Once a pastor,always a pastor

I was raised in a Christian home where my father pastored for almost forty years until his untimely death at age 66.  For forty-six years I was a pastor.  So for about 57 of my 65 years I either lived with a pastor or I served as a pastor.  You could say it's in my blood.

I'd rather say it's in my heart.

I don't have a church that I lead any more. I don't team together with a staff of people to provide guidance for a body of believers.  I don't have a group of people who see me and say "Hi, Pastor Dale" any more.  It feels different.

But I am not different.  My heart still wants to pastor.  And I've discovered that in some ways I will always have that opportunity.

I am a pastoral counselor and this morning I have two former parishioners and a former client by phone.  I really was functioning in the familiar role of sharing the Word of God with someone with an express need. As a pastor I loved doing that and I loved and cared for the flock God had entrusted to my care.

The setting is different.  The responsibilities are reduced.  I am part-time, without formal pastoral responsibility.

But my heart is still full-time.  And I am figuring out joyfully how to continue to share the wisdom of God's Word with those God sends my way.

ADAPTING TO SEMI-RETIREMENT

Okay. I am 65 and retirement is generally what people do when they reach that age.

So I am trying.  Granted, I need to work some, but, for the most part, I have discretionary time--a novelty for me, and a huge challenge to use wisely.

Today I spent time with seven of my almost (November add one) twelve grandchildren and got ready for the visit of my twin brother, Dennis, and his wife, Lynn.  We are excited that they are coming--our first overnight visitors--for the weekend (we will see how one bedroom and one bathroom works out...).  This was also a week to set up my counseling office as well as to finish some projects at home.

The non-negotiables of my semi-retirement schedule are the development of my counseling business and the oversight of the work in Haiti we are doing to teach and train pastors.  I return again in November to teach NT Survey ll with two other pastors.

This leaves time for me to think about what I should do with that extra time I am not used to having...and here are some things I am working on.

1.  I have identified two sphere of influence I have that are new to me--my landlord and his yard workers who work on my yard too.  The other is my office building where four other businesses are located.  I have met everyone and am working on establishing relationships so I can share my faith.

2.  A man from the church I attend invited me to a men's discussion group that meets Tuesday mornings at 6 am.  I am thinking about it.  6 am?????

3.  Tim, Bev's son and our pastor, has asked me how much and when I want to be involved in teaching and ministering at Grace Church.  I am praying about that.

4.  One of my grandsons,  Zeke, wants cello lessons.  I can do that!

5.  Julie, my daughter-in-law, has asked me if I would be willing to teach a writing class to            home-schoolers.  Thinking about that.

Lots of opportunities that require thoughtful thinking and prayer.  How can I most effectively use my discretionary time to honor God?

I am retired, or, at least semi-retired.  But I have not retired from ministry and my heart longs for it. God provided me an opportunity to share with my new insurance agent--a one time youth minister who had a bad experience--earlier this week.  It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my short stay here.

I am adapting...slowly...and learning ion the process that what matters most to me is finishing my life well.  How I use my time will, I hope, be a testimony to that motivation.

Getting settled in and moving forward

It's been  a season of transition and, finally, we are feeling "at home" in Arroyo Grande.  Having Beverly's two sons and their wives, as well as eight grandchildren within a fifteen mile radius, is a definite benefit, as well as the ocean which I love.

I have not kept my blog up-to-date but will continue to use it now that I am getting settled here.  My new counseling office, located at 636 Clarion Court, Suite 101 in San Luis Obispo 93401, will be opening August 26th.  I am also developing a new more functional website at www.Full-LifeCoaching.org and hope to be operational by September 1st.  This will be a way for my friends to access blogs and updates about our life and ministry.

Moving forward, is consistent with the motto of my coaching/counseling practice--"Forward to Fulnesss", drawing on john 10:10 and Jesus' promised intention for us to have "life, life to the full".  I am excited about new ministry opportunities ahead and know that my greatest fulfillment in life comes from serving the Lord.

Thanks for your continuing prayers for us as get settled and prepare now to move forward.

