Christian Camps

Well I know this will probably disappoint you, but this is not going to be about youth camps or retreats or campsites. I have been thinking a lot these days about the various camps within Christianity. 

Now there are certainly oh so many denominational camps, but it goes way beyond this: there are reformed camps, truly reformed camps, contemporary camps, traditional camps, and fundamental camps. There are Calvinist camps and Arminian camps. There are covenant camps and dispensational camps. There are progressive camps and conservative camps, there are grace camps, cheap grace camps, new law camps, sonship camps and charismatic camps and believe me I am sure I have left many others out... 

Maybe you get the picture. I was also thinking wouldn’t it be truly wonderful if we were all just part of the Christian camp. I once had a pastor who has since passed away; a good friend that I really miss and I heard him say in a sermon that he didn’t feel called to be a Presbyterian Minister, he felt called to be a Christian Minister. This stuck with me for years and while at the time I thought is was a fine sentiment, only now have I truly come to appreciate the beauty and meaning behind it. 

In the divisive days in which we live I think we have forgotten to search for the common ground that can unite us; or at least we are stuck in the belief that only our ground can be the common ground that can unite us. But can we for a moment open our hearts and minds and seek the true common ground, the only common ground that matters, the only common ground that can unite...the common ground of Christ.

With Christ as our focus; with Christ as our common ground, can we begin to see those around us with the eyes of love; to see with eyes and hearts of love for our brothers and sisters? Can we begin to see beyond the camps and see those around us with the eyes of Christ? Imagine the possibilities!

To borrow a phrase (Thanks Steve Brown) – “You think about that” 

Grace and Peace!

The Emotion of Irma

Well it has been a few weeks since Irma was encountered here in central Florida. We prepared as best we could, but what I wasn’t prepared for was the emotion associated with this “storm.” 

During a short period of time before the storm and for the period after without power I jotted down thoughts in several locations. Just whatever came to mind or better yet came into my heart was written down. Below in no particular order are those thoughts. 

• The mandatory evacuation of our home truly jolted me...the sight of what could be all your life packed into the back of your vehicle, locking the doors, driving away from the place you call home was like a punch in the gut. 
  
  
• Packing up minimal and only essential things, leaving the comfort of the home you have known for so long and not on your terms is draining, deflating, emotional. Is this how it is for the homeless all the time? 
  
  
• Sitting in a boarded up house for what seems like days helps me understand total reliance on Christ. 
  
  
• Sitting in a boarded up house; it is amazing how encouraged you can be with prayer and scripture. 
  
  
• Sitting in a boarded up house; it is amazing how little sleep you get or seem to need. 
  
  
• The closer the storm got, the more I realized that stuff doesn’t really matter; relationships matter. 
  
  
• I wonder why it took this storm for me to tell so many people that I love them? 
  
  
• How precious was that FaceTime with daughter and grandson just before the storm...tears like rain
  
  
• Praying and praying and praying; yet praying carefully as I would not pray for this storm to hit others. Praying for a calming of the storm; a weakening, praying for protection, safety, and peace. Our pastor asked us to pray for love. Praying for love to abound even in the storm. 
  
  
• Can clearly see how much I take for granted; power, air, hot food, Internet, cell service...while at the same time realizing what a luxury. 
  
  
• Being boxed up with now a mandatory curfew even for a short time makes me appreciate our freedom...what a gift... 
  
  
• Amazed at the calming of the storm! Answered prayer! 
  
  
• The storm and clean up after, and days without power disrupt the rhythm of your life – you can’t rest, nothing seems normal – seem to go through the motions of life. Lost??? Scripture brings a centering/focus. Found??? 
  
  
• Storms seem to unify...neighbor helping neighbor no matter their differences. 
  
  
• What hope we have in Christ... 
  
  Grace and Peace!
  

Just As He Was

Mark 4 - Jesus Calms the Storm 

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” 

Yes, probably common reading as a Hurricane is bearing down, but something struck me this morning, I have read this passage numerous times, but have to admit I have never noticed that “they took him along (in the boat), just as he was.” That phrase; just as he was, stuck with me. Why is that there, what does it mean? 

Not sure I have it correct or hermeneutically analyzed, but what occurred to me is that at least for me, I tend to take Jesus for what I want him to be, a wish granter, a friend, a protector, the one who makes thing right for me; instead of taking Jesus as he is, Divine, Lord, Savior, Loving, Gentle, kind, forgiving, wonderful, grace-filled, teacher, all knowing, all powerful, all in all and we could all add to the list. Forgive me Lord Jesus - full of grace...

So as Irma is still churning toward us, I will continue to call upon Jesus just as he is to calm this storm, but I will call with this attitude: I know he can, but I do not know if he will. And as such my faith will remain in him, he will be my safe harbor, and I will move forward knowing it is he that the wind and the waves obey! 

Grace and Peace!

Crying Out

Father God, 

In the Psalms we read: Hear my prayer, O LORD, let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! 

Father, as our church has worked through the Psalms we are learning that we can lament, we can cry out, we can come to you with troubled and angry hearts and Father we (I) come with a troubled and angry heart.  Father, there is so much going on in this broken world, the news is disturbing, divisive, distressing, and depressing.  News of nuclear tensions, news of hate and racism, news of such division: but the one thing the news does is point out how much we need you. 

So Father, we come this morning crying out to you, crying out for your healing, for your mercy, for your steadfast love to conquer all.  We pray that your love would reach into hearts around the world and transform, that there might be revival, that there might be repentance (turning to you) that there might be true reconciliation and that people would love one another just a Christ has loved us.  Father, embolden us as believers that we may answer the message of racism, hate and violence with the message of love and service in Christ.  Father, we pray answer us speedily. 

