Thursday, October 3, 2013
How God has used the Spiritual Academy Retreats in My Life. (Ted Talk-Extended Version)
The following is the extended version of a Ted Talk I gave today on the impact of the four Spiritual Academy retreats I have experienced over the last eighteen months.
In the fall of 2009 I did a sermon series at my church called, The Geography of Grace.
It was a study of Ephesians and it focused on spiritual formation, a topic I had been living with for over a year at that point.
The final message in the series was given by me on Sunday, December 12th.
This was just two weeks before I went in for my annual physical and which two days after that my doctor called me to say that my PSA count was a concern, having doubled in the last year.
PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen.
I was 58 years old and in the best shape I had been for some time and suddenly the geography of my life was about to change dramatically taking me into dark and unknown territory.
As it turned out my sermon series ended at the beginning of what would become the next significant steps in my own spiritual journey, steps which continue to this day.
From that December to the following May I took pills and went through tests and scans and finally a biopsy determined that I had early, but aggressive prostate cancer.
The doctors were optimistic, but didn't want to waste any time and I underwent surgery on May 18th.
The post op lab report three days later said, “Tumor contained in the prostate, all margins clear.”
Both my specialist and my surgeon phoned me the same afternoon to tell me the positive news and wish me a good weekend.
My recovery went well and I was back to work in two weeks.
Three months later I had my follow up PSA test and was very pleased to see a zero where before there had been a large number.
I went to my follow up appointment with a smile on my face and a word of cheer for all the people at the clinic.
The news was less than stellar.
It turns out I wasn't out of the woods yet.
Instead of a PSA reading of 0.00 my three month post op reading was 0.52.
The doctor said, he was concerned to see this and rather mystified that he did.
For the next three months we watched the PSA count climb and by 0.7 it didn't appear to be leveling off.
My life soon became be a by the numbers game.
All the things I had been told before the surgery that were very unlikely contingency measures including the prospect of weeks of radiation treatments and two or more years of hormone therapy shots were fast becoming the possible next steps.
Within two weeks of discovering where the cancer had migrated to those tasked with my now upcoming radiation treatments were surveying the locations of my organs and tattooing sign posts on me to make a road map to guide the machine which would give me the maximum dose of radiation allowed for human beings.
I found myself asking, is this journey really necessary?
Did God’s shepherding of my life mean the green pastures would now turn to mud, the still waters stagnate and from here on would my paths lead only into dark valleys?
And not only was my journey becoming dark and fearful, I realized just how unprepared I was to make the trek.
Heretofore, I had spent my travel time focused on the next challenge, climbing over the moguls in my path like stepping stones on the way to achieving the heights I most desired.
Sometimes the journey had been more like a race than a walk.
Speed was the thing and with such a focus on the mission that those things in my life peripheral to it were simply a blur as I sped past them.
In fact I had been running the race with such singular focus for so long that I couldn’t remember large sections of its’ scenery or even be able to tell myself just how I had arrived at my present location.
And now it would appear I was in a new kind of race.
A race for just being able to stay in the race and not only was I ill prepared for it, but I was trying to do it while running on fumes.
My tank was reading empty.
Sadly, this was not the first time that had happened.
My tank had been empty before.
It had gone dry in 1986 after 15 years of marriage and career pursuit and in that part of the race I went completely off the course, slamming into the hay bales and flipping over without a roll bar.
The geography of my journey then became that of burn out, separation and near divorce, as well as, the loss of my chosen occupation and the ministry that went with it.
I have described that time to others as the one in which I could taste death in my mouth.
And what of the geography of grace?
I suppose during that first road wreck grace was present in things like having to work long hours at trying to make it as a new insurance agent.
Grace was also to be found in God’s Spirit patiently hovering over the waters of my chaos and helping me to begin to make some sense out of them.
Grace was separation from my wife and time alone where I found space to recognize the desperation and neediness raging in my heart.
And there was one other way that grace was made real in my situation, but in a way not known to me until many years later and is still an absolute mystery to me in how it could have been there,
…or why.
A couple had lived next door to us and had become our good friends up to and including the car wreck period of our journey.
They were upwardly mobile, art loving, wine drinking educated pagans.
They were everything I secretly longed to be at times and we loved them!
They were people safe to be with while venting ministry steam and stress. They were the least judgmental people I knew.
They watched my wife and I come to the end of ourselves, crash and burn.
Years later I baptized them.
They told me that it was knowing my wife and me and watching us live our lives through difficult times that convinced them of their own spiritual need and to seek the Jesus we had professed to know and did such a terrible job of following.
…Grace.
I suppose this all makes the case for the need for spiritual formation in my life and being in an academy such as this one.
It was in between learning I had cancer and the first round of dealing with it that I took part in the first Space for God Retreat in our church conference.
A small group of Free Methodist pastors were invited to a three day experience at the Catholic Retreat Center in Federal Way, WA.
Morris and Rita led the experience.
At the retreat God used Morris and Rita to speak into my life in such a way that my troubled steps began to find new direction in grace and toward growth.
After the retreat, as I continued sharing with Rita she envisioned some of the journey ahead of me.