An unforgettable Father's Day

My children all live too far away for us to have invited ourselves over this Father's Day.  In any case, I always am anxious to hear from my children and often wait for the phone to ring or watch the mail box for a card.

When Bev and I awakened Saturday morning we decided a quick trip to Lake Tahoe was just what the doctor ordered.  And  the rest is history.  It was one of the best Father's Days I've ever had, even though I was away from my children.

It was special because I was with my wife who always affirms me as a father and grandfather.  It was special because we worshiped with a small church family and heard a biblical message on how to be a good father.  It was special because we hiked together in the beauty of God's creation and felt the rest and serenity of being away from the current responsibilities of packing and preparing to move.

And, yes, it was special because I heard from all of my children.

It was an unforgettable Father's Day; sandwiched in between the demands of life we took time to worship our heavenly Father midst the beauty of His creation and, in turn, He blessed us with rest and strength for the days ahead.

And today...more boxes.

Saying good-bye

I was struck again with the shortness of life--the utter surprise it is for us when someone we love dies without warning.

Two families suffered the loss of a loved one today--one, lost a grandfather, a true spiritual patriarch of his family from a tragic stroke.  Another lost their loved one from a possible overdose.  I only knew this person through my close friend but he was an "every day buddy" to him.  In any case, there is great sadness for these two families even as I write.

I am only loosely-connected with these two men but I feel connected.  I think both were my age, or a little older.  Though they were in the fall season of life, their families probably did not wake up this morning expecting them to be gone, and so quickly.

I am reminded of James' words that "life is a vapor..."  I know that.  But today it has special significance for me.

I am wrestling with some worrisome issues that seem overwhelming.  But all of a sudden they appear trivial and insignificant because they are not life and death matters--which, incidentally, I have addressed already through my relationship with God and the experience of His saving grace.  It's instructive to consider the things we allow to hold our emotions hostage, while life and death swirl around us in full and living color.

We can miss what matters if we let the little matters capture our energy and rob us of our joy.  Two families are saying "good-bye" today.  My heart aches for them.  It's an experience my forty-five years as a pastor and, specifically, four and a half years of Hospice chaplaincy remind me, for which it is difficult to prepare.

Don't miss the moments that count by being subject to the things that really don't.  Saying "good-bye" is a big deal and its reality can be embraced when the hope of eternal life is present.

Simply trusting...

An old hymn has this familiar chorus--"Trusting as the moment's fly, Trusting as the days go by, Trusting Him what'er befall, Trusting Jesus that is all..."

"Trusting Jesus, that is all..."  Now, admittedly, that seems a bit simplistic, and unsophisticated.  It sounds as if there is no element of human responsibility and we have license to just hang it all on Jesus.

"Trusting Jesus, that is all..."  In the end, that is all there is that really matters.  Good planning, careful anticipation of issues, assumption of personal responsibility--all of these things are critical and should not be abandoned or minimized.

I've done all that most of my life--planned, anticipated, assumed responsibility.  But I have learned all of that can be for naught.  In the end, our best laid plans unravel, what we could not have anticipated occurs, and what we thought we had covered is not enough.  Some thing falls through the cracks, and often, it is simply the rhythm of life with all of its nuances and idiosyncrasies that surprises us and takes our breath away.

Where do we go from here?  We got laid off and there was no failure in our job performance, and worse yet, no warning. We loved our spouse, but suddenly, without notice, we discover there is an unwelcome third party.  We make a careful investment with a recommended reliable contact, only to lose it all.  We make plans...asking God's blessing, and feeling no hesitation we move ahead, only to see them go awry. And as life seemingly spins out of control, we are left wondering where we missed the cue.

"Trusting Jesus, that is all."  What comfort is there in this?  For me, it is where I pitch my tent.  At the end of the day here is what I know.  God knows me.  God loves me (go figure...).  God will take care of me (it'ss His promise).

 I choose to trust Him.

THE UTTER RELIEF OF HOLINESS

John Eldredge's latest book, THE UTTER RELIEF OF HOLINESS, is a " must read" for people like me.  I confess, the title seems an oxymoron.  Maybe that's why it caught my attention.

