Is there something good coming out of this tumultuous election season? I can point to at least one positive sign. In no other election have I seen so many prayer guides prepared by so many different Christian organizations. There is a 40 days of prayer guide prepared by Max Lucado. Another ministry has prepared a guide using numerous Christian authors like Ann Graham Lotz. Two other major ministries have produced a prayer guide for 31 or 40 days. People are preparing to pray for this important part of our nation's history.
With that list of prayer guides for our country, let me add one more - our own. "Forty Days of Prayer for our Country" will be a prayer guide just for us at Northside. I will be sending it out just like this blog so if you are reading this because you had previously signed up to receive my blog, you will receive it automatically.
So what is in this prayer guide? Each day will have a scripture for the day. There will be a quote or thought to go along with it then there will be a list of suggested prayer items for that day. Each week will have a memory verse that we will all work on together. Also each week there will be an individual challenge to complete or a group activity of which to be a part. I will quote freely from the fore mentioned prayer guides and I will give credit for the quotes. We will pray for specific candidates and races, the ones you will see on your ballot here in Victoria. The prayer guide will not be a place for campaigning for a specific candidate or party. It will not be an attempt to be a voter's guide to break down or critique candidates positions on issues but we will pray about specific issues. With it not being pre-printed we will be able to pray for current events, disasters or developments. We will start on October 1st and pray through the election and even a few days beyond the election for the newly elected. I hope you will join me.
These are busy, chaotic and tumultuous days with important decisions to be made. That means it is time for praying people to call out to God. Will you be one of those people?
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, September 21, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Me and Reverend Moon
Reverend Sun Myung Moon died this week. The same Reverend Moon who founded the Unification Church or the "Moonies" as they are otherwise known. The Moonies were big back when I was in college. They were the "hot topic" cult of the day. Rev. Moon made headlines by the mass wedding in 1982 of thousands of couples that he had put together. Some of those couples met at their wedding. I wonder what their divorce rate is now? I also wonder what has happened to the Moonies, I have not heard anything about them lately but I also read 30,000 are expected at his funeral in South Korea.
The Moonies were on campus in my day and I remember clearly my encounter with them. Another student came to my apartment door right before Mother's Day. He was selling pretty flower arrangements door to door "for his church," he said. Since I was going home that weekend (as a good son should on Mother's Day) and since I was also a procrastinator who had not gotten a Mother's Day gift, this seemed like a perfect opportunity. When I asked who should I make the check out to, my salesperson said they had a stamp and would take care of it so I left it blank. It was only when my cancelled check came back with the blank filled in "Unification Church" that I realized I had helped the Moonies. I felt naive but also deceived.
Rev. Moon told his followers that he was the Christ sent back to earth. He did not try to imitate Christ or be Christ like; he said he was Christ. Too many people believed him even though it really sounds weird.
Paul calls all of us to "imitate God" in the book of Ephesians. The New Testament calls Christians to be Christ like. Not enough people believe that. Does even that sound weird in our day, to make it our goal to live a godly life? Perhaps those of us who do believe need to practice it more - to show the true nature of the true God through our lives. That is what we will talk about Sunday.
For the journey...
Tim
The Moonies were on campus in my day and I remember clearly my encounter with them. Another student came to my apartment door right before Mother's Day. He was selling pretty flower arrangements door to door "for his church," he said. Since I was going home that weekend (as a good son should on Mother's Day) and since I was also a procrastinator who had not gotten a Mother's Day gift, this seemed like a perfect opportunity. When I asked who should I make the check out to, my salesperson said they had a stamp and would take care of it so I left it blank. It was only when my cancelled check came back with the blank filled in "Unification Church" that I realized I had helped the Moonies. I felt naive but also deceived.
Rev. Moon told his followers that he was the Christ sent back to earth. He did not try to imitate Christ or be Christ like; he said he was Christ. Too many people believed him even though it really sounds weird.
Paul calls all of us to "imitate God" in the book of Ephesians. The New Testament calls Christians to be Christ like. Not enough people believe that. Does even that sound weird in our day, to make it our goal to live a godly life? Perhaps those of us who do believe need to practice it more - to show the true nature of the true God through our lives. That is what we will talk about Sunday.
