Maybe it’s because I have reached my limit. Maybe you have too.

Maybe it’s because I can still vividly remember walking in the 1978 Memorial Day Parade in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, holding an American Flag alongside my Dad and his ambulance corps and feeling so proud of my nation.

Maybe it’s because we seem to be on a downward spiral and it seems less and less likely that we can turn around.

Maybe it’s because I believe a nation has a kind of soul and our nation’s soul is wounded and ill.

Maybe it’s because I have a daughter of a similar age.

But I can’t help but be so disturbed by the thought and reality of that little girl’s body found in the garbage dump after having gone missing recently.

Kids are supposed to be alive and walking home safely in their neighborhoods. Little girls should be swinging on the swing in the back singing Taylor Swift songs and writing and illustrating books with stick figures and backward letters.

But not for Somer Thompson, whose body was, as her father described, “discarded like a piece of trash.”  

I know this is not the first time it has happened…and it won’t be the last.

But it is a very startling metaphor – a young, innocent girl killed and dumped in the garbage. It screams of a people and a nation that do not value life. And we have known this for a while. It’s just a little more visible today.  

How can we say that we value life when we worship nearly everything else but the Author of Life? In God We Trust?

It’s more like – In…money, violence, sports, alcohol and drugs, possessions, sex, appearances, video games and ourselves…We Trust. You don’t need to be a person of faith to see where this has brought us and where it is going to lead.

The apathy doesn’t help either. Our apathy helps us drift off slowly, painlessly as we have watched our nation’s soul and many of the things of real substance disintegrate.

After hearing a message of warning from one of God’s prophets, a people of long ago began fasting. The king of those people was also moved by the message and said, “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways, and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish (Jonah 3).”

And God’s response to those people? “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened (Jonah 3).”

What does God see when He looks upon America’s soul? What does God think of Somer Thompson’s body in a Georgia garbage dump?

Yet, God does see and respond to repentance and turning our hearts to Him. The people of Nineveh, which I mentioned above, did so, and God relented. He is after all, a God of second chances.

I know this is not a typical Living Water. I would have preferred to write something else. But I had to be obedient. As much as I love to talk about grace, it doesn’t take away from how much sin and evil still offend God.

And I am no king, but I couldn’t be silent today about how I see sin and evil corrupting our nation and how we have to turn from it – soon.

Let everyone in our nation call urgently on God and let us give up our evil ways and violence.

Who knows?

Amen.

Hello: Here is this week’s Living Water. It is a sample chapter from a book proposal I put together a while back called, Second Chance Church: Becoming A Place of Grace.

There are doors…and then there are doors. A door can be beautifully crafted, can serve as a gateway and even communicate about those inside.

Think of the door or doors to your church. Or more specifically, the door to your worship space. This door is much more than a door.

For so many it is the line between holy and unholy, between saved and condemned, between living and dead.

Now that is a door.

But how did this door or any door like it become this powerful? It is one of those things that no one can really pinpoint when that door, that line, that wall was raised. But it is there and it is real.

A pastor tells the story of a young woman whom he invited to his church. She initially declined, explaining that with her tattoos and the way she looked, that she would never be welcomed. The pastor assured her that it would be okay and told her that he would have some members there to welcome her. Erica hoped and trusted and showed one Sunday and it went okay – the hosts did a good job. She came back again. Now, it was summer and so the third time she visited, she wore a summer dress and so some of her tattoos were visible.

Sadly, the looks and the judgment were too much. As she left, she said wistfully to the pastor, “I told you that it wouldn’t work.” She thanked him and never returned.

From tattoos to “visible” sins to disabilities to unkempt appearances, the door to the church, though often just wood can be as strong as steel, as cold and unforgiving as concrete.

But you see, usually not too far from the door of wood in the front of the church and the worship space is something else made of wood. And thank God, it is stronger than steel and concrete and anything else on earth, including death – and more forgiving than anything else on earth, including all of us.

