Category: Uncategorized Page 55 of 71

Twice I’ve been directed to an thoughtful article by John Ortberg on opposition.

It is refreshing to hear it be stated in print what we pastors all know to be true, that

“Opposition is an inevitable reality of pastoral life.”

Of course, I am not quite sure I really thought about that before becoming a pastor.

Opposition happens, and whether we want to admit or not, we pastors can at times bring opposition on ourselves because we are careless leaders.

Certainly, though, opposition can be a gift, because through it we learn more than we could imagine. Ortberg puts it this way:

“I have given up the idea that there is an opposition-free church out there. But I have gained something else—an appreciation for the gift of opposition. When it comes, I learn something about my motives. When it comes, I get to test my courage. When it comes, the truth about my humility (or lack thereof) is revealed. When it comes, blind spots get exposed that would otherwise do damage. When it comes, I am given the opportunity to grow strong. When it comes, I discover that I am the opposition in more lives than I ever would have guessed.

”And then I meet the force stronger than any opposition. The force that can call opponents a brood of vipers. The force that can also forgive opponents because “they know not what they do.” In opposition, there is grace.“

Well said.

Technorati Tags: Church, Ministry

In the Nicene Creed we profess to believe in ONE holy catholic and apostolic church. One church.

In appearance, anyway, it seems that we abandoned the idea of ‘one’ church long ago in favor of myriad divisions and denominations.

Yet, in principal, we do believe in one church. There is one church of Christ. But how do we manifest that really?

In reflecting upon how the members of the Trinity glorify one another, John Frame in his book The Doctrine of God ponders Jesus’ prayer in John 17 that his people might be ‘one as we are one’. As he puzzles over how that can be, he makes a simple and yet profound point that is worth reflection as we consider how we look at and talk about other Christians.

“One way toward a oneness that reflects the Trinity is for us to glorify one another as do the persons of the Trinity. That means loving one another, serving one another, praising one another, honoring one another. If we really sought to glorify one another, we would seek, even across denominational and traditional lines, to make one another look good, to enhance one another’s reputations, rather than to make ourselves look good at everyone else’s expense.”

Is that a reasonable application of Jesus’ prayer?

Frame says that he develops this point here and here. I have not read his expansions, but this quote seems challenging in itself.

Technorati Tags: Church

Starbucks ‘free’ WiFi may not be ‘hot’ but it is sweeter than advertised. I’m posting this from my local Starbucks where I’m only supposed to get two hours free online access. It’s been over two and one half hours! I think I could go on forever, but don’t tell them.

It only took my computer 8 minutes today to complete the log in process at my favorite Starbucks. That is a new all time record. Not a ‘hot’ spot yet. But improving. (At Panera I’m up and running in a matter of seconds.)

I’m still curious if anyone else has tried logging in and what their experience has been.

When Charlotte weaves the word “humble” in her web above Wilbur’s pen, we know she weaves the truth. The evidence of Wilbur’s humility was his ignorance of it.

Jonathan Edwards would see genuineness in Wilbur as he sees it in the Christian truly awakened by the Gospel. He says:

An eminent saint is not apt to think himself eminent in any thing; all his graces and experiences are ready to appear to him to be comparatively small; but especially his humility. There is nothing that appertains to Christian experience, and true piety, that is so much out of his sight as his humility. (Religious Affections, page 334

Technorati Tags: Edwards, Grace

I begin my Sunday mornings with, well, to be honest, with a cup of tea. THEN I sit down to my journal and a Psalm. Often those Psalms become great fuel for my worship time later at church. It is a blessed time for me.

This past Sunday morning, I read Psalm 6, and was once again struck with the persistence and patience of the saints behind the psalms. Here are verses 6 and 7:

“I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.”

Like many, the Psalmist does not get an answer to his prayers. Every night he pleads, with effort and devotion and deep emotion, but relief does not come. So, what does he do? He repeats the prayer the next night, and the next night, and the next.

Why?

I have had my times of distress and anguish, but I cannot say that I have ever struggled like this, nor do I think I would. I would very soon give up and question the love of God for me. The Psalmist does not stop because, unlike me, he does not base his conviction of the love of God on whether he gets what he asks. He asks because he is persuaded simply of the lovingkindness of his God.

I was both convicted and encouraged by this thought. Convicted because I do lay blame at God’s feet when I do not get the good things I seek. I base my assessment of his love on how quickly he gives me what I want instead of upon the steady assurance (revealed in the cross) that his love for me is secure and enduring.

