I haven't really even thought much about it. Usually, I do think some about it. I make some goals in particular areas; and I have not doubt that some goals will come about fairly soon. But, here on this New Year's Eve, as I write this blog, with just over 4 hours left in 2009, my total of resolutions for 2010 can be calculated this way: 4-3+6+1 divided by 2-4=
ZERO!
But, the best I can do, for now, is to give you these never changes resolutions, for anytime of year. I might as well use them, as I go into 2010. Perhaps you would like to consider them as well...along with losing those 5 pounds, making that extra money, learning a new skill, etc. etc.
Psalm 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
Jeremiah 9:23,24 - "Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in those things I delight, declares the LORD."
Acts 20:24 - "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
Philippians 3:7-10,12-14 - "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes form the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death...Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brother, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
May God be well pleased with our lives in 2010!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Second to: "Your Zipper is down"!
There are certain nightmares that pastors normally have; and the one that usually tops the list is: going up to the platform to speak, only to have your zipper unzipped. I'm sure there are different levels of embarrassment that could come with that one, but I will just leave it at that. It probably tops the list. But, the one that comes next, at least on my list, is what happened to me this past week.
I certainly do think quite a bit about going up to speak only to realize I don't have my notes. Many guys, better than me, don't use notes, so they don't worry about this. But, for me, that would not be good. However, this does not rank second on my list, because although there would be a delay, I could go to my office or get the message off my computer fairly easily.
No, what ranks second for me, and what I experienced this past week, went like this: Because of the holidays and family coming into town, I worked especially hard to finish my message early in the week. I did a great job, doing my study, and then writing my message in good time. I was pleased with it. I finished just before I needed to go home. That would give me the next day to finish some other, secondary things for the week, and then be home for a couple of days with the family, outside of participating in a Christmas Eve service.
However, just as I was getting ready to print my message and send it to the guy who prepares my power point each week, I "lost the message". Only 4 pages were still on the computer, when I had done about 20 pages of work. Don't worry: the message wasn't that long, but once you add in the power point pages, outlines, etc., it gets longer. I panicked.
I searched the computer and could find it no where. I called my friend and computer expert, Dave; and he couldn't find it after hours of trying. And if Dave can't find it, no one can (or at least that is how the saying goes...that I just made up...but I do believe it)! My heart sank. This is the second worst thing I could think of...all that work...gone!
I spent the next day, trying to remember what I had written down; and basically, writing the message all over again. I know...your problems and "nightmares" are worse than mine; but this was simply from this particular pastor's perspective. Poor me.
Have a Happy beginning to your New Year!
I certainly do think quite a bit about going up to speak only to realize I don't have my notes. Many guys, better than me, don't use notes, so they don't worry about this. But, for me, that would not be good. However, this does not rank second on my list, because although there would be a delay, I could go to my office or get the message off my computer fairly easily.
No, what ranks second for me, and what I experienced this past week, went like this: Because of the holidays and family coming into town, I worked especially hard to finish my message early in the week. I did a great job, doing my study, and then writing my message in good time. I was pleased with it. I finished just before I needed to go home. That would give me the next day to finish some other, secondary things for the week, and then be home for a couple of days with the family, outside of participating in a Christmas Eve service.
However, just as I was getting ready to print my message and send it to the guy who prepares my power point each week, I "lost the message". Only 4 pages were still on the computer, when I had done about 20 pages of work. Don't worry: the message wasn't that long, but once you add in the power point pages, outlines, etc., it gets longer. I panicked.
I searched the computer and could find it no where. I called my friend and computer expert, Dave; and he couldn't find it after hours of trying. And if Dave can't find it, no one can (or at least that is how the saying goes...that I just made up...but I do believe it)! My heart sank. This is the second worst thing I could think of...all that work...gone!
I spent the next day, trying to remember what I had written down; and basically, writing the message all over again. I know...your problems and "nightmares" are worse than mine; but this was simply from this particular pastor's perspective. Poor me.
