Climbing Higher

What a beautiful hike we had in the mountains last week. The splendor of the fall colors never cease to amaze me. Rachelle, the girls, and I decided to hike up a trail I hadn't been up in almost 20 years. I felt like I hadn't exercised in almost 20 with the challenge of moving up the side of a mountain.

I think the greatest part of a nice hike is the change in perspective. We all need it from time to time. I don't know where I would be if it were not for the mountain top experiences that helped shape and re-shape my perspective over time. Obstacles just don't seem so imposing when you rise above them.

One of the great tragedies of getting older is that we miss out on too many mountain experiences. We lose out on opportunities to give our faith a fresh perspective. We need to get to the mountain every now and then. Its an important climb. Every climb takes us higher than our challenges and obstacles into the very center of the power of God.

Psalm 104:31-32 (NASB)

31 Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; Let the LORD be glad in His works; 32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

The decent will likely be a quick one back to the valley and the challenges, but to be able to face them with a power from God...not much could be better. Get out and find a mountain and experience the presence of God.

Have a great week.

Peach Tree

When we moved into our house last year we were excited to have a Peach tree with fruit on it. We love peaches and to have a very nice tree is great. Last year I did some pruning on the tree and as the peaches finish ripening this year, the results are undeniable.

The branches of the tree are overwhelmed. There is so much fruit that the branches are a bit stressed. I've been able to go and throw out the rotten fruit early. I've been able to toss the half bird-eaten fruit, and I am looking forward to a lot of peaches.

We recently started a class for people where we take a big look at John 15. John 15 is the passage where Jesus tells us he is the vine and we are the branches. We read that if we remain in him we will bear much fruit, after all it would be absurd to think of a detached branch being able to produce fruit. On the challenging side of the discussion is the talk of pruning and destruction that the caretaker of the vine goes through to keep the vine healthy.

God is our pruner, and while I am convinced that the tree doesn't have any feeling when I cut off a branch, I feel differently about those things God prunes in my life. It hurts to have an unhealthy part of yourself cut off, but my health requires it. There is simply no way to be pruned delicately...so God prune me, break me, heal me, make me fruitful.

What is it about the fruit that is so awesome...I know my peach tree produces incredible white peaches. I know that a grape vine produces grapes. So does that mean that a Jesus vine produces little "Jesuses." We read in Acts that at Antioch, believers were first considered Christians, or little Christs. Apparently the description fits. So we are left to think about the fruit hanging on the vine. What's there? Is the fruit plentiful or is it sparse? What pruning needs to take place in your life?

Have a great week!

21 and the Judges

Rachelle and I watched the movie 21 which is based on a true story of some brilliant colleges students who take Vegas for millions with their ability to count cards.

The main character, Ben Campbell is a shy, poor, hard-working student who sees no way to go to Harvard medical school apart from a scholarship until he is asked to join a team of card counters. Weekend trips to Vegas begin to change Ben; while he said he would quit when hed had enough for college the allure of money and the fun of being a person he had never been become too much.

The movie is really about a guy who loses himself. I think that describes the Israelites in the time of the Judges. They get lost in who they really are and who they are created to be. The Judges were far from perfect, but they were available to be used by God so that God could communicate His desires with the inhabitants of the Promised Land.

Looking at the Judges and their availability for God will be our primary task through our series, but for a moment think about how easily we lose ourselves. The Bible teaches us that we are made wonderfully and have a purpose. But there is competition for our identity... I think that's what Jesus said to His disciples:

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Matt 16:24-26 (MSG)

We lose ourselves when we neglect and forget about all that God has done for us. God demonstrated his grace by sending these judges to remind people of His power so that they might find their identity in Him and not in their own efforts.

Stay focused, stay alert, and never lose sight of who you are.

BIG WEEDS!!!!

We had to get ready for service on our property this weekend since we meet out here on Labor Day. It was amazing how the weeds had taken over our parking lot. When you need an axe to knock a few of them down, they're big. The deer, rabbits, and prairie dogs are all desperately sad that we took away some of their safe home so we can once again park for services.

The rock that covers our parking lot, has been down for quite some time, but over time the rocks has broken down and wind has blown dirt in and the rock gives ways to more and more weeds all the time. Naturally some weed protection is going to have to be in our future.

My first thought s about the parking lot was a bit of sadness; why don't we put more effort into taking care of the weeds around our pavilion so we can use it more until we are on site permanently. But...and you know there's always a double take with me; think with me about something. Churches were never made for parking lots. Sure we are going to take care of ours, but the point is that we weren't created to park; we were created to be people on the move.

We have one control in our faith life and its "drive." In the Great Comission (Matthew 28:19-20), Jesus says its the "go" gear. In fact, the literally reading always assumes the community of faith is on the go making disciples. The best part about our parking lot, is that we leave it and go home...we leave it and go to work or school, we leave it and hang out with our friends. Maybe the really big weeds are just reminders that when we are on the go we are doing the right thing.

