Our Father may ask us to do something that seems illogical—perhaps to accept more responsibility when we were hoping to reduce our workload, to leave a position that He provided just recently, or to take on an assignment for which we feel ill-equipped. His plan might feel unrealistic in view of our age, stage of life, or health concerns. We must press forward in obedience, regardless of how impractical the request may appear.
Today's passage comes from Dr. Charles Stanley's daily devotional--his are the ones I usually do when I'm not doing Oswald Chambers for PESM. This passage above struck me because it seems to exemplify my current enrollment at PESM. As I've shared in posts on my other blog, going to PESM was not my first choice, nor really was it on my radar. But once I decided to include God in my decision about attending seminary or returning to academia in some way, He began moving me in the direction toward PESM. It's still very early in my PESM experience, so I'm still at a point where I have no idea what God's going to do with this, I'm simply stepping out in faith (as the saying goes) and following His leading.
To have obedience as the fishermen did--to walk away from everything and follow Jesus--is mind boggling; more so the faith Abraham showed when he prepared to sacrifice his son Issac in accordance with God's request. If, as the passage above discusses, He had asked me to quit my job and move to Kentucky to attend seminary, I don't know how obedient I would have been. It's certainly easier for us to not second guess God when we're getting what we want or can see where the path leads; the opposite is not so easy. But, maybe it's also the case that God doesn't ask us to do what He knows is beyond our capacity to accept? And then we, of course, have the free will to turn Him down anyway.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sept 25 Thinking of Mary's Ministry
I was thinking of how much more complicated life is without Mary. I've always appreciated how much she does for our family. I would remind myself of this during those times when I'd become annoyed with her over petty things. I can probably count the few times she turned us down when we'd ask her to watch the kids for us. We'd always get a little taste of life without her when she and Bob would go to the coast for a couple weeks. With no one to get Caitlynn on the bus (and Aaron too, when he was younger) I would have to cut loose from work to run home, get her on the bus and get back to work; all very possible with my flex schedule, but still not as convenient as Mary watching Caitlynn overnight and taking her to school for us.
Mary always gave us ample notice when she & Bob would be going to the coast, then in the intervening time she'd tease us about how she wouldn't feel guilty about leaving us without child care and how she deserves some time away. I always completely agreed with her and told her so. Sometimes I'd wonder if it was less teasing and more her trying to convince herself that she didn't have to feel guilty about leaving us to fend for ourselves for a week or two. Our success in lining up a back-up babysitter were never successful for more than a few weeks, then the back-up moved, had their own child to worry about or some other such condition of life.
It's always so easy to take Mary for granted because she makes life so easy and is always there for us. Ann & I have always been cognizant not to and have pointed out the same to the kids.
These next few weeks (and who knows how far beyond that) will be challenging. Although I've only mentioned child care here, there's so much more Mary does for us, too many little things to count. You never left her house empty-handed or without a full stomach; if you did it was your own fault. Mary's whole life is a ministry to others; I always joked that the worst way to abuse her would be to put her in a room where she had no one to talk to or do things for.
This is a bit rambling, but I've decided that if I'm going to journal more often (as I'd like to) I'm going to have to stop trying to make every post of mine a literary masterpiece and instead just spit it out.
Mary always gave us ample notice when she & Bob would be going to the coast, then in the intervening time she'd tease us about how she wouldn't feel guilty about leaving us without child care and how she deserves some time away. I always completely agreed with her and told her so. Sometimes I'd wonder if it was less teasing and more her trying to convince herself that she didn't have to feel guilty about leaving us to fend for ourselves for a week or two. Our success in lining up a back-up babysitter were never successful for more than a few weeks, then the back-up moved, had their own child to worry about or some other such condition of life.
It's always so easy to take Mary for granted because she makes life so easy and is always there for us. Ann & I have always been cognizant not to and have pointed out the same to the kids.
These next few weeks (and who knows how far beyond that) will be challenging. Although I've only mentioned child care here, there's so much more Mary does for us, too many little things to count. You never left her house empty-handed or without a full stomach; if you did it was your own fault. Mary's whole life is a ministry to others; I always joked that the worst way to abuse her would be to put her in a room where she had no one to talk to or do things for.
