Shine!

“He said to them, “Do you bring a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” -Mark 4:21-25

Okay, let’s get it over with…”this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

Jesus spoke to His disciples and to the crowd that had gathered there. He spoke wisdom and truth to them and in the midst of these parables He begins to speak about a lamp. What does a lamp do? It illuminates a room doesn’t it? When someone walks into a dark room the first thing most people do is switch on the light so that they might see. The same principle is applied any place that is dark. One would never venture into a deep dark cave unless a flashlight was lit. Does one go into places that are dark without prior preparation? Of course not because that would be dangerous and foolish!

Similarly the Light of Christ is never to be hidden from the world! To do so is dangerous and foolish. Fellow Christians who play church on Sunday yet keep the truth of the gospel to themselves like some sort of private VIP only club are foolish and narrow minded…but if I were truly honest with myself there are times that I have treat the light of Christ this way. I have been one of those ‘members only’ Christians.

Yet if we look at how God works, does He need us to shine the light? Yes and no. Yes God wants us to share His good news to the world and yes we are partakers of His kingdom but does He need us more than we need Him? Of course the obvious answer is ‘no’! So why are we called to be ‘Light bringers’ into this world of ours? The short answer is; so that we can be Christ’s faithful ambassadors to those still in the darkness! He could clearly call someone else, and if we’re not careful He will call someone else. But He wants us to be the torch bearer.

Exposed by the Light:

This world is a dangerous and dark place. Christ brought the light so that everyone might see. What is it that we see when His light is shone upon us? For starters we see how lost we truly are. It is easy to wander in the darkness and to ignore the filth that we have allowed to blemish us. But when His light is cast upon us we find ourselves wanting, dirty and guilty. The prophet Isaiah was given a vision of heaven and in the Light of God and all that he saw, he knew that he was unclean and marred by sin. The light of God does that to His people; exposes the sins. Nothing is hidden from God. Nothing is kept locked away and private. He light shines upon us so that we might finally be free from this life sucking filth which is sin.

When Christ spoke of the light, He was talking not only about Himself but about the truth of God. Everything in this world both hidden and dirty will be exposed and known. We, as His ambassadors are to be faithful to Him. The good news is this world can be freed from the enslavement of sin and death! The good news is that darkness is just the absence of light. The good news is that God is the light that will shine upon all people here on earth. The amazing news is that Christ has come to set us free from these bonds that keep us in the darkness!

This good news must be shared to the world! This amazing light will deliver us all…and in so doing we are then called to pick up His light and share that good news to those still in the darkness.

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…”

September 6, 2013 3

At the moment of resignation and surrender (Poem)

I want to grasp your hand dear Lord

But my grip is oh so weak

An ebbing strength of childlike hands

dulled senses, calloused and poor.

Yet as fingertips extend to where

They have never touched the heavens

All blood escapes as gravity closes in for a closer look

Kissing the heart strings as I strain

But Lord how feeble I must seem

All the while you, in all your glory

Indescribable in your majesty and might.

Even though I reach and strain

Gritting teeth and labored breath

I am no closer to you than when I started…

It is in a moment of complete resignation

Shoulders slumped, eye lids shut

Bitterness on the tongue pushed back

Swallowed and helplessness in my heart…

It is in this moment of complete and utter

Abandon of self-worth and personal gain

That I feel something.

That I feel a touch.

That I feel a warmth, like never before

As blazing fingertips extend and grasp onto mine

As I pull back in surprise for but a moment

As I recognize that I am in your very presence

Totally lost, powerless and surrendered…

You hold my hands in yours, I can feel your power

I can feel your strength as if it beckons me to

Believe.

Looking up, hesitant, penitent

I find love.

I find joy.

I find peace.

All of my labored aching ceases

I am whole.

I am found.

I am Yours.

