He Got Out of the Boat

(image courtesy of jw.org)

As we walked Violet, our Goldendoodle, early this morning, my wife Betsy asked what I had planned for my day. I listed several chores I was going to do around the house and added that I hoped to publish a blog, if only inspiration would come. I explained that the well had been dry the last few days, but I was remaining committed to share what I believe God puts on my heart.

Things still appeared a bit dry, even as I began to research John 11, the raising of Lazarus, as a possible blog. It was at this time that my phone let me know I had a new text message from our dear friend Cheryl. (I highly recommend checking out her blog, Care for Parkinson’s, found here on WordPress, to get to know her as we have. She is a blessing!)

Anyway, Cheryl shared a devotion for today that had spoken to her in such a way that she wanted Betsy and I to have access to it as well. Having now read this, I feel the prompting of Holy Spirit to share some thoughts on this passage of Scripture. Thank you Cheryl for the nudge I needed today!!

Chapter 14 of Matthew’s gospel contains the familiar account of Jesus walking on the turbulent sea toward the boat the disciples were struggling against the wind in. Verse 26 tells us what they felt as this unexpected sight: When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. (NIV)

Jesus then attempts to assure them that it is indeed Him, and they need not fear. At this point Peter speaks up, “Lord, if it is you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28 NIV)

You probably know the rest of the story: Jesus tells Peter to come to Him on the water. Peter jumps out of the boat and does start to walk on the water, only to start sinking when he took his focus off Jesus and put it on the waves all around him.

Lessons abound on this point, as much has been written and said about Peter’s apparent lack of faith. Even Jesus points this out to the Twelve when He and Peter get into the boat with them as He chastises them for having doubt instead of faith.

To be honest, I sometimes want to get a little judgmental toward the disciples. I mean, they had seen Jesus do so much. He had healed many and produced food for thousands out of basically nothing. His teachings and overt actions of love toward so many had been witnessed by this select group.

But I am not in judging mode today. Today instead of pointing a figurative finger at the disciples, I am instead marveling that Peter got out of the boat at all. I do not have much experience being aboard boats, save a few canoe trips (on a calm pond) and sight-seeing cruises around The 1000s Islands here in Northern NY.

This makes me appreciate all the more what Peter did. At least he got out of the boat at the invitation of Jesus. We can safely assume he was as startled/scared as any of them at the sight of someone walking toward them on the water; water that the 12 had been struggling to cross for some hours in the dark of night.

Yet, Peter got out of the boat. I believe I understand a few things better now as I re-read this narrative. First, Peter asked Jesus a specific question (If it is you, tell me to come to you on the water. V. 28) to which Jesus simply said, “Come.”

Despite what he was feeling, Peter heard from Jesus, and got out of the boat. He could have stayed aboard with the others, waiting to see how this played out. Sure, it was windy and wavy, but he was an experienced mariner and probably knew he would survive this squall as he had many others before. Lesson received, Peter: Don’t stay paralyzed in a circumstance. Rather, seek Jesus. Ask Him what to do and then act in faith on His response.

This took a fair amount of courage on Peter’s part. Talk about literally stepping into the unknown! He trusted in Jesus, and got out of the boat! And for a few wondrous moments, he too was walking on the water. Next lesson from Peter: There may well be great wonder when you step out in faith. To get the fuller extent of this wonder, we need to keep our focus on Jesus. It is my intention to do so, but I/we all know that the world around us is often in upheaval, revealing things that often vie for our attention. Thanks to Peter’s example, I am going to make a better effort to stay focused on Jesus.

Yes, I plan on getting out of the boat more often because the One who calls me to is ever faithful. He will not allow me to fall by the way, so long as I realize I need Him for every step I take (be it on dry ground or not!?).

How about you? Any ‘getting out the boat’ experiences you would like to share?

 I would love to hear them.

As always, thanks for reading. I appreciate your time.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Pastor Chuck

The Freedom I Found in Giving

(image courtesy of chucklarsen.com)

Please, please, please understand from the very beginning of this: I AM NOT TRYING IN ANY WAY TO RAISE MONEY! I AM NOT SEEKING DONATIONS FOR ANYTHING!

However, I am going to proceed into a topic that is downright sensitive to many and clearly off-limits to many more: the giving of money.

To re-iterate, I share with you my experiences in the realm of giving only in hopes that others will find the joy I have when the power of the dollar loses its hold on you.