The cross.

The cross that no one on earth can stand in front of without being convicted of their sins. The cross, which says, to anyone who would humbly come to it, no matter how many sins, no matter how many years or miles, “you are forgiven.”

The hymn “To God Be the Glory” sings,

“O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

To be full of grace is to be a place where no one bothers to think anymore about who is a believer and who is the vilest offender – because in the grace and sight of the old, rugged cross of Jesus Christ, they are one in the same.

And so we have been talking about church doors from the outside in. But to be a place of grace – to be a Christian community full of grace, it doesn’t matter how many visitors come in through the doors. What matters is how abundantly the grace of Jesus Christ, the one whose blood and love flowed down from the cross, flows from the cross down through the pulpit, through the aisles and pews and hearts, hands and voices and out the doors into the streets.

When this grace flows with such a tide and such a momentum, those doors made of wood and judgment and lines and fear are washed clean and opened wider than ever thought possible.

There are doors…and then there are doors. The doors to a church were always meant to be channels for grace to come flooding and pouring out and thereby open…open like the outstretched and welcoming arms of Jesus.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. If you belong to a church, how well does your church do according to this? How open are the doors?
2. If you don’t belong to a church, does the first part of this chapter capture how you feel?
3. What can individual Christians do to create a “place of grace?”
4. What about the door to your life or your heart? How open is it to others? Why is this important?

What if…we started each day with the prayer and thought, “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God”?

What if…we really let go of our sins and remembered them no more – just like God after we confess them?

What if…we gave faith and/or a loved one a second chance?

What if…we replaced all our judgmental thoughts with ones of grace?

What if…we loved others fearlessly and without a thought to the cost or getting hurt?

What if…we put Jesus first in everything we did?

What if…we looked for the grace in everyone?

What if…we took time everyday to be with God in His Word, silence and prayer?

What if…we were vessels of healing and encouragement each day?

What if…we spoke the truth in love to one another?

What if…we were as devoted to God as we are to our favorite sports team or hobby?

What if…we asked for and granted real forgiveness?

What if…we reached out to people that no one else remembered or cared about?

What if…we put God’s will before our will in all that we do?

What if…we believed without a doubt that we were loved for who we are by God and others?

What if…we added some risk to our faith?

What if…we tore down some idols in our lives and replaced them with the only One who can give life?

What if…we stopped trying to save ourselves?

What if…we honored the less honorable and thought of the weakest ones as indispensable?

What if…we started following God as a “thank you” because He has accepted us through His Son instead of what many of us do – obeying so that we can be accepted.

What if…we worshipped God in Spirit and Truth?

What if…we lived our lives as evidence of God’s love and what He has done for us?

What if…we stopped focusing so much on ourselves and what we want?

What if…we went to church to give our whole selves?

What if…we went on a mission trip or signed up to serve others in a way that we never have before?

What if…we returned to the Lord with our whole heart?

What if…we stopped all of our “busyness” and sat at His feet?

What if…we overflowed with passion for sharing the love of Christ with others?

What if…we were more concerned with faithfulness than success?

What if…we gave of our time, talent and money sacrificially and with the cross in mind?

What if…we took our faith from private to public?

What if…we called out to God and to brothers and sisters when we needed help?

What if…we sold all our possessions and gave them to the poor?

What if…we did this in remembrance of Him?

What if…we didn’t cross the finish line until we could cross it together?

What if…we became a disciple and discipled another?

What if…we loved one another as Christ has loved us?

What if…we embraced and participated with God in making all things new?

What if…we prayed without ceasing?

What if…we lived and served together as with one heart and soul?

What if…we let the Holy Spirit lead?

What if…we showed our love for one another in addition to telling?

What if…we relied on God’s strength above our own?

What if…we applied the same measure to ourselves as we apply to others?

What if…we celebrated like crazy when someone who was once lost comes back to God?

