Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Move from Leisurely Accommodating to Sacrifice

This past Sunday I preached about the central aim of Jesus' life. The text was the passage where Rocky(Peter) tries to correct Jesus. Jesus is at the height of his popularity and begins talking sacrifice. That is when Rocky knows better than Jesus. You get the picture that Rocky pulls Jesus to the side like he is his manager. This sacrifice talk is not playing well. The opinion polls do not appreciate such talk!




I think most of us really do not know about sacrifice in our lives. Instead we are willing to leisurely accommodate God. After all, the faith does not call for us to endure too much pain--or does it? Leisurely accommodating God gives the perception of sacrifice without the reality. But in our world, perception is everything!




You see if we can get the world to THINK we are living a life of sacrifice, then we have it made. Never mind that the good Lord knows our spiritual fraud. Never mind that such an attitude like this is the height of spiritual shallowness. It is like the woman who donated an overcoat to the local clothes place. As she was giving it away though, she saw the elegant buttons on the coat. She came to the conclusion in her mind that someone who would receive a second hand coat like this would not feel comfortable wearing the coat with the elegant buttons, so she cut them off and kept them for herself.




Living sacrifices are difficult in our world. The problem is that living sacrifices keep crawling off the altar! A living sacrifice is where you are fully alive in your world. However, because of your faith stance, you have chosen less for yourself so that you can offer more to others. A life filled with living sacrifices focuses on others rather than our self.




Jesus' life was oriented around others. For others, he dealt with the crowds when he really wanted to be alone. For others, he prayed that health would return to their ailing bodies. For others, Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish and fed thousands. For others, Jesus die on the cross and rose again.




So what about sacrifice in your life? Are you willing to move from leisurely accommodating God to a purpose filled life that exemplifies a living sacrifice?




An older gentleman was near the end of his life. His son asked him what made the biggest difference in how he lived his life. What was it? The man thought for just a while and then answered, "the day that I discovered the meaning of Jesus' sacrifice for me and began to do the same for others. I grew up that day!"




Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Teach The Practice of Prayer

When my son, Noah, was in elementary school he went through some trying times. School is a tough place for kids to be at one time or another. As he was leaving for school, I stopped him and prayed for him. I confess that I probably did not do this as often as I should have. But in the prayer, I asked God to put angels around him to give him a sense of protection and security. When I finished praying, before he left Noah turned to me and said, "Dad, I'm not too sure about all that angel stuff at school!" And he ran off to school.


As long as there are tests in school---there will be prayer. It is not an original thought for me. I heard it one day in Dallas when there was a great debate going on about prayer in school.


A parishioner was talking one day about how we used to pray each day in school over the loud speaker. The ritual was Pledge of Allegiance followed by a prayer (I always wondered about the order of those two!) For some schools, the prayer was the Lord's Prayer. In other schools, a student or teacher would say the prayer. The parishioner was lamenting the fact that this ritual was no longer allowed in schools. So I asked him, "Do you pray with your child before she leaves for school each day?"


I have learned as a pastor that some questions really irritate people, especially the questions that put us on the spot. He looked at me as if there was no connection between the two thoughts. He was dumbfounded. So I asked the question again. Silence.


"So let me get this straight. You are complaining that the education system is not allowing your child to practice that which you are free to practice and even instructed by the Bible to practice in your home and you fail to do it."


So here's the deal. If we, as parents will teach and practice prayer on an active basis in our home, then prayer in public places will not be an issue. The practice of prayer will become a regular part of the child's human relationships. The child will pray for teachers. The child will pray for friends and neighbors--maybe even enemies! But it starts at home.


This Sunday, many churches will bless bookbags and have prayer for teachers. At The Well, we will make each child a bag tag. On the tag, will be the logo of the church with their name on it. On the other side of the tag, there will be a prayer. We are instructing our parents each day to pray the prayer with their child(ren) as they leave for school. I want to imagine in my head that one day as things are hurriedly being gathered for school departure that a child will scream, "But mom and dad, we haven't prayed today!"


I urge college kids to make sure that they have a grandmother praying for them. If you are a young adult and do not have a granny prayer going up each day, FIND a granny who will pray for you. I am convinced that grandparents have a special line to God.


Pray with your kids. Let them hear the prayers of your heart. Teach them to pray by example. Then wherever life takes them, the practice of prayer will follow.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Slow Down and Rest

As a chaplain at Centenary College, I learned about the reality of sleep deprivation. This is one of the most prevalent problems on college campuses. Young adults keep going and going without getting the proper rest their body needs. They think of themselves as the Energizer Bunny (some of you remember that long running commercial). Then it happens. They become ill or even worse they crash. Before the crash though, their grades and relationships begin to suffer because of fatigue--physical fatigue.




It also happens in other age groups of people. The single parent who is working while making as much of life for their kids as possible--In some cases trying to make too much life. These folks are up at the break of dawn getting ready only to finally fall exhausted into bed at midnight only to find that the time to get up has arrived again.




Or the one whose work is not what it ought to be. Work takes all of their life. There is little time left for leisure or for family. This person is climbing the ladder of success--the corporate world or building their own business. The cost of doing this is more than they realize in terms of the carnage left behind them--failed marriages, failed relationships. The ladder is leaned up against the wrong wall.




Now do not think that I am advocating a life of laziness or lacking a work ethic. I am not. However, I think that if the God Almighty rested on the seventh day, it is a sign that we should as well. And, if the Lord God Almighty took six days to do what the Lord God Almighty could have done in a split second, then maybe that says something to us.