For a quick review, allow me to share some of the formative background of my approach to money and the acquisition of things. As a child, I watched my Dad work hard to supply his family with our basic needs and a few of our wants. He was happy to fulfill his role as provider, but was equally guarded about how any of his hard-earned would be spent outside of our home. The idea he installed was to take care of your own, and anything left over was to be saved for that rainy day that was sure to come. It was not disposable it anyway toward charity of any kind.

As I have chronicled before, my early adulthood was a travesty of waste and destruction brought about by my alcoholism. All childhood lessons regarding money were forgotten or ignored, and I accumulated a large sum of debt.

Coming out of that haze and into recovery, I was driven to pay back every dime I owed. I was blessed with employment that enabled me to make good money, meeting the needs of my own family while paying down the mountain of debt.

It was during this season of life that I was introduced to the idea of tithing. I found the idea of giving 10% to the church I was attending a novel idea, but one that had no practicality in my circumstances. Once I heard the part about giving some of my money, I apparently shut my ears to the rest of the explanation. By doing so I missed the entire point about giving back to God first because anything I had came from Him anyway. The Bible refers to this as giving to God the first fruits of our labor, I simply called it crazy. I mean, how could I give any percentage when we barely had enough coming in to cover expenses.

As I look back on those days now, I am ever so grateful that my wife Betsy did understand from the outset what this giving was truly about. She was able to slowly help me to see the selfishness and short-sightedness of my hold on to it at all costs approach to our finances.

God, as always, was gracious and patient with me as my heart softened. As I came to more fully realize that everything we had or earned was all because of His love for us, I came to understand why it was God calls us to give back to Him ‘off the top’ instead of grudgingly handing over leftovers.

It was now that He began to reveal to me the freedom that comes when giving to God unreservedly. Instead of viewing giving to the church as a burden that was going to further tighten our budget, I began to see how I was spending on not so necessary things. For example, the rationalization that our busy lives necessitated having take-out food 2-3 times a week was replaced with a spirit of cooperation that allowed us to plan and make family meals together. This not only saved lots of money, but it also fostered a much more unified front with regard to the family finances.

Throughout the ensuing years we have continued to tithe to the local church. Please understand that we hold to no formula of giving. Nor to do we believe that we are checking some cosmic box that will earn us favor with the Almighty. We do use 10% as a benchmark, but these days we often find we are blessed to give over and above that number. Again, not because we have to, but rather that we get to.

The freedom that I mentioned at the top has grown from this last point. Giving is an act of obedience, not obligation. With my heart positioned in this way, giving becomes a joy because I know that obedience to God in any matter brings joy to him. And my personal belief is that when we come to obey in these areas that were especially difficult to give up or move away from, His joy is even greater.

Please understand, we are not living some austere life as we follow God’s direction. To the contrary, we are blessed with so much more than we ever have had before. The thing is that the blessings these days are not measured in material wealth, but rather in the deep assurance of God’s sovereignty over our lives.

My advice to any who ask me about the topic of finances is this: Live within your means and always remember to thank God for all He gives you. My willingness to give back to Him sprung from the development of an attitude of gratitude toward all He provides me. I present no formula for success. But I do share with you the joy of the freedom that came (and stays) to my life when I placed the importance of God over the importance of money. The freedom I speak of has been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. The joy is in living this out in all aspects of life.

As always, any thoughts you want to share on this topic are welcome. I would enjoy some dialogue on this.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed and be a blessing,

Pastor Chuck

Faith and 20/20 Hindsight

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We’ve all heard the adage, ‘hindsight is 20/20.’ Even though our look back can still be skewed, things are often clearer as we consider the course of past events.

Joseph, the son of Jacob, was an important figure in the Book of Genesis. As one picks up his story near the end of that book, you find that his father is now dead, and his brothers have come to him to apologize for the contemptible way they had treated him. For review, Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob, which caused his older half-brothers to be extremely jealous of him. They plot to kill young Joseph but instead settle on selling him into slavery.

Joseph had many trials as a slave; to say nothing of being abandoned by his family. Genesis records the ups and downs of his life.  Finally, he becomes a very powerful person in Egypt, rising to the number two person in power there, subject only to Pharaoh. He plans for and then administers the food he had set aside during a wide-spread famine in such a way that many lives are spared.

