Pastor Appreciation Month

October is Pastor Appreciation Month,  I am not soliciting support or comments. I feel deeply loved and appreciated by my church family whom I have the privilege of swerving.

For my church family, may I encourage you to let Pastor Mark, Pastor Logan and Pastor Christian know some way how much you appreciate their ministry in this season of transition.

Here are some ideas of how you might do that...

*a personal note

*a gift card to a restaurant or entertainment venue

*a dinner at your place

*a face-to-face comment and word of encouragement on a Sunday morning

*a volunteering to "babysit" so they can go out

*an evening together not talking about church

*a phone call expressing your thanks

Pick one of these and find a way to let one or all three of these families know how much you aprpeciate them!

Third world realities

Water is a precious commodity.  I've learned that from my frequent trips to Haiti where clean water is a rarity.

Hot water is a luxury.  Cold showers punctuate that forgotten trtuh.

With a  burst hot water heater we are making some minor adjustments and many of them revolve around water...or...the lack of hot water.  Tasks like washing dishes, taking showers, washing our    hair--things we have always taken for granted--now seem to have increased in value.

We have remarked in between short spells of whining that this is not like a third world country where the hope for clean water does not stand as a certainty at week's end.  We know we will have hot water by Friday.

In the meantime, all of our water is clean.

Third world realities are different than ours even when we are for a moment inconvenienced.  We are remembering that this week when we are tempted to complain.

"Ups" and "Downs"

I left for Haiti September 1st with a lot of uncertainty about what was ahead for us in this rescheduled shortened trip.  As we headed up into the sky from Sacramento International; Airport towards Port au Prince my apprehensions were quickly replaced with excitement as I thought about the great opportunities God was providing me to serve Him in a place to which He clearly called me to several years before.

As we descended down into Haiti, i was hit with a rush of heat and the noise of whirling fans in the terminal.  For just a  moment as I saw the people and remembered we had now been transported into the heart of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, just for a moment I asked myself, "What am I doing here?"

In a matter of moments my eyes were lifted up in the direction of a familiar voice and a smiling face--Gilbert had come to take us to his home.  All of a sudden there was a surge of joy and an affirmation of what made me come to Haiti in the first place.  It was that conversation when Gilbert said to me and a fellow pastor over two years ago, "We need someone to teach our pastors the Word of God".

In the few days we were there I spoke four times--three times with groups of church leaders who were struggling to get along.  Yes, even in Haiti the devil is at work to divide the church. It was encouraging to see those leaders embracing one another and seeking to move forward in a spirit of unity and harmony.

On September 6th I said "good-bye" to Gilbert, and along with my friend, Mark, headed back to California.  On the plane trip home, I talked  myself down--"And I am coming back inNovember?  I'm not sure I can do this again."  I wrestled with the allurement of thecomforts of home , the enticement of retirement, the desire to do something safer and easier.

On Sunday, September 9th I stood before my congregation with my heart lifted up by the groundswell of support my church family verbalized for our ministry in Haiti.  Once again I acknowledged in my heart the true joy there comes from serving God in spite of the "ups" and "downs" of it. Isn't that just like life?

Flexibility and Faith

Preparation, anticipation, excitement.

Disappointment, frustration, confusion.

That was the story during a stormy week here and in Haiti.

The real problem was Hurricance Isaac which wreaked its devastation on Haiti, causing flooding, creating impassable roads and encouraging the spread of cholera.  Our scheduled trip to teach and train pastors was a casualty of the storm.

All the preparation meeting printing and translation deadlines for materials, all the anticipation of seeing our brothers in Haiit, all the excitement of sharing the Word...

Traded for disappointment because it was obvious we could not get there from here, nor could they get to a seminar there.  Frustration because we so desperately wanted to go and they were so anxious for us to come.  Confusion..."Why, God?"

Faith in a sovereign God has to rest in Him even when the storm obscures our clear vision of what is happening in the moment.  I arrived at that point, kicking and screaming inwardly.  I am confident God knows what's best.  I know because in similar circumstances when my vision has been unclear, my retrospect has enabled me to see how God worked things out for His glory.

I don't have that picture yet, but a flexible schedule is allowing me the opportunity to travel to Haiti September1-6 to see what special things churches and believers can do to respond to the current crisis in Haiti.  Additionally, I'll be meeting with some church and small group leaders, trying to discern how we can help most.

It's not what we planned.  But it  may be what God has in mind.

