something i read

have you ever had a pity party? i will have to answer to the affirmative on that one.

have you ever signed up to work in a ministry, and then become the leader of that ministry, and then have some of the members of that ministry not live up to your expectations, and then think poorly of them? wow, that was a loaded question. i will have to answer to the affirmative on that one, too.

i need to get off my soap box and put what i was actually thinking about when i started this. sorry, i got thought hi-jacked. so to go along with the title of this post "something i read" i will show you it:

... The truth is that most American Christians
are looking to be served ...

do you qualify that statement? i admit i have had those feelings.

The Message of the Cross - John 19:1-27

this post was taken from charles stanley's "in touch daily devotional", so don't think that i was able to come up with all this great stuff, but i wanted to share it with you. it reminded me of this sunday.

this sunday i had the great privilege to lead communion. along with that great honor, my wife told me that i did such a great job that it made her cry. some people might find that upsetting, but to me that was another great honor. "why?" do you ask. well ... it touched her, and it made her think of the sacrifice that God gave us through the giving of His Son.

i started it off by having a song played, and then i talked about what the song meant to me and why i used it. i didn't have the praise team sing it or song leader know this, because the intent was for the congregation to listen to it, and not think of anything else. i also had it played because i can never get through it without my eyes leaking. i can't read it, or sing it without that happening. the same goes for the song "come share the Lord", but that's another story. the song i am talking about is "how deep the Father's love for us". that song is just so appropriate for the situation to me:

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts no power no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

being a father myself, and no not to say i am like God, but for God to do this for me ... its beyond comprehension. this line says it well:

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away

God's love for us was/is so great that He could not bear to watch His Son die. that line gets me every time. this line finishes it well:

But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

for God to redeem me with the giving of His Son, its just amazing that He would do that for me.

well, anyway, that probably shoulda been another post, but here we go.

read this quoted article and please mention in the comments your thoughts.

Rome used the cross as a brutal method for executing criminals. Through Jesus'sacrificial act, its message became one of hope and life for those who believe in Him.

The cross meant various things to different people in the gospel account. To Pilate, Judea's governor, it was the place where an innocent man had died. The Pharisees and Sadducees, on the other hand, saw the cross as the way to eliminate a problem—it meant that the radical rabbi was finished, and their position and authority were no longer threatened.

When Judas Iscariot heard that Jesus was condemned to die, he became greatly distressed. I believe the betrayer thought his actions would force Jesus to declare His kingdom, with Judas taking a high position in the new government. Instead, his error in judgment crushed any personal ambition.

To Mary, who knew the perfection of her son's life and His identity as the Son of God, the cross represented shameful crime. It also meant the fulfillment of prophecy. When Jesus was eight days old, Simeon had prophesied that a sword would one day pierce Mary's soul. (Luke 2:34-35) The cross brought that about.

To Jesus' disciples, the Crucifixion was the time when their beloved friend and Messiah died. Their intimate friendship with Jesus seemed to end, as did their dream of being freed from Roman jurisdiction.

What response would you give to the question, "What does the cross mean to you?" Is it the place where a good man lost his life, a troublemaker was eliminated, or the Son of God died to save you?

one more thing that i thought of as i was finishing this post, did you know that there was not even a word to describe the pain that the person went through on the cross while being crucified? can you think of the word? the word is ... excruciating. so if/when you here that word you can think of the kind of pain Jesus went through on the cross. just thought you might like to know.

questions

why does it hurt the worst when someone in your own blood family questions you on things that you do?

i'm sitting here at my desk while at work, and i can't shake this feeling from something that is controversial to a member of my family that i grew up in. a member of my family will not attend church with me when they come to visit because when they visited in the past they heard women singing into microphones. (i may be opening a can of worms here that will just keep overflowing, but it hurts me really bad.) we talked about this, and my question was why did they not have a problem with it before when they came to visit us in texas. their answer was the we were already members, and they did not want to stir up anything. TOO LATE!!

so when we moved to l.a., they came to visit while we were still looking for a church home, and there was this one church that we liked. so we went to visit with them. when we told them that we placed membership, they basically said that they will never attend church with us when they come to visit. sad. very sad. it really upsets me.

then when we went and visited with them, their preacher preached three sermons (mind you we had visited three times since we had moved to l.a.) and they all were based on "if your church does not believe the way we do, you are going to hell." (coincidence? i don't think so.) needless to say we have not returned to visit that church. however, it is a moot point as he has moved on, and so have the members of my family.

sorry to unload like that, but it all resurfaced when the member attended a sermon/meeting and the subject was spoken on. they proceeded to write and say how "the truth" was preached, and how women should not sing into mics, and the next thing will be her getting up and leading a sermon. that is sad to me. we had come to an agreement that we would "agree to disagree" on the subject of mics. in my response i wanted to say that the recordings of the singings that they attend had women are singing ... into microphones, eventhough they were in the congregation, and were being recorded with mics there, too. that line of thinking and revelation would not have worked, because their way of thinking would be that the women were not holding the mics, ya' know? ... i'm so ... i dunno how to express it in words ...

