A Tidy Proposition

I was visiting a nursing home in a neighboring community the other day.  I parked my car, and as I started to get out of the car I noticed a magnet on door of the car beside me.  The magnet read:  If you died tonight would you be in heaven or hell?

The magnet reminded me of an encounter I had with an individual at Riverside Park in La Crosse.  The man carried a sign that read:  Repent.  Turn or Burn.  The implication from the sign was that if I (or anyone else for that matter) did not turn from my current life to a new and different life, I would burn for eternity in the flames of hell.  

The man carrying that sign approached me me and asked:  If you were to die tonight do you know where you would go?  I bit my tongue and did not say what first came to my mind - "to the funeral home"  but said "Yes.  I trust the promise of Jesus."

The man persisted and asked:  "How do you know?  When were you saved?"

"About 2000 years ago, on a cross outside of Jerusalem" I responded.  He pressed on:  "You know a lot of people talk the talk but do not walk the walk.  Jesus warns us that all sorts of people say Lord, Lord but end up in the fires of hell."

I let him talk a bit.  He told me how his life has changed from being a person of the bottle to a person of faith.  He then handed me a card and told me I needed to pray the prayer that was on the card in order to be a true believer.  I thanked him for his witness and wished him God's blessings in 2017.

As I've thought about that encounter and the magnet on that car, I think it is quite the tidy proposition. We say the right words in the right way and it makes all things right.  We are in the club.  We are on the bus to heaven.

My life has taught me that there is much more to following Jesus than saying the right words.  There is the nitty, gritty, dirty business of living life with eyes wide open and ears to hear the cries of the hungry needing to be fed; of kids growing up with parents more concerned for their own pleasure than their children's well-being; of standing with those who are oppressed; of speaking for the vulnerable; of showing hospitality for the stranger. 

Loving God and loving neighbor.  That is what the Christian life is about.  It's not easy.  It's not always safe or socially acceptable.  Choices need to be made.  Boundaries need to be crossed.  Jesus was born into this real world.  And his message of love is still our only real hope.

Who You Are

I write these words coming off of a week that was filled with a band concert, a choir concert, four nights of dance dress rehearsals, six dance recitals, along with visits from both my parents and Stacey’s parents.  It was a full week in our home.   It was also very much a life-giving week for our family. 

I was able to spend some time watching what our girls love to do: play music; sing; dance.  I was blessed by watching how the teachers have worked with all the kids in band, choir, and dance. I could see the growth these kids have experienced from their teachers during the past nine months.  Perhaps most importantly, in the midst of all the busy-ness, I was reminded of who I am – lovingly and wonderfully made by God, and that God is at work through each of our lives. 

Weeks like this past week for our family are precious.  I think many of us live busy lives and it’s difficult to juggle the events going on in our lives.  We work hard at our jobs; we take our kids from one event to another; many friends I know provide care for their aging parents and their rapidly growing kids; we try to keep up with responsibilities at home; we seek to be faithful stewards of our time and financial resources.  In the midst of all that busy-ness it is easy to forget who we are. 

For any of us, it’s easy to forget who we are.  We go grocery shopping and see magazine covers that tell us that in order to be of worth in this world we need to look a certain way.  Facebook and Twitter give us our social standing by how many “likes” or “followers” we have.  For some of us the numbers that appear on a scale affect what we think of ourselves.  The grades we receive on a math test or on an English paper determine if we call ourselves “smart” or “dumb.”  The number of push-ups we can do or the amount of weight we can bench press control whether we are “strong” or “weak.”  The phone calls we receive or the visits that never happen make us feel as though we are of no use anymore.  Regardless of our age, none of us are immune to those realities. 

You know what?  All that is bunk!  You are more than that.  As Psalm 139 reminds us, you are fearfully and wonderfully made by God.  You are gifted by God and God is at work in your life so that you will make a difference in this world. This simple yet profound reminder came to me watching and hearing the Senior Performance Company of Misty's Dance Unlimited.  I invite you to watch it as well. 

http://www.morethandancers.com/who-you-are/

That reminder is the gift that found me in the busy-ness of this past week. In the midst of everything you are doing and in the midst of everything that goes on in your life, hold to the truth that in Jesus you have a Lord that loves and values you, and that through you God is at work to change the world. 

1978 - My First Track Meet

My love for running started way back in 1978, when I was in 6^th grade and our elementary school had a track team.  I got to run the long distance run – 400 meters – which is one lap around the track.  For most runners, that’s not really a long distance.  But for a fifth grader, it sure seemed like a long distance!

We had one track meet.  It was the city meet held at the high school track.  I remember very well getting ready for the run.  Clear sky.  Bright sunshine.  Temperature in the 60’s, maybe 70. 

We lined up for the race.  Eight ten year old boys.  Me in my red shorts, red tank top, and red and white shoes.  School colors.  The gun sounded and away we went.  

