Intentional Encouragement

Two of the books that I've read in the past year or so have challenged me deeply. The first was David Platt's book "Radical." I read it a year ago and it's call is still with me. Among the things that I gathered from the book was the reminder of the passion we need to have in our commitment to Christ. The Bible leaves no room for half-hearted Christianity. Then I led our College and Career group through a study of Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" this year.  It was the same general theme. As I came to the new year in 2011, I was thinking about Revelation 3. The words were to the church at Laodicea, but are certainly fitting for us...I thought I'd share some of it with you again today. Most of us are familiar with the "lukewarm" part of the text; God doesn't want us lukewarm. The text says he would rather we be hot or cold. Obviously God doesn't want us to be cold, but have you thought recently about the idea that even a ...

     It's Christmas Eve.  I thought I'd share a couple of thoughts with you that I plan to talk about tomorrow morning in our worship service.      Christmas is wonderful.  We very much enjoy each other's generosity as well as that of many of our friends and extended family.   Gift giving is fun as we have the opportunity to share things with each other and watch their reaction while they open the gift.   Most of the time, a simple "thank you" will suffice for what we receive.   People give to us for the joy of giving and because they love us. They expect no thanks, they just want to express themselves to us.   Other times, people are so generous that it takes us by surprise.   Did you ever receive a gift from someone and your immediate reaction was something along the lines of "I don't know what to say?"       We have talked often throughout this season about God's gift to us in ...

      “… [Jesus] did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing…” (Philippians 2:6b-7a, ESV)       I'm still mulling over those verses this week and I want to challenge you to remember something as you move toward Christmas Day. When Jesus came here to earth, there was no advantage in it for Him.       Jesus is God in every respect: power…authority…wisdom…eternality…everything about Him is God. There is no one else like the Lord Jesus. He was fully God and fully man. It is beyond my finite ability to understand.       With all of that being true, think about the magnitude of what He did in coming to earth. According to Philippians chapter 2, Jesus veiled his majesty as God and came to earth taking on the nature of humanity. He didn’t stop being God, but He did choose not to exercise His rights and the prerogatives of deity in many cases....

     I wrote this last Christmas, but the challenge of it is still with me.      I have been meditating on Paul’s description in Philippians 2:5-8 of what happened at Christmas.    Here's how the ESV translates it:   “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”   We call this the incarnation. Jesus took on humanity; he became flesh; became one of us.      I am astonished at the extent to which Christ went to bring the message of God’s truth into the world. Jesus is eternally God and the essence of who he was didn’t change when he came to earth.   He veiled ...

            It seems each year, as my mind is drawn back to those days so long ago when our Savior was born, that I find myself immersed once again in some “sanctified speculation.” I wonder just how the individuals that we read about in the Biblical account must have felt during the experience that we now call history.             The shepherds are on my mind today, and one particular point keeps resurfacing in my thinking.  The text states this: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”  That seems simple enough.  Here is the thought that keeps coming back to me, though:  They were going about their regular, daily activities when the message of "Christmas" invaded their lives.  Later on in the Biblical record, we read that "the shepherds returned…"  After it was all over they went bac...

     I'm enjoying a week of vacation with Thanksgiving Day right in the middle of it.  I have done that for the last 2 or 3 years and I really love it.  As a matter of fact, Thanksgiving is nearly my favorite holiday of the year.  It's a delightful opportunity to reflect on God's goodness.      But rather than any lengthy post, I thought I'd just reproduce one of my favorite sections of "Thanksgiving Scripture." Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!   For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.   In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.      The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the...

     “We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near.  We recount your wondrous deeds.”   Those words from Psalm 75:1 are a fitting reminder to us as we think about the next part of our Thanksgiving preparation.  I quoted Psalm 119:68 in my previous post: “You are good and do good.”   I encouraged you there to think about God’s character and his nature as you prepare yourself for Thanksgiving.      Today, I'd like you to begin shifting your thinking toward what God has done.  This is a little bit dangerous because we can sometimes allow it to be a process in which God answers to us for how well he has treated us.  Don't fall into the trap of thinking that the more good things God has done in your life; the more reason you have to be thankful.  It is valuable to think about all that God has done though.  Think about the sending of Jesus to accomplish the possibility that you could have a relat...

