Cardiograms and God

I was having a ‘cardiogram’ (it’s a long story, I’m fine).  The cardiologist and I watched my heart on the monitor as it methodically and energetically thumped away. I was like a child in a candy store. ‘What’s that?’  Why is that bouncing like that? She patiently explained.  We both agreed that the heart is a wonderful, powerful piece of work.  I just laid it out, ‘Wow! I gotta say that I’m in God’s camp on this,’ I said.  ‘So am I.’ she responded. A little later I was chattering about the human genome - how they used to say that it was 85% evolutionary waste but now they have found that as far as they can tell, at least 65% of our DNA has a functioning role.  ‘One more evidence that our bodies were designed, I state triumphantly’.  I discovered that her book club had read ‘HeLa’ too and recommended ‘Unbroken’ for their enjoyment. “Unbroken” is not only a story of courage but of a man who finds Jesus Christ as his ultimate reason for living (written by a biographer who simply records the facts)! Just planting seeds - bringing God into the conversation wherever I go.  The long arm of Aspen Ridge Church.

An inconvenient adventure

My son and I were on our way to a hunting expedition.   We were stopped at a small town gas station in Illinois, in the middle of the night.  The trailor had blown a fuse and we had lost our tail lights.  As he went through the fuses looking for the bad apple he talked out loud. ‘It’s not this one,’ he said as he peered over a flashlight. As we neared the end of the fuses in the fuse box he spoke again, ‘God, I could use some help finding this fuse,’ he said.   Almost immediately a man and his son walked out of the shadows. After engaging in small talk the man said, ‘Have you thought of looking under the hood? There is often a fuse box there as well.’  Up went the hood and a new fuse box with the offending fuse was immediately discovered, and replaced.   As we went on our way down the road, toward a successful :)hunt, I found myself in wonder at how God had responded to a simple prayer and met the need of the moment. This is indeed a God-drenched world.  He is everywhere up to good. Haven't you seen it too?

A work of art

The ‘Pickers’ got a call from their old friend Joe who saw a ‘Von Dutch’    motorcycle that might be the XANW. The XANW was a custom motorcycle built by the legendary Kenny Howard himself in 1966.  If Elvis was the King of rock and roll, Kenny was the king of pin stripers.  The XANW had a Volkswagen motor, a Honda 450 gas tank and was built on a 1942 Harley XA frame.  It was a one of a kind. Joe thought he’d seen it, the original.  When the ‘Pickers’ tracked down their leads, they found a Von Dutch motorcycle in a shed, on a farm, in North Carolina.  Sure enough, it had the Von Dutch name etched by hand on the motor.  They paid $21,000 for a bike with flat tires that didn’t run. They commented that when all the lines lit up - they’d found a treasure. 

Made me think about how God is the master craftsman who is working his grand strategy in this world. He is drawing people to himself and each one of us has a bit part. It is his work not ours! We humbly and happily persist, even though we don't know how God is going to use what we have to offer! We offer a smile, encourage with a word or a gift, help where we can. When it all comes together - the grid lights up like a Christmas tree. Each one does his part but God is crafting a work of art.  Read about it in I Corinthians 3:7! 

 

      

 

Patti's God-drenched world

Two months ago my friend underwent brain surgery for cancer. This was followed by 6 weeks of chemo. Then a cyst grew where the cancer had been and she lost use of her left side. Another surgery and now she is home sleeping a lot as she awaits another round of chemo. I phoned from another state. I hadn’t seen her in two years. She hears my voice and warmly responds with - ‘Pastor Dean’.  I’m not sure what to say to encourage her. ‘God is good even when it’s hard,’ I say.  She responds, ‘Oh it’s more than that. I delight in God. He is wonderful. Every morning I look out my window and see a wooden cross. I say, Thank you Heavenly Father, wonderful Savior, Holy Spirit and comforter.  Every night before I go to sleep I look at that cross and I repeat my prayer.’  ‘Before surgery,’ she goes on, ‘My husband prayed over me. A nurse saw us and asked what we were doing. I told her we were praying and she asked if she could pray too. She joined us praying beautifully in Hebrew.’

“How God’s hand moves when we trust Him”, she goes on, “when we reach out to Him, His hand is moving out to us. He’s right there. One night I lay there while my husband slept in his easy chair in the next room.  I prayed. ‘God I really want to talk with Brian. Would you wake Him up?’  Immediately I heard him stir and climb out of his chair. He came into the room saying, ‘I don’t know what woke me up.’ But I knew!” 