Life is not a sprint. It is a marathon. Pace yourself. Slow down. Take time to take care of your body. Take time to build relationships. In doing this you will be able to sort out the gold and the sand of life. You will learn what in the store of life is the cheap stuff and what is the most valuable. You will learn to spend you time doing the things that matter rather than being overwhelmed and exhausted.




One of the reminders I use in my life's journeys is school zones. If you speed through a school zone, the fines are really harsh as they should be. So I look for school zones as I am driving. When driving through a school zone, I offer prayers for students, teachers, and families. Then as I am leaving the zone, I ask myself, "Where in my life do I need to slow down?" And I really try to listen.




When my life is over, whatever day it is, I want to have used all of that which God has given me. However, as I go through this life, Lord, help me slow down. Help me to rest. Let me use all of this precious time on earth as You would have do.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Pray for teachers!

School is starting again.


This time of the year is always a time of remembering for me. I try to remember all of my teachers in my education process. As I remember them, I try to think of how each one of them nurtured me at that particular point in my life.

Mrs. Saint was my second grade teacher. She seemed more like a grandmother than a school teacher to me. I guess it was because my grandparents lived so far away. She was near retirement and had gray hair. At the end of the year after teaching our class, she had more gray hairs. I remember her as being more strict than my first grade teacher, Mrs. Miller. But I never felt unaccepted. It was really the first time in my education that I was challenged.

Then I remember Miss Bullock. She gave me the gift that would change much of my life. In the seventh grade, we began reading with these machines that would flash the text at a speed that was set by the teacher. She noticed me one day distracted by the slowness of the machine. So she challenged me. She bet me that I could not retain enough knowledge of what I was reading if the machine was set at full speed. I took that challenge--and learned at a very young age how to read at about 1000 words per minute. Many days in seminary when I would finish reading, I would thank God for Miss Bullock.

In our school years, we build foundations for the rest of life. Learning is critical for successful and faithful living. Teachers play a critical role in that process. I want teachers in our area to know that I pray for them. I do not just think about them. I pray for them. Their job is a tough job. Teachers today have to cope with the dysfunction of families, the disappointments of student's life and carry on their own life as well.


As a community, our task is to work with teachers for the education of our children. Encourage the children in your world. Ask the young people in your world how school is going. Encourage them to do well. Teach them by words and by your actions to respect teachers. Write an encouraging word to teachers you know. Bake some goodies and take to the teacher's lounge as an appreciation for their work.


A teacher sat down at the end of the day with a friend. There were tears in her eyes. Her own life was overwhelming. She had seen during this day the worst of families and the worst of students. Her friend brought her coffee and sat with her. "Why do you teach?"


The teacher lifted her head and said, "Sometimes I wonder myself. But then I hear this voice that seems to be God saying to me this is how I can make a difference in this world!"


As they sat in the coffee shop, it wasn't long before a man walked over to their table. "Aren't you Miss so and so who teaches at ..... "


"Yes, I am." she answered.


"You probably do not remember me but my son was in your class three years ago. He is doing so good in school now. You would not believe how his life has changed. It started with you being his teacher. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you! You changed his life!" And with that he walked away.


It was a God moment for all of them. Pray for our teachers. Appreciate them. If you are a teacher, listen for the small voice that seems to be God saying you can make a difference in the world.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Deeper Relationship with God Always An Option

Well we have avoided the crisis. Or have we? Avoiding the crisis may not be the smartest thing to do.



At one point in your life, if you are honest with yourself, you will be confronted with a crisis in your faith. Now let me say this is not a bad thing. If fact, it can become a foundation for you to grow in your understanding of God at work in your life's journey.



The crisis usually comes when tragedy or change occurs in your life. It could be an untimely death or a loss of job. For some it is the loss of health or a significant relationship in life. There is a disconnect with our expectations of life. One disconnect usually leads to many more disconnects.




During this time one is prone to ask or say some pretty remarkable things. Not remarkable in terms of the positive. Remarkable in terms of self preservation or selfishness. Maybe you have said some of these. "Where are you God?" "Why are you doing this to me?" What have I done to deserve this?" One becomes disappointed in God and those around you.




If we are lucky we have surrounded ourselves with relationships that help us sort out these things. It usually requires not only good relationships but time as well. One can come to discover that faith is not something that keeps bad things away from us. We do not become and are not God's little darling in the sense of keeping life from happening to us and around us. Instead we learn that God goes through the valley with us. God carries us when we cannot carry ourselves. God loves us when no one else does.




This Sunday I am beginning a series of sermons on Faith. As I have written these sermons, I have come to realize many things about my own journey. I have learned that it is most accurate to talk about a faith journey or faith relationship with God. That God chooses to be vulnerable in that relationship as I am vulnerable. That is what relationships are all about.




We avoid a faith crisis when are focus on the relationship. Just as in marriage, friends, or work--relationships require work. Relationships go through times of crisis. But the difference is that during the crisis times of good relationships, there is opportunity for growth. There is opportunity for seeds to be planted. There is opportunity for great growth to be born. Sadly, some folks disconnect from relationships that have the potential for great growth. Their self- centeredness cannot bear the truth.




A wolf spider helps me understand some of this. The wolf spider carries it babies on its back. If you kill the wolf spider, all of the baby spiders that it has been carrying will scurry for their life. In a sense, the death of the mother, forces life for the babies.




So it is in faith when there is a crisis. Change gives us the opportunity not to disconnect or detach, but to give birth--to give life. During these times, one needs to ask what one can learn about one's self as well as listen for God's words or direction. What needs to die? What needs to be born?




In the faith journey, a deeper relationship with God is always an option.