Tag: relationship

Community…

Last summer I took a group of youth on a short-term mission trip.  We had the opportunity to travel to El Paso, Texas and run some soccer camps.   As I look back I have to laugh at this for two reasons:  First – only a few of us had any experience with soccer and that was mainly with watching it on ESPN, and Second– we were holding camps in a community where children seem to be given soccer balls at birth.  Yep – most if not all – of the kids we worked with probably learned to kick a soccer ball long before they learned to walk…  Regardless, we had fun.

One of the things I noticed while there was how the families and the churches participated in community – they were WITH each other outside of their individual homes.  It seemed that no matter where we were, there were big groups gathering together, something that just doesn’t happen where I am from.  You just don’t see it here in the Pacific NW like I saw it there.  You can call it cultural or whatever you want, but me, I will call it awesome.

Last night we got together as a church outside of the building and in a local park.  It was great.  Many families were there and we brought games, food, and just hung out.  There was no agenda, no schedule, and no pressure to do anything but just be with each other.  It was intentional and it was fun (except for the part where I failed miserably in the game of kick ball – I will blame it on my age).  We scheduled it and made a point to gather together…

It got me thinking.  What does it mean to be in community with someone?  What does it mean to experience it?  Do we throw around the word community too much?  Has it lost its meaning?   I would like to know your thoughts.  What do you think?

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

My Way…

I have a confession to make. I like to count and find the patterns in things. Don’t ask me why – because I don’t know. It’s wierd really – I naturally see the relationship of things to each other…I see their number and I see patterns. And when I see wholeness or completeness I just feel a lot better. I suppose it is a little “Monkish” of me – or in reality it’s a lot “Monkish.” (And if you don’t know, by “Monkish” I am referring to the television program – Monk.)

My wife still teases me about my oldest daughter’s Fisher Price Farm. You know the kind with the round little people with big cheeks and infectious smiles. The toy that curiously comes with animals that are out of proportion to each other…really they are…those bunnies are half as big as the horses…that’s a monster bunny.

Anyhow, I love that thing. In fact, I think it was secretly developed to provide hours of enjoyment not only to preschoolers, but also to their parents. (After all they should be interacting with their children but that’s a different post.)

Here’s the thing about that toy – after my daughter would get through playing with it – I would HAVE to arrange each of the pieces, make sure they were all there, and put them back in their place. If there was one missing then the world had to stop until I found where it was. Sort of like the parables of the Lost Things in the Gospel. No…just like those parables, because when I found a missing piece there was definite rejoicing!

The good news is I have graduated from the Fisher Price Farm. I now resist the urge to check and see if all the pieces are there – call it having a third child! That toy has run its course and has been replaced by the infamous Mr. Potato Head. Make that two Mr. Potato Heads.

The other night my 19 month old got them out and began to play with them. As I watched her, I could hear my name being called out incessantly. Barry….Barry….  So I joined the party. We were having fun until, silly me, I directed my daughter to put the ear where the ear should go. This did not go over well. You see, she had a plan and a design in mind and it did not match mine. After a long discussion that looked more like a game of keep away I let her put the ear where she wanted to put the ear. What I discovered is that she had a definite plan – and it wasn’t at all like mine.

At that moment God chose to remind me that, when left to my own will, this is my natural tendency for how I want to live my life. I want to do the things I want to do, when I want to do them, and how I want to do them. But, it’s not my life anymore. Sometime ago, I made the decision to not live for myself or for my way or for my desires. Sure, they are still there – they don’t magically go away – but I chose to yield them to God’s plan, His timing, and His way.

So that night, as I sat and looked at a Mr. Potato Head with two sets of eyes, a mouth under one ear, and a nose under the other, I was reminded that I have to yield my desires. We all have to yield our desires. Often, because what we desire, or what we are planning, do not match up with what someone else is planning.  It happened that night….and if we are honest with ourselves it happens more often than we would care to think about.  It truly is like the Bible tells us – there should be less of us and more of Him.