September 6, 2013 0

Catching A Glimpse of God

We were sitting in the car, another long drive up and down the mountainside. Where were we? On vacation in Yellowstone National Park. Looking out of our windows which were slightly to moderately marred by finger smudges, forehead grease and happy meal stickers, we became enthralled with the landscape around us.

Everywhere we turned, our eyes fell upon sights that are difficult to describe, yet magnificent to behold. In the back seats our older boys who had been previously engaged with electronic devices in hand now found themselves on the edges of their seats soaking in the landscape as it traveled past our rear bumper like a people-mover at an airport. We found ourselves a midst trees and rock and mountain located inside the heart of an underground, still active volcano. Wild life teemed all around us as if undisturbed by our passing presence there. Ravens, nearly the size of adult predatory hawks stalked the picnic areas looking at us with its cimmerian eyes black as night and cawing with its haunting and foreboding calls as if to say ‘pay your price, pay your price and feed us!‘

Our journey there, coated in mystery, brought on its coat tails the afternoon rains and fog. They swept swiftly in lathering the vistas with a deep apprehensiveness with wild abandon. Mesmerized, we carted off the beaten paths, viewed the very hand prints of God as pots of steaming rock burnt its undeniable offerings to the heavens.

How could one not believe in a place like this? To find solace as we kiss the faith of the One who created such a wonderment? As God, in all the wrapped mystery and awe spoke such foundations of rock and earth into being…it is no wonder we found our jaws on the floor or in the seats of our van? Is it no wonder that we lost track of minutes, even hours as we soaked in His presence like nourishment to the soul?

There was this strumming in our hearts as if we had come close to the very doors of eternity, catching mere glimpses of God through His marvelous works, drawn out and craft over thousands, even millions of years. Yet the strumming hasn’t ceased…it still continues now as I write these words. I pray it continues in the throbbing valves of my children’s hearts until they see the very face of God as well. For born out of this solitary journey we touched His hands and kissed His feet. We brought the expensive perfumes and anointed Him head and feet knowing just moments in His presence was more than we deserved…and yet He called us His own. Yet we found Him and His heart. We were caught so blindly unaware of His passionate love for us. Blown away we staggered back, brought up short by His grace and mercy as love showered down upon we, the undeserved. In those moments on that mountain, in the heart of an active underground volcano we found God…and we are defiantly reticent to return to the way we once were.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

-Gerald Manly Hopkins “God’s Grandeur”.

September 3, 2013 1

Vacation in Wyoming

Well we’re in Wyoming now and I find this tragic demise of Nutella on the road side…may it rest in peace! Speaking of peace the mountains appear to be bleeding red from the rich red soil and the mountains just seem to jut up out of nowhere as it attempts to kiss the open blue sky. Talk about getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city…well here we are.

August 25, 2013 0

A day at the funeral. (Poem)

I buried a man today
Ten years my junior
Stark, the room
Cold the assurances
As the fragile breath
Sighed no more.
Sleek alabaster carpets
With leaves enwrapped
As if half in protection
Coddled close the precious
Tight.
Solemn the day light slipped
Past windows half closed
Curtains half drawn
Yet unnoticed, we bid farewell.
Sorrow, this despised guest,
Beckoned us to come
And with eyes
heavy with mourning
We duly obliged.
Yet as prayer and song
Evaporated past these lobby doors
I swear I saw him there
Glimpsing one last time
At what he missed,
He nodded to me
Seeing me there…
and i knew that
The sunset was not
too far
Behind.

August 22, 2013 1

God called His Bride to be Sheep-stealers and growth competitive??

We utter agreements to work together. We vow to ‘come along side one another’. But are all these promises false? Are we faking it ? I’m speaking to fellow pastors and church members. Do we really intend to support each other even if we don’t belong to the same denomination or brick and mortar church?

It seems all too often that we are so preoccupied with what we are doing in our ministries that we do not have time to support the greater ecclesia. We have our heads down and we are plodding onward completely oblivious that there are other Christians in our own community struggling and in need of Christian fellowship and support.

