Year / 2005

by Greg

Stories

Star Trek Voyager
Our latest Netflix rental is Season 1 Disc 1 from Star Trek Voyager. We just started watching it two nights ago. Our local Fox network carried the show every night at midnight for a LONG time, so Jen & I used to watch every night! It was great! We love the show. The stories, the characters… it’s great Star Trek.

So popping it in again last night, starting from the very beginning of the series and following the 7-season plot was like getting together with old friends again. Like sitting down and reminiscing over some old home movies.

Before you go off just dismissing our trivial fun to our obvious succumbing to the Trekkie bug, I think it just reveals something of who we are, and what touches us.

Jen & I may enjoy a good dose of any Star Trek series, but the part that connects with us is the story. We love knowing the history of each character, where they came from, why they are who they are. As we get to know each one more deeply from time “spent” with them, we can relate more to the events as they unfold. We can understand why actions are taken, or not. We can relate.

That’s the power of a story. It draws us in, makes us a part. In a text book for a history class, you’re just getting facts. But in a novel from that same time period, you are getting the facts AND you are riveted by the compelling stories from the lives of your new-found “friends”. I have been listening to some Frank Peretti novels via AudioBooks loaned out from our library system. He is no doubt a great writer, but it is not just his talent for prose that keeps me coming back… it’s the story.

Jesus knew the power of a story. Most everything he taught was in the form of a story or an allegory. We call them parables. The truth of his kingdom fleshed out in the mundane of our experiences. A farmer, a father, a vineyard… all everyday things that the listener could relate to, revealing a deeper truth.

We were made to connect with other people. To experience life together. Ultimately to connect with our Creator. To experience life together with Him. So it makes sense that stories draw us in. They are life. They are life together.

So enjoy a good book, or a movie, or a TV show, or just find someone who tells a good story… and listen. Be drawn in. Go on that journey together.

And come back with a story of your own.

————
PS… we highly recommend Netflix! They are incredibly fast, and for FAR less than the price of cable, we can have DVDs of all the shows we wanted to watch anyway! (They even have cool old shows like Mork & Mindy!) So sign up for their free trial today!

by Greg

Live Like You Were Dying – Tim McGraw

So I have to sing a COUNTRY song this weekend. COUNTRY song. I said COUNTRY SONG!!!. And for some time now I have been lamenting that. I was wavering between hysterical laughter and a strange desire to vomit as I rehearsed the song the other day…. 🙂

I really, really, REALLY don’t like country music.

But last night at our worship team rehearsal, we finished the first part of our practice and then took some time to share with each other some things God has been doing in our lives. I shared a bit about how God continues to amaze us with his provision, even in the somewhat scary transition time we are in. Another lady in our group has been going through just a crazy time with her husband who vacillates every few months on whether or not to divorce her. It has been trying to say the least, but the news last night is that he is on the “not divorce” side for now.

Then another lady began sharing the story of how a couple months ago she found out she may have a terminal, incurable illness. They ran 5 weeks of tests on her, and in the 4th week, when she was particularly weary from the whole thing, she heard a song on the radio and it brought her to tears. It was so meaningful, and struck just the right chord in her heart. God gave her the song. A special moment from Him to her.

Can you guess which song it was?

Come on…. take a stab.

How about the genre. You know which genre it was from? Perhaps Rap? Heavy Metal? Big Band?

The song that so affected (in a good way) my friend…

WAS THE NASTY COUNTRY SONG I AM SINGING THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!

So. I was of course feeling pretty bad (sorta…) for my ramblings about how amazingly BAD country music is, and this song fits right in there…

I am glad she shared the story though. It gives me a tiny reason to sing the song and not feel toooo bad about letting a COUNTRY SONG come from my lips. I will just remember that this song is ultimate proof that God can use ANYTHING to show love to his children.

Even…. dare I say it….

A country song.

by Greg

Sport Utility Vehicles

We rented VeggieTales: A Snoodle’s Tale recently from NetFlix and I can’t get the Silly Song out of my head! It’s soooo funny! It’s a couple of yuppies in their nice sweaters doing their mundane tasks in their 4 x4 sport utility vehicles. The song is great! They are quite creative those BigIdea guys…

Here’s a link to a clip… but you have to get the whole video to really appreciate it.
VeggieClip

by Greg

Peace – Addendum

I just remembered I had another story I wanted to share related to my blog this morning titled, Peace.

I realized as I was thinking about where I had placed my trust, that I was not what I thought I was. Now, this is not self-flagellation for past sins. I understand that to the best of my ability I have been letting God lead and trying to understand how to trust him more. And it was a big leap to go from our first real paycheck to NEVER asking for money. Never. When people asked what we charge, I would say, “Nothing. That’s up to you. Whatever you are able, that will be perfect.”

