Grace Notes

Touching Grace

Good Day Friends,

 

Lately, I’ve become aware of some very sad and broken situations.  Family problems, marriage woes, financial hardships, legal entanglements, and so forth have burst upon my friends and acquaintances with unusual vengeance.  The frequency and intensity of the Enemy’s attacks coupled with the crippling effects of poor personal choices has left many reeling under a cloud of hopelessness.  In short, it’s ugly.

 

In seasons like this, I understand the fight for ourselves and others must firstly and fiercely be waged by prayer.  While I’m a huge fan of church gatherings, counseling, small group meetings, encouraging books and the like, in darkness of desperateness, prayer (and worship) make the most difference both in the heart of the one offering the prayer and in the situations themselves.  Most often, crying out to “Daddy God” is the only thing that makes any difference.

 

The woman in Luke 7 does this.  Broken by the inducements of darkness and complicit by her own actions, she is a picture of desperation.  Verse 37 calls her a “sinner.”  The word indicates she was a sexually immoral lady – possibly a prostitute.  To others in town she is with without worth and without hope; yet, somehow she learns where Jesus is spending the evening.

 

“And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.” (vv.37, 38 ESV)

 

With nothing to lose but a life that was killing her, she came and fell at the feet of the One who knew her better than she knew herself.  (She is nameless to us but not to Jesus.)  This fractured woman comes and gives all she has.

 

She wets His feet with her tears – tears born from the loneliness of a thousand lovers.

 

She wipes those same feet with her hair – hair arranged to secure momentary “love.”

 

She kisses His feet with her lips – lips that have kissed the mouths of lusting liars and cheats.

 

She anoints His feet with ointment – ointment bought with wages earned giving her life away piece by piece.

 

This lady is a wreck…and Jesus is moved by her worship.  He listens to her whispered prayers.  His heart is stirred by her deep need and willingness to push past the religious rules and cultural mores to touch Him.  Jesus responds by forgiving her sin and pronouncing her clean based on her faith.

 

The owner of the home where this event took place is Simon, a Pharisee.  His response to the intrusion is disgust – both with the woman and with the Lord.  Simon couldn’t get over the fact that Jesus was allowing Himself to be touched by such a one.  (By the way, remember, religion always wants people to “clean up” before getting into the bathtub.  The Lord just invites people to jump in the tub!)  Simon was disturbed by Jesus’ willingness to be touched by a sinner.  In this, he totally missed the point of the incarnation; Jesus wanted to be touched by sinners.

 

Jesus wanted to be found by the lost.  He wanted to be eaten by the hungry.  He wanted to be drunk by the thirsty.  He wanted to be embraced by the lonely.  As He said of Himself in a few chapters earlier, I came to “proclaim liberty to the captives.”

 

We are truly living in days of darkness.  Increasingly, the plans and programs of people (even Christian people) will fall far short of offering any hope of breakthrough or healing.  Increasingly, we will find ourselves standing at the feet of the Master, tired of our own cleverness and charms – at the end of our own resources.  More and more we will follow the lead of lady from Luke 7.  We’ll whisper deep prayers and worship without concern for who sees or what they think.  We’ll cry out for rescue and we’ll be heard.

 

As we get to that place, let’s take heart.  He loves to be touched by “sinners.”  He prefers it!

 

At his feet with you,

 

Tim

Mercy Via Full Nelson

Hello Friends,

 

I hope the entry finds each of you well.  I’ve missed writing so I’m especially excited about sharing some thoughts.  Lately, I’ve been wrestling with the Lord.  I don’t know if you’ve ever wrestled with him, but the end result is certain.  He always prevails; we always lose the matches.  I guess it’s that omnipotence thing.

 

Our wrestling has been about my attitude.  I’ve been struggling with it lately.  (This is not a new thing; but, this one has been particularly stubborn.)  Here’s the issue: when life’s going well (well for me that is), my attitude is pretty squared away.  When life’s not going well, my attitude is less than what it should be.  

 

Recently, the struggle has been my judgmental spirit.  In case you’re wondering, 99% of this attitude is hidden.  Most folks wouldn’t have any idea I am battling this attitude.  I still smile and laugh.  I still act appropriately pastoral (whatever that is).  I’m still nice.  Yet inside I had become more and more harsh with others.  I’ve been evaluating and categorizing people with the swiftness of a traffic court magistrate.  Moreover, I’ve been justifying my thoughts by holding up my own “righteousness” as the standard.

 

Hence, the wrestling match.  The Lord started off with subtle moves.  A prick of my conscience here.  A twinge of conviction there.  I found myself apologizing and seeking forgiveness more frequently for judgment words.  Slowly but certainly the Lord was wearing me down.  Then, weakened by his buffeting, He came in for the takedown.