The narrative tells of Joseph brothers coming to beg food. They do not recognize him as their brother. Still, he takes care of them. Sometime later, after their father Jacob has died, the brothers come to him again.

Here is the account of part of what Joseph said to his brothers at that meeting which can be found in Genesis 50:20:

            “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (NIV)

Here we see clear evidence that Joseph had 20/20 vision as he looked back over the events of his life. He recognized that everything that happened to him was part of God’s overall plan for his life. Joseph makes a great testimony to the sovereignty of the Almighty.

The question I ponder as I consider Joseph’s life is this: Did he have that same insight about God’s plan as the bad things were happening to him? Was he able to keep his chin up and say, “It’s alright, God is working out part of His great plan through what is happening to me.”?

If I put myself in Joseph’s place, I do not see me saying those things as they occur. Being threatened with murder and then abandoned by my family would most certainly evoke anger with a dose of desiring revenge sprinkled in.

However, I will gladly admit that the passage of time has helped to attune me somewhat with God’s plan as it has unfolded in my life. I can see more clearly now that much of what I have gone through, self-inflicted as it was, has been used by our Heavenly Father to mold me into a more useful instrument for Him today.

I have concluded that we are not given the day to day thoughts of Joseph for good reason. This allows us to work through our own stuff. What needs to be constant is our focus on God, not on our circumstance.

God is true to His word. He is working all things for good: His good! We ought to be honored and humbled that He chooses to give us a role to play in the grand scheme of things. I’m not saying this makes everything easy to go through, but experience is helping me to learn that the more I trust God in the midst of the storms of life, the less turbulent are the seas.

The apostle Paul sums this up for us in his letter to the Romans in verse 28 of Ch. 8: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV)

The word translated as know used by Paul in this verse carries with it the idea of coming to know and understand something and then to put that information to use. For me, and hopefully you, Faithful Reader, this is a great teaching point. We are to see our current circumstance or those formational parts of our lives as being parts of God’s greater plan. I do not know why this often includes going through trials and pain. But I can say from my own experiences that it is the seasons of pain and uncertainty that have been the ones that have brought me closer to Him.

Admittedly, I usually don’t come to the point of understanding until I’ve gone through what it is I am going through. I am learning through them all to trust more and more in God’s care, which is, I believe, the point Paul makes as we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.

Seen in this light, the occurrences of our life are not just random and scatter-shot, but are actually all part of an intricate plan sculped by our all-powerful and knowing God.

Today, I am grateful that with the help of my eyeglasses my vision looking forward is 20/20.  Yet even more this, I am eternally grateful that God is revealing to me that His care, love and protection are infinitely perfect today as they were yesterday and will be going forward.

Blessings to you and thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

We are all invited!

(image courtesy of pinterest)

The Labor Day Holiday was established in 1884 in a time of unrest among the working class.  Exploitation was often cited by the fledgling labor unions as low wages and long hours in unsafe conditions were often the rule.  Workers were perceived as little more than replaceable parts in the greater machine; if you didn’t like conditions or the wages being offered, someone else would.  The Carpenters and Machinist Unions both claim to be the impetus behind this movement.

Many of these labor leaders were campaigning for an innovative idea, one that would curtail the overuse of the labor force.  What they were asking for was not only one day from work per year to celebrate those who worked by the hour, but also for the idea of a balanced day.  They were proposing that management establish an 8-hour work day which would then allow for this balance: 8 hours of work, 8 hours of recreation and 8 hours of rest.

That equation for the use of 24 hours sounds good, doesn’t it? However, as it is true today that you cannot legislate morality, coming up with a formula to live each 24 hours by is equally fruitless.

We might get one segment right, but overdo another which then disrupts the third.  My experience and the experience of many that I know is that the segment that gets most short-changed is rest.  Ask yourself, how’s this balance working for you?  Many work more than 8 hours a day and yet will still attempt to get full time in on recreation.  The result is less than ideal, for even though you get away from the workplace, fatigue still wins out.  You can look at any of these three segments of time, I guarantee for most of us the one that gets cheated the most is rest/sleep.

As He is always faithful to do, God provides us exactly what we need. In the context of resting from our labors, please consider what Jesus said as recorded in Matthew 11:28-30 in your search for balance:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for you souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (NIV)

Jesus calls us to life in Him.  We have eternal life assured through the salvation He has won for us. Paul’s letter to Ephesians clearly spells this out:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God –⁹ not by works, so that none can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

Salvation is God’s gift to all. We play no active part in it other than to receive it. God’s grace is extended to anyone that professes Jesus Christ as Savior.

