Settling In

We are in the middle of the moving process and settling in.  Normally this process is untidy at best.  We are so thankful to all those who have helped us move all of our boxes to Michigan even though we and our belongings await our final destination.  There are many plans still being made for our eventual home and we look forward to arranging it with our belongings.  Mostly, we hope that we will be settled before too long so we can begin life in our new place.  Good people like those we have met already will help speed along this process.

The biggest factor in moving is knowing when you are settled enough so that this new residence is now your home.  Some people move their belongings across the country but never get to the point where they feel settled.  They never feel like this new place that they now live is their home. It is difficult for them to begin life in that new place.

Do people do that with God?  A person like this comes to know Jesus personally and they becomes a follower of Jesus along the road of life. Yea!  Angels celebrate! In theological thinking, their new residence is no longer earth but with God in heaven.  But it is not that people don’t like their new home but they never totally get comfortable with it.  They never settle in and start their new life of working for God’s Kingdom.  How sad.

My family and I covet your prayers and patience as we settle into our new home in Michigan.  We look forward to beginning life with those at Celebration Community Church.  May we all as followers of Jesus settle in to our heavenly home so that we can get to our work for God’s Kingdom, that this kingdom will be “on earth as it is in heaven!”

No More Manna

I have found a new devotional that I enjoy.  It is called "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon.  It was written many years ago and some of the words make me laugh but it has spoken to my heart.  The description said that it had 2 short devotions, one for starting the day and the other for ending the day.  I said, "Short?"  This is for me!

Yesterday I read about how the nation of Israel left Egypt from their slavery.  I am sure that they were looking forward to the paradise that was promised to them, this land in Canaan.  They must have thought that within a week they would be eating the bounty of the land.  No more hunger.  No more toil or pain.  No more manna!  Nothing but paradise!

However, you know the rest of the story.  There was rebellion against God and Moses which led to many years of wandering in the desert.  When it was time to finally enter this paradise, only Moses and Joshua and the youngest children would realize this land of promise.  Pretty sad but current story about the outcome of people who want paradise apart from God.

The devotion spoke to me about expecting paradise too soon at Celebration Community Church.  I have met great people here.  There is such potential.  Each day I see how God has prepared me during my life for the duties here today.  But do I expect paradise too soon?  Do I focus on the potential for my idea of success or do I continue to look with expectation to my God who has his own timing?  Do I consider him to be the object that I strive for instead of my own ideas of paradise?

Oh how I need your prayers that I may keep a correct focus on my Creator as the author and determiner of success.  I need your prayers that my pride might be thrown aside and that I might follow on the path with Jesus as my guide.

http://www.heartlight.org/spurgeon/

Merry Christmas

We just returned from Christmas with my side of the family.  It was good to talk about a wide variety of things ranging from the serious to the superficial to the downright insane.  As usual, the goal of the day is to tell silly stories from our childhood days that make my mom laugh out of control.  Mission accomplished!

I hope and pray that you too have a great day celebrating Christmas!

Grace Paint!

I have found that there are 2 kinds of people in the world: those who like to paint and those who will avoid painting at all cost!  People give various reasons for why they would never want to paint a room in their home.  Maybe it is skill level or confidence which I understand.  It's OK.  Not everyone likes to paint.  I am trying to understand people who are not like me.

I love to paint and have found many benefits in painting.  It is therapeutic in that it calms me down and gives me confidence in doing something that I can do pretty well.  It is enriching in that I can listen to sermons on my MP3 player and get ideas for my own preaching.  It is helpful to others in that I get to help out others who don't paint. Sometimes they even pay me which is always beneficial!

Mostly, I can't think about painting without thinking about God's grace.  Because every wall has it's history, often times I need to paint over nasty stains.  Who knows how they got that way but they now make the wall look shabby and worn out.  Many stains are so bad that there is no way to return the wall to a good condition except by using a stain blocker.  Without the stain blocker, the stain would bleed through and the wall would still look shabby.