Anyhow, when your back hurts and the mower is out of gas there's something else to think about. - Alan

What About Fame?

Rachelle and I each have what we would consider an above average super-famous relative. Mine is Robert Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution. Rachelle's famous relative has songs and folklore to go along with his famous persona... Davy Crockett. I have to admit, John Wayne never played Robert Morris in a movie, but both hold an amazing place in our nation's history.

For Rachelle, our visit this summer to the Alamo was a special experience. Out in front of this one time mission just to the right in our picture, Davy Crockett met death in a battle for Texas Independence. He wasn't even a Texan, but fought for their freedom. Certainly, the word hero is an adequate description of his life.

Robert Morris, on the other hand, didn't die in a great battle. In his time, he earned the title "Financier of the Revolution." At the time of the Revolution, he was a very wealthy man, but in personal sacrifice he gave all he had for the success of the young nation and died penniless.

Fame certainly has a price to it. On the one hand, who would not want the accolades of the masses that accompanies an 8 gold medal Olympian, but its that other hand, constant photography, every move dissected, every failure magnified and every success minimized. It's the price of fame.

Jesus knew that price all too well, the cheers and the jeers...the joy and the sacrifice. We climb our ladders hoping to be famous, if not in the whole world, at least in our company, school, or circle of friends. We want our names to mean something. John, the Baptizer, said it best though; "He must increase, I must decrease."

Zacchaeus never got that until something amazing happened. Its not that Jesus offered to come dine with him, the real turning point came when Jesus uttered one word..."Zacchaeus..." (Luke 19). To know that Jesus knew his name...what else could ever matter? What other pursuit could replace that moment of awareness?

I am honored to have such great men in our family tree, and I have no doubt we will continue to debate the merits of the greater ancestor, but I am beyond honored to know that Jesus knows my name.

School Daze

What? I'm not old enough to have a child in middle school. Never mind some of my friends from college have kids ready to start college. Never mind that I know all the words to the themes from Gilligan's Island and the Flintstones. Something doesn't seem right about this.

Sure I'd like to say this is all about my feelings for my oldest girl knowing that I have to do this again next year with my other, but in reality, its all about me. It was easy to preach about parenting yesterday. I remember the first time I broached the subject as a pastor; I had no child of my own, and I know people looked at me with a sense of "just wait, buddy." In the middle of it all, it is easier to seem like more of an authority, but today I sit here with myself in a little pity party asking myself if I really want my girls to grow up. I'm no authority; I struggle with it as much as anyone.

I want the best for my children. I want them to pursue God above all other life pursuits, but putting one into middle school reminds me that my control has diminished greatly. I'm left with one word for the day...influence. John Maxwell has always stated that leadership is influence. Control begins to give way to influence. What type of influence am I on my children? It is time to find out if the preacher has the ability to lead in his home. I hear those same people, "just wait buddy."

Okay I love Numbers...But Why?

I am a numbers guy. I was always good at math, well above average if the truth be told, so its one of those funny things that God did to allow me to have a role where my primary role is to use words. I have never outgrown my love for numbers especially with sports. I pay attention to things like magic numbers in the standings and other things that many overlook.

I was told a long time ago to not worry about the numbers, and have had a long standing rebellion against such thinking. Numbers are all over the Bible (including the book bearing the name). We know Jesus had an inner circle of 12. On one occasion he fed 5,000 men, another 4,000. In Acts we have a number of 3,000 as being added to the church. These are just some of the prominent numbers we find.

Our issues with numbers lie in the fact that we like to embellish them. Basketball players are always listed2-3 inches taller than they are. For taxes we make less money than we claim, but when we tell others its more. Churches are the same, the numbers are always puffed.

David T. Olsen in his book The American Church in Crisis takes on the embellishment that has plagued the churches. If he is right, 4,000 new churches start every year 3,700 close every year. In his estimation 6,900 new churches are needed every year just to keep up with the population much less reach the lost already counted.

Other stats suggest that out those born after 1984 only 4% or so will come to faith in Christ. That's a decrease from in excess of 60% just 2 generations ago. Sadly, the numbers don't lie. While we have celebrated record budgets and buildings, while we have seen the birth of the mega mega church, we have seen little life change in our part of the world.

Perhaps numbers will once again help us. The first of all numbers is 1. Its the first whole number. Until we are whole in Christ, no other number matters. 1 is the number of persons it takes to be filled with the indwelling presence of God who can radically change 3,000 lives in one day. One is the number of persons we should be thinking about touching with Christ. After all, I learned 1 comes before 2 long before I knew anything else about numbers. Start with 1. - Alan