Messages

Have you seen the GAP commercial that has been running recently for the "holiday" season, not the one with the girls singing about boots, but the one with adults singing and dancing? Maybe it is just the prude coming out in me again (see my post from 2 weeks ago) but I don't think so, I have seen it several times now and it really bothers me.

If you are not familiar with the commercial, here are a couple of lines in the "song" that are sung after they list just about every possible winter holiday and/or celebration (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Solstice);

"You 86 the rules, you do what just feels right, you do whatever you want and to all a good night"

Does that rub you the wrong way like it does me? Do we really need to be encouraged to forget about the rules and just do whatever we want, whatever feels right? Don't we do that enough as it is? Isn't that what has caused EVERY problem we have in this world? We do our own thing too much and it leads to; hurt, pain, frustration, anger, sadness, etc.

I was a marketing major in college, so I understand not wanting to limit advertising just to people who celebrate Christmas. In fact, I have no problem whatsoever with Target, WalMart, Macys, etc. advertising holiday sales instead of Christmas sales and with them instructing their employees to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. These retailers exist to sell things and it is legitimate business to not exclude portions of the population. What does bother me are the messages that are put out like the one above from the GAP in an attempt to be inclusive of everyone (at least I think that is what they are trying to do).

We receive hundreds, even thousands of messages a day all trying to tell us something, trying to impact how we see things. I think most people are oblivious to these messages, they take them in and it shapes their thinking without even knowing it. I am trying to be more sensitive to God and what He wants for me and often times it is a struggle to choose what He wants instead of what I want or have been told I should want or should have. The Bible says that we are to be in the world but not of the world. That means that we are to live here, have relationships here, be salt and light here, but, we are not to think like the world thinks or act like the world acts. Pay attention to the messages that are being given to you and filter them through what the Bible says.

Anticipation

There has been some anticipation, some cautious optimism in my house recently. These feelings aren't all that uncommon this time of year being the Christmas season and all. However, the anticipation and the optimism had nothing to do with Christmas but instead had to do with the decision of 21 or 22 year old college student. My son and I were eagerly awaiting the announcement of whether Jake Locker would return to school for his senior season on the Husky football team or if he would enter the NFL draft where he would make millions of dollars. I know that this seems really silly to many (if not all) of you but we were waiting much like kids (and even adults) wait to see what they are getting for Christmas. We got what we wanted in this instance which was that he would return to the team. The problem is that next year that choice will no longer be available, he will have to move on to the NFL or somewhere else.

That's the problem with anticipating things like whether Jake Locker returns or not or most of the other things that we anticipate. What are you anticipating, what are you hoping for? Is it gifts under the tree, the departure of your latest illness, the return home of a loved one, kids, grand kids, a spouse - what is it that you are looking forward to? All of these things can be great, but, they all fall short of what we should ultimately anticipate. I am as guilty as anyone of fixing my eyes on things that don't last but my desire is to fix my eyes on what does last, what I can always count on and that is Jesus.

The Christmas season and end of the year is a common time for people to reflect on what is important, what we want to do differently, what our hopes and dreams are. As such, I encourage you to spend some time this year reflecting on these things, then ask yourself "where am I focused?" or "what am I focused on?". If you are like me, you may notice that your focus needs frequent adjustment, it needs to be refined. I am constantly needing to remind myself to adjust my focus and put it back on Jesus, I encourage you to do the same.

Viewpoints

Maybe I'm becoming a prude in my old age. I went to a movie this past weekend and was bothered by it. Now usually when I am bothered by a movie it is because it has nudity or sexual activity or perhaps if the violence is over the top. That wasn't the case with this movie, I don't think there was even one woman in the movie and although there was violence it wasn't over the top. What bothered me about this movie was the message that it sends to those that watch it (of the other 10 or so people in the theater many of them were young which makes it even more disappointing). The message was essentially that you don't have to be completely good or righteous you just need to be more good than bad. Now this is certainly not the only movie that gives this sort of message, there are and have been over the years, many such movies.

