I was taught as a young driver only to honk in cases of warning of danger or possible collision. Of course where I grew up there were not many traffic lights and cell phones were not invented yet so there was never the case of sitting behind someone talking or texting at a light when it turns green. And then sitting there some more because the driver in front of you is talking or texting more than paying attention.
As this happened to me and asI debated honking my horn I struggled with what is the appropriate amount of time to wait after the light turns green before you honk your horn at the distracted nonmoving driver in front. You don't want to seem too impatient. As a pastor, I don't want to be recognized as a road rage driven driver. If I do honk after an appropriate amount of time has passed, being recognized as a pastor, will I been seen as having road rage for just honking at all. (We do face a stricter judgment and Victoria is still small enough that someone could recognize me). As I pondered this, then the question hit me, "When would Jesus honk?"
I don't know the answer to that one but I do know our true character comes out when we are driving and especially when sitting behind someone at a green light who is not moving.
We don't get to pick who we share the road with. We also don't get to pick who we share the church with. That really shows your true nature especially when someone is at a spiritual standstill and it affects you. We affect each other on the road often with painful results. On this road to heaven, too often we affect each other in the body of Christ the same way.
I do not know the answer to "When would Jesus honk?" I do know the answer to how can we have better relationships within the body of Christ. God's word has a lot of answers to that one. That's what we will look at this Sunday.
Let me leave you with one more imponderable question to ponder that also came to me while waiting at that green light. If Jesus where driving and saw the old bumper sticker, "Honk if you love Jesus" would he?
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, June 29, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
The Rest of the Story
For Father's Day last Sunday I preached on "The Marks of a Godly Family." At the conclusion of that message we showed a video on the amazing Chandler family of Prarie, Mississippi. If you did not see that video let me encourage you to click on the site below and watch it or if you were there, perhaps you may want to watch it again.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=adsc6kW1Spk
I wanted to say more about that story and the award winning reporter Charles Kuralt but I did not want to take anything away from the story of this remarkable family. So here is the rest of the story.
I found it hard to believe that in the report about a family he clearly was touched by, Kuralt made the statement, "There are probably no lessons in this..." As I reflected on his statement, I had a vague remembrance of something, I went back and confirmed a bit of information about Kuralt. Though he was an outstanding reporter and brought to light so many good and uplifting stories, he had a dark secret that only came to out after his death in 1997.
Charles Kuralt had a wife and family in New York. During the processing of his will, it was found out that he also had another family - a mistress and family living at a property he owned in Montana. The "secret" family contested his will and won.
When he did the story in 1978 on the Chandler's, I am not sure where he was in the process of having two "wives" and families. But he missed a big lesson there open for anyone to see in the Chandler family; wisdom really is what builds up a home - God's wisdom. Though we can be moved by the working of that wisdom in someone else's life (the Chandler's) we can miss it in applying it to our own lives. Sadly, Kuralt did. We can too.
To me there was a wisdom at work in the Chandler family that just cried out to be seen - that God was there holding them together and helping them overcome in a way that is truly remarkable. It reminds me to not only ask for wisdom and seek it but also to ask to see it and be changed by what I see. Will you join me in that today?
For the journey...
Tim
www.youtube.com/watch?v=adsc6kW1Spk
I wanted to say more about that story and the award winning reporter Charles Kuralt but I did not want to take anything away from the story of this remarkable family. So here is the rest of the story.
I found it hard to believe that in the report about a family he clearly was touched by, Kuralt made the statement, "There are probably no lessons in this..." As I reflected on his statement, I had a vague remembrance of something, I went back and confirmed a bit of information about Kuralt. Though he was an outstanding reporter and brought to light so many good and uplifting stories, he had a dark secret that only came to out after his death in 1997.
Charles Kuralt had a wife and family in New York. During the processing of his will, it was found out that he also had another family - a mistress and family living at a property he owned in Montana. The "secret" family contested his will and won.
When he did the story in 1978 on the Chandler's, I am not sure where he was in the process of having two "wives" and families. But he missed a big lesson there open for anyone to see in the Chandler family; wisdom really is what builds up a home - God's wisdom. Though we can be moved by the working of that wisdom in someone else's life (the Chandler's) we can miss it in applying it to our own lives. Sadly, Kuralt did. We can too.
