Today is my 57th birthday. At this age one does not celebrate birthdays the way one once did. Have you noticed as we age we usually don’t even talk about them with the same language. When you are younger you 'celebrate' then you ‘have’ birthdays. As you age, you ‘turn’ certain ages. Then you ‘hit’ a number. After a while you ‘arrive’ at a certain age then you ‘have survived another year’. Don’t get me wrong. I am in good spirits. I am enjoying life more than ever before. I still hold John 10:10 as my life verse where Jesus said, “The thief has come to rob, steal, kill and destroy. I have come that you may have life more abundantly.” I enjoy getting the most from each moment of each day. My wife will tell you that I am difficult to keep up. I try not to sleep because I am afraid I will miss something. I want to experience all that God has for me.
I have been blessed with a wonderful adventure that has taken me places I would have never dreamed. I have had great times, I have also experienced times of serious sorrow. As life gets serious priorities change for thinking people. Notice I said ‘thinking people’. Some never seem to get the point and live superficially all their days. Others need several events for the wake-up call. For me it was an accumulation of events. First there was the sudden death of mother with a brain aneurysm causing her death literally in mid-conversation with my dad. Then there was the slow agonizing decline of my father. I became his caretaker and not only watched but participated in his decline. Then there was my own experience with three aneurysms and literal divine intervention (just ask my doctors) that prevented my premature death.
As the wise author of Ecclesiastes concluded (look it up), it doesn’t matter about position, power, or money we all die and answer to the same God. Therefore it is wise to make the most of life. So, how does one make the most of life? Live each day as if it were your last. Life is uncertain. You don’t know how long you will live. But there is the certainty that your life will end. Oh, it’s wise to live a healthy lifestyle but still there are no guarantees. You could get hit by a bus or cancer or an aneurysm. Sorry if that does not cheer up the superficial thinkers, but that is the real world. The Bible teaches that we live in a sin-scarred world and it rains on the just as well as the unjust. Since you can’t determine how long you will live, don’t despair you can determine how you will live. I am a product of the Mississippi public school system and I need to keep it simple so I hold my advice to two points; 1. Live for Eternity 2. Live for love. First, living for eternity means preparing for a life beyond this one. Even if you don’t believe in a life after this one why take the chance. Google ‘Pascal’s Wager’ and you will see the wisdom in that gamble. Once you follow the advice Jesus gave Nicodemus, who incorrectly thought being in church would be enough, by being truly born again you will want to live a life forgetting the past, that has been completely forgiven and preparing for the future. The best way to do this is found by caring for the least of these, your more unfortunate brothers and sisters, everyday, check out Matthew 25:31-40. Now by doing this you have already started on the path of the second point, “live for love”.
If I live each day as if it were my last I am ready to leave on a good note. Before my 50th birthday, as I waited for my 1st major surgery, knowing I would wake either in heaven or the recovery room, my last few minutes with my family had a lasting impact on me. I realized it could actually be my last few minutes with my family. Things that previously seemed important were meaningless. Love was all that mattered. So it is always. Love is all that matters. We are created in the image of God. I John 4:8 tells us He is love. Should it surprise you to know that love matters?
Humans have three basic emotional needs (all only completed in Christ). First there is the need to receive love. Receiving love is vital for child to grow. Second, there is the need to give love. Giving love is vital for maturity. Finally we need to have a sense of purpose. Purpose is vital for fulfillment. Friends who have known me over the years may often question my sanity. I know this has become longer than my usual writings, but hey, it’s my birthday, so If you are still reading I will end with an illustration that may end your doubts about my sanity. However, I try to learn from everything. Once, I was once flipping channels, which is the way men watch TV. Men are not interested in what is on TV, they want to know what else is on TV, but I digress (that gets worse with age also). It was a forgettable movie but I paused long enough to catch a scene where an unusually sensitive hit man was trying to explain the importance of real love to a woman. The movie was not worth remembering but I found the following line interesting; “Look, in my business you’re surrounded by loneliness and finality. Now I don’t care what your take is on an afterlife, when people die its scary and they go alone. Now the people that I send off that have experienced love, they’re a little less scared. I mean they’re still scared but there’s calmness to ’em. I think that comes from a knowledge that somebody somewhere loved ‘em and cared for ’em and will miss ‘em.”
