Round 12

Good afternoon!

I am going to sound like a broken record in what I am sharing this week, but you'll understand when you here of our ongoing saga...

The mouse is baaaaack!

You may remember a few months back in my blog, "It's On!", the story of the mouse that we couldn't catch in our garage. Since that time, we had caught two mice in the garage. I thought that would be the end of the story. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks back I noticed a quick movement out of the corner of my eye by one of the bathrooms in our home (the kids' bathroom, no less). Wouldn't you know, a mouse was running rampant, but this time it is in our house!

We laid some more traps and got some of those pulsating deterrents you plug into your wall sockets and we didn't see the mouse again for a couple of weeks. Until yesterday. It was back and I am tired of it messing with my mind!

It is one thing that the mouse was out in our garage, it is a whole other story now that the mouse is in our house.

I was reflecting on this situation again this morning. Who would have known that a tiny rodent would bring so much spiritual reflection to my life? Is God trying to tell me something? I shutter at the thought.

I think about my own life and how sin enters my life. I think about those things that tempt me and in their own subtle ways remind me that they are around. At first, these temptations stay out in the garage of my life. Every now and then they appear. I focus on them and then try to get rid of them. However, if I don't completely take care of the temptation and those things that cause me to stumble, eventually they move in to the home of my heart. They run around unnoticed, nibbling and hiding in the deep recesses of my heart. Now, when I am at home and comfortable, they come peering at me, inviting me to turn my attention, my energy, towards them.

After chasing it around a bit, I realize that I need to get rid of this temptation, this stumbling block that has taken up residence in my life. I set out traps to try and kill it. I tempt the tempter and try to chase it out of my heart home, but still, I struggle.

How do you get rid of these temptations and stumbling blocks in life? I want to, but once I think it's gone, there it is staring back at me again. It's like going round after round in a boxing match, with no end in site. I'm tired, but I won't give up. It's Round 12 and if I don't get a knock out, I may get leveled myself.

The Apostle Paul speaks of this very struggle we all have. Listen to what he says in Romans 7:14-25 (The Message translation):

"I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself—after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different."

May those last two verses give you hope, as it gives me hope. That in this life of contradictions, the answer is always JESUS CHRIST!

"Gracious God. Forgive me for opening myself up to allowing sin to take up residence in my life. Forgive me for enjoying it. Take away any sense of guilt and make right my life which I give to You. I want to serve You. I want to worship You. I want to live my life fully for You. Remind me that it is not my job to take away the temptation. It is my job to allow you to defeat it and remove it from my life. I am willing. This round is Yours. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

Another Breakthrough

Good afternoon!

Today I read from Luke 14:15-24 (I encourage you to read it) and it talked about the Kingdom of God. Actually, there are over 100 references to the Kingdom of God in the gospels...which means it was a pretty important topic for Jesus. Therefore, it should be an important part of our conversation as well. The story talks about how the Jesus is ready to invite all of us to the banquet table to experience the Kingdom of God (God's full presence around us), yet many make excuses or are distracted by other things this world has to offer.

Recently, I read about Gary Kildall. In 1973 he wrote the first popular operating system for personal computers, named CP/M. The story goes that IBM approached Kildall in 1980 about developing the operating system for IBM PCs. But Kildall snubbed IBM officials at a crucial meeting. Instead, Kildall chose to fly his new airplane.

IBM executives were frustrated with Kildall and instead turned to Bill Gates, founder of a small software company called Microsoft, and his operating system named MS-DOS. Fourteen yearss later Bill Gates was worth more than 8 billion dollars.

Kildall, who has since passed away, was not aware of what was right in front of him and how big the market would become for operating systems. In a similar way, we don't often realize how big God's Kingdom really is and when God comes calling with the offer of a lifetime, we tend to find other things to do.

Personally, I don't want to miss out on the Kingdom of God. I'm not just talking about Heaven here. I'm talking about seeing God at work around me and within me. The Kingdom of God is breaking through all around us in small acts of mercy, in words of kindness and compassion, in standing up for injustices, in speaking for those who are on the margins of society, in standing for the truth that comes through Jesus Christ, in a child's innocent look, and a baby's cry. The Kingdom of God is HUGE and I don't want to miss it.

Let me leave you with a thought that I was left with in a clergy gathering earlier today. It is a question I will ask myself everyday - "Where have I seen the Kingdom of God break through today? This week? How did I block it from breaking through?"

