A Fresh Look at the Church

I am fascinated by the church. It is a beehive of activity, mostly because it is the intersection of people's lives. Lives are being lived out from birth to death in the midst of this weekly gathering of folks. Cancer, births, deaths, successes, minor concerns, major debacles - all come together in one place. They include the young and the old, the graceful and the ham-handed, the mature and the young in the faith, the hopeful and the downtrodden - all coming together to share the commonality of life in Jesus Christ. This week I have talked to cancer patients, young and old; I have shared with those serving in Iraq and getting ready to return to the War; I spoke to those going through the devastation of Katrina and those getting ready to go and help with the cleanup; I spoke with some who are struggling with personal and family problems and with those looking forward to having a family or a family addition; I listened to laughter and sadness; hope and confusion; prayers and dreams. All that in one week.
Ever since I got back from Sabbatical it has been a whirlwind of activity. Meetings to attend, decisions to be made, people to recruit, training to be done. If you don't like people, you won't like ministry in any form. But if people energize you and fascinate you - then you will love ministry. Tomorrow I will be attending a meeting of ministers from around the Valley to talk about Hispanic Ministry and starting Hispanic Churches. With the addition to our staff of a Hispanic Pastor and his vision to start a new church using our facilities, we are really hyped to take an in-depth look at Hispanic Ministry. We have such a diverse area that we live in and such a diverse ethnic city in Fresno, that having a Hispanic Ministry is almost vital to our ability to reach out to the whole community. It is creating a fresh new look at the church and at Kingdom building.
How do you view the church? Is it colored by the struggles you have been through? (I've been there) Or can you see the church with a new view, a new insight, a new perspective? The church is new every morning. Each generation adds to and changes the dynamic of the ministry it shares in that moment. Take a fresh look at the church. You may find it is more amazing than you first thought.

Life's Escalators

Life is peppered with big dreams. When I was approaching 40 years of age I took stock of my life's goals. I was married to a special woman and had 3 wonderful sons. My ministry seemed to be going well and I was about to graduate with a M.Div degree (one of my goals when I turned 30 was to get a seminary degree). What was I going to do with the next decade of my life? Two of my goals were to get a Ph.D. and to be published. Well, the Ph.D. is still on hold (two sons and their college tuitions took care of that as did a year out of ministry and a distinct lack of funds). Who knows, though, maybe someday I will be able to accomplish that one. However, on Sunday night I started down a road that will lead to the fulfillment of one of those big dreams of my 30's. During a Sunday night Fellowship Dinner at the church, I took time to tell the congregation a few of the details about my Sabbatical. At the conclusion of the report I told them about giving to Church of God Ministries a book proposal and that I was going to be given the chance to become a published author. I then took out an envelope and produced a contract from Chog Ministries for me to sign. I signed on the line over the word, "Author". What a rush. I am actually going to be published!
I don't know where you are in life. Some people stop dreaming when they hit middle age. Some young people never dream and some old folks seem to have an amazing capacity to see more ahead than they have behind. All I know is that you should never give up on your dreams. Dreams are the escalators that take you to higher places. Dreams are the colors that liven up the black and white plans of our lives. Dreams are as necessary as air and as important as water to the body. They are the stuff of life. Dream on. I still have a few more dreams to dream and goals to achieve. How about you?

Curveballs and Life Lessons

Life never goes exactly the way you envision it will. Sure, there are times it goes better than you imagined and other times it goes worse than you feared ... But it rarely goes the way you expect. Frank Sinatra sings a song called, "That's Life!" and some of the lyrics reflect the idea that you can be on top one day and down in the dumps the next. His conclusion - that's life!
Well, that may be true but there is more to life than just the ups and downs, the successes and failures, the expectations and the surprises. Life is what you experience during the process of all these things. Someone has said that life is a journey not a destination. I don't know if that all falls together theologically (maybe it does) but I believe there is great truth in that. Spending time with members of my family this summer made me realize that life doesn't turn out like you expect. My brothers talked about the trials of their lives and how they had planned for their family situations to be different - but that they were making of life what they had been handed. Maria never planned for her heart problems. Susan and Doug looked forward to children. Joel never planned to live in Europe. Joanie and I never wanted to be so far away from our families. But life still goes on. It throws you curveballs. But I remember Jonathan as a high school baseball player always wanting the pitcher to throw him a curveball - he loved to hit them and he hit them well. When life tries to throw you a curveball don't wait until you have a better pitch or situation or partner or time frame - just hit the pitch and go on with your life. Life is lived in the moment not in the past or future. Live it all and live it now.

