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We All Hate Hypocrisy...Do We Hate It In Us?

2012-01-26T15:37:00.004-06:00

    About a dozen years ago, a pastor-friend of mine made a dream hire. He was able to convince a young man to join him in a small town in Wisconsin as his assistant pastor. This young man had everything going for him on his resume. He had glowing references, a near 4.0 gpa from arguably the most respected Bible college (Moody) and seminary (Trinity) in the country. During his Moody years, he was so well thought of by his peers that he was elected student body president. In Seminary, he received multiple and prestigious awards. My friend hired him part time while he was still in seminary, and then full time after he graduated. I was happy for my friend and wondered how he was able to snag him.
   By all accounts, he was a hit in the church. He led worship, preached regularly, and in youth ministry was loved by both the students and their parents. He had a winsome personality and a great sense of humor. My friend trusted him completely. While visiting their church as a guest speaker, I told him (in front of my friend) that when he decided to look around, to call me. At the time was being courted by a nearby church of over 1,000 attendees to be the next senior pastor. I’m really glad that never happened, but I so feel for my friend.
   After serving together for 7 years, my friend was shocked when he learned this youth pastor had been having a four year affair with a girl in the youth group, beginning when she fifteen. This man was married and by this time, had six kids! The police were called (and rightly so), there was a criminal trial, headlines for months (in a small town), and you can imagine the damage to the cause of Christ! The guy was put in prison and just got out a couple of months ago.
   My friend called this last week. Another revelation in this guy’s past and now the headlines in this small town is that he’s been accused of, arrested for, and has confessed to also molesting two infant girls. Of course, he’s still being identified as the former youth pastor at my friend’s church. I’m heartbroken for all victimized, Jesus included (Matthew 25:40).
   How can this be? How can a guy who purported such a religious pedigree and spiritual demeanor stoop to such levels and cause so much damage?
   I guess, for starters, we have to admit that while we think we may be good at discerning hearts, we really can’t see what’s inside a person. Only God can do that. We get fooled all the time. I don’t know how often I hear it said about someone after an atrocious deed, “She seemed like such a good person, and so genuine.” But that’s something we just cannot know. Only God sees the heart. “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives” (Jeremiah 17:9, 10, NLT). This youth pastor looked and sounded so good on the outside...not so with his heart.
   But there’s something else in this for us. We have to constantly check our own hearts. Sometimes hearing stories like this cause us to feel better about ourselves because we haven’t done something that bad. But beware! Paul warned the Corinthians, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin” (1 Corinthians 10:12, NLT). You may not be prone to the exact sins others are, but we are all made of the same stuff, suffer the same depravity, and who knows what we may be capable of given the wrong circumstances.
   This is what David was getting to when he wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you” (Psalms 139:23, 24, NLT). He knew, and probably taught his son, Solomon, the principle he recorded in his wisdom writings, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV). Jesus taught this principle as well, that our lives, our words, actions and choices, all flow from our hearts.
   I’ve always said, “There’s a little bit of hypocrisy in all of us.” Why do you think Jesus gave such strong words regarding hypocrisy. Those warnings were not just recorded for the Pharisees of the first century. That's for us to pay attention to as well. We all do and say things periodically that contradict our professed belief system. But that’s an indicator of where our hearts are. And another good reason to constantly look to the Lord to search our hearts and reveal those discrepancies, so that we can get back in harmony with our Creator and Savior.
   “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV).

Jesus, Religion, and YouTube

2012-01-19T15:38:00.002-06:00

    The internet is a crazy thing. Do you pay attention to YouTube videos that take off? “Viral” they call it, when an amateur posts a video and it receives over a million views. Some videos that have gone viral have been “interesting” to say the least. From cute things that kids do, to spy videos of people fighting, crazy accidents, and funny animal stunts, viral videos run the gamut.
    But the latest one is the talk of the month. Jeff Bethke is a talented 22 year old amateur poet/rap musician. He’s been a follower of Jesus for about four years but grew up in a Christian church, pretending. Religion was a turn-off for him because he saw so much hypocrisy, and worse yet, got away with practicing it himself. Then he came to Christ.
    Many of us have had that experience. And so we wind up creating a dichotomy of Christ and religion (you’ve heard me say things like that––i.e. “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.”) In my experience, I was turned off by the empty religion I saw in church growing up, but then was overwhelmed by the genuine faith I saw in the church that drew me to Christ, that I gained both a love for the church and a hatred for empty religion.
    So Bethke posted this rap song, entitled, “Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus.” And talk about going viral. Over 100,000 views the first day! Now, in a week’s time, over 15,000,000 views! It is filled with a lot of really good observations and it hits empty religion, HARD! Trouble is, he not only blasted empty religion, he bashed all religion, saying Jesus and religion are on the opposite spectrum.
    Someone sent me the link the first day it was out…still under a million views. I responded, “Ya, I see where he’s coming from, but what do we do with James 1:27?
    You see the Bible doesn’t bash religion. Jesus attacked EMPTY religion. Religion, in and of itself, is a belief and practice that holds someone or something sacred. Without Jesus, and without grace, that almost always leads to lots of silly rules, animosity against those who hold different things sacred than you, judgmentalism, and lots of other things that Jesus openly condemned. But when Christ is the object of our worship and we have a full understanding of grace, our religious practices come out in a God-honoring way. Listen to Jesus’ half brother James: “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (James 1:27 NLT). So according to the Bible, it’s not religion that is to be hated, it’s the misuse of it.
    I know that Bethke was talking about empty religion in his rap. And I appreciate his criticism when we understand where it was directed. My concern is that words have meaning. And in the poem, it almost sounds like there is nothing good about church or church people. I don’t think he meant it that way, I think he is a good, honest, and godly young man, who wanted to identify with the millions of people who are kept from Christ because of hypocrisy they see among religious people, and I commend him for that. I’m hoping and praying that that is the affect of those 15 million views (and counting) and that many will seek out Jesus and His Gospel of Grace because of it.

How Will You Respond?

2012-01-12T10:09:00.008-06:00

Things are pretty tense in Korea right now. Since the death of North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong Il a few weeks ago, and his son, Kim Jong-un (in his late 20s), assuming the role of supreme commander, South Korea is understandably concerned about the near future. There has never been a peace treaty agreement between North and South Korea since the Korean War in the early 50s, and North Korea has amassed over a million soldiers along the demilitarization zone.
My two sons and I visited Korea

three years ago and made the short trek north to the demilitarization border at the furthest point civilians were allowed (Dorasan Station). I was surprised how, at that time, South Koreans were nervous of the real possibility of an imminent invasion being threatened by their one-time countryman. They were already then convinced that war could break out at any time. Now, with a new dictator in place, a young man with whom they have little familiarity, they are concerned all the more. And they are getting prepared.
    Training for special forces along the border is so intense that they are conducting exercises shirtless in the bitter cold winter, wanting to be ready for anything. Commander Choi Ik-bong of the special forces said, “Our members are holding this drill to be able to survive in the enemy's camp, overcome freezing cold weather––20 degrees below zero in the mountain area––without any help from our army. They train as if it is a real battle and they will fight in a battle as if it's a kind of training.”
    The best preparation for any battle, whether it be military, athletics, or more importantly, spiritual, is to practice real situations before they are encountered, so that the your response is automatic. It’s far better to think through how you will handle something, and practice handling it that way over and over (even if in your mind), so that in the heat of battle, you don’t have to think about it, you just do what you had decided ahead of time to do, automatically.
    Many of us gave into peer pressure when we were teenagers because we found ourselves on the spot, not sure how we should respond. Linda and I used to ask our older two kids, and now our one teenager at home, what they will do in certain circumstances. It’s good to run young people through hypothetical situations before they face real challenges, so that they immediately know what they should do. Being "battle ready" means knowing how you are going to respond.
    Daniel did that. He was a young man who faced incredible temptation while being surrounded by intense peer pressure. But when facing it, he didn’t have to think about what he was going to do. He had already made up his mind. Daniel 1:8 says, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…”
    The South Koreans are readying themselves because they know an attack is imminent. Sure, it may never come, but how foolish would they be if they were caught unprepared, knowing the possible danger they are in?
    For us, we don’t need to think about, “What if the attack never comes?” We know it will, there is no doubt. Temptations, spiritual attacks, pressure from the world, our own fleshly desires, and the evil one, are constantly threatening. Are you prepared? Are you in the Word? Are you spending committed time alone with the Lord? Have you made up your mind ahead of time how you will respond?
    I’m not advocating rolling around in the snow with your shirt off. (And I’m not going to do that either.) But be prepared. Your adversary, the devil, is real, he is out there, and he is attacking. Don’t let him catch you off guard!

How About This Carrot?

2012-01-05T13:22:00.003-06:00

    Sixteen years ago, Lena Paahlsson, of central Sweden, lost her wedding ring. All wives become distressed when their wedding ring is missing (at least those who are happily married). For Lena, this was of special concern since she had designed the ring and had it custom made. It was a beautiful white gold band with with seven diamond studs embedded.
   She had taken the ring off in her kitchen while baking Christmas cookies, and it disappeared. All garbages were searched. The plumbing was taken apart. They even redid their floors in hopes of finding it in the floorboards. But all to no avail, all hope was lost.
   Late last summer, while harvesting carrots in the garden, she saw something encircling a carrot she pulled out of the ground, something glimmering. Believe it or not, it was her lost wedding ring! Here it was, out in the garden, brought to the surface by a carrot!
   Lena and Ola believe the ring had gotten mixed in with compost that was taken out to feed the pigs (the garden is now in what had been the pigs feeding area). The pigs went through the food, but had no interest in gold and diamonds. It lay in the soil for sixteen years until miraculously found by the original designer and owner.
   You may feel a little like that ring. It was mixed in with garbage and thrown out to the pigs. Maybe you feel that way. But the ring didn’t stay in the dirt. Today it is cleaned, re-sized, and proudly displayed by Lena as a symbol of her marriage.
   God does some amazing things to rescue His treasures, and you are one of His treasures. He doesn’t want you wallowing in pigs’ compost, or relaxing in a garden, for that matter. He wants you fulfilling the purpose He designed and created you to fulfill. He wants to display you as one of His treasured works of art.
   I guess you could say that the cross is your carrot. Jesus said He came to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). That means you. Trust Him with your life. He can shine you up and make you sparkle…and better yet, useful to His enjoyment and your good!

Time for a Restart?

2011-12-29T15:35:00.001-06:00

    Sometimes we start over on a project because we want to….unsatisfied with the way it is going. Other times we start over because we have to...like when we forget to save a document and the computer freezes. Sometimes we should start over but don’t.
    Timanthes was an aspiring Greek artist in the Roman era. While studying under a well respected tutor, he was nearing completion of a major painting when upon arriving in the morning, he found the canvas blotted out with paint. Enraged, he confronted his teacher who admitted destroying his work. He said, “You were spending so much time admiring what you had done that you were no longer improving. This was a great painting for some, but not for you. You can do much better.”
    Timanthes went to work, energized with his anger. But his mentor was right. The new and improved product became one of the best known works of antiquity, “Sacrifice of Iphigenia.” Thanks to a little known art teacher who insisted that his student start over.
    This time of year, we think a lot about the past and the future. The networks carry programs reviewing highlights and low points of the previous year. People talk about resolutions and goals.
    But for some, this could be an opportunity for a restart.
    I’m not advocating quitting your job, marriage, ditching your kids, or nothing of the sort. But you can have a new marriage, new kids, new job, etc., by restarting yourself. Restart with the kind of husband/wife you are, relearn your parenting, rebrand your reputation at work…. The best restarts are taking fresh looks at ourselves and approaching our existing circumstances from a new perspective, renewed insight, reinvigorated energy, and maybe most importantly, a readjusted attitude.
    I’m not talking about turning over a new leaf. The trouble there is that the bottom side of the leaf is not better than the top. I’m talking about approaching every aspect of our lives from God’s perspective, doing things His way, looking for and listening to His counsel, and trusting Him enough to follow it. As Paul put it, “taking off the old and putting on the new” (Eph. 4:22-24).
    See yourself in a different way. If you have put on Christ, you are no longer an addict, you are a child of God. You are no longer a nagging wife, you are a representative of Jesus to your family. You are no longer the negative critic at work, you are a servant of the Lord.
    Maybe 2012 could be the year of change for you. Is it time for a restart?
    “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

What Is Christmas Magic?

2011-12-21T15:09:00.003-06:00

    We all have Christmas memories. Mine are probably as varied as yours. Lots of happy ones, and some lonely ones.
    One year while in college, I did not have a home to go back to. I stayed in one of the dorms my college made available for overseas students during Christmas break. While lots of friends invited me to join their families, I decided to work as many hours as I could and declined the invitations. One of the jobs I had was working as a night watchman for a factory located in a nearby small town. I put in for a twelve hour shift from Christmas Eve through Christmas morning to get the overtime pay, and not surprisingly, got it. I thought it might also help take my mind off of it, being Christmas and the fact that I was alone.
    That night, while making my hourly rounds, I had to walk an outdoor stretch where the plant bordered a neighborhood. I’ll never forget seeing through one of the house windows, a mom and dad making their way down the stairway loaded with gifts in their arms to sneak under the tree. I smiled, and remembered the excitement I felt as a child on Christmas morning. I thought about how when I was young, I’d be getting up soon (we were always awake before dawn on that morning!).
    Excitement was in the air, at least for a few hours between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But I’m not sure it was a good excitement. The delight I felt was pretty self-centered. I was thinking about what Santa Claus was bringing me. I was eager to find out what I was getting, I wasn’t even all that interested in what my siblings were getting. It was all about me.
    I’m afraid that while the Christmas story is the greatest example of selfless love, it conjures what is often described as a magical feeling, but is based on a lot of selfishness. Maybe we adults have grown out of that and it is fun for us to give to our kids, and one another. But I’m afraid we tend to teach our children a faulty message regarding the joy of Christmas. How many of them are as excited about Jesus’ birth as they are about Santa Claus?
    I’m not trying to pick on Santa. If you want my opinion on this legend and whether or not we should pass it on to our kids check out my blog from November 29, 2009. I just want to encourage you to focus on Jesus. Find some creative things to involve your kids in serving others. Of course, give them gifts, but teach them to be happy for their siblings in what they receive, and through it all, to be a blessing to others. Also, to take the time to tell all of the wonderful stories of Christmas found in Matthew and Luke’s accounts. Let’s raise our kids to be more excited about giving then about getting, and especially the meaning of God’s precious gift, His Son Jesus!
    Isn’t that what Jesus taught? (Acts 20:35)

Seventy Years Ago Today

2011-12-07T10:21:00.003-06:00

    Seventy years ago this morning, as I am writing this, the United States was thrust into world power status via a surprise attack that almost devastated her Navy. It was a horrible day. Thousands lost their lives. Many thousands more lost their loved ones. With untold millions of dollars worth of equipment, buildings, ships and airplanes destroyed, especially at the tail end of The Great Depression, the attacking nation had hoped the US military would be relegated to a minor threat to their expansion plans.
    Instead, America emerged as a world power.
    I know that there are crazy web sites out their propagandizing loony conspiracy theory claims that Roosevelt knew the attack was coming and kept it quiet in order to get us into the war. But the truth is, it was a complete and total surprise. Should we have known? Maybe. Were there indicators? Some. But let’s give these intelligence collectors some space. It’s not easy sifting through, filtering and categorizing reports in such a way that a pattern emerges clear enough to predict what an enemy might be doing. This was a surprise attack. It was somewhat successful. But in the end, it brought about Japan’s (and Germany’s) downfall. It energized America’s resolve for self-preservation and justice. The entire nation came together and soundly defeated evil attempts at world domination.
    Before Pearl Harbor, we were a militarily isolated and economically depressed nation. Four years later, we emerged as the strongest and wealthiest nation on the planet, by far. For decades to come, the world looked to the United States for protection and economic leadership.
    Surprise attacks are inevitable. By saying that, you would think they would not be surprises. But they are. We know they are out there and that attacks will come, but we never know when, where or how. Since they always occur when we “least expect it”, you’d think during those times we expect it least, we would be on guard. But then, that wouldn’t be a time we would least expect it anymore.
    Surprise attacks against us spiritually are also inevitable. Peter warned us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV). So while we do not know just when, where, and exactly how, we can be prepared. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, The Apostle Paul reminds the readers that we are aware of the schemes of the devil, and he warns them to therefore not be “outwitted” by him. In Ephesians 6, he tells us how we can be prepared, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11 ESV). He then went on to describe that armor, as being our assurance of salvation, knowing and using God’s Word, growing in faith, staying mindful of what is true and resisting lies, sharing the Gospel with others, and with it all, praying constantly. In doing so, surprise attacks will still come, but they need not blindside us. We know Satan is out there, and we can be more than adequately prepared for inevitable war, if we are walking with God!
    Just like the end result of Pearl Harbor, those attacks from Satan can ultimately lead to our greatest victories and strengthen us as the citizens of heaven. Maybe that’s why James said, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various [temptations]” (James 1:2 HCSB).

Are The Side Effects Worth the Cure?

2011-11-30T14:56:00.001-06:00

I read a spoof article today, announcing a new drug that is supposedly now on the market, promising a cure for the common cold. Within 6 hours, all cold symptoms will be gone and the underlying virus will be eradicated. A spokesperson for the company was quoted as saying, “We’re excited and happy to do the public some good.” But then the article went on to explain that as with all medications, there are some side effects. Here are some associated with this new miracle drug:

Head and body hair self-igniting
Vomiting while sleeping
Toe-nails, finger-nails, and skin falling off
Urge to throw boss out the window
Inability to determine left from right
Craving for fried guinea pig

    But the article closes with, “But your cold will be gone!”
    Hahahaha! Sometimes the trade-off is not worth it. Yes, you can manipulate situations and often ultimately get the things you are sure you must have. But will it be worth it?
    Will having a husband or wife be worthwhile if you have to ignore Scripture and marry a non-Christian to get one? Not five years down the road! Will overseeing a thriving business be all that great if you have to sacrifice principles, or your family, in order to make it happen? Will having an academic scholarship really be worthwhile if you have to compromise your integrity and cheat on a few tests in order to get those grades?
    Maybe the side effects of some of these manipulations should be published. If they were, what would they be?

Inability to sleep
Weighted down with guilt
Kids who have nothing to do with you
Struggle to look people in the eye
Loss of ability to determine right from wrong
Forfeiture of reputation

    We could name many more.
    Temptation is like the above spoof. It always promises something good. But when you get whatever that good is, you’ll wish you were dead!
    It just isn’t worth it. God knows best. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows what will bring you up and what will bring you down. Doing things His way will always be better. Manipulating situations and doing things outside of God’s boundaries will always hurt us in the end. And the side effects of following His principles are even better than the end result!
    Do it God’s way!

Water Is Poison?

2011-11-23T15:46:00.001-06:00

    A middle school student in Idaho won first prize in a project he did for his school’s science fair. He wanted to show how conditioned Americans have become to accept junk science without thinking through published studies or their conclusions. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen monoxide."
    Before asking them to sign the petition, he showed them the dangers associated with this chemical. They are broad and apparently threatening:
        • It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
        • It is a major component in acid rain
        • It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
        • Inhalation can kill you
        • It contributes to erosion
        • Decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
        • It has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients
    The student asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical. Forty-three (43) said yes, six (6) were undecided, and only one (1) knew that the chemical was water.
    When you think about it, the inherent dangers of water can put a lot of things in perspective. Not only is water a good thing, it is necessary for life! But just like all good things, there are risks, downsides, and negative associations with just about anything in life. It’s what you do with water that matters. How we use what we have been given and how we respond to circumstances we face is far more important than what those circumstances are at face value. A destructive experience for one person is the catalyst for success for another.
    Two fathers in the same town with similar families and life circumstances faced a similar trial. Both received word from a mutual friend that their junior high boys were involved in some mild illegal activity (if there is such a thing). How the two fathers responded made a lasting difference.
    The first father saw the crisis as an opportunity to make changes in his own schedule choices to give his son more time, and to become more involved in his life, talking regularly about his values and the things in life that are important. The other father blew his top, grounded him for an indefinite period of time, and made sure the kid knew he might never be forgiven. The first father grew closer to his son, who entered adulthood as a mature young man, eager to contribute to society. The other father became alienated from his son, who grew up struggling with addictions, has moved from job to job, and broken relationship to broken relationship. They both started their families with similar beliefs and values. They faced similar crises, but how they responded to the crisis and communicated those values made the difference.
    Water is a very good thing….a necessary thing. So is adversity, success, friendship, material resources, and many other things we have in life. How you do in life is not based on what you’ve been given; it's what you do with what you’ve been given that matters!

Who's Flying the Plane?

2011-11-17T16:05:00.005-06:00

    I fly fairly often and I enjoy it. But there have been those moments while sitting in that chair 30,000 feet in the air, streaking across the sky in excess of 500 mph, when I’ve thought to myself, “I hope this guy got As in his aviation classes.”
    We tend to just trust the guy in the pilot seat. And we should. These guys (and gals) have a huge amount of training and have passed multiple exams, as well as hundreds of hours of flight time before they even make it to co-pilot. They are all really good pilots. But still, have you ever wondered if a “C” student slipped through, and he’s the guy flying your plane?
    I couldn’t believe what happened last week. A pilot on board a regional Delta flight en route to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, had to use the rest room shortly before landing. That’s understandable; they do it all the time while in flight.
    He followed protocol and alerted the flight attendant (small regional jets often have only one) to sit in his place in the cockpit while he stepped out (FAA requires two in the cockpit at all times for obvious reasons). The pilot went to the very back of the plane where it’s only bathroom was located. When he finished, he tried to open the door, only to discover the latch had broken and he couldn’t get out. He worked it for several minutes and even tried to put his shoulder against the door, to no avail. He was stuck inside and the plane was already in a holding pattern waiting for him to return to land it. So he started pounding on the door.
    A nearby passenger heard the pounding and came to his aid, calling through the door asking what he could do to help. The pilot instructed the man to alert his co-pilot in the cockpit of his predicament. Well, this helpful passenger happened to be middle eastern with a thick accent. You can imagine what the co-pilot was thinking as a man with a thick middle-eastern accent began pounding on the high security cockpit door, shouting something that was difficult to understand, after the pilot had been gone for an inordinate amount of time for a simple bathroom break.
    The co-pilot radioed the FAA, which in turn ordered the co-pilot to bring the plane in immediately, despite the pilot’s whereabouts being in question. The FAA also alerted the Air Force to begin the procedure for scrambling fighter jets.
    Just then, the pilot heaved himself against the bathroom door with all his might, breaking it open. (Imagine what all this looked like to the passengers!) After explaining the ordeal through the cockpit door to the co-pilot, he opened the door and let him back inside and the pilot climbed back into his chair to land the plane (at an airport that had been cleared due to a perceived security emergency to be brought down by the co-pilot with the help of a scared-to-death flight attendant!
    Close call; but all’s well that ends well.
    My question for you is, who’s flying your plane?
    You see, God never needs to use the rest room. He is more qualified to direct your life than any airline pilot is to fly a jet airliner. But when you try to take over yourself, you are more like the flight attendant sitting in a seat facing dozens of sophisticated instruments and control equipment. It might be exciting, but it isn’t very safe!
    Maybe its time you let Him fly the plane. He’ll not only bring you to a safe landing at the end of life’s journey, He’ll make the whole trip a lot more worthwhile!

Sorry, Boss

2011-11-10T08:30:00.006-06:00

    As a young man starting in ministry and working a secular job at the same time, I made a mistake in my work and said, “Sorry boss, that was my bad. It won’t happen again.” To my surprise he responded, “Don’t apologize. In business, you’re viewed as weak when you admit you’re wrong. Just move on and correct your mistakes, but don’t apologize.”
    Wow! I was pretty surprised. This business owner was a Christian, yet he told me that I shouldn’t apologize when wrong. I have since learned that it is a common philosophy in the cut-throat world of business to never apologize, but instead to shirk responsibility for blame. I knew it wasn’t a correct way to think and wasn’t about to adopt the philosophy. Years later, I became close friends with a very successful business owner and was struck with how quick he was to take responsibility for himself and apologize whenever needed. So which is the better way to go?
    A few years ago I came across an interesting book by John Kador on the subject, Effective Apology: Mending Fences, Building Bridges, and Restoring Trust. In his book Kador says, “Executives who are willing to say, 'I'm sorry' earn more than executives who would never apologize." And, "The stock prices of companies with CEOs who accept accountability are higher than those of companies run by CEOs who don't." He went on to say that people in business who apologize appropriately last longer in their companies, and are more quickly hired when in the hunt, because they have longer lasting trust relationships with peers in their field.
    That all makes sense to me. I have more respect for those who take responsibility for their words and actions and are willing to humble themselves and admit it when they are wrong. I also trust those who are willing to offer a genuine apology.
    But I’m not so interested in what makes sense in business. I’ve seen too many important relationships splintered because of the pride and stubbornness that causes us to refuse to apologize. I’m talking about broken marriages, injured parent-child relationships and fractured churches. But what matters most is that the Bible tells us we are to be quick to apologize. In last week’s blog, I pointed out what Jesus had to say about leaving the gift at the altar and going to the offended brother to make things right. James said this, “Confess your sins to one another” (James 5:16).
    So when you are wrong, it’s important to admit it. Let me give you a couple of helps in how to apologize.

