Nearing Home

Finished a book tonight, "Nearing Home" by Billy Graham. The subtitle of this book states, "Life, Faith, and Finishing Well". 

My wife has been asking why I decided to read this book right now, given my age and stage of life it seemed odd. However,  I would summarize my reasoning for reading this book with a line from the first chapter. On page 4 Billy Graham writes "I wonder. What home are you preparing for?"

As a follower of Christ, I am called to prepare for my heavenly home with The Lord. As a husband and a father, I am called to prepare my family for their heavenly home with The Lord.  As a pastor, I am called to prepare the people in my church for their heavenly home with The Lord. In every area, my call is to prepare. 

So, ask yourself, what home are you preparing for?

Phone Issues

For the past few weeks I have been dealing with "phone issues". 

It is standard practice to, each evening, plug the charging cord into my phone and lay it on my nightstand, allowing it to charge overnight. Yet several weeks ago simply plugging the cord into the phone was not enough. After plugging the cord into the phone, I wiggle the cord until it would make a connection with the phone. Days later wiggling the cord was not enough. After plugging the phone in, I would wiggle the cord until it would make a connection and then I would prop the phone up allowing e weight of the phon to rest on the charging cord. More recently, the weight of the phone was not enough. In recent days I have used stacks of books - even a gallon of milk - to offer more weight and make a connection to charge the phone. 

And then it happened, on Wednesday evening, my phone refused to charge. After a couple hours of plugging and unplugging, wiggling, wiggling, and wiggling some more, using a stack of books, a gallon of milk, and an iron to bring weight, I was unable to make a connection - unable to get a charge. 

So, I pulled out an old phone, changed the SIM card, plugged it in and, "DING", I was back in business. After a few adjustments and updates on Thursday morning I had all of the functions of my phone back. I had my phone back, that is, until today.

This evening, as I plugged the phone in, to charge, nothing. I went to work, doing everything that I could to get the cord to make a connection and bring a charge to my phone but nothing worked. Finally, around 8:00 this evening, as I watched the final bit of battery drain from my phone, with no other options, I accepted the reality that I would be without a phone. 

Moments ago, I laid down in bed, looked over at my nightstand and decided to give it one more shot, I gently plugged the charging cord into my phone and, "DING", it's charging. 

Amidst the rejoicing over my phone - now gaining battery life by the minute - I began to think about another source of power, the is The Holy Spirit. As a Christian I believe that all power comes from The Holy Spirit and that apart from Him I have no power to live, to act, and to to succeed.

I began to reflect on the amount of work I put into getting a phone to charge - the amount of work I put into getting the power to my phone. And I began to reflect on the lack of work I sometimes put into gaining the true and total power of The Holy Spirit in my life. Often times, when things get difficult, I stop pursuing His power in my life.

I believe that what God calls us to is a commitment and a dedication to pursuing His presence and His power in our lives. I believe that Gos calls us to pursue His presence despite difficult time - in spite of difficult times. However, we do not find His complete power through our labor - just as I did not find a charge for my phone through the hours of labor that I put forth. Instead, God grants us His power after we have shown complete commitment - and complete dedication - to Him. Yet God grants us His power once we stop labor intensive on our own and gently allow Him to take control. 

So, as I lay down to rest tonight - my phone charging nearby - I will let go and let God take control. 

Complaints

Everyone else in the family is asleep at this hour. I just flipped through some channels and found nothing good on television this evening. And so, I scanned through my phone and landed on Facebook. 

Looking through my Facebook timeline I found a common theme. So, I decided to spend a few minutes complaining about the amount of complaining that people participate in. 

The Greek word for “complainer” means “one who is discontent with our lot in life". Complaining steals our joy and our peace, and it rarely productive. Perhaps we find one or two others that agree with us yet they are rarely ones that can bring results and answers to our complaints. 

Often we complain to one person, which leads to complaining to another, and then several more. I've thought before that if we call it "venting" then it is still acceptable. Yet our "venting must stop before we are "steaming" lest we "boil over". 

