Feeling Empty?

Feeling Empty?

The year was 2009. Annual Conference for the Church of the Brethren was in San Diego, California. After watching Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s Summer Vacation, I wanted to take my family across the country visiting the greatest landmarks in the United States. The St. Louis Arch, Four Corners, Pike’s Peak, Garden of the Gods, Arches National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Giant Sequoias were just a few of the locations we would experience on our 6351 mile trip. The beauty of God’s creation, the inspiration of His construction, the power of his mighty hand was evident in every location. It was easy to see that what man has the power to make in no way compares to the beauty of God’s creation.

It was day five of our journey when we pulled into Hoover Dam. My wife, Peggy, and I had been there many years earlier. Because of our visit, I had a great desire to show my kids what I had seen. We drove across the dam slowly, looked at the water to the left and the river to the right. Well, I looked at the water and the river but my kids were still looking at their Nintendo DS screens. We pulled into the parking garage, put the DS games away, and began our journey. I started telling them about the experience we had the years before; like they were really interested, and then it happened. I looked at Lake Mead and noticed how the water level had changed from 1998 to 2009. You could see how much it had dropped. In a study done by the by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, water levels from 1998 to 2009 showed a decline in water levels by 108 feet. In 1998 the water level at Hoover Dam was 1212 feet above sea level. When we arrived at Hoover Dam just eleven years later the water level was only 1104 feet above sea level. The visual was shocking. On the tour, our guide told us how the water usage of Las Vegas and Los Angeles was pulling water out of Lake Mead in record proportion. He shared about the Aqua Duct system that was being built to take more water out of Lake Mead simply because of the number of people that were moving into Las Vegas. He also shared how snow fall totals were less than adequate in the previous ten years to fill Lake Mead with the run off.

 The information given to us was astounding. My mind, however, was no longer thinking about Lake Mead. Instead, I had a vision of what my ministry was like. I saw people we did not have enough spiritual water to get them through the tough times of life. I say families that did not have a reservoir of wisdom to know how to raise children. I saw Christians that for years were living off of my spiritual life and not developing one of their own. It thought about the words of Christ to the woman at the well. In John 4:10, Jesus says, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asked you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Living water; that is what people need, they need a reservoir of living water.

My mind wondered back into the tour just long enough for me to hear these words from our tour guide, “If the rate of depletion remains the same, and the snow levels in the mountains do not increase, there will not be enough water to turn the generators and produce power in 2021.”  There was the problem. If people kept depleting their spiritual resources and did not fill themselves up with God's word, prayer, worship, fellowship, small groups, and the like; their power would be exhausted and soon their would be nothing left spiritual to draw from. Children would  spiritually perish, marriages would end, relationships would be taxed, and the love of many would grow cold. The spiritual reservoirs of life were being filled with the wrong things and it was taking its tole on me and on many others.

How do you fill a spiritual reservoir? That will be the discussion on next weeks blog. Hope to share with you then.

Rich Creamy Goodness

“I do not understand my own behavior; I do not act as I mean to, but I do the things that I hate. Through the will to do what is good is in me, the power to do it is not; the good thing I want to do, I never do; the evil thing which I do not want—that is what I do.”    Romans 7:14-22 paraphrased

I began reading a book last week that was a required text for my degree. It is titled, “Addiction and Grace.” I can honestly say that I probably would have never picked up the book if it was not a class requirement. I am not an addict: I don’t drink or do drugs, so my first thoughts were that this book was for someone else. “Maybe by reading this material I can make a difference in someone else’s life,” I thought. But in the first pages of the book, I found out how wrong I was.  Dr. Gerald May writes, “I am not being flippant when I say that all of us suffer from addiction. Nor am I reducing the meaning of addiction… every human being is an addict. Our addiction may not be to alcohol or narcotics but it may be to ideas, work, relationships, power, moods, fantasies, and an endless variety of other things.” At that point the list began and it was a list that I didn’t like. Soon, I agreed with the author that everyone is an addict.