This is a bit rambling, but I've decided that if I'm going to journal more often (as I'd like to) I'm going to have to stop trying to make every post of mine a literary masterpiece and instead just spit it out.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sept 18 A thought from Ogden's "New Reformation"
As I sat down to read from Greg Ogden's "The New Reformation" tonight I reviewed the passages I'd highlighted during my last reading. One of them gave me pause for thought. Continuing with my last post's theme of quiet time, I noted this in Ogden:
One of the most important lessons I've learned in the past year is that there are a lot of good causes out there to spend your time on but I don't have enough time to spend it on every one of them. Looking back to the summer when we were launching The Grove, I had something going on every night of the week--training to be a Fusion leader, leading a customer service class for the staff at SafeHaven, attending the preview meetings of Men's Fraternity as well as my usual volunteering for SafeHaven and Fences for Fido. All of these activities are worthwhile things to spend my time on, but spending my time on ALL of them quickly lead to burnout, exhaustion and a bad attitude. In the first couple chapters of Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" he challenges the reader to consider that they are probably doing too much in their lives. They've decided to explore his book in order to find some meaning to all the busy-ness of life and his first lesson is: if you want to find purpose, stop chasing so many pursuits.
I've made this idea of doing less one of my guidelines for this current season of life. I've got things pared down to SafeHaven and church as my two big time commitments outside of work and family. Now I've added PESM to that, but that's an extension of what I'm doing at church, i.e. working for the Kingdom. Once I figure out how to incorporate some quiet time into my regular, daily schedule I'll be in a sweet spot!
. . . quiet reflection on the Word of God is a necessary part of a pastor's practice. Ruminating on the Scriptures with the unhurried opportunity for meditative prayer is essential for good preaching to bear fruit. More and more pastors are building into their schedules some retreat days for personal renewal. This quiet setting provides opportunity to bring the needs of God's people before the Lord. Protected study and meditation time is not stealing time from ministry--it is the ministry.While it's true I'm not a preaching pastor, I'd still enjoy some retreat days to have quiet time for prayer and study. I'd never considered the importance of a preaching pastor's need for quiet time to be with God. As Ogden's book points out, many of us come to church with many preconceived notions about a lot of things; assuming that the pastor is somehow magically a "man of God" is no doubt on that list. It amazes me--when I take the time to stop and think about it--how much of our time we give to the work of the Lord yet don't have time for the Lord of the work! God's given me the grace--after a couple years of being way too busy--to allow myself to say "no" and clear a lot of things off my plate.
One of the most important lessons I've learned in the past year is that there are a lot of good causes out there to spend your time on but I don't have enough time to spend it on every one of them. Looking back to the summer when we were launching The Grove, I had something going on every night of the week--training to be a Fusion leader, leading a customer service class for the staff at SafeHaven, attending the preview meetings of Men's Fraternity as well as my usual volunteering for SafeHaven and Fences for Fido. All of these activities are worthwhile things to spend my time on, but spending my time on ALL of them quickly lead to burnout, exhaustion and a bad attitude. In the first couple chapters of Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" he challenges the reader to consider that they are probably doing too much in their lives. They've decided to explore his book in order to find some meaning to all the busy-ness of life and his first lesson is: if you want to find purpose, stop chasing so many pursuits.
I've made this idea of doing less one of my guidelines for this current season of life. I've got things pared down to SafeHaven and church as my two big time commitments outside of work and family. Now I've added PESM to that, but that's an extension of what I'm doing at church, i.e. working for the Kingdom. Once I figure out how to incorporate some quiet time into my regular, daily schedule I'll be in a sweet spot!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Sept 16 - Quiet Time
I'll spare the details of all that to say that quiet time is nearly non-existent for me. Just ask Ann what my biggest complaint is (well OK, maybe it's one of my biggest) and she'll tell you that it's my lack of quiet study time. The only time I have the house to myself and it's quiet is workday mornings between 5:00 - 6:00 a.m. when I'm getting ready for work. I try to do my daily devotional then but, depending on how my preparation for work goes, I find that that doesn't usually happen. Add to that my increased need for more study & reading time due to PESM and I'm really seeing a quandary. The only quiet retreat in the house is a corner of our bedroom which Ann set up for me--a rocking chair, lamp and end table. However, even this escape is at the mercy of the bedroom cats who see my presence there as an opportunity to sit on my lap and get petted. While I enjoy my cats, they can and usually are a distraction from study. And, being that this corner of the bedroom is still inside the house, it is subject to all the noise and distractions offered by the kids downstairs doing whatever they're doing. Over the summer I've enjoyed reading on the back patio. Our neighborhood is very quiet for its size and I can enjoy the summer weather in our backyard. That will be going away soon however, it's just about time to put away the canopy before the winds of Fall blow our way (I've learned the hard way that you don't want to put off taking down the canopy or the weather will take it down for you).
