Grace Notes

The Taste of Fresh Grace

Good Morning Friends!

The title of this blog is “Grace Notes.”  I write to share what the Lord is teaching and showing me as well as to keep those of you either a part of or interested in theBridge abreast of what’s happening therein.  I think it is safe to say that anything the Lord shows me is infused in some way with a fresh understanding of His amazing grace.  Anything worth sharing in this forum about theBridge will almost certainly be delivered with an eye to identifying the unfading grace of God at work within our church family.

In short, it is by grace that I am saved (Eph. 2:5) and it is only by grace that I stand (Rom 5:2).  Without the rescuing and sustaining grace of God, there are no “Grace Notes,” no Bridge, no Pastor Tim, and ultimately, no Tim of any kind worth knowing!  Real life is all about Jesus and walking with Jesus is all about grace.

Here’s a fresh bit to savor…

Last week, Susan and I hosted another “Membership Information Gathering” for theBridge at our home.  We have these small get-togethers every other month or so to explain, in a relaxed setting, who we are, who Foursquare is, and what theBridge Community Church is all about.  The meetings are usually attended by 6 to 10 folks who are “checking out” theBridge at a deeper level.  Some join, others decide not to, but either way, we spend an evening enjoying each other’s company and talking about the things of the Lord.  It’s really a pleasant evening.

The meeting last week was much the same.  As the gathering concluded, I was explaining to the group that my desire for them was to pray and ask the Lord if this was the church family that they were to connect to / covenant with.  If so, they should sign our Membership Covenant, give it back to me, and we’d introduce them as new members to theBridge in an upcoming worship gathering.

After we prayed together to finish our meeting, one of the men there pulled me aside to speak privately.  This guy had only been coming to theBridge for a short time so I did not know him very well.  He’s probably a “head taller” than me (which isn’t saying much) but is an outspoken-rough-around-the-edges-type.  He’s also a sweetheart whom God has been simply breaking down and healing over the last couple of months.  (That has been a treat to observe.)

This man looked directly at me and said this: “Tim, I’m ready to join the church.  I’m ready.  I mean, I’m the biggest redneck in the world – I really am!  I’m an alcoholic.  I love NASCAR.  I’ve lived a rough life; but, God has grabbed hold of me, you know?  When I get up in the morning, I say ‘Good Morning, Lord’ and I know he is smiling on me.  I bought a new truck the other day and I told the Lord, ‘This is Your truck, Lord.’  I tell people all the time: ‘That’s the Lord’s truck – not mine.’  Tim, I’m a different man.  I reached out to God and He met me.  I reached out and He wrapped His big arms around me. It’s just like a daddy reaching out to a little kid with skinned knees.  He drew me in.  It felt so, so good!  I wonder know why it took me so long to get that hug? Tim, I love Him.”

I was choked up as this man finished speaking.  I wasn’t expecting that kind of a testimony.  I was so excited for my brother in Christ!

Can I be entirely candid?  About half of pastoring is really good.  About 25% is dreadful.  But that other 25%, (that portion includes conversations like the one I just recounted,) is unlike anything else on earth; that part is divine! The “divine 25” is why I know, in my heart of hearts, that there is no other place I can invest my life.  It’s what fuels me in the ministry I’ve been given. 

I don’t know that I will ever be able to communicate the depth of humility I feel when I am able to be around someone who is experiencing God like this man is – for the first time in his life.  I don’t feel worthy to be in the room!  Who am I?   How is it that I, a fallen, broken, struggling, and striving man myself, get to hear the words of a lost lamb come home?  How is that I get to see the joyful gleam in blind eyes restored? 

I am not worthy…except for grace.

Please keep my new friend in prayer.  He’s on the honeymoon right now, but there will be challenges ahead.  I do believe he will make it, though.  As long as he keeps reaching out for that ever present embrace, he’ll receive all the strength and grace he needs to finish the race.  He’ll make it – just like we will.

Celebrate His grace today!

Tim

Highway Haughty

Hello Everyone,

I feel like I've been away on a journey for a long time and am just now stopping to write a letter home.  I love to put down my thoughts and I appreciate that so many of you read them.  I'm honored by your investment of time and am always encouraged by the comments that take our interplay from mono to dialog!

I can remember thinking when Susan and I planted theBridge several years ago that it would be such a wonderful thing (as a pastor) to have time (eventually) simply to read and think without interruption.  In reality, I'm still waiting for that time to materialize; but, I do get opportunities to ponder in greater quantities than many others.  I'm very grateful for this.

Sometimes when I read the Bible, I'll uncover a passage that just sears me on the inside.  My most recent BBQ came from a little passage in Proverbs.  It says:

"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor." (ch.18, v.12)

The passage is an example of what might be described as a Holy Spirit directed, time-released, spiritual bomb.  I've read Proverbs dozens of time and I'm sure that I've read chapter 18:12 at least that many, but on that day, the power of what Solomon wrote exploded inside of me.

