Ordinary but Extraordinary

The picture at right is of a stone manger, literally a feeding/watering trough used for livestock.  There is nothing terribly important about this particular manger.  In fact, many like this appear all around the world, this one just happens to be in Israel. 

By this point most of you reading this probably know where I am headed.  The combination of mangers and the Holy Land can mean nothing less than a post about the Nativity; an event celebrated worldwide by a common phrase "Merry Christmas!"

The fact that the Savior of the world should come to an ordinary family on an ordinary night and be placed in an ordinary manger is, to this blogger, nothing short of extraordinary!  God's Son could have come as a conquering hero, and political champion, a famous celebrity or athlete, but he didn't.  He came as an ordinary guy.  Just one more Joshua, Hosea, Hoshea, or Jesus to add to the list.  The son of a carpenter and his faithful young bride-to-be.  He came as an ordinary man so that he could relate to all of us.  Someone who could experience everything we experience, and therefore be qualified to represent all of us and redeem us all. 

Perhaps we need to take another lesson from the Savior this Christmas.  In the hustle and bustle of Christmas it is easy to get distracted by extraordinary nature of the season.  Lights, crowded shopping malls, decorations galore (including my neighbors 2 story blow-up Santa on a motorcycle) all vie for our attention.  In this time of extraordinary stress, activity, and distraction, please take some time to find joy in the ordinary -- the simple, but profound nature of God's gift.  "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." 

Light in the Darkness

  When Howard Carter first discovered King Tutankhamun's tomb, he was in the burial chamber with very limited light.  His partner called down and asked if he had found anything.  Carter, realizing he had stumbled upon something special, called for more light.  To his astonishment he had unearthed one of archaeology's greatest finds. 

  The discovery of King Tut's tomb, apart from astounding archaeologist, encouraging treasure seekers, and inspiring a hit song by Steve Martin serves as a reminder of the importance of light.  Too much light, or light misapplied can be harmful or unproductive, but light when properly used can be a source of great good.  We need to remember the lesson of King Tut's tomb as we let our lights shine.  Like Carter's electric torch, we too reflect light on a burial chamber, however unlike Carter, the burial chamber we reflect is empty; not because someone stole the body or because it rotted away, but rather because, "He is not [there].  He is risen!" 

Mountains and Valleys

These last couple of weeks have been the kind that really test one's spiritual mettle. Two weeks ago I was returning from a awesome mission trip to Haiti.  I preached (through an interpreter) and someone accepted Christ's salvation.  My team and I worked on a school and medical clinic, it was a mountaintop experience.  Then came the post-trip emotional let-down, followed by long hours at work.  A plateau, but certainly not a valley.  Then came the valley.  My grandmother passed away.  My joy had been turned to sadness, but still even in the shadow of the valley of death, there was hope.  Christ was there.  He was willing and able to lift me up and sustain me.  He is currently preparing me for my next mountain, plateau, or valley.  He will sustain you too.

Time to Eat and Drink

I love to eat. Sometimes I eat a little too much, but that really isn't the point of this message. I compose this short note as I prepare to sit down and eat. I happened to think that Christ used everyday expressions of food and drink to reveal the nature of His person to his followers. "I am the Bread of Life," "I give Living Water." If we want to know Christ, then we need to feast on this bread and drink from this water. It is an all-you-can-eat buffet leading to eternal life, and we don't even have to watch for an expanding waist line! This also got me thinking of how we share the message of Christ with others. Clearly food and drink provide great opportunities for fellowship. My Italian missionary friend reminds me that every worship service is preceded or immediately followed with meals. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so why not use physical food as a bridge to go from the stomach to the spiritual heart. Likewise the mealtime doesn't have to formal and/or overly spiritualized. Merely extending an invitation of fellowship, and then allowing others to see you and your family at mealtimes may be enough to encourage seekers to find out more about the Christ you follow. Just a a little food for thought.

