Storm Chasers

I’ve been tracking Ernesto. Quite a fickle storm. At first it seemed as though he was headed for New Orleans. With all the rebuilding they are doing that is the last thing they needed . . . another hurricane. And of course, with the price of gasoline finally starting to slide, that is all we needed was for the oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico to be threatened. We would probably have been paying $5 per gallon today had Ernesto maintained his initial path. But, alas, sometime late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, Ernesto knocked on doors in the Florida Keys and Everglades and introduced himself to the good people and critters of South Florida. We know about Ernesto and other storms because Storm Chasers actually fly into the middle of these things just to check them out. They could stay safely home and weather it out, but in stead the get in a plain and head directly into the storm.

Storms are fascinating, but can be quite deadly. For Jesus’ disciples storms were spiritually educational, and if we are astute we can learn our lesson from their experience. After miraculously feeding and estimated 13,000 people (5,000 men according to the Bible), Jesus sent His disciples into a boat, to sail across the Sea of Galilee where He would meet them to resume their ministry trip. (Is anyone singing the lyric, “Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of tiny ship . . .”?) This turned out to be one of those infamous “3 Hour” tours.

While on the Sea of Galilee they encountered a storm so fierce, that these seasoned fishermen, who had been on this body of water all their lives, who had seen the fiercest of storms in their careers, were now fearful for their lives. This was the worse storm they had ever experienced. Yet Jesus appeared to them in the middle of this squall. At first they didn’t recognize Him, in fact they thought he was a ghost. That is just how irrationally frightened this storm had made them. Then when they did recognize Him, one of the strangest events in the history of mankind took place. Peter got out of the boat and took a few steps on top of the water, walking on it just like Jesus was. Of course, he soon took His eyes off of Jesus and put them on his circumstances and he sank like a rock, again to be rescued by Jesus.

We are quick to make fun of Peter, but let’s be honest . . . how many of us have even taken 3 steps on TOP of the ocean in the middle of a storm? What a rush that must have been for Peter – for one moment in time, he defied the physical laws of the universe and did what a human being was not supposed to do. WOW!!!! You know what, I long for that kind of life. I long to see God work in my life in such a miraculous way that there is no human explanation for what happened. I am desperate for an adventure with God that is thrilling and exciting – even if it is a bit risky. I want to walk on the water too, at least in a figurative sense.

As I read and reread this account I learn four lessons about this kind of miraculous encounter with Jesus.

First, I have to go through the storms not around them. Too often I am quick to ask God to deliver me from trials and challenges that He has ordained I experience so I can experience Him in them. If I got my way, most of the time life would be comfortable and easy . . . but also boring. Without some challenging trials in our lives how do we know whether or not we have faith and whether or not that faith is strong. Our faith needs to be tested and stretched often to keep it pliable and growing. Sure, God could deliver us from hard times, but we would miss out on so many things we learn about Him during those hard times. The storms in our lives cause us to cry out for and to seek Him. We learn to hold on to Jesus during those difficult times and that is exactly where He wants us.

Second, I learn that whenever I am going through a stormy part of life, Jesus WILL meet me in it. He does not make me go alone through the rough places. My task is to learn to look for Him…to recognize Him through the spray and shadows; to catch glimpses of Him even when the only illumination may be the very flash that also frightens me. He IS THERE, I may not see Him at first, but I can rest assured of His presence. He promised me He would never leave me or forsake me so He is there if I can only manage to find Him. There is never a difficult time in my life that I walk through alone. And amazingly all the while the storm rages – all the while my circumstances challenge me – Jesus calls me to be closer to Him.

