Mark Beeson

Jim Harnish / Visiting the Hoosier State

 

I grabbed my little digicam and snapped this picture of Jim Harnish during lunch today. We were meeting with Indiana's bishop, and the pastors of Indiana's 15 largest United Methodist Churches. We encouraged each other, strategized clergy development and ate food out of white cardboard boxes.  

A few years ago, Jim almost died of congestive heart failure and his brush with death has prompted his recent writings about "congregational cardiology."  He argues we must all die to the wrong things (like contentment with the status quo). He also argues we must die for the right things (like surrendering our will to God's will and receiving new life in Christ). 

Hearing Jim juxtapose "traditionalism" (as "the dead faith of the living") and "tradition" (as "the living faith of the dead") gave me pause.

I munched a fork-full of curiously seasoned coleslaw I'd dug from a small plastic bowl hidden in the white box, and began to wonder how important it is for us to honor the "tradition" of the Church, without embracing the conventionality of "traditionalism." A lot of people are open to the"traditional" teachings of the Church, but they recoil from orthodoxy's pervasive resentment of emerging cultural mores, technologies and social media innovations. At least, it seems that way to me.

Matthew 15:1-3  -  Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

 

ADA BIBLE CHURCH

 

My son-in-law is forming the spiritual life of his family in the community of Christ-followers called "Ada Bible Church."  I'm glad. It's a great church. Sheila and I were able to join Amber, Ryan and Ruby for worship at ADA this morning.

Ada is led by Jeff Manion and he's a great pastor. This weekend he delivered a tremendous message. Here's a series of quotes from his sermon.

1. "Like a backpack, we carry our way of relating with us everywhere we go. We carry our way of relating all the time, even at church."
2. "Philippians 2 says, 'Do everything without complaining or arguing.' I'd give us a strong 'B' in this area. This is not an issue for us. But if our relationships go bad, everything else goes bad."
3. "It's a messed up world out there, and we should live differently in the Jesus Community."
4. "The distinguishing feature of Jesus-followers was that they loved other Jesus-followers."
5. "Ask yourself how well you get along with other Christians. Ask yourself how well you get along with the other people in the Jesus-community."
6. "Jesus gave HIS life for us, so he can give HIS life to us, so he can live HIS life through us."
    

John 13:34  -  A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

On Her Way To Church This Morning...

 

Since I was speaking at the Momentum Conference yesterday, Sheila and I were able to swing past Amber's house this morning and join her family for worship at ADA Bible Church.  On the way there I turned around and snapped this picture of Ruby. (No worries. Ryan was driving.)

You know that little sound you make when you are delightfully surprised? You open your mouth, form an "O" with your lips and audibly inhale a tiny bit of air. It's what you do when you see something so awesome that you're astonished. The little breath of air makes a slight noise, but it's the raised eyebrows and wonderful expression that communicate your joy.

Well, Ruby has started doing that. She does it every time she notices something delightful.  

It's hilarious. She's wonderful.

Revelation 17:6  -  Astonished, I rubbed my eyes. I shook my head in wonder. The Angel said, "Does this surprise you?"

Momentum Conference 2011

 

Sheila and I met Tom Elenbaas at the Momentum Conference. It was one of the serendipities of our weekend and our conversations with Tom reminded me it's important to be watchful; God shows up in unexpected ways, at unexpected times by unexpected means. 

Talking with Tom was one of the highlights of our day, and I think God arranged the whole thing.

Psalm 139:16  -  You had the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. 

Tough Date

 

Just a bit of advice to all the young women out there: If you're thinking about going out on a big date with a brutal, violent, abusive, monstrous beast ... don't. Brutes and beasts are gentle and loving in Disney stories, but not in real life.

Beauty & The Beast is entertaining fun. You can enjoy the musical. You can even read the story to your little niece. But don't think for a single moment that giving yourself to a beast will lead to a fairytale future.  "And she lived happily ever after," is not what's said of the woman who gives herself to a beast. No. Give yourself to a brute, and you'll be brutalized. 

