Ah, Halloween. A night which we allow our children to, under the cover of darkness, approach the homes of total strangers and request candy. All the stranger danger conversations are suspended for one night in hopes of a bite-size Snickers or some Hershey's kisses. The worst case scenario. . .a piece or two of that awful black or oranged wrapped peanut butter-tasting candy. (BTW-If a house dares provide your children with any of that confection abomination, consider a visit later that night with several rolls of Charmin.)
Goblins, ghosts, and ghouls roam the streets. Spiderman walks side-by-side with Elsa. Sponge Bob races a pint-sized zombie down the sidewalk. Halloween, a night to disguise and impersonate. On Halloween it's all in good fun, tradition. But I wonder how many of us put on spiritual masks and costumes when we come into the presence of Yahweh. Is our quiet time a time of honest reflection and open conversation?
Looking for a way to finish this. . . my thinking is we opt not to be competly open with God. We sugar coat temptations with which we struggle. Our admission of sin is luke-warm and full of justifications. Heavenly conviction causes of to bristle and rationalize. Agreement with God about sin in our lives is something we avoid. But not sure how to flow into this with the Halloween introduction. . . Thoughts?
James 1:19 encourages Christians to be "be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger". Until recently I had looked at this verse as having solely secular application. I needed to listen more, talk less to others and work to control my temper. And, indeed, there is that level of application, but James' advice has a much deeper spiritual meaning.
When we approach God do we do so with a listening spirit? Our hearts and minds should be more focused on hearing what God would tell us rather than a list of demands, concerns, or questions. Just like our physical bodies have two ears and only one mouth, our spiritual self should be more concerned with listening rather than talking. God knows our wants, needs, hopes, and fears. What we need is direction, wisdom, and comfort from Him. He wants to provide all that, but we must have a listening spirit.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Monday, October 29, 2018
October 29, 2018 Class List
As a retired principal, the term "class list" conjures up thoughts of assigning students to a homeroom, posting those lists, and then waiting for the phone to ring.
Most often students and parents are either positive or at least neutral when they learn of the groupings. However, on occasion my phone would ring within 10 minutes after posting the lists each August. Either a parent didn't like a certain teacher, or a best friend was not in the same class, or last year's teacher had promised a student could be in Ms. Smith's class and they weren't. Then it became a question of moving or soothing. Luckily, today's entry does not refer to those class lists, because now that I am retired, I no longer have to worry about Sam's inclusion in Mr. Mackerel's class or whether Martha and Sophia are in the same homeroom. As they would say in Poland, "Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy."
I am referring to the list of prayer requests and praises our small group makes each Sunday at church. Each class begins with an assigned person standing at the white board writing down the various submissions from the class members. Prayer requests run the gambit. Employment to evangelism. Medical to (need an "m" alliteration here). Most Sundays the list contains 8-10 items, with a dozen or more on the rare occasion.
After the prayer requests are generated, we attempt to generate a list of praises. All of a sudden a hush falls over the crowd. Crickets. Not a creature was stirring. There may be the odd follow up to an answered prayer to a from a previous class prayer list or an anecdote about traveling safety for a family member. But seldom is the praise list even half the length of the prayer request side.
I do not mean to trivialize our requests for prayer. The items on the list are real, and we truly are wanting and hoping our fellow brothers and sisters will remember needs we share. But why is the praise list so much shorter?
Do we not feel our lives have any publicly praiseworthy happenings? Have our lives in America become so comfortable we take our blessings for granted? Are we embarrassed to share the powerful working of God in our lives? Maybe we would feel like a braggart or blowhard.
I wonder how it would affect a group collectively and class members individually if there was a spoken (or at least unspoken) expectation that for every request for prayer, a praise had to also be listed. It might be awkward at first, but after time I think the praises might start to even outnumber the requests. Spouses begin to publicly express their thanks for each other. A chance encounter to witness to a neighbor is shared and becomes an encouragement for someone else to do likewise. Maybe something as simple as getting over a cold in time for a presentation reminds the class that God has our backs.
Here is a link to "30 Days of Gratitude: A Prayer Guide". I challenge you to add just a couple of minutes to your daily quiet time to walk through this guide and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a praise request to share with your small group each Sunday. Yes, we need to bring our requests to God, but we also need to be just as quick to give Him public praise and thanks.
