The Red Dot

Rubber, Metal or Glass?

Let me be the 50^th person to wish you a, “Happy New Year.” How is 2012 going so far? Did you begin by celebrating with family and friends? Did you last long enough to see that big ball drop in Time’s Square? And how many times did you think, “I’m so glad that I’m not there”? That thought crosses my mind every time I watch all of those brave (crazy?) souls huddled way too close together and yet still way too cold.

Did you make any New Years’ resolutions? How many have you broken so far? None? Good for you. I was reading today about the most popular New Year’s Resolutions among Americans. See if one of yours is on this list. 

1. Lose Weight
2. Pay Off Debt
3. Save Money
4. Get a Better Job
5. Get a Better Education
6. Drink Less Alcohol
7. Quit Smoking
8. Reduce Stress
9. Take a Trip
10. Volunteer to Help Others

How many of your resolutions/goals for 2012 have to do with prioritizing and acting upon what should be most important in your life?

Tim Sanders—former chief solutions officer at Yahoo shares the following thought about establishing priorities that you might find interesting and helpful. He writes,

“Take your life and all the things that you think are important, and put them in one of three categories. These three categories are represented by three items: glass, metal, and rubber.

The things that are made of rubber, when you drop them, will bounce back. Nothing really happens when these kinds of things get dropped. So, for instance (and I enjoy sporting events, so don't take me wrong here), if I miss a Seahawks' game, my life will bounce along real fine. It doesn't change anything and nothing is lost—my missing a game or a season of football will not alter my marriage or my spiritual life. I can take 'em or leave 'em.

Things that are made of metal, when they get dropped, create a lot of noise. But you can recover from the drop. You miss a meeting at work, you can get the cliff notes. Or if you forget to balance your checkbook and lose track of how much you have in your account, and the bank notifies you that you have been spending more than you have—that's going to create a little bit of noise in your life, but you can recover from it.

Then there are things made of glass. And when you drop one of these, it will shatter into pieces and never be the same. Even though you can piece it back together, it will still be missing some pieces. It certainly won't look the same, and I doubt that you could actually fill it up with water; because the consequences of it being broken will forever affect how it's used.

The thing is, you're the only person who knows what those things are that you can't afford to drop. More than likely, they have a lot to do with your relationships. Your marriage, your family, and your friends” (Tim Sanders, www.sanderssays.typepad.com / 8-25-06).

Sanders missed the most important relationship of all, didn’t he? How am I doing in my relationship with God? Really, we would all do well just to write one goal: Love God. Augustine summed it up well when he said, “Love God and do whatever you want.” Wise words, but easier said than done.

I’ve rediscovered one very difficult lesson in the last few months: Those things that scream loudest for my attention are rarely the things that are most important. There can be so many issues, circumstances and even people who seem to be tugging at our coattails, demanding immediate action. But I’ve noticed time and again that God – who is THE most important Person in the universe - doesn’t raise His voice to get hold of us. In fact, Elijah learned that God isn’t in the fireworks of our life; He’s in the still small voice – the quiet things that often get overlooked.

What will it mean for you to pay more attention to God this year? Take some time in the next few days to seek God’s face, asking Him to reveal the ways that you can love Him more deeply.

Let’s make loving God our top priority this year…and then do whatever we want,

 

Mike

 

Getting Into The Christmas Spirit

I called my 84-year-old mother last night to see how she was doing. I try to give my parents a call most every day of the week, just to check in on them and take advantage of the privilege I still have to tell them “I love you.”

I find myself reflecting a good deal upon past Christmases during the last few days, which is impossible to do without thinking of my mom. My mother has always been the one who took up the mantle of making Christmas times wonderful. Looking back it wasn’t the gifts my parents gave us children that stands out. It was a collection of little things that they did - especially my mother - that made Christmas special for us.

As my parents age, I have become even more aware of the need to say what’s on my heart to them, particularly when it comes to expressing my gratitude for their continued love and sacrifice for us. So last night I said to her, “Mom, you always made Christmas so special for me growing up and I want to thank you.” She reminded me of what I already knew: Christmas is her favorite time of the year and she can’t wait till we are together Christmas Day.

My mom is struggling with a lung disease that has sapped much of her energy and ability to be her normal, mover and shaker self. With that in mind, I determined to work extra hard to “get into the Christmas spirit” this year. But I keep getting reminded that life has this persistent habit of not getting any easier. The weight of this lifes’ cares has been particularly heavy during 2011. I’ve been trying to listen to the Christmas carols and enjoy the decoration of our house and tree. I’ve been thinking about Christmases past and the joy I experienced. But it feels it’s all I can do to focus on what’s right in front of me and that can be quite pressing.

As you can tell so far, it doesn’t seem there’s any way I’m going to “get the Christmas spirit” this year. Baring some last minute “Christmas miracle” that could potentially be turned into a cheesy Hallmark Christmas special (my apologies to those folks who enjoy those specials), this is going to be one of those Christmases I would never have fathomed a few years ago – one I can’t wait to be “over.”

But the more deeply I think about life now, the more I’m drawn mysteriously – in an almost ineffable way – back to that first Christmas.

When I wore a younger man’s clothes, our church choir performed what was called a “cantata” every Christmas. One year we sang one titled, “Born To Die.” The words of the song by the same name are a powerful reminder of why Jesus really came:

“Jesus knew when He came/He would suffer in shame/He could feel every pain and sorrow/But He left Paradise/With His blood paid the price/My redemption to Jesus I owe/Born to die upon Calvary/Jesus suffered my sin to forgive/Born to die upon Calvary/He was wounded that I might live” (Ron Hamilton, “Born To Die”).

