The Open Mike

The Last One

2010-01-02T10:10:00.003-05:00

Dear friends and followers of "The Open Mike",

I am setting a new course of action and resolution to blog more often in this next year. There is a certain accountability to publishing that I miss. So, for the next year, I am endeavoring to blog at least three times a week, using the Bible reading schedule, books, articles, conversations, other blogs, etc. as fodder. I am switching the focus over to the new blog, "The Pastor's TABlet" and attempting to connect with the people of Ithaca. Look for more production in 2010. I hope you will join in on the conversations and the journey! :)

Thanks, Mike

Good Mourning

2009-04-06T08:29:00.006-04:00

(Enter weekend weary worker)

Co-worker: (obviously a morning person) Good morning!

Weary Worker: yeah I guess, whatever... is the coffee on?

When you hear this greeting, today, think "good mourning". Mourning is rarely thought of as good. (although we use the phrases "good grief" and "Good Friday") John MacArthur sparked me this am with his devotional thoughts surrounding this verse in the beattitudes:

"Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted." Matt 5:4

The fact that God does comfort his weeping, sad, grieving children is very reassuring. It is a truth very clearly communicated in other passages (see Ps 23:4, 119:50; 2 Cor. 1:3-7). God loves to wrap His arms around us and hold us like a parent.

But the truth of the beattitudes is that there is comfort following repentance. When we are broken to the point of grieving over sin, He delights in resting and repairning our spirits. He "comforts us" or "restores us". According to Jesus, He blesses us. Blessedness is a function of completion or wholeness. He puts us back together or brings us back to spiritual health. The healer (Jehovah-Rapha) has brought peace again (Jehovah-Shaloam).

John MacArthur summarized this truth well when he said "When your sins are forgiven, you are a happy person." Grief and mourning over sin comes first, then repentance, then forgiveness and then restoration. The relief that comes from being forgiven is huge! The comfort that comes from being restored to fellowship is even huger... more huge... more better!

Once we have experienced that kind of relief, we then should become ambassadors of healing -- medicine men and women that bind up the wounds of people with forgiveness. (see Isaiah 1:5-6 to see what unforgiveness looks like before God). The world around us is chasing after "life, liberty and happiness". We, who have found it, owe it to others, who have not, to show them that real blessedness -- happiness at their soul level -- comes from Christ and forgiveness of sins.

Spread some salve, bind some wounds,

find spiritual health, get/give forgiveness

Mike

Authority Brings Accountability

2009-03-25T09:41:00.004-04:00

Ever been witnessing, proclaiming the good news of Christ to a friend, relative, neighbor or associate and have them respond violently to this claim of Christ as the Son of God? There is a good reason for this response. While the person may not articulate it in this way, it is ultimately a refusal to accept the authority of Christ on their life because of the connected and resultant accountability. They refuse to accept Jesus because He commands their obedience.

Luke 20:1-8 tells about an encounter that Jesus had like this with the "spiritual leaders" of His day. As He was teaching and preaching the gospel, they questioned His authority. In other words, they wondered, "Who does this guy think that he is? He can't tell us that we are wrong! He can't tell us that we are going to hell!" They began to ask Jesus questions about His right to say these things with authority.

The answer to these questions is obvious to us as believers. This issue of "who is Jesus" is the entry point to a relationship of discipleship that many of us have already addressed and settled. These leaders had not settled it! Jesus asks them about John, the Baptizer, and his authority. Jesus was claiming that He and John were on the same team and sent by the same authority. The leaders discussed and reasoned amongst themselves (in a huddle?) their answer to Jesus' pointed questions.

Their discussions revealed that they were more concerned about being stoned than getting the right answer. Their fear of men controlled their thinking. They were lost in their sin. They couldn't see past their own security and position. They refused to bend to a higher authority and become accountable to God (as Jesus and John had done). The threat of dying for what they believed (that John was a man on his own agenda) drove them to give an angry non-answer. They tried to refuse submitting to God's/Jesus's authority (a futile effort).

Jesus is the exact bodily representative of the Father, obediently doing the Father's business with all of the Father's authority and power. We must acknowledge and submit to the authority of God in our lives. Our lost friends need to hear and believe these truths too -- else they too will perish.

I am committed to following Christ's example,

to submitting to the authority that He has,

to obeying what He has instructed me to do,

to teaching the truth,

to preaching the good news,

to being accountable for my actions to One who higher than I.

To Him be all the glory,

Mike

A House of Desolation

2008-11-25T15:52:00.002-05:00

It has been a whole month since the last post -- sorry to those who are faithful at checking the open mike! I have been reading through the gospel of Luke at a snail's pace, just stopping and sniffing at each flower. Sometimes, I might think through a passage for days before moving on to the next one. This meditative meandering has proven very refreshing to me. In a world that demands that I run full-tilt for six days out of seven, I love the slower, more deliberate pace.

Today's rumination on the Word brought me to the spot where Jesus is lamenting about Jerusalem and its not so stellar track record with the prophets. Jesus is bummed (is that a Biblical word?) about how Jerusalem has ignored His frequent attempts to bring them close and into his protective custody. Instead of being embraced by God, they have stiff-armed Him and killed His loved ones. Jesus must now proclaim over them "desolate house". The emptiness of those who are without Christ ought to sadden us too. To continually reject and ignore the advances of a loving Christ is spiritually arrogant.