Third, I learn that to walk on the water, I have to get out of the boat. In other words, to really experience the miraculous work of God in my life, I have to go beyond the familiar, the comfortable, the things that in my human understanding provide safety and security. I have to make myself vulnerable. But you know, when you think about it, what did Peter really have to lose? To hear those disciples tell it, that boat was about to go under anyway. And just as we like to think that the familiar around us provides us safety and security, really and truly there is only security in proximity to Jesus. I have GOT to get out of my boat. I have to try something new, something different if I am going to see the miraculous take place in my life. If I want to experience the kind of rush Peter experienced, I will not find it in my routine or in my comfort zone. I have to be willing to RISK. I have to be willing to DARE. I have to be willing to go where others will not go and attempt what others will not attempt.

Finally, I learn that as long as I keep my eyes on Jesus, things are OK, but when I take my eyes off of Him and look at my circumstances, I am sinking fast. You see, there is a such thing as a fleshly, foolish risk. Sometimes we dare and risk where Christ has not already gone before us and prepared, nor has he called us out to that daring or risky place. But if I am looking for and listening for where Jesus is at work and where He calls me out to join Him, then I need not fear wave-walking. And as long as I maintain focus on Him there is no limit to where He and I will walk.

Chances are everyone who reads this will fall into one of three categories: you are just coming out of a stormy part of life, you are in one right now or, knowingly or not, one is just around the corner. Stormy patches of life are inevitable and Jesus wants to use them to challenge us, grow us up, and draw us closer to Him.

ALL ABOARD!!!!!

The Bulletin

We have a local restaurant that will give you a 10% discount on Sunday night if you bring in your church bulletin. Ah, the church bulletin – a document that to some is every bit (or more so) inspired as the Word itself. Sacred is what it is to some. You see, if it is not printed in the bulletin, then it cannot happen. It is not worship if it is not in that bulletin. I guess to that restaurant, the bulletin is visual proof that you worshipped that day. Some think you can SHOW your worship by showing your bulletin.

It is interesting to me that we speak of worship as though it is something outside of us that we encounter or into which we immerse ourselves. We say that we GO to worship or that we EXPERIENCE worship. We see worship as an event. But guess what – the Bible speaks of worship not as something that we DO but as something that we ARE. Worship is not something that happens and we join in with it. True worship is the response of our lives to the relationship we have with God.

Do you remember the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well in Sychar? She tried to engage Jesus in a conversation about worship styles. Today we do the same. When we speak of worship we soon find ourselves debating the form and style of worship: casual or suits and ties; choruses or hymn; band or choir; piano and organ or keyboard and guitar. The woman at the well told Jesus that her people worshipped at Mt. Gerazim and yet His people said Jerusalem was the only place to worship. Who was right? If I can summarize Jesus response, it was something to this effect:

True worship was not confined to a place, but true worship happened when the Spirit of God brought the Truth of God alive in the heart of a believer in such a manner that his or her life was in someway changed or adjusted.

So as you see worship is not something we feel or receive, it is the response of our lives to the move of the Spirit of God in our life – worship is response. You can go to church – whether it be traditional, blended, contemporary – and you may or may not have an emotional response. But if you do not live differently as a result of what you encountered in that church then you did not worship – no matter how beautiful the music or intense the emotional response. Without life impact and response, there is no worship. This is all a matter of changing our perspective on worship. Rather than being the recipients of worship, we are the ones who give worship, in fact we ARE worship in a manner of speaking.

This week’s memory verse sums it up for us. It is Romans 12:1:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

Did you catch that? Our spiritual act of worship is not a song, reading, sermon, or prayer. Worship is presenting to God our physical existence, our everyday living; presenting our lives to Him as we live in such a way to show that we are set apart for Him and that it is our life’s aim to please Him.

THAT, my friends, is worship. Not something we feel, receive, attend, or experience, but something we give. Worship means to attribute worth to something, and we truly worship God when we ascribe value to Him by giving to Him what we treasure most – our lives.

So when you go to church next and someone asks you, “How was worship today?” What are you going to tell them? Better yet, what are you going to show them?

Thermometer or Thermostat?