I love to use Kilz stain blocker which covers the stain and allows the wall to accept a good coat of paint.  The stain is still there but it is now covered.  No one will ever see the stain again!  It will not bleed through to the final coat of paint and it will look as if the wall never had a stain on it!  It's a miracle!

We all are like walls: we all have nasty stains.  God calls them sin.  Even pastors have sins.  They are just better at hiding them.  The miracle is that my God sends me grace as a stain blocker to cover the nasty sin stains in my life.  Through the work of Jesus and my trust in him, he covers my stains.  The stains are still there but they have been covered and will NEVER be seen again.  When God looks at me, he doesn't see a dirty, shabby, sin-filled rebel.  He sees me as a beautiful clean and new person who has no sin stains.  All of this because of God's incredible grace!  Isn't God's grace amazing?

Oh, I do love painting!

Ahhh, That Was Good!

I just got off the phone with Archie.  He is the lead pastor at my former church.  Over the years he was a teammate in ministry and an informal mentor.  There is much about ministry and life that I have gained from him.  Today when I called him on the phone, I called as a friend.  We talked about ministry, about personal aches and pains, and even about ministry aches and pains.

After the phone call, I pushed back from my desk and reflected on the contented warm feeling I had.  It was the feeling you get after eating just enough at a great meal.  Not too much because then you become uncomfortable.  There is something great about having just enough.  It makes you push away from the table a bit, take in a big lung full of air, pat your belly, and exhale while saying "Ahhh, that was good!"

I like conversations like that where afterwards I say, "Ahhh, that was good!"  Mostly that is with good friends.  Many times I have them after an honest talk with God.    My problem is that I let guilt get in the way of the "ahhh".  My guilt arises when I think of how long it has been since I have been fully honest with God.  Or when I think how I am failing in so many other areas of my life.  And the "ahhh" begins to slip from my grasp.

The thought that brings it back is that my God loves to talk to me.  I don't understand it because I don't find my ability for conversation all that thrilling sometimes.  Actually, there are times where I think that I am just boring!  But my God loves to hear me call him up anyways and just say hi.  He answers before the phone rings!  And, he doesn't start yelling at me because it has been so long since our last conversation.  My God hears my voice and it is like no time has even passed since our last talk.

Then when I hang up, I am sure that he sits back and reflects that one of his children called.  A child that he cherishes and loves.  He smiles at the idea that we had an honest moment together and that I still like to hear his voice.  And I can just hear him exhale, pat his belly, and say, "Ahhh, that was good!"

A Taste?

I got a little taste of heaven the other day.  It happened in a church youth room to which Youth Pastors just say "Duh!"  There is a group of guys who meet every Monday for 2 hours to play ping pong in the youth room.  Now I am getting a bit older in life but these guys make feel like I am a teenager.  During their time in the military, for many this was WW2 or Korean war era, they were not out boozing it up or gambling their money away.  They needed to find constructive ways to use their down time so they began playing ping pong.  So after 50+ years of playing, they have a lot of practice and they are all pretty good still!

Earlier, the pastor of the church stated that this group met and said that if I wanted to join them that they would surely welcome some more competition.  Being someone who loves to play games, I planned on going the next time they met.  To be honest, my expectations were low because I minored in game room activities in college.  Many who know and love me would say that I am "very competitive" and there are few games that I do not like, except for the game "Peanuts" where my wife soundly beats me every time!

Monday, I show up for a few games.  Instantly I am welcomed with handshakes and some Dutch Bingo by those not playing at the time.  I notice 2 ping pong tables and each table is playing doubles.  After a short time I am instructed to get a paddle out of the box and join in a team at one of the tables.  They go over the rules just so that everyone knows them.  I am sure that they thought me to be part of the X-box generation who doesn't know how to play anything without a game controller.  After the rules have been established we are ready to start.

