Dream on....

“Dream on, dream on, dream until your dreams come true.”

These are lyrics from an old Aerosmith song from their debut album in 1973. And the Christmas season is a time of the year where dreams do seem to come true. People seem to be more generous. Those Advent themes of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace seem to be living breathing realities.

               Today I have been reading about a dream in the Bible. It’s part of the Christmas story, but not part that we focus on much. It seems like when we think of Jesus’ birth we think about Mary, his mother, and the angel Gabriel coming to her saying, “Fear not”. And of course there is her song, called the Magnificat, that is recorded for us in Luke chapter 2. But the dream I have been thinking about today was a dream where an angel appeared to Joseph, Mary’s fiancée, and told him that the baby Mary would have was “conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus because he will save people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

               Gabriel appears to have somehow visited Mary when she was awake, but Joseph was visited in a dream.

               This got me thinking about some of my dreams. Most of them I don’t remember, and the ones that I think I will remember I still end up forgetting unless I tell Heather about them as soon as I wake up. Dreams have a tendency to fade away pretty quickly. But that’s to be expected, there is a difference between dreams and reality. To say that someone is a “dreamer” is to imply that they are not grounded in the facts and reality of life, that they envision or have hopes of something that is unrealistic and improbable.

               “You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”, those are words to another one of my old favorite songs by John Lennon.

               But Joseph didn’t just forget about his dream, he actually changed what he had planned on doing because of the dream. (Read the whole story in Matthew 1:18-25) The dream that he had was the way that God chose to communicate with him. To let Mary know what was going to happen the angel just apparently showed up, to get Joseph’s attention the angel came in a dream.

               I wonder if this is still not the case sometimes. Maybe we men are just so busy that we wouldn’t even notice the angel, or listen to what was being said. Maybe it is when we are asleep that we are cognizant of listening because it is only then that we are still and let our brains be quiet. Maybe it is only then when we are not planning something out or working on a conversation in our head.

               Maybe there is something to this dream of Joseph. I think that God has placed a dream inside of each of us. You know what I am talking about, right?

               I am blessed to serve as a pastor in this community, so I have had a chance to see many people’s God-dreams come true. God-dreams are those dreams of something better for this world, some way to help people in need. But those kind of problems are always too big. So we tuck these dreams away, and when we don’t talk about them they begin to fade, just a little at first, then the fog of reality covers up our dreams and soon they are forgotten. But not completely. That’s how dreams work. We know that there is something there, something nudging at us to remember, but we just can’t quite get back to it. There are other things, more “real” things that are clamoring for our waking attention.

               But when faith in God is placed alongside the God-dream, amazing things happen. We actually become the body of Christ reaching others in new and meaningful ways. Lives are transformed, the gospel is lived out, grace abounds, and real change occurs. And it started when you realized a dream that God had given you. What are you going to do with dream that you have almost forgotten? It’s still in there. Pray for it, reach for it. Move some of those real important things out of its way. There it is. Dust it off…are you starting to remember?

               Now, dream on, dream on, dream until your dreams come true and Merry Christmas!

Glory Hunting

Remember the "good old days"? I bet you do. I hear that from people quite often. Normally they are lamenting some aspect of today's culture or state of affairs. The term "good old days" typically brings some connotation with it that somehow those days were better, or easier, or holier than today. I understand the sentiment, but I also think that the past is over-glamorized and often sensationalized. See, our memories are selective and defective. We remember what we want to as being good, and we minimize parts of past reality that don't fit in our "good old days" scheme. Truthfully, the good old days weren't really as good as we remember, and sure weren't as easy as we like to claim. Sometimes we refer to these days as the "glory days". We do this a lot in church, we seem to love how great things used to be, while forgetting how hard they actually were then too!

I have been leading a small group and worship series this month on the topic of Glory, in particular God's glory as it was manifested in the Old Testament and how this glory is manifested today. I am more and more realizing that every day is a "glory day" if that is where my focus is. What I mean is that God's glory is as much relevant and observable and active and present today as it was 20, 100, or 1000 years ago. Sometimes we just don't see it. It's not because it's not there, it's because we aren't here, we aren't actively present in our own lives sometimes. That's because we are either reminiscing about how great things used to be, or anticipating how great things might be, that we are missing how great things are, and how great Thou are in the midst of everything else.

So, here's what I am thinking. For 14 days, 2 full weeks, I want to be intentional about realizing and seeing and feeling the glory of God in my life. I wonder if you will join me? For 14 days can we be intentional, in the midst of debates and hurricanes and hate and pain and loss and grief to also realize that the glory of God is still here with us....even in us? Colossians 1:27 says that God has chosen to make this realization known, that Christ is in us, the "hope of glory". There is glory around us radiating from the Source and Creator, and there is glory in us, placed there to radiate from us.

Even as I write this, I know that last night was a presidential debate, and (possibly more importantly) the Dodgers lost Game 4 of the NLCS. But there is still glory today. So I just started outside this morning while taking the kids to school looking for His glory. 

First I heard it in conversation with my 3 teenagers. Granted, they were talking about the previous night's debate, but they had their own personal and theological convictions that they were talking about in light of what they had heard.  It gave me a minute to be reminded that no US President has the final word of humanity's destiny, that alone is in the hands of King Jesus. I also heard on the radio that it's not about the elephant or the donkey, it's about the Lamb. I believe every American should vote their conscience after much time in prayer (more listening than talking here), but I also believe that God is still active and that his glory is still paramount and available.

Then I noticed the sunrise. I do this often, but today I intentionally stopped for a minute (I wasn't driving) and looked at this amazing natural daily occurrence in the lens of looking for God's glory. And I saw it. The sunrise today was a soft and warm pinkish-blue that was a gentle and peaceful start to the day. Sometimes our days start out too rushed and hurrried, it's no wonder we don't see (or feel) the glory of God on those days.

Psalm 19:1 says "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands".

I want to be a Glory-Seeker for the next 14 days...and who knows, maybe then it will actually be something that I do everyday, first thing to start my day. That is my prayer. And if you want to go Glory-Seeking with me for the next 2 weeks that is my prayer for you also. I know this won't be easy. There will be many circumstances and events that come up to try to pull you away from your Glory-Hunt. There will be words that come out of your mouth that are not glorifying to God and you will think "how can I be Glory-filled when I feel/think/talk/act this way?" There will be people who will cause you to question this Pursuit of Glory. 

But stay intentional, stay focused. Keep your eyes on Jesus, keep your eyes open for the Glory, and you will see it, and then capture it in that moment. Relax, breathe it in, this moment of Glory is from God to you, and for God to you, and through Christ "in you". 