By the way guys (if there are any men still reading this post), "beastly behavior" isn't reserved for people with a Y-chromosome. I've seen women slander and cheat and lie and seduce and gossip and tease and betray and sneak - brutalizing others to claw their way higher in the pecking order.  "Beasts" come in all genders. Beware, inside that beautiful body you so admire resides the soul of a woman that's either healthy or sick. You better know a woman's emotional and spiritual health before you give her your heart. 

My advice?

1. If you are dating a beast, stop. Stop now. Stop before he beats you senseless.
2. If you are a beast, think about this: giving full vent to your unfiltered pain and rage will ruin your relationships. Everyone will fear you; no one will trust you. People will flee you, shun you, avoid you and recommend others do the same. You'll end up alone - no love, no friends and no family. You can't just spew hate; you've got to deal with its cause and embrace its cure.

Know this. There is one truth buried deep inside Disney's Beauty & The Beast. Beastly behavior - erupting from a damaged and sin sick soul - can end. It is transformed when the heart is healed, and the Great Physician is the One who heals the heart.  HIS love transforms; HIS love changes us all.

Ezekiel 36:24-27  -  Here's what I'm going to do: ...  I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. ... You'll be my people! I'll be your God!

Oh, Oh.

 

I saw this scene last night as the cast made final preparations for Beauty & The Beast. As soon as I stopped screaming I remembered a Bible passage about Satan prowling around looking for someone to devour. I quoted it to myself and started screaming again.  (High School musical rehearsals should come with warning labels attached.)

1 Peter 5:8  -  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Beauty & The Beast

I'm probably an old burnt-out-youth-pastor.

I love teenagers and I love encouraging them to do well.

So when I got permission to go to the dress rehearsal for "Beauty & The Beast" I went. Maddie Helman got the role of the "Beauty." She's been in the church since she was a little-bitty-baby, so I grabbed my camera and drove to Penn to snap a few photos. I liked this one, so I'm sharing it with you.

If you can carve out the time, you should head to Penn High School and watch the musical. The cast is doing three performances this week: Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It's one of Disney's best...and a bunch of our kids are in it.

Jeremiah 29:6a  -  Encourage your children...

You Are Saved From Sin and From the Power Of Sin

 

Forty years after I first laid eyes on Michelangelo's Pietà, I stood before it again. The first time, it was accessible and I touched it with my hands. This time I viewed it through bullet-proof-glass. (You can see the reflection of the window behind me in the glare of the glass at the upper right-hand corner of my photograph.) Each time I felt my faith increasing. Both times I was overwhelmed with gratitude, and stunned by the terrible price Jesus paid for our salvation.

I remembered my salvation is by faith. I was reminded I'm saved from the guilt of sin and the power of it.

You may have neither the time, nor the inclination, to read John Wesley's entire sermon "Salvation by Faith," but it's helpful, so I'm giving you a few selected portions to consider.

Wesley's sermon included the following:

This is a present salvation — something attained here on earth — by those who are partakers of this faith. This is that great salvation foretold by the angel, before God brought His First-begotten into the world: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved both from the guilt of sin and from the power of it.

First, we are saved from the guilt of all past sin. Saved from guilt, we are also saved from fear — from fear of punishment, from fear of the wrath of God, whom we now no longer regard as a severe Master, but as an indulgent Father.

Secondly, through this faith we are saved from the power of sin. Those who by faith are born of God do not commit habitual sin (for this would mean that sin reigning and sin cannot reign in anyone who believes), nor do they commit willful sin (because those who abide in the faith abhor sin as deadly poison).

This, then, is the salvation that is through faith — even in this present world: A salvation from sin and the consequences of sin, by the atonement of Christ applied to those who believe on him, and a deliverance from the power of sin, through Christ formed in the heart.