     A little over a week from today, we'll all sit around a table filled with more food than we probably should consume in a day to celebrate a national holiday designed to focus our attention on the goodness of God to us over the previous year.      I thought I'd spend the next couple of posts talking a little about thanksgiving; not the holiday, but the attitude.  Thanksgiving always begins with a foundation of some sort.  For many people, thankfulness is directly connected to possessions and provisions.  When I have enough to pay the bills and some left over to have some nice things; I am thankful.  If, on the other hand, I am struggling month to month or I seem to have less than someone else that I am observing, then my thankfulness drops and I begin to be frustrated with something that is missing from my life.      When I approach thanksgiving from a different vantage point, I start to understand something very i...

     That's how Charles Schultz described happiness; a warm puppy.  Well; I can relate.  We had at least one dog through more than half of our marriage.  In the last dozen years or so, life happened; including a son who developed allergies to pet dander.  We gave it a go about 7 years back, but his system couldn't take it.      That all changed about 2 weeks ago.  A cute little stray ended up in our home for a few hours.  Mitch didn't react.  The pooch was delightful.  The owner posted signs and we obviously had to give the dog back.  But we had the bug.  We've been checking around for a couple of weeks and visiting shelters looking for a dog to rescue.  We brought one home yesterday.  Who could resist that little face?      I was reminded this morning of a few lessons to be learned from "man's best friend" and their connection to my relationship to my master, Jesus.  I ...

I was reviewing a few of my early posts to this blog, when there were very few people following or reading.  I have decided to occasionally re-post one of those posts and offer them for your encouragement.  Here's a reminder about God's grace that was a lift to my spirit this morning.  Hopefully it will be to yours as well. I read a statement a while back that struck me.  Patrick Morley was commenting on Paul's words in Ephesians 4:1; "I...urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called."  Pat's emphasis was that God gives us sufficient grace to live this worthy life.  Then he made this statement: "Most Christians under-apply their grace." While I'd like to think that it's not applicable to me :-), I really like that phrase.  I wonder if it resonates with you.  We sometimes keep our gratitude for grace reserved for our salvation experience.  That's certainly worth focusing on.  If it weren't...

     This Thursday, I'll finish my first year of maintaining this blog.  I’ll admit that I started a blog a few years back and posted to it…about 8 times.  Something about it just didn’t stick.  Last year, as I headed into the fall, I felt like it was something I wanted to try again.  I love to write.  I find it one of my greatest joys in life to encourage people.  I’d like to expand my ministry as I continue along in my journey of service for God.  So; here I have been for a year now, trying to accomplish that.  The “audience” for my blog has grown over the course of the year, but I still don’t have a huge list of “followers.”  People have read my blog more than 2800 times this year.  If you compare that with well known bloggers, it’s a pretty tiny number.  But I appreciate all who do read and follow, and some have expressed appreciation for one post or another that challenged or encouraged them.  I’m rea...

     My wife and I spent an hour and a half with our special needs son's teacher yesterday reviewing his Individual Educational Plan; interacting about what we are observing in his progress and what we anticipate for his future.  It is an annual review that reminds us that we (with the assistance of his school) are preparing him to live as independently as possible...some day.      Each year, when we go, we review his "outside of school" situation and let his teacher know his circumstances in our own home, in our church life and in the life of his siblings.  This year we reported that two of the latter now live on their own.  The third is in his third year of university studies and, other than school breaks and next summer, won't likely be living at home for any more long-term stays.  Our "nest" is virtually empty.      That brings me to my thoughts today.  Life moves on.  That's a little more bluntly put than ...

     I remember a commercial for a high end car a few years ago that had a unique headlight system.  The fixtures that held the lamps sensed when the wheels were turning and would pan a little bit in that direction.  The great attraction, so it seemed, was that you could see a little further around the curve than normal headlights would allow.  This would, in theory, make it safer to navigate the car, since you could see what is ahead a little sooner, and have a little more time to react to what was around that bend in the road.      Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have something like that in our spiritual lives?  Wouldn't you love being able to "see around the curves" a little bit; anticipating what God would do in you and through you in the years to come?      When it comes to churches (and even in corporate life), we call it vision-casting.  We seek to prayerfully discern what God wants us to do and what dir...

     I preached from Philippians 3 this past Sunday on pressing forward toward the goal of Christ and the ultimate prize of Heaven.  In the process, I came across a statement by Dr. James Boice, describing believers who spend their time always talking about how things "used to be."  He called them "leeks and garlic Christians."  It's easy to pin that moniker on people that are coming to your mind right now, but I am challenged as I sit here at this moment to be sure I am not part of that group.  I'd like to suggest you do the same.      The reference comes from Numbers.  The Israelites are complaining (again) to Moses about their diet and other circumstances that aren't up to specifications.  They are eating manna until they are sick of it.  Manna for breakfast, lunch and dinner would get old; let's be honest.  But their complaint included this longing glance back at Egypt.  "We remember the fish we ate in Egyp...