Rita could see me and what God would be doing with me, ahead of my being able to see it.
Because of this prophetic seeing I was encourage to believe God for more than I would have and that included coming to take part in this cohort of the Spiritual Academy.
The challenges of my journey these past eighteen months have been set in the context of the location, content and fellowship of this experience and God has been using this in my life.
The location of the abbey is near to where I went to seminary.
Coming to our retreat here has allowed me space to revisit the geographical locations where parts of my earlier life took place and God in grace has been using this to redeem much of what I had come to believe had been lost in the chaos of later decisions.
Being in the Academy has given me an elevated view of my journey similar to the one we get when we look down on the vineyards below the Abbey.
More and more I have been enabled to see my journey from God’s perspective rather than just my own down in the valley view of it and that has given me more insight into it.
While at the second retreat God spoke to me in a profound manner.
I had been reading the Gospel of Mark prior to coming and about 5 minutes into our centering time before the first presentation I heard the Lord say to me,
You are the man of Mark 8.
You have been touched by me and though you have been able to see these many years, much of it is still a blur.
…I am going to touch you again and give you clarity.
The next day while Rita was presenting the clarity came and I filled ten pages of notes on how my life was connected to God’s grace.
It was incredible.
The map of my life which revealed so many slippery paths, arid spaces, tar pits, box canyons and dark valleys was suddenly redrawn into a spiritual landscape that only God could create and lead me through.
The impact of the Academy on my ministry at church has been wonderful.
The church family has been helped by having their pastor endeavor to draw closer to God.
The work of God in my life has led me to a new transparency, freedom and power in my preaching, teaching and counseling ministries.
And the new tools and resources I have been learning to use have enabled me to be more intentional about shepherding my congregation in the way of spiritual formation.
An example of this is the development of what we call the First Step, Next Step and Disciple Road Experience.
(Ad lib this part)
Finally there is this.
Of all the benefits I have enjoyed from attending the Academy, all the ways it has helped me and spilled over from me into my ministry to and with others, the most profound benefit of all has come from doing the soul care which has placed me in a position to be able to experience the grace of forgiveness.
To be forgiven and to forgive.
I have traversed the ways of bitterness far too long and it has been a cancer in my soul.
It has been the content of the Academy, the timing of it and the shared experience of it with you that the Holy Spirit has used to set my feet on the path of forgiveness.
It has been during these four retreats that I have found God’s grace to return to and remember rightly some of the most painful, hurtful and sinful parts of my story and to see God transform me and others in relation to it.
I can’t imagine making that trip alone.
I thank God that I didn't have to.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
A prayer by Thomas Merton
MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Monday, September 30, 2013
I am at the final retreat of the Spiritual Academy here at Mt. Angel Abbey in Oregon.
Here are my notes from the first session which was on God's Calling on Our Lives.
We all have a void in our lives.
You have to step into the void to get in touch with your deep desire for God.
My calling comes from before me. From eternity past.
Most recently through the prayers of my grandfather Charles Isenberg who prayed for a grandson who would become a pastor. He died 6 months before I was born. I am that grandchild.
I have felt the weight of this calling since soon after my conversion at age 17. I knew almost immediately where I was called by God to be.
I have run toward this calling, run with it, run ahead of it and run from it.
It was the most evident to me when I ran from it after I left the ministry in 1987.
Others even told me that knew I was called to ministry and was not being obedient to my calling! This when I thought my ministry life was over.
It is in transitions that God wants to deepen our faith.
Oswald Chambers said, “Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him.”
It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?
Personal Calling is balanced by three things:
• It must be fitted into God’s story and God’s redemptive purposes.
• There needs to be a corporate sense to it.
• Personal sense of calling must be balanced by 1st order calling.
First Order Calling=to love God with all that you are.
(This would be my relationship with God).
Second Order Calling=what we do to follow Jesus in this world.
(This would be my pastoral ministry calling).
These two callings must not be pitted against each other.
The must be kept in the right order of priority.
Second order calling must not become detached from first order calling.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Cross Reflections
Thank you Charles Beard for the time and effort you have put into this project for us.
And even more, thank you for your willingness to listen to the voice of God in your life and respond in obedience to the direction it set for you.
…When we look up at this cross we immediately see its’ threeness.
…One in three; three in one.
As Christians, the concept of trinity is central to our understanding of God for our lives.
Our faith proclaims that we worship the one true and living God, maker of heaven and earth who has made himself known to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The threeness of this cross also imagines for us the three crosses on the hill of Golgotha.
It helps us to remember the scene when redemption was accomplished for sinners, when the Son of God was crucified between two of them, for their sakes and ours.
The three crosses also remind us of how scripture declares that in the work of redemption this One who was crucified holds the three offices of Prophet, Priest and King.
Many things can be said of the cross and its significance for Christian faith. One hymn writer has penned the opening line,
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, in part I think, because a survey approach is needed in order to review the many meanings of this symbol. It can be said that because of the reality of the cross, Christian faith is about the agony and the ecstasy.
As Rom. 8:17 says, Christians are heirs God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
The order in Christian faith is always agony before ecstasy or as Paul writes to pastor Timothy,
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.
