Am I Healthy?

Am I healthy? I would assume the answer to be yes. I have shed a couple of pounds and I have been jogging since the summer months. I feel pretty good, so I would assume health. Today, measures will be taken to see if I am right. I have been fasting the last 12 hours in preparation for blood work and tests needed for my physical which I have next week.

These tests are important because they look for things going on that can be undetected on the surface and not necessarily influencing how I feel. One other step occurred not long ago when they did a screening of my carotid artery. Fortunately, it was in an improved state over the year before. I am grateful for the resources available that allow us to manage our health and attempt to treat problems before they arise.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalms 139:23-24 (KJV)

What a prayer asking God to do some internal tests to find out just what is going on on the inside. We all like to have the appearance of health. We may throw out a few insights every now and then; we might have the appearance of perfect health, but what is going on on the inside. Is there disease? Is there addiction? Is there something that, if it goes untreated could become terminal?

Whenever I have a deep moment with God, I become very aware of the need for the Search Me Test. There are parts of me I think I can go on without addressing, but God points it out and says to me "this is dangerous; let's deal with it together." How gracious He is to begin a treatment plan with me.

So I am heading out the door, my blood work won't point to any matters that are down in the depths of my spiritual heart, but my prayer remains, "Search me O God..."

Are you willing to make that your prayer today?

Celebration

So far, September has been a month of celebration. Last we, we broke ground on a permanent facility. It's completion cannot come soon enough for me, but each step is so exciting, and I know that the church will hit a whole new level.

Next week, I go to another celebration. It will be the 100 year anniversary of Marth Road Baptist Church (formerly FBC, Martha). It will be a celebration of longevity, reaching great heights, and overcoming challenges. I was blessed to have my first experience as a pastor there, and I could not have asked for a more gracious church through all the blunders I would make as a young pastor. I still make a ton of blunders, I'm just not that young any more.

Many churches have lost the art of celebration and settle in for a hopeful existence and a "maybe we can make it through this time" mentality. Sometimes we forget that David did not write all of the Pslams and they cover centuries of time. There is a Psalm of ascent that the people Sang as they were returning froma time of punishment and captivity:

Psalms 126:1-6 (NASB)
1 When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.
4 Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South.
5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
6 He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

I've read the whole story, Ezra and Nehemiah had their hands full with those who returned from exile. They had serious economic and political challeneges in returning to a land that had so many new inhabitants yet they celebrated. Why is that? They were beginning to learn a valuable lesson about celebration as God's people.

What was that lesson? It seems to me to be a special secret...always put your seed bag to use. Everyone wo plants will celebrate the fruit of his labor, but the person who fails to scatter has nothing to do but mope around.

I have been honored to be a part of church who think about lost people, and want to see their families and friends touched by the God of Great Things. Nothing creates celebration like an eternally changed heart. So we celebrate...and may we never stop!

Breaking Ground

This Sunday marks a new era in our church as we break ground on our facility. It will be rather modest, 150 seats a couple of offices and no real education space. In the 70's and 80's we would have called it a sanctuary. That term comes from cities of refuge were criminals could go and find safety from those seeking justice against them. It's really a fitting term because if the truth be told, we are all guilty and we find our refuge in Christ and the local church represents that.

More recently, the place of our weekly meetings has been called "auditorium." Literally it is a place for gathering and hearing. Perhaps that is why so many who attend church get stuck in a passive role of being mere hearers when hearing and doing are the expectations for believers. Our gathering place is so much more than an auditorium; any school, theater, concert hall, or community center can have one of those. The gathering place for the church has deep meaning that we should consider with all heartfelt passion. What is that? Jesus gives us the insight we need in His life mission:

Mark 2:17 (NLT)
17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough."

The gathering place for all who serve Christ is to be nothing less than a hospital. There are so many wounds that medicine cannot heal. There are battles of the mind that psychiatry cannot win. Our fear should always be that a church be filled with people who have already bee nurtured to health and that there is no room for the sick. As we break ground, it is my prayer that we never forget that the church is a hospital, and we are to always make room for and invite the sick to see the Doctor.

Looks like a chilly day for breaking ground...dress warmly!