I am convinced I-we don't understand true holiness and what God's expectations are regarding its qualitative effects in our lives as believers.  

I would like to think of myself as "a man after God's own heart" yet I suspect I am more fallen than David, the man about whom it was said.

Much of our lives are characterized by what we incorrectly call "condemnation".  Romans 8:1 declares that our position in Christ as His children means that word cannot describe what we are feeling, if not presuming nor does it define our spiritual reality.  I believe the word is "conviction"--the work of the Holy Spirit.  It is this reproof of the Word Paul references when he writes Timothy and says "all scripture is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16,17).  Here's is what I am seeing.  Condemnation moves us only to awareness of spiritual death but conviction moves us towards affirmation of abundant life--a life of holiness.  That life is learned as we hear the Word, obey it--or disregard it--and experience the reproof and correction it offers--and then obey.  This constitutes our "training in righteousness" with this godly goal-- "that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work".  That sounds like holiness or right living ("righteousness") to me.

Eldredge suggests it is not perfect performance or sinlessness--both of which we are incapable.  Given my theological background, that's a relief when laid against the reality of my personal history.  He suggests we need to cast aside the legalism that can enslave us--as well as the presumptive license that can endanger us--and follow after God with our whole heart. 

Read more.  You may discover what I am learning.  The call to holiness is not a quantitative one--we cannot be as much holy as He is--but a qualitative one--we can be as He is in our desire to do the Father's will and to bring glory to His name.

That, thank God, is the work of the Holy Spirit within us, as we yield (our part) our lives and our will to Him.

The body of Christ meets in other places than your church...

I have had the privilege in this season of semi-retirement to visit other churches.  it has been a great informative experience for me.  From a small church in Fountain Valley, Arizona to a large mega church in Folsom, California I have learned some important lessons.

1.  The size of the church does not define the quality of worship.

2.  A large church may actually be growing for the right reasons.

3.  A church may be flourishing even though its numbers are small.

4.  The message preached as long as it is consistent with the truth of God's Word, has impact.

5.  The church has value in the community as it fulfills its divine mandate for ministry.

From large volume performance-driven bands (or so it seemed) to more traditional worship teems (sometimes boring), when my personal "taste" preferences were laid aside I was able to worship God when that was my singular focus.

It's a good thing.

When we get to heaven all that will matter is that we are there, surrounded by people from every tribe and tongue, with every kind of musical instrument and percussion system--there to worship God, the product of our common bond through the grace of the gospel extended to us.

the wonderful world of grandchildren

Eleven grandchildren.  The Old Testament talks about a "full quiver"  I guess we have that.

A "full quivcr" of what?

 Q-UESTIONS--it's important to reveal the hidden truth--we don't know everything.  But grandchildren have inquiring minds and will ask an incredible range of questions about things that only time reveals may not be answered!  When we have the right answer, we are instant heroes and established points of reference!

U-NLIMITED POTENTIAL--it's immediately apparent in each of our eleven grandchildren that they have the capacity to accomplish great things if they will take advantage of the opportunities afforded them.  We watch them play soccer, basketball, hockey, mountain bike, dance, ride horses, play instruments, recite poetry, ride skate boards, act, sit in church, read aloud, quote memorized scripture verses...and we are amazed at what they can already do...and wonder what will they do.

I-NDIVIDUALITY--it's challenging to take note of how different each of the eleven are.  Some compliant, some strong-willed.  Some social, some more content to be alone.  Some artistic, some athletic.  Some book-worms, some "outdoorsy".  Some expressive, some quiet.  Some a combination of all of the above, depending on the situation.  But all special in their own unique way.