What if…we did all of these things and the Kingdom of God was more visible for the world, for the community and for us to see?

What if…

Amen.

Luke 12:13-21

“I Want More!”

“And he (Jesus) said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: The land of a rich man produced abundantly…And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

“No! That’s mine!” shouts (with a smirk) my daughter Madelyn. To which I say, “No! It’s mine!” and then we proceed to wrestle over the stuffed animal laughing and screaming. I know – probably not the best parenting, but it is fun, and I guess in a backwards way I am trying to teach that fighting over stuff can be silly.

The not so funny side of this is that too often, in families, at work, in church, all over the place, we adults continue to fight over “stuff” and too often “stuff” that isn’t ours. And it tears down relationships – our relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

From where does this idea of “mine” come? This idea of greed is something we all need to wrestle with. It is easy to identify greed when it is overt. But it is not always that easy to spot. See, we do ourselves a disservice if we only think of greed and think of people like Dr. Evil trying to extort one million…I mean one hundred billion dollars from the world. It is not as simple as that. There is greed in our hearts, prayers, thoughts, but also our homes, marriages, churches – everywhere!

Here is a definition of greed from the Revell Bible Dictionary, ““More than one needs” and “In essence, greed defines a person’s character. The person motivated by love for God will sacrifice possession to serve others. The person motivated by love for self will sacrifice others and God to possess things.” Think about this.

From where does greed come? Just from observation, a lot of times it comes from being deprived. Sometimes, the thinking can be, “I didn’t get or didn’t have what I wanted in the past; so now I have to get mine!” And there is no doubt that we all have deficits and didn’t or don’t get what we need in a lot of ways. But the person of authentic faith depends and waits on God to provide the simple, the “daily bread” all the way to what seems impossible.

“Covetousness (greed) is a self-destructive passion, a craving which is never satisfied, even when what has been craved is now possessed,” wrote John Stott – keywords being “self-destructive” and “never satisfied.” Doesn’t this ring true? Think of things you crave…what happens even when you get them? That’s right you want more!

And it goes on – we continue to pursue treasures for ourselves. We want the more expensive car, the bigger house, that “other” companion, the bigger office – we always want more than we have. Shameless cliché – “The ??? is greener on the other side.”

Jesus warns us in Luke 12, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions (15)!” In addition, He says, “The things you have, whose will they be? So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God (21).” “Rich toward God.”

And it is not just about possessions. Speaking specifically about churches – you’ve heard the stories of visitors being told, “You’re in my seat!” or ministry leaders saying, “This is my ministry – my way or no way!” or pastors and members thinking, “This church is for me and people like me only!” Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Guess what? It’s not ours – not our lives, not our possessions, not our ministries, not our churches – never was. We can’t say on one hand, “Thank you God for giving me life” and credit Him with that but then think and act as if it is “my stuff” and so on. All of this is not ours – greed is when we cross the line from being stewards (caretakers) to thinking we are owners. Greed must be so offensive to the actual owner and author of everything – God.

“When a man has arrived so far, that he seeks his consolation from no created thing, then at this point he begins truly to taste what God is; then, too, will he be well content with everything that happens,” wrote Thomas a Kempis. Let us look honestly at our lives and see how much pleasure and satisfaction comes from that which is created.

There is a central teaching in Reformed thinking from the Heidelberg Catechism and it goes like this, “That I am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful savior Jesus Christ (Answer 1).” Now that is a covenant (promise)! No mention of other people, or things; just Christ. This promise, this covenant is the only thing that will last.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. What are some things you think of as yours? Are they really?
2. What does it mean if they aren’t yours? What happens to your connection to them?
3. What is the difference between an owner and a steward or caretaker?
4. If you want something that is a need or would glorify God, how can you ask for it? (HINT – PRAY)
5. Where do you see covenant being broken down in your life? In your church? What can you do?
6. Do you belong, really belong to Jesus? If yes, great. If not, would you like to? Reach out to me and let’s talk.