Those who are thus saved by faith are indeed born again. They are born again of the Spirit unto a new life — a life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Ephesians 2:8  -  For by grace you have been saved through faith...

Want Some Encouragement? Watch this...

 

Got To Get You Into My Life from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Watching this will help you.

With our new vision taking root, and our next season of ministry before us, we're focused on Raising the Bar. With every step, we're at our best when we keep the main thing as the main thing. Leroy King (leading strong at GCC as the Director of MC3) is a sterling example for us; he sings about it and he lives it.

What's the "main thing?"
It's Jesus in your life, bringing love to, and through you...all for the glory and pleasure of God.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10  -  That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming. But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that's what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we'll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what's coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.

Ice Coating

 

Everything, and I mean everything, is coated in ice today. 

It's beautiful. It's remarkable. It's dangerous.

Be careful out there...

Proverbs 14:16  -  The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence.

Worth Praying About

 

I listened this weekend as Mark Waltz asked us to pray for our friends at Elkhart's RV/MH Hall of Fame & Museum. In a time of economic challenge, the Hall of Fame is not exempt from the difficulties our community faces. So, as fiduciary responsibilities exact a toll of time, energy and focus, let's pray for wisdom, understanding and a good outcome.  

You can read Mark's update here.

Colossians 1:9-10  -  For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Elkhart Site Volunteers

 

I'm often asked why so many volunteers at GCC seem so happy.  

My answer almost always includes: "Because we encourage people to do what they love to do. We're all happier doing what we love, and most of us do the things we love better than we do those things we don't."

Watching all the volunteers serve our Elkhart congregation this morning was a hoot, and yes, "hoot" is making quite the comeback as a favorite midwestern colloquialism. (You should feel free to use "hoot" as often as possible, working it into your conversations when socializing, at family reunions or during business lunches.)

Galatians 6:4-5  -  Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Where Were You Saturday Night?

 

 

 

I'm not sure what you were doing after GCC's worship services ended last night, but at 10:00 PM I was on the St. Joe River (somewhere between the city of South Bend and Lake Michigan, and no, according to the Fisherman's Code I'm never going to tell you exactly where the best fishing holes are located).  I knew I didn't need to engage cerebral tasks until I showed up for GCC's Sunday services at our Elkhart campus, so I launched into the adventure at hand, fishing for Walleye.

Spending a few hours trying to "boat" a few fish from the chaotic waters of the dark and flooding river increased my angling band-width. I learned to adapt and change. I learned to adjust my presentation as conditions warranted. 

Water temperature (35 degrees), air temperature (23 degrees), wind direction, flow rates, turbidity, currents, color, Moon phases and water levels impact the fish, which means those factors impact the fishing as well. Your conditions influence your outcomes, so I followed the lead of my guide, Scott Crouch. He knows the river. He knows Walleye and he was willing to share what he knew.

Fishing for fish is challenging enough; doing what Jesus said, and fishing for men, can be even more so. We can hardly imagine all the factors influencing a person's willingness to receive even the most loving and well-reasoned presentations of the Gospel. But once we understand the circumstances people are facing we can adapt to those conditions and by all means, save some.

We can emulate Paul, who said to the Corinthian Christians, "I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."

It's all about helping people out of the flood and into the boat. 

Genesis 7:5  -  Noah was six hundred years old when he went into the boat to escape the flood, and he did everything the LORD had told him to do.

My Recent Request of Sheila

 

- Photo by Amber Cox - 

Sheila and I get asked about our marriage from time to time. People wonder how we schedule our time, prioritize our goals, resolve conflict, achieve intimacy, deal with our adult children and manage our money. I get lots of questions, which I assume arise from a desire to know what helps a marriage...and what doesn't. I don't mind the questions, even though I don't answer all of them. (You'd be surprised to learn what some folks ask about. Zow. If I was in 1st Grade back in the 50's, I'd tell 'em, "None of your bees-wax.")

