Celebration of Discipline- Mediation

Meditation for me has always been tough. To sit quietly and to focus is not really one of my strengths. But when it comes down to it, I dont do it because I find other things as more important. Mediation can be defined as "the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word." I am quite positive that I have never heard the actual voice of God and I sometimes doubt people when they come to me saying they have. But as Foster says "God spoke to them not because they had special abilities but because they were willing to listen."

I talk about listening to God often. The problem with this is that I am talking about it, and when I am talking I am not listening. So this is a much needed discipline that I need. When Dietrich Bonhoeffer was asked why he meditated, he replied, "Because I am a Christian."

So how do we meditate? Why do we meditate?

Most people have the view of meditation as and "attempt to empty the mind, Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind." Rather than just detaching yourself from the world and your problems, what is needed is to have a richer attachment to God.

You are not going to be able to master meditation on your first attempt. This is why it is a discipline. It takes effort.

Mediation on scripture is a great place to start. Bonhoeffer recommended meditating on a text for a whole week. This allows it to take root in you. Remember we are "active participants" in the Word of God. He will be there to teach, heal and forgive along the way.

Dwell on the word and then go obey it.

Celebration of Discipline- Ch 1

I have decided to read Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. I read it back in college, but I am a completely different person than I was. So this summer I am going to try to read a chapter a week and post thoughts about that chapter, as a form of discipline.

---Foster says "instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem." Instant satisfaction is the enemy of discipline. If I want to be disciplined with what I eat but I see a cookie and eat it because it looked good and I wanted to have it, then I am not being disciplined. I had a goal of being disciplined but I fell short to be instantly satisfied. There is nothing wrong with the cookie or even eating the cookie if I have set it in the parameters of my discipline.

---Foster adds that "disciplines are best exercised in the midst of our relationships." This can be worked through in our family, in our jobs, with friends and neighbors. We behave like we are busy and many of us are. But we make ourselves busy with what we want and shrug off the things we do not. Honestly I do not think we are that busy, we are just not disciplined.

---"Joy is the keynote of all Disciplines." Practice it, it does not mean that you cannot be real about what is going on but Joy is a result of what is going on in the inside when you experience the love of Christ. No matter what is going on their can be some joy.  Joy does not have to always produce a smile. It allows you to hold onto what is important.

---"Spiritual Disciplines are not hard...  All we need to do is long for God." If we do this it will  come. It might not be easy at first but as you keep going and it becomes a part of you God begins to change you.

---"We do not know how to go about exploring the inward life." If this sound like you, you are not alone. Where do we start? W are called  to fast, pray, worship, and celebrate. But how often do we live this out. Disciplines are meant to be personal but not always private.

---"the inner attitude of the heart is far more crucial than the mechanics for coming into the reality of the spiritual life."

---"Our ordinary method of dealing with ingrained sin is to launch a frontal attack. We rely on our willpower and determination." Yet this is usually on our own struggle. If we achieve it than pride sets in, but if not we go back to frustration and maybe depression. This should not lead us to "will worship" as Foster calls it.

--- Foster says we can fight this "will worship" with "disciplined grace." We all know that grace is free, but disciplined grace is the idea that there is still something for us to do. Now we still do not earn grace but we can aline ourselves to receive grace more often. Disciplined grace "places us where the change can occur." We must continue to fight by placing ourselves on the right course, choosing the better option, the more we choose this path the more grace comes into our lives. We do not only receive grace after we sin. But grace comes to us through communion, fellowship, baptism, fasting, being in God's Word, etc.

--- "Spiritual Discipline are intended for our good... but law bound disciplines breathe death." We do not always need to control. We dont always need to put our "discipline" on display. We do not need to put the burden of our chosen discipline or conviction as one that everyone must fulfill.

---Leo Tolstoy "Everyone thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself."
So this summer this is what I will be trying to do. Join me if you like in reading through this great book, choose another, Take on a fast of some sort. Whatever it is, do something.

Untraditional Lent- What Anger Does

People argue. Arguments come in all different sizes, some are calm, while others are anything but with harsh words and maybe even physical violence. Is it possible for people to disagree and not to become angry? Is it possible that being angry is okay?

