A Day is Like a Thousand Years

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According to the most recent statistics from hospicenews.com, the average length of time a person was under hospice care in the United States was 77.9 days during 2018. That is just a tick over 2 and a half months. I have always had an affinity for numbers, as I find they help me in my expectations and plans.

This is well and good for most of the mundane activities and sports that I enjoy. However, I have found that God pays little attention to the conclusions that we draw from our statistical findings.

Never up to this point in ministry have the words of St. Peter rung more true to me: But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8 NIV)

This tells me that it is God who created time for us. He is outside of its restrictions and constrictions. But we, like all living things, need the passing of minutes, days, weeks, etc. to help us mark time for the things of this life. In His infinite wisdom God set time in motion the way He has for our benefit. He works to a far different schedule than us, hence the helpful description of time passing by Peter as mentioned above.

I mention all this as a little background as I now tell you about Mrs. M. She was one of the first patients I had as a Pastoral Care Provider for our local hospice organization. When we first met, she had been given the prediction from her doctor that she had 2 to 4 months to live, well within the established length of time for most hospice patients.

The thing is, this was going to be an great example of God not heeding our statistical knowledge. I was invited into Mrs. M’s home in March of 2018! I just received word late last evening that she had been called home to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Her expected 2.5 months of hospice care turned into just over 3 more years of life!

And please understand, she was not merely checking the days off as they went by. In those early months after I first met her, she was still mobile and enjoying many of the things in life. She spent time with her large and extended family members, went shopping and got out to play her beloved bingo as well.

But most importantly, Mrs. M. spent much of that time deepening her relationship with Jesus Christ. It was an honor for me to be a part of this.

To be clear, in my role as Pastor in hospice, my primary focus is to provide spiritual care for the patient and any family member that chooses to join. I am not to be overtly Christian in my approach, but rather simply listen with care and provide support in ways that are appropriate to each situation.

That is not to say I cannot share faith, but that I cannot lead with it. However, there are not restrictions placed on me should the patient have questions, thoughts or concerns about Christianity.

Mrs. M. made this abundantly simple for me. At our first meeting, after introductions around, she asked me, “What happens to me when I die?” Talk about an open door to expressing and sharing the love of Christ! As I began to explain what the Bible teaches us of our need for a Savior, I learned that she had trusted Jesus for her salvation by accepting His forgiveness for her sins some years ago. Like many folks, however, her knowledge of the possibilities of what that relationship with Jesus could mean to her in the here and now was limited.

From that point on, our once or twice meetings per week were mostly spent on exploring the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the Scriptures. What I was so honored and humbled to see was how Mrs. M. lived out these truths. As her many visitors stopped into chat when I was there, she never missed the opportunity to invite them to join us in discussion and prayer. The love, compassion and care she lavished on these folks, regardless of how she was feeling on any given day, continues to inspire me to be my best for God when I am given the chance to.

Watching God bless Mrs. M. in so many ways is one of the greatest gifts He has ever given me. As a matter of fact, after 12 months, the hospice agency re-evaluated her condition and released her from their care. She remains the only graduate of hospice this side of eternity I have ever known!

This ending with hospice did not cut our relationship short, thankfully. By this time, my wife Betsy and I were in there home on Sunday evenings leading bible studies and worship. As time went on, more and more family and neighbors were invited to join Sunday Night Church, as she lovingly called it. Again, the abundance of God’s blessing is incredible.

I have learned so much from her over these past 3 years with the single most important one being to follow the instruction of God: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.

I conclude these thoughts today by asking for your help in carrying the love of God forward as my dear Mrs. M. did without reservation. Please take the time today to let someone know how much you care for them. It does not need to be anything special, maybe just a call or a walk across to street to check in on a neighbor. Or perhaps there is a family member you are in tension with. With the love of God in your heart and mind, be the one to set the those issues aside long enough to simply let them know that you care about them.

Thank you and may you be inspired by Mrs. M. as I have been.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Pastor Chuck

“That tears it!”

