Saturday, July 31, 2010

Oh The Times They Are A'Changin'

I went with Carole this morning to visit the Chickasaw Heritage Center near Sulphur, OK. One of the rooms featured an 8-10 minute video recital of the history of the Chickasaws. I was very interested in the way they portrayed their history as a progression of seasons. They began with summer, which included the origin and development of the Chickasaw nation and its culture. The period of the westward expansion of the Europeans was described as the autumn of their history. Autumn is a transitional season and they were forced to adjust to the influx of people who came from a different worldview. The time of relocation and the period when their nation was under the greatest time of outside control was portrayed as winter. In winter, there is seeming death as the cold temperatures bring dormancy to the world. But they say that since the reestablishment of tribal sovereignty and self governance, the Chickasaws are now in Spring, a time of growth and renewal of life. The Chickasaw nation looks much different than it did in its Summer, but there is renewed excitement as they look toward the future.

I couldn't help but think that the analogy of the seasons is very fitting for our local churches. Churches begin with very little and as they grow they establish traditions and develop a culture. This Summer season can go on for decades if the leadership is stable. But inevitably there comes an autumn season where change comes unasked into the story of the church. Some event triggers a time of change and uncertainty in the congregation. Leaders change. The personality of the church morphs into something that is different. It is nearly always followed by a winter season where to some, the church as it exists today is "dead" because it is so much different than what it once was. People leave. The giving drops. The facilities suffer. When long established programs and traditions are dropped, many see this as evidence of the imminent death of the church.

But, just as with the Chickasaws, there will be a few that are able to look beyond the current situation and they never lose their determination that there will once again be a vibrant growing community of believers. And sure enough, it always happens as this group turns their focus on what is essential; moving in the Spirit of God. The church renews and remakes itself in a way that brings new growth. It reconnects with its neighbors in effective ways. The history that once served as an anchor, keeping the church from moving on is still valuable as a rudder to guide the church to its future. And Spring is naturally followed by Summer, a time of great influence and strength. And Summer is naturally followed by.... All churches today are in one of these seasons. And, should the Lord delay his coming, every church will continue its inexorable shift to the next season. Winter never stays forever. Neither does summer.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Broken Stuff

If you look closely at many of the items displayed in our house, you will find evidence of damage. Little lines will betray a broken place which has been glued back together. Each of these glued places have a story; a child, grandchild or house guest has bumped, dropped or knocked something over, resulting in a break and subsequent repair. Pulled threads in furniture or carpets tell a tale of a snag, or a game gone wrong. But you know what? We're okay with that. Those are the risks that come with hospitality, and we decided years ago that hospitality is more important than maintaining a museum quality house. Proverbs 14:4 says, "Where thre are no oxen the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of an ox." When Carole and I come to the end of our time here on earth, we aren't hoping that people will say, "I hear they had a beautiful house." We hope they will remember good times they had in our house. We've had a lot of "oxen" in our house and it doesn't always look its best. But there is great strength in the friendships formed in the evenings spent in someone's house. If you don't currently host a small group, consider doing it. It will take a toll on your stuff, but the strength of the friendships formed is a greater reward than the accolades you might receive for having an immaculate house.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Baptismal Plumbing Part 2

Last week I posted about efforts to get the baptistry at Vida Victoriosa functioning. It has not been used in several years because of a leak. Last week we found the leak in the circulating heater assembly. Yesterday I went back to remove the assembly so I could search for a replacement. Some time back, someone had attempted to put solder on the upper conpression fitting in a failed attempt to fix the leak. I was concerned that the solder would make removing the heater very difficult. After all, the area where this assembly is located is cramped and dark. The lower fitting looked as though it would not be difficult at all.

As is the case with most of my projects, I miscalculated. When I put my pipe wrench on the top fitting, it came undone really easily. The solder had not adhered to the piping, so it just peeled off. The lower fitting was a different story. What I thought was pipe sealant on the threads of the that fitting turned out to be "Liquid Nails" construction adhesive. It was never intended to be used as pipe sealant and that fitting was very difficult to remove.

A search on the internet revealed that, of course, the circulating heater I need no longer is made, but I found one which will work with a little creative plumbing. Now I need to find $750 to purchase it. When that has happened and the baptistry is up and running, I will expect to be invited when Martin baptizes new believers in his church for the first time. It will be a great day!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Ties or no ties?

Now and then I will find myself involved in a conversation with someone and the matter of wearing ties in church will come up. Some are ardently in favor of wearing ties, and some are adamantly opposed to wearing ties. I wonder if all of the conversation is really worth it.

A few years ago I worked with a really nice guy who belonged to a denomination which would not allow the wearing of ties or short-sleeved shirts. They believed that ties and short-sleeved shirts were a display of human pride and as such were an affront to God. I am convinced that because they believed in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus I will see them in heaven one day.

