Carpe Diem!

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say,

‘I find no pleasure in them”-
Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark,

and the clouds return after the rain;
When the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop,

when the grinders cease because they are few,

and those looking through the windows grow dim;
When the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades;
When men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint;
When men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets;
When the almond blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along

and desire no longer is stirred.
Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.
Remember Him – before the silver cord is severed,

or the golden bowl is broken;
Before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well,

and the dust returns to God who gave it.
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!”
Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

The character and content of our Western Culture is decidedly ruled and defined by secular humanism. The center value of all secular humanistic belief is the supreme and superior esteem of reason, rational thought and individual freedom. The structure of power in secular humanism is determined by what people are able to attain, give, receive, think, initiate or build. Yet as Thomas Merton describes in his book Contemplative Prayer, “A universe created around one’s self only becomes smaller and less significant. There needs to be room for God for eternal significance” (Merton, p.116, 1971).

A person cannot create a view larger than themselves unless they have a connection with something bigger than themselves. A Universal force which is bigger, more complete, more thorough, more compassionate, more loving, more present than any person.

Secular humanism is incomplete in its view for its states that human beings are the highest form of thought, love and life. The responsibilities of family, commitment, honor, duty and work are frequently thrown away, blown by the winds of abandonment to an individual’s freedoms and easy pleasures. The highest ambition is to get as much material wealth as possible. The highest goal is to always feel good and have all wants satisfied.

Just look at the book of Ecclesiastes. Here is a book in the Bible that outlines a groping search for the meaning of life. It carries within its sparse utterance a voracious hunger and thirst to devour all experiences of life in an attempt to digest their significance and purpose.

If one were to attempt a single phrase encapsulation of Ecclesiastes, it could possibly be “Carpe Diem”…Seize the day! The author of Ecclesiastes is detailing the Epicurean mantra, to “eat, drink and be merry.” Yet he states repeatedly that this life view is meaningless – philosophy is meaningless, money is meaningless, and prestige is meaningless. Nothing keeps death from happening. But life, yes, life is full of meaning when dedicated to worshipping the Creator God YHWH.

God is bigger than human problems, limitations, petty disagreements, wars, sickness, etc. By connecting with God, and widening the personal universe we may encounter, one can experience a bigger view of life. “Carpe Diem”…Seize the day!

That's My Son!

The other day, I was watching a television show and the main character was a skater whose mom was seeing her skate for the very first time. The daughter performed very well and the mother turned to the person beside her and exclaimed, “That’s my daughter!” You could hear how the tone of her voice rang true with pride and such joy. She wanted others to know that the young girl on the ice was her daughter.

I can’t tell you how many times I have uttered those very words over the past few years. “That’s my daughter!” “That’s my son!” When you have lived in four different cities in the past seven years, and your four children are very active in sports and music and church, it becomes a natural sentence to utter sometimes without even thinking. It seems as though every time I turn around, my children are involved in a new activity with new people in their lives.

I want others to know that’s my son Tyler on those skates, scoring that goal or my Abby out there on that volleyball court, digging another save. I want them to know that’s my Nathan pitching that ball in the city championship and my Kate playing point guard on the basketball team. It is just natural for a mother or a father to want others to know who their child is!

But while part of me shares this news out of exuberant joy and pride, there has usually been a very base need or objective to plainly let others know who these children are in their community. Those in the community will never know who my children are if they are not told their name and where they come from.

God wanted His people to know Christ, the Messiah that would be coming! He was new to them and God wanted them to know how He would become their hope and their future. In Isaiah 52, God uses Isaiah to share the news of the coming Messiah. Isaiah presents Christ the Messiah as a servant who will be a deliverer of all humankind.

We get God’s message as it culminates in John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

May you know the love of God that is Jesus Christ! God is saying to you, “That’s my Son! Follow Him!”

I'll Take Victory Over Discouragement Any Day!