The Right to Privacy

I watched much of the John Roberts confirmation hearings and found them incredibly instructive. I sat amazed as Democrats who talked openly about the importance of a right to privacy in the Constitution did everything in their power to break through the judicial demeanor of the nominee in order to invade his right to privacy. Biden, Fienstein, Kennedy, Durban, Schummer, and Leahy - all concerned about the private thinking of a man who promised to do legal thinking without trying to prejudice his views with personal issues and private thinking. He would think about the Law - that was his job and his commitment. Still, it was not enough. It was as if they were playing some kind of game that he would fall into. They would trap him by baiting him into discussing things that they said they needed - and if he talked about them he would be disqualifying himself for the very position he was nominated to fill. And if he answered in ways they didn't like, they would pounce on his answers as reasons to disqualify him.
Over the course of 30 years of ministry I have watched as people have come alongside pastors, leaders, workers in the church and sought to build confidences. They have assured them of their faithfulness as friends and assured them that they would not reveal what they know. Yet, time after time, they have used what they know (usually by putting it in a different context to make it look bad) to discredit pastors, leaders, and workers in the Kingdom. How sad. Even pastors have a right to privacy. Every Sunday the preacher stands up and tells the congregation what he/she believes, is thinking, and is contemplating. Amazingly, such candor is often the same thing that is used against him to say he is unqualified. Even leaders have a right to privacy. You can keep your counsel confidential even as you keep the information shared with you about other's lives confidential. Yet, there are some who will use anything at their disposal to try and discredit even those who volunteer their time and energy in the service of the Master.
I would confirm Judge Roberts without question. I do not pretend to understand all that is discussed by the leaders at the Senate table. I am not a lawyer or legal scholar. But I would confirm anyone who realizes that the right to privacy is not there to hide your views but to assure others that their views will not be compromised by me. God bless Judge Roberts and the honorable court on which he will serve.

Reality Check for Doers

On the way home today I spent some time on the phone with a good friend of mine named Earl Wheatley. Earl and I met in college and he has always been one of the men I most admire for their spiritual wisdom and insight. For most of the last five years we have served together in national leadership for the Church of God. Earl is a native of the Atlanta area and has spent his entire ministry in the South. He has pastored two churches. His current pastorate is in Meridian, Mississippi. His previous pastorate was in New Orleans. One church is destroyed and the other is in the last town standing in the southern part of Mississippi. "South of us is a third world country", he told me today. They are becoming a staging point for movement south into a land with no electricity, water, a/c, food, toilet facilities, or standing homes. The city of Meridian (70,000) is expecting 10,000 refuges from the southern part of the state and from New Orleans. They will be walking up Interstate 10.
"We are mostly in need of basic care packages - the kind Samaritans Purse puts out". Samaritans Purse suggests that you get an old shoebox, fill it with personal items (toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, washcloth, bottled water, flashlight with extra batteries, socks, ball cap, hard candy, granola bars, etc.). We will find a way to ship this to Earl and his church in Meridian (now that power has been restored to the church they are a designated Red Cross center and a staging point to go further south to the devastated communities of Gulfport and beyond). "If you send people, remind them that can have all the expertise in the world but they have no access to power, electricity, gas or the like. People in Meridian are waiting 3 hours in line for a bag of ice".
The Church of God Campground in Louisiana has become a refuge camp. They already have nearly 60 families staying there. They have the capacity for 90 families. Church of God Ministries has already sent $3,000 to help with food. I will try and raise twice that much or more through the Churches of God in Central California. Giving to the Red Cross is a great idea and I am excited to see so many doing so. However, when some of your own are on the front lines helping to minister to the human carnage that is going on in that region, give to them directly and they will help those who need it the most - right there where they are.
I don't think I have ever been more embarrassed by our politicians than I have been the last few days. Instead of pulling together to do what needs to be done they have gone to the microphones and the airwaves to politicize and criticize. May I suggest that we all stop talking about the problem and start doing something to make a difference. That is what the church is all about, isn't it? Doing instead of just talking? Acting not just speaking? Making a difference and not just making a point? People will only be helped by those who do. Let's be doers of the Word and not just hearers.

