Preventing the Decay of our Relationships

First a little house cleaning!  Anyone who knows me, at least in the area of ministry, knows that I don't like routine.  Now, before I get a bunch of comments telling me that routine is important, let me say "I know." I understand we need to bathe, get dressed, brush our teeth, and put our pants on one leg at a time, but sometimes routine can lull us into mindlessness and even worse, heartlessness.  So, in that spirit I don't want to lull you into that same place.  I would like for you to open your email or sign onto the blog with a sense of anticipation, so if you ever find this blog sounding like the teacher in the Charlie Brown movies, "Wha, wha, wha, wha...." let me know. Now, back to business.

There is a term that you may remember from high school science class.  (if you don't, that's cool.  This isn't a test).  The term is "entropy".  To keep it really simple, entropy states that things always trend toward the maximum amount of disorder.  For example, after you clean your son's room, it will become maximally disorganized over time.  In spring, you organize the garage and by fall it looks like someone picked it up and shook it around for a while.  Things unattended tend to decay.  Let your garden go for a month without water, fertilizer, or picking weeds.  If you take a new Toyota and put it in a field, leave it there for ten to twenty years it won't turn into a shiny Lexus.  It'll turn into a bucket of rust.  OK, I think you get "entropy".

I want to take this concept and apply it to things more important than your kid's room (or your room if you are a kid), gardens,  and cars.  I want us to look at a few things that if unattended will decay, spoil, and maybe die.  I want us to look at our relationships.  I want us to look at our marriages, or relationships with our children, and our relationship with God.  

Love is such an easy word to say, isn't it.  I love french fries.  I love the beach.  I love you Honey. I love you Lord.  Love, peace, joy!  Love, love, love . . .  Flows pretty nice off the tongue.  Jesus said "A new command I give you, love one another".  The apostle John reminds us that real love is much harder to do than to say, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."  Love is sacrificial and love takes work.  Love means that we stop and decide if maybe we are loving ourselves first then giving the others our leftovers.  

There was prophet named Ezekiel who lived about 570 years before Jesus and God spoke some powerful words through his mouth.  Check these out, "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who take care of themselves!  Should not shepherds take care of the flock?  You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured.  You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost."

So, here is this flock of sheep wandering the hillside.  Just for the record, sheep aren't the brightest animals in the barn.  They need a great deal of help.  But, the shepherd who was supposed to love and care for them has instead, taken care of himself.  Two sheep have fallen into a ravine, three have starved without food and water, one has been eaten by a lion, and four eaten by wolves.  Meanwhile, Bob the shepherd is enjoying a latte under a nice shade tree while he reads  the latest issue of chariot racing weekly (the early precursor to NASCAR).  Bob loves Bob and the sheep are tending toward disorder (maximum entropy).

We are shepherds of our marriages, our families, and also have to tend to our relationship with the God who gave us both of those.  I'll be the first to admit that I have failed miserably at all of these at times but the God of grace has given me second and third chances.  Let's be really honest with ourselves today and take a real close look at our relationships.  Let's not let them tend toward disorder and decay.  It takes work, time, thought, and most of all love.  Let's get to the task of fighting entropy!  If your marriage is in the ravine of resentment, your kids are being chased by wolves of addiction, or your relationship with God is dead or dying, let's get to work!  God will help us if we ask.  Quite frankly, we need his help!

In Christ's love,

David

Sin. One Nasty Tar Pit!

"Dad, what is a tar pit?"

"Well, it's a huge hole filled with thick, nasty, black, sticky stuff."

"Why did the dinosaurs walk into them?"

"Well, I guess they didn't see them or maybe they just didn't think they'd get stuck."

"Dad . . ."

"What Collin?"

"What happened to the dinosaurs that got stuck in the tar pits?"

"They died and eventually turned into fossils.  I guess they got hardened over time."

There was a sinful woman who came to Jesus while he was dining at the home of a Jewish religious leader (a Pharisee) named Simon.  We don't know what her sins were.  Maybe she was a prostitute, maybe an adulteress, or maybe she just wasn't as polished on the outside as the Pharisee.  When she entered the house she was in tears and in her hand was an alabaster jar filled with perfume. This wasn't like a pint of Avon in a plastic jug!  No, this was like her most valued possession. It was likely worth a year's wages.  You can put substitute your salary to make this personal.

So what did she do with it?  She poured it over Jesus' feet but not before she poured her tears on them and wiped them with her hair.  She was broken, sorry, and desperate. She, was in a tar pit.  She was dirty.  She was stuck.  She was afraid. She was dying.  But, she was not yet hardened.  

Simon was like, "Jesus, if you had any idea what kind of slut this woman was you wouldn't let her touch even your feet."  (My paraphrase, but I'm quite sure this is what he meant). 

Jesus then told a parable (a story to make a moral point).  Jesus told a story of two men that owed money to a lender (most of us know that feeling!).  One owed a lot and the other a little. Neither of them were able to pay it back (many of us know that feeling as well).  The lender forgave both of their debts.  Jesus then asked Simon, "Which of them will love him more?" Simon correctly said, "The one who had the bigger debt cancelled."  Jesus then pointed out that the woman loved Jesus far more than Simon did and her actions showed it.  She was hungry for forgiveness and it showed.