I remember receiving advice from my Dad before the race.  He said, “Pace yourself. Don’t start out too fast.”  I took his advice to heart.  I started out slow.  When I reached the far side of the track the view for the spectators was obscured by bleachers.  As we entered that part of the race and ran behind the bleachers I was in last place.  When no one could see me I picked up the pace and made my move forward.  

By the time we came out from behind the bleachers I moved from eighth place to third place and gained ground on the front two runners.  We entered the final stretch of that one lap around the track the lead runner and I battled it out for first. In that last 100 meters I gave it my all and we ended up crossing the finish line together.  My first race!

For a number of different reasons I didn’t run track again and I didn’t race again until I ran cross country as a senior in high school.  I never again finished as well as I did that day.  In fact, when I ran cross country I never finished near the top.  I finished closer to the back of the pack in every one of my races. But I finished. 

It was another 26 years after my last cross country meet that I took up running again.  I’m a better runner now than I ever was in high school.  I know more about how to prepare for a run – what to eat; how to recover, how to start a race, and how to finish. And I’ve experienced my share of setbacks in the form of a torn hamstring, torn meniscus, along with the more minor discomforts of blisters and blackened toenails.  

In 1 Corinthians the Apostle Paul writes:  “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may win it.  Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one” (9.24-25)

These words help me think of my own spiritual journey as a race.  I'm not in this race to finish first.  In fact winning this race is more about finishing than it is about being ahead of others.  Like in running I encounter things that trip me up and set me back.  Blisters on my soul rather than my feet.  Wounds that make me stumble as I seek to follow Jesus.  Like in my own running I ask myself: 

• How am I running this one wild and precious life I’ve been given?
• How do I rest and recover?
• How do I care for the blisters on my soul?
• Where do I look for support from others?

The Christian race is not so much about coming in first, or placing in our age group.  It is, however, about running in such a way that we finish the race.  And it is in finishing that we win. 

Encourage One Another

I have been reading from Thessalonians the past few weeks, and am struck by the number times I read the phrase:  "encourage one another."  In this short little letter in the Bible, it occurs 5 times.

There are days, weeks, even months that we really need encouragement. I just spoke with a member of the congregation that I serve.  For well over a year now she has battled cancer.  Her daughter is staying with her for a few days and on a day when she really did not want to leave the house her for a meeting at the church building her daughter encouraged her to go so that she could be part of a group that supports her and gives her life.  After the meeting this woman said to me:  "It's always good to have someone encourage me to do something."

Runners, it seems, and those who watch races, are extremely good at encouraging one another.  I remember vividly watching the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when Derek Redmond pulled up in the 400 meter semi-final with a torn hamstring.  He continued limping around the track, while his father pushed past security to join him.  Derek's Dad told him:  "You don't have to do this."  Derek replied: "Yes, I do."  At which point his father answered him:  "Then we'll finish together."  The two finished to a standing ovation.  Encouragement in action.

At the 2014 Minnesota state high school girls cross-country race two girls stopped to help an opponent who fell just 50 meters from the finish.  All three were disqualified because of a high school league rule against aiding another runner.  Again, encouragement in action.

In some ways it is easier to offer encouragement to a runner than it is to encourage another person experiencing the ups and downs of life's journey.  In running it is often easier to tell what type of encouragement to offer.  A runner appears tired so you cheer.  A hamstring is torn so you walk alongside.  A young woman falls so you help her up.  Encouragement.

In everyday life such encouragement, is, at times, more difficult.  We don't often let our guard down to say how someone can help us.  It is hard to ask for someone's help.  We don't want to become a burden.  Where do you need encouragement in your life today?  How might you be a source of encouragement for someone today?

Should the church not also be a place where we receive and offer encouragement?  Can it be a place where you can come and be renewed and strengthened to do the work God has gifted you to do; a place where you can come as you are, a place where we celebrate achievements and console following disappointment; a people who gather to give hope when hope is scarce, comfort when it is needed, and courage when we are afraid; a place where you can be the person God has created you to be.

In Matthew's story about Jesus, Jesus says:  "You are the light of the world...Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to God."  When your light is dim, I pray that someone will come alongside you to rekindle the flame so that the light of Christ in your life will shine for all to see.

More than Wins and Losses

Last weekend I took a 12 7th and 8th grade confirmation youth to the movie: When the Game Stands Tall.  The movie tells the story of a high school football team that has an incredible 151 game winning streak - 12 straight seasons without a loss!  When the team finally loses, and their amazing 151 game winning streak is broken, the team starts to fall apart, until they are reminded of who they are and what they are about as a team.  I enjoyed the movie and found it to be inspiring, thought-provoking, and entertaining.

Following the movie I talked with the kids and we identified three primary themes:  teamwork, perseverance, and identity.  No team wins 151 straight games and 12 straight California high school state championships without working together, without keeping at it, and without having a strong sense of who they are and what they are trying to accomplish.  The team was about so much more than winning games.

When the DeLa Salle Spartans lost their first game in 12 years, the players clearly upset and angry, one of the coaches has some powerful words for the team.  He says:  Do not let this game define who you are; let your life do that.  