V-ITALITY--it's like they never get tired.  They start early in the morning and go strong until their batteries wear down at night.  Even then, they fall asleep unintentionally and have to be carried to their beds.  But throughout the day you can see it--this spark of life and freshness, and innocence fed by every new experience they encounter as they discover the world around them.-

E-FFORT--it's exciting to see how kids keep trying.  I watched one of my grandchildren try an aggressive move on the skateboard ten times in a row, falling several times,  until he got it.  And then he did it again just to make sure he got it!  Some of our grandchildren have memorized lengthy poems for school, reciting the lines hundreds of time until they get them perfectly.  Our seven year old recited a poem perfectly that I think had sixteen complicated stanzas.  He recited it aloud three times just int he few days I was with him, practicing until he perfected it.  The kids throw the baseball back and forth hundreds of times, , practice moves on their hockey skates, play repetitive scales on their instruments--this and much more with great discipline and effort.  It's just part of growing up, I guess.

R-ESILIENCE--it's soon to be learned that you can't win every game, finish first in every race,  get straight A's every report card, have everybody like you all the time, avoid conflict, obey all the rules perfectly, complete every assignment on time--sooner or later their humanity appears and they are forced to confront it--often emotionally, even tearfully.  But give them a  few minutes.  they are resilient, and in a matter of time they will reappear, ready to go at life again with a smile of anticipation.

The wonderful world of grandchildren is only surpassed by the wonderful world of grandparents.  We get to stand by and watch, and, hopefully, give counsel and encouragement.  I love that role and look forward watching my grandchildren become all that god intends for them to be.

That's my prayer.  And I think my role is to be a participant in that process as God directs me.

`      

Two months later

It is hard to believe two months have passed since I officially retired from my role at Grace Fellowship Church.  Here are some observations two months later...

*We just completed an eighteen day break--a retirement reward we planned for ourselves--which included a stop at the Giant's spring training (four games), a trip to Sedona and Bev's first view of the Grand Canyon. We took our trailer and enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way.

*We have taken another step in our transition to San Luis Obispo, listing our house for sale this week,  This is a difficult step as we love Amador County but is part of our semi-retirement plan.  Eight grandchildren await us there!

*My counseling business is keeping me busy but my office lease expires June 1st; if we are still in the area I will be identifying another counseling/coaching setting.

*I continue to work for Hospice; this gives me great joy, though it is sometimes very taxing work.  I work just a  few hours each week but a provides a forum for me to utilize my pastoral training and is fulfilling for me.

*Our work in Haiti through TLC continues to grow.  I will be traveling there May 11-21, and again in August (joined by Logan) and November.  I have been recently certified to teach materials printed in French by BCTP (check out online) that will be very useful in our curriculum for our pastoral training institute.  Thanks to friends who helped provide $3500 for textbooks for our New testament Survey class. This is keeping me busy as teams traveled to Haiti in February and March, holding ten VBS's reaching over 3000 children, renovating a church-school and holding a leadership seminar for 225 pastors.

"How is retirement?" is a familiar question..  I remind my friends I am semi-retired BUT I am enjoying the freedom and discretionary time this season of life provides.

Thanks for your love and prayers; we are doing well!

Not just another missions conference...

I enjoyed our recent missions convention, the seventeenth in our history at Grace Fellowship Church, where I no longer serve as pastor--but now participate as a member of the church family.

I went because I truly love missions conferences, although they are often poorly attended and I am disappointed for the missionaries.  Except this year I was not the pastor with those concerns to manage internally.  I was a member of the church family, choosing to make a discretionary decision to attend--a Friday evening dinner, a Saturday morning breakfast and a Sunday morning worship service (All right, I confess.  We missed the SS hour).

Here were the highlights for me...

*A great presentation about multiplying the work of missions through discipleship

*A passionate challenge to be broken for the needs of those in our sphere of influence and to share the gospel with them

*An articulate message on the enveloping call of missions on every believer--using one's particular gift whether serving on a missionary field or sending and supporting others as they go

For me, it was not just another missions conference.  I was for the first time a member of our church family being challenged through the Word to obey God in some specific ways.  I am asking God what that will look like in the months ahead as I consider the needs of my family and my neighborhood.

Post-Pastoral Ponderings

Truth is, whether pastoring an actual body of believers--or not--I will always be a pastor at heart.  here's how I know that today.