Father God, would you grant me the wisdom to know your plans for me, the courage to follow them, and the patience to wait on you… Lord – it’s not my way but your way! Thank you and amen.

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

Alignment Issues….

Last night was one of those great Pacific Northwest evenings – just the right temperature, no rain, and a little breeze.  It was amazing!  My wife and I took the opportunity to sit on the back deck in front of a fire and just talk.  Which, unfortunately, doesn’t get to happen too often…

We talked about a lot of things.  We chatted about family, the weather, recent movie releases, good books, the past, the present, and the future.

Specifically, one of our topics was Psalm 37:4.  This is a small verse and probably one you have heard but can’t say where it is found.  In fact,  you have probably heard the second half more than you have heard the first half.

The NLT translates it this way, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

Notice that this verse starts with an imperative statement.  It is an action verb.  The Psalmist is telling us to do something.  We are to do…before we receive!  We are to delight in the Lord before He gives us anything.  Delight is defined – in the noun form as great pleasure – and in the verb form as pleasing someone greatly.

Therefore, when we are told to delight in the Lord, this means we are to, quite literally, take great pleasure in pleasing Him!  This means we are to do everything for Him, to always celebrate being in His presence, asking for His blessings, eating Him up, and breathing Him deeply!

We have to do all of this before we are given the desires of our hearts.  But check this out… If we are doing all of this, our desires will be His desires, and if our desires are His desires then of course He will give them to us!

It’s an alignment issue.  So the question becomes, “Are we aligned with Him?”

How’s your alignment today?

Until next time….

Pastor Barry

Real life or fairy tales….

My daughter and I (or is it my daughter and me….I never can get this right so forgive me if it’s wrong….) were having a conversation the other day about the end of the world.  Now, this isn’t all that strange except that my daughter is 9 and has some really deep thoughts on the subject.  Myself, on the other hand, gets up in the morning – checks for the sun – and then thanks God for another day.  It might be a kind of an osterich type response to not worry about the end of the world, but it’s pretty easy to just make sure I am living the way I am supposed to be living.

So at the end of the conversation, Kamille says something like this.  “Dad, the Bible tells us that we don’t know when the world will end.”

Me – “Correct.”

Kam – “So let’s say it’s going to end in 5 seconds.  I don’t know it will end in 5 seconds, but let’s just say it will.  Ok – I mean five more seconds, because I am pretty sure 5 seconds just passed and we are still here.  I mean, things aren’t all black and we aren’t in nothingness or anything.”

Me – “Pretty sure you just wasted 10 more seconds….”

Kam – “Alright – 5, 4, 3, 2, Dad I love you, the end…..  So dad, now that the world has ended am I in Heaven?”

Me – “If you loved Jesus with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.”

Kam – “But what if I didn’t?  Would it be like all red or black or something.  You know because God is light and everything would be like all lit up or something.”

Me – “We don’t know what it will be like – but I do know that you don’t want to take that chance of not loving Jesus with everything you are.”

Kam – “That would be bad…”

Me – “And thanks for thinking of your love for me in that last second of the world!”

Kam – “Your welcome.. It’s what daughters do.”

I walked away from that conversation really excited, because my daughter really understands what living for Jesus is about and because she was thinking of me in the last second of the world.  It’s the small things that really make a dad proud!

But soon after I returned to my office, I read an article about Stephen Hawking which made me really sad.  If you don’t know who Stephen Hawking is let me tell you.  He is a renowned physicist and researcher at Cambridge University, who was diagnosed with the degenerative Lou Gehrig’s disease at the age of 21.

In this article he was quoted as saying, “I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”

Mr. Hawking if you are reading this…I am sad for you.  Because there really is an afterlife, there really is a Heaven, there really is a Jesus who wants to be a part of your life.  Can I prove it with the science that you so desperately cling to?  No.  Can you prove that there isn’t with that same science? No.  Why?  Because it’s real and it’s not a fairy tale.