So, I am willing to be flexible, and to step out in faith and to see what God will do.  Pray for us as we travel and seek to minister to our Haitian brothers.

Encouragement

I leave for Haiti in a few days and I am experiencing some apprehension about some challenges before me.

I have been praying and I know God is hearing and answering.

Today God sent me a friend whose input I value greatly, especially when it comes to missionary labor, where he has served faithfully all over the world.  we have a similar heart, I believe, for the training of pastors to understand the Word so they can teach it clearly.

He encouraged me and reminded me of some special passages in I Thessalonians 2 where Paul talks about how he behaved among the Thessalonians.  I Thessalonians 2:11 caught my attention, this being a favorite verse of mine.
"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a a father deals with his own children, encouraging , comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory".

I am refreshed, leaving with that goal in mind--to be an encourager and comforter by proclaiming the Word, and to urge my Haitian brother pastors to join me in living lives that bring glory to God.

Pray for me that I'll go and teach in God's strength, not mine. It would be frightening to undertake such a privileged task on my own!

Off to college...

I joined a fellow pastor with his wife and teenage daughter for lunch today.  She leaves for college this weekend.

Lots of emotions for me.  More for them.

I knew her when she was four years old introducing me to her play area in her bedroom as we visited her parents inquiring about their willingness to come work with us in ministry.    Little did I know that the next fourteen years we would watch her grow and blossom into an outstanding young woman.

She is an artist of unquestionable talent, a competitive athlete, an excellent scholar, her high school home-coming queen, and a singer.

I've watched her learn to sing.  Musically-gifted parents jump-started her but she has emerged as a special talent.

Her last  Sunday here she joined her sister in singing a duet that left us all breathless...

And thankful...that the four year old, now eighteen years old...is off to college, where she will surely  continue to grow and blossom.

We'll miss her.

Watching the body work...

I love this part of ministry.  It's incredible how the pieces so neatly fit together as God directs His people to do His work.

*Today we helped three families outside the church with their rent through our Benevolence Fund.

*A church air conditioning contractor had to go out of town but still made time to send  someone to repair the unit in the midst of hot summer weather.

*A lawyer in our church who travels out of state made  time to orchestrate our third family camp that serviced over a hundred people...a great ministry!

*A man hospitalized over an hour away testified of how caring and loving the church people were in their visits and expressed concern towards him during a protracted stay.

*Stephen's Ministers at Grace are connected with 15-20 individuals who are benefitting weekly from their love and care.

*A group ministered at a local rest home on Sunday, sharing Christ's love with those shut-in there.

* A group of church men are working together to assist a church member who is undergoing preparation for a kidney transplant with transportation and funds for traveling between here and Los Angeles.

Just some examples of how the body works!

Should encourage you to be connected to the body.

Blogging

One of my favorite means of communication is blogging.  I currently write three blogs, including this one and two others.  I am blessed by a  number of friends who read my blogs but very few choose to respond on line.  I am hoping you might choose today to just respond and say, "I read your blog site" so I can determine how many weekly contacts I have.

I have a blog site that relates to my counseling-coaching practice, full-lifecoaching.blogspot,com, and another relating to my new work in Haiti, theleadershipconnection.blogspot.com.    If you have an opportunity, take a look at those as well and it will introduce you to some other areas of ministry in which I am invested.

Thanks for reading.

The Calm of Communion

I visited someone yesterday who asked me to serve him Communion.  He is dying and barely able to speak but he, along with his wife, are believers and wanted to do this one more time before he goes to be with the Lord.

He was weak and restless--not uncommon signs for someone who is "pre-terminal"--and unable to communicate.  I decided not to serve communion and after reading the Word and praying with him, prepared to leave.  But he began to gesticulate wildly...and we determined that he indeed wanted to take Communion before I left.

We took the elements--he could not swallow them himself--and recited the scriptural references that identify their significance,  We shared communion together-awkwardly, but with deep meaning and reverence for what it represents to a  child of God.

When I left, he was exhausted.  He had invested all of his limited energy in sharing in that moment of intimacy with God.

When I checked later in the evening his wife said he had fallen asleep peacefully and was resting.  There was a calmness she had not seen over the last few days.

