EncourageYou!

Part 2 of 2

The grass is not always greener on the other side.

Excitement has gone to agony a couple of weekends ago when a church I got excited about crashed and burned. To review: My family has been active members of our current church for 11 years, but I've been concerned over some logistical issues. We need to build, but cannot seem to get a building program going. We need to arrange our worship schedule so that members who are committed to serving, such as in a Sunday School class, can both worship and serve, but the Senior Pastor uses that time to preach extra, putting the morning into chaos. Yes, I'm discontented and petty, but now I am repenting because I've been reminded of true priorities.

Big Church Down the Street looks good from the outside. They have room and they are building more. Children's Ministries, Main Worship, and logistics run like a well oiled machine. Coffee and other hot drinks are free. Multimedia to wow everybody. Something is missing.

The Good News of Jesus Christ is missing. Yes, they tell us that God loves us, but how does God love us? Cute stories, hot drinks, and concerts? No, God so loves us that He came to us as the person Jesus, lived the perfect life we could never lived, and willingly died so that when we trust in who He is and What he has done, we can have a personal relationship with Him, one God manifested in Three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, Good News isn't always perceived to be good by all hearers. The free gift of eternal life with Jesus is free, but there is a cost. We are called to follow Him and Him alone. This upsets some, and may be upsetting to you now as you read this, therefore some are afraid to believe and tell others that the Creator of the universe has also provided a way to have intimacy with us.

Some, however, who trust Jesus, are excited to follow Him as Lord. Maybe that's why my church is overcrowded. Maybe that's why my Senior Pastor preaches as long as he can. People are hungry for real food, and it is hard to find in today's "all paths lead to God" culture.

I'm committing to be part of the solution. I'll serve joyfully, and look for ideas to help in logistics. I'll remember that our family needs to keep our relationships, with God and with our church friends, strong. I'll pray and fast some for our church and their challenges. And I'll remember other churches, too, and pray that they would not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God, to salvation, to whoever believes.

In listening to the audiobooks version of Stephen Covey's The 8th Habit, he gave a practically useful definition of the word COMPLIMENTARY. To paraphrase, the idea of a complimentary relationship is where one's strenghts and giftedness have a voice and are effective/productive, but one's weakesses are made irrelevant because of the strenghts and giftedness of another.

By the way, the 8th Habit is to find your voice and inspire others to find theirs. More on that some other time perhaps.

I think about strengts, talents, spiritual gifts, weaknesses, and such a lot while I think about my own talents and abilities, my wife's talents and abilities, and my childrens', especially in the context of raising, training, and educating them. To understand complimentary relationships and that it is OK to have weaknesses because we have others who help us in our weaknesses.

Surely, Darling Bride helps me in my weaknesses. It is shown in day to day living, and shown in Biblical instruction on how husbands and wives compliment each other:

• Wives, submit to your husbands... (Ephesians 5:22 and following)
• Husbands, love your wives...(Ephesians 5:25 and following)

We're given different instructions because each of us has different strengths and weaknesses. Husbands' strengths, when properly used, can lead a family forward. Wives' strenghts, when properly used, can eliminate Husbands' many weaknesses.

Married, single, each of us has a network of friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and such that help us.

Finally, there is one who can compensate for all of our weaknesses, and we read about him in Hebrews 4:14-16 -

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

May you find someone to compliment today.
Best,
Jeff

One morning our family of five drove off for the beach while the weather was pouring down rain. Our van was packed as fully as our anticipation for this phase of our summer vacation. How exciting! Returning to my hometown of Portage, Indiana, my family with me, to visit one of my top favorite places, Indiana Dunes, a day at Lake Michigan. On clear days you can see the Chicago Skyline to the Northwest. On hot days the cool, fresh water of the 2nd largest of the five Great Lakes would surely refresh anyone. Miles and miles of beach, cool breezes, and summertime memories! Something like this is looked forward to not just by kids.

As we continued along, the rain beat down upon our van, thick clouds keeping the location of the sun a mystery. Our wipers are due to be replaced, so at one point I had to pull over and re-attach the wiper on the driver's side. As we continued on, the information console on the van told us that the temperature was a very un-summertime 70 something degrees. A few hours later, we arrived at my mom's house, and now six of us were on our way to lunch and the mall, talking about how much fun we would have at the beach the next day.

