God is with us...still

“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old is gone, the new is here!” –

2 Corinthians 5:17

                “Christmas is over”.

I have heard that from a lot of people this past week. Some have said it with a sigh of relief and others have mumbled it with a twinge of sadness, like a friend that has gone away and won’t be seen for a whole year. Some of you may have had your tree taken down and decorations packed up the evening of December 25, and others of you may be waiting as long as possible to un-decorate.

The reality is that Christmas isn’t over.

Technically we are still in what is called “Christmastide” (yes, those 12 days of Christmas from the song are a real thing from Christmas through Epiphany, which is January 6). I know that the season of Christmas is ending, and that eventually all of the decorations will have to be put away, but that whole “Emmanuel—God with us” idea doesn’t get packed away with the stockings and tree skirt. God is not in the manger anymore, God is in us.

God is with us, still.

Even when we might think Christmas is “over”.

And here we are into a new year. But with the new year comes many of the same old things. The same debt, the same worries, the same illness, the same doubts, the same addictions, the same concerns. There is no New Year Resolution big enough for these. So we focus on the things we think we can fix on our own. A Google search for this year’s top Resolutions has “Exercise” topping our wish list with 37% of Americans and then “losing weight” a close 2^nd with 32%. The reality is that many gyms bring in ‘temporary’ equipment for the month of January only. The reason for this is something that we all know all too well. Come February the resolutions are gone.

God is with us, still.

The new creation has come.  This means that we have been created new. But it’s not just a one-time thing that happened in the past. It can be a daily newness in life. A daily refreshing from the presence of God with us. A daily recreating of who we are in Christ. A daily resolution that we are not trying to achieve with our own good intentions, but placing in the capable hands of Jesus.

The old is gone. This means that our old habits, old selfishness, old worries, old addictions, old regrets, old doubts can be gone with our old self. This takes a daily focus on the newness in us so that the oldness doesn’t slip back in.

My kids used to love to play in the mud. And when they did they would get really muddy, cause that’s just what happens when you play in the mud. Not that playing in the mud is a bad thing, I am just using it here metaphorically. Anyway, their clothes would be muddy, their shoes would be muddy, they would just be a muddy mess. When I got them washed off and cleaned up I wouldn’t put them back in those muddy clothes, I would dress them in clean clothes, and wash those muddy clothes (or throw them away—but don’t tell Heather I ever did that). The same is true for us. That oldness in our lives shouldn’t be something that we keep putting back on every day. If we are really made new in Christ, then we should be wearing new clean clothes, not the same old dirty stuff. There is a beautiful picture of baptism there also. The washing away of the old under the water and the rising up of the new clean person.

The new is here!

I think we can live a fresh new life in Christ Jesus. But I think it’s really hard to try to do that alone. I don’t advocate New Year Resolutions. If you want to read the Bible in 2017 that’s great! But you don’t need a New Year Resolution to do that. Just do it. But I do think that being part of a church is important to this new life, to help keep the newness in the oldness out. So if you’re not part of a church family to help you in this new 2017, then check out the list of local churches that is listed in this paper. There really are people here that want to help you, and there are people here that need to be helped by you. We’re all in this together.

So, Happy New Year! Enjoy it. Live it. Love it. And maybe even go play in the mud…just don’t put those muddy clothes back on ;)

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.