Highlight from Convention (Pt 2)

The second highlight I experienced at MCUSA's Convention in Phoenix this year was being asked by Dustin Galyon of Hesston College to co-lead a workshop. It was entitled, "So Dude, You're a Mennonite". Neither Dustin nor I are from a Mennonite background yet we serve and worship in this context. We each shared our stories as to how we arrived here. The room was packed - mostly because Dustin has given this talk before and he is an energetic and passionate speaker. The youth love him!

We challenged the attendees not to get so caught up in the "Mennonite thing" (which can create obstacles and hurdles for people), but instead focus on what it means to follow Jesus and live as citizens of the heavenly kingdom. I challenged the group to elevate the conversation above denominations (because that tends to separate us and can lead to pride) - and to instead, focus on what we have in common; being eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I referenced Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 which state that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, there is neither Mennonite or non-Mennonite" (OK, so I embellished the words of Paul a bit), "for you are all one in Christ Jesus". You don't have to be "Mennonite" to be a Christian (which means "little Christ"). We are called to imitate Christ.

You can listen to the entire workshop by clicking here

Highlights from Convention 2013 (Pt.1)

There were two highlights I experienced recently at MCUSA's Convention in Phoenix this year. In this blog, I will share the first one:

In the combined service on July 3^rd, Terry Shue and Nancy Kaufman invited all pastors and conference ministers to come forward to receive a blessing of affirmation. This was a nice surprise. We were each given a sticker with “I said YES” on it. People were encouraged to stop and ask us: Why we said yes and what keeps us saying yes.

Any pastor will tell you that you don't hear affirmation nearly as much as you hear criticism (and this eats you up inside). As I was standing up front, a fellow pastor leaned over said this was God’s answer to his morning prayer because he had been struggling with affirmation. He just wanted to know that he was doing a good job. He just "happened" to be reading Matthew 25:23 that morning that says “Well done, good and faithful servant..” With tears in his eyes, he said, “I guess this is God’s answer to my prayer”. 

As we walked back to our seats (after applause and thanks from the crowd), many people gave us high fives on the way back to our seats. 

Advice on Work, Career, and Success...

Speaking to a secular audience on MSNBC's Morning Joe show, Tim Keller offered the following advice on work, careers, and success:

When you make your work your identity … if you're successful it destroys you because it goes to your head. If you're not successful it destroys you because it goes to your heart—it destroys your self-worth. [Faith in Christ] gives you an identity that's not in work or accomplishment, and that gives you insulation against the weather changes. If you're successful, you stay humble. If you're not successful, you have some ballast …. Work is a great thing when it is a servant instead of a lord.

Looking Outside of Ourselves

Here is a question I was asked recently: "What is Bellwood doing to meet the needs of our community?" I had trouble answering this because I didn't exactly know. Another question was: "What are the needs of our community?" I am embarrassed to say, I didn't know the answer to this question either. Then, of course, not being able to answer either question made me question my leadership abilities and begin to get down in the dumps.

A few days later I came across an article entitled "Beyond Groundhog Day" by Brad Powell. Remember that movie with Bill Murray? Every day is exactly the same for him. Nothing changes. Same ole, same ole and then all of a sudden, one day his outlook changes and it's a new day. It feels like Groundhog Day many times in the church, but as the article said, "Our reality is defined by the Resurrection, not the tomb."

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is present in us - in the church. I love what the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us". This verse gives me renewed hope. This verse excites me. What is it that we haven't even imagined that God might want to do through us?

Powell says, "The reason church starts to fail is because over time the church tends to turn inward - to focus on pleasing those on the inside. They stop reaching out to the lost. As a result a church becomes a comfortable museum of what God once did rather than an example of what God still does." He goes on to say that "we must get excited about people finding Christ than anything else. After all, God does. Luke 15:7 says, "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent."

What are some things we need to "imagine"? What are some things we need to "ask"? How can we better see this power at work and unleash it?

Another look at Romans 8:28

We are continuing to look at Romans 8:28 that says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them".

 God never wastes anything that happens to us in life. His goal is to use it all to make us into the image of His Son.