*Yesterday I was awakened to pray for my former congregation and its new leadership as they prepared for the Lord's Day.

*I was in my son's church listening to him preach, and marveling in the skillful anointed sermon he prreached, as a proud step-father.

*A close friend from my former congregation died yesterday and I spoke with his son offering comfort, while at the same time rehearding in my mkind the thirty-five years of our close friendship.

*Close friends who have relocated to the SLO area, where we are visiting and evaluating a potential move, affirmed the value of life-long relationships we formulate within the body of Christ.

*I find myself going through the paces of pastoring--How is this one doing?  I wonder if they were in church?  Did he get through his surgery?  Is their son doing bettwer?  Did he get the job?  How is the cancer progressing?  And the list goes on...

I think I'll keep the blog so that when those pastoral urges surface I have a place to openly process them.  I hope you'll join me in this seaosn of my journey.

A new beginning

I will write my last blog tonight as the pastor of a congregation.  I am retiring after forty-five years of serving in this capacity,  It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to serve God and to pursue His clear calling upon my life.

On Sunday morning I will address my church family for the last time as their pastor.  I feel a myriad of emotions contemplating the task but it will be able to re-echo Paul's sentiments towards the Philippians, "I thank God every time I remember you..."

Such memories include holding a new-born baby, engaging in premarital counseling with couples about to be married,  weeping with parents over a drug-addicted teenager, presiding at the funeral of a saint, walking with a  family through relational crisis, listening to the testimony of one transformed by God's grace, leading a group of volunteers on a missionary trip, teaching eager children at a week of VBS,  stapling insulation on the walls of a new church building, staying up late to work with the elders through a church budget crisis, shooting baskets with the teens until the doctor said "Your knees are too old for that...", "rv-ing at church family camp, sitting with a wife through her husband's life-threatening surgery--these and many more experiences have dotted the landscape of pastoral ministry.  And I will never forget.

It is anew beginning for our church family --a new pastor, a fresh vision, an anticipation of continuing and growing the work we've all committed to.

And it's a new beginning for me.  Counseling, trips to Haiti, work with Hospice, some teaching--all of it springs from  a pastor's heart.  Same heart...new places...a new beginning.

Where is God?

The recent tragic loss of Caleb Frances, a young aspiring pastor killed in a train accident in India, coupled with the unfathomable tragdy of Newton, Connecticut resulting in the death of twenty-six innocent victimes, can't help but conjure up questions for me of God's whereabouts in such horrific events.

Of course, I am a pastor, and I have all the answers,,,?  I should, I suppose, be insulated from the quandry of such questioning but my human instinct is to try to make sense of the enignmatic. 

Jogn Frances, Caleb's father, has started 103 chuirches in India and his son was prepared to assume the leadership of a congregation.  What purpose could be served by his death?

Twenty six and seven year olds--their lives ahead of them--ruthlessly slaughtered.  How are there families to process such tragedy and what purposeful "good" can emerge from a catastrophe of such immense proportion?

And six adults--teachers--entrusted with the care of their classroom  children--sacrificing their own lives for their safety--how shall their families deal with their absence every succeeding Christmas season?

For these situations, and countless others like them, answers--if they were forthcoming--would not mute the pain or diminish the loss.  Our focus should be on  healing and wholeness as these families move forward in time, a process that will span the years ahead.

Along the way we hope that they will find comfort and strength from God, who did not stand idly by, but in allowing man free will, afforded them the opportunity to choose good and evil.  Sadly, we are all impacted by the choices we individually make, and those made by others.  The challenge is to know God and to seek to engage His strength and wisdom and to make choices that impact our world for ultimate good. 

The choice for us today is to reject cycnicism and bitterness and to choose instead to pray for those who are hurting and to affirm our faith in God's promise of grace for each day.,,in India, and in Newton.

Mondays

Mondays have always been a day of rest for me.  Following Sunday with  all of its attedant responsibilities as a senior pastor, Monday always beckoned me with its promise of rest and relaxation.  It didn't always work that well, but, generally, it was a needed break from my regimen of work.