She continues, ‘You know, I still have work to do, to reach people.’ ‘She ministers to everyone she meets’, Brian had told me. She goes on, “My doctor told me”, ‘I know your work isn’t done yet.  Your attitude is wonderful.’  She says, ‘I told my doctor one day that I saw green bushes along the way as I went to feed my horses. My husband told me there were no green bushes. The doctor told me that folks often hallucinate with my kind of surgery. But he said that they often see terrible things’.  She said, ‘Sometimes I see children on white ponies.’  Her doctor responded - ‘I love you, Patti. It tells me who you are as a person.’  

Whose doctor says that!? What a place this world would be if we all ministered in a God-drenched world like Patti does!

Chesterton in a God-drenched world

If we would see God everywhere in our God-drenched world we must aggressively resist our culture’s boredom with all things Christian. (yesterday’s blog) GK Chesterton writing 100 years ago from a ‘bored with all things Christian’ British culture, warned, ‘The worst judge of all is the man now most ready with his judgments; the ill-educated Christian turning gradually into the ill-tempered agnostic, entangled in the end of a feud of which he never understood the beginning, blighted with a sort of hereditary boredom with he knows not what, and already weary of hearing what he has never heard.’  (“The Everlasting Man”) 
 
Chesterton goes on to say that we’ve come to admire anything but what is distinctly Christian. (Like Islamic culture in Senegal - again yesterday's blog)  But the fault does not lie in dynamic Biblical theology! Fallen man has given in to the ‘heavy bias of fatigue’ with what is familiar.  But our gospel is the power of God for salvation - to make things new! Our God himself gives everyone life & breath & everything else. He is not far from any one of us, for in Him we live & move & have our being. So reach out for Him & find Him. (Acts 17) Let’s discover, trust and celebrate our Lord at every opportunity!   

How surprised early believers might be, Chesterton suggests, to see The Church, ‘two thousand years afterwards rushing through the ages as the winged thunderbolt of thought and everlasting enthusiasm; a thing without rival or resemblance; and still as new as it is old.’

While I was listening to PBS

A lady with a British accent was talking in a low voice almost breathlessly describing the scene before her.  ‘The Muslim holiday is near.  The excitement in the air is palpable. The Senegalese love their sheep.’  Cut to a new Senegalese female voice: ‘Our sheep are important to us. We keep one around the house for good luck. Remember, it was Abraham who was offering his son when the miracle ram appeared.  Cut to a bustling market place and a new voice describing how Senegalese men loved to keep sheep as pets.  You can almost smell the scent of life!

This got me to thinking. I’m not a hater. I love learning about other cultures and seeing how they live.  But I also love my own Christian heritage.  Imagine this scenario on a PBS radio program:

Fade in with a crisp British accent, ‘A Christian holiday is near. Here in a small town in America the excitement in the air is palpable.  It is Thanksgiving Day. Cut to a warm anywhere USA female accent: ‘Our whole family gathers around the table as we give thanks to God for His gracious provision. We overeat and laughter rocks the table.’ Cut to an uncomfortably full family member after dinner as the lad opines, ‘I can’t imagine that first Thanksgiving day. The Pilgrims had fled religious persecution in England. They arrived in a wild country, lost half their number to starvation and disease that first winter. American Indians helping them survive became the basis for a long term friendship preparing the way for William Penn and what would become Pennsylvania!’ Cut to the hushed, British accented person saying quietly, ‘We’re just in time for the family prayer.’  A voice says reverently, ‘Thank you our heavenly Father for this good food and for your watchful care throughout the year. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.’ The sound of laughter, conversation and the clanking of plates ensues slowly fades. The excitement in the air is palpable. You can almost smell the scent of faith in God.  

The contagiously happy church.

‘Do everything without grumbling so that you will become happy children of God dancing around drawing smiles in a dark, grumpy world.’ Philippians 2: 14-16 (My paraphrase)

Is it too trivial to want a happy church?  Is it too much to expect? Perhaps the greatest criticism of the church is that it is a tired, grumpy place in a tired grumpy world.  If we are sitting on the light, under a bushel, proving to the world that Jesus is not relevant or worse, not good - how bad is that?  But even in the church we need super heroes. Not a grumbling pretense of spirituality that steals our joy while promoting our self-righteousness. But believers in Jesus Christ that show their faith by refusing to grumble, ever.  If enough of us get together our church can’t help but reflect the life Jesus planted inside us.  Our torches will blaze as one. Transformation comes from the inside out but what if grumbling transmogrifies ('Calvin':) it back again! Satan loves to take believers, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and use them to reinforce the opinion of many that we don’t have a clue about real living! Don't let Satan win!