So let's get started. I Spy God's Glory in.......

Let the children come

September 28, 2016 students around the country shared their faith in the national “See you at the pole” (SYATP) event. This is a time for students, teachers and faculty, parents, siblings, and community members to gather around the school flag pole as the students lead a time of prayer for their school, their country, and themselves.

               This year I was able to attend the event at Grandview School. It was a humid and foggy morning, and we stood in a circle while students took turns reading passages of Scripture from the Psalms. Then the students led an accupella “Amazing Grace”, and then we prayed together, a prayer that one of the students had written, which lifted up our turning from God, and asked his forgiveness on our schools, families, nation, and world. After this a student asked if there was a pastor there who would like to say something…so of course I did! And Dave Blevins, pastor at Telford Grace Brethren Church, also gave thanks for the students and the freedoms on which we stand.

               Then I went to work. And this year’s SYATP was over. But not really.

(Patty Broyles, Reagan Haney, and Carla Weems pray at the pole. Photo courtesy of Melanie Barnett. Minor photo used with permission of Tara Haney.)

               This picture is of a Kindergarten student who got to school after the 7:40AM SYATP was over. Let’s be honest, most of our schools, even most of us, would have been sympathetic with her for sure, but we would have said something like, “I’m sorry you missed it, honey. You can come back next year”.

               Thankfully that is not what happened September 28 at Grandview. Coach Carla Weems and Patty Broyles took time out of their morning, and let this student, Ragan Haney, pray at the pole.

               Maybe that’s what Jesus meant when he said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children” (Matthew 19:14 NLT).

                  We usually talk of these verses in terms of the innocence of children, the trusting nature of children, and the reality that in the culture in which Jesus lived, children were not high on the social standing ladder. This makes sense, then, for the disciples to try to send them away. They are probably running down the dirt road after them, yelling “Jesus, Jesus”, kicking up dust all over the place, and maybe even (hold your breath)…wanting Jesus to play a game with them! And it was these children’s parents (Matthew 19:13) who had brought them to Jesus to be blessed. The nerve of these parents, right?

              So the disciples told them to go home. Get lost. Be seen and not heard. Be quiet. This is important adult stuff here. Come back next year. But Jesus said, “Let them come to me!”

               Sometimes we are just too busy. I know you all have important adult stuff to do today and important adult decisions to make today. But I pray that God would show us the more important opportunities to stop and encourage, love, and pray with these children that are in our lives.

               Maybe Carla and Patty heard Jesus say, “Don’t you dare tell her to go away…you let her come to Me!”

And thankfully they did.

And I pray that we will also.

God bless you Reagan, Carla, and Patty. And thank you for all being used by God to remind me of this today.

Hikers on the Path

On Labor Day my wife, our youngest son, and I went hiking up to Rock Creek Falls. We had never been there before, and we weren’t prepared for it. The hike was much steeper and a little longer than I had thought. We weren’t dressed for it. We didn’t have the right things with us. One bottle of water per person on a 90 degree day on a 4 mile hike wasn’t enough. And, with the exception of Anthony, we weren’t physically capable. It had been many years (and a few pounds ago) since I had really been hiking with Heather. It used to be something that I did frequently. I have always enjoyed being in nature, and in particular being around water. Nowadays I enjoy the ocean water while I am sitting in a beach chair, so a trip to a waterfall sounded like a great idea.

               When we arrived at Rock Creek the first person we talked to about the falls told us that it was a “level 4” hike, only about a mile or so, but definitely not an easy little walk. It seemed like she looked the three of us up and down and came to the hiker-superior-knowledge-estimation that there was no way we were gonna be able to make it to the waterfall, this was going to be too hard for us.

               Along the path we met many other people. Some of them just nodded to us in passing, but most of them spoke to us.

               “It’s still a long way to the falls”.

               “It gets even steeper”.

               “It’s harder as you get further up”.

               “You don’t have a chance. You might as well turn around. There’s no way you can make it”. Well, actually nobody said those words exactly, but they might as well have.

               We did meet a mother of three who was hiking this trail with her children. She was probably a little more in shape and a little more prepared than we were. She offered us some water, and gave us some crackers, which Heather, Anthony, and I shared together sitting on a log at the base of the falls.

               Yes, we did make it.

               As we got a little closer to the waterfall we passed a man with a Eurpoean accent who simply said “not far now”.

               Then a couple we talked to told us “it’s worth it when you get there”. As sweat was dripping off of me a woman said, “it’s so much cooler there, the temperature feels great.”

               My point is that we passed a lot of people on the path to the falls, most were discouraging in their comments to us. Maybe they were having a bad day. Maybe they were as hot and sweaty and tired as I was. Maybe they didn’t have any words of hope to share with a weary traveler who was just trying to get up the mountain that they were coming down off of.

               You’re going to meet a lot of people during your lifetime. Many of them you won’t ever even see again. So there is a tendency to think that perhaps these meetings are inconsequential, but I don’t think so. I believe that every person you come into contact with is created in the image of the same God who created you. I believe that every person you speak to deserves to know the love of Jesus because He died on a cross for their sins just like he did yours. I believe that our faith should be visible in some tangible and evident ways to most everyone we meet, especially when we can offer some words of hope.

               We are all walking this path together. Not the path to Rock Creek Falls, but this path of life. We are going to pass a lot of people that are hot and tired and sweaty and unprepared for the mountain they are climbing. I know we don’t have all the answers, but maybe we can offer a word of encouragement and a pack of crackers. That might be all they need to keep on climbing.

Surrendered

A rich young man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.” (Paraphrase of Mark 10:17-21)

               Over the last couple of weeks, millions of us have been watching the Olympics, some to the point of binging on every medal ceremony. This year the USA won the most medals of any country competing, and also won the most gold medals. One reason for this is for sure, Olympic athletes don’t quit, they don’t give up. But today I want to talk to you about surrender. But not a surrender of quitting, or a surrender of giving up. But a surrender of letting someone else take over. I know, that’s not a popular thought for us as Americans. What would we do if our Marine Corps lay down their weapons that they have been defending us with and surrendered? But I am talking about a surrender, not to an earthly ruler, but to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Ruler of the heavens and the earth. I am talking about a spiritual surrender. A surrender that not bring slavery or defeat, but a surrender that brings life and victory.

               Let me tell you about my friend David. I’ve only met David once, but we are brothers. Even though I am a 43 year old middle class white guy and David is a 60 year old black man from the streets of Memphis, we have a common family thread, our heavenly Father.