Is this what Christ had in mind when He prayed to the Father “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:20-21 I don’t think this is what Christ had in mind at all. In fact I believe that He is greatly saddened by our separation from one another.

Conversely then, if we are called His bride, we the church, how can we justify the sheep stealing that takes place among churches? Are we in competition with one another? Has it become strictly about who has the most congregants in the pews? Will God, one day reward us in heaven for the amount of sheep we have stolen from another flock? NO! I’ve literally seen the smirks and pride on the faces of some pastors when they compare their churches. This ought not be!!! I have witnessed the arrogance of some who look down on smaller congregations simply because of their size of memberships. This cannot exist in the body of Christ! I am not saying this because I grew up in small congregations and also now pastor one. I’m saying this because when we start comparing our church flocks and when we start looking down our noses at other Christians we allow sin and pride into our midst. After all didn’t Jesus say; “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)

Pastors, stop acting prideful of your accomplishments. Stop comparing yourselves with what other churches are doing and looking down your noses at smaller congregations. Don’t let pride seep into who God has call His body to be. Congregations stop trying to be better than the church down the street. Stop wearing a fake front in order to impress and steal congregational members from other churches! You are hurting the body of Christ!

Is this an indictment on the Western Church? Perhaps. But am I to judge? It’s not my place to throw blame anywhere, I’m just as guilty as the next pastor is. But what I am saying is beware, be careful pastors and church members! Satan would love nothing more than to tear you down with your pride and arrogance so that you resemble more of the world and less like Christ. Watch out, because he would love nothing more than to destroy our fellowship of believers!

God’s Bride needs to stop comparing. She needs to stop the sheep stealing and competing with itself. We cannot act like the world because we are made for so much more than this. We are to reflect the very heart of Christ…and if we aren’t then we either need to readjust our course or be prepared to face His displeasure and judgement.

August 20, 2013 0

Child Stars -Hollywood’s Role Models of Death

I admit it, I’m in a bad mood. I’ve just grabbed my soap box and I plan to stand on it for a moment or two. I have a confession to make. I hate child stars and child actors. But let me clarify. It’s not specifically the person I hate, it’s what these networks which are cash cows hell bent on their endless cravings of greed have done to them. I hate the system. I hate the build up of these children, as the television, movie and music industries exploit and seemingly pimp out these young stars and bleed them dry of their lives. These industries commercialize and exploit young children and their families. Brainwashing happens…not like it’s done in the espionage world but these kids are taught at a young age that appearance is everything. They are told in so many words “don’t get fat”, “look your best”, and you’ll make us money. Parents and the child stars are sucked into these lifestyles and the industry works these children to either an early grave from drugs or suicide or until they grow up, grow old, get in trouble with the law and lose their ‘shine’.

Far too many of these ‘pop tart’ stars are milled out every year as the ‘next big thing’ and our children are subjected to these standards of acceptance and perception of perfection. I’m sick and tire of it. I can’t tell how much it grinds on me to see former child stars like Miley Cyrus and Lindsey Lohan flop around on music videos flaunting their half naked selves in order to break the ‘childhood star perceptions. I can’t tell you how much it annoys me that some of these stars who have lost the lime light claw and scratch for any sort of media attention even to the extremes of partying, rehab and arrests.

It is a sad, vicious cycle of self deprecation, egotistical flaunts and greed. What makes it even worse is that our children look up to these stars. They’re in some ways peers to our children. Turn on the t.v. and they are there, front and center. Perhaps it’s time to turn off the television. To stop supporting these networks that pimp out child stars upon the public stage.

I’m so sick and tired of hearing about the latest childhood star who was found dead. When will these networks be held responsible for the monsters that they have created? When will we reach a point where people will wake up and discover the acting lifestyle with its glitz and glamour has a dark and twisted underbelly?

