Farewell

 

My sincere thanks to everyone who has been a part of this congregation and shared the ministry of the gospel with me in the first quarter of this century. I appreciate the send-off for Sharman and me. It was great and you were generous.

More than those few moments, I cherish those where you stepped out in faith, not knowing all the facts—not satisfying your own understanding--you stepped out.

On the very first Walk a Block for Jesus (yes, I know you walked more than a block) I wasn’t sure if I would be walking the town myself or with the body of Christ. We had about 40 walkers.

I remember that in 2012 we reached out to every school-aged child in our community with a God loves you, and more of that story for those who were old enough to understand more.

That same year, we held our annual Walk a Block for Jesus, then another Walk a Block of sorts in Mangum, Oklahoma. It was something of a rescue effort for a congregation that had atrophied to next to nothing. Their shepherd had been retired on active duty for a few years and the congregation drifted into a shrinking comfort zone. It happened unnoticed to them.

I remember a time from before I was ordained, that after the session and other elders attending the Elder Retreat said unanimously, we need to put VBS back on the roadmap of the lives of children in this community, we also said that we didn’t have a clue what to do next.

VBS had atrophied to little, then nothing. How do you restart that?

A couple of weeks later, some young ladies asked me if I would mind if they put together a Vacation Bible School. Would I mind? In those words, I saw the movement of the Spirit in this small body.

We have also been through some stuff together. Yes, Tom used the word stuff, but some of it was serious stuff.

We have had the difficult but necessary talks, and you didn’t run out of my office.

We have had the preparation for marriage talks, and in the fact that you were willing, ready, and receptive to this, much was profitable.

We have had the patience and wait upon the Lord talks, and of course not worrying or being anxious on the journey.

For some of you, we talked of possibilities and opportunities, and you gave me my actualization fix for the month.

Some of you joined me as we picked up, sorted, boxed, or otherwise prepared for distribution, food that would be the first half of an equation that led to introducing people to the Lord.

Sometimes it was just food to get a family who already believed and was trying through a tough time.

Sometimes this was a training ground for missions and evangelism. Sometimes it was work—NOT! Work in the service of the Lord is never really work. You might be tired when you are done, but you are also filled with the Spirit of God.

 My heart explodes with joy at the genuineness that I see in our youth seeking God. Let’s keep fanning the flames of that fire and make sure we don’t put a stumbling block in their way.

It's that Marine thing: Lead, follow, or get out of the way. These young believers have good leadership, so we might just have to get out of the way.

We still have plenty to work on. Some of those are tough conversations and decisions. Take on these things with courage, not fear. We fear only the Lord.

God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

Whatever you do, do it in love.

We are charged, directed, and perhaps even commanded to pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus. This isn’t just a Sunday thing. This is an in everything you do sort of thing.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Put on love.

Seek the truth.

Know that the Lord is God. Proclaim and claim him as your Lord. Live as if he is your Lord, for he is.

Study his word so you can know his message well enough to put his words into practice. OK, rightly divide the word of truth for you old timers like me.

I have enjoyed my time as your pastor. I hope that in my absence and the absence of my weekly challenges, you will challenge yourself to:

Put his words into practice.

Never stop praying.

Never stop gathering with other believers.

Don’t look for peace only in the passive moments. God’s peace prevails when you are doing his work, even when you are hated or persecuted for it. He does prepare a table before you in the presence of the enemy.

Bench your own understanding until he quits the team.

Go all in on trusting God. Remember the heart can be deceptive. Trust God.

Understand that faith without works is dead.

Understand that God desires mercy more than sacrifice, expertly following the rules, or any man-made rationale that fits into our comfort zones.

Obey God’s commands and those of the Spirit that lives within you.

Be known as a disciple of our Lord by your love.

Be salt and light in this world that is confused.

Be the church!

When in doubt, trust and love.

I will be around in the days and years to come, though I will travel a lot. My next mission is what I call Matthew’s House. I’m going into homes and talking to people about anything they want, and I will do it on their home court.

I will talk about what God has to say on a subject, and we will explore without pressure as we seek the truth.

It’s what Jesus did. Some of those folks may end up in a pew near you. Others won’t but for those who do come, seize the opportunity.  Welcome them. Receive them. Disciple them. Love them. Treat them as your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let them see God’s love in action at work in you so much that they want to be his love as well.