I would like to share one verse of scripture with you today. I don’t mind sharing that I have been feeling discouraged the last few days and when I came across this passage it helped put some of my feelings into the proper perspective.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

--Philippians 4:6-8 (New International Version)

In other words, turn your thoughts away from this world, things that disappoint, and concentrate on the Kingdom of God! God does not disappoint! Praise God!

The night will never leave my memory, I am sure. It was New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1999. The New Millennium was upon us and there was fear all around. Fear that computers would not handle the change of Century. Fear that there would be food shortages. Fear that there would be riots in the streets. The media was stirring up anything that would cause the public to question the next day and fear abounded throughout the world. And there we were in that little chapel. We were seventy-three people strong that night.

It was our first church appointment and we had been there for four years. There was no fear in that sanctuary that night. We were having a Watch Night service and there was rejoicing going on. There was singing and praying and shouting and laughing. And at the heart of the service, climaxing exactly at midnight, something happened. It was so precious and so Godly, void of fear and discouragement, and it rang of excellence and praiseworthiness! At the stroke of midnight, we didn’t hug, we didn’t kiss, we didn’t make random noise, but rather, we turned our attention to God, we sang “Shout to the Lord” and we dedicated five young people to God. What an awesome night!

Mothers and fathers stood behind their children, all the children between the ages of seven and thirteen, and they consecrated their children in the name of Jesus Christ.

There was a world outside those walls that wanted to swallow up those children but inside we took a stand and found victory for five children, five families, and a wonderful congregation waging war against Satan. That night, in that little chapel, in Rochester, Pa., Discouragement took a backseat to victory!

May you find a way to displace your discouragement, your anxiety with God-filled Victory!

Victory in Jesus
I heard an old, old story,

How a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary

To save a wretch like me;

I heard about His groaning,

Of His precious blood's atoning,

Then I repented of my sins

And won the victory.

Chorus

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior, forever.

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him

And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about His healing,

Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.

How He made the lame to walk again

And caused the blind to see;

And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,

Come and heal my broken spirit,

And somehow Jesus came and bro't

To me the victory.

Chorus

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior, forever.

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him

And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about a mansion

He has built for me in glory.

And I heard about the streets of gold

Beyond the crystal sea;

About the angels singing,

And the old redemption story,

And some sweet day I'll sing up there

The song of victory.

Chorus

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior, forever.

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him

And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

Words and Music by E.M. Bartlett

© 1939 - Administrated by Integrated Copyright Group, Inc.

All rights reserved

My Friend Jim!

Have you ever had one of those days where you just feel…blah? That has been my day today and it just hasn’t improved all day long. First, I dropped my daughter Abby off at school this morning and totally forgot to say “Happy Birthday” to her!! To my credit, we already had her party yesterday so I am not that bad but it did make me feel horrible all morning.

Then to top things off, today, one of my best friends in life was just deployed to Iraq for a six month tour with the United States Air Force. He and his reserve unit out of Youngstown were given orders before Thanksgiving that they would be heading out this month. I am worried for him and his unit and I feel really bad for his wife and kids, as they endure their time apart. Please pray for Jim, his wife Tammy and their kids Caleb and Kylie.

As I continue my fasting this Lenten season, I can’t help but ponder on my buddy Jim and his call to service for our country. Jim accepted the call to serve in the military long ago and has remained in the reserves for the past several years when he left active service. As part of the reserves, he stands ready at a moment’s notice to be activated and deployed for our protection and our safety in this country. Jim has a very specific purpose at this time in our country’s history. He is a protector of our liberty and our freedom and while I am worried for his safety, I am also very proud of him.

Jim could have taken the initial route that Jonah took when God gave him orders to head to Nineveh…he could have turned tail and run the other way. Jim could have easily quit the reserves and opted out of Iraq but he didn’t. He honored the call to active service with the understanding that service requires action. Service requires dedication and service requires courage. Have I told you how proud of Jim I am today?!