I’m almost ready to come down from my soapbox…almost. But look at the victims of these industries for a moment with me, and this is just a tip of the iceberg:

Corey Haim: (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010)

80’s child actor who starred in many box office hits but struggled with drug addiction and the pressures of performing successfully. Though his death was ruled accidental overdoes he fought his demons of Hollywood.

River Phoenix (August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) He died on a sidewalk outside a nightclub of a drug overdose. He also starred in movie hits as a child actor and ironically enough was even a spokesperson for an anti-drug campaign shortly before his death.

Heath Ledger: (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) Heath was a child star from Australia who started off on television and became world famous actor. He wasn’t much of a chronic but drug user but struggled with sickness and sleeplessness and overdosed on medications.

Cory Monteith (May 11, 1982 – July 13, 2013)

Star of t.v.’s hit show ‘Glee’, Cory Died after failing to stay in rehab and overdosed on drugs.

Amy Winehouse: (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011)

Drug overdose

Jonathan Brandis (April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003)

Child star in movies such as Sidekicks, Neverending Story and tv shows like Seaquest. He discovered acting to be very difficult as an adult, dealt with bouts of depression and heavy drinking. Gone too soon, died of at his own hand -suicide.

Dana Plato (November 7, 1964 – May 8, 1999)

Suicide.

Lee Thomas Young

(February 1, 1984 – August 18, 2013) -Suicide.

There so many more that could be listed here. Some died from drug and alcohol overdoses, others vehicular accidents, and still others suicide and murder.

I recognize there are many choices that people make. I recognize that not every child actor ends up this way. But seriously the statistics of drug overdose or suicide are so much higher with former child stars than any other demographic. What does this teach our children, what does this teach us of our culture today? We live in a very fickle world where beauty and popularity lasts mere moments and then it’s gone. Do we allow culture to teach our kids, do we allow it to replace us as the parent or the teacher or the guardian? We are our children’s parents, our child’s role models, we are their instructors in this life. Step up and act like it.

Ok…now I’m stepping off of my soapbox for a while.

August 19, 2013 0

Apathy and the Wilderness

Luke 5:16 (ASV)
But he withdrew himself in the deserts, and prayed.

Apathy is the death of man’s spiritual relationship with God. It happens when we stop caring, or find ourselves at a point in our lives where we are unfeeling. Have you been there before? It can be both terrifying and silent because we are often very good at faking it. We are often quite good at acting the part even when the heart isn’t in it.

I don’t mean to cast any doubts your way today or cause you to feel down…because there is hope in all of this! Sometimes this pathway of apathy leads directly to the wilderness. What do I mean by the wilderness? I don’t mean an empty lonely place full of strife and pain. When I say wilderness I am implying that there are times in which God is longing for us to draw closer to Him. If we are aware of this apathetic pathway we can take steps in the right direction.

Why did God lead His people into the wilderness in the first place? Through this dry and thirsty place God showed His chosen ones how they could fully rely on Him. He was present for them. He was (and still is) in love with His people. When they were in this barren wilderness the total acknowledgement that they needed help became completely apparent. Stepping onto this pathway of apathy is dangerous, but it can also lead us back to the wilderness and back to a right relationship with God.

Are you unfeeling today? Are you simply going through the motions in life right now? Sure the routine is somewhat rewarding but somehow you’ve lost that passion you once had. Perhaps it’s time to take a step into the wilderness once again and get reconnected with the Almighty. Apathy might be the death of man’s spiritual relationship with God…but it doesn’t have to be!

Taking time to stand before God without distractions of all kinds is absolutely necessary! If Jesus had to get away and commune with the Father what makes us think that we can simply ‘go it alone’? The truth of the matter is we cannot! The wilderness is calling…will you go? Will you take the time that your spirit and heart crave? Will you sacrifice some of your schedule in this day and give it completely to God so that He has your undivided attention? It’s not so much for His benefit but rather completely for our benefit and His renewal that we do this.

