might look at me differently after they read this. I hope they do not. I hope they see the strength and courage of my family who walk with this illness. I hope more importantly that we will soon find the courage as a society to walk with people having mental illness and be will to get help to individuals. The chains of mental illness are strong. It takes a lot of strong people to help hold the bolt cutters to release the slave. 

If you want to be a help, here is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) webpage for warning signs. And, this is the link for their homepage. 

All Good Gifts

This is my sermon from last Sunday, August 30, 2015.

Remaining in Christ

I opened a page at sound cloud to post my sermons. I am in transition as an interim, so there is no "church website" to keep all my sermons that I spend time editing. I put them on this site for people who might want to listen. Here is the link for last Sunday's sermon.

What Does Christian Mean?

The decry of many in Christian circles in the loss of "Christian America."[i] It was most obvious the other week with the Supreme Court ruling on marriage across the country. I have been asking what does the term Christian mean. I believe the term has had a change in definition and understanding since it was coin long ago.

How the Name Was Given

In truth, people who believe in Jesus Christ cannot take credit for the title of Christian. Biblical tradition reports that the title was given to the followers of Jesus in an ancient city called Antioch.[ii]  The title was given to followers of Jesus by non-Jewish people. It is a composite word from two languages, Greek and Latin. The meaning is “like/belonging to Christ.” The people on the outside saw the people following Jesus as being like Christ.

What Happened

I believe today we understand the title to be less of action and more of persuasion. People identify as a Christian not because of what they accomplish, but what personal convictions they hold on faith. In and individual believes in a god and believes that god sent a person on earth with the name of Jesus, they are a Christian. But that does not seem like enough. It is because of this identification many people are throwing away the title of Christian and identifying in more generic terms.[iii]

What Is Happening

Well, Gabe Lyons believes that this is changing with a new generation of followers.[iv] I believe that all followers can learn from this new generation. It will take us all reclaiming a new title. We cannot keep the Christian title for the near future. It has been tainted by hate, hypocrisy, judgement, and many other misalignments. No, it would be better to take on a different identifier. I do not mean the trendy titles of spiritual, religious, or any other generic religious motif. No, I believe we should relearn a very basic ideal of Jesus’ teaching. We need to live again ,” You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”[v]

Our identifier will not be words or titles as the faith passed down from generations past. In the now, the identifier of followers of Christ must be our actions. Once our actions coincide with the New Testament teaching and words of Jesus, others may one day call the followers of Jesus by the title of Christian. But we must earn that title. It is then that the song, “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love” will ring true.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord 

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord 

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored 

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love 

They will know we are Christians by our love 

We will work with each other, we will work side by side 

We will work with each other, we will work side by side 

And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride 

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love 

They will know we are Christians by our love

By our love, by our love

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love 

They will know we are Christians by our love 

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand 

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand 

And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land 

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love 

They will know we are Christians by our love

By our love, by our love

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love 

They will know we are Christians by our love[vi]

---

[i] Gabe Lyons states the end was in May, 2007 with the death of Jerry Falwell. (Lyons, Gabe. (2010). The Next Christians: How A New Generation Is Restoring the Faith (p.13). New York: Doubleday Religion.)

[ii] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+11%3A25-26&version=NASB. The term only occurs in two other places in the New Testament (Acts 26:28; 1 Pet 4:16) (Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 273). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

[iii] Lyons, Gabe. (2010). The Next Christians: How A New Generation Is Restoring the Faith (p. 11-12). New York: Doubleday Religion.

[iv] Lyons, Gabe. (2010). The Next Christians: How A New Generation Is Restoring the Faith. New York: Doubleday Religion.

[v] Luke 10:27, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10:27&version=NASB See also Matthew 22:36-40

[vi] Copyright © 2010 ChristianLyricsOnline.com All Rights Reserved. http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/carolyn-arends/theyll-know-we-are-christians.html