Turning Point

O Lord!

When someone lets go of decades of pain and suffering and begins to move toward wholeness –

We turn to you and give thanks that healing is possible through you.

When our young people, despite our best efforts, lose their way and find themselves in all kinds of prisons –

We turn to you for the keys and the strength to believe in tomorrow.

When our young people are faced with temptations at school, on the Internet – virtually everywhere they go –

We turn to you and remember that they are your children first.

When marriages reach the point where it seems like there is no hope –

We turn to you for patience and strength.

When marriages overcome obstacles of infidelity, neglect and the interference of others –

We turn to you and praise you for your faithfulness and grace.

When we become so tired and exhausted that we feel like we can’t go on –

We turn to you for strength and endurance.

When people become so isolated that they barely exist –

We turn to you and thank you for seeing us when we are invisible.

When people come out from years of hiding in the shadows –

We turn to you and thank you for your persistence and steadfast love.

When we see that our sins have caused immeasurable damage throughout our lives –

We turn to you for second, third, fourth (and so on) chances; and know we have them in Jesus.

When we feel like we are unworthy and no longer acceptable to you –

We turn to you and feel the embrace of your grace and unconditional love in Christ.

When this whole world seems to be on the brink of falling apart –

We turn to you with whatever we have left.

When we see things falling apart and new things emerging like people coming together like never before –

We turn to you and praise you for being a God that restores and renews.

When our brothers, sisters and friends are diagnosed with terrible diseases –

We turn to you and cry out “Why?!”

When our ill brothers, sisters and friends are strengthened and sometimes even cured –

We turn to you and thank you for your mercy and providence.

When we have tried everything and it still doesn’t work –

We turn to you and throw our hands up in the air.

When other voices discourage and bring us down –

We turn to you to hear the voice of truth.

When we are disoriented and feel lost –

We turn to you to be directed and found.

When we have surrendered all of our hopes and dreams to you –

We turn to you and watch them materialize in ways we never expected.

When we see our nation drowning in violence, idols, self-indulgence and greed –

We turn to you for the life preserver of peace and satisfaction.

When we see our nation rich with compassion, abundance and hope –

We turn to you and thank you for the gift of being here.

When our loved ones die and we can’t hear their voice anymore –

We turn to you and say, “We wanted just one more time…”

When we leave this earth and enter in your presence –

We will turn to you and our loved ones and smile at that glorious reunion.

We turn to you in all of these days and times and remember your words and promises –

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. What can make the difference in how we view what is happening in our world?
2. How can we keep in mind that God is in control despite what it may look like?
3. What can we do about evil in this world? What is our response?
4. From where does our help and hope come? How can we keep that in mind during times like this?

Can you feel it?

You can’t really see it, but it’s there.

It’s this weight. The weight of trying to be good enough (for God and for others), trying to do enough, trying to accomplish, trying to be a success, of trying to measure up.

Translated into real life, this weight feels like many things. Maybe it’s caring for or providing for others in serious circumstances without any help. Maybe it’s trying to solve problems with impossible solutions. Sometimes it’s carrying guilt for ourselves or others. Often it is trying to be something that someone else put on us – or the opposite. Maybe it’s trying to prove something that no one even knows about. A lot of times it is fear that drives us – the fear of being rejected, the fear of not appearing to have it altogether – or the drive to appear spiritual or religious.  

And it is probably others too. You know what I am talking about. But here’s what happens – it just keeps getting heavier. And you feel weighed down. No matter how hard we try, or how much stronger we think we are, the weight keeps increasing.

Christian singer Josh Wilson has a song that is about this whole thing. It’s called “Savior, please.” One part goes, “I try to be so tough; But I’m just not strong enough; I can’t do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me; I try to be good enough; But I’m nothing without Your love.”

