Wrong-side out: When Foibles and Failures are visible!

What do a fast food restaurant and a wedding chapel have in common? In both places within the same week I was reminded that my ongoing foibles and failures are visible to everyone!

I had just been to the doctor for a physical where I had experienced needles of all sorts. And, in order to accommodate the nurse’s poised needle, ready to find its appropriate mark, I had to remove my vest so I could roll up my sleeves and expose the vulnerable spot. Following this human pin-cushion experience, I hastily buttoned up my shirt, rolled down my sleeves and threw on my vest. I could not extract myself fast enough from that place!

                A few minutes later, standing in line to get my lunch order, a gentleman came up behind me and I heard the words, “Excuse me. Sir, excuse me. You have your vest on wrong-side out.” I glanced down in that incredible moment of disbelief! How could I have done such an embarrassing thing to myself? Will this faux pas scar my fragile ego forever?! Quickly processing this misstep, I graciously thanked the gentleman and told him how thankful I was that he took the risk and alerted me to my plight.

                You would think one experience of this would be enough! But no…in my case it happened twice in one week. This next time it was my collar turned up at a wedding! Again, the instant incredible recognition of disbelief! How could I do this to myself, especially at a wedding where everything needs to look professional and buttoned up and collars down! Will this faux pas scar my fragile ego?! I felt fingers repositioning the collar and a light, playful pat on the back that reassured me I was now presentable! My good friend, Jim, was willing to risk a little bit of uneasiness to help me out.

                These two occasions of visible foibles and failures remind me of several realities brought to the forefront of my consciousness that I live by but often forget unless brought out into the open. I would like to share them with you and see if you have recognized the same thing.

                First, I am thankful for people around me who care enough to risk. One was a total stranger, the other was a total friend, but in both cases they cared enough to step out of their own comfort zones and come to my rescue. This makes me aware of how thankful I am and continue to be for those around me who care enough to take a risk, step forward, and help me.

 Indeed it was a risk, because I could have acted in ways other than being thankful. What if I had reacted in the restaurant with a superior attitude and told the total stranger it was none of his business?! What if I had irritatingly swatted away the hand at my collar, turning around to glower at my friend with a disapproving response? Ingratitude can show up just as instantly as gratitude.

This is the month of Thanksgiving. Usually my family carves out time to share what we are thankful for. I cannot remember, at least on a conscious level, taking time to be thankful for the people around me who care enough to risk and reach out to me in embarrassing situations. But this is precisely why I live in church community and societal community. I need community everywhere I turn to keep me on track. Admittedly, vest on wrong and collar upturned are not the most embarrassing things in the world. But they were concrete reminders that when things are not going well with me, I need others around me who care!

                Second, every time I step out into the public I take a risk. We all have our own stories, don’t we?! We understand all too well the risk we take when going out into public with ourselves. Over the years, watching myself and others, I have noticed there are several  risks that we are vulnerable to.

                We risk failure. Who wants to look like a failure? And yet, that is how we learn! A particular job, a potential goal, a possible friendship, etc. They all have to begin with a risk that accepts the possibility of failure. The Christian writer Henri J. M. Nouwen once commented about Jesus: It was precisely his freedom from the seduction of success or the fear of failure that allowed him to be faithful to his vocation and to persevere in his life-giving ministry .

                We risk rejection. We find out that some people may not like who we are, and do not desire our company, and this is painful. We also risk blows to self-esteem. “How could I have been so stupid,” we say to ourselves. We are our harshest critic. We risk loneliness. Because of all of the times we refuse to take a risk, we create our own cul-de-sac of misery with no clear exit. You can think of many other risks we are vulnerable to. But without taking a risk we lose at living life. In both of my cases, the doctor’s clinic/restaurant  and the wedding chapel all represented my participating in life—tests for health, sandwich for lunch, and celebration of a new life together. Had I not risked, I would have missed so much!

                Third, what I am blind to, others see clearly. This is probably the most painful truth of all. I try to live as if I am totally aware of myself at all times. But this is a tangible reminder that I am not. I am blind to my faults. I am blind to my prejudices. I am blind to my excuses and mistakes.