Of course, I'm retiring, and, in fact, have seen a  drastic reduction of my responsibilties at Grace as transition is going full speed ahead.  I am already learning that Mondays look different than they used to.  I am being graciously allowed time to go through books and files, meet with families, and to be with the people of Grace as time allows.

I was thinking this morning, however, of how a creature of habit I have become.  Mondays for me, I guess, will always be Mondays!

Today, as usual, I laid in bed a few minutes, longer; as usual I drank coffee and sat around with Bev lounging.  As usual, we made arrangements to be away from the house--this time to do Christmas shopping.  As usual we ate lunch away from home--today we enjoyed a gift certificate at Olive Garden.

And tonight, I am on the computer--as usual--thinking about tomorrow, and the rest of the week.

Mondays are still Mondays, I'm discovering.

It's the rest of the week that's different.

Stepping back

I preach for the last time at Grace next Sunday, with a "farewell" sermon January 27th.  So the "end is near".

If that sounds bittersweet to you, it is for me.  The "bitter" piece is the voltional withdrawal from something I have loved for forty-five years; the "sweet" part is I'm tired and ready to "step back".

Actually, I've been stepping back for a year now, intentionally passing on responsibility to Pastor Mark, who was appropriately designated "lead pastor" this year.

Stepping back has allowed me a vantage point that I have enjoyed for several reasons...

*I've been able to watch our newly-appointed staff begin to demonstrate their giftedness that excites me about the future minsitry of Grace.

*I have been able to listen--to sit in the congregation and enjoy the teaching ministry of the men who are following in my place, and it has challenged me.

*I have been able to encourage those who are simply anxious about the prospect of change, and assured them of God's divine supervision in the direciton we have headed.

Stepping back has also confirmed some things in my heart.

*God is not done with me.  There is still work for me to do.

*God is still teaching me.  I am learning how to "walk by faith", however slowly.

*God has blessed me with life-long relationships and friendships that will remain even though my posiiton has changed.

Stepping back is allowing me to move forward--cautiously, I admit, but expectantly with anticipation.

Coming home

Returning from Haiti is always a mixed bag for me...

I am anxious to get home but sad to leave behind my dear friend, Gilbert.  I know our visits are an encouragement to him.

I look forward to my tempurpedic bed and jacuzzi tub but I feel guilty that I have so much and my Haitian brothers are grateful to have a roof over their heads.

I love my church but I miss the vibrant singing and smiling welcoming faces of the Haitian pastors.

I enjoy all the nuances of my work but I envy the simplicity of the Haitian culture where every little thing has significance.

I find my heart reverberating with passion about what I have seen and shared but am frustrated by my inability to accurately communicate the depths of my heart cry to my friends.

I am thankful for what we are able to do in one short week but heartbroken about what we cannot do because of limited resources.

I see how God is blessing in our small piece of Haiti but I'm reminded that there are nearly ten million Haitians in need of Christ.

It's a mixed bag.

But it is a bag filled with special memories of seeing God at work, coupled with strong motivation to continue His work there.

"How can I say thanks...?"

There is a wonderful song that asks the question, "How can I say thanks for the things God has done for me, things so undeserved that he gave His Son to die for me...?"  That questions is answered in the triumphant words of the chorus, "To God be the glory!"

Grace Fellowship Church, my home for sixteen years, honored my wife, Beverly and me, for our ministry on the eve of our retirement. We were joined by all six of our children, eight of our eleven grandchildren and another thirty of my relatives at a huge celebration with our church family.

Grace Fellowship Church has loved and supported Beverly and me with consistent love and concern.  we did not need a part to be reminded of their faithfulness..but it was a blessed evening for both of us,

We are singing today, "How can I say thanks...?", reflecting upon God's faithfulness through His people to us.  And we are affirming, "To God be the glory!"

Love ruling vs. Living rules

Pastor Mark Johnson, one of our Grace teachers, spoke last Sunday on Philemon.  As you may know, this is a companion book of Colossians since Philemon lived in Colosse; in fact, there was probably a house church in his home.  Paul calls Philemon to be reconciled to his former slave, Onesimus, and this letter to Philemon demonstrates the importance of reconciliation.,  Listening to this message would be worthwhile for anyone estranged form someone, and it can be heard at gracefellowshipamador.org, our church website under "Message, October 14".