Love matters. Life Matters. Live for love. Make the most of each day by living a life of complete love in your relationship with God and with everyone else. Life is uncertain. Live for eternity. You don’t know when your life will end but you know it will. Make the most of the day while you have still have it!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Spiritual Markers
I will always remember June 14. On that day in 2009 I had the joy of baptizing Mary, an example of God’s grace that brought her family and her from refuge camps where they had been driven from their home by political unrest in the Sudan to U.S. citizenship and now a baptized member of our church. What a story! We also had the greatest spiritual movement in worship, up until that time in our church, on that same day. What a day!
On June 14, 1988 I began my first day as a pastor in South Carolina. I grew up in Mississippi and had served churches in other states and but it seemed as if God gave me a second home and it would take too long to describe the adventure he has given me as a minister in South Carolina.
I will never forget June 14, 1997. My mother gave Dad his Father’s day card. As he was reading it she said, “I have a sharp pain in my head.” Those were her last words. She slumped and died a few hours later from a massive cerebral aneurysm. She was 68. She was really my best friend for most of my life and the joy of our family. She made life fun for everyone who met her. Although she rarely traveled far from her birthplace in rural Alabama she touched many lives with joy. We had over 400 well-wishers morn with us at her passing. Years later, when I would return home for visits I would see people who told me they missed her laugh. She gave me the gift of joy as I was raised in a home with laughter as an everyday occasion. The omnipresent smile people see on me today is a tribute to her. I will certainly remember June 14.
Life is filled with dates and to remember; anniversaries, birthdays, special events, good times and some tragedies. I call them ‘Spiritual Markers’. The Bible gives us examples of the importance of creating such markers to remember important events of the past. Examples are seen in the annual Passover Meal, Feast of Tabernacles, Last Supper, etc. The Apostle Paul never forgot his day of conversion. He talked about it and other markers for the rest of his life. When Joshua led the descendants of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land they took twelve stones, one for each tribe, and piled them up to make a monument. When asked, “What do these stones mean?” The answer was given that this will serve as a monument (reminder or marker) for the generations to come. It would be important for them to remember their past to make the most of their future.
As you go through life I encourage you to set aside your own Spiritual Markers. They serve to remind us of the importance of all of life’s actions and it’s frailty as we make the most of today’s opportunities. There are times we gulp the moments in our fast paced world so quickly that we seem to fail to realize that once lived we don’t get that moment back. It is important to pause to reflect and make the most of each moment. Some moments are worth marking in a special way. We live in a sin-scarred world so some days will just stand out due to a tragedy that can’t be prevented. However, if you focus on making each day special, as I learned from my mother, you can still transform the tragic markers into days when you may have a tear but it trickles into the upward curve of a smile as you are left with good memories.
I call them spiritual because these markers are good for my soul even though one may not think them always to be pious. As in this important case; while my wedding anniversary is in August, I have a Spiritual Marker on March 23. I try to do something special for my spouse on that day because I will always remember March 23, 1980, it was early Sunday afternoon. My girlfriend and I had been to Pizza Hut for lunch after we went to church together. She was wearing a white dress with a floral pattern. She met me at church that morning in her car so after lunch I took her back to her car in the church parking lot. Ours were the only two cars there. Before she got out of my car I told her I wanted to ask her something serious. She never knew what to expect because I was always up to something (remember the legacy of fun from my mother). I looked her in the eye and asked her to marry me. She hit me in the arm and told me to stop kidding around. I should have taken notice that this spunky response was an indication that life with her would not be dull. Then, reality set in with her and she realized I was not kidding. We have been seriously having fun since then.