Be honest. Don’t make false confessions to gloss over a conflict and thereby make for short-term peace. If you did something wrong, admit it, but don’t make up an apology. That’s hypocrisy.
Be sincere. Never use words like, “If I offended you….” When apologizing, using the word “if” is an automatic eye roller. Every one knows you’re still shirking responsibility. Again, if you did something wrong, say so. “I was wrong. Will you forgive me?”
Watch your tone. If you apologize with an attitude, again, it’s obvious to those who hear you that you are not sincere. Get rid of the sarcasm, humble yourself, and let your humility come through.
Take full responsibility. It may be that the person you offended is equally wrong. But that is not your responsibility. By using the word “but” (as many will do– "I shouldn’t have ______ BUT I did because you______”), you are in a sense redirecting the blame to the person you are supposedly apologizing to. Just admit to what you did wrong, and apologize.
Be committed to change, and say so. It helps to talk a little about what you have learned or what you would do next time. Then, take the necessary steps to make those changes.
Finally, let it go. There are few things more annoying than hearing a person apologize over and over for the same thing. Whether or not they forgive you is up to them. If you’ve taken full responsibility for your actions, let it go and move on.

You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to sin and offend other people. We all do. But when we do, nothing heals, mends fences and builds bridges like a heartfelt apology and expression of love and concern for the person offended. Don’t let pride get in the way. Just say you’re sorry!

Hypocrisy and Forgiveness

2011-11-03T16:20:00.001-05:00

    I went into the bank the other day and was struck by the vault being left wide open and unattended, while I was filling out a deposit slip with a pen that was chained to the counter. Does that seem ironic to you? I’m guilty of those little hypocritical gestures….such as ordering a burger, fries, and then a DIET Coke–hahaha. A friend of mine used to leave his new $30,000+ car in the driveway, because his $1,000 camper was taking up the garage space. I could go on and on with things that we do that contradict other things we do. Sometimes it’s funny. Sometimes it’s not.
    Like the guy who said he was a Christian and told a church friend, “I will never forgive you for that.”
    Jesus’ harshest words addressed these very things. I don’t know that he would have taken issue with the diet coke and hamburger thing, but when it came to our relationship with him and how it relates to others, he pretty much said, “Live what you say you believe!” “If you’ve been forgiven, you’ll be eager to forgive.”
    Are you?
    John wrote, “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:9–11 ESV). The word for hate is a Greek word that means to disregard, slight, resent. In other words, you can’t be walking with the Lord and at the same time have resentment towards another Christian.
    I know, there’s a bit of hypocrisy in all of us. None of us can claim absolute consistency. But this is pretty serious. Jesus compared religious hypocrites to tombs that were whitewashed on the outside but filled with decaying corpses on the inside. He told his followers to not bother offering sacrifices at the temple (their acts of worship) until you resolve issues between yourself and your brothers and sisters. How we are with each other is a big deal to Him!
    I thought of this the other day seeing Bible verses and spiritual proclamations posted on Facebook by someone I know has ongoing resentment towards other believers. The epitome of Christian faith is based on our entering into God’s forgiveness, and thereby passing it on to others. John was pretty straightforward: we’re not in fellowship with God if we are out of fellowship with His other children.
    I’ll probably keep ordering a diet coke to wash down my greasy burger and fries. But I pray to  the Lord that I do not blaspheme his forgiveness with an unwillingness to pass it on to others, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ.
    Have you been forgiven? How apparent is that?

Pastor Appreciation

2011-10-26T16:23:00.001-05:00

    I appreciate what the Christian radio stations are trying to do. After all, you’re not going to hear “Pastor Appreciation Month” being promoted in church! So the Christian radio stations do their best this one month out of the year to encourage church members to express appreciation to their pastors. And I want to thank all four of you that I’ve heard from. Hahaha -- I’M KIDDING!
    In all honesty, most of us pastors are not crazy about Pastor Appreciation Month. Not that we don’t want to be appreciated. It’s just that it feels forced...and a bit awkward for us. It is a bit like someone coming up to you and reminding you that your wife’s birthday is in a couple of days and encouraging you to get her something, when she is standing right next to you. We feel a bit like the wife standing there hearing all this, and then receiving the card and gift a couple of days after.
    If you already bought the card, go ahead and send it :-). But, I have a couple of requests. Here’s what I, and other pastors on staff would like most:

Please pray for me and my family every day. Pray for God’s power on my/our ministry. Pray that we be bold, loving and faithful in serving Him and you. Pray that God keeps us on the straight and narrow, and that our lives and families would be examples to the church and community.
Stop gossip, criticism and backbiting (at home and church). I’m not just talking about us (though we’d really like it if you didn’t gossip about us), I’m talking about negative talk about anyone in the church. You know how it bothers you to hear your kids argue, complain, or dis each other. We feel that way when we see church members doing the same. You have the power to do as Barney Fife so famously put it, “Nip it in the bud!”
Sit in the front rows. Hahaha! I know that’s a tough one! But honestly, not only do you give me the impression that you are genuinely interested in what is going on, you send that message to visitors as well, when the front is filled in. Inversely, you send the opposite message when you fill the auditorium from the back to the front. Please? For me...just this one month?
Laugh at my jokes. Ok, now I’ve gone too far. I get it. I need to tell jokes that are actually funny in order to get laughter.
Support us. We won’t always be right. We have a lot of weaknesses and have lots of room for improvement. But whether or not you think we are making a mistake, we are responsible to God (and not really to you) for those decisions. You won’t have to answer to the Lord for decisions we are responsible for making. But you will answer to the Lord as to whether or not you support us with a cheerful attitude. We sincerely work and pray for God’s power and guidance in leading this church to effectively accomplish our mission. Whether or not you support us has no bearing on our decision-making–that is wholly dependent on God’s Word and the guidance of His Spirit. But knowing you are with us, makes it a lot more enjoyable. 
That’s exactly what the author of Hebrews said, “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you” (Hebrews 13:17 NIV).

So thanks for the gift cards, the encouraging notes, and the other special things you have done for us this month. But more than any of that, we thank you for your support. It’s a privilege to serve God by serving you. I’m really glad to be at The Bridge. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! (Except, maybe Maui––hahaha.)

Burning in Hot Laver

2011-10-20T13:12:00.002-05:00

    I have a cute video from when our kids were young, that I ran across the other day. I’m not sure how old Junior was but he was explaining to me how he had had to jump from furniture to furniture without touching the floor because it was “hot laver.” I tried to correct him, “You mean hot lava?” But he would have none of it. He knew the word. So he corrected me and slowly mouthed the words, “hot l-a-v-e-r”, thinking I didn’t really know. I tried to explain to him that the word was actually “lava” but it didn’t sink in. He jumped from the couch to the chair to avoid burning up in the hot laver.
    Sometimes we just have our minds made up and refuse to be confused with the facts. I’m guilty of it as well. Now that Junior is grown, I still try to correct him. Earlier today while we argued about the identity of someone in a recent event, he said, “Look up the news story on the internet.” I did to prove I was right. I wasn’t; he was. Bummer!
    While many of these stories can be humorous and I know there is a certain amount of stubbornness in all of us, as a pastor, I have been grieved time and again when trying to help, correct or warn one of the sheep, only to encounter that same stiffened neck and unwillingness to receive correction. In those situations, there almost always is a lot more at stake….and I am never happy about being right in the end.
    In the Book of Proverbs, the major theme is differentiating the wise man from the foolish man. In essence, that is the difference. The wise man is teachable, eager to learn, willing to be admonished. The foolish man, on the other hand, has his stubborn mind made up, thinks he knows it all, and has too much pride to accept correction from anyone else.
    Which one are you?
    And that’s why, as parents, our first duty to our children, while they are still very young, is to establish authority and instill an eagerness to listen to Mom and Dad and learn from them. Children who are rarely corrected are apt to grow into adults who refuse to be corrected. Hence, we train them to be what Solomon warned us against: the fool.
    As I look back over my life so far, pivotal times were precipitated by key conversations with people who cared about me enough to offer correcting advice. I’m glad I began reading Proverbs early in my Christian life and knew enough about how God works to be open to the advice of those wiser than me, even when their words were painful to hear.
    What kind of important corrections have you been turning a deaf ear to? Are you the wise man and eager to have your thinking challenged? Or are you responding with what you are sure is right, “l-a-v-e-r”?

Steve Jobs and Me

2011-10-13T16:40:00.003-05:00

    I am surprised by how the death of Steve Jobs has affected me. Celebrities die all the time, and I am saddened with each death, especially when there is a question as to the person’s relationship with Christ. But hearing of Jobs’ death was different for me.
    I’ve been an Apple evangelist since before I knew anyone else who used their products. I bought my first Mac in 1985 (I know––before some of you were born and before most of you thought of using a computer!). I left for a brief stint while Jobs was away from Apple and their product line lost its luster, and at the same time Windows was introduced. Jobs returned to Apple and after being frustrated with all of the issues and crashes on my Windows based machine, I happily returned to Apple when Jobs introduced the first iMac. I’ve been back ever since.
    I’ve never met Steve Jobs, but I liked him. I watched his biannual Apple keynote addresses, read his biography, and grew concerned when he announced his struggle with cancer. More importantly for Apple, I, along with millions of others, trusted him. We knew that as long as he was in charge of the company, Apple would continue to put forth products made with excellence, that their mistakes would be corrected quickly, and Apple’s high price would be a good value. We trusted Apple because we trusted Steve Jobs.
    When he resigned as CEO of the company last August, Apple’s stock dropped. When he passed away last week, it dropped again. And there is a lot of speculation as to what the future will hold for Apple now that their leader is gone. Will there be the same drive for excellence? Will they continue to value simplicity in the midst of complexity? Will every product continue to be viewed as a work of art?
    I have to admit, I’m a bit concerned about the future of a company I’ve depended on for many years. But that’s not why Jobs’ death bothered me. As I think back, I was 24 and just starting in ministry when I unboxed that first Mac. I bought it to begin producing a ministry newsletter and to design and publish my own advertising materials at a time when doing so was very expensive (the Mac changed that). It was then that I began reading about this young man who had started the company in his garage with a college buddy (Steve Wozniak). As I was starting out in ministry, his courage and charisma were inspirational. And his innovations gave me tools to do far more than I could have without them. While I never knew him, he was kind of like a friend from afar.
    In my mind, Steve Jobs was always a young man. For any of us, losing a friend or a relative causes us to rethink life and death. For me, I know I’m prepared to die. But this has been a reminder to me that that day may come sooner than I think. In fact, I think for all of us, it will!
    I’ve spent the last several days reviewing my goals, making some adjustments, and reconsidering how I spend my days. Steve Jobs changed the world with his passion for bringing technology to the masses. But while ministries such as my own have benefited from his ingenuity, for the most part, the way he impacted the world will have only temporal benefit.
    I/we have so much to offer! We have so much more to be passionate about! There is so much more that we can accomplish!
    I guess you could say that Steve Jobs connected people with technology. Here at The Bridge, we get to connect people with God! Having stock in that mission will pay dividends for all eternity!

Road Rage

2011-10-04T17:01:00.000-05:00

    Maybe you are guilty of it. Most of us have gotten pretty angry at least once with some self-centered driver cutting off others and endangering everyone while trying to shave off 30 seconds or so of his or her commute. I’ve had to do a fair amount of confession myself after my angry reaction to roadway narcissists. But this guy down in Corbin, Kentucky takes first prize in my book. Not so much because of what he did, but look at the circumstances.
    Clyde White of Corbin, Ky., was charged with attempted murder this last August after police arrested him after a road-rage chase that reached speeds of over 100 mph. White, who had repeatedly rammed his two siblings in their vehicle, is 78 years old, and in that other vehicle were his brother, 82, and his sister, 83 (according to The Lexington Herald-Leader, 8-30-2011).
    I’m not sure what it was that got him so upset. Maybe it was just left-over sibling rivalry that they had never grown out of. But at 78 years old ramming your eighty something brother and sister while traveling a hundred miles an hour? Wow! There’s a lot of anger there! I wonder how the three of them are doing now. It’s pretty hard to repair a relationship after an incident like that…and they don’t have a lot of time left to do so. Pretty sad.
    Out of control anger gets us in more trouble than we care to admit. Some of you grew up in broken homes because one of your parents (or both) could not….or I should say, would not…control their anger. Some of you are divorced today because you let your anger get the best of you (and are still excusing it). Some of you have lost jobs, ended what could have been valuable friendships, and have injured your children for life, all because of anger. Oh, sure, but yours is justified. After all, they make you angry!
    Let’s be honest. No one can make anyone else angry. Anger, whether the volcanous (I think I made that word up) “blow-up” kind or the seething bitter “clam-up” kind, is almost always sourced in our own selfish demand to get our way, or at least to get others to see our way. And while leaving a trail of broken relationships, you shift the blame to others and defend your angry actions because you “have a right” to be mad!
    Good thing Jesus didn’t do that or we’d all be lost forever. Listen to what Paul said about the one who we claim to be our example:

“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross” (Philippians 2:3–8 HCSB).

    Meditating a little on that passage will put a quick end to your road rage. Better yet, it might save your marriage, your kids, your job and your friendships.

Do You Work Out?

2011-09-22T14:56:00.002-05:00

    Do you work out, run, lift weights, walk, bike, or otherwise get a good dose of exercise? I hope so! If you are not exercising regularly, starting and sticking with it will change your life! Mayo clinic recently put out a report on regular physical exercise, listing seven benefits (controls weight, combats health conditions and diseases, improves mood, promotes better sleep, puts the spark back into your sex life, and can be a lot of fun!)
    Paul says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and that they belong to God. That alone ought to tell us that we have a responsibility to take care of the temples He indwells. It’s a part of our worship. We do not honor him by letting such a wondrous part of His creation deteriorate without our care. Getting and staying physically fit is important. Paul did say, “….bodily exercise profits…” (1 Tim. 4:8 NKJV). There is value in exercise. But if you know that passage in 1 Timothy, you’ll see right away that I left out key components. In its entirety it says, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8 NKJV). I believe in physical exercise, which takes discipline. But far more importantly, I want to talk about spiritual exercise, or what we call, “spiritual disciplines.” In the verse just before this, Paul said to Timothy, “Exercise yourself (meaning to train or discipline) toward godliness.” Like physical fitness, spiritual fitness takes discipline and work. But the payoff is really worth it!
    Using Mayo Clinic’s benefits of physical exercise, let’s see how they compare to spiritual exercise.
    Exercise controls weight. A friend once said, “I don’t work out because if I did, I’d get more hungry, and then I’d wind up eating too much and gain weight!” Obviously, he was being sarcastic….poking fun at his own laziness. We all know that exercise burns calories, hence lessens physical weight. Spiritual disciplines (reading God’s Word, focused prayer, acts of love and service for others, corporate worship in the Body of Christ) does as well. There is something about spending concentrated time alone with God, as well as serving others selflessly, and worshipping God corporately, that lightens our load, alleviates our worries, and unburdens our thinking.
    Exercise combats health conditions and diseases. It builds the body’s immune system, as do spiritual disciplines, which gives us the weaponry to feign off temptation and the attacks of Satan.
    Exercise improves mood. When I am helping a depressed person, I immediately get them on a regimented sleep and eating schedule, and get the exercising daily. Exercising gets our juices flowing and elevates dopamine (the pleasure chemical in the brain) making us feel better. I can’t tell you how many times I have struggled emotionally and spiritually, knowing I needed to intense alone time with God. After getting away with Him for a while, I am always refreshed in every way!
    Exercise promotes better sleep. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is it just plain tires us out and gives our bodies the desire for sleep. But spiritual disciplines do more to give me a good night’s rest than anything else. I can wake up in the night with cares and worries just like everyone else. I learned a long time ago that the quickest way back to sleep is to pray! If it was God waking me up, He must want my attention, so I pray. If it’s the devil waking me up, He’s not too pleased with how I’m using my time so he lets me go back to sleep. Reading your Bible before bed, praying through a list of people you care about, as well as your own concerns, is like unloading the worries of your mind and giving them to God, allowing you to sleep in peace.
    Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life. Sorry, I’ve got nothing for this one! Hahaha!
    Finally, Mayo Clinic says that exercise is fun. You never think of discipline in any area to be fun, but it is. The happiest people I know are disciplined people. The most frequently depressed and miserable people I know, are slaves to their own feelings and passions. And essentially, that’s what discipline is, it’s overcoming our feelings and doing what we know we should do, instead of what we feel like doing. God has a way of delivering His peace and joy to those who discipline their lives to focus on Him and are following though with serving Him. In the end, spending time with God, obeying Him, and caring for others is the way to a fulfilled and happy life.
    Do you exercise? I hope so. But more importantly, I hope you exercise your spiritual life. Paul told Timothy it has benefits for today that last into eternity!

Are Your Habits Helping or Hurting?

2011-09-15T14:42:00.001-05:00

    In “Tale of Two Cities”, Charles Dickens tells the story of a physician who was imprisoned in a French penitentiary for twenty years. Unable to practice medicine, but wanting to keep himself useful and occupied, he took up the trade of shoe cobbler while incarcerated, making and fixing shoes for his fellow inmates. For twenty years, he could be heard working away in his cell late at night, tapping away, repairing the shoes of prisoners. Finally, during the French Revolution, he was set free to go home and return to medicine. But the doctor could not handle the change and his new freedom. Returning to his home, he had a servant build a room in his attic identical in size to his prison cell. In the years leading to his death, neighbors could hear him tapping away, making and repairing shoes late at night, never to return to medicine.
    The fact that we are creatures of habit is a good thing. It enables us to be far more productive, and to accomplish many more things than we otherwise could. If we had to think through everything we do daily, we would be hindered in so many ways. But the vast majority of things that we do, we do on autopilot. I’m not thinking at all about the locations of the keys on this keyboard as I am typing. If I had to think about where each letter was located and which finger I would use to type it, this blog would take me hours to finish. As it is, while thinking through some concepts and doing research for what I write, may take a fair amount of time, typing it takes only a few minutes. I’m typing by way of habit and muscle memory. It’s how most of our accomplishments in life come about. We do the busy work by habit, freeing our minds and creative processes to function efficiently.
    But habit can also become a curse. Addictions, habitual life dominating sins, angry reactions to others, etc., are a struggle for us to overcome because of that same tendency for repeated behaviors to become ingrained in our lives as habit. In this case, a man lost not only his years while in prison, but all the years afterward because he could not release himself from the twenty year prison mentality that developed in his mind. Pretty sad.
    Maybe that’s your struggle. The Bible declares that those who are in Christ have been released from the guilt and the reality of their past. Paul says that we are “dead to sin.” But we have trouble getting out of the routine of that old way of living. Changing habitual behavior is hard. Changing a habitual way of thinking is harder still. So in Romans, Paul told the believers to consider their old way of living to be dead, and their new way of living to be life. He said, “You also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions” (Romans 6:11–12).
    Having become followers of our Savior Jesus Christ, we are to consider our old ways of sin, those old nasty habits, to be dead, enabling the power of Jesus’ resurrection to give us a new way of thinking and behaving. You don’t have to be imprisoned any longer! You can become what God initially intended you to be! You’ve been freed! Now live the life of freedom.

What Do You Get Out of Church?

2011-09-01T10:32:00.001-05:00

    Yesterday was bill paying day. Isn’t that fun? Hahaha! Actually, with modern technology, I’ve taken a lot of the work out of it. I pay pretty much all of it online, and have as many automatic payments going out as possible. But Linda and I still sit down every two weeks and review our budget, look at the amounts of the checks going out (or auto-withdrawals) and make sure the payments are in line with the bills. While we’ve gone paperless and automatic, it still requires our regular attention. When we finished and I closed the budget spreadsheet, I was in a whiny mood. Who likes sending money out…paying bills?
   But then a thought came to me, as though it were a rebuke from the Lord. “Look at all you get for what you pay!” I have a warm house in the winter; a cool house in the summer. I have two reliable cars, also with heat and air, and I don’t have to feed them! We turn a knob and we get our choice of hot or cold water. We turn another knob and we have fire to cook our food over. We have a cupboard full of food, as well as a fridge full of perishable food that is kept from spoiling (and I never have to chop ice to make it work). We have clean clothes that wash relatively easily, and likewise with our clean dishes. We have access to the world through high speed internet, as well as with a crystal clear image on a television that beams images from around the world in real time.
   You know I could go on and on. The fact that we can take hot showers whenever we want is something we rarely give a grateful thought to, but also something few people in all of history have been able to enjoy. Thinking about these things, and consciously thanking God for the blessings that come from our bills, takes the sting out of paying them. When I remember, I take it a step further and pray for those who may be blessed or whose needs may be met, partially through the bills I am paying. All of a sudden, a distasteful task actually becomes enjoyable.
   Nothing worthwhile comes free. You pay bills because you have much to be thankful for! In fact, the level of satisfaction from any activity or enterprise is directly related to the level of sacrifice made on its behalf. Vince Lombardi said, “I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious.”
   This blog is not so much about paying bills, though I hope it helps your approach to that. But I want you to think about what you get out of church. I’ve heard so many people, leaving really good churches, saying things like, “Well, we just weren’t getting fed.” Sometimes they see me roll my eyes :-). If you have been a believer for any length of time, you shouldn’t be going to church to get fed, anyway! You should be going to feed others! If you’ve been a Christian for more than a couple of years, you will only get out of any church what you put into it. Long-term satisfaction in a church is like anything else, it comes by way of sacrifice. People who sacrificially serve others in their church, with genuine love, enjoy their churches. It may not make logical worldly sense, but those who are not paying attention to what they get out of something, but are more concerned about what they are giving, they get more out of it! This isn’t my principle, this is Jesus’ (Acts 20:35).
   You get what you pay for! How much are you getting out of church? The better question….what sacrifices are you making to serve others through your church? The answer to that question will determine the answer to the one before it.

Do Friendships Matter?

2011-08-04T13:52:00.005-05:00

    I enjoy reading. I’m usually in the middle of 2-3 books at a time. I tend to read a fiction or biography, a ministry or leadership related book, and some kind of a personal or devotional book, simultaneously. I’m currently reading a book about a gambling addict and how it destroyed his life and the lives of others (hence last week’s blog), a secular book on leadership and teamwork, a book on the church and global outreach, as well as rereading C.S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity.”
    I thought about this long-standing practice of mine (since college days) and how it gives me a sense of balance in my life. At no time am I “totally into” just one way of thinking or the opinion of one author. Reading a broad range of material keeps me thinking for myself, and keeps me balanced. (Though whether or not I am ever “in-balance” is up for debate ☺).
    I try to do that with friendships as well. Many years ago, someone suggested, “You should always have a Barnabas, a Silas, a Timothy, and a John Mark.”
    Barnabas was a mentor to Paul. He took him in when he first became a believer and taught him, introducing him to other Christian friends as well. Silas was a peer. While Paul was the leader of the ministry, he and Silas were on the same level spiritually and as friends. They enjoyed each other's company. Timothy was a disciple of Paul (Paul was Timothy’s mentor as Barnabas had been to him). Paul encouraged Timothy, taught him, and told him to follow his example. Then there was John Mark. He was a project. He frustrated Paul (caused division between he and Barnabas) and waffled between giving him grief and showing him promise. In the end, Mark came around for Paul, but in the early days, Paul was pretty frustrated with him, but he never gave up, altogether.
    We all need that kind of balance in our friendships.
    Do you have a Barnabas? Do you have a mentor, someone you look up to as a committed Christian who is an example to you? Do you have someone in your life who is “ahead of you," so to speak, who can give you good Biblical advice for your marriage, raising kids, job, etc., and maybe confront you when you need a loving rebuke?
    Do you have a Silas? A good friend with whom you just enjoy hanging around with, and someone who is positive peer pressure, who loves God in the way you do, encouraging you in your walk with Christ?
    How about a Timothy? Do you have a younger Christian or maybe a seeker whom you are intentionally leading by example, as well as words. Nothing helps us grow more rapidly than our helping others to grow.
    What about a John Mark? We all need a project or two (NOT more than that!) of those who might be frustrating and inconsistent, sometimes resistant, but someone we can invest in and bring to Christ or help grow. The difference between Timothys and Marks are in their response. Timothys are a joy! They listen, learn, and consistently grow. Marks are frustrating. They go up and down, back and forth. But they need us more than Timothys do, and both help us in our spiritual growth, giving us an opportunity to be like Jesus.
    If you have all Barnabases and Silases, you aren’t serving people and will accomplish little with your life. But if you have all Timothys and Marks, you’ll burn out and get discouraged. You need a good balance of all four.
    I don’t think it's healthy to have too many friends or too few. What we need is a good balance of the right kinds of friends. That has to be done on purpose. I’d encourage you to determine who you will invest time in, and make it a healthy balance among those who feed you, and those you are feeding. It’ll make all of your relationships a lot more meaningful!

Whose Money Are You Gambling?