I was excited to notice this past summer that the Albany Public Library has several study rooms upstairs that are free for library patrons to use. "This is exactly what I need," I thought, "a quiet escape where I can read, study and even have Internet access!" I asked at the reference desk about the study rooms and was told that they are in very high demand during the entire school year. No surprise there I suppose. I haven't yet actually tried to reserve one and use it. I'm still trying to settle into the new routine of the kids being back in school along with me being back in school; the Fall routine has yet to be established.
I've also been entertaining the idea of using one of the small rooms as SafeHaven's new building in Tangent as a study room. The building is used by SafeHaven staff for various meetings throughout the week, but otherwise it's a pretty quiet place and even has wi-fi Internet access.
The problem with studying somewhere other than home is that you have to pack everything with you that you might need. I'm sure that I'll want to reference some book that I left at home on the shelf. Still, I'm thinking the benefits would outweigh the costs. Sept 16 When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place . . . —Matthew 6:6
It's been about a week since I posted here. While I haven't been successful at reading Chambers everyday, I have managed to stay on schedule with my other personal devotion, Early Light by Dr. Charles Stanley. I like Dr. Stanley a lot--I rarely find time to watch his sermons on TV but I get his monthly magazine "In Touch" (which is the name of his ministry). He has a very easily understood way of presenting bible messages as well as how to apply them practically in every day life.
The more I read Chambers the more I feel that his daily readings aren't so much devotionals as they are small snippets of theology. By daily devotional I have in mind a biblical message that includes a piece of practical application for our lives. In some sense, I like to think of my daily devotional as giving me my micro mission for the day--here's a biblical concept, consider it throughout the day and apply it if given the opportunity. Chambers, for me, lacks the practical application piece and seems to make too many bold, theological expressions. Let's consider:
God does not hear us because we pray earnestly— He hears us solely on the basis of redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness.
Now, I'm just a first year ministry school student, but I don't agree with Chambers' assertion at all. While I doubt that earnestness makes our prayer "louder" in God's ears, I don't think that He hears us "solely on the basis of redemption." Does that mean that an unbeliever who is unredeemed has no chance of having their prayer heard by God? And with regard to earnestness, I can't help but think that God's ear is more easily caught by the earnest prayer of the mother who has just lost her child than by the man asking for God to produce the finances for him to upgrade his car from a Ford to a Lexus. Silly example, but hopefully it gets my point across. And for Chambers to assert that God hears our prayers "solely on the basis of redemption" . . . really? Can we puny little humans make such an assertion about The Almighty? I'm not saying redemption doesn't count when it comes to prayer, but I don't think it's the make-it-or-break-it piece either.
If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.
I thought it was the Holy Spirit--not The Son--who directs our prayers and gives voice to our voiceless prayers before God?
Reading daily snippets of theology isn't bad. Obviously if Chambers' work wasn't good it wouldn't be considered a classic. Maybe it's that very theology that he includes that makes his readings so enduring? I don't see people pouring over a worn copy of "Daily Bread" eighty years after the fact.
The more I read Chambers the more I feel that his daily readings aren't so much devotionals as they are small snippets of theology. By daily devotional I have in mind a biblical message that includes a piece of practical application for our lives. In some sense, I like to think of my daily devotional as giving me my micro mission for the day--here's a biblical concept, consider it throughout the day and apply it if given the opportunity. Chambers, for me, lacks the practical application piece and seems to make too many bold, theological expressions. Let's consider:
God does not hear us because we pray earnestly— He hears us solely on the basis of redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness.
