Passion or Plodding Through?

I am not exactly your greatest source for the latest news. I  keep up with the major stories and keep up with what is going on in the world, but I don’t watch CNN for hours a day and I don’t listen to talk radio everywhere I drive.  But I have really been fascinated by what has been happening in Iran.

The whole situation has seemed to take people by surprise. I mean wasn’t everyone in Iran a crazy, radical, nut-job wanting to bomb the rest of the world into extinction?  Wasn’t every Iranian a revolutionary, dedicated to the principles of a West-hating, Islamic state?… Apparently not.

By nature, I really don’t like assumptions. I don’t like people assuming things about me that are not true. I don’t like assuming the worst about others… until they prove me wrong. I don’t like assuming the worst about the world, which many Christians seem to make their living doing. Assumptions are for those of a weak mind who merely want to take the lazy way out rather than doing the work, the reading, the conversations to discover what reality is. The world, by way of our media, assumed that all Iranians were the same. “The Iranians” is like saying, “The Americans”. We would take offense if someone said, “All Americans are greedy capitalists who…”.

We assume things about our Christianity as well. We take things for granted. We sometimes don’t do the hard work to find the truth or discover what God is up to. Rather than pursuing the reality of our Christian walk with passion, we merely plod through our life, assuming (usually the worst) things about God and ourselves. This is something that I have been working through a lot over these last few months.

When you feel the call from God to pastor, to preach, to serve as a teacher, children’s leader, usher, greeter, cook, nursery worker, treasurer, outreach leader, or whatever else God calls you to do… does it really become your passion or…do we just plod through, doing the work assigned to us until we get bored or hurt or tired or frustrated.  As a pastor for 16 plus years, I always assumed that pastoring is what I would be doing for the rest of my life. Why should I think otherwise?  I wasn’t cheating on my wife, didn’t have a Swiss bank account filled with church money, what could possibly go wrong?  Well, something did go wrong.

Our move to Gainesville, Florida  was a great one. We loved the church. The ministry was progressing. We had a great staff. The people of the church were awesome. I was getting to be involved in community work, which I love. And then, and then we found ourselves in a difficult financial spot, caught in the trappings of a recession… and there was no more pastoring. Confession time– I was mad. I was angry, frustrated, sick to my stomach and completely not understanding what God was doing.  But through all the haze and the fog came a very clarifying question.  Is serving God your passion or are you just plodding through?

Ministry has little to do with position and everything to do with love. Jesus said the greatest commandment of all is to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength– no disclaimers, no clarification, no maybes, no ifs, no nothing. The command is not different for pastors or missionaries. It isn’t different for parents than it is for children. It doesn’t discriminate nor does it show preference. Love God with all you’ve got- whoever you are, where ever you are. I like (well most times) this passage from Job 2:

7 So Satan left the LORD’s presence, and he struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot. 8 Then Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But Job replied, “You talk like a godless woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

Listen to Job’s word- accept. If we are just plodding along, we don’t want to be disturbed by difficulty, by hard things, by discomfort.  Plodders give up easy when things go wrong, they whine a lot, they complain about others, the world, themselves, the circumstances. Charles Stanley calls this kind of casual Christianity a “line of least resistance” faith (see Job’s wife). You can’t love God with all your heart… as long as things are going well… as long as it doesn’t require too much of me… as long as I don’t have to give up what I love– those are qualifiers, asterisks on the command. Jesus said to have passion, love God with all you’ve got, no matter what. Even if you are sitting in the ashes, scraping your sores with bits of broken pottery.  Now I have never doubted that I loved God, and have never doubted that God loves me. I have however wondered why certain things happen and have happened.

I was not your most compliant child. I was the youngest of four boys, and it showed. I was a loose canon. A live wire who wanted to live loose and free. My parents, however, saw things differently. Now I never doubted that my mom and dad loved me, but I did wonder why they were so upset at some of the things I did. I questioned their judgment. I questioned their ability to understand me. I was not happy with how things turned out. But, I never stopped loving them and they never stopped loving me.