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, September 7, 2012
Mad at Church
I sat in my car outside their home wishing to do anything but what I had to do right then, go into the home and talk to a family that had gotten hurt at church. A message had not been delivered, a key event in that family's life had gone unrecognized and unaddressed now they were upset, feelings were hurt. I could not blame them, it had happened but neither could I take on the burden of blame because I had not been involved in any of the problems. Things had happened before I even came to be their pastor but I was the one they wanted to talk to about why they were leaving the church.
I went in and things were pleasant but tense. I listened to their story. I recognized and acknowledged that what they were saying was correct. All the things they talked about had happened and they should not have. I told them I understood their anger. They responded that they were "not angry but hurt."
I recognized my self in those words, I had said them too at times in my life. Now hearing them said to me made me realize something about myself. If I am hurt, I am most likely angry but I do not like to characterize it that way. I did learn a lesson that night about that phrase and about myself. If I am hurt, I need to admit my anger and deal with it, not deny it.
After their story was done, I acknowledged that what they were saying was factual. There were no excuses or explanations to be given. I could see how they could feel that way. Then I asked them to forgive the church. There was a long pause. After a while, the sentiment was expressed that they were not holding a grudge but that what had happened was "too much" for them to come back to church. They wanted me to know they were going somewhere else. I thanked them, prayed with them and left feeling like I had done about all I could do. I appreciated their desire to be upfront with me and tell me why they were leaving. That was the right thing to do.
I have to admit there are times that I too have been hurt at church. There are times that I too felt like there was "too much" that had happened for me to stay but I did not have the option of leaving. I was the pastor. Now, I am so glad that I did not have the path to leave so easily, because I have had to stay, God has taught me so much about myself and my anger but also about His power to reconcile faulty, imperfect people to one another in His church. Do you have a hurt in your life that causes it to be "too much" to stay? Have you ever been mad at church? Mad at the church? Come on be honest.
There are two clear times in the gospels that Jesus, the perfect son of God, acted in anger. Interestingly enough, both incidents were in church - or I should say one in the synagogue and one in the temple. We are going to look at those this Sunday and try to understand the phrase, "be angry and sin not" in Ephesians 4:26 and beyond. I have much to learn about all this. Chances are you do too. Don't let something be "too much" for us to learn about it this week.
For the journey...
Tim
I went in and things were pleasant but tense. I listened to their story. I recognized and acknowledged that what they were saying was correct. All the things they talked about had happened and they should not have. I told them I understood their anger. They responded that they were "not angry but hurt."
I recognized my self in those words, I had said them too at times in my life. Now hearing them said to me made me realize something about myself. If I am hurt, I am most likely angry but I do not like to characterize it that way. I did learn a lesson that night about that phrase and about myself. If I am hurt, I need to admit my anger and deal with it, not deny it.
After their story was done, I acknowledged that what they were saying was factual. There were no excuses or explanations to be given. I could see how they could feel that way. Then I asked them to forgive the church. There was a long pause. After a while, the sentiment was expressed that they were not holding a grudge but that what had happened was "too much" for them to come back to church. They wanted me to know they were going somewhere else. I thanked them, prayed with them and left feeling like I had done about all I could do. I appreciated their desire to be upfront with me and tell me why they were leaving. That was the right thing to do.
I have to admit there are times that I too have been hurt at church. There are times that I too felt like there was "too much" that had happened for me to stay but I did not have the option of leaving. I was the pastor. Now, I am so glad that I did not have the path to leave so easily, because I have had to stay, God has taught me so much about myself and my anger but also about His power to reconcile faulty, imperfect people to one another in His church. Do you have a hurt in your life that causes it to be "too much" to stay? Have you ever been mad at church? Mad at the church? Come on be honest.
There are two clear times in the gospels that Jesus, the perfect son of God, acted in anger. Interestingly enough, both incidents were in church - or I should say one in the synagogue and one in the temple. We are going to look at those this Sunday and try to understand the phrase, "be angry and sin not" in Ephesians 4:26 and beyond. I have much to learn about all this. Chances are you do too. Don't let something be "too much" for us to learn about it this week.