Most often students and parents are either positive or at least neutral when they learn of the groupings. However, on occasion my phone would ring within 10 minutes after posting the lists each August. Either a parent didn't like a certain teacher, or a best friend was not in the same class, or last year's teacher had promised a student could be in Ms. Smith's class and they weren't. Then it became a question of moving or soothing. Luckily, today's entry does not refer to those class lists, because now that I am retired, I no longer have to worry about Sam's inclusion in Mr. Mackerel's class or whether Martha and Sophia are in the same homeroom. As they would say in Poland, "Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy."
I am referring to the list of prayer requests and praises our small group makes each Sunday at church. Each class begins with an assigned person standing at the white board writing down the various submissions from the class members. Prayer requests run the gambit. Employment to evangelism. Medical to (need an "m" alliteration here). Most Sundays the list contains 8-10 items, with a dozen or more on the rare occasion.
After the prayer requests are generated, we attempt to generate a list of praises. All of a sudden a hush falls over the crowd. Crickets. Not a creature was stirring. There may be the odd follow up to an answered prayer to a from a previous class prayer list or an anecdote about traveling safety for a family member. But seldom is the praise list even half the length of the prayer request side.
I do not mean to trivialize our requests for prayer. The items on the list are real, and we truly are wanting and hoping our fellow brothers and sisters will remember needs we share. But why is the praise list so much shorter?
Do we not feel our lives have any publicly praiseworthy happenings? Have our lives in America become so comfortable we take our blessings for granted? Are we embarrassed to share the powerful working of God in our lives? Maybe we would feel like a braggart or blowhard.
I wonder how it would affect a group collectively and class members individually if there was a spoken (or at least unspoken) expectation that for every request for prayer, a praise had to also be listed. It might be awkward at first, but after time I think the praises might start to even outnumber the requests. Spouses begin to publicly express their thanks for each other. A chance encounter to witness to a neighbor is shared and becomes an encouragement for someone else to do likewise. Maybe something as simple as getting over a cold in time for a presentation reminds the class that God has our backs.
Here is a link to "30 Days of Gratitude: A Prayer Guide". I challenge you to add just a couple of minutes to your daily quiet time to walk through this guide and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a praise request to share with your small group each Sunday. Yes, we need to bring our requests to God, but we also need to be just as quick to give Him public praise and thanks.
Monday, October 15, 2018
October 15, 2018 FOTS
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-23 ESV)
Yesterday in small group at church, we looked at part of Paul's letter to the Galatians. Near the end of that epistle, Paul lists the various aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit. As usual whenever this list is presented, I realized how lacking I was in demonstrating this list. And, as usual, I walked away from the scripture feeling like a man who has looked in a mirror and discovered he had a woeful case of bedhead and a large red pimple popping up on the end of his nose.
James warns us that if we look in the mirror of scripture, see ourselves lacking, but do nothing, we are deceiving ourselves into thinking we are something we are not. (James 1:21-25 ESV) If God's revelation and/or conviction does not cause us to make changes, then I believe those heavenly messages will become less and less frequent causing us to miss out on blessings and possibly place ourselves outside of some of God's protections.
As I pondered the FOTS, I was reminded of the constant struggle I have with feeling joy and peace, and as a consequence, demonstrating the remaining: patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is not a new phenomenon, but a years' long battle. It is at times frustrating, angering, even debilitating. Paul tells us that through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, all Christians possess the FOTS. Why then has it been so elusive in my life?
For me the answer hinges on the first aspect of the FOTS, "love".
When Paul lists love, he is referring to love we have for others. It is what Christ commands when he tells the scribes the second greatest command is to "love your neighbors as yourself". (Mark 12:28-31 ESV)
But there is another aspect of love that must grasped before we can hope to truly see the effects of the FOTS is our lives. That is the love that our Father has for us. Until we start to grasp the depth and permanence and purity of the love Abba has for his children, we will live in fear, uncertainty, and anxiousness.
Countless wedding goers have heard 1 Corinthians 13 read as part of the ceremony. It is often referred to as the "Love Chapter" and held up as the standard for how we should love each other. While it certainly is to be read with that mindset, I think it is also useful to help us understand how God loves each of his children.
To begin to grasp how God loves us, spend some time studying and praying over 1 Corinthians 13. When we begin to accept and truly believe in God's love for us, then the Fruit of the Spirit can start to grow in our lives.
