We Both Ate Lucky Charms For Breakfast Yesterday

Lucy in better days

Spent some time yesterday with some of my favorite young people - Kira Stoy, Sydney Hoskinson, and Ian Anderson. Bunny had the girls in our Honda so Mr. Ian and I headed out in my car. Ian and I have a lot in common.

- We both ate Lucky Charms for breakfast yesterday
- We both wonder about things like physics and natural laws that other people don't
- We both love science fiction
- We both get our geek on, obviously

Yesterday though we had lots of fun looking at the high tech tools in Home Depot and Office Depot, and though we shared a love of pizza at Cici's (he ate at least 9 pieces, I ate 4), we also talked about something we share that neither of us ever wanted.

You see Ian's friend Lucy the dog is dying from a brain tumor.

I know how that feels.

Our friend Henley the Great Dane had bone cancer with no hope of a cure, and the weeks between knowing something was wrong and the understanding that it was cancer were awful. We couldn't look at him without crying. We kept praying it would go away, but it didn't.

It wasn't our first experience with the death of a furry friend though.

For Ian, Lucy was his first encounter with the incredible, lavish generosity of a dog's love. She converted a cat-loving boy to someone who would come into my office and talk about what Lucy did yesterday, or tell me about the photos on his phone. She came into the family unexpectedly - rescued while they were on vacation in Alabama - and was adopted into their hearts and lives. Joy with fur. But now came sorrow, deep.

So when he talked about it yesterday, eyes clouding up as he did, I was listening and praying for God to pour every ounce of grace and mercy into my friend's heart. "Bear each other's burdens..." is commanded in Scripture, but I knew that the best I could do is pray for God to touch the heart of my young friend, and help him begin to work it out.

Pray for the Anderson family. Pray for Ian. Pray for Lucy.

And thank God for dogs - for the ONLY thing worse than saying goodbye to one is never having been loved by one at all. Even in death, they teach us how to live.

In Every Way You Can Think Of And More

Our friend Allan

Had one of those morning runs today that was more walk than run. Left knee wasn't happy; lungs voiced their concerns; mind versus body all the way around. So I thought and I prayed my way through it. Something about taking thoughts captive and all that.

On the homeward stretch I saw my friend Allan up ahead.

Allan's still grieving the loss of his grandfather, and as I saw him my heart cried out to God to comfort him. 

I lost sight of him for a moment behind a building but when I drew alongside a local restaurant, "Say Cake", that serves breakfast and lunch along with what you'd think they served, there was Allan inside. He was talking to someone and gesturing about where to sit, or that's what it seemed to me. A young man walked from behind him and pausing slightly, put a hand on Allan's shoulder. The look on his face told me that God had answered my prayer for Allan.

That's my God. 

I've been here twelve years now. Preached a gazillion sermons, taught through most of the Bible. Prayed over and over than God would use my feeble efforts to let others know they are loved. That God is incredibly resourceful and relentless in that love. That He'll take every opportunity - even create them if there's need - to whisper in your joys and shout into your pain (to paraphrase CS Lewis) - to let you know - YOU ARE LOVED.

But there are some people whose perception of themselves and/or the world around them just won't let them see that. And it breaks my heart.

Brennan Manning wrote this in his amazingly grace filled book "The Ragamuffin Gospel" - 

"And Grace calls out, 'You are not just a disillusioned old man who may die soon, a middle-aged woman stuck in a job and desperately wanting to get out, a young person feeling the fire in the belly begin to grow cold. You may be insecure, inadequate, mistaken or potbellied. Death, panic, depression, and disillusionment may be near you. But you are not just that. You are accepted.' Never confuse your perception of yourself with the mystery that you really are accepted." 
— Brennan Manning (The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out)

In every way you can think of and more, you are accepted for who you are. You are loved. Open your ears, your eyes, your heart to the One who gave everything to show you how much.

I Talked To God About You Today

Tuesday's are usually very calm here in my office and it's then I am able to have an uninterrupted block to use for prayer. For many years I have tried to find such a space every week to pray for every person who is a part of New Hope. Right now, it's Tuesday morning.

Being a part of us means you are someone who we know and come in contact with. That can be those who show up on Sunday and Wednesday night regularly. That can be someone who comes occasionally. It can also be those we see when we are delivering meals, or just in the community we love. If you showed up for the first time Sunday - you got prayed for today.

Let me give you a glimpse into what I prayed for today.

Today I have the grief of one family on my heart, and in particular that of two girls whose aunt passed away in Korea.
Then there's Allan, and the loss of his grandfather that still is affecting him.
There's Carol, and her heart for her friends the McDaniels in the storm their son finds himself in. I prayed for their son Bobby and all who love him.
And I prayed for Nathan, who woke up this morning far away from home.

Just a snippet. There's so much more.

There's Jonathan in Alaska, Rachel in Colorado, Michael and Kristen in Georgia...

and you. I prayed for you.

This is the work a pastor has to do, or he'll never understand how God's heart breaks for the people they both love.

This is the work that ties what we'll say for God on Sunday to what is going on in the hearts of those who come to hear.

This is that time that brings the pastor a glimpse of just why "Jesus wept."

So many times my heart breaks over what the people God gave me to love are going through. But I turn that, and the outcome of everything - over to God. "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

For I know that God is staggeringly GOOD. And I know that I can care, I can empathize, I can even cry - But GOD CAN DO.

So despite what I've walked through in prayer, valleys of shadows turn to open horizons lit with God's amazing love.

I talked to God about you today.

And He told me He loves you.

Monday

They say more preachers quit on Monday than any other day.