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“That tears it!” I am certain most if not all of us have used this expression at a frustration in life. For me, I find myself uttering this toward the end of a game I am watching when a score by the other team effectively removes any chance of my group winning. By and large, ‘that tears it’ is most commonly spoken during a straw that broke the camel’s back occurrence. And rarely, if ever, have I heard this idiom used as an exclamation of something good happening.

But as sometimes happens within the quirky workings of my mind, I read something that caused me to put a different spin on a saying like we are considering. Today this has happened twice as I was reading through the Gospel of Mark. What I discovered in these two places is the most positive take on something being torn I have ever encountered.

Actually, ‘that tears it’ in the context of what I am about to share is the exact opposite of a negative connotation, for the following Scriptures reveal that God has taken away any barriers to Him. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the invitation to absolutely anyone who would put their faith in His saving power.

Sin, as I have stated here on numerous occasions, is that which causes separation between us and God. The imperfect (that’s us) cannot exist in the same place as the Perfect (that is, God). Blessedly, the actual playing out of God’s heavenly hope for poor sinners can be seen beginning at the baptism of Jesus.

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11 NIV)

The image of what Jesus saw is beautiful in that it reveals that heaven, the eternal home for the faithful, has been opened. And Mark chose to describe this as heaven being torn open. This is not some neat cut along a dotted line, but rather a ripping open. This tells me that heaven was opened to stay that way. It was not left in such a way as to be neatly stitched back up. Picture that! When God ‘tears it,’ it will not be closed again.

As the events happening around the baptism of Jesus give us the joyful glimpse of a heavenly home being opened to us, it is at His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection that the actual invitation to life eternal in paradise is offered.

In Chapter 15 of Marks’ gospel we find his account of the gruesome crucifixion of the Lord. At the very moment of the physical death of Jesus, God once again ‘tears it.’

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. ³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:37-39 NIV)

The meaning of that curtain being torn in two is far too important to miss. In the days of temple worship, this curtain stood as a physical barrier between what was called the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Only a priest, and he only once a year, could go behind that curtain to perform a ceremony of forgiveness in the Most Holy Place.

The death of Jesus Christ tore that barrier out of the way forever! His resurrection three days later stands as the living proof of God’s awesome love for us all. Jesus had taken our place on the cross. He bore the price of our sin so that those who place their faith in Him could be forgiven. The physical barrier, represented here as the curtain to the Most Holy Place, is torn away, never to be replaced.

So if God were to say, “that tears it,” He would be describing the end of our separation from Him. His perfect love paved and continues to pave the way to Him. Won’t you let allow Him to tear away anything you may have or hold to that causes separation?

If you do, you will experience the ultimate joy of having God tear it from you. Once gone, whatever it is, His loving kindness will begin to envelop you, and nothing can tear that away!

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Pastor Chuck

Desperate Times

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Ah, Google, how did I ever learn things before you showed up on my computer. I was mulling over the idea for today’s blog while shoveling snow from the driveway earlier, attempting as I do to find application for today from the timeless truth found in the Scriptures.  Actually this blog has been rattling around between my ears for about a week, ever since I re-read the encounter a father of a sick /possessed child had with Jesus. (please check in out in Mark 9:14-27)

If you just read this or are familiar with the event contained there, and if you have a beating heart in your chest, you can sense the desperation in the dad. Back to Google for a moment: I knew there existed a famous quote about desperate times and measures, and thanks to the search engine, there it was: The Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates said it first and said it best: “For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable.” In other words, drastic times call for drastic measures.

You can get a sense of the drastic times calling for drastic measures the father felt as he spoke to Jesus, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

Whether this was demon possession of a terrible affliction of seizures is not the point. What is important for us to focus on is the strong desire of the boy’s father to help his son. Word of Jesus and His healing power was well known by this point in His earthly ministry, as evidenced by the large crowds following the Lord everywhere He went. No matter if folks were merely looking for a show or if they were also desperate to have a need met, they sought out Jesus in droves.