And encouraged because there is a streak of background discontent in my heart. I am reminded by all of this that that background noise should be silenced once and for all by the certain assurance of God’s disposition to my favor.

With that I was able to go to worship with joy.

Technorati Tags: Psalms, Worship

My grandson Isaiah is only three years younger than my son Colin, so that, yes, though they play a lot together, one is technically the uncle of the other.

Anyway, the other day they were running through the house playing some kind of great game of pretend. In the midst of it, Isaiah came storming through the kitchen shouting, “Run from your lives! Run from your lives!”

I’ve tried, Isaiah. Believe me, there have been times that I have tried.

Thankfully, God won’t let me!

Technorati Tags: Family

If we become dependent upon having our behavior legislated, we lose the ability to think wisely, and we crave more law.

Christians are famous for adding legislation to law and over again, in order, it is hoped, to more and more precisely regulate behavior. We know, for example, that the 7th commandment prohibits adultery. We rightly see that any sex apart from
marriage is forbidden. But the temptation scares us, and so we place restrictions around our own actions. We don’t ask our girlfriend up to our apartment or we don’t touch or whatever.

So far, not necessarily bad. But then we decide that these restrictions ought to be in place for everyone, and before long we are telling our young people they should not dance. We start with something good, and we add and add and add until the law becomes something burdensome, but safe.

Many of us crave such legal boundaries because it does feel safe. Some are drawn to churches and other communities that are highly law structured. In such communities, we are free NOT to think, but to simply do what we are told. We think this is holiness, but this is not what God desired for his children.

I was made to think of this the other day while reading The Atlantic. John Staddon, in an article entitled “Distracting Miss Daisy”, argues that US roads are cluttered with unnecessary signage. He makes a fascinating case that the more signage on the roads (stop signs, speed limits signs, slippery when wet [duh!] type signs) actually makes our roads less safe. The proliferation of signs distracts us and (this is the fascinating point) makes us actually less safe drivers because we grow to depend upon the signs and not upon driving smart and defensively.

I find the same pattern among Christians navigating their lives.

Staddon says this:

When you’ve trained people to drive according to the signs, you need to keep adding more signs to tell them exactly when and in what fashion they need to adjust their behavior. Otherwise, drivers may see no reason why they should slow down on a curve in the rain.

When we train Christians to live according to law, we end up having to proliferate law, because people lose the wisdom necessary to live their lives naturally to the glory of Christ. the reality is, with less law, Christians are not less holy; they are as holy and more joyful.

At least, that makes sense to me.

Technorati Tags: Grace, puppy, Sin

I never heard of this guy until today, but I’m already inspired by him. Wish I’d heard of him sooner.

This from the news reports is worth reading:

In May, Dr. Pausch spoke at the Carnegie Mellon University commencement. He said a friend recently told him he was “beating the [Grim] Reaper” because it’s now been nine months since his doctor told him he would die in six.

“But we don’t beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by living well,” said Dr. Pausch, who urged the graduates to find and pursue their passion. He put an exclamation point at the end of his remarks by kissing his wife, Jai, and carrying her off stage.

Has anyone read / heard his “last lecture”?

It all makes me wonder – have I lived well?

Technorati Tags: Living

One teen daughter yesterday went through orientation for a new retail job at a clothing store in a mall near us. There she was told that in the past six months the loss from shoplifting was $19,000. She was told about people who know how hard it is to convict someone of shoplifting, and who manage repeatedly to enter the store and take what they want when they want.

I know such people are out there. I just don’t like to think about it.

Another teen daughter was at work yesterday at a local bustling restaurant. She helped a manager empty the ‘customer comment’ box, and the manger asked her to sort through some of them with her. The first one my daughter read said something like this: “Thank you for hiring some clean white people.” The manager was horrified. My daughter laughed. But, my daughter is black.

I know such people are out there. I just don’t like to think about it.

I also know that my heart is capable of such things. If I do not do or say them, it is the grace of God restraining the sinfulness of my own heart. I long for a world in which the battle with sin is done, and where the knowledge of the goodness of God covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.

That is a big order, a God sized hope, but God is the sovereign bringing this to pass. And the discipling of the nations through the church is his means. So, we keep at it, longing that his will might be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Technorati Tags: Ministry, Sin