I think that it may have bothered me so much because I see hints of it in my own life. Comparison and justification are tools that I use to make myself feel better or look better to others. I am sure that you have heard people justify their behavior before or excuse their behavior by comparing it with others who are worse. The problem with those comparisons and justification is that we are using our own standards when we do that, we are trying to categorize our sins. God doesn't have a sin scale where as long as you don't do any of the sins in the top 5 you are OK. All sin separates us from God and nothing that we DO can earn us favor with Him. Our only comparison should be Jesus Christ. He lived the PERFECT life that we can't live and because we can't live that perfect life, HE died for us so we would no longer be separated from God if we choose to accept what Jesus did and give Him control of our lives.

The main character in this movie was willing to help steal 42 million dollars as long as nobody got hurt, after all, he needed it, he maybe even deserved it (according to his thinking). Then when things went bad and people started getting hurt, he fought against his buddies, his cohorts and became the good guy. While many of his actions were admirable and courageous, HE WAS STILL WILLING TO STEAL $42,000,000. What are you justifying, what are you excusing by comparing it with other people who are worse on the "sin scale"? On our own we fall short, no matter how "good" we are. My desire is to stop justifying my sin and stop minimizing my sin and to truly follow Jesus, will you join me in this challenge?

Looking Back

I got an email last week from someone that I was introduced to through a mutual friend. This guy is feeling that God has something different in store for him and is trying to figure out what it might be and how to know if it is really God putting these things on his heart or not. We were introduced because our mutual friend knew my story of becoming a pastor and felt that the journey started in a similar fashion and thought that I might be able to help this other friend of his. I agreed to help in whatever way I could so that resulted in the email I received last week.

Do you ever look back over your life or periods of your life and see the areas where God has been working? Some of those areas are probably fairly easy to spot and some are probably a little more hidden. Often times though, you don't really see what God is doing as he is doing it but instead you see if when you look back at it later on. That's kind of what happened for me as I tried to answer the questions in the email. I had to look back over the last several years as I explained the process of how I went from a guy in the corporate world to an Associate Pastor. As I looked back I could see the times and places where God was preparing me for His plan. There were various points along the way where I thought I knew His plan but it turns out what He wanted was something different. That is pretty common in my life, I think I know the plan but soon find out that I was wrong. God is never wrong! He never wastes anything!

I don't know how helpful I was in my response to the questions I received, afterall, everyone's journey is different, but, I'd like to end this post the same way I ended my email, hopefully it will be helpful to you; "Listen to what God is saying to you and pursue Him and whatever He is calling you to as best as you can, especially if it is pulling you out of your comfort zone. It is only when we are stretched that we can truly grow and only when we give up control that we can truly follow."

All or Nothing

I had a brief conversation about the Word of God (the Bible) a couple of days ago and the topic of whether it is without error. It is my belief that the Bible, in it's original form, is in fact without error - it is infallible or inerrant. Many people throughout the world do not believe that the Bible is inerrant so they choose not to believe it, not to follow it. What I find strange is the people that profess to be Christians (followers of Jesus) yet don't believe that the Bible is 100% true. If any of the Bible is untrue, how can the rest of it be believed or followed? If we can't trust the word of God how can we follow Him? If the Bible is not 100% true it becomes simply a book with some good morals or suggestions.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that "all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The Bible came from God Himself and is necessary for us to be "thoroughly equipped". 2 Peter 1:20-21 says; "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." God wrote His word through man, much like I have written these words through a computer keyboard. Man was just the tool that was used and had no more impact on what was written than the keys on my keyboard had on what I have written.

I think we all like to pick and choose which parts of the Bible we choose to follow and which we deliberately disregard or perhaps just ignore. But, if you believe that the entire Bible is inerrant, like I do, you don't have the luxury of disregarding or ignoring it. The Bible is the 100% true word of God please join me in trying to live it out and share it with others.

Don't Miss the Present

There are times in my life where I have been so focused or concerned about what is going to happen or what I wanted to happen that I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to what was actually happening. After watching the movie "Up" with my kids last night, I realized that the main character, Carl, did the same thing. He wanted so badly to go on an adventure with his wife to Paradise Falls that it became his focus. Near the end of the movie we see Carl looking at his wife's "adventure book" feeling like a failure because he wasn't able to take her to their dream place so she could complete the "things I'm going to do section" of her book. As he is closing the book, he realizes that there are pictures in that section that he didn't know about. His wife had put pictures of their life in that section, her adventure had been their life together. He was so focused on his idea or dream of what their adventure would be that he missed the actual adventure of living life with his wife.