Imagine how our perspective of life and faith would change if we were always on the look out for the Kingdom of God - I think we would recognize just how BIG our God is and how BIG the opportunity is to live for Him.

No more excuses.

"Almighty God, thank You for breaking through the mire and mess of my world, to show me a glimpse of You every day. Forgive me when I have been a barrier to Your Kingdom being made a reality here on earth. Forgive my excuses and my desire to do other things that take me away from You. I don't want to make excuses anymore. I want to see You and Your greatness every day of my life. If You can use me God - I am Yours. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen."

A Quick Thought

Hello Friends and Family,

I pray all is well with you.

I have a quick thought for you today that has guided my prayers and my thoughts today. It was my devotion today and it comes from "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a Kempis. Read the words...read them again...let them sink in...reflect on their meaning and say, "God, speak."

"The life of a good religious person should shine in all virtue and be inwardly as it appears outwardly. And it should be the much more inward, for Almighty God beholds the heart and we should always honor and reverence him as if we were always in his bodily presence, and appear before him as angels, clean and pure, shining with all virtue.

We ought every day to renew our purpose in God, and to stir our hearts to fervor and devotion, as though it were the first day of our conversion. And we ought daily to pray and say: Help me, my Lord Jesus, that I may persevere in good purpose and in your holy service unto my death, and that I may now today perfectly begin, for I have done nothing in time past."

God speak...

Take Care & God Bless,

Pastor Don

Say Awe

Good afternoon!

What a beautiful day God has created for us to enjoy today. The sun is shining, my family is healthy, and my spirit is good.

Have you ever had one of those days where it just seems nothing could go wrong? Your spirit just smiles through the day? Well, today is one of those days and I am going to enjoy it because I know that these days don't last forever. Maybe that is why they are so special. I want to drink in the feeling, absorb the moment into my soul, so that when my days aren't going as well I can be reminded of this time.

I sometimes wonder why we experience these ethereal moments in life. I wonder, "why today?". But, my spirit responds in a way that reminds me to allow myself to be in awe of the moment and to be in awe of God.

As I think through my day, it is nothing different than any other day. I got up. Went to the bank. Went to the grocery store. Went to work. Lunch plans were changed. Had an unscheduled meeting. Did some paperwork. Now I'm writing this blog. Nothing different - on the outside.

Internally though, it's like I've been living in a sense of awe all day. Awe of what God has done, is doing, and will do.

In awe that our puppy didn't have an accident last night - Praise the Lord!
In awe that my son is doing well after oral surgery - Praise the Lord!
In awe that our friend mows our lawn for us (because I'm lazy) - Praise the Lord!
In awe of God's provision - Praise the Lord!
In awe that I have a family that loves me, in spite of me - Praise the Lord!
In awe that God has called someone like me to tell people about Him - Praise the Lord!
In awe of God's creation and how His Son continues to shine in my life - Praise the Lord!
In awe of how God is working in another man's life (thanks for sharing your story with me Darryl) - Praise the Lord!
In awe that the little squirrel made it to the other side of the road, even after being knicked by a car - Praise the Lord for His protection!
In awe that God has blessed me with so many friends that I got to reconnect with while on vacation last week - Praise the Lord!
In awe of the staff I work with and their dedication to our Lord - Praise the Lord!
In awe of GRACE, LOVE, and HOPE that comes from our AWEsome God!

Whether you are struggling today, or going through the humdrum of life, or you are having a good day - take some time to say "Awe" and take in the wonders of our incredible Creator.

"Most awesome God, thank You for all that You have blessed me with - great and small. Thank You that I do not have to walk through this life alone. Even when all have seemed to abandon me, You are with me. When all seems lost, You remind me of the victory You had over death. When I am weak, You make me strong again. I am in awe of You - my Mighty Savior, my Dependable Deliverer, my AWEsome God! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

Take Care & God Bless,

Pastor Don

Dogged Faith

Good Afternoon!

Have you ever done something you didn't want to do? Yesterday, I did. You see, for a while now, my two kids have been annoyingly consistent in voicing their desire to get a new dog. Our beloved Charlee died almost one year ago. Over the last couple of months, the kids have felt a need to get another dog to be a companion to our other dog, Radar. I had many reasons for not wanting to get another dog, but I won't go into those here. Suffice it to say, I was able to effectively deflect the barrages of "Dad, please!" What I didn't know is that my children were created with an innate ability to effectively practice the ambush tactic, known to be effective in warfare. Between you and me, I think they got if from their mother (she was in on the whole thing!) : )

Anyway, while I was away at a staff retreat on Monday, the plan went into action. My wife thought it would be a good idea to take my children to the Humane Society..."just to look". Yeah, right. They knew what they were doing, they had done it before (when we got Charlee). I should have known. My love for my family blinded me. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The ambush was in full operation!