                Self-awareness is  a hard thing to achieve. But one of the healthiest things for me is to allow others to help me with my own vision of self. I am too self-centered to see myself. I am too much in love with myself to see myself. My universe revolves around me too much to see myself. Alas! I am truly blind to seeing myself for who I actually am.

                I seem to most experience this when we are out at a restaurant and my wife graciously informs me that I have catsup in my beard. Sometimes it is glowing red leftovers of a cherry pie. But red, purple and mustard colors really show up in a white beard! I have learned that if she were not present, I would often walk out of the restaurant looking as if I dove head first into my plate.

                Fourth, this teaches me to handle myself with grace. For both the stranger and the friend, I responded with a childish chuckle, and a friendly smile. I recognized instantly that this was a moment that I needed to be forgiving toward myself.

                For thirty years now I have led small groups. We have a principle in small group life called EGR. This means that “Extra Grace Required” is extended toward needy individuals who join a group. I have also learned that I need to extend EGR toward myself! I am needy, broken, mistake-prone and full of self. I can only learn to extend EGR toward others if I first extend it to myself.

                It is ok to wear my vest wrong-side out and have my collar up-turned. It is ok because it provides me a wonderful opportunity to extend grace to myself, recognizing that the vest and the collar are but symbols  for me to remember the mistakes and failures of others. If I can forgive myself, accept myself, love myself with the help of God, and the power of the risen Lord, enabled by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, then I can train myself to offer such grace to others.

                Fifth, things on the outside affect my inside. I cannot pretend that my external world does not affect my internal world. It does. But I have to allow my inside world to be the interpreter and shaper of the outside. If I live in the opposite way, allowing the outside world to interpret and shape my inside world, than I become a puppet and a victim to all that is outside my control.

                Yes, I am constantly affected by external events, stimuli, relationships, etc.  But how I internalize all of those, and react to them shapes my life. Losing a job definitely affects my inside. Losing a friend definitely affects my inside. Being told I have cancer definitely affects my inside. Making a financial mistake definitely affects my inside. The list is endless!

                I need a word of guidance and a helpful tip when I am wearing my vest wrong-side out, and my collar is turned up. My foibles and failures become the soil of grace in which the seeds of acceptance are sown for me and others. Here is what Solomon, the wise sage of Israel says about it:

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”
Proverbs 11:14 (ESV)

In Christian love, Curtis

Today, if You Hear His Voice (Hebrews 3:7-15)

Trying to discern the voice of God is often difficult. We yearn for a present voice, something tangible to assure us that God is indeed alive. In the history of Christian thought and practice, discerning the voice of God has been conceived of as starting with the present, dynamic voice of Scripture. In Hebrews 3:7-19 the author begins by indicating “As the Holy Spirit says…” then he quotes Psalm 95:8-11. The writer of Hebrews envisions Psalms being a living word in which the Spirit speaks in the present moment. This is the unique feature of Scripture…the breathing, alive word of God.

But, today we need to hear his voice and soften our hearts. The writer says, “Do not harden your hearts.” I suspect that none of us can ever conceive of ourselves as having a hardened heart. I am sure that none of the people of Israel thought of themselves that way. However, when we do not believe that God will take care of us, and we go off on our own highways paved with personal agenda and lack of trust in God, then it puts the Lord to the test and it makes him angry. I wonder how many times I have made God angry?

This is specifically with reference to Israel’s day of testing in the wilderness at Meribah and Massah. Water and bread were promised and Israel did not believe it, and griped when it came! God’s provisions were thrown back in his face. No wonder he became angry!

This was in spite of the fact that they had seen the Lord’s works for forty years. During those forty years they experienced God’s guidance, care, love, faithfulness, provisions, etc. But this background of God’s relationship with Israel was forgotten. I wonder how many times we tend to forget the background God has with us? We forget our own forty years of provisions, and begin to fret, complain and forget God is in the picture.

