St. John Studies

When a friend left town, he called me over to his house and gave me a job or two.  He asked me to deliver a children’s Bible to the church so it could be used.

I brought it home and as I was about to put the Bible in a bag to deliver it I saw some paper inside.

Knowing my friend, I anticipated that the papers would have profound thoughts in them and I was not disappointed.

They were thoughts that hit me hard when I experienced the love of our Christ for the first time:  “Every single thing we do begins with a choice.”

Now these thoughts hit me again, 18 years later.

When I fell in love with Christ, I began to see clearly that I had choices to make.  What was the best one for God?  What ones were for selfish me or others?

Indeed my friend knew the bedrock of life, that life all boils down to choices.

Pastor Chan has been trying to get us to see that in Chapter 3.  He advocates a lifestyle that is crazy.  Tradition would call on the Christian to live a life of sacrifice on earth for a heavenly reward but he is not calling on us to do that.  That is the age-old concept of “life is a veil of tears.”  Pastor Chan is calling on us to take chances here on earth to do the work of the Lord while we are here on earth.  There is the reward.  The life of purpose is what we get.  The life of joy in helping others is what we get.  The life of peace is what we get.

When we make the right choices.

The “real crazy” life according to Pastor Chan is storing up things on earth, living a safe life and hunkering down.  He believes in taking chances for God.

My friend had other words on his paper.

Isiah 5:5-6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”

Pastor Chan knows that any millisecond God could take your life.

Choose to serve God.

Now.

Before it is too late.

I am an Adult Sunday School Teacher.

Every Sunday I teach I see a variety of views expressed in my class.

That’s ok.  My goal as a teacher is not to manipulate their viewpoints in my class as much as inform and instruct on a lesson that I hope the class finds relevant.

This past Sunday, I knew we were having class following a tough week for many in my class.

You see, my class if full of people who tend to be very conservative.

That’s ok.

But the Supreme Court decision about the Affordable Care Act did not go the way most conservatives wanted.  Following that was the Supreme Court decision about the civil legality of same-sex marriage.

I knew it was going to be a rough Sunday.

I don’t like to talk politics in Adult Sunday School.

Just my opinion, but politics is of “this world” and political talk is rarely fact-based.   Too often a heated discussion ensues and division occurs and people make broad statements about types of people.  Very little is accomplished and it all boils down to generalities which don’t seem that relevant or helpful.

This past Sunday, I let the venting occur as much as I could.

It was hard; at times I just wanted to leave.

I did not.

I hung in there with a message that Pastor Chan might have appreciated.  “We as Christians should be about the business of helping others and practicing love.  Love opens doors of opportunity for us and others.  Hate shuts door of opportunity for us and others.”

I don’t know if they got it.

I repeated it several times.

You see, I have come to believe in Ephesians 3:20-21 from The Message “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”

God gives us all skills and abilities to make the world a better place.  It is just a matter of choice; are you going to use those skills and abilities or are you going to waste them?

Back to my Adult Sunday School Class:  I could not convince the class that we were wasting our time talking politics so I became part Sunday School teacher, part therapist, as the riled up people got their feelings out.  My wife said, “Maybe they needed to do that.”

At least I did not get visibly upset.

Pastor Chan is often associated with the “Emergent Church.”  That type of church binds people of all types together under the umbrella of Christianity.  Politics does not matter as much as Scripture.  Politics does not matter as much as loving God and Jesus Christ.  Politics does not matter because we are all supposed to heed the two greatest commandments: Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

Where is Republican or Democrat in those ideas?  Should Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton follow these ideas?  Of course they should.  Should Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Donald Trump and the many Republican candidates follow these ideas?  Of course they should.

What is Pastor Chan up to?  He is trying to find ways to bridge gaps between people.  He is trying to go back to the early church when the similarities of Christian belief were more important than any worldly difference.

He’s trying to get it right.