Paul even refers to himself as, crucified with Christ, as a way of explaining his daily experience of faith.
The cross is central to Paul’s understanding of redemption. In the Pauline theology of salvation, the cross is the revelation of God’s power and wisdom.
The cross dramatically reveals an all en-compassing reconciliation which bridges the gap between God the Holy One and a sinful humanity.
Through the cross the barrier has been broken between God and humans and even between alienated groups of people such as Jew and Gentile.
The cross also marks the starting point of the final era which will ultimately lead to God’s restoration of the entire cosmos.
Here are some reflections on each of the three crosses as Charles envisioned them.
The cross which forms the foundation of this piece is made of rough, unadorned cedar. It is believed that this was the type of wood most commonly used for crucifixions in the ancient world. In the first century AD crucifixion was one of the strongest forms of deterrence against insurrection or political agitation under Roman rule.
When Jesus was crucified the sign posted above his head mockingly read,
King of the Jews. It was for the supposed reason that Jesus had been proclaiming himself Lord and King above Caesar that Rome put him to death. At the same time, to the Jewish community, Jesus was a blasphemer, being accused of making himself out to be God, and so crucifixion was for the Jews of that time a way of making real Deut. 21:22-23 which proclaims that blasphemers are cursed and should be put on public display by being hung on a tree.
This first rough hune cross in the piece reminds us that a Roman cross in Jesus’ day was both a cruel and terrible instrument of death and a means of public disgrace for the person hung who on it and by extension, for those who followed that person. There was no method worse than crucifixion as an instrument of public execution.
Jews could not imagine that God would allow their Messiah to die in such a way and Greeks and Romans had no respect for such victims.
For Jews, the crucifixion of Jesus proved he wasn’t the Messiah and for the Gentiles it made Jesus a person no body would take seriously.
So from all sides of culture the prophecy in Isa. 53:3 was fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus,
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
The stark roughness of this first cross reminds us that at the foundation of our faith, at the cornerstone of redemption’s work, there is rejection and death.
As John says,
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
This is the scandal of the cross.
It dares us to put our trust in the one who was cast out, humiliated and cursed as he hung upon it. Yet it is also God’s way of salvation for despite its’ rejection and death those who trust in the work done upon it are received by God and find eternal life through this same crucified One. John says,
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
In vivid contrast to the base cross, the second cross is pure white and unmarred.
White is the color which takes into itself all colors and in this piece the white cross stands for the Holy One of Israel whom scripture reveals to be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Looking at the white cross in between the other two crosses reminds us that sin is the reason we are separated from God.
Sin separates because God is Holy.
Isaiah cried Woe is Me!
…and was undone when he was suddenly confronted by the holiness of God with nothing in between to shield him from it. Peter had a similar experience when a miraculous catch of fish suddenly gave him a glimpse of who Jesus really was.
Peter fell at Jesus’ feet and said to him,
Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.
Again the threeness of this cross piece symbolizes for us who God is. For in this second white cross we hear the seraphim of Isa. 6:3 calling out,
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.
The thrice repeated word holy conveys the Hebrew way of understanding God as not simply good or holy, but as most holy.
Yahweh is the most holy One.
It is this superlative holiness that judges sinners and bars their way to the throne of God.
And it is because of this holiness that sin can never be ignored and or left unpunished. It was this One of such holiness who was present at the scene of crucifixion.
The Holy One of Israel stood over the cross of execution, there judging the sin which separates and so elicited that mournful cry of,
Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachthani from the lips of Jesus as he, who knew no sin, literally became sin for each of us.
The second white cross reminds us that God’s holiness was at stake in the sin of humanity and the need for God to vindicate that holiness through the blood shed from the sacrificial lamb on the cross was genuine. At the same time, pure love was also on the scene working through the crucifixion to forgive sin and reconcile sinners unto God.
This is why our faith declares that Salvation is by grace through faith and not by the accomplishment of sinful human beings.
God alone has provided the lamb for the sacrifice.
And it is by that lamb that the curtain which formerly barred access for people into the holy of holies has now forever been ripped asunder.
The third cross in this piece is in fact our former sanctuary cross. In this way Charles has joined together our church’s past and future.
Note the position of the third cross.
It is slightly to the left of center from the other two upon which it rests. Charles told me this positioning of the third cross represents the perspective as seen from God’s point of view. It affirms that Christ is the risen and ascended Lord who now sits at the right hand of God the Father acting there as our advocate.
Charles has completed his trinity cross with the grandest of truths about the meaning of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Both Hebrews 1:3 and 8:1 say that Christ is at the right hand of the Majesty on high and that means as, Karl Barth notes, that the throne of God also belongs to Christ. That Christ is God in the fulfillment of the divine will, the use of his divine power and the revelation of his divine purpose. To Christ, God the Father has committed all things.
It is Him God loved before the foundation of the world and through him that same world came into being and is now being held together.
It is in Christ that God has reconciled the world to himself which thus declares that Jesus Christ is the bread of life,
…the good shepherd,
The light of the world,
…and the way, the truth and the life.
As these three crosses before us affirm,
All that belongs to God also belongs to Christ.