Without going into all of the details, we got the dog they fell in love with. A cute, 11-week old, Old English Sheepdog/Australian Shepherd mix. She is almost pure white. Since my children actually paid for her, they got the naming rights and named her...are you ready for this...Snowball. Original.

I must confess, she is a cute little dog and reminds all of us of some of the qualities that Charlee had. She is a little odd in her looks. One eye has a black patch around it while the other eye has pink around it. She looks like a little misfit. But, her story was heart-wrenching as well. In her 11 weeks of life, we are her 4th-5th family. She has been moved from one home to another. She is a bit timid and appeared at first to be depressed. Can't say I blame her. Lost, with no one place to call home. A misfit dog, not able to find a place that would accept her and help her fit in.

In the middle of the night, I remembered one of the reasons why I didn't want another dog, especially a puppy. She would wimper and cry. My son and I would take her out to the back yard so that she could go to the bathroom. One time it was for real, the other time was just a ruse. It takes a lot of time and investment to welcome someone new into the home. Thanks to the dogged determination of my children (pun intended), we now are a two dog family. Pray for me.

I liken this experience to the church. In many ways we want to keep the family as it is. It is comfortable that way. We know what we can depend on. We can get to know the people. Once we are a part of the family, it takes less investment on our part to keep it all going.

Then, all of a sudden, some misfit comes in with a history, a past, and even a present that makes us uncomfortable. They have been wandering from one place to the next, lost in their lives, with no place to call home. They have baggage. Their theology isn't sound. Their language isn't Christian. Their clothing isn't clean. Their body is a walking collage of different pictures and piercings. Their music isn't holy. They wear a hat in the sanctuary. They think they can even drink coffee while they worship. They don't know the rules. They don't know the way "it should be".

Maybe if we saw them outside of the church, it would be different. We'd be able to not engage them. We could walk right by them. Or, we could have a quick conversation, and go on our merry way...leaving them to their wanderings and us to our righteousness.

If they are in the church, we may feel a spiritual obligation to engage them - even if we don't want to. "Maybe another church would be a better fit?" we ask ourselves.

Maybe you don't think these things, but today more than ever, the Church needs to remember that there are billions of people lost and wandering. They are looking for a place to call home. If we are always focused on what it takes to be a member of the family of God (right doctrine, proper style of worship, keeping tradition for tradition's sake, going to meetings, etc.) then the homeless wanderer will never be able to fit in - because he/she is looking for a home, not an institution.

It takes time and investment when we welcome a new person to the family of God. It takes our patience. It takes walking with them at odd times and in uncomfortable places. It takes a willingness to see the world from their perspective. It takes an authentic love for them as God's children and the willingness to create opportunities for them to see Jesus and have a transforming experience with Him. It takes dogged faith in God to provide us the boldness, courage, and direction in reaching out. That faith is unrelenting and it will not rest until the mission is accomplished - making disciples in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord!

Are you willing to invest the time in those who are wandering and lost? Or, is it enough for you to pat them on the head, love on them a little, and send them on their way?

One will build the Kingdom. The other will be its demise.

"Almighty God, forgive me for my biases and prejudices of those who do not know You. Forgive me that my thoughts, my words, and my actions have not made it possible for wandering souls to find a pathway to You. Allow my life to reflect the fullness of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Give me a dogged faith to pursue the wandering soul and love him as you love him and serve her as you serve her. I want to invest my life and my faith in You, so that others may find a home in Your Body, the Church. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

Take Care & God Bless,

Pastor Don

A New Chapter

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I pray that you have been able to experience the power of Christ in your life this week.

This week I have had the wonderful pleasure to delight in one of my daughter's accomplishments. My daughter is 9 years old and she loves to read and write. She has a very creative side to her. In late January of this year, some 6 1/2 months ago, she decided that she wanted to write a book. A lofty goal and one that, quite honestly, I thought was too lofty. My daughter has the habit of starting many things and not finishing them.

As with most goals, she started off strong and with great gusto. She would write a paragraph or two and have to read it aloud to the family. We encouraged her and recognized some latent talent that was starting to come out. After a while, she wasn't picking up the computer as often and the writing of the book was put on the shelf, so to speak. At least, that is what I thought.