You see, a decision by the Supreme Court will fuel debate for many days, months and years to come if you keep throwing fuel on that fire.  But what are we doing when we have that debate?  In my opinion, we are wasting precious energy.

That energy needs to be applied to real problems here on earth; the man up the road who has Alzheimer’s and can’t find a ride to the doctor.  The friend who has just lost his job and he needs to talk to someone.  The child who has no father but he could benefit from some time with a positive male role model.

God needs us to focus on what we can do to make the world a better place, in His Holy Name.

You see I believe He wants to turn His Spirit deeply and gently within us as we take on tasks worthy of our attention and His.

What is the greatest good you can think of; the greatest good thing that you could ever get?

A new car?

How about the gift of health?

What about all the money you will ever need for your whole life?

For the Christian, is it that heavenly final destination at the time of your death?

No, according to Pastor Chan; it is God. More specifically, it is experiencing God while we are on earth.

I have to agree, wholeheartedly.

Too often we get obsessed with the stuff of life.  You know what I am talking about, large homes, exotic vacations, stylish clothes, lavish furnishings and the hottest technology.   I am not sure that God is in all that stuff. Pastor Chan confronts that thinking with the lines “Are you in love with God or just His stuff?”  In other words, do you think what you have is a God whose main job is showering you with His gifts?  That kind of God is the great gift-giver. The stuff can be so distracting.

Most of us watch television and as we do, we are bombarded with thousands of commercials which promise a better life.  All we have to do is purchase the product advertised.  How stupid we are. Will a product give us the satisfaction we long for?  Of course it won’t.

Let’s go deeper.

What is it that we long for?

Acceptance of who we are.

Get real.  None of us is perfect.  We are doing the best we can with what we have and some seem to have more than others.  Yes, certain people seem to have advantages when it comes to intelligence, or appearance or personality.  Others just muddle through the best they can.  But even those advantaged people have flaws and certainly the rest of us do.  Really, all of us are doing the best we can with what we have.

What is it that we long for?

Acceptance of who we are is not enough.

Really we want someone to love us, unconditionally. We hear that term all the time in church and sometimes it occurs on some popular talk show but what does it mean?   It means God loves you “warts and all.”  Your imperfections do not matter to Him.  Pastor Chan understands this type of love and he expresses it when he says “what a beautiful gift it is to have the one you love look you in the eye and say ‘I love you.  Not your beauty, your money, your family or your car.  Just you.’”

God does love you. But we just don’t seem to be able to get it. We just can’t wrap our minds around His love for us.  And even harder to understand is that the love is ours to experience right here, right now; we don’t have to wait until we die and see Him in heaven.  It is now.

Intellectually we get it.  A few days ago, I blogged on the song “Jesus Love Me” the children’s song we have all heard so much as youngsters.  That’s ok.  That song makes us think about God and church and that’s excellent.  That’s the beginning of a good foundation.   But the intellectual knowledge of God is not enough. Heart knowledge is what Pastor Chan is talking about. Giving your heart to God is what God wants.

It is not an exchange of services because God does not want to swap your meagre efforts to be good for His blessings.   It is not a display of spiritual disciplines because you cannot read the Bible enough, pray enough and fast enough to merit His love.  It is not giving to the poor, tithing to the church or doing mission work because you can never sacrifice enough to merit His love.

It is just simply making yourself available.

He could use you and will use you if you make yourself available. He is interested in furthering His kingdom here on earth and guess where you are?  If you are reading this blog you are on earth.  You can be His Christian soldier.  You can help Him further His kingdom here on earth if you make yourself available. You know the famous hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” but have you wondered why the words are so meaningful and long-lasting?  It is because the Christian is literally in a battle to stay available.  Today there are so many things that can knock us off course.  As we give over our lives to contemporary living and the stuff we think we have to have, we lose our focus, our purpose.

Sadly too many people think their whole reason for being is wrapped up in acceptance by the world.  The world will never love you the way God can.  Sadly too many people think their whole purpose is wrapped up in accumulating the trappings of success.  The trappings of success will not satisfy you the way God’s love can.

“Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle see His banners go!”

Where are we going?  It is simple.  Everywhere God wants us to go.  What are we doing?  It is simple.  Making ourselves available.  What is our reward?  It is simple.  God’s unconditional love.

“If you, then though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.”  Matthew  7:11

I came late to the show.

My wife and I waited several years before having a child.  When he arrived, I am not so sure I was ready to be a father.  I just knew it in my heart.

I had some selfish, career-centered, man-centered things to do and fitting fatherhood into my life was not in the picture in the early years of my experience of fatherhood (I don’t think my child knew that).

My wife did.

She was a superb mother.  Still is.  But during the early years, she shined with our son.  I was not in the picture much but she was the stable, encouraging, loving person that formed my son in his early years.  I look back on those years and see now that it would have been better for me to be more involved but I wasn’t.  I was into myself.  She did a magnificent job.  She shined.

Then things changed.

I began to see that career was not number one in life.  It never should have been.  I fell for the siren song of achievement in this world and for a while in my life, I had to pay the price for this mistake.

Guess what was left after the love affair with work was over…a wonderful wife and a wonderful son.

Both eventually forgave me and got used to me being at home.  I guess my presence spoke volumes.

I can now truly understand Matthew 7:11.

As Scott, my son, progressed through his high school years and college years, I began to bond with him.  I spent my whole life with late teens and early twenty-somethings and I understood their angst, their desire to rebel and their desire to cling, the temptations of the peer group etc.  I had many years of observing this behavior at work and had many conversations with young people going through this rough patch time of life.

I was prepared to help…finally.

And I did.

Late to the show.

I was in the car when he professed that his Mom and Dad were wise in getting him to go to college [wise enough to keep my mouth shut and not say I told you so].   I was there to bail him out as he learned the consequences of spending too much money he did not have [credit cards].  I was there when he took his first job in Atlanta, Georgia and doubted over and over the skills he had [trying to be everything but an artist].  I rode it out with him.  I was also there when he “caught fire” and began to see himself as everyone else did, a wonderful creative person.  I listened in on the conversations after he decided to go to grad school at one of the best art colleges in America.  I was thrilled and wondered where had this drive come from?

Late to the show.

I am a father.  Scott’s father.  Proud father.

Being an educator, I have seen many parents over the years have what I call “my kid hung the moon syndrome.”  I listen to them drone on and on about how wonderful their children are and I nod my head and say “yes, they are wonderful”.  I am an infrequent facebook user and I go there and see posts of proud parents bragging on their wunderkind.   That’s ok.  I always tried to not fall into that trap.

But I have to post something about my love for Scott because it is real.  I admire him.  I would do anything for him.  Every time he accomplishes something new, it thrills me.

He’s 30 now, married to an artist.  He is living in Chicago, the windy city, the second city, chi-town, the city of broad shoulders.   He is in the midst of a thriving arts community.  He would like to live in a less populated place but he has a good job at the Art Institute.  His wife is happy there and her art career is thriving and she is working at the Art Institute also.

He is supposed to visit us this summer and then we are slated to travel up north to spend some time with him in that city of broad shoulders.  I look forward to seeing him, talking to him, finding out what he is thinking and what is going on in his life.

I know I am not the person I should be.  I have moments when I fall short.  We all do, but I love him and would do anything for him.  I pray for him and his wife every day.  “If you, then though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.”

Thank you my Father.

I have heard it; you have heard it.

Maybe you have heard the phrase coming from the pulpit.  Maybe you have heard it one-to-one from a pastor, an elder in your church, a member who has a strong relationship with God.

Have you ever heard it on the street?   From a street preacher?  From a homeless man who is panhandling money from you?

Yes, God loves you.

And you have to ask why?

What have I done to deserve God’s love?

When you can answer that question, you can begin to “relate” to God.