Right now… yes, I have questioned God’s judgment at times. I have complained about what is happening. But I will never allow any circumstance to extinguish my love for God and I know, I know that my God has never stopped loving me. I may not be where I was a while ago, but what kind of job you have or what kind of title you wear, is merely a place, a setting if you will, for your love for God to shine through. First things first- Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.. the rest is details. If we get the details first- the what we do, how we do it, where we do it, the title we wear, the position we hold, the traditions we adhere to– then we become plodders. People get attached to a position or a place or a thought of who we should be or where we should be, and we plod, trying to hold onto those details.

I think back on so many conversations that I have had with Christian leaders over the years, and I realize that many are plodders. We mean well, we want to “do good” and “do right” and “grow the church”, but somewhere along the way we became plodders rather than passionate. Denominations are talking about Great Commission Resugences, strategies to reach the world, programs to make the church vibrant and growing again. All of these wonderful things will be plodding, if we do not, at our base, in the depths of our heart burn with a love for God.

Christianity, at its’ core, is a simple faith. Love God, receive His love through Jesus’ life and sacrifice on the cross. Remember the verse, we love Him because He first loved us. So simple. I guess when you are going through trying times you either highly complicate things by trying to figure out all the why’s and what if’s… or you simplify, stick to what you know and what you can count on. In other words, you try to make assumptions about your situation, make up scenerios about why God is punishing you or what He is setting up for your future or… you set your feet on the unshakeable love of God. You may not be able to explain what is happening in your life today, but do you know that, when you scrape away the layers of problems, trials, pains, hurts, confusion… that your heart really and deeply loves God?….then really, your OK. I am.

Post Election Euphoria? Gloom?…How about resolve?

OK, I have my TV back now.  I can watch my favorite shows without having sophomoric political attacks ads assaulting my senses.

Some of you may be happy today- one of your candidates that you wanted to win a certain office won. Some of you may be a little depressed today- your guy or gal didn’t win their post, the “evil” enemy won… and the world is close to being over.

When we go through moments like an election, a change in life situation, a change is job, relationship status, finances or anything that impacts the world around, we always seem to get tunnel vision. What I mean is that we cannot seem to think about anything else but what has changed.  This is normal and natural, your mind and your heart is trying to acclimate to your new environment, your new life situation. The problem is that we often get stuck. We focus on the change that has hurt us, disappointed us, confused us or caused us concern.

I have seen after this election, as with every election, people are either euphoric, believing that the right people are in the right places- and therefore have great hope for the future and believe that the needed changes have taken place to make things right in the world. On the other hand some are filled with gloom, believing that we got this all wrong, the wrong people were elected, the wrong policies are going to be put into place and their outlook is not very bright.  For a season that would be alright, everyone had an idea going into this election what they wanted to see done and not done. And we all need to adjust to the new situation. But let’s not get stuck…

Because in two years another election, more changes, two years later, another presidential election, more changes. And in between elections, we will have a hundred life changes. So the real question comes, in the midst of all of this, how do we find the stability to build from?  How do we find our place to put our feet down and resolve to move forward? By focusing our attention on that which does not change.

My family and I are going through a change right now. We have two girls in foster care who are ready to either move in permanently or move out to be reunified with parents. We have an existing home that we have been unable to sell or rent, and we need to make a decision that will involve a change in our life.  We have two boys in college who are growing into young adults, that is a life change in our relationship with them. What do you focus on in the midst of these kinds of changes?

First I focus on my relationship with Jesus Christ. In an ever changing world, the Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). The same. Think about that for a moment. Can you point to many things in your life that are the same now as they were 3, 5, or 10 years ago?  You look different, the people or the place you work may be different. Maybe you have moved to a new town or lost weight or a loved one has passed away… all the while, Jesus has remained the same.  There is something very comforting to me about that… no matter how much things change, He remains the same.  James 1:17 says that with God there is no “variation” or “changing shadows”, which means that I can always depend on God and His character.  It reminds me of the lyrics to the little chorus “Praise the name of Jesus”

Praise the name of Jesus
Praise the name of Jesus
He’s my rock, He’s my fortress
He’s my deliverer in Him will I trust
Praise the name of Jesus

So in this time of change in our country, as Christians, should our eyes be on the ever changing political landscape or upon the unchanging mission that God has for His people?  This is one of the reasons that the church, I have come to believe, has gotten itself off track. We focus on things that don’t last, or are temporary and earthly. We pour loads of time, effort and energy into an election or an issue and yet we realize that these things change. They come and they go. You get one law passed today, they pass a different one a year from now. I am not saying that these things are not good, but what about the unchanging mission of God?  What about the reason for which Jesus came and died- to seek and to save the lost?  The church as a whole is baptizing less people, attendance is down, commitment to the body of Christ is lagging. Now this may be controversial to some, but could it be that we can no longer get passionate about God’s mission, but we can get worked up for an earthly political or social issue?  Could it be that the church has exchanged the big heart of God to love the world for a few scraps from the table of the world?