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, August 24, 2012
Baptismo
A few weeks ago I went down to the Rio Grande Valley to look into possible mission trip projects. While I was there I called on Pastor Roberto at Iglesia Fe y Poder to see how things were going there. We had worked with Pastor Roberto and his church on our 2011 trip. He graciously invited me to come to Wednesday evening services there and he asked me to help him baptize some new members. All this was done through interpretors so I was not quite sure what to expect.
When I arrived Pastor Roberto was opening up the church building, opening the windows and turning on the fans. People arrived close to on time and even early, which surprised me. The congregation sang and Pastor Roberto taught on baptism - I could understand some of it. Then it was time for baptism.
The small crowd was directed outside to a new and unfinished cinder block and tile baptistry built along the wall of the church. Five young people started putting on robes. The baptistry was waist high to me but only had about 18 inches of water in it. They had never filled it before and they were not sure how long it took to fill. It turns out it takes longer than we thought. Pastor Roberto forged ahead with a shrug and a smile. He slipped his shoes off and jumped into the baptisty in his dress pants and socks, then he invited me in. I excused myself to change into some shorts and I came back about the time the young people were ready to get in.
With Pastor Roberto on one side and me on the other, we baptized the five new converts. Fortunately for me, they all spoke English. The small crowd gathered there sang a song as we started the baptism and as each new Christian came up out of the water, they sang another verse.
As I watched in a bit of confusion, wonder and joy. I realized we all smile in the same language - everyone there was smiling during all this. We all clap in the same language - they all clapped to beat of the song and then clapped for each candidate. And then I realized we all get baptized in the same language (at least we Baptists do). They all came out equally wet even if there was only 18 inches of water. For a moment there, I felt a part of that church though we did not speak the same language. We had all shared this "baptismo" experience together and now, in some greater spiritual way, we are all a part of the same family.
This Sunday, we will baptize at Northside. I hope you will feel a sense of connection to a greater family and to those being baptized, but if you don't, I pray that you will ask someone who can tell you how it can be that way for you. God wants you to be a part of his family.
For the journey...
Tim
When I arrived Pastor Roberto was opening up the church building, opening the windows and turning on the fans. People arrived close to on time and even early, which surprised me. The congregation sang and Pastor Roberto taught on baptism - I could understand some of it. Then it was time for baptism.
The small crowd was directed outside to a new and unfinished cinder block and tile baptistry built along the wall of the church. Five young people started putting on robes. The baptistry was waist high to me but only had about 18 inches of water in it. They had never filled it before and they were not sure how long it took to fill. It turns out it takes longer than we thought. Pastor Roberto forged ahead with a shrug and a smile. He slipped his shoes off and jumped into the baptisty in his dress pants and socks, then he invited me in. I excused myself to change into some shorts and I came back about the time the young people were ready to get in.
With Pastor Roberto on one side and me on the other, we baptized the five new converts. Fortunately for me, they all spoke English. The small crowd gathered there sang a song as we started the baptism and as each new Christian came up out of the water, they sang another verse.
As I watched in a bit of confusion, wonder and joy. I realized we all smile in the same language - everyone there was smiling during all this. We all clap in the same language - they all clapped to beat of the song and then clapped for each candidate. And then I realized we all get baptized in the same language (at least we Baptists do). They all came out equally wet even if there was only 18 inches of water. For a moment there, I felt a part of that church though we did not speak the same language. We had all shared this "baptismo" experience together and now, in some greater spiritual way, we are all a part of the same family.
This Sunday, we will baptize at Northside. I hope you will feel a sense of connection to a greater family and to those being baptized, but if you don't, I pray that you will ask someone who can tell you how it can be that way for you. God wants you to be a part of his family.
For the journey...
Tim
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Saved?
Saved.
What comes to mind when you see that word? Perhaps today it is more commonly used to talk about information on a computer. Money can be saved. Time can be saved. Food can be saved. And people can be saved, on several levels.
