The Journey

Every Woman Should Know

I read a great poem tonight by Maya Angelou. One line reads...

"Every Woman Should Know...That her childhood may not have been perfect...But it's over".

That is such a simple yet profound line. As a pastor, I run across people all the time that are hung up on their past. Some just hold on to past hurts and allow these to continue to cause them pain. Some set out to get even with those who let them down while growing up, but only succeed in making a mess of their own lives. Others simply blame their mistakes on anyone and anything they can.

One of my favorite scripture verses is Ephesians 4:26. My version, "Be Angry, Be Christlike, Get Over It, Move On". Too many people get stuck on the 'Be Angry' part. These people are miserable and tend to make everyone around them miserable. If you are angry about your past, get over it. Move on! It's over. Don't let your past mess up your today. Don't let your today be something you regret tomorrow.

The Pastor's Wife

My wife and I spent an evening this past week doing a little counseling with another married couple. During the course of our conversation I mentioned to them that couples should never stop dating each other. Married couples need to set aside time each week to go out. I mentioned that when they go out they should ask each other what they needed to do to be a better husband or a better wife. Who better to tell you how to be a better husband than your own wife? Who better to tell you how to be a better wife than your husband? The truth is we might be surprised by our mate's answers.

I've been thinking about that conversation for the last few days. There are lot's of people who offer up opinions on what makes a great pastor's wife. The Bible says nothing really about the role of 'Pastor's Wife' but it is very clear about what a wife should be. I think the best person to define what makes a great pastor's wife might be the pastor.

God has blessed me with a wonderful wife. I can't imagine doing ministry without her by my side. What is expected of her as the pastor's wife? It's very simple really, just be my wife. She fulfills that role expertly. She is my best friend, my counselor, my honey, my confidant, the mother of my children, she is my everything. I'm sure that she is very special, there is no doubt in my mind that God gives special grace to some women that enables them to be great pastor's wives.

A few days ago I woke around 6:00 a.m. to the sound of quiet voices. Kathy and Beth were huddled near the wall furnace outside our bedroom door reading the scripture and praying. A warm feeling came over me as I listened to my wife gracefully fulfill her role as 'the pastor's wife'. Later that night we went for a drive and grabbed a cup of coffee and I shared some burdens I was carrying. She lovingly assured me that God would show me what to do and would make a way. Again, she was fulfilling the role of 'pastor's wife' and doing a great job.

It is very important that we understand that the pastor's wife is just that, she is the pastor's wife not the churches' wife. Pastor's must passionately protect their wives from being pulled in too many directions. God gave our wives to us and we are to love and protect them. Our ministry must never come at the expense of our wife or family.

Fullness of Joy

Joy is one of the keywords of the Christmas season but it should be a keyword in the believers life at all times. I spoke from Psalm 16:11 last Sunday and if nobody got anything out of my talk at least I did. I'm still thinking about the idea that fullness of joy can be found in God's presence.

The presence of God is a very special place. Adam and Eve enjoyed being in the presence of God while they were in the garden (Genesis 3:8). Moses took off his sandals and entered God's presence when God spoke to him from the burning bush (Exodus 3:4-6). Isaiah was in the Lord's presence when God called him to speak to his generation (Isaiah 6:1-6). The scripture says that Enoch walked with God. The accounts of men being in the presence of God are always exciting.

How do we move into the presence of God? How do we find that place where we can experience 'fullness of joy'? I'm convinced that God would like for us all to be found in His presence more than we are. God wants His children to experience 'fullness of joy'. God is indeed omnipresent, but the idea of being in his presence in Psalms is more of an intentional intimate encounter with God.

The most obvious place to find ourselves in the presence of God is God's House (Psalm 27:4). There are times when we are down and discouraged and don't feel like going to church, but we go anyway and when we leave we rejoice and are glad that we took the time to go to the House of God.

A second place where believers can find themselves in the presence of God is in thankfulness. The scripture tells us to enter into God's presence with thanksgiving in our hearts (Psalm 100:4).

