Seeing Things

 “Pastor, you are a blessing to our church; you see things we don’t see.”  These words were in a wonderful note I received recently.

So, you can imagine me trying to figure out how and why I might see things differently, right?  I’ve considered lots of typical answers --- birth place, upbringing, religious training, life experiences, personality, God’s personal word to me, etc.

My best answer today is none of the above.  Instead, I think my “way of seeing” as a pastor has been influenced most a) by my friendship and acquaintance with Christian missionaries, both long and short term, b) by time spent with dozens and dozens of Christian foreign nationals with whom I have had the privilege to visit for a moment, for hours or even days, and c) by using daily devotionals and Bible commentaries by and for Christians from other countries. 

Corrie ten Boom was one of the first to startle me with transformational words from another world view, that of her native Holland and of the Nazi concentration camp she survived.

This morning (June 16^th) I am reading a message provided by Lesley-Ann Hix to the online devotional program d365.org.  She raises the question, “What impact can my short term work and witness have for Jesus in Chile?”  “Is it worth it?” 

She writes,     

“Last summer I lived in Arica, Chile, hoping to find Jesus at work there. Immersed in the culture, building relationships and learning as much from my missionary hosts as I could, I did find Jesus already in motion, but I became overwhelmed.

“There was a lot of work to do, and I was only there for two months. What would happen with the community group I started, or the church I worked with, or the children I loved at the children’s home? How was I supposed to be what they all needed?

“When Jesus sends out his disciples, he relieves them of the stress of having to be…well, Jesus. We work hard following Jesus into good work, but we stress ourselves out thinking we have to have it all figured out. The way things turn out is not entirely up to us. In Chile, I found Jesus already bringing life. So the good news is Jesus will be there long after I’ve left.”

Her prayer is simple,              

“Holy God, I am grateful that you call me. I am grateful that, no matter where I am, I can be a part of your ongoing work. Help me remember that it’s not all up to me. Amen.”

What might you see?  What might you learn?  If you could appreciate the truth of God as seen through the eyes of a Christian from another place?  Egypt, Syria, perhaps, or Palestine where it all began, South Korea maybe, South America, or South Sudan.  Our God is a big, big God, amen?

Identity

Identity          Hey! It’s a new year and I have a question.  Do you have a better handle on who you are and where your life is headed than you did at this time last year? 

Maybe that’s not important to you, and that’s ok, but if that question finds you pondering then here are some suggestions.

First, look to God for answers.  Because it is God who made both you and the ultimate destination toward which your life is headed.

Second, subdue your passions.  Because the power of raging wants and desires, loves and hates, regrets and sorrows can re-route your heart to pursue a false heading.

Third, be discerning of friend’s advice, even good friends.  Because while friends can indeed be good counsel, they nevertheless view the questions you ponder from the point of view of their own heading.

Fourth, watch out for that long black train. Because the ways of the Devil are subtle, capable of subverting your best efforts and intentions.

Finally, take Jesus as your daily guide and friend.  Cling to the Father and his holy name. Because there truly is Victory in the Lord.

Affirmation               Here’s a basic affirmation package that might help, when you have time.

God made me.  Psalm 139

The Lord is my shepherd.  Psalm 23

God forgives, heals, redeems me.  Psalm 103

God’s Word became flesh. John 1  

God loves and saved me.  John 3

Feel the Spirit

Feel the Spirit – Experience the Fruits
Gosh the church is growing. And our ministries are expanding

How much would a little more spiritual fellowship please your soul?

In what ways is God speaking to you? How are you experiencing that call, that need, that nudge to grow closer to God in praise and service?

Where do you think your personal discipleship might make a difference?


Tech/Worship Ministry
The Humeston Church is looking for a few people (all ages, high school and up) who can visualize themselves working the sound and projection booth on Sunday mornings as a part of their personal ministry.