I once was called to the home of a man who was dying of cancer. He lived in a mobile home in the small town of my first church. Most of his life he had worked in the oil field. As I talked with him about his life we moved from his illness to his spiritual life. He made the statement, "God has saved me many times." I asked him what he meant by that? What followed were several stories about how he should have been killed in an oil field related accidents and he was spared. He sensed God had a purpose for him being here and he vowed after each incident that he would live a cleaner, better life. Each time he had reverted to his own sinful ways, but he asserted he had been saved by God - that was his definition.
I was able to explain to him that God had spared him here but wanted to save him eternally. After several more visits, he did accept Christ. Another pastor friend baptized him in his bathtub before he passed away. I felt he did understand what it meant for God to save him eternally, but it goes to show how definitions of the word "saved" can vary.
People get hung up on different issues of salvation. Some people don't think they need it, they are fine just the way they are. Some people have had an "experience" but begin to doubt it and wonder it they are saved. Sometimes people wonder for years about their salvation. What can you do if you are one of those people? There is a good Biblical example in a man named Nicodemus who went to talk to Jesus about his life. We will follow their conversation Sunday and hopefully clear up some confusion and bring some clarity.
For the journey...
Tim
What comes to mind when you see that word? Perhaps today it is more commonly used to talk about information on a computer. Money can be saved. Time can be saved. Food can be saved. And people can be saved, on several levels.
I once was called to the home of a man who was dying of cancer. He lived in a mobile home in the small town of my first church. Most of his life he had worked in the oil field. As I talked with him about his life we moved from his illness to his spiritual life. He made the statement, "God has saved me many times." I asked him what he meant by that? What followed were several stories about how he should have been killed in an oil field related accidents and he was spared. He sensed God had a purpose for him being here and he vowed after each incident that he would live a cleaner, better life. Each time he had reverted to his own sinful ways, but he asserted he had been saved by God - that was his definition.
I was able to explain to him that God had spared him here but wanted to save him eternally. After several more visits, he did accept Christ. Another pastor friend baptized him in his bathtub before he passed away. I felt he did understand what it meant for God to save him eternally, but it goes to show how definitions of the word "saved" can vary.
People get hung up on different issues of salvation. Some people don't think they need it, they are fine just the way they are. Some people have had an "experience" but begin to doubt it and wonder it they are saved. Sometimes people wonder for years about their salvation. What can you do if you are one of those people? There is a good Biblical example in a man named Nicodemus who went to talk to Jesus about his life. We will follow their conversation Sunday and hopefully clear up some confusion and bring some clarity.
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, August 10, 2012
Destination Influence - Rerun
Several months ago, I wrote this blog and there was some strange problem with it getting out. Not sure what happened but I saw where very few people saw it. But I was reminded of it while getting ready to go on a week of vacation with my family. So here it is again, maybe for many of you for the first time.
In getting ready for my trip to Israel, I was pouring shampoo from a large bottle into a travel sized bottle. As the smaller bottle began to fill something interesting happened. Because of the thickness of the shampoo, there began to be something of a "pile" or mound of shampoo in the middle of the travel bottle . The stream from the bottle of origin began to pour down the side of this little peak of shampoo in the middle of the bottle and started to move around the mound.
This made a hard task even more difficult because the travel bottle had a small opening and now the stream of shampoo I was pouring began to dance around making it difficult to keep from spilling on the edge of the travel bottle. Thankfully this dancing stream was short lived as the bottle filled up.
It dawned on me how the stream of shampoo became more determined by its destination than its origin. That should be a good thing for us to aspire to as Christians. As I was getting ready for this trip, my thoughts turned more and more to my destination. There were a lot of preparations to make for being in another country. The Christian life ought to be more and more like that as we mature. We should become more influenced by our destination than our origin. We should be getting ready for living in a new place. The difference between my trip and our journey as Christians is that my trip is temporary, our trip and destination as Christians is permanent. We are not getting ready for a visit there we are getting ready to live there eternally.
So what is influencing more of your life today - your place of origin or your destination? What preparations are you making for your journey? Why not start today?
For the journey...