            In the Old Testament there are many representations of God’s anger. He becomes upset when people build idols. This is explained as a jealous anger. He is also mad with Uzzah when he touches the Arc of the Covenant. Of course God also flooded the earth to rid it of all unrighteousness. He also destroyed Soddom and Gomorrah. In the New Testament Jesus becomes angry with the Pharisees due to their stubborn hearts. They were upset with Jesus due to his healing on the Sabbath. Jesus also became mad when people were misusing the temple. Many people would call this righteous anger.

            I think there are times in this world that when it is okay to become angry. Watching the news or having a friend that has gone through an abusive relationship, racism, pornography, bullying or sex trafficking. I think these same things still cause God to become angry today.

There is a lot wrong with the world and it should cause us to be upset. But how do we handle anger in the everyday. We cannot become angry about everything. This is no way to go through life. The end result is loneliness as anger can drive a wedge in our relationships. The bible address anger quite a bit. Look at some of these verses.

Proverbs 12:6- Fools quickly show they are upset but the wise ignore insults.

Romans 12:19- My friends do not punish others when they wrong you.

Ephesians 4:26 "When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day"

James 1:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires

1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

These verses can give us some very applicable ways to deal with anger.

1. Get over it quickly, do not dwell on it, and stop being angry before the end of the day. This can cause you to have a restless night and not sleep very well. Do not hold grudges. It will affect you more than the person you are angry with.
2. Listen well. Most of our anger is because we do not fully understand. Let others talk to hear how they feel. This will allow the person you are communicating with you respect and care what they have to say.
3. Be quiet. Allow what you hear to sink in, think about it, you don’t have to settle the conversation that day. Come back and revisit what you are thinking. When we react to what people have to say we are usually responding out of pride. When we take time to think, it allows the truth to sink in.
4. Slow to become angry- What are the things that anger you? If you get angry about everything, you go from a person who becomes angry to an angry person. No one wants to be defined as that

John the Baptist lived out all of this. When approached one day by his disciples in John 3 they had just been arguing. They were upset about some things one of them being that Jesus and his disciples were baptizing and people were going to them. This means less people were coming to John and his disciples. They were making it about them. I like how John responds. He tells them about the Bridegroom and how he should be the center of attention on the big day. John goes as far to say that he is more of a best man. His actions are to make this day special for the groom. John adds, “He must become greater, I must become less.”

How amazing would it be if we all had this attitude with Jesus and our neighbor? It would definitely keep a lot of arguments from ever happening.

Untraditional Lent- What Arrogance Does

Arrogance. John the Baptist, however is one of those guys that is the complete opposite of this. One might describe him as humble.  Traits of being humble are that they think more about others than they do themselves. They do not necessarily have a low opinion of self but hold such a high view of the relationships they have that they are willing to do anything and everything for.

At Heartland right now we are looking to shift our souls from this attitude of arrogance to an attitude of humility. This is a work that is done in the fabric of who we are. We literally want to shift from a selfishness to a selflessness that puts God and others before ourselves. We call this shift from Me to You.

There are a few things that we have to achieve to see this happen. First we have to be real about who we are. Our opinion and perspective is not always truth. John the Baptist definitely knew who he was. John 1:19-34. (Please check it out.) John was talking with some others and they wanted to know who he was. Was he the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet? He answered no to all three.  So they asked him again who he was. This was his reply; “I am the voice of one calling in the desert. Make straight the way for the Lord.” Even his answer shows that he was humble in who he was. By pointing to the Christ, he took the attention away from himself.

Next we are to, Build up others, not yourself. The culture today would rather seek fame than character. We have replaced real heroes from the military, firemen, and police to those who become famous by releasing a sex tape, being on a reality series, or one who can play guitar. If we are willing to do anything for fame then we have lost our humanity in the process. John the Baptist never sought fame for himself but always tried to bring attention but to Christ.

Third we should be authentic enough to talk about our faults, not about the faults of others. John said this about Jesus, “the throngs of whose sandals I am not worthy to tie.” This is the job of a servant and he sees that he is not even worthy of doing something like this for Jesus. Our world is missing authenticity and humility in the worst way. How many of us would “rather serve than be served.” But this was the mission of Christ from the beginning. We must be willing to serve.