To me there was a wisdom at work in the Chandler family that just cried out to be seen - that God was there holding them together and helping them overcome in a way that is truly remarkable. It reminds me to not only ask for wisdom and seek it but also to ask to see it and be changed by what I see. Will you join me in that today?
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, June 15, 2012
VBS Reflections
It has been an interesting week in Vacation Bible School at Northside. VBS usually stands for Vacation Bible School but when you deal with the human mass of 340 children in one place we have found that it can also stand for Vomit, Blood and Spit. Don't get me wrong; it has been a great week, but when you deal with that many kids you deal with those things too. Fortunately, there have not been too many instances of the body fluids VBS.
There were interesting encounters with kids sharing some unusual insights. Here's one of mine.
Girl: Are you tired?
Me: Well, yes, I am a little tired. Why?
Girl: Because you have these dark things under your eyes. There is a girl in the mall who can fix those though.
Me: Really? Is it free?
Girl: Ummm... no.
Even with dark things under my eyes I have seen a large number of kids turn to follow Christ or deepen their walk. With others, it was planting a seed that God will grow in His time, maybe before the next VBS. I have seen an army of volunteers work together this week to serve children and point them to God - students, adults, senior adults - all came together for a common goal and worked incredibly well together. With workers and children I have sense God at work. The good news is that when VBS is over, He doesn't stop.
For the journey....
Tim
There were interesting encounters with kids sharing some unusual insights. Here's one of mine.
Girl: Are you tired?
Me: Well, yes, I am a little tired. Why?
Girl: Because you have these dark things under your eyes. There is a girl in the mall who can fix those though.
Me: Really? Is it free?
Girl: Ummm... no.
Even with dark things under my eyes I have seen a large number of kids turn to follow Christ or deepen their walk. With others, it was planting a seed that God will grow in His time, maybe before the next VBS. I have seen an army of volunteers work together this week to serve children and point them to God - students, adults, senior adults - all came together for a common goal and worked incredibly well together. With workers and children I have sense God at work. The good news is that when VBS is over, He doesn't stop.
For the journey....
Tim
Friday, June 8, 2012
Unreached People
We had the pleasure Wednesday of hosting some Christians workers from Afghanistan. I will be cautious in saying too much about them on the internet. In Afghanistan it is not illegal to be a Christian but it is forbidden to become one or to evangelize. This committed couple have ministered in that part of the world for 28 years. They are trying to reach a people group that has a million people for every Christian worker with their group. As he works as pastor of an international church there (made up of over 15 nationalities) she labors with a relief agency that helps the blind. They told us much about Afghanistan that we did not know. It is a daunting challenge; a truly God sized task.
One thing really surprised me though, that in their 28 years, the number one reason for people converting to Christianity was the lifestyle of committed Christians. They had tried Bible studies, discussion groups, one on one evangelism but the thing that did the most good was living out the love of God and letting the people see it and ask about it. Of course they consistently but cautiously share their faith, but the people there respond to a truly committed Christian life because it is so different from the way everyone else lives.
In this country where photos of a small group of Christians celebrating baptism resulted in national news headlines for a week, requiring every one in the photos to leave the country or be arrested, it is not easy to be or become a Christian. That is why our friends asked us to pray for the future of Afghanistan. The people are tired of war and seek peace. The only solution is the peace of Christ. Their specific request would that there would always be a Christian presence in the country so people could see the message of Christ lived out. I believe God is able to work that out.
Our friends also said what led them there - a desire to reach an unreached people group. They are 2 of 44 know Christian workers who labor to work with a people group of over 40 million in a war torn and difficult environment; yet they were able to tell us about God being at work.
The reality is that every new generation is an unreached people group. As the saying goes,"Christianity is only one generation away from extinction." It has always been that way and certainly is in our day. We must do all we can to win the next generation. We don't face the daunting task of Afghanistan, but we do face a huge task. How can we face it? We will talk more about that Sunday.
For the journey...
Tim
One thing really surprised me though, that in their 28 years, the number one reason for people converting to Christianity was the lifestyle of committed Christians. They had tried Bible studies, discussion groups, one on one evangelism but the thing that did the most good was living out the love of God and letting the people see it and ask about it. Of course they consistently but cautiously share their faith, but the people there respond to a truly committed Christian life because it is so different from the way everyone else lives.
