Pumpkin Theology

Fall break has come and gone, which means Halloween is knocking at the proverbial door. This weekend, my family took the time to pick out and carve pumpkins. As we were cleaning out the gooey insides, my daughter Grace said, "Daddy, this is so gross." I immediately thought about God, and wondered if He says the same thing when He goes through the cleansing process with me? That got me to thinking deeper about our relationship with Him, and how closely a few minutes with this orange squash resembled our relationship with Christ.

So, we used the whole process as a teaching moment. I invite you to try it with your kids this week if you are pumpkin carvers...

We didn't choose God, he chose us. Just like the pumpkins didn't choose us. God told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart...."

We scoop out the seeds and pulp. In the same way, once we decide to follow Jesus, he cleans out the nasty stuff from inside us. The Psalm says, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Micah says God, "hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." I just put the pulp on some newspaper, but still.

Then, we put the new face on the pumpkin. Just like we become new in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Finally, we insert a candle and light it, so everyone can see our great new Jack O'lanterns. After all, we want everyone to see what's happened to them, right? In the same way, we are called to shine our light so people see the difference in our lives. "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." -Luke 8:16

So, we get quality time with the family, fall decorations, and a memorable bible lesson all for around $10. Pretty good investment, I'd say.

On Shopping for Churches

I had a disturbing conversation with a friend today. Not a great friend, but someone I respect and trust. She said that she and her family were looking for a new church because her daughter, a high school freshman, hasn't been able to get connected and get interested in the youth ministry at our church. As someone who has led or co-led the youth ministry at our church for about 5 years now, this was interesting, frustrating, and discouraging to me all at the same time.

On one hand, her comment was that we don't "offer enough" for the high school students. We typically meet Wednesday nights, and we have either a bible study, fun night, or some combination of the two. I can see this point...I am a volunteer with a job and a family (two young kids) and I don't always have time to do everything our students would like to do. I know that's a shortcoming for me. And, we used to do more. We did monthly events for the high school students (she didn't come to those either, usually, but that's beside the point). She also said that homework often gets in the way of her daughter coming Wednesday night. I get that, too, as my first grader has a hard time finishing her homework sometimes, and I know high school students are often overwhelmed with all they have to do. Finally, she said, "I just wish we had more kids coming." I can see that point, I wish we did too. I took these comments as fair criticism and took them to heart... I really do want to do things with excellence, just like we try to do everything at Genesis.

On the other hand, I cannot invite other students. The only high school students I ever have access to are the ones that come to our church and the friends they bring. If she wants her friends to come, she should invite them. There are three ways to do youth ministry with your friends. Go to one they all attend, invite them to yours, or make friends with the people who are there. Most students will do a combination of these. On the homework front, many of our students have lots of homework, but they're really engaged and make it a priority- not over their schoolwork, but alongside it. Also, I would like to do more things, but many students won't come to the things we do offer, at least not regularly. How can we commit to offer more events just in hopes some of the less engaged students will come?

I don't know where to land on this. I've poured my heart and soul into these students, and I'm thrilled with what God has done in some of their lives, and I love being a part of that. On the other hand, I look back at the setbacks we've had- high school students that have left the faith, many that have had babies before marriage, and I really feel like a failure. Do I give up, and hope that someone else comes along with more zeal and more passion and more... time? Or, do I hang in and hope that my presence is not depriving some eager volunteer of a chance to invest in the lives of these kids?

The tough conversation was offset for me this morning, though, when I got into the auditorium. I saw a former student, a college sophomore, who is doing great, walking in her faith and she gave me a big hug. Then, I saw two sisters who were involved in the ministry and moved to Florida, and they were so excited to be back and see me and, especially, their friends with whom they shared some neat experiences. I feel very blessed to be a part of the lives of these young people, and I feel at times, that God has used me to speak into their lives. I just wish I knew if I still had the drive and desire (and ability) to do it.

So, that's it. Don't read this as a vendetta against this student or her family... I haven't mentioned names because I love them and don't want their discomfort to become the target of my frustration. I'm bummed that this girl is not connected. I'm disappointed that whatever I've done hasn't been enough. I'm frustrated that this family is church shopping to please their daughter, who may not get involved anywhere (CS Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, suggests that if the enemy can't stop someone from going to church the next best thing is to have them shop for a church that 'suits them.') So, what would you do? I'd love your comments.

Steve

The REAL Ace of Cakes

I heard it said one time that God is making a cake of our life. He picks the ingredients, and puts them in the batter in just the right proportions.

If we were making the cake, we might tend to leave out the stuff that didn't taste good. In fact, if we're being honest, we may taste the raw eggs and decide they weren't necessary. Flour doesn't really taste that good either. And have you ever tried to down a teaspoon of baking powder by itself? How about drink a bottle of vanilla? Yuck! If I were making a cake of my life, it very likely would only have sugar in it. But that wouldn't be a good cake now, would it?