Philip Yancey writes, “When the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci went to China in the sixteenth century, he brought along samples of religious art to illustrate the Christian story for people who had never heard it. The Chinese readily adopted portraits of the Virgin Mary holding her child, but when he produced paintings of the crucifixion and tried to explain that the God-child had grown up only to be executed, the audience reacted with revulsion and horror. They much preferred the Virgin and insisted on worshiping her rather than the crucified God. As I thumb…through my stack of Christmas cards, I realize that we in Christian countries do much the same thing. We observe a mellow, domesticated holiday purged of any hint of scandal. Above all, we purge from it any reminder of how the story that began in Bethlehem turned out at Calvary” (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew (Zondervan, 2002), p. 25).

The baby so many sing about this time of year came not only to die but also to live a life of suffering. He didn’t live a carefree, happy-go-lucky life that one day ended uncharacteristically and unexpectedly on a cruel Roman cross. All the way back in the Old Testament Isaiah prophesied that, “He (would be) despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). And that prophecy came true, not just in his death but in his life as well.  

Even though Jesus was aware of his divine mission at a young age, it seems the older Jesus became his suffering increased. Although we know very little about Jesus’ childhood, we do know that the heaviness of his calling weighed increasingly upon him. And even though I believe Jesus had a great sense of humor, I have to wonder if those around him could sense that something sobering seemed to be in the back of his mind. We know now that the shadow of the cross loomed over his life, even as his life began in that little manger in Bethlehem.

So does this all mean that to be more Christlike we can’t have the Christmas spirit? Does it mean that we should show up at parties this season taking on the role of Debbie Downer? Not at all, for God enables us to experience a deep-seated joy regardless of our circumstances. But it does mean that Christmas, in order to be fully meaningful, can’t be celebrated without the bigger picture in mind: Jesus was born into this world to eventually become a man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief.

The command to become more like our Lord has with it the promise (not the suggestion) that we will suffer, in one way or another. But as we suffer we aren’t moving further away from the true meaning of Christmas; in some way as we suffer we are able to enter into a fellowship with Jesus that carries us to the very heart of Christmas: This sick, sin-filled world needed a Savior. Spend some time today praising God that Christ the Savior was born to die and save us from our sins.

That’s the Christmas spirit,

 

 Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

Does it seem that all you can do sometimes is just wait? Galatians 5:22 says that “patience” is a fruit of the Spirit. And the Holy Spirit has been patiently growing that fruit in me.

Most all of us have waited in a doctor’s office for what seemed like an eternity. Jerry Seinfeld has this great bit he does about waiting rooms. He says, “I hate the waiting room because it’s called the “waiting room” which means that there’s no chance of NOT waiting. It’s built, deigned, and intended for waiting. Why would they take you right away when they’ve got this room all set up?”

One of the doctor’s offices I’ve done some serious time in is a practice called “The Spine Center.” It’s a place where people who have chronic back issues, or any thing else related to the spine, go for treatment. Normally the looks on most people’s faces waiting in the lobby are not pleasant. Sure, it’s not as bad as waiting in the Emergency Room. Patients there don’t just LOOK like they are in pain, they also SOUND like they are hurting (all the moaning has the distinct sound of a haunted choir).

One day a woman walked into the waiting room in a hurried manner. While most of us limp into the lobby, she came rushing in while talking on the phone. As she entered I could actually hear the person on the other end of her conversation say something like, “Caller number 5, you win.” This woman shouted with joy and ran back out of the office. It didn’t take me long to guess that she had won a radio contest. She came back in with the other patients and began to tell us that she had been chosen to win a prize. The radio playing in the waiting room and was in fact the same station where she had just won. Since there was a delay in the broadcast, we all sat and listened to her call and found out that she had just won (are you ready?) a gift certificate for some local restaurant and a winter hat (hurray!?).

And that’s when it hit me: How ironic to find someone shouting for a joy in a place where people typically are suffering with chronic pain.

Fast forward a few days later and I’m spending the day with my mom at the hospital. That evening my father and I joined my sister and her family at a restaurant for dinner. Now a restaurant is typically a place of enjoyment (unless one is dinning at Long John Silvers). People normally go to a restaurant hoping to enjoy food and friendship. The night we went out to eat was a happy occasion. I hadn’t seen my sister and her family in quite a while and we were all in better spirits as my mom’s health was improving.

My dad and I arrived later than the rest of our family and as I was just sitting down my sister leaned over and said to me, “Do you see whom dad is over there talking to?” I looked and immediately recognized our dear family friend, Joy Craig.

The Thomas and the Craig families have been friends for almost as long as I’ve been on this earth. My father and Mr. Craig served together years ago in our first church as fellow deacons.

My father called me one day and told me that Mr. Craig had sent me a message saying, “Tell Michael that Joy and I pray for him every day.” I can’t tell you what that meant to me, especially at that time as I going through a particularly difficult period in my life.

Only a few months later my father called me with bad news: Mr. Craig had been diagnosed with an aggressive, incurable form of cancer. My heart sank. The man who has known me since I was a little tow head running around church; the man who now prays for me as I am still running around church, but now in a different way, has cancer.

Then I received THE phone call from my father: Mr. Craig went home to be with the Lord.

So it was the very next week that I looked over and saw my father talking with the woman who had been Mr. Craig’s widow for just a few days. I immediately made my way over to Joy, hugging her and telling her that I was so sorry for her loss. She thanked me, but quickly shared her joy in hearing that my mom was feeling so much better.

And that’s when it hit me: How ironic to find someone grieving in a place where people normally gather to have a good time.

If we have the eyes to see, there are almost always two seemingly opposing forces surrounding us: grief and gladness. But as much as they seem to be contrary, I wonder why they also seem inextricably linked.

Today when we gather with those we love to give thanks, let’s ask God to give us the eyes to see those who are struggling today.

Mike

 

 

The Mulligan

I began vocational pastoral ministry in 1989. Fast forward eight years later and I’m hauling my family out of one of West Michigan’s coldest winters and making our way to the Sunshine state. It would be my first assignment as a Senior Pastor. It seemed just when we were thawing out that someone in our new church asked if I played golf. I had only attempted to play one round of golf and that was all the way back in my High School days. But I soon realized that if I wanted to spend extended time with some of my new parishioners that I’d better get a set of clubs and hit the links.