I recently made a request of Sheila. I thought I'd tell you what I asked her to do for me, even though I'll probably never tell you the details of her final response.

I asked, "What do you want me to achieve in the next ten years?"

I asked, "What would you be celebrating, if your deepest prayers for me were answered, and ten years from now you were able to say, 'My hope for you has been realized. You were successful in accomplishing the thing I most hoped you would. I prayed the LORD would give you this success, and He did!' Looking back ten years from now, what did I accomplish that made your heart sing?"

I told her, "I want to honor you. I want to serve you well. Take a few days and think about your answer. What do you want me to accomplish? What success do you want for me?"

You'll probably never be privy to Sheila's answer, but I will, and whatever she tells me will help me more than you know.

1 Corinthians 7:33  -  Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse.

"Share the Well" Books

 

Video by Dustin Maust, from maustcreative.films on Vimeo.

Hundreds paused this weekend, just long enough to hand a $20 bill to one of the volunteers at one of GCC's Resource Centers. In return they received a Share the Well book. If you don't have one yet, you can get yours here, or bring twenty bucks to a service this weekend so you can buy one. You'll be glad you did.

John 4:13-15  -  Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life." The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't ever get thirsty, won't ever have to come back to this well again!"

Should We Just Burn Some Stuff?

 

Sheila and I made a sabbatical trek to Italy a few months ago. My effort to reconnect with the Ancient Church took me to the Piazza della Signoria, Florence’s most famous square, where I paused and took this picture.

Piazza della Signoria is the site of the infamous Bonfire of the Vanities, during which Dominican priest, Girolamo Savonarola directed his followers, in religious fervor more akin to the Taliban than to Christ, to destroy “objects of vanity.”  On February 7^th, 1497, they demanded citizens turn over their cosmetics, books, paintings, musical instruments and artwork - everything Savonarola deemed sinful - to be burned. It was a terrifying night in Florence.

Only a year later, after irritating the Pope, Savonarola was sentenced to die in a similar bonfire. A plaque on the Piazza della Signoria marks the spot where his public execution took place.

The history is interesting; the subject matter even more so.

Sheila and I had to deal with this issue about 3 years ago. We were walking along a country road, enjoying our time and conversation, when we found a bag filled with pornography. I blogged about it here. The responsibility fell to us. We burned it.

It seemed the best thing to do.

Before you reject the notion of burning pornography, ask yourself what else you’d do with it? I'm not asking what you think others should do; nor am I endorsing a Taliban-like religious persecution designed to force others to live according to your judgments and personal interpretations of what's acceptable and what's not. I'm not asking about coerced morality. I'm asking a more personal question. I'm asking about you. If the responsibility for it fell to you, what would you do?

• Sell it on Craig’s List? How’s that supposed to help others walk in the light of God’s love?
• Give it to a friend? What impact will it have on your friend?
• Lock it away and leave it in your will as an inheritance for your children? Seriously? Do you really want your children to have it? Why?
• Toss it out the window of your car? Now you've added littering to the mix. What happens if kids find it?

Maybe my thinking is consequential to watching The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but as surely as Frodo's "fellowship of the ring" was pledged to burn the evil "one ring to rule them all" (which came into Frodo's possession, made him the ring-bearer, and became his responsibility), it seems to me that, like Frodo, we could burn some things at no cost to God's Kingdom and great profit to our souls. The ring cost Gollum; he held evil close and fell into the Cracks of Doom, losing everything, even his life.

One more word on this: Don't take to burning everyone else's stuff. Take responsibility for what has come to you. Clean your own house. 

Acts 19:18-20  -  Many of those who thus believed came forward and made a clean break with their secret sorceries. All kinds of witches and warlocks came out of the woodwork with their books of spells and incantations and made a huge bonfire of them. Someone estimated their worth at fifty thousand silver coins. In such ways it became evident that the Word of the Master was now sovereign and prevailed in Ephesus. 