It didn't take long to discover that these guys like each other.  They are really good individually but they compliment whoever makes a good play, teammate or not.  There is laughing and joking all around as everyone has fun playing.  After a while they sit around a table to talk about their week, the latest news, and people that need some care.

That was the picture for me!  They honestly care about each other.  They laugh and joke with each other.  They congratulate each other for using the gifts God has given them.  They care for others that they know.  They share a common bond with each other and Jesus.

I don't have a photo of what heaven looks like but it has to look something like this.  Of course, if I knew exactly what it was like I am sure I would want too badly to be there.  What I do know about God, this is just a taste of what an eternity will be like with him.  That is going to be awesome!  Maybe then I will be able to return their killer serves!

Good Music!

I am sitting in my office listening to the praise band warm up and practice before the morning worship.  It is the calm before the storm.  They are so good and having such a good time practicing.  There is laughter and jokes and playfulness.  They are communicating with the sound booth to get the sound levels correct and adjust the monitors so that they can hear how they are playing.  The bass guy just shocked everyone when he kicked into a blues vocal riff that had everyone surprised because he rarely sings as the lead.  It is truly a joy to listen to them!

There is something special about good music.  It leads you to another place.  The music connects with your heart and your feelings pour out.  Sometimes we restrain our feelings but often times we are just moved and can only marvel at what is created.  I can't explain it any better than that.  Everyone is different when it comes to the music that connects with their heart: metal or emo or classical or even country. (I gasped when I typed that last catagory!)

Good music moves you and takes you somewhere else.  But I believe that music is just music.  It isn't necessarily Christian or secular.  It is just music.  I am in favor of music played well that connects with my heart and moves my emotions.  How much better when the music leads you into worship of our God!  Our great God loves great music like that.  Saying God or Jesus in the lyrics doesn't necessarily make it Christian.  God loves music that leads people into worship of him!  The band will be leading Christmas carols today in a style that they are rarely played.  They are going to lead us with high quality music with the goal of directing us to focus on our great God.  It is that focus that makes it great music!  

The Same, Just Different!

It has been fun lately to clear out my email address book lately.  (I call it updating because it has a better sound than deleting.)  And, it is not that I am deleting them out of my life but I no longer need their personal numbers anymore at the touch of my fingers.  If I need them I can always contact Lois or Angel or Archie because they have everyone's numbers in the entire world!

So, yesterday I ran across the email to an older couple from Williamsburg Canada where I did my internship 2 years ago.  They were an awesome couple that I seemed to connect well with.  So I sent them an email.  They wrote back about the exciting things happening at their church with new staff members and the pastor who was on sabbatical at the time and came back with renewed energy.  That was great news to me because I had a great time with the congregation that summer.

I remember that the church style was very far from what I was comfortable.  There's was quite traditional with the organ and hymn book setting the tone for the worship service.  (I will write some day on having an organ in worship.)  Many people wore suit and ties in this "country" church.  Most came to Canada from the Netherlands in the 1950's after the war.  There was a structure for the service that was strategically placed with good theology behind it.  They began Sunday morning with 3 songs as a "warm up" before the worship service officially began.  It began when I as the pastor was ushered into the sanctuary by an elder during the third song.  This style was not comfortable for me.

Today, I serve in a church is more urban that located in an old car dealership between a bar and a car wash.  I felt over dressed last Sunday when I wore khaki's and a button down shirt.  There is a wide variety of people from socioeconomic statuses and ethnicities.  There is a worship team that leads the praise songs with loud guitars and keyboards.  The drummer and bass player were not able to play last Sunday but that would have been cool too.

The biggest thing that I notice is that the people of both churches love God, want to hear words of life from  him, and seek to live lives that glorify him.  They are the same in focus yet different in style.  The reason I had such a great time in Williamsburg was the people I met and their honest hearts for God.  Style is style but the hearts of the people are what makes or breaks it for me.

So far I love the hearts of those that I have met at Celebration.  I have seen how God has worked in their lives and look forward to seeing him move in the months to come.  I love the fact that God works his will in the various settings and different styles of his people.  Walking through life with God is so cool!