I’ll speak for myself, but maybe for you too, I do try to be tough and carry it all. I do sometimes think I can do this by myself. And then I reach points where it becomes very clear that I can’t. Very discouraging times. Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing. Most – most of the weight you and I carry is too much and was never meant for us to carry. Whether you want to call it weight, or darkness or something else, “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).” The key parts being…He rescues…He transfers us…through Him we have redemption and forgiveness. Not us.

And this is why the weight or darkness feels so heavy. Because we are carrying or trying or doing things that only One could do and has already done.

It’s like being asked to start at quarterback for an NFL team this Sunday without any practice and not having the skills. Scary (or funny to watch depending on your perspective). Or, have you ever tried to lift something that is clearly too heavy? You give it a try and then you quickly realize that it will not be moving. Do you keep trying to lift it? Usually we seek some help. But we don’t do this we other “weighty” things in life, right? We keep trying to lift – straining, grunting, and sometimes even hurting ourselves – without “it” ever moving.

Some more help from Josh Wilson’s song, “Savior, please”, “Hallelujah; Everything You are to me; Is everything I’ll ever need; And I am learning to believe; That I don’t have to prove a thing; ‘Cause You’re the one who’s saving me.”

You don’t have to carry that weight alone anymore – He can handle it. You can leave the darkness behind for the light – He’s waiting for you. You can become good enough – by just calling on His name.

I am praying that you can really start to feel the freedom, the grace, and the unconditional love of Jesus.

Can you feel it?

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. What are some weights in your life that you are carrying? From where or whom did they come?
2. On a scale of 1-10, one being a feather, ten being an anvil – where are you in what you are carrying?
3. What is keeping you from letting go of one or more of these weights? Is it working for you to keep carrying them?
4. What is one positive step you can take toward letting go or leaving darkness behind?

Mark 5

The Reach

“Jerry” was desperate.

His daughter was deathly ill. He needed help fast. He needed a miracle.

Likewise, there was a woman who had suffered for years. But it wouldn’t go away. She had tried everything. She was alone. She was out of money and it wasn’t getting better. The doctors had no answers.

She was at the end of her rope.

But…

Jesus was within reach.

As you know, it is not as simple as that. Jesus is always within reach. But, it’s the reach, right?

A reach is leaving our comfort zones, it requires a choice, it requires effort, it requires risk, and it requires that something be left behind.

For both Jerry and the woman it was a risk to reach Jesus – it could have cost them everything.

For Jerry, a religious official, his turning to Jesus for help put his status and reputation at risk.

For the woman, she had virtually nothing left, but would be getting Jesus in trouble with the religious officials.

Maybe there was just something about Jesus.

Jerry, also known as Jairus, put it all on the line and humbly asked Jesus for help – and Jesus said he would come to see his daughter.

The woman, literally reached for Jesus, “if I but touch his cloak, I will be healed,” she thought to herself.

And…

Just as she grabbed his cloak, she knew it was over – she was healed! And then the words, “Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague (Mark 5:34 The Message).”

Speaking of daughters, by the time Jesus got to Jairus’ daughter, she was dead. They had heard the news along the way, but that didn’t stop Jesus. And when He got into her room of mourning, the Son brought the light! With just a “Wake up, little girl” she was alive again!  

I guess Jerry and the woman could have played it safe. Jerry’s daughter would have died and stayed dead. We might say that they would have healed over time. The woman would have gone on alone and suffering. Not much of a life though.

Not much of a life though.

We play it safe, too safe. We are held hostage by our fears and doubts. We make compromises and deals and say, “We can live with it.” But deep down, the ache and the regret and the “what ifs” overflow in our souls.  

That is why these two, Jerry and the woman have always meant so much to me – they challenge me and remind me. They remind me to always be thinking about my faith; the times I have reached and been blessed and convicting me for the times I haven’t. And they remind me of some special people I have known who have made that reach. And how they found faith and healing and yes, even miracles.