Some of the ones I visit may start a home church or Bible Study. Others won’t.

Some may absolutely be liberated from the chains of this world.

Some may come to know God and his Son, Christ Jesus.

Know what’s ahead. In the last days, the love of many will grow cold.

In these last days, the deception will be so great that even the elect may be deceived.

Know that to endure to the end, we must know God’s word, love God’s word, obey God’s word, and put those words into practice.

It’s not about getting the sequence right in Revelation. It’s about living out what God has given us in the other 65 books.

So much is happening right now that it feels like we might be really close to the end of he age. Is that a couple of years or a couple of centuries?

I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. Just be doing what God told us to do when Jesus comes back for us. Keep plenty of oil handy and your lamps burning.

OK, you made it this far and deserve a bonus. I am going to reveal to you when Jesus will return.  That’s right, you are getting that information right now. Jesus is coming…

SOON!

Be ready. I know that you want to hear that Well done, good and faithful servant. Be ready.

Blessings.

Simple Fix

 

Simple Problems.

Simple Solutions

 

This infidelity issue with our financial report could have been fixed in 10 minutes about 15 years ago. It wasn’t. Integrity suffered. Now it is the source of recurring meltdowns for our treasurer.

Three times I gently approached Phil and three times I was sharply rebuked with the words, “You want to do it?”

I don’t have firsthand knowledge of church funds and did not answer the call to be treasurer, but I will offer a simple solution for whomever wants to begin to restore integrity to the process.

Our people must trust that our reports are faithful to the actual offering and expense reported.

l have attached a Monthly Financial Report that allows the preparer to conduct all previous functions, plus effect a charge and credit and a transfer of funds without falsely representing these as offerings. Standard formulas for recurring calculations are included as well.

The values are known as Backyard Values. Most of the names are familiar. The values are used to show functionality only so as not to be confused with actual expenses until the preparer is versed in the updates.

Digital File upon request.

This is not the industry standard, but fully functional for integrity in reporting.

Countdown Moment – Thorn in the Flesh

 

The conversation is different among warriors.

The iron shapens iron is more involved among pastors

Regret is seldom a thing among those in the arena. They will never know what it is to be a cold and timid soul that knows neither victory nor defeat.

That is to say, I enjoy my time at sea and I do believe in coincidence. I believe in divinely orchestrated coincidence. Most of them we don’t notice. Those we notic e can be defining moments.

I was a high school freshman playing summer baseball in Texas. About halfway through the season, I hit a homerun. It was the—not just my first and only, the league’s first and only homerun of the season.

Another kid hit one over on the last game of the season, but it didn’t count. His team had already forfeited for not having enough players. Every kid had come to play and parents and girlfriends to watch.

We gave the other team a couple of players. We were going to play a ball game. Besides, we would be playing all star ball next week and wanted all the practice we could get.

That’s what they did back in the day. All stars from one town would represent the town in a state-wide playoff. I’m a little critical sometimes of all of these travel teams these days and what parents sacrifice for their kids.

In the confluence of events leading up to this narrative, I had cause to consider what my parents had given up that summer. I didn’t fully appreciate it, but had a glimpse of understanding.

My dad’s job with General Dynamics in Fort Worth had wrapped up and he chose to take a job that paid a lot less in Mangum, Oklahoma so we could live on a farm we had there.

But I was on the all-star team and we kept winning. So we stayed in Weatherford a few weeks longer with him having no job so I could go as far as possible in the playoffs.

Kids, you will never know all the sacrifices your parents make until you are in their shoes.

Okay, back to my homerun, the only one of the season. I don’t know why Texas had to put their outfield fences in another county.

My next at bat, I decided to take the first pitch. The coach didn’t tell me to. The same kid was on the mound and there was no way he would dare give me the same pitch that went downtown before.

He did. Strike one.

I played catcher most of the time, so the other catcher had to say, “That was the same pitch you hit over last time.”  We catchers are like that, to point out things that might get under another kid’s skin and stay in his mind for the next at bat.

I momentarily regreted the decision to take the pitch, but not for long. It was a lesson to be ready for every pitch.

