Some of you have either been able to meet my parents recently, or at least heard about how my brothers' and I have recently been trying to care for them in this season of their life where they have more needs, but less strength to meet them. We've been trying to make the best decisions we can, but sometimes we find out later that it wasn't the best decision in the long run. Who knew? And then we get mixed advice, so we can't even determine if we did the right thing or not!
Others of you in our congregation have just gone through this, are just now starting to, or see it on the near horizon. Like me, perhaps you regret ignoring notices you've seen of "Elder Care" seminars, not thinking you needed to go to one, and now quickly realizing that you do. And if you search online, you'll soon discover that there are way too many resources to be able to navigate it all.
That's why I decided to speak with the folks at Heritage next door to see if they had good contacts for who could do a quality seminar for us. I learned two things - first, that they are fully equipped to put on a seminar themselves, and second, that there are far more issues to cover than a single seminar can possibly hope to address.
We don't have solid plans, yet, but at present, we are tentatively planning on hosting an overview seminar in the Spring to explain the kinds of issues that we need to think about, address them to modest degree, and then poll the crowd to see which issues they would like to see future, more in-depth seminars. We will announce these plans when they begin to firm up.
What I would like from you is a little feedback. What are your needs on the issue of caring for aging relatives? What questions do you have? What concerns do you have? What are the issues your friends and neighbors have? Please email me as much feedback as you can - that will help us tailor our overview seminar.
Also, this is a tremendous outreach opportunity! We want to invite churches in the neighborhood, and those who live near the church. Our goal is not necessarily to be the best church in the neighborhood, but to focus on being the best church for the neighborhood (to borrow a phrase from the Externally Focused Church). So look at this as an easy way to reach out to your neighbors. As we get this planned and produce hand-out literature, we are equipping you as an agent of the church to intentionally cultivate relationships to evangelize and disciple our world for God's glory.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
A View from the Canyon
The Grand Canyon is the world's most beautiful hole in the ground. A mile from rim to river, 10 to 18 miles across, 277 miles of river, encompassed in a park covering over 1900 square miles (http://www.nps.gov/grca/faqs.htm#big). With breathtaking vistas, layers of hues, and rugged beauty, the canyon is an untamed beast refusing to be domesticated by the dots of people on the rim looking down.
Some people have never seen the canyon in person. They likely have seen stunning photos and video. Perhaps they've gotten a glimpse from an airplane window, but that doesn't really count, either. They know that the canyon is awesome, but they've never experienced that the canyon is awesome. They probably know someone who has been and can tell them how awesome it is.
Most of the people who have seen the canyon in person and gasped at its size and beauty did so from the safety of the rim, likely from behind the safety of a guardrail. And now, you can even step out into the chasm a bit on the glass-bottomed skywalk, but still safely behind a guardrail. These folks can tell you from personal experience how awesome the canyon is.
Imagine, though, someone who wanted to not just be near the canyon, but in the canyon! I'm not talking about renting a burro or scaling the face, but someone who takes a running jump off of the rim, sails a mile downward into the canyon, and SPLAT! Really, really in the canyon! We would say, "How crazy! What a waste!" The man (or woman) threw away a perfectly good life. Even if that life was troubled, it's still a crazy waste, we would say.
Spiritually speaking, there are those who are like the ones who have never seen the Grand Canyon in person. They may have heard about Christ to some degree, but have never met Him "face-to-face." They may know several people who claim to know Him personally, they may even have the impression that Jesus is somewhat awesome.
Others can be like those who have seen the canyon from the ledge - safely behind the guardrails. They attend church somewhat regularly, they read the Bible once in a while, they know from observation that Jesus is incredibly awesome. They could tell others how awesome He is. But they've never taken the leap. They've never been in the canyon - always behind the guardrail.
Still others have taken the flying leap off the rim. No safety net, no scaling gear. Just sailing off into the depths of the canyon. And, just like what would happen in the real canyon, SPLAT! They die!
They die to sin. They die to the "old self." They die to the ways of seeking the pleasures of the flesh. They die to pride, selfishness, rebellion, idolatry, and most of all, religion. And the world says of these who die, "How crazy! What a waste!" All the world sees is a man or woman "throwing away" a perfectly good life. What a crazy waste!
