Declutter

Our health insurance provider is concerned that those they insure be actively engaged in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As incentive to make that happen they pay us to take health surveys, participate in health challenges and practice habits that promote healthy living. That’s right – if we log on and spend a few minutes they will pay real money to our health savings account. 

One of the things that my insurance provider has suggested to lower anxiety and bring more serenity to my life is to eliminate clutter. Who knew that clutter can cause anxiety but I guess it does? (Actually, my wife has been telling me this for years.) They suggest that I spend 10 minutes per day decluttering. Now that this little piece of information is my head I can’t walk by a cluttered room without thinking, “Maybe I should spend 10 minutes in that room decluttering today.” (I’m sure when Ruth reads this she will be overcome with joy that my packrat ways may soon be under control. Time will tell.)

As I have reflected a little on this it is not just the dining room table and the office desk that get overwhelmed with unwanted and un-needed stuff. Clutter happens in our spiritual and mental life too. How many things do you have that take up space in your heart and mind that just need to be laid to rest? Unforgiven wrongs, un-met expectations, guilt, regret and the list go on and on. So how do we find time to deal with the clutter?

God has given to us a model of work and rest. We rest from our work so that we restore our energy and replenish that which has lacked. God’s intention for a Sabbath rest has not changed. It is a time to be restored in all of our relationships and to de-clutter our busy minds. Let me remind you that we have three primary relationships that need to be regularly restored. The first is with our heavenly father – that is why worship on Sunday needs to be a priority. When we gather to sing, and participate in the Lord’s Supper and give our attention to God’s word, we have the opportunity to restore and strengthen our relationship with him. 

Secondly, we need to take time regularly to build our relationships with our family and our closest friends. Keeping the lines of communication open and asking for and receiving forgiveness helps keep our hearts and minds uncluttered.

Thirdly we need to have time alone to reflect on our own lives and to be restored in our own spirit. Many people feel guilty about taking time for themselves, but if we don’t take time to be refreshed and renewed our lives become filled with stress and anxiety. We don’t often think about having a relationship with ourselves, but that is exactly how we have to think about the inner life. To quietly and thoughtfully reflect on our lives and invite the spirit of God to reveal our hidden dysfunction and to restore joy and peace to our hectic lives.

So, a few minutes a day will help me get my clutter under control. And a better understanding of the restoration that comes with a Sabbath rest will help us get our cluttered hearts and minds under control. While I can’t guarantee that money will show up in your account if you honor the Sabbath, I will promise you that each one of your relationships will be richer for it.

We're Having an Election

Did you know that there is a presidential election happening this month? Unless you live completely secluded from society you can’t help but know. It is no secret that this is probably the most contentious and vitriolic election that any of us can remember. We look at the contenders for this election and wonder how either one of them made it to become their party’s nominee and yet this is the choice with which the country is faced.

How do we as Christians respond in these times when it seems that neither candidate represents our most basic fundamental principles? Even choosing the “lesser of two evils” leaves us with fear for the future of the country.

As I think about the current situation I find my mind and heart often thinking and praying about the sovereignty of God. He is the supreme ruler over the affairs of this world. He is the one who sets up leaders and he is the one who deposes leaders. God is the one who sees the end and the beginning at the same time.  He is the one who will be left standing when time is no more.

As Carey Nieuwhof has written, “When matters are taken out of your hands, never conclude they’ve been taken out of God’s hands.”¹ I know many people feel powerless right now and that feeling produces discouragement and frustration.  We must recognize that the true power to change the course of the country is within God’s ability to do.

That’s why in II Chronicles 7:14, God says to Solomon, ^“ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 

Church, that verse applies as much today as it did at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. The only reason that God is going to stem the tide of evil and set this country back on the foundations upon which it was built is because the people of God humble themselves, pray and seek his face and turn from wickedness. It is not the unregenerate who are going to lead us to godly repentance it is a humble and contrite church, seeking God’s face that will bring about revival.

So, all who can, vote your conscience and let’s trust a sovereign God for the outcome. And for all of us who have confessed our trust in the name of Jesus, let’s humbly seek God and petition him for the healing that only he can bring to this country.

¹ http://careynieuwhof.com/2016/10/5-predictions-about-the-us-presidential-election/

Righteousness Exalts

I woke this morning with this verse on my mind.

“Righteousness exalts a nation,
 but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Proverbs 14:34

Perhaps I have been watching too much of the political nominations for president and listening to more of the rhetoric than I should. But this little verse in proverbs should stand out as a beacon to us as Christians.