His example of dedication to serve has given me a renewed spirit to serve in my own vocation. As a minister, God has asked me to serve Him, to serve my church and to serve the lost! Sometimes, I want to turn and run but today, through Jim’s reminder of sacrificial service, I am ready to stand strong. Thanks Jim and be safe!

A God-Filled Purpose

Within the forward of the book The Equipping Church, written by Sue Mallory, pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell states, “The church exist to equip people in order to release them back into the world, grounded in truth and community, dangerous for the gospel”(Mallory, p.9).

I spent much of my early life seeking and searching for the answer to the question, “Why do I exist?” What is my purpose? What does God want from me? Over the past several years, I have found that purpose, or at least a portion of the purpose, as I have served in The Salvation Army as a pastor and as a social agent. God has called me to minister in the pulpit but also in the community through social ministry. God has laid upon my heart the need for social justice and has guided me to the Biblical reference of Psalm 82:3-4, “Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless, maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Thompson, p.996).

I am confident that God has put me on this earth to reach the lost and to bring them Christ. As a pastor in The Salvation Army my goal is to bridge the gap between social ministry and spiritual ministry and to find ways to bring Christ to those my church serves in a social capacity everyday!

In the book, The American City and its Church, Samuel Kincheloe says, “Poverty drags the city family to the bottom level of life. Here are to be found poor housing, overcrowding, sickness, inadequate food and light and air, unemployment, social disorganization, personal demoralization, poor educational facilities, cultural destitution, ignorance, delinquency, crime and punishment. No wonder that the crude forms of degeneration here met with, the vice and immorality, the ignorance and uncouthness, sometimes are said to be below a human order”(Kincheloe, 1938, p.54). That book was written over 70 years ago yet it still rings true today.

He continues later by stating, “Churches help individuals get their bearings by clarifying their purposes and building patterns of motivation and conduct”(Kincheloe, p.146). So what is the Church’s response to the needy? What is my response to God?

Well first, I must have a faith that takes action. There is a necessity of following God’s instruction to doing something about a need which cannot be ignored. The ministry of Jesus throughout the four gospels regularly emphasizes the need for practical answers to obvious need. Jesus was often condemned for consorting with marginal-type people. Those who were outcast, poor, diseased, widowed, unemployed, directionless. One of Jesus’ most identifiable responses to this argument is found in Mark. “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners’”(Mark 2:17, NIV).

Isaiah felt his calling to the poor and wrote that God, “has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to comfort those who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1-2, NIV).

The power to which God instructs Isaiah, and the extent to what the good news can be applied to individual life, is profound. The Spirit of God persuaded Isaiah to feel compelled to help release people from their overwhelming burden before instructing them in the loving ways of God. This same power from God moves me to be an agent for His care and compassion to those less fortunate, the marginalized.

Every human being has a unique worth within the eyes of God, but our culture has reduced the value of that worth of a person if poverty is involved. Vinay Samuel states his observation in The Church in Response to Human Need, by saying, “A person’s senses of meaning, identity and worth have come to be derived from his or her ability to successfully participate and compete in an essentially economic world. They have learned to derive their very identity from what they produce and what they consume”(Samuel, p.7).

In our society, financially challenged people can be seen as second class citizens because of what they do not have or cannot give to society. It is my responsibility, as a reflection of God’s love, to reach out to the marginalized and help them out of their dire situations.

William Booth knew that other churches and agencies did not see eye to eye with his form of assistance to the poor in the 1800’s. In his book, In Darkest England and the Way Out, he directly states, “Perhaps as an agency, we (The Salvation Army) may not be of your way of thinking, but that is hardly the question. Look at that dark ocean, full of human wrecks, writhing in anguish and despair. How to rescue those unfortunates is the question”(Booth, p. 280).

Booth saw poor people as suffering from the poverty, not that they were undeserving. He knew that action was impending and that it was imperative to confront the underlying question of “how to help”.