It started small, like a forest fire, and grew to an inferno.  The Spirit imparted the passage to me in an inverse manner.  I heard the words in my mind in this order: "Moving toward destruction?  Check your heart for pride.  Moving toward honor? Know that humility is driving you that direction."

I had been feeling a sense of despair and desolation in my heart for several months.  I'll not expend the space to explain the struggles; be assured, they are much the same ones that you wrestle with in your own life.  I was not feeling an "appetite for destruction," (Thanks for that phrase, Axl.) but more of a momentum sliding me toward darkness.

What this passage ignited in me was the understanding of what was going on in my own life.  My unhappy trek was being advanced by a handful of small, haughty strongholds.  Those minor pride-filled attitudes, motives, and words were leading me away from the honor that God had granted as my spiritual birthright to a place where I was being set up for a collapse.

Thankfully, that destructive climax I was inching toward was never realized as I was rescued by revelation.  Yet, the subtleness of the whole ordeal was frightening.  Is it really that easy for a basically good, clean-living, Bible reading, praying, worshiping, faithful husband and father to slip into a place of spiritual desolation? Yes, I believe it is.  And it is the seeds of pride that grow into a poison-fruit bearing tree.

The really intriguing thing about the haughtiness highway that speeds any of us toward destruction is that it's paved with the micro not that macro bits of pride.  For me, a judgmental spirit of others (pride in my own perceived status) and a "woe-is-me-mentality" (an arrogant - "I know better than the Lord how tough things are right now" mindset) characterized my slide.  The glaring and obvious: verbal braggadocio, flaunting material goods, refusing to do that which is lowly, or associate with all others equally were not significant points of my current state.  

But little whispers in my own mind of "No wonder he struggles, he won't submit to God's ways" or "I'm all alone in this battle - no one else cares" were like daily tainted food causing a condition of spiritual "internal bleeding."  Only the power of Scripture illuminated by the Holy Spirit was strong enough medicine to shake me and show me...me.  Only the Word could remind me of what I (and most of you) want most: the honor that comes from God alone - the honor that flows to those found, in every way, at the feet of the Most High. 

What better place could we find ourselves?  Is there any more beautiful posture than kneeling before Abba Father, confessing our weaknesses, requesting more of His unmeasurable grace, and contending for supernatural power through which He might gain more glory for Himself?  I know of no other.  He knows we are dust, yet when laid before Him, He scrapes us together in His hands and breathes the fresh breath of life into our frail and faulty frames.  It is more than wonderful!

I'll leave you today with the prayer entry from my journal on that morning.  

"Daddy, I humble myself at Your feet with a new vigor today.  May my life bring praise and honor to You alone.  I don't want even the smallest word or the slightest motive to be driven by pride or haughtiness.  Rather, may every fiber of my being be poured out as an offering for Your glory and praise.  Forgive my propensity to want to be applauded  and esteemed.  Strip my life of my inherent insecurity. Please, redefine "Tim."  It is enough for me to be: "servant," "helper," "friend," and most of all, "passionate lover of Christ." In Jesus Name, Amen." 

May His grace alone define us all,

Tim

What Makes a Nation Great?

[Note: This entry is political in nature.  The views expressed are my own entirely and do not necessarily represent the church I serve or the denominational family I am part of.  In other words, if you want to give someone grief for what I think, complain to me.  Thanks!]

 

Hello Friends,

 

Let me first say that I both despise and enjoy politics.  A part of me could fall head long into the political debate that is raging within our nation.  Another part of me is sickened by the state the whole process has devolved into.  What a bunch of bologna!  If either of our current candidates could actually deliver on all the promises they’ve made this nation would be turned into a full-fledged utopia in short order! 

 

Regardless of the current “problem-du-jour,” each one has an answer, a fix, a program, or an idea so great that it will immediately solve “whatever ails ya.”  It’s ridiculous.  I actually expect to see someone bring up the nationwide level of un-adopted pets from animal shelters before next Tuesday only to hear both Senators Obama and McCain exclaim: “Unlike my opponent, I have a plan to reduce the number of un-adopted animals in America to half its current level by the end of my first term.”  These guys (BOTH OF THEM) have no shame about making promises well beyond their abilities to deliver. 

 

“Hope we can believe in” and “Country First” should both be replaced by the real message of this election:  “Say anything to win.  Anything.”  “We’re John McCain and Barak Obama and we approved this message – because it alone is true.”

 

As a pastor and leader, I have avoided writing until now because I am non-confrontational by nature.  I am much more a “lover” rather than a “fighter.”  But let me confess: I have to share a little of what I’m thinking.  I have to share what I believe to be the most important realities of this election season. 

