"This fight ain't got no rear"

Hey Paul,

Your thoughts expressed on Wednesday’s post have effectively reminded me about our watching world. I’m encouraged and inspired by your words.

We are called to unity. Hmm... What a tall order my friend. Satan of course wants to do all he can to keep us in a divisive position.

I’m reminded of The Battle at Shiloh
Historian Shelby Foote tells of a soldier who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War and was ordered to go to the rear. The fighting was so fierce and within minutes he returned to his commanding officer. “Captain, give me a gun” “This fight ain’t got no rear!”

May we never forget about our ever watching world. And may the Lord help us to love one another and unify around his mission in letting the world know about his love.

The World Is Watching

The world wants to know: Does Christ truly make a difference? Does the community of God reflect the character of God? Does the coming of Christ really make a difference in the way we live? Does the incarnation of Christ produce an ethic lived out in concrete ways? Do we celebrate our unity even in the midst of our different-ness? Are we truly a people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

Jesus prays for us: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:23)

The world has tried to live by certain standards and it has found itself coming up short. “Been there, done that” is the motto. Show me something different. Show me something authentic and real. Show me what “real life” is supposed to be like. “Real life” according to Jesus is about emptying oneself, accepting the limitations of our humanity, and learning what it means to trust God as we set out on His project of redeeming the world through His Son.

The World is watching. And all the while, Jesus prays for us: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

As a church, we do not exist for ourselves. We exist for God’s mission. We are called to be the foretaste of God’s reign of justice, freedom, and love. We are less about programs and more about life. We are less about ministry and more about being missionaries. We are less about ourselves and more about the one who sends us. Our calling is to be people who exhibit such things in our church’s life as mutual care, reconciliation, loving relationships, and hospitality.

You want to know why? Because the World is watching, and Jesus is praying that we may be unified around his mission of letting the world know the love of God. And that will never be central if we try to unify around our own wishes more often rooted in our pride than our respect for what God really wants.

Our world is hungering to find people who care for each other without concern for one’s own interests. Our world is fragmented, and it is looking for a people who can live in peace and wholeness. Our world is filled with disposable relationships, and it is looking for relationships of permanence. Our world is divided, and it is looking for people who know how to be one. Our world wants to know: Can there be a place where the stranger finds a home?

Jesus’ prayer that his church be brought to unity so that the world would know that it is Christ who has come is a prayer still worth praying today.

A great quote from a familiar friend

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
Charlie Brown--C. Schulz, Peanuts.

Be patient–– it takes time for God to transform us!

I'm impressed!

As I continue to work a series of lessons from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, I'm impressed with what love is and is not.

Love is the badge of Christian discipleship. It is not knowledge nor orthodoxy, nor fleshly activities, but (supremely) love, which identifies a follower of the Lord Jesus. As the disciples of the Pharisees were known by their phylacteries, as the disciples of John were known by their baptism, and every school by its particular shibboleth, so the mark of a true Christian is love; and that, a genuine, active love, not in words but in deeds. Arthur Pink

Unconditional Love
There is nothing you can to do make God love you more!
There is nothing you can do to make God love you less!
His love is Unconditional, Impartial, Everlasting, Infinite, Perfect!

Wow, I’m impressed!

How Deep The Father's Love

I was sitting in my office today, reflecting on the love the Father has for me. This song has been in my head and heart ever since-

"How Deep The Father's Love For Us"
How deep the Father¹s love for us!
How vast beyond all measure!
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure!

How great the pain of searing loss!
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders.
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there,
Until it was accomplished.
His dying breath has brought me life.
I know that it is finished!

I will not boast in anything
No gift, nor power, nor wisdom,
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection!

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart:
His wounds have paid my ransom!

Our life and identity is found and maintained only in Jesus. And it seems to me that it is our relationship with Jesus that becomes our witness about the good news. Good news about ­­our restoration. The good news of­­ hope!

The good news is-- We can believe!
-In Him who is the light of men
-In the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
-In the body that was raised in three days
-In the One and only Son God given to the world
-In the spring of water welling up to eternal life
-In the Savior of the world
-In Moses who wrote about the Prophet that would come
-In the One who walked on water
-In the bread of life
-In the streams of living water flowing from within Him
-That Jesus is the I Am!
-That Jesus is the One who gives sight to the blind and blindness to those who think they have sight
-That Jesus is the gateway to salvation
-In the resurrection and the life
-That we may become sons of light
-In the one who loved us and sent His son
-In the Way and the Truth and the Life
-In the True Vine!