I can understand that.

Standing before people and opening God's Word, having prayed and prepared all week, hoping and praying that God will inhabit the moments and empower the message... leaves you at the edge of a cliff leaning forward. Even if you run through your routine - like a golfer on the tee - and try to put yourself outside the act you are about to do, and make yourself focus on the "process", if you are serious about hoping to be used by God, your heart is exposed and vulnerable. That's just the way it is.

Philip Brooks famously said, "Preaching is Truth through personality" - and you are in that message. You step out knowing that you cannot even begin to know what the people in front of you are struggling with, except in a general way - unless they tell you. But you believe with everything you've got that the God you serve wants each and every one of them to move closer, so His arms will embrace them.

And sometimes, looking back, you feel like you were in the way, like a tall guy at a parade with little kids trying to find a way to see around you. If you'd just move, maybe someone would get it... this time. If the music had been right, if it hadn't been so hot or so cold, if this family or that hadn't been on vacation... you invent scenarios that have nothing to do with reality.

The reality is that no matter what happened, God WAS there.

Yesterday, my friend Joe Gnatek up in New Hampshire sent a message out to his church via Facebook that said :

When we are weak God is made strong in us. We had a very weak service today. But God is still good. I'll preach better next week. I thought I was still on vacation. ;)

I understand what Joe was feeling when he wrote that.

If he'd only had our praise team's version of "Our God Is Greater" from yesterday I'm sure he'd have felt better. ;)

But God's power to change lives does NOT depend on our ability at all.

One day we'll be able to see what those "off" Sundays did for the Kingdom. I would not be surprised if some of them might just be the ones God used the most for His glory.

You Matter More Than You Know

Picture ©CMM 2011

The pictures are beginning to roll in from the wedding today. Moments frozen in time of a young couple stepping out into life. I told them that every moment before today was going to be a part of what they gave to each other and it was up to them to create their own memories from that moment on. They'll have plenty of time to do just that.

I wanted to take a minute before I close the books on today and let you know something from my heart.

You matter more than you know.


All of you.

You who cut the grass and cleaned the church.
You who keep the flowers looking so pretty.
You who so willingly gave your decorations, your help, and your time.
You who set up the stage, cooked the food, cleaned the kitchen and set the church up for tomorrow.
You who took the pictures. And took the pictures. And took the pictures.
You who made our guests from Arkansas so welcome that one of them said "I wish I could be a part of a church like this one." (BTW she gave an offering to the work here at New Hope so I wish she'd stay :) )
You who treated Allan with such love today as he continues to struggle with the loss of his grandfather.

All of you made a difference today for Christ.

Such a special day.

Spent with such awesome people who I love so deeply because of who you are and what you do for our Lord.

You matter more than you will ever know this side of heaven.

Monks Don't Reproduce

So I'm doing my usual yeoman's work of lurking within a Facebook conversation. Couple of folks are talking about what Jesus calls us to do. One person decides to set the bar high for everyone and keeps referencing Jesus' instructions to the "rich young ruler" - "sell all you have and then come, follow me." Now most of us would admit that very few people ever take that instruction to be directed at anyone BUT the young man Jesus was addressing. That was his "god" and Jesus was trying to see if he'd renounce it to follow Him. He didn't.

One person points that out, but the guy still comes back with "sell all you have, then follow."

I finally am moved to comment.

"Don't sell all you have to follow Jesus - that's TOO EASY.

Keep what you have - your job, your spouse, your relationships, your car, your house - keep it all.

THEN follow Jesus in everything. Everyday.

Monks don't reproduce."

I know, I'm a thread-killer. :) But...

It wasn't the Monks in their cells that spread Christianity across the world. It was farmers, and soldiers, and tradesmen. It wasn't the sermons in the great cathedrals, it was the conversations among average people going about their everyday lives. The Monks didn't reproduce their faith.

You may have times of great piety and great devotion. But if they are not who you are every day, that's not following Jesus - that's something else. How do you treat people? How do you use your time? How do you handle your money? Are you faithful to your commitments? Do you love the place and people God has placed you with on the journey? Do you show that, or is it a "secret admirer" sort of love?

Everyday in numerous ways, the place you live and the people you live with test your faith and walk with Christ. In this culture, living a Radical life is more about living a Christ-centered life in the everyday than it ever would be in a monastery.

One more time - Monks don't reproduce. Go live it right here - right now!

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on." Matt 7:22

Dorothy's Not In Kansas Anymore

(Bunny and Dorothy)

I love New Orleans. I hate New Orleans.

There are places here, sacred places - where for generation after generation people have come and worshiped God. You can see it in the silent indentations on the kneeling rails behind the pews. Worn over many years, they speak of devotion - of faith over time. It shouts to you in the architecture - in the art that fills the churches. If you walked into some of these houses of worship, never having owned a Bible, I could lead you through the story of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection just by drawing your attention to the walls and windows. The love and devotion that went into creating each of those spaces, even when worshipers and choir are absent - truly sing  praises without words. I am in awe of what God has done through them - is doing through them. Those places - I love. I feel at home there, even though I'm not of their "stream" of Christianity. I may be a second cousin twice removed to them, but it still feels like home to me.

There are places here where the sacred and secular clash. The plaza in front of St Louis Cathedral for example is sometimes filled with people trying to make a buck by telling fortunes. It always bothers me that the light of Christ can't seem to make it outside the cathedral doors to make a difference. Then there's the street people. Some are purposefully making themselves noticed by painting themselves silver, or gold, or wearing Uncle Sam outfits, or anything they can use to catch your eye. Others bring the sounds of music to bear to try and eke out a living, dollar by dollar as they sing and play.