The apostle Paul struggled through this problem of being so focused on the future that you miss the present with the church in Thessalonica. Some of the people were so focused on Jesus' return that they stopped working so they could wait for the second coming of Jesus. These people were so excited and eager for the future to come that they stopped living in the present. We do this too. We get so focused on finishing school, getting a new job, etc. that we miss what God would have for us right now.

I have been watching a new show this fall called "Flashforward" in which most everyone on the planet saw a vision of the future during a global blackout. Since waking up from this blackout people are either trying to ensure that the future happens as they saw it or are trying to prevent it from happening. Everyone in the show is living based on these visions of the future which is causing them to change how they live in the present. Only God knows what will happen in the future, only God knows when Jesus will return. While it is good to think ahead or to plan ahead, it is not good to do it at the expense of NOW. Since we do not know when Jesus will return we are to live as if it could happen at any moment, we are to be ready. It is impossible for us to be ready if we are so focused on the future that we miss the present. God has a plan for you for however long you are here or until he comes back, that plan includes today. Don't miss it!

Comfortable

I have wanted chairs like these for quite some time. They aren't all that practical for a family (especially if you only have 3 chairs and 5 people in your family) but they sure are comfortable. Look how far that middle chair is reclining. These would be great for me as I watch football, watch movies (I do more of both of those things than I should admit), or just take a snooze on a blustery fall day. The best ones are the ones with the power buttons to bring up the leg rest and to recline. And look at the cup holders, 4 cup holders for 3 chairs, I could have my diet coke right there ready for me and wouldn't even have to lean over to grab it off a table.

Last night I was deeply challenged by Luke 9:57-62 during a devotional time at our Elder Board Meeting. This passage is about the cost of following Jesus and it reminded me that my life is essentially symbolized by these chairs. I love to be comfortable. Not sitting on a soft seat in a warm house comfortable, but rather, living life without really risking anything comfortable. Most of my life has been lived that way. I tend to avoid things that I think I will fail at or look silly doing. It is hard to risk and avoid failure and/or embarrassment, so, I typically choose the avoidance of failure/embarrassment.

That's not what Jesus calls us to however. Instead, he calls us to step out of the comfort of the boat onto the water. Even when we feel like we have been stretched and gone beyond where we thought we could go, Jesus doesn't leave us there. That's a hard thing and an amazing thing about following Jesus. It can be hard, at first, to see the reward in the "risk vs. reward" equation. But, look back at your life at the times where you have truly followed Jesus into something that felt risky, uncomfortable or even dangerous and what do you see? While it may have been all of those things, it was probably also one of the most rewarding and/or life shaping things you have experienced, right? I look back at my life and I am doing things now that I would never have done 10 years ago, 5 years ago or even 2 years ago. I mean seriously, 10 years ago I never would have guessed that I could or would be a pastor and what on a national level would be considered a medium to large sized church. 2 years ago, I never would have guessed that I would be comfortable driving in to a homeless "encampment" (by myself) to drop someone off after taking them grocery shopping and then sticking around even longer to visit with their "neighbors".

I am an admitted "chicken", but I am also someone that wants to be more like Christ and my hope is that I am willing to trust Him enough to be obedient to His call no matter the potential risk or lack of comfort. I pray that for you as well.

Giving Thanks

We (Crosswater) will be doing a series on Gratitude in a couple of weeks and because I am preaching the first sermon, I have been doing some reading and thinking in order to prepare. Doing so has helped me to realize a few things;

1. I don't do a great job of recognizing my blessings



2. Even when recognized I don't do a good job of expressing my thankfulness for my blessings



3. In order to say Thank You, there must be a you to thank and the ultimate object of Thanks should be Jesus

Because of these 3 things, I have been trying to do a better job of recognizing things I am thankful for, expressing that thankfulness and acknowledging who I should thank.