In this case the father, in searching for Jesus he instead came across His disciples, who also by this time had a growing reputation of being healers. In this case, however, they were unsuccessful in healing the boy. Again, the sense of desperation is palpable in the dad as captured in his response to Jesus when asked by the Lord how long the child had been in this condition: “From childhood,” he answered. “It often throws him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” (Mark 9:21-22 NIV).

Did you catch the “if you can?” Jesus sure did! “‘If you can?’” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” As was Jesus usual approach, He wanted people to see the necessity of placing their faith in God for all things as opposed to simply seeking intervention for their problem. (V.23)

The desperate dad then exclaims what I believe to be the heart of this message, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (V.24)

Those of us who have been blessed with having and loving children probably identify with the depth of feeling this father had. After all, his long-suffering son seemed to be in the right place and at the right time for something miraculous to happen, but it had not. I can relate to his plea. “Tell me what else to do” in order that my child be helped. Any devoted parent would make any sacrifice in that moment for the welfare of their child. As you read the rest if this account, you see where the mercy, love and power of Jesus Christ does restore the lad to health.

What I am left pondering, and invite you to do the same, Most Precious Reader, is how desperate am I for Jesus in non-crisis times. Those times when life is cruising along pretty much as I want it. I am comfortable in my surroundings and not worrying about anything substantial.

Where is Jesus in these times of life? Am I merely keeping Him on retainer for when something comes along to knock my life off course? Sadly and honestly, there are times when I simply do take things for granted. Oh, I can do the things I do and say all the right things that go along with my calling, but is this where Jesus wants my heart?

The obvious answer is no. The Lord is zealous for the relationship He has forged with those who know Him through faith. And I believe He wants me/us desperate for more of Him, not merely content with what I have, for as my desire for more of Him grows within me, much of what I selfishly cling to falls away.

Realizing this, I join my prayer with the boys father, and ask Jesus to help me overcome my unbelief.

How about you? Do you struggle with areas of unbelief or maybe a lackadaisical type of faith? I would love to hear how you overcome that.

Thanks for reading, be blessed and be a blessing,

Pastor Chuck

C’mon Guys, man up!

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Please note that the following is based solely on my personal experience. There is no scientific research involved.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I received the first vaccination against the Covid 19 virus on December 29^th. Like I said then, this was not a decision I made lightly. I spent some time in prayer, seeking God’s leading and I did a fair amount of research into the safety of these shots. I came away convinced beyond any doubt that not only were the vaccinations safe, but also that by taking the shot I was living out God’s command to love others as I protect myself and them from spreading this illness.

Actually I was at the hospital where the vaccine is being dispensed twice last week. On Tuesday for my shot, and on Wednesday as I brought one of the residents from the halfway house where I work to get his.

They seem to have a good system going at the local hospital as I was there only about 25 minutes each time. It was during these two visits that gave me the inspiration to write today.

Over those two days I saw approximately 50 people who were either in the fast moving line to register or in the conference room where we waited our 15 minutes to make sure no one had any adverse reactions once inoculated (no one did when I was there).

It was the wide discrepancy in the ratio of women to men that really caught my attention. Counting myself, I saw only 3 males getting vaccinated over those two days I was there. I realize that a large percentage of health care workers are female, but if my total count was accurate, only 6% of those I saw get inoculated were men. Where were they all?

Hence the title, C’mon guys, man up! Roll up your sleeves and get it done. Whatever excuses you may have for not doing this, I am asking that you think again. I had zero side-effects, not even a sore arm. Nor have I sprouted a third eye or have any of my God-given appendages fallen off.

And seriously, during these times when so many have felt so helpless and vulnerable, I believe this is an extremely practical way to show care for your fellow humans. I spoke to a nurse I know earlier and told her I got the shot in part so that I would be one less person she would have to care for. Tears filled her eyes as she thanked me. So c’mon guys, lets do this. If not for yourself, do it for your family, friends and those frontline workers who have given so much of themselves over the previous 10 months combatting this pandemic.