We must also use the gifts God blessed us with to build the kingdom. Some of you may be a little too humble, thinking that God could never use you because of your past or still present lives. Do not limit God by saying your gifts are not good enough. God is the one who gave you the gift, and he gave it to you to be used to serve the world and build His kingdom.

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Next week- What Anger Does.

Untraditional Lent- What fear and doubt do

This was originally for an article I wrote for the Progress Review Which I will be continuing for the month of March.

Zechariah was visited by an angel in Luke 1 and he was “gripped with fear.” I am sure at some point in your life you have been scared, whether watching a movie, a friend surprising you, being held at gunpoint or being told that you have cancer. This can be a scary thing.

Fear can be paralyzing, not knowing what to say or how to react. Some people when scared have a reaction to fight back with words or in a physical way. Others react with flight by running away. These are very common reactions when we are afraid.

Fear can lead us to do a lot of things. Fear can hinder our faith. But it also can cause us to avoid. Let me explain. I am afraid of roller coasters. The combination of the height and speed just seem unnatural to me. At times, fear leads to I don’t. My fear of roller coaster leads to the fact that I DON’T ride roller coasters.

The angel told Zechariah that his wife was going to have a baby. Zechariah basically laughed off this comment and said, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Zechariah was filled with doubt. He didn’t believe what the angel was sharing with him. Zechariah’s doubt led him to say I CAN’T. 

He knew that he and his wife had never had children and why would that ever change at his age. Zechariah was more focused on what he could not do rather than what God can do. Is not this what we do so often by focusing on our own limitations, imperfections, failures, hurts and doubts. We rely on what we cant do as our only experience. Zechariah was right, he would never be able to get his wife pregnant. But there is something at work in this that is more powerful than Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Due to his doubt, Zechariah had his voice taken away. So he could not go home and share this news with his wife. But I am sure that Zechariah was ecstatic a few months later to here his wife was pregnant. God provided this couple with a miracle and even though Zechariah and Elizabeth could not do it, Christ could, and Christ did, and he still can.

Faith is bigger than our self. We might not believe it, but that does not mean it cannot happen. Because of my limitations I don’t have great faith in myself. Because of others imperfections I don’t have great faith in others. But I do have a great faith in Christ and his ability to transform myself and others. Do not let your fear of something tell you that God wont. Do not let your doubt tell you that God is not able. In fact I think we should doubt our doubt more than we do our God.

Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Focus on the second part of that line. We only have strength through God. Matthew 19:26 says, Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

IF... Deflategate

I am a huge Patriots fans. I was born into a Boston sports team house in Northern Maine. Seasons were not summer or winter. They were Red Sox, Celtics or Patriots.  I never knew anything different. I did not even know I had a choice of who to root for. I would not want to root for any other team. Why would I want to? In my life time (born in 1981) I have seen multiple championships from each team.

My adult life has been outside of New England, in places like New York, Indiana, South Carolina and Iowa. But for me, my professional sports teams have never changed. I have watched AFC Championships in Indiana surrounded by Colts fans while cheering for the Patriots. I lived in SC when New England beat the Panthers in the Super Bowl.  I have cheered for the Red Sox in Yankee Country.

For me I love sports. Playing, watching, and for the first time last summer coaching little league. Sports teaches team work, sportsmanship, work ethic and character. It is a release for stress. A way to exercise and a reason to get together and have fun with friends.

Sports for me has also been a way for me to connect with home. Living 1600 miles away from family is  not always easy. But when I put on a game, I know friends and family are also watching it as well. Sometimes I will even Skype with my parents while watching the game. Which my tv seems to get everything 5 seconds behind my parents so my dad will let out a yell and I will expect something good or bad to happen.

This past week has been stressful. As much as I know it is a game. Allegations of cheating are serious accusations. I am a big believer that character and integrity will play into every role of your life. I am also a Pastor. So I teach frequently on the subject. This past fall as a sermon series I taught The Home Run Life, It was based on a book with the same title by Kevin Myers.