We pretty much need 2 people every Sunday, maybe 3 once we get around to capturing the service on video. But we’ll have to have more than 2 or 3 people trained and available, in order to allow the regular operators some Sundays off to spend out of the booth, either just in the pews with friends and family, or doing something else on Sunday morning.

If you would recommend someone for this ministry, or if you yourself would like to be a part of it, please get in touch with Pastor Dale. We could sure use your help.


Other Ministries
More families with children are coming to church now. If the ministry of Children’s Church appeals to you, we could use extra helpers there too.

In the Fall we will be adding Sunday School classes and of course there will be openings for those of you interested in the teaching ministry.

Through the summer some in our church family will be exploring a) doing ministry as a family, b) making a difference with hands-on local mission, c) men’s work weekends, d) creative prayer ministries, e) a small group ministry, and f) maybe a young adult fellowship. We probably can’t do it all, but are open to your interests and the Spirit’s leading.

We are the church. Together in prayer and ministry.

The Difference

If ... God doesn’t make mistakes

Then ... everything God makes is perfect, amazing, beautiful, praiseworthy, and holy.


I know a lot of people who are really down on themselves. That’s Sad.
I know a lot of people who are really down on others. That’s Bad.
Today it is customary to build oneself up by pointing out fault in others.


There are two very different uses for the word “fault.”
The 1st meaning is “a defect or imperfection; a flaw.”
The 2nd meaning is “responsibility for failure or a wrongful act, a misdeed or transgression.”

In the simplest language, then, a “fault” is either something wrongfully done for which one is responsible (meaning #2), or something fundamentally wrong with a person, period (meaning #1).


People who are really down on themselves are inclined to believe that they are defective, that they are a mistake. They are not. But it is SAD that they feel that way.


People who are really down on others are inclined to communicate that there is something defective about them, that they are flawed. They are not. But it is BAD that they are treated as throw-away mistakes, not made by God.

The Challenge ... (a very old one at that) is to both be able to receive criticism and give criticism on the level of meaning #2 without attacking or feeling attacked on the level of meaning #1.


Meaning #1
“Fault” has a sibling named “Shame.” They are the henchmen of the Devil convincing the world (and doing a pretty good job of it right now) that God made mistakes everywhere. Perhaps they have also convinced you of your unworthiness (which of course is a lie)


Look at yourself. Look at others. And say, “God made me/God made you. No defect, no flaw. There is nothing in me or you, in and of ourselves, to be ashamed of. I am/you are not a mistake.”

Meaning #2
So, if God didn’t make mistakes, where do mistakes come from? Mistakes don’t come from God. They come from God’s human creations (perfect in their being) who do imperfect things.


“Blame” and “Guilt” are also siblings. But they are the servants of God. Their job is to address the horrors of human behavior while yet preserving the splendor of created worth. “Guilt” and “Blame” focus on the wrong. They assign responsibility, encourage repentance and restitution, and assist those wishing to do so to adjust their behavior to better reflect their created splendor.


The Difference ... it’s yours to make.

Find, love, and affirm the admirable, the God-perfection, in everyone (meaning #1)

Where there is wrong, address it with vigor, but as one who is also wrong, for only God is perfect (meaning #2)

The Suffering of the Cross

Adapted from a conference by Saint Thomas Aquinas, ca. 1265 A.D.

Q. Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us?
A. Because there was a great need,
first, as a remedy for sin, and
second, as an example of how to act, and how to fashion our lives.

Christ on the Cross is the example of love: Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends.

Christ on the Cross is the example of patience: he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth. Great patience occurs a) when one patiently suffers much, or b) when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid.

Christ on the Cross is the example of humility.

Christ on the Cross is the example of obedience. For just as by the disobedience of one man, namely, Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous.
Christ on the Cross is the example of despising earthly things and following the King of kings in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches. They stripped him of his clothes
Nor to honors. They ridiculed and beat him, and spat in his face.
Nor to greatness of rank. They crowned him with a crown of thorns.
Nor to anything delightful. They gave him only vinegar to drink.