2011-07-28T13:51:00.004-05:00

    If you live in the northwest suburbs, you know that the eagerly sought after and long awaited Des Plaines River Casino is now open. There is a lot of excitement surrounding it, new jobs are available (for the benefit of some in our church), new business in the community is promised, and both casual and serious gamblers are happy to have entertainment so near. No doubt, this is a big deal for Des Plaines.
    But is this big deal good? Of course, there is a huge debate surrounding the economic impact casinos make on communities, including law enforcement issues, city services, fallout from addiction problems, etc. I’m not going to enter into that debate here. But as followers of Jesus who believe and profess to practice Biblical principles, there are some considerations we need to evaluate regarding gambling and whether or not we as Christians will participate.
    Is there anything wrong with gambling?
    Let me follow that question with a few to ask yourself….then you make the decision.
    First, is it your money to gamble? Do your possessions really belong to you, or are you entrusted as a steward of what ultimately belongs to God? I’m sure if I left my belongings in your care for a time, you would not take what is mine and risk it at a casino. I’ve known gambling addicts who not only would, but have done that repeatedly. But you are not an addict. You would never gamble what belongs to someone else. Then again, isn’t that what you are doing? As God’s people, all that is in our possession belongs to God. Is that what He wants you to do with His resources?
    Secondly, is there anything wrong with greed? Let’s face it, the fun of gambling is based on greed. That’s not a pleasant admission, but it is true. People say, “It’s the game we enjoy.” But really? If that were the case, huge card playing and coin flipping complexes (without the gambling) would be equally popular in areas where gambling is illegal. Would you get the same kind of entertainment from a place like that? The “gambling high” people experience come from the prospect of receiving a large windfall––of getting rich quick (and taking a risk to get it). While there are ancillary enjoyments in all the trimmings of the gambling world, greed is at the heart of it all. Come on, let’s just admit it. That’s where the thrill comes from. Is greed a part of your nature that you really want to feed?
    Thirdly, can you really win? I mean it….can you? You might have a good night now and then, but in the end, we all know, these billion dollar complexes are not funded by your winnings. But here’s the bigger part of that….when you do win, who is losing? It’s not the casino! The house always wins. Your winnings are on the backs of those who are losing, and many of them cannot afford to lose anything. Thousands of poor people foolishly flood to the casinos every day in hopes of a big win that would put an end to their destitution. When you win, they lose more….more so than the house. Would you still call that a win for you? If you are one who professes to follow Jesus, I would certainly hope not.
    I think that is the ultimate question with this issue as in all others. Who is Jesus to you? Is He your life-changing God who has given you new values, motives, desires and meaning? Or is he just a religious icon you pay a little homage to on Sundays, who hardly affects your daily choices….certainly not modes of entertainment. Who is Jesus to you? That’s the biggest question of all.

Are You a Sweeper?

2011-07-20T14:35:00.002-05:00

    I turned the TV on last night while getting ready for bed and saw parts of an old rerun of King of Queens. In this episode, Carrie (the wife) learns that Doug’s (the husband) parents’ dog, Rocky, is 28 years old. Having a hard time believing that, she inquired further, only to learn from his mother that this particular dog was actually Rocky IV, who was only a few years old, unbeknownst to Doug. The previous three Rockys all died, but they didn’t want to "upset Doug", so they just replaced him….every time, and pretended the replacement to be the original. Carrie informed Doug, who in turn, became angry with her for revealing an unwelcomed truth. He explained that in his family, “We don’t talk about unpleasant or uncomfortable things.”
    “What do you do with the truth, then Doug?”
    “We sweep it under the rug, where it belongs!”
    With all the exaggeration for the sake of humor, the Heffernan family is not far from reality for many people. It’s amazing how many prefer to live a life of denial. Denial of their problems, their sin, their past, present and their future. It’s a lot easier in the short run to just deny that there is a problem. But in the long run, denial leads to a lifetime of destructive reactions and behavior. You can never solve a problem you are unwilling to acknowledge.
    Some years ago, I became more and more aware of disturbing attitudes and behaviors of two boys whose parents were very involved in our church, and personal friends of mine. I met with the parents on more than one occasion and shared my concerns, offering to help. The father was polite, the mother became increasingly annoyed. She eventually told me to “mind my own business.” I responded as I always do in that situation, explaining that I am an involved shepherd. Problems for sheep I’ve been given responsibility for are my concern. “If you don’t want me to be involved in your life, you should not attend the church where I am the shepherd, because I take this responsibility seriously.” They assured me their kids were fine and that it was my “parenting philosophy” that was the problem.
    I really wish the above story turned out differently (and many similar stories did). The last I knew, both boys became drug addicts while still in high school. Both were paying child support to women who they had never had a relationship with, other than the act of getting them pregnant. Neither had been able to hold a steady job or show any interest in God, in church or Christianity. While I don’t blame the parents for the boys’ choices, the parents’ denial of apparent problems while these kids were young, and unwillingness to get help, led to their destruction.
    We all have problems. Pretending that everything is fine, or talking ourselves into believing “our problems” are not that serious, only exacerbates those problems. The first step to solving any problem is to acknowledge it, and then to be open to get help from godly people who can share Biblical solutions.
    If your marriage is in the early stages of trouble, now is the time to get help! If you are sensing difficulty in those early teen years, reach out for a godly parent who has gone through these years before you. If your spiritual zeal is starting to wane, open up to your life group (if you don’t have one––get in one!).
    We don’t come to church to impress each other! We come here for help...to give it and receive it! But you have to start by acknowledging the truth.

How Sharp Are You?

2011-07-13T16:55:00.000-05:00

    In Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, Kent Hughes told the following story:
    “Some years ago a young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. ‘That depends,’ replied the foreman. ‘Let’s see you fell this tree.’ The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, ‘Start Monday!’
    “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, ‘You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.’
    “Startled, he replied, ‘I thought you paid on Friday.’ ‘Normally we do,’ answered the foreman, ‘but we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday.’
    “‘But I’m a hard worker,’ the young man objected. ‘I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!’
    “The foreman, sensing the boy’s integrity thought for a minute and then asked, ‘Have you been sharpening your ax?’
    “The young man replied, ‘I’ve been working too hard to take the time.’”
    The lumberjack was given another chance and having re-sharpened his ax, once again exceeded all other workers. It’s amazing the difference a little sharpening makes!
    I work too often with a dull ax. Prayer is hard for me. I have to work harder at spending extended time in prayer than anything else. I don’t always feel like praying. But when I let it go, my work becomes inefficient and I use up more energy while getting less accomplished; I become more easily discouraged and I lose sight of the nature of my work.
    Have you been sharpening your ax? Is it a priority to you to keep your life at peak efficiency or is praying near the end of your daily agenda. What about corporate prayer? Is prayer a priority in your life group or an after thought?
    Jim Elliot, a missionary slain by the Auca Indians in the 1950's, once said: “God is still on His throne and man is still on his footstool. There's only a knee's distance in between.” After his life was taken, his prayer for the Aucas was answered. Jim’s wife, Elizabeth Elliot, returned to the Auca tribe and witnessed hundreds of conversions due to her husband’s testimony and prayers. Today there are thriving indigenous churches in that region.
    God delights in answering the cries of our hearts. But we must have the faith and commitment to go before Him believing He hears and answers prayer. Don’t let a day go by without it! Otherwise, you are chopping wood with a dull ax.

Love Will NOT Keep You Together!

2011-07-07T14:18:00.000-05:00

    Twenty-seven years ago this very moment (as I am typing), I was in the middle of making a life-long eternity altering commitment. I said, “I do” and Linda said the same. Not too long after that, my groomsmen tackled me and literally locked a ball and chain on to my ankle! I went through most of the rest of that afternoon carrying the ball and chain….and asking people for the key to get it unlocked!
    But, I want you to know, Linda, I have never thought of our marriage as bondage!
    It is, however, a commitment. And through these twenty-seven years, that has been what has kept us together. We never bought into Captain & Tennille’s thinking: “Love Will Keep Us Together” (actually written by Neil Sadaka for those into Trivia). You know what they call couples who are kept together by love? DIVORCED!
    I love Linda more than I could express. I didn’t even know love like this was possible when Linda and I were first married. But that is NOT what has kept us together.
    The feelings of love come and go. If love was to keep us together, Linda would have left me sometime in year two. And honestly, both of us would have bolted at multiple points if we were relying on our feelings to build or preserve our marriage. We knew when we got married that our feeble emotions were unreliable and in need of stronger bonding agents to make them work correctly. I’m really glad that both of us were taught that before we started our lives together. The idea of separating or divorcing was never brought up in a single argument, and not even considered by either one of us, ever. It was just not part of the equation. Linda has been quoted to say, “Murder might be an option, but divorce, never.” I think she was joking but I’ve not been interested in finding out for sure :-).
    In truth, I didn’t really know what I was getting in a wife when she agreed to marry me. I’m sure Linda didn’t know what she was getting in a husband, either (or I’d still be single). I think we both turned out to be different than what we thought each other to be….we were young, had blinders on, and the nature of dating is pretty deceptive. I’m not sure I’m the guy Linda thought she loved when we were dating and engaged. But the kind of love from God that flows from commitment (not just commitment to stay together, but commitment to the well-being of each other), does not dependent on personality or life-stage. It moves and circulates through life with the couple and strengthens in intensity and passion. The feelings, like with all people, move up and down, making it fun, challenging and rewarding. But the feelings are results, not causes of a good marriage. Linda and I enjoy strong feelings for each other today, because we stood at an altar twenty seven years ago, and before God, our friends and family, committed our whole beings to one another for the rest of our lives. It worked because we meant it!
    I love you Linda! Thanks for taking the risk!

Can You Trust How You Feel?

2011-06-30T15:08:00.000-05:00

    It’s good that we have emotions. Without them, we’d be like Spock from Star Trek. How miserable it would be to never experience joy. Of course, you wouldn’t know it was miserable because you wouldn’t be able to feel misery either. But without our emotions, we wouldn’t be human.
    We get our emotions from God. After all, we were created in His image, and He has emotions. The Scripture speaks of His joy, anger, grief, happiness, passion and sympathy. We are emotional beings, having been created in His image.
    So emotions are good, right? Yes, so long as they serve us and do not dominate us.
    I just learned of a friend that I had known many years ago as a young man, who committed suicide several months ago. I was grieved. I had reconnected with him on Facebook a couple of years ago and knew he had small children, a good job, and an apparently decent life. I knew him to be intelligent and talented, spiritually minded, exhibiting a commitment to loving and serving God. But he was given to emotional ups and downs. He’d laugh often and weep at least as often. I remember wondering which Dave I would encounter on any given day….the “up” Dave or the “down” Dave. And in most conversations, he would reference something about his feelings at the moment. Despite all that he had going for him, he tended to be dominated by his emotions. He made decisions based on his feelings, which hurt him often. When you do that, your emotions become your master and they tend to spiral out of control, especially in the wake of multiple bad decisions made by those dominating and unreliable feelings. Now this man has left a young family to live with the grief of his loss because his emotions became his master.
    Some of the smartest and most gifted people I know have done little with their lives due to emotional instability. They may not have committed suicide, but they commit career or relationship suicide (often both). The most successful people I know (in business, marriage, child-training, life) are not necessarily the brightest or most talented, but they do tend to be in control of how they feel. They make decisions based on wisdom and not by the whim of their fluctuating “gut”. While their feelings support their lives, they do not allow their emotions to overwhelm their thinking and steer them in an unwise direction.
    Daniel Goleman wrote a book on the subject entitled, “Emotional Intelligence” with the subtitle, “Why it can matter more than IQ”. His research documents how success is impacted more by a person’s ability to use his emotions for his benefit, rather than erratically directed by oscillating feelings. Emotions are important for success. People who are passionate do better in life. But those who are unable to discipline their feelings are usually destroyed by the dark side of those passions.
    So, can you trust your emotions? Not really. It’s good to let your gut (which is more intuitive memory/experience than feelings) interact with your thinking. But anytime you make a decision when emotionally high or low, you will probably later regret that choice. Emotions are great servants but terrible masters.
    Instead, trust God and the wisdom of His Word. Seek counsel and advice and take time when making decisions. Think it through and do the right thing, while loving others even when you don’t feel like it. When you live this way, your feelings follow and become wonderful companions.

Be Careful Who You Ask for Help

2011-06-24T10:09:00.005-05:00

    Poor guy. He made his dream escape! And it’s not easy to escape from the Washington State Penitentiary. It took a lot of planning, perfect timing and hard work. But he did it! Then, however, he had to elude authorities. After spending a day on the run, without food or shelter, he came across a cabin in the woods. Perfect! If the place is unoccupied, it would be a chance to catch up on a little sleep, maybe scrounge up some food. If someone is home, he could subdue them, get their money, use their phone to call a buddy, maybe get the car keys. So he knocks on the door….footsteps….door opens….and standing before him is one of his prison guards on vacation. I’m sure both were a bit surprised to see each other, the guard not even knowing about the escape. A short scuffle ensued, but the end result is James Russell is once again behind bars.
    Be careful who you ask for help. Sometimes the people you go to will only make things worse. Once while traveling, I stopped and asked for directions. I thought I was given credible advice, but the person sent me to a nearby town. When I finally found what I was looking for, it was less than a block from the station I had stopped at looking for help.
    The Bible tells us that “many advisors bring success” (Proverbs 15:22 NLT). But not all advice is equal and not all people are equally qualified to give advice. Maybe that’s why Proverbs tells us to get lots of it. Larry Burkett used to say, “A wise man looks for counsel; a foolish man listens to all of it.” You wouldn’t want to depend on me for advice on decorating your living room or landscaping your backyard. But at the same time, you shouldn’t depend on the world’s advice, no matter how much education they have, on spiritual matters, such as building a strong marriage or raising godly kids. When you consider the state of the secular world, looking for advice from the supposed experts is like the time my dad asked a French man for directions while in Germany. Neither spoke German, nor did they understand each other.
    But God does give answers to life’s most necessary questions. His Word contains all that is necessary for “life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Much of it will contradict the conventional wisdom of this world. But then again, the conventional wisdom of this world isn’t working out too well, is it. So when looking for counsel, find godly people who know the Word and are living it out in their own lives, and take to heart what they have to say.
    When I think of James Russell and his near escape from incarceration last week, I can’t help but think of Paul’s words to the Galatian believers, “So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world” (Galatians 4:9 NLT)?

These Bombs and Missiles are NOT Hostile!

2011-06-15T20:44:00.003-05:00

    You know I rarely get political. I don’t in this blog and I don’t in my preaching. And I don’t mean to take a political position with what I’m about to say. The politics in it are up for debate.
    But did you hear the White House’s legal defense of the military’s continued operation in Libya without authorization from Congress? The President claims that this particular operation does not fall under the War Powers Act because our military actions do not constitute “hostilities”.
    What? What, pray tell, does it constitute? Are the missiles we are firing (and we are firing missiles) gentle offers of friendship? Are the bombs we are dropping (and we are dropping bombs) loving acts of kindness? If our actions are not hostile, than what are they?
    Again, I’m not making a statement on the rightness or wrongness of American military actions in Libya. Moammar Gadhafi is a bad guy, no doubt, and his regime is an enemy of the United States, and freedom loving people around the world. I’m not in the position to judge the rightness or wrongness of this war (and haven’t given it a lot of thought). But to say our acts of war do not constitute hostilities is ludicrous! (And I know that Republicans have said equally ridiculous things in the past.)
    But here’s my point. We are good at that. Not we Americans or we westerners or Republicans or Democrats or Capitalists or whatever you want to label yourself. But we as a human race are really good at putting a positive spin on bad things we are doing to other people. How many times have you defended your own hostile actions against others, claiming, “I meant no malice.” Ya, right. How many times have you, after running down another’s character or criticizing another behind their back, said something like, “That’s not really gossip because…..” blah, blah, blah, blah.
    And the bullets we are shooting, the bombs we are dropping, the missiles we are firing are not hostile.
    Yes they are and yes it is. Speaking negatively about other people outside of their presence is gossip. It’s not “getting it off your chest” or “bouncing it off someone you trust” or any of the other excuses we use. It’s gossip – plain and simple, and it’s wrong.
    Attacking people verbally behind their backs or to their face, whether or not you think it is deserved, is malicious. Let’s just stop denying it. When we do these things, we are trying to put ourselves above others by putting them down. It is malicious, it is selfish, and it is sinful.
    Our problem is that not only does our sin cause us to look out for #1, and in doing so put others down, but we deny that we even do it. And we rationalize, blame-shift, or spin the truth to make ourselves look better. Even when caught red-handed, we do all we can to put the best light on our actions. We can be bombing another country and claim it wasn’t hostility.
    So the first step in any kind of change is to face reality. The reality is, we’ve been acting in hostility towards Ghadafi’s regime in Libya. Are you willing to come clean in regards to your acts of hostility towards others?

Christians Have Small Brains!!

2011-06-02T16:22:00.002-05:00

    And now we have it….born again Christians have smaller brains than other members of the population. So says a recent article in USA Today, based on a study at Duke University.
    But you might want to read the fine print. The study involved the difference in size of the hippocampus region of the brain, not generally viewed as a major contributor to intelligence (if at all). Most Scientists view the cerebral cortex, and it’s related partner, the corpus collosum, as contributing most to general intelligence, as well as the number of inter-connective tissues that support inner brain communication. The hippocampus region does contribute to how short term memory is converted to long-term memory as well as matters of spatial navigation. But the implication of most news reports on this study is that born-again Christians are just not as smart as the average “normal” person.
    I have always had concerns with any study that differentiates “born-again Christians” from the rest of the population in that the term is usually defined so broadly that it is meaningless to those of us who understand Jesus’ meaning of the term. And it seems that most who do these studies have an axe to grind with Biblical Christianity and are eager to accentuate any negatives that can be found.
    I, no doubt, am not as smart as many non-Christians. Then again, I’m not as dumb as many of them, either! In reality, it can be demonstrated that some of the most intelligent and influential people who have ever lived have been committed Christians with a genuine born-again experience. But in all honesty, while I believe God wants us to think through the claims of the Bible, and taking the step of faith to follow Him is not devoid of intellectual consideration, it ultimately is not as much a matter of intelligence as it is a matter of trust. Trust in the God who has revealed Himself in nature, in our consciences, in the Scriptures, and through through Jesus Christ. There are certainly a lot of smart people who refuse to believe. Often, it is their unwillingness to trust in anything other than their own intellect that is their downfall.
    I might have a smaller hypocampus than others. In some ways, I would suspect that is the case (many scientists believe that stress affects the hypocampus). Maybe having become followers of Christ, and having a personal relationship with the God of this universe, has eased some of the stress of life and thoughts of the afterlife. I’m good with that.
    Or maybe I’m just not as smart.

Just Take Your Business Elsewhere

2011-05-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

    Last month in New York City, 45 year-old Harold Luken walked into a Bank of America and announced that he had a gun and was going to rob the place. He then went to the teller line and told those in front of him to carry on their business. When he finally reached the teller, he again announced that he had a gun and told her to empty the contents of her register. Knowing the police were about arrive (since he had given them plenty of notice :-), she refused. So he then gave her his bank card and asked to check his balance. She again refused. The man, reportedly, angrily stormed off muttering, “I’ll just take my business to Citibank and rob them!”
    He was arrested on the sidewalk within minutes after he exited the bank. I’m sure Bank of America will be sad to see Harold go.
    In my nearly 25 years of pastoring, I’ve met a few “Harolds.” After displaying negative attitudes, lots of complaining and multiple attempts to stir up trouble, they would eventually say something like, “I think it’s time I find another church.” I’d usually smile and agree, “Ya, Harold (their names were never actually Harold), I think you’re right.” They’d be astonished I didn’t try to talk them into staying. But for me, it was kind of like Bank of America hearing, “I’ll just take my business to Citibank and rob them!” The difference is, we are not in competition with other Gospel preaching churches and I want all of them to do well and do not wish soul robbers on any of them.
    As a church, we are here to help those who are seeking find their way, feed those who want to grow, and direct those who want to serve. But some people seem to think we just want EVERYBODY here. Actually, The Bridge isn’t for everybody. The Apostle Paul told the Roman church, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them” (Romans 16:17). Those who detract from our mission, create an atmosphere of discontent, or hinder the spiritual growth of new believers, will not enjoy themselves at The Bridge, and we won’t work too hard to keep them in the position of “robbing” what God is doing in and through us.
    I’m glad you are here. But this church has a mission. If you are here, take your time in getting to know us. But part of getting to know us is to know we want you serving WITH us. Don’t be a Harold. Discard the weapons and throw away the bag you were planning of filling for yourself, roll up your sleeves and join us in the work God has for us!

Is Dog Man's Best Friend?

2011-05-13T15:10:00.001-05:00

    I doubt Joel Dobrin’s dog is, at least not anymore.
    Dobrin was pulled over a few days ago for a routine traffic stop in Moro, Idaho. He had a stash of drugs stuffed in a sock, sitting next to him, and not wanting the officer to see it, flung it onto the floor of the back seat. Dobrin’s dog saw this as an opportunity for a game of fetch and jumped back to get it. The officer was still in the car awaiting radio response from the license check, so Dobrin reached for the sock to pull it from the dog’s mouth, who, in turn, saw it as a game of tug-of-war. Dobrin won the game but lost the war. He pulled the sock so hard that as he yanked it out of the dog’s mouth, it went flying out his window, with contraband scattering everywhere. All this in perfect timing: just as the officer approached the car.
    I wonder if Rover will recognize him in that bright orange jump suit?
    Joel, don’t blame your dog. He was just being a dog. And don’t blame the cop, he was doing his job and upholding the law. This was all you! You are the cause of your own troubles.
    But that’s a tough admission to make. Not just for Joel Dobrin, but for all of us. It’s a lot easier on our psyche to convince ourselves that the trouble at work is due to an over-demanding boss or irresponsible coworkers. It’s feels better to blame the bad marriage on the lack of communication skills of your husband or the moodiness of your wife. And you don’t feel so condemned when you reason that your addiction is due to the way you were hard-wired than due to a series of bad choices.
    But if Joel blames his dog, I doubt this will be his last stint in jail.
    And if you keep blaming everyone and everything else, your troubles will just continue to repeat themselves.
    Blame-shifting and excuse-making are as old as Adam and Eve. Neither one of them were willing to take responsibility for their sin. We tend to follow suit.
    But that’s also what keeps us from being released from sin’s bondage. The first step to freedom is confession, which is a full acknowledgment of one’s offense, without excusing or accusing others. Proverbs 28:13 reads, “Whoever conceals his sins will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
    God is eager to forgive you and deliver you. But you’ve got to stop defending yourself, playing games and pointing fingers.
    You know what? I really do think Joel Dobrin’s dog was his best friend. It was to Joel’s benefit to get caught. But whether or not he repents or keeps playing tug-of-war will determine if his life changes for the better.
    Maybe that’s the case with you as well.
    “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Rejoicing Over bin Laden's Death

2011-05-05T17:05:00.000-05:00

    In the aftermath of Osama bin Laden’s death, I’ve been a bit surprised by the buzz among Christians all over Facebook and Twitter, and in private conversations, over whether or not it was appropriate for Americans, Christians specifically, to celebrate.
    The arguments against rejoicing go something like this–– “Osoma bin Laden may have been an enemy, but Jesus taught us to love our enemies. The death of any human being is a tragedy, and we should never rejoice over any man’s death.” A couple of Bible verses are sometimes cited, such as Proverbs 24:17 – “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.” Ezekiel 33:11 is also quoted, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” A priest on one of the news stations the other night went so far as telling the commentator that Americans who were elated over bin Laden’s death were no better than the Muslim terrorist sympathizers who publicly rejoiced when the World Trace Center Towers fell on 9-11. Advocates of this view were quick to pass on the quote attributed to Martin Luther King Jr., “I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.”
    Is that right? Is that what Jesus meant by, “Love your enemies”? Should Christians rejoice in the death of an enemy? (Incidentally, MLK never actually said the above quote. Somebody just thought they’d get more credibility with it if it was attributed it to him.)
    We have to always be careful that we do not misinterpret isolated Scriptures when making application to any subject. All Scripture is inspired, and it is a unified whole. One passage will not contradict another. When it comes to obscure passages or statements that can be interpreted in a couple of ways, we should use clear passages and the whole of Scripture to help us understand the meaning of those that are less clear or less obvious.
    With that in mind, did Jesus mean by loving our enemies that we should not celebrate a victory over a military enemy, who is actively seeking to take innocent lives, including our brothers and sisters? If so, he would have been contradicting multiple passages where God’s people both sought The Lord to bring justice upon their enemies (Revelation 6:10), or where God’s people rightly celebrated victory over them, including the deaths of those who were seeking to destroy them. 2 Chronicles 20:27 reads, "Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies." Psalm 9 is especially applicable in that David used the entire Psalm to celebrate, thank, and praise God for victory over (including the deaths of) those who were seeking to destroy him. We also can’t ignore the many celebrations the Children of Israel made after major victories over their enemies, including the deaths of the entire Egyptian army after the crossing of the Red Sea, the inhabitants of Jericho after the miraculous collapse of its walls, and many other enemies during the Promised Land conquests and when attacked by enemies during the monarchy.
    So then, what did Jesus mean by, “Love your enemies”? To love is to practice acts of self-sacrificial good-will for the benefit of another, without expecting anything in return. It does not mean that we are not to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our countrymen, or principles of righteousness. As followers of God, we ought to be lovers of justice and protectors of those who are innocent. It is certainly appropriate that we celebrate when justice prevails, when evil is vanquished, and when innocent lives are protected. Knowing that bin Laden was actively seeking to kill more Jews and Americans, simply because they are Jewish or American, we ought to rejoice that those lives he would have taken, had he lived, are now saved. That, along with justice prevailing, is cause for rejoicing.
    God would have rather that bin Laden had repented. YES! I certainly would have as well. Sadly, that did not happen. But justice did.

Are You Up to the Challenge?