From time to time, my daughter would start the project back up and focus on her book. Over the last month she has been really determined until earlier this week she looked up from the computer and said, "My book is done!" I was excited for her and proud of her, as she accomplished a very large goal.

When you think of a 9 year old writing a book, you may think, as I did, that the "book" would be only a few pages long. After printing it out today, her book is 39 pages (roughly)! Not only that, she has a "book cover" with pictures and title, along with 9 chapters, each with their own title. It is really impressive! I printed out the pages and formatted it in book form for her and when I brought it home she shouted, with giddiness in her voice, "My first published book!" How can you not smile?

So, to make it really official, I would like to be the first person to quote from my daughter's book, "Fighters: Newcomer", from the 6th chapter titled "The Grouping". (by the way, this book is about a pack of dogs as they establish their pack and the other packs they encounter) "'Snowfight, do you promise to train as hard as you can, and protect the pack even at the cost of your life?' Samuel asked. Snowfight replied firmly, 'Yes, I do.'" Samuel then asks another dog named Wolfmix, "'do you promise to train your apprentice to be a noble fighter and a dog I can trust?'...'Yes sir, I promise.'"

If that little snippet doesn't impress you, I don't know what will! If you'd like to read the book, I'd be happy to get you a copy. Let me know! I think Birdhouse Publishing has just been established : )

This is a great story, and even more fun to tell, but why did I share that particular quote? Why did it catch my eye?

Recently, the leadership of our church has been talking about what it is going to take to reach a generation of people that we struggle to reach. The question the wise leader above asks, can be a question for us as we strive to fully live behind our mission and vision. Do we promise to train hard (read our Bibles, pray hard, love well, meet together on a regular basis) and are we willing to protect the truth of the gospel, even at the cost of our lives? (we sacrifice our time, we sacrifice our agendas, we sacrifice our power and position, and yes, even sacrifice our lives)

Do we promise to train and equip others to become trustworthy disciples of Jesus Christ...no matter the cost? Are these promises we can make to God in order to keep the church pack strong and healthy?

I wonder, sometimes, if we know what it really takes to provide ministry that will impact our current and future generations. I am not saying that we compromise the message or water it down - the gospel does not change. Our approach to ministry changes. Our worship changes. Our communication changes. Our perspective changes. It is not that we are trying to write a completely different book. We are just needing to start a new chapter.

Are we up for it? These are things we need to explore...together. I look forward to the journey. If you have insights of what the church can do to reach the new generations of people, comment on this blog or email me - donbird@canonumc.org. I'd love to hear from you!

Precious Lord, we seek Your guidance and direction as we strive to tell others about your love and grace in new and exciting ways. We know that you have called us to protect the integrity of the church while at the same time making it relevant for the world we live in. Give us courage to see with Your eyes, love with Your heart, and proclaim with Your voice. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Take Care & God Bless,

Pastor Don

Do You Have the Time?

Can you believe how time has flown this summer? I look back to my kids' last day of school and I cannot believe that we are now making arrangements for school shopping and that the new school year starts in 33 days. Our time this summer has been filled with conferences, vacation, and a multitude of wonderful ministry events here at the church.

I'm sure if you were to ask me a few times this summer if I had time to do something, I would have answered "No!" (rather emphatically) It seems that when I am in the midst of a busy time in my life, I feel I don't have the time to do anything else or add anything else to my plate. I am a person that needs my down time and my alone time and when I don't get it, I can quickly become overwhelmed.

As I reflect on this quick summer months, and in conjunction with my message in worship on Sunday, I realize that I have the same amount of time every day to do whatever it is that I need to get done. But, there are times that I don't manage myself very well when it comes to the time in my life.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr, the author of "Life's Little Instruction Book", said, "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."

It isn't that we don't have the time, it is what we do with the time that we have that can either make a difference in the world around us or create chaos in the world within us. So, as we quickly approach another school season and as I look at my calendar getting full by the minute, I hear God asking me to take another look at my time and decide how I am going to use it the best. Will I use it by running frivolously from one appointment and event to another, or will I invest it in making a difference in this world for the sake of Jesus Christ?

Do you have the time?

Creator of all time, You have blessed me with this life and with the gift of time. I want to walk so close to You that I see the opportunities You place within my path and I take the time to experience my time in a new way. I want the time I have been given on this earth to make a difference for the sake of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.