MIXING IT UP!

Sunday during worship I mentioned a book entitled Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. Actually ML gave me the CD version and we spent some time listening to it while driving last week while on vacation. It's a great book that speaks of the Wild Goose as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit and that there is a great adventure in "chasing" the wild goose. Batterson speaks of 6 cages that get in the way of our experiencing all that God so much desires for our lives as Christians. The cage of responsibiliy (or irresponsibility), routine, assumption, guilt, fear, and failure. These are areas in our lives that act like cages, little prisons, that can make us innefective believers.

The "cage of routine" jumped out at me. Often we don't realize it, but pretty soon we find ourselves doing the same ole, same ole. We get in a rut of doing the same thing on Monday, then on Tuesday, then on Wednesday, etc. etc. Next we end up just going through the motions without even realizing it and therefore we miss out on what God is doing or what He wants to do in and through us. Thus the need to mix it up a little.

Batterson mentioned the need to change the pace and change the place so that you can change the perspective of what's going on around you - specifically what God is doing around you. For instance, you can go to church week after week, experience the same order of service each and every week, sit in the same pew or chair, sing the same songs in the same order and pray the same prayers. Order and routine are good, but not at the expense of missing out on experiencing God.

So...... why not go on a mission trip, go on a spiritual retreat, attend a Christian conference, go to church camp. Bottom line? Change the pace, change the place, and gain a new perspective of God's desire to work in your life. Experience God in a way that is fresh and exciting because you stepped out of the box a little. Get out of the routine and experience the adventure God has for you.

What say you? Are you willing to mix it up a little? The same ole same ole is..............well, the same ole same ole. Get out of the cage of routine and chase that wild goose. You won't be sorry!

THE BIG "D".

We've been in Dallas a few days spending time with our friends the Rankins. Also, have been able to spend a little time with Kyle and Molly so it's worked out real well. On Tuesday we went into Dallas and toured the 6th Floor Museum from where Lee Harvey Oswald shot President JFK. It was rather surreal to be standing on the same floor and see the window from where the gun was fired to kill the President. It was a self guided tour using a headset to guide a person through the ordeal. The above picture was taken from my phone and is the location where Kennedy was shot as you look back toward the building. The end window on the right on the second floor from the top is where Oswald shot the gun. A rather tumultuous time in our history. People looking for peace then, people searching for peace now. Only one offers that peace - Jesus!

This is a picture of Kyle and a girl named Rachel working with a group of kids at the Casa Linde UMC in Dallas. His group numbered around 20 and they were in the midst of "Deal or no deal". Kyle's theme for the week was game shows and he used that theme to teach kids about God's love. He is loving it, as is his girlfriend Molly. A great experience for both of them. It is a joy to see our kids in ministry. Makes a dad proud. Planning on seeing Kyle and Molly again this evening if it works out on the campus of SMU. We'll see how it goes.

Dallas - a great place to visit but wouldn't want to live there. See ya!

MONDAY MEANDERINGS!

• Great worship yesterday! Invited people to "bring the sacrifice of praise" into the house of the Lord! Hand waving, hand clapping, standing up and praising the Lord expressive kind of worship. Ah yes - good stuff!

• Also, "be still and know that I am God" kind of worship. Sweet!

• World Cup Soccer - Scores like 0-0, 1-0, 1-1???? Really???

• ML keeps telling me to quit griping about the humidity. UGH!!!

• 3 months til elk hunting - but who's counting?? Unfortunately I didn't draw a bull tag, only a cow tag. Pass the anti-depressant. Sad, so sad. Thought I was a shoe-in this year.

• If the Big 12 loses 2 teams , does it become the Big 10? And if the Big 10 gains 2 teams, does it become the Big 12? College sports - ruined by greed!!

• Went fishing with my dad and brother last week. Ask me about the one that got away! Should have thrown the net on the other side of the boat. A good time none-the-less.

• Wheat harvest has begun in the area. (rain has stopped it for now). Reminds me that the fields are ripe for harvest but the laborers are few.

• How many cats roam the streets in Mulvane? Too many!

• Did I mention that I like cherry pie?? And thanks to you who have given me advice where to buy a good hamburger.

• So, what are you reading lately?? Me? Extravagant Worship by Darlene Zschech.

• Busy week this week - getting ready to go on vacation, but first, a wedding (James and Susan) on Saturday.