There needs to be a lot of folks getting the Covid shot if we are going to put this issue to bed. I am encouraging everyone who has doubts to do as I did: pray and do research and then ultimately look past just yourself to the larger community around you.

Thank you. Be blessed. And be a blessing by getting vaccinated when it becomes available to you.

Pastor Chuck

Unity, Liberty, Love

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Worldwide pandemic and the growing unrest in America have shattered the cozy bubble many Christians have been living in. It’s one thing to think of the poor and downtrodden and maybe even give a little money toward some helpful cause; but it is quite another when the very real threat of serious illness could await your next trip to the grocery store. The same goes for reading about oppressed people from long ago: Seeing it played out in real time before our eyes on our newsfeeds and in front of our eyes in our streets brings the reality of abuse to the forefront of the heart and mind.

With our bubble having been burst, what are we Christians to do? One thing we most assuredly cannot do is run from the issues, looking for some place we can bury our heads (and hearts) so as to not have the uncertainty of these times disrupt our quiet, peaceful and non-caring lives. Living like that helps no one, ourselves included.

What, then, is the body of Christ to do in the face of a world spinning more and more out of control? With so many people and causes that need our attention, how do we even begin an attempt to be a positive influence for Christ in the chaos surrounding us?

In my opinion, if the Church (that is all who profess faith in Christ) is going to have a lasting impact for God in today’s world, it is of the utmost importance that we begin with a clear and discerning look at ourselves. I found this helpful guideline regarding our attitudes and actions in the study notes of the NIV Application Study Bible from Romans Chapter 14:1-4: Our principle should be: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in everything, love.

This honest appraisal hopefully will lead us to a clear decision: that we must move forward in Unity as a body to be best used by the Lord in today’s world. Unity can be a confusing word, especially if one were naïve enough to believe that all Christians around the globe (or even across town) are going to suddenly and completely agree on everything.

Yet, with regard to the above-mentioned essentials, I believe it is necessary that we do move ahead in complete unity. What are the essentials? I enjoy noted bible teacher, author and pastor Alstair Begg’s definition of what is essential for all believers. Begg says that from the Scriptures we find the essentials as being the main stuff is the plain stuff and the plain stuff is the main stuff. What wisdom in that definition! Here are just a few of the verses that fall clearly under this category:

John 14:6: Jesus speaking: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Paul writes in Romans 10:9: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Peter speaking in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:18: For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

I could gladly go on, but you see the point. On this essential we must be unified. Salvation by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). For the individual Christian as well as the church in its many expressions, the body of Christ needs to have this baseline as our rallying cry. Jesus is Savior for all. He is the ultimate equal opportunity giver. His life, death and resurrection are the proof of His undying, equal love for all. All. All are invited to partake in what He has to give. All. When the believer, individually or corporately has this unshakable truth in them, they are prepared to be used by God for the furthering of His plans and goodness in the here and now. As He spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah so may years ago, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is essential that we go forward trusting in God’s plan as we seek His guidance to follow and act our part in it.

Almost as important is the Liberty we express to our fellow believers who may have traditions, music, or styles that are different from what we know and participate in. As long as the essentials are held in the absolute highest regard, liberty can be given with greater ease and assurance in the non-essentials. For example, your worship experience may be much more exuberant than mine. Liberty to you. As long as the Lord Jesus is being praised, it matters not if it is through dance or a strictly adhered to liturgy. Far too often we Christians get to bickering with each other over non-essential things. Shame on us! This is a wasting of time to prove my way is better than yours. Meanwhile, the world watches and wonders what is so special about church. When we are seen as combative with other Christians, we lose any credibility with the world as far as being a place to put some hope in.

When we can extend liberty instead of harmful or destructive debate over non-essentials, we certainly can gain ground for the kingdom of God. But, this can be a difficult step. It requires humility. It requires a proper perspective on the ‘main stuff.’ When I feel myself hedging away from the center, I try to remember to ask myself, “Who is be edified by this argument or confrontation?” My honest reply is usually either me or the cause I am supporting. Neither of these are proper. Acting or thinking in these ways is not in accordance with the last point: Love

All of the above goes for naught if we fail in the ‘new’ command gave us: Love one another.” (John 13:34). Jesus did not leave this instruction as a mere suggestion, like something we ought to try to see if we like. No. To love others as He loved us is a command.