However, there are plenty of God’s promises to us that do require us to do our part to realize them. With regard to the rest Jesus offers, He tells us that we are to “come to him, all who are weary and burdened.” Please do not miss that all-inclusive invitation to all of us who are weary and burdened!

Acknowledging that we play a part in experiencing this rest, what are we to do?

First, admit our need of this balanced life.  If we’ve honestly looked, we’ve seen that we need to have it.  Also, it’s ok to admit “I’m tired.”  No shame in that, as matter of fact many of us succumb to pride when we push on through fatigue thinking we can overcome any obstacle if we work long and hard enough. This is rarely possible for us and never long-lasting. Only Jesus has ‘overcome the world.’ He’s the only one who could.  Humbly go to Him seeking this rest.

And it’s not not just weary, but ‘burdened.’ What are you burdened by today? Finances, health, children, work, the state of the country/world, etc.? Plenty to be burdened about and they quickly become too heavy if we try to carry them on our own. 

However, there are two things we need to do to hold up our end of the promise to have rest. In verse 29 of Matthew 11, Jesus tells us first to: “Take my yoke.” This is an act of our will.  We take what Jesus offers, here referred to as a yoke (oxen teams; we’re made up of two animals with the smaller, less experienced one on the outside).  Jesus is on the inside carrying the heavier load, to symbolize that the Lord’s guidance will bring us peace and rest.

Secondly, we are to learn from Him.  “You’ve tried the rest, now try the best!”  Look over your track record with dealing with problems and difficulties on your own, or in your way or power.   If your past success rate is as low as mine in doing things this way, you can see that we have some things to learn from Jesus.  Hence, once yoked to Him, we are to learn from Him; the One with the strength and wisdom, the One on the inside.

In conclusion: Doing life; isn’t that what the original proponents of Labor Day were attempting to legislate? So much time for this, that and the other thing.  Jesus has been and is still offering this way of life all along!

His yoke is not easy because He expects less from us, rather it is light because He carries so much of the load!  In the same way, our burdens don’t lighten or go away simply because we follow Jesus, but again because He carries the majority of the weight, they become so much lighter and easier for us to carry.

Is there a balance that can be found in life like the people who established Labor Day 135 years ago were striving for? If you are looking for a neat and well-structured formula of 8-8-8, the answer is most likely no.

But if the balance you seek has Jesus in the heart of all you do, then the answer is a resounding yes!  Jesus has told us again today that He will give us rest.  His offer is true and reliable.  He will give it if we seek Him for it.  It all boils down to a question of faith: Is what God’s Word says applicable to us today?  If you believe that it is indeed ‘active and alive,’ the answer is again yes!

With the truth of God activated in your heart and mind, you can know and experience the wondrous truth that Jesus Himself provides the ‘rest for our souls’ that we need.

On this Labor Day, and every day, keep all that you do centered on the Lord Jesus.  As you do, you will find that the rest He gives doesn’t just come at the end of our physical activity, but in fact is present and available to us all the time.  As you let this truth take root in your heart, you will find that you will not need legislation to provide you balance between work, leisure and rest, Jesus Christ has and is your balance in abundance. 

Thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

Don’t be a Blockhead

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Like millions of others, I am a fan of Charlie Brown. I still make time to watch the Christmas and Halloween specials each year when they are aired on network T.V. Again, like so many, I find it easy to empathize with this shy character and inwardly cringe at the insult, “You’re a blockhead, Charlie Brown,” every time I hear it, especially considering CB didn’t deserve to be called that.

That really is quite the insult as it questions the intelligence of the target. There is no mistaking the intent when that word is thrown at someone; it is a direct put down.

Jesus, being more polite than most, didn’t use quite that term when he called Peter out for something he had said. But make no mistake, the Lord wanted to get his disciple’s attention when in response to Peter’s claim that Jesus should never go through with the idea of being put to death. The last thing I ever want to hear from the Son of God is, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.” (Matthew 16:23 NIV).

Leaving alone the fact that Jesus refers to Peter, the man one paragraph above this quote He said He was going to use as the rock on which He would build His church, as Satan; the Lord tells the befuddled Peter that he is a stumbling block to the salvation plan.