If I believe I hear God’s voice, then I need to be faithful to responding to His call through the Holy Spirit in Scripture to trust God implicitly and deeply. God promises me today that He will provide all I need. Bread, water, a place to live, a purpose to pursue, and a God to obey provides the simple parameters of faithfulness. I need to be courageous enough to ask my own self, am I in danger of hardening my heart against the Lord God because I have come to the place of lack of trust in Him?

Let us take care, brothers and sisters, that none of us live with an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God! Today, if you hear His voice, open your heart to Him and to others!

This injunction to hear the voice of God has a very pertinent application for God’s church leaders, ministers, pastors and priests. Too often we leaders make it about making sure that others follow what we perceive to be the voice of God precisely because we are the leaders. This pericope in Hebrews calls that paradigm into question. It is so easy for leaders to harden their hearts—toward God and toward others. We create the ministry or the church in our own image, thereby losing the ability to see and trust in God’s provisions. We then rely upon our own strength, understanding, savvy, power and position to get accomplished what we want.

We fret, we complain, and we forget that the kingdom is about God, not about us! We also forget how God has provided our own “forty years” of provisions to remain in ministry. I think all of us leaders would be shocked if we could actually know many times we have made God angry because we produced our own experiences of Meribah and Massah all in the name of faithful ministry. When in reality, all we did was to turn a blind eye to God’s provisions of water and bread, and guidance.

Take care, ministers/pastors/priests/leaders, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God!

In Christian love, Curtis 

Consider Jesus (Hebrews 3:1-6)

One of the curious things in the New Testament is the call for Christians to “consider Jesus.” Wouldn’t you think that was why people were Christians in the first place, they had already considered Jesus and said, “Yes?” Certainly, the Christian community is always inviting others to consider Jesus. This invitation is based on the fact that we believe any serious comparison with other options will come up short when measure up against Jesus.

            But we are invited by the writer of Hebrews to “consider Jesus”( Hebrews 3:1). It is a communal consideration because the author identifies holy brothers and sisters who “share in the heavenly call.” Only those who share in such a call can fully grasp together what it means to really consider Jesus. Such consideration opens us up to who Jesus really is and what he is up to.

            He is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. Some people have thought that this confession is actually found in the Prologue of the letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 1:1-4). Jesus being called an “Apostle” simply means that he was sent with a mission. We are to collectively consider that mission. When we say on occasion that “it is not about us,” we need to further declare that “It is about Jesus being sent with a mission, and we join him.”

            Jesus is also High Priest. Since most of us have not come to the faith from a background of Judaism with its sacrificial practices attached to the priestly role, it may be hard to grasp Jesus in these terms. But this metaphor is to indicate the humanity of Jesus, the priestly role of Jesus, the sympathizing role of Jesus, and his being appointed by God. No wonder we are challenged to consider his role more closely!

            We never get too “holy” or too “faithful” or too “good” but what we need to periodically stop and consider Jesus! Who was he and what was he up to when he came to this earth? Am I aware of his various roles and the daily difference it makes in my spiritual journey?

            For Christian leaders, this may seem too elementary, but it is not. There is a communal call to consider Jesus that grounds leadership in its servanthood posture. Christian leaders who consider Jesus also consider others! Leading is nothing more than visionary serving! When we Christian leaders consider Jesus we also consider the impact of our loving service on the health of the community of faith. When we consider Jesus, we also consider the morale of the group. High morale is an outcome of servant-leading. Faithful expectation, living hope and deference to others as way of servant-leading is only possible from spending time in the presence of Jesus considering him!

            In my own lifetime of pastoral leadership, I am painfully aware of those situations and opportunities where I did not consider Jesus. I considered myself too much. The relinquishment of self and the surrender of personal agendas only comes about when considering Jesus. As is evident from all of this, wise discernment and spiritual maturity comes about when we spend time considering Jesus.

           

                In Christian love, Curtis                  

Jesus Shares in Flesh and Blood (Hebrews 2:14-18)

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (ESV).

