Driving north from town at the end of the day not too long ago, I could not help but look at the gorgeous sunset off to my left. The clouds were in a very unusual, "rough looking" pattern and the glow of the setting sun was shining on them in a beautiful way to bring out the intricate details of their composure. I had never seen clouds like that before.
After driving a little further, the sun had now set and I glanced back at the clouds. There was no longer any sunlight on them and the "rough," unusual pattern now just looked ugly and unusual. The clouds had not changed, the sunlight had. Without the light, they just looked weird and gloomy. With the light, they were beautiful and intricate. Too bad the clouds could not follow the light.
We can be a lot like those clouds. When we are allowing the light of God to shine on us in what we do in our every day life, he gives us the ability, in some small way, to reflect his glory. When I am living for myself, when I am not following him or reflecting the light of his love and truth in everyday life, I can just look weird and probably pretty gloomy. I cannot live the Christian life without the light of Christ and his word. When I live for his glory and not my own, that light shines.
We live in some very dark times, as I write this, I have just read the reports of terrorist attacks in at least three places world-wide. We live in changing times, as I write this, the Supreme Court has just made its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. For those of us who seek to live following the light of his Word, it can seem like the sun is setting. It is not, it still shines. We, unlike those clouds, can follow the light. The question is, will we allow it to shine upon us and thus through us as we have opportunity? Even in dark times? Even in changing times?
Jesus put it this way, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12
Where is a place that you will reflect his light today? How will you do it?
for the journey...
Tim
Note to Northsiders: I will be gone Sunday, taking my daughter to the airport for her trip to China. Sunday, July 5, I will be preaching on "How Jesus Defined Marriage." I appreciate your prayers.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Three Funerals
By the time you read this, I will have done three funerals this week. One for a Hispanic woman. One for an Anglo man. One for an African-American man. They were all very different people - a hair dresser, a teacher and a plant worker (who went twenty five years without missing a day of work). they did not know each other but they all had some things in common, they all were people of faith and they all had a connection to Northside Baptist Church.
There are unique cultural expressions of grief. Hispanic families (in Victoria at least) place sand upon the top of the casket at the graveside. Anglo families often have a lot of flowers and displays of mementos. African-American funerals have the elements of resolution reading and music that is unique and life affirming. I have heard it said that we all laugh in the same language. It could be said that we all cry in the same language too. We may have different customs of grief, but we all cry in grief.
There will be nine funerals in one church in South Carolina next week. The grief caused by one gunman in one church must be close to unbearable. If we all could attend all these funerals we would see, as I did in these three funerals here, that we are not that different. Death is common to all races and ethnicities, and so is grief.
Grief can unite us, but the thing that unites people like no other is the love of God that has been shown in Jesus. It is a stronger "uniter" across cultures than anything else I have seen. It is too bad the young gunman in South Carolina never saw that or grasped that. It would be a shame if we did not see it or grasp it.
I am sorry to see three people who attend my church pass away but I am glad to be a part of a church where these three people could worship together with a sense oneness in Christ. They are now among the new arrivals in heaven along with the nine from South Carolina. They are now knowing the joy of Christ and the oneness He brings. The pain and the differnces of this earth are gone - and there are no more tears.
It is interesting to me that in heaven, we do not lose our race or ethnicity. John, in Revelation 5:9, said he saw people there in heaven from "every tribe and every language and every people and every nation" and they were all singing before the throne of God - as one. God loves our differences and yet, one day, in heaven, we will make us all truly be one family. Let's keep practicing for that day until it comes. Let's especially do that this Sunday.
for the journey...
Tim
There are unique cultural expressions of grief. Hispanic families (in Victoria at least) place sand upon the top of the casket at the graveside. Anglo families often have a lot of flowers and displays of mementos. African-American funerals have the elements of resolution reading and music that is unique and life affirming. I have heard it said that we all laugh in the same language. It could be said that we all cry in the same language too. We may have different customs of grief, but we all cry in grief.