Now, I'm just a first year ministry school student, but I don't agree with Chambers' assertion at all. While I doubt that earnestness makes our prayer "louder" in God's ears, I don't think that He hears us "solely on the basis of redemption." Does that mean that an unbeliever who is unredeemed has no chance of having their prayer heard by God? And with regard to earnestness, I can't help but think that God's ear is more easily caught by the earnest prayer of the mother who has just lost her child than by the man asking for God to produce the finances for him to upgrade his car from a Ford to a Lexus. Silly example, but hopefully it gets my point across. And for Chambers to assert that God hears our prayers "solely on the basis of redemption" . . . really? Can we puny little humans make such an assertion about The Almighty? I'm not saying redemption doesn't count when it comes to prayer, but I don't think it's the make-it-or-break-it piece either.
If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.
I thought it was the Holy Spirit--not The Son--who directs our prayers and gives voice to our voiceless prayers before God?
Reading daily snippets of theology isn't bad. Obviously if Chambers' work wasn't good it wouldn't be considered a classic. Maybe it's that very theology that he includes that makes his readings so enduring? I don't see people pouring over a worn copy of "Daily Bread" eighty years after the fact.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Sept 8 . . . casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God . . . —2 Corinthians 10:5
Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect.
This is an interesting distinction that I would never have made on my own. We so often hear about--and I so often reference it myself--our selfish, sinful nature. For me, sin and human nature have always been closely intertwined; after all, it's our sinful, selfish nature that has defined our relationship with God ever since the Fall. It is that natural, inborn rebellion against God that accounts for so much of the challenge of following Christ--we have to go against our own nature by giving it up and becoming a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord . . .”
Sometimes it can be so frustrating trying to decide which battles we are to fight ourselves and which ones we are to leave to God. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are hardwired to fix things ourselves, to get by in this world on our own strength. One of the hurdles to being an effective follower of Christ is allowing Him to fight the battles for us and relying on His strength, not ours. Yet, we must have discernment to know what we are to leave to Him and what we are to take up ourselves. I think this can only be accomplished through prayer and the guiding of the Holy Spirit. In the mean time, it's frustrating for someone like me who has little-to-no natural discernment.
God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make.
Again these are interesting distinctions that Chambers makes: is he splitting hairs or expressing important theological points? The reading for Sept 1st was all about holiness yet Chambers did not bring out the above distinction until now. If God doesn't make our character holy, then what part of us is He making holy: our spirit, our mind, our conscience, our . . . ? And for Joe Believer in the pew, does it even matter to know which parts are which, or does Joe just need to concentrate on following Jesus? I'm certainly not arguing that we needn't make moral choices, and maybe I'm just feeling nit-picky today. However, this reading seems like a hard one to put into practice if we get all caught up in prejudice vs. sin, fighting vs. standing still, character vs. moral choices.
This is an interesting distinction that I would never have made on my own. We so often hear about--and I so often reference it myself--our selfish, sinful nature. For me, sin and human nature have always been closely intertwined; after all, it's our sinful, selfish nature that has defined our relationship with God ever since the Fall. It is that natural, inborn rebellion against God that accounts for so much of the challenge of following Christ--we have to go against our own nature by giving it up and becoming a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord . . .”
Sometimes it can be so frustrating trying to decide which battles we are to fight ourselves and which ones we are to leave to God. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are hardwired to fix things ourselves, to get by in this world on our own strength. One of the hurdles to being an effective follower of Christ is allowing Him to fight the battles for us and relying on His strength, not ours. Yet, we must have discernment to know what we are to leave to Him and what we are to take up ourselves. I think this can only be accomplished through prayer and the guiding of the Holy Spirit. In the mean time, it's frustrating for someone like me who has little-to-no natural discernment.
God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make.
Again these are interesting distinctions that Chambers makes: is he splitting hairs or expressing important theological points? The reading for Sept 1st was all about holiness yet Chambers did not bring out the above distinction until now. If God doesn't make our character holy, then what part of us is He making holy: our spirit, our mind, our conscience, our . . . ? And for Joe Believer in the pew, does it even matter to know which parts are which, or does Joe just need to concentrate on following Jesus? I'm certainly not arguing that we needn't make moral choices, and maybe I'm just feeling nit-picky today. However, this reading seems like a hard one to put into practice if we get all caught up in prejudice vs. sin, fighting vs. standing still, character vs. moral choices.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Sept 7 The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life —John 4:14
The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain.