The answer is you have done nothing.  You have done nothing to deserve His love.  The value of His love is unmeasurable, and nothing you have can match what you are getting.

God’s love.

“All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” Isiah 64:6.   Nothing we can offer God can match what God is giving you.

It is so hard for us to comprehend if we are “of this world.”  When Pastor Chan writes “God’s mercy is a free, yet costly, gift.”  What makes it free?  It has to be.  We don’t have anything of value that would pay for it.  What makes it costly?  Jesus paid for our gift.  We did not have to die, Jesus did the dying for us.

When you can “relate” to God, this begins to have real meaning. If you cannot relate to God, it is just so much Christian mumbo jumbo.

Think about when it became clear to you that God loves you.

For me, it was in the lowest point of my life.  The absolute lowest.  I did not know what to do.  I did not know where to go.  All I could do was breathe.  I literally did not know where to make the next step.  I cried out, “God tell me what to do!”  And He did.

He knew what I needed to do.  I didn’t.  If I had done my will, my life would have changed for the worse.  But I did His will.   He answered my question and I did as He asked.  To this day, I am still holding true to what God told me to do.

He knew what I needed to do.  He knew how to rebuild my life.

I began to see that He cared for me.  He cared more for me than I cared for myself.  But as I worked through my pain, I knew I was headed in the right direction.  Toward Him.

To this very day, I am still trying to work toward Him.

Pastor Chan opens Chapter Three, Crazy Love with the simple lyrics “Jesus Love Me”

Have you ever looked at this children’s Christian song?  Here are the lyrics.

“Jesus loves me! This I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak, but He is strong.

[ Yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me

The Bible tells me so.]

Jesus loves me! This I know

As He loved so long ago

Taking children on His knee

Saying, “Let them come to Me.”

Jesus loves me still today

Walking with me on my way

Wanting as a friend to give

Light and love to all who live.

Jesus loves me! He who died

Heaven’s gate to open wide

He will wash away my sin

Let His little child come in.

Jesus loves me! He will stay

Close beside me all the way

Thou hast bled and died for me

I will henceforth live for Thee…

The words are simple on face value but they aren’t, are they?  When you really look at them and think about them, they become difficult.   They reflect the relationship that we can have with Jesus if we accept His love, accept His guidance and try to live a life inspired by His example.

Many in our world get the concept of God.  That’s what makes people identify themselves as “Christian.”  That’s what causes people to join a church.  That’s what causes people to be regular attenders in church and maybe join a Sunday School Class or take a Bible Study.

Some in our world understand the heart of God.  They are the ones who have a hunger that never ends, a hunger to live a live directed by God, trusting God to put them in places with people who need their presence.  These are people who are willing to be the hands and feet of God, on earth doing His work.

When this type of person says “God loves you” listen…and believe, because they know.

One of the most common things that I have heard over the years from teachers, professional and volunteer [as a Sunday School teacher], is that I get more from the teaching than the students do.

I have to add something new I have discovered since January.

I am getting more from contributing to this blog that I ever imagined.  I am amazed at how it causes me to think on issues that I should think about.

Chapter 2 has been a tough one.  I have said that over and over all week but it has caused me to think about the remaining days I have left here on earth.

I know I have lived more than I have left and I am a person who has few regrets in life.   The errors that I have made have been real and I take responsibility for them but I don’t believe God is through with me yet.

I’m in a race and I want to finish.

2^nd Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Acts 20:24  “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” 1 Corinthians 9:24  “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

That’s what Chapter 2 meant to me.

I don’t know when my race will be over.  God knows.  I wondered if it was today.  My wife and I were sawing big limbs out of a mimosa tree and it was precarious work.  She was on the ground with her phone on 911 speed dial and I was in the huge tree with a twenty-five foot ladder and a hand saw.  We got the work done. My race wasn’t over today.

Will it be tomorrow?

I don’t know.

I do know I want to be moving closer to God when my “end time” arrives.