Long Journeys

Maria is finally home from the hospital and is now beginning her period of recuperation. She has a long journey in front of her (6-12 weeks) before she can make a full recovery and begin to share in the fullness of life. Her doctors are confident of a full recovery. Her journey toward health begins today - her first full day at home.
Joel and Shafali should have arrived in Liverpool, England by now. It is a long journey (some 12-15 hours anticipated) from Chicago to Dublin, Ireland and from Dublin to Liverpool. They had purchased a new laptop computer to take with them. They could do some writing and watch some movies on their long journey.
Today, Joanie and I will begin the long journey back to California (it is about 34 hours). After 4 months on Sabbatical we will be returning home. I don't know how many days it will take, but once we are on the road, anxiousness sets in and we want to get to our destination as soon as we can. It will be a good few days to release the emotions of the last week.
Long journeys. They are full of anticipation and uncertainty. They give you time to think about what is ahead (not always a good thing, I fear). They allow you time to look around and see what surrounds you. People and friends are surrounding Maria and Jonathan; new adventures, cultures, and people will be surrounding Joel and Shafali; and miles of this great country and old friends and a great church surround Joanie and I as we go home. But in all of this and in everything we face we are surrounded by two sometimes unseen things.
Hebrews says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have gone on before us. I take comfort in that. The people who have held great influence on our lives are still cheering us on from the heavenly realms. And we are surrounded by the gracious presence of the Holy Spirit. No miles can separate and no experience can drive a wedge through those who are held together by the loving will of God's Holy Spirit. So, the Long Journey begins. And, thank God, we are not alone.

Prophetic Words

Last Thursday, I wrote an entry to this bloc on the subject of "Delays". It was written 5 days before I knew anything about Maria's tests or the eventual surgery. Last Saturday night, three days after her surgery and some 9 hours after they were supposed to be married, Jonathan and I were sitting in the living room and he was on my laptop catching up on reading this bloc. He came across the following lines from that posting:

Delays. Sometimes they benefit us and sometimes they frustrate us. Life is often lived in the delays; in places where we wait; in times when we are waiting on the Lord and see our futures as being "delayed" by circumstances. I wonder if God does not work just as much through and in the delays as he does in the moving moments. Israel was delayed 40 years; Jesus public ministry was delayed 40 days; Abraham's seed was delayed for years and years; Ruth's inclusion in the Jewish family was delayed by the death of her first husband; Paul was delayed from going into Macedonia and he was delayed by the imprisonment in an Philippian Jail. If you are in a delay, watch out, God is working - more than you ever think or expect!

Jonathan read them back to me with emotion choking his voice. He said, "I didn't know you were a prophet, Dad!" Well, thanks for the thought, but I'm not. But I do believe that God prepares you for what is coming. In talking to Paul and Janet Flores, Janet told me that Paul preached the Sunday before all this happened and that the sermon he preached was exactly what he needed to face the surgery of his daughter. I firmly believe that when you do what God calls you to do he works out your life in ways that help to prepare you for the uncertain future we all have. He never leaves us unprepared for the trials of life (though we often feel we are unprepared). Maybe one of the reasons people don't talk about their faith as much as they should is because you may have to live by the words you speak. For me, that is a blessing because I know that if I have to live by what I have preached or taught or shared with others (even on a blog) is God's way of preparing my life for what is ahead. And I would much rather be prepared than caught unaware!