There is no magic in participating in Communion, but it is a proclamation of our confidence in  the forgiveness of our sins through Christ's shed blood on the cross.  For all of us who know Christ, it brings a calmness and peace to know we are in right relationship with God because of Christ's work.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with god through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access into this grace in which we now stand", Romans 5:1,2.

a little piece of information

I was processing an issue this week and engaging in dialogue with a friend. I arrived at some conclusions that were unfortunate, but, obvious, I think, given the information I had.  As a result, my counseling response was at some levels inappropriate.

I received a little unsolicited piece of information that changed my perspective; in fact, it relieved me, though I realized it had caused me to reach a different conclusion than I would have with that piece in hand, and, perhaps, inflicted some unnecessary pain upon my friend.

My response was to communicate with my friend, revamp what I had said and to acknowledge that the absence of a little piece of information had influenced my reaction and caused me to reach an inappropriate conclusion.  I was sorry to have added to the pain he was already experiencing.

What's the point of all of this?
1.  Make sure you are responding to the right information.
2.  If you're not sure, take more time and gather the information you need.
3.  If you feel a response is necessary,  carefully and lovingly communicate your concern.
4.  If you got it wrong--minus a little piece of information--make it right.

I am still in the school of learning.  It's a little piece of information I won;t forget.

The best team I ever played on

I've been on lots of sports teams, playing high school, college and city league basketball.  I've also been involved in team ministries at four different churches.  I've been called to serve on denominational leadership teams and participated in team-teaching ventures in foreign countries.

Each of these to be successful requires a melding together of talents and abilities and a willingness to do whatever it takes to make the efforts of the team successful in attaining their goals and reaching their objectives.

Having just completed a special event at Grace Fellowship, the church where I currently pastor, I am prepared to say this is the best team I've been privileged to be partners with.  Here's why...

1.  Everyone shares the "glory", deflecting it to others who have helped carry the load.

2.  Each person does their job with excellence, with the highest level of professionalism.

3.  Everyone enjoys the task, jointly committed to the objective of reaching a common goal.

4.  Each person follows through in organizing, delegating and finishing up.

5.  Everyone serves as a volunteer, often donating their own resources to accomplish a task.

We just honored our pastor of seniors who is retiring.  The team I picked--that was my part of the responsibility!--went beyond the proverbial call of duty and provided for our honored guest an  afternoon to be remembered.

Good job team! I'm proud to have been one of you!

Father's Day

All four of my children called and left messages on Father's Day and, for me, it was enough.  I would have preferred to have them come from New York, Tennessee and Texas to deliver their greetings in person but that didn't happen for obvious reasons.

I look forward to Father's Day for a couple of reasons.

1.  My dad was significant in my life and his birthday falls around the time of Ftather's Day so I am gernerally predisposed to thinking about him anyway.  He's been gone for twenty-four years and would have been ninety years old June 10th.

2.  I take my role as a father seriously and I always am pretty self-deprecating in reviewing my performance for a variety of reasons, i.e. workaholism, perfectionsim, etc.--not great parenting traits.  But Father's Day messages remind me that I get a passing grade from my kids and affirms the fact that though my fathering was flawed my love for them was apparent and "love covers a multitude of sins".

3.  The evolutuion of my role as a grandfather is an exciting dimension of the whole fathering role.  Though it is vastly different there are some similarities in terms of imperfect performance yet mutual affection.  I also have the advantage of watching my two sons and step-sons perform well as fathers and am welcomed by them as time and space allow into my role as "grandpa"--one I relish.

4.  "Forefathers" also play into my Father's Day mindset--the early patriots who wrote the Deckaration of Indepoendnce and formulated the Constitution under the shadow of "In God we trust", as well as amed service men who stormed places like the beaches of Normandy in WW II at great personal risk toi preserve the freedom we celebrate today.

5.  Finally, I am directed to Romans 8:16 which talks about the unique privilege we celebrate in being a part of the family of God--adopted as sons having trusted in Christ's saving work,  We can call the Creator of the universe "Abba, Father", or in today's vernacular, "Daddy".  How amazing is it that we can have an intimate relationship with a tranmscendant God!

I am living in the afterglow of Father's Day--a conversation today with one of my son's, a message saying "I learned it from the best"...and a reminder that in spite of my flaws and imperfections my children love me, my grandchildren love me...and, most importantly, God  my Heavenly Father, loves me.

How good can it get?

lessons from a baseball tournament

I returned from a week  camping at Pismo Beach in my trailer next to four of my grandchildren, one who was participating as an all star in a baseball tournament with teams from Central California.  He had four games--we saw all of them--and his team won the tournament.  Yeah, Zeke!