Today I am particularly thankful for my kids. Don't get me wrong, I am always thankful for my kids but today I have thought about it even more due to a phone call (actually 3 phone calls) from my youngest, Halle. Tonight is Dads and Kids pizza night at school and Halle called me (with help from mom) to ask me to take her. I had known about this event for awhile but wasn't planning on attending, after all I don't really need more things taking up my time. But when your 5 year old little sweetie calls you up and asks you to take her and nothing else is going on to prevent us going, how can I say no. After telling her that yes we can go I got to thinking how great it is that she (and my other two kids) wants to spend time with me. 10 years from now I may not be able to say that as she will be 15 and spending time with dad probably won't be high on her list of things she would like to do. But it is not 10 years from it is today, pizza day, and I get to spend the evening with my kids, for that I am very grateful. Thank you God for my kids, for blessing me with them and for loving them so much more than even I do.

Throw Away People

Have you seen the movie "The Dark Knight", the second in the "new" series of Batman movies? In it there are two ferries rigged with explosives, one is filled with convicted criminals (and guards), the other is filled with "normal" people. Each ferry is given a time limit to decide whether to blow up the other ferry or if time expires have both ferries blow up. Some of the discussion on the "normal" ferry essentially revolved around the fact that the criminals on the other ferry don't deserve to live as much as the "normal" people so they should go ahead and blow up the other ferry before they get killed themselves.

I think we as a society have a tendency to treat certain people or groups as throw away people. Whether they are drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals, homeless, etc. we don't really see them as being on the same level as us normal people. Many consider these "throw away people" as beyond help or worse not even worth helping. Jesus experienced that mindset too. Mark 2:15-17 tells of a time when Jesus was eating with the tax collectors and "sinners" (side note - whenever Jesus ate with anyone he was eating with sinners) and the Pharisees were quite upset that Jesus would have the nerve to eat with these throw away people. Jesus actually made a habit of hanging out with sick people, tax collectors, prostitutes, yet the religious leaders of his time thought that he was wrong for doing so. Many people today feel the same way.

On Friday I had the honor of officiating the funeral service of one of these "throw away people", only she wasn't throw away. Her name was Paula Stierns and she lived in Sultan with her husband Sterno and her dog Bubba-Do. Most people who saw Paula the last several years of her life probably didn't look beyond her homelessness and her alcoholism. Many probably saw her as a throw away person, or worse yet didn't even see her because it wasn't worth it to them to even acknowledge that she was there. Someone hit and killed Paula a couple of weeks ago as she was crossing a bridge in Sultan no more than a couple of hundred feet from where she "lived". That person has still not been caught and has not come forward. The story has received some news coverage but I can't help but think that if a "normal" mom, wife, sister had been killed in a hit and run it would have received much more coverage. Although we only knew Paula as a homeless person that struggled with alcohol and almost died at least twice largely because of the lifestyle she chose to live, we didn't see her as throw away. Paula was a real person with real problems but Paula was also someone who loved others, who wanted to help, who would share what little she had so others didn't go with out. Paula was someone that Jesus loved as much as he loves any of us. Paula was someone that we loved too.

Surprise!

I went to a surprise birthday party this weekend for a friend of mine. You've experienced this before right - either as one of the surprisers or as the surprisee (perhaps both sides). Some people really love surprises like that and some people really don't like surprises. How about you? A lot of work goes in to a surprise party. People have to be invited, a location chosen, food, decorations, etc. The two critical components are keeping all of the guests from ruining the surprise ahead of time and getting the guest of honor to the party without them figuring out what is going on. From what I could tell, the party on Saturday was genuinely a surprise to the birthday girl.

This morning I was coincidentally reading in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 about another surprise that is coming . Paul is talking to the Thessalonian church about Jesus returning and says it will be "like a thief in the night". That imagery doesn't quite give us the nice feeling of a surprise party though does it? None of us look forward to a thief coming in the night, there is no sense of anticipation or excitement with that. However, Paul goes on to tell the church "But you brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief." None of us know when Jesus is returning, we just know from His word that He is. If you are a follower of Jesus however, this event should be seen like a surprise party - people need to be invited (they must choose whether to accept), preparations should be made (we should follow Christ with all that we have) and we should anticipate the guest of honor arriving. Unlike our version of a surprise party where we have a reasonable idea of when the guest of honor is arriving, Jesus' arrival time is unknown to us. Rather than being an excuse to do our own thing until we figure it out, I encourage you to live a life of readiness, live for Him today and every day.