Of course, I got a hit that at bat. My batting average was higher than my free throw percentage. You figure out if I was really good at baseball or just a terrible free throw shooter. Maybe it was both.

Thanks, Tom. Your youthful baseball history is really going to help us get ready for return of our Lord.

You are correct, but the lesson I learned helped. Back to my time at sea. Among the Marines I talked with, one became ordained. The conversation was enriched further.

I talked with other pastors. I didn’t know they were pastors when I sat to eat next to them or they sat by me.

The more that I post about our Lord, the more similar posts come into my feed.

The confluence of events showed me that in my time here, I took a pitch that I should have hit over the fence.

What?

Do you remember God telling Paul that his grace as enough?

I thought we had covered the pericope but I had not dug deeply enough into the verses that preceded it. I accepted the conventional, surface level readings and commentaries.

The thorn in the flesh that Paul mentioned was not vision problems or arthritis. Those are normal afflictions in the human condition.

What then?

Exactly what Paul said without redaction. A messenger of Satan was sent to be a thorn in the flesh. The word messenger means angel, just like those who didn’t get booted out of heaven. Same word. Different master.

And there was no portal so they could switch teams later.

Paul suffered at the hands of Satan’s servant because he was a true champion for the gospel. Satan came against Paul.

Sometimes when you are on a roll in your discipleship, you come under attack as well.

God’s grace is enough for you, for us if we have arthritis, lose someone or something of value, or just take the pitch you should have parked.

His grace is always enough, but when we are under attack, add these to your full armor.

No weapon formed against me shall prevail!

No weapon formed against you shall prosper!

 Don’t go looking for Satan and his servants in everything. Don’t get your grandparents’ vinal records and start playing them backwards.

But know that Satan has attacked God’s prophets and apostles, and you may come into his sights the more you put his words into practice.

 The battle is not yours to win. That belongs to the Lord. He will give you orders. Just do what he says.

Perhaps like our corporate Bible reading experience, these ephiphanies afloat were also defining moments in  God’s perfect timing.

God’s grace is always enough, even if it costs you your life.

No weapon formed against me shall prevail! The weapons form but will not prevail against the servant of God.

Pair those two statements as you face a world that has been on the brink of war once again and the war being waged by the unseen forces of evil.

Remember:

God, your grace is enough.

No weapon formed against me shall prevail.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

Unto Everything There is a Season

 

The following graphics show seasonal pastoral effort over the past few years.  These are presented without actual hours. While the time exerted may change, the seasons of effort and rest are visible.

Use as desired:

God's Got This - Another look at Psalm 23

 

Read Psalm 23

Psalm 23

John 16:33

 

Jesus told his disciples that they would have trouble in the world. There were no ifs, ands, or buts; you will trouble.

There are no buts, but there is a constructive “but God” statement that follows this promise of trouble.

But I have overcome the world.

Jesus has overcome the world.

God has overcome all that troubles us.

Do you remember what Jesus told the disciples before he told them they would have trouble?

He said that what he was about to tell them was so that in whatever their circumstance, they could have peace.

Some of you who were awake when the scripture was read aloud might have noted that it was Psalm 23, and I have been talking about Jesus’s words in John’s gospel. It’s good to notice things like that, but I am not off track.

We will look momentarily at Psalm 23 through the lens of the promise of trouble in the world. Keep the Psalm itself intact as a go-to psalm when you need assurance. Rest in these verses when you need to, but for now, let’s look at this short piece of poetic scripture focusing on trouble, adversity, conflict, and even enemies.

Still, keep the psalm intact as a go-to psalm of assurance.

The Lord is my shepherd. That should be the beginning of most of our affirmations. The Lord is God. The Lord is good. The Lord is love. The Lord is sovereign. The Lord is my Savior. The Lord is my friend.

But most of all, he is my shepherd and in this light, he cares for my every need. The shepherd does not survey the sheep to see how they feel about a stroll through the pasture, or some time to rest, or even when it’s time for a haircut.

The shepherd knows what is best for the sheep, and he acts accordingly. The sheep, given the opportunity, might have voted for another course of action.

But the shepherd knows what the sheep need. Our Shepherd knows what we need, and he provides.

Is it provision? Is it safety? Is it rest? Is it something else?