“A command sounds pretty rigid” you might be thinking. And if you attempt to follow it without whole-heartedly embracing it, that is how it will appear. I believe  the call to love one another, especially for the follower of Christ, is the manifestation of living out the unity and liberty I have been speaking of. And, I also believe it is imperative that we do so because quite simply, how are we going to show real love to our hurting and lost world if we cannot love one another?

One last reservation that creeps up on many: ‘I just cannot love everyone,’ for whatever your reasons are. I respond, ‘That’s ok.’ I am in no way suggesting we walk about our world like saints with hands folder in prayer, mouthing empty words of no meaning or value. Rather, I am saying that as devoted followers of the Son of God, our lives ought to be overflowing with His love for us. Living and walking this fact out will allow for the love of God to flow through us, helping us when we feel we cannot love another.

Unity, Liberty, Love. May we make these the battle cry as we march into our personal mission fields.

Blessings and peace to you all,

Pastor Chuck

 

Distress, Oppression and Tribulation

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Like so many, I am deeply troubled by the state of affairs in my country, the United States. Unlike others, however, I will not use this platform to simply re-hash the awful events of the past two weeks. I will state for the record that I have appreciation and respect for the brave men and women in law enforcement who serve all people with respect, dignity and understanding. I must also add that my heart breaks for all victims who have been mis-used, injured and even killed by those who have abused the power given to them in order that they can protect people.

I must also admit that a fair amount of defeatism has crept into my thinking this week. A focal point of the ministry God has given me is to be an encourager of others. I have found this most difficult to do when each idea in my head seems to be met with ‘What does it matter,’ or ‘what’s the use’ as one awful event after another comes to light.

Thankfully, God is infinitely more faithful than me! As I pondered these things this morning, He brought me to a familiar Scripture from which I have attempted to comfort others with through the years. It is John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)

As I looked into the original language in which Jesus spoke these words, I found again the peace that He promises. When Jesus referenced this world, John, one of the Lord’s closest disciples, was describing not just the physical world, but also according to Strong’s, “a system opposed to God.” It seems as if the prevalent world view then, much as it is today, had aligned itself in opposition to God.

But to get to that peace Jesus spoke of, I had to better understand the awful events of our recent past through the filter of God’s Word. As always, knowing the context in which these words were spoken is the best place to start. Jesus uttered this statement found in John 16:33 to His closest disciples just hours before He was arrested, tried and crucified. He certainly knew trouble was coming. Again using Strong’s concordance, I found that the trouble the Lord spoke of was not only what they were to face in their immediate circumstance, but it also speaks of tribulation and oppression to come. We certainly are living in times of oppression and tribulation.

After stating that His followers would face troubles, Jesus said what must have sounded as a peculiar thing: Take heart! Basically Jesus was telling them (and us) to cheer up, even in the face of current events. Not that He was telling them to grin and bear it; rather Jesus told His followers to put their full trust in God, the only One who is immeasurably greater than any world circumstance.

Jesus then said something that must have seemed even more incredible at the time: I have overcome the world. To his original audience, it certainly did not look like anything but what they were trying to accomplish had been overcome. Yet, a little over twenty-four hours later, the full depth of this momentous truth would begin to play out as God’s plan for the salvation of the world began with the crucifixion of Jesus. Three days later, as He arose victorious from the grave, the fullness of what Jesus had overcome came to light. Death had been conquered; eternal life was now possible for all those who would put their faith in Christ.

Having reviewed and renewed my faith in this awesome God who loves us all, I re-discovered the peace that Jesus said was to be found in Him alone. Here too a better understanding of the original word used is extremely helpful. This peace, as Jesus described it to be, went far beyond a conventional meaning of the word. Peace for most means the absent of strife. True as this is, the peace Jesus speaks of goes much further as it tells of having a reconciled relationship, as one has through faith in the Lord with God the Father.

