Pastors' Blog

I have always been a military history aficionado, but after I taught world history for a few years I expanded my interest. Even though we as humans have great memories, can store vast amounts of data, and fill huge libraries with volumes of historical works, we don’t learn from history. Moreover, if we don’t like what history teaches, we simply re-construct it to suit our current thinking, Now, I am not an expert on economy (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once!), but the recent economic issues remind me of observations I made from history.

The Roman Empire was one of the longest lasting empires in history. When the Visigoths finally stormed Rome’s gates they did not conquer the empire, they merely sealed the fate of an empire that was already dead. The Roman Empire was not felled by the sword, but by the internal problems of political & commercial corruption, deceit, greed, immorality, high taxes, oppression, indulgence, and sloth.

Well, I can’t help but observe the same signs in our nation. We can point fingers at the Republicans, blame the Democrats, accuse incompetent CEOs, ad infinitum, but the reality is we are all to blame. We have embraced and taught to our children a materialistic, self-indulgent, instant gratification lifestyle. We have been duped by the illusion of prosperity - a standard of living beyond our means that matches our expectations.  Consequently we have created (or at the least perpetrated) a system to get what we want.  Now, with all that threatened our leaders scramble to avoid responsibility and somehow restore what we had.  We so want to have our illusion back, to continue our lifestyle, and cover up our sin

… but it is built on sand.

“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." – Jesus in Matthew 7:26-27

Is it a bad thing? Is it a good thing? Or is it an opportunity for us to change? Is it a chance for you to rebuild?

In December of 1973 the USA was in a precarious situation.  Inflation rates were starting to run away, 8%, 9%, 10%. There was an oil shortage and cars were lined up at gas stations.   Shortages of food popped up across the nation. It appeared to those at the time that all the abundance & prosperity Americans had was about to be snatched away. 

On December 19, 1973, Johnny Carson walked on to the live set of THE TONIGHT SHOW and made one of his opening monologue jokes, “There’s an acute shortage of toilet paper in the United States.” He swung his invisible golf club, took a commercial break, and went on with the show. But it wasn’t funny to the millions of nervous viewers.

The next morning hundreds of thousands of frantic shoppers lined up outside supermarkets to buy toilet paper. They dashed in. There were brawls and arguments. Some stores limited 4 rolls to a customer. By noon on December 20^th, America was sold out of toilet paper.

We live in precarious economic times, but there is no reason to panic.  History has shown that panic only makes the situation worse. This is the time for us to pray, to worship, and to focus on the one who doesn’t fluctuate with the stock market - God.

I was reading today in Isaiah 62 and was struck by God's feelings toward His people, the Jews. After all they've been through, after all their spiritual failures, and dabbling with other gods, God reaches out to them and restores them to Himself. He exclaims in verse 5, "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you."  The very thought that the God of the universe, the Holy One who tolerates no sin, actually finds imperfect people a source of joy is stunning.

I immediately remembered ho wI felt yesterday morning. As I lay in bed, the sun shining through the window and birds singing back & forth to one another outside my open window, I put my arm around my wife, who had snuggled up to sleep next to me and prayed - she was mine and I was her's. Contentment and joy filled my soul.

Verse 4 reads, "for the LORD will take delight in you."  Before that, verse 3 sings out, "You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God."

If God feels THAT way about a wayward group of people, how much does He feel the same toward me - One who He has chosen and connected to His Beloved Son?

Stunned once again by His grace.

I was musing this summer...

I'm sure there are plenty other reasons people give for leaving one church and going to another. I have a feeling that many of them are merely products of our self-centered consumer culture. It made me consider what is a vaild reason for moving from one faith communtiy to another. Here's what I thought of: 

• Death
• Relocation
• Serious doctrinal disagreement
• A specific calling from God to serve somewhere or to some group 

Just my thoughts.

Many people live in a conundrum. They don't like change, but they want change. Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's inscurity. Maybe it's just that we are too comfortable. Yet in our comfort we complain and sometimes as "spiritual people" we grow numb, become dull, or feel dry. There is a missing vitality to our lives.

Often when that happens people look to something or someone to spice things up. Change is in order - a new toy, a new job, a new house, a new church, a new spouse, a new religion. They try to recapture the "feel" of the past. But what happens if the feel of the past isn't what will revive us? 

I read a Scripture passage recently that made me wonder if I, we, look in the wrong places for that missing vitality.    Isaiah 43:18-19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Israel was at a dry place, distant from God, and separated from His blessings. They longed for what they had before; they craved for the past - "Maybe if we just change things so they're back to what they were before...."  God, however, wasn't going to re-vitalize them by rewinding the tape. He was doing something new and different. He would bring vitality and life to the most dry of places through something new ... and His challenge to them was to see it, look for it, perceive it. 

• Instead of trying to orchestrate change on our own, maybe we need to perceive what God wants to do in our lives.
• Instead of trying to mimic the feelings of the past, maybe we need to grasp the new feelings & experiences God has for us.
• Instead of holding onto the comforts of the past, maybe we need to embrace the changes God is bringing.

We may not like change. We may want change. Either way, we must make sure it's God's change. We do that by seeking Him daily in an ongoing personal relationship.