Q. Is it not true that Christ exemplifies every virtue on the Cross? Is it not true that the Cross itself is the perfection and fullness of God?

Don't Let Money Have Power Over You

Proverbs 15:16 “Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith.”

1 Timothy 6:6, 8 “Godliness with contentment is great gain. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.”

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned that in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.”

It’s Lent.
I’m thinking about voluntary sacrifice, after the model of Christ.
I’m thinking about money, and time, and commitment to God, too.

I’m thinking that God’s economy differs quite a bit from commonly accepted economic theory. Here’s an “In God’s Economy” question to lift up that point.

Debt and savings each have their incumbent obligations. Which obligations are easier to get free of?
The obligations of debt, of course. With hard work and responsible planning one can get free of debt and its obligations. But who wants to get out from under the obligations that go with accumulated savings? Who wants to be free of those worries?

Here’s the rub. The message of Jesus, indeed of the whole Bible, is that when money, whether it be money saved or money owed,...when money defines your choices, you are not truly free, and your choices cannot truly be Godly choices.

“You cannot serve both God and mammon,” says the Holy Word.

To the contrary, when your choices are driven by the principles of God – mercy and grace, justice and love, compassion and righteousness – when money is not in the equation, blessing abounds.

Please do not misunderstand. I am not suggesting poverty. The Bible tells us to work, and earn, and take care of our families,... and as “our brothers keepers” to take care of them too.

Having money has power.
Not having money has power.
Don’t let money have power over you.
Don’t let its gain or its lack steal your heart from God.
Don’t let it compromise your “good-doing.”

Learning to Thrive

To really enjoy life, enjoy it with someone else. From the creation story at the very beginning of the Bible to the final description of eternity with the Lord at the end of the Bible it is clear that God made us and all things in relationship.

When God created, God created two, a man and a woman. Throughout the Bible God calls individuals into community, into relationship with each other, into relationship with God, himself.

It seems to me then that God’s purpose is that we not only learn to live with others, but that we learn to thrive in relationship with others. What is the greatest commandment again? but to love God, and your neighbor as yourself.

My challenge to you, if this thought resonates with you, is to not merely try again on improving your existing relationships, but that you also reach out, perhaps to one who would benefit from your mentoring, to someone younger, or someone less experienced at your specialty. Make a new good friend. Thrive on the energy their life brings to your life.

How to improve your existing relationships? Basically, pretty much stop talking and start listening. Then let what you hear, not what you know, govern your next step. One of my facebook friends, a guy, posted this. Hey fellas, don’t you think it time to listen to your wife? She’s smarter than you. Jesus says it best, and more gently: Put others before yourself.

How to reach out as a mentor? Basically, pretty much stop talking and start listening, listening to the people around you, listening to their dreams and frustrations, listening for where a the helping hand of a servant friend (which is NOT a word of advice!!) could make a difference.

Basically, learning to thrive in relationships boils down, then, to spending less time with one’s own ideas and more time with the ideas of others. It requires facing one’s insecurities, momentarily stepping away from things and ways that provide comfort, and accepting the challenge to appreciate another just as he/she is.

To thrive, just go for it.

To Eternity and Beyond

The great quote out of the mouth of Buzz Lightyear in the Movie Toy Story is “… to infinity and beyond.” It is a quote expressing endless possibility, a quote sure to catch the fancy of every dreamer, of everyone wishing and hoping for a better tomorrow. In a way, to the ears of my spirituality, it connects with that yearning for eternity God planted deep in my heart. Surely the fire under your hopes and dreams is stoked when you entertain with Buzz Lightyear the thought of “… to infinity and beyond.”

Well, that is what Jesus Christ calls us to, invites us to enter, and makes possible for us. The maker of time, more huge than the whole cosmos, wants us to be a part of his eternal being, … and wants us to engage with him in fulfilling his eternal purpose, which is to establish his glory by bringing all creation into perfect harmony with him.