Tim
In getting ready for my trip to Israel, I was pouring shampoo from a large bottle into a travel sized bottle. As the smaller bottle began to fill something interesting happened. Because of the thickness of the shampoo, there began to be something of a "pile" or mound of shampoo in the middle of the travel bottle . The stream from the bottle of origin began to pour down the side of this little peak of shampoo in the middle of the bottle and started to move around the mound.
This made a hard task even more difficult because the travel bottle had a small opening and now the stream of shampoo I was pouring began to dance around making it difficult to keep from spilling on the edge of the travel bottle. Thankfully this dancing stream was short lived as the bottle filled up.
It dawned on me how the stream of shampoo became more determined by its destination than its origin. That should be a good thing for us to aspire to as Christians. As I was getting ready for this trip, my thoughts turned more and more to my destination. There were a lot of preparations to make for being in another country. The Christian life ought to be more and more like that as we mature. We should become more influenced by our destination than our origin. We should be getting ready for living in a new place. The difference between my trip and our journey as Christians is that my trip is temporary, our trip and destination as Christians is permanent. We are not getting ready for a visit there we are getting ready to live there eternally.
So what is influencing more of your life today - your place of origin or your destination? What preparations are you making for your journey? Why not start today?
For the journey...
Tim
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Is Eating Waffle Fries a Moral Statement?
I joined the thousands Wednesday who ate at Chick-fil-A. There were long lines everywhere. As I watched the very busy employees rush around, I wondered if they felt "appreciated" since this was a day not chosen by them to be appreciated for the company's CEO's comments in support of traditional marriage. From the smiling faces of those who waited on me, it seemed like they were doing their job as usual.
To be honest, eating at Chick-fil-A is a Wednesday evening family tradition so it was not that much of taking a stand for me either. I did purposely go that day just to see what it was like. I enjoyed my food as usual. Seriously, how difficult is it to eat a grilled chicken sandwich and split some waffle fries? That is not a sacrifice even if you have to wait an extra ten minutes.
I wondered how many of us would have been there if it had been a sacrifice? That statistics I read this week show that support for same sex marriage is growing. Fifty percent of Americans support same sex marriage while 48% oppose. Of those Americans who attend church, 28% support gay marriage and 72% oppose. In both areas, in church and out, support is growing.
I am amazed at how much things have changed in this area in this past year. What I am beginning to see is that there is a growing difference between people of the world and people of the Word. I always want to be counted in the people of the Word category, waffle fries or not. I also wondered how many of the people at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday would be in church on Sunday?
Sunday I will be preaching on the story of Jesus teaching in his home town of Nazareth. He took a stand that day and it was not popular with the good people gathered in the synagogue with him. That day, good moral people who surely would have joined us at Chick-fil-A if they had lived in our day, wanted to throw Jesus off a cliff.
Maybe we are learning what it means not to be a person of the world. I think we still have a way to go before we are truly people of the Word. I pray we are on our way though.
For the journey...
Tim
To be honest, eating at Chick-fil-A is a Wednesday evening family tradition so it was not that much of taking a stand for me either. I did purposely go that day just to see what it was like. I enjoyed my food as usual. Seriously, how difficult is it to eat a grilled chicken sandwich and split some waffle fries? That is not a sacrifice even if you have to wait an extra ten minutes.
I wondered how many of us would have been there if it had been a sacrifice? That statistics I read this week show that support for same sex marriage is growing. Fifty percent of Americans support same sex marriage while 48% oppose. Of those Americans who attend church, 28% support gay marriage and 72% oppose. In both areas, in church and out, support is growing.
I am amazed at how much things have changed in this area in this past year. What I am beginning to see is that there is a growing difference between people of the world and people of the Word. I always want to be counted in the people of the Word category, waffle fries or not. I also wondered how many of the people at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday would be in church on Sunday?
Sunday I will be preaching on the story of Jesus teaching in his home town of Nazareth. He took a stand that day and it was not popular with the good people gathered in the synagogue with him. That day, good moral people who surely would have joined us at Chick-fil-A if they had lived in our day, wanted to throw Jesus off a cliff.
Maybe we are learning what it means not to be a person of the world. I think we still have a way to go before we are truly people of the Word. I pray we are on our way though.
For the journey...
Tim
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