It might have hurt Peter less if Jesus had called him a blockhead instead of a stumbling block. The word the Lord said Peter was to Him meant that he was an obstacle to a cause. From this word we get the word scandalous today. Of all the things I can think Jesus might call me, being an obstacle to His plans is not one I want to hear. Causing a scandal over Jesus by something I erroneously have said, even less so.

And not to omit that Jesus referred to one of His devoted followers as Satan, we must consider (as always!) the context of the narrative. What Peter said, in what the Bible says was in the form of a rebuke, sounded awfully close to what Satan had said to Jesus as he tempted the Lord in the desert just after His baptism. Satan had shown Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, telling Him he could be ruler over them all, if only the Lord would worship him. Like Peter, Satan was saying Jesus could avoid the awful suffering awaiting Him by taking a softer, easier way to His destination.

Jesus would have none of that from the devil, and He certainly didn’t want to entertain the idea from Peter. God had/has/will have the perfect plan; we need to trust that in order to not stumble into the way of it being carried out.

Somewhat easier said than done, however, for me anyway. After all, I make most of my plans after some thought, looking into possible outcomes as best I can. I do not think I would ever intentionally be a stumbling block to anyone, let alone the Lord Jesus Christ and His plans.

Still, if I go about my most careful planning without seeking any divine direction or influence by not praying about it, I can in fact have the outcome of that plan be something that causes a stumble off the Lord’s path; and it’s me who would be the most likely to trip and fall because of it!

Like many, I do most of my best learning from my mistakes, and having the occasional stumble-block result from my ideas has helped me to eliminate some of my tendency to make similar mistakes again.

So, if I were not to learn from my errors and slips in the past, I could be aptly called a blockhead after all!

Blessings and thanks from reading,

Pastor Chuck

God Answers our Prayers!

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When we last met, Dear Reader, the discussion had to do with the question of whether or not God hears our prayers. This is an extremely important question for anyone who would venture into a communication with the Most High God. Because of its importance, the Almighty gives us clear answers that He does indeed hear all prayers offered to Him. If you recall, I offered just a few of the myriad passages from the Bible that clearly state that God hears what is spoken to Him in prayer.

However, the next logical question, “Does He answer every prayer?” does not come with such a distinct answer. To be clear from the start, I wholeheartedly believe that our Heavenly Father does answer our prayers. The confusion on this point comes from us: What are our expectations? Do we trust God to answer? How do we know it’s Him answering? Why do I have to wait for an answer? Is ‘No’ sometimes the answer He gives?

These are valid questions that people have been asking with for centuries. As I said, I believe that God does answer every prayer. He is omnipotent; therefore He has the ability to do this. God is love; therefore He has the heart to answer them all.

The responsibility to receive/understand/accept the answer falls squarely on our shoulders. Far too many people, in my opinion, keep God in a small box, calling on him only when they are faced with some great or sudden need. This shallow approach to faith seems to think that God is far off somewhere, doing who knows what, and that He has a magic button to push to fulfill our request when we send it.

No, God is not a cosmic yes-man. Rather, He is magnificent beyond words and completely beyond us. Yet, His desire is for us to get to know Him as best we can. His heart is for us to enter into a loving and caring relationship with Him. Within this relationship is the on-going invitation to speak to Him through our prayers.

By being intentional about spending time to develop the relationship with God on our end is how we can get to know more of the depth of God’s character. The better we know Him, the easier it becomes to trust Him. Our ability to trust will coincide with the depth our relationship with God. Would you trust a stranger with your hearts deepest desire? Of course not. Don’t keep God at arms-length in your life. At the risk of over-simplifying the profound depth of God’s desire for us to deepen our relationship with Him, consider this: We cannot learn to trust Him until we begin to trust Him.

As our relationship with the Almighty grows, we begin to have the ability to better discern how He is answering our prayers. Seeing ‘No’ as an answer becomes a little clearer, if not easier to take. Again, trust is the key. God, who is outside the restriction of time you and I live under, knows the future. With this knowledge, He is the best (and only) one capable of seeing all the repercussions of what we are asking.

A growing faith will develop more of this important trust. This then helps us to be a little more patient as we await a particular answer to prayer. I far too often still want what I want when I want it. I am learning, ever so slowing, that God always has my best interest in mind. Because He does, His answer, be it “yes, no or let’s wait on that,” is exactly what I need.