Reject that pity party.  Point out God’s blessings to a discouraged brother - or just give him a shoulder to cry on. Forgive, don't harbor a grudge. But don't go to the throne to complain!  Bees buzz. Grumblers Grumble. Children giggle.  Grumblers turn the church into a mirror of an already grumpy world.  Everyone ends up in a dark place. Don’t be a grumbler.

The contagion of contentment.

‘Do everything without grumbling so that you will become happy children of God dancing around drawing smiles in a dark, grumpy world.’ Philippians 2: 14-16 (My paraphrase)

Grumbling is discontentment in disguise. It lets the world subtly know that I’m just not happy with the lack of cooperation I’m getting.  Things just are not quite up to my expectations. I let the world know with a toss of my head, a roll of the eyes or perhaps a deep ‘pregnant with meaning’ sigh.  A small gesture suggests that this world exists to make me happy & I’m just not feeling it! Is it just me or is this the polar opposite of humility?  God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Can a nonverbal grumble speak that loudly? Compare what happens when we resist grumbling. If we do ‘everything without grumbling’ we will ‘become children of God above reproach’ in a grumpy, twisted world - ‘holding out the word of life.’ (Phil2:14,15) Two things happen - we become strong on the inside and a shining example of real living!  In other words, our contentment gives hope to a tired, grumpy, confused world.  Now that’s something worth celebrating!

So next time someone grumbles around you - don’t respond with sympathy.  It is not harmless. Grumbling is deadly. It steals your joy while promoting your self-righteousness. Don’t give in to discontent. Bees buzz. Grumblers grumble. Children giggle.  Don’t be a grumpy!

The contagious joy of not grumbling.

‘Do everything without grumbling so that you will become happy children of God drawing smiles in a dark, grumpy world.’ Philippians 2: 14-16 (My paraphrase) Not grumbling is the key to happiness!  Grumbling dissipates your spiritual power; separates you from God; and pollutes your relationship with others. Over the next 3 days I’m going to discuss the dangers of grumbling.

Grumbling is self-defeating. God is in the business of making you a spiritual powerhouse.  He puts difficulty in your life so that you will learn to trust Him above your own adequacies and inadequacies. As you trust God you become your true you. Grumbling destroys trust.

(1) The easiest way not to trust is to grumble. I don’t have to even admit I’m not trusting.  I simply invite resentment in. It pollutes my happy heart. Resentment never stays in its own corner of the heart. It soon takes over! Now I am a weight on others, introducing my resentment to their hearts.

(2) The second easiest way not to trust is to complain to someone else. At times our burdens are too great to bear. Ask for help. This is not the same as whining. Ask and you shall receive. Complaining suggests that someone is being unfair. But God is actually developing spiritual power in my life. My lack of patience and trust cannot be shirked onto someone else’s shoulders. I must grow deeper into trusting God as a child trusts his father.

(3) The third easiest way not to trust is to blame someone else for my problems. I don’t have the courage to blame God so I blame someone else - either to his face or about him behind his back.  We are now in the unhappy arena of rivalry and strife. When I grumble I leak spiritual power. I can blow a spiritual gasket. I become part of an already dark grumpy complaining world. Bees buzz, grumblers grumble and children giggle.  Don’t grumble!

Pulpit freedom Sunday.

I support ‘religious freedom Sunday’! People of faith must be bold.  The British despised what they called ‘the black robed regiment’ and gave the clergy credit for defeating them in the American Revolution. Reliable historic sources record that every right expressed in the Declaration of Independence was voiced from pulpits first.  In this tradition let me state:

1.      I believe that traditional marriage between a man & a woman is not based in government decree but is the foundational building block of society given by nature & nature’s God. It may not be tampered with without severe consequences.

2.    I believe life is sacred. Abortion - from conception to birth - is a holocaust and precursor to infanticide. I vote justice for the unborn & I believe in grace for tragically wounded mothers.

3.    I believe that Biblical truths inspired our Constitution. The USA is unique in the world because of the freedoms found there. We are an international inspiration because of it. I vote for the party that most closely defends the Constitution as its original authors intended it to be understood.