In this country where photos of a small group of Christians celebrating baptism resulted in national news headlines for a week, requiring every one in the photos to leave the country or be arrested, it is not easy to be or become a Christian. That is why our friends asked us to pray for the future of Afghanistan. The people are tired of war and seek peace. The only solution is the peace of Christ. Their specific request would that there would always be a Christian presence in the country so people could see the message of Christ lived out. I believe God is able to work that out.
Our friends also said what led them there - a desire to reach an unreached people group. They are 2 of 44 know Christian workers who labor to work with a people group of over 40 million in a war torn and difficult environment; yet they were able to tell us about God being at work.
The reality is that every new generation is an unreached people group. As the saying goes,"Christianity is only one generation away from extinction." It has always been that way and certainly is in our day. We must do all we can to win the next generation. We don't face the daunting task of Afghanistan, but we do face a huge task. How can we face it? We will talk more about that Sunday.
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, June 1, 2012
Keeping Up Appearances
One person pretends to be rich but has nothing.
Another pretends to be poor but has great wealth.
Proverbs 13:7 GW
When I read that verse a story that I had read by noted Texas author J. Frank Dobie came to mind. Dobie wrote of a personal experience long years ago when he was visiting a Texas town where a very wealthy rancher lived. He met the rancher in town and noted his shabby appearance. He had a pair of very worn pants on that had a tear in them. The rancher had taken a mesquite torn and used it to close the tear like you might use a pin. It was something of a poor man's solution on this very wealthy man's clothes. Dobie asked the rancher why he didn't go buy some new pants. The rancher's reply was that everyone in this town knew he had money, he did not need to up on any show for anyone.
Time passed and Dobie made a trip to Chicago and near the stock yards there he encountered the same rancher. To Dobie's amazement he had on the same torn pants with the mesquite thorn patch. Dobie asked him why in the world would he wear these pants on a business trip to Chicago? The rancher's reply was that he did not want anyone here to think that he had money.
Though eccentric, there is some wisdom to the old rancher's logic. How much are we influenced by the "must haves" of our day. How did even the term "must have" become a part of our vernacular? We live in a world where we are bombarded with advertising and social pressures to look a certain way, buy certain things and keep up appearances. None of those things change the person we are inside. How often do we "upgrade" just to have the latest things? How much money do we spend and how much debt do we incur for outer things that make no difference to who we are becoming? How much do you and I "pretend." We need a wisdom from God to deal with wealth and to deal with the pressures of this world. The greater reality is there is a wisdom from God that we "must have." Thankfully we have a God who gives. We will talk more on that Sunday.
For the journey....
Tim
Another pretends to be poor but has great wealth.
Proverbs 13:7 GW
When I read that verse a story that I had read by noted Texas author J. Frank Dobie came to mind. Dobie wrote of a personal experience long years ago when he was visiting a Texas town where a very wealthy rancher lived. He met the rancher in town and noted his shabby appearance. He had a pair of very worn pants on that had a tear in them. The rancher had taken a mesquite torn and used it to close the tear like you might use a pin. It was something of a poor man's solution on this very wealthy man's clothes. Dobie asked the rancher why he didn't go buy some new pants. The rancher's reply was that everyone in this town knew he had money, he did not need to up on any show for anyone.
Time passed and Dobie made a trip to Chicago and near the stock yards there he encountered the same rancher. To Dobie's amazement he had on the same torn pants with the mesquite thorn patch. Dobie asked him why in the world would he wear these pants on a business trip to Chicago? The rancher's reply was that he did not want anyone here to think that he had money.
Though eccentric, there is some wisdom to the old rancher's logic. How much are we influenced by the "must haves" of our day. How did even the term "must have" become a part of our vernacular? We live in a world where we are bombarded with advertising and social pressures to look a certain way, buy certain things and keep up appearances. None of those things change the person we are inside. How often do we "upgrade" just to have the latest things? How much money do we spend and how much debt do we incur for outer things that make no difference to who we are becoming? How much do you and I "pretend." We need a wisdom from God to deal with wealth and to deal with the pressures of this world. The greater reality is there is a wisdom from God that we "must have." Thankfully we have a God who gives. We will talk more on that Sunday.
For the journey....
Tim
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