A good life is not made so much of many great events but of many everyday occasions that we make great. As stated earlier in this writing we live in a sin-scarred world. There will be tragedy and loss. I still miss talking to mom, but I remember her every time I smile and on June 14 I do try to something special in her honor. Begin today setting Spiritual Markers in your life. Spiritual Markers really make a difference, if you think not check with me and my wife on March 23…better make that the 24th!
On June 14, 1988 I began my first day as a pastor in South Carolina. I grew up in Mississippi and had served churches in other states and but it seemed as if God gave me a second home and it would take too long to describe the adventure he has given me as a minister in South Carolina.
I will never forget June 14, 1997. My mother gave Dad his Father’s day card. As he was reading it she said, “I have a sharp pain in my head.” Those were her last words. She slumped and died a few hours later from a massive cerebral aneurysm. She was 68. She was really my best friend for most of my life and the joy of our family. She made life fun for everyone who met her. Although she rarely traveled far from her birthplace in rural Alabama she touched many lives with joy. We had over 400 well-wishers morn with us at her passing. Years later, when I would return home for visits I would see people who told me they missed her laugh. She gave me the gift of joy as I was raised in a home with laughter as an everyday occasion. The omnipresent smile people see on me today is a tribute to her. I will certainly remember June 14.
Life is filled with dates and to remember; anniversaries, birthdays, special events, good times and some tragedies. I call them ‘Spiritual Markers’. The Bible gives us examples of the importance of creating such markers to remember important events of the past. Examples are seen in the annual Passover Meal, Feast of Tabernacles, Last Supper, etc. The Apostle Paul never forgot his day of conversion. He talked about it and other markers for the rest of his life. When Joshua led the descendants of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land they took twelve stones, one for each tribe, and piled them up to make a monument. When asked, “What do these stones mean?” The answer was given that this will serve as a monument (reminder or marker) for the generations to come. It would be important for them to remember their past to make the most of their future.
As you go through life I encourage you to set aside your own Spiritual Markers. They serve to remind us of the importance of all of life’s actions and it’s frailty as we make the most of today’s opportunities. There are times we gulp the moments in our fast paced world so quickly that we seem to fail to realize that once lived we don’t get that moment back. It is important to pause to reflect and make the most of each moment. Some moments are worth marking in a special way. We live in a sin-scarred world so some days will just stand out due to a tragedy that can’t be prevented. However, if you focus on making each day special, as I learned from my mother, you can still transform the tragic markers into days when you may have a tear but it trickles into the upward curve of a smile as you are left with good memories.
I call them spiritual because these markers are good for my soul even though one may not think them always to be pious. As in this important case; while my wedding anniversary is in August, I have a Spiritual Marker on March 23. I try to do something special for my spouse on that day because I will always remember March 23, 1980, it was early Sunday afternoon. My girlfriend and I had been to Pizza Hut for lunch after we went to church together. She was wearing a white dress with a floral pattern. She met me at church that morning in her car so after lunch I took her back to her car in the church parking lot. Ours were the only two cars there. Before she got out of my car I told her I wanted to ask her something serious. She never knew what to expect because I was always up to something (remember the legacy of fun from my mother). I looked her in the eye and asked her to marry me. She hit me in the arm and told me to stop kidding around. I should have taken notice that this spunky response was an indication that life with her would not be dull. Then, reality set in with her and she realized I was not kidding. We have been seriously having fun since then.
A good life is not made so much of many great events but of many everyday occasions that we make great. As stated earlier in this writing we live in a sin-scarred world. There will be tragedy and loss. I still miss talking to mom, but I remember her every time I smile and on June 14 I do try to something special in her honor. Begin today setting Spiritual Markers in your life. Spiritual Markers really make a difference, if you think not check with me and my wife on March 23…better make that the 24th!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Get Out!