As I said, God is faithful! He has seen me through this low time by bringing me back to a place where He is the focus and motivation of my life. For me, this means to be not only the encourager I have tried to be in the past, but to increase my efforts in these troubled times. As I have found (again), God is the only true source of hope that there is.

In practical terms, going forward I will make myself more readily available to those who are hurting while promoting the cause of justice for all people. God has more than enough of His peace to go around. We as followers of Christ must walk boldly in this peace as we make His love known to all; both the oppressed and the oppressor. Only when all sides are confronted with the universal love of God for all (and the call of everyone to respond to this love by loving each other), can the true peace of God be known. Jesus has in fact overcome this world; may we all live as if we believe it to be true!

Blessings,

Pastor Chuck

He loves me, he loves me not

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The last recorded conversation involving Jesus in John’s gospel (John 21:15-23) is an interesting one (as if the Savior of the world could say anything uninteresting!).

For context, the disciples have just encountered the resurrected Jesus for the third time. They had been out fishing all night without catching any when Jesus, from the shore, tells them to drop their nets one more time. They do and then have trouble hauling in the large catch. This group of seven disciples then come to shore and have breakfast with Jesus. It is after this meal that Jesus and Peter have the conversation noted above.

For the record, I do not believe Jesus had an ox-eyed daisy (Wikipedia claims this is the flower traditionally used in the He loves me, he loves me not game) in His hands as he questioned Peter about loving Him.  I do think, however, that asking Peter three times whether he loved the Lord was in direct correlation to the three times Peter had denied knowing Jesus on the night He was arrested.

We can surmise the importance of this conversation in the way Jesus addressed Peter before asking these questions. Verses 15, 16 and 17 each have Jesus addressing Peter (the name Jesus had given him) as “Simon, son of John.” This remains me of my parents calling me by Charles Kenneth when they really wanted my attention.

Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. The wording of each is slightly different and biblical commentators have done much study on this topic. As interesting as that is, I simply would like to look at these three questions putting our own name in place of Simon son of John.

I’ll go first: “Charles Kenneth, do you truly love me more than these?” Jesus asks. “These what?” I would probably be thinking. Like it was to Peter, this question could have to do with either ‘others’ who profess to love the Lord or, the things of life that I use, do and enjoy. For Peter this would have been his life as a fisherman and all the gear that went with it.

This is not a question to brush off quickly. Though I can never truly know the hearts of others with regard to their love of the Lord, I can certainly keep watch on my own. The other possible target of this question might be even more difficult to honestly respond to. There are things in this life that I do deeply love. But do they replace Jesus as my first love? He already knows the answer, I would be wise to consider my response carefully.

Jesus then asks, “Charles Kenneth, do you truly love me?” Thinking about this, I come to a better understanding of how difficult it must have been for Peter to hear it. After all, he had been a devoted follower of Jesus for over three years. He had given up the life he knew to go ‘all-in’ with the Lord. And yet, we know that Peter denied knowing Jesus on the night of the Lord’s arrest. Hence the question: “Do you truly love me?” As I apply it to myself, I see similarities. I have followed Jesus for a period of years, through mistakes and misspoken words, trying my best to be worthy of the name Christian. But the question the Lord poses is penetrating. It goes through all the ‘stuff’ I do and taps on my heart. My answer is “Yes Lord, I truly love you.” But I am left with the on-going struggle to some degree of revealing and expressing the depth of that love.

Jesus then asks a final time, “Charles Kenneth, do you love me?” Again like Peter, a part of me wants to be hurt that I have to be asked a third time. I must push past this fleshly response so that I can simply stand before the One that is asking. This third question, in my opinion, is the one that the Lord wants me to take with me everywhere I go and in everything I do. It is the filter through which I am to run every thought and action: Is this demonstrating to the Lord and to everyone else that I do indeed love Him?