How often do we let our failures (or our successes), bad choices, or the opinions of others define who we are?  The core of our identity is not found there.  The core of who we are is much deeper than even our actions.  As followers of Jesus our identity is found in the claim God has on us.  That claim is that you are God's child, deserving of love and respect, and God can use you to change the world.

As people who belong to God we work with each other for the good of everyone.  We do life with one another.  As we do life we will disagree.  We will argue with one another.  We will become angry with one another.  Yet we are in this life together.  We support one another.  We forgive. We receive apologies with grace.  The past cannot be changed and so we do not keep hoping that it somehow will change.  We work to strengthen relationships knowing that the person with whom I disagree or perhaps not like very much is also an individual for whom Jesus died and whom Jesus loves and through whom God is at work.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God (Isaiah 62.3).

When Death Comes too Soon

The other day I heard someone comment on the untimely death of 27 year old woman.  I don't know how she died or what she may have died from.  She was, in the words of this person:  "a beautiful young girl who died too young."

Many of us have experienced when death comes far too soon.  I remember being a sophomore in high school when my classmate and friend Scott was killed in a car accident.  I didn't understand why he died.  I didn't (and still don't) know what caused the accident. His death made no sense to me.

Anytime someone dies well before they have lived a long and full life, we want to make sense of the death.  We want to understand why that person died.  So when a young person dies, many of us - having good intentions - say something like: "It must have been his time."  "God must have needed her."  "Now we have another angel to watch over us."  When this 27 year old died, the comment I heard was:  "She died to help others change for the better...making this world a little more kinder and stronger."

Every time I hear someone explain the reason why an individual died too soon, I am troubled.  The fact is that none of us can explain anyone's death.  We might be able to point to a car accident or cancer that caused the death, but any time we have a reason for that death we are playing God, thinking that we know why.  We don't know why one person dies tragically at a young age, and another lives a long and full life.  Every death - no matter the age or the circumstances surrounding that death - means a loss to at least one person who loves that individual and are saddened that he/she is no longer walking this earth.  God can take these untimely deaths and work to bring about good in other ways (even inspiring others to change how they live, making this world that God loves a little better).

When my friend Scott died, I didn't understand why.  I became profoundly aware, however, that death can happen at any time to any one, and, as a 15 year old, decided that I would seek to live my life to the fullest.

When death comes too soon, please, don't try to explain the death.  Be with the family.  Say, "I'm sorry." Grieve with them.  Let the death of a young person (or an older person) inspire you to change how you live.   Take actions in their memory.  Live the life they can no longer live.  But please, don't play God and explain their death away.

Living Joyfully

The congregation I serve was in the midst of a week long Day Camp program.  Four college-aged youth from Sugar Creek Bible Camp (http://wp.sugarcreekbiblecamp.org/) were with us leading our Kindergartners through 6th grade youth in a program of games, worship, Bible study, crafts, and general all around fun.  In addition, we had about 10-15 Middle and High school youth helping.  They worked with pre-school youth in the morning (9:00 - 11:30) and then with the older kids in the afternoon.  

As happens every year, some of the helpers are not members of the congregation.  They are friends of congregational members and they have done it in the past and know how much fun they have helping (and, since it's summer, they really don't have anything else to do!).

It was Wednesday afternoon and I drove two teenaged helpers home. They talked non-stop. They exclaimed the joy they experienced that day, some of the fun things they did, stories of helping the pre-schoolers. Then the 13 year old said: "Man I'm tired. I'm not used to having to get up by 8:00 in the summer."

I laughed.  I asked him when he usually wakes up.  "12:00 or 12:30" he said.  And then this 13 year old unchurched boy who could not stop talking exclaimed:  "But it's easy to get up early for this.  Maybe that's what life is like when you have something you look forward to doing!"  

Maybe that's what life is like when you have something you look forward to doing.  Unfortunately there are too many people in our world who do not have something to look forward to doing.  They might be unemployed or they might have a job; even a well paying job with great benefits.  But they don't like what they do.  

Dawn Trautman - a friend of mine - who has found her calling as a life coach, pointed me to a graduation speech by Jim Carrey https://www.mum.edu/default.aspx?RelId=694468. In his speech Carrey tells a story about his Dad who, for fear of failure, instead of becoming a comedian, took "a safe job"  He was fired from that job when Carrey was 12 years old, and the family ended up doing whatever they could just to survive.  But then Carrey adds:  I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love. 

Doing what you love...That's living joyfully.  That's having something you look forward to doing. God has created each of us for a purpose.  You belong to God.  You are loved by God.  And God wants to work through you to change the world.  If you want help with the process of getting to the point where you do what you love and wake up looking forward to doing it, I encourage you to check out Dawn's blog and sign up for her ecourse - Big Picture, Big Purpose http://www.dawntrautman.com/onlineclasses.html

I've taken this course, and may do so again.  It's life-giving, challenging, and well worth the investment of your time and money as you seek to live the life God intends for you - a joyful life that meets the needs of the world and gives you life in the process.