The Father is in him and he is in the Father,
…for he and the Father are indeed one.
Those who see the Son, also see the Father who sent him.
Those who believe in him believe not only in him, but also in the one who sent him!
There is nothing that is not subject to him that is not also subject to the Father as well.
To the glory of God the Father, Christ is the bearer of the name which is above every name, and one day at the hearing of that name every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that the crucified and risen Jesus is both Lord and Christ!
Jesus Christ is the Good News we proclaim!
It is the glad tidings of his kingdom we publish to our world!
He is the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure we sell all to get.
To encounter Christ is to know God.
To listen to Christ is to hear God.
To obey Christ is to obey God.
It is therefore to become a disciple of this Lord that we deny ourselves and take up the instrument of his crucifixion as our own. To God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, three in one, be glory, honor and praise forever just as these crosses proclaim!
Amen.
And even more, thank you for your willingness to listen to the voice of God in your life and respond in obedience to the direction it set for you.
…When we look up at this cross we immediately see its’ threeness.
…One in three; three in one.
As Christians, the concept of trinity is central to our understanding of God for our lives.
Our faith proclaims that we worship the one true and living God, maker of heaven and earth who has made himself known to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The threeness of this cross also imagines for us the three crosses on the hill of Golgotha.
It helps us to remember the scene when redemption was accomplished for sinners, when the Son of God was crucified between two of them, for their sakes and ours.
The three crosses also remind us of how scripture declares that in the work of redemption this One who was crucified holds the three offices of Prophet, Priest and King.
Many things can be said of the cross and its significance for Christian faith. One hymn writer has penned the opening line,
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, in part I think, because a survey approach is needed in order to review the many meanings of this symbol. It can be said that because of the reality of the cross, Christian faith is about the agony and the ecstasy.
As Rom. 8:17 says, Christians are heirs God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
The order in Christian faith is always agony before ecstasy or as Paul writes to pastor Timothy,
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.
Paul even refers to himself as, crucified with Christ, as a way of explaining his daily experience of faith.
The cross is central to Paul’s understanding of redemption. In the Pauline theology of salvation, the cross is the revelation of God’s power and wisdom.
The cross dramatically reveals an all en-compassing reconciliation which bridges the gap between God the Holy One and a sinful humanity.
Through the cross the barrier has been broken between God and humans and even between alienated groups of people such as Jew and Gentile.
The cross also marks the starting point of the final era which will ultimately lead to God’s restoration of the entire cosmos.
Here are some reflections on each of the three crosses as Charles envisioned them.
The cross which forms the foundation of this piece is made of rough, unadorned cedar. It is believed that this was the type of wood most commonly used for crucifixions in the ancient world. In the first century AD crucifixion was one of the strongest forms of deterrence against insurrection or political agitation under Roman rule.
When Jesus was crucified the sign posted above his head mockingly read,
King of the Jews. It was for the supposed reason that Jesus had been proclaiming himself Lord and King above Caesar that Rome put him to death. At the same time, to the Jewish community, Jesus was a blasphemer, being accused of making himself out to be God, and so crucifixion was for the Jews of that time a way of making real Deut. 21:22-23 which proclaims that blasphemers are cursed and should be put on public display by being hung on a tree.
This first rough hune cross in the piece reminds us that a Roman cross in Jesus’ day was both a cruel and terrible instrument of death and a means of public disgrace for the person hung who on it and by extension, for those who followed that person. There was no method worse than crucifixion as an instrument of public execution.
Jews could not imagine that God would allow their Messiah to die in such a way and Greeks and Romans had no respect for such victims.
For Jews, the crucifixion of Jesus proved he wasn’t the Messiah and for the Gentiles it made Jesus a person no body would take seriously.
So from all sides of culture the prophecy in Isa. 53:3 was fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus,
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
The stark roughness of this first cross reminds us that at the foundation of our faith, at the cornerstone of redemption’s work, there is rejection and death.
As John says,
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
This is the scandal of the cross.
It dares us to put our trust in the one who was cast out, humiliated and cursed as he hung upon it. Yet it is also God’s way of salvation for despite its’ rejection and death those who trust in the work done upon it are received by God and find eternal life through this same crucified One. John says,
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
In vivid contrast to the base cross, the second cross is pure white and unmarred.
White is the color which takes into itself all colors and in this piece the white cross stands for the Holy One of Israel whom scripture reveals to be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Looking at the white cross in between the other two crosses reminds us that sin is the reason we are separated from God.
Sin separates because God is Holy.
Isaiah cried Woe is Me!
…and was undone when he was suddenly confronted by the holiness of God with nothing in between to shield him from it. Peter had a similar experience when a miraculous catch of fish suddenly gave him a glimpse of who Jesus really was.
Peter fell at Jesus’ feet and said to him,
Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.
Again the threeness of this cross piece symbolizes for us who God is. For in this second white cross we hear the seraphim of Isa. 6:3 calling out,
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.
The thrice repeated word holy conveys the Hebrew way of understanding God as not simply good or holy, but as most holy.
Yahweh is the most holy One.
It is this superlative holiness that judges sinners and bars their way to the throne of God.