I have also known people in my own church who will not set foot in the church sanctuary without a tie. They believe that present themselves in such a casual manner would show disrespect to a Holy God and be an affront to Him. I am convinced that because they believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus I will see them in heaven one day.

I believe that God, who was around long before anyone even thought of the idea of neckties doesn't even notice. He is too busy looking on the heart. That is where he is looking for the pride which is an affront to Him.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Baptismal Plumbing

Today I spent a few hours at the Vida Victoriosa garage sale. I enjoy hanging out at V.V. because it is so, well, uncomplicated. What you see when you get there is what you get while you are there. Nobody gets paid for what they do; they do it because they want to.

Today Martin asked Michael Samuelson and me to look at the baptistry because he has some of his church people asking about being baptized and he would love to baptize them in the church where they were saved. I know a little history about that baptistry because when the building where Vida Victoriosa meets was occupied by Inner-City church I learned that the baptistry has a leak, but they didn't know where or how bad it was. They covered the baptistry with plywood and used that area for their drums. We removed the plywood cover from the baptistry and found that the tub itself is in very good shape. That was good, because if it was cracked, repairs would have been really difficult. Michael found the access panel, and an excursion under the platform revealed a poorly done attempt at soldering a joint which should not be soldered. It appeared that all pieces of the circulating system were present and connected, so the next step was to fill the baptistry with water and see where the leak was. We also needed to determine if the circulating system would work. When the tub had water in it, we found the leak right where we expected to find it. It was leaking at the joint with the bad repair attempt. The pump circulated water, but we didn't get to run it long enough to determine if the heater was working.

The next step will be to remove the circulating system and see if it can be dismantled without destroying it. A closer look at the unassembled leaky joint will determine if it can be made to seal. Most likely it is cracked, meaning that the whole circulating system will have to be replaced. A quick search on the internet revealed that a replacement system will cost $600-$900 depending on which one fits. Of course, Vida Victoriosa doesn't have near that much money, so we will have to figure out something. I'll know a lot more after I remove the old system.

I'll keep you posted

Friday, July 16, 2010

Quality or Quantity?

In the Essential Christianity class I am teaching we have been talking about having the confidence to have conversations with non-Christians about our faith. We have been stressing that we do not have to have overwhelming knowledge of every topic and the ability to make impeccable defenses of our theology. However, it is crucial that we know what we believe and why we believe it. It is not our responsibility to convince others of the validity of our beliefs. It is our responsibility to share our beliefs in a rational and respectful manner. I was listening this morning to a podcast of Alistair Begg and he said something I thought was good. He said something to the effect of, "People are more concerned with the quality of your life than with the quantiy of your words." I think that says it very well.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Getting Stronger

I went to the gym for a workout for the first time since my Inca Trail hike. I started out on the elliptical and something interesting happened. The setting and speed which had taken my heartrate to 140 prior to the hike now only took my heartrate to 115. Apparently the difficulty of the hike with its ascents and descents at high altitude strengthened my cardiovascular system.

Okay, you've read enough of my posts to know where this one is headed. The struggle, although difficult at the time, served to make me better and stronger. I have to work the machine at a higher resistance level to acheive the same heart rate as before the struggle. I am stronger now after the hike than I was prior to the hike.

Easy application: When we endure struggles in life, remember that the other side of the struggle brings greater strength than we had going into the struggle. Don't leave the trail early. Finish the task and you will be ready for even greater tasks.

Monday, July 5, 2010

The story

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis might have noticed a common theme in many of my recent posts. I have talked about people who have left comfort to plunge into the unknown or have done things which appeared to be contrary to conventional wisdom. Those stories have been at the forefront of my thinking because I have been following those same leadings. Yesterday morning I announced that I was leaving my post as business administrator and facilities manager at Highpointe. I would have preferred to have announced that I knew what was coming next, but for the second time in five years I am stepping out without knowing where my foot will land.

In 2003 I first began to feel stirrings toward ministry. I was convinced at the time that I would always be involved in lay ministry, but a hunger began to grow to preach and to lead. In the fall of 2005, I felt God stirring me up to leave a wonderful well-paying job. The only instruction I was given was to "serve humbly". I quit the job and began to look for opportunities to serve. I stayed busy, because someone who is willing to serve will always find something to do. Then in the summer of 2006 we were in a tight place as a church and I volunteered to step in as business administrator and facilities guy until the crisis was passed. God was faithful and in a few months the church was back on its feet again financially. By that time I was realizing that I needed to pursue ministry credentials and I received my license to preach in 2007. Two years later I completed the requirements and was granted ordination.