God Doesn't Give Up

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't see the amazing comeback by my favorite team Saturday night. The Huskies were down by 12 with about four and a half minutes to go and they came back to win in dramatic fashion. Some of you that know me would assume that I must have been gone, had other obligations to deal with, after all, that is the only reason I ever miss a Husky game. Nope! Where was I? I was in bed. I had given up with about nine and half minutes to go with the Huskies down by 9 and Arizona driving for more points. I was too frustrated, angry even, to keep watching my team mess up. I just couldn't handle any more mistakes, any more deficiencies. Now in my defense, I mostly left because I didn't want to say anything stupid in front of my son, nor did I want to throw anything at my television, but I also doubted my team's ability to come back. I did check on the game once after I gave up, it was when our linebacker made the "immaculate interception" and ran it back for a TD giving us the lead. Surely I kept watching after that. Nope! I figured no additional good could happen (we already had the lead) but lots of bad could still happen. So, I turned off the TV and proceeded to hear my wife and my son cheer as the defense held and the Huskies won. They got to see a great comeback, they got to experience the joy that came after so much frustration, even despair. I just got to hear about it, to watch the highlights and later the last 9 minutes that I had walked out on. I gave up!

There are so many lessons that can be pulled from this story, but, the one that I have been thinking about the last couple of days is how glad I am that God is not like me. God does not give up on us. For an example of this, read the parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15:11-31. Now obviously this passage in Luke is about far more than a football team but I think we can all think of other things in our life where we have given up on someone or something. But God is not like that. If anyone has a reason to give up it would be God, right? I mean, He created us and we are constantly turning our back on Him. God has given us so much, yet, we squander it, ignore it, don't think it is enough, etc. Even though we do all of those things, God always wants us, He is always there for us, God does not give up on us. Please don't use this as justification for doing your own thing - "I can just do whatever I want and then come to God later because He always takes us back". Instead, let this encourage you to come to God NOW, seek forgiveness for all the times you have messed up, recognize that you need Him and let Him lead your life. God doesn't give up on you!

The Devil's in the Details

Do you ever get so wrapped up in the details of something that you can't really see the big picture? This happens to me quite frequently. Many times this happens to me in my walk with God and in ministry. Because of my job, I do need to pay attention to details, afterall, I am the person that is in charge of implementation, operations, the day-to-day affairs of the church. I wouldn't likely be very good at my job if I didn't pay attention to details. However, many times I get so focused on the details (giving, attendance, events, budgets, etc.) that all I see is what is wrong or what didn't go as planned. I have a hard time seeing what is going right, what God is doing in and through me or in and through Crosswater.

Yesterday my perspective was changed as I had two brief conversations at church separated by about 20 minutes. In the first conversation a friend of mine pointed to the bulletin and asked if I ever get discouraged by the amount that we are behind budget for the year. I responded that I am weekly discouraged by this information (it is not literally weekly but certainly frequently). Approximately 20 minutes later he came back after being one of the counters of the morning offering and told me that he was humbled as he had just counted the most money that he had ever counted for our morning offering. Our current budget deficit was not completely erased by this offering, but it did certainly humble me and change my perspective.

I think satan uses my tendency to focus on the details and my need to focus on details to distract me from God. This week God has shown me that there is more going on than what I typically look at. He is working all around me, He is working all around you too. The challenge for me this week and going forward is to look up from the details, from the bad or negative things around me and see what God is doing because He is working, I just don't always see it. How about you, are you willing to take this challenge too?