I know it's part of the local color. I know it's not New Orleans without them. But the precipice they seem to be backed up against seems so near, and their fall from making a living to not so in view, that they bother me a great deal. I love New Orleans. I hate New Orleans.

And yet... every time we come here, Bunny and I are placed in the path of someone who grabs our hearts. Every time God places us in close proximity to someone who needs to know they are more than part of the background for us tourists. Someone who needs to know that they aren't forgotten. That God cares. We failed miserably last year when God placed a young man in our path. Bunny and I had both been praying that if we got the opportunity - we would not fail again.

This time it was Dorothy. She met us near the Cafe Du Monde and offered to take our picture together. So then Bunny suggested we take hers. That's her in the picture above. After I did that, Bunny started talking to her and it was then we heard of her poverty and homelessness. Dorothy said that the clothes she had on were all she had. That she was staying at a mission just down the street from where we were.

She was hoping for help to pay for a night at the mission. Quick prayers. More talk. Then a walk by me to an ATM. We talked for a few more minutes as we walked, but eventually we decided we should trust Dorothy and give her enough for two nights. The look in her eyes was one of deep relief and thankfulness. She hugged Bunny, and then Bunny started to cry. She came back and hugged her again.

I had carried a coin in my pocket since last year's trip. One side was crosses and the other side had this verse on it:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)

I gave it to Dorothy, telling her that God had not forgotten her - that she was His precious child and He would see her through this place she was in. She turned around and started to walk , and then she hugged me - hard. We all shed tears as God drew near in that moment.

I think people have a deep seated need to know that they aren't forgotten - that they matter to someone. So God put us in NOLA last week to deliver a message to one of His daughters named Dorothy. We'll never forget her and hope to one day see her again - if not in NOLA - in heaven. Would you pray for Dorothy - for all the "Dorothy's" right now?

Daisies & God

It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never gotten tired of making them. It may be that God has the eternal appetite of infancy.
G.K. Chesterton 


One of the things I fight about growing older is the tendency to grow bored with the miracle of life. Every day we take about 20,000 breaths and every single one is a gift. Our eyes, one of the most intricately designed parts of our body, do the amazing work of recognizing, translating, and communicating what's in front of us. Our ears discriminate music from the background noise. Our nose picks up the molecular traces that we call smells. We're able to grip a baseball bat and hold a newborn.


We live in a miracle, AS a miracle.


As tired, as cynical, as bored as we get with it all, I am convinced that God never does. For all the fuss about our needing to get in touch with our inner child, God simply never forgot what it means to love something for what it is. Not for what it does for Him, or what it could be if He changed it - like we so often love - but for God, a daisy brings joy because it simply is.


Newsflash - He loves you the same way. 


I am dead serious here.


There is nothing you can do to earn His love.  Nothing you could do to make Him love you more. Sure there are things you and I both do that don't please God - some which may even make Him angry at the sheer foolishness of our rebellious ways.


But friend, He'd do it all again.


And He does.


For you. For me.


Let yourself remember what it's like to be loved for who you are.

You Darn Interwebs! Get off my lawn!

So I was exploring the latest and greatest social network today, trying to figure out whether it was going to be a blessing or a curse, and when I got back over to Facebook, I had a "poke" to return. I did it immediately, because the person who "poked" me is someone Bunny and I care for a great deal. They've not been as regular at New Hope as we'd love for them to be this summer. Stuff with family; stuff with friends; teen age stuff; stuff stuff.

But if we want to "connect" with them, there's Facebook. We can return "pokes."

I realize that I'm in danger of trowing the grumpy old man card on the pile here, but a "poke" is just not enough for me. Now this is coming from someone who can be almost anti-social at times when I'm harried and hammered by events and responsibilities. I'm also someone whose idea of a perfect day could simply be me and Bunny at the beach. (Now remember we live 15 minutes away, so going to the beach is part of a normal week for us. For you, sorry. :) )

But could I be forgiven for saying that what I love about New Hope is seeing the people that make it up living together as brothers and sisters in Christ? Being there when someone is laughing so hard they are crying simultaneously. Hearing what's happening in one another's life. Helping someone through a rough place, or with a stubborn doubt. Celebrating God's goodness and sharing life's pain.

There are people that I have spent almost 12 years praying for every day. People who I have seen grow up. People I have seen grow older.

They are my church family, and when any of them aren't there, well... it just isn't the same.

So let's enjoy the technology. Let's string connections across every device and every platform we can think of. But I just wanted you to realize that if you are relying on those to grow your relationships deeper, it ain't happening. People need more than just a "poke."

Google Plus So Far

I'm an early adopter. I admit it. I like the idea of helping a company do something do - so much so that I've been a beta tester several times. In fact this is being typed on a Google CR-48 prototype Chromebook. So when I saw the news about Google+ I wanted in. Got the invite from my daughter-in-love (thanks Shonda!) and immediately was struck by how different it was from Facebook - and potentially how much better it could be.

I LOVE circles. Think that's an awesome idea that can really help a lot of people. I've already created ministry and teaching circles to hopefully connect with some folks in those areas. (If you're reading this and aren't already in - hit me up for an invite)

I like Sparks - cool way to explore some interests.

I think the Hangouts will be fun too.

But where's the integration, Google? Why can't my Blogger post to plus directly? Why can't I share a Google Reader feed or turn it into a Spark? Why isn't Picasa or YouTube hard wired in right now?

In short, I am hopeful that + takes off in a big way, but it's very early.