Chambers is certainly into the "flowing water" metaphor this week! But that's not to complain . . . I think it's important to grasp the concept that we do nothing on our own. If we are to be effective Christians, we do what we do through God's strength, not our own. Just as we can't save ourselves, nor can we do enough to pay the price of our sin debt, neither can we be a light unto the world (John 8:12) by our own strength. Our culture values strength, independence and do-it-yourself-ness. And as I was saying yesterday that God's ways of doing things always seem to be the exact opposite of how we go about them, so too in today's reading: we cannot make nor force the light of Christ to shine through us, nor rivers of living water flow from us. This, like so much else, is accomplished by surrendering all to God, emptying ourselves of ourself and allowing God to use us as an empty vessel to transmit His blessings out into the world.
As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us.
More allusions to us simply being the conduit for God's blessings for others. This is such a foreign concept to so many people. Especially in this country with our "Puritan work ethic," we work an honest job and live an honest life so we can get ahead in the world and provide for our families. What so many miss is that blessings aren't given to be hoarded, they are given to be given away; they should flow through us, not build up in us like debris on the backside of a dam. While it's true that blessings can be seen as having been bestowed upon us by the Lord for the good work we do for Him, He expects us to be good stewards of those blessings, i.e. pass them on. It's funny how so many grasp the concept of trickle-down economics, but not trickle-down blessings.
But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him.
I can't hear the word "measure" without thinking of Matthew 7:1-2. This is currently my favorite verse, my watchword that I carry with me everywhere I go. Like hypocrites, we want to drop the hammer on others for their sins but expect our own to be overlooked and left unpunished. Whether it's trickle-down economics, pay it forward, the golden rule or some other such analogy for being a good Samaritan (yet another analogy), we are always quick to receive our measure for our self-perceived entitlement while limiting the measure which others receive due to the transgressions we perceive in them. If we were simply mindful of making sure the outflow matched the inflow, we would be enabling God's work through us, not hindering it.
Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
Praise God, there is hope for all of us yet! Rock stars for God don't ascend to the pulpit, they're made in the pulpit.
Chambers is certainly into the "flowing water" metaphor this week! But that's not to complain . . . I think it's important to grasp the concept that we do nothing on our own. If we are to be effective Christians, we do what we do through God's strength, not our own. Just as we can't save ourselves, nor can we do enough to pay the price of our sin debt, neither can we be a light unto the world (John 8:12) by our own strength. Our culture values strength, independence and do-it-yourself-ness. And as I was saying yesterday that God's ways of doing things always seem to be the exact opposite of how we go about them, so too in today's reading: we cannot make nor force the light of Christ to shine through us, nor rivers of living water flow from us. This, like so much else, is accomplished by surrendering all to God, emptying ourselves of ourself and allowing God to use us as an empty vessel to transmit His blessings out into the world.
As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us.
More allusions to us simply being the conduit for God's blessings for others. This is such a foreign concept to so many people. Especially in this country with our "Puritan work ethic," we work an honest job and live an honest life so we can get ahead in the world and provide for our families. What so many miss is that blessings aren't given to be hoarded, they are given to be given away; they should flow through us, not build up in us like debris on the backside of a dam. While it's true that blessings can be seen as having been bestowed upon us by the Lord for the good work we do for Him, He expects us to be good stewards of those blessings, i.e. pass them on. It's funny how so many grasp the concept of trickle-down economics, but not trickle-down blessings.
But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him.
I can't hear the word "measure" without thinking of Matthew 7:1-2. This is currently my favorite verse, my watchword that I carry with me everywhere I go. Like hypocrites, we want to drop the hammer on others for their sins but expect our own to be overlooked and left unpunished. Whether it's trickle-down economics, pay it forward, the golden rule or some other such analogy for being a good Samaritan (yet another analogy), we are always quick to receive our measure for our self-perceived entitlement while limiting the measure which others receive due to the transgressions we perceive in them. If we were simply mindful of making sure the outflow matched the inflow, we would be enabling God's work through us, not hindering it.
Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
Praise God, there is hope for all of us yet! Rock stars for God don't ascend to the pulpit, they're made in the pulpit.
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