Like I Thought

How many things actually live up to the promotion or behave as advertised?  When my kids get their Christmas presents, will they be thrilled as the commercial said that they would? (That is if we actually give them presents besides coal, but that is another story.)  I do not like to be disappointed by a product that does not live up to my expectations but sometimes am.  No matter how much I research and shop and attempt to evaluate all of the variables, I still am let down by a under performing item.  Let's hope that my shopping for a smart phone today does not lead me to this possibility.

Yesterday at my church, Sunday, the people lived up to expectations and were just as I thought they would be.  As the worship time concluded and people began leaving the room, there were few that immediately left the building.  One couple that left early told me beforehand that the wife had to get to work before noon.  Almost everyone else stayed to have coffee and cookies and converse with each other.  It was as if they even LIKED the other people that they worshiped with that morning.  The entry way at church was filled with an increased volume level with people laughing, joking, talking, and even crying with each other.  It was this way for more than 45 minutes after the close of the worship service.

Of the many things that drew me to Celebration, the people were a huge part of it.  I am used to being around fun, loving, genuine people that actually care for each other.  When I was interviewing at other churches I wondered and even was anxious to find a church that would be like that.  During my interview in Muskegon I found the kind of people that I was looking for.  However, I did wonder whether this was only a facade for the interview.  Sunday morning removed any doubt.

It is a wonderful thing to have things be just as I thought they would be, when people are authentic.  Are the people perfect?  I hope not!  I have not found a perfect church yet and am guaranteed to never find one simply because of who I am.  But I am drawn to the people!  A person may come to church for the pastor but they stay for the people.  I am glad that the people at Celebration are just like I thought!

Blessed Day

Something I noticed today is that I am unaware of good coffee shops in Muskegon.  Someone can give me some help anytime!  I was forced to fill up with Speedway gas station coffee right after I filled up my car.  In truth, it wasn't that bad.  I go in to get my coffee after filling up my car and I see Bobby standing next to the counter.  Bobby is a mountain of a man who goes to Celebration Church.  Besides having huge strong hands, Bobby is also a gentle giant.  I have only heard part of his story but I hope to hear more someday.  There is something thrilling when a person tells of how Jesus has changed their life!

Anyway, the thing that has impressed me the most about Bobby is that at the end of each conversation with me he says, "Have a blessed day, Pastor."  A blessed day.  A blessed day.  It has gotten me to think what it would it look like if my day were blessed.  Would I notice if it were blessed or not?  What would it take for my day to be a blessed day in the first place?  Of course I would like it to be blessed, wouldn't everyone?  Do I have a choice in the matter or is my day blessed whether I like it or not?  There are too many questions there to answer all at once or that I could do justice to in one blog.

I love Chuck Swindoll who writes that life is 5% what happens to you and 95% your attitude to what happens to you.  I think that our attitude in life has a lot to say about whether I would consider it to be blessed.  It is more difficult to start my day with a determination that it will be blessed if I do not have a cup of coffee in the morning.  Thank God that this is not the only determining factor!

Theologians will talk about Common Grace and how God has blessed each of us with blessings in life whether you are a follower of Jesus or not.  It would seem from our prayers sometimes that we believe that God only blesses his people and not those who don't follow him.  Thursday morning everyone in Muskegon (if they were awake) was blessed with a beautiful sunrise and a day full of sunshine.  Today we all were blessed with crisp and cold but breathable air.  Even more, we were all blessed with another day that we could use our unique personalities and specific talents while interacting with others.  All this while God walks along side of us.  We have all been given a blessed day whether we like it or not!

I am not as bold as Bobby who invites everyone he meets to have a blessed day.  I doubt that I will ever get that bold.  But, what if I did?  Would my outlook on my day change if I invited others to partake in God's gift of a blessed day?  I wonder.  Maybe Bobby is on to something here!