A flesh and blood Jesus is hard for us to imagine. We have wrapped him up in divinity and tied him up with a bow of respectability for so long we cannot fathom his humanity. We have espoused belief in his humanity, but I am not sure we fully understand what we are claiming. Too often we limit our faith-claim of his humanity by saying he needed to identify with us. Such is indeed true, but the writer of Hebrews uses that as a starting point for some further extraordinary claims about Jesus being flesh and blood.

            Not only does Jesus identify with our humanity, but it was necessary for Jesus to be wrapped in flesh so that he might destroy the power of the devil.  The writer of Hebrews is clear about this. The devil has the power of death. But because Jesus was raised from the dead, he no longer has the final say.

            Not only does Jesus identify with our humanity, but he delivered those who were in life-long bondage to the fear of death. A non-Christian lives with a life-long bondage of the fear of death. Since perfect love casts out fear, we know that the love of Jesus has freed us from the bondage of death.

            Not only does Jesus identify with our humanity, but he had to be human in order to be involved in his high priestly service toward God. Christ was made like us in every respect. His humanity was the incarnational context of his faithful service as a high priest. He has given us the power to embody our faithful service also.

            Not only does Jesus identify with our humanity, but he suffered so that he is able to help those who are tempted. Suffering and temptation grate on the soul. The potential of defection and despair lurk at our heels in the midst of living out our humanity in this world. Jesus is able to help us in those situations when we come to the end of our rope.

            We thank our God that Jesus shares in flesh and blood!

For Christian leaders, think of what this means: we do not fear the power of the devil, nor do we fear death. Additionally, our own flawed humanity provides the context for faithful service as we embody the life of Jesus through the power of God’s Spirit. And finally, we do not have to give in to the temptations of leadership identified by Richard Foster and others as: money, sex and power. That unholy trinity is defeated by the resurrected Lord. We who are Christian leaders need Jesus who shares in our flesh and blood. We could wish for nothing more wonderful!

In Christian love, Curtis

Are Selfies Selfish? The Hardest Journey is Inward

 We live in a day and time when our English vocabulary is changing rapidly to keep up with the digital world. A new word that has come into vogue just within the last year or so is “selfie.”  Usually it is pronounced with a smile and an individual only too willing to share their “selfie” with you.

Now to be fair, I think selfies have come about innocently. There was the need originally to post our face on Facebook, or fill out our profile on Google Chrome. Then along came the I Pad and IPhone where we posted selfies so that when our number rang on others’ phone our selfie would pop up. Everywhere we look selfies are popping up. I wonder if this innocent sociological phenomenon is saying more than we realize about ourselves?

            You may remember in the News earlier this year where a young lady took her selfie on an I-Pad and moments later was killed, apparently distracted from her driving. She even posted with her selfie that she loved listening to a particular song she was playing at the moment. Distraction from life can be a real danger.

Selfies can be selfish.

Selfishness is not the same as self-care. The latter is wholesome and healthy, while the former is not. The latter recognizes that a healthy self is necessary to be able to live life and serve others. The former is unhealthy and never comes to the point where it values the life of others.

My own story of extreme selfishness as I look back has been a painful one. I remember when I had been married a few years, that one day I came across this following question in a book that just hit me between the eyes:

“Do I care enough about the ones I love that I am willing to train myself away from selfishness and genuinely seek to serve their needs ahead of my own?”

The question shocked and astounded me. Of course I was not that willing! I had been hit between the eyes with a baseball bat, so to speak, and shocked into reality…I was one selfish dude. I immediately did three things each day for the next month: I prayed that God would help me change, I read a Scripture and/or wise saying about selfishness, and I initiated doing one thing for my family out of a sheer desire to learn how to serve and be less selfish.

God honored this traumatic emergency of the inward journey where I had to change direction drastically! My family will tell you I still have a long way to go!

A few years ago after this event I went on a contemplative retreat so I could deal with my inner demons of selfishness. I found a mosaic on the Retreat center wall that said the following: ”…In the spiritual life…progress will be in proportion to…surrender of self-love, and of self-will and of self-interests.” I am not there yet, by a long shot! But I was impressed by this saying that I sat down in the hallway on the floor and copied it into the front flyleaf of my study Bible.