 

Ringing in my spiritual ears one morning were the words of James 2:13.  To pin me the Lord used: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”  Match over.  I was riveted by a verse I’d read literally hundreds of times.  My need for mercy is tied to my willingness to give mercy.  If I’m harsh, I effectively cut myself off from the grace covering that I desperately need.

 

Mercy beats judgment.  It is a macro-theme of the Kingdom of God.  It’s woven into every story, parable, teaching, and book of the Bible.  Mercy is whispered as God makes clothes for His wayward boy and girl in the Garden of Eden and is shouted throughout the universe as Jesus dies for the brokenness of each of that couples kids.

 

Mercy.  Mercy.  Mercy.

 

It’s easy for me to function as a judge because I understand so well what everyone else is going through.  I can tell from my brief interactions, sporadic conversations, and two sentence entries on Facebook whether my friends, acquaintances, and the people who attend my church are “walking the line” or not.

 

Kind of sick stuff, huh?  Making judgments about someone else’s priorities and lifestyle with very little information and love that has grown stale.  No, this is not a good place to be.  I’m not saying there isn’t a place for prayerful examination and earnest conversations where the truth is spoken in love.  This must be done.  But I was not interceding deeply and I was not speaking directly in love.  I was silently pronouncing judgment.  And I was grieving the Spirit of God.

 

Mercy is the language of Jesus.  Consider with me.  How did he treat people?  With mercy.  How did He teach?  With mercy.  How did he restore the broken?  With mercy.  The only times that Christ spoke a language other than mercy was when He was zinging the religious elite for…being merciless and judgmental.

 

The Psalmist said: “Your hand is heavy upon me.”  His hands remain heavily placed on my shoulders; I’m stilled press to the mat.  My prayer for days has been, “Lord, change my mind and heart.  I want to think and speak mercy first.  I need mercy.  May it flow freely from me.”

 

Let me share one more thing.  Know why else this is so critical?  This matters so much because my family and my church will be what I am.  I want my own children to live mercy.  I want them to give mercy to one another and to others.  I want theBridge to be a place of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.  Mercy is the soil these can grow in.  I want to pastor a church of merciful men and women – not a panel of judges.  They’ll turn out like me.  “Help, Daddy, help!”

 

Mercifully yours,

Tim

A Prayer for Breakthrough

“And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren.  And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.”  (Genesis 25:21 ESV)

“Abba Father, my Daddy God, many times before this day I have prayed asking You to break through barrenness and bring fruitfulness.  Today is no different.  Man’s schemes and plans cannot yield anything of lasting bounty.  Only Your hand of blessing can impart life where none exists.

I am not strong.  I am not clever or smart.  I am not gifted or charismatic.  I confess that my sole quality of recommendation is availability.  I offer my life to You again.  The people that I shepherd are needy.  I do not judge them; we are all broken to some degree or another.  Yet, Daddy, we love You (as best we know how) and we want to serve You (as best we are able).

I praise You for Your mighty Spirit that works within us.  If we resign our wills and cooperate with Your leading, the impossible can be done.  I thank You for Your eternal Word that instructs and encourages and corrects us.  All that we need has been fully supplied.  Father, break through our partial, or even total barrenness, and produce new, genuine, and miraculous life.  I intercede for the church, my friends, my family, and my own life.  Please work healing in our spiritual wombs.

May You and You ALONE gain all glory and honor in this hour.  May I and those who are with me serve as stagehands and supporting players while You solely stand in the spotlight of our lives and church.  Humbly, I ask You to move the mountains of opposition.  Flatten the hills erected by our enemy and the heights built up by our own pride and self-reliance.

Undo my ever-unsatisfied need for a sense of personal accomplishment and strip away the remnants of care for what others think of me.  Daddy, You must be my aim, my heart, and my desire.  Please help me please You.  I would labor under no other master. 

With all that I am and pray to become, I am Yours.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

In Praise of Swimming Lessons

Hello Friends,

I think I was about 8 when my mom took me to the Frederick Municipal Pool.  The purpose for this summer morning visit was to begin my first ever swimming lessons.  The goal with the lessons was simple: learn to swim well enough in week to be able to pass from the shallow to the deep part of the pool unaided.  My lessons slowly progressed through the remedial steps of aquatic competency: put your face in the water, blow bubbles, float, kick your feet while holding onto the side, etc.  Slowly but surely I moved through the paces of learning and, by Friday’s final lesson, could swim well enough to navigate safely through the places where the water was over my head.  Pretty common kid stuff.

A summer or two later I was fishing with my uncle on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York.  My mom and sister were with us as we fished in the beautiful sunshine.  I don’t remember much about that day other than a single event.  I can distinctly remember calling to my mother to “watch me cast” off the stern of the boat.  I placed my foot on the top of the boat’s rear railing so as to secure the best possible position (in my mind) for casting.  The next memory I have is of the cold water all around me!