As a pastor I have sat with numerous people in hospital waiting rooms .  Sometimes it is a serious threat to life.  Sometimes it is a major question mark about the direction this could lead.  Many times everything "turns out fine."  Sometimes, the news is devastating.  Regardless, the waiting room is one of the most frustrating places to be.  Nothing can be done.  We have now power to accomplish anything for the situation.  We have to wait on those who can do something to do their thing.  So we wait...and pace a little...and go get another cup of coffee.  We want to be able to DO something.  But we can't. At other times, the waiting room is more of an emotional space where you sit in anxious anticipation; wondering what the outcome of a particular situation is going to mean for you.  Sometimes it is the waiting room of a difficult relationship.  We find ourselves there when we are in a job search and when we are in a j...

It’s harvest time.  It is that time of year when farmers are bringing in the crops that they have been tending all spring and summer.  There has been much care in the preparing of soil, planting of precious seed, praying for and providing the right amount of moisture and fertilizer, etc.  The process is, as you know, compared to the process of evangelism and discipleship in the New Testament.  We are anticipating a great harvest of fully mature disciples.  I am thankful to God for all those who have been so faithful to work in this same process in the past and for you who are doing so now.  There are periods of time when we plant; there are times we harvest.  There are cloudy days and there sunny days.  There is dryness and there is rain.  All of these contribute to the production of a good harvest.  We plant the seed; we do all within our power to provide for growth and development and we trust God to bring about the results he desi...

I've finished working on a brief Bible study for this evening about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  As I think about the import of that picture in my life, I'm really amazed.  He knows what is best for me; he leads me to where I must go for my greatest benefit.  He corrects me when I wander off (sometimes painfully).  He cares deeply for me, to the point of giving up his own life to be sure I would be part of his "flock."  Those are all powerful images to me. As I saw the descriptions of the thief or robber in the same passage, I was reminded that Satan has no interest in my well-being, and he certainly does not want to correct me when I wander off of the correct path.  In fact; he will be most happy if I leave the path and wander into danger. I'd like to remind you of some of the things Satan loves to do to get us lost in the wilderness of life: Discourage - Satan loves to get people down in the dumps. Distract - get our attention off of the importa...

     Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of a day many Americans remember vividly.  I know exactly where I was when I heard the news of the first tower being hit.  I was glued to my TV all day long, wondering what would possess a person to perpetrate the murder of more than 3,000 people.  I visited ground zero some months after the attack and was stunned once more by the significance of the event.  In a matter of a hours, and over the course of the next days, thousands of people were thrown into their worst nightmare as they received news confirming their worst fears; their loved one had died on 9/11.  On 9/10, I had received a phone call that told me about a personal tragedy in someone's life and it occurred to me in the next couple of days after that, that 9/11 was a national tragedy because of 3,000 personal tragedies happening all at once.  We shared so many mixed emotions and struggled with our own response and reaction to the experie...

            I was recently looking over an article I wrote for another occasion and thought I'd reproduce it here.  Forgive the rather large quote to begin with but you'll see what I'm after.             “An air-monitoring station atop a California mountain has detected wind-borne particles that drifted across the Pacific Ocean from coal-fired power plants and smelters thousands of miles away. Some experts predict that expanding economies in other nations could one day account for a third of the pollution in California . The US , however, remains the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and other countries are feeling the effects of America ’s energy consumption. An Associated Press report quoted atmospheric scientist Dan Jaffe: “There is no place where you can put away your pollution anymore.” Every nation shares the world’s atmosphere and is affected by the actions o...

A few days past Hurricane Irene, I'm mulling over a couple of things.  I thought I'd share them with you. I hope I've increased my ability to be thankful.  We lost power to our home like thousands of others.  Ours came back on after about a day and a half.  Others still don't have it.  I'm thankful to have electricity.  The sun is shining today.  A huge wildfire about 45 miles from where we live is extinguished. I hope I don't slip into the trap of frustration that "things weren't as bad as they had been predicted."  As I have listened to (and read) about people's comments, I am surprised at the critical spirit some have demonstrated toward the forecasters.  I have seen plenty of pictures showing the devastation that took place both south and north of where I live.  Regardless of that; the way some are talking, you'd think that it would have been better if a tree had fallen on their house.  At least that way, they would feel lik...