Thermometer . . . thermostat… They sound so similar, yet they are very different. A thermometer measures temperature but a thermostat regulates temperature. I looked outside the other day and the thermometer on the back porch (in the shade) registered 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It was hot. Major hot. Then when I went inside and looked at the thermostat, it was set on 74 degrees Fahrenheit. It was nice, real nice. Big difference in the thermometer and the thermostat. All the thermometer could do was give me information about how it “felt”. The thermostat could change my environment.

We have a thermometer and thermostat in our lives as well. I like to think of our feelings as a thermometer. Feelings are important, since they are the tool we use to measure how we feel - hence the name “feelings.” But you know, in all honesty, our feelings can lie, they can misrepresent reality if they are the only tool we use to measure what is going in our lives. Our feelings are not always accurately calibrated. Just as the thermometer moves up and down in response to the outside environment, so also our feelings move up and down in relation to the comfort of our life circumstances.

However we also have a thermostat – our minds. But a thermostat also has to be properly calibrated if it is to work accurately and efficiently. I have learned that much of life is a struggle between what I feel and what I know. Sometimes what I feel runs counter to what I know. I may feel helpless, but I know God is in control. I may feel alone, but I know God is right there with me. I may feel unlovable, but I know God loves me unconditionally.

So the trick in life is to learn all we can about God, His purposes, and His ways and then our minds can function as a thermostat. When we are tempted to be ruled by our feelings, our minds can adjust us back to reality. Here is a good example from the life of Paul, where his circumstances made him feel one way, but his mind kept him in touch with reality:

We are pressured in every way but not crushed;
We are perplexed, but not in despair;
We are persecuted but not abandoned;
We are struck down but not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

That is why memorizing Scripture is so important. When you memorize Scripture you have at the ready ammunition when your feelings try to mislead you. You calibrate the thermostat of your mind, and your circumstances come into clearer focus as you see the hand of God at work.

With that in mind, here is our memory verse for the week. It is found in

1 Peter 1:13:

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Learn it, but more importantly, live it. Quit living life controlled by your emotions. Calibrate your mind to think God-ward thoughts and live by what you KNOW rather than what you FEEL. It really is liberating.

Braggin' Rights

Remember the old childhood argument, “My dad can beat up your dad!” Then of course there is the plethora of bumper stickers adorning the rear end of thousands of mini-vans and SUVs: “My child is an honor student at _________.” I saw a bumper sticker one day that combined those two sentiments. It said, “My kid can beat up your honor student.”

It seems we never outgrow the felt need to “one up” everyone else. Unfortunately, the practice of bragging is not immediately removed from the repertoire of our sins the moment we are redeemed. In fact, I have observed that it seems to be one of the last to go through the process of sanctification. What really troubles me is that we Christians sometimes boast about things that should shame us. “I really pulled one over on them.” “Did you see how I gave them a piece of my mind?” (If only I had a piece to spare.) “You’ll never believe what I got away with!” The list goes on.

In all honestly, we boast about these things that should shame us because we actually have nothing good to boast about. Paul said it well when he said, “I know that in me – that is in my flesh – dwells no good thing.” Anything good that we have in our life is gift of grace from our Heavenly Father. Any good qualities we display are only present because He graces us. Any thing good we hold on our possession we only have because He has given it to us. Any thing good we accomplish only happens because it is His power that is mightily at work with us.

Paul said in Galatians 6:14:

As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world’s interest in me is also long dead.

Why do we boast of our prowess in earthly things when really the only thing we have going for us is that Christ died for us? The things of this present world in which we live are of little to no value to us. The thing that matters most in our life is that Jesus died for our sins, we are forgiven by the grace and mercy of our loving Lord, and we now belong to Him. He is accomplishing a radical make-over in our lives.