               I met David downtown Johnson City, and he gave me permission to share his story, because after all, David said, “if God can forgive and cleanse me as messed up as I was, there’s sure enough hope for you too, cause God loves us just the same.”

               David’s story began in Memphis, leading a life of crime and assault, a life that led him eventually to numerous felony charges, including murder, and a long sentence in the Memphis prison system. When David was released he came to East Tennessee looking for a change, knowing that if he kept on the same road he would be back in prison and/or dead. So David was reading the Bible on a bus one night. He said he read several verses about people weeping, but he realized it wasn’t just crying that this was talking about. This weeping was a deep soul wretching cry of anguish. David felt the move of what he later realized was the Holy Spirit, and then and there on a Johnson City bus he gave his life to Christ. You can surrender anywhere, church buildings are often the least frequent place this really happens.

               This brings up David’s favorite word, he told me: Surrender.

               To live a life for Christ and in Christ and with Christ you have to surrender. Not give up. Not roll over and quit trying. But surrendering your wills and wants to Jesus and allowing His will to guide you. Surrender your life, so that you can start to live the abundant life that Jesus has in store for you (John 10:10)

               David’s face and soul lit up when he told me about his new life with Jesus. It was a contagious excitement. It is a testimony and faith that will bring others to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. And it is very real. There is nothing Sunday-School generic about David and how he talks about his relationship with Jesus. Jesus is the very air he breathes.

               I know that we’ve all got some areas of our lives that we talk about surrendering to God. Maybe these are finances or relationships or past regrets we want to “give to God” but somehow keep hanging on to for some reason.

               It’s not about surrendering some “part” of our lives to Jesus, it’s about surrendering our “whole” lives to Jesus. Until we go all in, we are not in at all.

               Today would you join me in surrendering it all to our blessed Savior? If you want to surrender and somehow just can’t seem to let go, then call or email me, and let’s jump into this abundant life with Jesus together. It’s only when we surrender that we actually begin to live.

m-vaughn@comcast.net

423-833-2909

               

Just a man

I had a lot of help with this week’s column. I had asked in a Facebook post, “what’s your favorite Bible verse?” I got a bunch of responses, and I wanted to share some this week. If you don’t have a favorite verse today I want to encourage you to find one. It’s not one that will be your favorite for your whole life probably, many people I know have different favorite verses at different times in their life. That’s ok  I think it’s important though because it helps ground you, encourage you, and keep you balanced…and if anybody ever asks what your favorite verse is you have an answer!
Here are some the of the social media responses I got to that question:
• Debbie & Barbara- Proverbs 3:3-6
• Allison- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
• John- Isaiah 40:31
• Heather- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 & 1 Peter 5:8
• Scott- John 3:17
• Rhonda, Patsy, Robert, Carl & Carla- Philippians 4:13
• Lisa- Matthew 7:7
• Ronnie- Psalm 23
• Patsy- Philippians 4:11
• Kyle- Ephesians 3:20-21
• Karen- I John 4:21
• Cindy- Isaiah 41:10
• Diann- Matthew 11:28-30 & Zephaniah 3:17
• Kelly- Jeremiah 29:11
• Joe- Exodus 14:14
• Robyn- Psalm 46:10
• Jerry- Luke 9:23
• Conner- Ephesians 4:32
• Amber- 1 Peter 1:8 & 1 Peter 5:6-7
• Carla- Psalm 19:1-4
• Julie- Luke 18:8
• Michael- 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Lisa- James 1:5

Take this week and read these verses. See if you can memorize a few of them and pray for the person who submitted them.
I would say that my favorite verse for my life right now is Romans 12:2. It says “don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature” (CEB).
But as I was reading in the book of James last week I came across a verse that is my new favorite right now. I am pretty sure it’s always been in the Bible, but I never really read or noticed it the way that I did when reading recently. The verse is James 5:17. Now, James has some really great practical advice on day-to-day living, right-living as a result of right-faith. But James 5:17 says this: “Elijah was a person just like us”.  Wow, right!!
OK, so maybe you were thinking that my new favorite verse would be a little more interesting, maybe a little more profound. But this one is pretty profound if you think about it for a minute. Let me help get the verse in context with a little Elijah perspective:
• Elijah shows up in the Old Testament as a prophet of God to challenge King Ahab
• Elijah prophesied that a severe drought would come to Israel
• Elijah is fed by ravens to keep him from starving
• Elijah is used by God in a miracle to provide food for a widow and her son
• Elijah confronts all the pagan priests on Mt Carmel to a divine show-down
• Mentored Elisha to succeed him
• He was taken to be with the Lord without dying by means of a fiery chariot
Wow. What a life! Elijah was THE MAN! He was so good and holy. We could never measure up to Elijah. We could never be as good or as holy as Elijah. We do that with those Old Testament prophets don’t we?  (And sometimes we do it with friends, family members, or even –Lord help us—preachers). Whether it’s Elijah, Moses, Joseph, Sampson, Abraham, Jeremiah, Job, Hannah, Sarah, Gideon, or even King David, the man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), we think of them in regards to the miracles and epic faith. For sure, these men and women are examples to us! But not every part of their life, they made mistakes too (lots of them)!
Elijah was just a man. A man that even after seeing God’s miraculous provisions, even after hearing God speak to him, even after seeing God show up in mighty and profound ways, even after all this---he was a man who once hid in a cave out of fear and depression. Of course it’s not just Elijah, all the others listed above had their past, and their past regrets.
Just like you, and just like me. And just like Elijah. Just like Elijah you can experience times where you are humble and willing and can be used by God in mighty ways. Just like Elijah you can have times where you are scared and down and hiding in cave.
But here’s the Good News: Jesus came to offer forgiveness of sins, eternal life in the presence of God, and the freedom and strength to live our lives here on this earth growing in holiness and maturing in faith and grace. And the same God that Elijah prayed to and heard from, is the same God you are praying to and hearing from.
Just remember: “the prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve” (James 5:16b), not because of the one praying the prayer, but because of the One hearing and responding to the prayer.
If you would like to share your favorite Bible verse with me or if there is something I can pray with you about let me know at: m-vaughn@comcast.net.

Be of Good Cheer

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

            This is a verse from John 16:33 in the New King James Version translation. I normally don’t read or preach from the KJV on a regular basis, but most of the Scripture that I memorized as a child was in this translation, and I love the poetic beauty especially of the Psalms in the KJV. This verse, also, is great to read and compare.

Here is the same verse in the New International Version (NIV), which is the most widely used translation today in the United States:       

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

            One big difference is the KJV says “be of good cheer” and the NIV says “take heart”. Other translations may say “be encouraged” or “don’t lose heart”. Anyway, you get the picture. All the different translations say the same thing basically, it’s just how the Greek word “tharseau” can be translated in different ways.