I guess my foot slipped on the wet surface of the boat’s edge as I cast; I was myself cast into the deep.  I fell headfirst into the water right next to the prop of the vessel’s motor.  (It wasn’t running at the time.)  My head, shoulder, and back were slightly scraped, but other than that, I was perfectly fine.  I bobbed back to the surface and was beginning to tread water just as my Uncle Bruce dove into the water after me.  The entire event took place quickly and was almost immediately a point of humor.  I was fine but was kept well back of the stern!

I relate those two stories because of the teaching series I’ve been giving at theBridge for the last couple of months.  I’ve been teaching on the disappointment we feel when following God just doesn’t seem to “work.”  We’ve been moving through the experiences of Job – the clearest example of one who “did everything right” and still had life totally fall apart.  As I’ve worked through the messages, we recently arrived at a place in the study where we looked at the up side of down times.  I’m convinced, because of the deep goodness of God’s heart, that in even the most insidious of circumstances, the Lord is able to bring a measure of redemption and life to us as we wait for the breakthrough of full restoration. 

In this line of thinking, one of greatest blessings that emerges from pain is an accurate picture of what truly lies deep within our hearts.  Plainly, it is in adversity that we begin to apprehend both the condition and content of our own beliefs and character.  Admittedly, this is an uncomfortable proposition, but one that I believe to be entirely true.  Said another way, how much of who I really am is revealed when I am in total comfort and ease?  Little.  Fire proves the purity of metal.

Given that difficulty and trial are part of our human experience post Eden and pre-Christ’s return, I have a constant task.  In the analogy of swimming, I have many more lessons to take.  There are more strokes to learn, training session on technique to participate in, and seemingly endless laps to increase my endurance.  All of these prepare me for the next unexpected fall from the boat.  I (actually “we”), should learn all we can about how to swim; and we must learn it before we need to use our skills in a real crisis.  When life (or the Enemy, or our own sin-filled decisions) drops us into water well over our heads, we want to know how to tread and how to stroke through the waves.  Then is not the time to start learning!

How much are you learning right now?  Are you “in the pool” or are you resting on your towel, confident you’re strong enough?  There is a subtle deception that many (including me) fall into thinking: “I’m fine.  I don’t really need to look long or hard at my own heart.  I’m sure I’ll be fine with a storm hits.”  Friends, I’ve been looking at myself lately and I’m not real excited about what I see.  I’ve noticed in the last three weeks or so that even small trials or setbacks have had the capacity to bring out of me harshness, unkind words, and self-pity.  (I’ve recently described my behavior to theBridge family as me just being a “stinker!”)  I’ve heard the words of Proverbs 24:10 in my mind over and over: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” (ESV).   I’ve been a bit faint; and, the struggles I’ve been dealing with look nothing like Job’s.  This to me has been a wake-up call.  I need to head to the pool in earnest just case I fall (or are thrown) overboard again!

How about you?  Are you preparing yourself for the potential of a difficult season?  Are you in the pool?  There’s so much work involved in the training, but having your head bob above the water when a wave throws you from the deck is a pretty good feeling.  Storms are not optional.  Swimming lessons are.

Thanks for reading.  I hope you’re enjoying your summer.  I’m heading out to work on my butterfly; see you soon!

-Tim

 

 

 

The Grace of Grief

Hello Friends!

A few weeks ago I began sharing messages at theBridge about disappointment. I’ve entitle the series “When God Doesn’t Work.” (These are on tB’s website.) It’s been personally refreshing to share what I believe is one of the central messages of all the Scriptures: Difficulty and pain are part and parcel of our earth experience; yet, in them, God is unwaveringly good and irresistibly loving.

No teaching on being disappointed, or having life NOT turn out as planned would be complete without visiting Job. I believe he may be one of the most under-appreciated and under-honored ancient followers of God. Going back and purposefully looking at how this great man responded to, what is clearly an unprovoked attack on his life, has given me a new admiration for him. This guy was unbelievably strong in the midst of unbelievable tragedy.

In looking at Job’s life, I have been struck most recently by his response the disaster that befalls his life. Unlike me with my western manners and perspectives on loss, Job is fully unhinged in his expressions of grief. Job 1:20 says that he “tore his rob and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.” My attention in reading this passage previously had always been on the fact Job worshiped in the midst of such incredible pain. (He’s just been informed that all his material wealth has either been stolen or destroyed and his 10 children have been killed by a natural disaster. Both these events occurred in a single day.)

I had never given much attention to the manifestations of grief that Job exhibits. He’s a man out of control! Ripping clothes, shaving off hair, and then falling to the ground (the word for falling can mean “casting” or “throwing” down), Job is a sight! He is broken, and more importantly, is apparently unashamed of who sees or what they think of his display.