2011-05-01T07:37:00.000-05:00

    “The difficult we will do immediately; the impossible may take us a while longer!”
    That’s the slogan of the Seabees, that group of over 300,000 courageous, hard-working men first called up during World War II who followed combat units into newly conquered territory. From the island hopping of World War II to the cold of Korea, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the mountains of Bosnia, and now to the desert of Afghanistan, the Seabees have built entire bases, bulldozed and paved thousands of miles of roadway and airstrips, built bridges and military bases and have accomplished a myriad of construction projects vital for military success. “The difficult we will do immediately; the impossible may take us a while longer!”
    What do you consider impossible? Slavery? Booker T. Washington was born into slavery. Deafness? Thomas Edison was virtually deaf. Poor home? Abraham Lincoln was born to illiterate parents. Physical handicaps? Lord Byron had a club foot. Robert Louis Stevenson had tuberculosis. Alexander Pope was a hunchback. Admiral Nelson had only one eye. Julius Caesar was an epileptic. Louis Pasteur, was so near-sighted that he had a difficult time finding his way around his laboratory. Helen Keller could not hear or see, but graduated with honors from Radcliffe. An expert said of famous football coach Vince Lombardi: “He possesses minimal football knowledge. Lacks motivation.” Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, was advised by her family to find work as a servant or seamstress. The teacher of famous opera singer Enrico Caruso said Caruso had no voice at all and could not sing. Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper for lacking ideas. He also went bankrupt several times before he succeeded.
    I don’t know how many of them were believers but I do know that many of them accomplished what was thought to be impossible in their own human strength. If they could do it, shouldn’t the child of God be able to do the impossible in God’s strength. Our God loves the word “impossible.”
    Our goals tend to be too short sighted and our faith tends to be weak. God wants to do great things for us and through us if we are willing to connect with Him long enough to embrace His vision. He wants to do great things through you at work, home and church! Are you up to the challenge?
    To be used of God and to see Him work in a great way takes the risk of faith and the commitment of time, energy and recourses on our part. And it will all start when we catch His vision. He wants to use us. He wants to use you. Again, I ask, are you up to the challenge? Do you want to see the impossible?
    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you... plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Some Things You Can't Take Back

2011-04-21T16:11:00.000-05:00

    My heart was broken as I read of the two fourteen-year-old girls who died together in a suicide pact last Saturday. Haylee Fentress and Paige Moravetz were found over the weekend, having hung themselves in one of the girl’s homes in Minnesota. Both girls had been struggling in school and saw themselves as outcasts. They were made fun of repeatedly by classmates. The one girl had recently moved from Indiana and was never accepted in her new school, other than by another bullied girl, with whom she died.
    Kids rarely have any idea the kind of torment they can inflict on others. They get caught in the moment of deflecting their own pain or getting attention by getting the better of an easy target. It’s part of our sin nature. But the things those kids said will now haunt them for the rest of their lives. With all of their mechanisms for dealing with guilt, they will not be able to escape the gnawing awareness that their cruel words and thoughtless actions were felt so deeply that those poor girls could not see beyond eighth grade to want to keep living. And now there is nothing these classmates will ever be able to do or say to make up for or retract their culpability.
    Whenever my kids have complained of being bullied or put down by others at school (and yes, it happens to most kids to some degree), I have reminded them that it is far better to be bullied than to be a bully. Most kids who pick on and put down others have parents who have no idea how their kids are treating others. Sometimes its the kids from dysfunctional families, but as often it is the kids from stable middle class two parent homes who bully.
    Parenting is more than providing for our kids’ necessities and making sure they get a good education or do well in extra-curricular activities. As a father, I would far rather have a child who struggles with his grades and is sub-par in athletic or music performance, but kind and sensitive to the needs of others, than the other way around.
    We all grow out of middle school eventually and with maturity comes a certain level of fortitude to handle put downs (at least to know its not the end of the world) and the social maturity to back off the bullying. But many never grow out of the grade-school mentality of measuring their worth against others and attempting to elevate themselves by putting others down, either in ridicule or behind their back. I am sometimes shocked at the freedom some adults feel in criticizing and running another person down when they are not present to defend themselves. They excuse it with comments like, “I just needed to get it off my chest,” or “I needed to bounce it off someone else to get their thoughts,” all at the expense of someone else’s reputation.
    Adults hurt each other with their words as well. The people who are hurt may not enter into a suicide pact, but it hurts nonetheless. And the perpetrators inflict harm that, like the case of the mean eighth graders in Island Lake, Minnesota, can do the kind of damage that cannot ever be retracted.
    This would be a good time to talk with your kids about how they reach out to others. And it might also be a good time to do a self-assessment. Do your words always benefit the listener and the person you are talking about?
    “It is pleasant to listen to wise words, but the speech of fools brings them to ruin.” –Ecclesiastes 10:12

Is Everyone Going to Heaven?

2011-04-14T16:10:00.002-05:00

    Even those who have little interest in the Bible, Christianity or religion in general, have heard the hype, reactions and turmoil surrounding Rob Bell’s latest book, in which he reveals his latest theological thoughts. Bell, always the cutting edge hipster pastor/theologian, has embraced an old form of 19th century liberalism: universalism. He splits hairs with definitions and thereby refuses to call his position, “universalism”, but most of us would be hard pressed to see any substantive difference between what he is now promoting and the theology that took down the mainline denominations a century ago.
    All of the discussion, however, is healthy. People are honestly asking, “Is there a real heaven and a real hell?” “Will people who reject Jesus be condemned forever?” Can we be assured of heaven in this life?” “What was the purpose of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection?” While Bell’s apparently new position (new for him, anyway) goes contrary to Jesus’ teaching, I’m really glad it has spurred necessary conversations. People are talking about heaven and hell and the state of humans in eternity. That’s definitely good, and it’s an opportunity for those of us who understand the Gospel to get it out there!
    It seems like every year at this time there is some big religious news to take advantage of people’s religious consciousness that is heightened because of the Lenten/Easter season. Remember how they supposedly found the family tomb of Jesus a couple of years ago? Ever wonder what happened to that story? Then there was the big deal over “The Gospel of Judas” that was supposed to turn Christianity on its ear. Before that was “The Da Vinci Code”, released as a book shortly before Easter, and as a movie the Easter following.
    Why does this keep happening? Because people really are thinking about matters of faith at this time of year, and marketing experts (Rob Bell included) know that and do their best to take advantage of it.
    As followers of Christ, we have a more pressing reason to elevate our voice and strengthen our witness. Despite Bell’s conclusion, not everyone is going to heaven (at least, not according to Jesus)! But they can if they embrace the Gospel. So let’s tell them….NOW! We’re not trying to sell a book or tickets to a movie. We’re trying to do so for so much more! We’re trying to rescue lives and deliver souls! This is the best time of the year to do it.
    So don’t run away from those conversations. Encourage them. Look for ways to bring Jesus into your everyday relationships. On Easter Sunday, more people will be interested in coming to church than on any other Sunday. So make invitations and make lots of them!
    According to Jesus, not everyone is going to heaven. But one of my life’s goals is to bring as many people along as possible. The gate may be narrow, but at the very least, we can show everyone we know where it is. Bring them to The Bridge this Easter, and I’ll help you out! :-)

Take This Job and Love It!

2011-04-07T15:49:00.003-05:00

    In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to be accepted as a contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery. “Your Majesty,” said Prior Richard, “do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king.”
    “I understand,” said Henry, “The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you.”
    “Then I will tell you what to do,” said Prior Richard. “Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you.”
    When King Henry died, a statement was written: “The King learned to rule by being obedient.”
    Any job, after time, can become distasteful. Maybe your job has become boring, or frustrating, or just plain unpleasant.
    It is interesting to me that some who have the most attractive jobs find a way to loathe going to work. Then there are those who are employed in the most obnoxious situations who exude cheerfulness about their employment. I have come to believe that whether or not one enjoys his job has more to do with his own attitude than any other factor. Your attitude toward your employer, your tasks, and your coworkers will probably determine how meaningful you find your work to be.
    I have a proposal. See your work as God’s work. Understand how all that we do is to be to God’s glory. The submissive spirit you display toward your boss is a reflection on your love and respect for God. Pouring yourself into your tasks and doing your work (whether it be counting beans, sweeping floors, or managing people) with excellence is a reflection of your commitment to glorifying God. Being gracious to difficult coworkers, forgiving offenses, and staying out of break room gossip communicates to those you work with whether or not you just claim to be a follower of Jesus, or really follow His example.
    I am sure someone reading this is currently contemplating switching jobs. I am not telling you not to. But first, see your work as your ministry. Look at your coworkers through the eyes of Christ. You’ll find that when you accept your employment as a blessing from God and an opportunity to represent Him daily to people who need Him, the work itself and the people at work become a passion.
    One way to love God is to love the ministry He has given you. That includes your job!
    “…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

Getting Scared or Getting Ready?

2011-03-17T13:12:00.002-05:00

    Things are looking pretty scary. If you are even a casual student of the Bible, you are aware that in the end times, around the world and particularly in the mideast, events will unfold much like we are currently observing.
    If you know me at all, you know I am not an alarmist. And I’m pretty skeptical of those guys on TV and radio who make a living on convincing their audience that the world is on the brink of Armageddon. (Then the audience in turn sends them a bunch of money….for some reason.)
    But putting aside the abusive and manipulative tactics of those I would call alarmists, Jesus did tell us to pay attention to what is happening in our world. And the Bible does tell us that Israel will become an island, surrounded by enemy nations that will make war with her with the intent to destroy her and annihilate the population. And we are also told that the frequency and destructive nature of natural disasters will increase. Then when I consider Daniel’s prophecy that in the end times, knowledge will increase (that’s an understatement for today!) and world travel will be common, I can’t help but believe the end is near.
    I know, everyone in their time thought that. And I’m not going to set any dates or point fingers at possible candidates for the Anti-Christ. But the end IS near! Jesus told us to watch. Are you?
    In reality, He was more concerned that we watch our selves, more so than world events. But the world events were to remind us to watch ourselves. Jesus wants us to not be caught off guard. He wants us to be ready.
    Are you? Are you ready for His return?
    I don’t know when Jesus will return, or when Armageddon will take place, or the rapture, or any of these things. I know what the Bible says about the events of the end times, and I know about the signs. And a lot of those signs appear to be there now. But Jesus may delay his coming a hundred or a thousand years. For us, we need to be ready, today, tomorrow, next week and next year.
    One teacher decided to encourage her students to better organize their desks and to keep them neat. She invited the principal to be in on her plan, and announced to the class that he will come in once a week and inspect their desks. Everyone with a clean desk would be dismissed for recess five minutes early that day.
    One boy announced that he would clean his desk first thing every morning. The teacher asked, “What if he comes at the end of the day?” He said that he would clean it again before school let out. She responded, “What if he comes during lunch?”
    “I guess I’ll clean it up now and keep it clean all day, every day!”
    That was Jesus’ point when He said, “You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:44).
    The end is near. Get ready!

A Neglected Aspect of Worship

2011-03-06T04:54:00.001-06:00

    Stuart Briscoe shared the following account in his book, Playing by the Rules: "I visited a church in Florida, where the congregation had just built a new auditorium that cost $5 or $6 million. With great glee the people told me they had moved in debt free; they had paid for it in cash before they opened the doors. When I asked how they had done it, they told me, "Part of our membership requirement is that people tithe." Then they took me outside and showed me a three-or four-story, $11 million educational wing they had begun to build. Again they told me they’d paid cash for it. How did they do it? By tithing."
    The average church is handicapped because God’s people have forgotten Who’s money it really is. It’s like the story of one preacher who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets." Too many believers have God’s money in their pockets and not only are they being disobedient, they are missing out on the blessing of giving.
    Please don’t give with just with the goal of meeting our church’s budget, because budgets don’t really mean that much. Giving has a deeper purpose; it means you give to God, you don’t rob from Him. When you give to God, you honor Him. You say, "Hey, God, all my money is in trust from You anyway, and I give it back to You with a glad heart." Through our giving we show we’re on His side and that we have compassion for the things and people He has compassion for. We prove our love for Him by giving of ourselves.
    But what if we don’t give faithfully, what if we tip God rather than truly give? What if we keep what belongs to Him for ourselves? That may result from an attitude of first rate stinginess, or maybe it comes from second-rate sacrifice. Malachi warned his people, "Some of you are bringing your offerings to the Lord, and you’ve got to bring a lamb. So you go through the flock and find one that’s lame or blind, and you bring that. Do that to the governor, and see what he’d say! You wouldn’t dare do it to him, but you don’t mind doing it to God."
    Strange, isn’t it, that people feel very comfortable with first-rate stinginess and second-rate sacrifice when it comes to God? Why? Because they lack a reality of the knowledge of God in their lives.
    If you really believe that God purchased you from the slave market of sin. If you really know how much He loves you. If you believe that you are a steward of His property, rather than an owner – you’ll be the giver that God wants you to be.
    The reason that so many Christians are such poor givers is that they really don’t believe God’s Word. If they believed the Bible, It would change their behavior...and it would change their giving. God is generous and those who have His heart are generous too.
    What does your giving say about your heart? Is this an area that needs to be surrendered and that you need to grow in? Then, today’s your day. Don’t miss out on the blessings and rewards that God has for faithful stewards!

Infectious

2011-02-24T14:18:00.001-06:00

    There’s nothing like a bout with the flu to help you appreciate good health.
    Brock, Linda and I went to Texas for the weekend, to visit my uncle and cousins. It was a great break from the weather here to enjoy sunny, 75 degree days, hiking and riding trails in east Texas.
    But one of my cousins came down with something while we were staying at her house. She had a high fever, body aches, chills, stuffed head…..you know what I’m talking about. We soon left her house for her sake, but evidently I brought a little of her with me. On Monday, I woke up with a scratchy throat. By Monday night, I had a fever and most of my cousin’s symptoms. I don’t often get sick, and when I do, I get over it more quickly than others. But this time, I was down for the count for a couple of days. It wasn’t until Thursday before I was able to make it back into the office.
    How did I get it? I caught it from my cousin. We hugged when I arrived, and that’s all it took. Viruses are like that. They move from one person to another and you don’t even know it is happening.
    A lot of things in life are communicable. Attitudes, good and bad, are quickly passed from one person to another. Gossip breeds gossip, anger incites anger, envy creates more envy. But on the other hand, love engenders love, excitement ignites excitement, peace produces peace.
    Where are your attitudes coming from? Who is rubbing off on you?
    More importantly, what attitudes are you passing on? How are you infecting your workplace, family or neighborhood?
    The truth is, we are all communicable. We are impacted by others and in turn, we impact others. By being intentional about where our influences are coming from, we can better control our own attitudes and values. And when we understand how our way of thinking is contagious (not altogether different from the flu), we can choose the kinds of attitudes and values we pass on to others.
    You can’t help it that you infect others. It wasn’t my cousin’s fault that I got sick. But unlike passing on a virus, you can choose what you infect others with. You can influence your world for good or for bad. Which will it be?

It's Inevitable

2011-02-17T16:05:00.000-06:00

    I just learned that another friend of mine is dying. Without previous warning, he began to experience what he thought were mild symptoms that gave him concerns and went for a check-up. Stage four liver cancer. A follow-up CAT scan revealed tumors in both his liver and his lungs. He still is unsure what he will do, but the prognosis offers no hope.
    Death is all around us. Every time I visit someone in the hospital I am reminded that in that very building, someone is in process of slipping into eternity. People in my neighborhood are dying. Students I went to high school with are dying. People I pastored for many years are dying. Death is all around us.
    And there is no escape. When news of our own impending death comes, it will be a surprise. Most of us go before we expect to. With all the technology we have harnessed, and no matter how much money you may spend to get the best of physicians, you will not be able to hold death back.
    Sorry; don’t mean to be morbid. But death is a reality of life and I think we spend far too little energy contemplating it and thereby preparing. Nelson Bell’s famous quote is so true: “Only those who are prepared to die are truly prepared to live.”
    Are you?
    Are you prepared to die? It’s going to happen before you think. Do you know where you will spend eternity? Are you sure you are going to heaven?
    That is why we do what we do at The Bridge. Everything about our ministry is about getting the word out: Jesus died so that you can live! He defeated death with His resurrection. He overcame death for all of us! If you are connected with Jesus, believing that He died for you and rose again, trusting in Him for your forgiveness, than death is only a portal into an expanded life, with all of the benefits and none of the liabilities of this life!
    John reminded his readers of this, “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life. I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).
    Death is all around us. But for the believer, LIFE is all around us! Death only means expanded and eternal life! If you have not received Christ, do so! Receive the kind of life that will never end. Then while this temporal death we are all facing may still come as a surprise, it will be the most pleasant of surprises, as you step into God’s presence and forever enjoy the life He intends you to live.

More Important Than a Super Bowl Championship

2011-02-10T16:03:00.002-06:00

    Do you mind if I brag on my Packers just a little bit? Not so much the fact that they just won their fourth Super Bowl and thirteenth world championship….(I believe the Bears have won one Super Bowl and nine championships :-). But I’m more proud of the team for some of the off-the-field conversations they have had and the character they have displayed.
    For example, Aaron Rodgers: I know some have been saying that they are tired of sportscasters making such a big deal over his ability and what he means to the Packers. But bear in mind, he’s a guy that was not recruited by any college out of high school, and did not receive a scholarship until he earned a starting position for Cal as a walk-on his Junior year. He says it only made him work harder and prepare better. Think about what he had to overcome in following Bret Favre and being in the spotlight amidst all that drama! But what I really love is his quiet testimony of faith. The team chose him to lead them in prayer before the Super Bowl. When asked during pre-game hype about his faith, he said, “As a Christian, I believe in taking the Gospel everywhere I go, and using words whenever necessary.”
    Then there’s Clay Matthews. His dad, also an NFL player, was his defensive coach in high school, who wouldn’t start Clay. “You’d think my dad would do me a favor. He didn’t. He made me sit on the bench.” He, too, had no college offers. He says now that it taught him the narrow difference between those not quite good enough and those who stand out in their fields. He attributes it to inspiration and a “no-quit” attitude. I wish more Christians approached their ministries that way!
    Donald Driver spent part of his childhood on the streets as a homeless boy selling drugs to help his family pay for food. His grandmother took him in and introduced him to Christ. Today, he talks about the decision he had to make in those years to follow Jesus and in doing so, to get away from bad influences. Some of the kids he stopped hanging around with have since spent most of their adult lives in prison. Driver says he thanks God every day for rescuing him and giving him the life he has. He and his wife named their children: Christian and Christiana.

    Driver is a mentor to Greg Jennings. While Jennings is in every way the Packers #1 receiver, with twice the yards and three times the touchdowns than any other. After the Super Bowl, when talking about Driver’s injury in the second quarter, he said, “….when our #1 receiver went down….” I appreciate that rare example of humility from a professional athlete. Jennings looks up to Driver in many ways. The two are like brothers….as friends and fellow Christ-followers. Jennings is the son of a pastor and tries to live his faith out in life. When mic’d for for the NFL network’s FX, he could be heard shouting, “Glory to God, glory to God,” at the close of the game, even before he was aware that the world was watching and listening.
    Honestly, if these same guys played for the Bears, I’d still be proud of them!
    If they played for the Vikings? Well, it would be a little harder. :-)

Snowed In

2011-02-02T17:30:00.004-06:00

    So what did you do on Wednesday?
    Hailing from Wisconsin, I have seen a fair number of blizzards. The storm of ’67 that so many talk about in Chicago hit us even worse. I was six and still remember being afraid that my dad wouldn’t be able to make it home. In college, my sister and I were once stranded in a tiny town when roads were closed and we were forced to spend the night at the county jail (with about 50 other stranded motorists). About five years ago we were on a highway when it was closed and an entire string of traffic was forced to sit in one place for several hours, until traffic in front of us made it off the exit ramp.
    But I don’t remember any like this week’s. The combination of heavy snowfall, cold temperatures and high winds, made this one stand out. Many do not ever remember the city of Chicago being brought to a standstill the way it was Tuesday-Wednesday. 900 cars were stranded on Lake Shore Drive Tuesday evening. Some motorists took the risk of leaving their cars and 200 abandoned vehicles were still littering the roadway on Wednesday. High winds coming off Lake Michigan caused icy waves to be so strong that a man walking was swept into the sea and drowned. Babies were born in vehicles because moms were not able to make it to the hospital soon enough. And on Wednesday mid-morning, when the city that is always bustling with activity and traffic, it appeared to be a ghost town.
    What did you do? I woke up early, looked outside, and realized there was no use trying to get anywhere. So….I went back to bed and slept like I haven’t in a long time! Brock and I enjoyed clearing snow at our place and with our neighbors. We went out with a couple of other men in the church to help some families whose husbands we knew were out of town. And we enjoyed sitting in our warm house, by the fireplace, reading and talking. Wednesday was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time!
    Sometimes we just need a day like that to take us out of our routine, to do some things for a few others, get added relaxation, and enjoy our families. When you think of it, in past generations, people had the whole winter to huddle together by the fire and recharge to get ready for spring planting. Today, we tend to just go at full throttle all year long. At least I do. I needed a day like that in the middle of the week.
    Yep, Wednesday was a good day for me.

I’m Not Usually a Rainbow Kind of Guy

2011-01-26T15:14:00.005-06:00

    I’m like everyone else. I like to see a real rainbow. It’s a wonderful symbol from the Great Flood in Genesis chapter nine that speaks of God’s promise to protect and preserve His people.
    While I love a real rainbow, you won’t see any painted unicorns galloping through a multi colored arch in my office or at my house. As far as decorations go, it’s not for me. And that would probably be the case even if the symbol had not been hijacked by those promoting an unbiblical lifestyle.
    But when it comes to God’s rainbows, I love them. The other day, I saw the most unique one I had ever seen. And if you saw it and told me about it, I’d probably wonder if that is really what you saw. But look at the picture for yourself and you’ll see, I’m not making it up.

    My wife and I flew on Wednesday to visit my brothers for a couple of days in Nevada. While waiting in the plane, my thoughts began to be filled with church and family related plans and concerns. Along with great responsibility comes great concern, and my mind can sometimes get overwhelmed. We took off and as I always do, I watched out the window (have never lost the thrill of flying). As we broke through the heavy cloud cover and into the sunlight, I looked down to the clouds below and I couldn’t believe what I saw: a perfectly round circular rainbow. It was something I had never seen before, but that’s not all. Right in the middle of the inside of this rainbow circle was the shadow of our plane reflecting on the cloud below. I sat there staring at it, and it stayed in view, just as the picture shows, for several minutes.
    It seemed as though God was reminding me that I am surrounded by His promises. The concerns that were flooding my mind would never flood my world! “Let it go! Trust me. I’m here and I’ll always be here, and if you honor me, I’ll take care of you!”
    And that’s exactly what Jesus promised in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
    I didn’t need to see a rainbow to remember that. But it sure helped!

A New You

2011-01-13T16:39:00.000-06:00

    Several years ago, Linda and I had were partners in a commercial property investment. Our part was the management of the property, which Linda took care of. But we came across an opportunity to sell at quite an increase for what the partnership purchased it for. The prospective buyer was a gas station/convenience store located next door. We had rented to a competitor and the buyer wanted to get the property to both expand and eliminate their competition. Because of that, they were willing to pay over market value.
    At one point, I had to show the property to a rep for the company interested in purchasing from us. As I took him around, I began to inform him of tenant issues and problems with the building, mechanicals, etc. He interrupted me and said something like, “I really don’t care about any of that. We’re going to build a new facility here. These tenants won’t be here long and the building will be torn down. It’s the property we are interested in. We want it to be ours.”
    I couldn’t help but think back to my conversion. I kept telling God about all my faults and failures. No doubt, I needed to repent and God wanted to hear my confession. But he wasn’t looking at reforming me. He wasn’t just going to do a “fix-up” job. He gave me a redesign and a rebuild from the ground up. But I needed to give him ownership. Once I belonged to Him, he took over.
    Sure you’ve got faults and failures. And all of us have a past. But Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” I like the way the New Living Translation puts this verse, “Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!”
    It’s almost as if God said, “You are not the same person anymore. I demolished the “old you” on that property and created the “new you” in its place. You are a new creation! And you are mine!”
    I’m not saying, “Just forget about your sins, it doesn’t matter.” It does. Sin matters. I am saying that God wants to do so much more than just fix you up a little, only to break another day. God doesn’t want to reform you. He wants to transform you! But that won’t happen until He owns the property.
    Isn’t it time to turn it over to Him? There’s a new you waiting!
    “Behold, I am making all things new!” –Jesus (Revelation 21:5)

Review Next Year Now

2011-01-05T16:13:00.001-06:00

    You’ve probably seen the specials on television news programs on the highlights of 2010 in national and international news. There was the Hatian earthquake and the terrible loss of 250,000 lives, the eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland which sent 330,000,000 cubic yards of volcanic ash into the atmsosphere and grounding over 100,000 flights in Europe. Who will forget the BP offshore oil rig explosion and the ensuing spill that continued to flow for three months? Then there were the 33 Chillian miners who were rescued on live TV after having been trapped 2,300 feet underground for nine weeks. In America, there was the health care bill fiasco, the tea party express and then the huge congressional overhaul midterm election (probably a result of the previous two).
    What stands out for you in 2010? Maybe its a highlight: a new baby, a wedding or engagement or a new job. Maybe its a challenge or series of challenges: the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, onset of health struggles or failure of a relationship. In our family, we experienced both the highlights and the struggles.
    As I have heard from a number of you at The Bridge, many came to know Christ in a personal way this year, and a number of you found The Bridge in 2010. I hope you have all grown closer to Christ this past year, and closer to your church family.
    As a new year begins, we tend to get nostalgic in looking back over the events of the past year. Some are glad to see 2010 go. But for all of us, I hope we can learn from both positives and negatives. Nothing happens to us by chance and it is all part of God’s design for His glory and our good, if we are committed to pleasing Him with our lives. So then, what lessons can you take from this past year? What mistakes did you make that you do not want to repeat? What victories did you enjoy that you can thank God for in a special way? What new initiatives began in your life that you will want to continue through the rest of your days?
    But I think it’s even better to review next year, now, then this year. That is, plan out 2011 as though you are at its end and looking back at what you would like to have done this year. You know there will be the same mix of blessings and difficulties, many of them unforeseen. How will you respond to both? What goals do you have for this next year and what are you doing to reach those goals? When 2011 comes to an end, what will you be looking back on then? And will you be able to say that you grew this year in your relationship with Christ?
    You have a precious gift handed to you. The gift of a new year….more time to fulfill your purpose. Make the most of it! Honor God! Please Him! Love people! Serve others! If you do that, 2011 may be your best year yet!