It didn’t take long before someone introduced me to a particularly encouraging concept called a  “mulligan.” For you non-golfers, a mulligan is a do-over after a particularly bad drive off of a tee. How and when this rule is applied depends upon whom you are playing with. Some folks allow just one mulligan per round of golf, believing that it can only be used after a bad drive off of the first tee. But if you’re playing with a buddy, there might be the allowance of a “few” mulligans, especially if either one of you are having a bad day (which is pretty much every day that I’ve ever tried to golf).

I’ve been thinking about this notion of mulligans when it comes to our lives. Wouldn’t it be great if, after making a horrible mistake, we were able to get a true do-over? Can you imagine if God, at the beginning of each year, gave us a certain amount of mulligans? Maybe He’d say, “I’m giving you 10 mulligans for 2011. I’ll leave it up to your discretion as to when you’ll use them. But here’s the deal: use each mulligan for those times you mess up and I promise I will totally erase any trace of what happened. And that doesn’t just mean with Me” (God), “but with everyone else. It will be like it  never happened.”

Now, I’m envisioning something different from forgiveness. Just because one is forgiven doesn’t mean that the consequences of the sin are removed. In fact, the Bible provides numerous examples of people whose sins were forgiven, but the impact of their transgression tragically continued. David’s sin with Bathsheba is one of the most poignant examples of this reality. While God forgave David for his sins (adultery, deceit and murder), the aftershocks of those sinful choices continued for the rest of his life.

To illustrate the difference between receiving forgiveness for our sins but its’ effects continuing, allow me to share a story I once heard. There was a father trying to teach his son the potential consequences of sin. The dad said, “Son, every time you disobey me or your mom, I want you to take a nail and hammer it into the side of our barn.” After several months the boy was broken hearted over all the nails on the barn wall. So the boy asked if he could remove a nail every time he obeyed his parents. The father agreed and finally the day came when the last nail was removed. The son was so excited. The dad then said, “I’m so proud of how well you have obeyed, son. But I want you to notice something - - even though there are no more nails left, look at all of the holes that remain as a consequence of your disobedience.” The point being that even though we receive forgiveness, there are still residual scars that can leave behind some nasty side effects.

But here’s the question I’ve been thinking about during this first month of my sabbatical: What are we supposed to do with the scars that seem to remain from past, forgiven sins? This is serious business, friends, because I’ve experienced Satan’s diligent work in my life and in many of those who share their journeys with me and have come to believe that one of Satan’s most subtle strategies is to take the remaining scars from our past failures and use them to distract, discourage and defeat us.

Maybe you’ve struggled with a particular sin - - but you’ve confessed it to God, received His forgiveness and have experienced true repentance (you’ve turned away from that sin and are living in ways that please Him). However, you still experience feelings of guilt over that sin. Here’s what I think so many of us are prone to do next: we end up re-confessing that same sin to God. There is nowhere in the Bible where God tells us we should keep confessing the same sin over and over again (unless we are continuing to commit that sin over and over). But I think that out of feelings of guilt, that’s what some of us do by default.

“But isn’t all guilt from God, Mike?”

Nope.

Satan wants us to experience what Paul would call a “worldly sorrow” or guilt (2 Corinthians 7:9-11) –a kind of guilt that doesn’t lead to true repentance (since we’ve already confessed and received forgiveness for that sin). And if we’re not careful, we give into Satan’s pull to let that already forgiven sin play like a continual loop in our heart and mind. He will tempt us to focus on the scars in our heart from a particular sin. So much so that we end up getting fixed on those scars and start believing Satan’s lie that even though God has forgiven us, we’ll never be able to serve Him like we could have. Instead, we’ve permanently fallen out of God’s favor and will be forever relegated to sit on the bench, watching the really spiritual people getting to enjoy life and reap all of His blessings.

What a bunch of bunk.

But if you are like me, we can be defined by constant feelings of defeat and end up putting ourselves on the sidelines when God wants us in the game, living life to the fullest and thus, giving Him glory.

Would you do commit to doing something with me, friends? Let’s make a group decision to stop believing the Tempter’s twaddle and start following God by faith, giving Him everything we have and keeping in step with His Spirit until Jesus comes to take us home.

Shall we?

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running On Empty

There was a deeply theological gospel song I was taught to sing as a child titled, “Oil In My Lamp.” Little did I know as I sang/screamed this refrain in Sunday school that its’ words would deeply impact my life for years to come. The second verse rates right up there with some of the classic hymns of the faith as it reads, “Give me gas in my Ford keep me truckin for the Lord. Give me gas in my Ford I pray, Hallelujah! Give me gas in my Ford keep me truckin for the Lord. Keep me truckin 'til the break of day.”

Later other inspired hymnist would add, “Give me wax for my board, keep me surfin' for the Lord,” “Give me wheels for my skates, then I'll roll to heavens gate,” and “Give me umption in my gumption, help me function-function-function.” And who can begin to count how many children had a love for the mission field stirred in their hearts as they sang, “Give me hot sauce in my taco, let me witness in Morocco.”

If folks could roll over in their graves, I imagine there would be not a little disturbance in the graves of Fanny Crosby, Isaac Watts and the Wesley brothers every time that tune is sung.

This past Tuesday, though, that refrain of “give me gas in my Ford” was ringing in my ears.

I had just taken one of my children to the doctor, when, on the way home I noticed my fuel light was on. This has happened many times before, but normally I see when the light first comes on and can better gauge how much fuel is left. I hadn’t noticed it going on, but thought that I had enough time to get to the gas station. We have an old fashioned gas station near my home where they still pump the gas for you. I pulled up and told the attendant that I wanted a fill up and as soon as I made that request the engine began to sputter and then died. Only then did I realize that I stopped just in time. 

As I drove away I began to reflect upon a much more important engine that I often don’t pay attention to as I ought - - the engine of my life. How many times has God been trying to tell me, whether it be through exhaustion, depression, circumstances or the advice of others close to me, that my engine light was on and I needed to refuel? And how many times have I ignored His warnings?