            I like the “good cheer” translation. I want to be of good cheer. And sometimes I am…when things are going good. But that isn’t really what Jesus was talking about here, actually that isn’t what Jesus was talking about here at all.

            Those “things” that He had been talking about before this verse was the fact that He was going to die. But even though he would die and not be physically with His friends anymore, they would be better off because the Holy Spirit would come to be with us (and in us) forever. So in the end this was going to be a good thing, so be of “good cheer”!

            This verse makes me look at my life, am I of Good Cheer only when things are going good (or at least what I think going ‘good’ looks like)? Do circumstances take away my Good Cheer? Do other people take away my Good Cheer and put me in a bad cheer-mood? Do finances, my job, my kids, traffic, illness, marital issues take away my Good Cheer?

            If so, then I don’t really have Good Cheer the way that Jesus was talking about it.

            Take a look at John 15:11 in the New Living Translataion: Jesus said “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

            Joy and Good Cheer are not a result of our circumstances, they are a result of Jesus. We don’t have Good Cheer because of the situation we find ourselves in, we have Good Cheer because of who (Jesus) has walked into our situation. We are not dependent on other people or other things to bring us joy and cheer, no more than we are at the hands of other people or circumstances to put us in bad-cheer. That is what Jesus was saying.

            Sometimes things in life are wonderful, be of Good Cheer! Sometimes things in life turn to crap, be of Good Cheer!

            It isn’t about what we are going through, it is about who is going through it with us.

            So be of Good Cheer my brothers and sisters, whatever you are facing today is NOT going to overcome or overwhelm you, because Jesus has already overcome it all for you.  Face today with strength, love, grace, and passion. And smile! Smile because you are of Good Cheer!

God-Moments

Father’s Day weekend was all about books for me. I want to say a big THANK YOU to Joel and Maryann at Mauk’s in Jonesborough for hosting a book signing party for me and allowing me to set up and sell my book, The Great All-American Dad Misconceptions. Also thanks to Officer Dennis for bringing us all free ice cream from JJ’s! (If you haven’t had the ice cream from JJ’s you need to—it’s amazing J)

               But more than just signing and selling books, I got to talk to some people about life. A woman whose son is terminally ill, a caregiver looking after her husband through many long term illnesses, a family who recently adopted two children, and many others who were just coming in shopping enjoying a beautiful day in our beautiful town.

               These were special moments. Moments that I would not have been able to experience had I not been scheduled for a 10-2 for a book signing.

               And then on Father’s Day I received a gift of a new journal. I kinda like to write and read a little, so this was a perfect gift for me. But the gift came with a rule from my wife: ‘don’t use this for your to-do lists, use this to write what is on your heart’. Wise words from a wise woman.

               I do like my to-do lists. I live by them. They keep me on track and help make sure I do what I need to do when I need to do it. I have plenty of to-do lists.

               But this new leather bound journal would not be for that, it would be for something different. But what I wasn’t sure. I already had a journal for my meeting notes and a journal for working on writing ideas and inspirations for my next book. I decided that this new journal would be my “God-Moments” journal.

               Every day I will write down ways that I experience the active presence of God in my life in a different way. Every single day. And a different way every single day. I am doing this to be intentional in what I am looking at, or perhaps intentional in the ways in which I am looking at things; people, circumstances, events, etc. I am doing this because I want to experience the presence of Jesus more fully through the eyes of the Holy Spirit in my ordinary day-in-day-out up-and-down life.

               I think that if we look for God we will find God.

               “If you search for Him with all your heart and soul you will find Him”- Deuteronomy 4:29

               “If you look for Me wholeheartedly you will find Me”- Jeremiah 29:13

               And Jesus said, “ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”- Matthew 7:7

               God-Moments. We all have them, and sometimes we even realize it. But more often than not I think we don’t. Not that we are intentionally ignoring the presence and working of God in our lives, but we are just busy. Or maybe like me you have too many to-do lists or too many things on your to-do list. Maybe we miss God because we are too busy doing things. Maybe even things we think we are doing for God. That’s why my favorite Bible verse over the past couple of years is Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God”.

               God-Moments. I want to wake up every day looking for them. Interesting things happen then, when you are intentionally looking for the goodness and the mercy of God in things…you actually see them. And your focus, when it is on God, is not on other things that have been slowing pulling you away from Him.

               Maybe you’ll want to try this with me. You don’t need a new leather journal, but some way to write them down is helpful, that way you can go back and read over the ways God was with you when you need these reminders. Maybe you could share some with me too, I would love to hear how you see God this week.

Band Together

               Last week my mentor and friend Richard Looney gave me a small box of books. I love books, and he knows that. One book has captured my thoughts this week. It is Mike Slaughter’s “The Passionate Church”. I recommend you read it (and then I recommend you read “The Great All-American Dad Misconceptions” by yours truly….wow, that was a shameless plug wasn’t it J).

If you read much about Methodist history you will encounter the terms “societies”, “classes”, and “bands”. These are terms for how groups of Christians were organized in worship, discipleship, and spiritual growth. These terms also are old. These practices were centuries ago. And not many people read much Methodist history unless they have to for a seminary course.

               You’re probably thinking, “where is he going with all this? I just wanted a quick funny little devotional read”. Hang with me a minute. This might not be too quick, or too funny, but I think there is still something there.

               If you’re not familiar with those terms I listed in the first sentence, the condensed definitions could be that a “society” was a group that comes together once a week to worship, pray, read Scripture, sing songs. This is sort of like our modern day Sunday morning worship service.

               The “class” was a smaller group that came together once a week to do a more in depth study of Scripture with prayer. This would be similar to what many churches have as a Sunday night or Wednesday night Bible Study.

               The “band” was a small group of 3-4 people that met together once a week or so for a different purpose. The band was either all men or all women. The band focused on spiritual accountability and discipleship growth of the small group of members.

I pastor a church, and sometimes the temptation is the bigger the better. We are really good at counting numbers. But I need more. I need to grow deeper rather than just bigger. I need to know that there are a few men to stand with me and ask hard questions like “how is it with your soul” or “what temptations are you facing right now” or even “what sins have you committed since we last met?”[i]

               Those are just questions we don’t ask outside of a committed very small group of people we really trust.

               I don’t know how all this “band” small group stuff would work today, but I’m willing to give it a try. So I have. I have stepped out and asked a couple of guys to begin one with me. Yep, right here in Telford, TN.