What would motivate us to plan, pack, drive, and be ready for a sunshine day at Lake Michigan while dodging raindrops, listening to an occasional rumble of thunder, and not seeing the sun for a couple of days? The weather forecast! With satellite TV and our internet connection, we kept close watch on what to expect in the next few days. As our day was a washout at home on Tuesday, and Wednesday didn't look much better, we studied the signs that pointed to a sunny and hot day on Thursday. Confident in the promises made to us, we forged ahead.
The day at the beach was what we hoped for. Thursday morning, the clouds began to disappear, the sun came out, and the temperature climbed into beach range. Before long, we found our perfect spot. That day, nothing was missed. We setup, played, splashed, swam, made sandcastles, had lunch, collected rocks, bottled up some sand for a souvenir, created memories, and talked about our next trip to Indiana Dunes. A few clouds here and there, with sunshine, hardly any wind, not too crowded, and the water was fine. Just as we planned.

When storms and rain are upon us, we take comfort in looking ahead and seeing that sunny days are coming. That is true not only for family trips but also for our day to day life in this world. Storms from within, perhaps health problems, relationship problems, or shattered dreams. Storms from without, perhaps job or other financial woes, disturbing current events, uncertainty about the future. Knowing the upcoming forecast can help.

Jesus himself gives us his forecast in John 14:1-3, " Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."

We get another glimpse from John in Revelation 21:1-4, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

You and I have had both storms of life and sunny days. Sometimes, it seems as if we've had more rain than sun. But we can plan and live through the rain as we study the Forecast from the Son above. Beautiful days are coming, and I am thankful that we get occasional glimpses of them through God's creation here on earth, especially sunny days at Lake Michigan.

First of an occasional series

This past Sunday, a new era, an exciting adventure began for me. My family and I walked into a nearby church as first time visitors. It is a day I do not expect to forget.

The church is large, but don't let size fool you. I've found that it is the atmosphere, culture, and priorities of the church, not the size, that helps or hinders attenders in their relationship with God and other people. Where we went this weekend the campus and the parking lot is so big that they have a ministry of people in the parking lot helping drivers find their way, just like going to a sporting event or state fair. Someone helped us get parked and he represented his church well by his friendliness.

Next, we found our way to the Children's Wing, where our 6 and 4 year olds would go to Sunday School. Our 8 year old will be with us until the Fall programs begin. Next, we found where the large worship auditorium was. In the meantime, we found a friend we already knew and talked for a while before it was time to take our seats.

Joy and enthusiasm started the worship time. The worship leader, praise band, and choir led us in singing contemporary praise and worship songs. With video, monologue, and song, we transitioned into listening to the Senior Pastor's preaching of his sermon. For the summer, the messages are from the Old Testament book of Proverbs. This morning, the sermon's title was Words of Life. With Bibles in our hands and Bible verses on large screens, we read several proverbs about the good of speaking Life Giving Words: kind encouraging words, the right words at the right time, appropriate rebuke (loving correction), and disarming words.

Reading the Bible is powerful in its own right. The reason God wants us His Word to be publicly proclaimed in churches is that a pastor can explain the text and teach how to use, or apply, it in today's world. I learned something this morning that I could use forever. This morning we learned one effective way to speak these Life Giving Words to others:

Be aware, listen, and ask follow up questions.

Simple, yet profound to me. To me, this lit an explosion of excitement and hope within me as I matched Bible words to something I can actually do this week to improve the quality of life, in Jesus' name, for me and the others I touch this week. The timing was excellent as a week's vacation was beginning for my family and me, and what better time and place to be more Christlike than with my family?

By the way, I asked my children how well they liked their own classes. They both loved it and want to go back next week. My 4 year old asked if we could go there instead of his other Sunday School.

The exciting adventure comes not just from being in a new building, seeing and hearing church done in a different way than what I've been used to. For the past 11 years I've been a member of my current church. The adventure continues when the worship hour is done for the day and it is time to go back to "life at large" for another week. When I have the double edge sword of Bible Truths and a plan on how to use those truths, I feel ready, willing, and able to make an impact for God and the people He sends my way. While I do not want to judge my current church, it has been a few and far between experience when I have gone to church and left empowered in such a way. So much so that I've been thinking about making a change for a long time.