Thankfully, I do not believe the Lord is expecting perfection out of me. He knows my weaknesses and blind spots. This not to say I am to hide behind these as excuses for unloving thoughts and behaviors. Rather, as I honestly admit and confront these things, I can ask my Savior to strengthen me so that my faith does reflect and display more love toward Him and others.

Most importantly, as the children’s song says, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” No ox-eyed daisy is needed to tell me that!

Blessings to you and thanks for reading,

Pastor Chuck

 

The church is not the safe place it should be

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As difficult as it is for me, a pastor, to stick that title on this entry, it is unfortunately accurate.  And, I refer to churches right here in the United States, where the enemy of the church is far more active on the inside than the out.  The excellent blog, A Fractured Faith, written by Irish author Stephen Black (I highly recommend his blog and books), wrote a compelling piece on this topic on February 20^th, 2020.  He stated, as many have felt, that the pain caused him by a local church has driven him from it.  Sadly, I know many who have experienced the same.

The church was once a safe place.  That is no longer the case.  The one place where folks should be able to simply be themselves, good and bad, healthy or hurting, has dropped the ball for the most part.  If you are reading this and attend/belong to a church that is carrying out the call of Jesus to be His hands and feet in the world, I praise God for it and thank you for all you do!

Yet, the vast majority of churches I visit in my various ministry roles seem to support, by the predominance of empty pews and chairs, the fact that the church is indeed missing its calling.

Both the cause and the solution to this problem can be found in the same place: the church itself.  As I listened to a preacher on the radio the other day, his point made this clear to me.  I didn’t catch his name, as I was driving at the time, but his message has quickly taken root in my heart.

His premise was this: that the Christian Church has spent the majority of its time since the late 1940’s teaching their flocks the importance of being obedient to God and the teachings of the bible.  He concluded that although the need for followers of Christ to be obedient is very important, if it is not taught/presented in a way that fosters love for God, it can also be quite dangerous.

This caused me to think: How could being obedient to God be dangerous in any way?  After all, if I’m doing what I’m told I am to do, shouldn’t that be good enough?

Here’s the thorn in that thinking.  Obedience, without a corresponding love that causes the believer to desire to please God, can (and has) led people to become the type ‘Christian’ that has caused such deep pain to my friend Stephen and countless others like him.  For example, a church that teaches its people that there are a set of rules that must be obeyed opens itself up to hard-heartedness.  It is far too easy to quantify obedience when you can check off the boxes of the things you have completed.  The next step in this downward progression is to assume that others who aren’t doing things the ‘right’ way, must shunned.  This type of obedience without feeling leads to judgment, which encourages the ‘us v. them’ mentality.

How heart breaking that becomes when those who come to a place of worship seeking care are instead treated as outcasts.  Their very brokenness prevents the established membership from helping them because their hearts have been calloused by the narrow perspective many churches have taught them to have.  This is what is spawned, in my opinion, when strict obedience is placed above (or instead of) having a loving heart.

Now Jesus was clear that He wanted His followers to be obedient to his teaching.  Check out Matthew 28:19-20 or John 13:34-35 for proof of this.  But the Lord desires so much more than out rote following of a list of do’s and don’ts.  Yes, He wants our obedience, but He wants it because we love Him.  A heart that loves the Lord chooses to be obedient as a result of this love, not as a way to earn it or worse, so that we can show the world we deserve it because we have finished the checklist.

In conclusion, my travels have not as of yet brought me to the perfect church and as long as churches are populated by imperfect beings like me, I probably won’t find one this side of heaven.  In spite of all I’ve written here today, I end on a hopeful note.  You see, the hope I speak of is found in Christ, not the church.  Only He is perfect, nothing we put our hands to will ever be.  But if we will search our hearts to find those places of judgment and short-sightedness that lurk there, asking forgiveness for them, we can begin the journey of improving the care and support the local church ought to be providing.

May our hearts be motivated by love for God which will then in turn cause us to desire to be truly obedient to Him, in all things.

Blessings and thanks for reading.  As always, I welcome your thoughts on this topic.

Pastor Chuck