And I wonder if complaining on Facebook doesn't do more harm than anything else. Does the occasional "like" mean that much to us? Does it bring with it a feeling of worth or acceptance? For ever comment of support, keep in mind, that dozens are reading and disagreeing with your argument - and your attitude. Keep in mind that, with each complaint you broadcast, you are building on to the culture of discontent, impatience, and hatred. 

We have been complaining since the very beginning. The very first complainer was Adam who, after he and Eve disobeyed God, he complained to God that “the woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it”. 

So, what does God think of complaining? What are we - as Christians to do when we are "disconnect with our lot in life"? Two passages come to mind, the first is a command, the second is a teaching. 

(Philippians 2:14-15) Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

(James 4:1-3) What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

What are we to do? Stop grumbling! Stop complaining! Start praying! Seek God's heart! Ask God for our desires! And be content in Him! 

Unity Through The Holy Spirit

Romans 15:5-6,13

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow  Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As The Church - established in Christ - we must find endurance, encouragement, hope, joy, peace, trust, and power. This can only be accomplished through unity and this unity is only possible through the Holy Spirit. 

Therefore, let us - as The Church of Jesus Christ pursue the unity of the Holy Spirit - so that we may glorify God with one heart and one mind and one voice. 

Pastor's Open Letter to the RFMC

Two weeks ago, Kim and I announced that we were seeking a new appointment in the coming conference year and that we would be leaving Robinson near the end of June. 

 

Since this announcement, I have received one question countless times; “Why?”

 

I had a conversation with one member and explained that we were not leaving because of disappointment or conflict. I told this person that this has been a decision weighing on our hearts for a year – one we have been praying for months. They asked me, “Does the church want you to leave?” I responded, “No, I don’t think so.” Then they asked, “So, the conference is wanting you to leave?” And I told them, “No, in fact it would be less work for the conference if we were to remain in Robinson.”

 

“So”, they asked, “why are we leaving?” My response was simple, “Faith!”

 

James 2:14, 17; What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 

Kim and I believe that God is calling us to go. We do not know where He is calling us to go to, but we believe that He is calling us to go in obedience to Him.

 

Kim and I believe that God is calling us to go. And so we go, faithful that God is leading us.

 

Hebrews 11:1-2, 6, 8; Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

 

Kim and I believe that our going is an act of faith. And there are costs involved in ever act of faith. Our going means that we are leaving Robinson – and our friends and church family hear in Robinson.

 

James 2:23-24; And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

 

We are not leaving because we don’t love you. We are leaving – oddly enough – because we love you! We are leaving because we want you to know that this is what faith accompanied by action looks like – that this is what faith – lived out – looks like. 

 

So, let me leave you with a question for you to consider; “Are you living your faith out? When it’s difficult? When it’s painful?

 

A Kingdom United

Mathew 25; Jesus stands before a demon possessed man who is both blind and mute, and Jesus brings him full healing. This man, who had just been possessed by a demon could now talk and see. The people were astonished!

But then, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being Satan; "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."

Jesus, knowing their thoughts says to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand."

I read these words - every kingdom - and I think about Jesus' Kingdon and The Church. 

Often we allow Jesus' Kingdom to be divided against itself. Sometimes we are to blame! So often we see that Satan's attack against The Church is the in-fighting - the gossip, the slander, and the attacks that Christian brothers and sisters wage on one another. 

As Jesus stated, "every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined". It is difficult for me to comprehend the damage that The Church is doing to itself!

It is time that The Church recognize the division that we are causing. It is time that we recognize the destruction caused by our divisive actions.

Rather than destroying itself, let this be the time that The Church begins to heal itself. Let this be the time that we encourage, uplift and inspire one another. Let us be The Church, unified now and for all eternity. 

Acts, Romans, and Gentiles

I read Acts 10 and 11 and Romans 11 this morning - in unrelated studies - and came to several related phrases;

"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." (Acts 10:34)

"...God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life." (Acts 11:18)

"...salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious." (Romans 11:11)

"Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in." (Romans 11:25)

I invite your wisdom into and understanding of these passages.