A third place where the believer can place themselves in the presence of God is when we are with other believers (Matthew 18:20). I can enjoy spending time with all sorts of people but there is something about being with my brothers and sisters in Christ that brings me into the presence of God and helps me to experience true joy.

Find time this week to spend intentional intimate time in the presence of God. It is there that you will experience fullness of joy!

God Bless!

Having Done All To Stand, Stand!

Having Done All To Stand, Stand!, originally uploaded by CalPastor.

Jeremiah 17:8 (English Standard Version)

He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit."

One of the greatest things about serving and trusting God is the fact that fear and anxiety are not necessary! We can trust God when the heat is on, and we can depend on Him to supply our needs when times are lean.

Whatever I have...

This past Sunday I attended a large Nazarene Church in Visalia, California. The services were outstanding! It's refreshing to just 'go to church' with my wife every once in a while. I even wore jeans and enjoyed a latte during the service. SWEET!

During the service the pastor flashed a picture of about 7-8 men on the screen who were all gifted mechanics in their church. These guys get together and fix up cars that are donated to the church and then gift them to single moms and others with need for reliable transportation. They call this the NAZcar Ministry. That's really cool!

I got to thinking about how many talented folks attend church every week and never think to use their talents for ministry. Doesn't it just make sense to do for the Lord what we are already really good at doing? If you are a musician, then use your gift. If you happen to be a teacher, then teach. If you are a great cook, then find a way to use your cooking for the Lord. Maybe you are a talented seamstress...use that gift for the Lord. If you can fix up cars, then do it. If you have computer skills, use them for the Kingdom. If you have a green thumb, use that green thumb for God! The list is endless!

I love the passage in Acts where Peter and John go up to the temple to pray and are challenged by a crippled man to offer a gift. Peter looks at the man and says, "I don't have silver or gold, but what I do have is yours...". What do you have that could be used by God to minister to others?

If we're not careful we find ourselves attending church as observers and consumers. That is not what God called us to. He called us to take up our crosses and follow him. He called us to be servants.

What are you doing for the Lord? How are you serving Him?

It Sure Makes Everything Else Seem So Small

I had a meeting today that I was a little stressed about. As usual, everything went well and all the time I spent stressing and worrying was pointless. God is in control. One of my favorite ways of chillin' after a meeting like this is to drive and listen to music. I chose to listen to Carrie Underwood today and was really blessed by her song 'So Small'. The song is really good from start to finish but the particular line that caught my attention was in the chorus...

"sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand, and what you've been up there searching for forever, is in your hands,
oh when you figure out love is all that matters after all,
it sure makes everything else seem so small"

The truth is, we do struggle and stress over things that really are small when we look at the big picture. I got to thinking about all the things that fill our lives with worry and stress and here's something to think about. The greatest things in my life are my relationships. My relationship with the Lord, my wife, children, family, and friends. I could still enjoy all of these relationships without anything else, but I would not really enjoy all of life's other things without these relationships. "Love is all that matters after all".

The line "What you've been up there searching for forever, is in your hands" is pretty amazing too. It is very sad when we find ourselves feverishly chasing things that we think will make us happy, while all the while we already have them. Sometimes we need to go back and read 1 Timothy 6:6 and stop chasing things that will never satisfy.

There's another reason I like Carrie Underwood. If you look her up on Wikipedia you'll discover that she is a fellow Free Will Baptist. :)

Find Time To Be Still

Sometimes life has us moving at breakneck speed. Our mornings start with us behind schedule, we run all day long just trying to catch up, and then in exhaustion we crash into bed at night. We burn through days, weeks, months, and even years. Our souls are constantly running on empty. Why? Maybe because we think all the things we do are just that important. Maybe they're not though! Just a thought.