But God warned us that there will be things in our life that we don't like. "In this life you will have trouble," Jesus once said. That's some promise for becoming a Christian, huh? "Hey, follow me and you'll still have problems."

But, here's the real promise... let Me have control of your life, and I'll make it beautiful. Let me bake your cake... there will still be stuff put in that you don't like. There will still be lots of stirring and whipping and intense heat applied from time to time. But, I promise, at the end, it will be worth it.

The way Jesus said it is this, "...but take heart, for I have overcome the world." The problems of this world are temporary, and if you truly put your faith in Jesus... if you trust him to be the leader of your life, what you'll end up with is a glorious, delicious cake that is your life.

A Festivus Miracle

"What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to." 1 John 3:1 (The Message)

I don't know about other Christians out there, but I often get frustrated when the world doesn't understand me. Like, when I tell a friend, "I'll pray for you," and they stutter and stammer, "uh, yeah, um, thanks. I can use all the good thoughts I can get."

Last night, I attended a Winter Chorale Concert at a local high school. Great music, good production, overall well done. There is no doubt if you only listened to the music, that this was a Christmas production- not a Winter production, a Christmas production. Silent Night was sung. Christmas trees were everywhere (as opposed to Festivus poles). And as the choir belted out the "Halleluja" chorus from Handel's Messiah, more than half the crowd stood in reverence and worship. But, here's the thing. Why not call it a Christmas Concert? What's the harm? Why wouldn't one of the teachers mention, even in passing, that Christmas was coming? Would it really be out of place given that the 180 students on stage were singing "King of Kings - Lord of Lords" at the top of their High School Musical lungs?

Some people are too politically correct for Christmas. Some people are constrained by their environment. But, the truth is, my real annoyance comes when people I talk to don't immediately see the benefits of following Christ like I try to follow Him. I just want to point to my family and how He's blessed me and say, "Don't you see what it's like to follow Christ? Don't you see how you can be blessed?"

But the truth is, and John wrote it, they don't. The world doesn't understand because they don't know what He's up to. And as long as the world doesn't understand Christ, they won't be on board with Christmas. And that has to be okay with me.

You don't really want THAT, do you?

Give him a short life,
and give his job to somebody else.
Make orphans of his children,
dress his wife in widow's weeds;
Turn his children into begging street urchins,
evicted from their homes- homeless.
May the bank foreclose and wipe him out,
no one willing to give his orphans a break.
Chop down his family tree
so that nobody even remembers his name.
But erect a memorial to the sin of his father,
and make sure his mother's name is there, too-
Their sins recorded forever before God,
but they themselves sunk in oblivion. - Psalm 109:8-15 (The Message)

This is the prayer of David about his enemy. He can't be serious, can he. Can anyone really hate anyone that much. Wait a minute... don't answer that.

Turn his children into begging street urchins? Chop down his family tree? Make sure his sins are recorded forever before God? I certainly wouldn't want this... would you? And from David- "A man after God's own heart" Should we really wish this on anyone? Would David have wanted his sin forever memorialized? Remember the Bathsheba Incident? Uh, hello, Kettle? This is the pot. You're black.

When I read this, I think about the thief on the cross, poking fun at Jesus because he allows himself to be crucified. "Ummm, I don't see you getting down either."

My business law professor in college said most people say they want justice, when what they really want is mercy. In David's eyes, the price for what his enemy had done should be high. Probably higher than it really should have been. But, we're all like that, aren't we? The hurts we lay on people matter very little, and the hurts we endure matter a whole lot. The people who wrong us must be punished, but those we wrong need to suck it up. We claim to just want justice for what others do to us, but we really want God to have mercy on us and punish that rascal!

Jesus said we are to do to others as we would have them do to us. I think this means not wishing harm on those who wish us harm. I certainly could be better at loving my neighbor.

Peace.

Having no king

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.- Judges 21:25

It's easy to read the book of Judges and wonder what God is up to. People killing each other left and right, committing sexual sin, doing basically whatever they want. So this verse that ends the book of Judges, and in fact is a constant refrain throughout the book, seems to explain that fact. With no king to direct them, they did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Obviously, it's no different today. True, we have a president and a congress and a judicial system and governors, mayors, senators, city councilors, police officers, and other officials that tell us what we can and can't do. But American government really just represents the minimum standard for how we should act. In fact, the whole premise of the constitution is limited government over our actions- as it should be. But this doesn't mean we should do whatever seems right in our own eyes.

Primum non nocere is one of the first concepts students are taught at medical school. It translates in English as "first, do no harm." This is great instruction for our future doctors, but it is certainly not all-inclusive. They go on in medical school to learn how to actually do good.

In the same way, we can't make a difference in the world by just following the law- just doing no harm. We must decide to do good. Having no king, though, we often decide to do what seems right in our own eyes. It is only by having a set of standards- a measuring stick, a "moral code" as it were- that we can know what is good and what is not.

Having no king in your life is a lonely place to be. Now that I have a King, I am pushed to do the things that are right in His eyes. It's not enough to "first, do no harm." If only all the people had a King...

