I've got nothing.....

Years ago I pastored a Quaker church. I still remember a specific week as I made preparation for the Sunday sermon. I remember that it was a busy week, and getting time in the word to prepare for the sermon was difficult. So it came down to Saturday......I worked all day Saturday pouring over the word, praying, sweating....and I got nothing! Panic set in! This was the day that I realized something very profound- Sunday always comes.....at 9:00 AM the next morning I would be in the pulpit......whether I had something to say or not! It was an agonizing night for me....I don't think I slept at all. I still remember the night....and then here it comes...SUNDAY.

I got dressed for church, no sermon. I went over to the building and unlocked it, no sermon. I got the coffee made, no sermon. I greeted the church family......knowing I had nothing to say....It was painful.

And then, the most horrible thing happened- church started! We sang....took the offering...prayed....had a sharing time....and there I sat......NO SERMON! It's a preachers nightmare.

Then it happened....it's my turn.....I walk to the podium and did the only thing I could do....I said, "I have studied and prayed all week and I got nothing. I don't have a sermon. God must have given it to one of you, because he didn't give it to me." Then I sat down......

For a moment...silence. Then one of our men stood up and said, "This is really exciting. I have been excited about sharing this all week, and wondered if I would get to." And he did. He preached the sermon. He did a great job.

I will never forget that week. The embarrassment of being on the platform without a sermon...and yet God worked it all out. He humbled me. He taught me to trust him. He taught me that he wants to use all of us in the church. He gave me a great story to share with you these 30 years later....and now I can laugh.

So, today....for this blog....I've got nothing. One of you must have the message for the day, because he didn't give it to me.....

What's God doing in your life today?

Monday's cartoon

The perfect cartoon for a blog titled "FINISHING WELL."

Church

1Pe 2:4 Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor.
1Pe 2:5 Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.

This morning, my last day of vacation, I took the Sunday morning to attend two different churches to, 1. see what other churches are doing, and 2. to fellowship with other pastors I know in the area. It was an interesting morning.

The first church was a "stealth" baptist church. The service was traditional. I enjoyed the music, and the pastor had a message about membership...it really wasn't a "time in the word" day, but I enjoyed the service anyway.

The second church was a Community church. It was a much smaller fellowship, and even more traditional in worship style...more high church. The pastor literally did everything- worship leader, anouncements, and sermon (reminded me of my early days as a pastor). I really like this pastor. He's a young guy and really has a love for the Lord, his people, and the work.

It struck me that each of us, in our different ways, are building stones in the building of Christ's church. Each of these pastors lead their church in a different way than we do at our church, but they love the Lord, and their people are growing in their faith. We are all serving the Lord and building the church together....we are not competing with one another, but we all work for the same Lord building into the same greater work...the Kingdom of God.

It will be exciting to see what God does through each of us as we serve the Lord in these different ways.

Bowling For Soup - I Melt With You

I went up to see my son this afternoon. We always have a good visit. We got on the topic of friends. It was an interesting discussion. Ian has made his home in the town they live in for more than 10 years, and he's very well known there. In fact, some of his close friends are the members of the group "Bowling for Soup". I remember when they were the opening act for Ian's group, and now they "have made it". I just thought I would share something completely different with you today, and now.....BOWLING FOR SOUP!

Saving moments

One of the sites I visit and enjoy is Flickr. It's a photo sharing site. I love this place because I can see the world here from the eyes of those who live in it. It's fascinating to see what people photograph now that everything is digital. Here's the message on the site this morning-

"There were 1,681 photos uploaded in the last minute."

That really caught my attention and made me think. WOW, 1,681 photos were saved to this site in the last minute! Here are a few of those photos-

There are photos of places, people, things, and some pictures that make me wonder, "did they mean to take that picture?" Having worked as a photographer in years past....I love it! It's our way to save a little bit of history...a moment in time...a way to remember an encounter, a place, a person. It's our "written" history for this time. We no longer write about our lives as we did in generations past, now we photograph them and post them on the internet.

It's no longer the stories we write that will speak about us, it's the pictures. We all want to save those moments, those places, those people in our lives...to remember.

And yet, it will happen to us as it did to the last generation...our pictures will end up on restaurant walls as decoration. People will sit to dine and ask, "who was that?", "what did they do?", "did they mean to take that picture?" Quickly, in less than 100 years, we are forgotten, and unless we write our names on the back of the pictures, no one will know or remember who we were.