Here's some lessons I learned while "spectating"...

1.  Grandparents, for all of their oxygen deprivation, can scream loud when a grandchild is at bat.

2.  Grandchildren (mine) are the most skilled on the field.

3.  Grandchildren love it when grandparents notice what they are doing.

4.  Grandparents love to say, "That one belongs to me...", as if they had something to do with their grandchild's athletic prowess.

5.  Grandchildren are inconsolable when they lose, although sweets and dessert will go along way towards taking the edge off...

Here's my conclusion about the week.  Grandparenting is a special task to which grandparents are called--not just to admire their grandchildren's accomplishments on the field, but to walk alongside them in life, and to cheer them on in victory and defeat.

Winning a tournament is an occasional treat.  Living with disappointment may be a more common event.  Share the good and the bad.  It's life.




 

A meeting...by chance?

As I was walking to lunch last week a familiar face caught my attention, and within moments we were catching up and she was saying, "I can't believe I saw you today".

What followed was the sad story of her mother;s debilitating health and her recent placement with Hospice.  My friend;s father had died two years ago and I had the porivilege as a Hospice chaplain of walking with the family through his final months.

And now it was happening with her mother, who had been told she had from two weeks to six months to live.

For whatever reasons,we had not yet made ther Hospice conenction and now I was ushdered once again into the family's grieving process.

The next day I was at her mother's home and we prayed together, affirming her faith.  She was sitting up, in good spirits and responsive.  A week later she was dead.

It wa snot as meeting by chance.  I believe--and so does her daughter--it was God-ordained. 

When you're walking to lunch, keep your heart and eyes open.  God may have something or someone special in mind for you!

The fruitless pursuit of peace

So many of recent devotional readings I've read with Bev are about peace.  Even in recent staff meetings we have talked frequently about peace, or, the lack of it. It seems appropriate, if not God-ordained, since peace is always on my mind but seldom in my heart.

Or, at least that is how it feels.

I've been drawn to two verses in the Bible.  One is the familiar promise (KJV is how I learned it) in          Isaiah  26:3 "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee". The other is Colossians 3:15 which instructs us to "Let the peace of God rule in your heart..." (NIV)

Sometimes I feel as if I am in engaged in a frenetic pursuit of peace.  That in itself seems exhausting and certainly futile.  There are mental exercises I attempt, scriptural promises I quote, meaningful conversations I engage...yet peace seems fleeting if not elusive.

I am also reading a book entitled, FEEL, which suggests we cannot ignore our emotions--that, in fact, they are by God's design inextricably tied to the intellectual process of rational decision-making.  What I tell   my self is that peace is not the absence of internal conflict but the assurance that God is on the scene no matter what I am feeling.

I have not resolved the enigma of peace this morning but here's where I am with respect to the two biblical passages that have been resonating in my heart for the last few weeks.

1.  Keeping my mind intentionally set on God in every circumstance and situation, and being attentive to what His Word says about who He is and what He can do, is an act of productive discipline.  My morning devotional prayer simply  was, "Lord, I receive the peace that is mine because you live within me."

2.  I continue to intellectually affirm that peace is the arbiter of my life--in my relationship with God, in my commitment to meaningful personal relationships, in my tackling of difficult decisions.

My pursuit of peace continues unsatisfactorily.

But my experience of peace, though only occasionally an emotional reality, is growing proportionately to my abandonment of human effort and my affirmation of God's abiding presence.

Where do we go for help?

The Israelites were facing the challenge of the Assyrians and were contemplating asking their adversarial neighbors, the Egyptians, to join them.  In Isaiah 31 he warns the Israelites against this.  Here are some key verses I noted as I randomly opened my Bible for my morning devotions.


"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek help from the Lord..."


As I think about the challenges before me--nothing like the Assyrian armies, but potentially overwhelming because they stretch me beyond my personal resources--I am often tempted to figure out what plan or program I should follow to attack the problem.  I am tempted to despair because when I look at my own arsenal of "weapons", I realize my impotency.

God does not ask us to look for creative resources when up against a challenge.  He does not ask us to compromise with the enemy to make our way easier.

He wants us to ask Him for His help.

What a novel idea!  The Creator of the universe, Sovereign God--He invites us to come to Him, and warns against the folly and futility of looking elsewhere.

I think I can do that.  I know I should do that. I will do that.