Consequently, I know that have been hard lessons I have learned because of my own selfishness:

1.     Others’ problems are as important as my own.

2.     I can deeply hurt others without meaning to.

3.     When putting myself first in line, I can be embarrassingly asked to go to the back of the line.

4.     I have used people and value things, when it should be the other way around!

5.     Instead of serving, I want to be served.

6.     Instead of caring for others, I have wanted to be the center of attention.

7.     I have learned the hard way that my time, my talents, my opportunities, my resources, etc. are not really mine. They are given to me by God to manage faithfully and responsibly.

8.     When I dismiss others’ ideas as unimportant, I devalue their character.

9.     The world is not about me!

10.                         Others are just as important to God as I am!

11.                         I have ashamedly changed the Golden Rule to the Iron Rule: might makes right, and I will do unto others before they do it unto me.

12.                         Finally, I have had to live with the regrets of life where I have made it all about me, not being open to the pain and suffering of others.

“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand” (Philippians 2:1-4 Message).

This quote above from the Message by Eugene Peterson makes it painfully clear that the hardest journey is the one inward. Give me a mountain in the Smokies  to climb, but don’t ask me to traverse the terrain of a selfish heart! The pathway is blocked by the downed trees of self-centeredness, the sliding rocks of self-interest and the precarious precipice of self-love. I desperately need someone other than myself to be the guide on this journey. I do not trust myself to take me where I really need to go. In desperation I reach out to Jesus because he is the ultimate example of self-sacrifice for a cause greater than himself. No joy in a selfie here!

So, are selfies selfish? They can be. Can selfies be selfless? Only with a  lot of prayerful, careful effort to make sure that self is not the center of the universe! Have you made the difficult inward journey yet?

In Christian love, Curtis     

Are Selfies Selfish? The Hardest Journey is Inward

         We live in a day and time when our English vocabulary is changing rapidly to keep up with the digital world. A new word that has come into vogue just within the last year or so is “selfie.”  Usually it is pronounced with a smile and an individual only too willing to share their “selfie” with you.

Now to be fair, I think selfies have come about innocently. There was the need originally to post our face on Facebook, or fill out our profile on Google Chrome. Then along came the I Pad and IPhone where we posted selfies so that when our number rang on others’ phone our selfie would pop up. Everywhere we look selfies are popping up. I wonder if this innocent sociological phenomenon is saying more than we realize about ourselves?

            You may remember in the News earlier this year where a young lady took her selfie on an I-Pad and moments later was killed, apparently distracted from her driving. She even posted with her selfie that she loved listening to a particular song she was playing at the moment. Distraction from life can be a real danger.

Selfies can be selfish.

Selfishness is not the same as self-care. The latter is wholesome and healthy, while the former is not. The latter recognizes that a healthy self is necessary to be able to live life and serve others. The former is unhealthy and never comes to the point where it values the life of others.

My own story of extreme selfishness as I look back has been a painful one. I remember when I had been married a few years, that one day I came across this following question in a book that just hit me between the eyes:

“Do I care enough about the ones I love that I am willing to train myself away from selfishness and genuinely seek to serve their needs ahead of my own?”

The question shocked and astounded me. Of course I was not that willing! I had been hit between the eyes with a baseball bat, so to speak, and shocked into reality…I was one selfish dude. I immediately did three things each day for the next month: I prayed that God would help me change, I read a Scripture and/or wise saying about selfishness, and I initiated doing one thing for my family out of a sheer desire to learn how to serve and be less selfish.

God honored this traumatic emergency of the inward journey where I had to change direction drastically! My family will tell you I still have a long way to go!

A few years ago after this event I went on a contemplative retreat so I could deal with my inner demons of selfishness. I found a mosaic on the Retreat center wall that said the following: ”…In the spiritual life…progress will be in proportion to…surrender of self-love, and of self-will and of self-interests.” I am not there yet, by a long shot! But I was impressed by this saying that I sat down in the hallway on the floor and copied it into the front flyleaf of my study Bible.