            St. Augustine was a forth century preacher who was said to be one of the great orators of all times. When the arena wasn’t open, people would come to St. Augustine for a good show as well as to hear what God’s word said. In a message on addiction, St. Augustine said, “God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them. If our hands are full, they are full of things to which we are addicted. And not only our hands, but also our hearts, minds, and attention are clogged with addiction. Our addictions fill up the spaces within us, spaces where grace might flow.” Can you picture that scene? God having a good gift to give to his child but there is no room in the hand to receive it.  Let me paint a more vivid picture. A child goes to the an ice cream store and gets two cones. One has chocolate ice cream and the other has strawberry. First a lick on the chocolate and then a lick on the strawberry. Back and forth he goes filling his tummy with that rich, creamy goodness. A man on the street comes to the boy and offers the young lad a hundred dollar bill. The problem is that the boy doesn’t want to give up his ice cream. He can’t put it down or the dog might get it. He can’t put it in his pocket or it would make a mess. So the boy walks away happy with two fists filled with ice cream instead of the hundred dollar bill that could purchase fifty more cones filled with that rich, creamy goodness.

            It would seem that the Apostle Paul understood this  rich, creamy mess in which we all find ourselves addicted. When he says, “I do not act as I mean to,” I am pretty sure that addiction is a part of that thought.  But what do you do? How do you put down the ice cream for a better gift from God? The first step is to realize that there is something in your hand that is keeping you from a blessing. I didn’t see it! I didn’t know I had addictions. I didn’t know that my hands were too full. But it soon became evident that there are good things of God that I am not receiving. What hope is there? Paul continues to write, “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord.  I am going to try to learn how to put them down in favor of God’s Good Gifts!

                                    In His Love, Pastor Aaron

 

Even God Gets Angery

The kids aren't out of school yet and I have already lost my cool with them. Last night, at the ballpark, Peggy and I had to work the announcer's booth. The kids were with us and we wanted to crown the lot of them. Jenna wanted to poke every button that was up there, Jessica whined the whole evening, and Jeremy thought he was in charge. 

 "Stop! Don't! Quit! Hands off! No! Quit that! Don't do that! Jeremy! Jessica! Jenna!" As you can see I didn't use very many complete sentences. When the evening ended, Peggy and I were exhausted. Don't get me wrong, we have great kids and I love them all, but they can still make me angry.

It is easy to get angry. Not just with the kids, but with many individuals and situations we face. Even Jesus got angry. When Jesus was turning over the money changer's tables, driving the animals out of the temple, and saying, "How dare you turn my Father's house into a market." He was not happy. In a recent book by Gary Chapman, he said something about anger that I never knew. In his book Anger: Handling a Powerful Emotion in a Healthy Way, he writes, "The bible often indicates that God experiences anger. The word anger is found 455 times in the Old Testament; 375 of these refer to God's anger. In fact, the psalmist said, 'God is angry with the wicked every day' (Psalm 7:11 KJV)." Hang on a second. If God is holy and if God is love how can God be angry? Most of us would say that anger is sin, so God must sin because he gets angry. Far from it. Let me state this in a different way and see if you understand. Because God is holy and because God is love, God necessarily experiences anger. It is God's holiness standing in the face of man's sin that makes him angry. It is God's love standing in the face of injustice that makes him angry. And God's response to his anger is never sinful.

The bible is pretty clear that anger is not a sin but how we handle our anger can lead to sin. Gary Chapman tells the story about a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver. In her anger, she could have went after the man who killed her innocent girl. She could have stalked him down and ran over him like he did her daughter. Instead, Candy Lightner took her anger and began MADD, Mother's Against Drunk Drivers. It was her love for her daughter, her anger with the drunk driver, and the injustice of the court system that led to her action. She wanted to use her anger to make a difference and change the world. And she has.

What will we do with our anger? Gary Chapman gives us five steps to anger management.

1. Acknowledge to Yourself that You are Angry. Have you ever said, "I am not angry!" knowing full well that you are angry? I do that all the time. I know that God gets angry and I am made in His image so I will get angry. First I must admit it. It is not a sin to be angry and I need to understand this emotion.

2. Restrain your Immediate Response. Avoid the common mistake of venting and spend some time examining why you are angry. The immediate response often leads to sin. Count to a hundred or a thousand if you need to, but restrain your immediate response.

3. Locate the Focus of your Anger. Why are you angry? Were you truly wronged? How were you wronged? Did someone just let you down? How serious is this offense? Is this really something worth fighting about? Answering these questions may just help us to understand ourselves better. Maybe what happened was a trigger that you need to work on. Maybe the appropriate response is to examine what is going on inside of you.