Basically, it can be summed up that everyone starts at Home Plate. People recognize their need for God. And then they work on character, relationships, and results. But the world would rather focus on results first so they try to run the bases backwards. Meaning they are willing to put aside character and relationships for the pursuit of success.

I am not sure what happened with these footballs. I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. No matter who they are. I do not care about the past. I try not to judge based on someone's past. So I have tried to run all the scenarios through my head on what could have happened. I read everyone's social media posts and I wonder why so many people are reacting the way they are?

From the Black Sox, to Pete Rose, the Bounty Gate, to Spy Gate and PED's people are willing to put aside character for success. They want an advantage above their competitor. They want to earn more money and they are willing to risk everything that is important for things that are temporary.

If Deflate Gate is true and someone took the actions to give an advantage I am ashamed. There have been many comparisons to Bounty Gate but I would rather compare it to the PED scandle. I wonder what would possess someone to take the step to give an advantage?

There do seem to be more questions with Deflate Gate than there are answers. Let's look at what we do know. 

1. The football pressure was less than it was supposed to be. Sport balls lose pressure in the cold. We all know this. This professor tested it  One of the things that was talked about was the Colts balls were not changed... So does this rule it out?

2. It all started with the LB for the Colts they say that started this. But he himself says he never noticed it. 

3.  Refs check the footballs before the game. How much difference is the feel of a football that is within the rules and where they measured it at. How noticeable is it? The refs touched the footballs and they didn't notice anything. 

4. The Patriots played better in the second half with balls that had the right amount of air pressure. Why would anyone take the chance when they are already so much better than the Colts?

5. I highly doubt anything will ever be proven because there is a lack of evidence in the case. In the court of law this does not prove innocence but would give them a verdict of not-guilty.  In the US we still are innocent until proven guilty. Yet most of what is involved in Deflate Gate is all based on opinion. 

I close with this. If Deflate Gate is true I am ashamed. But there must be more evidence for me to be convinced that it is. If Deflate Gate is true I feel sad for those who did it. Like Lance Armstrong he held onto the truth for a long time and it destroyed him. And if Deflate Gate is true I hope they will be willing to ask for forgiveness. No one should be judged by the worst thing they have ever done. You are not defined by your mess.

If it is false unfortunately the Patriot name will still be tarnished in the public eye. Why? because it is easy to jump on the bandwagon and attack someone's character. Mob mentality has not always proven truth. Majority opinion is not always fact. But I guess it does not always have to be fact for there to be an accusation and for someone to fall from grace. 

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.

Faith and doubt

Miracle on 34^th Street is one of the beloved Christmas classics of all time. It is a story about faith. While some people make faith as something to be easy and without struggle, most of the time in my experience faith is actually dirty, complex and mysterious. This is the type of faith that I observe in Miracle on 34^th Street.

Mother (Doris) and daughter (Susan) have experienced a past full of pain. We find our that Doris has a lot of resentment against her ex-husband and does not have a lot of trust and faith outside of what can be explained with common sense. This has been passed down to Susan as a way of learning from her experience.

Kris Kringle is a new hire at Macy’s as the store Santa Clause. He believes he is the one and only Santa Clause, and people think he is crazy. Fred takes Susan to see Santa and while in line Susan discusses the idea of Santa as silly and impossible. However, the girl in line after them does not speak English as she was just adopted from Denmark. And Santa starts to speak Dutch with the girl. This amazes Susan and gives her a little faith.

As Kris Kringle’s claim of being Santa becomes bigger he is put on trial. Fred who is also a lawyer, defends him. Kris finally has all charges dropped because the post office delivers thousands of Santa letters to him at the courthouse. And if a government organization believes it, it must be true.

Christmas finally comes and Susan experiences doubt because Santa could not deliver what she wanted, a house. This was the only way she would really believe that he is real. In life we experience doubt and dismay with what happens around us. And it is okay to doubt. But do not focus on the doubt, rather focus on even the little bit of faith that you do have.

Matthew 17:20 says “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”As Susan works through her doubt, Kris gives Fred directions somewhere. On the way Susan sees a house and jumps out of the car, saying “I do believe, Santa did get it for me.”

