Fire, Heat and Last Days

I have been so busy this past two weeks taking care of our move to Glendale. Well, really, Julie has been doing most of it and I have been watching very intently. It certainly has been an eventful couple of weeks. Things are finally settling down and I can return to my normal responsibilities including this blog.

The Uhaul truck with all our stuff on it caught fire 10 minutes out of San Diego. No one got hurt and none of our stuff was damaged but we were left on the side of the freeway trying to get Uhaul to do something. 3 hours late they sent a tow truck and he towed the whole truck to our new house. We had so much help in the move with lots of brothers and sisters from ECB and Glendale helping. 

Since we have arrived at our new house in Burbank (right next to Glendale) the temperature has been over 100 degrees every day. Today it is around 112 degrees. Whoever invented air conditioning is now one of my all time heroes.

This Sunday is my last sermon at ECB as their preacher. The end of a thing is always a difficult time. ECB has been the focus of our walk with Jesus for five years now and I will certainly miss it. I love the family there very much.

Our house is finally rid of boxes etc. and is such a nice place. God is certainly continuing to bless us by His grace.

Euphemisms

Do we really say what we mean? Many times we don't or we shade our thoughts with what we think are kinder words. Here are some that I think need to be exposed followed by their real meaning.

Let's have lunch - Good bye

Yes dear - No dear

No that dress doesn't make you look fat - It may or may not but I'm not going to tell you

That's interesting - an automatic response to anything really isn't interesting

That sermon was nice - Congratulations. You didn't put me to sleep today

Anything said by a salesperson - I really need this sale

What about you? Any euphemisms that come to mind. Together we might get rid of this insidious disease and start saying what we mean. We might destroy a few marriages or cities on our way but what a small price to pay for plain language.

Simple Church

I am reading a book by Thom Ranier and Eric Geiger called Simple Church. I must admit I love Ranier's material. He is so well researched and lives in the real world. On page 16 he makes the observation that Jesus was a simple revolutionary. However he stepped into a very complicated and cluttered religious scene with all the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Zealots and Essenes. He says that "the religious leaders had developed a religious system with 613 laws. They chose the number 613 because that was how many separate letters were in the text containing the Ten Commandments. They found 613 commandments in the Penteteuch... they divided the list into affirmative (do this) and negative commands (don't do this). There were 248 affirmative commands, one for every part of the human body, as they understood it. There were 365 negative commands, one for each day of the year. " They constantly debated the ranking of each command.
In this context Jesus was asked that famous question in Matthew 22:37-40. What is the greatest commandment in the Law? They had complicated the life of service to God but Jesus now reveals its simplicity. Jesus now returns to the word of God and says that all the commandments can be summed up in two, love God with everything you've got and love your neighbor as yourself.
Ranier's and Geiger's proposition that God's way is a simple way is shown clearly in this exchange. It made me think. How often do you we preachers, teachers and leaders over analyze and complicate the simple message of God. God forgive us.

Prayer

God says so much about how much we should pray.

“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44
“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,” Matthew 14:23
““It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers’.”” Matthew 21:13
““Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”” Matthew 26:41
“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Acts 1:14
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
“When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” Acts 4:24
“and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”” Acts 6:4
“and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.” Acts 10:31
“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” Acts 14:23
“When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.” Acts 20:36
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
“Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” 1 Corinthians 7:5
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
“pray continually;” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfil every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11
“I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” 1 Timothy 2:8
“But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” Jude 1:20

What can we do to be more devoted to God in prayer? What do you find helps you?

Hope

Life has its ups and downs. The Bible says so (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) but you knew that already from your life itself didn’t you?

It is how we handle these peaks and valleys that is the true measure of our faithfulness to the Father. As Christians, we have something that those out of Christ do not have that gives us a highly effective tool for handling what life (and others) throw at us.

We have hope (Romans 5:4). We have so much of it we rejoice in it (Romans 12:12). To truly catch the essence of hope in Christ we must recognize it is very different to worldly hope.
Worldly hope tells you to have a positive attitude and challenges you to be optimistic without any real foundation. Now being optimistic and positive are good things but they are lies if they have no foundation in reality ie. no reason behind them. If they are just wishful thinking (and on their own they are) let’s just call them what they are.

In Christ, “… hope does not disappoint us …” (Romans 5:5). Our hope is not determined by the alignment of the stars or the whim of capricious spirits. Our hope is solidly founded on the God who created all and His son who gave Himself to us. He is not the unapproachable authority. He is the one we have access (confident access) to (Hebrews 4:16). And what does this Father of ours says to us?
Many things. But today my mind is drawn (by my intellect or His Spirit I do not know) to “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6).
God is working. He has never stopped working. If we are working with Him we have great reason for hope. Why? Because that hope in God will not disappoint us.

Encouragement

I read an article recently encouraging preachers and it was very encouraging but it made me think that all Christians need encouragement. But it further made me wonder about where most of us find our encouragement. What encourages you in your walk with God? Share it with us. It may actually encourage someone.

What encourages me? One thing that I have noticed recently is when someone takes the time to communicate with me, outside of church gatherings, that something I did or taught or wrote really helped them. It really encourages me to know that I am being useful to God and to others. What about you?