I took my kayak so far up river that I could not hear a man-made sound. Sometimes I enjoy getting out and away from the daily distractions to hear God in a fresh and clear way. It is easy to get so caught up in the busy, noisy routine of one's world that it can be helpful to break out and make a change that will allow one's perspective to be changed. God will often reveal himself, a new truth or remind us of an old one in a fresh new way when we step out or 'get out' in some new fashion. You may not need to paddle far away as I enjoy doing on occasion but I encourage you to find a regular way to get out. Even Jesus found it necessary to take time to get out while he was on earth as he would often take time to get away, alone, to pray and commune with his Father.
I am convinced that one of the reasons for much of the unnecessary conflict and dysfunction in families and churches is often a case of ‘cabin fever’. Cabin fever is actually in the dictionary. It is described as extreme irritability and restlessness from living in isolation or a confined indoor area for a prolonged time. I have often described this as the illness that causes many churches, families and individuals to suffer those signs of irritability. Over the years I have discovered that many of the families that suffer from dysfunction remain in closed circles almost isolated from other real social interaction. I have also discovered that many of those who seem to instigate the most trouble in churches never go on a mission trip. However, they never seem to miss a business meeting.
Therefore the prescription (trust me I am a Doctor) may be more simple for some than they realize; Get Out! (I realize some are making their own joke about removing the trouble maker from the family or church. I am not advocating kicking them out in that sense but moving toward a redemptive, healing and growth process). Too many suffer from staying in their small circle and become enclosed or isolated in their own little universe. Sometimes it just helps to get out and get around others to see there is another perspective. You may not realize how consumed you are in your own ego. It is always helpful to get out and do something for someone else.
Speaking from my own experience, one of the best things that ever happened to me was going to the other side of the world, reluctantly mind you. I was sort of pushed into going on a mission trip to Kenya many years ago. You see I was never a big fan of flying. I joked that the Bible said, “Lo, I will be with you… (I realize that remark is not that funny but it was my lame excuse to stay away from flying.) However, once in Kenya God opened a whole new world and perspective for me and I have not been the same since that experience. Africa was a completely different world than the one I had been ‘handling’ in my own wisdom and know-how as an experienced pastor of some years. However, God had to get me out to the other side of the world to get my attention and cause me to slow down, I am pretty hyper, to allow me to hear him. I heard him loud and clear and have not recovered from that conversation to this day. I came back and people noticed a difference. I will never be the same.
Therefore, I continue to practice ‘getting out’ whenever I can whether it is a mission trip (that can be across the street), a simple prayer retreat (that could be in the back yard…sometimes one needs to get farther from the routine of the day. Yesterday I needed to get far enough up river to be away from man-made sounds…depends on how much has cluttered into your world lately). Anyway, people have realized that I am different. So they are not surprised when they come to church and I tell them to “Get out”!
Jesus was different also. He was not really into religion as much as he was into God. Remember it was the religious leaders who were most frustrated with him because he was different. He did follow and fulfill the commandments (the rules or heart) of God’s true teaching which he summarized by loving God completely and loving all other people as we love and care for ourselves (Mt 22:37-40). But he practiced ‘getting out’ and I am glad he did. Had he not gotten out of Heaven and made his way here to pay for my transgressions (and yours if you trust his gift of atonement) I would be hopelessly doomed. Getting out is a good thing in many ways.
So, when things seem to be closing in on you and you or your family is suffering from ‘cabin fever’, ‘Get Out! Break out of your routine. Go on a prayer walk, go on retreat, find a mission activity to do or go on a mission trip. It will open your eyes and ears to see and hear God in a fresh way. Trust me I'm a doctor!
I am convinced that one of the reasons for much of the unnecessary conflict and dysfunction in families and churches is often a case of ‘cabin fever’. Cabin fever is actually in the dictionary. It is described as extreme irritability and restlessness from living in isolation or a confined indoor area for a prolonged time. I have often described this as the illness that causes many churches, families and individuals to suffer those signs of irritability. Over the years I have discovered that many of the families that suffer from dysfunction remain in closed circles almost isolated from other real social interaction. I have also discovered that many of those who seem to instigate the most trouble in churches never go on a mission trip. However, they never seem to miss a business meeting.