The Artists

 

I was smitten again this weekend. God's creativity shined through the prism of HIS artists and bathed us in beauty. 

I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank the artists who help us connect with God. Mere words fail me. Week-after-week, service-after-service, they play and sing and study and create and act and write...so we can join the saints in heaven worshipping the Savior.

I am so grateful!

The artists help me pray more honestly, grieve more thoroughly, give more joyfully, repent more deeply and praise more enthusiastically. They rehearse hours each week (after practicing for years), then they give their utmost for HIS Highest. 

I'm a better man because of our artists and their art. They help me grow up in Christ.

That's a fact.

Hebrews 6:1  -  So come on, let's leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ.

Picture This: We're Not Alone

 

Eric Bramlett, Matt Carter and Dave Ferguson at GCC's AND CONFERENCE 2010

I was praying this morning about our next steps - the ones that will take us into the New Normal - and I was comforted by God's reassurance: "You are not the only ones taking steps into the New Normal. You are not alone."

Pastors across America (and around the world, for that matter) are recalibrating. They're leading their churches toward missional ministries designed to connect with people attracted to long standing strategies AND people who aren't. So are we.

It's "BOTH/AND" in the New Normal. It looks different and you can help others picture it here.

We were made for this, and it's nice to know we're not alone in the new covenant. You can join the movement, and take your own steps to bring "up there down here," this weekend at any of our GCC worship experiences. 

 

Hebrews 8:9-11 -  It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors 
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, 
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. 
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. 
I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ 
because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

Peacemaking vs Passivity

 

 

I read these words this morning. They're found in the book Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals.

Peace is not just about the absence of conflict; it's also about the presence of justice.  ...  A counterfeit peace exists when people are pacified or distracted or so beat up and tired of fighting that all seems calm. But true peace does not exist until there is justice, restoration, forgiveness. Peacemaking doesn't mean passivity. It is the act of interrupting injustice without mirroring injustice, the act of disarming evil without destroying the evildoer, the act of finding a third way that is neither fight nor flight but the careful, arduous pursuit of reconciliation and justice. It is about a revolution of love that is big enough to set both the oppressed and the oppressors free.

Matthew 5:9  -  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

GCC's 5 Year VISION

 

 

For an entire year you listened. You prayed. You studied the scriptures. Again and again you asked God for guidance. You asked God for answers.

The big question was fairly simple: "God, what would GCC look like if we were the church you want us to be?"

God answered. Through research, prayer, Spirit-led conversations, holy huddles, Bible studies and inspiration God gave you direction and clarity. 

During the last 12 months you've engaged a process quite distinct from the routine. I've never heard of another church doing what we did. Instead of praying the leaders of the church would listen to God and come back with the Vision, we trusted the Holy Spirit, at work in every one of us, and turned that notion top-side-down. Every person at GCC (including every child) was invited to seek God's direction for our new Vision, and thousands did!

The result?  We're "Raising the B.A.R." and launching into the New Normal.

Want to see the PDF of the Vision God gave you, and you then gave your pastors? You'll hear a lot more about it in the upcoming weeks, but for now, you can download it here.

Philippians 1:27-29  -  Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people's trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they're up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. 

Prayers for Peace

 

We prayed in unison this weekend. It meant a lot to me and I think I'll be offering that prayer again, and again, and again. 

This is the prayer we prayed. 

 Lord Jesus, we ask you to open our hearts.

 Help us respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters.

Help us pray, and hear our prayers.

For peace in our country,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the victims of violence everywhere,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For those struggling for peace and justice,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For churches laboring in places of conflict,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For political leaders and all those in power,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For a world without war and violence,
Lord, hear our prayer.

Almighty God, my Father in Heaven,
Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.

Let peace prevail in America, in Egypt, and all over the world.
Let your Kingdom come.
Let peace fill our hearts and homes.
Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray all this in the Name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Amen.

