There's a little red book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan that I am preaching about this weekend and highly recommend to folks to read. Chan and I may not agree on every theological issue, but this book has an amazing ability to capture the depth of love that our God has for us and helps to measure the "lukewarmness" of our response to that amazing love!
It is so interesting when I consider how often I think I am big enough, smart enough and brave enough to go it alone. Keeping God back there behind door number one so I can call him out like my obedient little pet when I need Him.
A few months ago my son called me about this little leak he had with his dishwasher. Not a big deal for him, just looking for advice from his Dad on how to go about handling this minor distraction in his life. I remember how good it felt to know he wanted my input, trusted me enough to ask. It was good to be a Dad who loves his son.
How then must our Father in heaven love it when we bring the "dishwasher issues" of our lives to Him? It just a simple way we can bask in His "Crazy Love".....
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Living on the E.D.G.E.
Last night we officially began VBS at One Spirit. Some neighborhood kids mixed with our kids began their journey studying about the three kings who visited Jesus at his birth.
Back a few rooms from the Sanctuary a group of about 10 adults and me met to do our own E.D.G.E. study about Joshua. We were talking about how Joshua was chosen as one of the spies to check out the Promised Land. On their return 10 of the tribe's chosen spies declared that God's people could not beat the giants in the armies of the promised land and refused to enter. Only two, Joshua and Caleb stated they were confident that the Lord would deliver them if that was the land that He wanted them to go to.
What a simple story with such an amazing significance to our church. Here we stand looking for growth and new life while trying to handle our "giants". The economy, an aging building, needed improvements, strapped resources, culture and age differences. We have some who think the giants we face are too big. But I believe that God wants us to take them on and if that's what God wants, then HE WILL DELIVER!! Just a thought .....
Back a few rooms from the Sanctuary a group of about 10 adults and me met to do our own E.D.G.E. study about Joshua. We were talking about how Joshua was chosen as one of the spies to check out the Promised Land. On their return 10 of the tribe's chosen spies declared that God's people could not beat the giants in the armies of the promised land and refused to enter. Only two, Joshua and Caleb stated they were confident that the Lord would deliver them if that was the land that He wanted them to go to.
What a simple story with such an amazing significance to our church. Here we stand looking for growth and new life while trying to handle our "giants". The economy, an aging building, needed improvements, strapped resources, culture and age differences. We have some who think the giants we face are too big. But I believe that God wants us to take them on and if that's what God wants, then HE WILL DELIVER!! Just a thought .....
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thunderstorms and Ice Cream
Well yesterday seemed to bring a little of everything. I was up early, not sleeping so well, as I thought about the sermon I would deliver and headed off for the church (about 50 yards away) shortly after 7. Clouds were building in and it looked like rain might be coming. I survived the short journey with nary a rain drop.
Once inside, the clouds began to billow and by 8 AM just 30 minutes before the service was to begin they opened up with a big windy, lightning filled downpour. My first weekend I noticed that shortly after 8 a bustling friendly crowd would have arrived, chatting and visiting with each other. On this day only 4 or 5 folks were present at 8:15. I joked with some of the volunteers that Satan didn't wan't the message I had to give preached...but I was gonna preach it anyway. By 8:30 fifty or so people had braved the storm, many staying home but checking in.
We talked about taking risks, about not just walking up to the edge of Christianity, but jumping in and being fully immersed! We talked about embracing the community in "the shadow of our steeple" as my good friend Jim Blue likes to say. Not just feeding them or giving away free things, but embracing them as our family, inviting them into our inner circle.
Later that day the clouds cleared and nearly 40 people showed up for an ice cream social that was thrown to kick-off VBS week at OSUMC. It was such a contrast to the early morning hours..there was no pressure, no concerns...just folks enjoying each other's company and basking in the potential of neighbor kids learning about the Christ over the next week.
It's too bad ice cream wasn't around during Jesus' ministry...I think He would have enjoyed the vanilla...and the prospect of what it brought...just a thought.
Once inside, the clouds began to billow and by 8 AM just 30 minutes before the service was to begin they opened up with a big windy, lightning filled downpour. My first weekend I noticed that shortly after 8 a bustling friendly crowd would have arrived, chatting and visiting with each other. On this day only 4 or 5 folks were present at 8:15. I joked with some of the volunteers that Satan didn't wan't the message I had to give preached...but I was gonna preach it anyway. By 8:30 fifty or so people had braved the storm, many staying home but checking in.
We talked about taking risks, about not just walking up to the edge of Christianity, but jumping in and being fully immersed! We talked about embracing the community in "the shadow of our steeple" as my good friend Jim Blue likes to say. Not just feeding them or giving away free things, but embracing them as our family, inviting them into our inner circle.
Later that day the clouds cleared and nearly 40 people showed up for an ice cream social that was thrown to kick-off VBS week at OSUMC. It was such a contrast to the early morning hours..there was no pressure, no concerns...just folks enjoying each other's company and basking in the potential of neighbor kids learning about the Christ over the next week.
It's too bad ice cream wasn't around during Jesus' ministry...I think He would have enjoyed the vanilla...and the prospect of what it brought...just a thought.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Sabbath
Our Creator explicitly called all of us to a time of rest, a day set apart for rest and focus on God. In His brilliance God developed law that required this rest of us, that's how important He felt it was.