• "Be still, and know that I am God.I will be exalted among the nations,I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalms 46:10 ESV)
• "Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." (Psalms 46:10 NLT)
• "Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything." (Psalms 46:10 MSG)

It might not hurt us every once in a while to remove ourselves from life's fast-lane and be still for a while. Be silent. Let God be God. Acknowledge that He is in control of all things and that He can handle things while we take some time to rest. The end result of everything is that God will be exalted in the earth, throughout the world, and above everything. Guess what! Nothing will stop this from happening.

It is hard to be still. I'm working in our Christian school this week. In fact I'm in a classroom at this very moment with ten wonderful yet unbelievably active students. I have just read the above scripture to them and challenged them to just 'be still' for a few moments. It is killing them! Heads are wobbling from side to side, feet are shuffling to find a comfortable place to rest, thumbs are twitching, they are about to explode. It is very hard to be still.

We make attempts at 'being still' but most of the time even when we are 'still' we aren't. We sit in a living room or movie theater and remain very still, but our eyes, ears, and imagination are very busy. We lay very still in our beds at night, but music, talk radio, or sermons are constantly playing in the background. We set aside time for devotions and even then podcasts, books, and articles keep us busy. When are we ever really 'still'? I'm pretty sure that when we really examine our lifestyles most of us never take the time to just "Be still, and know that I am God...".

I wonder what taking 10 or 15 minutes each day to sit alone in a dark quiet room and just 'be still' and "know" that God is God would do for us.

Stop Stressing

Stop Stressing! Definitely easier to say than to do, right? We all have stressful things to deal with in life but some handle the stress better than others. We, as Christians, should be the very best at handling stress. That's not always the case though. If we are not careful the church can be one of the most stressful places around.

In the tenth chapter of Deuteronomy God gave us a wonderful "stress reducing" nugget. This passage of scripture contains two very important thoughts that, if understood and applied, could literally lift the weight of the world from our shoulders.

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires you to fear him, to live according to his will, to love and worship him with all your heart and soul, and to obey the LORD's commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good. The highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 10:12-14)

First, God asks and answers the question that keeps many people stressed out. What is expected of me? Unfortunately, a lot of people go through life trying to please God without ever asking God what He wants? How can we ever please God if we don't know what God expects? So, what does God want from us? He wants us to respect, submit, love, and obey. While pleasing God is no small task, it really isn't all that complicated. I think sometimes we "stress out" about things that really don't matter to God.

God then reminds us that everything belongs to Him. He owns it all! We are stewards (managers) of many things, but owners of nothing. It's all His! True, it is no small responsibilty to manage the things God entrust to us, but don't forget that He does 'trust' us. God would never give us more than we are capable of handling. God knows everything! He knows our gifts and abilities because He is the one who gave them to us, and He knows exactly what we are capable of. The amazing thing about stewardship is that while we take responsibility, God is the one who takes the risk. Remember, it's all His!

I have to remind myself of this stewardship vs. ownership principle often. All of my work revolves around taking care of God's things, not mine. I'm sure I'm not alone and we probably stress over some of the same things. Here's a few things that can get us stressed out if we're not careful.

• PEOPLE: "Peter asked Jesus, "What about him, Lord?" Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You follow me." (John 21:21-22) Quit stressing about what OTHERS do or don't do! Let God worry about that. We have enough to do without worrying about our brothers and sisters.
• MONEY: Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33) Our God will bless us and provide for us far better than we could ever do for ourselves. Quit stressing! Remember, Dad owns it all!
• PREACHERS (Yes, They stress me out sometimes too!): Who are you to condemn God's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord's power will help them do as they should. (Romans 14:4) God has called me to American Canyon. He called me to feed His sheep here, not throw rocks at the shepherd down the street. I hate preacher politics, and I suspect God does too.
• THE CHURCH: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) I just do what God tells me to do and trust Him to build His church. I TRY not to take things personally, it's not MY church, it's HIS.
• CHILDREN: Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it. (Proverbs 22:6) My children belong to God! He has trusted me to take care of them, to nurture and admonish them.