Therefore the prescription (trust me I am a Doctor) may be more simple for some than they realize; Get Out! (I realize some are making their own joke about removing the trouble maker from the family or church. I am not advocating kicking them out in that sense but moving toward a redemptive, healing and growth process). Too many suffer from staying in their small circle and become enclosed or isolated in their own little universe. Sometimes it just helps to get out and get around others to see there is another perspective. You may not realize how consumed you are in your own ego. It is always helpful to get out and do something for someone else.
Speaking from my own experience, one of the best things that ever happened to me was going to the other side of the world, reluctantly mind you. I was sort of pushed into going on a mission trip to Kenya many years ago. You see I was never a big fan of flying. I joked that the Bible said, “Lo, I will be with you… (I realize that remark is not that funny but it was my lame excuse to stay away from flying.) However, once in Kenya God opened a whole new world and perspective for me and I have not been the same since that experience. Africa was a completely different world than the one I had been ‘handling’ in my own wisdom and know-how as an experienced pastor of some years. However, God had to get me out to the other side of the world to get my attention and cause me to slow down, I am pretty hyper, to allow me to hear him. I heard him loud and clear and have not recovered from that conversation to this day. I came back and people noticed a difference. I will never be the same.
Therefore, I continue to practice ‘getting out’ whenever I can whether it is a mission trip (that can be across the street), a simple prayer retreat (that could be in the back yard…sometimes one needs to get farther from the routine of the day. Yesterday I needed to get far enough up river to be away from man-made sounds…depends on how much has cluttered into your world lately). Anyway, people have realized that I am different. So they are not surprised when they come to church and I tell them to “Get out”!
Jesus was different also. He was not really into religion as much as he was into God. Remember it was the religious leaders who were most frustrated with him because he was different. He did follow and fulfill the commandments (the rules or heart) of God’s true teaching which he summarized by loving God completely and loving all other people as we love and care for ourselves (Mt 22:37-40). But he practiced ‘getting out’ and I am glad he did. Had he not gotten out of Heaven and made his way here to pay for my transgressions (and yours if you trust his gift of atonement) I would be hopelessly doomed. Getting out is a good thing in many ways.
So, when things seem to be closing in on you and you or your family is suffering from ‘cabin fever’, ‘Get Out! Break out of your routine. Go on a prayer walk, go on retreat, find a mission activity to do or go on a mission trip. It will open your eyes and ears to see and hear God in a fresh way. Trust me I'm a doctor!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Lighten the Load
Travel sounds glamorous until you do it on a regular basis. As a pastor and Director of Missions for nearly 30 years I have traveled quite a bit in ministry. I have shared the gospel in five of the seven continents. It they are correct about global warming I may be closer to covering all of them than I originally thought. The worst stretch of travel was a period of less than four weeks where my wife and I traveled over 15,000 miles visiting eight different states and three different countries. We literally lived those weeks packing and unpacking and lugging suitcases around. As our gate changed at a busy airport terminal during that time I had to begin pulling all those suitcases hurriedly to the other end of the terminal when I began to wonder, “Do I really need all this stuff? What could I do without? What is really holding me back and creating an unnecessary burden?” It is better to travel light and enjoy the journey.
Then I began to realize how often we go through life carrying emotional, psychological and spiritual baggage that burdens us and keeps us from traveling light and enjoying the real journey. On a daily basis I encounter people weighed down by depression, anger, guilt, shame, fear, unresolved problems of the past, loneliness, worry, doubt…some of these suitcases and similar baggage sound familiar? Are you carrying around baggage that is keeping you from joy and weighing you down? When we carry excess baggage we cannot enjoy the freedom of the journey as intended. Jesus traveled light.