I clearly remember a scene from the movie "Cliff Hanger." Sylvester Stallone is teaching a young lady how to maneuver from one cliff to another by way of cable and a carabeener. The young lady expresses that she's a little scared, but Stallone assures her that she'll be fine. Now the camera zooms in on the carabeener holding this young lady thousands of feet above the rocky bottom. Slowly I see the carabeener begin to open and twist and slip off the cable. The moment is tense and the fear is real. Stallone moves across the cable with ease and in the nick-of-time grabs hold of the young lady's hand-- who now is in a panic and being held only by Stallone's powerful hand. Unfortunately, the camera reveals the glove the young lady is wearing while Stallone begins to lose his firm grip. The camera turns to the young lady's face as she pleads for Stallone to not let go. The fear is real. She repeatedly cries to him­­ "I don't want to die! I don't want to die." Moments later, she slips out of Stallone's clutches and falls to her rocky grave.

There are people in this world just like that cliff hanger scene. For some, they're barely hanging on. Their cries are the same­­-- "I don't want to die!" And the fear is real.

This relationship we have with Jesus can't be private. Jesus is saying that to know Him is to love like Him. And when we love like Jesus, we leave the private and move into the public arena.

How deep the Father's love for us.
How vast beyond all measure.

Imperfect but.....

Anne Lamott tells a story in her new book Plan B about David Roche, a friend of hers who has severe facial deformities. But because of the gift of love showered on David by those who have gotten to know him for who he is, David has turned his abnormality into a ministry to show his imperfect jar of clay as a storehouse of the treasures of God.

In a recent speech David gave, he said this: “We with facial deformities are children of the dark. Our shadow is on the outside. And we can see in the dark: we can see you, we see you turn away, but one day we finally understand that you turn away, not from our faces, but from your own fears. From those things inside you that you think mark you as someone unlovable to your family, and society, and even to God. All those years, I kept my bad stories in the dark, but not anymore. Now I am stepping out into the light. And this face has turned out to be an elaborately disguised gift from God.”

Taking Risks For Jesus

God is calling us to take some risks, and here are a few:

1) RISKING COMMUNITY: Are we ready to be vulnerable enough to open our lives to other people, welcoming strangers, that is, people without a place? Dare we continue to live with one another for the sake of the world, and so unleashing the treasure? After all, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

2) RISKING GENEROSITY: In imitation of God who demonstrated His own generosity to us by pouring out his life, we too are learning to be generous people. We share with one another and with our community not expecting a return on our investment, storing up instead treasures in heaven. We share lavishly rather than storing our treasures on earth. We are no longer afraid of not being able to buy the next great toy, instead sharing with those who may simply need a meal, or what’s more, a friend. We are generous with our wealth and our love, but not necessarily in that order. Generosity unleashes the treasure. After all, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

3) RISKING BEING DIFFERENT: We live in this world, but we know that this is not our true home. Our priorities are not the priorities of this world. We will not practice power and call it Gospel. But neither will we remain silent at the injustices of greed and any practice that uses people. We will not put faith in our own understanding, but we will instead prayerfully seek to be a church who pleases God. Seeking God’s priorities unleashes the treasure that we are tempted to keep only to ourselves. After all, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God takes risks, and we need to take some risks as well, not for our sake, but as Romans 1 begins, for Jesus’ sake. God placed his greatest treasure (his own gospel) in each of us. We are risk takers in imitation of the greatest risk taker of all....while we are still sinners, Christ died for us.

Mother's Day

“Mama exhorted us children at every opportunity to jump at de sun. We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.” - Zora Neale Hurston

“God could not be everywhere at once, so he gave each child a mother.” - Hasidic saying

“An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.” - Spanish proverb

“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.” - Lin Yü-tang

“My mother was all mother.” - Ella Fitzgerald

Lego Church

A friend just sent these pictures to me.

How long to build it? It was about a year and a half of planning, building and photographing.
How many pieces of Lego to build it? more than 75,000
How big is it? About 7 feet by 5 ½ feet by 30 inches (2.2 m x 1.7 m x .76 m)
How many Lego people does it seat? 1372
How many windows? 3976

It features a balcony, a Narthex, stairs to the balcony, restrooms, coat rooms, several mosaics a nave, a baptistery, an altar, a crucifix, a pulpit and an elaborate pipe organ. The question I have is why do Lego people need bathrooms?

I'm sure I could wax eloquently (and sarcastically) about the relationship between a lego church and our contemporary situation, but I'll leave that to your imagination and musing for the time being. Feel free to offer a comment or two...humor is always welcome as well as critique.