I am reminded of the closing scene of the movie Saving Private Ryan.   James Ryan goes to the grave of his captain, John Miller, and he kneels and thanks John for saving his life.  James’ wife comes up behind him and he turns to her and he says “Tell me I have lived a good life.  Tell me I am a good man.”   She replied “You are.”   As President Obama eulogized Reverend Clementa Pinckney this past week he said the following words:  “ What a good man. Sometimes I think that’s the best thing to hope for when you’re eulogized — after all the words and recitations and resumes are read, to just say someone was a good man.”

What does it take to be a good person today?

We have to rise above the daily fray that we see all around us and remember that we have a higher calling.  When times are hard, we know who will see us through.  When infirmities catch up with us, we have to be thankful for what we have left rather than mourn what we have lost.  We have to learn to operate for our Lord with those infirmities in place.  We need to try to be the best Christian we can be; we can’t be distracted.

We don’t want to waste our days on earth.

We want to finish the race.

[And now on to Chapter 3]

[A word about ads.  WordPress places ads on free blogs to help generate funds to pay for them.  I am at the “free level” now and I know you may see ads from time to time.  I rarely ever see them and I don’t click on them because I don’t want what they are selling.  I have no control over this but as I eventually upgrade this blog, WordPress promises me that they will go away.

After commenting on Chapter 2 in Crazy Love for a week, one thing I can say with certainty,  Pastor Francis Chan does not hold Christians who are wasting their lives in very high regard.

Some of his comments from Chapter 2: “The truth is, some people waste their lives.”  “Our lives here are short, often unexpectedly so, and we can all stand to be reminded of it from time to time.”  From Revelation, the quote “I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive but you are dead.” From A.W. Tozer, “A man by his sin may waste himself….That is man’s greatest tragedy and God’s heaviest grief.”  Ecclesiastes 7:2 “It is better to go to a house of mourning than go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.”

Let’s be honest here.  What are the signs that you are wasting your time here on earth?

1. Life is all about you.  You rarely ever think about the needs of others.  You are into getting as much as you can and you already have more than most.  You don’t know how to share.  You don’t know how to give.  You do know how to consume.
2. You have feelings of dislike for others.  I hesitate to use the word hate, but your dislike is very strong to the point that you wish ill will on others.   People get on your nerves.  You don’t spend any time exploring their position in life, trying to see why they do what they are doing; all you know is you dislike them immensely.
3. When it comes to your spirituality, you go through the motions.  You go to church on Sunday and your attitude is that you are trying to endure the service.  You have other things on your mind as others worship and lunch is uppermost on the list of things you want to do when the pastor quits preaching.
4.  You spend zero time in prayer and study in your personal life.  To you, prayer is “corny” and you don’t take it seriously.  Study is too hard.  You don’t have the discipline and you have more important things to do [like watch tv 4 to 6 hours a day].
5. There is a disconnect between your life at church on Sunday and your life the rest of the week.  You may sin frequently.  You may treat others poorly.  You do not offer your help to others who need it.  You put on a Godly face on Sunday but it disappears when you leave church.

Why do many people live like this and others live like the 14 year old girl in Chapter 2, Brooke Bronkowski?

Brooke wanted to live every moment for Christ.  To her, her faith was not a silly exercise or a habit without meaning or a façade that she presented to others.

Her essay “Since I Have My Life Before Me” is a testament to the positive effect of belief in God.

From her essay she said “I have a life before me.  I will give others the joy I have and God will give me more joy.  I will do everything God tells me to do.  I will follow the footsteps of God.  I will do my best!!!”

She only had fourteen years to do her best, but her fourteen years counted for something.  She did more in fourteen years than many people have ever done in much longer lives.  She wanted to live life to the fullest.

When she died tragically in the car wreck, Pastor Chan spoke at Brooke’s funeral and invited those who wanted to know Jesus to come to the altar.  He said at least two hundred students came to the altar and there was a Bible there for them, Bibles that Brooke had bought to give to her unsaved friends.