A critical phrase in Pastor Mark's message was this, "When love is the rule, we do not need rules".  in Philemon, Paul encourages reconciliation not because he orders it from Philemon, but because he trusts it will come from the compulsion of his heart.

This is a tricky principle for us to understand.  when we study Colossians we are aware of the grace of God that has brought our salvation as Paul identifies the importance of the gospel and the supremacy of Christ in chapter 1.  In chapter 2 he wards against the problem in Colosse--some were trying to suggest that something needed to be done in addition to the work of Christ.  Whether it was Judaizers calling Christians to the observance of the law or Gnostics, suggesting there was a higher form of communication with God through the pursuit of mystical rituals and special visitationa from/with angels, Paul dismisses it as lacking"any value in restraining sensual indulgence".  That alone is the product of salvation in Christ, for "we have been given fullness in Christ". 

In chapter 3 Paul acknowledges that we have been raised with Christ  and our "life is now hidden with Christ in God", and then proceeds in verses 1-17 to give a list of commands about holy living.  It has been rightly suggested these are the results of our relationship with Christ  and His indwelling Spirit, not rules to guide our determined human efforts.

So here's the point.  It is futile to grit our teeth and to determine we will keep the rules, if that's what the Christian life is reduced to.  But if we love God (John 15) we will want to keep his commandments and His Spirit dwelling within us makes that possible.  In our own strength, we cannot.  The beauty of our relationship with Christ is allowing our love for Him to rule our lives and then we will not be under the external short-lived compulsion to keep the rules.

In closing the Colossians 3 section, Paul tells us that we are to let the peace of God rule our lives and to let the Word of God dwell within us richly.

Reconciliation and living in agreement with the peace to which God has called us as believers is hard work.  In fact, it is impossible unless the love of God ruling in our hearts propels us to obey Him and to utilize the grace and strength He provides to what would otherwise be our own futile human effort.  When love is the rule we do not need rules.  We will want to obey.

Psalm 11

In my study of the Psalms I was struck by a verses sandwiched into the middle of Psalm11--"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

Without identifying my own political persuasion let me just comment on some things I think that make that question from three thousand years ago relevant today.

*Same-sex marriage continues to gain political advocacy.

*Abortion on demand remains a so-called twenty-first century "right".

*North Africa's political climate is rife with unrest and the nation of Israel seems increasingly vulnerable to attack.

*Countries like Iran and North Korea flaunt their nuclear capabilty with frightening arrogance.

*Greece, Portugal and Spain--once strong financially--now are in deep economic crisis.

*Our sixteen trillion dollar debt shows no signs of diminishing with congressional gridlock hampering any potential resolution.

*The current pre-election climate demonstrates how deeply-divided philosophically our country is and the accusations of deceit and dishonesty by both parties makes it difficult to discern what is true.

*Increasing incidents of mass murder escapades by disgruntled unbalanced individuals continue to result in unfathomable tragedies in our work place and on school campuses.

*The number of welfare recipients has increasing astronomically over the last four years, consistent with high unemployment figures.

*A large neighboring city of nearly 300,000 has declared bankruptcy, and there are other large cities--as well as entire states--precariously close to the same.

This resume of pain that affects our sense of well-being is not about to get better.  I am not a harbinger of doom but the forecast for the future of America and the world is alarming and discomfiting.  It seems as if the very foundations of our civilization as we know it are being diminished, if not destroyed.

"What are the righteous to do...?"  In the context the "righteous" are those who have heeded the commandments of God and are seeking to follow His guidance and to find "refuge" in Him.

The comforting tone of this Psalm is that God is alert to all that is going on--observing and examining the ways of men, both wicked and righteous, and in the end His justice will be executed. We are encouraged in the end that "the upright will see His face".

Until then, we must seek His face and His forgiveness for what we have is what we asked for.