While faith does have obstacles there are times where we have breakthroughs like Susan did with the viewing of Santa speaking Dutch. We however do not always have the big miracle like Susan experiences here. So take faith one step at a time, and focus on what little faith you might have rather than the doubt. Pray for God to grow your faith and miracles really can happen.

Hope in A Christmas Story

This is a brief summary of yesterdays sermon at Heartland. Check out www.heartlandlpc.com for more about the church.

It is now December, which means the Christmas season has arrived. My favorite things about Christmas are egg nog, Christmas parties and Christmas movies. During the month of December in this article and at Heartland Community Church we will be looking at a different Christmas movie each week. One of my favorite Christmas movies and probably yours as well is A Christmas Story.

When I watch it I cannot help but see the story of hope. Ralphie, the main character in the story is a young blonde kid filled with hope. He has the hope that his parents are going to buy him a Red Ryder BB Gun. He brings his hopeful request to his mother. She responds, “You will shoot your eye out.” He even writes a school paper on his deepest desire for the toy. He receives a C+ on the paper and the teacher tells him, “You will shoot your eye out.”

As Ralphie lies in bed one night he is trying to figure out how he will make this dream come true. It comes to him to take the request to Santa. So Ralphie is now becoming anxious about telling Santa about the hope he has. He arrives at the mall and realizes he has a long way to wait in the line for Santa. This however does not destroy his hope. He waits… and waits… and the time arrives where Ralphie sits on Santa’s lap and he is speechless. He does not know what to say. Santa tries to get it out of him. Still nothing. Santa asks, “Would you like a football? Ralphie shakes his head yes in agreement. The elf puts Ralphie on the slide and as he starts to go down, Ralphie stops himself and starts to crawl up the slide. He yells “NO, I want a Red Ryder BB Gun.” Santa responds, “You will shoot your eye out kid.”

Ralphie’s mom, teacher and Santa are what I consider Killers of Hope. We all have them in our lives. We cannot let Killers of Hope get the best of us.

In Isaiah, the Israelites were going through a rough time, however held onto hope. They had hope that a Savior was coming into the world, that he would rescue and restore them to where they should be. God, the Father was looking to give them this longing but it was not yet the right time. But it would not be long…

Ralphie was defeated he had opened up all his gifts and his Father asked him if he had received everything he wanted. Ralphie responds, “kind of” but the disappointment was obvious. His Father tells him to go look behind the desk. Ralphie goes over, pulls out the box, unwraps it and it is the Red Ryder BB Gun. He is ecstatic and asks if he can go outside to use it.

The one person he never asks for the toy, his Father, is the one person who gives him the gift. His Father wants to give him the things to fulfill his hopes and dreams… Granted Ralphie does break his glasses and fulfills the “you will shoot your eye out.” Why is it that we can always go to God the Father with all our hopes and requests but it is usually the last place we go?

On the road with God

I am asked this question every now and then. Why does God in the Old Testament seem so differerent then in the New Testament? This was again asked this morning. This was my answer to him. Hope it helps. 

This is probably the hardest question for any person to understand but yet is one of the most asked questions. At times I even ask myself this from time to time. Both Ellen and Ben are right. 1. God chose to reveal pieces of himself at his choosing. In Genesis with the fall, he chose to give Adam and Eve grace by sacrificing an animal to give them clothes. This was in spite of his earlier comment to them saying that "they would surely die if they eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil." 

I believe it was also grace and justice that came out when God kicked them out of the Garden so they could not eat of the tree of life. This was an act of protection. Since this time man/woman tried everything in their power to connect with God. Through sacrifice and worship unfortunately people decided to worship in a way that they desired. It started with Cain and Abel. Cain was jealous because his offering was not accepted. So he killed his brother and then lied about it. 

From here on humanity went down hill. Cutting themselves, murder of children, worship with prostitutes, orgies. It was obviously not a God ordained worship and sending prophets did not help. Even through his own revelation people were not following his revelation. So he decided to wipe out the earth in spite of his love for the people. He made a promise to never destroy the earth again. Even after the flood it wasnt long before people started living there own way. Selling a brother into slavery led a nation into eventual slavery. 