               And they aren’t other pastors. They are just men seeking to follow Jesus, just like me. I hope that I don’t ruin their high and lofty ideology of perfect pastors… because I’m not one.

               There were many men that I could have asked to start with. But it had to be a small group to begin. There were many men that I wanted to ask, so I just prayed, “God please show me a few men tonight you want to start this with me”. And He did.

               I believe that if we ask God to show us things that He does. I believe that if we ask God to speak to us He does. I also believe that our vision and hearing is not all that great sometimes.

               Pastor Andy Stanley said, “something happens in circles that doesn’t happen in rows”. Something deeper can happen in smaller groups that does not happen in the pews on Sunday morning. It can be a deeper dive from the Sunday morning themes and topic, or it can be a different direction. But something does happen in the circles.

               We become “doers” and not just “hearers” of the Word.

               I don’t know for sure where our Telford band is going to go. That’s the organic beauty of it. I hope that this time next year the four of us are all meeting in small bands with other men and that there are bands of Telford women meeting to turn the world upside down with the excitement of living of a life following Jesus.

               So pray for me please. Pray for the band I am meeting with. And pray that if God wants to “band” you together with some others that you are open and available for that.

               Let’s go deeper, because this is really what matters.

---

[i] Mike Slaughter, “The Passionate Church” (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2016) 37

Keurig Patience

I am writing this week’s column from the beach, Oak Island, NC to be exact. This is our annual family beach trip. We have been coming here for the past 8 years or so, and we have stayed at the same condo complex each time, but we have stayed in different condo units. We are creatures of habit, I suppose. But we have found something that we like and we have stuck with it. This works for us. All of the condos are laid out the same, and inside they are all furnished about the same, and we don’t come for the condo décor anyway, we come for the beach.

                One thing that we do check in the amenities list is what kind of coffee maker the unit has. I know, this might sound a little trite, but Heather and I really do like our coffee. So we need to know, is there a conventional coffee maker, or is there a Keurig. We have a Keurig at home, and I guess we are a little spoiled by it. Anyway, this year SSV #202 at Oak Island, NC showed it had a Keurig. So we brought 48 K-Cups with us (and other than Little Debbie’s and bottles of water this was the only food we brought).

                When we arrived at the condo we saw a very nice Black & Decker 12-cup coffee maker, but no Keurig. We searched the cabinets. We looked in the closets. No Keurig. No problem. We had to go to Food Lion to get real food anyway, so we bought coffee filters and coffee. It’s all good, we are on vacation, after all.

                Sunday morning I sat waiting for the coffee maker to brew. It wasn’t a pause-n-brew. And I waited. And waited. It seemed like I waited longer for this cup of coffee than I had ever waited for any cup of coffee ever in my entire life of waiting for coffee.

                And then I realized that I have Keurig-patience. Not with everything, mind you. In some things I feel that I am a pretty patient person. This has been an area where God has grown me over the years, and I thank Him for that and recognize that while I am not where I need to be, I am not where I used to be either.

                Colossians 1:10-11 says, “live a life worthy of the Lord a please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you might have great endurance and patience”.

                We are all growing in this Christian life; growing in grace, growing in love, growing in understanding, and, yes, growing in patience.

                And while we may grow in our patience with waiting on hearing God, or in our interactions with family members, maybe there is a patience involved in little things in life…like waiting on the coffee to brew. It’s in these little day-to-day activities and times of waiting that we need the Black & Decker-patience, not the Keurig-patience. We need the patience to just be still and wait, not just in the monumental life-changing decisions that need to be made, but also in the little ordinary decisions that might not seem to have such a huge impact on our lives.

                Because it is in these little things, like waiting for coffee to brew, that we can experience God. Maybe these are times in our day that He has given us to connect with him. During that long brew cycle, that red light, that train that has blocked your road, or that mid-day power outage where you can’t watch TV or surf the web.

                Maybe these are times we have with our Lord. Maybe these are times we are growing. Growing from the Keurig to the Black & Decker.

                May God bless you this week, and may you grow in patience, even if it is during the brew cycle.

                

Sweet Spot

             Sometimes articles, blogs, and sermon prep seems to come easy. It like a quiet conversation where all the information and parts and pieces just come together in simple and peaceful harmony. That is no doubt a Divine time.

               And at other times none of it comes easy. This column has been the latter. After a day of starting and stopping with different ideas that all dead ended by the third paragraph, today I took a trip downtown to one of my favorite stores, Mauk’s. Of course I love the merchandise in Mauk’s, but I also love the people there too.

               And while sitting on the world’s most comfortable couch talking with Mary Ann about church, mission trips, and children, she recalled a time her daughter had asked her, “do you think God has a sweet spot for me?”   

               And there it was.

               The Sweet Spot.

               What a beautiful picture, right? I played baseball when I was younger so the thought of the Sweet Spot automatically brought me back to those swings that connected with the pitch and you didn’t even feel the ball hit the bat. Yeah, that was the Sweet Spot.

               I have heard golfers talk about that Sweet Spot when teeing off the perfect drive. Even tennis players have a sweet spot between ball and racquet.

               And when you think about it, we do too. Not a sweet spot where you pack on a few extra pounds from your love of red velvet cake, but a Divine Sweet Spot. A holy place in your soul, where when met with a holy activity, results in a perfected driven purpose.

               Most people I know live their lives looking for their sweet spot. But I don’t think we find it by looking for it.

               “For I know the plans I have you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. (Jeremiah 29:11)

               “You (Lord) created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb”. (Psalm 139:13)

               “I (God) will sustain you, I have made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you”. (Isaiah 46:4)

               “And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. (Romans 8:28)

               And the list of verses could go on and on. Reminders and promises of God’s abiding presence, love and direction.

               We find it in connection with doing, serving, loving, and being the created being the Creator created us to be.

And where and when this all meets in us, when our life (our daily, ordinary, working and walking, eating and playing, average life) meets our Sweet Spot (that Divine-infused, holy purpose-filled and love driven, resolute tenacity of our core true being) then we are living with holy purpose.

In 2005 Max Lucado published a book entitled “Cure for the Common Life”. If you feel that you aren’t living life in your Sweet Spot, I would recommend this book to you. Perhaps you need to really understand yourself, who you are in light of the One who created you. Or perhaps you need to re-evaluate what you are doing, or maybe why you are doing it. Perhaps it is your motives, perhaps it is your heart.

But once you find and live into your Sweet Spot, I promise that you will know it.

“I have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly”—Jesus. (John 10:10)

And that abundant life is found in your Sweet Spot.

