Heartbreak

Wow, what a game last night! My emotions are totally spent. As I was watching the game it felt reminiscent to me of the final game of the World Series playoffs when the Diamondbacks were playing the Yankees. You almost couldn't watch but you couldn't not watch either. Unfortunately, the Superbowl didn't end quite as well as the World Series. After the world series I couldn't sleep because of the excitement of the win. Last night I couldn't sleep because of the disappointment of the loss.

I know,"it's just sports" they tell me. But it is so easy to get wrapped up in it. It becomes personal. In a way, I'm glad it does. There aren't very many things we get passionate about anymore. There aren't very many things that people rally around anymore. For a couple of weeks, Arizona rallied together. We had a common bond; be it ever so trite. Maybe there will be a day when we rally around something a little more spiritual. Maybe someday there will be a cause, a Christian movement, an event that, rather than divide, brings all of Arizona together and causes the same kind of good will, support and determination that the Superbowl brought us this year.


Pastor Jeff

Thanksgiving

What do you say about Thanksgiving that hasn't already been said by thousands of other people? We go through exercises this time of year recalling God's blessings in our lives and rehearsing all the things we should be thankful for. So what perspective can be offered in days like we are in when there seems to be less to be thankful for?

As a Christian, it is not really legitimate to say "I had more to be thankful for in the past than I do now." The call to the follower of Jesus is to recognize that we can be thankful in all circumstances. The apostle Paul says “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."(Romans 5:2b) I think it would be safe to change the word "rejoice" to "are thankful" without destroying the meaning of that verse. It is expected that no matter what happens in a Christians life that, if we understand the gospel message, we can and should always be thankful for the hope of our salvation - it isn't all that hard to comprehend. But then Paul goes on to say, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)

This concept is a little harder to get our heart and mind around. Is Paul actually saying rejoice, be happy, be thankful when we suffer? Why would I be happy to suffer? How could I make myself be thankful for bad things that happen to me? Because we learn as followers of Jesus to not just look at our current circumstances but to look at the end result. The promise of God is that when we suffer, He produces in us perseverance, character and hope.

My oldest son works in a auto body shop. He spends most of his day sanding cars; getting them ready to be painted. Does he always love all the sanding? No. But he finds fulfillment in seeing the finished product of a car being painted and looking really nice. He also builds some pretty good muscles in his arms and legs - not to mention he gets a pay check also. The job itself may not always be fun but the end results are worth it.

No one is saying you should be ecstatic every time you suffer but you can be thankful knowing that the end result of the building up of your spiritual body is taking place and that God will strengthen you and help you through the circumstance that you face.

What are you thankful for this year? Maybe this year it is not about the things you have. Maybe this year you'll have to dig a little deeper to see that though your circumstances don't warrant it, you can be thankful for what God is doing in you through those circumstances.

I hope this year is the best Thanksgiving ever for you.

The picture is of my dog, Sadie. I had to put her to sleep last week. She was over 11 years old. Up until recently she was very healthy and then all of the sudden went down hill fast. I used to say, part jokingly and part serious, that my animals have a $50.00 a year limit. Anything beyond that and they are "out of here." I found that was not as easy to say when it meant life or death to my dog that has been a part of our family for almost 11 of her years. But after spending a few hundred dollars with the prognosis looking like it would end up being several thousand dollars with no guarantee of good health, we couldn't afford to make those kinds of commitments.

I thought I was going to be tough through all of this. But when the Vet. actually gave her the shot, I cried like a baby. It was really hard. One person asked Rhonda and I if we had prayed prayers for Sadie to be received in heaven. I know that some people believe they will see their animals in heaven. There are indications that there will be animals in heaven (Isaiah 11) but I don't think they will be the animals that we have had on earth while we are living.

It's amazing how attached we get to animals. We almost treat them as our own kids sometimes. We probably get a little carried away sometimes. But I do thank God for animals that He has given us to enjoy life with. His creation is so amazing. I miss Sadie. But I'm thankful that God created animals that we could see His handiwork in and enjoy the companionship that they give.