Certified!

I passed the K-6 certification test yesterday!

It was "high-stakes" testing yesterday for me. Not just due to the $200 price of admission, but since the door to the classroom was padlocked until I passed the test, there was some pressure. Yes I had just completed a teacher education program with straight "A's." Yes I had purchased two study guides and reviewed them for the last month.

But after substitute teaching this spring, and the experiences I had in student teaching, I am very aware - more than ever before of the stakes involved. If "Johnny and Jennie" don't learn, everything starts to unravel. Their lives and the lives they will touch, certainly. But beyond that, our society as a whole. We need educated citizens who understand what their role in this "grand experiment" is. Those who teach them ought to be highly motivated and highly skilled.

The test definitely spanned a wide range of topics and information. There were a lot of thoughtful questions about strategies you might use with students presenting with different needs. I liked that, because it was the reality in every classroom I taught in this year. There were some good questions about civics and government, about real world use of math and science - overall I thought it was harder than I thought it would be going in. And that's a good thing.

There are more tests to come. The General Knowledge test, the Professional Educator's Test, and possibly the Social Studies or English subject test. But since I want to teach in Elementary, the K-6 was the ONE I needed NOW to be  "hireable." I expect to receive certification in Business Education and Social Studies 6-12 based on transcript review, but my heart is in the lower grades. We'll see.

The last six months of work, school, substitute and student teaching combined to really stress me, Bunny, and our relationship. We made it through thanks to an enduring love and the grace of God. Bunny was so supportive and encouraging even when it was really rough. We hope to be able to squeeze a quick get-away in before school starts so we can stand in a vacation-location and just be a couple again. We LOVE those times when we remember just how deep and intense our love for one another is. There has been no prayer I've prayed more over the years than one of thanks to God for sending me her.

So dear reader, one more hurdle has been overcome. Now lets pray there's a principal out there in Okaloosa County that wants to hire me. Thank you for all your help (I'm looking at you Amy Anderson and Diane Weech) and prayers.

First world problems

There really isn't a "third world" today. The term comes from when people characterized the world as developed nations, nations behind the "Iron Curtain" and the undeveloped "third world." It's more like the "two-thirds" world. THAT world doesn't worry about Wii remotes; it worries about clean water, where their next meal will come from, and diseases. THAT world CAN CHANGE if we here have the will to make it happen. Already global severe poverty has been cut in half, and organizations like World Vision, Amazima, Compassion, and the like are working to give people in THAT WORLD a chance at a better life.

Bunny and I sponsor a child in Rwanda. Sean sponsors a little girl in Ethiopia. Several others at New Hope also do individually as well as classes also sponsoring children. We've sold bags made by women in Malawi to help families climb up out of poverty. We've purchased the Universal Nut Sheller to help raise production of peanuts - again so people can climb up. There are others we've done, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of what a small group of people in THIS WORLD can do.

What are YOU doing?

Friends, we may not be able to fix the world, but we can DO SOMETHING! - and we ought to. That "least of these" comment Jesus made? He meant it.

Downwind

So this morning dawns bright and sunny after yesterday's monsoon, and while I'm lacing my shoes I'm thinking about how great it's going to be to walk along Bayshore. It was a bit cooler as I stepped outside, and since it's downhill from my house, I got a great start. Played Frogger with the cars heading into Eglin as I crossed the 4 lane, and reached Bayshore. Walking pretty briskly, I looked out over the water, sunlight reflecting off the slight waves, and saw an early rising water skier enjoying their ride. A little farther and I saw an osprey shopping for breakfast. All was right with the world. But then...

What is that smell? My stomach almost turned over, as did my breakfast. The suddenness and the intensity gripped me. I'll press on, I thought, and get past this. But I didn't get past it. I walked another quarter of a mile and it would not let up. I rounded a corner and discovered the source. I had been following the garbage truck. And on a warm and muggy Florida morning, it was ripe.

So I waved to them and changed direction. It took a slight detour through the neighborhood, but I was able to come out ahead of them, back on Bayshore, and enjoyed the rest of my time.

What is it that stinks in your life today?

Maybe it's time to change direction.

'Do people fall down and not get up? Or take the wrong road and then just keep going? 5 So why does this people go backwards, and just keep on going—backwards! They stubbornly hold on to their illusions, refuse to change direction.
Jer 8:4-5 (MSG)

If God has shown you that where you are is not where He wants you to be - decide to change direction and follow His path today. Living out of God's will stinks.

Where David Hearts Keith Olbermann - the end of the world as we know it

I'm not a fan. I'm not a Democrat. I'm not fooled by the antics of both sides in the current budget debate/circus. But... this is powerful and filled with truth. Take away the comments he makes about the president. They're political and this is above politics. There's a narrative here that he's tracing out that deserves to be heard. It's the one drilled into a group of little girls every week at New Hope. "If you have done it to the least of these, MY people, you have done it unto Me."

We've lost something meaningful in America. There's a balance we've lost, maybe forever, between empowering people through freedom to go as far as their abilities and talents can take them - the nexus of America - and teaching those same people that to whom much is given, much is required. We've lost the idea that work is right, and good... and expected... that everyone matters, that everyone contributes - from the garbage man to the congressman. Hmmm... never mind - not going there. :)

My parents both were dirt poor. It was a match made in Macon. Sharecropper marries mill village lint head. They pulled themselves up through a combination of grit, determination, help from others AND from the government in the form of the CCC, WPA, GI Bill, etc. But they never forgot that but by the grace of God they would have remained poor. We need to be called to repent but simultaneously to DO SOMETHING - first about the needs, then about the opportunities, but also start teaching people that a dollar earned is better than a dollar given to you. We need to help some people out and up, kick some in the rear, and live up to our character as a nation.