Have a Happy beginning to your New Year!
Friday, December 25, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS
Dear Jesus,
Yes, I do know that you were not born on December 25th; but as you know, us feeble and frail and finite human beings, still feel we need to try and nail these things down. You probably are (of course you are) aware of the battle between "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas". You must laugh at that, or maybe even shed a tear. It seems to me that what is really important to you, if we are going to celebrate your birth at this time of year, is that we focus on the person rather than the product.
Your Word is full of truth about you and how to relate to you; and how you are the only way to God the Father in Heaven. That is the truth we must all wrestle with, accept by faith, and share with others. Many of the other things we spend our time worrying about, arguing about and pursuing on this day, and on every other day of the year, seem so petty, so selfish, so temporal. I'm sorry, Jesus, that I can easily get caught up in the same things.
Happy Birthday. Thank you so much for coming to earth 2,000 plus years ago, to be born of the Virgin Mary, in humble settings, for a very particular purpose. I realize that the people did not understand exactly why you were here; including your closest followers. You were not here, not yet, to set up your Kingdom; but to preach the Kingdom of God; and to do what only you could do, to allow us to be a part of that Kingdom some day. You laid down your life; and by doing so, you broke all barriers between us and God, setting aside the sacrificial system, and completing the work you came here to do.
Thank you! I am sorry, as your follower, that I get so distracted by other things, that I many times lose my focus on you. For this Christmas, and for this new year, I am re-committing myself to following you wholeheartedly, to making everything about you; and living out the purpose you have given me.
I need to go now and blow out the 2,000 candles; and then take a nap.
The herds of children will soon be thundering down...
to celebrate your birth!
Yes, I do know that you were not born on December 25th; but as you know, us feeble and frail and finite human beings, still feel we need to try and nail these things down. You probably are (of course you are) aware of the battle between "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas". You must laugh at that, or maybe even shed a tear. It seems to me that what is really important to you, if we are going to celebrate your birth at this time of year, is that we focus on the person rather than the product.
Your Word is full of truth about you and how to relate to you; and how you are the only way to God the Father in Heaven. That is the truth we must all wrestle with, accept by faith, and share with others. Many of the other things we spend our time worrying about, arguing about and pursuing on this day, and on every other day of the year, seem so petty, so selfish, so temporal. I'm sorry, Jesus, that I can easily get caught up in the same things.
Happy Birthday. Thank you so much for coming to earth 2,000 plus years ago, to be born of the Virgin Mary, in humble settings, for a very particular purpose. I realize that the people did not understand exactly why you were here; including your closest followers. You were not here, not yet, to set up your Kingdom; but to preach the Kingdom of God; and to do what only you could do, to allow us to be a part of that Kingdom some day. You laid down your life; and by doing so, you broke all barriers between us and God, setting aside the sacrificial system, and completing the work you came here to do.
Thank you! I am sorry, as your follower, that I get so distracted by other things, that I many times lose my focus on you. For this Christmas, and for this new year, I am re-committing myself to following you wholeheartedly, to making everything about you; and living out the purpose you have given me.
I need to go now and blow out the 2,000 candles; and then take a nap.
The herds of children will soon be thundering down...
to celebrate your birth!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
A Christmas Book Review
Advent celebrations has not been a part of my family or church background, for a variety of reasons. But, this year, our family had decided to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ is a unique way. We were introduced some time ago to a story entitled: Jotham's Journey. The book we are now reading is sort of a sequel to that story. The name of this book is:
Bartholomew's Passage: A Family Story for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide.
It is the fictional story of a young, Jewish boy, who loses his parents to slavery by the Romans, and then in his search for them and his struggle to survive, he meets some new friends along the way. All along, he is also introduced to the non-fictional truth about a Messiah, a baby that would be born in Bethlehem one day. So, the historical setting is back in the days around Jesus' birth.