There will be nine funerals in one church in South Carolina next week. The grief caused by one gunman in one church must be close to unbearable. If we all could attend all these funerals we would see, as I did in these three funerals here, that we are not that different. Death is common to all races and ethnicities, and so is grief.
Grief can unite us, but the thing that unites people like no other is the love of God that has been shown in Jesus. It is a stronger "uniter" across cultures than anything else I have seen. It is too bad the young gunman in South Carolina never saw that or grasped that. It would be a shame if we did not see it or grasp it.
I am sorry to see three people who attend my church pass away but I am glad to be a part of a church where these three people could worship together with a sense oneness in Christ. They are now among the new arrivals in heaven along with the nine from South Carolina. They are now knowing the joy of Christ and the oneness He brings. The pain and the differnces of this earth are gone - and there are no more tears.
It is interesting to me that in heaven, we do not lose our race or ethnicity. John, in Revelation 5:9, said he saw people there in heaven from "every tribe and every language and every people and every nation" and they were all singing before the throne of God - as one. God loves our differences and yet, one day, in heaven, we will make us all truly be one family. Let's keep practicing for that day until it comes. Let's especially do that this Sunday.
for the journey...
Tim
Friday, June 12, 2015
The Power of God's Word Over Our Words
We were having a problem in my previous church. We had just started Upward Basketball (a non-competitive, Christian instructional league for children). People were having a hard time grasping how this children's basketball league was different.
Though it was in the church's new gym, there was definitely some "un-church-like" language going on. Parents were working on the referees. The crowd would say things to the opposing team's coach. Coaches were jawing on other coaches. The older kids were trash talking each other during the game. The tones were harsh. The language was at times crude. We had a problem.
The leadership team of our new Upward league struggled with what to do after that first week of games. Something had to be done but is was such a pervasive problem. So we came up with a plan to address our talk during games.
I did the half time talks to the crowd the next week to again explain that Upward was different. This is not a basketball league at a church. We were a church that had a basketball league. But we did something else to address the problem that I think was much more effective than anything I said.
We plastered a single Bible verse all over the gym. Everywhere you could look in the gym there was a piece of paper with the verse visible. Every door had it on it. Even the bathroom stalls and walls had this verse on it. We left them up all season. I think that verse made the difference, the others on the leadership team agreed with me. What was the verse?
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
We all learned a lesson about the power of God's word over our words. It is powerful and it is effective.
You probably wish there were some places at work, at school or in the community you could put this verse up to see if it would change the kind of things being said, but you can't. Have you thought about starting with your home?
Our words are most powerful at the places we are least careful - at home, with our family. We will look at that Sunday. God has great things to say about what we say. I hope you will join me.
for the journey...
Tim
Though it was in the church's new gym, there was definitely some "un-church-like" language going on. Parents were working on the referees. The crowd would say things to the opposing team's coach. Coaches were jawing on other coaches. The older kids were trash talking each other during the game. The tones were harsh. The language was at times crude. We had a problem.
The leadership team of our new Upward league struggled with what to do after that first week of games. Something had to be done but is was such a pervasive problem. So we came up with a plan to address our talk during games.
I did the half time talks to the crowd the next week to again explain that Upward was different. This is not a basketball league at a church. We were a church that had a basketball league. But we did something else to address the problem that I think was much more effective than anything I said.
We plastered a single Bible verse all over the gym. Everywhere you could look in the gym there was a piece of paper with the verse visible. Every door had it on it. Even the bathroom stalls and walls had this verse on it. We left them up all season. I think that verse made the difference, the others on the leadership team agreed with me. What was the verse?
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
We all learned a lesson about the power of God's word over our words. It is powerful and it is effective.
You probably wish there were some places at work, at school or in the community you could put this verse up to see if it would change the kind of things being said, but you can't. Have you thought about starting with your home?