What Needs to Change?

2010-12-29T14:00:00.002-06:00

   Penelope Stokes in Words In Season wrote, “The trouble with turning over a new leaf is that once you’ve done it twice, you’re right back where you started.”
    I recently read that more bad habits are broken in the month of January than during any other month. And yet that same article pointed out that only a small percentage of New Year’s resolutions are realized long-term.
    I’d like to encourage you. Change in your life is not only possible, it is necessary. When Christians stop growing, they stagnate. You know those grumpy, never-do-anything pessimistic Christians? Somewhere along the line, they stopped growing. People stop growing when they refuse to change.
    This happens for a number of reasons. Sometimes it happens because of self-righteousness – “I’m good enough!” Sometimes it happens because of apathy – “What does it matter if I get victory over this?” Sometimes it happens because of defeatism – “I’ll never be able to change.”
    We have a little saying at The Bridge: “No one is expected to be perfect, but everyone is expected to be growing.” And that growth demands positive change – gradual, yes, but continual progressive change. The Bible refers to this constant pattern of growth as “sanctification.” And all of us need to be involved in the process.
    So what do you need to change? (If you have trouble answering, just ask your spouse!) For some of us this may mean replacing an old bad habit with something good. For others it may mean readjusting a pessimistic attitude, or refocusing on a relationship. Perhaps it has something to do with our spending habits or time management. For all of us, I trust it means a renewed commitment to God – our daily personal time with Him and the weekly service we give to Him.
    Don Shelby proclaimed in his sermon, Never Say ‘Never,’ “When we tell ourselves ‘I can never change,’ or ‘That will never happen,’ we presume too much and believe too little. In Jesus Christ, God renders all of our final conclusions premature and all of our talk of determinism as simply bad faith. In Christ, God opens closed doors, brings resurrection, reveals possibilities, reclaims the lost, liberates the cursed and possessed, and changes the unchangeable.”
    You can change! Isn’t it about time?
    “And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more.” – 2 Cor. 3:18

Who Cares if the Boys Will Be Home?

2010-12-22T16:41:00.001-06:00

    One of the greatest stories in modern engineering history is the Wright brothers journey into the age of aviation. People had been trying to fly since Adam’s creation, and we’ve all seen the bizarre models and attempts inventors have made through the centuries to replicate birds. Then, in December 1903, after years of experimenting and mechanical development, and dozens of attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground. That story has been told and retold. But a little known detail in the aftermath is a telegram they sent to their family by way of their sister, Katherine. It read, “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.”
    Being part of a family where everyone involved themselves in each other’s projects, Katherine excitedly hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He totally missed the big news of the century––MAN HAD FLOWN!
    We are in danger of doing that this week. The story of Joseph and Mary, their love for one another, and Joseph’s kindness to Mary and trust in God after the angel’s appearance, is all very beautiful. The birth in a stable and infant bedding in a feeding trough are fascinating details. Angels appearing to shepherds to announce the baby’s birth, and even the wise men coming from the east to seek out this important child, are wonderful additions to a beautiful story. But all of those components are a bit like Orville and Wilbur making it home for Christmas. Nice pieces of what is being communicated. But the big story should totally eclipse everything else being said! The big news in Luke 2––GOD BECAME A MAN!
    That is big news! Bigger than the Santa Claus fable! Even bigger than the real story of Saint Nicholas. Bigger than the holiday lights in downtown Chicago. Bigger than the crowd of shoppers at Woodfield Mall, or anything else you can think of that gets our attention this time of year. Don’t miss the big deal for the incidentals! God came to the earth to identify with you, to absorb your sin, to die for you, to forgive you, to give you a new life! God became a man on your behalf! That’s the big news of every Christmas.
    What difference does that make to you?

Family First?

2010-12-16T12:45:00.000-06:00

    If you know me, you know I love the family, and you know my family knows that I love them. But is the family supposed to first? What about second?
    You often hear of a hierarchy of priorities where people list what is supposed to be most important and it often goes something like: 1) God, 2) Marriage, 3) Children, 4) Church or Friends or Work (this is where the order gets switched around depending on who is speaking).
    As with a lot of things, people hear this and shake their heads in agreement because it sounds good, but don’t give a lot of thought to its truthfulness or whether or not it is Biblical. Actually, there is nothing in the Bible that says anything like this, only that we are to love God first and love others second. By having a list like this, anything in the upper levels could or would supersede the lower and if a husband demands of his wife that children be neglected, a wife would or should comply because he is before them. I know a man who lost his job because his wife kept begging him to stay home saying, "Aren't I more important than your job?" He kept saying "yes" and stayed home one too many times and got fired. I think God wanted him instead to fulfill responsibilities both as a husband and employee, and doing so would have been more loving in the end to both his wife and his employer.
    Instead, of the above man-made priority list, we should go with the Biblical formula: 1) God first, 2) others second, and understand that we have responsibility in every area God has entrusted us with, not neglecting one God-given responsibility for another. No one area should get in the way of our responsibilities in the other, if those responsibilities have been given to us by God. Duties never conflict. Church should not come before family, but family should also not come before church.
    In the common man-made formula, family is always placed before church. But bear in mind, nowhere in the Bible is family described as “precious to God” as the church is. In fact, family relationships on earth, which are temporary, are only a picture of God’s greater reality, his relationship with us and ours with one another in Christ, which will last eternally. My relationship with my kids, as dear to me as they are, will only last a short time unless we are united together in the Body of Christ! I think I can say Biblically that the family is not placed before the church in the Bible. Therefore, I think we have to be careful not to do so as well. Obviously, we have greater responsibility for children when they are little, but that should not be an excuse to neglect church or work altogether. That's why I refer to the “Family First” movement as "worshipping the family" because those in it elevate the family higher than God does, making it an end in and of itself, instead of an instrument to bring us to the greater ends: loving God and loving other people. Grasping this will cause us to involve our families in ways to honor God and serve others and thereby, get us out into the world and to the church, not completely shielding them from the world and guarding them from too much time at church (though there needs to be an element of both protection and time management).
    When my kids were little, we all did ministry together, and we still do often. I never felt that church got in the way of our family, and I don't think they felt that way either, though we spent far more time at church and serving, etc., than anyone I know. But it was never in the way of our family. I also don't know of any other family closer than ours, or young adult kids who love the church more than my kids do.
    On the other hand, I knew many families who's kids are adults today, who's parents turned down ministry and were very guarded about church involvement because they would say, "Family First." Most of those kids are not even going to church today. Instead of "Family First," the Bible teaches that we should lead our families to put God first and others second. That will give us the most valuable family time we could have.
    So the family was given us to help us in loving God and loving others. The family does not exist as an end in and of itself, but the greater end of honoring God and serving others. When we see the family that way, it gives it purpose, and it keeps God in first place and the rest of life in balance.

What's Good About Winter?

2010-12-09T10:53:00.000-06:00

    Winter: it’s long, cold and dark. I know, we are still in the fun part with Christmas lights and all, but January is around the corner. The temptation is to just endure the season and long for April and May (though we had snow last April!).
    But it doesn’t have to be that way. Thinking back, some of my most memorable times in life took place during the winter. Linda and I were engaged in the winter. I built our first house in the winter. Our youngest child was born in the winter. I first came into contact with the search committee of The Bridge (then Des Plaines Bible Church) in the winter.
    Wouldn’t it be better to make the best of the season? Well, how?
    A journalist recently hit the streets and asked people what they enjoyed most about the season. Here are some of the answers:
    “Football playoffs and bowl games.”
    “Reading by the fireplace on our living room couch.”
    “Skiiing!”
    “Shoveling snow.” (You might think that was a joke, but he was serious!)
    “Putting on warm clothes.”
    “Hot cocoa or apple cider.”
    “Ice fishing.”
    “I love the excitement of a blizzard or snow storm.”
    “Going to the beach in South Florida.” (My favorite)
    “Snow days off school!”
    “Crisp, clean, fresh air and crunchy snow.”
    “Museums––we never go when it’s warm out.”
    “I don’t.” (HA!–he wouldn’t budge from his answer.)
    If you thought about it long enough, you could come up with your own list. There are a lot of good things about winter, including many of the above for me. It’s all part of God’s beautiful plan for the change of seasons. The air is cleansed, the soil is reconditioned, and life is reset to get ready for the coming spring. So rather than enduring the season, make the best of it. Here are some suggestions:
    1) Set some goals for this winter and build a task list of projects you want to get accomplished before the weather turns warm again.
    2) Plan right now (and put on your calendar) some fun things to do that you wouldn’t normally enjoy in the summer. It might be driving to Wisconsin to do a little skiing, or maybe even to take snowboarding lessons (one of our fondest family memories when we did this together). How long has it been since you went to the Chicago museums? Rent skates and give ice skating a shot.
    3) When it snows, get out there in it! Build a snow man or snow fort with the kids, or if you don’t have any, join the neighbor kids! Enjoy a good snow-ball fight with your spouse. If you can't beat the weather, join it! Sure you’ll get a little cold. But that makes coming inside and heating up the tea kettle all the more pleasurable.
    4) Finally, winter can be a great time for rejuvenation. Find a couple of books you’ve been meaning to read and get started on them. Sleep more than you usually do. Try some writing; start a journal. Use the winter to defragment your hard drive, so to speak, and to gear up for coming spring.
    If you do the above things, you might wind up saying that winter is your favorite time of the year!
    Well….let’s not get carried away. ☺

What Are You Doing for Christmas?

2010-12-02T15:28:00.000-06:00

    Here it is….Christmas season! Are you ready? Decorations up? Gift list completed? Shopping started? Plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day settled? Let’s talk about that.
    While most everyone talks about Christ being left out of Christmas, I find that Christians are as guilty of that as anyone. While we say Christmas is about Jesus’ birth, we get our kids more excited about the myth of Santa than we do about the truth of Jesus (and in doing so causing a lot of later doubts–see my blog dated November 29, 2009). We cook a big meal, have extended family in, and then claim to not have enough time to honor Jesus’s birth and worship with our Christian family on Christmas Eve. We overextend ourselves with plastic credit, buying things that no one really needs for people who don’t really have needs, but give virtually nothing tangible to Him for His work at that time of the year. Yet, we still claim our celebration is all about Jesus. Is it really? Does He think it is?
    So if we are going to keep Christ in Christmas, what is that going to look like?
    First, find a way a to be Jesus to those who need Him. Look for creative ideas to be a blessing to some who are struggling. It might mean calling a couple of nursing homes to find a few people who rarely if ever have visitors. It might be volunteering for the Salvation Army or at the children’s hospital. We have a hats, mittens & scarves give-away for the homeless planned on the 17th. Join us! Maybe there are some at your workplace, neighborhood, or our church who have no family in the area and could be blessed by an invitation to join you and your family on Christmas Eve (for church as well as whatever else you have planned).
    And I do hope you are making plans to worship on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It’s hard for us to say that we are celebrating Christ’s birth when we are spending all this energy, time and resources on a celebration and can’t find the time (or perhaps unwilling to make it a priority) to gather with His family to worship and remember the meaning of his birth. We have two fantastic Christmas Eve services planned here at The Bridge (4 p.m. & 6 p.m.).
    Here are a couple of other practical suggestions:

Sit down as a family and write out your Christmas season priorities
Decorate early and together….make it fun!
Talk about the meaning and value of gift-giving (establish some guidelines)
Research and tell the real story of Saint Nicholas (much better than the make-believe)
Find a Christmas program at an area church and attend it
Schedule time in the evenings leading up to and on Christmas Day to read portions of the prophecies of the Messiah and the story of His birth.

More than anything keep the season as uncluttered as possible and talk about the meaning of Jesus’ birth wherever possible.
It is a wonderful time of the year! Enjoy it!

Are Things as They Seem?

2010-11-24T11:53:00.000-06:00

    They often are not. Really. I recently visited a couple of locations where television programs are regularly taped for the History Channel. I was surprised both times. Television can be very deceiving. Some of it is due to the nature of camera lenses and TV screens, and the way our imagination fills in what is past the camera’s periphery. But a lot of it is intentional deception written into the director’s instructions to give a desired illusion. All-in-all, these two locations were entirely different from what I had expected before arriving.
    It’s not only that way in television. I’ve known people on a professional level and became quite disillusioned as I got to know them personally. There have been some whom I respected in ministry leadership: pastors, parachurch heads, well known preachers, where I have felt completely let down once I got into their homes or got to know their close family members and found out what the person was really like. Early in ministry, and even while I was in college and seminary, I found that too often high profile people, even those in ministry, were more focused on their public persona and reputation than on who they really were.
    Who are you, really?
    Honestly, there is a little bit of hypocrisy in all of us. I think we all at times put on as though we are someone or something that we are not. But God cares about who you REALLY are. That is, who you are when no one is looking. What kind of life would you lead and what decisions would you make if you cold get away with doing whatever you wanted to do and people only found out about what you chose to reveal? Answering that question will tell you more about your character and the real you than anything else. And that’s the you that God sees and knows.
    Still, he loves the real you!
    But he doesn’t want you to stay that way. He wants to help you grow. He wants your inside, your heart, to be truly submissive to Him and focused on caring for others. He doesn’t want it to just look that way, but for it to be that way, even if no one found out about it. And that’s the you that He will reveal to the world some day.
    So who are you, really? Is your life like a television studio, arranged a certain way to show others what you want them to see? Or are you submitting your heart to God and allowing Him to mold and shape the real you? When others see who you really are, are they attracted to the Life of God in you, because it is obviously much more than a pretentious display?
    Are things as they seem?

Pardon Me

2010-11-11T12:49:00.000-06:00

    In 1830, a man named George Wilson killed a government employee who caught him in the act of robbing the mail. He was tried and sentenced to be hanged. However, then President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, sent him a pardon. But Wilson did a strange thing. He refused to accept the pardon and no one seemed to know what to do. So the case was carried to the Supreme Court. The great Chief Justice John Marshall wrote the opinion. In it, he said, “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.”
    And he was.
    Pretty sad. To have been given such a gift of forgiveness and to refuse it. It doesn’t make sense, does it?
    In light of our current series, “HEREAFTER,” this refusal to be pardoned becomes all the more tragic. We are all hurtling towards the end of our lives. Because we have turned away from God to live for and please ourselves, we have cut ourselves off from the only life-giving source and stand condemned for eternity. But God has intervened and through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, we can receive a full pardon by merely receiving his forgiveness, based on Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. All you have to do is accept it!
    George Wilson was foolish. But when you think about it, had he not been hanged in 1830, he still would have died a long time ago. Death was inevitable for him as for us. Even more important for him than accepting President Jackson’s pardon, was whether or not he accepted God’s. His existence since that time and for all eternity was and is based on how he responded to God’s offer of forgiveness.
    You also need a pardon. God is offering it to you. But as Chief Justice Marshall commented on George Wilson’s situation, the value of it is realized only in its acceptance. Will you receive God’s gift of forgiveness? It’s not just your life that is at stake. It’s your eternal destiny!
    “This is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life.” – 1 John 5: 11, 12

What's a Dead Church Like?

2010-11-04T09:23:00.002-05:00

    A paramedic was asked on a local TV talk-show program: "What was your most unusual and challenging 911 call?"
    "Recently we got a call from that big white church at 11th and Walnut," the paramedic said. "A frantic usher was very concerned that during the sermon an elderly man passed out in a pew and appeared to be dead. The usher could find no pulse and there was no noticeable breathing."
    "What was so unusual and demanding about this particular call?" the interviewer asked.
    "Well," the paramedic said, "we carried out four guys before we found the one who was dead."
    Sadly, that is the state of many churches. I fear that a lot of people attend church out of obligation, habit, or because they think they are earning religious brownie points with God. All around this area, people will be starting to dread this Sunday morning on Saturday and will be thinking up reasons to skip. Others became tired of the boredom and wasted time and energy it took to go to church and gave up attending a long time ago, except on Christmas and Easter, of course.
    Honestly, too many churches aren’t worth going to. That may serve as a shocker coming from a pastor who often declares, “The local church is the hope of the world!” Yes, I do believe that. Jesus himself established the local church to manifest Him in a broken world and to give people hope and fulfillment through the Gospel. But, sadly, not very many churches are actually doing that. Too many strayed from their purpose generations ago and exist now only to perpetuate their own continued existence. The influence and power of God’s Spirit having long departed, lives are no longer changed, people are rarely challenged, and the church accomplishes little. It is the tragic result of drifting from the truth of God’s Word and the power and life given by the Holy Spirit.
    And that cold happen here at The Bridge, as well.
    Here at The Bridge, we are enjoying the work of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives at the Bible is being applied every week, every day, among us. We are seeing people’s lives changed as they receive Christ. People are growing daily in their relationship with God. All of this is exciting, and refreshing if you have ever been part of a church described above.
    But it is up to us to not only keep it that way, but to pursue growth in every aspect of our church’s life, as well as our individual walk with God. Things are wonderful at church now, because God is at work and active in our midst. But the moment we lose our awe of Him and appreciation for what He is doing, as well as dependence on Him for this ministry and our spiritual sustenance, is the moment we will begin to decline.
    We’ve had the paramedics here. But thankfully, they haven’t had to take the pulse of several people to find out who was alive or dead! Here at The Bridge, we are alive and well! And I don’t think anyone would describe our services, ministries, or people as being lifeless. So let’s enjoy it, and trust God to keep us moving forward for generations to come!

What Stage Are You In?

2010-10-31T08:33:00.002-05:00

    I was standing in line registering for a college class when two life-changing events occurred. First, my wife Linda and I had our first extended conversation (we were in line together). Second, I saw my first personal computer.
    Don’t get me wrong. Meeting Linda and getting to know her was a big deal. But that would be a different blog. This one is about computer that computer.
    So while standing in line waiting to enter the Academic Dean’s office to get permission to take more credits than what was normally allowed, I saw his secretary typing on what looked to me like a typewriter with a TV screen where the paper usually went through the rollers. Before this time, a keyboard to me was a piano and a monitor was the guy who enforced the rules in the hallway at high school. I looked intently at this newfangled device and said, “What is that?” The dean was just coming out of his office and he said matter-of-factly, as though I should have known, “A computer! You’ve never seen one before?”
    A lot of things have changed since then. That little PC at my college had only 16 kilobytes of internal memory. It didn’t have a hard drive but wrote all its information to a tape drive that took forever to retrieve.
    Today, I have a phone that sends megabits of information to space and back in a matter of seconds and transmits and receives images that the best digital cameras, ten years ago, couldn’t even take. I recently read that any cell phone with internet capability has more computing power and internal memory than the massive network of room-sized computers that engineered Apollo 11’s landing on the moon!
    How did all of this happen?
    It seems like it was near instantaneous, doesn’t it? From PCs to computer cell phones? But it wasn’t.
    Personal computers came on the scene for the general public in the early 80s. By the end of the decade, many households had one, but they were a far cry from what we have today. Most of them didn’t have hard drives until near the end of the decade, and those that did held only 20 megabytes or so. In the 80s, you had to memorize codes to make the computer do anything. With my first computer, I had to buy a book of codes and authored my own programs to create simple databases and calendars. Apple introduced the mouse and menus, but most didn’t use it until Microsoft came out with Windows 3.1, a dinosaur by today’s standards.
    And printers. Printing from a computer used to be awful! We had a choice between daisy wheel (a glorified typewriter head) and dot matrix (slower than molasses and very poor quality). Laser printers weren’t introduced to the public until the late 80s and ink jets didn’t come out until the 90s.
    For many years, being “on line” meant that your computer was plugged into the wall. Most of us didn’t know what the internet was until the mid 90s and even then, few people had email. It was too slow to be all that useful. You had to use your phone line to get on the web and it took forever for simple pictures to load. Residential “high speed” is less than ten years old!
    So all that we have didn’t happen over night. It developed. Each technology was built on something before it. And when some of the most useful devices that we depend on today were at one time impractical. Technology (knowledge) is cumulative.
    And so it is with spiritual growth. Peter said this, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
    Becoming like Christ will not happen overnight. But God wants you to continually develop, always ready to take the next step of faith, each stage in your spiritual life building on the last.
    Where are you in this journey? What is the next “development” that God has for you? Take that step. It will lead you to bigger and better things!

Are You Leaving Anything Behind?

2010-10-20T17:07:00.000-05:00

    Last week, a man in Gallatin, Tennessee, walked into a Wal-Mart dressing room with a new pair of designer jeans. (They have designer jeans at Wal-Mart?). Anyway, he took off his old tattered jeans and put on the new ones from off the rack. They fit good! So, he ripped off the tags and walked out…..all they way out of the store. Thinking he got away with it, he met up with his girlfriend in the parking lot and the two of them headed to the nearby Longhorn Steakhouse. After a good dinner, they slipped out of the restaurant without paying the bill. “What a great night!” he thought. A brand new pair of jeans and a free steak dinner!
    But there was a problem. When he took his old jeans off, he left his wallet, with lots of money (more than the value of the jeans and the steak dinner) and all of his ID inside. A suspicious clerk had seen him leave the dressing room without carrying anything, and checking the room, she found his old pants. The police came, got his ID, ran his license plate, and getting a call from the Longhorn nearby of a “walk-out” customer, spotted his license plate as he was attempting to drive out of the parking lot!
    Where did that new pair of jeans get him? In reality, he left a lot more behind than he took out of the store. He left his money. But worse, he left his identity.
    We do that every time we give into temptation. While sin promises to give us something, we always leave behind more than the short-termed pleasure we get from doing wrong. We leave behind a portion of our net-worth. And we leave behind our identity!
    When you are rude to a coworker, you might feel good for a few moments for “speaking your mind.” But you leave behind things that are more valuable, an opportunity to express graciousness, the fulfillment that comes from forgiving someone, and your reputation. Worse yet, you leave behind your identity in Christ (Ephesians 4:1). Every sin is this way. We leave behind more than what we gain!
    That was Paul’s point in the book of Ephesians. He reminded the readers of all the riches that they have in Christ, and how they are living a new and eternal life that they have in Christ. He then says in 4:1, that with all you have received, live like it! That’s what the author of Hebrews was talking about in Hebrews 2:3 when he speaks of what we lose when we neglect the salvation we have been given in Christ!
    Hang on to your identity! Protect those things that are most valuable! Let people see who you are and what you have in Christ by the way you talk and live!
    The dressing room thief is sitting in a jail cell today, without his new or old pair of jeans, and his identity bagged away in an evidence locker. I don’t think it was worth it. Do you?

The Zeus Trojan?

2010-09-30T14:22:00.003-05:00

    Have you heard of the Zeus Trojan internet virus? The story this week about the international internet based identity theft ring is the makings of a pretty good movie. The FBI, in cooperation with Scotland Yard in Britain and Europe’s Interpol, made multiple arrests this week breaking up an international organization of at least sixty cyberthieves, who have already emptied the bank accounts of thousands of unsuspecting victims.
    Using the Zeus Trojan virus (name that comes from Homer’s account of the Trojan Horse), they infected bank computers and received enough account information to empty a person’s bank account at multiple ATM locations. Pretty interesting how they did it….unless it’s your bank account!
    Like all predators, they attempted to hit as many computers as they could, looking for the weakest parties to victimize. For them, it was a numbers game. If they could infect a certain number of computers, they knew a percentage of them would divulge the information they needed.
    That’s not a bad word for these guys: predators. There are a lot of them in this world. The apostle Peter referred to the devil as a predator: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
    He is and he does! Sadly, I too often think of the Queen song, “Another One Bites the Dust,” as I see those around me whom I had thought were strong, fall prey to Satan’s attack. He is on the prowl looking for the most vulnerable (who are often those that try to act the strongest) to bring down. He is not your friend. He does not have your best interest in mind. He wants your life. He wants your soul!
    So Peter tells us to, “Be sober.” The word means, “in control of self, or self-disciplined.” He seems to indicate that spiritual disciplines and self-control are necessary in order utilize God’s help in resisting the devil (why James said, “Draw near to God….resist the devil and he will run from you.”).
    Peter goes on to say, “Be watchful….” which means to “stay alert.” Peter is telling us to never relax, when it comes to Satan’s attack. Never feel as though you have arrived. Never forget that you have an enemy who hates you and wants nothing more than to destroy you! And he’ll be trying to do it with lies and attractive lures.
    If you learned of a friend who kept his money in the same bank as you, but was cleaned out by these internet bandits, you’d probably pay close attention to what’s happening in our own account, or you’d draw your money out and put it somewhere else.
    I’ve had it happen to those close to me. I’ve seen far too many look away and drift away long enough to be attacked and devoured. Don’t let it happen to you! Stand firm in your faith, grow closer to God, and run from Satan’s temptation.
    When you get a taste for sin, you get taken, hook, line and sinker! (James 1:14-15).

Will You Join Me?

2010-09-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

    There are a lot of reasons I am excited about the Greg Laurie Chicago Harvest at the Allstate Arena this weekend. I am looking forward to the music. Some of the finest Christian musicians will be displaying their gifts in worship and we will be privileged to join them in singing.
    I’m looking forward to the excitement of having that many people together with a common goal of reaching the lost and worshiping our God.
    I am certainly excited about the way Pastor Greg will be boldly proclaiming the Gospel to probably thousands who do not yet know Jesus Christ in a personal way. As a pastor and preacher, I love to hear those who are specially gifted, particularly in evangelism. I can’t wait to see and participate in counseling and praying with those who respond to the invitation to receive Christ.
    But beyond all those wonderful things, I am so looking forward to this event because it is a gathering of over 200 evangelical churches in Chicagoland, unified for the sake of the Gospel! Over the past 17 months I have had the pleasure of meeting dozens of like-minded pastors in gearing up for this event. And those who have been in Chicago for decades have told me that they do not ever remember a time when the Christian community had been so unified behind a common goal. This is the Body of Christ in action for the world to see! And I have no doubt that we will joyously reap the fruit of the God's working though His unified people.
    I’m praying for 2,000 conversations this weekend. Will you join me in praying for the same? Better yet, will you join me in being active and graciously aggressive in making invitations with those you work with and live among? We have the privilege this weekend of joint participation with the Holy Spirit in reaping a great Chicago harvest!