But there is one who remembers....there is one who keeps track. That has always amazed me...that God is watching us. He knows us, he remembers us, he knows and remembers our victories and our hurts. He celebrates our wins, and grieves with us when we grieve. There is one who remembers me when everyone else has forgotten...he loves me, and has my picture hanging on his wall.

Pro 5:21 For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths.

Resting

I'm nearing the end of a two week vacation, and have really enjoyed the time of rest. I can't remember ever taking two weeks off at the same time in my entire adult work life, so this has really been nice. I think I might do it again.

Rest is nice! To get away from the usual...even if you love what you do...to rest for a while has been very much needed for me. I can see why Jesus made the disciples step away from the busy ministry they were doing to rest....we all need it.

For us it's been riding the motorcycle to Colorado, spending time with friends, reading books, sleeping, EATING....it's been a "what do you want to do?" time....it's been nice.

I am finding, as I grow older, that there are some basic things that I must do to finish well....and here's my short list of important things:

1. read the Bible, 2. pray, 3. spend some time each day in quiet, 4. read great books, 5. take care of my family, 6. find some good friends and pursue those relationships, 7. keep a journal, 8. REST, 9. turn off the T.V., 10. take time each day to just dream a little...about anything, 11. live for eternity, not just for today, 12. memorize Ephesians 4:29, 13. work hard, 14. put other people first, it will make life exciting.

What's on your list? Do you have one? If not....make your list of important things and use them to finish well!

(Share your additions or your own list in the comments...I'm sure I have forgotten something important.)

Mar 6:31 And He *said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)

Not cut out for religion

My sweet wife, Joye, has posted a video poem "Not cut out for religion" by Jude Simpson that I invite you to watch. It's a very well written, thought provoking poem. You can watch the video here.

Twelve Girls Band - Carnival (Live)

Once in a while I share music with you that I like. My wife found this group, I think you will really enjoy their music.

Reflections on a day

I was just thinking back over our week away. It's funny that something so enjoyable can really become old quickly. Saturday I rode home from Breckenridge, Colorado in one day....840 miles....all on a motorcycle. It was fun for the first hour...then it was the endurance of just getting home. The same thing....mile after mile....more miles to ride. I listened to a number of sermons on my ipod, that helped, but then there are the miles....it was a long day. On a motorcycle you have to deal with the wind, the smell, the noise, the heat, the dirt of the day...you are in the middle of it all...and it's tiring.

There are times my walk with God feels the same way....like a long day on the motorcycle...hot, smelly, noisy, dirty..."when do we get there?" I wonder if the hardship of the walk of a Christian discourages some from finishing? It is hard, it is demanding...it takes work....it's dirty....and yet there is "home" at the end of the ride.

My day last Saturday started early at 6am....and I was off, heading south. It was cold, refreshing, I was rested and ready to get some miles on the bike. But hours happened, the noise happened, the cars, the heat, getting tired...it wears you down, and soon my moods and thoughts changed from a fun day on the motorcycle to an endurance test to get home.

I realize that I often do the same thing in my Christian life. I start out fresh, ready to go, and then things happen....and I lose direction, I lose focus, I get tired. Why don't I have enough sense to stop and rest? Why don't I stop...take a break....walk away from it for a bit? Probably for the same reason I would ride 840 miles in one day! I just want to get the task done....but my walk with God isn't a task.....it's an eternal relationship that has begun here on earth. I need to pace myself....realize that I need endurance....it's not all done in one day....it will take the rest of my life....

I think the one thing I realized is that I don't have to do everything today, right now...I just need to pursue my walk with God and do the next thing in front of me. I have need of endurance because the walk will take me the rest of my life....I don't need to finish it today.


Heb 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

A scientific theory

We just got back from a week in Colorado, and had a great time. One of the things I was looking forward to was our ride through Rocky Mountain National Park. We were told by our friends that we would see antelope, possibly moose, deer, black bears, and mountain goats. They must have all been on vacation to Yellowstone because we saw nothing!

So, as silly as it sounds I have applied the scientific method and concluded, by my experience, that there is no wildlife in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's all a hoax to get tourists to come to the park, spend twenty dollars and drive through the park looking for wildlife. According to the scientific method I have proven conclusively that there are no wild animals in this national park, so don't waste your time....I have looked, and there's nothing there.

Except for one animal which we saw everywhere....by my own observation this is the only wildlife in Colorado, and here it is:



Of course this is silly. Many other people have gone to these same parks and seen all the animals we missed, but isn't this same point clear regarding God himself? Our arrogance to declare that God does not exist because we haven't seen him, or what we consider proof of him? How arrogant of us to assume we know enough or can see far enough to know our experience is valid.