Our words are most powerful at the places we are least careful - at home, with our family. We will look at that Sunday. God has great things to say about what we say. I hope you will join me.
for the journey...
Tim
Friday, June 5, 2015
A Two Way Teachable Moment
When she had just learned to walk, one of my daughters (I will not say which one) began to get into a lot of things that she shouldn't because she could now reach them. One day, things got really quiet around our house, and I was supposed to be watching her while my wife, Judith, finished cooking dinner. Quietness is very often a sign that things are not right. I found her in our living room destroying a dried flower arrangement that had, until recently, been out of her reach.
I saw a great opportunity for a teachable moment. I walked over to her, got down on my hands and knees to be at her level and said very authoritatively, "No, you may not touch that." She looked at me a moment then when back to her flower disarrangement. I repeated my fatherly command as I moved closer to her face, "No, you may not do that."
She looked at me for a moment longer than before, then she did something that reversed the teachable moment. She took one hand and put it over my mouth, then proceeded with the other hand to continue to break up the dried flowers. I could not help but laugh. But the thought quickly came, "No, I can't let this just slide even if I am laughing, this is a moment for teaching discipline." So, trying not to smile, I shook her hands free of my mouth and the dried flowers, said "No," again and then we went off to a little time out. I wondered if that was enough but tears starting coming pretty quickly - from her, not me - which let me know she was getting the message.
Sometimes, not often though, childish behavior can be funny. Always, without exception though, childish disobedience must be disciplined. You can go laugh later if you have too. It does not take too much disobedience before the "cute" wears off.
It also brought home how much our sin nature is a part of our lives, even from a very early age. How often have I wished to put my hand over the voice of conviction that says, "No, this behavior is wrong?" Then use my other hand to continue to do what I want.
Not only is it disobedience, it gives us a divided heart and life, trying to silence our conscience on one hand while trying to do life our way with the other. There are times that we are too young to see that though and that is where we need the guidance of a parent who loves us enough to discipline us. Thank goodness we have a Father God who loves us enough to speak truth into our lives. What would you say about your life right now? Are you listening or are you trying to cover up his voice? We will talk about discipline, children and God this week as we look at the "Four Needs of Every Child" on Sunday. I hope you can come with a free conscience and free hands.
for the journey...
Tim
I saw a great opportunity for a teachable moment. I walked over to her, got down on my hands and knees to be at her level and said very authoritatively, "No, you may not touch that." She looked at me a moment then when back to her flower disarrangement. I repeated my fatherly command as I moved closer to her face, "No, you may not do that."
She looked at me for a moment longer than before, then she did something that reversed the teachable moment. She took one hand and put it over my mouth, then proceeded with the other hand to continue to break up the dried flowers. I could not help but laugh. But the thought quickly came, "No, I can't let this just slide even if I am laughing, this is a moment for teaching discipline." So, trying not to smile, I shook her hands free of my mouth and the dried flowers, said "No," again and then we went off to a little time out. I wondered if that was enough but tears starting coming pretty quickly - from her, not me - which let me know she was getting the message.
Sometimes, not often though, childish behavior can be funny. Always, without exception though, childish disobedience must be disciplined. You can go laugh later if you have too. It does not take too much disobedience before the "cute" wears off.
It also brought home how much our sin nature is a part of our lives, even from a very early age. How often have I wished to put my hand over the voice of conviction that says, "No, this behavior is wrong?" Then use my other hand to continue to do what I want.
Not only is it disobedience, it gives us a divided heart and life, trying to silence our conscience on one hand while trying to do life our way with the other. There are times that we are too young to see that though and that is where we need the guidance of a parent who loves us enough to discipline us. Thank goodness we have a Father God who loves us enough to speak truth into our lives. What would you say about your life right now? Are you listening or are you trying to cover up his voice? We will talk about discipline, children and God this week as we look at the "Four Needs of Every Child" on Sunday. I hope you can come with a free conscience and free hands.
for the journey...
Tim
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