This is one of those stories that has something for the whole family. We have 8-14 year old children and we all love it. There is humor, drama, adventure, and usually each chapter leaves us wishing we could keep reading on. It is fit with the advent season, so the story begins 3 weeks before Christmas. You read one chapter per night and are encouraging to use the traditional lighting of the candles. We also added the opportunity for our children to light a little candle and go to bed with it after the story.
There is also a devotional thought at the end of each chapter. We use it and then have a brief time of questions and discussion about the chapter and devotional thought. We then have a time of singing and prayer. It has really been a great blessing to our family, each night during this Advent season; and we still have almost 2 weeks to go! I highly recommend this to you and your family.
Bartholomew's Passage: A Family Story for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide.
It is the fictional story of a young, Jewish boy, who loses his parents to slavery by the Romans, and then in his search for them and his struggle to survive, he meets some new friends along the way. All along, he is also introduced to the non-fictional truth about a Messiah, a baby that would be born in Bethlehem one day. So, the historical setting is back in the days around Jesus' birth.
This is one of those stories that has something for the whole family. We have 8-14 year old children and we all love it. There is humor, drama, adventure, and usually each chapter leaves us wishing we could keep reading on. It is fit with the advent season, so the story begins 3 weeks before Christmas. You read one chapter per night and are encouraging to use the traditional lighting of the candles. We also added the opportunity for our children to light a little candle and go to bed with it after the story.
There is also a devotional thought at the end of each chapter. We use it and then have a brief time of questions and discussion about the chapter and devotional thought. We then have a time of singing and prayer. It has really been a great blessing to our family, each night during this Advent season; and we still have almost 2 weeks to go! I highly recommend this to you and your family.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Find the Nugget of Truth
One day, Jim came to his front door to see cow manure, piled 3 feet high on his front porch. Repulsed by the smell, he wondered who in the world would spread dung just outside his home. While trying to figure this out, and becoming more upset by the second, he heard the phone ring. It was an anonymous caller, asking Jim if he had noticed anything different outside. When Jim tried to find out from the caller why he had done this (making the assumption) and who he was, the caller refused to be named: "Oh, it wasn't me. I just wanted you to know that the pile of manure on your front porch is for your own good." Jim played along: "Oh, yeah? How is that?"
"Well, the man continued, somewhere in that pile of manure, is a nugget of truth, a piece of wisdom, that will help you improve your life. The people who put the pile there did it because they love you." And with that, the man hung up. Jim stood there stunned. "What kind of people, who claim to love me, would pile manure at my front door?" But, even with his feelings of being "dumped on" and feeling far from loved, he decided to hope for the best.
So, he put on some old clothes that he planned on burning after this expedition; and then "dove in". As he dug through the manure, he tried to convince himself that this was going to be worth it. He thought: "Perhaps this is some sort of TV show or friends just playing with me. Maybe, in the middle of this "stuff" is a real gold nugget, or some type of treasure map or a winning lottery ticket." It was the only things Jim could think to keep himself from fainting from the smell, burning with anger at whomever placed this here, or feeling like a complete fool for believing the anonymous caller.
But, Jim stuck with it, and after an hour of searching, he found what seemed to be a piece of paper, about the size of note found inside a fortune cookie. But, this was no fortune cookie! And, although the piece of paper may have contained an incredible nugget of truth, it was no longer readable. Jim spent hours trying to figure out what this nugget of truth was, what it said; but because of the manure, in which this truth was delivered, it lost all of its effectiveness; and in the end, had no positive effect on Jim's life whatsoever.
Jim wondered why people who claimed to love him, would try to give him truth to help his life, by hiding it in a pile of wretched, smelling, destructive (at least in this context) manure. Jim went to bed that night feeling his day had been wasted; but he did learn one thing. Well, maybe he learned a few things: not to listen to anonymous callers; believing that those who truly loved him would deliver truth, even difficult truth in a more loving way; and the next time someone spread manure all over his property, he should call the authorities.