And God provided through that in so many amazing ways. It was not always easy. He certainly never promised it would be. Just, asked me to trust him by not setting up a minimum fee.

And I think I did trust him. But again today I just wondered if I had been misdirecting my trust. My self-sufficient ways are re-surfacing, and I am feeling the burden of it. One thing I noticed was my heightened tension due to an “empty” calendar. See, even though I had no idea what money would come in any given week… I could see the dates on the calendar. And, when we had 3, 4 or 5 events in a week… I “knew” money would be coming in. Yes, I was trusting God to provide it… but I think today I realized that a good bit of my trust was in my full calendar, and not in Him.

I trusted him to provide THROUGH things (my gigs, my work, my whatever) instead of just trusting HIM.

He is helping me know that, and as I see him work every day in my life, I know I will trust him more. I praise him today for the things that make me complain. When I complain, I am still worried about me. When I realize that, I think he is growing me into more of who I was made to be.

by Greg

Galatians [1:13-24]

 Galatians 1:13-24

You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion–how I violently persecuted the Christians. I did my best to get rid of them. I was one of the most religious Jews of my own age, and I tried as hard as possible to follow all the old traditions of my religion.

I think it’s pretty cool how we can so easily forget this. Paul was the epitome of what Jesus was not. He destroyed the lives of people who disagreed with his religion. He worked with all of his might to appear spotless on the outside, and even perhaps try to feel spotless on the inside. He was Pharisee of Pharisees, and he was a Christian killer. And he wrote half of the new testament. He changed the course of history. God used him to spread the news of His kingdom across the earth. He is the Apostle Paul. Hero of the faith!

But he wasn’t. He didn’t used to be. Somehow he was able to transcend his old life and be embraced in the new. I think a big key to his success there is that he was not trying to accomplish that. He was whacked hard upside the head – a big-time reality check – and his focus became solely fixed on knowing Jesus (Philippians 4). When his focus changed from doing to being, his life did a complete 180.

And now he is remembered as the great apostle Paul. Not for his accomplishments in holiness. Not for his religious zeal. Partly for his writings and missionary work. But mostly for his relationship with Jesus. For the way he understood life as it was meant to be, and lived it with all his heart. He was not a middle of the road kind of guy, eh? And when he finally got his zeal pointed in the right direction, his legacy is the work that God did through him, rather than the work HE was trying to do “for God.”

But then something happened! For it pleased God in his kindness to choose me and call me, even before I was born! What undeserved mercy! Then he revealed his Son to me so that I could proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When all this happened to me, I did not rush out to consult with anyone else; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. No, I went away into Arabia and later returned to the city of Damascus. It was not until three years later that I finally went to Jerusalem for a visit with Peter and stayed there with him for fifteen days. And the only other apostle I met at that time was James, our Lord’s brother. You must believe what I am saying, for I declare before God that I am not lying.

Paul seems to think that those he is writing to will not believe his story. Perhaps they, like us, think you must have some sort of training to know what Paul knows. To speak as he does, and teach as he does… he must have had years of teaching. He must have studied under the apostles for a good deal of time and been their best pupil. But Paul assures them, “No!” His insight, his understanding is not from man. God revealed it to him directly. And, coincidentally, it matched precisely what the other apostles had learned in person from Jesus some years back. How about that? 🙂

Then after this visit, I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. And still the Christians in the churches in Judea didn’t know me personally. All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us now preaches the very faith he tried to destroy!” And they gave glory to God because of me.

The power of a changed life is phenomenal. When you can point to someone and say, “Isn’t that the girl who…” or, “Didn’t he used to…” and then see them living the life God meant for them to live, you can’t help but give God the glory. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” He didn’t mean work hard to do good stuff so that God will get the credit. He meant, love the light God has placed in you – share it. Spread it around. As people see the love in you, the kindness you show toward them and others, they will know something has happened in you. Something you could not have done on your own. And they will give credit where credit is due. They will praise your Father in heaven.

For what was filthy has been made clean. The broken has been restored. The useless has become useful. The trash that was merely discarded has been recycled into a cheaper and more environmentally friendly product. (I put that one in there for my EPA friends…) 🙂

When you see the effects of this relationship with the living Jesus you can not help but be amazed. No amount of trying can hold a candle to the reality of a grace-filled life found in the reality of knowing and being known by him. Not a set of rules or practices, but a true understanding of your calling to be his adopted son or daughter. A true understanding of the love that never quits, and unmerited favor with the King of the universe… who wants us to call him Dad.

When people see that in you, they will give God the glory as well. The old is gone, the new has come… praise be to God.

For further study: Visit StudyLight.org

by Greg

Peace

I have been asking God for peace lately. I just haven’t been feeling it. Stress from changes in life, too much to get done in too little time, various normal stresses in our family and of course, financial stress.