Lego Church 

Lego Church 

Quote For The Day

From Soren Kierkegaard:

Authenic religion has to do with passion, with having passion. Sadly, there are thousands who take a little something out of religion, and then dispassionately "have religion."

Maybe this gets a little at what Jesus meant when he said to seek FIRST the kingdom of God. Whatever I am passionate about will have first place in my life.

Pepperdine Arrival

OK...the sunshine, the ocean view, the salty air, the flowers on the mountain, tell me again why anyone would come to Pepperdine?

But I guess I am not here for the scenery (yeah, right). The Lectures started last night with David Fleer preaching. His text: If I be lifted up, I will draw all people to myself (John 12:32). What a great night! What a challenging text to our churches.

I came away with this thought. If Jesus is to be lifted up, our churches are going to have to NOT be lifted up. We are called to death, to obscurity, to give ourselves away. We have to trust the light so that we can be children of light (John 12:36). We must quit trusting in ourselves. It's time to let Jesus be lifted up.

I wonder what a church would do if this was their identity? How would we look at the world? How would we interact with it? What would God's mission call us to be?

Have a great day! It will be tough, but I'll try to enjoy this southern California life.

Trust

Psalm 37:1-4 (CEV)

Trust the LORD
1Don't be annoyed by anyone
who does wrong,
and don't envy them.

2They will soon disappear
like grass without rain.

3Trust the LORD and live right!
The land will be yours,
and you will be safe.

4Do what the LORD wants,
and he will give you
your heart's desire.

We seem to like lists. Lists of the things we want in this life. I’m convinced that many times my lists reflect my lack of trust in God as my provider.

A quote from Max Lucado:
“God withholds what we desire in order to give us what we need. You desire a spouse, he gives you himself. You seek a larger church, he prefers a stronger church. You want to be healed so you can serve. He wants you confined so you can pray.”

A quote from Scot:
"The most significant times of my life have been in times of struggle. For it is in our struggles that we come to trust God!"

Here’s some good advice for the day… stop listing what you want, and start trusting God to be your provider.

enjoy the day!

Scot

Leaven and the Lump

I was listening to a lesson "A New Point of View" from Landon Saunders the other day and was struck by a statement he made. He said something like–– we are leaven and the world is the lump. Rather than criticizing how horrible the world is, we need to feel the burden to be the leaven for the lump.

Ironically, today I was reading through Mike Cope’s blog for April 28 and found this particular thought, provoking:

I've seen lots of angry Christians on television in the past week. One late-night comedian said, "They're tired of being the persecuted majority, and they're not going to take it any longer!" The ironies are too great.
We can hardly understand the New Testament when we live with a "persecuted majority" complex where we're mad at people all the time.
As the church's influence continues to decline, some will just continue to be apoplectic. Others, perhaps, will return to founding documents like 1 Peter. There we're told to expect persecution -- especially since we follow one who was crucified. "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."
Peter encourages Christ-followers to be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in them -- but with GENTLENESS and RESPECT for those who aren't (yet) believers. He tells women who have unbelieving husbands that the key isn't to nag them into the kingdom but to live with beauty--the beauty of GENTLE spirits.
Right now many don't accept our status as "aliens and strangers" in this world.

My guess is that we're not (always) accepted as “aliens and strangers” in this world because we don’t (always) live like “aliens and strangers.”

May we be leaven for the lump, today!

BTW- Thank you for praying for my sister, Kim Merrill.

Scot,

I like this! I preached yesterday from Romans 1:5--"Through Christ, and for his sake, we have received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus." (The Message)

What I see our mission to be as church is this: Be a church who lives for the sake of the world, longing for its redemption, striving for its peace, and living by the grace of Jesus Christ and the obedience to God we are to model as a congregation of His people. If that is our mission, then we are going to have a perspective that lives for the sake of the world, not live in spite of it or seek to remove ourselves from it. Salt, light, and leaven (though alien) is very subversive and engaging.

Thanks for sharing.

Pepperdine Bound

My two months of traveling adventures continue as tomorrow Leanne and I head to the Pepperdine Lectures for the week. This is a wonderful event filled with inspiring worship, thought-provoking classes, and great preaching. Not mention the sun, sand, and climate of Malibu.....Oh well someone has to go. Here am I send me!

If I get the chance I'll share some thoughts as the week progresses.

Have a great week everybody!

BTW, keep praying for Scot's sister and family. Last week a couple of cancerous lesions were discovered on Kim's brain. Let's keep them close in prayer.