Could it be possible that I might participate in God’s great purpose … “to infinity and beyond,” or might I say “… to eternity and beyond?”

I’m a forward looking person. All my life the thought of living into the future has been a prominent one. The thought is constant, but the reality so often eludes me. Why?

The first realization I have come to about this is that I have to take the first step.

The second realization I have come to is that I almost always skip the first step, and the second step, and generally the third, fourth and fifth steps as well.

The third realization I have come to is that I am never really able to live into the future because of skipping the first several steps.

So, if the crowning achievement of our lives is to be one with Christ and engage with him in fulfilling his eternal purpose, what is the first step? And the answer is … fitness, personal fitness. We have to be personally equipped for the journey -- spiritually, physically, financially, academically.

Athletes don’t start with playbooks, they start with pushups. Astronauts don’t start with algorithms, they start with mental toughness. So too, those in the Lord’s service must start with fitness.

- Financial fitness (free to serve, whether like Mother Teresa or like Bill Gates)
- Physical fitness (strength and stamina to meet God’s every assignment),
- Academic fitness (truth sufficient to dispel all criticism, heresy, and doubt), and
- Spiritual fitness (in constant communication with Christ, the commander and source).

The first step in serving Christ is your personal fitness -- body, mind, soul, and spirit. Get fit. It is a Godly thing to do, and the first step to “… eternity and beyond.”

Stuck

We all know Stuck. Been there! Way to many times.

We all know there are two ways to get un-stuck. Either you get a Push, or you get a Pull.

Pushing is hard work, and generally not the most pleasant. But it sure beats being stuck. Push ahead.

Press on. Work through it. Get psyched. Just do it.
Shoulder to the wheel. Where’s your drive? Dig in. Let me help.

We know about pushing. It’s pretty much what we do.

On the other hand, we don’t know so much about pulling. We use it less often, are less practiced at it, and rarely consider it as an option. Pulling is still work, of course. The big difference with pulling is that the focus is not on where you are, but on where you are going. It’s sort of like the difference between pushing water with a plunger, or drawing it with a siphon.

Pushing is to “get you out from where you are.” It’s focus is on the right now, on being un-stuck, on un-doing the negative.
Pulling is to “get you on to where we are going.” It’s focus is on the horizon, on moving forward, on reinforcing the positive.

The Bible is full of Push-Pull. Push in the Bible has to do with taking a hard look at human reality in the flesh. Fallen, sin, repentance, judgment, forgiveness and hell are push words. They express the needs of the soul and generate “help me” prayers. Pull in the Bible has to do with taking a good look at human reality in the spirit. Risen, redeemed, grace, mercy, thanksgiving, and heaven are pull words. They express the contentment of the soul and generate “thank you” prayers.

Both are totally necessary. How about you? How well do you balance the Push and the Pull in your life? Are you mired down in the muck of the Push side of things so much that you lose sight of the promise and joy on the Pull side?

Do you need a good kick in the rump, a push, to get you life back on a godly course? Or maybe you need a powerful new experience, a pull, to draw you up and move you into a more godly lifestyle?

For me, I only need a push when my pull is too small, and that’s most of the time. This holiday season I’m going to dwell on the Glory and Majesty of God, ponder the huge-ness of God’s grace, and wonder more about the genius of creation and the miracle of salvation.

Keystone Habits

Habits are killers, aren’t they? Well, sometimes, anyway. Bad ones run our lives amuck and ruin our health. But, on the other hand, good ones are the drivers that turn every effort into success.

There’s a new book out, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg, which studies how by simply changing one habit a person can totally turn their life around.
‘Keystone Habit’ is the name given to that transforming habit. A Keystone Habit can be any habit. Duhigg tells the story of one major corporation that went from near financial disaster to abundant profit in one year by focusing on one habit only, safety.

In 2009 a group of health researchers published how Tracking, that is, keeping a food journal, or writing down everything one eats, helped a study group of 1600 obese participants change their eating behaviors and lose weight. But surprisingly this Keystone Habit -- food journaling – did more, it created a structure that helped other habits to flourish. Six months into the study, people who kept daily food records had lost twice as much weight as everyone else.