• Jesus is Lord!! Amen??? Amen!!!

THE HATED "A" WORD - ACCOUNTABILITY!

Proverbs 27:17 says this, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man (person) sharpens another." Last week there was a request to blog on this verse so here we go. In America we find ourselves in a very individualistic culture where "it's all about me", "leave me alone", "it's none of your business". Well, I beg to differ. As Christians, my business is your business and vice versa which then gives us license to hold each other accountable. Now as you all know, that can get a little dicey from time to time because accountability can be perceived as judgmental which then leads to arguments, fighting, even a break in relationship. Yes, there are times when we do become judgmental and that is not healthy. But, there is nothing wrong with a good face to face "discussion" when there is cause for concern. We owe that to each other if we really love and care for each other.


If you notice the picture above, there is a hammer, there is some serious heat, and there will be some reshaping that will take place. The very fact that the words "iron sharpens iron" are used implies some pain, some grunt and groan, some "ouches". But, the intent is to becomer sharp, to grow in maturity, to acknowledge some areas of fault that need to be ground away to become smooth. And often it takes someone to bring that to our attention, or for us to bring it to someone else's attention. That's the accountability that we have to each other as Christians and once we submit ourselves to that, we find that we really do grow and become sharper that we might be used by God in a more efficient way.


I've been involved in some pretty good battles over the years. There has been the sound of iron clashing against iron at times. At times, it has been very productive. At times, well let's just say that either I or the other person(s) chose not to be sharpened. The problem comes when we don't learn from it. I've always said that some of my greatest fights (accountability moments)were with my brother Randy. But he's part of my family and I still love him and will go to bat for him any day. The same holds true with those who I've sharpened a little steel with in the past. And yes, I still care deeply for each of them.


The bottom line is we need each other. It's Jesus' idea that we are to be the "body" of Christ, not the "body part". It's no fun to give yourself a hug - it takes two. And it takes each one of us to be there for one another and yes, hold each one of us accountable. In doing so we become sharp together. Get the point??

PRIORITIES!

Okay, in the latest newsletter I challenged the congregation to be careful of vacationing from church this summer. Not to avoid a vacation from work, but from taking time away from gathering together as brothers and sisters in worship. So often people see summer as a time to worship when it is convenient for them as opposed to making it a priority to set time aside to "bend the knee" before the Creator of the universe. A priority is understood as anything that takes precendence over something else because it is deemed as more important (my definition). Unfortunately, worship often takes a back seat to the many activities that take place during the summer - sports, going to the lake, camping, yard work, or just plain sleeping in.


Now, before you get upset with what I am about to say, hear me out. I love sports. My boys played in sports in junior high, high school, and college. But in the same breath, I hate sports because of what its done to our kids. It has gone from a once in a blue moon game on Sundays to an every weekend affair - basketball, football, baseball, soccer, you name it. And the age of the kids playing are younger and younger each year. Sadly, the church has quietly watched as the once "sacred Sunday morning" has given way to the "I've got a game this Sunday" mindset. And because the church has failed to say that worshiping the Lord together is a priority, the children come under the belief that going to church is "what we do when there is nothing else going on". And then we wonder why the youth have no concept of God's love, his mercy, his justice, his grace, his forgiveness, his call to obedience. It's because our priorities are skewed.


I am not naive enough to believe that a ball game on a Sunday will cost a person his/her salvation. What I am talking about is placing God first in our lives and taking a stand, even if "all the other kids do it". I just know that my oldest son was on a Legion team and other teams in high school and after high school. But the coaches knew that Sunday mornings he would be in worship and then would join them later. (Yes, there were some times he was gone). The coaches knew up front that church was important and they honored that decision. I realize that not every coach or manager would be as gracious, but priorities are priorities, no matter how others perceive them.


Like I said before, I love sports, I love fishing, camping, things like that. But I love the Lord more than all of these. I know that one day I will stand before the Lord and be held accountable. I also know that the only thing that will matter will be my relationship with him through faith in Jesus. I yearn for him to say "well done, good and faithful servant" which would reflect my priority of making Jesus Lord of my life. It won't be my batting average, how big a fish I caught, how well I water ski, or how well I can kick a ball. It will be about relationship with Christ and whether I responded in obedience to his call to "worship him in spirit and in truth".


Ah yes, priorities. What say you?