Go into your wilderness and meet with The Father, and over time you will find that every motion your body makes, every schedule that you keep matters to Him as well. He wants to be included in it all, He wants you to bring glory to Him in all things. But it begins with our time in the wilderness before Him.

August 19, 2013 0

Parenting Pt.3 “It Takes A Village”

A friend of mine reminded me recently that sometimes it takes a village to raise a child. And at times, dare I say, the village is better than the parent. Sometimes if the village wasn’t there the child would have a tougher path to walk.

What can the village (which is the church, neighbors, friends, family, teachers, Sunday school teachers…etc) do to help the child and the family? Dare I say that the village is vital. In fact the village is a necessary component to the parent!

What can the village do?:

1. Listen:

Be a listening ear to children. As mentioned in the first part of this conversation, sometimes a child’s home life isn’t the best. Perhaps their parents really suck at being parents. Perhaps there’s substance abuse at home. A lot takes place behind closed doors. To be a supportive village one has to be a good listener, in order to be a good listener one has to be available. Don’t just offer random advice to children who come to you, but actively engage in listening. Sometimes it’s not what the child is saying that speaks the loudest. Be sensitive but listen. I recall having numerous conversations with my Grandmother who was always a wonderful listener. Children growing up need this kind of support as well!

2. Engage and Challenge:

There were times when I was growing up that I would more readily listen to a teacher or a Sunday School teacher say something that my parents had been saying for years. Why is it that our children will actually hear it from an outsider or one of the ‘villagers’ before they will hear it from the parent? For whatever reason this is true. As a member of the village sometimes parents need you to reinforce what they’ve already been saying for it to finally click with the child. Be an engager with the children you have the opportunity to instruct. Challenge them, remind them of how to live consistently and faithfully. What you say, at times, carries more weight with a child than what their parents have already said. These children need to hear godly instruction and see consistency in you as well!

3. Safe Harbor

By this I mean, be the safe zone for the children in your ‘village’ that you have the opportunity to minister to. Have an open door policy. Let them know that though you’re not their parents you accept them for who they are and you will be there for them. Being there for a child is sometimes all that they need! It’s not that their parents are bad or abusive but rather it’s a place to come to get away from their parents and you have an opportunity to instruct and further develop them. Every child needs a safe harbor that they can go.

4. Pray for them.

People even members of the ‘village’ often underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer is a primary weapon not a secondary weapon. Use it. Let the child know that you are praying for them and allow them to share with you prayer concerns. Also this is a wonderful teaching opportunity that you have to instruct them as to how to pray. So not only are you actively engaging in prayer for them but you are showing them how to pray as well. This will further develop the child in the ways of God…which are vital for adulthood.

5. Visit their homes, befriend their parents

To be an engaged village one has to have a connection to the families. Be proactive in going to the homes of the children you are collectively raising. Get to know the parents for a couple of reasons. 1) so that you can understand better the child and 2) so that you can understand the parents and their style of parenting. Great things come of fellowship in the home setting. It’s a place where guards are let down and real connections are made. As a member of the ‘village’ you are only as engaging as how deep or shallow your connection with the family is. Meet the parents, understand what they are going through. Get to know if they are working 80 hour weeks and need some help to care for their kids. Get to understand the family dynamics and look for ways to come along side them on this journey.

Parents need you! The village is vital! Don’t let the parents or the children take advantage of you though, be wise while at the same time be available.

August 14, 2013 5

What Parents ARE saying to their kids, but shouldn’t

Sometimes it’s spoken out of anger. Other times it’s spoken out of selfishness. Many times it’s spoken because forethought wasn’t given. Let’s just lay it out there…sometimes parenting sucks. We, as wanna be parents, sometimes we completely and totally suck at it. There I’ve said it. Now that we are all on the same page let’s move on.

Yesterday we explored what parents should be saying to their children. Today let’s explore the things parents should not say to their children. I have a confession to make too. At times I have been guilty of saying the wrongs things to my children, so what I am writing right now comes from my own experience as a father of four beautiful children.