I’ve been a full-time pastor for almost 20 years now. And for the last few years I’ve experienced a soul-weariness that not even vacations have been able to help. As Eugene Peterson writes, “Being a pastor is a difficult job, maybe no harder than any other job – any job done well requires everything that is in us – but hard all the same.” The church where he pastored for just over 20 years gave him a much-needed sabbatical. He goes on to write that, “For a year we had not done it: no interruptive phone calls, no exhilarating/exhausting creativity at pulpit and lectern, no doggedly carried out duties. We played and we prayed. We split wood and shoveled snow. We read and talked over what we read. We cross-country skied in the winter and hiked in the summer. Every Sunday we did what we had not done for thirty years: we sat together and worshipped God” (Peterson, “The Contemplative Pastor, p.142).

I am blessed to serve in a church where the leadership feels moved by the Spirit to give me a four-month sabbatical, beginning in just a few days. I am looking forward to being able to spend extended time with my wife and children, catching up on many tasks around the house that have gone untouched for a while and being able to go away a few weekends as a family.

Not long ago I shared with my church the following sobering statistics, compiled from Focus on the Family and the Barna Group:

• 1,500 pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
• 50% percent of pastors' marriages will end in divorce.
• 80% of pastors and 84% of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.
• 50% of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
• 80% of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
• 70% of pastors constantly fight depression.
• Almost 40% polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry.
• 70% said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.

And for Pastors' Wives:

• 80% of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
• 80% of pastors' spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
• The majority of pastor's wives surveyed said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage and family was the day they entered the ministry.

We are in a spiritual war, as Paul clearly outlines in Ephesians 6, and I believe that pastors and their families are often on the front lines of that warfare.

I read not long ago about a photographer that was snapping pictures of first graders at an elementary school, making small talk to put his subjects at ease.

"What are you going to be when you grow up?" he asked one little girl.

"Tired," she said.

Sadly, that girl had been watching her parents and other grown ups around her and concluded that to be an adult is to be tired. Is that the way God intends us to live our lives? Could it be that we have too long ignored the very rhythm that God built into the structure of creation - - a rhythm of six days on and one day off? We would take very seriously if we knew someone was breaking some of the great commandments, whether they were committing adultery, worshipping idols, stealing or murdering. But how seriously do we take it when someone (including ourselves) is routinely ignoring God’s commandment to rest (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15)?

Author and speaker Gordon MacDonald writes, “I'm of the opinion that busyness is a deeper threat to the soul than pornography ever was” (Gordon MacDonald, “Leader's Insight,” LeadershipJournal.net -3-9-06). That thought is shocking, and yet I think he is on to something.

So as I anticipate being blessed beyond measure by four months of rest, I challenge each of you to intentionally build into your lives a creational rhythm of six days on, one day off. That doesn’t mean you should have one day of no fun. Quite the contrary - - The Bible is clear that the Sabbath was designed FOR humankind, not the other way around. So make it a day of praying and playing. That means if your work requires you to sit in front of a computer for six days, you probably need to stay away from computer work on one day. It may mean if you don’t do manual labor for a living that it’s ok to get out there and do culture in God’s beautiful creation on your day of “rest.”

Just make sure that there is always gas in your Ford, ok?

Mike

Keeping The Faith - Part Deux

In my last post I talked about growing up in churches where we would always have an altar call after the sermon was over. One of the most popular songs sung during the “invitation” was “Just As I Am.” Many times I walked that isle. Countless other times I would watch as people would come forward to say the “sinners prayer” “asking Jesus into their heart” to become a Christian. While the words of “Just As I Am” are biblical - - God will not cast out anyone who comes to Him in repentance, I was increasingly concerned  as I and others responded to the truth that Jesus would receive them "just as they were" only to continue living lives as if He would allow them to stay "just as they were," even after their salvation.

My last post evoked not a few reactions. Some echoed my thinking, while others perceived my  statements - especially about the doctrine of perseverance – as teetering dangerously toward a “works” salvation. I think some of this misunderstanding stems from a fear that this is nothing more than “Calvinism” and not Biblical at all. I understand this concern, because it wasn't until my graduate studies that I actually read John Calvin. I had grown up “knowing” he was “of the debil” (to quote the “Waterboy”), the trouble was I didn’t really have a clue why that was so.

Let me just say that the doctrine of perseverance does not rely at ALL on our ability to persevere in our own strength. To the contrary, the doctrine of perseverance is rooted in the promise of God to preserve us. That’s why Paul could write, “Being confident in this very thing, that He who has began a good work in your will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Calvin’s thinking was clearly in line with the flow of God’s Word which reminds us repeatedly that our salvation (which includes our sanctification) is by grace and grace alone because God is faithful and sovereign to finish what He begins (see Romans 8:30, 39).

But as I promised last week, let’s look more closely at the book of James. Let’s begin with James 2:14-26. Up until this point, James has been pleading for a “pure religion” that evidences itself in action. This passage is the climax of that plea. This passage lies at the very heart of James' concern. He is deeply troubled by an attitude towards "faith" that sees it mainly as a verbal profession. This is a faith that is “apart from works” (vv. 20 & 26), and James views this faith as “dead,” “barren,” having no power to save or to justify. James assumes the necessity of faith. He claims to have faith in verse 18. But the faith he has - - real faith - - has works, is completed by works, and is active along with works. It is the kind of faith exhibited both by the revered father of faith, Abraham, and Rahab, the immoral outcast. It is absolutely vital to understand that the main point of this argument, expressed three times (in vv.17, 20 & 26), is not that works must be added to faith but that genuine faith includes works. That is its very nature.

“Now wait a minute Mike. How do you reconcile the message of James (true faith works) with the message of Paul (you can’t earn your salvation)?” That’s a good question, for the close association of faith and works has led students of the Bible (even Martin Luther) to view James to be in direct conflict with Paul. The difference between Paul and James is not theological though. It is highly unlikely that Paul would have accepted the bogus faith of James 2:14, either. The difference is not theological, but contextual.