How have we gotten to the point where it's okay to cut what some people live on while others pay no taxes at all?

How have we developed groups of people who think they are entitled to more than what our ancestors were - opportunity, a fair shake, and the right to pursue their own happiness?

How is it that we can have people having to choose between their heart medicine and eating tonight?

I guess I'm on shaky ground here with some who will read this, but I might as well go all in.

This friends, to me, is not a Republican or Democratic issue.

This is a decision we make that determines what we really believe about America.

And Keith Olbermann gets that.

What Would Make You Walk In the Pouring Rain?

It's Monday evening in Valparaiso and dinner was cooking in the Wilson home. The weather was terrible - had been for a while, and the forecast was bad. A severe thunderstorm with heavy lightning and wind gusts up to 35 mph. Not a night for a walk, right? But it was Monday, and that's Allan's day, so neither rain nor...

About 5:15, I got in the Honda and prepared for the short trip to Allan's house. Our friend Allan eats with us almost every Monday night at 5:30. Sometimes he walks here, but most of the time, I drive to his house and pick him up. I hadn't driven three houses down and there was Allan with a yellow towel over his head and shoulders, coming down the street. It was FLOODING.

I got him in the car and back home. We had a typical dinner with him, full of laughs and punctuated by several "I so happy" statements from our guest. We heard about all his favorite topics - work with Mallory at Pizza Hut, his talks with Mark Knowles at the Valparaiso Fire Department, and what the latest Nascar and Atlanta Braves news was. About 30 minutes later, he said "David, I'm ready to go home" and I drove him there.

We gave Allan 30 minutes of our undivided attention and a meal.

And he walked through the pouring rain to get it.

Saturday I was delivering meals here in Valparaiso, and was struck by how much the people we delivered to wanted more than just a meal. They wanted contact. Community. To know they weren't forgotten. To know that someone cared. So we asked about their health, and we talked about the weather, and we listened.

Friend, YOU CAN DO THAT.

You do NOT need a seminary degree. You do not need to be ordained. You do not need anything but a heart that's willing to open to the needs of others around you. The Holy Spirit will provide everything you might possibly need, if you are willing to be available to be used as a conduit of God's love.

Are you willing?

Think about Allan, walking through that thunderstorm. There are many many more living near you who need a touch of God's grace. Will you let them know they are loved? That they matter? Maybe if we were to focus on finding the unloved and loving them like Jesus did we'd change the communities where we live. I'm not talking about another church program that meets on Monday nights. I'm talking about living to love.

Well?

Pastor-ing

From It's Like Herding Cats

One of the big eye-openers for me once I became a pastor was the inside look people gave you into their lives. It's a sacred honor I have never taken lightly. There are times, even in a small congregation that several people are going through so much, and you know it, that it feels like a weight.

The Bible tells us to "bear one another's burdens, for in this way we fulfill the law of Christ."

But it breaks my heart.

And the thing is, I'm not wired for this. In the family I grew up in, we keep everything private. If you are hurt, you're supposed to suck it up and keep going. You're supposed to handle it. Well, over the past 12 years, I've talked with several dying people. I've seen marriages implode. I've preached too many funerals. People have shared so many hurts...sometimes you just ache for them.

Tonight, I had a little girl who has already lost her Mom come and tell me her dog died last night. Her Dad woke her up at three in the morning to see her dog in the throes of seizures. She was almost expressionless when she told me about her step-mom sitting in bed with all the dogs toys around her grieving. She said it with no emotion visible. But her hurt was tangible.

It's just too much...

So Father... Abba...

I know some people who are overdue for some joy.
They've been hurt. Some grievously.
Some are still hurting.

Please mend. Please heal. Please make things right.

Clay pots and philosophers on Saturday night

My beloved just asked me a while ago if we were going to have an uplifting day at New Hope tomorrow. She wanted to know if we'd leave full of joy. I've been preaching through Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth, a biography of sorts for the apostle, who lived a rather... adventurous life.

Looking back through his dayrunner we see that he has to classify just how he was beaten - rods, stones, or fists. He has to remember which shipwreck, and which group was out to kill him and where. There were some things that were constant - pressure, hunger, a sense of weakness. When you look at what the people in Corinth were saying about him - not much to look at, poor communicator, somewhat of a failure - you'd have the tendency to close this biography and go find one of someone more successful.

And yet, Paul was a winner.

Oh sure there were people better suited to the job.

Jesus Christ passed over all of them.

Why?

Because Paul was totally willing to be used to accomplish God's purpose.

He all but admitted he wasn't much.

Ah, but Jesus?

Jesus was the treasure Paul carried around with him in his plain and uninteresting "jar of clay" and before you get to thinking about Aunt Martha's china vase, the word there is for a vessel used for a specific purpose. Could have been anything.

But then it wasn't about Paul at all.

It was about the power of Almighty God released through Paul's willing spirit.

THE SAME SPIRIT THAT EVERY BELIEVER IN CHRIST HAS RIGHT NOW.

Think about it. Annie Dillard has.

On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of the conditions. Does any-one have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping God may wake some day and take offense, or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return. (Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk, Harper & Row, 1982)

So yes, I will be bringing the joy tomorrow. Like diamonds on black velvet. Grace just shines.

Priceless

Wednesday's at New Hope are a blur usually. Cooking, practicing, teaching - starts at 2:30 and ends at 8:00. All good things, but it's a lot.