The nation that will enjoy the favor of God and achieve “exalted” status is the nation that is moving toward the righteousness of God and not away from righteousness toward sin. It seems like a simple thing to understand and yet I get the sense that in America we have this funny notion that we can move progressively toward sin and expect to have an exalted status among the nations and before God. It’s just not so.

And the same is true in the life of our church and in our families and in our lives as individuals. Do you want to continue to receive the blessing of God? Then pursue righteousness. But we can’t expect that God will wink at our sin and exalt us anyway.

The road to exaltation for our country, for our church, for our families and for our lives is repentance and a renewed commitment to what is true and holy and righteous.

On being thankful ...

For many, Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November is the “ready, set, go” to the panic that has become the holiday season. I prefer to think of Thanksgiving as a significant pause from the push and pull of life – three or four days of reflection and calm before we have to rejoin the crescendo of activity that builds until we gather on December 24 to once again sing, Silent Night. Have you ever noticed how your soul longs for quiet and contemplation and the world keeps screaming at us to run faster, jump higher and perform louder.

How do we guard our quiet times from a world that wants to push in on us and demand that we cut short our celebrations so as to not miss the pre-black Friday sales? How do we say no to the noise that would crowd in on us and demand our attention, suggesting to us that our contemplation needs to take a back seat to sporting events and parades and food? Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not a kill-joy! I love to watch football and the Macy’s Christmas Parade and eat turkey just like every other AmeriCanadian.

I’ve discovered that what helps set my perspective is that I have to have an object to my gratitude. I cannot just have a thankful attitude, but I have to give thanks to the One who has provided the abundance that I enjoy. I cannot just muse on the fact that I have more than most people in the world and that I should somehow feel satisfied in that, but rather I must humbly offer my thanks to the gracious God who provides for me and recognize that he expects me to steward my wealth with that same spirit of gratitude.     

So as we approach Thanksgiving, lets prepare for those moments of quiet when we can express our thanks to Almighty God who blesses our lives lavishly. In the midst of our abundance, lets practice contentment and push back against the noise of greed and selfishness that wails at our door. Let’s remind each other that our heavenly Father is the one who should be the object of our praise.      

I Like What I See

Recently at the breakfast table we were talking about how we are adjusting to our new life in NE Georgia. I said to Ruth, “I don’t always know what I’m looking at, but I like what I see.” Those of you who have ever lived in a culture that was not your own can appreciate my thought. Sometimes what we see and experience is just different from what is familiar to us. Now different is not bad – in fact different can be very good. That’s why I say,  “I like what I see”.

I had never experienced a chicken mull until last month. While I didn’t know what I was looking at I liked that I saw friends cooperating in a centuries old tradition, one generation teaching the next the value of their heritage.

Where I grew up there are no BBQ joints - let alone one on almost every corner – but it doesn’t take you long to discover that good smells and good food can come from a place named The Butt Hutt. I like that pulled pork and tea can result in meaningful conversation and friendship.

I’m not used to hearing young people reply with a respectful “Mame” or “Sir” but I like it when I hear it.  The respect and polite manners common in southern cultural add value and dignity to others. I’ll take it over “huh?” or “what?” any day of the week.

We have been made to feel welcome from the first time we walked through the doors of Antioch Church back in November and there has not been a Sunday that has gone by that someone has not said, “We’re really glad you’re here!”

While it’s easy to spot differences, it’s also easy to spot similarities. Each Sunday we worship together with people who love God like we do. We have been welcomed by people whose hope of eternal life is based on their faith in what Jesus has secured for them through his death and resurrection. We have become part of a family that desires to reach their county and the world beyond with the life changing power of the gospel. Ultimately this is what binds people together – their identity and their purpose.  When I look at the church I know what I’m looking at and I like what I see!

No News is Good News! Right?

We've all said it at one time or another when waiting for the result of an important decision, "No news is good news." As long as we don't know that our desired outcome has slipped away without becoming a reality we still have hope that it will somehow work out. Our hope may be in vain, but as long as we don't know that we hope in vain we still have the prospect of good news.

For the past 2 months and 13 days I have adopted a "no news is good news" attitude toward my circumstances. On July 29 I was told that the job for which we had left Ohio and moved to Florida was no longer mine. "It's not going to work out", I was told. I was done!

