Drawing Names

The Christmas season is almost upon us.  Halloween is the end of the week and once in November the Christmas floodgates are open and we will be in for two full months of Christmas extravaganza.  One practice that has become very common in gift giving circles is the practice of trading names.  In stead of buying a gift for everyone, we will each buy a gift for one person.

I know a family that takes the name draw one step further.  You draw a name.  You then go buy yourself a present and say it is from them.  On Christmas they get together, open presents and see what they gave each other.  So I draw Julie's name.  I know that I want a new cordless drill, so I go and buy one.  And a good one at that.  After all, Julie would only want the best for me.  Then I wrap it and put on the tag, "To Me.  From Julie".  On Christmas we open it and I thank Julie for this wonderful present.

So I have a hard time with the buying for ourselves model of gift giving.  But I think that sometimes we have a similar mentality when it comes to sharing the gifts we have been blessed with.  In this sense I'm not talking about a physical, paper-wrapped gift.  I am talking about the gifts and talents and blessing that we all have. 

We all have gifts.  We all have talents.  We all have abilities.  And everyone's are a bit different.  We all have a place and a purpose for which we can use our talents.  But sometimes we look at our particular set of skills and say "These are mine.  I will only use them on myself." 

I don't think that we consciously make this decision.  I think that we can commit ourselves to a point where there is nothing left.  We get all used up before we get to God.  To turn over our talents and gifts for the greater glory of God requires our surrender.  It requires us to seek God's will for our lives first and place it as a top priority.  And believe me, at this point I am pretty much talking to myself.  I am a master at filling my schedule to the point that there is no room left.  These gifts are mine I will use them for myself.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

We all have a gift to bring to the table.  We have talents, abilities, callings, that are useful to others and to the kingdom of God.  And with these gifts we can either put our own name on the box, or we can say, "God, the gift is from you.  Tell me where it should go."

In Serving Others

Welfare.  The government programs of public assistance has been controversial since it was created during the great depression.  And really the complaints haven't changed.  Working people feel like those on welfare could work, but chose not to.

Years ago there was a congressman who wanted to show how easy it was to abuse the welfare system.  So he went and applied for it himself.  He would actually drive a congressional car to the welfare office.  Those of us on the outside look at the system and see abuse.  We think of ourselves in that situation and how we would get out of it.  We think "If they would only do THIS" then they would be supporting themselves in no time.  So it is a program that while it probably does help a lot of people, it generates a lot of resentment in the process.

I think that one problem with the welfare system is it is charity without compassion.  Most people don't mind the idea of helping people out.  We hate the idea that we are being taken advantage of.   We know how hard we work and we see them doing nothing and still getting a benefit.  We don't know the people or their stories.  We don't know how they came to be on welfare or what challenges they are facing.  We don't know anything really except that they are getting public assistance and we am not.  So we focus on something like their phone or their shoes and ask why it's fair that they can afford that, but I cannot.

Of course if we asked Christians their opinions about public assistance, we would get views as wide spread as we would for non Christians.  There isn't an easy solution.  Our opinions range from hard edge to practical to soft soap.  And we can pick verses from the Bible to support any position. And while we can debate about policies there is one non negotiable.  Jesus taught us to love one another.

When I see a person on public assistance with $300 shoes, it is not my job to fix them.  It is my job to love them.  And if my heart is full of resentment and bitterness, then I have bigger problems than what shoes someone else is wearing.  We have been called to love our neighbors and whether or not they act in ways that don't make sense to me does not change a thing.  We are called to love.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

We are called to love.  And sometimes that isn't very easy.  We aren't called to look down on people or to judge people or to be self-righteous.  We are called to love.

The Right Question

I like the show Jeopardy.  And while the game can be fun and challenging, every show is not the same.  Some shows can be vary vary frustrating, where it seems like every category and every question is coming out of left field.  Of course, there are the weeks where the celebrities are on or even better yet, kids week.  I always feel like I could win big money if I they would let me compete against the kids.

Seriously though, there are some times that the questions seem so obscure that it makes you ask how anyone knows this.  Then there are times when it seems that every category was made for you.  It's the luck of the draw but the answers are easy when they are asking the right questions.

Life can sometime be like being on a game show.  Sometimes you get a set of questions that you know nothing about.  Things just don't click.  But then there are the other times.  These are the times when everything just falls into place.  When you are dealing with a problem or working on a project for which you are well suited, it doesn't even feel like work.  It can be challenging, rewarding and fun all at the same time.

Granted, sometimes we do a job not because we want to but because it needs doing, and you are the one that's there to do it.  There is nothing special for you about it.  But it needs to be done, so there you go.  Life isn't always roses, but hopefully there are at least a few carnations pushing through.