But this Wednesday just past is one of those moments I'll remember.

The fellowship as we did all those things together as family - as New Hope...

Was incredible. It was like Thanksgivings I knew growing up, where you knew each other so well that you laughed about the differences - celebrated them - and were enveloped in warmth - in love.

I would not take anything for being a part of that.

If you miss intimacy like that, may I recommend a place called New Hope?

No Sale Evangelism - Jim Drake's On the Right Track

Great article by Jim Drake.

A sample:

For follow up this year, we have ADOPTED the kids that came to camp. We are bridging and building relationships with them through cards, birthday’s, events and an introduction to care. We have signed up for one little girl who has expressed a desire to know Christ, but there will be some obstacles (no church relationships here, etc)
Do we give up? No way! We have to be creative how to make a relationship with someone who needs the savior and needs to know love. You think my eyes will be attentive toward the paper now when I see awards and programs? You bet–I have a name on my heart to pray for and to ask the Holy Spirit to give divine interaction. That’s thinking RELATIONSHIP before the sale!

Read it all folks. It's really good.


It's time to admit we can't save anyone and let the Holy Spirit do what only He can do, while we love every single person we come in contact with like they were Jesus.  

Stop Funding Church Plants? David Fitch Stirs the Pot

I have friends who have invested their lives into bringing Jesus' message to people who don't know what it means to be part of a community of people who are loving God and each other and caring for their neighbors - in other words, a church. These friends are real heroes to me. They are church planters. (I'm looking at you Tim Fowler and Joe Gnatek) Bunny and I were involved in a church splant early in our ministry with a group of people called Grace Baptist Church in Juliette Georgia. It was the best of times and the worst of times, but those people were awesome and things happened among us that still give me goosebumps.

So when I share this article from David Fitch, I am not anti-planting. Planting works... when it works. Tim and Joe have proven that as have many others.

But I do think that we need to step back and look at what we are doing and what the real costs and benefits are. Here at New Hope, we run the leanest we can, and will get leaner still when I am teaching. I think we'll do more ministry then, meeting more people and being able to help more. I like the idea he puts forth of teams of people rather than one family, and I like the idea of people working in the community alongside the folks they would do life with in a church.

So I guess I would give Fitch more a listen than most. Click over and check the article out.

STOP FUNDING CHURCH PLANTS and Start Funding Missionaries: A Plea to Denominations

Ed Stetzer On Small Churches

Ed Stetzer writes in Outreach Magazine:

Church leaders in America also tend to think big is good and bigger is better, but Jesus says that small is reflective of the kingdom of God. It starts as something small, but it will not stay small and, ultimately, it will change everything. A revolutionary movement begins with only a handful of subversives, but eventually expands so widely that it can overthrow a king with an army. The subversive kingdom starts small, but ultimately overwhelms the Devil and his minions when Jesus returns as reigning King, replacing the deepest darkness with brilliant light.

Jesus is unembarrassed, unashamed and unperturbed by describing the Kingdom using small things. That is His point. He says the mustard seed "is the smallest of all the seeds." He is emphasizing the smallness of the kingdom of God. But more to the point, He is describing how small can be subversive.

from this excellent article

At New Hope Valparaiso, we're small. But the impact that we are having in our community would have you think we are bigger than we are. There's no way we should be here. No way we should do what we do. Except God is in it. I could tell you story after story of how He's led, He's provided, He's opened doors for us to be His hands and His feet.

Don't misunderstand. We want to grow. We work hard to let people know and encourage them to come and join us on the journey. We hope to see this mission spread to other people captivated by Jesus' call to follow.

But we're not measuring ourselves against other churches. We're only looking to see how faithful we are to the call. If you are interested in joining a group of people who see God at work every week, come and see us. We'll make room. :)

Eating for Missions :)

A local restaurant, Cafe Bienville gives its patrons churches a rebate of a percentage of the meal's cost when the customer brings in the Sunday worship bulletin. We love the restaurant anyway so when a bunch of folks from New Hope went there after church a couple weeks ago, it wasn't like we were sacrificing. Baptists like to eat. It's one of our spiritual distinctives.

I actually forgot about our trip until the check came in. Lo and behold it was enough to pay for the food I bought to feed our folks and do 50 take out meals to deliver to the community. So that's what we did. Cafe Bienville fed a bunch more people than they knew they had.

I love that! Local folks help a local business, get blessed by their hospitality and food, and then that local business helps those folks - bless folks with the food they need to make it. May God bless the generous folks at Cafe Bienville.

God's work through New Hope - come join it!

Friday Night Thoughts

This quote got me thinking...


"I don’t know why life isn’t constructed to be seamless and safe, why we make such glaring mistakes, things fall so short of our expectations, and our hearts get broken and out kids do scary things and our parents get old and don’t always remember to put pants on before they go out for a stroll. I don’t know why it’s not more like it is in the movies, why things don’t come out neatly and lessons can’t be learned when you’re in the mood for learning them, why love and grace often come in such motley packaging."
— Anne Lamott (Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith)


Our friend Allan had a birthday this week. His 29th. 


And in a luminous pair of nights, his friends at New Hope made sure he'll never forget that he's loved. First, on his birthday Tuesday, Pam and JC Roberts made some of Allan's birthday wishes come true by taking him out to dinner at Ruby Tuesday's, and then they all went to the rack and rode the Karts. Allan had a blast as did everyone involved.

Then the next night as part of our Wednesday fellowship meal, we had a cake with 29 candles and some gifts.