Consequently, I know that have been hard lessons I have learned because of my own selfishness:

1.     Others’ problems are as important as my own.

2.     I can deeply hurt others without meaning to.

3.     When putting myself first in line, I can be embarrassingly asked to go to the back of the line.

4.     I have used people and value things, when it should be the other way around!

5.     Instead of serving, I want to be served.

6.     Instead of caring for others, I have wanted to be the center of attention.

7.     I have learned the hard way that my time, my talents, my opportunities, my resources, etc. are not really mine. They are given to me by God to manage faithfully and responsibly.

8.     When I dismiss others’ ideas as unimportant, I devalue their character.

9.     The world is not about me!

10.  Others are just as important to God as I am!

11.  I have ashamedly changed the Golden Rule to the Iron Rule: might makes right, and I will do unto others before they do it unto me.

12.  Finally, I have had to live with the regrets of life where I have made it all about me, not being open to the pain and suffering of others.

“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand” (Philippians 2:1-4 Message).

This quote above from the Message by Eugene Peterson makes it painfully clear that the hardest journey is the one inward. Give me a mountain in the Smokies  to climb, but don’t ask me to traverse the terrain of a selfish heart! The pathway is blocked by the downed trees of self-centeredness, the sliding rocks of self-interest and the precarious precipice of self-love. I desperately need someone other than myself to be the guide on this journey. I do not trust myself to take me where I really need to go. In desperation I reach out to Jesus because he is the ultimate example of self-sacrifice for a cause greater than himself. No joy in a selfie here!

So, are selfies selfish? They can be. Can selfies be selfless? Only with a  lot of prayerful, careful effort to make sure that self is not the center of the universe! Have you made the difficult inward journey yet?

In Christian love, Curtis     

My Word of Exhortation

This Wednesday evening, September 3, is the beginning of a new study for adults in the auditorium. It will be a focus on the book of Hebrews entitled, “My Word of Exhortation.” This is the phrase the writer of Hebrews himself uses to describe this book.           

 There are several exhortations scattered all through the book of Hebrews. They begin in our English Bibles with the words, “Let us…” In the course of our study we will highlight these exhortations, and see what promise they hold for the life of the church today.           

 In 2013 Jacobus Kok wrote some an article highlighting the function of moral exhortation in the book of James. 4 of his several categories appear to help enlighten us about its usage in the book of Hebrews. Consequently, the function of exhortations has at least the following concerns: ethics of the community, context of honest and frank speech, acting according to identity, and mutual responsibility.   

Exhortation is designed to keep the ethical guidelines before the faith community. What is not verbally spoken before the community becomes lost. Expectations of living and ethical parameters need constant reminders.            

Exhortation is given in the context of frank and open speech. This frankness and openness allows the community of faith to address what is systemically a problem.   

Exhortation reminds readers of their fundamental identity. Living the Christian life needs constant encouragement for those who claim to be Christian.            

Finally, exhortation is seen as a mutual responsibility. It is given and received by all. This ebb and flow of giving and receiving moral exhortations keeps the entire community sensitive to the wisdom and guidance of all.    

Therefore, let us attend  the Wednesday night auditorium class!In Christian love, Curtis

What is the Church?

Recently Dr. Wendell Willis shared his frustration with his students at Abilene Christian University who do not share his passion for the New Testament teaching about the church (see his article: “The Erosion of Community—A Challenge to the Church,” Christian Studies No. 25, 2011-2012; pages 9-19). Even though many of the students would be characterized as committed believers at some level, most do not have a solid belief about the church, “nor do they see a need for one” (p. 9).

            It raises a fundamental question: does the church exist to cater to my felt needs and keep me happy, or does the church exist as a visible community for me to be committed to as the ongoing work of God? This question frames the “continental divide” for us regarding the nature of the church. Our culture has deeply ingrained in all of us that institutions, organizations and groups exist to meet all of our needs. This supersedes any thought of my committing myself to serve in such a setting.

