A Thankful Perspective

A couple of things happened this last week that has brought me a new perspective:

Saturday: our youngest son was taken to the emergency room and we spent a total of five hour with him there as the doctor and nurses evaluated his condition.

• While at the hospital I was advised that the tire on our van was flat, soon finding that we had run over a nail.

Sunday: our youngest son was taken to the emergency room twice, then hospitalized overnight. 

• Both my wife and I stayed late into the night with our son in the hospital and stayed up until the early hours of the morning praying, worrying, and praying.
• My wife also spent the night and entire next day with him in the hospital, her absence was felt in a major way.

Monday: our oldest son woke up with a cold, he was unable to go to school.

• My wife and youngest are able to come home in the late afternoon but we are all exhausted from the previous days hospital visits.
• Our youngest wakes up at 3:30 a.m. and decides that he has enough sleep for the night.

Tuesday: our daughter woke up with a slight cold, we were sure she would be the next to get the full-blown virus. 

• Our oldest is still not able to go to school instead we decide to take him to the doctor, finding out that he has croup. 
• Our youngest has adopted a new sleeping schedule that does not include the hours of 3:00 to 6:00 a.m. (some of my favorite hours to sleep).

Friday: our car is unable (or unwilling) to start, the battery is dead.

• The new vehicle models completely lock up when the battery is dead, the trunk will not open, the key is locked in the ignition, and the transmission is locked in park.   
• We have inconveniently parked the car in front of the garage and are unable to get our van out.

Saturday: I threw my back out.

Now, given all of these things, some might think that our family had a right to be a bit tired or grumpy, or even to complain a few times. I might agree if it weren't for what happened on Thursday. On Thursday I had the opportunity to listen to a sermon from Gateway Church located in Caledonia, Ontario (not one of the typical podcasts that I listen to) on the topic of giving thanks to God. In this message they spoke  about the need to be thankful for the large and small gifts from God and introduced the concept; "1,000 to be thankful for". 

Not only did I grab a notebook on Thursday and begin to list some things that I am thankful for, I began sharing them with my family and church family, and I have continued, these last few days, to write more and more things that I have to be thankful for - gifts that God is bringing to me and to our family every day. 

And, through this process I have gained a new perspective, in marriage, in parenting, in pastoring, and in life. 

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

I praise God because He exists

I praise God because He exists!

First of all, God is worthy of my praise because He has existed since before time began.

Next, God is worthy of my praise because He will exist throughout all of eternity.

And finally, God deserves my praise because without His existance life would not exist.

So, for all these reasons and so many more, I praise God because He exists.

Humbled, Honored, and Confused

After having preached for a few years now, I know right away if the words I am speaking from the pulpit are not clear or when I am not connecting with the audience. As Professor Howard Hendricks says; “If it is a mist in the pulpit, it is a fog in the pew." 

As I consider this morning's sermon I fear that I may have left our church family with an very unclear message. Yet, I walk away, seeking God's guidance, mercy, and direction for the next time I enter His pulpit. And, when I stand before others proclaiming God's Word next I will, as always be honored and humbled and the opportunity, while being continually confused that anyone would listen for any amount of time to my thoughts and understanding of God's Holy Word. 

Keeping versus Reaching

These insights to the local church were written by Pastor Tony Morgan a few weeks back. After reading through them a few times and giving some consideration I thought I would pass them on.

These insights will be helpful to my Pastor friends and colleagues and also to laity within the church, especially those individuals that are reluctant to change and more progressive models of ministry within the church.

When churches value keeping who they have over reaching people outside the church and outside the faith, their thinking, language and actions tend to look like this:

They program for people who already attend the church.

They create environments that assume only Christ-followers will be present.

They use insider language that’s confusing to people new to the church.

They assume any growth that happens will be initiated by a heart-change outside the church rather than one inside the church.

They never stop ministries because that might offend someone inside the church.