Storms

As Katrina blows through the Gulf Coast and Southern United States, I realize that not all the storms that arrive in life get covered on the news or by meteorologists. Tonight we spent quite a bit of time sharing with Maria and Jonathan. They have had an incredibly difficult, emotionally, and physically draining week. Yet, in the midst of it all, they are faced with life changing questions that they feel must be answered. Bills have to be paid, decisions have to be made, life has to go on.
I learned a long time ago that decisions should never be made in the heat of the moment. When crisis hits, that's the absolute, complete, and totally wrong time to be making far reaching decisions. It is at times like this that faith takes over. You must realize that, in spite of all the issues that crash into our lives, God is still in control. As a matter of fact, God is still in control even when you think He is not in control. To have faith is to believe that God is in control when the circumstances say to us that He is not in control.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) Maria should be released from the hospital. For the last 5 days she has not been in control of much of anything. She has been poked, prodded, opened up, and sewn up. She is in control of very little. Over the next 6-12 weeks she will rest and rehabilitate in order to gain some small measure of control over her body and schedule. She is having to learn the very difficult lesson of dependence and interdependence rather than self reliance.
Are we any different? I think not. Faced with storms of life we very often have little control over the things that effect us the most. Trusting God is believing that he will make us safe even when the circumstances make us unsure. Learning to lean on Jesus is sometimes very difficult for those of us who have spent a lifetime learning to lean on our own strengths and abilities. Faith, by it's very nature, has a certain kind of abandonment to it. You abandon your personal control and depend on the hand of God to work out what you are used to working out yourself. Faith is not hard - but it is impossible if we continue to lead our lives in the same human way we always do. That's why Jesus told us it didn't take much faith (only a mustard seed size worth) to make mountains move. Abandoning your will into His requires a free-fall of your present and future into an unseen hand. It is more than just a head knowledge - it requires a real heart knowledge. And that is exactly how God determined it should be.
So, blow storms blow. Katrina has done her damage. But God brings hope and life out of the midst of rubble. And, sometimes, the greatest experiences of life are the ones that started because of the storm.

The Times They Are A Changin'

Joel just left our hotel room. We are meeting together at 8am to have breakfast before he and Shafali head back to the Chicago area for their Tuesday departure for England. It was one thing to send him off to Indiana from California. It is quite another to see the two of them head off to England for a year.
Maria is out of the ICU and is in a regular room. Her color has come back and, while still very tired, her personality has returned. She is supposed to get up and walk tomorrow. She will have a day before her family leaves. Her mom will be staying to see her through the healing period that will be 6-12 weeks.
Jonathan spent the night with Maria's brothers. They will be leaving to go back to California (they live in the San Diego area) on Sunday and he won't see them again until the wedding (whenever that will happen!). He starts back to work on Monday and has his first Seminary class on Tuesday.
Joanie and I still don't know when we will be leaving. We want to wait until Maria is out of the hospital and that should be the first of the week (if everything goes well). She will be out of work for at least 6 weeks. After that, light duty only for the next 6 weeks. She has some major adjustments to make both physically and mentally. We can't be here to help her through all of that but we hope to help her with the first steps out of the hospital before we go.
I have been squeezing in Ministries Council meetings this week along with everything else. The members of the MC have been a wonderful support. In the meetings there is a sense we all feel that we are moving toward a new direction and focus. There is a renewed sense of hope in the discussions.
All I really know is the old saying, "The only thing that is consent in this life is change". Everything in Jonathan and Maria's life and future has changed. Joel and Shafali are about to live in Europe for a year and experience monumental changes in culture and society. Joanie and I are about to head back to California changed by a summer sabbatical.
No matter who you are or what you do; no matter how much you want things to stay the same; no matter how settled you are - let me assure you of this: The times, they are a changin'! You can either enjoy change or fight a losing battle against it. The choice is ours. But the change, it is a comin'. Either get on board, get to the back of the line, or stand on the tracks. No matter what you do, count on this. The times, they are a changin'!