In today's world we rush from sun-up till sundown, trying to jam in work, cleaning, shopping, soccer practice and home repair. It is so difficult to find time to simply recover our sanity. Clearly everyone from Pastors to medical experts tout the importance of rest and recovery. In addition it is so important that we spend a significant amount of that time focusing on what God has for us in our lives.
Today as I begin to set aside Friday's as my sabbath, Carol has reminded me that I am working by blogging my thoughts. It is truly a difficult task to do....nothing.
My prayer for you today is that you find time each week to recharge physically, mentally and spiritually..it is clearly an obedience that we must work on.
Blessings!
PB
In today's world we rush from sun-up till sundown, trying to jam in work, cleaning, shopping, soccer practice and home repair. It is so difficult to find time to simply recover our sanity. Clearly everyone from Pastors to medical experts tout the importance of rest and recovery. In addition it is so important that we spend a significant amount of that time focusing on what God has for us in our lives.
Today as I begin to set aside Friday's as my sabbath, Carol has reminded me that I am working by blogging my thoughts. It is truly a difficult task to do....nothing.
My prayer for you today is that you find time each week to recharge physically, mentally and spiritually..it is clearly an obedience that we must work on.
Blessings!
PB
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Stepping Over Boxes
Years ago I was a district sales manager with a retail company and I was doing a store visit with one of my managers. We were reorganizing some storage and moved a box off a shelf in the warehouse and sat it on the floor. It needed to have some numbers looked up so it could be returned.
About a month later I returned and noticed the box still sitting there and, trying to give a very busy manager a break, didn't say anything about it but made a mental note of its presence.
Three weeks later when I returned the box was still there and now it had two other boxes and a file folder on top of it. It had sort of morphed into a cardboard desk if you will.
The story of the box reminds me of our lives, all the things we put off till another time, usually the things that cause conflict or require confrontation or extra work. Putting things off in and of itself isn't a terrible thing, but often it causes other things in our lives to pile up on top as well.
The manager of this store had just stepped over the box for so long, it no longer looked out of place to him, in other words he was just living with it.
Maybe all of us should look at our lives and discover the "boxes" that need to be dealt with so we can stop stepping over the conflicts that keep us from being whole....just a thought.
About a month later I returned and noticed the box still sitting there and, trying to give a very busy manager a break, didn't say anything about it but made a mental note of its presence.
Three weeks later when I returned the box was still there and now it had two other boxes and a file folder on top of it. It had sort of morphed into a cardboard desk if you will.
The story of the box reminds me of our lives, all the things we put off till another time, usually the things that cause conflict or require confrontation or extra work. Putting things off in and of itself isn't a terrible thing, but often it causes other things in our lives to pile up on top as well.
The manager of this store had just stepped over the box for so long, it no longer looked out of place to him, in other words he was just living with it.
Maybe all of us should look at our lives and discover the "boxes" that need to be dealt with so we can stop stepping over the conflicts that keep us from being whole....just a thought.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
City Grounds
This morning I had the pleasure of enjoying coffee with a large group of the men from the church at a wonderful little coffee shop in Raytown called City Grounds. We learned that City Grounds would be closing this week, and hopefully resurrecting at another location in the near future.
It was fun watching the banter between the guys. What I found very interesting was how everyone knows everyone else's story! This is fellowship at its finest!! Macho men drinking coffee and caring for one another. (It is also awesome that many of these macho guys left the coffee shop to care for the grass at the church and at the parsonage!!)
This is what Christian community is about, sharing lives outside of the church building. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could break down all the barriers that keep the world from having coffee together every Wednesday morning? Reaching out to one another, teasing one another in love, offering each other assistance, loving one another.
Something to think about over a cup of coffee......
It was fun watching the banter between the guys. What I found very interesting was how everyone knows everyone else's story! This is fellowship at its finest!! Macho men drinking coffee and caring for one another. (It is also awesome that many of these macho guys left the coffee shop to care for the grass at the church and at the parsonage!!)
This is what Christian community is about, sharing lives outside of the church building. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could break down all the barriers that keep the world from having coffee together every Wednesday morning? Reaching out to one another, teasing one another in love, offering each other assistance, loving one another.
Something to think about over a cup of coffee......
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Coming Home
Wow what an incredible journey it has been from St. Louis to KC. We have felt so much love and outpouring from both sides of the state that it is almost impossible to put in to words the feelings.
We finally arrived with a few moving issues but everything is present and accounted for (thankfully even Carol's missing shoes have arrived). There are still 10 boxes or so to be "redistributed" but Carol is doing an amazing job and making our new house feel like home.
Sunday morning was the first of many worship celebrations at One Spirit and I felt such a loving and welcoming spirit from our new congregation.
It is always amazing to me how the Spirit of our God pours out of people when we gather in His presence. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us.
We finally arrived with a few moving issues but everything is present and accounted for (thankfully even Carol's missing shoes have arrived). There are still 10 boxes or so to be "redistributed" but Carol is doing an amazing job and making our new house feel like home.
Sunday morning was the first of many worship celebrations at One Spirit and I felt such a loving and welcoming spirit from our new congregation.
It is always amazing to me how the Spirit of our God pours out of people when we gather in His presence. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us.
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