            I am especially intrigued with the first two occurrences of the word “church” (ekklesia) in the New Testament. They are both in the Gospel of Matthew (16:18 & 18:17). The first reference talks about the nature and power of the church, and the second reference points out the key role that church has in the reconciliation of relationships. The church is built upon a confessional recognition of Jesus as Lord, and even death itself cannot prevent this community of faith forming. Additionally, this community of faith is the context where reconciliation occurs because of the initial reconciling work of God in Christ for that community to start with! What a place to start with our ideas regarding the nature and need for the church!

In Christian love, Curtis

Meeting God in Prayer

The Christian faith travels a continuum. It goes from believing about, to believing in, to believing together. Sometimes this “believing together” is spoken of in the Scriptures in two ways: meeting God and covenant faithfulness.

            In the Old Testament Moses goes up into the mountain to meet God. In that meeting Moses is given the Ten Commandments. Joshua tells the entire congregation of Israel to get ready to meet God the next day to worship Him.

            Probably the most well known expression of this is found in the Psalms.

Psalm 42:2

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

        God created each one of us to have a deep thirst for Him. Only the Living Waters from the Living God can quench the thirst of my living soul. The Psalmist is so sensitive and aware of this inner reality that he asks the question regarding the next time he can go and meet with God? We begin with meeting God in prayer.

             “Many Christians suffer under the assumption that they should automatically know how to pray…Sometimes, however, we need guidance—we need to learn to pray” [Bryant, Stephen D. (1999). “Meeting God in Pray.” Spiritual Formation Bible. Nashville, TN: Upper Room Publishers; page 164].

            An unnamed disciple one day apparently heard Jesus praying in a certain place. When Jesus had finished (don’t you wish we had the words of that prayer!), he made this request: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). What this particular anonymous disciple knew about John teaching his disciples to pray we are not told. But based on that knowledge, and apparently overhearing Jesus’ own prayer, he was vitally interested in prayer.

            In response to this request, Jesus gives what we call the model prayer, or The Lord’s Prayer. Perhaps we need to call it the “Disciples Prayer” because Jesus really offers it for them. Let us each pursue this prayer as Jesus’ answer for our own deep request to learn how to pray!

In Christian love, Curtis

GARDENER OF MY SOUL

Many of you reading this article have already begun early spring garden preparations. I have learned many things through the years in a garden. In addition to the hard work required for a garden to produce, there are many spiritual lessons and connections to be made while one is getting their hands in the dirt. I want to briefly point out some. No doubt, you could contribute additional perspectives from your own experience.

            First, the conditions have to be right in order for the seeds and bulbs to grow. For example, if the soil is too damp and too cold, tomato plants will just sit there and their leaves will turn yellow. They need the warm days, and the humid nights to take off and grow. On one occasion Jesus likened the human heart and its receptivity to his divine lessons to conditions of the soil. There was the good soil. There was the rocky soil—giving opportunity for quick growth, but the plants wilted because there was no depth. There was the hardened path that had been walked on—the seed lying on the surface just right for the birds to pick up. And there was the thorny, weedy soil where the plants couldn’t grow because they were choked out. So, the preparation of my heart to hear life-changing messages needs constant attention against shallowness, hard heartedness and carelessness.

            Second, seeds need to be planted. The colors of flowers and vegetables that will eventually come later in the spring, summer and fall are pictured on the package. Whoever puts the picture on the package is sending out the message of hope for a harvest: “If you plant these seeds, this is what it will look like.” In my life, seeds will be planted in two ways: my seed-thoughts that affect my life and behavior; and golden-thoughts planted in the hearts and minds of young people. The thoughts and deeds we implant in the hearts of young people are offered with an incredible belief of hope in the future!

            Third, have you noticed the difference between a fertilized plant and a non-fertilized plant? Try an experiment this spring and fertilize one and leave the other one next to it untreated. You will be amazed at the difference! Fertilizing and caring for plants means watering, cultivating, and feeding each plant what it needs. When fertilizer is properly applied with right timing, amazing growth occurs. In our own lives we need God’s fertilizer for our very souls. I am referring here to His Holy Spirit and His Holy Word, Scripture, that is given for the nourishing of the soul. Without this proper nourishment and timing, there is no way I can mature and grow in my character, and live a soul-ful life full of meaning and purpose that honors God and serves others.