Paul also said in Galatians 2:20:

I have been crucified with Christ. I, myself, no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Now those are the only bragging rights I have. Let’s quit boasting about ourselves and let’s talk a little more about Jesus, OK? Now, sing with me:

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my Lord
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood

Let those lines slowly tumble through your brain. All those empty things that seem important to us and about which we are tempted to brag . . . which is more important, them or the blood of Christ that washes away our sin?

Sing it, children! Next time you sing that song, sing it with a new fervor!

Snooze Button

Great invention.  Where would we be without snooze buttons?  I don’t know where we would be, but most likely we would be on time.  I am a chronic snooze button masher.  On most mornings, I mash the snooze button at least three times.  My snooze button buys me nine minutes.  

You know how in the hospital, when someone has had major surgery, they give them a pain med pump?  The pump has a little button that the patient mashes when he needs pain meds and the machine automatically dispenses it.  Of course, the button is set for time intervals so the patient doesn’t get addicted to those meds.  The snooze button is the sleep equivalent to the pain pump.  I just mash the button, that painful sound (the alarm) goes away, and I can sleep comfortably for another nine minutes.

From a theological perspective – yeah, I am a preacher, you knew I would get there somehow – a snooze button is like GRACE.  Grace is receiving an unmerited and/or unexpected blessing.  And to me, so is an extra nine minutes of sleep.  You see, it is during that snooze button period that I can slowly wake up and focus my attention on the coming day.  

What is the first thing you think in the morning when the alarm goes off?  You see, for me it takes several snooze button provided “restarts” before my mind is ready to go.  I am foggy (Funny, I originally typed “goofy.” Freudian slip I guess) when I wake in the mornings.  But eventually I get my head out of the clouds and back to earth and I realize that I am beginning a day that is a gift from God.

One of the framed pictures I have says, “Today is a gift from God.  What you do with today is your gift to God.”  How true.  I only woke up this morning, and I only have the opportunities this days affords me because of the grace of God.  If any of us got what we deserved, we would be dead.  Sin carries that sentence.  But in patient mercy and extravagant grace God allows us to live so that we can use another 1,440 minutes for His glory.  We are given a reset clock, a brand new day, because God is a absolutely trustworthy and faithful and we can count on His mercy to sustain us and give is life.

One of my favorite hymns (we sang it at church last night, thanks, Ann for requesting it) is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”  We awaken each morning to the reality of a God who is ultimately reliable.  We can count on Him to always be Who He always has been – and we will always be able to count on that.  I woke up this morning, because God is dependable to show me mercy and allow me to live.  So I plan to live today for HIS glory.  I want to give Him a gift of 24 hours that I use for Him.  Which leads us to this week’s memory verse, Lamentations 3:22, 23:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
For His compassions never fail.  
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

For that I praise Him!  So, learn this verse with me this week.  Think about how each morning when the alarm goes off that you are awakened by the faithful, reliable, dependable, compassionate, merciful God of this universe.

Important

I found the following at the web site of a church known for its prayer ministry. I share it with you because whether or not you go to my church, you have a pastor who needs prayer - but ESPECIALLY if you go to my church!

I have several close friends who are pastors and I am committing to pray this for them as well.



THESE ARE 15 WAYS THAT WE ENCOURAGE OUR MEMBERS TO PRAY FOR OUR STAFF

At Riverside, we feel it is very important that we build our church upon a foundation of prayer. Below are 15 ways that we have committed to pray for our pastor and staff.

1. Father, keep my pastor and staff from remaining discouraged.
2. Father, help my pastor and staff to function under the high pressure and stress of their job.
3. Father, help my pastor and staff to put their families ahead of their profession.
4. Father, help my pastor and staff to be patient with people who have unrealistic expectations.
5. Father, comfort my pastor and staff when they feel socially isolated.
6. Father, protect my pastor and staff from the relentless attacks of Satan. (We consider this one to be very important and ask that you pray this prayer each day.)
7. Father, provide for the financial needs of my pastor and staff and their families.
8. Father, prevent my pastor and staff from becoming withdrawn.
9. Father, help my pastor and staff to spiritually discern their enemies inside and outside the church.
10. Father, grant my pastor and staff strong time-management skills.
11. Father, help my pastor and staff to base their self-image on what You say about them, instead of what people say about them.
12. Father, keep my pastor and staff from becoming jealous of or competitive with other pastors and staffs.
13. Father, help my pastor and staff to establish and keep a daily quiet time.
14. Father, provide strength and quality time for my pastor's and staff's spouses and children.
15. Father, help my pastor and staff forgive those who mistreat and unjustly criticize them.