And it is because of this holiness that sin can never be ignored and or left unpunished. It was this One of such holiness who was present at the scene of crucifixion.
The Holy One of Israel stood over the cross of execution, there judging the sin which separates and so elicited that mournful cry of,
Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachthani from the lips of Jesus as he, who knew no sin, literally became sin for each of us.
The second white cross reminds us that God’s holiness was at stake in the sin of humanity and the need for God to vindicate that holiness through the blood shed from the sacrificial lamb on the cross was genuine. At the same time, pure love was also on the scene working through the crucifixion to forgive sin and reconcile sinners unto God.
This is why our faith declares that Salvation is by grace through faith and not by the accomplishment of sinful human beings.
God alone has provided the lamb for the sacrifice.
And it is by that lamb that the curtain which formerly barred access for people into the holy of holies has now forever been ripped asunder.
The third cross in this piece is in fact our former sanctuary cross. In this way Charles has joined together our church’s past and future.
Note the position of the third cross.
It is slightly to the left of center from the other two upon which it rests. Charles told me this positioning of the third cross represents the perspective as seen from God’s point of view. It affirms that Christ is the risen and ascended Lord who now sits at the right hand of God the Father acting there as our advocate.
Charles has completed his trinity cross with the grandest of truths about the meaning of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Both Hebrews 1:3 and 8:1 say that Christ is at the right hand of the Majesty on high and that means as, Karl Barth notes, that the throne of God also belongs to Christ. That Christ is God in the fulfillment of the divine will, the use of his divine power and the revelation of his divine purpose. To Christ, God the Father has committed all things.
It is Him God loved before the foundation of the world and through him that same world came into being and is now being held together.
It is in Christ that God has reconciled the world to himself which thus declares that Jesus Christ is the bread of life,
…the good shepherd,
The light of the world,
…and the way, the truth and the life.
As these three crosses before us affirm,
All that belongs to God also belongs to Christ.
The Father is in him and he is in the Father,
…for he and the Father are indeed one.
Those who see the Son, also see the Father who sent him.
Those who believe in him believe not only in him, but also in the one who sent him!
There is nothing that is not subject to him that is not also subject to the Father as well.
To the glory of God the Father, Christ is the bearer of the name which is above every name, and one day at the hearing of that name every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that the crucified and risen Jesus is both Lord and Christ!
Jesus Christ is the Good News we proclaim!
It is the glad tidings of his kingdom we publish to our world!
He is the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure we sell all to get.
To encounter Christ is to know God.
To listen to Christ is to hear God.
To obey Christ is to obey God.
It is therefore to become a disciple of this Lord that we deny ourselves and take up the instrument of his crucifixion as our own. To God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, three in one, be glory, honor and praise forever just as these crosses proclaim!
Amen.
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Prayer for Peace on the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11
This is a prayer my friend and pastoral associate Brent Johnson recently wrote in remembrance of 9/11.
Heavenly Father,
As we reflect on that tragic day, in the face of such profound evil, such horrific destruction, such great sorrow, it’s so easy for us to ask, Where are you, God? When Jesus on the cross cried out in anguish, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”, he spoke on behalf of so many who find themselves at the brink of despair, in the face of death itself. And so we know you understand how we come to ask such a question. There are times so hard, situations so bleak that we feel forsaken, abandoned, forgotten by you.
Though we in this room tonight may not have been personally touched by death on that terrible day ten years ago, we have all felt the aftershocks of war, violence, terrorism, fear, economic hardship, and international instability that have resulted from the events of September 11, 2001. Those aftershocks have changed some of our lives in very significant ways.
But for so many of us, the effects have been in our hearts. We have grown distrustful of certain ethnicities, loveless towards people groups that you love dearly. For some of us, the seeds of sorrow that were sown on September 11 have grown into weeds of hatred that have gripped our hearts ever since. We confess to you our need for your love. You told us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us. Give us hearts that reflect your love, that emulate your gracious forgiveness.
Father, with your grace making up for where ours falls short, we speak forgiveness over the men who planned and executed the horrific events of that day. The enemy used them to steal, kill and destroy. And he stole, killed and destroyed many of their own lives through dark deception as well as those who died with them in the planes or in the buildings that were destroyed. If we have harbored unforgiveness in our hearts, we confess that to you and ask for your forgiveness, and ask also for the grace to forgive them. We surrender our right to vengeance. We leave it in your hands. While our human systems can rightly work to bring evildoers to justice, we will hold no blood-thirsty vengeance in our hearts. It is yours to set things right in the end. We let that go.
Lord, we pray that you would be near today to those who lost a loved one on that tragic day ten years ago. Your Word says that you are close to those whose hearts are breaking. Surround them with a sense of your compassionate presence. If they don’t know you, let them know it is you who is meeting them in the valley of the shadow of death to replace their fear with peace. Send them your children to be your hands of tender care.
And lastly, Lord, we pray that you would be at work in human hearts and human systems of government and military power to work towards the good of mankind to counter the destruction we bring upon ourselves. Give leaders the ability to make decisions that lift up the hurting, bring justice for the poor, and work towards peace between people groups and nations that have only known conflict and strife. Let every one of us learn from the pain of human tragedy to be more kind, compassionate, and life-giving than we have been in the past, that your will might be done here on earth, as it is in heaven.