Here are a few things parents should avoid saying to our kids:

1. “I don’t have time right now.”

I’ve said this phrase, I was busy doing work and barely looked up at my child who was holding up a picture that they had drawn. They wanted to show me and I was so consumed with what I was doing that I uttered this phrase. When I realized what I had done I hugged my child and apologized. When we utter a phrase such as this what many children hear isn’t that we don’t have time right now but rather we don’t have time for them. It’s most likely unintentional and yes we all work and are busy, but be careful how you share your busy-ness with your child. Don’t utter something like this with frustrated exhalations don’t let them think that they are less important than the work you do. Your kids and your spouse are your first priorities after God.

2. “I Don’t Care”

This goes in step with the last one, but be mindful of how you express your frustrations with your children. When conversations or actions get out of hand parents, we can’t stoop to the child’s level and tell them like a friend “I don’t care!” We might do that with our words and even with our non-verbal communication of body language. Be careful how you express yourself and in how you conduct your body language. Your child needs your support in this world that seems to care less and less for the individual. You have to be a source of hope, love and acceptance with your children. Try not to utter “I don’t care” if at all possible, because in all likelihood you really do care so tell them that.

3. “Shut Up!”

This is a banned word in our household. It’s obviously impolite to say to one another and with it there is a sense that what a person says doesn’t matter. In the heat of an argument or a disagreement be mindful that words can hurt. ‘Shut up’ is one of those words. Parents, I know we want to hear from our children…and then there are times that we wished our children would be quiet. Select better words to say to rear your children other than ‘shut up’. It is not only rude but it carries with it a hostile approach which can be taken to mean what you have to say even outside of this argument is less important than what I have to say. We may feel that way in the heat of the moment, but we want to give value to our children don’t we? We want them to know that as they grow and mature what they have to say is important.

4. “I hate you!”

You may not even know you’ve said this phrase. In fact you may not have said it in so many words, yet your child has interpreted what you have said to mean ‘I hate you!‘ In the heat of anger you may say things like “I am extremely disappointed in you” or “How could you do such a thing“, or “I can’t even talk to you right now“. Kids sometimes misinterpret our anger and what we are saying to mean that they are despised and hated. Make sure you measure your disappointment and your anger with them. Let them know that what you are disappointed in are poor choices not your child. Help them understand that they are loved. Don’t for a moment allow them to think that you hate them. I know we as parents we don’t obviously hate our children but sometimes in the way that we act or conduct ourselves our children can interpret it to mean that they are hated.

5. “Why can’t you be like your brother or sister?”

Every child is unique and different. If you have more than one child it may be very tempting to compare them with one another…don’t do it! If every child is unique and different why in the world would you want your other children to become the same? We get frustrated with our kids, I know that to be true. Yet don’t let them think that you favor one over another. Don’t ask them “why can’t you be like your brother or sister?” What can happen is that the child you are talking to can become convinced that their identity is wrong or they begin to question if they are good enough. Young children even up to teenagers are still unsure of who they are. When we compare them we are in a way validating in them that their identity is in some way wrong. God made your child very uniquely, yes discipline them but don’t compare them. Make sure they feel your love and acceptance and help them to craft their God given identities into adulthood.

What am I saying?

Love your kids. Hug em. Don’t miss opportunities to teach them because you’re busy. Make sure your body language and your attitudes aren’t in conflict with what your mouth is saying. You have children who are like mold-able clay you can either help them become a beautiful vessel that God can use or you can dismiss them and let the world mold them. Be the best parent you can be and be mindful of what you say to your children. Also let them know that you’re not super parent, and you do make mistakes. Own up to those mistakes so that they can also see how to act and respond in maturity to missteps and mistakes of their own. Parenting isn’t easy, we will suck at it from time to time, but be encouraged we can do this!

August 14, 2013 1

Author: Pastor'sPonderings