A Mile From the Beach

There’s a conspiracy brewing here in my sleepy coastal town.  On Saturday morning, nine men (including yours truly) offered up a FREE car wash in our church parking lot.  The only advertisement?  Two signs held by two of us at a couple of corners near the church building.

At 9:30 am, the only car being washed was our pastor’s (you know the whole double honor thing that Paul writes about).  Then we washed another of our cars…wondering if anyone would pull in off the street for a free car wash.

At 9:45, a woman walking her dog sees our sign, is offered a free bottle of water, then returns home quickly, bringing her car in, shocked and amazed to see us offering a free car wash.

Shortly thereafter, a young woman driving by pulls in.  As we wash her car, she chats with a couple of others, taking a free bottle of water and giving her dog a drink from the pet bowl of water we set out.  “What you guys are doing is so awesome.  I was just driving home from some errands when I thought I need to get my car washed, and here YOU are!”

Over the course of the next half hour, a few more cars come in sporadically…and at 10:30, as we prepared to close up, 5 cars pull in at the same time.

One man asked, “So…what does a car wash go for these days?”

“Nothing,” we responded.

“Can I give you a donation?”

“No,” we replied, “this is totally free.”  The man didn’t know how to respond, as he chatted with one of our men who recognized him from another event.  He was so taken by our act of kindness that a few minutes after he left, he returned with a bag of breakfast from McDonalds for us.

A woman in an SUV pulled in and asked us, “Why are you doing this?”

“We just want to show you that Jesus loves you.”

She was clearly touched.  “Wow…that’s just awesome…” came her reply.  Not knowing what else to do she asked us, “Can I get you guys some coffee?”

“No thanks!  We’re doing fine!” we replied as we started to rinse off her SUV.

We did not keep track of the number of cars we washed on Saturday morning, but one thing was certain…we were showing God’s love for these folks in a very practical way, by simply washing their cars, offering them (and their pets in some cases) water, along with a pleasant conversation about cars, dogs, and jobs.

There was no need to speak the Gospel.  We were sharing it by living it.

How often do we hear someone say, “The Devil made me do it?”  I know I’m guilty of saying it in the past, and to be fair, many of us say it or have said it without really thinking through the meaning of it.

When we say it, are we trying to absolve ourselves of the responsibility for some transgression that we did?

I would say, most of the time, yes, in fact we are trying to shed that responsibility - after all, we’re all innately selfish, and if we can pass the blame onto someone else, whether a friend, family member, colleague or Screwtape, we usually manage to find a way.

But this statement, “The Devil made me do it”, is also false, as I understand the nature of the enemy.  The enemy’s tactic is to tempt us…to provide us with the choice to follow his suggestion as opposed to that of God’s…and more often than not, we take his bait.  Look at Adam and Eve in Eden.  Look at Abraham when he must have heard the enemy tell him, “Sarah’s too long in the tooth to produce the offspring God has promised…why don’t you hop in the sack with Hagar instead?  I’m sure it will be wicked good time, too, old man…” In each case, the enemy tempted the humans with an alternative to God’s, they listened to him, and suffered the consequences.

We still do the same thing today…do the alternative of God’s best.  We allow ourselves to succumb to the tempting thoughts of the enemy, and when we do what he tells us, we start to backpedal from our choice to bite that apple.

Our best recourse?  Admit our wrongdoing.  Take ownership of it.  Ask God for forgiveness and restoration, knowing that He will work in us to help us make the right choice the next time.

6 Don’t let your mouth make a total sinner of you.
When called to account, you won’t get by with
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”
Why risk provoking God to angry retaliation?

Ecclesiastes 5:6 (The Message)

The cycle was finally broken not long after I read that passage above.  For years, while I could be a pleasant, calm person outside the home, I could be a difficult person in the home, prone to allowing my “mouth making a total sinner of me”.  I would often allow little, inconsequential things slowly build up in anger inside of me, finally blowing up every so often in a volcanic release that was unpleasant to those around me.

The words that would come out would sting my loved ones.  The volume with which the words would come out would be at a decibel level that would drown out any attempt to listen to the other side of the conversation…if you could call it “conversation”.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it” would be followed by “I won’t let it happen again.”

But happen again it did.  Over…and over…and over…

God finally broke me.  Rather than place folks who would commisserate with me, He placed people who listened but didn’t commisserate…rather, they asked the pointed question to which I had already known the answer, but never acted on…

“Did you ever seek His help, Andy?”

I knew that I had never sought God’s help with anger issues.

