Being the Church

Tonight, I witnessed the true church in action. It was what seemed to be a normal Wednesday evening service when one of our church family comes in with a problem. He was very discreet and tapped me on the shoulder during worship. His mother-in-law had been severely beaten and was in the hospital. And just this afternoon she suffered a stroke and was air-lifted to Cape Girardeau (about an hour and a half drive from PB).

He and his wife wanted to get to Cape to be with his mother-in-law but had no money for gas. After working the same job for 18 years, he suddenly lost it. His wife is working nights at a convenience store even after breaking her hip. Times are tough.

After the worship time, I presented our congregation with the need. We gathered around him and prayed for his mother-in-law. Then, one by one, everybody in the sanctuary came to him with cash in hand. I really believe that everyone gave him something. He and I were both in tears by the time it was over. He because of the outpouring of love, and me because I was witnessing the church in action.

Time and again the Bible encourages us to bear one another's burdens. That when one grieves, we all grieve. I literally saw that spontaneously unfold before my eyes. I felt like that we could have ended the service right then. Not because we had church, but because we were the church.

Jars of Clay

I'm facing a new challenge in ministry. Such a challenge that I wonder if I'm qualified to do it. On one hand, I realize that it's good to not think that you can do ministry by your own strength and know-how. But on the other hand, I know exactly how Moses felt when he told God, "Please, send somebody else!" But the more I pray, the more confident I feel. Confidence in the gifting that God has blessed me with, and confidence that God gives new anointing for new challenges. 2 Corinthians 4:7 continues to repeat itself in my brain. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

The same guy who wrote that passage in 2 Corinthians also wrote 2 Timothy 2:20 - "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble." It stands to reason that the articles of gold and silver are for noble purposes and the articles of wood and clay are for ignoble purposes. But in a large house, both are essential. Neither are worthless. In 2 Corithians 4, the Apostle Paul likens himself to an article of clay--an article used for ignoble purposes. It is not surprising that Paul would do this considering his other writings about himself.

This article of clay (Paul), made specifically for ignoble tasks, was carrying a noble treasure (the Gospel of Jesus Christ). Somebody somewhere must have made a mistake. Shouldn't the ministry of the Gospel be carried by more noble vessels? By those more refined and polished? God knows that is not me! But by God's great mercy, he purposefully gave it to the Apostle Paul and to me. It was by design. The focus is not on the vessel, but on the treasure inside. The relatively plain vessel doesn't take away from the splendor of the treasure. Rather, it amplifies it.

There was a time when Christianity was administered only by noble vessels. We call that period "The Dark Ages." So I'm going to stop stressing about whether or not I'm qualified to take on this new challenge and rest in the fact that God knows what he's doing. If he calls me, he will perform it. And the great thing is, the treasure of Jesus will be amplified more and more.

he who has been forgiven much, loves much

Just a couple hours ago I was sitting across across a table from a 23 year old guy who is 17 days away from graduating from a Teen Challenge Advanced Training Center. He wasn't the most well-spoken person, but he said some of the most amazing things.

"The past fourteen months have been the hardest of my life."
I looked at him in disbelief. This guy had been through some rough stuff in his life. Drugs, alcohol, violence, and abuse from a young age. Yet the Teen Challenge Center is the toughest thing he's ever done. This guy wasn't the only one to say this. In fact, the more I met with guys, the more I heard this statement. I asked him why this was so, considering his past.

He looked down at the table for a few seconds, held his hands together tightly and said, "the other stuff was definitely tough. But this is tougher because my life has been changed to its core. This is real and personal. In the past I just did whatever came along. It was easy to get in trouble. But this stuff [Teen Challenge] is really tough."

"I'm a free man."
He said it with such passion. He said it again. A little slower this time. "I'm a free man." It was almost as if he was realizing it for the first time all over again. This particular Teen Challenge Advanced Training Center is a very structured and rigorous program. There is not much freedom to do things. But through it all, he and many others have found real freedom through Christ. He talked about how is old life was bondage. He was a slave to drugs and alcohol. Now, for the first time, he was really free.

He's 23 years old and starting all over from scratch. Many at his age have graduated from college and have a general plan for the rest of their lives in order. By age 23 they have probably already landed in a great job, or they have at least taken that first step. But they also leave college strapped with school debt and addicted to alcohol. But not this guy. He's not gone to college, but he has a plan. Life is wide open for him. He can do anything he feels the Lord is directing him to do without anything to hold him back. There are absolutely no limits. Now that's freedom.