Broken

Last year, I bought an Elliptical machine to help work my way back into shape. After two weeks, the questionably made product broke. After months of trying to get a replacement part, they gave up and sent me a new machine that still works but has the same nagging weakness. Before I use it, I try to check it out because if I tighten up the part that loosens during use, it can last much longer than the one that stripped out and is unuseable.

This past week, we talked about marriage and divorce. Its a lot like my two elliptical machines. Often times we go into marriage thinking that nothing could ever fail. What we don't realize is that the regular use, the pounding of life, the friction of day to day activities begin to reveal weaknesses that if they go overlooked will cause things to become broken.

On the other hand, if we know there is places where things are likely to break, we can put special care into it, we can "tighten it up." In every marriage, there will be extra tension regarding money, regarding sex, regarding hobies and relationships. Those things will always be an area of weakness in every marriage just like every same model of elliptical machine will likely fail in the same area.

Marriage takes a lot of care. Take time to do a lot of preventative maintenance. Your spouse deserves it. Have a blessed week!

Thoughts from Sunday

When I sat down and began to contemplate some of the tough sayings of Jesus, I never imagined the wrestling match that would have ensued in preparing for last week's message on lust and adultery. What is too much to say, what is not enough to say. How do I handle the comments of Christ accurately. Probably no message I have ever preached has taken me so far outside my comfort zone than to speak as honestly and candidly as I did on this passage.

Matthew 5:27-30 (NLT)
27 "You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not commit adultery.'
28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 So if your eye—even if it is your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 And if your hand—even if it is your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Jesus challenged us to live a life of extremem awareness of what is going on around us and our strengths can quickly become our weaknesses if we are not careful. That has played out in so many people's lives when we see them champion causes only to fall into the sin they were combating. We must strive to be careful, to be wise and to honor people we encounter.

My prayer for all who consider this passage is that we learn to see all people through the eyes of Christ and not as mere objects for our satisfaction. Stay strong, and as Paul said: "Run away from sexual sin!" (1 Corinthians 6:18)

This week, we will look at another challenging subject, the one of marriage and divorce. It lends a question; as people of faith, are we too lax concerning marriage or too condemning concerning divorce? It's certainly something to think about as we prepare for Sunday.

Update

Now that an abundance of activity is complete, I hope to return to my blog more faithfully. The good news is that we have surrendered the use of our youth center through a lease to another local church. We are excited to allow them this opportunity for the enhancement of their ministry. The loan process is complete, and drawing and permits are moving forward. We hope a buyer will come available for the old office soon and provide extra resources for the building project.

Our youth ministry has had a wonderful Summer thanks to the work of Luke and Janelle and a host of volunteers. I know the youth led service was a big hit with the church. We will have to remember to do that again.

New Sunday School classes begin in September, and we are excited to get them rolling. The best way to get involved in a church is to be a part of a smaller group whether it is one of our night groups or a Sunday School class.

On a personal note, I am in the process of getting all my paperwork in to begin doctoral studies through New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Rachelle has been pushing me to do this knowing that it has been a desire of mine, and we have decided that now is the time.

This week, we are starting our new series, "Don't Go There" looking at some of those really taboo subjects Jesus talked about with followers and would-be followers alike. Up first is the issue of lust and adultery...there's enough conviction in it to touch all of our lives and enough practical wisdom to teach us to rise above the challenges we face everyday. I hope we will get down to genuine honesty and real practical wisdom for tackling an issue that has become such a part of our culture. As one song writer once wrote, "I would look pretty stupid with my big ol head stuck in the ground." We have to learn to address these difficult topics in a way that allows us to maintain our presence in the world and show a better way. Hope to see you Sunday.

Seeds, Soil, or Sower

As I have studied for this parable of Christ, I have grown a fascination in this discussion as to the primary focus of the parable.

Mark 4:3-9 (NLT)
3 "Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.
4 As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.
5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plant sprang up quickly,
6 but it soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil.
7 Other seed fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades so that it produced no grain.
8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted." Then he said,
9 "Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!"