            Fourth, and this one follows on the heels of fertilizing, there is the ongoing task of weeding. For some reason weeds just grow naturally! Some are so pernicious and plaguing and maddening that the only way to deal with them is to pull them completely up from the deep root systems. Have noticed that bad habits in life are that way? Negative, self-destructive and relationship-denying habits are hard to break. I remember one time letting a particular weed grow to an immeasurable height and depth just because I wanted to see how it would look full grown. Needless to say, I had to use a pick axe and a shovel to dig it up and remove the root system. Long gone was the day for that plant when I could just reach down and quickly pluck it up. If I let bad habits, even wrong moral decisions, go too long, long-gone will be the day when I can just reach down in my heart and easily get rid of them. When I see a weed in my heart sprouting, I have to deal with it now! Otherwise it becomes a monstrous, negative growth that is almost impossible to root out.

             And finally, patience for the final harvest is necessary. I cannot go to my pepper plants in March and expect full grown jalepenos. I cannot go to my cabbage plants in April and expect full grown heads of cabbage. I cannot go to my tomato plants in May and expect big, round, red tomatoes ready to be sliced for my BLT sandwich. Patience for the harvest is a non-negotiable. I have to wait for the flowers to bud, blossom, and produce fruit. It is hard to wait. That is counter-cultural right now. We want everything instantly: communication, our lunch sandwiches and our travel destination. But a garden teaches patience. We have to fight the deer off of tender shoots, we have keep the bugs away, we have to wait for the spring and summer rains, we have to endure the dry heat, we cannot force fruit and blossoms and ripe vegetables before their time. I have to be very patient with myself and with others when I look for the fruits of maturity and growth. A harvest of character takes the patience of a lifetime. And, we are all at different stages of our growth. As the Christian classic writer Hannah Whitall Smith reminds us, we cannot go to the apple tree in the spring and expect a ripe apple. The farmer’s seasonal patience becomes a model for patience in character maturation.

            Several years ago, I came across a prayer by Richard Foster in his book entitled Prayers from the Heart. This is where I first heard of the metaphor of “Gardner of My Soul.” I want to close this month’s article with the following prayer with that same title. Listen now to Foster’s insightful prayer taken from garden metaphors:

“Spirit of the Living God, be the Gardener of my soul. For so long I have been waiting, silent and still — experiencing a winter of the soul. But now, in the strong name of Jesus Christ, I dare to ask:

Clear away the dead growth of the past,
Break up the hard clods of custom and routine,
Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge,
Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word,
Cultivate and water and tend my heart,
Until new life buds and opens and flowers.

Amen.”

Meeting God [1]

Christian faith travels a continuum. It goes from believing about, to believing in, to believing together. Sometimes this “believing together” is spoken of in the Scriptures in two ways: meeting God and covenant faithfulness.

            In the Old Testament Moses goes up into the mountain to meet God. In that meeting Moses is given the Ten Commandments. Joshua tells the entire congregation of Israel to get ready to meet God the next day to worship Him.

            Probably the most well known expression of this is found in the Psalms.

Psalm 42:2

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

        God created each one of us to have a deep thirst for Him. Only the Living Waters from the Living God can quench the thirst of my living soul. The Psalmist is so sensitive and aware of this inner reality that he asks the question regarding the next time he can go and meet with God?

            Traditionally, in the history of Christian thought this question has been answered by recognizing the various ways we can meet God. They are listed as follows:

1.     Meeting God in Prayer

2.     Meeting God in Service

3.     Meeting God in the Assembly of Worship

4.     Meeting God in the Created Order

5.     Meeting God in Scripture

6.     Meeting God in the Community of Faith

7.     Meeting God in Everyday Life

8.     Meeting God in Mystical Moments

We will begin a series of postings to look at each of these 8 ways to meet God. How have you answered this question lately: “when can I go and meet with God?”

In Christian love, Curtis