It is in the strong name of Jesus Christ our Lord, and for the sake of His Kingdom that we pray,
Amen
Heavenly Father,
As we reflect on that tragic day, in the face of such profound evil, such horrific destruction, such great sorrow, it’s so easy for us to ask, Where are you, God? When Jesus on the cross cried out in anguish, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”, he spoke on behalf of so many who find themselves at the brink of despair, in the face of death itself. And so we know you understand how we come to ask such a question. There are times so hard, situations so bleak that we feel forsaken, abandoned, forgotten by you.
Though we in this room tonight may not have been personally touched by death on that terrible day ten years ago, we have all felt the aftershocks of war, violence, terrorism, fear, economic hardship, and international instability that have resulted from the events of September 11, 2001. Those aftershocks have changed some of our lives in very significant ways.
But for so many of us, the effects have been in our hearts. We have grown distrustful of certain ethnicities, loveless towards people groups that you love dearly. For some of us, the seeds of sorrow that were sown on September 11 have grown into weeds of hatred that have gripped our hearts ever since. We confess to you our need for your love. You told us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us. Give us hearts that reflect your love, that emulate your gracious forgiveness.
Father, with your grace making up for where ours falls short, we speak forgiveness over the men who planned and executed the horrific events of that day. The enemy used them to steal, kill and destroy. And he stole, killed and destroyed many of their own lives through dark deception as well as those who died with them in the planes or in the buildings that were destroyed. If we have harbored unforgiveness in our hearts, we confess that to you and ask for your forgiveness, and ask also for the grace to forgive them. We surrender our right to vengeance. We leave it in your hands. While our human systems can rightly work to bring evildoers to justice, we will hold no blood-thirsty vengeance in our hearts. It is yours to set things right in the end. We let that go.
Lord, we pray that you would be near today to those who lost a loved one on that tragic day ten years ago. Your Word says that you are close to those whose hearts are breaking. Surround them with a sense of your compassionate presence. If they don’t know you, let them know it is you who is meeting them in the valley of the shadow of death to replace their fear with peace. Send them your children to be your hands of tender care.
And lastly, Lord, we pray that you would be at work in human hearts and human systems of government and military power to work towards the good of mankind to counter the destruction we bring upon ourselves. Give leaders the ability to make decisions that lift up the hurting, bring justice for the poor, and work towards peace between people groups and nations that have only known conflict and strife. Let every one of us learn from the pain of human tragedy to be more kind, compassionate, and life-giving than we have been in the past, that your will might be done here on earth, as it is in heaven.
It is in the strong name of Jesus Christ our Lord, and for the sake of His Kingdom that we pray,
Amen
Monday, August 1, 2011
Mercy and the Wise and and Foolish Person
On Sunday I led a panel discussion on the biblical topic of justice which got us into talking about God's mercy. I made the point that God's mercy and grace are extended even to people we might deem undeserving by virtue of their own self-indulgence and or laziness. In response the following questions were emailed to me to which I am responding in this post.
Here is what was asked:
I want to ask you about the part where we are supposed to give to "everybody" regardless of whether they got themselves into their mess or not.
Many people out there do not want to work, make lousy decisions, and have
their hand out for any and all handouts. I know, that sounds very harsh;
but I don't feel that I, a responsible person, should have to feel
responsible for a irresponsible person who has no intention of working and
is happy with the life they have chosen. Is this what God calls us to do?
What ever happened to personal responsibility? Aren't we enabling this
behavior by rewarding it? What am I missing here?
Here's my response:
These are very good questions and thanks for asking them.
The problem with public speaking and limited amounts of time to do it in is you can't stop and cover something to the extent you might like to sometimes.
Here is an attempt to fill in a bit more on the point I made about the standard of judgment we use and God's grace and mercy.
The Bible says that All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God-Rom. 3:23.
All means All so in that sense we are all in the same boat, no one is exempt.
Also, all of us have been and are-self-indulgent-that's why Jesus (John 12:24) and Paul (Gal. 2:20) both call us to die to self.
And at times all of us are lazy. In fact my favorite theologian, Karl Barth says that the root of human sin is sloth. All of us are spiritually lazy creatures.
Self and sloth are in the picture for each of us and all the time.
And, all of us are where we are in part because of who we are and the choices we have made. Each person is responsible before God for their present situation no matter what background circumstances may also be involved. In this sense we are all both victims and victimizers. That's why the Bible talks about judgment for sinners and accountability to Christ for Christians. However on this point I will add that the grace of God is always in play and we can also say we are where we are at his point in life because of it too. When we receive God's grace it makes the great exception to our situation like I was sharing about Sunday...I was blind, but now I see, was lost but now I am found. This only comes by grace and to the extent that we respond to it our situations improve from what they would be if only sin reigned over them.
All of the above is why we can assert that the playing field for humanity is level.
All have sinned and all need God's gift of grace through Jesus Christ and the eternal life it brings which saves us from the eternal death we have clung to (Rom. 3:24).