But unlike the canyon, those who make this plunge are resurrected to new life, the "new man," the new creature of the new creation. They are "born again" or "born from above." Scripture says two things about this curious reality: 1) One must die in Christ before he is raised with Christ, and 2) All who die in Christ will be raised with Christ. In other words, SPLAT! of the old self is necessary, but it is always followed by resurrection to the new self.
If the world does not assess our lives as a "crazy waste," then we appear to them to be on the rim of the canyon, not in the canyon itself. At the canyon, not in the canyon. At Christ, but not in Christ. Someone can be in Christ but appear to the world as being only near Christ, and safely never being labeled a "crazy waste." The world should, and in fact the world must, see our lives as a crazy waste, rather than safely on the rim behind the guardrails. We must entice the world to scratch their heads, wondering how we could "throw away" our lives. That is the only way they will know what it means to be in Christ.
Romans 6:4 - Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Some people have never seen the canyon in person. They likely have seen stunning photos and video. Perhaps they've gotten a glimpse from an airplane window, but that doesn't really count, either. They know that the canyon is awesome, but they've never experienced that the canyon is awesome. They probably know someone who has been and can tell them how awesome it is.
Most of the people who have seen the canyon in person and gasped at its size and beauty did so from the safety of the rim, likely from behind the safety of a guardrail. And now, you can even step out into the chasm a bit on the glass-bottomed skywalk, but still safely behind a guardrail. These folks can tell you from personal experience how awesome the canyon is.
(Image from http://www.grandcanyonwest.com/images/latestnews/l-skywalk.jpg)
Imagine, though, someone who wanted to not just be near the canyon, but in the canyon! I'm not talking about renting a burro or scaling the face, but someone who takes a running jump off of the rim, sails a mile downward into the canyon, and SPLAT! Really, really in the canyon! We would say, "How crazy! What a waste!" The man (or woman) threw away a perfectly good life. Even if that life was troubled, it's still a crazy waste, we would say.
Spiritually speaking, there are those who are like the ones who have never seen the Grand Canyon in person. They may have heard about Christ to some degree, but have never met Him "face-to-face." They may know several people who claim to know Him personally, they may even have the impression that Jesus is somewhat awesome.
Others can be like those who have seen the canyon from the ledge - safely behind the guardrails. They attend church somewhat regularly, they read the Bible once in a while, they know from observation that Jesus is incredibly awesome. They could tell others how awesome He is. But they've never taken the leap. They've never been in the canyon - always behind the guardrail.
Still others have taken the flying leap off the rim. No safety net, no scaling gear. Just sailing off into the depths of the canyon. And, just like what would happen in the real canyon, SPLAT! They die!
They die to sin. They die to the "old self." They die to the ways of seeking the pleasures of the flesh. They die to pride, selfishness, rebellion, idolatry, and most of all, religion. And the world says of these who die, "How crazy! What a waste!" All the world sees is a man or woman "throwing away" a perfectly good life. What a crazy waste!
But unlike the canyon, those who make this plunge are resurrected to new life, the "new man," the new creature of the new creation. They are "born again" or "born from above." Scripture says two things about this curious reality: 1) One must die in Christ before he is raised with Christ, and 2) All who die in Christ will be raised with Christ. In other words, SPLAT! of the old self is necessary, but it is always followed by resurrection to the new self.
If the world does not assess our lives as a "crazy waste," then we appear to them to be on the rim of the canyon, not in the canyon itself. At the canyon, not in the canyon. At Christ, but not in Christ. Someone can be in Christ but appear to the world as being only near Christ, and safely never being labeled a "crazy waste." The world should, and in fact the world must, see our lives as a crazy waste, rather than safely on the rim behind the guardrails. We must entice the world to scratch their heads, wondering how we could "throw away" our lives. That is the only way they will know what it means to be in Christ.
Romans 6:4 - Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
An Interpretive Question
We read Scripture ultimately to be changed. We resist change, we put up defenses against change, we make up excuses of why we don't need to change (or can't change), and we sometimes turn to Scripture to merely reinforce what we already believe (whether or not it is true). But truth be told, we want things to be different as the result of reading Scripture, and underneath our defenses is a realization that the real change needed is in us, not just our circumstances. We approach Scripture one way, and want to step from Scripture being a different way ... somehow.
We want Scripture to intersect with real life and make real life better (because there's no way real life can make Scripture any better).