Keystone Habits make our life better. God knows how true that is, and in the Bible suggests several, any one of which will change your life forever and for the good. Here are a few. Love God. Treasure God’s name. Pray daily. Worship weekly. Give your first and your best, i.e. tithe. Be thankful for everything. Forgive over and over again, even your enemy. Respect/honor your parents as long as you live. Feed the hungry. Visit those in prison. Welcome the stranger or sojourner in your midst. Oh, the list goes on and on.

Here’s the deal. Just pick one of God’s recommended habits. Commit to it daily. Track it daily. You will probably need an accountability partner to stay at it, so get one. And in no time your life will be more satisfying to you, more a blessing to others, and more glorifying of God.

Pilgrims, Past and Present

In the following remarks the word “children” includes all children, those in the home and adult children whatever their age. Parenting responsibilities, especially those of modeling the faith, do not end when a child leaves home. Once a parent, always a parent.

Pilgrims, Past and Present

Men:   Once upon a time, courageous men studied God’s word and taught it to their children. They brought their families to church, and applied the Gospel values in the performance of their civic duties. They taught their children how to work, and how to judge rightly according to God’s word. They taught them how to treat others and govern their own behavior under God, how to live successfully in community with folks of other persuasion. Still today, courageous men do the same.

Women:   Once upon a time brave women studied God’s word and taught it to their children. They nurtured their children in the Christian graces, read to them and taught them to pray. They sacrificed their own comforts to support the evangelization of the world, cultivating in their children, thereby, a desire for excellence, generosity, and peace. They forged wholesome patterns of civility and opposed all forms of social evil. Still today, brave women do the same.

Folks:   It takes courage to stand with Jesus, to speak about Jesus, to let Jesus govern one’s life and guide one’s life choices. It takes Jesus to parent with strength, wisdom and love.
       It always has.
       It always will.
      Be courageous and brave.
      Be quick to call on him.

Pay It Forward Sunday

Thanks to the fun spirit and generosity of a church member
Pay It Forward Sunday was March 11th.
Those attending church that day were randomly given $1, $5, or $10
and asked to do something good with it.
Here is what some used their money for:
Church carpet fund
Sr. Citizens meal site
Random Acts of Kindness for gas and groceries
Elementary School milk money
Youth trip
Sunday School offering
Mission blanket
Extra tip at restaurant
To send a get well card
“Josie’s” fund and bracelet

Work

At Sam’s funeral on Saturday and again in church on Sunday I spoke about work. “Work hard. Because if you work hard, you may do well. And if you do well, then you will be able to do good.”
Doing good: what a nice way to honor God. It’s the Abraham principle – blessed to be a blessing.
Is that your way of living? Is honoring God by doing good with the fruits of your labor what your life is all about?
To be blessed. Or. To be a blessing. Which way do you lean?

Self-Image

It is often the case in baseball that a power hitter leads the league in both strike outs and home runs. It is always exciting when such a batter comes to the plate in a clutch situation. Here’s my question. “At such times would you rather have the batter seeing himself as a strike out king or as a home run hitter?” Self-image matters. So, then, what about your self-image? The Bible affirms believers as saints, yet reminds them of their sinfulness. As a believer, do you generally see yourself as a saint or a sinner? And how does that self-image influence you when you step up to the plate? Be assured that God sees you pure and clean, washed in the blood of the Lamb. To God, you are a saint, and God is glorified when you live up to that image.

Lessons for Lent - #1 - RELATIONSHIPS

The Problem
Are you walking with God? wanting to draw closer to God? There are many ways in which the relationships in our lives interfere with our spiritual development.

Have people in your life blocked this passage? How do you find strength to move past them? How do you align yourself with others who will not block you and will encourage you to reach your spiritual goal?