For the past 11 years, my wife and I, now my family and I, have been active members of our current church. For the past couple of years or so, I personally have struggled matching my temperament with the distinctives of our particular church. One struggle has come from making the choice between worshipping or serving. A church should allow their attenders to both serve and be served, but our structure has the unintended consequence of being an either/or propostion. It works like this: We have three worship times on Sunday, each one 1 hour 30 minutes apart. The plan is for 1 hour 15 minutes for church, with 15 minutes to go to/from Sunday School, dropoff/pickup your children, go serve in the nursery, children's Sunday School, as an usher, and such. Unfortunately, our Pastor consistently uses that extra time to go long on his preaching. So much so that it is a running joke in our church. So, people who come to 11:00 worship have to wait until 11:05 for the previous worship time to let out, then there is the traffic jam of people coming and going, everybody running late. Meanwhile, the poor Children's Wing servers, from nursery school on up, have to wait for children to be picked up. As it turns out, those who desire to serve God in our local church are rewarded with confusion because the lessons are done but the preaching pastor is not, and the servers cannot get to worship on time, and when they do get there, they cannot find a seat. In my opinion, even though he means well, he does not respect the time and the logistics that need to be managed in a busy church.

This is petty, I know, especially when Christians around the world are "inconvenienced" by government persecution, imprisonment, torture, and even death. I know that. At the same time, I have responsibilities to lead my wife and children spiritually. Ephesians 5:25-26 reads, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…" This means that a husband has a responsibility to empower his wife's spiritual growth. That is also true in raising children. Ephesians continues in 6:4, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." I also have a responsibility for my own growth. God calls us to active worship. Darling Bride and her friend Carla were talking about this, and the comment was made that it is a shame that our church makes their volunteers decide between worshipping and serving.

Strong, accurate, truthful preaching on Sunday mornings is a good thing. Our church emphasizes that. Unfortunately, I wonder if other worthwhile church things get sacrificed. Not keeping to a schedule disrupts all the other ministries going on at the same time. It stresses the servers, parents, children, and traffic flow. Fellowship time is eliminated, not allowing the flock to build relationships among each other, instead we are rushing to get to the next thing only a few minutes late (hopes for being on time are lost). Sunday worship becomes a thing to "get through" instead of an opportunity to quiet my heart, be intimate with my Savior, and love my neighbors.

Just as my good church may not be the best fit for my family and me, the church you are going to may not be the best fit for you. Changing churches is serious business and not to be taken lightly. Also, if you are not now a churchgoer, you couldn't do better than finding a good church for you (and your family, if you have one). If you are thinking about trying out a new church but don't know where to start, here are some ideas:

• Check out church websites. Many churches have banners outside that include their web address. You can read about them, download sermons for free, and find out when the worship times are.
• Ask neighbors and friends, "Do you go to church? Do you like it? Do they welcome visitors?" (and so on)
• Use your favorite search engine with terms like "contemporary worship (your city, state)" or Emergent Church, Emergent Worship, and such. Certain churches are actively pursuing those who might want to go to church, but may be afraid. They address that by fostering an atmosphere welcoming to newcomers.
• When you go to a church, find literature such as a "New Visitors Packet". It could answer some questions.
• Check back here often and I'll update about my experiences.

I found this online quiz while browsing other blogs today. The most interesting thing about the quiz is noticing that totally opposite views can be held among people, and they all believe that they are correct. What Would Jesus Do?

Have fun with the quiz,
Jeff

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 75% Fundamentalist 75% Neo orthodox 75% Reformed Evangelical 71% Emergent/Postmodern 50% Charismatic/Pentecostal 46% Roman Catholic 25% Classical Liberal 21% Modern Liberal 7% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

Here's how thinking outside the box (and a quickthinking Darling Bride) can save the day.

Today is July 4th, Independence Day. We as a family get excited about all holidays, not only for what they mean, but also because we are all together as a family. Today's plan was typical for July 4th: Parade, possible cookout with the new grill, and such.

It rained (literally) on our parade.

What to do with children who probably would be disappointed, and disappointed Mom and Dad, too? What is Independence Day without parades, catching candy at the parade, and a summer cookout, and maybe some time at the neighborhood pool?

Darling Bride, always thinking, suggests a finding out if our local Children's Museum is open today!

By the way, the Indianapolis Children's museum is great! Check it out at
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/

After checking the website, we find the museum open, so we fortify ourselves with a pancake breakfast, pack our picnic lunch, get in the minivan, and off to downtown!

As a result, we were able to enjoy our day together through an exciting activity. We do have a museum membership, so we go semi-regularly, but today was a good day because we feared for a moment that we would spend a holiday sitting at home looking at the rainfall. Who wants to look at rain on July 4th?

When it seems as if your day will be a washout, either literally or figurativelly, some creative thinking and willing to try something else could make for a good time. Try it!