Renew

Good evening,

As many of you are aware, I am getting ready to go on a short 6-week renewal leave and will be out of the office from July 25th to September 5th. On this leave I will spend some important time with my family, take a vacation, and reconnect with spiritual disciplines that have become neglected over time, and enter into a silent retreat. The dictionary says the word renew "implies a restoration of what had become faded." There are times in our lives where the habits that are most life-giving (daily devotions, Scripture reading, prayer, etc.) become faded and we need to retreat in order to renew.

In my devotion for today, from the book When You Pray by Rueben P. Job, I read these affirming words as I get ready to enter my time of renewal:

Returning from the mission up on which Jesus had sent them, the disciples were filled with a success story that would make anyone proud and pleased. They poured out their story to Jesus and while he recognized their elation he also recognized their exhaustion and said, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). We have all experienced the emotional, physical, and spiritual exhaustion that follows an intense giving of ourselves to a cause greater than we are. Left unattended this exhaustion can be extremely debilitating. So Jesus immediately took the disciples on a retreat. Their boat trip to the place of solitude was a necessary, healing, and life-giving move on the part of Jesus. But once there the compassion of Jesus led him to respond to the needs of the gathered crowd and for the moment to forget the weariness that he and his disciples were carrying. And once again he was teaching and healing as he asked the disciples to give the crowd something to eat.

Prayer, compassion, and the needs of the world are always woven into any faithful life of discipleship. If we are wise we will weave them into a beautiful way of living that brings healing and hope to the world and fulfillment, joy, and peace to ourselves. At this point a word of caution is in order. Jesus had the wisdom to know when time apart was essential and when it was wise to once again engage in ministry. He was clear about resources and about limits. Once again, this is where we as followers must seek and follow the leading and direction that God seeks to bestow.

As I take time to renew, I pray that you find time to renew as well. That you see opportunities in your day as moments in which God is calling you to come by His side and find rest and renewal in Him. I look forward to sharing with you again in 6 weeks.

God of restoration and life, renew my spirit. Renew my mind. Make smooth the path before me so that I may not stumble and fall. Come by my side, O God, that I may find rest and renewal in You. In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.

What Can I Do For You?

Good evening family and friends,

I would like to share with you the lyrics to a Bob Dylan song, What Can I Do For You? that was shared with us in our staff meeting yesterday by our Financial Secretary, Glenna Huskey. I have been reflecting on the words to the song all day, and will continue to do so for the rest of the week. In our consumeristic society, we often ask "what's in it for me?". This spirit of selfishness has made its way into the Body of Christ. We ask that question when we worship. We ask it when we financially support the church. We ask it when we offer our time in service. Maybe we don't ask it outright, but if things don't go our way, or we run into a spiritual snag, the question has a way of creeping into our hearts.

Jesus never modeled the "what's in it for me?" lifestyle. He invited us into a relationship that honors humility, silences selfishness, and celebrates servanthood. He invited us to live into the question, "what can I do for you?"

Reflect on these words and ask, "God, what can I do for you?" "Neighbor, what can I do for you?" "Friend, what can I do for you?"

What Can I Do For You? by Bob Dylan from the album Saved:

You have given everything to me
What can I do for you ?
You have given me eyes to see
What can I do for You?
Pulled me out of a bondage and You made me renewed inside
Filled up a hunger that had always been denied
Opened up a door no man can shut and You opened it up so wide
And You've chosen me to be among the few
What can I do for You?
You have laid down Your life for me
What can I do for You?
You have explained every mystery
What can I do for You?
Soon a man is born, you know the sparks begin to fly
He gets wise in his own eyes and he's made to believe a lie
Who could deliver him from the death he's bound to die?
Well, You've done it all and there's no more anyone can pretend to do
What can I do for You?
You have given all there is to giveWhat can I give for You?
You have given me life to liveHow can I live for You?
I know all about poison, I know all about fiery darts
I don't care how rough the road is, show me where it starts
Whatever pleases You, tell it to my heart
Well, I don't deserve it but I sure did make it through
What can I do for You?

Loving Lord, forgive me for my selfish ways and seeking out ways to quench my own desires. Create in me a heart that is less focused on me, and more focused on You. Renew my sight to see the plight of those around me. Give me a clear purpose for serving those who do not know what You have done for them. Help me live into the question, "What can I do for You?" In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.

Butt Down, Glove Down, Hand Ready

Good morning!

As I write this I am still overjoyed at the fact that my son and his baseball team, which I coach, ended their 6 game losing streak and won last night! I am still celebrating because the team finally put everything together to have a complete win. All year I have been preaching fundamentals and the importance of fundamentals in practice and in the game. There were times I became frustrated because I didn't think they were listening to a thing I said.

A couple of practices ago, I decided to change my approach to coaching (by the way this is my first time to ever coach baseball). I went into practice with the goal of making sure that when each player left, they were tired and worn out from working hard, while at the same time they were better at their skills than when they came into practice. It seems to be paying off! Not because of me, but because the boys have responded to it and put in the hard work.

One of the fundamental skills that was getting us in trouble in the games was fielding ground balls. No matter how many times we went through it and no matter how many times I talked about it, they couldn't remember the three rules: butt down, glove down, hand ready. At our last practice we did a drill they won't forget and we finally saw fruits of it last night. These young boys learned a life lesson - hard work pays off and the pain is worth the reward!

I liken this to our faith, too. It can be easy for us to forget about our fundamentals. The preacher (aka coach) gets up every Sunday to remind us, but it either goes in one ear and out the other, or it rattles around with all of the other advice we've been getting from people, books, magazine articles, and tv personalities. We get so bogged down with daily living that we forget to be living daily for Christ. It's not enough for someone to keep preaching it to us or reading it on a blog somewhere...there comes a time when we have to do it! When we pay attention to live out the fundamentals of our faith, we are able to see fruits from the practice of our faith (James 2).

Keeping with the baseball analogy:

Butt Down: Stay grounded in the Word of God. Get involved in a Bible study or a LIFE group (small group) that is Scripturally focused. Take part in daily devotions that open up God's Word for your life. Worship regularly and fellowship often with other Christians.

Glove Down: Make sure your heart is in the right place to receive God's love into your own life that you may continue to grow in His love and grace. Work toward living a life of prayer as everything you say, do, and think is like an ongoing conversation with God. You cannot give love that you haven't fully received.

Hand Ready: Make sure that your spirit is ready to take hold of the love and grace you have received, so that you can gracefully share it with others as your life delivers the truth of the faith you embrace.

The last part that I didn't mention that is a given in baseball, but it bears repeating...keep your eye on the ball. In other words, stay focused on Christ (Matthew 6:33). If you don't, you'll miss whatever He is trying to send your way.

All of this takes hard work. It takes practice. But as I tell my players, we practice how we play. When we step into the game of life everyday, we can experience victory because we have committed ourselves to living the faith and we don't forget those three simple rules: butt down, glove down, hand ready.

Precious Lord, I have forgotten the fundamentals of my faith. I have forgotten to stay grounded in You. I have failed to be ready to receive Your love for me and Your word for my life. I have failed to deliver Your love in a way that honors You. Forgive me. In the midst of my own errors in life, You still give me new opportunities and You have not given up on me. Thank You Lord! Give me strength to practice what I preach. Give me courage to live my life for You. Help me to see the fruits of my labor as You work through me in the game of life. Remind me daily to not forget the fundamentals of my faith and give me a heart to see the victory that comes through You. In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.