Paul denies that works can have any value in bringing us into relationship with God; James is insisting that, once that relationship is established, works are essential. A careful study of the idea of “works” in Paul (mostly Romans) and James will reveal that they both are operating with an understanding of “works” that is basically similar: anything done in obedience to God and in the service of God.

The difference between Paul and James consists in the sequence of works and conversion: Paul denies any saving power to works before one is a Christian; James is pleading for the absolute necessity of works after one becomes a Christian. The difference between James and Paul is a difference of a starting point. We are not saved by deeds but we are saved for deeds. They complement one another and are both essential to faith in its fullest form. It is not that James and Paul are battling each other face to face, but rather that they are fighting two different heresies with their backs to one another.

When you come right down to it, Paul and James seem to cover the entire basis of disbelief in God. On the one hand there are those who think that they can earn favor with whomever is “up there” by doing something - Paul cuts against that line of thought. Then there are far too many on the other hand who look back as their only assurance of salvation to a decision they made in the past, regardless of the pattern of their life presently, and count that as their ticket to eternity: James cuts against that line of thought.

I love the great balance that Paul strikes in Ephesians 2:8-10 when he writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (emphasis mine), which God prepared in advance for us to do.” And if that is not enough, hear Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:16-18: “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.”

So don’t think of works as an “added extra,” to the Christian life any more than you would think of breathing as an “added extra” to a living body. The so-called faith that fails to produce works is simply not “saving faith.”

I close with the penetrating words of Martin Luther from the preface to his commentary on Romans: “O it is a living, busy active mighty think this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good things incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done this, and is constantly doing them. Whoever does not do such works, however, is an unbeliever. He gropes and looks around for faith and good works, but knows neither what faith is nor what good works are. Yet he talks and talks, with many words, about faith and good works.”

 

Mike

 

Keeping The Faith

For some of our resident 80’s pop music fans, the title of this blog may remind you of a Billy Joel tune of the same title (only I think Billy titles his ditty, “Keepin’ the Faith”). But instead of calling to your mind a popular tune off of the hit radio of yesteryear, I want to call to your mind a popular gospel song of yesteryear.

“Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for thee. And that thou biddest me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!”

These dear words, the lyrics to the song, "Just As I Am," have been the theme song of evangelistic invitations for many years. I remember as a child hearing this song sung at the end of our preaching time and seeing people come forward to confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The words of this gospel song present a great truth - - indeed, God will not cast out anyone who comes to Him in repentance. But growing up I became confused over some of those whom I saw respond to the truth that Jesus will receive them "just as they were" but then lived their lives as if He would allow them to stay "just as they were," even after their salvation.

I had many friends growing up who responded to a song such as "Just As I Am" during an altar call and professed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. One such friend was a good friend of mine for years to come. When he thought back to the day he made that trip down the altar he was able to visualize it in picture perfect form - - you see, there was a picture in our school yearbook with him and our principal kneeling together when he "asked Jesus into his heart." He always had that picture to remind him of that day when he said the "sinners prayer". But something bothered me about him as we grew together - - his life never evidenced a desire to steadily submit to the Lord whom he claimed was his Savior. I must admit, when I study certain passages in the Bible, my heart sinks for him and for so many others whom I hold dear. What does this passage say to those whose professions are similar?

John 2:12-25 is a passage that should cause us some form of discomfort - - especially the last three verses of that chapter, “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people” (John 2:23-24).  

I believe that even though a person can have full assurance of their salvation (see John 10:28-29; 1 John 2:19; Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:30-39), that assurance must always be connected with perseverance. The Scriptures indicate that it is possible for one to think that they are saved and yet not truly be saved (I John 2:3-6). Remember that we are not saying that one must work for or even work to keep their salvation, but we are saying that if one possesses saving faith, it works!

As we approach Palm Sunday in a few weeks, let’s not forget that Christ’s triumphal entry was to mark the end of his public approval. As the week unfolds, notice how quickly things start to slide downhill all the way to Good Friday. A deadly coalition of temple hierarchy, Roman government, and betrayal within the disciples would lead to his death. The challenge that Jesus issued during the week would prompt many to abandon his cause and to forsake him. While he sweats blood in Gethsemane, his disciples snored, having promised to watch with him one hour. When we gather together on Palm Sunday, we’ll do so some twenty centuries removed from that event in the life of Jesus. How easy it can be to forget that Palm Sunday was the end of any public affirmation for his ministry.

Let me ask you to ponder something: Didn’t the crowds confession upon Jesus’ triumphal entry, which was their way of praising God in the highest heavens for sending the Messiah and crying out to him for deliverance, guarantee them a bit of prime real estate in the heavenly kingdom? One has to only read on further to realize that is not the case. What happened? Well, I invite you to read further into The Red Dot next week as we stir the waters a bit further by allowing the book of James to weigh in on this subject.

Mike

 

 

 

Hello Lord

Yesterday I watched a video of Sarah Groves, an artist we’ve had the privilege of having on our Rock Creek stage a few times. The first song I ever heard of hers is still probably my favorite. She wrote the following lyrics to, “Hello Lord” while she was faced with a difficult decision:

“Hello Lord, it's me your child. I have a few things on my mind. Right now I'm faced with big decisions, and I'm won dering if you have a minute. Right now I don't hear so well and I was wondering if you could speak up. I know that you tore the veil so I could sit with you in person and hear what you're saying, but right now, I just can't hear you. I don't doubt your sovereignty, I doubt my own ability to hear what you're saying and to do the right thing, and I desperately want to do the right thing. Somewhere in the back of my mind I think you are telling me to wait, and though patience has never been mine, Lord I will wait to hear from you.”