Is it on the seed and its ability to thrive and grow based on where it lands? Obviously, God has allowed His message to be spoken and delivered in many places and in many ways, a small portion receive Christ, but a larger portion reject Him. Some, on the other hand, think the emphasis on the story is the soil and how receptive each soil is to the Word of God. Some people are so hardened they don't care, some believe in Christ only in a shallow manner and are not sincere. Others would like to have Christ, but they want everything else too and fail to come to a God who will only accept first place in our lives. I have been teaching the parable more along those lines. The other way of looking at the parable is to place the emphasis on the Sower. It is in His grace, that He even allows the seed of His word to be spread in unresponsive, shallow, unrepentent places as well as the receptive ones. In God's heart, He wants none to perish and allows His Word to be known by all who will receive.

I am always amazed at the many ways God has made for the Bible to remain fresh in our hearts. Take time to think of the parable from all three vantage points and see what God would teach you from them. Most of all, remember this:

John 1:12-13 (NASB)
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Have a great week!

Only Game in Town

Growing up, I loved going to the games played by the Amarillo Gold Sox. I had the privilege of seeing Dave Dravecky and Tony Gwynn work their way through the minor leagues. In the early 1980's they were gone, whisked away to a new location. Our only game in town was gone. I don't know any of the details about how our city tried to keep the team, but I often wondered how they felt after they were gone.

Last week at church we looked at how many people turned their backs on Jesus when they didn't like what He had to say. The disciples had the chance to turn away Jesus too, but listen to what Peter had to say:

66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, "Are you going to leave, too?"
68 Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life.
69 We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God." - John 6:66-69 (NLT)

Peter was smart enough to recognize that Jesus was truly the only game in town.

A couple of things really make it clear. First of all Peter recognizes what is at stake. So often we focus on the things that can give us immediate pleasure. But we see that Peter was thinking about the eternal benefit of what Jesus was teaching. When Paul told us to keep our eyes on the prize, it was an exhortation to keep a thought always of eternity in our minds.

Peter also understood the nature of faith. Faith does not answer all the questions we might face. Faith allows us to recognize God for who He is even though we do not always understand what He is doing. As we see later, Peter didn't totally understand what Jesus meant when He spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, but He allowed himself to place his faith in Christ anyway.

Looking at Peter's comments leaves us with those very thoughts; what do I stand with eternity? The second is this: will my faith allow me to trust God even when I don't fully understand?

Jesus really is the only game in town. Where else could any of us go?

Spring is in the Air

Wow, how time flies. Today is one of my favorite days of the year. Sure, I'd like to tell you how super-spiritual I am and rattle off the spiritual significance of the day, but apart from quoting Crash Davis' (Bull Durham) misguided theology of the church of baseball, I cannot.

I guess one of my favorite quotes is "Hope Springs Eternal." There is always cause for optimism when everyone is at 0-0 for the year. Two years ago, no one expected the Rockies to visit the World Series. Last year, Tampa Bay surprised the world by getting to the World Series. The Yankees can spend more money than many countries and not guarantee themselevs a championship. Who will have a career year, who will have a career end? Not all is certain, but this: today begins the greatest sport of all...baseball. The blahs of winter give way to the joys of spring. You gotta love it!

My hopes are high, it may only be for a few weeks that a Rockies - Rangers World Series seems a remote possibility, but hope does spring eternal. See ya somewhere around home plate.

98.6 Degrees

I do not remember a time of such great sickness. It seems like there are plenty of sick children and adults to go around this winter. On her job, my wife seems to be covering for just about everyone imaginable forcing her to work seemingly impossible hours. The schools have had students out sick by the busload.

One thing I have been looking at is the organic nature of the church. It is an organism, not an organization. So I got to thinking about the two things together. One way we know someone has a fairly serious illness is by the presence of a fever. I think it is an amazing truth that most people are within a few tenths of a degree of the worldwide average 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. I was thinking about how amazing it is that humanity shares this closeness and how churches share something very similar. All living people have the same type of vital organs, but there is nothing more common than a temperature.