How different is this from the way most people I know and observe process grief? We shed tears (a few and mostly in private), we put on brave faces; we utter the “right” words and recite the “right Scriptures.” We stifle the bigger outbursts because first, “big boys don’t cry,” and second, “Christians don’t mourn like the world,” do they?

While I’m not out to condemn anyone for “grieving wrong,” I do feel like I, and many others I know, miss one of God’s greatest blessings by failing to engage in healthy grieving. To deny our feelings in the midst of tragedy rejects a capacity that God has given and a release that He intends. We are made with the enablement to grieve with deep emotional expression. If so, why do so many of us become uncomfortable with that kind of emotional outburst?

Moreover, it seems that there is a genuine connection between the process of intensely grieving and the ability to worship the Almighty in the midst of acute pain. I believe that Job was able both to worship and then speak some of the most incredible words of truth and trust recorded in the Bible because he had “let it out.” Pure worship can flow out of a vessel cleansed by tears.

Further, there is a grace that flows into our hearts when we weep over loss. We connect ourselves with the saints of all ages. Likewise, we affix our experiences to God himself – One who was grieved, saddened, and unbelievably disappointed by the choices and consequences of His most beloved creations. (That would be us.) We unite our own hearts with Abba’s when we grieve.

While I’m not after turning the church I lead into a mass of crying Christians, there is much to be said for letting the our grief be truly released and fully felt. I want to pastor a people able to display their own hurt and disappointment, but also who encourage and walk with others who do the same. Our broken, crumbling world is in dire need of Christ-followers who have walked through the darkest valleys, with all the emotions they invoke, and can still say “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” People need to see that we experience the devastations of life and are still able to declare that “His love endures forever.”

In this we will be like my new hero: “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” (1:22 ESV)

With both tears and hope I am your friend,

 Tim

What is success?

Dear Friends,

I guess it’s fair to say that I’m a pretty normal guy.  I want to be successful on the different “fronts” of my life: home, work, community, etc.  Like most, I have lots of ideas on what makes me successful.  Some of these ideas are personal views; others are thrust upon me by popular culture, church culture and ministry culture.

I desire success because I want to feel good about my life.  I want to be successful so my wife, kids, and parents can be proud of what I do and how I do it.  I want to be successful because my life is a gift from God and I desire to steward my opportunities, education, talents, and health wisely.  I also do sincerely want to hear my Father say, “Well done, Tim.  You’ve been faithful.”

At the same time, I want to be successful because I want to be seen as “worthy” or at least “adequate” by my superiors and peers.  I want to be successful because I don’t want to be embarrassed that my child is struggling in some way, that I am personally in a dry place, or that my church isn’t growing like the other one in my town or in my denomination. 

Success is a curious thing.  Defining it well or with the right criteria can be complicated.  In seeking to be successful, I may at any time be wrestling with a combination of my own noble and selfish motives being both altruistic and petty at the same time.  I can want what is right for the wrong reasons or what is less than the best with the best of intentions.  Truly, it can be difficult to know the state of one’s own heart.

Compounding this issue of “success” is the Bible.  As with most everything in the Kingdom of God, success is presented in a manner that is counter to all that is humanly intuitive.  Kingdom success is not only dissimilar to my inclinations; it is out rightly averse to the cultural notions of being on top.  Because of this, choosing to act and react in harmony with the leading of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Word regarding success always leaves me feeling a mixture of non-complimentary emotions. 

Let me give you my most recent example.  Nearly seven years to the day after theBridge (the church I pastor) was launched as a church plant from New Life Foursquare in Frederick, MD, Frederick County Foursquare Church was publically launched from us to Clearbrook, VA (www.wherehopelives.org).  About 25 of our own folks, to include the assistant pastor, our Children’s Ministry Director, and some of the finest servants we were privileged to lead, left our church “home” to create new “home” for others.

By some measures, this is a sign of success.  By others, it is not.  While in my heart I know that planting another church is ultimately the strongest and effective way to reach and disciple those without Jesus, my “success-meter” gives mixed feedback.  I am elated and annoyed.  I feel satisfied and sad.  I am both joyous and lonely.  To cliché my mental state, the whole experience is “bittersweet.”

Gratefully, two passages of Scripture have buoyed my heart and mind recently.  The first is spoken by John the Baptist when some unhappy followers came and pointed out the success of Jesus’ ministry and the waning of His own.  John, without the slightest hesitation, fully rejoiced in the advance of the Kingdom, despite how his “success” may have appeared to onlookers.  He expresses his joy in the ministry of the Lord and then speaks words that are health and life to me millennia after they were uttered.  John says, “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30 ESV)

Can success be anymore purely defined than in those seven words?  I do not think so.  Christ must be exalted more and more; and, if I long to see His glory expand, I must defer, deflect, and direct personal rays of glory own toward Him. Success in ministry, or in life for that matter, ultimately comes from finding new and better ways to decrease.  And while my stomach is still in knots at the “sowing” of my friends into new fields, I sincerely pray that this is just one of thousands more times where I can “decrease” for love and honor of my Lord.