 

For the last four weeks or so, each time I go to prayer for our nation and this upcoming election, the same verse from Proverbs forces its way into my heart and mind.  “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)  Righteousness lifts up and strengthens a country; sin tears it down.

 

I, like many of you, am deeply and continuously disturbed at the ongoing decay of the moral fabric of this nation.  Some of my Christian friends have argued that our current state is no worse than it’s ever been – we just hear about everything now because of mass communication.  While I don’t necessarily agree with how they interpret the timeline of America’s history, most everyone I talk to about the current state of morality in our land is appalled at how awful it’s gotten.  I could leave you a list of stories gathered just today from news sources to make this point but I won’t bother with that here.  (If you’re unconvinced, go to your favorite internet news site and look at the 20 most popular stories leading the hit count today.  It’s downright scary.)

 

While not seeking to be fatalistic or depressing, morally speaking, we are a sinking ship.  There is no doubt about the future status of this nation if its moral fabric is not repaired – in a hurry.  I’m not being prophetic.  This is the story of history.  Great nations and empires almost always erode from the inside out – they rarely collapse from the outside in.  (The Israel of the Old Testament is the classic and most poignant example of this.)  As a country, we are slowly filling with a cancer of violence, greed, and debauchery that will at some point cause our nation’s vital organs to cease working.  In my opinion, this is not a question of “if,” rather, it is a question of “when.” 

 

In stating this so bluntly I am not implying that God is not doing great things here or that He could not / would not turn this nation’s heart back toward His Word and ways; of course, He is able.  Honestly though, I do not see a wave of righteousness ready to break on our shores at present.  I pray for one, but I do not yet see it.

 

This observation leads me to why I’m writing about politics.  In the fall of 1992, a phrase was coined by then Clinton campaign strategist James Carville to describe the central issue at hand in Clinton’s run against George H.W. Bush.  “It’s the economy, stupid” was used over and over again to emphasize the matter most pressing in voter’s minds that fall.

 

I want to resurrect an amended version of that phrase for this post.  It’s not the economy, competing health care plans, our involvement in Iraq / Afghanistan, our standing on the world stage, or our current energy crisis that are the core spiritual issues of this election.  Borrowing from Carville, “It our morality, stupid.”

 

Regardless of which financial bailout plan, tax structure, or timetable for removing our troops from the middle east we choose, the issues that should be closest to the heart of praying believers and, I believe, the issues closest to the heart of the Lord have to do with the righteousness of our nation. 

 

I believe it to be an incredible and disdainful stretch to make issues like universal health care, the preservation of the environment in light of energy needs, or even the war on terrorism into questions of Biblical morality given our other moral challenges.  When we as a nation must account for a virtually endless number of abortions, the concerted efforts to redefine marriage, and the tsunami of issues related to religious freedom and conscience (i.e., addressing the fierce homosexual agenda, the use of human embryos as lab specimens, and the overall devaluing of elderly and impaired life, etc.,) how can we focus our minds on which economic plan is most responsible or who speaks more charismatically during televised debates?

 

As Christian men and women, we must ask ourselves, “What matters to God?”  “What breaks His heart?”  “What causes Him to get angry?”  Jesus never got mad about taxes, corporate profits, or Rome’s foreign policy; but did scold his closest followers for not honoring children!  He flipped tables in the temple when sincere worship was being impeded!  Frankly, many of us are mad about the wrong things! 

 

I find it grievous that some of my dearest Christian friends strive to justify overlooking such matters in the interest of “change” or “a new direction.”  I’m shocked and amazed.  “Righteousness exalts a nation” – not patriotism, or fresh ideas, or appearances on Saturday Night Live or money to buy infomercials.  Righteousness, embodied in the person of Jesus Christ, is the single hope of America.

 

Yesterday, I met with a dear friend and fellow pastor.  In talking about his journey toward the ministry, he related some words that another Christian leader had asked him.  The minister said to my friend, “Please don’t tell me about what you would like to do in the future given a great opportunity.  Tell me instead about what you’ve been able to accomplish up until this point.”  That kind of logic seems to be lost on our electorate this year.

 

We all know words are utterly worthless unless tied to truthfulness.  Most words in a political environment mean absolutely nothing.  What is more solid and unmoving?  The past.  (I say “more” because even the past has a way of being reinterpreted and reshaped with the words of the present.)

 

I long for both of our national candidates to stop saying what we want to hear and instead campaign on what they’ve already done – and how that will influence their decision making and direction for the future.  Where they have been, who they have listened to, and what they have actually already completed should mean infinitely more than words about uncertain days ahead. 

 

I’ve decided to write because I am frustrated.  I hope that American Christians will pray more than we watch CNN.  My level of influence barely registers above none, but I needed to share with you who are my friends what God has placed upon my heart.  “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”  Let us all answer this: “Will America embrace more or less of the ways of God with the candidate you are voting for in office?”  If you can answer that with a full convinced heart, go and cast your ballot.  If you can’t, you’ve got four days more to pray.