     I saw the title of this article on a Facebook post this morning as I was getting my day in gear.  Actually the whole phrase was "worrying is temporary atheism."      That really has me thinking.  All of us who claim belief in God would deny the charge of atheist.  But when we worry and get anxious over our circumstances or our tomorrows, aren't we acting like God is, at the very least, unaware or uninvolved?  Aren't we functioning at that moment like he either isn't there or at least doesn't matter?      That's pretty harsh, but the more I mull it over; the more accurate it seems to me.      As Jesus gave what we call the sermon on the mount (recorded in Matthew 6), he took a few minutes to remind the people of the importance of setting aside worry.  He challenges anxiety on several counts. It over emphasizes things that God says are less important (25-26) It is ineffective at acco...

     Things are gearing up at our church for the fall ministries.  Our school started yesterday.  Several other of our major ministries are slated to re-launch in the next couple of weeks.  Just in case you have a tendency (like lots of people) to evaluate your spiritual progress and effectiveness for God based on inaccurate standards, let me reproduce for you a 5 part recipe for disillusionment that I have borrowed from Patrick Morley of Man in the Mirror ministries.  It's reminder of how to keep things in proper perspective as we make our plans and preparations for the ministries ahead. Go with the natural flow of life.    Don’t give much thought to knowing Jesus more intimately on a  day-to-day basis.    Let life’s natural currents take you where they may.    Presume that spiritual growth will occur naturally.    Don’t expend too much time in reflection; it will give you a headache.   Immers...

             I saw that saying on a billboard and chuckled to myself as I thought about the incongruity of it.   But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it contains some element of truth pertinent to our lives.   I hear more and more people talking about how busy their lives are.   “I had two meetings this morning, a working lunch, and a mandatory division meeting after work...”   You know how it goes.   The pace of life seems to quicken with the passing of each year.             Sometimes it is just the nature of our day.   You’ve had those “busywork” days when you were active and constantly in motion but got to the end of the day without a lot of concrete results.   Even church life can get crazy.   D o you remember when summer was “down time?”   Those days are gone.   Summer camps, mission trips, squeezing in a family “vacation...

Who have you encouraged lately?   I mean really encouraged.   Can anyone look at you and say “they were a special blessing to me last week.”   Encouragement is more important than we often realize, and it is commonly simpler than we think. A lady named Ida Goldsmith Morris wrote the following poem.   I don’t know anything about her, but she says it well. It takes so little to make us sad; Just a slighting word or a doubting sneer; Just a scornful smile on some lips held dear; And our footsteps lag, though the goal seemed near; And we lose the courage and help we had... So little it takes to make us sad. It takes so little to make us glad; Just a cheering claps of a friendly hand; Just a word from one who can understand; And we finish the task we long had planned; And we lose the doubt and the fear we had... So little it takes to make us glad. Another writer of prose that is more familiar to us wrote words long ago that reaffirm this simple fact.   It doesn...

As Dr. Luke records the parable of the prodigal son, he tells us that the son took his share of the family inheritance, “set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”   I have friends who have experienced this.   They may not have gone away to a foreign land, but they definitely were in a different spiritual country.   None of them are proud of those times.   All of them wish it was different.   They each wish their testimony didn’t include some of what they became involved in. But, like the story in Luke 15, these friends “came to their senses” and returned to the Lord.   In some cases they had never been part of God’s family, but He reached out to them and brought them into His “home.”   Many times there is a sense of gratitude on the part of these folks that I admire. I am not at all sorry for the fact that God never permitted my life to include some of the situations others have been in.   I am grateful to God ...

Do you like transitions?   In one sense I’m talking about change.   To one degree or another, we all struggle with change.   Given enough change in life; even the most flexible and spontaneous of us will start to grimace. But when I use the word transition, I’m referring to those seasons in life where we are moving from one “expression” of who we are to another.   Yes, we are changing, but it’s not the details that I’m focusing on.   What I want to think about a little is the process that is taking place during that time. I suppose the difference could best be illustrated by the difference between changing jobs (from one company to another) and starting a new career that is different from the one we held previously.   In these times, the familiar is far less common than the unfamiliar.   We have to learn new ways of functioning that will make us effective in our new environment.   Change is in the details of life.   Transition is from one sta...