Second, just two chapters later, Jesus speaks to the religious leaders of Israel and says seven other empowering words.  In talking about how and what He was doing on earth, Jesus says “I do not receive glory from people.” (John 5:41 ESV)  This statement seems simple enough, but what a declaration!  Jesus was affirming that the glory and acceptance He wanted would come from the Father…alone.  In a sentence, Jesus identified Who would define “success” for His life and ministry – and it wasn’t any person on earth!

At the end of my life, the opinion of only One voice will matter in determining the success of a life.  “What does Abba think?” should be the prayer on my lips continuously as I try contend with personal, cultural, and religious forces that would seek to define my “worth” for me. 

The pull to succeed is unlikely to vanish completely.  I am a work in progress being systematically rewired by the Holy Spirit to see life through spiritual not earthly eyes; yet, these two gems from the book of John bring a fresh reminder of the Kingdom’s perspective on our lives.  So for now, I’ll keep wrestling with competing emotions and letting the grace and acceptance of God pin me.

-Tim

Update on theBridge

Dear Family and Friends of theBridge,

 

I’m writing to update each of you on the incredible opportunities currently before for theBridge Community Church.  Some of what I will write was the content of a prophetic exhortation that I felt led to give at our worship gatherings this past Sunday, March 1, 2009.  Other parts of what I write here are things that the Lord has placed upon my heart that I want to pass on to you for your partnership in prayer, in giving, and in engaging.

 

The season that we find ourselves in right now is both exciting and daunting.  After seeking the Lord in prayer with many from theBridge family over the last two years, the Lord has led us to a place where faith must be stretched and trust must be deepened in order for us to move forward.  Inside a six month period beginning in November 2008, theBridge has already or will be…
 
- …hiring our second full-time employee,
- …planting our first church,
- …sending out our first full-time, vocational missionary,
- …and purchasing our own building.

 

These component parts of our church’s expanding destiny are all happening at roughly the same time and will require a level of financial outpouring that we’ve heretofore not experienced.   Ironically, as a backdrop to these events within theBridge, the U.S. is experiencing what may be the worse economic meltdown since the Great Depression!

 

As a conservative and cautious individual, my natural way of viewing this situation would lead me to choose a more unadventurous course of action for our church family at present.  We could wait a while, postpone some of the plans presently on the table, and stay put until, as Annie sang “the sun comes out tomorrow.” 

 

Yet.

 

Yet in my heart I do not feel we are supposed to sit still and wait.  I sense that now is still the time we are to act with fresh faith and boldness despite the circumstances that surround us.  I perceive the Lord is pushing both me and theBridge beyond our abilities to envision how everything will turn out.  In the natural, I’m a bit on edge; but, at a deeper level, I have a peace and confidence in my heart that encourages me to keep pressing forward while not knowing exactly what the future will hold.

 

Last week while reading my Bible, I came across a passage of Scripture that spoke directly to our circumstance.   It’s found in the book of 2 Kings 4:1 – 7.  This is the account of the Elisha and the widow’s oil.  In brief, the woman in the story was the wife of one of the prophets.  She’s in a bad place financially; the “creditor has come.”  In her desperation, she comes to Elisha for help.  Learning that she has only a little oil in a jug, he has her gather as many empty pots as possible.  The widow goes into her house, closes the door, and with the help of her two children, begins to pour oil into the empty pots.  One after another, the oil continues to flow until there are no more vessels to fill.

 

The “word” (and I don’t use that word loosely or often) that the Lord spoke to my heart for theBridge is this: as long as the widow kept pouring, the oil kept flowing.  In other words, as long as she was obedient to pour out what she already had, God kept multiplying and doing the miraculous.  If she had held back, if she had doubted, if she had only gathered a few extra pots, the miracle would have been less abundant or even non-existent.  The account in Kings gives a picture of a woman who was dependent on God, mighty in faith, and fully obedient.  She is a beautiful illustration of how theBridge family must live in this exciting time.

The “system,” culture, and economy around us – these are not our Source and they are not our Master.  As canned or clichéd as it might sound, the truth is this: God is our Provider and He frees us from living under the rules and even the realities of these days in which we live.  As the popular worship chorus proclaims, “Savior! He can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save!”

 

I’ve written these words to each of you for two reasons.  First, I want you to be aware of what is happening at theBridge.  You have been a friend either intimately or at a distance to this Body of believers.  Second, I’m asking you to both pray for us and be sensitive to the leading the Holy Spirit regarding your partnership with us in this season.