 

Sincerely,

Tim

 

 

Securing and Setting Out

Hi Everyone,

Here's a quick post on some "goings on" at theBridge. 

Last Sunday, I taught on Numbers 32 where the tribes of Reuben and Gad ask Moses for an inheritance on the east side of the Jordan.  That passage of Scripture takes place just before the children of Israel move across river to conquer the land God promised to Abraham.

Besides being an extremely humorous passage of Scripture in other ways, the section we looked at is a great analogy for where theBridge currently finds itself.  We are there, on the side of the river, ready to cross and fight, and yet still needing to secure a place for our "little ones."

Reuben and Gad had much livestock; the land east of the Jordan was great for keeping animals.  They asked Moses for that side of the river to be their inheritance.  They were not unwilling to ford the river and brawl with the giants in Canaan helping to secure the west side, but they wanted to take care of the vulnerable among them first.

This is where we now find ourselves as a church.  theBridge has a destiny and calling in God that is far beyond what we've experienced.  That is not to say that life at our church has been bad or ugly thus far - not so!  Yet there is more.  Much more.  I am convinced of it.

The Lord has given a sense of release and even excitement about getting our own space.  We've looked at existing structures and renovation projects and so far nothing has opened up, but we're pumped about moving into our own facility - whatever that place ends up looking like.

The reason that Numbers 32 is so key to our current situation is this.  Just like Reuben and Gad, theBridge isn't seeking a "home" of it's own so that we can avoid the hard work and very real battles that lie ahead for us on the west side of the Jordan.  We will have our own, more permanent space, because we long to secure our most vulnerable parts, our babies, our children, and our teens.  (Yes, in their own way they are a part of the force that takes the new land, especially the teens, but our future fixed address is so that our discipleship priority for the younger ones can be more effectively and fully met.)

As I told the adult gatherings on Sunday, the "cities and sheep pens" on the eastern side aren't so much for us; they are for our "little ones."  As the adults, as the leaders, as the ones responsible for seeing others connect to the "recovering, restoring, resourcing, and releasing love of God," we must go.  We're not building spiritual hassocks or lay-z-boys for putting up our mature feet and resting grown up backs; we're building a spiritual gym for to build and tone spiritual muscles. 

We're planning to move into our own space - not so that we can look around and be pleased with ourselves and the provision of our great God, but so that we can have a "base of operations" for further fulling the Great Commission.  By the power of the Spirit and with our full hearts we must echo the words of Reuben and Gad: "we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place..." (Num.32:17a)

May the Lord bless and keep each of you! 

-Tim,

Ephesians 3:20, 21

P.S. - One more thought.  I started to write earlier that spiritual recliners were for heaven, but that idea is inconsistent with both the Scriptures and the nature of God.  Come to think of it, I don't think spiritual easy chairs exist!

Faith or Fear

Hi Everyone,

I have been feeling the weight of all the bad economic news.  It seems impossible to avoid hearing about what’s wrong with our world financially.  I’d be lying to say that it hasn’t been often on my mind.  It has.  My pay hasn’t been cut and my job (at least I don’t think!) is in jeopardy; yet, gloom has settled all around.  There is fear in the eyes and voices of people I talk to.  It’s nearly tangible.  Folks want assurances and solutions and guarantees.

I am consistently skeptical of our government’s ability to “fix” anything.  Further, I’m even more skeptical of politicians saying “whatever it takes” seeking to garner my vote so they’ll be able to right a ship that’s been taking on water for decades.  (Sorry, didn’t mean to be political; but I’m increasingly tired of “hope” pouring from the lips of men who do not point to God as the only source of same.) 

I’m not saying that our elected and appointed officials aren’t earnest in their efforts to help remedy our national difficulties; I’m just suspect of their abilities.  Even if I thought anyone could make the current situation better, in times like these I must remind myself that, ultimately, man can do nothing to secure his own circumstances – either in this moment or in the future.  This is the story of human history.

Think openly with me.  When we get to root of the matter, we really don’t have answers, do we?  The only truly reliable principles for life come from God and His Word.  Man is successful at securing himself only insofar as he makes decisions that align with Scripture.  Since that isn’t the prevailing source of wisdom being consulted in Washington, I hold out little long-term hope for any and all plans being crafted.
So what do I do?  What do we do? 

I have been teaching and meditating for weeks on Numbers 13.  This is the passage where the 12 spies go across the Jordan into Canaan and perform a reconnaissance mission on the Promised Land.  While the twelve spies agreed on the richness of that place, they were split two against ten on what to do with what they saw.  Joshua and Caleb saw the future with eyes of faith.  The other 10 spies peered through eyes of fear.  (Isn’t it amazing how most readers of the Bible can’t recall the names of the fearful 10?  Maybe it’s because those who don’t leave a legacy of faith are lost from memory in the passing of time?) 