Little Things

2010-09-16T15:00:00.001-05:00

    The first attempt to dig the Panama Canal across the Isthmus of Panama was made by a French company. Thousands of men and tons of machinery tackled the remote mountains and thick jungles. After millions of dollars had been spent, however, the project was abandoned, not because of the mountains but because of the mosquitoes. Yellow fever from mosquitoes killed thousands. It was not until American doctors found ways of protecting people against mosquitoes that the project was resumed, this time by Americans. When the mosquitoes were taken care of the mountains soon succumbed. There is a huge difference between the size of mountains and the size of mosquitoes, yet it was the mosquitoes, not the mountains, that kept the canal project from succeeding. Many more men perished from the bite of little mosquitoes than from the many dangers lurking in the mountains.
    While so many of us are on guard against the “big things,” many ignore the areas that are most destructive to their lives or testimonies. Most of you are not struggling with adultery, grand theft, or murderous crimes. But how many of us are daily doing battle with spiritual mosquitoes – gossiping, griping, temper tantrums, snap judgments, or impure thoughts. It is only when we begin to enjoy victory in these little areas that we will know what it is to make meaningful spiritual progress.
   Perhaps this is why Jesus spent so much time addressing the “little things” of the heart. His followers: Peter, John, Paul and James seemed to get the message as well and they passed it on. So much of the New Testament addresses the battle we need to wage over the little enemies, which quietly and quickly burrow under our skin. Those little attitudes of pessimism or ingratitude can quickly destroy an outlook. And once the festering begins, these invaders spread to others. Let’s be on guard!
   Jesus said, “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” (Luke 16:10)
   So what little enemy have you been battling with lately? Victory is available if you are willing to depend on God’s strength and live obediently to His Word.

I'm Rich!

2010-09-09T13:55:00.001-05:00

    My youngest son, Brock, is studying American History. It’s the one subject I can help him with, and I enjoy it. I love history! He is currently learning about the incidents that led to the Revolutionary War, and while helping him study, I became fascinated with how much of an influence Patrick Henry was on the thinking of the early colonial patriots. It’s hard to imagine the revolution without him.
    Long before the revolution, Henry was a prominent figure in the colonies, serving as governor of Virginia (before and after independence). He was certainly known for his persuasive eloquence, but had become highly respected because of his success in business and reputation for integrity. Before the Declaration of Independence, he was very wealthy. But he laid it all on the line for the American cause and risked losing everything he owned. He sacrificed most of it for his country and while he did not die in poverty, because so much of his personal wealth was given to “The Cause,” he left only a fraction of what he once had to his descendants. But he left something far more valuable: a legacy of character and faith. In his will, he penned these words:
    “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them and that is faith in Jesus Christ. If they had that and I had not given them a single shilling, they would have been rich; and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor indeed.”
    How true that is! Think about it. Patrick Henry has now been dead for 210 years. He only lived 63 years. If he had been fabulously wealthy in his lifetime but only in his lifetime, he would have enjoyed it for perhaps, 30-40 years, and then lost it all in death. But in Christ, he received untold riches that he has been enjoying ever since and will continue to delight in for eternity!
    The Apostle Paul, a one time wealthy man, used to love talking about the riches we have in knowing Christ, and the inheritance waiting for us in heaven. In Ephesians he spoke of, “The riches of his grace,” “The riches of his mercy,” and said, “The riches of Christ are unsearchable.” In Romans 10:12 he rejoiced because he and other believers are…. “abounding in riches.”
    Do you believe that? Do you? Do you believe that the riches of Christ are abounding, unsearchable, and already there, ready for our claiming upon arrival in heaven? If so, what are we so uptight about the piddly little materialistic stuff here in this very temporary life? So much more is awaiting us!
    “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” – Jesus (Matthew 6:20)

Identity Theft

2010-09-02T12:27:00.001-05:00

    Bill was buying a car. It was used car and he had the money to buy it outright, but the dealership was offering an unbelievable rate, so he elected to finance the car and invest the cash. He now says it was the worst decision he ever made.
    The finance assistant gave him the forms he was to fill out, and unbeknownst to the dealership, she gave him an extra form. Without thinking it through clearly enough, he put all of his information on that sheet: Social security number, driver’s license, bank account information, even a credit card number. Six months later, and long after the fun of having a newer used car had worn off, his bank account had been emptied, fraudulent charges appeared on his credit card, and several notices came in the mail of loans that had been taken out in his name.
    After several months of investigation, and several thousand dollars of costs going to a private investigator, the information leak was tracked to a girl who had worked for a short time at the dealership where he bought his last car. Yup, the assistant, who also pilfered several hundred thousand dollars from many other unsuspecting victims. As I understand the story, the money was never recovered and the dealership eventually filed for bankruptcy due to the number of lawsuits brought against it. The girl was part of a ring that either fled the country or somehow melded into the population, never to be found (at least up until now).
    Identity theft: It’s very real. Many of us have had our credit card number lifted at some point. My card was suspended when I supposedly bought a membership to a health club in Mozambique. Some of you have stories, however, of ruined credit and serious fraud. It’s a very real problem.
    You wouldn’t think it was in Jesus’ day, would you? After all, they didn’t even have credit cards! But Jesus said to His friend, Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! …. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
    What? Jesus called the same man that He, Himself had named, Peter (meaning “Rock”) and referred to him as being a cornerstone of the church; He called him, “Satan” in Mark 8? Wow! Now that’s identity theft!
    It is a horrible thing when we allow Satan to take our Christian identity and use to blaspheme our God! But every time a Christian man uses God’s name in vain at work, and every time a Christian woman compromises Biblical morality, when Christian couples turn their backs on their marriages or on their kids, they turn their identity over to Satan, and do his bidding.
    This is also why Jesus warned Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). And Peter understood this full well, which is why he later wrote, “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
    There is a real God. And if you have repented of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, you are His child. You belong to Him.
    But there is also a real devil. And like Peter, he would love to steal your identity and make it look to everyone else that you belong to him. Be watchful! Don’t let him do it!
    Let this world see who you really are and live like the child of God that He has called you to be! “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” – Philippians 1:27

Give It a Rest!

2010-08-26T16:07:00.000-05:00

    The screen on my phone is cracked so I took it in to get it replaced while it is still covered under its extended warranty. So I have a loaner phone. I’m kind of a techy, but since I only have the loaner for a couple of weeks, I am not bothering to learn how to use it too well. I wasn’t even able to answer it the first day. I now know the basics, but I think I’m even missing voice mails.
    But I’ve discovered something. The break has been nice. My other phone can pretty much do anything, from surfing the web, to giving me voice turn-by-turn directions to a specified address, taking high quality pictures and video, checking the news, weather & traffic, listen to music, and on and on I could go. But now while I am sitting and waiting at the dentist’s office, or forced into some other kind of idle time, it’s just that….idle. At first, I didn’t know what to do with myself; nothing electronic to play with. Then I learned that just sitting and waiting was actually enjoyable (been a while since I’ve done that!)
    Now, I just read an article in The New York Times about a series of studies conducted on the human brain. It seems that those of us who carry these high tech devices are becoming “learning disabled” so to speak, because we don’t give our brains enough down time to process all the info we are taking in. Well, it’s not just those with smart phones. It includes those who have to have their iPod playing while exercising and who need to turn the TV on when they have a chance to sit down at home. The problem these researches are finding is that the brain does not store information during high input time. It needs rest in order to process that information as it reorganizes the data and sends important items into long term memory. These scientists are telling us that being bored, at least for a short time, is good for our ability to remember things and reason through complex thought processes. A lot of us who think we are aging prematurely and becoming forgetful are just needing to give our brains more of a break.
    God told His people from the very beginning that we are designed to take breaks. That’s why He created the system of day and night, and told us to take a day off every week. Jesus was a pretty good example here. While He was the model of strength, He scheduled in his days, weeks and months, time away from the crowds and his ministry, to get away and alone. I’ve been trying to do that. The trouble is….I’ve been bringing my phone and my laptop!
    I think I’m learning a valuable lesson. I’m going to try to give my brain a rest so that I have it to use effectively when it is on. And I’m going to try to get away from all these electronic devices periodically (I did speak on addiction last week, remember?).
    How about you? Are you giving your brain the rest it needs? I’ve learned that the best rest for me is time away and alone with God! (I learned that from Jesus’ example.) Give it a try. You might find that in the end, you get more done. And when you need to be on, you really will be!

Why Does a Baby Smile?

2010-08-18T11:03:00.000-05:00

    My wife, youngest son and I were on vacation last week. I have a funny way of relaxing on weekends when I am not preaching. I go to as many churches as I can. Believe it or not, my wife enjoys it as well (not sure that the kids saw it the same way growing up). So this last weekend, we visited three different churches between Saturday night and Sunday morning. We enjoyed great corporate worship with fellow believers of other congregations, learned about some different ways of going about ministry, and heard some really good messages from the Bible.
    But I have to tell you about one of the most profound illustrations I witnessed. Jesus used to love using children as object lessons in his teaching, and He did that for me last Sunday. I was sitting in a service behind a young family with an infant. I couldn’t help but notice the interaction between Dad and little boy. This baby was just old enough to begin smiling, and you could tell he was new at it. He stared at his father’s face just waiting to make eye contact and every time his father looked down, the corners of the infant’s mouth curved upward. Over and over I saw that baby go from smiling to staring to smiling and staring again. When his father was looking at the pastor, the baby just stared at Daddy’s face, waiting for him to make eye contact. When Dad looked down at his child, the baby grinned. He seemed to crave a connection with the man and he knew he would get it by smiling.
    Babies learn this very early in life. They get added affection and attention when they smile. (I know, they get it when the cry, too, which is all the more reason to give more attention for smiling than for crying!) Anyway, children have an innate desire to connect with other people. It’s something God created us all a craving for. We were created to be social beings and God takes joy in our bonding with one another.
    That’s one of the reasons He founded the church. God did not send His Son only to save you, He sent Jesus to procure a family! He wants you to be part of His family, which is what the Church is, God’s family. The Bridge exists to connect people with God AND to connect people with people.
    That’s why we keep saying that church is not a spectator event. Going to church is a weekly family activity to honor The Father together! That’s why we keep saying, “Everyone in the church should be committed to a small group!” It’s in the context of small groups where relationships are formed and family bonds are fortified. That’s why we also say that every Christian should have place of service in the church. Being part of the family means serving others and sharing in the family chores, so to speak.
    Like that little boy seeking to connect with his daddy, you’ve been created with an inborn need to relate with other people. Jesus established His church to fulfill that need. So come on, be part of the family. Be faithful in attending every Sunday. Join a small group. And get involved in a ministry where you can love and serve others. That’s what the church is all about!

The Path to Success

2010-07-30T14:36:00.003-05:00

    Self-denial. Delayed gratification.
    I know, not exactly the best thoughts to draw readers in.
    How’s this, then….
    Success! The way to prosperity!
    Trouble is, most people think the two concepts are diametrically opposed to one another….that is self-denial and success. And that’s why success is a fleeting prospect for so many people. In reality, the two are inseparable. There is no way to prosperity without self-denial. There is no success without sacrifice….in any aspect of life! It just is how it is. You can’t succeed at anything without first making sacrifices, and many people never truly succeed in life because they are unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices.
    But self-denial is not easy….hence the word, “denial.” It doesn’t seem to to make sense that the only way to get things is by denying yourself things, but it is.
    For example…. Four years ago I looked at a picture of myself and saw the embarrassing aftermath of gaining about two pounds a year over the previous fifteen years. Granted, I was pretty thin when the weight gain started, but I was obviously 25 pounds over, and something needed to be done. I decided to lose weight. The first month––nothing. The second month––nothing. Then I realized that this was really going to take some work. I had to stop eating at lunch and dinner while I was still hungry. I had to stop snacking all-to-gather (which was a KILLER!). I quit ice cream and sweets in general. I had to start working out. Believe me, as simple as it sounds, there were twenty years of habit to overcome and it felt like some pretty serious denial for a couple months. But then the pounds started dropping off and it actually became fun. In about six month, I lost the 25 pounds I needed to lose, and I kept if off for the next year. Now in the last two years, I put ten back on, and now back to some self-denial again, I am half-way back to where I need to be.
    But like everything important in life, getting our bodies in shape takes self-denial (I’ve been saying “no” to ice cream the last few weeks and its killing me!). Becoming a skilled musician takes self-denial (if you practice only when you feel like it, you’ll never be good). Becoming an athlete who excels on the field takes self-denial. Achieving excellence at work takes self denial (denying yourself the office gossip around the water cooler, denying the urge to procrastinate, denying the snooze button to get in early, etc.). If you want financial independence, you’re going to have to say “no” to a lot of things (like cars, toys, too much house, the latest of whatever, etc.). Success in any endeavor takes sacrifice.
    I realize that we live in a day when instant gratification is at our disposal. You don’t have to wait to get new furniture, you can just put it on your Visa. You don’t have to wait to get married for sex, its now ok to just do it with your girlfriend. You don’t have to save for a nice car, if you know how to breathe, you can get a car loan. But in those cases, as in all, that instant gratification lasts a short time, but the unwillingness to deny yourself will last with spoiled relationships or years of debt and thousands of dollars of interest.
    What do you want to succeed at? Where do you need to start sacrificing?
    In fact, Jesus taught us that the ultimate success in our existence depends on our willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice––our lives! He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34, NIV). He also said, “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life” (Mark 16:25, NLT). In other words, Jesus taught us that if we want to achieve the ultimate in life, spiritual maturity or intimacy with God, it’s going to take some serious self-denial.
    Maybe that’s why Paul used the analogy of an athlete working out in the gym to prepare for competition with spiritual growth. He said, “Exercise yourself toward godliness….” and then explained, “Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next” (1 Timothy 4:7, 8).
    It takes sacrifice to develop your relationship with God. Yep. Lots of it. But Paul was right, the results are eternally worth it!

Thanks, Mrs. Raabe! (My Kindergarten Teacher)

2010-07-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

    Robert Fulghum used to write his musings down and would share them with a few family members and friends. Some of it was pretty good. So good, in fact, that those family members and friends would photocopy his typewritten notes (often included in Christmas cards) and pass them on to coworkers and friends (before the days of those dreadful mass email forwards, people did that with photocopy machines :-). A little girl brought home in her school bag one multi-copied piece entitled, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” When her mom, a publishing professional, read it, she knew it was a gem. Contacting Fulghum, she convinced him to have it, and other articles he had written, published into a book that became a New York Times Best Seller, titled after the original article that so impressed her.
    I’m sure you’ve read the list, but let me repeat it here:
    “Share everything.
    “Play fair.
    “Don't hit people.
    “Put things back where you found them.
    “Clean up your own mess.
    “Don't take things that aren't yours.
    “Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
    “Wash your hands before you eat.
    “Flush.
    “Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
    “Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
    “Take a nap every afternoon.
    “When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
    “Be aware of wonder.
    “Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:
    “The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
    “Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup––they all die. So do we.
    “And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all––LOOK.”
    Pretty good isn’t it. But it’s not just a cute list to make us smile. All of us have what it takes to succeed at work, at home…. in life. We’ve been taught what to do. We create chaos in our lives because we don’t do the obvious things.
    If some of you were to just start sharing, it would transform your lives. If some of you would start playing fair, it would change your marriages. Just think what would happen if everyone would stop taking things that aren’t theirs and at the same time stop hitting people. The plight of our cities would virtually disappear! So would international crises!
    Do you clean up your own messes….right away? Do you say you’re sorry when you hurt others….sincerely?
    Here’s a big one. Do you live your life, conscious that it’s going to be over….sooner than later?
    I have often said, “Most Christians are overfed and under-exercised. Our problem is not that we don’t really know enough of what the Bible says. Our real problem is that we tend not to practice what we do know. Kind of Fulghum’s point in his “Kindergarten” essay.
    So as we talk about Biblical solutions to our problems this summer, let’s think, “ACTION.” What does God want you to do with what you are learning. I don’t know the specifics for you, but I can guarantee you this, He wants you to put His principles into practice. TODAY!
    And that’s something you can do.

Are You a Follower or JUST a Leader?

2010-07-22T13:53:00.002-05:00

    The twelve disciples of Jesus are a fascinating group of guys. We’ll do a study some day on the character and accomplishments of this rag-tag group of diverse men who were chosen by Jesus to turn the world up-side down. But in my Bible reading this morning, there is one thing that stood out to me about these guys. While they are quite the assortment of personalities and backgrounds, there appears to be one characteristic that brought them all together.
    When Jesus called, they immediately responded.
    “Follow me,” Jesus said to each of them, and immediately they left their places, their livelihood, pretty much everything, and followed him. It didn’t end there. I briefly went through the Gospels this morning and did not find a single instance where Jesus gave them instructions when they did not follow Him immediately, and almost without question (they wondered why a few times but rarely second guessed Him). So while they didn’t always “get it” with His parables and some of his hyperboles and similes, they followed through on whatever they were told to do, and they were willing to obey Him, even when his instructions didn’t make sense to them. So when Jesus gave them the ultimate command, “Go into all the world and make disciples,” they didn’t think twice about it. They had obeyed Him every time before this and it always worked out. So why not with the Great Commission?
    Is that how you are? Do you follow Him with unquestioned abandonment? Are you willing to leave all for the sake of following Him?
    I don’t think that most people who call themselves Christians really are willing to follow Him like that. They find ways to explain away why “God will understand” their disobedience, or they will claim they “prayed about it” and “have peace.” But mostly, I don’t think many Christians think much about what Jesus would have them do in the vast majority of decisions they make every day. Do we give a thought as to whether or not Jesus would want us to criticize someone, ignore another person with needs we could help alleviate, speak harshly to a spouse or child? Do we sincerely go to God and ask Him for guidance with movies we watch, places we go, things we do, people we hang out with? When struggling with issues in life (relationships, finances), while we may pray for God to intervene, do we ask Him for what He wants us to do about it, and do we listen to what He says?
    In reality, that’s what it means to follow Jesus, doesn’t it? Isn’t being a Christian supposed to be about following him?
    In his book “None of These Diseases,” S. I. McMillen tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."
    When it comes to living the Christian life, being a leader is fine, if you are first a good follower of Jesus Christ. You may or may not have been give leadership ability (few people are truly gifted leaders). But that is neither here nor there. What really matters is that all of us have been give “followship” ability. We all follow someone or something. For too many, they follow their own cravings and desires. But being a Christians means following Jesus….in everything!
    So….are you a follower of Jesus?

I Pledge Allegiance

2010-07-02T10:10:00.000-05:00

    I was totally blown away by a news story out of Massachusetts this last week. Boston, of course, was at the center of our nation’s birth and many of our most outspoken founders came from there. The old city still has many of its early buildings where so many decisions were made that led to the founding of this country and the American system that we tend to take for granted. If you visit downtown Boston, it’s like visiting a city-wide museum.
    That is why I was even more appalled that this story came out of the Boston area.
    Arlington High School in Arlington, Massachusetts, does not allow the public reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. I did not say that the school does not “require” students and teachers to recite it, they won’t ALLOW it!
    Their reasoning? They say they can’t find enough teachers or administrators in the school who are willing to recite it themselves!
    So, here is a publicly funded school, located at the very birthplace of America, led by teachers who do not believe enough in their own loyalty to The United States and the system that was founded right there in their own local area, that they are unwilling to publicly recite any commitment to that loyalty. Can you imagine what the young impressionable students in that high school are being taught?
    For those in my generation and older, school was a place where we were taught respect for our nation’s founders and deep pride was instilled in us for being Americans. I grew up with a high appreciation of the blessing of living in this country and have always been thankful that I was privileged to be born here. In school I was taught that all that we have as Americans had been given to us through the sacrifices of those who believed so much in the American system that they were willing to sacrifice their lives to create and preserve it. Not a student in any of my classes would have even thought it to be an acceptable thing to not join the rest of the class, and in doing so the rest of the country, in standing to recite The Pledge of Allegiance. I would have thought, “Why would any American not?”
    But in Massachusetts, ungrateful adults, being paid with taxpayer money, are not only unwilling to pass those values on to the next generation, they are unwilling to commit their own loyalty to this country.
    I don’t get it! Have they ever been to another country? I’ve often wondered where “America haters” would prefer to live. And why don’t they move to a place that indeed reflects their values?
    In truth, we do not need to agree on everything to be united as a country. Healthy debate in the political arena is a good thing, and has been an important freedom since our founding. But some today are not simply exercising their dissent, they communicate disdain for our constitutional system. In previous generations, they would have been considered treasonous.
    I am more than anything a follower of Jesus Christ and a citizen of heaven. But I am so grateful for God’s grace in giving to us a nation and system of government that has birthed freedom that had previously never been known to man (since Adam, anyway). And even today, a place like no other around the world.
    Happy Independence Day, America. Americans, appreciate it!

Do You Want Help?

2010-06-27T06:45:00.001-05:00

    “Do you want help? Do you really want help?” I often ask those two questions in counseling.
    I will sometimes follow with something like this, “Or do you just want someone to fix your current crisis? Because real help is going to require changes in your life and the choices you are making that have led to this crisis.”
    When a couple is looking for marriage help, they want their husband or wife fixed. Parents want their kids fixed. People who are feeling guilty because of their sin, want their feelings fixed. But it is a rare occasion when people look to a counselor with a willingness to make personal sacrifices and long-term lifestyle changes on their part.
    Yet I hear things like, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes.” But sadly, that is not often true. Had they been willing to do whatever it takes to fix their problem, more often than not, they wouldn’t be in their current predicament. Again, that is often said in order to alleviate a current crisis, but it is rarely meant for the long term thinking patterns and behavior choices that have brought them to their current predicament.
    If you are paying attention to the oil spill crisis in the Gulf, you know what I mean. While our government keeps claiming that everything that can be done is being done, it doesn’t take a lot of investigation to find that is just not the case. Thirteen governments with expertise and equipment capable of dealing with off shore disasters such as this offered to help, all within two weeks of the explosion that led to this devastating spill. Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, The Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations as a whole were all turned down by our administration, despite the claim that everything that can be done is being done. The help they are offering is not merely a matter of courtesy. A few of these countries have technology and equipment for this kind of clean-up that far exceeds what the US government or British Petroleum possess. “We’re doing everything we can,” is simply not a sincere statement.
    So as we are spending the summer at The Bridge talking about problems and their solutions, ask yourself if you really want help. Not, Do do want to talk about your problems, have other people feel bad for you because of your problems, or even admit that you have any problems. The real question you have to ask yourself is, “Do I really want help?” Because if you do, that will mean applying Biblical principles to making difficult changes in your lifestyle and the choices you are making. If you really want help, you’ll be looking to the Bible for the things God wants to change in you! And you will be actively making those changes!

Open Exposure!

2010-06-16T17:02:00.002-05:00

    I had a meeting downtown today, which took me into the thrilling Chicago traffic. At one intersection, both an automobile and a bicycle attempted to sneak through a red light at the end of a yellow. The bike was going straight and the car was turning left, and they collided. The car was barely moving and fortunately, the woman on the bike was not hurt….but she was mad! She jumped up off the ground and picked her bike up, ripped her helmet off, and with bike in tow, ran after the car screaming at the driver. Junior was sitting beside me in the car and we both saw the whole thing. I asked Junior, “What is she so mad about? She ran the red light, too! You’d think someone on a bike would know better then to ride out into oncoming traffic on a red light.” Junior responded, “Ya, but that’s how people are; they are always sure they are in the right, even when they are obviously not.”
    True. And in fact, I’m no exception. Studies show that when people are interviewed to share their observations of just about any experience or event, the person being interviewed will slant the story just a bit to put themselves in the best light. It’s human nature to want others to think better of us than what we know to be true, down deep inside. But that’s also a major barrier in our overcoming some of the most difficult problems we face. You can’t defeat a problem you do not acknowledge.
    That was the point of my last week’s message, “Exposure, what it means to walk in the light.” Once we are willing to open ourselves up to God, and a few other trusted people, revealing a genuine openness for truth with a mindset for change, we are able to act on the steps necessary for change in overcoming that problem. But without that desire for truth, or willingness to have our weaknesses exposed, no real or substantive change can ever take place.
    Some years ago, a friend said to me, “Scott, you are so negative, I need to stop hanging around with you. You are rubbing off on me and I get critical when we’re together.”
    Now, that made me mad! How dare he! Within the next few minutes, I had all the best responses in my mind for him, accusing him of being more negative than me and why I had been right in the critical things I had been saying about others. It wasn’t until later that evening when I got my Bible out to read that the truth of his stinging words struck home. Once I was willing to stop defending myself, I began to see my heart and my attitude the way God saw it. And it wasn’t pretty. That led me on a journey to change my outlook and disposition….one that I am still on today. I have my friend, Bob, to thank for that.
    Are you still in denial about your sinful anger, selfishness, immorality, resentment, addictions, worry or laziness? The first step to overcoming is by opening yourself up to God and what He wants to teach you, and to let Him use those closest to you to identify those areas that can be and should be changed.
    We are real people. We have real problems. The Bible offers solutions. It always starts with an openness to truth.