 

Without doubt, I know the Lord is stirring theBridge family.  Some are being led to fast and intercede for spiritual and financial breakthroughs.  Others are being challenged by the Spirit to live again by faith where fear over finances has taken hold.  I believe that God is calling some to sell possessions or make sacrificial offerings in support of the assignments the Lord has given this Body.

 

The “whats” are not my business; rather, I am seeking that each of us would pray and then move with the same faith and obedience as the widow.  I’m praying that we would not think, act, or live in fear, but rather would be bold and confident – liberally pouring out of that which is in our jug.

 

Only the Lord knows what miracles await!  Thank you in advance for praying for us.  Thank you for being sensitive and obedient to the whisper of God’s Spirit.

 

Sincerely,

Tim

 

New Grace from New Friends

Good Morning Friends,

 

[Quick prayer request: Please be praying for our church family, theBridge.   This weekend (on Saturday) we are having a “walk through” for our church members and attendees of the church building we are attempting to purchase.  We have a Membership Meeting to vote on purchasing the building and securing the loan on Sunday.  Simultaneously, we’ve submitted our paperwork to secure a loan for this property with two different local banks.  In short, it’s one of several “crunch times” we will face in this process of buying this building.  We truly appreciate your prayers in this season.  Thanks!]

 

Just this week, Susan and I had the privilege to meet some “new friends” who began to feel like “old friends” almost immediately.  Have you ever noticed how that happens?  Especially among those who follow Christ, there is a sense of family and connection that rapidly takes place – even upon a first or second meeting.  Ron and Judy are pastors in Las Vegas, NV and were like a breath of fresh grace blowing into our lives.

 

Through our denominational family, this couple happened to be in our area of the country for a few days and we were able to meet for two extended times together.  There was no high-level agenda, no strategizing a cutting edge plan, no posturing or self-promotion.  Rather, what we experienced with this dear couple was a simple and genuine love for God and His people. 

 

(Being with our new friends, I was reminded of the Word that the Lord has laid upon my heart for this season in theBridge’s life.  “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.”  (Jeremiah 6:16a ESV)  I have this sense that the Lord is taking us to new places in Him this year.  Like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, we are a people who are being given new direction, new assignments, and new encouragement, but the manner in which we’ll receive these “new” things is by the “ancient paths.”  In this season, God is showing to us a bit of His mysterious nature; He is historic and prophetic, He is ancient and future – all at once.)

 

Ron and Judy are very normal and yet very different in a refreshing way.  Before me sat a couple, at least a few years older than me, completely without pretention and as tender toward the Lord as any folks I’ve ever met.  We talked of marriage, family, and of ministry with its joys and sorrows.  I was left with two impressions that really touched my heart.

 

First, this couple is passionate about helping others to find themselves in ministry.  They serve as church planting coaches and have an undeniable zeal to see others “shepherd the flock of God.”  Their passion for raising up new pastors was exciting.  Rather than embracing a “one size fits all” mentality for churning out new pastors, their perspectives were much more organic.  Their philosophy (and apparently the emerging paradigm for church planting within our movement, praise the Lord!) was one of helping new leaders “find their own way” using their gifts, strengths, and perspectives while being guided and coached by others who are more interested in having the new pastor be “comfortable with how God crafted him/her” than with creating a clone of a successful minister / pastor.  It was thrilling to be with others who are committed to helping believers be who God has designed them to be.

 

Second, Ron and Judy are folks who walk an “ancient path” that I myself hope to never leave.  In the midst of our conversations, several times they would tear up talking about the great love of God for the lost, the wonder of His grace, or the heart of Christ for their community.  I cannot express fully how refreshed I was by this. 

 

Many times, good, well-meaning people press their agendas and ideas on their pastors and other spiritual leaders.  They don’t necessarily mean to try and overtly steer the church toward their priorities, but the comments, e-mails, and attendance patterns, in effect, do just that.  While I’ve gained victory in my own journey in Christ that has largely freed me from the need to “jump through the hoops people set up for me,” the sting of disapproval and judgment will most likely always linger.

 

Listening to Ron and Judy buoyed my heart.  After decades of ministry, it was the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of God that continues to matter most.  It’s not the conferences, the TV preachers, the latest trends, or the new guy in the area promising the “fire of God will fall each week” at his church that last.  Grace lasts.  Mercy is unending.  Relationships are vital.  Love conquers all.

 

At one point in our time together, Ron said, in a very sage-like way: “What are the unchangeable elements?  ‘Go and make disciples of all nations…’ (Mt.28:19-20), ‘The harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few…’ (Lk.10:2), “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself…” (Mt. 22:37-39).”  I agree.  These are permanent.  This is what will not, cannot, and must not change.  From these we must not deviate. 