For some time now, I have almost been complaining. “God, why won’t you give me peace?” I go over all of the ways that he could give me peace… a little more money, a little easier work load, kids who behave so their mom is less stressed, slow down the flow of bills to our mailbox… 🙂 There is no shortage of ideas here. And, when none of my ideas seem to be listened to, I complain about that.

Today I woke up and began to think about the week; what bills were due, what money was coming in, prioritizing jobs by which would pay this week. And as I sorted these out in my head, I don’t know if it was God in me or what, but I just thought, “I don’t have peace because I don’t trust.”

It seemed that simple. If I could somehow believe that he really loves me and trust that he IS (not will… he IS) working things out for me… in HIS WAY… I would find that peace.

Think about it. What could cause you stress if you weren’t thinking about yourself anymore? If I didn’t have to make the money to pay my bills, but just trusted that God will bring it in when the time is right – there would be peace. If I didn’t have to try so hard to maintain peace in my relationships, but just allowed Father’s love to flow into and out of me into others, there would be peace. If I could just live for today, instead of being dominated by a calendar of looming events and deadlines – there would be peace.

Is peace something that I can achieve? Or is it a natural by-product of trust? Perhaps once my focus is off of my needs and my life and my problems, then I can know the peace. Peace might be at the end of my resigning control to the One who is actually able to control life. And who loves me more than I probably love myself. He loves me, and he loves my family, and he knows what we need, and for all the years I have known him, he has never – not once – left us in need. Never.

So why do I continually take back the reigns? Why do I shoulder the burden I was not meant to carry? Why do I pass up the peace I so long for?

My eyes are on me, and not him. Maybe I just forget that he wants to. Maybe I can’t believe that he wants to. Maybe I don’t think he should want to. But, he does.

Matt 11:28

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Peace comes from knowing him, and trusting him completely. And complete trust not only brings peace, but freedom as well. When I am no longer the source of my life ? my prosperity be it financial or otherwise ? then I am free to just be his. To do stuff that might not make sense like spend time with someone who needs a friend when I should be getting work done so that I will get paid.

God takes care of us. He promised.

Matt 6:31-34 | Read Context

“So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

by Greg

Galatians [1:11-12]

 Galatians 1:11-12

Dear brothers and sisters, I solemnly assure you that the Good News of salvation which I preach is not based on mere human reasoning or logic.

Well, yeah! That is one thing that God’s plan could never be accused of being… LOGICAL! 🙂 It seems so unbelievable, really. A being who has no beginning and end creates all that exists, and before he did that he already planned to put on skin and hang out with us for a time, until just the right time when he could die a horrendous death at our hands. For our guilt. Taking our penalty for our deviancy. THEN, that same God got up again 3 days later and as he left us, gave us a piece of him to live inside us. He lives every moment not just by our side, but INSIDE us. As close as we can be. And all of this was planned before the beginning of time.

Jesus said that most people wouldn’t die for a good man (translation: “a cool dude”) but that some might die for a very good man (translation: “a SUPER cool dude”). That is just insane. If someone else did something wrong, and the punishment was death – even if it wasn’t their fault… wasn’t malicious – would you step up and say, “Oh wait! Pick me! Pick me!!!” No. Probably not. What if it was your Mom? She counts as a “SUPER cool dude”, doesn’t she? OK… you’d definitely have to think about it if it was your MOM! But, how about your neighbor? Or a friend from college?

What about your worst enemy? The person whom everything they do seems aimed at hurting you. Would you… could you volunteer to take their just punishment?

No, Paul… we don’t think you concocted that from human reason or logic.

For my message came by a direct revelation from Jesus Christ himself. No one else taught me.

I think Paul is suggesting here that his training was quite special. No doubt, it most certainly was. He was on his way to kill some more Christians and a light knocks him off his high horse. Light. Usually, light doesn’t do that. He hears a voice, and Jesus in no uncertain terms let him know that he was wrong. So, the man then called Saul becomes the incredible apostle Paul. Changing the course of history by his now well-aimed zeal. And all of that was through a personal encounter with Jesus. Not a Christianity 101 class, or even a series of mentoring sessions with a wise aged brother in the faith. Just a little talk with Jesus. (I think that’s a song…) 🙂

Now that doesn’t happen today, right? Jesus has delegated the teaching to us, right? To those we put in leadership over ourselves?

We heard a talk on an interesting verse a while back. In 1 John 2:27 it says:

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you all things, and what he teaches is true–it is not a lie. So continue in what he has taught you, and continue to live in Christ.