How do I know? Two reasons – the Bible tells me and I haven’t been afraid of the dark since I was 9…

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

200 Percent…

I wish I had a dollar for everytime I heard someone say, “I’m giving it 110 percent!”  Really? What I remember from math class is 100 percent is 100 percent and you can’t have more than 100 percent of something.  100 percent is perfect.  It is everything. It is complete.

At the expense of really not wanting to throw you a Jesus Juke – Let me tell you that I have discovered the one and only thing that can actually be (and is) 200 percent – Jesus.

Allow me to explain… Yesterday I was teaching from Hebrews to the Declaration! Youth.  After explaining the authorship of that book, which modern scholars agree is not known for sure, and then settling on giving the name of “Phil” to this unknown author, we looked at the first few chapters. 1:1 – 4:13 to be exact.

Here is what we learned…  Jesus is the Son, God is the Father, Jesus reflects God in everything, Jesus is far greater than the angels, and the angels are just a little greater than man (who was made in God’s image and is designed to reflect God.)  Easy enough right?  Wrong!

It was straight forward in 1:4 where we learned that Jesus is far greater than the angels, but in 2:9 we are told Jesus was a little lower than the angels….hmmmm….. Ok, follow me now. Who is greater than the angels?  God.  Who is lower than the angels? Man.  Who are we told by “Phil” is both? Jesus.

Jesus is both God AND man – He is fully both.  Therefore, if Jesus is fully both, by definition He is 100 percent God and 100 percent man, thus making Jesus the world’s first and only 200 percent being!  Wow!

If God can actually make something that is greater than 100 percent just think of what else He can do.  Really, that means He can do ANYTHING!  The possibillities are limitless.

Now that’s a God I’m glad I know and trust.  Do you?  You can.

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

Apple A Day…

I think we have all heard this common colloquialism, but have we ever pondered it’s truth….I haven’t and I’m not sure I am going to.  But as I sat here eating an apple this morning I thought of two things.

First, I hate eating apples (despite their nutritional benefits) because they are a lot of work.  I simply don’t like biting into apples – they have to be cut and cored.  But when they are cut and cored the apples are exposed to air and begin to turn brown.  Now I know there are tricks to keep them fresh – but this simple, shiny, good tasting snack has suddenly become work.

Secondly, apples look inviting.  Especially, when one is sitting there with a bite out of it.  (The logo design team of a popular computer company didn’t do too badly on their design of this bitten piece of fruit.)

Anyhow, this morning’s inviting apple then made me think about Genesis 3.  That’s the story about original sin.

We are told that Eve took the “fruit” and ate of it and then gave some to Adam and he ate.  We aren’t told that it was an apple – but unfortunately the apple has taken the starring role in this story.  I suppose I could start a campaign for another fruit like a banana or pomegranate or something, but I suppose that misses the point of the story.

The real point  is that man messed up – we broke our relationship with God – but God (like a good parent) already knew how He would fix this.

Fast forward to Romans 5:6-11 and we are told that at just the right time Christ came to die for us when we were sinners and utterly helpless!  Yeah God!  Relationship with Him was restored!

When you are eating an apple you can think about a lot of things…  For me – I am going to forever link my apple eating as a reminder about Christ’s free gift.  Perhaps, the saying should actually be, “An apple a day keeps the devil at bay….”

Sappy, I know.  But true!

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

The Psalmist’s Cry

Let me begin with saying that the House Studio has done it again…with the publication of the Psalmist’s Cry your small group has another great resource at its disposal.

In this book, Walter Brueggemann explores the Psalms as a guide for expressing feelings honestly.  What a great tool to help us be honest with ourselves, others, and God in a world that is hungry for authentic communication and true relationship!

I highly recommend this resource, and for that matter – every resource that the House Studio has published!  Go check it our for yourself.

Until next time…

Pastor Barry