Managing free time

Now that sounds like an oxymoron...why would anyone want to manage free time?  Free time should be essentially time that does not have to be managed.  Right?

Wrong.

At least, for me.  Blessed with an extraordinary opportunity to be away--I am gone twelve weeks during the year to allow for Pastor Mark's continued transition into his role as senior pastor in 2013--I wrestle with all kinds of varying emotions and self-imposed pressures.

Guilt.  Self-indulgence.  Guilt   Work-aholism.  Guilt.  Other's expectations.  Guilt.

This weekend we traveled in our trailer with good friends, enjoying free time.  We hiked ( 11 miles in one trip), boated on the majestic Lake Oroville (a beautiful surprise), played games (Shanghai is our favorite "Christian" card game), slept in (7 am is late for us), had long devotional discussions and prayer time together (Bev and I got to do this without a clock ticking in the background), barbecued outside and ate too much.

We camped where there was no internet reception--no wi-fi, and we had opted not to bring a computer.  Of course, I had my mini-portable computer--my IPhone--which allowed me painstakingly slow email reception---but we  were generally shut off from the real world...the world I unsuccessfully try to manage.

Managing free time for me demands "intentionality".  The discussion about the IPhone, computer, church work, TLC work, counseling--these all have to be managed--which means, put aside.  I do that with varying degrees of success, depending on hopw willing I am to listen to a loving wife's counsel.

What I am learning to do is to embrace my free time as just that--time in which I am free to decide what I will do with this precious commodity.  Will I read for pure enjoyment?  Will I hike for the beauty and the exhilaration I feel?  Will I sit quietly in the sun under the shad of a tree for the sheer joy of unencumbered rest?   Will I leave my watch aside for the wanton pleasure of not being on a planned schedule?

These are choices I have to make in managing free time. Solomon's words from Ecclesiastes 3 resonate in my heart today.  "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven..."

a trusted friend

Yesterday I spent some time with a trusted friend.  Though we are very close we seldom have time to really just sit and visit.

Yesterday was different.

We went to a local restaurant and bought sandwiches and salads.

We took a short drive to the Mokelumne River, a few miles from where we both live.

We sat on some hastily-grabbed picnic chairs next to the river's edge and ate lunch.

We mostly sat and listened to the water.

We walked for an hour, occasionally talking, but intentionally listening to birds and frogs punctuating the silence.

We climbed back into the car--now hastily ushered back into the reality of our busy world--and reflected upon how good it was just to spend time together.

I thank God for my trusted friend.

My wife.

Digging out of the Duldrums

It's Monday and I'm feeling the weightiness of transition.  I'm tired, feeling isolated, and disconnected.

I've retreated to my other office and am working through my feelings and emotions, knowing that they are not reliable reference points for decison-making.

I am also reminding myself that worry is counter productive and, more improtantly, sinful, for it separates me from the more appropriate response to anxiety of prayer.

I read from the Psalms for my devotions this morning and was directed there again a few minutes ago to Psalm 116:1, "I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I mwillc all on Him as long as I live."

David's context for those words seem a bit more egregious than mine--"The cords of death strangled me...", "I was overcome by trouble and sorrow..."

David's next words are where I want to be, "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you."

I am calling on the Lord--He has always been faithful to meet my needs.  I know He hears me. 

I think I'll take a nap. (It's my day off...)

"Speak the truth in love"

Here's a biblical principle seldom practiced.

"Speak the truth in love."


No doubt, part of the  problem is how we do this.

*The "speak" can become "yelling" and "gesticulating".

The "truth" can be diluted and distorted.

The "in love" can be lost on line, miscommunicated in a letter, or even misread in a  face-to-face meeting.

Hardly seems worth the risk.

Except, the alternative is to harbor anger, to become sullen and withdrawn, to become passively aggressive...to miss the opportunity that openness and honesty afford when exercised in the context of Christian love.

Yes, there are still risks.

I have shared on occasions "in love"  in the past with Christian brothers where my sharing was turned around to make me feel guilty or to question my motives.

For me, it's still worth it.

Obeying the Word, exercising the biblical principle, and checking personal motives will enable you to "speak the truth in love" and to move forward without rancor or bitterness.

I know.  I've compared the benefit of "speaking the truth in love" to harboring bitterness in my heart--something warned against in God's word.  There's no comparison.

Obey the Word.  Take the "risk".

"Speak the truth in love."