I thought my own experience in Colorado spoke clearly to this same conclusion drawn by those who say there is no God. It's just as silly as me saying there is no wildlife in Colorado...just because I haven't seen it....doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'll just have to go back another time.

God is alive and well, and able to be "seen" by those who look. My one trip through an empty park proves nothing....the animals are there somewhere, we just didn't see them. And God is there....my limited experience and lack of vision does not prove he doesn't exist, it simply proves that I didn't see the God who is there.....I just need to look again.

I hope you don't mind my humorous attempt to connect my experience with what others do to God....it was just something that seemed to fit as we rode through the park. I hope it makes you think, and puts a smile on your face. And to all those animals who were hiding from us...I'll be back...I'll find you...I know you're there somewhere!

A quick update

Vacations are a strange thing- we travel to exhaustion, spend money to abandon, eat strange food to indigestion....and call it vacation. It's great!

Joye and I just got back from a week in Colorado, riding the motorcycle in the mountains with friends.

It was a great week.

Our friends go to Colorado every year and told us we would see all kinds of wildlife. The only wildlife we saw all week were chipmunks.

I hope to be back to posting in a few days. We have missed you all, but have had a great time of rest.

Knowing Christ

We are in the middle of a wonderful week of rest in Colorado. Today, my wife and I are taking a day to just rest, read, walk, enjoy the mountains....and I'm thinking, what is the most important thing in my life? What is it that I must work on to finish well? What is worth all my efforts and time?

I'm thinking about the important things....a time away from the busy life I normally live gives me time to think about these things.....what's important? What is worth all my attention?

I am convinced that the most important thing is this...something that Paul wrote....

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

I, and many others before me, am drawn to these first five words, "I want to know Christ...." I'm thinking that the most important quest in my life is this one thing- to know Christ. This quest is worth all my time, attention and affection. This quest is worth all of me. I'm on this quest, but often I get busy, and forget my most important passion- to know Christ.

My personal battle, and having time away helps me see it clearly, is that I get so busy doing things for Christ that I lose sight of the prize, the quest, the goal- simply knowing Christ. How do I do that? How do I get so busy that I forget HIM? ......but I do.....and I must stop often to remind myself that knowing him is my goal....knowing him is the prize...pursuing a relationship with him is the goal of life. It's that quest that defines "finishing well."

So, again, maybe for the 1,000th time, I revisit my prime goal in life, and with a sigh realize that I have gotten too busy again and I forgot.....it's knowing him....that's the goal.

I want to know Christ! It's the battle cry of the Christian life. It's the passion that will drive you on. It's the most important quest you will ever embark upon.....to know him.....so that one day, when I see him face to face, it will be my first look at someone I have known intimately for many years.

So today, I begin again with a clear vision of my goal, my quest, my passion- I want to know Christ!

A time to rest

It's time for a rest. My wife and I are going to take some time to rest and ride with some friends so I will be away from the desk for a few days.

So, let me invite you to choose the direction for this blog in weeks to come. What would you like to talk about? What subjects do you want to discuss?

I look forward to this time of rest, and I look forward to your ideas.

I'll see you in a week.......

Monday's cartoon

The one who made the universe can take care of your needs.....don't worry, have a great day!

Jesus loves the little children

Believe it or not there are people who annoy me. I know....I know...I shouldn't be annoyed....I'm a Christian! But the truth is that there are people out there that I completely disagree with. Their views of life and the world are 180 degrees different from mine...and since I'm right....they annoy me.

Now, you must know that my comments about being right are meant to be read with a smile...if you know me at all you know that. But behind all of that is this one thing I know that makes me soften my thoughts about those people- God loves them and sent his son to die for them. He loves them as much as he loves me! So instead of protesting, writing angry letters, getting into a debate, telling them they are wrong......I pray for them. Because God loves them and died for them he wants them saved as much as he did me....so I pray for those people....that they will know and respond to the love of God.

When I see someone through the cross and their need for a savior even those people who annoy me suddenly become people I love and care for. You see, they are not trying to annoy me on purpose...they are very sincere...they believe they are right. They are trying to do good things as well.....it's just that they don't know the love of God in their lives....so when I look at people in this way even those who annoy me suddenly look completely different...they look like people I can love and care for because God does.

Jesus does love the little children...even when we grow up.....he still loves us...even the ones that annoy me.