I remembered his words in Matthew 11:28-30 where he said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Here is the simple formula to lighten the load in life and enjoy the journey. First, come to him. The answer to all burdens or problems in life begins with a spiritual solution so he is the place to start. He truly offers rest for those weary from a burdened journey, if they are willing to come to him. Then he says learn from me. He had more pressure than any of us will ever know. It is quite a job to have to save all mankind not to mention growing up as a young boy and never doing anything wrong. Mother was proud of me but she graded on a curve. Jesus never made a mistake no matter what. He never worried, never lost his temper, never got depressed, never panicked and he was in some tougher spots than we will ever know. So, he says we can learn from him. What can we learn? Let go of whatever is holding you back and completely trust him with your life. We can learn that no matter what we have done or has been done to us, we can drop all the baggage from the past or present and follow his plan for our day and the rest of our days. His way is easy. He has an answer and solution for all the baggage that is slowing you down.
Feeling guilty or ashamed? Leave that baggage at Romans 8:1 and 1 John 1:9. Angry? Drop that luggage at Ephesians 4:26 and Matthew 5:23 & 24. Forgive and forget. Worried? Leave that load at Philippians 4: 6 & 7 and Matthew 6:34. Fear weighing you down…every Angel comes from Heaven with two words from God, “Fear not”. Leave that baggage with the messenger from Heaven. Burdened with loneliness? Leave that oversided bag at Hebrews 13:5. I think you get the idea. No matter what has happened or will happen you don’t need all that stuff that your are carrying, which is really holding you back, and causing you to trip and stumble time after time. The worst that can happen on the journey when you follow him and travel light is this; you die and go to be with him in heaven forever! So lighten the load and enjoy the journey.
Then I began to realize how often we go through life carrying emotional, psychological and spiritual baggage that burdens us and keeps us from traveling light and enjoying the real journey. On a daily basis I encounter people weighed down by depression, anger, guilt, shame, fear, unresolved problems of the past, loneliness, worry, doubt…some of these suitcases and similar baggage sound familiar? Are you carrying around baggage that is keeping you from joy and weighing you down? When we carry excess baggage we cannot enjoy the freedom of the journey as intended. Jesus traveled light.
I remembered his words in Matthew 11:28-30 where he said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Here is the simple formula to lighten the load in life and enjoy the journey. First, come to him. The answer to all burdens or problems in life begins with a spiritual solution so he is the place to start. He truly offers rest for those weary from a burdened journey, if they are willing to come to him. Then he says learn from me. He had more pressure than any of us will ever know. It is quite a job to have to save all mankind not to mention growing up as a young boy and never doing anything wrong. Mother was proud of me but she graded on a curve. Jesus never made a mistake no matter what. He never worried, never lost his temper, never got depressed, never panicked and he was in some tougher spots than we will ever know. So, he says we can learn from him. What can we learn? Let go of whatever is holding you back and completely trust him with your life. We can learn that no matter what we have done or has been done to us, we can drop all the baggage from the past or present and follow his plan for our day and the rest of our days. His way is easy. He has an answer and solution for all the baggage that is slowing you down.
Feeling guilty or ashamed? Leave that baggage at Romans 8:1 and 1 John 1:9. Angry? Drop that luggage at Ephesians 4:26 and Matthew 5:23 & 24. Forgive and forget. Worried? Leave that load at Philippians 4: 6 & 7 and Matthew 6:34. Fear weighing you down…every Angel comes from Heaven with two words from God, “Fear not”. Leave that baggage with the messenger from Heaven. Burdened with loneliness? Leave that oversided bag at Hebrews 13:5. I think you get the idea. No matter what has happened or will happen you don’t need all that stuff that your are carrying, which is really holding you back, and causing you to trip and stumble time after time. The worst that can happen on the journey when you follow him and travel light is this; you die and go to be with him in heaven forever! So lighten the load and enjoy the journey.
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