At that moment of realization, God broke me among a couple of Godly folks who would keep me accountable.  With their prayers and with my own, I could feel the sense of release, the breaking of the bond of cyclical anger that had taken a hold of my life from a young age, a cycle I did not see until I threw myself at Jesus’ feet asking for redemption.

That is not to say I don’t get angry…far from it.  But I have now begun to see how God is working inside me to release my anger before it is verbalized, and I can feel that anger dissipate as He reminds me to see my loved ones with His Eyes, that often that which gets me angry are merely distractions to keep my eyes off Jesus and on my own selfishness.

It will continue to be a long road, but I am thankful daily that Jesus continues to work in me, making me every more aware of my need to hold on to Him every second of every day.

When I was in 6th grade I took guitar lessons on a Yamaha Classical Acoustic guitar.  It had a wide fretboard, and I got to take lessons from the “cool” teacher at my Lutheran school.  He was Mr. Moore, a 4th grade teacher who was in a band and played guitar, offering lessons for students after school.  It took awhile to get used to pressing down on the nylon strings, but sure enough, I was able to stretch my fingers wide enough to play the G chord.

Barre chords, on the other hand, were more difficult, so the F was usually a challenge. However it wasn’t too long after I started playing that I could strum a handful of tunes, including the likes of “Tom Dooley”.

I didn’t stick with the guitar long, however - partly due to peer pressure as I was incessantly mocked by my friends for bringing a guitar to school on the days I had lessons, and my ongoing piano lessons got in the way of finding sufficient time to practice guitar.  The guitar sat unused in a dark closet for years.

Of course, high school came and our youth pastor would have a couple of guitars close by - a favorite was his 12 string acoustic.  While he wasn’t exactly Leo Kottke (sorry Dave), there was a certain “cool” factor that exuded whenever he pulled out that particular guitar - the richness of the chords added a layer of depth to our vocal accompaniment, especially during those summers that we spent on the beach in Mendocino.

But when college rolled around, I found myself among friends who had guitars, and I found myself inspired to once again take up the instrument.  I taught myself the various chords, purchased songbooks and taught myself to fingerpick.  Before long, my fraternity had a group of guys ready to play “Hotel California” at the Greek Week talent show, as we had a lead guitarist who learned the entire solo, while I and another played rhythm.

I still pull out the guitar every now and then…and now the number of guitars in the house has increased as both kids are learning.  I still play that Yamaha Acoustic - briefly dabbling with a Fender Strat in college, which has since been given away - but I harbor no illusions of playing in front of a crowd, or even on a beach with a bunch of friends.

It’s not going to happen.

Nor am I so cool like this guy…and we’ve all known one or two of these guys…especially in church.

When theology meets the comics, you get this post.

Go there and come back.

::

And it doesn’t matter whether it’s Marvel or DC - all I know is that this list is pretty much dead on, and you’ve gotta like the suggestions by commenters that Tim Keller should be Professor X.

Of course, this gets me thinking as to what this list could look like if theology met Star Trek - how would the pastors line up with the Enterprise crew (regardless of TOS or TNG)?

One thing is for certain - I cannot come close to the sheer brilliance of the post that is referenced.  It is dead on right - especially as you get into the comments as to who could be Magneto.

Check it out.

Got your attention?

Good.

If you thought this was going to be a post about whether the Earth is 6,000 or 6,000,000,000 years old, you’ve come to the wrong place.  We’ve had those discussions ’round these parts and frankly, I’m sick and tired of those discussions…mainly because they simply detract from the simplicity of the Gospel.  I find it rather amusing that so many Christians will waste inordinate amounts of time debating the age of this 3rd rock from the sun when so many folks out there remain spiritually lost, apart from Jesus.  Let’s face it, so many Christians waste more time in committees debating the merits of organs versus guitars rather than worry about the many folks out in our cities and suburbs who are spiritually lost, apart from Jesus.

Where is the sense of urgency that was apparent in the Church in the second chapter of Acts?  Who today has the faith of Cornelius in Acts 10, the very same passage in which Peter is told that the Gospel must be spread beyond the Jewish community and to the Gentiles?  If it weren’t for that event, you and I would likely be still those who are spiritually lost, apart from Jesus.

Our local churches need to get beyond our four walls and get dirty, covered in the muck and grime of our communities, to the places where folks are spiritually lost, apart from Jesus.  We should “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9) reaching those who are spiritually lost, apart from Jesus.

A handful of us took our first steps that way on Saturday, as we handed out free bottles of water (unopened, of course!) to runners, walkers, and bikers at a nearby trail.  We also had a bowl of water (which we refilled a couple of times) for walkers with their dogs.  We handed out several bottles, most of which were received graciously - one couple had been hiking for a couple of miles, hadn’t brought any water, so were touched and excited to each receive a bottle as they returned to their starting point.