pray for me to let this go, please.

check this out

i got this from ben overby's blog. its really, really good. it talks about the way i view the church should be. we never, ever, ever get things right the first time (except for beginner's luck) and yet we are afraid to try because we may fail. i can say this to you because i am the world's worst at this. i feel that if i can't do it right then i best not even try. read this quote from ben:

A big part of what our churches ought to be about is forming Christ-followers into God-glorifying humans. Unfortunately our method has to do primarily with talking, giving instruction, assigning a few passages, or passing out a book. Whereas Aristotle had a school out of which he shared his philosophy, Jesus called men to follow Him, to become His disciples, to be with Him in order to become like Him. The school of Jesus was dynamic, interactive; it involved instruction, modeling, questions and answers, hands-on demonstrations, critiques, an expectation that the students would miss the point and make mistakes, correctives in the form of tough rebukes or encouraging words and forgiveness.

We visited Tennessee over the weekend. Our youngest son bought a tie that he intends to wear to church as soon as possible (it's a University of Tennessee tie--it's a good week to be a UT fan). Not knowing how to tie the thing, he asked me for a bit of coaching yesterday. I happened to be busy at the time and mumbled a few instructions. Tying a tie is really a simple feat. However, like tying shoes, it's not the sort of thing you learn by hearing instructions. Finally, I quit what I was doing, hung the tie around his neck, and showed him what I meant. He did what I did, making all sorts of mistakes, getting more instruction and modeling, until he understood the process. Then he went to a mirror and practiced over and over again until he'd tied the perfect knot.

It's much easier for any of us to learn anything if we're given a hands-on example. When I was in business, the best salesman I ever had needed to be trained, he needed to be shown how to sell the product. I began his training (like everyone else) by talking but progressed quickly to showing/modeling. I wanted him to have confidence when he actually stood before a customer and represented the business. The final phase of his training came when he actually engaged with his first few customers, trying out what we'd talked about, using some of the things I'd shown him, made plenty of mistakes, made necessary adjustments, and developed his own particular style.

Tying ties and selling products may not be as complicated as brain surgery, but both are learned the same way. We act as listening, learning apprentices, then under careful guidance we slowly take over, making mistakes, correcting our errors, until finally we are masters.

What's true of doctors and salesmen, a 13-year-old learning to tie a knot and an auto mechanic in training, a dog trainer or a florists, is true of Christianity. Christianity (which ought to mean authentic humanness) requires learning to be like Christ. A big part of what our churches ought to be about is forming Christ-followers into God-glorifying humans. Unfortunately our method has to do primarily with talking, giving instruction, assigning a few passages, or passing out a book. Whereas Aristotle had a school out of which he shared his philosophy, Jesus called men to follow Him, to become His disciples, to be with Him in order to become like Him. The school of Jesus was dynamic, interactive; it involved instruction, modeling, questions and answers, hands-on demonstrations, critiques, an expectation that the students would miss the point and make mistakes, correctives in the form of tough rebukes or encouraging words and forgiveness. Christ was reshaping humanity into His own image, and He did so not by merely sending a book, or opening up a three-year institution of higher learning, but by being the Master to a handful of unimpressive and unlikely apprentices.

Alex sought my advice on his tie because he knew I could tie a tie. We desperately need to be living Christ-centered, Christ-shaped lives so that as light we are sought by those who are in need. When the world sees true humanity, some will approach and say, "Can you show me how to deal with worry the way you do?" or "I'm confused and hurting and want to know how it is that you're so much at peace and full of joy regardless of the situation," or "I'm losing my wife--can you help?" The questions might come from the person in the office next door or the pew in front of us. When the question comes we are given a window of opportunity to enter into a relationship with someone who needs discipleship (whether they know it or not). At some point we have to just quit some of the other stuff in our lives so that we can respond, hang the tie around the neck of the one with the questions, and say, "Here's what I mean. Let me show you step by step." We all need instruction, but instruction must include not only the exchange of facts in a auditorium but more practical, hands-on modeling. If we're going to be effective in a world with too few master teachers, it is a must that we follow Jesus in scripture, continuing in His word so that we can become his disciples; that is, doing the things He says, trying His teaching out, making mistakes, being limber enough to receive correction from His Spirit, all as we grow into His likeness slowly but surely.

As an example, hear Jesus' instruction regarding anger, or lust, or retaliation as given in Matthew 5. Prayerfully listen to what He has to say. Memorize some of His words. Get your system soaked in His instruction. Next, watch how He handles Himself in those situations that might typically manifest broken humanness in the form of contempt, using the opposite sex for personal gratification, or resisting any form of vulnerability--e.g., always getting the last punch in. Finally, after hearing Him, prayerfully watching Him through scripture, go out and try what He says; that is, train to be like Him. We will make mistakes along the way. Don't hate your mistakes to the point that they cause you to come undone. Going the wrong way often becomes the catalyst, the experience we need to finally go the right way (remember Peter?). Jesus' school is still dynamic, interactive, inviting our toughest questions, and producing authentic humans. All that remains for us is to decide whether or not we are going to take Him seriously.

Ben