Yep, I did place those candles too close together. :)

The world would see Allan as "motley packaging" in that he's developmentally disabled. And yet...not only does Allan frequently provide those moments of joy and laughter, but in loving him we learn more about what love really is. New Hope loves Allan deeply.


And that same world might look at New Hope and see a smaller church with less. But on days like today, when I'm looking back and seeing how large the hearts are of many of the people in this church... 


Sometimes God wraps His best gifts in "motley packaging."

If you are looking for his monument...

Sunday's message as we walked through Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth, centered on just what God would have us understand "success" to be. As always, the one who delivers the message never really knows what the ultimate effect of it will be. I can hope that it will affect someone's heart and direct them to a closer walk with God. But I really won't know. I'm just a tradesman, an architect using God's blueprints to help people build lives that will stand the test of time.

The picture above is of St Paul's Cathedral in London. It was taken during the Nazi "blitz" bombings of that great city. I do not overstate when I state that picture above had a galvanizing effect on the English people and their friends around the world during a very dark and bleak time in history. Through the gloom, through the dust and terror of bombs falling - St Paul's stood - as did England. It still stands firm today, in  its 200th anniversary year.

The architect of that magnificent structure was Christopher Wren. 

Wren received the last contractor's payment in 1711, on Christmas Day.

Years later, he was buried in the cathedral, not in one of the ornate areas, but in a plain grave. On it is inscribed in Latin, this phrase: "If you seek his monument, look around you."

It's fitting for that to be written on Wren's grave, in St. Paul's. For in last Sunday's text, we read much the same sentiment. Just as Wren's grave encourages people to look around them to see what his life was about, Paul suggested anyone who wanted to know about his life's work to look at the people he had ministered to.

2 You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. 3 Christ himself wrote it— not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives— and we publish it. 2 Corinthians 3: 2-3

We who "publish" know in our hearts that we cannot change anyone.

Still, we "architects" rejoice when we see what God has done in people's lives around us, and yes, it hurts when people we've poured our lives into seem to falter or walk away from God's plan. The prayer of every pastor I know is that when our work is done, God will be able to direct us to "look around you" and we will see how what we did mattered.

Going To the Source

From A Glimpse of New Hope!

Most of you know by now that I'm back in school working on getting my Florida teaching credentials. Yes, I'm still a pastor and will remain one, but to help New Hope reach more people with the love of Christ, to be more effective myself as a missionary, and to better provide for my family, I believe God has led me down this road. Email me and I'll tell you more of the story.

Anyway, I enrolled in what I'd call "teacher Ranger school." I'd say "boot camp", but it's way beyond that, squeezing two years of education courses into SIX MONTHS. It's intense. Parts of it have been the hardest work I've done in a class anywhere, including Mercer University, New Orleans Baptist Seminary, and Rockbridge Seminary. Yes, I've been in school a lot. Send money and I'll keep the dream alive. :)

So it's the final term, and I'm struggling with probably the key to teaching - classroom management. When you read that, depending on your age, you think "paddle" or "detention", or some combination. That's not it at all, in fact that's what happens when your classroom management plan fails. A well executed plan has the students prepped, ready, and able to learn with minimal input from the teacher. In my student teaching, at first I had problems but improved dramatically every day (according to my mentor) by using better strategies and setting a better tone for the classroom from the moment the first child showed up.

Still, in this Classroom Management class - I was struggling.

So I'm reading the textbook, which is an awesome guide loved by teachers all over the world. It's written by a man named Harry Wong. He is the guru of classroom management. No one is more respected or listened to. No one.

An idea popped into my head. "Ask Harry."

After checking to make sure no one else was in the room, and it was just my normal voices inside my head, I wrote an email to Harry. I explained who I was, what I was trying to do, and asked his advice.

Even though he was on the other side of the world in China - he answered, and what he said really help me grasp the concepts.

My pastor hat on now, I could make the comparison to what the Source of all knowledge and wisdom told everyone who follows Christ to do.

God will give us wisdom if we ask for it (James 1:5) If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.


So friends, next time you need advice, remember that God wants to help you Himself. Go to the Source.

Mostly

"It's funny: I always imagined when I was a kid that adults had some kind of inner toolbox full of shiny tools: the saw of discernment, the hammer of wisdom, the sandpaper of patience. But then when I grew up I found that life handed you these rusty bent old tools - friendships, prayer, conscience, honesty - and said 'do the best you can with these, they will have to do'. And mostly, against all odds, they do. "
— Anne Lamott (Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith)


Mostly, they do. But sometimes they don't.

Hard weekend.


Tough trip to Macon to see Curtis Clinard, one of the finest Christian men I have ever known. Not a perfect man, there was only one of those and we nailed him to a cross. But a forgiven man, who in response to that great act of God's grace, has tried for nigh onto 84 years to live it out. And yes, he's old now, but he wasn't that old when we saw him last. It's as if age all of a sudden caught up. 


And it broke my beloved's heart and it broke mine. 

He's in the house that was made a home by the presence of his bride, Dot. It's obvious from the moment you enter it now that she's not there. And Curtis can only live with her memory, and that's both comfort and pain. Bunny showed him some pictures of family on her laptop Friday night and he was interested and engaged. But when one of his beloved Dot came on the screen, his eyes instantly filled with tears and this man who had a will of steel for so many years, began to sob. 

We'd give everything we have to make it right for him. We'd take him in down here and honor him for the rest of our lives with whatever he needed because in doing it, we could partially return what he so freely shared with us. 

And he won't leave his memories. So we came home. Shaken.

It was a tough trip.