Now when I talk about work for which you are well suited, it doesn't have to mean you employment.  Sometimes all you get out of a job is a paycheck.  And that is ok.  You can be good at your job even if it isn't your dream or you don't find it personally fulfilling.  But that fulfillment does need to come from somewhere.

God blesses each of us with talents and abilities.  When we use those abilities we feel fulfilled.  We help ourselves, we help those around us and the world is better for the effort.  You are the correct answer to some question, you just need to find out what it is.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

You are the answer to someone's question.  God blesses each of us with gifts and we are well suited to be a blessing to someone.  We just need to go out there and do it.  The answer is easy if you are answering the right question.

What Happens in Vegas

There is that saying about Las Vegas, what happens there, stays there.  The idea is that when you get there you can behave in ways that you ordinarily would not.  There's no worry about your reputation or repercussions.  Do you want.  Some people have other versions of this.  It might be deer camp.  It might be ladies weekend.  Sometimes people want to live without consequences, but the world doesn't really work that way.

While I now live in a small town, I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit.  One big difference between living in a small town and a big city is the number of ways that we are associated with other people.  It seems that in a large city, we know people in a specific way and that's it.  It is fairly rare to have a person that you work with also be going to your church or also be the parent of one of your children's friends.  You get the idea.  In a small town you see the people from work at the grocery store and the little league game.  

Someone once described small town living to me by saying, "You don't need to know the people, just there business."  And there is that sense of living in a fish bowl where everything is on display.

Christians are called to build true community with each other.  True community means that you know more than their business, you get to know the person too.  In true Christian community people know each other beyond the surface.  This is not easy for a lot of people.  It is easier to let parts of our life stay separate from each other.  But things that are worthwhile are rarely easy.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

True community requires risk.  It requires people to be open and genuine.  It requires people to be accepting of the flaws in others and transparent about the challenges in themselves.  It is challenging, but the worthwhile things usually are.

Group Work

Some situations require us to work in groups.  That was true back in school and it is true in work and even in many social circles.  Often as adults we call them committees, but it's the same thing.  A well functioning group of people can feed off of each other's energy and ideas.  It can be fun and productive.

But we have all been in the other kind of group too.  The other type of group is one that doesn't sync.  You quickly find that everything seems to take longer than if you just did it alone, and the final product is nothing to be inspired over.  One thing that I have noticed when required to work in groups is that it really doesn't matter what the group is working on.  What really matters is who is in the group.

Some people in a group are a real liability.  You just know that do to a lack of ability or a lack of ambition, that the group is going to get nothing out of them.  But other people really make a positive difference when they are working on a project.  These are the people who seem to carry the load.  These are the people that when you hear that they are working on a project, you just know that it is going to be successful.  These are the difference makers.

So this story is out of the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke.  A group brings a paralyzed man to Jesus, but the crowd was too big and they couldn't get there.  They climb up on the roof, make a hole and lower him down.  Their efforts sure made a difference in the life of the paralytic.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

Difference makers.  The four friends saw that something needed to be done and nothing was going to stop them from completing their task.  Nothing.  

And of course, there was Jesus. He was the biggest difference maker of them all.  Through their faith He made the paralytic man whole and healed his legs.  And He continues to make a difference in people's lives today.

Balloons

Every year near around the Fourth of July, near Battle Creek is the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival.  Dozens of hot air balloonists from all over the country come to Battle Creek to participate,  The skies of southern Michigan are filled with balloons and people come from all over the Midwest to take in the festivities.

Whenever I see a hot air balloon I am reminded of a story that I once heard about Benjamin Franklin.  He was in Paris and saw an exhibition of one of the first hot air balloons.  People (including Franklin) were amazed at this new technology.  One skeptic in the crowd offered the question, "What good it?"  Franklin's response was, "What good is a new born baby?"  Franklin saw more than a novelty.  He saw potential.

Potential.  It's not about what it is but what it can become.  As a teacher I have seen many students over the years rise above a rough start to become very impressive adults.  Who we are now is not who we can become.  

Think of Abraham Lincoln.  Before becoming President he tried starting two different businesses and failed both times.  He lost eight elections for various offices.  He suffered a nervous breakdown and spent weeks in bed recovering.  He could have given up, but he persevered.  He was the right person in the right place at the right time.  He never let his early failures limit his future potential.

Potential.  That is the trick for all of us.  Seeing ourselves not for who we are, but rather for who we can become.  God is the real master at unlocking our true potential.  Through His grace we can be released from the burdens of the the past and we can become more than we ever thought was possible.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

Potential.  We can be in a place that is pretty good by the standards of the world, but still far behind what we could be while walking on God's path for us.  Only by surrendering our selves to Gos's plan and purpose for our lives can we find our true potential.