4.   I believe that this world is not my home, that even the best nations have many faults. Jesus said, ‘I will build my church’. Jesus said, 'Go and make disciples of all nations.' The church is built on the bold expression of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation.  Nations have risen and fallen - even God’s own people Israel. ‘Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts that nations grow weary for nothing. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.’ Hab2:13,14 Fill this world with your glory! Come Lord Jesus & rescue us! This world is not my home!

Bird on the Wall

You might wonder on a lazy day - what do those church elders do?  How do they lead?  This is what you might observe as a bird on the wall:

(1) You would see how much we love each other. I believe that, ‘as goes the leadership team so goes the church’.  We seek to model - not only Christ-like behavior but harmony on a team. We have even signed a covenant pledging to speak no ill of each other, forgive freely and care for each other in difficulty. We take seriously setting a good example.

(2) You would see us most Saturday mornings at Mimi’s. I can honestly say that it is the best 3 hours of my week and it passes quickly. Some pastors dread stressful monthly meetings or see them as a necessary evil - meant to deal with difficulty or follow an agenda - like a business meeting. We meet weekly and find our meetings refreshing, as we share our lives and calling to serve Jesus.

(3) You would see an informal gathering with lots of rabbit trails and laughter that ends up covering all the necessary bases; like finances, oversight of the church, and prayer for individuals and the community. The relaxed unhurried atmosphere & frequency of meetings help us respond to the Holy Spirit and see church in the context of life.

At our last meeting we strategized about signage and advertising for our new PPSEL home. We want the community to know that we’re here! We do this to support our primary conviction; that you, Aspen Ridge Church, transformed from the inside out by the Holy Spirit, are our best advertisement, and God’s ambassadors!  

The fastest, most productive, 3 hours of the week just breezed by again!

My new bike

Been preaching on contentment versus envy. I’ve been making do with my old Scwinn bicycle. I do mean old. Bought the bike about 24 years ago (don’t exactly remember) when we were having babies. Recently I brought it out of the mothballs. The inner tubes and tires were cracked and ruined.  I made myself proud with new rubber and I was on the road again. The old chain soon popped so I replaced that too. True the shifters & brakes weren’t the best but I was doing pretty well.  

One day after a trip to the local coffee shop I had just made it home when the back wheel locked up.  I pulled the axle out and these 7 ball bearings jumped out and sprinted down the sidewalk.  So I went to a bike shop and discovered that the axle was no longer made (surprise!).  I was, however, able to purchase some new inner parts to repair the battered axle. My friend Gary came over to pack the bearings and I was back on the road again.  Barely a week went by and one day I flew over a piece of terra firma (my sidewalk had been torn up for construction) and as I landed on mother earth (not literally, there was a bar between usL) my seat bent backwards almost touching the rear tire.  I was unsuccessful in bending it back. A friend suggested I go on a diet which wasn’t very helpful but brought me full circle as to why I’m riding the bike in the first place!  Anyhow - the next Sunday at church my good friend Gary the fix it guy - said to me, ‘I’ve got something to show you.’  There in his pickup bed was a very nice, very much newer ‘Diamondback’ bicycle!  A friend of his had been trying to sell his bike. When he heard the sad tale of my bike he wanted to give it to me!  So, there I was enjoying my old stuff and being content and God just gives me a gift to enjoy.  Joy snuck up and bit me! Isn’t that just like God?  Thank you Raymond and Louise for being the very hand of God!  As Hannibal Smith used to say, ‘I love it when a plan comes together’!

Not about me

Don’t read this if you want to hang on to that tired belief that pastors walk on water!  So here’s the deal; my wife had outpatient surgery on her foot and they sent her home for me to care for. What’s so hard about that? Right!?  She's been at home 24/7. I'm timing her medications, making sure she has water within reach, keeping ice in that cooling mechanism that sooths her foot, and mealtimes kept rolling around like clockwork. It's funny. You think you're humble until something like this happens and you realize just how self-centered you really are. I had gotten used to just taking care of myself but now I get to think about, even anticipate her needs.

I have always respected men who took care of wives slipping into Alzheimers and such. I love the sentiment in ‘Notebook’ where James Garner keeps reading their love story to his wife who doesn’t know who he is or why he takes an interest in her. But serving someone else in real life isn't the same thing as warm sentiment from a distance! My wife and I have raised 3 children together - so I knew how to put myself aside and engage in mutual responsibility together. But now it is just me and her, and we both have full-time jobs. I guess I've been just kind of expecting her to take care of herself while I take care of myself. 