Yesterday in small group at church, we looked at part of Paul's letter to the Galatians. Near the end of that epistle, Paul lists the various aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit. As usual whenever this list is presented, I realized how lacking I was in demonstrating this list. And, as usual, I walked away from the scripture feeling like a man who has looked in a mirror and discovered he had a woeful case of bedhead and a large red pimple popping up on the end of his nose.
James warns us that if we look in the mirror of scripture, see ourselves lacking, but do nothing, we are deceiving ourselves into thinking we are something we are not. (James 1:21-25 ESV) If God's revelation and/or conviction does not cause us to make changes, then I believe those heavenly messages will become less and less frequent causing us to miss out on blessings and possibly place ourselves outside of some of God's protections.
As I pondered the FOTS, I was reminded of the constant struggle I have with feeling joy and peace, and as a consequence, demonstrating the remaining: patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is not a new phenomenon, but a years' long battle. It is at times frustrating, angering, even debilitating. Paul tells us that through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, all Christians possess the FOTS. Why then has it been so elusive in my life?
For me the answer hinges on the first aspect of the FOTS, "love".
When Paul lists love, he is referring to love we have for others. It is what Christ commands when he tells the scribes the second greatest command is to "love your neighbors as yourself". (Mark 12:28-31 ESV)
But there is another aspect of love that must grasped before we can hope to truly see the effects of the FOTS is our lives. That is the love that our Father has for us. Until we start to grasp the depth and permanence and purity of the love Abba has for his children, we will live in fear, uncertainty, and anxiousness.
Countless wedding goers have heard 1 Corinthians 13 read as part of the ceremony. It is often referred to as the "Love Chapter" and held up as the standard for how we should love each other. While it certainly is to be read with that mindset, I think it is also useful to help us understand how God loves each of his children.
To begin to grasp how God loves us, spend some time studying and praying over 1 Corinthians 13. When we begin to accept and truly believe in God's love for us, then the Fruit of the Spirit can start to grow in our lives.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
October 9, 2018 People Not Process
This past month I have had the opportunity to teach some small group lessons from the Book of Galatians. Paul is admonishing the Christians in the Galatian churches about the influence of the Judaizers and the increased importance Jewish customs and the Mosiac law are starting to play in their lives. From the tone and language of the letter, it is apparent that Paul was very disturbed, even angry, with the news he had received of the trend.
As I thought about why this might stir such strong feelings in Paul, I realized that today's Christians can allow pomp, procedure, and process to replace people. Sunday School can replace sick bed visits. Praise band performances preempt picking up a neighbor for church. Tithing takes the place of being that shoulder for a distraught coworker.
There is value in much of what takes place within the church walls and the extracurricular activities of organized religions, but these must never overshadow a genuine love and love for others and having that love supported by action.
Be ever vigilant we do not become like those believers in the Galatian churches Paul chastised.
As I thought about why this might stir such strong feelings in Paul, I realized that today's Christians can allow pomp, procedure, and process to replace people. Sunday School can replace sick bed visits. Praise band performances preempt picking up a neighbor for church. Tithing takes the place of being that shoulder for a distraught coworker.
There is value in much of what takes place within the church walls and the extracurricular activities of organized religions, but these must never overshadow a genuine love and love for others and having that love supported by action.
Be ever vigilant we do not become like those believers in the Galatian churches Paul chastised.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Octoberl 8, 2018 It's Not Either-Or
One of my favorite weather phenomenons is when there is an ample amount of sunshine, blue sky, AND it is still raining. Last week we had two or three of these episodes. It was during one of these times, I was reminded of a recent sermon I listened to on Christian radio.
I don't remember who the speaker was or even the point of the overall sermon, but what stuck in my mind was that too often we look at our situations as either all going well or it is all in the crapper. The point was made that this is seldom the case.
Perhaps you are going through a tough time at work. But the family is still healthy.
Maybe we receive a worrisome doctor's report. However, the mortgage is paid up.
A Christian life is not a life free from hurt and disappointment. In fact, we are warned that we will go through hard times.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12 ESV)
For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matt. 5:45 ESV)
But with few exceptions, even during those dark times, there are just as many positives. Pray that our Father will help us look for those points of sunshine during the rainstorms in our lives.
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