Green pastures and still waters are provision given in peace. Most of us long for this sort of peace. We sometimes think we can get there on our own, but this sort of peace can only come from one who has the power and authority to protect us.

Green pastures and still waters are peace and provision. The lion lies down with the lamb sort of stuff.

God’s peace will even penetrate your soul. He restores at the core level.

The Lord will reset you to factory settings. He will give you a taste of Eden even in this world gone crazy.

But it’s not all about our peace. That would just be selfish, narcissistic, and all about me. It’s also about righteousness. Peace without righteousness is the world’s selling point. Satisfy yourself.

The world’s sales pitch is that it can gratify all of your wants, which it disguises as needs.

The psalmist notes that this righteousness is the path that the Lord has set for us.  A couple of psalms later, we come to some familiar words.

Show me your ways, Lord,

teach me your paths.

 He leads me in the path of righteousness! God is showing me and teaching me his way. Do you remember God’s way and everything else?

Many of the psalms that we know ask for protection and provision. That’s human nature. The psalmist knows to cry out to the Lord if you need these things.

Many of the psalms are about being rescued from our enemies. We know the world is more than we can handle alone. We cry out to the Lord.

Many of the psalms recount the mighty acts of God. Sometimes, our human spirit, our soul, our very being needs assurance. We see what the Lord has done and trust that he will continue to reign sovereign for eternity.

Some of the psalms ask for what we need to stay in step with God. He leads me in the path of righteousness because that’s who he is.  The Lord is righteous, and all things considered, we should go his way.

Too often, we are rocking out with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks singing Go Your Own Way, when we should be keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and going his way. Or for you old timers, you are singing I did it my way with Frank Sinatra.

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

The translations that I checked did not capitalize the valley of the shadow of death, so I’m comfortable with taking this one as metaphorical and not necessarily geographical. It could be any really, really tough set of circumstances in our lives, not just a place on a map.

We know figurative language—even Jesus used it. We have mountaintop experiences—highs. We have down in the valley experiences—lows.  We know what it means to be in the valley.

Read your commentaries, and you will find some interesting twists, but I am confident that the shadow of death applies to all of us, not just a select few living in the vicinity of David’s Israel.

Back in the day, I might have misquoted this verse to read because I am the biggest, badest… You know the spiel. And while there are still bad guys in the world, it’s one that you hope your enemies take note of, but not the assurance promised in the psalm. Now we just say, and find out… That’s the only par that makes it into Sunday’s message.

The psalmist notes that we are without fear not because of who we are or what we can do alone, but because of God.  We don’t fear because God’s got this.

God’s got this!

Specifically, today we do not fear because God’s grace is enough for me. I have already won the ultimate victory. All the world can take from me is my life in this body.

Whether we live or we die today, the Lord is with us. We will not be afraid. His rod and his staff comfort me.

Here is the really cool part. God prepares a table for us right in front of our enemy.

Yes, we are provisioned when we rest beside the still waters. We are comforted in the places we expect comfort—green pastures.

We are also provisioned and comforted when we are face-to-face with the enemy. God says ‘Watch this.” I am going to prepare a really good meal for you, and your enemies will just have to watch.

Do you remember God telling Gideon to keep sending warriors home? The victory would surely be in the hands of the Lord and not superior numbers.

God’s got this!

The psalmist tells us to let God show his stuff in our lives from time to time. Let him prepare a table for us right in front of our enemies.

Once we do that, we might just have eyes to see that the Lord is provisioning us generously all the time, even when we think we don’t have much, or enough, or can’t survive the day.

We will begin to see God at work more and more in every situation. He’s been there all along, but now we might just get to see him at work.

Thou anointest my head with oil.

Right in front of your enemies, God says, “I choose him.” He says, “My favor is upon her.”

God tells everyone, “This one’s with me.”

My cup runneth over.

Really? I’m praying daily that I make it through the day and the psalmist has the audacity to think I have enough.  I get by each day, but this image of whatever is in the cup overflowing is a bit much.

We need to go back to those eyes to see. Can we see beyond our immediate struggles—the trouble that we were promised—to what is in store?

Can we say with sincerity, “Your grace is enough?”