Having her around has reminded me how selfish I am and how rewarding it is to make her daily needs a part of my world. I like it. Me taking care of me bores me anyway. :(  Perhaps I'll never go back!

God's timing

He is in a hurry to leave but suddenly he wants to share his story.  We meet at the coffee shop once a week. I’ve known him for about a year. Trust takes time. He begins with his son and daughter-in-law who are getting a divorce.  “I tried to help them the last few years, giving advice, looking up counselors for them, but they didn’t follow up,” he said.  “My 8 year old granddaughter and 11 year old grandson break my heart.  My grandson told me that he’d rather grow up with me - he thought he’d turn out better.  I came from a broken home too. My dad left when I was 5.  At least my younger brother who was a baby can’t remember them fighting,” he stated.
 
“My daughter started cutting when she was a teenager. We looked for help.  The counselor was a Christian although we didn’t know it.  After one session she said to me, ‘You’re looking for something aren’t you?’  I thought, ‘How did she know?’  She went on, ‘I shouldn’t do this but I’m going to mix my profession with my faith. You need God. Why don’t you join my husband and me for church this Sunday.’” He couldn’t convince anyone else in his family to go. He went alone. He cried through the whole service.  “Wait,” I interrupt, “I thought you said you went to counseling for your daughter?”  “Well,” he admitted, “I had also just had a very tough business partner breakup. I was broken.”  He found Christ.  The church is a place of grace for broken people. We plant seeds. We water plants. We live life. God brings the growth in His time.

Never give up hope.

Recently someone in another state was telling me about his wife’s father. He explained how 'they' had sent him home with inoperable cancer. My friend’s wife decided that she wasn’t just going to wait for her dad to die. She took an interest in him and his diet. She researched alternate means of fighting cancer.  They’d never been emotionally close but as they spent time together she felt like she was developing a different kind of relationship with the father she'd never known. 

Most of his life he’d spent kind of estranged from God and experiences in the church had left him critical.  She said to him one day, ‘Dad, when you face Jesus he isn’t going to ask you about all those other guys, He’s going to ask you about you.  Are you ready to face Him?’  He responded, ‘I tried accepting Christ a long time ago and it didn’t work for me.’  She asked, ‘Would you like to try again?’ and He did.  After that he softened.  He would ask her how she was, about her life. One day he stopped her as she was leaving and told her that he loved her. God was at work in his life. It seemed as though she had her father back!  Sunday morning he went to be with the Lord he’d so recently become reacquainted with. God is good. Be patient. Never give up hope!

First Day at PPSEL

It is Aspen Ridge Church's first worship service in our new location. The energy is palpable. Set up, sound, worship and ‘Kids for Christ’ folks are figuring out where things should go or even be plugged in.  The ingenious wrap the drums in wrestling mats to quiet their volume in a gym that tends to echo.  KFC teachers are figuring out which room is best for what. Ron is discovered, standing in the gym listening for noise bleed, from the room next door. The refreshment folks are finding the right place and the right table to set up their array of sweets and energy boosters. Same be said for the Communion and critical books arrangement. The energy and hustle & bustle about the place is electrifying, electrifying! It strikes me that this is so like the Holy Spirit working through Christ's body, the church! Sometimes, it seems, we drag our sorry butts to church hoping that God will somehow miraculously supersize our energy. Or we do the Sunday morning debate - ‘should I even go to church today’? Have we considered that simply arriving at church is not the end game? Participating in church is a celebrative overflow of God’s goodness in my life.  Make an offering of worship before the King of Glory! Engage God's Spirit in service and worship. I pray each Sunday during worship that God will energize my preaching and open hearts to His Word. I pray that out of the riches of God's glory He would grant us inner power that Christ would dwell (be there!) in and among us, so that we would recognize the breadth of His love. (Ephesians 3:16,17) What a gathering - when we come expecting Christ and engaging in ministry! 

I hear noise in the gym. Set up is going down. Refreshments are being set out. Children are about! I hear music playing. The sound and joy of worship is rising. Praise God - it's Sunday!