Pillars in Place

2010-06-12T15:00:00.003-05:00

My son is getting married and the Wisconsin bridal shower for my future daughter-in-law is going on right now. Since the rain was coming down hard when my wife was to start out on the two hour drive to the “shower” this morning, I volunteered to drive her. So here I am, sitting at a McDonald’s in the town where we raised our kids, a McDonald’s where Junior played many times in the kids crawling gym as a little boy, waiting for my wife to finish. Back when the kids were little and rushing through their happy meals to get into the sea of plastic balls, we knew this day was coming (older people kept telling us it was), we just didn’t know how soon it would be here. I’m really grateful for how it appears our kids are turning out. I sure hope and pray we gave them a strong foundation for life.
An hour ago, since I was in town anyway, I drove to the church building of the congregation Linda and I established a little over twenty years ago. It feels good to drive by the building and know that all that work paid off….that there is still a strong and growing congregation here.

    As I pulled out of the parking lot, I looked back and for some reason, the pillars holding up the carport caught my eye. I remember putting them in. I did it almost by myself. The white pillars that are visible are just aluminum wraps around steel posts. I remember wrapping them. And I remember holding the steel posts in place with a plumb level on the side while the welder attached them to the beam above and the steel plate below that emerged from the concrete footing. I also remember pouring the concrete footing. The footing actually extends nine feet below fill dirt to 4 foot square slabs I had poured on the undisturbed ground two weeks before. To extend the foundation the additional nine feet to reach ground level where the steel posts could be attached, I used twelve inch circular forms I found at Menard’s. One of our members brought out a small concrete mixer to the site and I even mixed the concrete before filling the forms that would hold up the steel posts that held up the carport. So from the slab at the bottom to the carport itself, I did just about everything. When it was all finished, I even shingled the roof on top. It was pretty cool to look back and see all four pillars still standing firm, no sag, and the roof held up strong and level.
    But it all went down to the four foundation slabs beneath those pillars. Thinking about my kids, I wondered, what were the important foundation slabs we hopefully undergirded the lives of our children. And four immediately came to mind.
    1) Unconditional love. I know all parents say they love their children. Who would ever say anything other? But the proof in the pudding is in the eating. Real love is demonstrated by affection, words of affirmation, sacrificial care, and from a child’s perspective, time.
    2) Consistent discipline. I don’t believe this is taught nearly enough to young parents today. We have the failed results of some schools of thought in modern psychology to thank for that. But children cannot learn from those they do not accept as their authority. We believed that teaching our children that we were the parents and they were the kids very early would determine whether or not they would learn anything else from us.
    3) Consistent lifestyle. Kids learn more about the way we live than the things we tell them. It was important to Linda and I that we be the same people all the time, at home, at church, alone, or with our friends. Kids see through phoniness quicker than anyone.
    4) Constant teaching. We believed it was important to tell our kids on a daily basis why we lived the way we lived, why we valued the things and principles we valued, and how they could live in such a way that God would be honored.
    These four principles are absolutely necessary for parents to effectively pass their values on to their children….what we call effective parenting. I hope they stand as firm in our kids lives as the four pillars in front of my former church.

The Destination DOES Matter!

2010-06-03T17:13:00.003-05:00

    A thief in Orem, Utah, discovered an important principle: Know where you are going before you commit the crime.
    When John White flagged down a policeman to ask for directions, the officer noted that the man matched the description of someone accused of stealing two phones from a nearby convenience store, and the address White wanted turned out to be the same one the officer was checking.
    The address had been left on a slip of paper the thief left at a gas station, according to a March 26, 2010, AP story. The man was arrested when the officer found he had both phones, along with a small amount of marijuana.
    I’m assuming you are not planning on committing any crimes in the near future, but it is pretty important to know where you are going with whatever your plans are.
    Sometimes you may even think you know where you are going but because you were relying on the wrong source of information, you ended up in the wrong place. That happened to me twice in the last couple of months. Did you know that Google maps is not ALWAYS accurate? Two months ago, Google sent me to the wrong city! I later checked to see what address I had typed in and I entered all the information correctly. Yet I was sent to a completely different street in a town some fifteen miles away from where I was trying to go. In another incident, I was sent to the wrong address on the wrong street.
    Where are you going and do you know how you are going to get there? Are you sure? Can you trust the directions you are following?
    I’ve spoken to too many apparently successful men who have confided in me that while they had reached the top of their corporate ladder, once they got there they began to believe they had it leaning against the wrong building.
    Just moving along and making progress in life may keep you occupied and perhaps even mesmerized for a while. But ending up where you want to go depends on whether or not you started with the right goal and then trusted in reliable directions to get there.
    The right goal? Is there such a thing? When you consider that God made every one of us for a purpose, anything that we pour our lives into outside of that purpose will eventually leave us feeling lost, a long way from where we want to be.
    God made you for Him. And while we have all been separated from enjoying His presence through the problem of sin, He has clearly mapped out for us the way back. Living for anything outside of that, will only broaden the gap between us and while it may provide a bit of fun and diversion for a while, it will eventually lead us to emptiness and despair. And there are a lot of false promises of fulfillment through self-help techniques, they can be a bit like google maps when their information is a bit off. But I can promise you this, God’s Word will not let you down!
    Do you know where you are going? Do you know how to get there? Jesus said this, “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Who Are You Listening To?

2010-05-25T16:15:00.002-05:00

    The heat is on! Well, it was anyway.
    We were a little warm in church last week. The auditorium was fine, but the lobby? Something was definitely wrong. It was bad enough that we had no air on a 90° day, a day we had planned extra fellowship in the new lobby after our 4:00 PM annual celebration. The lobby was so hot we had to move the food into the auditorium where it was cool. But you wouldn’t believe Monday morning. It was 96° in there when I arrived and the heat was ON! Yes….THE FURNACE WAS RUNNING! Since both lobby thermostats were set to A/C, and since the furnace was running when the air clearly should have been, we kind of thought there might be a problem (smart people that we are). Even after completely shutting down the system from both thermostats, the heat kept running. The lobby became as hot as 98 degrees by the time we were able to cut the power to all units.
    The HVAC people finally came on Tuesday to solve the problem. Come to find out, the technician had programmed the thermostats wrong when he installed them last fall. They worked fine for winter heat, but the programming for summer cool sent the wrong message to the units and while the thermostat was telling us that it was asking for A/C, the message was being sent to the heating units running the furnaces. I’m still confused as to why the heat kept running even after we turned the system off.
    Just about everything mechanical or electrical today is run by computers: cars, cameras, HVAC units. If the computer is incorrectly programmed, whatever unit it is sending signals to will operate incorrectly. Data in, data out.
    Both Solomon and Paul talked about that. They lived too long ago to be familiar with computer programming, but they understood human nature. If we take in faulty programming, our thinking gets messed up, which then is reflected in our choices/behavior.
    Where does that input come from? Well, we get it from the people and influences we surround ourselves with: friends, teachers, co-workers, television and other entertainment sources, even churches. Its pretty important that we pay attention to who and what we are listening to because invariable, without a pretty good filter (God’s Word), the influences we surround ourselves with impact in a major way the decisions we make and the lifestyles we choose. Solomon said this, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20). The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
    Who are you hanging out with? Who are you listening to?

Find a Place

2010-05-22T14:58:00.001-05:00

     We are a camping family. I’m sure for all of you who were born and raised in the city, that is your stereotype for those of us from Wisconsin. I will have to admit that I grew up enjoying the outdoors: hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and biking. Most of my happiest childhood memories were in the woods, hiking the bluffs along the Mississippi, on the Mississippi fishing, or sleeping in a tent in a campground. But believe it or not, most people in Wisconsin are no more familiar with the outdoors than those who grew up in Des Plaines!
    But for me, I’ve always loved it. Today, the outdoors is my escape. After living in Illinois for the last three years (almost), I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. I found a $1,000 pop-up camper on craigslist and the Zieglers are camping again! When we inaugurated the camper a month ago, we were entertained by wild turkeys in the state park for a good portion of the time we were there.
    One of my favorite aspects of camping, is the time I get alone with God. There is something about being in the middle of His creation, without the distraction of traffic, TV, or even the voices of other people, that helps me focus. I can relate to Jesus when in the height of his busyness, he would often leave the crowd, needs and all, and go into the wilderness to spend time with His Father. It appears that His favorite place near Jerusalem was the Garden of Gethsemane––sort of like a state park, I think. ☺
    Do you have a place? A couple of weeks ago, I spoke on the need for all of us to have a daily quiet time with God. I hope you are doing well with your own personal time each day with God. But there is also something special about being able to go to a place away from all the hustle and bustle, periodically, where you can spend an extended time just communing with your Creator. For me, that happens best in a state park or a wildlife refuge. Do you have a place like that? Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
    What a great habit for you to start this week!

Junior

2010-05-16T08:29:00.000-05:00

    That moment changed everything for me. I saw the world through a different lens. The words, “love” and “respon-sibility” took on completely different meanings. It was one thing to go from “single” to “husband.” That was actually pretty easy (for me––not for Linda!). But going from “man” to “father” changed me forever.
    Junior wasn’t always “Junior.” He actually has a different middle name than me and we originally planned on calling him “Daniel,” for his middle name. But everyone called him Scottie, so that’s what stuck. As a little guy, he would shoot across the floor before he learned to crawl, so we started calling him “Scoot.” Then came, “Scoot the toot.” I won’t mention where the “toot” came from ☺.
    He has always been a lot of fun. Junior loves to laugh and tease, and in our family, that’s a primary love language. I’ll never forget when he was a teenager and he started losing his hair. He was really worried about it. Linda told him one day that mayonnaise is good for hair and that it cures baldness, if you use it early and often enough. I knew she was making it up and left the room to keep from laughing. A few days later, the mayonnaise was scraped clean from the jar!
    In junior high and high school, he was a pleasure to be around. We never had to endure the rebellious teenage years that so many parents struggle through. He was a good athlete, decent student, looked out for the kids who got picked on (actually got into a few fights defending them), and outside of a few TP pranks on church and school people, never got into trouble. Between all that and his 6’1” frame, I’ve often wondered if we accidentally brought the wrong kid home from the hospital!
    But what I have appreciated most about my oldest son, is his heart. He truly seeks to live for Christ and loves to serve. Here at The Bridge, there are not many people who are more active in ministry.
    Today, he graduated from college. Wow! Some of you have been through this before so it may be no big deal to you. But it is to Linda and I. We couldn’t be more proud. I have often told my kids, “It doesn’t matter what vocation you choose in life, so long as you are passionate about serving God and other people.” Even through his college years, while maintaining a job, full time school, and now a fiancee, serving in ministry has been a priority.
    Thanks for being the son you are, Junior. And thanks for your example. Mom and I love you and are very proud of you!

Oil Slick

2010-05-06T15:33:00.003-05:00

    It started with a lack of oversight. We don’t know the whole story yet, but it won’t be long before we learn that maintenance had slipped and accountability was lacking. Someone didn’t do something they should have done. When disaster struck, those responsible minimized the damage. Oversight agencies were assured that the owners would take care of it themselves. All the while, black oozed from the damaged area deep beneath the surface at the rate of 210,000 gallons a day (initially said to be a fraction of that). You don’t have to be an environmental activist to be alarmed at the damage this is causing to wildlife, or even the economies of the Gulf states, which are dependent on fishing, tourism and commerce along the Gulf coast. Now understood to be nearly unmanageable, the government is supposedly stepping in to make sure something is done. But as I am writing this, it is still questionable that any of the “fix-it” theories will stop the hemorrhage, or that the clean-up plans will not do more harm than good. This is truly a disaster that will eventually affect the entire country––environmentally and economically. And it all started with lax maintenance and irresponsible oversight.
    But don’t be too quick to judge!
    How’s the maintenance in your life going? Are you open to oversight? Or are some of the early signs of a massive disaster in the making?
    I see some very sad parallels between what is unfolding off the shores of Louisiana and the imploded lives of those who wreaked havoc in their world by letting sin get the upper hand. It starts when a person is distracted from needed daily spiritual maintenance and nobody is around to notice without active accountability in their lives. When the sin does become noticeable, the offending party minimizes the real danger and friends tend to back off, as though the same person who created the disaster is likely to fix it on his own. It doesn’t happen.
    People are shocked when the family, work, or church explosion occurs, but the cracks had been forming as deterioration had been occurring deep below the surface for a long time. Sadly, it's not just the individuals who are responsible who pay the price. Everyone around them is affected. As a pastor, I have had to help clean up the rubble in the lives of kids who are usually the most devastated by the aftermath of a spiritual explosion created by poor maintenance and deficient accountability.
    How’s your daily maintenance? Are you consistently in the Word and spending time in prayer with a daily quiet time with God?
    Do you have good accountability in your life with close friends or family members who are there to help you stay the course? Are you open to their help or do you recoil at any hint of correction?
    The oil slick in the Gulf is growing every day. Fishing is shut down, ports are closed, sea life is dying. And it all could have been avoided. Sometimes the thing that keeps me most on track is a reminder of what could be if I’m not. There’s too much at stake in my life. And there is in yours as well. If you don’t have a regular maintenance program in place, establish a daily quiet time today. And surround yourself with a few godly people who will help hold you to it!

No Refunds and No Returns

2010-04-15T17:05:00.000-05:00

     Unbelievable. I was dumbstruck. You’ve heard all about it as well and probably became as disgusted as I was when I read the story. A Tennessee woman was so eager to be a mom that she spent a lot of money and went through years of preparation to adopt a child from Russia. But when he turned out to be more of a challenge then she bargained for, she thought she could just return him, like you would a coffee pot at Wal-Mart because it lacked the features you expected to be standard. Evidently, she had some fantasy idea that bringing into her home a seven-year old orphan from Russia would be instant joy and the child would be free from challenges. And when reality shattered her dream of what being a mom would be like, without any thought given to the well-being or even safety of the child, she shipped him off on an airliner headed back to Moscow, by himself, and a note pinned to his shirt, like it was written for the Kindergarten teacher.
     Rightly so, Russian officials were infuriated. And now prospective parents who are willing to make the commitment to do whatever it takes for the best interest of their adopted children, are placed in limbo, though some of these parents were only hours from taking custody of their children. I’m not sure I’d want to be this woman trying to shop nonchalantly at the neighborhood grocery store. Not too many people sympathize with her.
     But this story only stands out because the circumstances are unusual. A lot of parents are pretty nasty about running away from the responsibility they took on with their children when they made the choices that led either to conception or adoption. Once that child is in our care, God will hold us responsible for their well-being. I can guarantee that God is not happy about what this mother did to that little boy, but He is equally angry (yes…. ANGRY) with parents who physically or emotionally abuse their children, run out on them to pursue their own selfish desires, argue and scream at the child’s mom or dad in front of them (or within earshot), slander the child’s other parent or grandparents, drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs with them in the automobile, etc. Jesus made it quite clear that those who would harm a child will be judged by God (Luke 17:2). Some of these more “acceptable” behaviors are just as harmful to children than if they were shipped off to another country. Running off on your kids is no different then sending them away. God holds these harmful behaviors in equal disdain. If you are one who yells at your spouse in front of your kids, drives under the influence with them in the car-seat, or care more about your passionate “affair,” than you do your spouse or your children, pay attention to this! God does not look on these things lightly!
     Parents, you have an enormous responsibility before God to care for and properly train your children. Dissatisfaction at work, difficulty in getting along with your spouse, or even frustration in getting your children to mind, will never be excuses for mistreating those whom God has placed in your care. He is not happy with the woman who pinned the note on her son, shipping him back to Russia. But He takes your actions with and in front of your kids just as seriously. They are learning from your example. And the atmosphere you create in your home, good or bad, will stay with them the rest of their lives.
     Take your parenting responsibility seriously and be the mom or dad God calls you to be!

"Little Annie" Locked in a Dungeon

2010-04-08T16:46:00.000-05:00

     A number of years ago, in a mental institution just outside Boston, Mass., a young girl known as “Little Annie” was locked in the dungeon. This institution was one of the more enlightened ones for the treatment of the mentally disturbed. However, the doctors felt that a dungeon was the only place for those who were “hopelessly” insane. In Little Annie’s case, they saw no hope for her, so she was confined to a living death in that small cage which received little light and even less hope.
     About that time, an elderly nurse in the institution was nearing retirement. She felt there was hope for all of God’s creatures, so she started taking her lunch into the dungeon and eating outside Little Annie’s cage. She felt perhaps she could communicate some love and hope to the little girl.
     In many ways, Little Annie was like an animal. On occasions, she would violently attack the person who came into her cage. At other times, she would completely ignore them.
     When the elderly nurse started visiting her, Little Annie gave no indication that she was even aware of her presence. One day, the elderly nurse brought some brownies to the dungeon and left them outside the cage. Little Annie gave no hint she knew they were there, but when the nurse returned the next day, the brownies were gone. From that time on, the nurse would bring brownies when she made her Thursday visit. Soon, the doctors in the institution noticed a change was taking place. After a period of time, they decided to move Little Annie upstairs. Finally, the day came when this “hopeless case” was told she could return home. But Little Annie did not wish to leave. The place had meant so much to her she felt she could make a contribution if she stayed and worked with the other patients. The elderly nurse had seen and brought out so much in her life that Little Annie felt she could see and help develop something in others.
     Many years later, Queen Victoria of England, while pinning England’s highest award on a foreigner, asked Helen Keller, “How do you account for your remarkable accomplishments in life? How do you explain the fact that even though you were both blind and deaf, you were able to accomplish so much?” Without a moment’s hesitation, Helen Keller said that had it not been for Anne Sullivan (Little Annie), the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.
     It’s not too well known, but Helen Keller was a normal, healthy baby before some mysterious disease left her almost helpless and hopeless. Anne Sullivan saw Helen Keller as one of God’s very special people – treated her as she saw her – loved her – disciplined her – played, prayed, pushed and worked with her until the flickering candle that was her life became a beacon that helped light the pathways and lighten the burdens of people all over the world. Yes, Helen Keller influenced millions after her own life was touched by “Little Annie!”
     Dark times make our circumstances very difficult to decipher; and sometimes its best not to even try to understand the “why’s” of our difficulties. But God’s Word promises that good will come from our trials if we truly love Him and are living according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). Give that trial to the Lord. As tough as it may seem, it probably does not compare to the suffering of little Anne Sullivan – and look how God impacted the world through her victory! You can endure. And when it is all said and done, it will make sense.
     “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Something Real to Celebrate

2010-03-31T08:17:00.000-05:00

     Philosopher Walter Kaufmann wrote a book ironically titled, The Faith of a Heretic. After explaining our cosmic insignificance, he concluded: “What I want to do and would advise others to do is to make the most of life: put into it all you have got, and live, and, if possible, die with some measure of nobility.”
     I cannot help but to say that to tell us to die with nobility when there is no hope beyond the grave is farcical at best. Compare Kaufmann’s philosophy to Jesus’ words: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live.” These profound words, spoken to Lazarus’s sister Martha, were proven true moments later when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
     This becomes so much more real when you stare death in the face, either on behalf of yourself or with a loved one. Losing my father ten years ago forced me to examine the reality of the resurrection for the first time since I committed my life to Christ. I think that most of us would have trouble finding value in this present life if we believed that this is all there really is. Yet for most of the world, they live just that way. They struggle with making the most of their lives while having no hope beyond the grave. It was for this reason that Dr. Nelson Bell said, “Only those who are prepared to die are really prepared to live.” The confidence of eternal life, which is given to us through the resurrection of Jesus, gives us added ability to not only cope, but to live meaningful and beneficial lives in the here and now; lives that end only with a passageway into a better life!
     Concluding his famous discourse on Christ’s resurrection, the apostle Paul asks rhetorically, “Where, O death, is your sting? Where is your victory?” In reference to the resurrection, the answer is obvious. Death has been overcome––in Paul’s words, “swallowed up in life.”
     We have something real to celebrate this Sunday! And it is not just the resurrection of Jesus Christ… it is the hope of eternal life passed on to all who believe!

The Great Wall of China Can be Seen from Space

2010-03-04T11:20:00.002-06:00

    Isn’t it amazing the things people will believe? Mark Twain once quipped, “A lie can get half-way around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” I get so tired of the emails that get forwarded around the web from one gullible enthusiast to the next, without a lot of thought given to whether they are promoting truth or lies. Many of the most common forwards are urban legends that had been proven false decades ago but gained new life with the internet….and people who are way too quick with the forward tab in Outlook.
    Just think about a couple of highly promoted claims that have become almost universally believed. First, the statement that The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object that can be viewed from space. What!? Granted, its a very large structure, but while it is really long, it is not very wide, not even as wide as a highway. If you could see The Great Wall of China from space, you could see the entire interstate system in the United States. FALSE!
    How about the myth that people only use ten percent of their brains. I think it was John Lennon who used that one to promote the virtues of LSD and how it opened up the rest of his brain. But if it were true, brain damage wouldn’t be such a worrisome thing. If we only need 10% of our brains, we could lose the other 90% and not have a problem. (I will have to admit, however, that I’ve met a few people where I’ve wondered.)
    Sadly, Christians are guilty of this all too often. I get a kick out hearing people “quote” Scriptures that are not really there, like, “As the Book says, ‘God only helps those who help themselves.’” Well, I don’t know what book actually says that, but the Bible doesn’t. It really upsets me, though, when I hear preachers make claims that are not true. The other night I was tuned in for a few minutes as a prosperity theology proponent was promising people that if they sent in “seed money” to his ministry, that God would give them a bountiful financial harvest. It wasn’t just the big diamond rings on his fingers, his expensive Armani suit and the lavish studio backdrop that upset me, it was his misuse of Scripture for personal gain that made my blood boil!
    As sincere followers of Christ, we should be lovers of truth. Are you? Or are you quick to believe juicy gossip that comes your way? Do you squelch it or pass it on? Are you the eager listener when someone comes to you with the “newest” strategy to make money off friends and family (any pyramid scheme)? Do you believe something just because you heard it in church or from a popular Christian leader?
    I hope you pay close attention to what I am teaching as I expound the Word of God. But I don’t want you to simply take at face value the things that I teach. Believe it when God’s Word teaches it. It is The Word of God that can be trusted. Everything else is open to our scrutiny and should be filtered through the principles taught in Scripture.
    So my message is this: Love the truth and learn the Bible!

Security Guards? Really?

2010-02-11T13:07:00.002-06:00

     Have you seen the latest video depicting youth violence in the Seattle bus tunnel? I have been alarmed of late by the growing number of security tapes from school busses, outside businesses in urban areas, and now in a metro bus terminal; videos that depict kids nearly killing other kids (and in the case of Chicago teen, actually doing so). Watching a group of girls pummeling, kicking, and even stomping on the head of another girl should be enough for any of us to become alarmed. But evidently not for three security guards who stood by watching, even nonchalantly, as the girl was beaten nearly to death. None of the three “guards” made an attempt to intervene. I found myself asking out loud, “For who’s security are they there? Who or what are they supposed to be guarding?”
     I was even more appalled when I learned from a Seattle law enforcement official who was being interviewed, that the Metro Bus Company (owned and operated by the county) had contracted with security guards who were instructed to never intervene in situations of violence, only to observe and report. I thought that’s what the cameras were for! Again, for who’s security was the company contracted and what were they to guard if not the safety of their citizens and passengers?
     Then, get this, when doing a Google search on the story to get the details, I typed in “youth violence in Seattle” and the first article that came back was dated a year ago. It outlined a $2 million plan the city and county were throwing money at to curb youth violence. I’m missing something. They want to spend $2 million on a program to curb violence and at the same time instruct “security guards” to just let innocent minors to be beaten and robbed without coming to their aid? What is all that money going to accomplish if citizens are not decent enough to protect innocent bystanders from being hurt and if the government that is doling out that money discourages even security guards from protecting people? Is not this a bit ridiculous?
     And then I shook my head as I thought how so many churches are a lot like that. Quick to dole out money to send to missionaries, overseas and domestically, supposedly to introduce the Gospel to those who do not know Christ, but at the same time doing little if anything to reach the unsaved who live in their communities. As a church, we are in danger of the government’s “just throw money at it” mindset. Jesus told us in the Great Commission to make disciples….that’s for us to make disciples, not just send money to people who are supposed to do that in other countries and communities.
     You know, that $2 million dollar program in Seattle may not be a bad idea. But it will do little in comparison to the Seattle people (and Chicago people for that matter) simply acting decently and coming to the aid of their fellow humans. Helping to support foreign missionaries is not a bad idea either, unless we are not busy living out and sharing our faith with our neighbors, coworkers, friends and relatives. If we become consumed with reaching our Jerusalem, it will be a more natural thing for us to want to expand our witness to Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world. So let’s first get busy sharing Christ with those we have contact with!

Squirrel!