Jesus then said something that was really hard for Simon to swallow.  He said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven."

This part is really important, so listen up.  Simon wasn't upset because Jesus let this woman off the hook but because he claimed he had the right to let her off the hook.  Only God could forgive sins and Jesus was claiming to have authority that only God had.  We'll go down this road another time but for now know that Jesus wasn't just a wise teacher who told great stories.

So, what is your tar pit?  Be honest.  We all have those things that are dark, dirty, and seem to stick to us, hold us down, and might even be killing us.  We all carry guilt but not all of us admit it.  We all have sinned but not all of us acknowledge it.  We all have walked where we shouldn't have walked but some of us will stay in the pit, die, and be hardened forever.  Look, it's OK to admit you've got baggage.  You're fooling yourself if you think otherwise.  But there is a God in heaven (no matter whether you believe in him or not) who loves you.  There is a Savior who took your place in the pit and promises to wash you clean and set you free.

What is your alabaster jar?  Maybe it's your pride, or your wealth, or your possessions.  If you want to be free and clean and totally alive then come humbly, come repentant (wanting to turn from the junk), and give it up.  The woman was at Jesus' feet because she left her pride at the door. Let's do the same, OK?  Let's not become fossils!  Let's not die in the stench of the tar pit! The Bible says, "But, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."  Maybe you've been addicted to drugs or alcohol, maybe you've had an abortion, maybe you've cheated on your husband or your wife, maybe you've been in prison, maybe you just harbor hate in your heart. Whatever it is, bring it to the feet of the one who can remove it for good.  I promise if you come leaving your pride at the door, with a heart full of tears, and the willingness to break open your alabaster jar, God will make you whole again.  Honest.

"Dad?"

"What Collin?"

"I don't think I like tar pits much."

"Me either."

Until next week,

David

Fred's not dead and neither is Jesus!

A couple thousand years ago Jesus stood before the Roman Governor of Judea, a man named Pontius Pilate.  Pilate asked him, "Are you a king?"  Jesus said, "You are right in saying I am a king. It was for this reason that I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Pilate followed by asking Jesus, "What is truth?"  Hmmm?  Good question.  

Imagine you're at a funeral and there are five hundred people present, actually five hundred and one.  I almost left out the guest of honor!  The mood, as you might well imagine, is somber and tears are flowing freely.  The casket, surrounded by flowers and pictures of the deceased in his younger days, sits on the raised platform in the front of the church.  As the pastor quotes from the obligatory Twenty Third Psalm "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . . " there is suddenly a strange sense that things are not quite right.  The lights flicker, the building trembles, and the casket begins to shake.  The casket top opens and out crawls Fred wondering where he got the cheap suite and why he's in the front of the church.  He always sits in the back of the church in case he dozes off.  And why are all the people running for the door?  

Don't you think that if you saw a dead man raised you'd be forever changed?  Do you think that you'd get up the next day and head off to work or take the kids to school and go about business as usual?  Not a chance!  You'd be rocked to the core.  You'd tell everyone you know.  You'd would be calling and visiting Fred to make sure you weren't losing your marbles.  

Last week I said we'd be getting deeper into this idea of "Truth" and that it might be a bit challenging so here we go.  Tomorrow people all around the world will celebrate Easter and many will not.  Of the ones that do, many will paint eggs, wait for the Easter Bunny, and eat ham.  Some, however, will celebrate a monumental event that they believe to be true, an event that changed their life: the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.  For these people this is not just some religious fable or tale but a literal, factual event.  The question is this: Is it truth? Because it can't be true for some and not true for others.  You might be reading this thinking it's a bunch of bunk, a story for the weak minded.  You might be absolutely convinced that its true.  You both can't be right.  Either he rose bodily from the grave or he didn't.  Truth just is!  My opinion and your opinion do not determine truth.  Two plus two equals four even if I happen to believe sincerely that it equals eleven.  Either Uncle Fred is alive or he's not.  The question isn't "What do you believe?" but "What is true?"

I asked you last week to come as you are with your world view;  Mormon, Christian, Atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, New Age, Scientology, Jehovah's Witness, Wiccan, Secular Humanism, or Agnostic (you're not really sure).  I asked you to begin to ask yourself this question, "How do I know what I am following is true?"  Because who in their right mind wants to willingly follow a lie.  It doesn't matter who you are, everyone believes something and everyone puts his or her faith in something.  Wouldn't you want to know if the thing you're leaning on can hold you up?  Wouldn't you want to know that the bridge you're on won't crash to the river bottom as your car passes over?

Back to Fred for a second.  How would you determine if Fred really ruined a perfectly good funeral and had to return all of those flowers?  Well, if you saw him and talked to him that would pretty much seal the deal for you.  But some of you would need to shake his hand and ask him a few questions that only the real Fred would know the answer to.  If you weren't actually there you'd asked someone you knew who was there and not just anyone but someone you knew to be honest.  Actually, you'd probably ask  a few people just to be sure.  You'd head over to the funeral home and poke around the casket to see if Fred was still in it. 