Ephesians 6:13-18  -  Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. 

 

Picture This

 

Imagine what could be.

Imagine what should be.

Picture This at GCC this weekend; it'll change your life.
 

Mark 4:30

How can we picture God's kingdom? What kind of story can we use?

Jumping Rays / Mobula mobular

 

 

 

Back in 1975 I spent a few weeks off the coast of Belize on Glover's Reef. It was a curious time of research, study and glorious diving in crystal clear waters. Those days were marked with many firsts: my first time catching hold of a passing whale shark and riding it for a while, my first time diving in the inky darkness of the sea throughout the watches of the nights, my first time to use a spear gun, fend off wild monkeys, eat conch and watch rays jump. 

Someday I'll write about that other stuff, but right now I'm focused on "why rays jump."

Whether it's Mantas 20 feet across (Manta birostriss) like those I saw jumping off shore near Glover's Reef, or Mobulas with disc-widths averaging 3 or 4 feet (Mobula mobular) like the one I recently photographed, no one really knows why they jump. But whatever prompts their glorious aerobatics, those who've seen them erupt from placid seas are surely blessed.

I've watched rays jump and I assume there's a reason - that being airborne serves some kind of purpose. Maybe it's an accident, and the veil between water and air is so thin they occasionally launch themselves by mistake. But I don't think so. 

Could it be to dislodge parasites? Does it serve as practice for gathering food? Is it some form of play? Are they exercising? How about this; could it be some form of cooperative hunting? Do they launch and land to create tricky vibrations that drive disturbance-wary mysids downward and into the open mouths of other Mobulas below?

Now one knows.

But it makes your heart skip a beat when, without warning, a Mobula soars up from below the surface and leaps out of the water, glistening in the light of dawn as a whip-like tail trails behind. A somersault or two, flap, flap, flap and then a belly-flop smack, it happens again and again. And nobody understands why.

So, dear Reader, you may be wondering, "What's that got to do with anything?"

Good question.

Let me tell you what's true about me. Remembering I can't even figure out the motivations of a stupid Mobula, helps me refrain from judging the motivations of people who behave in bizarre, confusing, apparently irrational ways. If I can't even understand what motivates rays to jump, maybe I shouldn't be too quick to think I know what "good" or "evil" incentivizes the curious behaviors of people around me. I may see what they did, but it's better if I don't imagine I know exactly why they did it. Only God can judge hidden intent and unseen motivation. I need to remember that.

Question:
What's better than making assumptions about others' motivations?

Answer:
Simply asking people why they did what they did, and caring enough to listen to their explanations.
 

Ecclesiastes 12:14  -  Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it's good or evil.

What Should I Do Now?

 

- Photo by DC Curry - 

Concerned about the uprising in Egypt, I've been thinking about what I should do next. When it comes right down to it, our world is desperate with need, and serving Christ doesn't diminish my responsibility, it increases it.

I have a charge to keep.

Like you, I'm called to add value. Doing God's will - doing what God requires of me - means acting with justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God. But as the New Normal begins, I want to leverage my influence for the maximum return.  I want to live right, do right and lead right. 

Billy Graham (a man who, in my opinion, personifies one of history's greatest examples of a life well-lived) was recently interviewed by Christianity Today. He was asked, "If you could, would you go back and do anything differently?" His response informs my future. I'm planning to take his advice...and I'm passing it along to you.

Graham answered:

"Yes, of course. I’d spend more time at home with my family, and I’d study more and preach less. I wouldn’t have taken so many speaking engagements, including some of the things I did over the years that I probably didn’t really need to do—weddings and funerals and building dedications, things like that. Whenever I counsel someone who feels called to be an evangelist, I always urge them to guard their time and not feel like they have to do everything. 
I also would have steered clear of politics. I’m grateful for the opportunities God gave me to minister to people in high places; people in power have spiritual and personal needs like everyone else, and often they have no one to talk to. But looking back I know I sometimes crossed the line, and I wouldn’t do that now."