 

Needless to say, my time with my new friends left me feeling more in love with Jesus and more in love with the assignment He’s given for my life.  That made me think: Do others feel more connected to God after being around me?  Do they have a greater sense of His grace working in their lives by their conversation with me?  I hope so.  I want them to.  It makes me think of the words of the council in Acts 4 about Peter and John: “They recognized that they had been with Jesus.”  (v.13).  May that be the testimony of those who contact any of us who name the Name.

 

Friends, embrace the new things the Spirit is leading you into.  Be passionate and enthusiastic as you run the new race before you, but remember, the course follows ancient paths that will not change.  Take encouragement with me from some veterans of the faith who’s hearts remain pliable and sweet.  Hold close the unchangeable and find life!

 

May “the grace of the Lord Jesus and the love of God and the fellowship of the Spirit be with you all.” (2 Cor. 13:14 ESV)

 

-Tim

 

The "Experience" Question

Dear Friends,

“The gravitational pull back to the sinful, destructive patters of our family of origin and culture is enormous.  A few of us live as if we were simply paying for the mistakes of our past.  For this reason God has called us to make this journey with companions in the faith.”  “We need trusted people in our lives of whom we can ask, “How do you experience me?  Tell me the feelings and thoughts you have when you are with me.  Please be honest with me.”  Prayerfully listening to their answers will go a long way toward healing and getting a perspective on the areas of our lives that need to be addressed.  Needless to say, this takes a lot of courage.” (Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, p.114)

One of my goals this year is to slowly work through Pete Scazzero’s excellent book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.  I have been doing so a few pages at a time for the last several weeks.  Just this week I read the above passage and was quite challenged.  These words come following a brief review of the life of Joseph – a man who emerged from a very broken family system and had every “right” to be consumed by bitterness, anger, and the need for revenge.

Needless to say, Joseph and I have little in common.  The “hand” life dealt me pales in comparison with what Joseph was forced to endure. Unfortunately, his responses to his awful experiences and my responses to my less difficult circumstances only serves to highlight the need I have to allow the Holy Spirit do new works of refining and reshaping in me.

The question, “How do you experience me?” is particularly haunting.  How did people experience Jesus?  With the exception of the religious elite who were constantly frustrated and angry with the power of His truthful words, the Lord would have most certainly been a force of grace, mercy, and unshakeable love to those with whom He interacted.  I seriously doubt that anyone void of a religious spirit would have walked away from the presence of Christ without being enriched in some significant way.

Back to me, (and possibly you if you’re relating to what I’m sharing): “How do people experience me?”  How do people feel when I’m with them?  Do they feel like they are a high priority?  Do they feel like their thoughts, opinions, and ideas are valued?  Do they sense my love and acceptance disconnected from the performance in life or helpfulness to me personally?  Additionally, do those closest to me (Susan, Becky, Garrett, Ethan, and Trent, the leaders at theBridge,) feel even more honored and esteemed the most?  I believe they should, but doubt they do.

I have pressed myself and the Leadership Team at theBridge in the last year to seek out and engage personal mentors.  I want us all to be vulnerable and teachable before a respected other or two who can have “free reign” to speak into our lives.  I stand by this priority and think that it is worthy of continued pursuit.  Yet in pondering “How do you experience me,” I sense there is real worth in asking those who may not, in the classical sense, qualify as mentors to share their gut-level impressions of our sincerity and Christlikeness.   In other words, my older (more mature) pastor mentor may speak powerfully into my life, but the candid perspectives of my 16 year-old daughter can be just as revealing and life-shaping – if I have the courage to both ask and listen to her.

How do people experience us?  Do I make others feel marginalized or insignificant?  Do you overlook the least of these?  Do we care more about polishing the outside of the cup than on making the inside clean?  Tough questions, no doubt, but in this day of rapidly decaying culture, the Bride of Jesus must be all she purports to be.  Her richness and purity start from the inside.  I’ll be posing the “experience” question to those closest to me in the next few days.  Why don’t you do the same?  Vulnerability is less threatening alone!

-Tim

Ephesians 3:20, 21

A Small Display of His Greatness

Hello Friends,

Greetings to you in the grace of Christ! I have been recently enjoying fresh doses of the amazing grace of the Lord. Just last night in our Mini-Church, I was telling our group how encouraged I am when I read about Abraham from the book of Genesis. Yes, of course, I love the way that this guy chose to believe when everything around him indicated he was a fool to do so; but, it’s the fact that God chose to use this man who time and time again despite a long string of significant sinful blunders! I don’t think we give each other (or ourselves) anywhere near enough grace for our faults and failings. But that’s a blog for another day…

Recently, I was humbled and awestruck by the grace of God moving upon the hearts of some very "normal" people. (I put normal in quotes because the more I get to know people, the more I realize that normal is a fantasy!) I had an experience last weekend with some very normal believers allowing God to move through their lives in quite a supernatural way.