Time Capsule Reflections

May is once again going to be a busy month for me. We have had our community spring revival week and National Day of Prayer. I have plans made for church trips in June. I am registered for classes I need to take this fall. And school is out in a couple of weeks for summer. That’s always a pretty big deal around my house. But this year the month of May marks another pretty big deal: High School Graduation.

               My second oldest will graduate from David Crockett High School this month.

“Two down/three to go”, I tell my wife. But the reality is that this is both exciting and sad, relieving and frightening. We have produced another adult that is heading into the world. I hope we did well. I think we did all we could do, even if we didn’t at times do all that we should have done.

So this has got me thinking about when I graduated high school. I have also read these blog posts of great writers and modern day theologians of what they would tell their younger selves if they could. Of course they can’t, but the whole idea of being able to go back in time, or write a letter that your 18 year old self would discover in an old show box, is a fascinating idea. That’s the stuff good B-movies are made out of.

But maybe if we knew what we would write to our younger self to advise or warn about, maybe that would help us in what needs to be said now to the young men and women who are graduating high school this month. Maybe we do have some tips (other than ‘don’t eat the yellow snow’ or ‘pull my finger’) that would actually be helpful.

When I was younger I spent a lot of time making things more complicated than they had to be. As I get older I spend more time trying to keep it simple. Because what matters really is just that, simple. In 2010 United Methodist bishop Reuben Job published a small little book based on John Wesley’s General Rules entitled “Three Simple Rules; A Wesleyan Way of Living”.

So I have been thinking about my 18 year old self in this context. What would I say to myself? I have seen Huffington Post articles such as “52 Things I would tell my Younger Self”. First off I know that it would have be to short and sweet, 52 things is waaayyyy to many,  my 18 year old self didn’t have a very long attention span, in fact my 40 year old self...wait a minute, I forgot what I was going to say…

Maybe keeping it to 3 things is a good idea. And maybe that Wesleyan list is a pretty solid place to start. Here are a few things I would tell my younger past myself, and so perhaps would also offer up to our graduates today, for what it’s worth. Here are my time-capsule reflections:

·        Do no harm.

Don’t do harm to yourself. Just because someone tells you it’ll make you feel good doesn’t mean that you have to drink it, smoke it, snort it, or swallow it. Don’t do harm to others. You don’t always have to say exactly what it is on your mind at every moment. Your words have consequences. Don’t harm the world. It’s been here a long time, and God willing it will be here a long time after you are gone, so take care of it.  Your actions have consequences.  Smile and laugh.

·        Do good.

Every day do something good for yourself. You are a special creation. Take care of yourself. Enjoy that second helping of red velvet cake, just take a little extra time tonight to go walking, make that a habit every day. And when you walk enjoy this amazing creation that you are part of, and pray. Talk to God. He really does hear every thought, trust me I know that now from experience. Do good to others. It’s the little things that matter and that you will remember. Call for no reason. Drop by to visit. Help out when you are asked without making excuses. One day you might get married and have children. Play with your children every day, hug them every day, and tell them you love them every day. Kiss your spouse many times every day, and have a date night every week. Be fun to be around, nothing is really worth being miserable over, no matter how it seems at the time.

·        Love God.

This is the crux of it all. I realize this now. The job, house, car, vacations weren’t the main things. Even the family, as much as you love them, isn’t the main thing. The main thing is your relationship with God. A relationship based on reciprocated love. You will get to a point where you really do enjoy reading your Bible, this will be a time you treasure during the day. So go ahead and get into the habit of it now, just one verse a day. Some habits aren’t all that bad. Find a church where you feel like family and get involved by doing some of those good things we were talking about. This is important because you can’t do this life thing alone, and God has put other people around you to help you, love you, and care for you.

And finally, don’t do the mullet and parachute pants. It’ really not a good fashion idea. And those pictures will still be around 30 years later.

The Resistance

Acts 11:1-18 is actually a retelling of an event that happened in Acts 10. There we see that Peter was still in the city of Joppa and had a vision of this animal filled blanket, while at the same time God was speaking to a Gentile man named Cornelius who was praying to a God he didn’t completely understand or have correct info on, and God told him to send for Peter. Peter came, reluctantly, to this man’s house and shares a message of a God who doesn’t play favorites, of a God who is no longer designating clean and unclean and of a God who will fully accept anyone, of any nationality, of any race, if they call upon his name.

Down came the blanket with those creepy, crawling snakes and birds and pigs and other animals on it.  In fact, the heavenly blanket came down three times. And each time the blanket descended, Peter said, "No, not me!"

Peter's response to God's picnic invitation was not mere squeamishness.  Peter found the menu repulsing.  None of those animals was acceptable food for a Jewish person.  Peter's "no" welled up from deep within him.  An observant Jew, Peter had spent a lifetime trying to remain ritually clean.  His "no" to the heavenly invitation was the reactive, reflexive result of years of religious learning & conditioning. 

But God was dropping the blanket, God was tearing down a wall.

You can’t watch much TV these days, particularly CNN or FOX News without hearing something about fences or walls. We as a human race have done a good job building fences-to keep people out or to keep mother-nature in, and building walls to protect what is ours.

Robert Frost, in his poem The Mending Wall has a conversation going on with someone wanting to wall things in or wall things out and this person says “good fences make good neighbors”.

Some fences are a little harder to see, some seem almost invisible.

An invisible fence has two components:  a wire buried along the desired boundary and a dog collar that sounds whenever the boundary is approached, finally, a mildly unpleasant tingling sensation from the collar whenever crossed over.  So with practice and conditioning, dogs learn to stay in the backyard.  The fence is still there, the boundary is still up, even if you can’t see it.

In our passage from Acts, the blanket from heaven carried with it the promise of God's unimaginable generosity for all humankind. God's blanket was blotting out the boundary between Jew and Gentile, a boundary that God said was now unnecessary because of Jesus.  What God had made clean was clean indeed.   For Peter, Gentiles were as unclean as the weird cuisine in the dream.  Peter refused God's invitation to get up and eat, three times. But the story isn’t really just about food, food was the analogy played out in the dream.

The food represented people in the dream to Peter, and it still does today. For Peter the people were Gentiles, which was every non-Jewish person, which is us.

For us, who does the food represent? What walls are we hiding behind in our lives? What invisible fences are we afraid to cross? 

Resist evil, oppression, and injustice is what we said we would do as Christians in our United Methodist baptismal covenant. Sometimes resistance to evil means standing up for people that the church herself has deemed unfit for membership or ministry. In our own Methodist history just a couple hundred years ago John and Charles Wesley spoke boldly against slavery of all sorts, and in particular the practice of enslaving people of African descent. And still today we are seeking to resist and eradicate the racist attitudes that are so deeply embedded in our American Christianity.