He humiliates because He loves

Here's what will happen if you don't obediently listen to the Voice of God, your God, and diligently keep all the commandments and guidelines that I'm commanding you today. All these curses will come down hard on you....God will lead you and the king you set over you to a country neither you nor your ancestors have heard of; there you'll worship other gods, no-gods of wood and stone. Among all the peoples where God will take you, you'll be treated as a lesson or a proverb—a horror! -Deuteronomy 28:15, 36-7 (The Message)

I love this passage and I hate it. What this basically says is that if we don't do what God commands, we will end up humiliated... we will be used as an example of what not to do. Which reminds me of a picture I saw one time:



So, basically God humiliates those who don't follow his commands. At some point in our lives, we've all done something that we knew we shouldn't do, but the pull of the flesh is so strong or our desire so overpowering that we do it anyway. And all of us, at some point in our lives, have been humiliated by something we've done and only we can take responsibility for. And we end up as a lesson for others.

I think this really strikes at the heart of God. See, most people look at "The Law" laid down in the Old Testament as God being a controlling, wrathful, vengeful God. But really, he put the law there because he loves us, and as the one who created us, he understands the way to live that is best for us, and the way that is less than ideal. When you begin to see God as a loving father who's crazy about you, and only wants what's best for you, it becomes easier to listen to His words and obey His commands.

Yesterday, we announced our lead pastor, Jeff Smith, is leaving to plant a church in southern Missouri, where he's from. From the time I've known Jeff, this has been a calling God laid on his heart. Had he said, "no" to God, he could have ended up humiliated and used as an example by God of what not to do. He could have very easily stayed and enjoyed the fruit of some of the seeds he'd planted, but then, he says, he would have had to answer to God for what he didn't do.

Obediantly listen. Keep His commands. And the only purpose of your life will not be as an example to others.

On quitting...

"I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down"- "Tubthumper" by Chumbawamba

Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman's only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, "Don't cry." Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, "Young man, I tell you: Get up." The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother. - Luke 7:11-15 (The Message)

"Never, never, never give up" - Winston Churchill

I run a lot of races. Not very many short ones, but lots of medium-distance and longer ones. Frequently, someone will fall down- either from exhaustion or jostling in the pack or just not paying attention. But, I have never seen anyone fall down in a race and get back up and win, especially not in a very short race. Not, that is, until now. The video below is from the Women's Big Ten track and field championships a few weeks ago. Watch as Minnesota's Heather Dorniden falls during the 600, gets back up, and wins her heat.



This is a really rare occurence - think about it. In a field full of elite athletes, a wrong step or a missed breath can be the difference between first place and last. So, to not only pop back up, but come back and win your heat, is really a minor miracle. And it seems like Miss Dorniden recognizes that. In an interview for "Down the Backstretch", Dorniden gives all the glory for her victory to Christ.

Why not? We know he can do it. In the story from Luke, he brought a man back from the dead. If he can use a 600 meter race to bring glory to himself, he can use something in your life or mine. If he can bring a man back from the dead, he can certainly resurrect whatever it is in my life that I think is dead or gone or unforgiveable. No matter where we are in life, no matter how far we've fallen, Christ can bring us back. What a great story of redemption. Never, never, never give up.

Just say "no" to "no"

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.- Phillipians 1:6

When my wife and I first married, we moved into an historic house in an old part of downtown Noblesville, Indiana. The house was about 100 years old and had been converted to a double. It had been a rental property for over 40 years, so it suffered from layers and layers of poor paint choices, well-meaning wallpaper, crumbling plaster, and just good old-fashioned neglect. As we settled in this house, we had grand visions for what it could be. The bedroom could be re-done in a Victorian Laura Ashley theme. The kitchen could be made nearly new with maple cabinets and a tile floor. Some of the plaster would need to be ripped down and drywalled over, and of course, the hardwood floors needed some work. The problem was that all this vision led me (not us) to start most of these projects and never finish. One day I came home from work and school, and my wife and I had a conversation about finishing some of the work I'd already begun. As I walked around the house, I noticed that there were only about 3 rooms that were untouched by my swath of destruction, most of the rooms were uninhabitable the way they sat, and my wife (who didn't know me very well at this point) had no reassurance that I would ever finish a project. So, I had to make a commitment... I would finish the work I had already begun - one room at a time. As I begun to finish jobs, it gave her more confidence to let me take on more and bigger projects, knowing I would finish what I start.

Those of us who follow Christ know what that's like. If we sit and allow God to work in our lives, he says there will be no unfinished projects. What God started in us, he promises to finish. So, what does that mean for us? It means we need to think and pray and contemplate and listen for what God’s call is in every area of our lives. And then, we just need to act. We need to drop our nets and follow Him, not walk away sad (Mark 10:17-22). In our quest to become the unstoppable force Jesus died for, we need to not say no. We need to be ready to go wherever, whenever. Just say "no" to saying "no."

Peace