But God keeps fighting for his people. He sends a murderer (Moses) back to Egypt to fight for them, with eventually getting them freed. God then gives them the law. This is the first time where this comes into a written form. The 10 commandments all have to do with relationship. Love God, Love Others. When this is obeyed it is a different world that we are able to live in. However it was not long before the Jewish people disobeyed the number one command with the building a golden calf. God still continues to give grace to his people. 

He gives them a new leader in Joshua as they now enter the promised land that he promised long ago to Abraham. However there were people already living there. In getting their land back there were a lot of battles fought. This is where it gets tricky. People think this is where the wrath of God comes out and takes anyone and everyone out. But even in all these battles God offers each nation a way out. The Gibeonites in Joshua 9 trick the Jewish people into signing a treaty with them. They will now follow the God of the Jewish people. I think if every nation did this God would have allowed them to live as well. Now the Israelites are Israelites again. They make mistake after mistake. They want to worship things they can see, rather than worshiping the God who created them. Asking for a human king, instead of allowing God to govern (1 Samuel 8.) Following their own desire instead of God's desire (King David w/ Bathsheba). 

Even through all these mistakes there is grace and forgiveness, but also justice. A lot of the punishment seems to be earthly in the OT. (David losing his child from the affair) God uses prophets to keep the downward slide of his people. 

Then Jesus is born into the world. He was and always was, but now he is flesh and revealing a new Gospel. At least a new gospel to the people. It had always been there for them but they were never willing to accept the God of grace in the OT. But now grace is their incarnate in the flesh. He came to reveal it because no one else was able to get it. Because to be honest it was tough to get. People would have to listen and look for God's revelation before. 

But now He was there with them. They could witness his grace through His miracles. They could witness His love through his care for the children. They could witness his wisdom with turning questions of the spiritual leaders into these profound thoughts and questions back to them. (Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone, For a time is coming when we will worship in spirit and in truth, what is more important on Sabbath than to give mercy and truth?) 

They could not witness his willingness to be a servant in which he was willing to wash feet. They could not witness his sacrifice in which he laid down his life. They could not witness his power as he defeated death. People have to be witnesses. They want proof. 500 people witnessed Jesus after he rose again. These witnesses died and were Martyred for spreading the Gospel of Christ. They would surely not die for Christ if they were making this stuff up. Today God continues to reveal himself to his people through the Holy Spirit. We are still learning about justice, grace, love and forgiveness. We are trying to live out the example that he first showed us in the OT with the 10 Commandments of Loving God and Neighbor. God has never changed but he has always given us new revelations to show himself to his people.

Independence on the Road to Freedom

My freshman year of college I was in a freshman dorm. It was the closest thing to what my Private Christian Liberal Arts College had to a fraternity. Bowman House for many was where many “boys became men.” The chant that I remember hearing so often was “where we go one, we go all; Bowman House.”

            I grew close to a lot of the guys in our dorm. Some of my best friends today came out of my freshman year in Bowman. It was a place for many to learn what community was. Bowman House had regular meetings to build community as well as many other activities throughout the year. However as a freshman I really did not care to attend these meetings, so I skipped out. It was nearing the end of our freshman year and some of my friends who had not skipped out were selected to leadership positions in Bowman during our sophomore year.

            When one of the leadership positions opened up, I went and talked to Rob, the RD, about the possibility of the position. He told me while he saw me as a leader, because I had not joined in the community like I could have, he would not accept me for the position.

            It was during this time that I realized my independence was keeping me from actually taking part in the things that I wanted to do. Everybody has freedom, but with this freedom comes the ability for choice. When one does not choose responsibility then there are at times consequences. In my case I could not be a leader in Bowman because I had chosen to skip out on the house meetings.

            Freedom is a powerful thing. We allow the freedoms that we have to change us. We allow the freedoms to help us grow. But at the same time it could change us for the worse, it could lead us away from what we really truly desire for our lives. For this I am thankful of choice. But on this road to freedom, I wondered if needed something more.