Be assured, I haven’t gotten to this place in my relationship with God overnight, and I still have miles to go before I get to the depth I believe He wants me to get to. My encouragement to you is this: No matter where you find yourself in your faith life, be intentional about growing closer to God, for as you get closer to Him, you get closer to the answer(s) He has for you.

Blessings and thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

Hello to you all, both long-time and new!

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I would like to acknowledge and say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have recently started following this blog. I truly appreciate the time you take to read and respond.

For those who have been reading, putting up with, and/or groaning over the past 3+ years, a hearty thanks to you as well!

It occurs to me that those falling under the newer category might not know all the backstory that comes along with me. I’d like to take this opportunity to allow you the opportunity to catch up!

As I am embarking on a somewhat new aspect of my journey as a follower of Jesus Christ, I have been asked to write an essay introducing myself to the folks who will be considering me for a Rostered (ordained) ministry position within the Lutheran Church. The following is an excerpt from that essay. It is my hope that you, New Dear Reader, will take the time to get to know me a little better (and for those who have heard much of this, you may hit the like button and be on your way).

Thanks once again for sharing the ride with me.

Part 1: My Story

I was born on January 11^th, 1960 in Oswego New York to Kenneth and Evelyn Copps. I have one older brother, Carl. I had a happy home-life growing up in in that small town. My parents provided for all our needs and most of my wants in a caring way. Dad worked full-time as a machinist while Mom stayed at home. I had some close friends through the years and it seemed we always congregated at my house. It was warm and open to everyone.

My parents were Roman Catholic and raised my brother and me in that faith. It never meant much to me as I saw going to church largely as an inconvenience on my time. Other than Confirmation, weekly Mass was my only exposure to Catholicism. Things of faith were rarely if ever brought up at home. Tending to shirk responsibility in those days, I was more than happy to do my 60 minutes per week at church and leave faith at that.

At the age of eighteen I opted out of regular church attendance, going back only to be married in 1983. My wife and I attended her local church, Holy Family in Fulton, New York for a brief period after marriage, but that attendance soon faltered as well.

I was well into the downward spiral of alcoholism at this point. The ensuing years are a blur even now. Finally, with my health failing, my wife ready to leave and at the brink of financial disaster, I sought help. A three week stay in a detox-center followed by a 28-day rehab helped prepare me to live a sober life.

It is at the beginning of recovery that my faith life came to be. In fact, I count both my sobriety date and the date of my salvation the same: May 3^rd, 1991. It seems that the Bible stories I sat through as a child had some affect after all! I knew in my spirit that the Higher Power the AA literature speaks of was in fact Jesus Christ. I received His forgiveness at the detox-center and have been a follower of His ever since.

That last sentence hardly speaks to the wonder of these last 29 years. I owe a great debt of thanks to Pastor Brent Dahlseng. He took a great interest in my spiritual journey. He encouraged me to read God’s word and to become a person of prayer. He was a tremendous mentor and friend as he helped me navigate my new life with purpose.

God has been faithfully persistent as He continues to call me to His service. Starting as a Small-Group apprentice leader, I have now had the privilege of being on many different prayer ministries as well as hospital visitation teams.

As the Lord has helped me to discern His call on my life, I attended seminary (Rockbridge Seminary) and was granted a Master of Divinity in 2014. We had begun a home ministry by this point and the schooling and training the seminary provided me had enriched my ability to serve. This has proved especially true in my Hospice work as I provide pastoral care to patients and their families.

I was ordained by the Elim Fellowship of Lima, New York in April of 2018. I have had the pleasure to officiate at weddings and our home ministry is now ‘on the road,’ as we serve people in their homes by providing bible study, counseling and the opportunity to worship.

It is with much anticipation that I enter into this next phase of ministry. I continue to trust God will reveal His will to me as I embrace a deeper understanding of Lutheran theology in the service of the church.

Blessings to you all,

Pastor Chuck

The Bible: The Ultimate Battery Charger

(image courtesy of Walmart)

Ah, the portable battery charger.  I love mine.  No cables to unravel, don’t have to line up with the other vehicles battery.  Just set the clamps, positive to positive and negative to negative, and the dead battery will come to life.  It’s convenient. I have used mine on numerous occasions to help fellow motorists with dead batteries.  All I have to do afterward is remember to bring into the house to re-charge it.