We left him wanting us to stay longer to come back to the place we left Macon almost twelve years ago for and the church we love and serve. Had a tough night sleep from the emotional toil and physical problems brought on by it. Then got up and went to church to be among friends - to be with family. 

But it was a tough day there too. A lot of the family was missing.

So I'm writing this to close the book on the week that was, and praying that God will lead Bunny and me into the week He has prepared for us. I'm praying it's filled with joy. We could use some joy right about now.


"...most of the time, all you have is the moment, and the imperfect love of the people around you."
— Anne Lamott (Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith)

There's Something Special About Boys Being Boys

Last night I watched a man teach boys how to open and close a pocket knife, sharpen an axe, tie a boat to a dock, make a rope longer by joining two together, and how to handle a bb gun (any firearm really, but in this case Red Ryders) safely.

I saw boys in serious competition with each other tossing rope quoits, and racing wooden turtles on strings. It was as hotly contested as anything the Mavs and Heat are doing lately. (Even more if you are LeBron in the 4th qtr)

It was horribly politically incorrect and part of EXACTLY what boys need to experience as they grow up to be men. Two men who are spending their lives pouring experiences and love into neighborhood boys around New Hope (Joe Stoy and John Anderson)were in their element last night as the RA (Royal Ambassadors) had a lock-in.

Mixed in with the dangerous boy stuff was even more dangerous (if you are rigidly secular) instruction. Joe Stoy told the boys they were here on earth for a purpose, and that purpose could only be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. He related how 41 years ago, God showed him that his purpose would be to work with boys and teach them to become men. Joe has lived that out ever since. John has worked with boys for years now too, and has raised a fine one in his son Ian.

Seeing those boys last night as they worked hard to learn, helped each other when one struggled with something - and were 100% BOYS!!!!! made me smile - a LOT!

But seeing Joe and John made me thank God for them, for their hearts for Jesus and for those boys...

and for a place called New Hope where boys can grow up to be boys.

My Next Book To Read

One of the things I have loved about my dive into elementary education has been the rediscovery of children's books. I LOVE THEM! Since it's been a while since Sean was listening to me or Bunny read to him, and since no other munchkins are around us much, I haven't had a chance to read anything other than adult materials. But now that I'm back into the lives of children, I get to read some awesome books. I think "What Are You So Grumpy About?" by Tom Lichtenheld will prove to be one of them

Well, this one may be helpful not just for the child, but for the adult who reads it to them.

And particularly for crabby folks like me. 

The author writes: "Every day can be a good day if you know what you are grumpy about." Know your problem. That seems to be wise counsel. Then the appendix lists "Sure cures for grumpiness." $11.19 sure seems cheaper than anger management therapy. :) Just looking at the illustrations makes me smile. For teachers, there is a pdf available with ideas for using the book in the classroom that got me excited just thinking about the kid's reactions. The author believes that telling a good story with a moral lesson woven in it is the key to reaching kids. 

“… any ‘moral’ in my books is the by-product of an interesting story. My goal is to do books that kids are naturally attracted to, because kids can sniff-out a lecture a mile away and it sends them running. So, I try not to do books that are blatantly message-driven.” 

For children of all ages (including crabby pastors), this book seems like a winner. 

Forgiveness - video I wanted to play this morning

It's hard. Hard to forgive people who hurt you, who hurt your family, your loved ones, your church family. But as Ann Lamott so aptly put it, NOT forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rats to die.

If there is no hope of forgiveness for the worst of sinners, then there is no hope for any of us.

Jesus makes it plain. "I am warning you! If another believer sins, rebuke him; then if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, forgive him."
Luke 17:3-4 (NLT)

From Christ - To Us - To others.

Since we have been forgiven so much, we should be outrageous in our desire to forgive. People should walk away shaking their heads and muttering about how foolish we are to believe that God can change people. Friends, each time we let go of our bitterness and anger in favor of sharing the mercy and grace of  Jesus, we find ourselves a little more like Jesus when all is said and done.

And that's what we live for, to be more like Christ. Isn't it?

Going and Growing

From It's Like Herding Cats

We've been here at New Hope almost 12 years now, and have (I hope) learned a lot about how to live in community. Most of the years have been good ones in terms of seeing the people and the church grow. But the perfect storm hit last year and it really kind of knocked us all for a loop. Military, contractor, and other moves caused us to lose as many people in one year as we had in all the other years combined. Believe me there has been a tremendous amount of soul searching over this unwelcome development.

And yet, I'm beginning to think God is up to something pretty special.

We've been working with other churches to deliver meals on Saturday and then expanded that to do it again ourselves on Wednesday. We've met a lot of people we never would have, and made some inroads. Last Saturday, we showed a free movie with all the movie fixings free too - hot dogs, popcorn, etc. One elderly couple in Valparaiso we deliver to both times walked six tenths of a mile to come. I was outside and saw them - he with his cane, and her with the bright colored flyer in her hand - coming up the street. We welcomed them in with cold bottles of water and made sure they were cared for. Sitting near them was Danielle Chandler and her dad John.

Well we finished the movie and I asked the woman how she liked it. In her limited English she said "We loved it!" We gave them a ride home. As they left the van she said "see you Wednesday."

Monday night I got a call from Bunny just as I dropped Allan off at his house after supper. "Can you meet Danielle Chandler over on Okaloosa? She's trying to deliver some food to the couple who came to the movie and can't find their house."

I did, and walked up to the door with Danielle as she dropped off some Memorial Day burgers. Folks, I've knocked on doors in this neighborhood and people don't greet you like we're greeted now. :)

Seeing Danielle's heart seem to swell as she gave them the food made me smile.

I'll bet God smiled too.