Relational God

Recently, our missions team was reminded of some awesome truths about God. These truths were revealed in the context of a workshop entitled "Practical Ways to Share Christ with Your Neighbors." Out of the these truths, perhaps the biggest was a reminder that the God we serve is a God of Relationships. God is in relationship with Himself in the form of the Trinity. God desired relationship with his people, the Children of Israel, Christ became Immanuel, God With Us, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Is there any wonder then that the key to reaching others with the gospel begins with relationships? Here are few suggestions from a friend of mine who led the workshop. When sharing Christ with your neighbors remember to:

1) Make sure that your actions are consistent with your beliefs.
2) Figure out the climate where your neighbors are.
3) Remember the acronym F.R.O.M. Family, Recreations, Occupations, commit to Memory.
4) Become comfortable in your own skin. Be real when your around your neighbors.
5) Be creative.
6) Learn to celebrate and mourn. Allow others to celebrate and mourn for with/for you as well.
7) Remember everyone is an expert at something.
8) Remember the Holy Spirit is at work and His wisdom surpasses your own.
9) Practice the 5.3 Theory. Don't try to do everything yourself.
10) Don't place too much upon your neighhbors at one time. Treat them like a bridge with a spiritual weight limit until the relationship is stronger.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Well, I would like to report that since my last blog post that I have been setting the world on fire with the Gospel message. Sadly, as the Spirit convicts, I have not. It is for this reason that I have greater admiration and respect for those who daily risk their lives for the sake of the Gospel. My life reads as a series of missed opportunities. I don't know how many times I've had the chance to tell someone the good news of Christ, and for whatever reason, have held back. Fear, embarassment, general dislike of the person, (hopefully not the latter) all perhaps have played a part, or perhaps more worrisome is the thought that, maybe I don't really believe what I claim to believe. If it was really true, wouldn't I be compelled to share? As I write this, my spirit is downcast. All I can do is cry out to HIM who is merciful and say, "I'm sorry." I trust that God's grace, which is sufficient to cover a multitude of sin, will once again cover my transgression, and I pray that the next time the opportunity presents itself, I won't miss it. It is my hope that this will encourage you to do the same should you find yourself passing on opportunities as well.

God's Megaphone

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” -- C.S. Lewis


Have you ever had one of "those" weeks. Recently our church family experienced a tremendous tragedy. A young life was taken from us. I don't claim to know why and can say nothing that will really provide any comfort to those who are mourning, apart from the fact that through Christ we have hope for reunion in Heaven. It's times like these that make ministering to and with others a great burden, but it is also times like these when God's presence can be most actively experienced.

I don't know if it was just the jolt of the tragedy or a culmination of factors, but God chose, once again to reveal his heart to me. Through my sadness and frustration, I was able to catch a glimpse of God's heart for the nations.

I can't imagine the pain of losing a child, but God can. He gave up his child on our behalf. And he invites all children of the earth to be reunited to him through this sacrifice. Unfortunately, some of his children chose to reject him, others never receive the opportunity because not enough of his "accepted" children share their joy and Good News with others. This thought hit me like a hammer. I felt the raw pain in my heart and then tried to imagine what God must go through when I realized just how many of his earthly children are needlessly suffering a spiritual death. It was overwhelming.

To borrow an idea, God had used his megaphone, and for now, it's got my attention. How about you?

Where Does the Time Go?

Once again I sit at my blog wondering the age old question, where does the time go? My children have gone through another round of birthdays (well almost), my school year finished and is now getting ready to restart, and I never even managed to post once since mid-May. It wasn't that I didn't want to, it just wasn't a priority. In the world of blogging this might not be so important, but in the world of global evangelism time is critical. Avoiding a long-winded commentary about time in other places around the world, all I will say is there is no wonder why we are instructed to be ready in and out of season to proclaim the Gospel. We don't know when Christ will return, but we do know that it could be any day. The Bible says the day of the coming of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. We should plan accordingly. We don't want to be waiting for the bridal party and find that we have run out of oil at the wrong time. Also as I think about the potential shortness of time before Christ's return I have to remind myself of the urgency. How many of my friends, family, or other loved ones will not get to experience the benefit of Christ's redemption b/c I couldn't find the time? How many souls around the world will miss out on the great eternal party with the Father b/c the time wasn't right? I guess I'd better take my own advise and make the most of the time I am given.

Little People

Today I was inspired to spend a little more time with my children. So we brought out the Little People. I was amazed at the depths of imagination that little plastic horses, unicorns, farms, dinosaurs, planes, and zoo trains could unravel. It caused me to marvel at the creativity of our heavenly father a little more as well.

The thing that really got me though was the amount of joy on my children's faces as I, their earthly father spent a little time with them telling stories, putting cities together, and acting out their favorite scenes. I realized just how important it was that we spend time with our heavenly father. HE is always there, ready to share in our victories, our sorrows, and the day-to-day of life.