.  Days like today remind me that God’s word re-charges unresponsive things as well.  I make it part of my morning to read from the Scriptures each day, but to be honest, I can’t say my battery is charged to full capacity after every reading.  Thankfully, today is one such day that it is!  I was reading in Luke 6:6-11 how Jesus performed a healing of a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath Day.  The Sabbath Day was to be a day of rest, as commanded by God.  The issue at hand, pun intended, was how the religious leaders over time had twisted its meaning.  They were quite literal when they said, “no work can be done on the Sabbath.”  Jesus, as He often did, showed them what the true meaning of something was.

Jesus healed the man, right in front of them, to help prove the point that doing good far outweighs the attempt to do nothing wrong.

The Pharisees and keepers of the Law were incensed that Jesus would do such a thing, and in the synagogue no less!  These dudes needed a jolt to their system, as I admit I must also from time to time.

Here’s the problem as I see it: the religious types were totally focused on the wrong thing.  Their motivation was to do avoid doing anything wrong.  They were completely handcuffed by fear making it is much harder, if not impossible, to be doing intentional good. When your mind is pre-occupied on what man-made rules you might be breaking, the ability to move freely in other ways is compromised.

As I unhook the charging cables from my mental battery this morning, I sense in my spirit some of the peace that God promises all of us.  I find my mind has been freed (again) from the crippling fear of doing something wrong and instead reset to the place where I simply trust God to lead me where He wants me and to be ready to do what He would have me do.

Might I suggest, Dear Reader, that if your battery seems low on juice today, to go plug yourself into the source of energy that never runs dry, God’s word.  He has made Himself available to us always and everywhere so that we can do this.  As you make your plans for this day, please bring that blessed charger along; you never know when you will need its boost!

Blessings,

Pastor Chuck

 

 

Salt and Light?

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Jesus taught in many different ways, knowing full well people had many learning styles.  That fact hasn’t changed in over 2000 years! For me, the Lord’s teaching through parables has always been easiest for me to understand.  I find the connection between the characters in the stories and the truth Jesus was teaching easy to find.  Conversely, His teaching through the use of metaphor hasn’t been as clear to me.  Perhaps that’s not such a bad thing, as it make me slow down to consider what was said.  It is this pondering process that leads my entry into the blog-o-sphere today.

The bible records Jesus speaking in Matthew 5:13-16 this way:

“You are the salt of the earth.  But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (NIV)

Salt and light? How can I be salt or light?  Even realizing this is a question put in the form of a metaphor, I’m still not sure what it means.  Allow me to share with you what my pondering has revealed thus far.

To be salt as Jesus has commanded, I continue the metaphor in that I must be ‘seasoning’ to the world around me.  Much as salt brings out or enhances the flavor of some foods (like corn on the cob!), so should I strive to have that kind of influence in my world.  Health questions aside, I must be a salted potato chip, something with some zest, as opposed to a bland unsalted one if my life of faith is to look appealing to someone else.

Salt in the days when Jesus walked the earth was a primary preservative of meat.  Yet to be of any value, it had to be rubbed in to be of any use.  Salt left lying next to a slab of fresh meat doesn’t help at all.  This applies to our life of faith as well: If I stay secluded in my office, I am not adding any spice to my community as a whole.

Jesus then goes on to say that His followers are also the light of the world.  Light is such an important theme throughout the Scriptures.  God’s light removes darkness as it  reveals His loving and compassionate heart.  Those living in darkness can’t see this.

Jesus would later tell everyone that He was the light of the world and that whoever followed Him would never walk in darkness. (John 8:12) He is the light, no question.  Yet you and I can and do walk in darkness, physically.  But Jesus is talking about our spiritual, not our physical walk.  Following His great light illuminates everything.  Rather that worry about what this might expose, how about considering what this light can reveal to/for us? Has anyone ever said to you, “I don’t want to give up this or that” to become a Christian.

I can remember thinking that way, especially when it came to smoking cigarettes.  Was I going to have to give them up now that I knew Jesus had saved me? No, I didn’t have to quit them or any other vice I might have been enjoying.  Rather I came to understand that following Jesus is all about addition, not subtraction.  Becoming His follower gave me peace like I’d never known.  It gave (and gives) me assurance the world can’t come close to giving.  These minuses just don’t register when compared to the pluses (and BTW, I’m going on 23 years without a smoke!).