Our current circumstances can be viewed in the same two ways: with eyes of fear or eyes of faith.  I have a choice: Will I view the circumstances in front of me through fear-lenses or faith-lenses?  Will I look for the good and gracious hand of God amidst difficulty and challenge or will I resign myself to be like that passenger in every film were a plane, train, or boat is crashing?  He’s the one who cries out in the midst of the disaster: “We’re all gonna die!”

The “facts” in our situations appear to be static.  They are what they are.  Further, the current particulars are downright discouraging.  For example, I heard yesterday that the total loss of value to the investments of Americans in the last 15 months was at 1.4 trillion dollars.  Whoa!  That’s beyond discouraging; yet, the choice remains.
How will I look at what’s taking place around me?  Is God still willing and able to do something good for those who believe His promises?  If so, will I trust Him to bring blessing out of difficulty? Or will I choose in this dark time to believe that His Word does not apply?  It’s easy to frame those questions in light of the current economic pains; yet, these same questions can be asked of a dozen other situations in our lives each day.

The Father has offered us solutions about forgiveness, authority, how to use time, how to speak to others, which priorities to establish and so forth.  Our challenge is found in whether or not we will choose His ways.  We have the choice to see, speak, and think via faith.  And while that kind of life will always run counter to the “prevailing wisdom of the age,” I believe that we will never regret following “the ways of the Lord.”

Here’s one more thought regarding our current economic circumstances.  Given that our security, financial and otherwise, is not derived from man-constructed systems, I think that in the midst of challenging times the children of God need to be all the more passionate in their application of His divine patterns for life.  When the financial markets are in distress, we should embrace the Biblical principles of stewardship all the more. 

What does that look like?  For me, it means I “risk” more of what He’s blessed me with – especially when things are tight.  It’s almost a declaration against the Kingdom of this world: “I don’t have to play by your rules!”  When the world says “there is not enough,” I choose to give more to the Lord and to those without.  It seems counterintuitive; but, when we survey the teachings of Scripture, which of His principles aren’t? 

We are ever left with the choice of faith or fear.  Literally by the moment, we have to decide.  I pray as you survey the circumstances of your life that you choose the ways of God expressed in the vision and voice of Caleb.  “The Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”” (Numbers 13:30 NAS)

Walk in faith!

-Tim

Friendship Revisited

Hi Everyone,

Sorry that I’ve been taking so long in between posts.  I really would like to write more often for two reasons.  I enjoy sharing what’s on my heart and I love the back and forth communication that results from it!

Recently, I was privileged to spend a week with a group of 10 other young pastors from within our denomination (The Foursquare Church).  We spent 5 days together being taught, talking together, sharing perspectives, and generally hanging out.  The event was remarkable.

Situations like that have always made me a little self-conscious.  I’m better now than I used to be but it’s still not my comfort zone.  I suppose it’s because I’ve never really fit with my peer group.  As I explained to the other men during one particularly poignant moment, I’ve always been just a little different.  (I know, you always suspected it and now I’ve “outed” myself!)  I told the group that I didn’t go to traditional college, (I was a night student in an adult learning community) so I missed the whole dorm life / university experience.  I confessed that even with 10 years in the Army National Guard, I always looked at the guys with active duty time and felt they had a bond between them I didn’t share.  When I was young and could have been out playing golf or hunting (I’d have to learn the hunting thing) when I was young, I was working or with my family.  (Susan and I had three kids by the time I was 25.)

Even in ministry, no matter how hard I’d try to just “blend in to the group,” I’m still the pastor, still the leader.  Don’t misunderstand; I have no complaints.  I have a great life and wouldn’t trade with anyone else, but deep peer friendships have been few. 

 A lack of genuine friendship in the lives of people goes all the way back to Eden.  The most critical human friendship was pitifully scarred with the first acts of disobedience.  God told Eve “your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (Gen. 3:16b)  Friendship was corrupted and became something other than the pure pleasure of sharing life while walking together.

I’m not writing to say that like an infomercial “that in just five days you, too, can cultivate lifelong friendships!”  No, it’s not that easy and that’s not what happened.  But what did take place was both encouraging and a splendid reminder of what we are called to in Christ.

The other men I was with are not my best friends.  They are not my comrades from battles past with whom I can share stories of victories won or defeats endured.  No, right now they are new friends who I have begun to cherish.  Time will tell whether our connections will grow stronger and deeper, but as of this writing, I’m simply pleased and hopeful.  Those five days helped remind me of the one true force that we have in the Kingdom of God.  This “force” can both draw the world to the foot of the cross and sustain our souls on the path of life: sincere love of between the followers of Christ.