The emotions coursed through me - anger, fear, anxiety. My head was swimming. It was the first time in my life that I had to come to my wife and tell her that I was unemployed. It was the first time in thirty years of ministry that I wasn't surrounded by a church family.

But I have changed churches before. I have put together a resume and successfully landed jobs. I know how this is to be done. I just need to get on the job sites, check in with a few friends, get some talk going and it wouldn't be long before a church somewhere would be calling to tell me that they believed I was just the guy for whom they were looking. So I started sending resumes to those churches that  looked to be a fit. I made contact with search committees and senior church leaders who were looking for staff. And the answer I got (when I was given the courtesy of an answer) was "no news yet - we're having a meeting soon or we're talking to several candidates or we're not sure the position we advertised is the position for which we want to hire." And so I wait.

Every day is becoming the same. Each morning, and several times each day, I check my email. "Surely today I will hear something from someone," I say to myself. I have breakfast with my wife before she heads to work and then I scour the same websites to see if someone somewhere has posted a  church ministry job to which I feel led to apply. If nothing new presents itself then I start on the secular job market. I'm going to have to make some money some how and soon. If convincing a church to hire you is a tough deal, trying to get a secular employer to take notice is something else altogether. I have skills of administration and management, finance and communication, but I'm beginning to think that when a potential employer sees my resume all they can see is a middle aged pastor type with little real world experience. I can't blame them, I mean really, who wants to take a risk on that.

So tonight I still have a few active prospects - the ones that have actually acknowledged receiving my application and say they will get back to me when they have something to report. And because they haven't yet said no, I choose to  to continue to believe that no news is good news.

My Missing Tithe

This little piece was originally written as a reminder and encouragement to the supporters of Graceland Ministries. I think there is a general application for all of us, no matter where we have committed to lend our support.

Last week, my wife Ruth said to me, “Shall I write the tithe check for this Sunday?” I was somewhat confused by her question for a couple of reasons. Since I am paid on the last business day of the month and the one closest to the 15^th in the middle of the month our tithe checks typically hit the basket on the first and third Sundays of each month. This was now the fourth Sunday and I had assumed – incorrectly apparently – that our check had already been deposited to the church coffers and had already cleared my account. 

I was further confused, for a quick glance at the account balance on an ATM slip had lead me to believe that the tithe check had already cleared. I logged onto my account for a closer look and low and behold it had neither cleared nor was there enough money left in the account to cover what I had determined would be my midmonth contribution. I told Ruth not to write a check and that I would get one in before the money was counted and deposited on Monday. On my way to the church office on Monday morning I went by the bank and moved some money from another account to cover my tithe check. In the rubble that I try to pass off as a filing system on the front seat of my pickup truck I was sure I had a checkbook for my account. Three books of checks for other accounts – not one single check for the account I needed. I sheepishly told the volunteers counting the offering that I would have to leave one for next week – looked like I was going to miss this deposit as well.

I know that as I write this silly little anecdote, many of you will identify with my plight. Often the money runs out before the month, unexpected summer expenses – some important and some frivolous chip away at our finances and all of a sudden we are unable to do what we have committed to do. The important thing almost got missed because of my inattentiveness. The giving lines of my personal budget are at the very top of the page to remind me that they need to be a priority for me. But unless I’m diligent in keeping those line items as a priority, other needs, cares, concerns and wants will vie for their position.

Last week I spoke with my friend Ron, who is the treasure for Graceland Ministries in Canada. I wanted to check in with him and have him reassure me that the funds that support Graceland’s budget are continuing to be received from our supporters and friends throughout the summer months. The news however was not what I had hoped. While giving from churches has increased some over last year’s average, giving from individuals has dropped off by about 33%. I suspect that for some of our Graceland supports the priority of giving to this important ministry has been replaced with other priorities over the summer. There are probably checks that were suppose to get written that didn’t, good intentions that got side tracked and not acted upon and some checkbooks that got lost in the shuffle of paper on someone’s desk (or car seat.)

Jesus said it best, didn’t he? “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

Well, my check has been written and placed on the desk where those who are making next week’s deposit will find it. I’m grateful that I was still able to do what I had committed to do and my own inattentiveness did not leave the ministry of our church short changed. I know that many of you who will read this feel the same way about your commitments to the work of God that you support. Let me encourage you to be faithful to do all that God has placed in our heart to do both for your home congregation and for the ministries, like Graceland, that rely on your faithful, generous support.

I trust that the rest of your summer will be safe, fun and faith-filled as you enjoy your time with family and friends.