4. Analyze your Options. Ask yourself the question, "Will my actions help or hurt the relationship?" "Am I acting out of love for the person who offended me or revenge?" If we need to confront, we need to do it in a constructive way. Anger can lead to destructive actions which are sin. We need to avoid actions that Jesus would not approve of. Think of the best way to handle this situation.

5. Finally: Take Constructive Actions. Sometimes the best course of action is to let the offense go. Pray about it and forget it. Jesus does that for your sin all the time. Release your anger and move forward. But, there are times that you must set the person who wronged you down and help them understand how you feel. There are times that they must know what they did wrong. This is a calm, thought through discussion that you have planed and prayed about.

There are times that I wonder how our angry reaction to our children affect their little lives. And not just our children, but how does our anger affect our marriage, our families, and our work environment. If anger is an issue for you, let me suggest purchasing the book by Gary Chapman Anger: Handling a Powerful Emotion in a Healthy Way. It is available on-line or in the book store at church. We all face times of anger, I am sure that a little biblical advice on this issue can help in many of your everyday situations.

In His Love,
Pastor Aaron

Check your Mouth at the Door.

When you think back to people in your life that had a significant, Godly influence on you would any of them be women? In my case the answer is yes. I have had lots of Godly women affect my life. From my mother and grandmother, to preachers and teachers, to my wife and ladies at the Logansport church. Many women have taught me much about Jesus and faith. But, when reading 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 this last week, I was reminded that women were to remain silent in church. What! Women remaining silent in church! What is Paul talking about?

1 Corinthians 14:33-35 says, "As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them. LOL! Just kidding. What is Paul saying to the Corinthians and to us? Should women really not speak in church? Do the ushers need to be the mouth police to make sure women stay quiet? I don't think so. Let's examine what Paul is saying. First, this passage could be contextual. It is possible that the custom of the day did not promote women to speak in public. If that is the case, it was a custom that was being followed then that we would not be required to adhere to today. Second, it could have been a problem in the church. Can you see Bertha better than you standing up in church pointing out every flaw. Or Sanctified Sarah telling everyone about her personal holiness every week. Or even Hearing aid Helen saying, "What did he say, Hubert?" every 5 minutes of the message. The main issue for Paul is orderly worship and evidently the women were making it hard to keep the order.

Here is another thought. If Paul is really telling women that they should keep quiet in church, then he is going against something he said earlier. Listen to 1 Corinthians 11:5, "And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head." Where does prophesy take place at? Well, according to 1 Corinthians 14, there are to be 2 or 3 prophets speaking in church. And in Acts 21:8, we see the four daughters of Philip, the evangelist, who prophesied. And what about all the people that we see that were involved in Jesus' ministry that were women. It is almost like Jesus is all about Godly women's liberation movement.

So what is this text all about? I have a professor at Indiana Wesleyan that calls 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 a, "Naughty Verse." Why is it considered naughty? Well, only Paul and the Corinthians really know what Paul is talking about. When we try to bring this text into our context it is really difficult to understand. Maybe this passage of scripture requires us to paint a picture in much broader strokes. The main issue is orderly worship. What makes a worship service worshipful and what keeps a worship service from honoring God? Something was happening with the women in Corinth that caused disunity. Something was keeping worship from being orderly. And that was what Paul wanted to stop. Church is a place where we should be able to focus on God and what He has done for us though Jesus Christ. Whatever keeps that from happening should be addressed. Verse 40 summarizes Paul's whole train of thought, "Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." So ladies, teach the younger women about Jesus, speak of the great things God has done for you, and testify about Christ's goodness; and influence many--just do it in an orderly way.

Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in Charge!

Since Grandpa Greeson went to be with the Lord, we have done a lot of reminiscing. One of my favorite stories happened this past Christmas at the Greesons. My mother and father-in-law had picked up a cake from Dairy Queen for dessert. The cake had been cut and the pieces served. Grandpa Greeson was thoroughly enjoying his piece. At 94, evidently dessert was his favorite part of the meal. Grandpa was mowing on the cake and wearing as much as he was eating. The cake was made with white and chocolate ice cream but had blue icing all over it. Grandpa was covered with white ice cream and blue frosting. He looked like a kid at his first birthday party. Grandma went over to try to help but Grandpa loved the cake and pushed grandma away. My father-in-law saw the mess and tried to get the cake away from him to no avail. Finally Grandma said, "Harrold, I told you to give me the cake!" Grandpa responded, "Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge!" Too funny. I stored that away to write a book about it one day titled, "Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge!"

Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge? That is a great question. There are lots of places where you could ask that question. Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge of your home? Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge at work? Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge of your family? Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge at church? Let me put it another way. If there was a throne like the one to the left involved, who would be sitting on it?

If you were living in Corinth at the time Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians you may have asked, "Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge of the church at Corinth?" It was an issue. It was so much of an issue that Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:10, "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no dividsion among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." And it doesn't end there. Chapter three deals with the issue of who people in the church are following. "I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Jesus." Whose church is it anyway? In Chaper 5, 6 and 7, there are divisions over the issue of sex and marriage. In Chapter 8, we find a quarrel about food sacrificed to idols. Who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge here anyway?

It is easy to to wonder who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charge. Often, like grandpa, we know the answer to the question. We think that we are the one's in charge. Most of us like being in charge. We like getting our way and doing what we want. It is easy to want to be the head of any and everything we are a part of. But Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12, that we are a member of Christ's body. So, if we are members of Christ's body, who in the Sam Hill do you think is in charege here anyway? Jesus. Well, at least he should be. Christ should be in charge in our home, in charge in our work place, in charge with our families, and in charge with our church. Maybe we ought to put a note on our miror that says, "Jesus is in charge of my life" to remind us every day who should be in control. Maybe we ought to set a place at the head of the dinner table to remind us that Jesus is in charge of our family. Maybe we ought to put Jesus' name on our checking acounts to remind us that He is in charge of our money. Maybe we ought to put an empty chair at our leadership team meetings reminding us who is in charge of the church. And maybe, just maybe, if we allow Jesus to be in control we would all get along better.

In His Love,
Pastor Aaron

Majoring in Minors

It is so easy to get cought up in unimportant things. I will watch my three children spending more time arguing about whose turn it is to feed the dogs than it takes to feed them. I would swear sometimes that they would let the dogs die of hunger before one of them would give in and feed them. In my mind, the major issue is that the dogs need fed. The minor issue is who will feed them. But to them the minor issue is that the dogs get fed and the major issue is who is going to do it.

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, we have a major and minor issue. Often the minor issue so grips us that we miss what Jesus really wanted us to know. Let me tell you the story. A rich man, who was dressed in purple is living in luxury every day. He has all that he wants and all that he needs. But on the steps of his house sits a poor man named Lazarus. He is covered with sores and hungry. Lazarus hopes that he can eat the scraps that fall from the rich man's table. Both men die. The rich man is delivered to hell and the poor man is guided by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man looks across the chasm between Heaven and Hell and asks for Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch his tongue to quench the fire in his mouth. Abraham said that Lazarus can't get there. So the rich man pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers to warn them of the torment of Hell. Verse 29-31, "Abraham replied, 'they have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.' 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Abraham said to him, 'if they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

In the last week, I have had a number of conversations about, "Abraham's side." It is the place that Lazarus went after he died. Most of the questions have centered around where a Christian goes after he dies. I have heard that people stay in the grave until Jesus returns, I have heard that there is a holding place, I have heard that we go straight to heaven, and all comments have included scripture in their answer. Let me lovingly say as your pastor that this is the minor in the text. Everyone falls into the trap of majoring in this minor. It is a great question and fun to think about. But can I say that the major comes at the very end of the text. Abraham says, "they will not be convinced even is someone rises from the dead." Someone did rise from the dead. His name was Jesus. And even after the most amazing event in history people still do not believe. God's son came to this earth and took on human flesh. He died the most horific death imaginable. And after three days he rose from the dead as the Savior of the world! Salvation was attained for mankind through death and the proof of salvation through a resurrection. And still, people do not believe.

Jesus wanted us to know that heaven is real, hell is hot, and eternity is long. There is a place of eternal peace and we will be beside Abraham there. And there is a place of eternal torment and the rich, well dressed, well fed, only concerned about himself rich man in the text is still there. He is hoping someone will put his finger in a glass of water and touch his tongue 2000 years later. We are given a choice as to where we want our eternity to be. And even a man like Jesus raising from the dead will not change the minds of some.