Jeff

Fireproof

Rhonda and I went to see Fireproof last night. I have to confess that I am not a big fan of Christian films because they tend to be poor quality and a little too "tidy." what I mean by "tidy" is, they tend to make the story and situations a little too easy to fix. I will be the first to proclaim that with Jesus anything can be fixed. But sometimes the road is a difficult one and often very painful.

I felt that Fireproof was a little bit predictable and "tidy" but I also thought that of all the Christian films I've seen, it was the most realistic. I appreciated the fact that they dealt with addiction, fantasy, anger and marital unfaithfulness. Those are issues that many people face in today's world. I also appreciated the fact that both characters struggled with whether they really wanted to make the marriage work or not. Again, very real struggles that people face.

I left the movie wishing that I saw more reconciliation in marriages. Often couples have just given up and have no desire or energy to work on the marriage. The truth is, at least in the short term, it is easier to get divorced than to go through hard work of making the marriage work. If your marriage is struggling, will you please face the issues and work on the marriage before it's too late? Even though divorce may be the easier option in the short term, in the long term divorce leaves deep pain, destruction and conflict that lasts for years. In the long run, working on your relationship, learning to serve each other and founding your marriage in relationship with God will be the greatest thing you could ever do.

Go see Fireproof together. I am going to be purchasing some of the 40 day love challenge books that the writers of the movie have made available. Ask me for one and I'll give it to you for free.I believe you will look back 6 months or a year from now and be glad you put the time and effort into your marriage that it has needed for a long time.


Pastor Jeff

I was at a funeral today. Not my favorite way to start my week. There was a little 96 year old lady named Iva who had passed away without too many people noticing. Though I don't really like funerals, one thing I do enjoy is looking at the photos of an elderly person when they were young. Iva wasn't too much to look at as a 96 year old but she was beautiful as a 20 year old. She had gone to business college then to bible college then to seminary. She ministered in several different churches. Quite an impressive resume for a woman in the early 1900's.

I've decided that I judge too many people by their cover. I assume to much about people. when I really stop to listen, everyone is interesting. Everyone is worth knowing. God created us so diversely and given us such great opportunities to live. The next time I speak with an elderly person, I'm going to ask more questions. What were the highlights of your life? What interesting things have you done? I want to know more people. I mean really know them. Not just where they are now but where they have been and where they are going.

Maybe going to this funeral today wasn't all about Iva. Maybe it had a lot more to do with what God is teaching me. Maybe that is the way Iva would have wanted it.

camping

The picture is a little fuzzy but I'm the one in the middle. I grew up in Oregon. This picture was taken of me when I was around 4 years old at a place in eastern Oregon that half of my church used to camp at called Pelton Dam. A friend of mine sent me this photo. I had never seen it up until today. One glance at it brought a flood of memories into my mind of the fun excitement and spiritual formation that took place on those camping trips.

You mean you had to go to church while you were camping? No. The only thing I did was have fun. but I was with people who love God and had fun at the same time. Those people had a profound influence on my life as I watched through kids eyes what being a Christian was all about. Sometimes we learn more out of church than in church.

I have been looking recently at Paul's prayers in his letters to the churches. Though there are many of them, there are 5 (4 if you don't attribute Hebrews to Paul) that I believe are model prayers for us learn from and use in the circumstances we find ourselves in.

The first prayer that I find very helpful is in Ephesians 1:15-19. The prayer starts by saying "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers..."

It occurs to me that being thankful for the things God is doing in others lives, whether it be an individual or church or other Christian organization, should be a given but often is not. I have to admit that at times when I'm struggling or times when I'm spiritually dry, thanksgiving is not always the first thing that comes to mind when I hear about God doing something great elsewhere. We can sometimes get angry or bitter when it seems like God is working in everyone's life but our own. A spirit of competition or pride can often take us away from the very thing that Paul is expressing; being thankful that God is working in people's lives!

The next time you hear of God doing something great in a life other than your own, I would challenge you to check your motives to be sure that you are really being thankful for what God is doing around you. Because when you are truly thankful then you can fulfill the next directive - "remembering you in my prayers"