We had no agenda, other than to express the love of Jesus in a practical way.  We were simply showing kindness to our neighbor by giving them water (Mark 9:41).

I’ll admit - I was nervous when we first started on this little mission - but when we were finished an hour later, we all were beaming and excited at how God touched a handful of lives through us;  the simple act of giving away water planted new seeds.

And I see that my spiritual journey has evolved in a new direction…

In the past several days and weeks blogging has taken a substantially lower priority in my life - and I admit to missing it on occasion, but also feel relieved that I haven’t had the same pace of writing as I’ve had in the past.  That said, there are a lot of thoughts that continue to percolate in my mind with the various pieces of theology and the like that I’ve read, along with the myriad podcasts from assorted speakers and teachers and pastors that I listen to on my commute into work.

With this One Prayer series, however, I have been exposed to speakers that I hadn’t considered hearing before, and more than one have been used to convict me of my need for a more consistent prayer life.  And so I find myself quietly praying on the train, sitting silently with ear buds, listening to a few tunes, Bible open, but not really reading, just mulling over a passage or two while praying for my family, for my friends, my church, my workday.  I get into a certain zone and start to connect with my Father, just letting my thoughts connect with His.

I admit I don’t usually hear anything, but sometimes a word or a phrase leaps out, especially as I move on in my Scripture reading.  Jentezen Franklin says, “Read the Book, and the Book will read you.”   In those solitary moments on the train, my Father reads me and pulls back layers of grime that haven’t been scrubbed in a long time.

So I pray a bit more.

I’ve been re-reading Craig Groeschel’s Confessions of a Pastor. In a chapter titled “I Hate Prayer Meetings”, he ends it with one of the best summaries I’ve read on prayer.

Pray. Pray creatively, openly, honestly. Pray long. Pray short. Sigh. Sing. Dance. Cry. Shout. Pray in the morning. During the day and in the evening. Pray in the car, while working, while doing chores. Laugh with Him. Cry with Him. Experience His presence. Let your attitudes, thoughts, energy, focus, attention, desire, and love be directed toward the One who loves you. Like breathing air, allow moment-by-moment fellowship to become a way of life - starting this very moment.

Go ahead.

Communicate.

I have had the privilege of being one of a handful of folks at our church helping to select messages for our participation in the One Prayer series.  As a result, I have been exposed to speakers and pastors that I had never heard, exposed to teachers who have an uncanny ability to draw us into Scripture, bringing to life the characters, the people, the teachings of Scripture, and giving us practical, 21st Century applications of a text that’s thousands of years old.

These people ask the questions related to the story that I usually miss - like what exactly did the formerly dead man say when Jesus raised him in Luke 7?  We can only speculate, but those questions help us to become part of the story.

So with the 4 messages that our church will be showing (correction, 1 has already been shown with 3 more to go), I have written down some key quotes and paraphrases from these speakers.  Here’s one, from Perry Noble, pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina:

I believe we ought to get speeding tickets on Sunday morning because we can’t wait to get inside the door going “I know what he did last week but I can’t wait to see what he did this week.” We’re not striving to get there 10 minutes early; we’re okay if we’re 10 minutes late. Now we wouldn’t do that to a movie; we wouldn’t do that to a Broadway play. But we’ll do that to our church.

Thoughts?

(Fasting) is a way of denying ourselves and making a special space in our lifestyle for listening to God. It can be a way in which God shows us things that control our way of life, potentially restricting our communication with Him.

Jonathan Markham

Our church has just come out of a week of prayer and fasting as we began our first week of participation in the worldwide One Prayer series.  What I have found to be helpful is that the “fast” does not have to be about the “traditional” fast - it is really about taking something of value, of meaning, in our lives and going without for a prescribed period of time.

This past week it was a fast from meat, poultry and pork for me (I allowed myself fish, eggs, and dairy, however).  It’s the second time that I have done that, and I was surprised at how much I had to “think” as I chose my food.  At the sandwich shop in my building downtown, I went with the vegetarian sandwich.  At home, it was a PBJ, or toast and eggs, fruit and various vegetables.  Going out to breakfast with the kids on Saturday I ordered vegetarian omelette.  I really needed to think about my choices, because so often I would choose an option with meat, whether at home or at work.

The upshot to this?

My devotionals were clearer.  The Scriptures I read last week seemed to make more sense to me, seemed to have greater relevance for my life.  Passages that I might have previously glossed over jumped out at me.  There was a speaker I saw not long ago encouraging us to read the Bible, because it is a book that reads YOU.

I think it read me this week.