· How will you be a Christian in action?
· How will God use you to be a difference in someone’s life?

Hear the words of Booth as we reflect on Living a life of action, action serving Christ and serving others!

“While women weep as they do now, Ill fight;
while little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight;
while men got to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight;
while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl on the streets,
while there remains one dark soul without the light of God,
I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end.”
-- William Booth, May 9, 1912, public address



Bibliography

Mallory, Sue. 2001. The Equipping Church: Serving Together To Transform Lives. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, MI

Kincheloe, Samuel. 1938. The American City and Its Church. Friendship Press. New York, NY.

Samuel, Vinay. 1987. The Church in Response to Human Need. William Eerdsmanns Publishing. Grand Rapids, MI.

Booth, William. 1975. In Darkest England and the Way Out. Patterson Smith Publishing Co. Montclair, NJ.

Thompson, Frank Charles. 1990. The Thompson Chain Reference Bible. B.B. KirkBride Bible Co. Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana.

It Is Alright To Feel Uncomfortable!

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." ---Luke 9:57-60

As human beings in 2010, we do not like to feel uncomfortable. We collectively have this innate desire to constantly improve our living experience. One cannot turn around without coming across something that is ‘new and improved’. Why, the very pinnacle of our technological achievement, the computer, is often rendered obsolete shortly after purchase due to technological advances and ‘new and improved’ versions. The whole concept of a technological society that constantly drives itself to bigger (or smaller in many cases) and better life sustaining and managing products revolve around one central mantra. “Make me comfortable!” It is human nature to want to be comfortable or satisfied.

Even Christianity strives to move study, worship, prayer time and fellowship to that ‘mountain-top’ experience, making it more pleasurable, more comfortable, more satisfying. Churches attempt to use the advances of society to satisfy all the human senses and often feel inferior to other churches if they are not up to speed in the technological ‘religious wars’ that strive to make the congregations life just a little better, a little more satisfied!

Then, along comes the Lenten experience. For many Christians, it becomes a time of self-introspection and contemplation. Prayer and fasting come to the forefront of our daily routine and our desire is to become more Christ-like. All of a sudden, less is more. For some, we often resolve to give-up our favorite foods or practices and for those who take their self-denial to the extreme, you would think they were auditioning for ‘Man verses Wild’. For others, the thought of being uncomfortable for several weeks in a row can be so frightening that there becomes the need to compromise our application to the Christian act of sacrifice.

In other words, when threatened with the concept of discomfort, human nature lends to the act of lowering the bar to meet our own desired outcome! Only those who are deemed to have great will power move towards the throne of grace while those who fear societal confirmation that our bodies will fall apart without three square meals a day allow human nature take hold and lean toward compromise in sacrifice.

Let me confirm something with you today. It Is Alright To Feel Uncomfortable! The purpose of sacrifice is to feel the pain. The purpose of fasting is to feel the hunger. Christ became man to understand human nature, human experience. It would not have been a sacrifice to head to the cross as a divine entity. Christ sacrificed His divinity to become man, so that He could be the ultimate sacrifice for man. Uncomfortable does not begin to describe what Christ felt in His sacrifice for us!

The whole practice of observing Lent through fasting is meant to move us into the uncomfortable while yet serving faithfully. To put it in a modern context, God often asks us to represent in the toughest of times! Following God is always easier when the path is free of debris or hurdles. God’s call for us to follow Him though often comes when we are in a comfortable place in life. To follow him may mean giving up the comfortable for the uncomfortable. When face to face with Jesus, do you follow Him or make excuses?