Sometimes the silence we sense from God stems from issues of deafness in our own heart. We simply aren’t tuned into God’s voice. I sometimes interpret God’s “still small voice” as silence because I’m waiting for Him to speak with Heaven’s bullhorn. But there are those other times when God’s absence is connected to what some have called “The Dark Night of the Soul.” It is not that God is absent (that’s a tough one to reconcile with the God who is omnipresent and indwelling each believer through His Spirit), but it is that He has seemingly removed the awareness of His presence in our lives.

Henri Nouwen coined a daring phrase, “the ministry of absence,” and suggested that we do not accurately represent the Christian journey if we witness only to God’s presence. He advised that we prepare each other to experience the times when God seems absent.

I, like many of you, have experienced God’s seeming absence in my life - - times when my Bible reading was bland and my prayers tended to ricochet of the walls. Not much “feels” good during those tough times, but looking back I see those experiences as times of important growth. I think that in the dark times I pursue God more passionately than ever before. I come away with a faith that is stronger and an appreciation of God’s presence as gift rather than entitlement. As Philip Yancey says, “I have learned to view the times of God’s absence as a kind of absent presence.”

I know that I am not the first to experience dark times and will not be the last. If I respond by shutting God out and tossing in the towel, I may very well be deprived of a necessary stage in growth toward a deeper relationship with God. 

Right now you might be tempted to give up. Maybe you feel alone, discouraged and defeated. May I encourage you to open up your heart, be honest with God and ask Him to graciously draw you close to His side and make His presence known to you in His time in any way He sees fit.

Walking with you on the journey,

 

Mike

Not Good To Be Alone

This is a true story. A businessman moved over slightly as a young man crowded into the airplane seat next to him. They both fastened their seat belts, and the businessman good-naturedly inquired as to whether the young man was traveling on business or pleasure.

"Pleasure," the young man replied. "I'm on my honeymoon."

"Your honeymoon?" the businessman asked, mystified. "Where's your wife?"

"Oh, she's a few rows back. The plane was full, so we couldn't get seats together."

The plane hadn't started rolling yet, so the businessman said, "I'd be happy to change seats with her so that the two of you can be together."

"That's okay," the young man replied. "I've been talking to her all week” (Gary Thomas, “Sacred Marriage” Zondervan, 2000, p. 154).

Every time I conduct a wedding ceremony I mention Genesis 2:18 when God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” But as I think about it, Adam was not alone: He had God. Shouldn’t that have been enough - - evidently not.

Though our relationship with God is paramount, God has wired us with a deep desire to know someone and be known by them. And marriage is a wonderful picture of what it looks like to be experience a soul connection with another person.

So if we are married, or if God has given those of us who aren’t married a true friend, why do we need anyone else? Isn’t one person who truly loves us enough - - evidently not.

Though nothing can replace our primary relationships, God has wired us with a deep desire to live in community. He’s so serious about this that He created a unique organism, the Church, in which God designed us to experience a connection like none other. In the church we have the opportunity to discover that we really do need each other, just like the separate parts ideally function together for the whole body’s good. In fact, rather than acting independently, God has desired his people to function interdependently. We need community.

But can’t we experience community apart from the church? I believe we can enjoy characteristics of community apart from the church, but nothing can replace our deep need to worship and serve with others in a visible body of believers.

Eugene Peterson puts it this way:

“Love cannot exist in isolation: away from others, love bloats into pride. Grace cannot be received privately: cut off from others, it is perverted into greed. Hope cannot develop in solitude: separated from the community, it goes to seed in the form of fantasies. No gift, no virtue can develop and remain healthy apart from the community of faith. ‘Outside the church there is no salvation’ is not ecclesiastical arrogance but spiritual common sense, confirmed in everyday experience” (Eugene Peterson, “Reversed Thunder” HarperOne, 1991; p. 43).

The article I recently wrote about being meaningfully connected to a local church stirred some good feedback. Talk of “needing” to be actively engaged with a local church presents, for some, a sort of conundrum: We know in our head that the Bible teaches we should be worshipping and learning with a real body of believers, but our heart has been hurt one time too many by people in a church setting. We are kind of like porcupines in a snowstorm: We need each other to keep warm, but we prick each other when we get close. Even the best of friends sometimes struggle to stay friends. It seems that the closer we get to each other, the greater our capacity to really hurt each other (we know “how” to really hurt each other because we know “what” really hurts each other).

The Bible likens the church’s relationship to Jesus as a marriage: Christ is the bridegroom and we, the church, are his bride. But what would happen if we had the same level of commitment to our husband or wife that we often have with the church (I know what you’re thinking, some people do)? When Lisa and I have a disagreement we always end up coming back together. And we usually end up acknowledging that both of us were in the wrong about some aspect we were arguing about (maybe we share different percentages of culpability, but that’s for a different article J). Lisa and I never allow a crack in our relationship to become a canyon because we take seriously our wedding vows. We are in this relationship for better and for worse. And there’s no way either of us are going to give up on the other.

That analogy is one of the reasons I believe in church membership. I know, I know – “but you don’t have to be a member to be involved in a church.” True, and you don’t have to be married to someone to show you love them and are committed to them. But where does true love and deep commitment lead two between a man and a woman? It should lead to a formalizing of their love and commitment by joining together in marriage - - that’s how two become one.

Often when I ask regular attendees why they haven’t yet joined our church they begin with what they think to be a profound exegetical question, “Well, first of all, show me in the Bible where it says I have to be a member” followed by a statement like, “Give me some good reasons why I should join this church.”

When I first became a minister, some 20 years ago, I used to take a deep breath and give all of the reasons why a person should join Blythefield Hills Baptist Church and then, later, the Lakeside Community Church and now it’s the Rock Creek Church. But now I use an entirely different tactic: Instead of giving all of the reasons why a person should join the church they faithfully attend, I ask one question, “Why don’t you want to join us?” I’ve received quite a few interesting reasons why, but I’ve yet to hear one biblical one.

If you are attending a church where the pastor and church leaders ask Christians who are regular attendees to become members, let me encourage you to think about what the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 13, verse 17:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (ESV).