Alienating, or rounding up, or labeling, or building a bigger wall to maintain a division of a particular group of people based on their ethnicity is hate, it is fear, and this Spirit that Peter was talking about is not a Spirit of fear.

And although the biblical accounts are clear that women held significant positions in early Christianity, since the church began woman have been refused certain leadership positions in the church. Even today, in the majority of Christian communities woman are not allowed to preach or teach men in the church. Methodists began to ordain women in 1956 and today women outnumber men in our seminaries, but in this facet we are still chipping away at the invisible fence.

Closer to home, and maybe closer to our hearts, Jesus calls us to cross invisible fences that separate us from those who have hurt us or those whom we have hurt, so that we may see and love others just as God sees them and loves them. Peter had to get up and go to Corneleus’ house, maybe there is someone’s house we need to get up and got to also. We are called to be Christ’s representatives in this world, we are on this mission of love and reconciliation as part of our mission from God, our missio dei.

Fred Craddock, a Tennessee pastor and Emory professor, said,  "To give my life for Christ appears glorious, To pour myself out for others. . . to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom -- I'll do it. I'm ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking $l,000 bill and laying it on the table-- 'Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all.' But the reality for most of us is that God sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 25 cents there".

Listen to a friend’s troubles. Go to a committee meeting, or visit a church member in the hospital or just call someone to check on them. Volunteer to cook a Wed night meal, or set up chairs or help with VBS. Feeding a meal at the Melting Pot or Shades of Grace. Bringing in items to your church for families here in our area that don’t have them. Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious. It's done in all those little acts of love, a quarter, at a time. It would be easy to go out in a blaze of glory for Jesus; it's harder to live the Christian life a quarter by quarter over the long haul."

Through the mystery of the incarnation, God showed up for us in the person of Jesus Christ.  And the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, still dwells here among us today, God is indeed with us, as we see Christ in other people, Christ who calls us to a conversion of our own heart so that we may cross the invisible fences that separate us from each other.

And often all of this resisting of evil, injustice, and oppression, is done in small, little steps.

The Kingdom and the Tunnel

Last week I had to drive to Barbourville, KY to take a class on New Testament studies. The class was primarily dealing with the gospels of Matthew and Mark during that first weekend. The gospel of Mark is believed to have been the first of the gospels written, and that Matthew is an extended account of what is in Mark (Matthew is twelve chapters longer). As you read Matthew you will notice that there are many themes in this book of the Bible that characterize the purpose and the audience to whom this was originally written. These themes are important to understanding what Matthew was saying about Jesus, and these themes are important to us today as we grow in our understanding and relationship with Jesus.

               One of the major themes in Matthew is “the kingdom of heaven”. Throughout Matthew’s gospel Jesus says that this kingdom has come near. And it is in Matthew’s gospel where we have Jesus teaching his disciples a model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) that today we know as The Lord’s Prayer. Here is this traditional version of this prayer that many people have memorized:

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy will be done in earth, 
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, 
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, 
The power, and the glory, 
For ever and ever. 
Amen.

            In this prayer, Jesus taught us to pray that God’s kingdom come and that God’s will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. The phrase “the kingdom of God” or “the kingdom of heaven” can be broadly defined as God’s rule and reign over all creation, but is also a very personal spiritual realm where God is the ruler of the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to His kingship and His kingdom.

            Jesus said over and over that God’s kingdom was coming near. Some people just couldn’t see that at the time. Some people still can’t today.

            When I was on my way to that class at Union College in Barborville, KY I had to go through a tunnel leaving Tennessee and entering into Kentucky, the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. It was my first time going through it, and I didn’t know that it was there until I was right up on it and then right inside of it. Now I don’t have anything against tunnels really, but there is something about the concept of a concrete hole going through the bottom of a mountain that I am not a huge fan of. Plus I have seen enough movies were being in a long tunnel like that can be hazardous to your health. If you’ve seen Independence Day you know what I mean.

            So I was driving through this tunnel and I knew that at some point I would be out of it. I knew that eventually I would be in Kentucky. But when I first got into the tunnel I couldn’t see where it ended. So I just kept driving, which by the way is the smart (and legal) thing to do when you are in a tunnel.  As I got closer to the end I could see a glimmer of the opening, not the whole thing, but it was a start. So I kept on driving. Then I could see the opening get a little bigger, then a little bigger still, then I was out of the tunnel. I knew the opening was there all along, I just couldn’t see the entire thing because I was too far away to start with, then as I got closer there were cars in front of me blocking my view.

            The kingdom of heaven is sort of like that. Mortimer Arias, in his book Announcing the Reign of God, referred to this as an “eclipse of the kingdom”. He described the kingdom of heaven like an eclipse, where you can see part of something, but it is being slightly obscured by something else, but you still know it’s there.

            The kingdom is partially here because Jesus was here, ushering in a new revelation of the kingdom of God and bringing us all closer to its completion. In another sense the kingdom is still out there down the road, and we can’t see all of what it is going to be when we get there, but we know it’s there, even if the view is partially blocked right now.

            So while we are travelling this tunnel together, moving toward the light of the kingdom together, let’s pray together that God’s will be done here on earth as it is heaven, and that His kingdom come.

            “Marantha, come Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 16:22b).

Tune Out the Doubt

I wish we could just pray for blessings, and it’s done, it’s all good, you’ll never have another ache or pain again, your teenage daughter will never roll her eyes when you ask her to do the dishes because she will be filled with purpose and her countenance will shine with the glory of God like the angelic hosts of heaven! But the fact is you may ask God to bring light to your situation and the sky keeps getting darker.   

Mark 5:21-43 deals with a situation just like that. Someone asked God to do something big, and it seemed like a miracle was going to happen, the prayer is getting answered, change is coming, the faith is rising, things are getting ready to turn around, then BAM! Things get worse.

Jairus had a sick daughter, and Jesus was on his way to heal her, but she died before Jesus got there.

So here is the paradox of walking in faith and trusting God for big things. You want to see God move in your life? You want to see God use you? You want to see God come through? On one hand you’ve got God speaking inside of you, giving you hope that it’s possible, and the Biblical promise is that all things all possible to him who believes. And God is saying it is possible, you can break through, you can break free, you can make a difference. And then you’ve got the enemy right there in the other ear saying “why even bother”.

If you’re going to walk in faith and do great things for God then you’re going to have to learn Mark 5:36a (the key word is “ignored”). There are going to be times when people around you, even the voice inside of you, says it’s not possible, that you can’t do it, that nobody has ever done it, why even bother?