Our heavenly father is also at work constructing a heavenly city for us. One we will be called to through faith in Christ Jesus. How much joy this thought brings to my face. I hope that it will do the same for you.

On Jesus and Bin Laden

I found a picture of Jesus washing the feet of various world leaders, including Bin Laden. This made me stop and ponder a few things. Namely about justice, heavenly grace, and my need for the latter.

The death of Osama Bin Laden caused me to think a bit today on the notion of justice. I believe a bit of justice was served with Bin Laden's death. Perhaps, (as I believe) the role of temporal government is to insure that justice is granted to those who have been victimized under legal statutes. The wrongdoer punished as they say.

But what about the role of heavenly justice? For me, I have chosen to believe in a faith that offers both absolute mercy and absolute justice. For me, this "contradictory" fulfilment is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Those who do wrong including myself can be forgiven because Christ has paid the penalty for our transgression. If this is true then hopefully the way I relate to others reflects this belief without hypocrisy, malice, or falsehood.

This led me to another thought. What would my reaction to this news have been if I had learned that Bin Laden had converted to Christianity before his death? Would I have looked forward to seeing him in heaven as the heavenly father would have? Would I rejoice over his conversion as the angels certainly would have? The fact that I cannot answer definitively "yes" on these questions reminds me that I am still in need of God's grace and mercy.

The Right Tools for the Job

I recently had to do a brake job on my truck. It was long overdue. The rotors were trashed and the pads were almost non-existent (another blog topic I'm sure). In my defense it was a used truck and I had been extremely busy since I bought it and hadn't really noticed any major problems with the brakes. After all they stopped me when I needed them to.

As I prepared to change the brakes and rotors I discovered that I did not have the necessary tools to do the job right. I did some investigating and discovered that I needed a "T45" socket to loosen the caliper pins, so off to Autozone I went. Imagine my dismay when I got back put the socket in the pin only to find out that it was too small! The set it came with didn't work either as the next size up was too big. I thought I was Goldilocks for a moment. I returned to Autozone and picked up the next smallest "assortment" set of sockets I could find and fortunately this time it worked. After about 4 hours of work all was back together, running and stopping smoothly.

The next day I reflect on this and realized there were some implications for spreading the Gospel message here. Too often we attempt to witness with the wrong tools. We bring a knife to a gunfight so to speak. The apostle Paul points out that ALL Scripture is God-Breathed and useful, likewise the book of Hebrews tells us the word of God is alive and active, yet despite these affirmations, frequently we fail to see the truth of these words. I believe this is because of two reasons, one the hardened heard of sinful man (something only the Spirit of God can change), and two the ineffective use of God's word.

The Bible is our toolbox for witnessing to the World, yet we have not trained ourselves with the content. Others don't hear the Gospel message clearly because we have presented it incorrectly, out of context, or without a proper understanding of the culture/background of those to whom we present it. (A missionary friend of mind highlighted this issue by telling of a culture where Judas was actually celebrated as the hero of the Gospel story because in that culture guile and trickery were a respected talent to have.)

I once heard an joke about how not to use the Bible and it went something like this: A preacher was teaching his congregation on how to use the Word and he told them they should open it up and do whatever it said. One member read from the scriptures, "and Judas went and hung himself." This was quickly followed by another voice reading from a different passage, "now go and do likewise!"

So the question becomes what should we do? My answer, go back to Autozone (or the toolbox) and get the right part. We need to become familiar enough with God's word that we can use it effectively and be able to pull out the right "tool" for the right job.

Spare Tires and the Gospel

I was recently reviewing my Internet activity and realized that I hadn't updated my blog in quite some time. "What good's a blog if you're not going to use it?" I said to myself. I discovered that it, like a few other things, had been marked with the distinct signs of inactivity, my waistline for example. My blog had become an old spare tire, hanging around with no useable purpose. This also got me wondering about how I share the Gospel message. Was I letting the Good News turn into an old spare tire? Was I keeping it all to myself like a spare tire tucked away in a trunk or underneath a car? Was my gospel message undersized like those emergency spares you hope you never have to used? Or perhaps was my gospel message too flamboyant and over-the-top like those huge super-swamper spare tires you see hanging from 4x4s that will never see the mud? I don't know the full answer to these questions, but I'll bet that each of them are true to some extent. What should I do? Perhaps the best solution would be to change tires altogether. I need to quit relying on Gospel "spares" and settle in for the long haul with a fresh set of "Godyears," tires that will take me to the people and places I need to share the Gospel with most effectively. Happy Traveling Photo by Agnardan Danielsson found on Flickr

A Little More Time with Daddy

I had the chance to visit Colorado recently and was awe struck once again by the majesty of all of God's creation. During my visit though something even more significant happened. It went something like this.