So, after all of that, perhaps he did gather some "nuggets" of truth.
The end.
"Well, the man continued, somewhere in that pile of manure, is a nugget of truth, a piece of wisdom, that will help you improve your life. The people who put the pile there did it because they love you." And with that, the man hung up. Jim stood there stunned. "What kind of people, who claim to love me, would pile manure at my front door?" But, even with his feelings of being "dumped on" and feeling far from loved, he decided to hope for the best.
So, he put on some old clothes that he planned on burning after this expedition; and then "dove in". As he dug through the manure, he tried to convince himself that this was going to be worth it. He thought: "Perhaps this is some sort of TV show or friends just playing with me. Maybe, in the middle of this "stuff" is a real gold nugget, or some type of treasure map or a winning lottery ticket." It was the only things Jim could think to keep himself from fainting from the smell, burning with anger at whomever placed this here, or feeling like a complete fool for believing the anonymous caller.
But, Jim stuck with it, and after an hour of searching, he found what seemed to be a piece of paper, about the size of note found inside a fortune cookie. But, this was no fortune cookie! And, although the piece of paper may have contained an incredible nugget of truth, it was no longer readable. Jim spent hours trying to figure out what this nugget of truth was, what it said; but because of the manure, in which this truth was delivered, it lost all of its effectiveness; and in the end, had no positive effect on Jim's life whatsoever.
Jim wondered why people who claimed to love him, would try to give him truth to help his life, by hiding it in a pile of wretched, smelling, destructive (at least in this context) manure. Jim went to bed that night feeling his day had been wasted; but he did learn one thing. Well, maybe he learned a few things: not to listen to anonymous callers; believing that those who truly loved him would deliver truth, even difficult truth in a more loving way; and the next time someone spread manure all over his property, he should call the authorities.
So, after all of that, perhaps he did gather some "nuggets" of truth.
The end.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Jim Elliot
My favorite quote from Jim Elliot, the missionary, who lost his life, while sharing Christ's love with the Auca Indians back in the 1950's, is this: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." That is a great one, and has been an inspiration to many Christians over many decades. But, today, a friend of mine sent me another quote from Jim Elliot, and I just had to share it with you. Here it is:
"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."
Read it again, and think about it. It connected with me right away. I haven't heard this quote before. This is a great prayer. This is how I have applied it to my own heart. Because my personality tends to be laid back and I don't like to cause waves, most people who meet me don't feel like they have a decision to make. However, I have found that when I do challenge people, to get out of their comfort zones, to think biblically, to do the hard things, that there is quite a bit of opposition. This is my prayer: that I would be a person, who stands on God's Word, who fails, but keeps moving forward in Christ, and who challenges others to grow in their faith.
In doing so, by example and by exhortation, I want to be someone just like Jim Elliot prayed to be. I want to be a person that causes people to make a decision, one way or the other. I want to be used by God to challenge people, either to follow after God and His ways, regardless of the risks or costs; or to decide to remain comfortable, serving themselves, wasting their lives. May God give me the grace needed to be that man - no matter the outcome.
"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."
Read it again, and think about it. It connected with me right away. I haven't heard this quote before. This is a great prayer. This is how I have applied it to my own heart. Because my personality tends to be laid back and I don't like to cause waves, most people who meet me don't feel like they have a decision to make. However, I have found that when I do challenge people, to get out of their comfort zones, to think biblically, to do the hard things, that there is quite a bit of opposition. This is my prayer: that I would be a person, who stands on God's Word, who fails, but keeps moving forward in Christ, and who challenges others to grow in their faith.
In doing so, by example and by exhortation, I want to be someone just like Jim Elliot prayed to be. I want to be a person that causes people to make a decision, one way or the other. I want to be used by God to challenge people, either to follow after God and His ways, regardless of the risks or costs; or to decide to remain comfortable, serving themselves, wasting their lives. May God give me the grace needed to be that man - no matter the outcome.
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