If we look at what is promised and compare it to what is in store for us, we will see as Paul did centuries later, that this present suffering is nothing compared to what is to come.

We have already won. Jesus won the victory. Our cups are more than filled, even if they seem a little dry at the moment.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This is more than favor in front of our enemies. It is more than a place to rest. It is more than provision. This is an identity.

We are people who now keep company with goodness and mercy. It’s not that we just receive these things from the Lord; we now become these things. We are people known as followers of Jesus by our love.

We are all about putting a smile on God’s face. We do that when we do things God’s Way and forsake the everything else.

We do that when we show mercy to our brothers and sisters. And we have a home with the Lord, and that’s forever.

Jesus told his followers that he left them to go and prepare a place for them. We will be with the Lord forever.

You can now say with certainty, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

You will have trouble in the world. You will know peace in heaven.

But in between the times of hardship and the eternal bliss that we anticipate, we have Psalm 23 to affirm to us that God’s got this.

Recite the psalm as you walk or drive or do the dishes.

Say it before you take on the troubles of the day. Be strengthened and affirmed that you are secure in God’s way, regardless of what the world throws at you.

So how do we wrap up this most familiar of the psalms?

Start your day with:

·       Thank you, Lord. Add whatever specifics are on your hearts and minds.

·       Say out loud: Your grace is enough for me.

·       Begin reciting Psalm 23 and go for as long as you can. You might even pick it up later in the day. It’s not just for breakfast anymore.

Now go have a good day. Bring glory to God. Produce good fruit for God, his kingdom, and the body of Christ.

Go into the world with certainty that God’s got this. Be encouraged and affirmed that even in the midst of trouble—even when the enemy is at the gates—God’s got this.

Know that the Lord is your shepherd and do your best to know his voice. The answers you seek come in the worlds of your Shepherd, who also happens to be your Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Priest, Elohim, Jehovah, El Shaddai, God Almighty, and your Friend.

The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.

God’s got this.

Amen.

Countdown Moment – Your grace is enough

 

Some of you might think that I am over doing this God’s grace is enough.

Some may want just a Joel Osteen message with everything going your way.

God does want to bless us.

God does want us to live abundantly.

God does want to give us good things.

God wants the world to see that he blesses us.

God loves us more than we can image.

But we will have trouble in the world. That’s from Jesus. We will have trouble in the world.

What I hope you keep with you is that, regardless of the circumstance, you have won the ultimate victory. You will be in right standing with God for eternity.

God wants you to live abundantly, so how does trouble fit into abundance?

God will take whatever comes at you and use it for good. Realize that sometimes that good is a lesson for us. Sometimes it is a lesson for all.

If we want to live abundantly, we must be ready to grow. Our discomfort in growing will go away the more that we grow.

It feels uncomfortable at first because we don’t do it enough. Growth is a part of abundance.

Sometimes, trouble precipitates that growth.  No worries, we have already won the big victory.

God’s grace is enough. We struggle and we grow without risk of losing our salvation. If we die, we will still be with the Lord. If we live to be 120, we will still be with the Lord for eternity.

Remember, everything we go through here is temporary. We get joy and sorrow, but eternal joy is promised.

We have health and suffering, but we will live forever in our new bodies.

We have high times and low, but our greatest victory was given to us by Jesus. God’s grace that we know is Jesus is enough.

Let’s say it together:  Lord, your grace is enough.

 

Countdown Moment – Unchanged Lives?

 

One thing that I hope you carry into the future, whether you are here or on the other side of the world, is this provocation that I finally refined this year.

The plank-in-the-eye obstacle to modern Christianity is to acknowledge God, acknowledge Jesus died for our sins, and acknowledge that God’s own Spirit lives within us, and then live unchanged lives because we hold our own understanding in such high esteem.

Do you remember this one? With God, all things are possible.

I’m going to give you something that with God should be impossible.

What’s that?

·     To live a secular life and consider grace an insurance policy. Grace opens the gateway to abundant living. It’s not a backup plan.

·     To live conformed to the world instead of to the image of the invisible, but very much living God.

·     Here’s the kicker. To live a life unchanged by everything that sovereign, holy, loving God has done for us.  This should be impossible for us.

·     We don’t live ordinary lives! We must be changed by the mercy and grace of God. We must be.