Tragedy and Hope

As a resident of Colorado it seems that we have had our share of tragedy this summer.  The ‘Waldo’ fire destroyed 346 houses and cast a pall of ash and fear over the city. Then there was the movie theatre massacre in Aurora on the edge of Denver.  The cause of the Waldo Canyon fire is still being investigating but pure evil inspired the attack at the theatre that took 12 lives and sent scores to hospitals. I will not try to resolve the God versus evil difficulty. I will refer you to people like Randy Alcorn (“If God is good”), who have written excellent tomes on the subject.  (Or Augustine’s: ‘On the Nature of Good’ if you prefer a classic - written in 404AD!) But don’t overlook God’s greatest act against evil - the cross of Jesus Christ and I will state simply, ‘God is good, all the time.’ Beyond that I’d like to ask a question: 

When was the last time that our firefighters and policemen were honored like this?

I saw people holding signs that said, 'Thank you police force'. One sign suggested they deserved a raise! I seem to remember my generation calling them 'pigs' once upon a time! I saw signs in restaurants offering firemen discounts. One sign gushed, 'We love you, firefighters!' A local TV station called them 'signs of appreciation'. When was the last time we so passionately appreciated these men and women who place their lives on the line each day? Perhaps not since the aftermath of 9-11. Courage often shines most brightly against a backdrop of evil, personal tragedy, or loss. So let us be grateful and courageous with each opportunity God gives us to shine. Let us honor our heroes shamelessly! And remember - Augustine suggested that evil is the absence of good - so come Lord Jesus, our greatest good & blessed hope!

Remembering 9-11

Today is the anniversary of 9-11, eleven years ago.  I was going to blog on something else, but as I was exercising this morning and watching the news I was unwillingly caught up in the old clips.  I watched the first plane hit and saw the shock.  Then the second plane hit and the eyewitnesses were sure that this was no accident.  It took me back eleven years when I could hardly believe what was unfolding in real life - a horrific terrorist attack.  The current broadcasters were commenting on that day and ‘the strength and heroism of patriotism’ - that carried us through.  The entire country came together that day. Then, the president and his wife came to share a ‘moment of silence’ in memory of that moment.  Then the names of those who died were slowly read off by surviving family members.  They would read several names and then end with the name of their loved one and a few words in memory.  Unexpectedly, I felt myself tear up.  ‘I wouldn’t be born for another 10 days but my family tells me what a great person you were, Dad.’ says a young lady. A middle aged woman explains that their son is in college now. ‘You would be proud,’ she says, her voice breaking. Another responds, ‘I miss you every day.’ I find myself moved by the human tragedy and how unexpectedly each person had said their last goodbye that morning. In the shadow of this huge national tragedy was the fact that each day may be a personal last gift from God. So express appreciation to that loved one you say goodbye to each morning!  Give a word of thanks to God for the day at hand and live for eternity.   

#1 Reason to Move

It seems good to us and to the Holy Spirit.  This is what the Apostles concluded when facing a much greater challenge in the early church, ‘It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.’ (Acts 15:28) They put their heads together and sensed God’s leading. Perhaps we over spiritualize things sometimes - especially the tangible things.  ‘God wants us to double in size,’ we say. Or we say, ‘God wants us to be in that new building so dig deep.’   There is a joy in simply following Jesus where He leads to be surprised by His goodness & His blessings. (Check out yesterday’s blog)

‘It seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church.’ (Acts 15:22) So they sent some good men with a letter. We have had amazing unity (if not unanimity - how rare is that!) over this move. Let us go and seek God’s blessing at our new location.  Let us go to serve. Let us go to worship. Let us go seek His will and His Word.  May the Holy Spirit write the next chapter of Aspen Ridge Church with our willing participation!

One of my favorite Bible stories is of Jonathan - the king’s son and David’s friend - a man of faith and action. There is stalemate in the war with the Philistines. So one day he takes his armor bearer-side kick and goes looking for trouble. Jonathan says, ‘Come and let us cross over to the garrison; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.’  Let’s not debate whether they were many or few - there were only two of them! J (I Samuel 14:6) A little faith, (do I hear mustard seed?) plus action, produced a great victory. So let us cross over with genuine faith and see what the LORD will do ‘for’ us! It seems good to the elders and indeed the whole church.

#2 Joy

A fresh start reminds us that where we meet doesn’t define us. Aspen Ridge Church is a living and dynamic group of believers on a mission to infect her world with the love of Christ! We are on a mission to see God transform lives from the inside out!

As we move onto a new campus we are reminded not to be complacent.
As we move onto a new campus we celebrate who we are in this moment and anticipate who we will become. 
As we move onto a new campus we recommit ourselves to being Christ’s ambassadors to the whole world.