I was playing with my son and daughters after a day of hiking, still mesmerized by the natural beauty. I was missing something even more significant. The next day when asking my son what he enjoyed most about the day, his response was not the hike or the playground, but rather he said it was his "time with Daddy".

What an awesome thought. So often we experience time with our heavenly Father and miss out of the true significance of the moment. We fail to practice what Brother Lawrence referred to as the Presence of God. Our time with "Daddy" is not the most significant time, and it should be.

Our missionary friends around the world seem to have a better understanding of this. For them sometimes "time with Daddy" is the only thing they have to sustain them. They have bought into the promises of God as our Abba - Father. Isn't it time we did the same?

Gifts

I've been studying the book of Romans with my Sunday morning caregroup/Sunday School class. We've be dissecting Romans 12:1-10 for about three weeks now. Good times! Seriously though the book of Romans is truly an amazing work. So much meat and potatoes on the one hand, and yet filled with the basic milk of salvation on the other. I have enjoyed our study and look forward each week to its continuance.

Our study this week focused on the "manifestation of the Spirit" and spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit working in me and through me to accomplish God's purposes in ways that I could not on my own.

What a great picture of mission work. Our partners in the field recognize the fact that the call to reach every tribe, tonuge, and nation is impossible on their own, but "with God all things are possible." Note that little work all. Not some, not most, but all! What an encouragement!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift[s].

Grace and Peace

chris

Heroes

It has been a while since last I wrote. The end of the school year always seems to be a hectic time. But hopefully I can be a little more consistent for all of you who follow these meandering thoughts of mine.

Today I would like to simply think about heroes. As we approach Memorial Day in the United States, I would like to say thank you to America's heroes. Those who give of their time and efforts in order to promote the safety, security, and peace we enjoy in this great land. Thank you to all those serving in the Armed Forces. Thank you especially to those who made the supreme sacrifice. Thank you to our veterans as well.

Thank you to our civil servants as well. Our police, fire, emt, and other medical persons who work tirelessly to keep our cities, towns, villages, blocks, and streets safe and our family, friends, and neighbors healthy.

Thank you to those government officials, teachers, and public attorneys who still strive to do what is best for us as a people not just for themselves.

Finally thank you to all who have served under the banner of Christ, for the sake of the advancement of the Gospel. Many of you have made the ultimate sacrifice and given your own lives for HIS glory's sake. May I rejoice in heaven with you soon.

All of you are heroes, and this blogger thanks you greatly.

Responsibilities

As an educator, many of the things I am asked to do in my job are mandated from sources outside the classroom. The state and federal government place requirements on educators that do not always provide for effective classroom instruction, however because they are mandated, I must comply. Sometimes I am even asked to participate in programs that aren't fully developed or explained. (Race to the Top for example.)

In the field of missions, there lies some comparison. Like education, missionaries (and all Christians for that matter) are called to do something that may not make any sense. They are given a mandate that they are compelled to follow. The missions mandate of making the Gospel know to every tribe, tongue, and nation (ethnos) seems impossible at worst, and impractical at best. Also like the education field, the missionary going to the field also must "go to work" and participate in programs yet unseen or understood. To the casual (or non-believing) observer this seems like a recipe for failure, not success. But this "reality" of the missions mandate could not be further from the Truth.

You see, unlike the human-directed field of public education, the mission field as mandated in the Bible is God-directed. God cannot lie and he does not do anything to discredit HIMSELF. If HE has directed it then it must be good. Likewise the difference between education and missions is also apparent in moving forward into the unknown. With education uncertainty and doubt may abound because we know the plans are human created and quite possibly, are still being formulated. With God's plan for missions, the plan has been set from the beginning, with faith in Christ being the key to understading and completing the plan. The uncertainty and doubt, give way to confidence and purpose through Faith built in a relationship with CHRIST.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

I recently attended a baseball game at Great American Ball Park - home of my beloved Cincinnati Reds, or was that "deads"? Whatever the case, on this particular night it seemed that the team went from being dead to being alive all with one swing of the bat. Drew Stubbs hit a grandslam homerun to put the team up for good. It was a great night to celebrate, especially after it seemed that the Cubs might be able to come back in the 9th. Things got tense, a narrow putout at first, a homerun, a long flyball out, a walk, two errors and the bases were loaded, but a ground out ended it. The Reds fans were happy!