"The events of your life work together in God’s purpose for your life. They are not isolated acts but interdependent parts of the process to make you like Christ. Treating life as a series of disconnected episodes is a habit deeply rooted in many of us. We discern no pattern in the experiences and events coming from outside ourselves. We seem content to live life as a series of uncoordinated happenings. The dark riddle of life is illuminated in Jesus; the meaning, purpose, and goal of everything that happens to us, and the way to make it all count can be learned only from the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Living with this awareness is the key that unlocks the door to grasping the meaning of existence. All day and every day we are being reshaped into the image of Christ. Everything that happens to us is orchestrated to this end. Nothing exists outside of Him or is irrelevant, or without significance". (Colossians 1:16)

Brennan Manning, "Abba's Child" p. 109

Making Some Sense of the Mess in Oklahoma

 

Romans 8:28 is a verse that gets misused and  misquoted often. Here is what it says, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”. A better reading would be: “God works all things to the good to the ones loving God.” The focus is on God, not “all things”.

With the devastating tornado that just ripped through Oklahoma, some might be tempted to try and make sense of it by saying, "God will work this out for good. He will bring something good from it" - and I believe He can and will, BUT some will imply that God is the one who caused the tornado; that He had some predestined plan to wreak havoc on Moore, Oklahoma in order to teach them something. I'm sorry - I don't buy it. 
  

We live in a fallen, broken world. Evil and sin are rampant. This world is not God’s kingdom. It is under the authority and influence of Satan. The Bible calls him the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). He plays a major role in the sufferings and bad things that happen to us – however, he is not all-powerful and certainly does not have final word. But for now we experience suffering, hardships, tornadoes - (this is not how it will always be) and Paul is writing to believers in Rome to reassure them of a future glory.  (Read Romans 8 sometime)


But someone might argue: "Jesus Christ controls the wind, including all tornados” and support this claim by quoting Mark 4:41 in which Jesus’ disciples ask; “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” What’s interesting to me is that the disciples make this remark in response to Jesus having just rebuked a threatening storm. If Jesus was already controlling all storms, why on earth would he need to rebuke this one? Even more interesting, Jesus “rebukes” the storm by commanding it to be “quiet.” The Greek term used here literally means “to muzzle” or “strangle,” and its the same word he sometimes used when confronting demons. The implication is that, far from suggesting that Jesus controls all storms, the passage actually suggests that at least some life-threatening storms have a demonic power behind them that resists God’s good purposes. (thoughts from Greg Boyd's book "God at War")

Satan's time on this earth is coming to a close. He knows it and is steaming mad. Revelation 12:12 says, "Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time."
Revelation 20 goes on to tell what will eventually happen to this "snake". Verse 10 says, "And the devil...was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever".

Let's remember to pray for those affected by the storm. May God pour out comfort and hope to them, knowing that He can and bring something good out of that which Satan meant for evil.

5 Steps for Resolving Conflict

As long as you are in relationship with people, you will experience conflict. That is a fact of this human life. Here are some helpful steps from Rick Warren on how to resolve conflict:

1. Talk to God first before talking to the person. Pray about the situation instead of gossiping to a friend which only creates disunity. You will often discover that either God will change your heart or that of the other person.

2. Look to God for your sufficiency. Don't expect the other person to meet all your needs. Most conflict is rooted in unmet needs that can only be met by God. Instead of looking to God, we look to others to make us happy. This is not a healthy expectation. People will let you down. God never will.

3. Take the initiative. In Matthew 18, Jesus gave the command to go to your brother or sister directly. In conflict, time heals nothing. Communication is the key ingredient in minimizing conflict.

4. Empathize with the other person. Here them out. Stephen Covey said, "Seek first to understand, then be understood." The Bible says, "Be slow to speak, quick to listen." This is not the time to get defensive or start offering solutions. It's been said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

5. Confess your fault. Two of the most powerful words are, "I'm sorry".  This takes humility, even if you think you did nothing wrong. No one is perfect. Ask God to show you your part of this conflict. Confession is a powerful tool toward reconciliation.