The deeper I dig into trying to grasp the heart of God, the more and more I am persuaded that God’s heart is aching for the same world that the church often rejects.  We think the world has changed too much for the church to be effective. We think the world is too far gone for the gospel to really change people. Yet, in the midst of this world, there is a God whose love, passion, desire and heart to love this world and to see people turn to Jesus has never… ever… changed.

The longer I live, the more changes I experience, the more I know that this world is not what I am to grab onto. God gives me the wonderful privilege of experiencing Him in the world, to live an abundant life, but that abundance is not wrapped up in what I get from the world… but in His unchanging love for me.  Abundance in life is not in keeping your changes to a minimum or keeping your life orderly or in getting your way in an election. Focus your heart upon that which will never disappoint you and that which will never change.

Let me close with a few passages of Scripture for you to think upon…

Romans 5    ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

1 Peter 1    ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, ²⁴ because “All flesh is as grass,And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.The grass withers,And its flower falls away, ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

… and listen to God’s own words as He speaks about that which will last and be unchanging and let His words wash over you to give you hope and resolve…

Isaiah 51  ⁴ “Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. ⁵ My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. ⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished.”

Amen to that.

Faith in Uncertain Times

I am not a financial expert, but happened to be watching CNBC the other day and they were discussing the stock markets and an index they called the VIX.  The VIX is a volatility index, as I understand it in layman’s terms, a measurement of how far and wide the swings in stock prices go. The wider the swings the greater the index. Well, according to the people at CNBC we have set all time highs in the VIX. The commentator called it the measure of how afraid investors are in these uncertain times. We have seen the market swing 400-600 points in a matter of a few hours.

Now certainly we are in very uncertain days. Our economy, is it going up, down, are we in recession, are we just having a blip on the radar?  Our election, who is going to be the next president?  Probably depends on who you listened to this morning and which poll you actually believe. Your mortgage, can you pay it,and are the interest rates going up or down. Can you get a loan? How much longer is the war going to continue? Is your company going to lay people off?  There is no clear picture of our future as a nation. Everyone from the candidates to the talking heads on TV to the guy in the next cubicle has an idea, but we have to admit, things are very uncertain.

Aside from our oldest two generations, we have not really seen uncertain times. Our oldest generations lived through World War II, a time of great upheaval and uncertainty. That event literally changed the landscape of the world and set in motion fifty years of cold war and tension. The last real shake-up we had in America came in the late 1960’s when we had a social revolution among the younger generations. Now we have had a few fluctuations since then, but nothing that would be considered life altering, world changing. Now however, we find ourselves in a post 9/11 world, in a worldwide time of financial crisis, political uncertainty and social/moral confusion.  What do we do with uncertain times?

The contrast we make to uncertainty is stability, a known commodity that even if we don’t like the way things are, at least we know what is going on. As I have thought about not only the difficulties I find myself in with a house to pay for that I am not living in, financial uncertainty, two foster kids who may or many not be with us on a permanent basis… I do not know stability right now. But we cannot confuse stability with faith. Faith is not the same as having things go smoothly and knowing where we are going at every turn. Christians who wish to live a life of faith, should not expect God to reveal all of His plans and His ways before we trust in Him. In fact, if we are waiting for stability in order to have faith and feel comfortable with life, then we are not really expressing faith at all. Faith in fact is simply the ability to believe beyond and above what we see.