Here’s what I think about those things. If it’s never been done before maybe that’s because God intends for me to do it. Maybe God has left this thing for me to do. If it’s never been done before maybe you’re alive at this very moment in time to do it.

We’ve got to learn to tune out the doubt. And that’s what Jesus did.

A little girl is dead, I don’t want to hear about that, let’s go. See, from a human perspective the situation doesn’t get much worse than this, a 12 yr old girl is dead. But God doesn’t look at our situations the same way that we look at our situations!

If the situation seems dead, if it seems lifeless, if it seems broken, if it seems there is no hope, God can resurrect it.

On the one hand is why bother, on the other hand is just believe. And the smartest thing that Jairus does in this situation is he keeps his mouth shut and does what Jesus says.

That’s a great strategy for us when we find ourselves in a situation where it looks like everything is against what God has promised, you’ve got to keep his promises in the front and center of your life, keep your mouth shut and follow Jesus back to the house.

There is still doubt, it seems like the situation is dead. Doubt is like a telemarketer, the best strategy is to never even pick up the phone.

May you displace all of your doubts with the promises of God. Just believe. 

Are you just dealing with your IBT?

By now you have had probably had your fill of hollow chocolate bunnies and Reese cups in the shape of eggs. Easter Sunday was a few days ago, and this is the pinnacle story for the human race. It points us to the purpose, the meaning, the focus, of what God wants to do in the lives of each human being and it leads us to the real hope in life, found in the resurrection of Jesus. The freedom that we are searching for can only be found in Jesus.

But this is important: It was a 3 day deal. Friday Jesus died. Sunday the tomb is empty. Saturday night is only mentioned once in the Bible (in Mark) as a day that some women had bought the burial spices that they would take Sunday morning to properly anoint Jesus’ body, other than that the Bible seems to say this was a day of total silence. To appreciate Easter you have to understand the totality of the story.

When Jesus showed up on the scene there were people who had been expecting him for a long time. It’s not he just showed up one day and started telling some neat stories and telling people to follow him so they did. The real followers of Jesus has been anticipating the arrival of a messiah since they were a child. This carpenter’s son, this teacher, rabbi, he was different than anyone who had ever lived. He talked about the kingdom of heaven being “out there” but also “in here” inside of us. He talked about God in a loving relationship and he spoke of freedom and healing. So people decided to follow, drop everything, left jobs and families, and walked with him day after day for about three years. They saw the healings, and people’s sins forgiven, and weights lifted off of them as they are set free.

Then there was a special meal, then a prayer in the garden, a betrayal, an arrest, and then a death on a cross.

Jesus told these followers all this would happen, but they didn’t really hear him. They had dreams of how their life would go, and they watched these dreams get nailed to a cross, and watched these dreams get laid dead in a borrowed tomb.

Saturday was the in between day. An IBT, not an IBS, but it can feel like it.

Dead rabbis had a tendency to stay dead, they were in the in between time of Saturday. The in between times are between despair and hope, the IBT are between life and darkeness, the IBT are between failure and freedom.

The IBT is the place where most people actually live.

It is the time between the diagnosis and the final outcome, the divorce and fresh start, between the pain and the healing, between the failure and the success, between death and an actual life out there somewhere. That’s where the struggle is, in the IBT. That’s where the regret is, guilt, anxiety, frustration, loss and emptiness, loneliness.

There are some options for living with the IBT:

1. Face up: Just face up to the fact that’s just the way its gonna be, I wasn’t created for positive stuff in my life. I was never meant to have anything special. I am just ordinary. I can’t be anything, I don’t matter. This doesn’t work for long.
2. Clean up: Jus get your act together. Go to church, read your Bible, try to live a good life, and maybe things will be better. This doesn’t work either. But there is a third option.
3. Give up: Not give up hope, but give up trying to be in control, being you own savior, give up bitterness, anger, failure, shortcoming, loneliness, depression, the pride…and the reason you give up is because of Easter.

The old you got nailed to the cross with Jesus. The old you got put in a borrowed tomb with Jesus, And when Jesus stepped out of the tomb on Easter Sunday he stared death straight in the face and death ran away, and what means is that we have a chance to get up today and actually be free!

               But it all depends on how you choose to live with your IBT. Let’s take this week after Easter and really give it up, really let go and let God, realize that God is good all the time, and live into the life that we were created to live.

A Holy Week

This week is Holy Week. It is the week from Palm Sunday leading up to Easter where we remember the last week of Jesus’ life before his death (Good Friday) and resurrection (Easter Sunday). This is an important week in the life of the church. This is also an important week in our lives too. This is also a neglected week.

               Not neglected as in forgotten. We know it’s coming, we are getting the new Sunday outfits bought and the eggs dyed and the baskets stuffed with candy to replace what the kids are still eating Halloween. I mean it is neglected in what it means, and what it can do for us.

               Many churches, including the one where I serve as pastor, have Holy Week services each night. If you are only used to attending church at most once per week and more often a couple times per month, then a full week of church stuff can seem daunting. How in the world could you possibly fit in church every single night for an entire week? Don’t they know how busy you are?

               Hear me in the love I am saying this, those are excuses. The reason I say this is because I really believe that taking an intentional approach to Holy Week this year will help you take a few steps of growth in your faith and will bring a new awe and excitement to Easter Sunday (and the subsequent Easter season that leads up to Pentecost Sunday on May 15).

               This whole season of Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter) has been a time reflection and prayer and giving. Maybe you are fasting from something. Maybe you are trying a new spiritual discipline. There is no better way to culminate this Lenten season and prepare for Easter than to come together with a local church and journey Holy Week together. Experience the stories of Jesus’ last week, the stories of his great love and his mighty power.

               Slow down this Holy Week. The craziness of your schedule will still be there Monday March 28.

               I know that not everyone is physically able to get to church every night next week, so I want to include here some readings to help guide your Holy Week also.

               Sunday: Luke 19:28-40

               Monday: John 12:1-11

               Tuesday: John 12:20-36

               Wednesday: John 13: 21-32

               Thursday: John 13:1-17

               Friday: John 18-19 (yes, both chapters)

               Saturday: Matthew 27:57-66

               I also want to encourage you to attend a community Good Friday Service which will be held at First Baptist Church, 201 East Main Street, Jonesborough at noon on March 25.

               Stretch yourself a little this Holy Week. Give a little more this Holy Week. Love a little deeper this Holy Week. Forgive sincerely this Holy Week. And come together with other people here in your community and walk this week together. And as you do, may you grow in the grace and love our Lord and Savior.