"Customer Service"

Do you ever laugh when you think of the phrase "Customer Service"? Perhaps it's not really all that funny to you depending on how long it has been since you experienced "customer service" first hand. Well, I had the opportunity to experience that oxymoron (at least sometimes it is) today when I called my DSL provider. Now I don't know about you, but I typically don't place a call to a provider like this unless there is some sort of an issue or at least a question that has caused me to call. Admittedly that usually starts the call off with me already a little frustrated. My favorite (that should be read sarcastically) is when I call and get the fun voice prompts that give you instruction. I particularly like (again read that sarcastically) the ones that give you the option of pushing a button or just saying your selection. I often find myself eventually yelling my selections because the phone system just doesn't seem to be understanding what I am trying to say. How about this one; the phone system asks you to enter your phone number or account number, which you do, then when you finally get to a real person, what is the first thing they ask for - yep, your phone number or account number. C'mon, really? Why did I just enter it if I am just going to have to give it to you again anyway?

As you may have noticed, I have some passion around the subject of "customer service". However, the point of today's blog is not to rant about "customer service" (although I do feel a little better now that I have gotten some of that off of my chest) but rather to express how different GOD is than even the best "customer service" we experience. God is always available! We never get a busy signal, we never get a voice prompt system that seems to take us in circles, we never get put on hold.

1 John 5:14 gives me encouragement, it says: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

God knows our desires, our frustrations, our joys, etc. before we even bring them to Him. Yet, He still wants us to come to Him, to bring these things to Him. Now this doesn't mean that we will always get what we want or that the resolution to our "problem" will be what we want it to be. But be encouraged that God wants to talk to you, He won't give you the run-a-round, He won't put you on hold. God loves you and wants relationship with you. Connect with Him!

Devine Vending Machine?

I've been reading a book called "Shattered Dreams" and a few days ago I came to a part of the book where the author, Larry Crabb, claimed that some people worship God as a "divine vending machine." We are all familiar with how vending machines work, stick in the right amount and form of money push a button and out comes whatever we selected. As I read this analogy I thought, "yep, some people really do treat God that way, this is a great analogy."

Let me take the analogy a little further and see if you recognize any of the behavior. "Insert the correct spiritual change, punch the right button, and God delivers. What do you want? A new zest for life? Godly kids? Coming right up. Just stick in the right coins - daily devotions, disciplined prayer, determined obedience, faithful church attendance. God will do whatever you ask." (Shattered Dreams p. 91)

Problem is, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I too treat God this way at times - I'm a good guy, I read my bible, I try to be obedient, now I would like. . . Or what about when you put in the "correct spiritual change", make your selection and something you didn't want comes out? When that happens with a real vending machine, we may kick or hit the machine or figure out how we can get our money back. Sometimes we do the same thing with God. We stop talking to him, we get angry with him, we blame him, etc.

On my good days, I know that God is not a vending machine. I know that I cannot earn or pay for good things that I want from God. I know that just because I didn't get what I "selected" it doesn't mean that God is broken or that I didn't put in the right amount of spiritual change. But on my bad days, I get frustrated that I don't get what I want, I get upset with God for not giving me what I "deserve" (lucky for me that I don't get what I really deserve). Fortunately I am at a point in my journey where I have more good days than bad. What about you? How do you see God? Is he merely your "devine vending machine" where sometimes you get what you want and other times the "machine" breaks, or is He more than that?

Peanut Jelly and Butter

Peanut Jelly and Butter? Isn't that backwards? Nope, I actually meant to write it like that. Life is kind of like that too. What seems backwards to us is actually the way God meant for it to be. God does not do things our way even though we may want him to, even beg him to. Fortunately for us, God's way is better than our way (even if it doesn't always feel like it). Only he can see the entire picture yet we look at our little piece of the picture and try to tell Him how things should be.
This is a lesson that I am constantly learning and as I continue to learn this lesson (and many others) I will attempt to share my thoughts with you here on The "Other" Pastor. I will probably also share some ramblings, things going on in my life and at Crosswater and hopefully some encouragement.
So what's with the title Peanut Jelly and Butter? Probably not all that interesting but I will tell you anyway. A few people call me PJ (Pastor Jon) and as we were talking about the idea of me doing a blog the title Pastor Jon's Blog came up which then turned into PJ's Blog which turned into PJB which kind of sounds like PB&J which of course is Peanut Butter and Jelly so then that got turned into Peanut Jelly and Butter so the acronym PJB would work. Got it? Hey, you asked!