I have never enjoyed the details of administration. My strengths are more aligned with leadership, communication, and encouragement; all conceptual. The nitty gritty of check requests, payroll, budgets, and thermostat settings, although important, have always been something I have forced myself to deal with. Although I felt an increasing desire to preach and to lead, it came increasingly clear that my future in that type of ministry would not be at Highpointe. As I have said to many of my friends, "I didn't work to receive ordination so that I could write better checks."

So when Pastor Jerod arrived I had a frank conversation with him saying that I was waiting for God to reveal his next assignment for me, and that I most likely wouldn't be around for long. We made a committment to each other to be honest and transparent in our relationship and in a conversation at lunch we both realized that Matt Stomprud was the right guy to do what I had been doing. Pastor Jerod would have been willing to wait as long as I asked for to make the change, but it would have been selfish on my part to delay this good plan.

So here I am again, without a job, waiting on God's next assignment. I'm really don't have any idea what or where it will be but I know that the desires I have are from him, and he will give me an outlet for this pressure of annointing that has been building up within me.

The story contnues....

Friday, July 2, 2010

Counterintuitive

A few weeks ago when we went whitewater rafting on the Urumbamba River in Peru, we went through the obligatory orientation prior to entering the water. Standing on dry land, the guide told us about rowing motions, the orders the guide might give, and the importance of obeying instructions immediately without trying to figure out the reason for the instruction. Standing firmly on the ground, I half-listened, much the same way as the way I listen to the flight attendant tell me about in the unlikely event of a water landing blah, blah, blah.

Moving water has a lot of power. A knee-deep current can sweep you off your feet if you aren't paying attention, and the power of a river is relentless. No one can turn it off and allow you to reset. The unfortunate fact is that the exceptional safety record of rafting companies gives the impression that what we are doing is not really dangerous, when in fact, any river can kill in the right circumstances.

One of the most important rules of rafting in whitewater is also one of the most counterintuitive. If your raft comes broadside against a boulder, the rule is for everyone to converge on the side against the boulder. The normal way of thinking would be that if we want to get away from the boulder, get on the side of the raft away from the boulder, but that thought will turn your raft over and spill you out into the fast moving icy current. By concentrating all of the weight of the passengers near the obstacle, the current will catch the lighter side and gently sweep the raft around the boulder. If you lean away from the obstacle, the water will pour into the raft and cause it to flip. So hugging the rock gets you away from the rock. Avoiding the rock puts you in the drink.

Sometimes serving the Lord is counterintuitive. We see an obstacle or challenge in our lives and our natural inclination is to move as far away from it as possible. Many times, however, God wants us to move toward the challenge and to allow Him to sweep us around it. When we insist on trying out our own efforts and ideas first, it just makes it more difficult for us, and can cause us to have many unecessary scary swims.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

When the theoretical becomes reality

A couple of weeks ago I stood in line with the others in our group, awaiting entrance to the Inca Trail. Each of us had the required permit and were waiting just to check in. Beyond us lay a suspension bridge which crossed the Urumbamba River and then, .... the unknown. Until that point, hiking the Inca Trail was a concept; an idea. It was easy to visit with friends and casually mention that I planned "To hike the Inca Trail from Cuzco to Macchu Picchu." It sounded so exotic and awesome. But as I stood in line, looking across the river to the trailhead, suddenly the reality of what I was about to do came crashing in around me. I had paid the money, bought the plane tickets, packed the gear, and traveled to Peru, but the reality is that I had no idea what was going to happen next. I had the stuff on the list of stuff to have. I had spent significant time training as best I could. I arrived in Cuzco a day early to have an extra day to help with acclimatizing to the altitude, but all of that was theoretical. I could have stopped all of that at any time. But across that bridge lay reality. Once across that bridge there would be no turning back. What ever realities were over there had to be be faced and I would not be coming back to that trailhead. I would be emerging from the trail some 47 kilometers away and four days later in a place much different from the starting point. And the reality was much different than my concept. The path was steeper and more uneven than I had imagined. If I knew at the beginning what I know now, I would have prepared differently. But that is the way of life, isn't it? We enter the reality of life with only theoretical preparation. Some decide to return to the hotel and wait for the group to return; content to hear other's stories of adventure. But to those who cross the bridge to reality and stay on the trail, there are undescribable vistas to be seen, and triumphs to be won. There were times on the trail when the strength of my will had to make up for deficiencies in the strength of my legs. There were times when I viewed with tear-filled eyes the grandeur of God's creation and marvelled at the intelligence that God placed in the Inca people hundreds of years ago to build structures which have survived earthquakes and conquistidors. And I thanked God that a goofy middle-aged goober such as I would be blessed to take part in an adventure such as this. The theoretical was good, but the reality was amazing.