You might be saying, "Who cares?"  "So what if Jesus rose from the dead?"  "What does that have to do with me?"  Here is your answer.  Listen carefully.  If Jesus rose from the dead, if it is true, then Jesus is who  he said he was.  If he rose then what he said was true.  If he rose from the dead then you better listen.  Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  He said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."  Jesus was seen by the women, two men on the road to Emmaus, his disciples, and more than five hundred people at one time.  It was recorded by four different men in the Gospels and reported by secular historians (smart dudes outside of the bible) that lived at the time (eg. Josephus).  His disciples who were hiding and cowering in fear after the crucifixion on Friday were preaching in the street on Monday.  

Look, my friend.  Today is the day.  Be humble and honest with yourself.  If you want to know what's true then you first have to be open to the truth. You might actually have to look at the evidence but ultimately it becomes a matter of the heart.  I believe that if you really want to know the truth you'll find it but if in your heart you want what you want regardless of the truth it will remain hidden from you.  Jesus said that the truth would set you free.  Pilate asked "What is truth?" then he walked away.  What will you do?

Happy Easter,

David 

PS..  Ivor's CD is in final production and will be available after April 27th.  Stay tuned!

Truth Floats

There once was a ship that sailed from the Old World toward a distant and unknown land. On the second day of the third week of the voyage a violent storm arose, the ship began to take on water, and the ship's only life boat was smashed against the side of the ship.  The captain, fearing the ship would be lost, called out to his crew, "Men, the ship is going down!  Save yourselves!  Each of you get hold of a life preserver and gather at the bow." Two or three minutes passed and eventually all of the men stood together at the bow of the ship.  One small group of men stood together each holding a single cannon ball.  Another group, stood in a small circle holding onto a large anchor.  Still another group huddled together holding on to each other.  The last group had red and white floatation vests strapped firmly in place.

As the ship slowly sank into the ocean, the men all smiled politely, made small talk about how lovely all of the life preservers looked on each other, and commented on how wonderful it was that the men were so open minded with regard to what actually constituted a "life preserver". Finally the ship sank below the water's surface and so did the men with the cannon balls, the men with the anchor, and the group of men holding on to each other.  Alone on the water were the men with the life vests wondering what ever happened to all of their shipmates......

Truth.  We believe in that word and live by it every single day.  We know when we get on an airplane that the man in the cockpit with the wings on his jacket is a pilot. If he were not a pilot but a salad chef we'd get off fast.  Why?  Because we understand that just because the salad chef believes in his heart he's a pilot, it doesn't make him one.  We put gas in our car because putting coffee in the tank wouldn't get us to work.  Gas is gas and coffee is coffee.  I could go on all day with these ridiculous analogies but I think you get the point.  We live knowing that some things are true and others aren't.

For some reason when it comes to religious world views we have developed the nonsensical idea that all religious beliefs can be equally true and equally valid as long as the believer is sincere and as long as no one claims any exclusivity.  Let's get this out on the table.  I have great respect for someone who is passionate for what they believe.  If you're an atheist and believe that there is no God then it doesn't make much sense for you to say that we're both right.  If you're a Muslim and believe that Jesus was a just a prophet and the Christian believes he was God then we both can't be right.  If you're a member of the New Age movement and believe that we are all (with the rocks, trees, and air) collectively "God" and the Bible says that God is the creator of all that is, we can't both be right.  Jim Jones convinced 913 people that he was the reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha, Lenin, and Father Divine.  He lead them to commit mass suicide because of that belief.  They were sincere but most of us would agree it was not a valid belief.  We can love each other and respect each other but let's not belittle each other.  

The late Adrian Rogers once said. "It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills"  I think a rational but loving discussion between the men on the boat would have been good, don't you? 

 "Hey dude, that cannon ball is going to sink like a rock!  I think there is another floatation device aft." 

"I like my cannon ball.  It will float just fine."  

"Hey here is an extra cannon ball.  Let's chuck it overboard and see what happens."  

"SPLASH"  

"Dang, you were right!  Where did you say that other vest was?"

I don't know what your world view is.  You may be a Christian, a Muslim, a Mormon, an Atheist, an Agnostic, a Hindu, a Buddhist, or a Wiccan and you are absolutely free to do so but I challenge you to take a look at your world view and begin to ask yourself is it true and if it is how do you know?

Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me."  The Apostle John said "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." No ambiguity there! We're going to go deeper next time so put on your seat belts. We're grown ups here and can speak openly in love, right?  Either Jesus was God in the flesh and the only way to the Father, he was a liar, or he was crazy.  But he didn't leave us the option of making him just one of many fine spiritual leaders.  This will fly in the face of twenty first century  reason, religious tolerance,  and political correctness but I know if you set aside pride and think rationally we can have a real live dialogue that may just change your life..  Don't forget to check out our main site "The I61 PROJECT.ORG"

In Christ's love, David