Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Undetected

Well it’s Wednesday the 27th and I’ve been down with this severe bronchitis and some sort of head infection since last Wednesday night. And what I find unbelievable yet interesting is that these tiny living microscopic organisms which are so small they’re undetectable by the naked eye can literally take out a 270 pound moving and breathing being like myself for an entire week. But no matter how unbelievable it may seem, it happens everyday to members of the human race. These microscopic organisms if left untreated can cause severe damage or in some cases, the demise of a body. And listen, it all happens from within the body itself.

Now this fact or reality is actually a reflection of what happens in our church bodies. The Word fascinatingly enough uses the human body as a metaphor for our congregants, or for our church body. And listen something as tiny and microscopic as a word that might go unnoticed by most can cause damage or in some cases the demise of a ministry within a church body. Words are very powerful things and we should use them wisely and justly. An ill-placed word placed in the minds of individual parts of the church body can spread like a virus and damage, devastate and destroy parts of the body that the rest will pay for. Gossip, backbiting, and malicious talk are that tiny living microscopic organism that can hinder and eventually stop the moving of the body of Christ in a community.

All I can say is thank God for being the Great Physician and thank God for antibiotics.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

If the shoe fits...

I did something totally radical and out of my character today. It was hard for me to do but I worked my way through it and I really believe it was a step in the “right” direction. What I did may shock some of you reading and I hope it doesn’t make you think any less of me as a leader and Pastor. But here goes, I’m confessing to all my blog readers that first thing this morning I put my right shoe on first instead of my left. I know it’s a mystery why I would dare to do something so drastic, something so out of the ordinary but the fact of the matter is I did it and I am not ashamed and I have no regrets!

We probably don’t notice it because it comes to us so naturally but we truly are creatures of habit. All the way from which shoe goes on first to which leg we slip into our jeans first or which arm goes into our shirts first. And I’m using the description of the actions of clothing ourselves because it’s a required ritual that we all participate in everyday, usually without too much thought. Yes some may spend consumable amounts of time and deep meditation on which clothes to cover and adorn their bodies with, but the action of putting them on is still routine and repetitive. And most of the time we don’t even notice because it has become not only habitual but mundane and a common-action that we have to do.

With this said, maybe we should reflect on our spiritual bodies. Perhaps we need to set back for a few minutes, meditate and take note of our spiritual ‘habits’. Is it possible that as followers of Christ we have unknowingly formatted some of our spiritual experiences into mundane and common-action habits? Is it conceivable that we, like getting dressed in the morning, have somehow allowed our personal spiritual “have-to’s” to become just mindless repetitive actions instead of elements of wonderful devotion?

Yes being able to dress ourselves in the morning may seem mindless and menial. But I know this, if for whatever reason you weren’t able to perform the task of dressing yourself you would no longer take the simplicity of the action for granted. It would be something special and you would long to be able do it and I believe you would never take it for granted again. So let’s ask ourselves if our spiritual acts of worship or service have somehow become mindless and mundane? If so let’s try not taking it for granted any longer.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

vantage point

Have you ever noticed how that sometimes our point of views can be biased because it’s usually our points and our views? I mean what makes us think as individuals that our perspectives or positions are proper and perfect and everybody else’s are just positively phony or felonious? Now hear me out on this because I’m not referring to the actual TRUTH when it comes to the Word of God, I’m referring to the actual truth when it comes to ourselves. All of us love to see the good and great things about ourselves when it comes to our strengths, habits, talents and victories but what about the times our weakness, shortcomings or sins of omission and commission are revealed to us? What then? What do we do? Human nature dictates we ignore them usually by viewing, judging and preaching to others about theirs, of which I will admit- I too often do. But what would happen if our point of view was based on Jesus’ point of view of us? You see I really believe that our everyday lives would be lived out differently if we would passionately position our lives around the ever-present perspective of our Savior and His point of view of us.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Blessed

This Sunday’s Mother’s Day and I’ve prepared a message that has a rather unusual text and displays the morals of motherhood through a very unlikely source. I’ve been praying that the story used and the message preached will be understood to the depths of its true meaning. The title is “A Split Decision”.

Now I’ve never been a mother, I’m not a mother now and I will never be a mother but from watching my mom, the mother of my children and other mothers around me I’ve recognized one major fact and that is that having children is the easiest part of motherhood, “showing up” everyday after that is really the hardest part. To all the moms out there who “show up” everyday I say, “Thank you” and if you are reading this and you’ve come to realize that you may have taken this fact for granted until now, I recommend from now on you give honor where honor is due.

Friday, May 8, 2009

J.J.'s Birthday

Today’s our daughter’s birthday. And on days like today I think back to all the different emotions her life’s brought into my life. For instance I didn’t think I could expand my love anymore than what I had for my wife but the moment I saw our tiny baby girl a different and stronger love was birthed in my life. And on days like today I think back to events in our lives as father and daughter that bring both smiles and sorrow.

We have a wide range of pictures of Jessica as she’s growing up, all the way from pictures of her in her diaper and my cowboy boots on which not only cover her little feet but consume her entire tiny legs - to her posing for the camera wearing my underwear on her head. Those are memories captured on film but the most memorable ones are those which have been captured on my heart. Her first steps, first words, first wounds and first crushes were not only huge events for her but for me too, (even though I acted as if they weren't).

Some of my first sorrowful memories are of the first time she heard me utter the word “NO”, even though it was for her own good, the look of dismay displayed on her little precious moments face was heart-wrenching. Another sorrow-filled moment that’s unforgettable was when I’d leave her at daycare before going to work, the tears and looks of abandonment was so disheartening it would literally bring tears to my eyes after my departure. And then on the other end of the spectrum her looks of disappointment and disgust when I would come to pick her up from daycare and seemingly rip her from the fun and fellowship of her little friends. Or when she would have to get a shot at the doctors office and it would take two nurses and myself to hold her down as she would scream "Help, they're killing me they're killing me!" But the most sorrowful times that's been embedded within my heart is when her heart's been broken because of a boy and all I can do is hold her as the tears flow, feeling powerless because no matter how hard I try I really can’t fix it.

With all this said, I've thought it all over and I wouldn’t trade one moment of time with her or any of the memories good or bad for all the money in the world because they are all, like her, worth the world to me.

Happy Birth Day Jess, Love Dad.