Now, all that being said, the Bible also says there are three kinds of people-Wise, Foolish and Evil.
Wise people can be told the truth about something they did or about a negative trait they have, and even if it is hard to hear and they don't like it, even if it wounds them, they can receive it, thank you for it and act on it to better themselves. That, the Bible says, makes them wise and they grow in wisdom because of it. The book of Proverbs is filled with examples of wise and foolish living.
Foolish people are those who reject or deflect the truth said to them. They make excuses and blame others or other circumstances for their actions. They don't learn from the truth, can't use it to grow and so remain unwise. Over time they even can move further into darkened thinking and acting because of their ongoing resistance to truth and light.
Evil people move beyond foolishness and actually mean to bring harm toward others. These people are dangerous and rather than try to give them truth, we may have to protect ourselves from them.
To me this is where the crimminal and the addict with all that can go with these conditions comes into play.
These are people who are so given over to the needs of self that they invade our boundaries and ruin our lives in pursuit of their own needs. This goes far beyond the normal side of this type of selfish strategy which all of us sinners sometimes use with each other. Let's face it, we all have an agenda at times and want what we want right?
Jesus said we are to be as wise as serpents, but as gentle as doves-Matt. 10:16. And discernment is certainly a Christian discipline we ought to utilize.
We don't help people with addictive behaviors by being naive toward them or simplistic in our response to them. Sometimes the best thing we can do to help someone is confront their behavior and establish firm boundaries with them. And in some cases we must cut off contact with them for safety's sake. Two books well worth reading on these topics are Boundaries http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/0310585902/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312218653&sr=1-4
and Necessary Endings http://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Endings-Employees-Businesses-Relationships/dp/0061777129/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312218653&sr=1-1 both are by Dr. Henry Cloud.
Hope this rounds out for you the comments made from Sunday.
Here is what was asked:
I want to ask you about the part where we are supposed to give to "everybody" regardless of whether they got themselves into their mess or not.
Many people out there do not want to work, make lousy decisions, and have
their hand out for any and all handouts. I know, that sounds very harsh;
but I don't feel that I, a responsible person, should have to feel
responsible for a irresponsible person who has no intention of working and
is happy with the life they have chosen. Is this what God calls us to do?
What ever happened to personal responsibility? Aren't we enabling this
behavior by rewarding it? What am I missing here?
Here's my response:
These are very good questions and thanks for asking them.
The problem with public speaking and limited amounts of time to do it in is you can't stop and cover something to the extent you might like to sometimes.
Here is an attempt to fill in a bit more on the point I made about the standard of judgment we use and God's grace and mercy.
The Bible says that All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God-Rom. 3:23.
All means All so in that sense we are all in the same boat, no one is exempt.
Also, all of us have been and are-self-indulgent-that's why Jesus (John 12:24) and Paul (Gal. 2:20) both call us to die to self.
And at times all of us are lazy. In fact my favorite theologian, Karl Barth says that the root of human sin is sloth. All of us are spiritually lazy creatures.
Self and sloth are in the picture for each of us and all the time.
And, all of us are where we are in part because of who we are and the choices we have made. Each person is responsible before God for their present situation no matter what background circumstances may also be involved. In this sense we are all both victims and victimizers. That's why the Bible talks about judgment for sinners and accountability to Christ for Christians. However on this point I will add that the grace of God is always in play and we can also say we are where we are at his point in life because of it too. When we receive God's grace it makes the great exception to our situation like I was sharing about Sunday...I was blind, but now I see, was lost but now I am found. This only comes by grace and to the extent that we respond to it our situations improve from what they would be if only sin reigned over them.
All of the above is why we can assert that the playing field for humanity is level.
All have sinned and all need God's gift of grace through Jesus Christ and the eternal life it brings which saves us from the eternal death we have clung to (Rom. 3:24).
Now, all that being said, the Bible also says there are three kinds of people-Wise, Foolish and Evil.
Wise people can be told the truth about something they did or about a negative trait they have, and even if it is hard to hear and they don't like it, even if it wounds them, they can receive it, thank you for it and act on it to better themselves. That, the Bible says, makes them wise and they grow in wisdom because of it. The book of Proverbs is filled with examples of wise and foolish living.
Foolish people are those who reject or deflect the truth said to them. They make excuses and blame others or other circumstances for their actions. They don't learn from the truth, can't use it to grow and so remain unwise. Over time they even can move further into darkened thinking and acting because of their ongoing resistance to truth and light.
Evil people move beyond foolishness and actually mean to bring harm toward others. These people are dangerous and rather than try to give them truth, we may have to protect ourselves from them.
To me this is where the crimminal and the addict with all that can go with these conditions comes into play.
These are people who are so given over to the needs of self that they invade our boundaries and ruin our lives in pursuit of their own needs. This goes far beyond the normal side of this type of selfish strategy which all of us sinners sometimes use with each other. Let's face it, we all have an agenda at times and want what we want right?
Jesus said we are to be as wise as serpents, but as gentle as doves-Matt. 10:16. And discernment is certainly a Christian discipline we ought to utilize.