Sometimes married couples get in the way of one another’s relationship with Christ. Parents can get in the way of their children, especially if they are skeptical of the church and religion. Friends who don’t go to church can encourage us to use our time differently, ultimately getting in the way of the most important friendship of all – with Christ. Perhaps colleagues would rather see us work all the time rather than taking time for devotion and worship. The list could go on.

The Solution
Three key relationships, spiritual ones, are necessary for spiritual growth. Everyone needs a) a faith friend, b) a faith coach, or role model, and c) someone to mentor or tutor in the faith. Find these 3 people in you life. Make intentional commitments with them. Be accountable.

Lent

In all religions adherents observe Holy Days and Holy Seasons. It is the practice in this church to “keep” the season of Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday, continues for 40 days not including Sundays, and ends on Easter. 1) Throughout these days we try harder to read and pray about the teaching and suffering of Jesus. 2) At the same time we try harder to let God’s forgiving, sacrificing love show through us to others. 3) And also we try harder to purify our thoughts and personal behaviors in the eyes of God who knows everything about us. On the Sundays of Lent, in church, Pastor Dale will be offering help through his messages. All are welcome, so maybe come with a friend. Who knows, you, or they, may find blessing here.

Valentine Candies

Oliver R. Chase invented a machine in 1847 to cut heart-shaped lozenges from wafer candy and started a candy factory, the New England Candy Company (NECCO). Daniel Chase, Oliver's brother, began printing sayings on the candy in 1866. Way before that God figured out how to write “I Love You” and “Be Mine” on the human heart. Of the sweetness he offers he says, “Take and eat. Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Putting Christ First

There are a lot of smart people out there. Maybe you are one of them. Smart people know that Putting Christ First is a total game-changer when it comes to how you live your life. And a lot of those smart people like their life as it is. So, they don’t Put Christ First. But they are smart enough to know that if/when they reach the place where they don’t like their life the way it is they can improve their situation by Putting Christ First. Some well known athletes and celebrities have done that – they’ve Put Christ First. You can listen to why they did online at www.iamsecond.com

4 Essentials for Spiritual Growth

Are you a brand new follower of Christ, wondering where to get started on your journey? Are you a long term follower of Christ, finding yourself in a spiritual rut?

Here are 4 essential steps to move you forward toward spiritual growth. Though simple, they are vital to building your relationship with the Lord.


Step 1 – Read your Bible daily. Find a Bible reading plan that’s right for you. A plan will keep you from missing anything God has written in His Word.



Step 2 – Attend church services regularly. The Bible encourages us to meet together regularly with other believers (Hebrews 10:25). This is also fundamental to spiritual growth.



Step 3 – Get involved in a ministry group. Most churches offer small groups and many ministry opportunities. Pray and ask God where you should “plug in.”



Step 4 – Pray daily. Prayer is simply talking to God. You don’t have to use big fancy words.



There are no right and wrong words. Just be yourself.




Thanks to Mary Fairchild

First Things First

Been out of town for a while? What are the “first things” you do when you get home? Who are the “first persons” you just have to connect with?

Are you finding your daily activity restricted – new baby, surgery, planting and harvest, or whatever? What is the “first thing” you plan to do when you get your life back? the “first place” you want to go?

Unexpected expenses? Once you get your budget back in line, what are the “first things” you are likely to splurge on?

These 3 questions help us realize the true priorities of our hearts, who and what we value as significant and special to us. These are the things and these are the people we need to be thanking God for every day, as well as to be praying for.

These 3 questions also help us realize that the concerns of God, our life with God, and our service to God are not among our “first things”. Sorry for the guilt trip, but no apology.

God came among us that first Christmas. We cheat ourselves when we ignore Jesus. God instituted the practices of the spiritual life for our benefit. We cheat ourselves when we do not practice them. Be good to yourself. Put Jesus first. Go to church. Give outrageously. Take holy time with your family. Pray.

Jesus is a friend like no other. But he is also sovereign God. Put him first.