The writer is saying, “a church leader is accountable for you, and if your actions (or lack thereof) are a burden to them (causing them to groan), then it’s not only bad for them, but it’s no good for you either. Who wants a groaning church leader?”

I’ve found that one of the acts of obedience that really encourages a pastor and the church leaders he serves alongside is when people become members of the church. The elders at Rock Creek Church, where I serve, have observed on a number of occasions how it not only encourages the leadership team but also the other members. When someone stands before our congregation and says, “This is how I came to trust Jesus as my Savior and this is why I want to join hands and hearts with you today” it really inspires the congregation.

Loving God’s Church Along With You ~

 

Mike

Procrastination

It is said that Satan once called to him the emissaries of hell and said he wanted to send one of them to earth to aid women and men in the ruination of their souls. He asked which one would want to go. One creature came forward and said, "I will go." Satan said, "If I send you, what will you tell the children of men?" He said, "I will tell the children of men that there is no heaven." Satan said, "They will not believe you, for there is a bit of heaven in every human heart. In the end everyone knows that right and good must have the victory. You may not go."

Then another came forward, darker and fouler than the first. Satan said, "If I send you, what will you tell the children of men?" He said, "I will tell them there is no hell." Satan looked at him and said, "Oh, no; they will not believe you, for in every human heart there's a thing called conscience, an inner voice which testifies to the truth that not only will good be triumphant, but that evil will be defeated. You may not go."

Then one last creature came forward, this one from the darkest place of all. Satan said to him, "And if I send you, what will you say to women and men to aid them in the destruction of their souls?" He said, "I will tell them there is no hurry." Satan said, "Go!" (Bruce Thielemann, "Tide Riding," Preaching Today No. 30).

The word, “Procrastination” comes from a Latin word meaning “to put off for tomorrow” and it entered the English language in the 16th Century. But by the 18th Century, Samuel Johnson was describing it as “one of the general weaknesses” that “prevail to a greater or less degree in every mind.” And with the passing of time, our tendency to procrastinate seems to be getting worse. According to Piers Steel, a business professor at the University of Calgary, the percentage of people who admitted to difficulties with procrastination quadrupled between 1978 and 2002. In that light, it’s possible to see procrastination as the quintessential modern problem  (James Surowiecki in his review of the book, “Later” which appeared in the New Yorker, October, 2010).

James Surowiecki writes, “(Procrastination is) also a surprisingly costly (problem). Each year, Americans waste hundreds of millions of dollars because they don’t file their taxes on time. The Harvard economist David Laibson has shown that American workers have forgone huge amounts of money in matching 401(k) contributions because they never got around to signing up for a retirement plan. Seventy per cent of patients suffering from glaucoma risk blindness because they don’t use their eyedrops regularly” (Ibid).

Are there areas in your life that are suffering right now because of procrastination? Do you find that there are some tasks on your daily to-do list that keep getting forwarded to the future?

I want to challenge you to consider two questions. (1) Why do you procrastinate? (2) How do we change? How do we live in the now?

First the why question. It seems that there are at least five personality styles that contribute to the tendency to procrastination. As you read these five personality traits, which one(s) describe you?

• The Perfectionist is a person doesn’t want to start or finish a task unless they’re able to do it in a way that meets impossibly high standards. They are prone to putting off starting projects or completing them because they don't want to let go until they’re perfect. Unfortunately things are never perfect so they never let go. 
• The Dreamer is someone wants life to be easy and pleasant. They don't want to be bothered with details but rather prefer to keep things vague and general. They tend to daydream about what needs to get done but rarely get around to doing it
• The Crisis Maker doesn’t get motivated until they’re in the middle of a crisis. They have a psychological need to live on the edge. In their world procrastination is actually a form of adventure and they’re not really motivated until the 11th hour.
• The Defier is the defiant person who likes to rebel against the rules. Procrastination for this type is a way to assert their independence; just to let authorities know they’re not going to knuckle under to them. The problem here is that this person tends to act as if they’re special and not obligated to do things other people have to do?
• The Overdoer ends up procrastinating because they take on way too much. They are unwilling to establish priorities, stick to focused goals and say “no.” They have long lists of things to do and fool themselves into thinking they are going to get around to them all.

So which one are you? And how can you overcome procrastination and enjoy being released from the bondage of the “someday syndrome”?

1. Stop excusing procrastination in your life ~ Chronic procrastinators are quick to rationalize their behaviors on the grounds that there's just nothing they can do about it. But you can do something about it: You can decide that you are going to take responsibility for your time, your action and your life. It's not up to somebody else. Ask the Spirit of God to empower you to cut yourself off now from all the rationalizations and excuses that have propped up your living for “someday.”
2. Start today ~ Commit yourself to taking action in areas where you've been procrastinating, today. Proverbs 27:1 tells us to “not boast about tomorrow for you don't know what a day may bring forth." We can’t casually assume we can get around to do something tomorrow. You don't know what tomorrow holds, but you do have this moment.
3. Prioritize your life ~ You have to decide what does and what doesn’t matter. Start ordering your world so that your life reflects those core values you hold dear.

Psalm 90:12 is a prayer we need to pray every day: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” In the world of business it is important to inventory and keep account of the merchandise. Why? Because you won’t be in business for long if you unwittingly let things just wander off. You want to receive the full value of your merchandise, so you number things.

The Psalmist says, "God, in light of the fact that life here is so short, I want to possess every day, every moment because they are the most precious gift You have given me. I don't want to throw a single one away.

Learning to number my days well with you,

 

Mike

 

Church...Really?

In an episode of the History Channel’s reality show about a Las Vegas pawnshop, a man brought in a violin and asked for an appraisal. According to the man’s story, he had recently purchased a piece of property that included a house and a barn. Shortly after his purchase, while inspecting the barn, he opened an old chest and discovered the violin safely tucked inside. As he dusted off the near-perfect instrument, h  e found the word “Stradivarius” clearly inscribed on the violin. The man was hoping the  “Stradivarius” was worth millions of dollars.

