On the Road with Cancer

First of all I do not have cancer. Just wanted to make that clear.

Two weeks ago I officiated a funeral for a friend of mine, Rick Drahos. I met him when I first came to Heartland as Pastor. He has been sick since before I was here. In the last couple of years I have seen him grow, and was even able to baptize him. But I have also been with him at chemo treatments, hospital visits, a birthday party. A week before he passed our church threw him and his wife Cris a 36th Wedding Anniversary Party. Within days he was checked into a hospice house, and a few days later he went to be with Jesus. I watched him suffer for 2 years. I prayed that God would heal him and take away the pain. Which God did eventually heal him by giving him eternal life in heaven in the presence of Jesus. Rick persevered until the end. He fought for life. And through it all the most heard phrase out of his mouth was "I dont want to complain."

The last few months a lady named Brittany Maynard had national attention while all eyes were on her. She was dying of terminal cancer. She knew her life was about to end, that she would suffer. She moved to Oregon so she would be able to plan her own death through suicide. She would get infront of her suffering so she would not have diminished quality of life.

This morning I was watching CBS This Morning and saw this story. Please watch. It is worth the time. Lauren Hill, not the singer, is a young woman who I respect. I will never meet her, but instead of ending her life before the suffering began she chose to follow her dreams of playing college basketball. Lauren will not have regret. She is facing everything that life brings her way and is going out like a champion.

3 People facing terminal cancer with different approaches.

Weekend Reflections

This is something I will try to do every Monday. We will see how it goes.

Family

1. Had a great day with Jenny and Tedy on Friday. We stayed in comfy clothes and did very little.
2. Went to Texas Roadhouse with Ray and Jannet (Third Day Power), Mike and Ashley. Realized Tedy can go without a nap if needed.

Church

3. 8 of us went from Heartland to Midwest Café.
1. Learned the “three Rs” of the CCDA- Relocation, Reconciliation and Redistribution.
2. Heard a story about people on a short term mission trip wanting desperately to help this village. The missionary told them to watch the children of the village. They thought it wasn’t important enough, so they kept asking for other things to do. One day the missionary told them to tear down a building. So they did and asked what important thing was going to happen at this spot. The missionary told them another team had built it a couple of years ago even though they told them they did not need the building. The missionary said what they needed was to give a break to the women by watching their children so they could focus on some other tasks. Learned we need to ask questions, but also listen to the answer.
3. Heard about some great ministries in Des Moines like Hope Ministries. The one that stood out to me though was Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church The pastor John Kline shared about the many things churches are doing. It can be summed up here. http://ziondsm.org/our-story/
4. Was able to connect with Jeremy Summers, a leader at the Wesleyan Headquarters, and had a good talk with him.
5. The Midwest Café was hosted by Jeremy Geerdes and  Debra Heights Wesleyan Church. Thank you for you leadership on this.
6. We finished up the day with a trip to Smokey D’s. Some good BBQ, good chopped pork, brisket could have been better. But they did have 7 foot trophies so who am I?

4. Third Day Power was at Heartland on Sunday.
1. We had the biggest crowd since Easter.
2. A number of people gave their hearts to Christ. 2 for sure, will be contacting more to here how God spoke to them this week.
3. Learned to release things. Sometime I am a little too analytical.
4. Learned that body builders have a lot different diet than I do.

5. Home Run life group was hosted by Steve and Diane Brown. Steve did a great job at facilitating discussion. The group did a great job of allowing everyone to speak and feel a part of the group. Diane makes a great apple crisp, and I will never look at Charlie Brown the same way again.

Sports

6. Tom Brady and the Patriots had a great game.

Why Heartland does growth groups…

We are longing for a place to belong, a place to fit, a place to call home. This is why bars and coffee shops are packed with people. These are places people go to find a community of people who are like them. Here we can share life over a game of pool, a drink or a cup of coffee. I believe that it is not about the drink or the game but it is more about the connection that happens.

We talk about weather and favorite sports teams.  We share about how work is going, the nagging boss, or the ex that will not leave us alone. I believe however it is not about the content of our conversation that matters to us. It is the idea of knowing someone is listening and willing to share their time with us.

Heartland is one of those places as I look around I see people longing for this connection of community. People will arrive early to talk with people they have not seen in a week or longer. They will grab a coffee and/or donut and stand around our café tables to talk about corn, tractors, weather, layoffs at John Deere and the weekends football games among other topics.While some in a rush leave quickly after the worship experience, the majority of Heartland will hang out for 30-45 minutes making sure each donut is gone and the world problems are solved.

People are longing for this community. This is why Heartland does growth groups. So we can “spur one another,” and “one person sharpens another.” We do this because together we are made stronger. In growth groups we may learn information that we may have never heard before. We may learn to apply it a way we never thought was possible. But the overall goal of growth groups is that we transform into the likeness of Christ through relational discipleship.

This fall Heartland has the opportunity to be in a growth group in a series called the Home Run Life. Hearing the message on Sunday mornings are a good start. But I believe this book along with scripture and encouragement and challenge of a growth group could impact your life in an amazing way.  For those of you who are normally Sunday participants I encourage you to find a growth group. It will help you take your faith to another level and connect you in community. Please see Annette Redman or myself about the times and places of the growth groups.