Look at today’s text found in Luke 9:57-60. Here comes a man on the road with Jesus, face to face, and he declares, "I'll go anywhere with you!" (vs.57) Now you would think that Christ would be overwhelmed with this man’s faithfulness but how does He respond? Jesus said, "Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own." (vs.58) Jesus was laying it on the line here so that there was no mistaking the cost of discipleship. This was not meant to discourage him but rather to clarify the actual cost of following. Jesus was saying to this man, “Look, we are not out here staying at the Hilton Inn, it is tough being a Christian. I often have nowhere to stay at night. It gets cold, there are animals, thieves, and let me tell you, we often go hungry!” See, Jesus wanted this man to understand that following Him could be uncomfortable at times.

We don’t get to hear the end result from this encounter because Jesus then turns to another man and says, “Follow Me!” (vs.59) How does the man respond when Christ calls this man to discipleship? The man said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." (vs.59) We don’t know if this man’s father is already dead or if he wants to wait for family obligations and situations to change. For all we know, this man was the first born and if he were to leave he may miss out on his inheritance. This man wanted to follow Christ but on his own terms. Jesus answered, "Let the dead take care of the dead, while you go and tell about God's kingdom!" (vs.60)

Has God ever called you to service, to follow Him and you decide to make excuses why you can’t follow at that very time? It happens all the time and you would not be alone in this scenario. It can be hard to step out of the ‘comfortable’. It can be hard to surrender everything for Him! Sometimes, being satisfied is accepting what God gives you rather than what the world can give you! Sometimes surrender and sacrifice, feeling a little uncomfortable, is the first step to feeling comfortable!

I surrender all
All to Jesus I surrender;
all to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him,
in his presence daily live.

Refrain:
I surrender all, I surrender all,
all to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
humbly at his feet I bow,
worldly pleasures all forsaken;
take me, Jesus, take me now.

(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender;
make me, Savior, wholly thine;
fill me with thy love and power;
truly know that thou art mine.

(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to thee;
fill me with thy love and power;
let thy blessing fall on me.

(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender;
now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to his name!

(Refrain)

Ash Wednesday-Pilgrimage to the Cross!

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."---Matthew 26:26-29

Today is Ash Wednesday! Are we to be solemn or should we be celebrating? This day is set aside for all of Christendom to solemnly bring in the Lenten season yet it is also a time to celebrate. We, as Christians, are part of an immeasurable throng of worshippers intent in calling to remembrance the phenomenal cost of the salvation offered in Christ Jesus!

For those who choose to observe the Lenten season, it must first begin with a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage to the Lord’s Table set for all who believe and wish to express themselves through faith, obedience and remembrance.

This pilgrimage takes the believer back to the triumphal entry, to the upper room, to the rollercoaster of emotions felt by Christ’s followers and ultimately to the foot of the cross at Calvary! The believer is invited by Christ to eat and drink at the Lord’s Table, hence finding fellowship in the family of God. The believer must hear and remember the very call from Christ, “Do this in remembrance of me”. This is not just a call to history or religious acclaim but more importantly, this is a call to holiness!

As we choose to journey our way through the Lenten experience, God calls us to introspection and self-examination. Our journey over the next few weeks must be one that has the ultimate goal of Christ-likeness. Our trek must be one that produces change from the inside out. Our desire for holiness must be so intense that it drives our actions, our study, our prayers, our fellowship and our worship! We must be prepared to answer God’s call and to eat and drink from the table set before us in a holiness setting.

Why take the pilgrimage of Lent? Because we have a Savior who bled for us! We have a Savior who died for us! We have a Savior that bathed us in His grace and mercy and gave us hope in a world filled with cruelness and sin. We have a Savior who gave us his Love!

At The Cross

Alas, and did my Savior bleed?

And did my Sovereign die?

Would He devote that sacred head

For such a worm as I?

Chorus

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,

And the burden of my heart rolled away,

It was there by faith I received my sight,

And now I am happy all the day!

Was it for crimes that I had done,

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity! grace unknown!

And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide,

And shut his glories in,

When Christ, the mighty Maker died,

For man the creature's sin.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay

The debt of love I owe:

Here, Lord, I give my self away

'Tis all that I can do.

----Words by Isaac Watts, 1905