One of the coolest things about joy is that it sneaks up on a person…and...Surprise! I think God is going to surprise us now and in heaven with how He will use us in our new setting.  We don’t have to script it out for him. In fact all we need is a strong dose of humility and a willingness to serve.  We embrace the expectant spirit of a small child at Christmas!  God is going to surprise us. We are going to harvest precious memories and see God use us in fresh ways.  God delights in bringing joy to Aspen Ridge Church. A vista of life and ministry is blossoming before us.  I just know it!  

Top 3 reasons to move: #3

This Sunday will be our first week in our new worship facility.  Over the next three days I will present - ‘the top three reasons to move’! Today we begin with number 3 on the list:  

#3. Good stewardship is a virtue that empowers ministry.  Our new facility is one third the cost of our present place of worship.  One third! Remember that it is the ‘love of money’ not money that is the root of all evil! Using our resources wisely actually brings honor to God and increases our joy. Our new worship facility fits our size and offers plenty of room to grow.  This move will empower us to minister from a position of financial strength. I know a pastor whose small church now meets in a nice new building, on acreage. With a million dollar mortgage hanging over their heads, they must grow simply to pay the bills!  Needing or wanting to grow in order to pay the bills tends to blind us to the ministry God calls us to do. I mean that. Most of my life has been lived in the shadow of the 'church growth movement'. When your highest motivation is to grow, you naturally reach out to those who are strong believers with healthy marriages and healthy finances. Hm...so much for Jesus concern with the spiritually poor & needy!

A position of financial strength should not make us less motivated to reach out - just less desperate and more able to share the free love of Christ freely, free of payback expectations! We live in a community that needs Christ.  We seek His transformation from the inside out so that He will use us.  We want to grow - not to pay off a mortgage - but to see God’s inworking and outworking in our community, in his timing!

Sundays this fall

Get your ‘want to’ back. As I read the little Bible book of Philippians I notice two thoughts that make it real: hardship and joy. ‘I have learned to be content,’the Apostle Paul says. I can use a little of that! This is not joy because God has removed difficulty but joy that transforms difficulty into life. Paul should have known what he was getting into. When he first preached Christ at Philippi, Paul was beaten and thrown in jail and ended up singing hymns in an earthquake! Joy was inserted into Philippi’s DNA at her birth!

Now Paul is inspired from a gritty prison cell. He is aware that even believers are finding satisfaction in his difficulty. How bad is that? Someone close to him had been terribly ill and had almost died. People who really cared about others in the church were almost nonexistent! In all of this Paul had discovered a deeper joy. He has found everything he needs in the righteousness of Christ and the glory of God. He admonishes, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice’! Embrace joy in this fall season of misery, oops, I mean ministry! God wants to transform you from ‘have to’ to ‘want to’ (as my friend Earl says). Join us for a new sermon series beginning September 9^th that I'm calling: 'More Joy; Less Stress.' And don’t miss the blue moon tomorrow night. We won’t see another one until 2015!

6:27am

Have you ever waited for the sun to break into the morning sky? Usually I just take it for granted. When you need the sun, she’s right there somewhere shining.  That’s cool.  God is all around us whether we’re aware of Him or not!  Waiting for the sun to rise is kind of like waiting for toast to pop. J I have a friend who will text me in the morning right at sunrise. “Did you see that?” He’ll text breathlessly. Wow, the wonder of the sunrise!

I am standing on a little hill waiting for the show to begin.  First the darkness turns into a lighter shade of gray and Orion fades. Then pink starts spreading across the distant horizon. Before the sun appears I detect her rays reflecting off the distant clouds, then off clouds closer to me. Minutes pass as the pink deepens and then brightens. Suddenly a tiny speck of sun flares into sight. It amazes me how quickly the sun goes from a tiny spot to a full-fledged orb.  It’s kind of like waiting for the toast to pop - you wait and wait and then all of a sudden with a - 'pop' - she arrives. So the sun arrives with a splash, in all her glory chasing darkness away and spreading her warmth throughout every nook and cranny. She is ‘like a champion rejoicing to run her course’. (Psalm 19:5) What a blessing! ‘For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; The Lord gives grace and glory.’ Psalm 84:11 And to quote Jeremy Camp: ‘I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced. To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why, this is why I sing.’  Wait expectantly, but in the meantime, don't miss the glory! God cannot be avoided if our eyes are wide open. 