That day, two hundred Bibles were distributed and two hundred friends were saved.

“On the average day, we live caught up in ourselves.  On the average day, we don’t consider God very much.  On the average day, we forget that our life truly is a vapor.”

Pastor Francis Chan does not hold Christians who are wasting their lives in very high regard.

Would he hold you in high regard?

Ephesians 2:10  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

You know a major theme of chapter 2 is that we live our lives as if they will go on forever.

They won’t.

We know that, but we push those thoughts out of our minds because it is too sad to think about.

Why think of our mortality all the time?

Because it may create within us a sense of urgency and maybe it is good to have that.

No sense of urgency may lead to a wasted life, as A.W. Tozer says, “A man by his sin may waste himself, which is to waste that which on earth is most like God.  That is man’s greatest tragedy and God’s heaviest grief.”

What about those days when you are just not in the mood to do good works?

What about those conditions of the mental and physical body when mentally and physically you are worn out?

Does God say “take the day off.”  Does God say “you are ok to check out; you don’t have to do anything; I will give you a pass.”

I don’t think so.

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.

Pastor Chan speaks in the video that accompanies this chapter about his quiet time with the Lord.  He treasures it.  He longs every day to have it.  It is hard because he needs to clear his mind of other things because other things impinge on his thinking so much.  But he needs his quiet time because he needs God to tell him what to do.

Let me suggest a dangerous thing for you to do every morning.

Don’t do this if you approach it like it is just an exercise.  If that is the case, it will mean nothing.

Pastor Chan does it and I have done it.

When you have quiet time with the Lord in the morning, ask Him to show you what to do today.  Even more, ask God to use you.

You must be careful, because He will.

He will position you where he wants and needs you and some of the situations He will put you in will make you uncomfortable.

But that is ok.

God does not want you to be comfortable.  God wants you to grow.  God will lead you throughout your day, guiding you where you are supposed to go, showing you what He wants you to do.

It’s God-directed life.

Don’t let your mood get in the way of this God-directed life.  Don’t let your mental and physical infirmities get in the way of this God-directed life.  He will use you no matter what you have to offer, no matter how weak you are or how strong you are.  Remember, ”you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”

But what does this do?

It will create a sense of urgency.

None of us knows when our time will come.

None of us knows when we will be meeting God face to face.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to leave this world doing God’s work?

This past week, we were all shocked by the tragedy in Charleston S.C., but those nine people met God while attending a Bible study.  It may sound strange but what a blessing to die in those circumstances.  Just think about what they were doing when God took them.  They were actively trying to learn more about Him.

I believe God honors that.

They got up the morning of their death and none of them thought, “This is my last day on earth” but it was.

As I watched part of the funeral services for Pastor Clementa Pinckney today, I was struck by the sadness of the ceremony but I was also struck by the gladness of the ceremony.  At times, there was a profound confidence that God was working it all out.  Shouts of joy rang out.  Smiles broke out from time to time.  I even heard laughter.   The ceremony was respectful but there seemed to be knowledge that Pastor Pinckney was a man who allowed God to work through him.  The other eight were God fearing people who welcomed their killer in their midst, allowing God to work through them.

Hebrews 11: 13  “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Did you catch the way Paul writes these lines in Philippians?

Always [my wife gets upset when I use that word but always means “in every instance, for all time.”]

Paul says it again, this time capitalized and with an exclamation mark.

Do you think he is trying to make a point?

I think so.  Paul is trying to communicate that it is important to be able to rejoice about our lives, no matter what life throws at you.

Pastor Chan talks about his encounter with stress and all of us have that to deal with that.  We can relate.  His stress manifested itself in heart palpitations.

They are not fun.

I was with my young son when he came home from college to celebrate Christmas with his family.  I remember all six foot four inches of him stretched out over the bed with his hands clutched to his chest tell us that he heart was about to burst out of his body.  Maybe that was a bit dramatic but the boy was not feeling well at the time.  Stress.