Community on the Road in OK

This past week I was privileged enough to go to Moore, OK with a group from Heartland. We left at 6pm on Wednesday and traveled to Ottawa, KS. We checked in the hotel at 12:30am and left by 6:30am. It was a short stay, but we had a goal. We arrived at the church by 12noon and were helping with relief by 1pm. We were tired and the sun was hot. On the first day we worked about 4 hours and they let us off early to enjoy the 4^th. As a team we decided to go to downtown OKC.

There was a lot going on with live music and fireworks. Rather than listen to the music we decided to walk what was told to us as a few blocks to the Oklahoma bombing memorial. I thought I remembered a lot more about that sad day in 1995 when Timothy McVeigh decided to wreak terror. We arrived and there is still a makeshift memorial with people attaching things that were of value. There were some race numbers which a Ray, a teacher from Moore, told us they were from a memorial marathon ran the last 13 years that provides funding for the memorial museum.

Ray was for one of seven people that stood out to me during the trip. We were able to find out that Ray was one of the lucky ones who lived in Moore. His house was spared; the school he worked at was missed by the tornado. He and his 16, sixth grade students were huddled together in the bathroom. After he knew his students were safe and had someone to attend to them, he ran to Briarwood Elementary, the school that lost a gym, and the school where his son attends. He was to the point of panic when he saw the school for the first time, but it was not long before he scooped his son up in his arms and was thankful for the protection through the storm.

He then went home to find out it was ok, but lost power for five days. In the previous 7 years he really never took the time to know his neighbors but because of the power outage they started hanging out in their driveways, sharing stories and having cookouts. His neighborhood is now a community.

Ray had just returned from DC where he was at a teacher’s conference for 5 days. He said he could not wrap his mind around how different things looked and how much the volunteers had done in a few days. This was important to our team, which was involved in the cleanup process. We spent the majority of our time in Plaza Towers Elementary back yard. One of the hardest hit areas cleaning up a few houses that homes had been taken right off the slab. It was hard work and even though you could see a lot being accomplished we felt like there was still so much to do.

The second person is Jared. He works for Poured Out, the organization we worked with during the few days we were there. Jared was our project coordinator and also ran the skid loader to bring the rubble of someone’s home to the side of the street for the city to pick up. Jared is 20 years old, and we were able to talk to him about life. For someone so young he has a lot of perspective. He has a goal of eventually being able to work for Poured Out full time. He was working a good job, where he was paid well, but he was unable to have the flexibility of taking off 3 weeks here and there to work with Poured Out, so he quits his job on faith and finds a part time position at a church in town where he now has the flexibility he need to be able to go where he feels God is leading him too.

The other five people were the team from Heartland. These were people that were so flexible that took time away from work, they never complained (at least to my face), and were always willing to do the uncomfortable, even work in 95-degree weather to get the job accomplished. Angie, Jeff, Kayla, Dani, and Eric, I would take you anywhere, I would trust you with anything, and I might just follow your directions, just not all at once. I felt I knew them all well before the trip, but there is something special that happens on these trips that would take months or even years in a church setting. The forming of community is a special thing, and that is what this trip was all about for me.

On the trip home, we asked group questions, everyone had to answer, unless they were asleep. Some were funny, some were just to help us know the individual more. But as time progressed the conversation turned to more serious things. Things we would not normally share outside of family or those closest to us. And that is when I realized our community had become a family. Something everyone desires but very few receive.

Independence

My parents tell me that I was an independent child. I always wanted to try things on my own. I would fix breakfast or lunch on my own from a pretty young age. Remember steakumm sandwiches. Not sure if they still make them or not. I was awesome at fixing those.

Why ask for help when I am able to do it, or at least attempt it. I was content shooting basketball on my own in the driveway. I was content riding my bike places instead of depending on my parents for transportation. I would ride miles to go to a friend’s house. It gave me a sense of freedom.

When I went to college I went 1300 miles away from home. I did know some people at the school. But there was something about the unknown that intrigued me. Getting away from family and friends did not seem to bother me. I thought of it as an adventure. Even as a 17-year-old when I decided on Indiana I knew it would work out. Being on my own did not seem to scare me.

In college things started to change, I started to form a community around me. But the pull of being independent was still there. It is hard to be in a community and still be independent. My freshman year in spite of the great friendships I made I was still very independent. It allowed me to still do the things that I wanted to do, whether they were helpful or harmful to myself or even my friends.