Labels

I am getting old enough now that I read labels.  You know . . . the nutritional labels on packaged food products.  Andrea like those little packaged chocolate covered donuts.  I read the ingredients, now I call them “food product donuts.”  There is nothing real in them I don’t think, just a bunch of multisyllabic words I can’t pronounce.  Lots of words that end in “ide,” “ace,” “ized.”   You get the picture. It used to be that most everything I ate I could pronounce.  Food labels are terrifying things.  Of course it was always fun to take the labels off the canned goods and then guess what we would be eating.

As terrifying as they might be, labels are valuable.  They give us an opportunity to see what is on the inside.  Most of us wear a label like that whether or not we like it.  We wear the label “Christian.”  That labels means we are “like Christ.”  Can I ask you a question?  Considering how you life your life . . . would people want to charge you with false advertising?

Think about this.  You wear the “witness wear” t-shirt to your child’s little league ball game, does your behavior toward the umpire, other parents, and other kids match the packaging?  You have a fish on the bumper of your car, are your road rules consistent with label on the car?  You style and profile flashing all sorts of “Christian” bling-bling, do the words of your mouth and the actions of your life hinder the glory of God from shining through your gold?

The third commandment challenges us to be careful not to take the name of the Lord in vain.  For most of us that has always been nothing more than a prohibition against “cussin’.”  But there is so much more to it than that.  If we wear the label of Christ by calling ourselves Christian then we are “taking” His name with us.  Remember that old hymn?

Take the name of Jesus with you
Child of sorrow and of woe
It will joy and comfort give you
Take it then where’er you go

So the question hangs there like a heavy fog . . . since we take the name of Jesus with us, are we ever guilty of taking it in vain (misusing it) by the way we behave ourselves?

Let’s be careful to see to it that we represent His name well.  Remember, you belong to Him and you may be the only Jesus some people will see.  Let them see a life that has been impacted by a relationship with Jesus.  Let them see a life that struggles with the same issues as they do, but with a faith in Christ that brings you through the struggles and makes you stronger.  Let them see a man or woman who is DIFFERENT, not weird mind you, but different.  A life that matches the label – Christlike!

Don’t forget your memory verse for this week:  Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. – Psalm 20:7

What's In A Name?

Shakespeare said, “What is in a name?” and, if memory serves, he concluded “...a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.” Will Shakespeare may be arguably the greatest literary figure, he would fail miserably in today’s marketing climate.

A name is everything. In fact, one of the most prevalent advertising slogans is “a name you can trust.” A name is a mental abbreviation for all that a product claims to be. Successful marketing occurs when all a consumer needs to hear is a name to get a mental recollection of the product. As a matter of fact, some product names have become so famous that they have become synonymous with their product. No one uses a tissue, they use a Kleenex®. No one uses a cotton swab, they use a Q-Tip®. No one uses a bandage, they use a Band-Aid®. In Georgia at least, any dark, carbonated soda is referred to as a Coke® - whether it was bottled by Coca-Cola® or not. A name is a representation of a product.

All of us have certain brand names that we trust. We have used the product, we have tried all the various brands, and we know which ones serve us best. But when it comes to the name GOD the name represents so much more than just a brand. God’s name represents all we have come to know, understand, and experience about Him. His name is a label, if you will, reminding us of who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do in this world He has created.