We don't help people with addictive behaviors by being naive toward them or simplistic in our response to them. Sometimes the best thing we can do to help someone is confront their behavior and establish firm boundaries with them. And in some cases we must cut off contact with them for safety's sake. Two books well worth reading on these topics are Boundaries http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/0310585902/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312218653&sr=1-4
and Necessary Endings http://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Endings-Employees-Businesses-Relationships/dp/0061777129/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312218653&sr=1-1 both are by Dr. Henry Cloud.
Hope this rounds out for you the comments made from Sunday.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Father's Day Penguins and the Story That Matters
Penguins are cool…counterintuitive little critters.
They have wings, but they use them for swimming not flying. In fact they are the fastest bird swimmer out there at 15-20 mph (try that Michael Phelps).
Penguins dress for the opera, but are actually outfitted for stealth (does that make them the 007’s of the animal realm?)
Penguins live in community and often mate for life.
Dad Penguins are stay at home parents and Moms are career gals.
…And of all God’s creatures, let’s face it, nothing looks or walks like a penguin! They are the Charlie Chaplins of bird-dom.
…This year my wife gave me a Father’s Day card with two penguins on it. In fact the picture I have posted here is the very same picture that is on the card.
Up to this point when I have pictured my self as a penguin it has always been in conjunction with my dear friend Brian. Back in our high school days we were budding Steven Spielbergs making Super 8 movies together (Hey isn’t there a summer movie by Spielberg out just now and having to do with that?) Brian and I formed a film company which we called Penguin Films. We were the two penguins.
I have not thought of Cathi and me as Penguins, but it’s worth thinking about.
In our 39 years of marriage we have certainly been swimming together, sometimes in sync other times not. Calm waters…stormy seas…you get the picture.
But Cathi’s point in giving me this year’s card so pictured has to do with the two birds waddling along together with the immense ocean lapping near by. The picture shows the two birds walking together in the same direction. The ocean is near them and while they are not actually in it, their feet are wet from the surf so they are connected to it.
Here is what Cathi wrote to me in the card,
So many stories take place on the shores of the sea…
Our age has become addicted to “happy endings” for each individual story.
The One Story has an unimaginable ending which is also the beginning of the One Truly Happy Ending. It is that story which will give us all what we long for.
So here’s my take away from Father’s Day. With a nod to Brian MacLaren, which story do we find ourselves in? Is it only about me or you on the beach? Is the surfside story all there is? Is that story all we get our meaning from, have our hopes in or search for the happy ending through? Or is it just possible that we are amblin along in our own little stories while actually on the edge of the big story that really matters? The big story that has all the meaning and the genuinely happy ending (see Revelation 21-22)?
I like to think we are…or at least that our feet are wet from it.
Surf’s up…penguins unite…God’s big story is upon us!
…Check your feet…dry or wet?
Here’s to penguins on the sea shore.
…Thanks for the card dear wife.
They have wings, but they use them for swimming not flying. In fact they are the fastest bird swimmer out there at 15-20 mph (try that Michael Phelps).
Penguins dress for the opera, but are actually outfitted for stealth (does that make them the 007’s of the animal realm?)
Penguins live in community and often mate for life.
Dad Penguins are stay at home parents and Moms are career gals.
…And of all God’s creatures, let’s face it, nothing looks or walks like a penguin! They are the Charlie Chaplins of bird-dom.
…This year my wife gave me a Father’s Day card with two penguins on it. In fact the picture I have posted here is the very same picture that is on the card.
Up to this point when I have pictured my self as a penguin it has always been in conjunction with my dear friend Brian. Back in our high school days we were budding Steven Spielbergs making Super 8 movies together (Hey isn’t there a summer movie by Spielberg out just now and having to do with that?) Brian and I formed a film company which we called Penguin Films. We were the two penguins.
I have not thought of Cathi and me as Penguins, but it’s worth thinking about.
In our 39 years of marriage we have certainly been swimming together, sometimes in sync other times not. Calm waters…stormy seas…you get the picture.
But Cathi’s point in giving me this year’s card so pictured has to do with the two birds waddling along together with the immense ocean lapping near by. The picture shows the two birds walking together in the same direction. The ocean is near them and while they are not actually in it, their feet are wet from the surf so they are connected to it.
Here is what Cathi wrote to me in the card,
So many stories take place on the shores of the sea…
Our age has become addicted to “happy endings” for each individual story.
The One Story has an unimaginable ending which is also the beginning of the One Truly Happy Ending. It is that story which will give us all what we long for.
So here’s my take away from Father’s Day. With a nod to Brian MacLaren, which story do we find ourselves in? Is it only about me or you on the beach? Is the surfside story all there is? Is that story all we get our meaning from, have our hopes in or search for the happy ending through? Or is it just possible that we are amblin along in our own little stories while actually on the edge of the big story that really matters? The big story that has all the meaning and the genuinely happy ending (see Revelation 21-22)?
I like to think we are…or at least that our feet are wet from it.
Surf’s up…penguins unite…God’s big story is upon us!
…Check your feet…dry or wet?
Here’s to penguins on the sea shore.
…Thanks for the card dear wife.
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