The Messy Church

I wrote this article for the local paper in La Porte City. Very thankful The Progress Review gives us this opportunity. You can see the online version here, or read below.

I am a Pastor. I love the Church. But I will be the first person to admit that the church is a messy place.  At its best, it can be a safe place of hope and healing. People attend church to feel connected to God and also other people. This is where it becomes messy. The church is the people, and wherever there is a group of two or more people things will never be perfect.

I continually hear stories of how people have been hurt by the church. Each story saddens me. I know a guy who is a big guy. He has to special order his clothes. My friend does not attend church that often but one day he decided to go. My friend went to church wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants because this is what he feels most comfortable in. He sat down and from behind him he heard, “Can you believe he is wearing that in church?” I am not sure what prompted this lady to say this or how the church has come to the assumption that someone has to wear specific clothes to be able to connect to God? Like a tie and jacket or skirt can enhance my love for Jesus. I am not sure if my friend has been to church since.

Churches can have the perception of being very legalistic. Some people believe that Christians shouldn’t drink, dance or chew or date others that do. It is time for us as the church to drop these preconceived notions that anyone can be saved by what they do rather than the grace of Jesus. No one can earn salvation. You cannot gain merits and when you have done enough good have a place reserved for you in heaven. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

So if you are a person that has been hurt by the church or someone in the church, I want to apologize on the churches behalf. I am sorry for how you have been treated. Please do not view the whole church from your experience. Christians are not perfect and it is time to apologize for our imperfection. I pray that you will find forgiveness and be released from this burden that you feel. I would encourage you to put on a t-shirt or whatever makes you feel comfortable and attend a church this weekend.

If you would like to share how the church has hurt you please come by Heartland or call me at 319-540-5727. I would like to hear your story and apologize for your experience.

I LOVE CAMP!

I grew up going to Riverside Camp in Blaine, Maine.  It was not much by the standard camping ministry but there was something about that place where I could recognize the presence of God unlike any other.

Since there was not much to do onsite (except an in ground pool) we would end up going roller skating, bowling, and other things during the day.  There was something about Riverside that brought out the best. From all the room cleaning competitions to capture the flag with USA vs Canada, and the "talent" shows. I am still friends today with some people that I would only see once a year at camp. There was something amazing about the bond we all experienced together.

It was at camp that I came to know Jesus. It was also at camp when I was baptized. There were many transforming things that happened in my life, from being crazy during Romans 16:19 to the more serious moments at the evening campfire, to hearing Jesus echo over the river as 100 campers would scream it at the top of our lungs and then become as quiet as possible to hear.

It was at this camp that I was introduced to Indiana Wesleyan University. At IWU, I traveled with a summer ministry team just like the team I had met at Riverside. Now I was the one traveling over 7,000 miles in a nine week period attending and counseling at camps all over the United States. I was even able to attend Riverside with this team.

After IWU, I was a youth pastor and I started taking youth to these camps. I was able to see them experience God, some for the first time. I was able to see them transform over a period of time after going to multiple camps and retreats. There is something so amazing that happens when you remove yourself from the world and all the distractions, put yourself in a place with people your same age facing some of the same things. God moves, lives are changed. It was awesome as a camper, and a counselor and is still great as a pastor. Whether you are a kid, a teen, college student, or adult there is a place for you at camp.I LOVE CAMP, and I know you would too.

Here is a link to Cedar Springs Camp website where I currently serve on the board. Check it out, not just the site, but actually go to a camp or retreat.

Tips to Using Facebook

In the past few months I have considered deleting my facebook account. I have begun to dislike scrolling through my wall and reading the different statuses of my friends. This does not point the figure  at everybody or really anybody all of the time. But I find myself reading more passive aggressive statements about their children, parents and friends. There are rants about political alliances and more memes than I am able to count. As much as I am tiring of the trends of facebook statuses, I can also be encouraged and challenged by others. Heartland (the church I pastor) has a group page. On this page there are prayer requests, people sharing Bible verses and overall a lot of encouragement. So here are some tips to consider before typing out the status. Some of these tips may look familiar, as I borrowed them from a famous quote.

1. Is it kind?
What I dont understand about facebook is that people are willing to say things they would never say in person.  I would not consider it bravery, but rather closer to cowardice. These comments are meant to hurt, divide, torment and dare I use the token word of the year, bully someone else. Ask yourself does this help my situation or does this bring more drama. Does this bring us closer to a resolution or to World War 3.  Once your status has been posted you never know what damage it could do.

2. Is it true?
Is this something that you know is correct? Who is your source? Have you verified the facts? Journalists can be sued for defamation of character if they were to write an article, but yet anyone on facebook can write unverified gossip and destroy the perception of  someone else's character in a matter of seconds. But even if it is true please refer to #1.

3. Is it necessary?
What good does it do to shame your child, neighbor or friend on facebook? It does not solve anything except show your nature to your network of friends and family members. The comment rarely does anything except for the small percentage of your friends who like the status and the even smaller percentage of those who had something similar happen to them.

Wouldn't you rather encourage and build up your friends? Dont you want to be a safe place for your child to come to you when they are hurt? Rather than feel that if they were to come to you they would end up being one of your statuses? We have a long way to go build boundaries in our culture today. I do believe if we did facebook would be a better, safer place to go.