Bargain Hunting

The days are getting colder.  Fall is upon us and soon the first Christmas shopping fliers will be arriving.  They always promise amazing deals for those who are willing.  If you are willing to get up early, or stay up late, or skip dessert on Thanksgiving.  If you are willing to stand in line and race the crowds, then you can have a shot at a bargain.  I say "a shot" because the stores don't always have all of the products advertised in the flier.  Sometimes They may have only a small number and some stores have none.

Now I've never been one to get into the holiday shopping tussle, but I can imagine the frustration of fighting the crowds and waiting in line for nothing but an empty promise.  They aren't sold out, the deal was never there.  

There is the saying that a deal that seems too good to be true probably is.  And we are constantly bombarded with advertisements that promise to make our world better brighter and healthier, but for a price.

We have all had the experience of paying too much, putting out too much effort or going too far.  We look back on the experience and realize that we never should have started down that path.  The cost was too steep.  It cost too much in time or money or effort, and it simply was not worth the investment.

That's where the promise of God is different than the promises of the world.  First, God does not promise us cheap.  It's just the opposite.  God wants us all in.  All of us.  He promises that there will be trials in this life and there will be suffering.  God doesn't promise that it will be easy.  He says that it will be worth it.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

If our walk with God is like Christmas shopping.  The lines may be longer than we first expected.  The parking lots may be more crowded and the crowds may be thicker.  But what we are seeking is always there.  And more besides.  There is so much more that not only don't you mind the crowds, but you can't imagine why anyone else would either.

God never promises that the walk will be easy.  The promise is that it will be worth it.  And that is a real bargain.

Grudge Match

Some sporting events are described as a grudge match.  Sometimes it's the third game of a three game series.  Both teams have one a game and this will decide it all.  Sometimes it's when the last game between these two had some controversy attached to it.  Neither team is quite satisfied with that outcome, and they are going to settle it here.  It's hard to say how much is what the players feel and how much is hype.  But the sense is that they are still playing the last game.

How many times are we playing in a grudge match.  I mean how many times in our dealings with people are we still replaying the last issue as we are dealing with this one.

 

Now let's be clear about this.  There are legitimate problems and if they are never dealt with they will resurface over and over again.  A leaky roof will let in water every time that it rains.  When issues are left unresolved they will continue to resurface.  But once the leaks are patched, once the issues are settled they need to be left alone.  Replaying the disagreement or turning every issue into a grudge match doesn't help.

The hard part is when one person is happy enough to leave it settled and the other person wants to bring it up again.  In the book of Romans it reminds us that we can only control ourselves in these issues.  That we need to be at peace as much as it is in our control.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. - Romans 12:18

It reminds us that we are responsible for our own attitudes and grudges.  As Christians, we are called to forgive everyone who has wronged us for every reason.  When a person seeks out forgiveness from us, that makes it easier.  Much easier.  But their repentance is not a prerequisite for our forgiveness.  

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

We are called to forgive everyone for everything.  There is not a lot of gray area there.  

What I Should Have Said

We have all been there.  Someone says or does something that makes you angry and you are left speechless.  Later on, you think of the perfect response.  It is succinct, funny and completely summarizes your point of view.  It would have been nice if at the time you would have come up with something better than "Says You."

I think we get caught off guard because we aren't anticipating whatever we need the come back for.  So we are too surprised to really think.  OOOO!  Next time though.

The odd thing is that as Christians we aren't commanded to  give a snappy comeback.  Sarcasm is not a spiritual gift.  During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was very clear about what we are to do when confronted by our enemies.  We are to turn the other cheek.  Jesus said that when an enemy strikes you on the right cheek, to offer him your left as well.  In other words, take the hit.  So while we are searching for the response; while we are called to stand down and not do it.  We are not to give back in kind.  We are to take it and prepare to take another.

But there is a little more to it.  In addition to taking it and preparing to take another, we are called to love our attacker.  Think about it.  Our call as Christians is confront an attack with love.  Love.  But what about the snappy come back?

I think that we are called to love our enemies because it is unexpected in this world.  I think that when we respond in love, our enemies can see the love of God flow through us.  We respond in love because it is unnatural.  We know that it is not really within our own ability to do this.  It is only by the grace of God that we can confront anger with love.  

We respond with love, although it makes us uncomfortable, because what is important is not our own comfort, but rather what is important is bringing glory to God.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

His glory.  Not our pleasure.  

We are called to be different from this world.  We are called to act in a way that is unexpected.  And through this bring glory to God.  It is worth much more than a snappy comeback.