Because when we are reaching and risking for Jesus’ sake, our faith is real and alive. From the inside out, from behind the wall, out of the silence, out from the pew, beyond the doors, beyond our fears – that is where the healing is, that is where the miracles are, it is where we live – blessed – on the other side of the reach – in the handful of His cloak, in the humbled “ask” for help.

How much risk is in your faith today? In which parts of your life are you reaching out to Jesus? What needs to be left behind as you reach? In which parts of your life are you risking something, if not everything, in faith? If you belong to a church – where is your church risking and reaching?

How is your reach?

Amen.

Psalm 139:15-16

The Making of a Pastor

“You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” Psalm 139:15-16 The Message

There is a plan…

A plan for you and me – each one of us.

As the verse says, I have been built from “nothing into something.” God has purposefully woven people, events and experiences into the fabric of my life. The plan? As far as I can tell, it has been to shape me into a man who is able to share the love, hope, grace and presence of Christ with others through communicating, caring, encouraging and leading – in a word, a pastor. There are times in our lives when we have epiphanies or moments of clarity – and realize that all along there has a design and plan – authored by someone else – God. If I can claim any success in this life, I certainly can’t take credit for it – it has been all Him. Looking back, I can see the plan with clarity. I wanted to share some key parts of how God was working in my life to call me to be a pastor.  

The Kitchen

My first call in ministry was to be a counselor and my “sanctuary” was the small kitchen of our upstairs garden apartment and I had one member. I was about ten years old. It was when, for better or worse, I began to be a listener and encourager for my mom. For sure, this was not normal or healthy. And looking back now, I understand it all. But at the time, it seemed very natural to be a good and helpful son and try to listen and understand my mother’s pain and struggles. I know I was mature for my age and certainly this experience contributed to that. Growing up, both my parents and others would frequently say to me, “Lighten up; you are so serious.” I don’t think any of us realized at the time that I was serious because I was already an adult. But I learned how to be comfortable and compassionately engaged with another’s pain, tears (so many tears), and heartbreaks. And I learned how to be patient and persevering in prayer. I served in this kitchen ministry all the way to the end of her life. Careful observers at her visitation would remember that for most of the hours, I stood near her and her casket. I was still guarding her. It was my job – to walk with her, all the way home. I kept/keep the secrets. I bore the burdens. I was the wind beneath her broken wings.  

Conversations

“Can I go upstairs and get my Bible?” the joyful, pretty freshman said to me as she dashed up to her dorm room. “This is a unique kind of date,” I thought to myself as I watched her with wonder. And it was the beginning of a now twenty-year journey with the woman who would become my wife, Jennifer. Her joy and enthusiasm was and is a great balance to my seriousness and she awakened in me a very living Christian spirituality. Prior to meeting Jenny, my faith was “private.” I loved reading the Bible and had many theological thoughts, but it was through our conversations that I was able to start talking about it and sharing it. She opened the door for me in so many ways and certainly for going into ministry.  

Spokesman

For a little over two years, I was the spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. It was a very visible, high pressured, exciting job which I loved most of the time. It consisted of speaking to print, radio and sometimes television reporters on a daily basis on a wide variety of topics – all to be quoted for publication or broadcast. In my mind, I wasn’t just a spokesperson, I was the “protector” or “shepherd” of my department and its people against several (wolves) enemies – the media, the other political party and others. In many ways, it was a great experience, in my role as pastor, I function as a kind of spokesperson for God via His Word. When I write Living Waters or work on sermons, I am asking the question, “Lord what do you want to say to your people this week?” 