So, if you wonder why I'm taking new steps to live better and lead better in the New Normal, blame Billy.

Micah 6:8  

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. 
   And what does the LORD require of you? 
To act justly and to love mercy 
   and to walk humbly with your God.

Snow Day

I'm grateful for time with my kids and grandkids. I don't want to waste it; it's just too precious to carelessly let it slip through my fingers. So, I blew some snow off the patio and went outside to play with Ruby.  Amber grabbed my camera and captured a moment in time that I'll cherish for years to come. 

It's a "snow day," and I'm making the most of it.
 

3 John 1:4  -  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 

What To Do?

 

- Photo by DC Curry -

I'm sitting at home, trapped by a blizzard of wind-blown and drifted snow. The snow emergency has forced us to cancel everything at GCC for a couple of days.

I've been watching Egypt's civil unrest devolve into violence, and wondering what I'd do if I was there. The thought of my family and friends being trapped in the chaos of aggression and hostility disturbs me. 

• What would I do if I was there?
• How would I engage the conflict?
• Where would I shelter my family from the storm? 
• Would I wade through the discord as an agent of reconciliation? 

As one man, in the middle of a desperate and turbulent world, I'm challenged. I want to rise to that challenge. I want to be an agent of peace - seeking more than the absence of conflict by working for Shalom.

According to Strong's Concordance 7965 Shalom also means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. 

I want to face up to my task and help the greater community. Shalom (which translates as "perfect, complete and full") is incomplete when it doesn't include everyone.  

In other words, I'm responsible for Shalom.

So are you.

And together we're going to remodel our campus and programs to help not just our congregation, but the greater community, with Jesus at the center. It's all about Shalom.

Picture it: the New Normal is here, and it will change the world.

Numbers 6:24-26  -  The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

PRE-VALENTINE'S DAY ADVICE

 

I've been praying for my wife this morning.

Sheila is God's gift to our family.

Since we were married, back in 1976, I've asked God to strengthen me for the work of marriage and the responsibilities I accepted when I made my wedding vows. I've read a zillion books on marriage, attended seminars and listened to speakers as they challenged me to be God's man. 

My friend Ron Vandergriend told me about an Hasidic rabbi in Jerusalem who has some interesting thoughts on marriage, so I figured I'd add the rabbi's perspective to the mountain of advice I've received from everyone else. His is one more voice to pour through the filter of scripture.

I don't agree with everything the rabbi says, but I thought these paragraphs were interesting, so I'm passing them along to you.  
 

FIRST:

"Every married individual should feel that he or she alone bears the responsibility for peace in the home. Both partners in the marital union must learn their respective responsibilities and obligations and do their utmost to fulfill them. Neither should police the other; a person that's occupied with finding fault in someone else fails to see his or her own faults."

SECOND:

“If you want to honor your wife, compliment her and praise her and never say anything negative to her. Don’t be lazy about this. Every word of encouragement, support, comfort, praise or honor is a gift of loving-kindness that you give your wife. Each one plants in her the feeling that you value and cherish her, and this literally gives her new life. You build her self-confidence and fill her with vibrancy and joy, which make it easier for her to cope with the challenges of life. The words of praise that you tell her constantly echo in her heart. Every time she thinks about them, she’s filled with joy. This strengthens the home spiritually, making it a joyous, happy and peaceful place. Words of praise give her the strength and will-power to manage her home and children in the best possible way. Tell her how happy you are with her and impressed you are with her skills, alacrity and wit. Express all of this with emotionally-packed words – make her feel that she’s your greatest treasure. Be consistent with your compliments and never take them back.”

-  Rabbi Shalom Arush:
Director of the “Chut Shel Chessed” Institutions of Jerusalem

Ephesians 5:33  -  Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.