When we hear the name God, we are reminded of His faithfulness. He never lets us down; we can count on Him to always be the same. When we hear the name of God, we are reminded of His power. He and He alone is able to accomplish what ever He desires. When we hear the name of God, we are reminded of righteousness. Everything about Him is right and good. We can trust this one named God.

As you shop, you constantly look for name brands you can trust. When you buy a product you want to know that you are getting your money’s worth. So you buy those products you have used and found to be reliable and effective. But as you look for power, wisdom, and guidance in daily living, is there a name you can trust? Can you really trust Oprah? Can you really trust Dr. Phil? Can you really trust any other human being? Is there anyone who not only completely and accurately knows the future but also controls and determines the future? YES! His name is God. Some trust in cultural icons for wisdom and guidance, others trust in their own experience and common sense, still others trust in the latest book or author. But ultimately we can trust in the name of the Lord our God, for that name represents the only one who knows, controls, and determines our future and promises to successfully navigate us through this life if we will follow Him.

So, WHO ARE YOU GOING TO TRUST?

This week’s memory verse is Psalm 20:7: “Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

This verse is a great bullet to load in your gun. Trust in God, HE will see you through.

Faith - A Collector's Item?

I bet y’all didn’t know it, but I own a NASCAR race car. Actually, I own 3 cars and a tractor-trailer hauler. Our sponsor, of course, is Tabasco and we are car #35. What? You say you haven’t seen us on the racetrack? Of course you haven’t. My cars and hauler aren’t in Indy this week, nor will they be at Watkins Glen next week. In fact, my cars will not be making it to any of the Nextel Cup races this year. But they appear daily on the credenza in my office. OK, you’ve figured it out now, they are die cast models. In 1997 Tabasco sponsored the #35 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Todd Bodine. Since I love NASCAR and even more so love Tabasco, it was a great year for me. Too bad it wasn’t so great for Todd, or for Darrell Waltrip in the same car the year before. The cars are still in their packages and are there for all to see. They are called collectibles.

For some of us our faith is like that – it could easily be considered a “collectible" because we leave our faith wrapped in the bubble wrap of our routine, our familiar, our comfort zone. Oh, we talk a lot about faith. We know what it is supposed to look like. We can define it, we can describe it, we can quote all kinds of Bible verses about it - {by the way . . . how are you doing memorizing Psalm 119:9, 11?} - but we never use it. We call ourselves people of faith, but we are more accurately people of complacency. We seldom remove the wrapping from our faith and take it out for a spin. And when we do, it is not by choice, but only because the circumstances in life have put us in a position where our faith is all we have to lean on.

Where is our sense of adventure? Jesus changed the world with a small group of followers who left their comfort zones and took out on a life of adventure with him. We prefer the quiet of the familiar, the ease of the routine, the safety of the comfort zone. In fact, what do most of us call the building where we worship? The SANCTUARY. The safe place. When a certain man wanted to follow Jesus, He told the man he would be able to, in fact he said that foxes have holes and birds have nests (their comfort zones) but that Jesus and His followers had no place to lay their heads and rest. Andrew, Peter, James, John – these were rugged men with an adventurous spirit who put down their fishing nets – the comfort zone of the family business – and gave the rest of their lives to this adventure with Jesus. Yet, we have a difficult time getting people to put down the remote control or the mouse for a couple of hours to come to church.

When we prefer to stay in the comfort zone of shallow water, spending our days doing our time-honored empty rituals, never venturing out to minister in new and fresh ways, never trusting God with new things in our lives then we treat our faith as though it is a collector’s item to be left in its original packaging and to remain on the shelf as a conversation piece. We look at it, talk about it, but never unwrap it and take it for a spin. No wonder Christianity is viewed by those on the outside as boring and wimpish.

Come on, let’s unwrap that faith and take it for a few fast laps around the track. Life with Jesus was meant to be fun and adventure-filled.