Whether we realize it or not, everyday, no matter how much you believe you know what it will hold, is a day where we must express faith. Take a quick look at the definition of faith…

Heb 11 1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

So when the markets are crazy, the job is unstable, the bank account has fewer numbers to the left of the dot and our doctor has given us bad news… Faith is certain of what we hope for. So when we believe that we have it all together, things are going well, our 401k is growing and we have lost those extra pounds… Faith does not change. Our faith is not tied to our circumstances. Underline that, remember that and practice that. We live out our faith in our circumstances not a faith driven by our circumstances. If we are going to live a Christian life that is led by a God who is not subject to the change of the winds of the times, then our faith has to be steadily anchored in the One we hope in, not to sights and sounds of the day. Bad news, good news, the world swings and sways under the influence of the evil one, but remember the Bible tells us that the “just shall live by faith” (that is our hope will be in God) “and not by sight” (the whims and waves of things in the world).

For example, hand wringing and worry seem to be seen as a sign of spirituality today. Several (many) Christians are “concerned” about this election. “I don’t know what we are going to do if _________ (whichever candidate you don’t like) gets elected”… why don’t you know?  If your faith is tied to the political swings of today, then your hope is not in a God who is never changing. Worry about the election seems to have taken on epic proportions, yet where is our faith in a God. Romans 13:1 says that no authority exists except that God appoints it.  So if I worry and complain and whine about so and so’ policies and stances, does that make me closer to God, a better Christian, more pleasing to the one who died for me?  No matter who is elected, you should worship just as passionately, pray just as unceasingly, minister to the needy just as compassionately and share Christ with others just as regularly.  Now do not misunderstand me here. I believe in voting, and I will vote in this election, but I will not allow the flood of political discourse and argument over policies affect how much I love and believe that God is the source of my strength and my hope forever. We need to allow the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures to inform our hearts first, not the latest CNN piece.

“I don’t know what I am going to do about my finances, times are really tight.”  The future of your finances… is it in the hands of Wall Street and your mortgage company or does your faith see beyond these things?  Is your faith in the fact that your bank account has plenty of money or is it in the fact that God is your provider?  Look at what God taught Paul about faith in Philippians 4…

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Paul learned to be content. You cannot learn contentment and faith if everything is always amply supplied to you and everything is going your way. Rather than hand wringing and worry, if you are a Christian today, you should be in a learning mode. “God teach me to rest in you. Teach my heart to have more faith in you than worry about what I see. God show me your truth and help my heart to dwell upon your faithfulness not in man’s uncertainty.”

It is in uncertain times that what is truly within us rises to the top. Being from Florida, the expression is “you only taste the juice when you squeeze the orange.”  Friends, the VIX is high and we are in a time of squeezing. Now is not the time to shrink into worry and doubt. Take a look at your life and see what is coming out. What are your conversations like?  What are you spending time thinking about?  What have you stopped or started doing recently?  What do these things reveal about your faith?  Let’s live a PlusLIfe, an abundant life. When we are able to rise above the day and live in faith, then we give the world something to look to, something to believe in, that there is something beyond just this world and its’ ways. No more hand wringing- pray and believe that God is God, learn and grow in your understanding of God’s character and love, speak and share the power and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father.

God speaks through our circumstances…yes, even financial crisis

Before you begin reading this article, let me tell you that I am not writing today merely as a commentator on Christian life, but one who is in the throws of this whole financial/credit/mortgage crisis we find ourselves in today. I have a house for sale/rent/rent to own/lease purchase/whatever you would like to do with it/  in Georgia… and have been paying mortgage and rent now for 14 months. Only by the grace of God given through the hand of several church members have we made it thus far.This financial crisis has been a strain on our family. Not only do I have a mortgage and a rental house, but two kids in college and two foster kids at our home, as well as a mother-in-law, and two dogs. If there is anyone in this country who wants this thing to end, it is I.

But more than wanting a solution to this financial crisis, I am increasingly aware that there is an aspect to this time that we do not want to overlook, and that is the spiritual aspect. Things do not happen by accident or by coincidence, God is a purposeful God. I do not pretend to have the definitive answer nor the exclusive rights to the voice of God. But living through this, several thoughts have surfaced…

1) God is trying to lead us to repentance…

Romans 2  ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

We have come off of a time of unparalleled prosperity. We have seen the stock market grow, home values soar, easy flowing credit… all to allow us to lead a life of prosperity and relative comfort. But where has it brought us to?  We have more. We have more toys. We have more of the American dream. While we have truly been blessed, have we returned thanks? I remember these verses from Deuteronomy when the people were being told about the land flowing with “milk and honey”…