I feel more enriched for having talked to Ben. I pray for God's blessing on his life. I feel that he will do something truly great for God.

To fight or not to fight

I recently had a run-in with a neighbor that reminded me of a few interpersonal relationship principles that I want to keep practicing in my life.

We have a long row of cedar trees in our front yard. They are beautiful...especially in the winter time when the branches hang low covered in snow. They can also be quite fragrant at certain times in the year. But the city approached us and said that they would have to cut them all back because they are getting into the power lines. There are a few pine trees that I would love for them to cut all the way down, but I didn't want the cedars cut. But when they "trimmed" them, they looked horrible. So I told them to go ahead and cut them all the way down.

Apparently our trees hold a lot of sentiment with the neighbors. My first contact was with someone who doesn't even live near us, but her mother does. She approached me in a very combative way. The only thing she wanted to do was advance her agenda--get me to adopt it. It was her way or the highway. She really didn't care about anything I had to say. I don't mean to sound mean toward her, but that's exactly how she approached the situation.

As a Christian neighbor, I didn't want to fight back. I don't want to do anything that could damage my witness or defame the name of Christ. I tried to tell her that it was out of my hands and that she needed to call the city. Through the course of the conversation I ended up telling her--in so many words--that it was none of her business. Her approach put me on the defensive right away. There was no way I was backing down.

Later, I told Vicki about the episode. I said, "You know, I really love those cedars and hate to see them go. And we want to be good neighbors." So I talked to the guys who were cutting down the trees and figured out a way to leave most of the cedars (although--thankfully--the pines had to go).

Later, another neighbor dropped by. My first thought was, "You have GOT to be kidding me." But Laura was incredibly sweet. She didn't want to argue, she just wanted to express her remorse. (Apparently I live in the middle of Al Gore's family!) We had a great conversation and actually built more of a bridge to one another.

There are a few differences between these two confrontations. Both had the same concern, but they were handled in entirely different ways. One came with her own set of presuppositions that there was going to be a fight. She talked to me (a pastor) of the tragedy of destroying God's creation. She was driving a car with a gasoline V8 engine, she lives in a huge house where dozens of trees were mercilessly killed so she could be comfortable. AND, she's not even a neighbor.

However, Laura, who really is a neighbor came with the attitude of wanting to build a bridge. She didn't want to fight. She just wanted to express her concern. She wasn't trying to change my mind in either direction. She just wanted me to reconsider cutting all of them down. It helped that we had already worked out another plan. Through it all, I think we strengthened our neighborhood bonds.

I thought about all of this later and reinforced a few lessons in my own life. If I am in disagreement with someone, how do I approach the situation? Am I going to decide on a fight even before it begins? I'm reminded of the Apostle Paul's words..."As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Some people just don't want to live in peace and I may not be able to do anything about that. But I can choose how I initiate and respond to people.

At Least I'm Acting My Age

I recently did one of those "Real Age" quizzes. It goes beyond your calendar age and takes a peek into your lifestyle, habits, and overall health practices to see how old you really are. I guess it's true that you're only as old as you feel.

I don't know if this is the official one endorsed by Oprah, but it seemed legit enough. By the calendar I am 35 years old. My "real" age is also 35. My first thought was, "Well, duh! I can't believe I just wasted fifteen minutes of my life to find out that I really am 35 years old!" But then I just sat there and stared at my computer screen for a while.

"I really am 35 years old."

I don't know about you, but I've always thought of myself as young. That even though the clock keeps ticking, I am much younger than what the calendar says. I think and act younger. I do things that younger people do. Not that I think 35 is "old." But it's not that young either. The President of the United States can be 35 years old. I'm thinking about some former classmates in high school that are my age and have kids who will be graduating from high school this Spring while Vicki and I are in the middle of our fourth (and last) pregnancy.

It just suddenly hit me that I am not young anymore. I am solidly 35 years old. Does everyone have that kind of experience? That epiphany moment when the lights finally come on only to the realization that the lights are starting to dim? I have to watch what I eat. I have to be very intentional about staying active. Doctors want me to start doing maintenance visits that I remember my dad having to do. My six year old is asking what life was like in "the old days" when I was a kid!

I live a healthy lifestyle. I eat healthy and sensibly. I work out regularly. I've lost weight. I don't have any bad health habits. I'm trying to get enough sleep at night. I suppose that I just have to accept that if you really are as old as you feel...this is what 35 must feel like.