They are slow to do something new because it might offend someone inside the church.

They think it’s a choice between “going deeper” and “reaching the lost” when it’s actually both.

They choose personal preferences over potential ministry impact.

They make decisions based on who they’ll keep rather than who they’ll reach.

Thoughts on Titus 3:1-2

This past Sunday our class was reading from Titus 3;

1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

Of course, just as this verse points to, we began to discuss our view of government, authorities, and politics. We began to talk about a believer's role regarding these matters and when we are to stand up, step forward and declare that "enough is enough".

In light of this, I considered this passage from Titus, Verse 2 specifically struck me, especially the words "slander", "peaceable", and "considerate".

First Paul writes that a believer is to slander no one. This speaks of our leaders and those in authority, but also of our family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors - everyone! This means no gossip, no ill talk, no lies - nothing - no slander.

But then Paul writes that we are to be peaceable. Yet this isn't always easy. There are things that really seem to get my blood boiling and things that upset me and make me downright angry. Is Paul stating that we truest need to be peaceable at all times? Weren't there times when Jesus wasn't peaceable? And, aren't there things in our culture that we are to stand for and to stand against? As believers aren't we called to speak for the rights of the oppressed and persecuted? Aren't we called to preach the Word, be salt in the world, and to be a light for the world? So, how can we do all of this and still be peaceable at all times?

See, that's where the third word comes in; "considerate". There will be things that strike us, upset us, or even upset us. And these are the moments that we must remember to be considerate. As believers we must step back, even remove ourselves from the situation for a time, to evaluate and consider the larger picture. Ask; "Am I angry because this inconveniences me or causes me some sort of personal difficulty?" or "Am I angry because this us something that God's Word speaks against and breaks His Heart?"

If your angry stems from a personal inconvenience than peaceable you must be! Pray for it and it will come. But, if yourconcerned based on an attack on God's will and His way, you must stand against the matter and peace may not be the answer. Yet here is where Paul's final statement cones in; "always to be gentle toward everyone".

Whatever the case, in peace or in conflict, we are called to be gentle. As believers we are called to be hard on sin but not harsh toward sinners.

Politics Today

Yesterday I got into a discussion about politics with a couple other people at church. I try my best to avoid any sort of political discussion at church, but this one was friendly and purely motivated.

The question was raised as to why it seems that this year do many people seem to be into the election and politics in general. And it does seem to be true, even those who are not typically involved or interested in politics are wrapped up in them now, staying educated and informed.

But why? What's the big deal? I believe the reason is that the stakes are so high. There is so much to be gained and do much to be lost in this next election that suddenly everyone feels an urgency to get involved and to make sure their voice is heard.

Not only are the stakes high for us today, the stakes are high for our children, grandchildren, and for our entire nation. Therefore, we must have our vote, our opinion, and our voices heard loud and clear. We must vote!

We All Need Encouragement

I wrote earlier today about the power of encouraging words, how some words from Barnabas enabled Saul to fulfill The Lord's call to ministry.

We all need to hear encouraging words in order to receive the confidence and ability to make it through this life. Yet if we do not belong to a community we will not receive the encouragement needed. And, in a world filled with depression and loneliness, encouragement and community seem to be our highest need and desire.

It seems to be a vicious cycle. People are depressed and so they withdraw from community - the community of church, the community of family, the community of friends, and the community of love and fellowship. As they withdraw from community they receive less and less encouragement and they grow more depressed.

THIS IS NOT GOD'S PLAN! The only solution is to get into a community again - maybe even by force.

See, all of us - at one point or another - feel as though we are alone and we need encouragement, love, and support. And it is at these moments that we are overwhelmed with feelings of rejection - perhaps even that we are an outsider.

It is at these very moments - as we wonder why no one cares or why no one calls - that we need to consider others. It is at these very moments that we need to pick up the phone, pick up a pen, or pick up the keys, and pour some needed love and encouragement into the life of another person.