I tasted a fresh bit of that love when I was away.  My week with the other young pastors was a time to receive and return the love of Christ.  Over our meals and after our sessions, we didn’t talk about church sizes, programs, budgets, or staff.  We talked of fishing, baseball, our families, and our weaknesses.  Slowly but steadily, friendships began to form and strengthen.  And though I missed Susan and my kids, by week’s end, I was sorry to leave my new family.  Returning home held a tinge of sadness because my heart had been softened and stirred by my new friends.

Friendship within the Body of Christ has been anything but sweet and precious for so many dear believers.  Pain, betrayal, division, and departure have characterized many of our Christian “relationships.”  Yet isn’t my experience with those men what we all should be experiencing each time we have to leave a church service, prayer meeting, or small group gathering?  Yes, it is.  At the core, isn’t sharing a journey with an increasing company of good friends what we’d all love to experience?  Yes, it is.  Isn’t the unreasonable, unfailing, and ungraspable love of God that flows between us a part of heaven we get to experience now?  Yes, it is.  Isn’t that love our only hope to rescue the lonely and left out?  Yes, yes, yes, it is.

My friend, Donnie, is planting a church early next year.  As I was saying to him the other night: “Buddy, God-love flowing between us and out from us is all we have.  Free coffee and bottled water, glossy post card mailings, flawlessly orchestrated services with slick packaging and perfect music, pithy preaching, and street fairs are all fine, but in the end, the only thing that will change a heart for eternity is the love of God.  And the only way people see that love is when it streams unabated between God’s kids.  Whatever we do to reach the world must be saturated by that love or we are wasting our time, money, and energy.”

Take this as a fresh reminder.  Risk again.  Go love.

Amazing...kinda

Good Morning, Friends.

Sometimes, I’m amazing. 

I’m not being vain or arrogant.  It’s true though.  Sometimes I will hear something I’ve said (almost as if it’s in the third person), and think “Wow, that was profound!”  Sometimes I’ll do something or respond to someone in a way that is genuinely free of selfishness or hidden agenda.  Some days, I’m spiritually “in the zone” doing life with the ease of Rafael Nadal playing on a French Open clay court.  I’m cruising! 

Wait.

Before you freak out and think I’m a heretic, let me clarify.  Of course, I understand that when “I’m amazing” it’s not really me – it’s the Spirit of God working in me.  I understand the spiritual realities of my existence.  Yet on those days when I’m really moving in the Spirit, it seems, in short spurts, to be almost effortless.  The fruit of my life is healthy and plentiful.  I’m not sure if my experience mirrors Jesus’ words in Mark 4 where He says that the seed sown on the good soil produces a crop “thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold” but, the harvest does come rolling in and it’s great! The whole process of Him working in me is...amazing!

But.  (You knew there would be a “but.”)

On other days, what feels like the polar opposite seems to take place.  In that same Mark 4 passage, Jesus says that some seed falls on the thorny soil and the good plants are choked out by “the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things.”  The strangulation of the good and fruitful parts of my life can take place seemingly in an instant!  I’m not trying to be dramatic, but I can be striding forward, doing fine, and “Wham!” out of nowhere the weeds are killing me.  It’s spooky how unspiritual and unfruitful I can become in what feels like mere moments.  Here’s a piece of what I wrote recently in my journal:

“Thorns so easily creep into my life, Daddy.  They so easily spring up – nearly overnight.  Their ability to do so is a testimony to my lack of addressing the root struggles of my heart.  Could they appear if their roots weren’t buried beneath the surface of the soil?  It seems that I can manage the thorns sticking out above the surface of the ground, but, all the while, the lower reaches of the plant are still active.  How else could I succumb to a barrage of sinful actions fully contradictory to the Spirit within me?”

It’s a wild and disconcerting situation.  Because of this, I’m asking the Lord to help me consistently invite His work at subterranean level.  He already sees the root causes that make for sudden failures.  I desperately need him to work on the sources rather than the symptoms.  And so I invite Him to come and dig.

I confess this makes for some very uncomfortable moments with the Lord.  For example, I have to admit my judgmental thoughts toward others aren’t just passing perspectives or casual opinions instead they are hellish indictments borne of pride and self-sufficiency that certainly and effectively erodes the tenderness of my heart.  I also have to admit that lustful thoughts aren’t just a lack of mental discipline, but rather are dashboard warning lights that point to the gaping holes in my intimacy with the Father.  Further, I have to admit that sometimes my desire to be alone doesn’t stem from a desire to be able to love others better but is because I seek to avoid them and their problems.  (I did say having Him dig for the root was uncomfortable, right?)

The process is slow and forces me to stay engaged with the Spirit in a moment by moment way.  He works in me one thought, one word, and one prayer at a time.