The list could go on! I'm sure you get the point though. EVERYTHING! It all belongs to God! I take these responsibilities seriously, but ultimately they are God's things! Think about it! We talk about God's Church, God's Man, God's People, God's Kingdom, God's Money. They are all His and He will always take care of His things. So maybe we can quit stressing so much.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. (1 Peter 5:7)

The Gift That Nobody Wants

"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me." (Philippians 1:27-30)

charizomai; to grant as a favor, that is, gratuitously, in kindness, pardon or rescue: - deliver, (freely) give, grant.

We probably don't think of suffering as a gift but according to the Word, it is. I think it would be fair to say that it is the gift that nobody wants. We are so quick to complain when we suffer from persecution, sickness, or accident. John Piper has said, "So Satan has one design for our suffering in persecution, and God has a different design for that very same experience". Here's a list of seven reasons God allows suffering for His servants.

1. God disciplines through suffering. (Hebrews 12)
2. Enduring suffering increases a sense of God's glory in heaven. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
3. Suffering tends to embolden indifferent Christians. (Philippians 1:14)
4. Suffering gives credence to our message in the eyes of those we are trying to reach. (1 Thessalonians 1:5-6)
5. Suffering is a way for God to rally His troops. (Acts 1:8, 8:1, 11:19)
6. Suffering magnifies the power and sufficiency of Christ. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
7. Suffering testifies to God's power over Satan. (Revelation 12:9-11)

I need to get busy suffering (studying for a Final Exam tonight at 8:00 p.m.) so that's all for now.

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The Words Of My Mouth

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14

I've been thinking about this all week after overhearing a group of people talking at Starbucks in Visalia. I wasn't trying to listen, I was trying to read and enjoy my coffee. Wow! People can be so venomous with their tongues.

There are some expressions floating around these days that are very disturbing. Where do these things come from? We hear them and then repeat them, not even thinking about what we're really saying. I'm sure we're all guilty of using expressions that we don't completely understand. Sometimes we even make statements that are far more harmful than we realize.

• "I'm through with you" = Man, I would hate to hear Jesus say this to me. Aren't we called to be patient with one another? "Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love." Ephesians 4:23

• "I don't get paid enough for this" = I love this one! The church is filled with volunteers who don't get paid anything to do what they're doing. We do what we do for the Lord! If we are doing it for money, I'm not sure we could ever be paid enough. Someone once said that the key to happiness is to find something you enjoy doing so much that you would be willing to do it for free, and then do it so well that people will be willing to pay you to do it. That makes sense to me. We all get tired at times but don't forget that we will be rewarded.  "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time." Galatians 6:9

• "I don't really care what you do" = I think we do care, and this is just a mean thing to say. What we are really saying is we don't care about the person. We are frustrated and so we just give up! There is no way, however, to escape the fact that we all have an impact on each other. If we don't care, then we better start! "This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other equally. If one member suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad." 1 Corinthians 12:25-26

• "I'm not the only one..." = This seems to be the contemporary version of "Everyone else is doing it". Don't we teach are kids not to live this way? When we want to do something we know is wrong, it feels better if we're not the only one doing it. When we don't want to do something we know we should, it feels better not being the only one. The problem is that we will all stand individually before God one day and answer for our actions, good or bad. "For we must all stand before Christ and be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies." 2 Corinthians 5:10

• "I need to focus on me right now" = The key to happiness? JESUS...OTHERS...YOU! (JOY) We usually say this when we are about to adjust our priorities and place ourselves at the top, or we're getting ready to put something before God. "The he said to the crowd,"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

• "I know it's wrong, God will forgive me" = Be careful! You might want to read Hebrews again..."Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins." Hebrews 10:26 Don't you just hate it when you can't do what you want?

• "That's not my responsibility" = Our responsibility is to win this world to Christ. Whatever it takes! We're all part of this team called the church. Every once in a while someone fumbles the ball, and if we want to win, we must be there to recover the fumble. How many football games have been won by somebody recovering a fumble? The church needs team players! Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

It's not even Sunday and I'm preaching! To use a common expression, I'm probably preaching to the choir. Hopefully!