Deuteronomy 8    ¹⁰ When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. ¹¹ “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, ¹² lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; ¹³ and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; ¹⁴ when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; ¹⁵ who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; ¹⁶ who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— ¹⁷ then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ ¹⁸ “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

We have  been a very blessed nation, but we are also a nation who has forgotten that it is God’s hand that blesses us. A serious question occurs to me at this point, why do we believe that we have been so blessed?  Do we believe that we are owed blessing? (that is our national sense of entitlement) Do we believe it is because we are a “Christian” nation? (which is a fallacy that needs further discussion) Or is it that we have come to the point that the only thing we want from God is His favor and His blessing without the requirement of worship and love toward Him?

God’s goodness should lead us to repentance, not selfishness. I have been humbled by this thought over the last few months. Have I taken my own prosperity for granted?  Have I adequately humbled myself in thanksgiving to the Lord for all the good He has brought my family? Let me remind you that I am firmly entrenched in the most difficult financial time I have ever experienced… but I am reminded that I am still very blessed. My heavenly Father loves me… and the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord! (Job 1:21)

2) God does allow trials into our lives…

We have been blessed, and I believe it has been a very revealing time for our nation, seeing how we have handled blessing. Now it is interesting to see how we are going to handle adversity. If we have come to believe that there should be no adversity in life, then we need to take another look at the life of Jesus. We are into pain avoidance, and that is a natural response. There are very few people who enjoy pain or difficulty. But there is a difference between trying to avoid difficulty, which most people do, and being spiritually prepared to handle the difficulty that will come. Jesus knew that His life was not going to be one of ease and luxury, and He was spiritually ready to handle the difficulty that came. At His most trying moment, Jesus was found in the garden praying to the Father fervently, drawing in ever closer. (Luke 22:41-44)

In America, where the majority of people call themselves Christian, but do not participate in their faith, there is still a great interest in Jesus and spirituality. This was evident after 9/11, people flocked to churches the weeks following 9/11, but as things settled down, they returned to their normal routines. This financial crisis that we find ourselves in will cause some people to begin praying for sure, and maybe even a few showing up to church to find some hope, and plenty calling on the church for benevolent assistance. But are we drawing any closer to God?

The Old Testament is full of stories of God causing national crises in order to get the spiritual attention of the people. In the New Testament Paul suffered a personal physical pain, and God spoke to him and drew him in closer in the midst of his difficulty. James said to count it all joy when we face various trials, knowing that it would draw us in closer to God. In our time of need, when things are not going our way, where is our relationship with God? God is not just a doctor that we run to when we need to be fixed. God is not the mechanic we go to when things break down. God is our Heavenly Father who desires and deserves our love and attention every day.

We may look at these troubling times and wonder why now? Why does it have to be this way?  Why me? But read the Scripture below and see if you can uncover the answer…

Acts 17  ²⁵ … since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. ²⁶ And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ²⁷ so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

What did you see?  Did you see a God who has called you to this day and this hour, under these conditions… so that you might find Him?

1. He has made every nation of men- it is no accident, God is in control and at work in our world
2. He has determined the times in which they would live- God has chosen these times, whether we determine them to be good times or bad times.
3. He has set the boundaries of their dwellings- God has set the place you are to dwell, the people that you identify with, the nation you are from- no matter whether you agree or don’t agree with the financial policies and politics of that nation.
4. He has done this so that you would seek after Him and find Him- God has made these days, times and places so that men would seek Him out and His promise is that you will find Him. His purpose is to bring you awareness of Him, a desire for Him and a hunger to be close to Him.

So what are you going to do with these days that we find ourselves in crisis?  You can choose to whine… but who will listen?  You can choose to complain… after all misery loves company. You can say it is unfair, not right, shouldn’t happen to you…but it will not change what is happening.

Or maybe, you and I can look to the Lord and listen for Him to speak, listen for Him to call us and draw us in close. He makes the times, the seasons of blessings and the seasons of trial, so that you will look to Him and look for Him. God is ever present, ever willing to work with you, every hoping for your faith, trust and love. But my concern is, if we have not looked to Him in our prosperity, will we look to Him in our day of trial?  If God is trying to capture our attention, He has already tried with great blessing… I wonder what choice we have left Him?