In reality, the truth is that I’m not amazing and I’m not a loss cause.  I’m not pure, sifted, virgin soil ready to grow endless fruit for the glory of God.  Neither am I a field filled with crabgrass, briars, and milkweed.  I’m a good field with good soil (salvation by grace), but I’m being painstakingly weeded (the pursuit of holiness) by the guy with the hoe – Jesus.  I’m capable of great fruitfulness or great weediness.  (I made that word up.)  And all the while, the divine plan for me is to so cooperate with His work in my life that the thorns become less and less and the healthy soil occupies more and more of the field.

This is a lifelong endeavor.  If you’ve ever gardened, you understand.  The weeds must constantly be kept at bay because they, by nature, ever seek to encroach on the good ground.  Yet the Father is able; nothing is impossible with Him.  Or positively framed, in Him all things are possible.  This makes me happy.  This gives me hope. 

He is truly, and exclusively, amazing.

Tim

Where have all the cheerleaders gone?

Good Morning Everyone,

Recently, I was at theJourney (theBridge's youth ministry) for one of their weekly gatherings.  I had the privilege to speak to the group and when the talk was over, some of the teens were playing basketball in the next room.  My youngest son, Trent (7), had accompanied Susan and I to the event (All the rest of the kids are in the youth group; can anyone say "Tim is getting old?")  He came up to me nearly in tears because all the "big kids" were ignoring his efforts to enter their wild-version of basketball.

Honestly, I didn't give his feelings much thought because he really was too small to be out on the court with the older guy so I quickly explained that it was probably better for him to watch.  This was not what Trent wanted to hear.  He drifted away from me and I continued the conversation I was having with another teen.

A few minutes later, I heard the sound of my son's name being chanted over and over.  "Trent, Trent, Trent, Trent, Trent..." I looked back to the court and a whole group of teenagers from ages 11 to 19 where standing around Trent as he took shot after shot from the floor right in front of the basket.  His shots fell far short, than a little short, and then finally, after maybe 10 attempts, he connected and made a basket.  The small gymnasium erupted with shouts and applause!  One young man picked up Trent and put him on his shoulder, ala star player after the winning shot of the big game, and began trotting around the room as the cheering continued.

Trent's face revealed the power of the moment.  He was beaming!  He smiled so broadly I could see most of his ever-loose-and-falling-out teeth!  If only for a moment, he was a star.  The big kids were not only aware of him - they were celebrating him.

I think this is a pretty good picture of what God had envisioned for his Body, the church.   He wants us to not only recognize one another but to celebrate and lift up each one - especially the small and incapable among us who need a cheerleader.  I'm not a huge fan of the "sport" cheerleading, but I'm a huge fan of the concept of the wide-eyed, full-lunged encouraging they do!  Trent loved it; frankly, who doesn't?

Our culture is self-obsessed in ways that just baffle me.  Nearly every commercial on television, advertisement on the Internet, and marketing scheme devised by large business emphasizes the importance, wait, better put, the supreme importance of self.  It's sickening.  Those of us who've met the living Christ understand that not only is that mindset counter to the teaching of the Bible, it also robs us of one of life's purest joys: celebrating others. 

Be a cheerleader today.  No, you don't need the little skirt or some pom-poms.  (Most of us don't have the legs for those outfits anyway!)  Instead, look for an overlooked one.  Regardless of age or position in life, look for someone who's been excluded from the team and begin to chant his name.  Through the greatness and gracefulness of God, remind her that she can do it.  Let self be lost for a while in the unrivaled thrill of celebrating someone else.  Go cheer!

Ra-Ra-Ra,

Tim

Losing a very little one...

Hi Everyone,

I received the following e-mail recently from a friend who's wife lost a baby due to miscarriage very early in her pregnancy.  I thought his words were genuine and expressed a level of maturity and wisdom I found both refreshing and reassuring.  (I asked his permission before reprinting this.)

"I tried to send a text to most of you yesterday. We lost the pregnancy. It is an interesting dichotomy of events to experience the joy and excitement that comes with pregnancy and the sorrow of the loss of a child; in the few weeks we wondered and few days we knew of the pregnancy, we grew to love and care for our baby. However the other shoe drops, and we are saddened at the thought of what might have been: a precious little girl and or an adventurous little boy. Needless to say, we know God is at work in us, refining us, and challenging us to trust in Him more.

Over the past few days, I continually find myself pondering the Lord's will - and how in the midst of situations such as this, we can often villainize, despise, or just avoid the Lord's will. God's will is sovereign, God is faithful, and God is good. I am not the victim of supernatural cruelty nor have I been ignored by immortal indifference; He loves me and I cannot consider Him an adversary.  I am realizing dependence on God in both good and bad times. I will seek and know His purpose, His plan, the map and route of the trip He is taking with me. He has charted the territory and He knows the land. I will trust Him.