Lynne and I had one Sunday school teacher in Texas who asked the same question at the end of every lesson: "So what?" We just finished taking an excellent look at what the Scripture says, how it spoke into the original context, and what various words and ideas mean. But so what? What does it matter? How do these truths make a bit of difference in my life? Now, that is a bit of an egocentric way to look at Scripture, but it is also one of the reasons God wants us to read Scripture.
Pastors have long been taught to have an "application" with every sermon. Sermons that just relay the facts and historical data may be interesting to a few Bible nerds, but there's no challenge for the listener to aspire to live more biblically, no call to change. So, have an application! Teach the Word, but then show what to do with it. Quite frankly, I find this the hardest part of developing a sermon, and one I rarely do to my own satisfaction.
My preaching professor didn't like the word "application," but rather used the phrase "contemporary relevance." Not that you would want to use that phrase too often in a sermon, but to think in terms of the "CR" for sermon preparation. It differs from "application" in the sense that the CR is not just a "therefore, do this" idea, but rather the more involved process of understanding the congregation and seeing how the eternal Word is particularly relevant to their "here and now."
I have stumbled across another question to ask yourself when reading Scripture. I meet weekly with Brennan Connolly and David Gramling to read and discuss Scripture and challenging books. At least once in every meeting, we ask the same question of what we just read, "Based on this passage, what does it mean to be a fully committed follower of Jesus?" I have discovered this to be a fantastic challenge question for discussion. I have also discovered it to be fantastic to ask myself during my own daily Quiet Time. The question somehow pushes me to dig deeper into the passage in ways I don't do otherwise. And the impact of Scripture has a new angle on me (rather than the other way around - me having a new angle on Scripture).
All of these are good questions and phrases to help us dig into Scripture. Don't just read Scripture - ask challenging questions of Scripture.
We want Scripture to intersect with real life and make real life better (because there's no way real life can make Scripture any better).
Lynne and I had one Sunday school teacher in Texas who asked the same question at the end of every lesson: "So what?" We just finished taking an excellent look at what the Scripture says, how it spoke into the original context, and what various words and ideas mean. But so what? What does it matter? How do these truths make a bit of difference in my life? Now, that is a bit of an egocentric way to look at Scripture, but it is also one of the reasons God wants us to read Scripture.
Pastors have long been taught to have an "application" with every sermon. Sermons that just relay the facts and historical data may be interesting to a few Bible nerds, but there's no challenge for the listener to aspire to live more biblically, no call to change. So, have an application! Teach the Word, but then show what to do with it. Quite frankly, I find this the hardest part of developing a sermon, and one I rarely do to my own satisfaction.
My preaching professor didn't like the word "application," but rather used the phrase "contemporary relevance." Not that you would want to use that phrase too often in a sermon, but to think in terms of the "CR" for sermon preparation. It differs from "application" in the sense that the CR is not just a "therefore, do this" idea, but rather the more involved process of understanding the congregation and seeing how the eternal Word is particularly relevant to their "here and now."
I have stumbled across another question to ask yourself when reading Scripture. I meet weekly with Brennan Connolly and David Gramling to read and discuss Scripture and challenging books. At least once in every meeting, we ask the same question of what we just read, "Based on this passage, what does it mean to be a fully committed follower of Jesus?" I have discovered this to be a fantastic challenge question for discussion. I have also discovered it to be fantastic to ask myself during my own daily Quiet Time. The question somehow pushes me to dig deeper into the passage in ways I don't do otherwise. And the impact of Scripture has a new angle on me (rather than the other way around - me having a new angle on Scripture).
All of these are good questions and phrases to help us dig into Scripture. Don't just read Scripture - ask challenging questions of Scripture.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I retreated like a man
Last Thursday night and Friday, I was finally able to peel away for a personal retreat - 24 hours alone with the Lord and His Word at a retreat center nearby. These retreats are for turning off the world and focusing on prayer, reading, and even just resting. During these retreats, I also love to take long walks or go for bike rides, although I was a bit discouraged from that by the single-digit temperatures! I used to be in the habit of taking about one a month (plus a three-day retreat once a year), but fell out of the habit when I went back to school. I have yet to get back in the habit.
These retreats are almost always beneficial (I've had a few clunkers!) - there is a depth of relationship with the Lord that's just harder for me to experience in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life. I believe that's the model Jesus set for us when He would get away from the fray to be alone with His Father.