Last week my family and I traveled to Maneadero, Mexico (south of Ensenada) on a missions trip. Though a few of us had been on missions trips before this was the first one we'd experience all together. I didn't know what to expect. And was I going to be surprised.

We flew into San Diego, met our C&MA missionary host, Rick Romano, and headed south across the border. At about 1 AM (3 AM our time) a tire on Rick's van blew out ... and he didn't have a spare. We waited for his wife to drive up and rescue us. It wasn't until 3 AM (6 AM for us) that we got to our room, that is, our dark, dusty, dirty, bunk beds on a cement slab room. When my bed sheets didn't fit the mattress I wondered what I had got myself into. But that was only the beginning.

The bathrooms were mere outhouses so small that your knees would hit the wall when you sat. The showers were small, dirty, and with limited water supply. And we had to wake at 8 AM for breakfast. Being exhausted he first day was not the ideal way to start this trip.

I began the next day finding out that our primary job was going to be construction. Now, my family and my church know that I really dislike construction work. I am not the guy who buys tools and loves to putter around the shop. Urgh! I get no satisfaction or joy from doing that kind of work. When I saw, however, where and for who we'd be building a house for (a poor family living in a crowded shack) I determined to do the job.

It wasn't going to be that easy though. The discomforts continued. Other than dinner the food was repetitive and, well, quite disatisfying. That was minor for on the second day I got a severe sinus headache. The next day my back starting hurting. The next day the van hit a bad bump and I crushed my head & neck on the roof. Then, to top it off I almost got a concussion when a 2x4 fell on me! It really seemed like "someone" was trying to discourage me so I'd just give up. I was out of my comfort zone, beaten up, and among strangers. Nonetheless, the joy of the Lord was my strength and for the first time in my life I enjoyed construction; I actually WANTED to build this house.

When the week was over we introduced the family to their new home. It wasn't much by American standards and it certainly wasn't built by skilled professionals, but it was a mansion to them. Their expressions, their tears, their appreciation made all the inconveniences worth it.

Serving the Lord isn't always convenient, but it is always worth it.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

My daughter wrote this song a few years ago for me. She and a couple friends then shared it with our church...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYxsqkrUZKs

I went to the zoo recently. Amidst all the wonderful elephants, leopards, and cobras, I noticed two themes being propogated on signs, displays, and literature. First, were the references to evolution. Second, were the promotions to protect endangered animals. I was confused. Wasn't the concept of "survival of the fittest" inherent to evolution? Weren't those species not strong enough to survive (through evolution or adaptation) not worthy to survive? There appeared to be a contradiction in what I was reading. If I believe in the "survival of the fittest," then why protect animals from extinction?  It just doesn't make sense to me. On the contrary, if I embrace Biblical creationism, then I am compelled to care for all of God's creation. None are weak and worthless. The call God placed on mankind in Genesis 1 is to manage, lead, and care for God's creation. Therefore, it's not ours to abuse, but to cherish and use wisely for His glory. That to me, sounds like a valid reason to protect and care for the endangered and the weak.

After our softball game last night, I posed a question to the team. What is the difference between an actor who plays a ballplayer and a ballplayer? Their answers included "commitment," "passion," "heart," "practice," "discipline," "he thinks about ball all the time."

Then I followed it up with another. What is the difference between a religious person and a true follower of Jesus? There was a long pause and then someone said, "Heart, it comes from the heart. He wants to do it." I pondered aloud how he also said the same about a true ballplayer. That got the guys thinking and the same answers became obvious, "commitment," "passion," "heart," "practice," "discipline," "he thinks about God all the time."

Reading from Isaiah I saw some parallels with the Jews. They were quite religious. They were meticulous about their rituals and worship. But in Isaiah 1:13-14 God tells them how much he hates their religiousness. It was a facade, a charade that covered their hypocrisy. Outside their religious setting they did whatever they wanted.

• they cheated
• they lied
• they gossiped
• they took advantage of people
• they played around with sexual immorality

Basically they settled for meeting what they thought were the minimal requirements of their faith.  Instead, God sent trouble their way and urged them to come clean and be real. In Isaiah 1:18-20 God calls the religious people to reality.  Our faith has to be real, it has to permeate our entire lives, it has to involve "commitment," "passion," "heart," "practice," "discipline," and "constant thought."  If not, at the end of our lives we'll look back and admit that when it came to being a Christian ... we just played one on TV.

I spent the week at EXPONENTIAL '08 The National New Church Conference in Orlando, FL (www.exponentialconference.org/). It certainly got my juices flowing about starting new churches and reinvigorated my vision to create a consortium of churches that work together to start new churches in South Jersey and into Philadelphia. There was, however, one nagging truth that hounded me all week; it was never really clearly laid out by any speaker, but I really felt that for this to happen I need to pray more. I was convicted that I don't nearly pray enough for the larger issues affecting God's kingdom in South Jersey or transforming this local region.

It is so easy to get consumed by my own life issues or those affecting my local church. I want to keep my eyes (and heart) looking forward into the future, to pave the way with prayer. I shouldn't be surprised as 16 years ago it was prayer that birthed Hope Chapel amidst resistance. Whether or not others join me, I will be praying for new churches to sprout up in our region, churches that will be used of God to transform both hearts and communities.