Thanks for your prayers."

The Lord is indeed good.  Haven't we all gone through seasons and times of not being able to wrap our minds around His plans or His ways?  Many are in such places even now.  It is hard.  No one should ever be made to feel bad, or unspiritual, or immature just because life is sometimes hard.  It is.  There is mystery around every turn.  Who can say with certainty what the future may hold?  Only One can.

What we can say regardless of life's "unpredictable hardness" is what my young friend has written so well: "God's will is sovereign; God is faithful and God is good."  This, my friends, has to be enough.  Joyfully, we can proclaim: He is enough!  In the words of that 80's Sandi Patti song, He is "more than amazing, more than marvelous, more than miraculous could ever be, He's more than wonderful..." 

I'm so glad I know Him.  I'm so glad He knows me.

-Tim

Breakthrough: Closer Than We Think

Good day, everyone!

 

I am filled with joy this morning because of the Living Word of God.  When I think that generations of faithful believers had to navigate their walks with Christ without the ability to read their own Bibles, I am overwhelmed with gratefulness.  I have access to the Scriptures; and in them, I have access to the heart and mind of God.  What an incredible and often unheralded blessing!

 

This morning I saw something in the Bible that just leapt off the page at me from  John 19.  Here it is from the New American Standard translation: “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.”  (v.41).  I have probably read that verse 50 times in my life as I’ve worked through the Gospel of John; and, I had never given much thought to it.  (I know this because it’s not underlined in any of the Bibles I have with me!)

 

Yet today, as I am praying and seeking the Lord for wisdom, insight, and courage to follow His leading in my life, family, and ministry, this passage jumps out.  As many of you know from my last blog entry, I’ve been wrestling with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.  I have been “clinging” to Jesus and the incomparable privilege of knowing Him as my Savior and Lord.  While I have been raw inside, my prayers have been more “real,” my longing for the Presence of God has been greater, and I have been seeing His hand move in unexpected ways.  As many of you personally understand so well, it has been a “good and hard” season.

 

During these months, I have been meditating on a couple of other passages.  One is the classic word that the Lord gives Paul when he is at the end of his ability to fight: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9b NAS).  In Christ, I have enough.  All that I need is wrapped up in the Person of Jesus Christ.  Period!

 

A second is a more obscure verse from 2 Chronicles 15.  This promise from God is given to King Asa through a prophet.  “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” (v.7). How many times have we needed to hear those words?  It is the equivalent to a “Keep on keepin’ on!” from God Himself.  The passage is a reminder that the Lord sees and will not fail to reward those who seek to faithfully live for His glory.  If this was southern-style church meeting, I might now say, “Can I get an ‘Amen’ on that?!”

 

Then I see this seemingly inconsequential verse from John 19.  Look back at it for a moment.  Go ahead, read it again – I’ll wait.  Do you see it? 

 

It was in the place where Jesus was crucified that the garden was located.  In the garden was the tomb in which Jesus buried.  Further, it was from that tomb the obedient son, Jesus, broke every curse, boundary, and consequence that the first Adam brought upon us by his disobedience.  Think spatially.  The garden tomb was close to the cross!

 

The launch pad for the miraculous breakthrough of the resurrection was within sight of the site of defeat, despair, and hopelessness!  When the Mary came that next Sunday morning to anoint the body of Jesus, she discovered the stone rolled away from an empty tomb - just steps away from Calvary! 

 

Can you see the connection?  In the midst of our struggles, as we wrestle with our own brokenness, as the pain, disappointment, and even disillusionment of life presses in, victory is at hand.  It is nearby.  The death of the cross feels a million miles from the glory of the resurrection, but they are not far apart from one another.  They’re intimately connected.

 

This is true in our lives.  The breakthroughs we long for flow out of the breakdowns we endure.  As we choose to believe that God is using our suffering, our struggle, and even our sin to in some way bring us to new pastures of feeding and new levels of fruitfulness, we can catch a glimpse of that rolled-away-stone from the base of the cross.  God’s redeeming hand is at work recovering and restoring our lives, bringing us unrealized blessing – all within the shadow of the tree we’ve been tortured upon.  It’s amazing.

 

This picture makes me think of the passage in Colossians where Paul talks about how the Father embarrassed His enemies transforming the cross from a symbol of defeat into a bulletin board for announcing the victory of the saints.  “He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross.  In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.” (2:14, 15 NLT)  In Christ, our places of shame and loss share the same address as our breakthroughs. 

 

Let me encourage you.  If you are raw and aching, if you are wounded and without hope, look up.  Instead of staring only at the cross, turn around and lean back upon it.  Rest your head upon the coarse wood and look out.  The garden is nearby that holds the tomb from which springs your victory.  Rejoice!  You are closer to breaking through than you think!

 

Standing with you in hope,

Tim