However,  after the pawn storeowners examined the violin and then also had it appraised by an expert, they told the man it wasn’t a genuine Stradivarius. Instead, it was a cheap imitation produced in the early part of the 1900s, worth around five or six hundred dollars.

The appraiser concluded by telling the crestfallen violin owner, “Just because something has a label doesn’t mean it’s real” (Pawn Stars, History Channel / 2-7-07).

Jesus reminded us that a person’s appearance and behavior could be misleading. The Pharisees looked impressive, but their hearts were far from God. They worked hard to keep all of the rules, but there was no real relationship with God that impacted the deepest parts of their souls. The problem stemmed from the fact that their energies were spent trying to be competent in God’s law, despite the fact that God wanted them to be people of character with His law written on their hearts.

 In his autobiography, “Be Myself,” Warren Wiersbe writes about his first church building project as a young pastor in Indiana. He and the church’s building committee were working with a church architect named Frank Schutt. At one of the committee meetings, Wiersbe says he learned a good lesson about architecture and theology, something he hadn’t been taught at seminary. In the meeting he asked Mr. Schutt, “Why do we need such an expensive, high ceiling in the auditorium? We’re not building a cathedral. Why not just build an auditorium with a flat room and then put a church façade in the front of the building?”

Wiersbe writes that in a very quiet voice, Mr. Schutt replied, “Pastor, the building you construct reflects what a church is and what a church does. You don’t use facades on churches to fool people. That’s for carnival sideshows. The outside and the inside must agree” (Warren Wiersbe, Be Myself (Victor Books, 1994), p. 104).

What a great reminder - - not only for a church - - but also for us as individuals. Do your outside and inside agree? God wants us to have lives that are congruent with our lips. And yes, God wants us to be part of churches made up of authentic believers that God uses to show the world that this Christian life really does work. 

But now we come to a fork in the road where people often take the wrong path. I find a lot of people – even those who claim to be Christians – have given up on the church because of the mess they see. Maybe they’ve experienced blatant hypocrisy or have been part of a church or churches long enough to come face to face with its’ rather foul underbelly.

So what do they do? Well, some give up on being part of any organized church and have settled for a churchless form of Christianity that breaks the heart of God.

Others may still attend a church, but they aren’t really committed to the local church. Their heart is somewhere else. Maybe they haven given their time, talents and treasure to some cause they deem worthwhile. It could be a non-profit or for others, it could be deep involvement in a para-church ministry (the thinking is, “well, since the local church isn’t do the job, why not give myself to an organization that will). Sadly, I think one day those who have chosen this path will find out (in this life or the next) that it doesn’t please God either.

See, the church…and by that I mean the Local Church - - with a pastor and leaders and a congregation that meets together regularly to hear God’s Word, observe the ordinances and do their best to live out the Great Commandment and Great Commission…the church is God’s idea.

So what are those of us who have been wounded by or disappointed in a local church supposed to do?

One of my favorite authors is Richard Foster. He’s one of the most prolific writers about Spiritual Formation (discipleship) that is blessing the church today. I was just reading about his son, Nathan, who admitted to once living “a ragged attempt at discipleship.” He was afraid to share his honest thoughts about God and his disillusionment with the church, especially with a father who had given his life to serve God and the church.

But one day as Nathan shared a ride with his dad on a ski lift, he blurted out, ‘I hate going to church. It’s nothing against God; I just don’t see the point.’ Richard Foster quietly said, ‘Sadly, many churches today are simply organized ways of keeping people from God.’

Taken back by his dad’s response, Nathan launched into “a well-rehearsed, cynical rant” about the church: ‘Okay, so since Jesus paid such great attention to the poor and disenfranchised, why isn’t the church the world’s epicenter for racial, social and economic justice? I’ve found more grace and love in worn-out folks at the local bar than those in the pew...and instead of allowing our pastors to be real human beings with real problems, we prefer some sort of overworked rock stars.’

Richard Foster smiled and said, ‘Good questions, Nate. Overworked rock stars: that’s funny. You’ve obviously put some thought into this.’ Nathan still couldn’t believe that his “rant” didn’t faze his dad. “He didn’t blow me off or put me down.” From that point on Nathan actually looked forward to talking with his dad. It also proved to be a turning point in his spiritual life.

By the end of the winter, Nathan was willing to admit, “Somewhere amid the wind and snow of the Continental Divide, I decided that if I’m not willing to be an agent of change [in the church], my critique is a waste…Regardless of how it is defined, I was learning that the church was simply a collection of broken people recklessly loved by God…Jesus said he came for the sick, not the healthy, and certainly our churches reflect that.”

Spurred on by his father’s acceptance and honesty and by his own spiritual growth, Nathan has continued to ask honest questions, but he has also started to love and help in bringing about change in the church, rather than just criticize it” (Nathan Foster, Wisdom Chaser (IVP Books, 2010), pp. 85-89).

Maybe you’re one of those people who have either given up on the church or have stopped going altogether. I wonder if Jesus could sit down over coffee today with you, what would he say? Let’s imagine that you just put it all on the table and gave Jesus all of the reasons you have given up on the whole church thing…what would Jesus say? I really don’t know, but part of me wonders if after he graciously listened and empathized with your disappointments, he’d look you right in the eyes and say, “But what would your life be like if I  - the One who knows all about the mess you’ve made in your life – what would your life be like if I stopped loving and pursuing you?”

Instead of pushing us away, I think the brokenness of a real church with real people who have made a real mess of their lives should be one of the compelling reasons why we are drawn to it.

Writer Carmen Renee Berry puts it well, “Where human frailty once served as a reason for me to withdraw from the church, with its unruly and divergent congregants, this is now what compels me back to spiritual community. I had overlooked one essential factor—that I am as finite and flawed as everyone else (Carmen Renee Berry, The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church (Brazos, 2003).

Hope to see you Sunday (in church, that is),

Mike