This was only a small point of that talk we were listening to, but it stood out to me. We live in a culture of experts. There are specialists in every field. “Leave it to the Pros!” After all, the pros have been to school for 180 years and have 5 degrees in each field of expertise. They have been trained by the best, and know WAY better than you do! (And maybe better than you ever could!) We even pay people to listen to us. Psychologists and Psychiatrists are a fascinating lot to me. How can you pay someone to listen to you? 🙂

Think about it. If you have a problem or a question, who do you go to? Some of you may live next door to Mr. Fix It, like me. Matt is the first person I go to. 🙂 But mostly, we talk to an expert, right? (Maybe Matt is an expert…) If something is broken, we take it to an expert to repair it. If we are broken, we go to a doctor, at least for advice. (For which we shell out $75 or so) If we have a serious spiritual question, we talk to a pastor. Right? Isn’t that what we do?

But God has offered us so much more! He has offered us HIS expert advice. There certainly is nothing wrong with seeking wisdom from others. The Bible says as much. In Proverbs we are told that it is wise to seek counsel. But we often seek it in the wrong places. We look for help from so-called experts who know nothing about us. We seek help from those we feel are authorities. John tells us that we have received the Holy Spirit. We don’t need anyone to teach us what is true. Why? Because HE does. Holy Spirit. In you.

Now that’s a crazy thought, isn’t it? In our culture of management we don’t like that idea very much. Some might say, “If you tell people that, they’re going to believe whatever they want to! ‘Well, God told me…’ You can’t tell them they don’t need to be taught! We are the experts! We have studied! We know the Scriptures! Listen to US!”

There could not have been anything worse for us than when we decided we need to take control of the church. We are brothers and sisters in God’s family. We are the body parts… he is the Head. None of us leads any part of the church. Pastors and teachers are not superior to others, they only care for and teach the other believers, who in return offer their gifts to everyone else. We all have gifts, but somehow we have either offered to our up front people the role of authority, or we have allowed those hungry for it to take it. Elders are not above the other brothers. They are to be imitated (like Paul said to Timothy, “Follow my example as I follow Christ.”) but not revered or elevated to some status outside of the body. That is not only an errant understanding of the church, but a disservice to them. They were not meant to bear such a burden. They are merely children of God like you, and me.

We want so much to do right, that we take control to make it happen. What we might do is allow God to do his work. Allow Jesus to lead his church. Not be so bent on controlling the way people think, but perhaps teach them to know and hear and listen to Holy Spirit who is IN them.

I am not thinking Paul meant all of this in the simple statement that started this, but it triggered a stream of thought. We don’t like to think that people can learn directly from God. Paul is an example. John says we all are.

For further study: Visit StudyLight.org

by Greg

If You Build It…

How long does our stuff last? Just a thought before I hit the hay tonight.

How long did that fire for studying the Bible in the mornings with God last? How long did you keep praying for those missionaries every day? How long could you keep doing the good you wanted to do, or not doing the bad you didn’t want to do?

In our personal lives, fires come and go. The passion ignites, and drives for a time our desire to build something good. To do something with our lives.

At times, that translates to something outside of ourselves. Sometimes we have a good idea, and we run with it. Say perhaps a Bible study with friends. Every Wednesday night. We gather, we read, we study, we share, we can’t wait till next week. And then, after several good weeks, something else comes up and one person can’t make it, but the meeting goes pretty well. Then, after a few more absences, and an unspoken restlessness … like something’s not quite right… something has “changed”… eventually, the whole thing just falls apart.

This happens with most everything we try and put together. I play basketball with some guys on Wednesday mornings. Started out with me and another friend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We were there each of those days. Every week. But, that changed to Thursdays. In the meantime I added Wednesdays with some other guys. Last year, that was GREAT. We were there all the time. Playing hard. This year? I have been at the gym by myself on quite a few Wednesday mornings. Sometimes the other guys just don’t show up… sometimes they are busy elsewhere. Not really an issue, just a furtherance of my point.

If you build it… it will fall apart.

Whether it’s a basketball schedule, a Bible study, a small group, a church, a program, a sports league, an annual convention… eventually, it will die. Some things maintain their existence a bit longer, but is it really worth it for the church of 10 people to continue to expend time and money to maintain a building for them to meet in every Sunday? Is it really necessary to get a preacher to speak to them every week?

You see, for some reason we don’t understand that things are for a time. Solomon spoke of this in Ecclesiastes. “To everything there is a season…” It’s true. And the grand orchestra conductor is not me. Nor you. It is our Father who guides and directs all things in perfect harmony. Perfect unison. He knows what is next, and for how long.

I feel like I am in a different chapter of life right now. I don’t think that I was building something that crumbled. I think God is changing our circumstances for a new chapter. The old is not thrown away, but built on. The new is still not my idea, but something that He is leading, and providing.

I am not trying to make universal statements of truth tonight… just observations.

When we build it, it will usually – perhaps even always – fail. But, on the contrary, when HE builds it, it is beautiful and freeing and life-giving… and succeeds wildly (even if only for you).

And then we move on.

Life changes. He does not. Help me God to not place my trust in the things I build, but to watch and follow you as you build into and around me the things that you want to.