If our body temperature fluctuates too many degrees one way or another from that place, we ultimately die. Naturally, the base temperature for the church is 316 degrees for John 3:16. We always find a dangerous place when we move away from "For God so loved the world." Replace any of those words with some of what we see today and we see our problems. We say them correctly but live as if to say:

"For God so hated the world" - People and churches who isolate themselves from the world

"For I so loved the world" - People who try to earn their salvation by being a "good Christian."

"For God so loved the church" - People who buy into a "God will make me healthy, wealthy, and wise" approach to faith


I can claim an unhealthy fever from all of them at some point in time in my life, and I fear that if we do not see the passion of God behind His most gracious act of sending Jesus to die for "whoever" that we will see the death of many churches.

May we strive for health!

So here I am, one week in to my new birthday club. Loved the shirt I got: "In Dog years, I'm dead."

The truth is I don't feel any older, its everyone else around me thats getting older.

Preaching on the lost son in Luke 15 is such a reminder to me of what I have been in my life. I've been lost and rebellious; I've wasted and wanted. I've hurt people and been hurt by people. I guess most of us could write that same script.

This week, my attention turns to the Father in the story. This is where my perspective continues to grow and change. Being a father helps me relate in ways I never have before, and having kids approaching those teenage years really does a number to me.

While theologians debate wheter or not the father represents God in the parable, he, at the very least, points us to God and reminds us of Him...a wise and loving Father. He even treated his servants with plenty of respect. What an admirable example and one to strive to be more like. I will spare the 40 reasons to try and be like the father and leave it with one really good one: the world needs love and forgiveness.

Catch ya later.

More Ramblings about Life in the Key of F

This week, I come to the bottom of the series...futility. One lost son has squandered away his life and possessions only to come to the bottom of his rope. In our present economy, I know there are many who can relate financially as they sit in ruins. People are wondering where to turn, what to do hoping they have enough to hang on.

Luke 15:15-16 (NASB)
15 "So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 "And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.

Yet, when we read the story, we cannot help but consider the depths of this lost son's troubles are far deeper than his financial ruin. His problem is the chasm...the separation between he and God. In his case, it is evident by his state of lostness. His hunger highlights the emptiness not only of his stomach but his soul. Catch the last phrase however, no one was giving him anything.

No one can give what they don't have. I wonder how aware I am of the opportunities I have to take an active role in connected people at the bottom of their ropes with their Father? Someone needs to look out for the lost and help them be found. Our Father came seeking, we told should be seeking. Do I have something to give? Will I hold on to it tightly and be stingy

I am prayful that I will not miss any opportunity this day and that my eyes will be open and my heart will be generous. I hope you will do the same.

Fallen in review

Yesterday, I started a new sermon series "Life in the Key of 'f'" in which yesterday's message dealt with the tpic of the fallen nature of humanity. It doesn't take a hard look to recognize that people aren't all the should be.

I am no different from any culturally sensitive pastor in these days, I don't always know the best way to communicate the simple reality of our fallen nature...that due to our human desire to live life detached from God we are all bound to give into our darker sides. When I first started speaking, it seemed okay to stick out my fingers and rant about that three letter word...you know it...sin. Today, I don't ever feel much like shouting about it because as I look int my life, I see enough of it in me I'd much rather hold my head in shame. I'm certainly not afraid to broach the subject, but I do approach it differently.

I have helped many people who have literally fallen get back to their feet or waited with them while they get the care they need. When we think about what it means to have a fallen nature, I hope we will be reminded of our own weakness and we will be kind enough to help up those around us. Outstretched hands did a lot for me and I need to do the same.

Old and New

For every end there is a beginning for every ending there is a beginning. Our trip to visit Texas was a picture of both sides of that. While seeing my new niece, Rachelle commented how awesome it was that her ears were hearing the Christmas story for the first time. How awesome and how special of a thought that though her ears will hear much in her life that will cause concerns, she has already had a seed of the Good News planted in her life.

On the other side, we saw Rachelle's uncle who is in the very final stages of a long battle with cancer. At the age of 48, this temporary life seems to remind us that it is never fair. This Christmas, he heard the Christmas story for the very last time.

We never know when the first time or last time will be, but may this blog remind us all that time is short but the Christmas message is truly Good News to those who believe!