Last week I met with our Church Council. (The Church Council is an advisory board that oversees the financial and administrative parts of the church.) We are in the midst of seeking to purchase our own church building and so our conversations were dominated by financial statements, down payments, costs of renovation, and the like.

At the same time, our church was poised to send a small Missions Team to Myanmar. (Unbelievably, this is the fourth team we’ve sent in four years!) Unlike other years though, our dear friend, Dr. A.___ (name hidden for security), visited the U.S. in the late summer of 2008. The funds we would have normally "muled" into Myanmar on our winter journey were given to our friend directly when he visited. Over eight months since the last team returned in January 2008, we’d gathered nearly $8,500 and those funds were turned over to our dear friend when he visited. This left our team with only a few thousand dollars to take with them.

Dr. A.___ shared several needs via e-mail in the weeks leading up to our team’s departure. All I could do was write back reminding him of our mid-year gift while promising to pray and present opportunity to give to theBridge family.

Sitting in the Council meeting, the reality of our situation hit me. I carefully scanned our balance sheet looking for ways to pull some money from this account and some money from that account. While I looked at our financial statements, I kept thinking to myself, "We’ve got to keep as much of our cash savings in the bank as possible. The lenders are going to be looking very closely at what we’ve got. We’ll need everything we can muster to get a loan."

In plain English, I was looking for a way to be generous to the people and ministries of Myanmar that we support without actually being generous. (By the way, this is not possible.) It is not possible to be truly selfless and free in giving to the Lord and worried about keeping the balance sheet in undisturbed for some bankers simultaneously.

I needed, and indeed had, a breakthrough moment.

As we talked about what and how we could give to our friends in Myanmar, I stopped the conversation. In a flash, I had a personal "revelation." I shared with them that we could not approach our giving to Missions in this fashion. We needed to be willing to take undesignated cash savings, the savings we needed to have on our books, and use it to sow with generosity into Myanmar. Another Council member quickly suggested that we match dollar for dollar all the funds for Myanmar that would come in on the final Sunday before the team left.

With a renewed sense of Kingdom priorities we decided to invest $3,000 as matching funds to any giving made on the final Sunday. While not an enormous figure, that amount in addition to what had been previously collected would allow for our team to go with at least $6,000.

This is the part of the entry where I tell you about me. I was feeling pretty good. I had just stared selfishness and a "me-first" (regarding theBridge) attitude in the face and chose to put foreign missions above our own church’s legitimate needs. I’m not boasting, but I kept thinking, "Thank you, Lord, I know we are doing the right thing and you are going to take care of our church family; I trust you to do it!" Now all that needed to be done was to present the need before the church Body, take their gifts to couple with our commitment, and send off the funds.

I wasn’t even remotely prepared for what happened next. For context, understand that theBridge is a church of about 175 people. By and large, we are a generous group of Christians, but the economic downturn in our country has not missed our church Body. Some are out of work, others are taking pay cuts and reduced hours, and everyone is tightening up on spending. I figured that we’d gather another couple thousand dollars. Given the last minute nature of the situation, I was fully prepared to celebrate such a gift.

After sharing what had transpired in our Council meeting with the church Body in both services, theBridge family prayed together and we went on with our worship gatherings. Afterward, as we were cleaning up and tearing down our equipment, I slipped into the faculty lounge where the Council members and office staff were counting the week’s giving.

Over $9,900 had come in for Myanmar!! In one week, we had gathered more than had come in during the first eight and a half months of the year. In three hours!

I was surprised, excited, and completely humbled. Here I was thinking that the church was being generous in taking a few thousand dollars of discretionary funds to "plump up" our missions offering, and the Lord stirred His people to give three times that amount in one single day! I still can’t get over it; I’m amazed.

This scenario drives home the point that I am still, more than anything, a kid and a student of God’s incredible ways. I’m still learning. When I think I understand how He works, the Father does something so unexpected and marvelous that I’m left scratching my head saying, "Just how big are you, God?" He is more immense than I can wrap my mind around! David said it so well: "Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery!" (Ps.145:3 NLT)

This whole circumstance begs a hat full of questions. Can God accomplish His will? Can He give our church a building to use? Can he provide for His children whether they live in Yangon or Charles Town? Can He mobilize us with greater unity focus to rescue the lost and broken in our county? Can He heal, deliver, and transform? Can He recover? Restore? Resource? Release? CAN GOD DO ALL HE WANTS TO DO?

The answers to these questions are (in order): Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!

In a sentence, my "take away" from this past week’s events is this: I think far too much of my own abilities and far too little of the Lords.

God is more than amazing. In His grace, I am brought close to His heart and ever shown a new, better, and more wonderful way to live! Friends, believe Him for more! "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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." (Eph. 3:20, 21 NIV)

-Tim