2010-02-04T11:24:00.010-06:00

     “Hey little squirrel!” He looked up at me with his beady little eyes, his mouth dropped open, and he turned and scampered off in the opposite direction….across the church lobby!
     Let me explain ☺. We have a beautiful lobby in our church with some very comfortable furniture and big open windows. Some days it is quiet out there and I like to use it to study, pray, and even for some of my meetings.
     While sitting here on the leather sofa in front of the floor to ceiling south window, a squirrel suddenly appeared from behind the couch facing me and was startled to see me sitting here. Roofers had left an area open without screening it and we knew some squirrels had gotten into our attic. They’ve evidently figured out how to make their way down to join us for worship, because Heather Heath chased one out the door several weeks ago on a Sunday. We called the roofers and they came out and closed up the entrance. Trouble is, their entrance was also their exit. Since then, having no other way out, they’ve joined us down here and we’ve chased four squirrels out through our main level doors.
This morning (Thursday), our courageous office manager thought she had taken care of the last one as she stood with her eyes closed, while praying and trembling, holding the door open to let one little guy out. He was happy to leave, but not as happy as Becky was to see him go!
     Then came the little guy around the couch to meet me. I felt sorry for him. He ran down the lobby bridge area, along the glass curtain wall, leaping against the glass panes all along the way, trying to get out. John Knautz and I followed him to several parts of the building (praying he didn’t make it to the basement where the women’s Bible study was going on…..can you imagine that?), opening doors and trying to coax him out. While I kept trying to show him the open doors, he kept leaping against glass windows or doors that were closed. He found himself trapped in the building and just wanted out. Finally, we were able to chase him to a door we had propped open and he made it outside.
     I couldn’t help but think about how I know a lot of people who are like that little squirrel. They feel trapped by their situation and are doing everything they can to get out, but every time they think they’ve found their way, they slam up against a glass pane. A relationship, maybe a few relationships, a job, a house or car, alcohol, sex, prescription pain killers. Wham. Wham. Wham. They just want out of the emptiness or the misery they feel trapped in. I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to coax people through the only door (John 10:9) that will lead to their freedom, but thinking its too scary to listen to a preacher, they choose another glass window pane instead.
     Maybe that describes you. If so, please listen! Freedom is only found in Jesus Christ! He is your answer!
     Maybe you are not like the little squirrel but you are thinking of someone who is. Don’t give up showing him the way! If John and I had given up on showing the squirrel the way to freedom, Becky would still be in the office with the doors closed tight, and we might even have a little excitement in the service this Sunday (not sure that would be a bad thing!).

Ready for Heaven?

2010-01-28T17:10:00.001-06:00

    On Thursday afternoon, I stood beside Rosemary VanVleet and prayed with her family that she could be ushered into her new home in heaven in peace. As we finished praying, there was a marked difference in her breathing. A few minutes later, she did just that. With Vernon sitting at her side, holding and gently stroking her hand, she left this earth behind and stepped into eternity to live in heaven. Just three days before I spoke with her at Lutheran General Hospital and asked her if she was afraid. She looked good that evening, was smiling and talkative. But we all knew that her time was short. She quickly said to me, “No, I know where I am going! I don’t know how people who don’t know the Lord do it!”
    Today, Rosemary is in heaven.
    Where are you going? There is no other question that could begin to compare in importance to that question. I am amazed at how people will spend so much energy thinking through and preparing for retirement, which may last twenty years, if they are in good health, but give little thought to where they go after that.
    Some have said to me, “It is presumptuous to say that you know you are going to heaven. You can’t know that until you die!” But the Bible says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13). God’s Word was written so that you do not have to leave this question unsettled. He wants you to know today where you will spend eternity!
    In fact, the Bible indicates that by leaving this question unsettled, you seal your own eternal fate in condemnation. In our natural state of sin, we are separated from the life of God and condemned. Jesus came to the earth, died on the cross and rose again from the dead to provide you with His resurrected life––eternal life in heaven! The good news of the Bible is that if we repent of our sin and believing that Jesus died for us and rose again, receive Him into our life as Lord and Savior, that we will be saved. By receiving Jesus Christ as God’s gift, we can know that we are going to heaven.
    Do you know? Have you responded to God’s grace by believing in His Son and committing yourself to being His disciple? Using Jesus’s words, have you been born again?
    Rosemary accepted Christ when she was a little girl and followed Him her entire life. And now for all eternity, she will be with Him. Maybe you are getting ready for retirement just fine. But if you are not ready for eternity, your twenty years or so in retirement will mean nothing. Are you ready to meet God? That’s the real question. If not, today is the day to get that settled!

Churches Helping Churches

2010-01-21T10:47:00.006-06:00

     A 70 year old woman was pulled from the debris of a collapsed building in Haiti on Sunday after lying there for five days! They located her partially by using a sophisticated electronic device that is able to detect heartbeats. Once they knew the area where she was buried, they pinpointed her location because rescuers could hear her singing under the concrete. Can you believe that? She was singing a Christian hymn!
     There are some rare happy stories in this unbelievable tragedy, but for the most part, the story of Haiti is currently disastrous. I want to thank all of you from The Bridge for your generosity in helping us to help them. Our plan is to work with local Bible-teaching churches in Haiti to provide help for those in their neighborhoods, as well as to rebuild and be the beacons they need to be in the rebuilding process that will take years. But once all of the world’s attention has subsided and the humanitarian shipments have diminished, it will be the local churches that will make the real difference. We want to help position these centers of hope for both immediate relief and long-term spiritual and societal impact.
     A number of Christian organizations are currently working through local churches, including Compassion International and Brighthope, but none are working directly to help the churches themselves. James McDonald, senior pastor at Harvest and a new friend of mine, along with Mark Driscoll of Seattle, traveled to Haiti this week to investigate the state of local churches and their position to help the neighborhoods where they are located. They are putting together a consortium of local churches here in the states to work directly with Hatian churches for more than immediate humanitarian aid, but the kind of help that can change the course of Haiti’s future. For more information on this group, check out their website here. One of the benefits of our getting on board with this group is that we open the door to work directly with people with whom we can build long-term relationships and for some of us to actually travel to Haiti and help them rebuild. Gifts that you give to the Haiti project through our online giving will be given as a special church project through Churches Helping Churches, and opening the door for us build an ongoing relationship with a church in Haiti. You can make a special gift for that project here.
     It seems to me that as a church, we have no choice. We are not only followers of Jesus, we are His Body, his hands and feet. We are called to be Jesus to those who are in desperate need, and to reach out with help first to our brothers and sisters so that they, in turn, can meet the needs of those around them.
     Let’s continue to pray for those in Haiti!

Ice Patch

2010-01-14T09:48:00.005-06:00

     My daughter hit a patch of ice last weekend and it cost me $500. Just a little patch of ice….that was it. Ice….followed by a little 4” curb, and that was all it took to break the right front strut and render the car immobile. Tow truck….auto mechanic…..$500. Aargh!
     That’s the trouble with ice, it takes you out of control. I once was leaving Wal-Mart’s parking lot
at about 3 mph. As I slowly rolled down the parking apron on to the street, the car in front of me braked, so I did, too. Only my car didn’t stop, didn’t even slow. I was on black ice and at 3 mph, I hit the car in front of me. You know how rugged these modern car bumpers are. I think the total damage was nearly $1,000 for the two bumpers!
     Its a horrible feeling when you hit a patch of ice, whether you are walking or driving. It takes you out of control. I hate to feel out of control.
     A friend of mine recently hit a patch of ice. I think he’s still spinning and trying to gain control. He was unjustly attacked at work for doing the right thing, and then he lost his job over it. This was his dream job, nonetheless.
     Ever have anything like that happen to you? Ever hit a patch of ice in life? Death in the family, best friend moving away, sudden job loss, spouse says she’s leaving, really bad news at the doctor’s office, etc. It can send you spinning, can’t it? You might be feeling like that right now.
     Reading the Psalms, it’s obvious that David felt that way at times. He gives us some pretty good insight as to how to handle spin-outs. Interestingly, handling a patch of ice on the road isn’t that different from handling one in life.
     For starters, hang on. When you first begin to lose control, there isn’t much you can do anyway. You can scream, but that just scares everyone else. You can panic and start whipping the wheel around, but that makes things worse. It’s best just to hang on.
     Secondly, turn into the slide. That goes against nature in that we naturally feel like turning away from it and getting out of there! But just like a slippery spot on the road, out-of-control situations in life are best handled by facing them. If its medical, get all the information you can. If its a relationship, learn what went wrong. If its job related, connect with the people you work for or with. In other words, don’t run. Don’t counter attack. Don’t do what you “feel” like doing. Face the problem.
     Thirdly, when the slide is over (and it will come to an end), assess the damage, fix what needs to be fixed, and move on. There’s no sense spending the rest of your week cursing the ice. You’ve got the rest of your life to live and as bad as this out-of-control experience may be, it doesn’t have to destroy your life. The ultimate outcome of our lives is 10% circumstances and 90% our reaction to those circumstances. More often than not, you will find that the scariest disturbances can turn out to be the most beneficial life incidents when you respond in a way that honors God.
     But I’m still not happy about the $500 car repair.

Guns and the Bible

2010-01-06T10:04:00.001-06:00

    In my last blog, I talked about growing up and loving to fish as a child. My dad instilled in me a love for the outdoors in general. But I would have to say that even more than fishing, I loved to hunt. I began traipsing through the woods and into duck blinds carrying just a BB gun when I was barely of school age. I still remember arguing with Dad over who actually killed the duck. I was honestly convinced that the one BB that came out of my spring-loaded Daisy was the lethal shot that landed our dinner.
    What’s interesting is that I don’t remember a lot of what my dad taught me about hunting per se. What I do remember is the gun safety he taught me. He was very concerned that I grew up knowing how to properly respect the power of a firearm and that I knew how to handle myself around a gun. At the age of twelve, like most boys growing up in Wisconsin, I took the DNR’s Hunter Safety Course. But I honestly could have taught the class. My dad had already thoroughly taught me more than the instructor could have had time for.
    I struggle with our society’s attitude towards guns in general. I realize that the misuse of firearms has become a huge problem in our country, particularly in metropolitan areas. Things were different in small town Wisconsin, and I understand that. But I have had people express shock when they learn that I, personally, own guns. Its almost as though they do not believe that a pastor, or any upstanding decent person, should own a gun. But I usually remind people that not that long ago, many more households in America, if not most, had guns, and few of them locked up their guns. Yet, firearm violence did not approach the problem that it is today. What has changed? It isn’t an increased availability of weaponry, that has actually diminished. It is the value system of our population. Owning a gun is not the problem. Lacking love for other people and respect for all human life is.
    I could go on with a lengthy treatise on the culture milieu that has led to our propensity for violence, particularly in the inner cities, but this blog isn’t about that. I have another application.
    I have seen that just as some people view “possessing a gun” to be evil or dangerous, in and of itself, many Christians view “possessing a Bible” to be good or beneficial, in and of itself. Just like guns, its not the possession that makes the difference, its the use. Just having a Bible, or even carrying a Bible to church, does no one any good. There is no magical spell placed on the leather or cardboard cover, onion skin pages, or ink (black or red) that brings God’s blessing to anyone. God’s blessing flows through the truths, the principles, the words of Scripture, to those who read, study and practice them (Joshua 1:8). Having a Bible does nothing for you unless you read it, learn from its teaching, and put it into practice at home, work and with your friends. God doesn’t care if you have a Bible. He cares if you read it!
    So….do you?

The Messy Part of Fishing

2009-12-29T07:33:00.011-06:00

     I did a lot of fishing as a kid. My dad started me off at a very young age. I still remember how after my sister had caught a blue gill, I exclaimed, “Hey Dad, throw one in for me now!” I was only four and thought that dad must have had something to do with the fish getting on that hook.
     From my dad’s love of the outdoors and the water in particular, I began to pick up the hobby as my own. A friend and I were so into it that we used to get up before dark and ride our bikes to the river in early summer to have our lures in the water by dawn. We fished like real fishermen. We kept the fish that were big enough to eat, took them home, cleaned them ourselves, and put the meat in the fridge for dinner. Fresh fish was a delicacy in my home.
     I’ve learned that there aren’t very many fisherman who actually clean fish anymore. When people tell me their fish stories, I usually ask, “Do you keep the fish you catch?” I’ll usually hear something like, “No, I don’t like to bother with the mess…” It’s one thing to enjoy the catch. It’s another thing to deal with the messy aftermath. But for me, the best part of fishing was the final outcome….DINNER!
     I rarely fish anymore. But I take Jesus’ words to his first disciples, personally, “I will make you fishers of men.” I view my life as that of fishing for Christ-followers. And I try to keep the fish I catch. There is a thrill in the initial catch but the real reward comes when you see the process completed. I said to friends last night, “I get no greater thrill than to see God change the lives of people.” I then added, “But fishing is messy.”
     In John 21, we love the story of how Jesus told the disciples to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, and when they did, they caught so many the boat began to sink. Fishing is messy. Not only did they have to struggle to get themselves and their catch to shore, they then had loads of fish to clean and torn nets to repair. The success Jesus gave them added to their workload!
     I was sharing with someone recently a few stories of people who’s lives are being changed. As I spoke of the background of some of our new Christians here at The Bridge, and some of the struggles in overcoming their past, etc., his eyes started to glaze over and he responded in such a way that indicated that he didn’t think having to deal with such “messes” would be worth it. I disagree. Its the mess that makes it all the more rewarding.
     All Christians want to talk about how we are called to fish for Jesus, but few want to deal with the mess of keeping and cleaning the fish we catch. But that’s part of it, and in fact, where the real reward comes. I’m glad we have strong stable Christians here at The Bridge. But I am even more thrilled that we get to clean up messes. I’m glad that we are privileged to participate in God’s sanctification process of being involved in people’s lives to help them become what God wants them to be. Sometimes, that’s messy. But it is so worth it!
     Join me on this fishing expedition! But don’t quit with landing the fish. Don’t shy away from or be discouraged by the mess. Enjoy the whole process. That’s when the real reward comes!

Maui Christmas!

2009-12-24T11:28:00.001-06:00

     My wife and two sons are on vacation this week (Erica wasn’t able to get away). We are in Hawaii, and it is beautiful!
     It’s been quite an ordeal getting here. With two kids in college, we wouldn’t have been able to afford the trip except that my wife works for United Airlines and we took advantage of her flying benefits. But that means we fly stand-by. Flying stand-by as an employee means that you can get on a plane once everyone else does and only if there are seats open. If you have flown lately, you know the airlines have been forced to fill every plane up and it has made it difficult to get on some flights. Especially at Christmas time when you want to go to Hawaii!
     We thought we had a good shot Monday morning, direct from Chicago. But after getting to the airport, we found there were 60 people on stand-by with 6 or 7 seats available. We didn’t get on. So, that afternoon, we flew to San Francisco to try our chances there, since three flights a day go to Mauii and four each day go to Oahu. Even getting to San Francisco was a challenge. They put the four of us on the plane. Then they took Linda and Junior off. Then they let Junior back on. Finally, as the door was about to close, they brought Linda back on.
     The next day, we waited all day at the San Francisco airport with no good fortune. The last flight to Maui, they called our name and said they had room for two of us. We sent Junior and Brock who just as they began to walk down the jetway, the last two people showed up and Junior and Brock were taken back off. We were a little discouraged going back to the hotel. The next morning, however, we got on and were heading to Maui. Upon landing, it didn’t take us long to get to the beach and to start enjoying the sun.
     Was it worth the two days of trouble? Absolutely! If you have ever been here, you know what I mean. This truly is a paradise on earth.
     In fact, I think the trouble we had getting here made our arrival all the more sweet. Not very many things in my life that came easy, turned out to be all that valuable. Those people and projects I have had the greatest challenges with and where I have expended the most effort, have become the most rewarding. There is something about struggling through impediments and over barriers that makes success all the more fulfilling. I think for us, there was an added benefit of seeing family after family, arguing and obviously unhappy, while waiting in line to get on a jet to fly to paradise. Seeing that is helping us appreciate our time together here. We’d be enjoying vacation if it was in Canada…..well, not quite as much, though ☺.

Gotta go. We are heading out in our rented jeep up the volcano to swim in some waterfalls.

If "Happy Holidays" Makes You Mad

2009-12-16T22:20:00.000-06:00

     I get all the email forwards that you probably get and I delete most of them without reading. I think I have forwarded only a couple in my lifetime! But I read one this week that was worth sharing. So rather than forwarding it, I'm posting it :). I have no idea who the original author is, but it is a supposed letter from Jesus to Christians about Christmas:

     It has come to my attention that many of you are hopping mad that some folks are taking my name out of the season. Relax. As God, I just don't feel threatened. I see everything, and I know everything. Believe me, there are a lot bigger problems in the world than people who say "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas." But if you're still upset, here are a few productive ways you can channel your anger:
      If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting my birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small nativity scene on your own front lawn. You don't have to do that, of course -- but if you want a nativity scene, do it at home -- stop getting upset with your town!
      Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. After all, I created all trees. You can remember me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15:1-8.
     If you want to give me a present in remembrance of my birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:
      1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way my birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know––they tell me all the time.
      2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They really appreciate knowing that someone cares about them.
      3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write the President and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family throughout the next year. Then follow up––it will be nice hearing from you again.
      4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of my birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Tell them you love them, and then remind them that I love them.
      5. Pick someone who has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.
      6. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no Christmas tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army, the YMCA, Toys for Tots, or some other charity and they will make the delivery for you.
     Oh––and one more thing––happy holidays! And of course, Merry Christmas!

Your Friend, Jesus

I Wish I Could Tell Tiger This

2009-12-14T12:02:00.000-06:00

     I turned the news on the other night to hear Geraldo and a panel of pundits talking about the Tiger Woods sex scandal. I was shocked and appalled. Not by the behavior of Tiger, I had already heard about that. What blew me away were the comments by this news panel. One woman said, “Where Tiger went wrong was in mixing professionals (as in prostitutes) with amateurs. If he would have just stuck with professionals, his behavior would have been kept private.” One of the men on the panel said, “He got caught because he had too many mistresses. It’s one thing to put a couple of sugars in your coffee, but he poured the whole box in and that’s how his wife and everyone else found out.” All the while Geraldo is just nodding along with a smile as though saying, “Well, that makes sense.” They seemed more unsettled by the amount of money he spent to be with these women (as much as $60,000 a weekend) then they were by his moral depravity or the damage he has done to his wife and children.
     Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. The moral fiber of our nation has been steadily eroding since the 60s. And in reality, things are not any worse here today than they were in the world when Jesus visited the planet. Tiger’s behavior is not all that different than many of the rich and powerful celebrities of the Roman world. In actuality, what sets him apart from many of the common people we rub shoulders with is that with his extravagant income, he had the money to do the kinds of things that many others would do if they could afford to….thinking they could get away with it.
     And that is the state of humanity.
     But believe me, I am not pessimistic about the human condition. I would be, had there not been an earth shattering event 2,000 years ago that was designed by God to rescue us from our own depravity. Jesus came to a degenerate and sinful world to offer escape from the devastating and eternal effects of sin. He became human to infuse spiritual life to those who receive Him.
     While Tiger says he is working to rebuild his family, what he really needs is reconciliation with God. Jesus offers that to Tiger and to you. Its not only an escape from the enslavement and ensuing effects of sin, its an offer of a brand new life!

Don't Miss Christmas!

2009-12-11T10:54:00.003-06:00

   It was the day before Christmas Eve and she was trying to finish up some last minute shopping at the mall. The kids tugged her towards the line to make requests from Santa. After a 25 minute wait, they were finally able to sit on his lap and tell him their dream gifts for the year. Mom smiled knowingly, as she had already wrapped most of those items. On the way out of the mall, they passed an elderly woman who was gently ringing a red-handled silver bell standing beside the Salvation Army donation pot. The kids begged for a couple of coins to drop in but she quipped, “We’ve spent all the money we are going to spend today!” They walked through the parking lot and got into their SUV. On the way home, she pulled through the drive-thru and ordered enough McNuggets, burgers, fries and cokes for the family. Once she was back on the road, her cell phone rang. It was her husband letting her know that he was on his way home but he would be a little late. She told him that she had already stopped to pick up dinner and asked if he would run by the grocery store to get some things that she had forgotten for their family Christmas Eve meal.
     That evening, after tearing open their fast food meals and eating most of it, the kids begged to watch a DVD they had talked her into buying earlier that day. She sat down to wrap the gifts from the afternoon of shopping. The phone rang. It was someone from church they attended here and there reminding them of the candle-light Christmas Eve service they were having the next evening. She politely told them that Christmas Eve was a family night for them and with out-of-town family members coming as their guests, they wouldn’t be able to make it to church. The door-bell rang. It was a middle aged couple who were going door-to-door. A shelter in the city was running short on supplies and they explained how they were going to “nicer” neighborhoods asking for donations to make Christmas a little better for those who were hurting. The husband explained that he was already maxed out with charity between United Way at work and what he gave at church (he actually gave very little).
     The next day, their house filled up with parents, siblings and cousins. Soft holiday music played and the aroma of ham and sweet potatoes filled the air. When it came time for the gift exchange, there were bursts of laughter from adults and squeals of delight from kids. Once the family left, all the left-over food put away and the wrapping paper and excess packaging in the trash, the parents reminded their kids that Santa was coming in the night so they’d better get ready for bed. It was a rare evening in that the kids actually seemed happy to go to bed.
     The next morning, while they sat sipping coffee and smiling at the children, who were now playing with their prizes, the husband commented on how rewarding Christmas was this year. His wife smiled and nodded in agreement.
   Off on a distant shelf, a ceramic manger scene sat in the shadows.
   This is a story on how one family missed Christmas. But they weren’t alone. Those who actually understand what it is all about, and celebrate accordingly, are in the minority. Don’t miss Christmas this year! Give it to Jesus!

Give Your Christmas to Jesus

2009-12-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

     The Christmas decorations are up. Christmas music is playing. In fact, we will be singing some carols already this morning! As a family, the Zieglers start celebrating Christmas as soon as Thanksgiving is over (we normally get our tree and put it up the day after, when everyone else is out loading up their credit cards). I’ve never understood those who are so critical of Christmas starting early. They know little of Christmas tradition. Historically, Christmas started at the beginning of December and lasted the whole month….but that’s another subject.
     While we like to start early, we also celebrate Christmas differently than most families. Oh, we put up decorations and we play Christmas music at home (our kids complain about that part). But when it comes to celebrating, we have never done a lot of gift giving. And that part, our kids have never complained about. For years I have heard Christians criticize the commercialization of Christmas and talk about how materialistic Christmas has become, all the while they are participating, spending lavishly on their kids and grandkids. When our children were small we simply said, “We’re not going to do that.” And we don’t.
     Instead, we come up with giving and serving projects; that is projects where we can participate as a family in giving to others or serving others. A few years ago I invited our entire church to join us on a major project that we called, “Give Your Christmas to Jesus.” We asked the whole church to forgo gift-giving that year and take the money they would have spent and use it for an all church missions trip to Mexico. Along with scores of other families in our church, we conducted a medical clinic for those who did not have health care. We built two houses for families who were living in cardboard lean-tos. And we presented the Gospel to children through VBS programs in poor neighborhoods. After giving up their traditional Christmas of “getting,” every kid on that trip told their parents it was their best Christmas ever and I heard over and over, “Let’s do this every year!”
     Well, we may not leave the country for a missions trip every year, but we can have a blast every year by involving ourselves in giving and serving projects, as opposed blending in with all of society’s consumption and consumerism craze. Perhaps you have heard of Pastors Rick McKinley, Chris Seay, and Greg Holder and their “Advent Conspiracy.” We’ll talk about that in weeks to come but as this Christmas season is just beginning, I want to encourage every family to have a sit-down prayerful discussion about how you will “go against the grain” this year. How will you make Christmas different? How will you use this season to impact eternity, rather than the overflow our landfills a few years from now? I have some ideas for you….some projects we as a church and you as a family can join. Stay tuned!

Is Santa Claus Coming to Town?

2009-11-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

      With Thanksgiving behind us, Christmas is coming! Every year around this time I get questions from moms and dads asking for my opinion on Santa Claus: “Did you tell your kids there is a Santa?” Some are very adamant: “Santa Claus is a replacement of Jesus in this secularized society and just another way of spreading the materialism of this age.” Others see the fable as harmless delightful fantasy: “I believed in Santa when I was a kid and it didn’t hurt me! It’s just a fun way to give the kids a little magical spark during this wonderful season.”
      Have you ever thought that Santa can provide a springboard for reinforcing young minds with the true meaning of Christmas?
      You see, there was a real Santa Claus. From the time our children were very young we taught them about the real man behind the legend. Hundreds of years ago there lived a man named Nicholas (later known as St. Nicholas) who inherited a great sum of wealth from his parents. He was born in 280 AD and his parent died when he was just a boy. Early in his life he devoted himself to God and the Lord’s service. He grew up to become a pastor in modern day Turkey, and he gave away all of his wealth to help the poor––especially children. When he was persecuted and imprisoned for his faith, he shared his meager provisions with the other inmates. He gained a reputation for giving both out of his abundance, and then out of his poverty. He believed that giving to the needy was the same as giving to Jesus. He was right. Jesus taught that himself (Matt. 25:40). His example of giving sparked in many a tradition of giving to commemorate the birth of Jesus. St. Nick was a real person who left for us a wonderful example. But I think he would be horrified to know how he has come to be the exaggerated focus on materialism for many children at this time of the year.
      Linda and I have always taught our children about the real Santa Claus. We also emphasized to our children that lying is absolutely and always wrong. To us, our integrity is one of the most important gifts we can give our kids. We have an agreement: We will not ever lie to them; they are not to ever lie to us. I would have a hard time teaching them that if I maintained a story to be true for years while knowing that it was not. As a child, once I learned that the Santa story I had been told was only a fable, I began to wonder if the stories about Jesus were just fables as well. Though I believed in Santa Claus as a child, and my children have enjoyed pretending the legend but knowing its roots, I did not enjoy Christmas more than they. In our family, we try to emphasize giving to others, not getting from Santa. I think they enjoy it more because they get excited about the “giving projects” we take part in as a family. We really try to make Christ the centerpiece of His birthday celebration and this way we believe we are passing on to our children a heritage far more valuable than any fun that make-believe can provide.
      As parents, you have the obligation to do and teach your children what is right for your family. I trust you will pray about this issue and are sincere in how you believe the Lord is leading. His way is always the best way!
      In the mean time, please do your best to establish Christmas traditions in your family that will focus on Jesus and how His birth provided for us communion with God! Use this holiday season to lead your children in making Christ your first priority.