In Romans Paul prays: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  Father we believe; fill us with joy and peace, let us abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and thank you that no matter our troubles, no matter the troubles of this world, we have a place to turn, a place where we can hope and trust, a place that we can be filled with joy and peace, a place that we can rest; and that place is in the mighty arms of Christ. 

Abba Father, we love you and pray these many things in the most wonderful and beautiful name of Jesus...

Amen and Amen!

Father's Day

On Father's Day, we come from many different places and backgrounds; some come with good examples of fathers in their lives while others not so much, some come with fathers that are no longer with us, some come as fathers, and some even come never having known their fathers...

But, there is one thing we can know and trust; there is one thing we can know for sure, that we all have a Good, Good Father in Heaven!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!  

1 John 3:1

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Psalm 34:8

Prayer - God's Sufficiency

 

Father God,

In 2 Corinthians we read: Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God...

How wonderful, how awesome is your Word, what great news we have in the gospel that we can come not obsessed with self- sufficiency but we can come in your sufficiency. So we come with thankful hearts, we come amazed and praying that you would help each of us to truly hear this gospel message, the message of your amazing grace. And help us Father to hear it over and over and over again as we need it over and over and over again. 

Father we pray that through the gospel we will always have a safe place; a place for all to come and that we will never try to make it a performance place; we pray that the gospel comes shining through in all we do, where we understand we are saved, we are rescued, we are holy children of God not because of anything we have done, but because of all Christ has done! 

Father, while at times we will all struggle; that while we will all face trials, we pray that we can rest, that we can move forward, that we can be encouraged in the knowledge that the gospel is not a message of do more but a message of "it is finished!" 

Father, we pray that as we all come to terms with this, as we truly get it, as your truth fills our hearts; that we would overflow with awe, praise and joyful worship...we pray that as we come to know your love that we would grow in our love for You, our love for each other and our love for our neighbors. 

Abba Father we love you and pray these many things in the most beautiful name of Jesus Christ...

Amen and Amen!

Continential Divides

When I think of the division I see in this country – or better yet, when I see the reconciliation that is needed over great divides including political divides, racial divides, economic divides it gives me pause. A recent poll showed that 40% of the people surveyed felt the recent election damaged a relationship with a friend or family member. That is astounding, that is so troubling, and for that we need help. 

I turn to God for wisdom, for answers, for a path. It occurs to me that when we consider the great sacrifice, when we consider how we have wronged our great God, when we consider the love and grace and tender mercies offered through the finished and complete work of Christ to reconcile us with God, to bridge the enormous divide between God and each of us, then I know through Him all things are possible. 

When I am thinking clearly and truly understand this, when I truly understand the sacrifice and love of Christ then I am humbled and if we can humble ourselves enough, if we can be slow to speak, if we can listen and understand other perspectives, if we can agree to disagree and still love each other, if we can love one another just as our Savior loves us, then these divides don’t seem so impossibly large. 

It has to start somewhere... 

Grace and Peace!

The Gospel is Absurd...Unless...

As I mentioned in my last post: I am just captivated with the writing of Brennan Manning. It touches my heart and moves me in a great way. Here is a little more from his book; “The Furious Longing of God”... 

“How is it then that we’ve come to imagine that Christianity consists primarily in what we do for God? How has this come to be the good news of Jesus? Is the kingdom that He proclaimed to be nothing more than a community of men and women who go to church on Sunday, take an annual spiritual retreat, read their Bibles every now and then, vigorously oppose abortion, don’t watch x-rated movies, never use vulgar language, smile a lot, hold doors open for people, root for the favorite team, and get along with everybody? Is that why Jesus went through the bleak and bloody horror of Calvary? Is that why He emerged in shattering glory from the tomb? Is that why He poured out His Holy Spirit on the church? To make nicer men and women with better morals?

The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creations. Not to make people with better morals, but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness and extravagant, furious love. This my friends is what it means to be Christian. Our religion never begins with what we do for God. It always starts with what God has done for us, the great and wondrous things that God dreamed of and achieved for us in Christ Jesus.” 

Oh my!

Grace and Peace!

The Furious Longing of God

In the foreword of Brennan Manning’s book “The Furious Longing of God,” Pastor Mark Batterson writes “If Brennan Manning writes it, I’m going to read it.” You know that is how I feel these days.  As such I have recently started reading this book. I am only 20 pages in, but there is so much in those few pages. Manning starts by telling of a 30 day retreat where he prayed a verse from Song of Solomon every day. The verse was 7:10: 

I am my beloved’s and His desire is for me 

His said his prayer of this verse lead him to believe that God’s desire for us can be best described as a furious longing. That if we through prayer begin to take these words personally a number of beautiful things can come about. These things seemed so appropriate to share at the start of a new year so here they are (these are directly quoted from the book):

1. The drumbeats of doom in your head will be replaced by a song in your heart, which could lead to a twinkle in your eye. 
   
   
2. You will not be dependent on the company of others to ease your loneliness, for He is Emmanuel – God with us. 
   
   
3. The praise of others will not send your spirit soaring, nor will their criticism plunge you into the pit. Their rejection may make you sick, but it will not be a sickness unto death. 
   
   
4. In a significant interior development, you will move from I should pray to I must pray. 
   
   
5. You will live with an awareness that the Father not only loves us, but likes you. 
   
   
6. You will stop comparing yourself with others. In the same way, you will not trumpet your own importance, boast about your victories in the vineyard or feel superior to anyone. 
   
   
7. You will read Zephaniah 3:17-18 and see God dancing for joy because of you. 
   
   
8. Off and on throughout the day, you will just know that you are being seen by
   Jesus with a gaze of infinite tenderness.
   

He closes this section of the book with the statement: "I am a witness to these truths."

How encouraging... 

Grace and Peace!