Evidence

I hadn’t seen this friend in a long time. And then Jenny and I saw her at my ten year reunion. And I can’t tell you how or why, but I was concerned about her. I had always prayed for her on my “list” along with others since I had met her in the sixth grade. But this was different. It felt like God was saying “keep praying for her.” And ever since then, I’ve had an aspiration to recognize, reach out to, and lift up people whose struggles may not be very visible and may feel far away from God – the “one mores” of the world. As well, learning to communicate hope to people I can’t see or hear and really don’t know their language – in other words, communicating by faith. Both of these led to the motivation for writing my book, Giving Faith a Second Chance, which is essentially an open letter of hope. The blessing in this has been that God has shaped me to seek to be evidence for how much He cares for His children – whether they are close or far away.  

Purpose

I was on my way. After leaving the state department, I was a director at a small public relations firm. We were winning state-wide awards, and had a strong client list. And then “he” happened. One of my two treasures, my son Brian. And just looking at him started a revolution in my mind. I asked myself, “How do I want Brian (and now Madelyn too) to remember me in my life?” And it is through that question that the idea of going into ministry was finally revealed. All of the things I had done and experienced all came together exactly ten years ago this summer. Asking that question really forced me to think what my life, my purpose on this earth was. And the answer was, “I want to be with people in the triumphs and tragedies of life – sharing and encouraging as a representative of Jesus.” As God usually does, the answers were all there, it just had to be revealed at the right time. And so I really was on my way, on God’s way – starting seminary and being more formally shaped for ministry…

But I had been on the way the whole time, sometimes aware, sometimes not. “All the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day (Psalm 139:16).” I believe this without a doubt – not just when life is good. Not just when it is going the way I want it to. And nothing is wasted from God’s perspective. Even the worst and shattering parts of our lives – He wants to convert them into healing and strength for others and signs pointing to Him. If we would only be more open to Him using us in this way. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever (Ephesians 3:20)!”

I thank you for listening/reading this week and I encourage you to reflect on God’s plan for your life – from where has He brought you? Where does He have you now? Where is He going to take you?

Amen.

In the last couple of months, I have been vividly reminded of why I do what I do. Pure ministry – loving, leading, and encouraging others in Christ’s name by Christ’s power. To be the presence of Christ, an ambassador, in the best and worst times of His people’s lives. To offer prayers when words seem to fail. To love and believe when it doesn’t make sense. To see things that don’t yet exist and try to point others in their direction. To boldly speak about life in the face of death. To offer hope in the midst of despair. To honestly face my own sins, weaknesses and failures in front of a lot of people. To follow God’s lead even when I don’t want to. To try and make God’s grace visible. To tell the truth when it doesn’t want to be heard. To try and make God’s grace visible. To forgive and forgive again. To try to live in such a way that my faith and passion for Jesus Christ and the Gospel are obvious – in person or even via the phone and internet. And to sacrificially love and care for many, many other people and share in their lives.

I don’t always get it right. I am a human being and I make mistakes. I am a sinner saved by grace too. I have my own battles to fight. And I take myself and my work way too seriously at times. But, I am called to be a pastor to God’s people. And while this calling is challenging, draining, confusing and many other hard things – it is also the most fulfilling and meaningful vocation that exists. O, how I have been blessed and transformed by sharing in the lives of people as a friend, brother, and pastor!

The below thoughts are attached to numerous faces and stories and are some of what goes through my heart and mind on a regular basis in trying to be a faithful pastor. These are some pieces from…

The Heart of a Pastor, Part I

Matthew 25:35-36

“…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:35-36

When you are hungry, I will cook a feast.

When you are sick, I will pray and stay with you.

When you cry, I will wipe away the tears.

When you need prayer, my lips will already be moving.

When you need a hug, my arms will be open.

When you need wisdom, I will find it for you in the Word.

When you are lost, I will not stop until I find you.

When you are trapped, I will lead the rescue effort.

When you are lonely, I will sit with you.

When you are sad, I will dance (which will make you laugh!)

When you can’t say it, I will still know.

When you are hopeless, I will show you how.

When you need to see the Lord, I will bring Him to you.

When you are silent, I will still hear you.

When you can’t go on, I will carry you.