We took him to the emergency room to find out that he was overwhelmed with his life at that point and he was having a tough time coping.  Stress.

Pastor Chan’s heart palpitations were due to the mountain of pastoral duties that he felt he had to perform at Christmastime.

His take on his palpitations was different.  He knew Paul’s message and if you know anything about Francis Chan, he takes the word of God quite literally.  How could he be stressed out?  He was supposed to be rejoicing in the Lord.   God had commanded him to rejoice and he as not rejoicing at all; he was having heart palpitations.  Chan takes it even further; he feels he is disobeying God because he is letting his responsibilities as a pastor trump God’s command.

Worry and stress are sins.

Have you ever thought about that?

My wife and I have talked about that before.  When we are worried and stressed, it seems “bad”.  It seems like we are not trusting God to take care of our troubles. You know the familiar straight talk from Jesus in Matthew 6: 25-27:  “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?   And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

That’s pretty clear isn’t it?

Pastor Chan says that worry and stress “reek of arrogance.”

Wow Susan and I have a lot of repenting to do I guess.

When we are in the midst of a stress and worry causing crisis, we forget God.  We forget that we have been forgiven.  We forget that life is short and God has it covered [literally]. We forget we are heading to a place where we won’t ever have to worry again and finally, in the context of what God is juggling, our little worries and stresses are small indeed.

We just forget.

Life is short, God has control and He will take care of you regardless.

As Christians, our job is to “rejoice in the Lord always.”

As we do and people see that we do, it sends a powerful message, that we are seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness and we know all these things we need for life will be given to us.*

“I will say it again: Rejoice!”

*Paraphrase of Matthew 6: 33.

Chapter 2 is not for the faint of heart.

I heard someone say that old refrain, “Growing old is not for sissies” the other day; reading chapter 2 is not for sissies.

How about that part in the God Movie?

I don’t know where he got the idea and I don’t know where he got the length of time but the scenario Pastor Chan describes is sobering.  Of course, the movie of life is about God  and how we live our lives?  We live like we are the star in the movie but that’s just not so.  God is the star.

Pastor Chan said we would be an extra in the God Movie.

If we asked our friends and relatives to go to the God Movie, we would not be on screen very long, in fact the back side of our head would be all that would show.

And our part would be 2/5ths of a second long.

Sobering…

That is the length of our life…in the God Movie

Pastor Chan says “You need to get over yourself.”

Kinda rough isn’t he, but maybe he needs to be.

My take on this is Pastor Chan is challenging us to be big enough to accept how small we are.

We all have to deal with what life throws our way and it is how we “deal” that matters.  If life is pretty good right now, count your blessings that God has given you and truly be thankful.  Show your thankfulness by being devoted to your Lord and Savior.  He is the source and not you, yourself.

How much we want to take credit.  But don’t take it and be a witness for God.  People will notice you singing His praises.

If life is tough right now and you are in a struggle, God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show how a true believer copes.  Your peace in the face of hardship speaks volumes to others.  Believe me, some people will wonder what drug you are taking.  You can tell them the drug is God.

It is hard to admit that we are on this earth for such a short time, then we will die and our friends and family will die and we will fade from memory.  Eventually our photo may wind up in an antique shop as an antique photo for a dollar.

Unknown person in an odd pose wearing old clothing.

I am saddened by this as you may be, but it is true.  It is harsh truth, sobering truth.

What are we to do?

Pastor Chan says live our lives for the highest purpose we can, which is praising God.  He quotes 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  He writes, “whether eating a sandwich on a lunch break, drinking coffee at 12:04 a.m. so you can stay awake to study, or watching your four-month-old take a nap. The point of your life is to point to Him.”

Always remember the movie of life is the God Movie and He is the star.

We are not.

It is our blessing to be offered a part, even a 2/5ths of a second part.

The big question we all must answer is can I be big enough to accept my part and play it well?

Can I be big enough to accept how small I am?