Garage Sale

What do you think when I say ‘Garage Sale’?  For those who love to treasure hunt - I can see your eyes light up!  However, what do you think when I say, ‘Let’s have a garage sale’? For two years, since we moved here, my wife has wanted to have a garage sale. We were recently discussing it, intensely. For me it is just a lot of work with very little to show for it.  Admittedly I am not a garage sale junkie. 'My time is worth more,' I say indignantly.  Yeah, you guessed it, last week we had a garage sale. It took a week of stress and organization and a weekend of purgatory for about 68 dollars and 52 cents! 

Be that as it may, after spreading the signs around the neighborhood and setting up - I am back inside the house when I am surprised by laughter coming from the garage.  It is always good to hear laughter. It lightens up the entire day. But that is not all. There is a steady flow of folks from the neighborhood.  ‘Remember me?’ says John from around the corner.  Another neighbor asked if she could add a few things to enrich our garage sale.  Of course! Soon a couple teenagers are hanging around. A regular community shows up, not to mention that my wife is working side by side with a friend and they were not lacking for conversation! I wonder how you spell the garage sale of life? Is it m-o-r-e m-o-n-e-y?  Is it g-e-t r-i-d o-f o-l-d s-t-u-f-f?  Perhaps life is best spelled c-o-m-m-u-n-i-t-y.

Driven or Overflow

Busy Christians often feel driven to ministry. Right now we have a drive on to get 25 people to come each Sunday simply to serve from 9 'til noon. God gifts us for a reason! It’s how churches thrive. After skipping lunch to share with ‘the woman at the well’ a refreshed Jesus told his surprised disciples ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me & to accomplish His work.’ John 4:34 However, you can’t just add ministry to your busy life and expect great things. Ministry must grow out of freshness.

Tired, irritable folks do not good ministers make, believe me, I’ve tried! We must serve God from an overflow of inner life not a frantic ‘ought to’ that drives us from morning until night!  As the Apostle Paul wrote - ‘Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit - that’s the kingdom of God.’
Jonathan Edwards described the act of creation as an overflow of God’s goodness. I like that!

Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” Jn7:38 Let - ‘spring up o well, within my soul’ be our prayer! I can’t sing on paper, but if I could I would - ‘If you can use anything Lord you can use me.’ 

The cult of busyness

When was the last time you heard someone say, ‘I’ve just got too much time on my hands. What will I do with it?’ We glory in our busyness.  ‘I’d love to take that on’, we say, ‘but I’m just too busy’.  No one ever challenges such a declaration.  After all ‘idle hands are the devil’s workshop’!  We are driven to ‘keep busy’, to do at the expense of be.  Is it possible that God is calling us to reorder our priorities? GK Chesterton wrote, “It is the happy man that does the useless things; the sick man is not strong enough to be idle.” He wasn’t promoting laziness. He was promoting enjoying life as opposed to just being busy. A friend said recently, ‘Am I enjoying life too much?’ He must have had a reason for saying that, but as close as I could tell, he wasn’t making merry until the wee hours of the morning. He was just enjoying his life.  The answer is, ‘No, you can’t enjoy life too much.’J If we listen to God he will give us seasons of quietness (Sabbath worship) to refresh us and make us available for his will and work. Even ministry is meant to be refreshing! (John 4:32) I was reminded at a church campout recently how badly we need & how refreshing old fashioned fellowship is; sitting around campfires, cooking and hiking together. I went to the pool and threw kids into the air until I was exhausted and they were delighted. I thought I heard a still small voice whisper in my ear, ‘Slow down and live’. 

8 Kids and 4 Men

Our church was camping.  Several of us men had to dumb down our idea to take a 'real hike'.  We agreed that we wanted to include children. So we reduced the plan to include 8 children ages 4-8. And the kids didn't let us down. They amazed us with their resilience and enthusiasm - even after several hours of mostly uphill climbing on the mountain.  Surrounded by the beauty of nature, one of the men started singing - “My God’s not dead. He’s surely alive. He’s living on the inside, roaring like a lion.” Soon we were all singing with abandon. One young man turned to me, ‘That is my all-time favorite song,’ he said.  (YES!)  Later as we neared the end of our hike one weary little boy asked if I would carry him on my shoulders, which I did.  He immediately asked to be put back down, since he was scared.  Soon he was back on his daddy’s shoulders as he explained to me matter of factly - "My daddy and I are best friends. That is why I'm not afraid to ride on his shoulders." That was a moment for a father to treasure and remember! “It is the happy man that does the useless things; the sick man is not strong enough to be idle.”  GK Chesterton