When you can’t let go, I will be patient.

When you can’t stop, I will pray and wait.

When you are scared, I will take your hand and whisper comfort to you.

When you are seeking, I will walk alongside you.

When you push me away, I will understand and come back again another time.

When you keep me at a distance, I will wave and wait.

When you want to remember, I will show you.

When you are drowning, I will dive in.

When you feel worthless, I will show you how treasured you are.

When you are hiding, I will keep trying to find you.

When your precious heart is broken into pieces, I will pick them up and start putting it back together.

When you are facing terrible enemies, I will be right next to you.

When you are dying, I will sit with you until the end, and after.

When you lose faith, I will try to give you a reason to believe.

And, if you don’t know Jesus I will tell you about Him and try to show you who He is through me.

Amen.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

I don’t know much about how to knit…

But I do know that knitting is a craft that requires patience, precision, focused effort and knowledge of what “it” will look like at the end.

That’s why these verses have always fascinated me. It is awesome to think that God through the Psalmist used the idea and word “knitting” to describe how we are “assembled” in our mothers’ wombs – long before we would ever be able to see the process via technology like ultrasounds. Patiently, purposefully, and with the full knowledge of our life, we are woven together in that sacred place. It’s wonderful, you might say

Many times this week I reflected on the value of life. I saw and felt it in loss and near loss of life. Events like these have the impact of reminding us how precious each life is. Each day, we wake up, we get going to whatever we need to do, and rarely do we stop and think, “I am breathing – I am alive.”

Life moves so fast and gets so complicated, we take life – just being alive, for granted. And we live in a culture that seems bent on celebrating things that mostly take away from life. We also live in a time with such an emphasis on superficial appearance over character and other things of substance. It leaves a lot of people feeling ugly and unworthy and valueless.  

But then we hear these words, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well,” it should stop us and awaken us to the value God places on life and our lives.

A friend of ours named Erin is a professional make-up artist and named her business Wonderfully-Made based on this verse. She explained to me that she loves to use her gifts to bring out the “inner radiance” of women for weddings and special events, and that it is also an opportunity to talk about her love for the Lord and share the meaning of these verses.   

We are created by God with an outer and inner radiance – no matter if others see it or not. And this sovereign, purposeful God doesn’t make mistakes. Every single one of us, no matter how brief or long our lives are – are wonderfully made by God for a purpose. And because He has made us “wonderfully” we have value, a value that no one and nothing in this world can add or take away from.   

“You make everything glorious…what does that make me?” is a verse from the song “Glorious” by the David Crowder Band. What does that make us? It makes us able to reflect God’s glory through our words, actions, relationships and more.  

Jesus, who was the fullness of God’s glory in human form while he was on earth, added to the idea that we are “wonderfully” made when he said that he came to give us “life abundant (John 10:10).” The idea that we are not merely created to exist, but that our lives, when seeking to follow in His footsteps, will be richer, truer, more vital and more flourishing than we can imagine – wonder-full.

We are wonderful works of God. We were knitted together by Almighty God. We are invited to more than an existence, rather, to be fully alive in Jesus, and we are given the power to do so through the Holy Spirit – who is the very breath of God living inside us.

Maybe you just feel blah these days. Perhaps you have experienced the loss of a loved one recently. Possibly, you came very close to losing your life. Maybe, you are having trouble seeing any value for your life. Maybe something or someone in your life is causing you to feel worthless.

Please know this – everything about God is pointed toward life – from creation to salvation, from the cross to the resurrection, from life to eternal life, from Genesis to Revelation, from our first heartbeat until our last.  

Let’s start living and praising God daily – ever more mindful of how precious this life we have been given truly is.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. Would you say you are mindful of being “wonderfully made” by God?
2. Have you had experiences where you were strongly reminded about the value of life?
3. What parts of your life are about “living” and which parts are taking away life?
4. Do you ever think there is more to life that what you see? Say more…