God was molding me and it hurt. People confronted me about my actions. People saw dangerous behavior in my life. At times I did not like what I saw in the mirror. I started to realize I had anger, that I was very prideful. My community was a good one and they put up with a lot from me. I am surprised they still like me by the end of the year, well; most of them still liked me.

I was finding my independence did not really work very well if I wanted to be a part of a community. There was something that had to change about me. But I knew it would not be on my own that I could change. It would have to be through Christ and as a part of my community.

This will be my first post in series on independence, freedom and community. Oh and by the way, Have a Happy Independence Day this week..

The last year on the road

A year ago things seemed bleak, if you told me then where I would be today, I would have laughed at you. It was almost a year ago that we met with a prospective birth mother at Bethany Christian Services. "Baby boy" was born on March 28th and for a couple months things were up in the air. He was in interim foster care for almost 2 months. It was also almost a year ago that we started talking to IA-MN District about going to Heartland.

On May 20, after a few phone conversations and face to face interviews I candidated at Heartland. May 24th we went and picked up Tedy and brought him to his forever home. I am still amazed with the process but it seemed things were starting to go right.

We have now been at Heartland 8 months and things are starting to take off. New faces are coming weekly and people are slowly being made new. It seems that a lot of the people that are coming are dechurched. At one time they came to church but for one reason or another they walked away. Others are coming because they are being brought by their kids who attend our midweek family ministries. Our attendance in February is up 58% from last years average. God is blessing Heartland.

 When people ask what I/we are doing to see this happen, I say I do not know, but God is really blessing us right now. We are being the church, we are going outside of the walls, we are having fun, morale is high and we are Loving God and neighbor. And God is blessing that.

We are starting to plan Tedy's first birthday. He is growing even faster than Heartland. He is doing things I really did not expect for an almost 11 month old. And God is blessing us as parents. Just last week the a teen/church surprised us by organizing a monthly date night for Jenny and I. They gave a number of gift cards to restaurants. It is evident they care about us.

I have been in full time ministry as an assistant/ youth pastor off and on over the last 9 years. As much as I have enjoyed ministry in the past I love being a lead pastor. I live casting vision. I am finally figuring out what type of pastor I was meant to be. My personality is finally coming out in my ministry. I am allowed to be myself. God continue to reveal yourself to us. Show Heartland how we can love you and your community more. You are our God and we are your people. This is your church. Continue to bless it and continue to make people new.

God on the road

I am writing this blog not even sure of what I am going to say. Which is rare because I am always full of words. God is good. I have been told in the last couple months that a former youth does not believe that this is true. He struggles with the idea of evil and God allowing it to happen. I talk to him about free will. I ran into this quote by CS Lewis, "Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having." He struggles with how he sees the church treating the LGBTQ community. So he has walked away from his beliefs that God is good. I talk to him about being the change in the church. If the church will ever bridge the gap they need people like him to help show them the love and grace of God. But how we cannot dismiss the truth of scripture. We cannot always consider a church and God to be on the same page. We cannot always let someone in the church let us view God in an unhealthy manner, because God is always good, even though his followers are not. God is good.

I have a number of friends who are separated and in the process of divorce. This saddens me because at some point in their lives they have let sin enter their lives and their heart has been hardened. Some of them have walked away from God and the church during this time, because of the lack of grace they felt from the church. Unfortunately they let someone else take their eyes off of God on the road. Because God is still good.

I am disheartened lately because of the burden God has given me for his people. But I know this burden is not a curse but a blessing. He has given me a Pastor's heart and helping me see things a little more clearer and a little through his own eyes. He sees a world that is hurting and longing for more grace, love, and even truth in their lives. They are longing for someone to care for them like the church has always supposed to have been doing. Obedience is a core issue of the heart. God is longing for hearts of obedience to follow him. People talk about the idea of happiness. But in a lot of the cases that I have discussed they have forsaken the obedience of God for their happiness. God is not always concerned with our happiness but our holiness. If you want fulfillment, obey Christ. If you want JOY, obey Christ. You will never have true freedom in your life until you obey. GOD IS GOOD