In the verses at the top, Jesus says we are the light of the world and not to hide this fact.  Alright, but how do I do this? Simply put, by living out this faith we claim for all to see.  Scripture is once again filled with examples of how we can accomplish this.  We can see to the need of orphans and widows (James 1:27) or by tending to the needs of the hungry, giving clothes to those in need and remembering to help out our own family as well (Isaiah 58:7).

Joyce Meyer has summed this salt and light question up in a way that helped me: The Bible says that Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. On the job, in the grocery store, even among unsaved friends and family members, God’s people are there to bring seasoning to an unsavory situation.

If being salt and light has been a question in your heart and mind, I pray these musings have helped to clarify it some.

My sincerest thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

 

Teach Me to Pray

(image courtesy of bing images)

To the question, “Why pray?” I wrote that Jesus Himself prayed, concluding that if the Son of God saw value in praying, you and I should as well.  The next question for us to ponder was, “Does anyone listen to my prayers.” Once again, Jesus provides the comforting answer: Yes, prayers are heard in heaven!

Taking these first two examples as being the encouragement to pray, wouldn’t the logical next question be: “How do I pray?”

The disciples of Jesus believed it was. They had followed Jesus for a while and had seen Him go off to pray by Himself many times.  They understood, at least partially, that this was a practice they ought to partake in as well.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1)

Jesus then answered their request with what we have come to know as the Lord’s prayer:

Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.  ³Give us each day our daily bread. ⁴ Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:2-4)

Many people have been taught this prayer (or something close based upon which Gospel and translation you use) at an early age.  For me, I learned the words, in their proper order, so that I could recite it when asked to.  I have since come to believe that Jesus was after a little more than rote memorization as He answered the disciple’s request to teach them how to pray.

Before I go any further, let me be clear, I am not promoting a formula that must be followed to have our prayers heard.  Rather, I am suggesting that we use the Lord’s Prayer as a guideline.  Please recall in the first of this series about prayer when we stated that prayer is simply a two-way communication between God and the person praying.  Jesus was teaching His followers, both then and now, the great importance of getting oneself prepared to converse with the Almighty.

Thinking along this line, let’s reconsider Jesus’ teaching on how to pray.  First and foremost, prayer is all about us recognizing Who it is we are praying to.  We are not clicking on a name in our phone book, or chatting with a buddy over coffee, but rather coming to speak and listen to the God of the Universe.  Hence, ‘Father’ is a term of deserved respect.  We then recognize God’s perfect holiness when we say ‘hallowed be thy name.’  Jesus is teaching that in order to get our hearts ready to pray, we need to approach God with all the reverence we can muster.

Next Jesus says to pray, ‘Thy kingdom come (other gospels add ‘Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’). Praying this is an admittance on our part that the world in which we live needs God!  All the centuries of humankind following its own will instead of seeking God’s has left this world in a sorry state.

Jesus then emphasizes the need to further personalize our conversation with the Father.  Asking to ‘give us our bread’ is another way of acknowledging that only God can give us what we truly need on a daily basis.

As we state our everyday need of God’s provision, we are then to humbly ask Him to forgive us our sins.  Obviously, this extremely personal point will differ from one person to the next.  Remember, it is our heart position in respect to God that Jesus wants us to recognize.  As we find the perfect forgiveness God extends, we then honor Him by forgiving those who have wronged us. (Easier said than done, I know; but holding on to resentments or unforgiveness only hurts us, not the other person)

Finally, after experiencing the freshness that only God’s forgiveness can bring, we ask God to not lead us into temptation (a more accurate translation of that word may be trials). If we are praying along the lines Jesus instructs us to, we can experience an ever-deepening relationship with our Maker.  Praying as Jesus suggests teaches us to keep things in a clearer perspective.  If we are making an effort to put God first in our lives, I believe He will help us to do so.

Jesus wants you and me to excel in communicating with the Father.  Following His instructions with regard to how we ought to pray will allow us to get as close to God as we desire.  I believe that many of the questions and struggles of life can be best met when we do so with the assurance that can come as a result of prayer.

Why pray? Jesus did! Does anyone really hear my prayers? God does! Want to learn how to pray? Use the outline Jesus provides to develop your personal prayer life!

Blessings,

Pastor Chuck