If I spend some time in a holding place, go to heaven immediately, or even have to wait for the trumpet call to get to heaven that is a minor issue. Fact is, I am still getting heaven. And those who have confessed and believe will be there as well. And those who do not confess and do not believe that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead; well, there is a place for them as well. In my mind, that is the major point that God wants us to know. Sure it is fun to seek the answers to Abraham's side, but don't miss eternity in the process.

In His Love,
Pastor Aaron 

Wishy Washy

Peggy and I had an evening without the kids and decided to go out for dinner. We were in Kokomo and had recently visited a new restaurant and loved their onion rings. On  the way there, we decided that we were going to get an appetizer of their wonderful onion rings and split a meal. But when we got there, things changed. As we sat down, the waitress handed us a menu and we began to look at all the wonderful options. Suddenly, our minds were open to possibilities that were not present in the car. I had been thinking pulled pork, but their catch of the day looked like a better choice. Peggy saw the smothered chicken, what a terrible way to die, and thought that sounded good. By the time the waitress returned we decided on fish, chicken and no onion rings. When the meal came we were both disappointed. I thought the fish had a batter on it, instead it was breaded. Peggy's chicken was just okay but the veggies were tough and salty. At the end of the meal, we left disappointed. 

What was the problem with our meal? It was not the food that was the problem. The problem was that Peggy and I were not resolute about our decision. Remember why we went to that restaurant? We wanted onion rings and pulled pork. We ended up with fish and the real white meat. We allowed choices to deter our desires and ended up not happy with what we had done. Does that sound familiar? We have a plan, then we get other options, then we tinker with our plan, we make a different choice, and in the end we are not happy with our actions. 

There is a name for this type of living. It is called being wishy washy. Dictionary.com says wishy washy is, "lacking in decisiveness; without strength or character; irresolute." We see it in politics all the time. Politicians never give a straight answer. Instead they seem wishy washy when they speak. Their "yes" in never a yes and their "no" is often a maybe. Let's not get political because we all do the same thing. It is easy to be wishy washy on many things. I grounded Jessica for the rest of her life one day; now she is not grounded, so evidently, I was wishy washy on that. Jenna does things that Jeremy would have never got away with. That seems wishy washy (Really the kids just wore us down). And there are days I sit at my desk and wonder what direction I should lead the church and that too can be wishy washy at times. It is not always easy to be resolute.

If you are reading our year through the bible at church, I hope you noticed a statement made in Luke 9. It is one that you should remember as you read the next couple of weeks. It says in Luke 9:51, "Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." Why is that important? Let me say that Jesus had many other options in front of him. There were a number of people that needed healed. Jesus could have stuck around and took care of their needs instead of heading to his death. The Pharisees could have been converted if Jesus just proved, as he did on the mount of transfiguration, that he was the Christ. Jesus could have headed in a different direction to get away from the beating he would receive in Jerusalem. Being fully God, he knew the pain that was before him in the city. Peter will try to get Jesus to change his mind. We see times where if Jesus would have been wishy washy the Pharisee's, Sadducee's, and people would have loved him more and not killed him. But Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He would not change his message. He would not change his plans. Jesus would not change his mind. His plan was Jerusalem, his purpose was the cross, and the decision was made.

How resolute are you? Maybe dinner is not easy to plan and disciplining your kids varies on how tired you are. But how resolute are you on eternal principles? How effective is your resolve to reading your bible, to pray, to witness, to invite your friends to church? Do you have a resolve to attend church weekly, tithe off of every paycheck, serve when the opportunity arises, show up at a small group and develop new friends, to feed someone who is hungry, to come to bible study so you can learn and grow, to pray at meals, to lead your children in devotions, and to fast from worldly things to get your mind back on God? (The list could go on but I imagine that is enough for now) So much of what I have just mentioned is about resolve. It requires us to not be wishy washy. It requires us to quit looking at the menu of all the other things that the world affords and follow the words of Jesus closely.

Why don't you pick a couple of things from above and resolutely set out to accomplish them. Set in motion a decision that you will not allow the world to change. You may be amazed at the blessings that come when we decide to take Jesus seriously and do what he says.

In His Love,
Pastor Aaron