24 Hours

As far as I can tell, Kiefer Sutherland and his hit TV Show 24 Hours have nothing on me. 24 hours ago we were planning the final details of the Wedding of Jonathan and Maria. Joanie and I were arguing over what food to serve during the rehearsal dinner and where to get it. A few minutes later we were talking to Jonathan about wedding details on the phone when he told us they had just gotten word that Maria had to go into the hospital in the morning. This gorgeous 23 yr. old nurse who loves my son with everything she is was facing a heart catheterization and a suddenly uncertain future. Joanie and I packed the car in less than an hour and made the five hour drive from Tallmadge, Ohio to Indianapolis, Indiana in 4 1/2 hours. With less than 3 hours sleep we got up and drove to the hospital for a 7:00 admittance and an 8:30 heart cath. By 10:00 the doctor had Maria's parents, Jonathan and us in a room telling us the unthinkable. She would have to have emergency heart by-pass surgery. The wedding was off and far off from our minds. It was now a race to surgery to make sure that this special young woman would not have a massive heart attack. It was so acute that the surgeons rearranged their entire surgical rotation, made an operating room available immediately, and brought in the top heart surgeon in the hospital (St. Vincent's has a national reputation as a heart center) to perform her surgery. Before noon she was under anesthesia and by 2:00 her blood was being pumped through a machine while they stopped her heart to do a double by-pass around her main artery. By 4:00 she was off the machine, her heart had been restarted successfully, and she was being prepared for closure. At 5:00 the surgeon was in the waiting room telling us of the successful surgery and how close a call it probably was. At 9:00 we were in her room talking to Maria and having her respond through the drug haze that was keeping her from feeling the pain.
24 Hours. From wedding details to fearing for her life. The Wedding is postponed until a later date. Jonathan is now looking for lodging (he has been staying with friends until the wedding) and preparing to spend the first week of school in class rather than on his honeymoon. I am now in a hotel room in Anderson exhausted from the last 24 Hours. But grateful to God for his providential care and guidance.
So, how was your day?

The Power of Prayer

Tonight, in a phone call with my son, Jonathan, we found out that his fiancee, Maria, is going to have a heart catheterization tomorrow morning. She is 23, in great health, scheduled to get married this Saturday and will be having this surgical procedure at the hospital she works at as a nurse. Immediately, Joanie and I packed up our bags and headed out from Tallmadge, Ohio to make the 5 hour drive to Maria's apartment in Indianapolis so we can be with them tomorrow at 7am for the procedure.
Our first thought was to call folks and ask for prayer. We called Fresno, Tampa, and let the folks in Tallmadge know what was going on. Tonight we have talked with folks from around the country who have heard through the grapevine of the situation. All have called to assure us of their prayers. For many years I have been the one on the other end of the phone call assuring others of my prayers and the prayers of the church. As I have understood even in those situations, it is very different on the other end of the prayer cycle. Now, once again, I am experiencing what it means to be the recipient of others prayer focus. As I write this Maria is preparing to try and get some sleep (not very probable) and preparing for a day that may change her life and her plans for the future. Through it all the thing that is sustaining her is her faith in God's loving care and the prayers of God's loving people. It sustains her, her parents, her fiancee, and Joanie and me. Thank you for praying. It means a lot.

Delays

Sorry for the delay in posting but I have been working diligently on my book. I am on Chapter 5 and have about 50 or so pages typed. But putting so much time in on the book has limited my postings on the blog.
Joel and Shafali (My youngest son and his wife of 3 weeks) left from Tampa today to try and make a whirlwind trip from Orlando to Chicago, change air carriers and go from Chicago to San Jose, get picked up, drive 3 hours to Fresno and spend a few days at home visiting friends. Unfortunately they got delayed in Pittsburgh. They never made their flight to Chicago but Delta, the second carrier came through big time and they ended up going from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati to LA to Fresno (the Cincinnati to LA flight they were bumped up to first class) and are sleeping at the house in Fresno tonight. Hmmmm. Some delays work out well.
Since I took Joel and Shafali from Tampa to Orlando to catch their flight (we left at 5am and I got back to Tampa at 8am and had slept about 2 hours) we delayed our departure until the afternoon. We got off late but are in Charlotte, N.C. tonight and, hopefully, will make it into West Middlesex, Pa. Tomorrow afternoon. We don't want to be delayed in our desire to attend the National Association Campmeeting. Driving during the night prevented us from having traffic and work area delays - we made good time.
Delays. Sometimes they benefit us and sometimes they frustrate us. Life is often lived in the delays; in places where we wait; in times when we are waiting on the Lord and see our futures as being "delayed" by circumstances. I wonder if God does not work just as much through and in the delays as he does in the moving moments. Israel was delayed 40 years; Jesus public ministry was delayed 40 days; Abraham's seed was delayed for years and years; Ruth's inclusion in the Jewish family was delayed by the death of her first husband; Paul was delayed from going into Macedonia and he was delayed by the imprisonment in an Philippian Jail.
If you are in a delay, watch out, God is working - more than you ever think or expect!