This retreat was by no means a clunker. I certainly could have been more focused during my time, but there were some rich times in the Word and in prayer. Some issues in life took on some good clarity, and there was just a sense of exhaling, instead of what feels like holding my breath for the last several weeks. I spent Thursday night just reading through Ezra, summarizing it, looking at the structure (which always helps me understand a book or a passage), and focusing in on his great prayer in chapter 9. You heard a little about my benefit from Ezra during the worship service on Sunday.
On Friday, it was also my goal to go through the stewardship worksheets that we've been handing out each week during our sermon series. I thought that maybe I could get some benefit from it, even though I'm the one who put the worksheets together. I was amazed at how much benefit I actually did get! I came to a lot of life decisions as a result - shifting priorities, clarifying my focus, adjusting our financial management, all kinds of good things.
One of the most important benefits is something I was already planning on talking about this Sunday, but the concept took on a far more personal, impacting, and even convicting nature during the retreat. The role of pastor's wife is difficult because it's hard to be of help when the husband simply cannot share much of his week because of professional confidentiality. Lynne and I have persistently looked for better ways for her gifts to make me more fruitful despite this limitation. The retreat yielded fruit here - one clear way that we can improve is to complete these worksheets individually, but then also walk through our individual worksheets together and discuss them. Even more beneficial, however, will be to generate another set of worksheets for us as one flesh. Not just two full sets of worksheets, but one additional set that is for us together as a family, pulling ideas from the other two.
This is great for any couple, but I see particular benefit for a pastor and his wife. It will be a way for both of us to help the other, a way for us to draw closer together, a way to pull our "one flesh" lives into clearer focus, and to set our sights on stewarding the various arenas our lives for Christ more effectively than ever before.
I highly encourage you to do three things:
These retreats are almost always beneficial (I've had a few clunkers!) - there is a depth of relationship with the Lord that's just harder for me to experience in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life. I believe that's the model Jesus set for us when He would get away from the fray to be alone with His Father.
This retreat was by no means a clunker. I certainly could have been more focused during my time, but there were some rich times in the Word and in prayer. Some issues in life took on some good clarity, and there was just a sense of exhaling, instead of what feels like holding my breath for the last several weeks. I spent Thursday night just reading through Ezra, summarizing it, looking at the structure (which always helps me understand a book or a passage), and focusing in on his great prayer in chapter 9. You heard a little about my benefit from Ezra during the worship service on Sunday.
On Friday, it was also my goal to go through the stewardship worksheets that we've been handing out each week during our sermon series. I thought that maybe I could get some benefit from it, even though I'm the one who put the worksheets together. I was amazed at how much benefit I actually did get! I came to a lot of life decisions as a result - shifting priorities, clarifying my focus, adjusting our financial management, all kinds of good things.
One of the most important benefits is something I was already planning on talking about this Sunday, but the concept took on a far more personal, impacting, and even convicting nature during the retreat. The role of pastor's wife is difficult because it's hard to be of help when the husband simply cannot share much of his week because of professional confidentiality. Lynne and I have persistently looked for better ways for her gifts to make me more fruitful despite this limitation. The retreat yielded fruit here - one clear way that we can improve is to complete these worksheets individually, but then also walk through our individual worksheets together and discuss them. Even more beneficial, however, will be to generate another set of worksheets for us as one flesh. Not just two full sets of worksheets, but one additional set that is for us together as a family, pulling ideas from the other two.
This is great for any couple, but I see particular benefit for a pastor and his wife. It will be a way for both of us to help the other, a way for us to draw closer together, a way to pull our "one flesh" lives into clearer focus, and to set our sights on stewarding the various arenas our lives for Christ more effectively than ever before.
I highly encourage you to do three things:
- Complete the stewardship worksheets (or some other similar exercise to assess your life's priorities). We have copies available of all the worksheets we've introduced so far.
- Per the message coming up on Sunday, go through the worksheets together as a couple, as a family, or with a trusted friend. Also consider coming up with a set for the family as a whole.
- Make time at least once a year to spend alone with the Lord - away from all the noise, with nothing but a Bible and a way to journal, for no less than 24 hours. I usually have to get through at least two hours of "boredom" before I'm really ready to focus - that's just my body and mind going through "noise detox," but then finally I'm ready to meet with the Lord. Some of my richest times with the Lord have come during personal retreats (most of which started off "boring"!).
If you have any more questions about any of these three things, I'm here to help - just ask.
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