This game got me to thinking about celebrations and the resurrection of Christ. Easter was this past week and it was a great time to celebrate something really important. Christ was crucified and was dead, but he was raised to life through the power of God to reign as Lord Over All for good. The ultimate comeback story was played out in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We can all celebrate.

The fact that we know the outcome of eternity's "game" should be a blessing to us. No matter how much pressure life throws our way in the later innings of life, we can still celebrate because the final victory is assured. Even when we make errors or when our lives are loaded with suffering there is an undying hope that never fails -- our faith in Jesus Christ.

"Now faith is the promise of things hoped for, the assurance of things unseen."

Now get out there and play some ball!

The Church: Social Benefit or Missions Mandate

I read a well-intended article in the newspaper today (Cincy Enquirer: "Church gives kids secondary support. B8) that really started to make my mission-minded blood boil so to speak. The author began to explain the value of sending her children to church. I was interested in the article but became alarmed when I ran across the statement that said the author, as a parent, he/she "absolutely would not have stayed at a church where teenagers were pressured to believe, witness or preach." The author went on to state how he/she had benefited from the church and his/her children would as well because of the way the church had treated him/her when young and would do the same for his/her children. I'm not fully sure how the author defines "pressured to" but it almost sounded as if he/she would encourage her children to attend church for its social benefits only. There was no investigation into the reason(s) why these benefits existed in the first place, and no mention of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

It was at this point in the reading that I realized what was really happening here. This author seemed to be expressing a common trend amongst church-goers today. Too many individuals are attending church for what they can get for themselves. It is the same self-centeredness that lies dormant within many of our own hearts. Church becomes something done for selfish reasons.

This of course would not be a problem if it were not for the fact that the Church exists to promote the Good News of Jesus Christ. It exists (to borrow a phrase) for the benefit of its non-members. If a church does not proclaim the message that Jesus Christ, became man, dwelt with men, was crucified, buried, raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God -- reigning over all as Lord so that we might received forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life -- then I would have to argue that it isn't the Church at all. Furthermore, I would also have to question why anyone could expect to be in the Church and not be asked to witness, after all isn't this what Jesus commanded his body, the Church, to do, fulfill HIS missions mandate? Recall the apostle Paul once wrote that he was "compelled" to share the gospel. It was an irresistible force he could not say no to. If an individual is not able to accept this then perhaps the Church is not the place they are looking for.

On a final note, it is possible that the author was simply stating that a person's expression of their faith should be genuinely their own not something forced upon them by persons in the church. If this is the case then I kindly ask the author's forgiveness in misreading the matter.

Keep the Faith
chris

A Dusting

Two weeks since the big snow and subsequent dig-out. Its beginning to snow again. What a sweet reminder of the cleansing power of Jesus Christ. Just when we feel we have been soiled and dirtied by our engagements in the world, HE comes along with a gentle reminder -- a kind word from a believer, a meaningful devotion, a powerful verse of scripture, or a gentle snowfall. We are compelled to fall at the feet of Jesus in confession and repentance, and once again the Spirit begins dusting us again with the sanctifying power of HIS sacrifice, and HIS presence.

White As Snow but Hard as Ice

Recently I had the "opportunity" to go out and shovel/plow my driveway and sidewalks. I don't really mind doing this, except for on those unusually cold windy days, so the time spent outside can be refreshing.

This time however I finished my work and realized that even though the snow had been removed there were still patches of ugly gray ice that did not want to be removed. It seemed to have a mind of its own and only relented after a lot of hacking, scraping, and salting.

That reminded me a lot of what it can be like to follow Christ. His blood covers us and makes us "white as snow" but often we don't allow this covering to replace the ugliness underneath. We like to cling to our hold habits, customs, cultural norms, and sins. To the world we may look clean, but to Christ we are works in progress.

This is the beauty of following Christ though. He doesn't quit. And although it can be quite painful for us, He continues to gently scrape away layer after layer of sin and debris. Finally to make sure the ice/sin doesn't return, the salt of his word is administered regularly through the work of the Holy Spirit.

I guess this puts shoveling into a whole new perspective for me now.