1. Do you have friends who have constantly, and sometimes violently, refused to hear truth about Jesus? Does it break your heart? Weep with Jesus over the lost ones who refuse to be found.
2. Have you made the offer of refuge under the protection of Jesus to people this week? Have you made the offer known? Or is it a secret?
3. Can we make a practice of praying over our city for Christ? Is this a passage that suggests such an action for today?

I rejoice in the fact that God has the planning all worked out for us. We must trust Him to leave us here as long as the goal is unfulfilled. We journey here today and tomorrow and the next day! After that, only God knows.

in Wyoming, working the work,
Mike

The unforgivevable sin

2008-10-25T07:18:00.002-04:00

Is there a sin that you are dealing with today? Part of the Word of Life Quiet Time Manual suggests that this is one the possible applications that may be had from any passage.

S-sin that I need to confess, repent of
P-promise that I can embrace today
E-example that I need to follow or not follow
C-command that I need to obey
T-thanksgiving or praise that I need to give to God

Today in my QT, I read Luke 11, where Jesus tells the disciples, "You can say some pretty nasty stuff against the Son of Man (Jesus), and you will be forgiven for that; but don't talk bad about the Spirit -- that's blasphemy! because that will never be forgiven." (this is a Parisphrase)
The unforgiveable sin is blasphemy against the Spirit. That is the only one! Blasphemy against the Spirit is a rejection of His power or a disregard for His work. Part of Hs work is conviction of sin. Therefore, the only unforgiveable sin is to reject the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your life. I believe Jesus is also not talking about all of the times that we blow through HS stop signs. He is talking about the future before the angels in this passage. I believe Jesus is saying that a rejection of the HS here sets you up for judgment there. SO, do not blaspheme and if you do, confess it quickly!

Listening to the HS,
Mike

City of Refuge

2008-10-20T09:06:00.005-04:00

Here are the review notes from the message that I preached yesterday morning from Joshua 20:

Five statements that define a "city of refuge":

1. A place established according to the Word of God. (20:1-2; cf. Num. 35:6-34)

* Our goals, purposes and agendas must be Biblical and aligned to the Word.

* Ministry to people must be our priority.

2. A place to come when there is trouble in your life. (20:3-4)

* Our church must be accessible and open to all who need to come.

* Our reputation “on the street” should be positive.

3. A place where someone will listen and give Biblical advice. (20:4-6)

* Our counsel must be Biblical.

* All sin must end with us.

* Godly resolution, reconciliation and restoration must be part of our vocabulary.

4. A place filled with people who have a “rescue” story. (20:6)

* The miracle of escape from the avenger must be proclaimed often.

* Our own rescue should make us more willing to be “bound” to this ministry.

5. A place networked with others built on the same principles. (20:7-9)

* Our congregation should be strategically located.

* Our congregation should be well named and true to its calling.

Conclusion:
Wyoming Baptist Church must be a place where broken people can find refuge and rescue from their life of running.

So,

1. What are we willing to pay to be this kind of church? It will cost us to minister to hurting people! (Think beyond finances)

2. What might happen (positively) if we gave all to this kind of position in the community?

3. How does Luke 11:41 (from the Sunday PM service) fit with this concept of "city of refuge"?

4. Are we willing to do whatever God calls us to do even if we are criticized by others? by brothers? Are we ready to embrace the socially active aspects of the faith that we claim/proclaim?

5. If you could rename our church, what would the name to live by be? Would you include the name Baptist?

I want to offer a place of refuge to a running world,

Mike

Harvest Sunday 08

2008-10-13T09:40:00.003-04:00

We just participated in "Harvest Sunday" last night. At the invitation of my friend Jim and Central Baptist Church, I was able to bring the Biblical challenge from the book of Ezra. It was a great joy to see people respond to the truth of God's Word and to be responsive to the call of God on their lives. Many of the people that came forward last night are simply saying I am here and available. This decision is a huge step in the process. To be willing to do "whatever" for the glory of God is incredibly freeing!

Here is the outline of the message that I shared last night:

Any great spiritual awakening results from God’s initiative:
1. He is revealing His character
trustworthiness (1:1)
sovereignty (1:2)
presence/immanence (1:3)
patience, longsuffering (1:4)
2. He is building our character (the backdrop of the exile)
3. He is equipping us to do His will (1:4-7)
4. He is stirring our spirit, inviting us to respond (1:1, 5)

All great spiritual harvests are the result of a response to God’s initiative:
1. Discover and delight in His character
a. worshiping Him
i. re-establishing the sacrificial system (3:1-7) and festivals (6:19)
ii. rejoicing over successes (3:11; 6:22)
b. proclaiming that knowledge to others –
i. Ezra made it his “job” to tell others about God (7:10)
ii. How does Cyrus know what he does about God? Perhaps by Ezra’s ministry to him? (7:27-28)
2. Appreciate His ongoing, intentional work in our lives
a. acknowledging His righteousness and justice (9:5-15)
b. growing through it (6:19-22; 10:1-3)
3. Move forward in His revealed will (both general and specific)
what He has shown us and equipped us to do (2:1; 3:8; 6:15; 7:21, 23)
4. Invite others to do the same (7:28)

So ....

Is God stirring your spirit today?
Are you awake now? How will you stay spiritually awake?
Will you respond to His gracious initiatives?
What has God uniquely outfitted and called you to do today?
Will you go make a difference in His field?

I am ready, here I am,

Mike

A Word from Tozer

2008-10-11T16:26:00.002-04:00

To celebrate the dawning of the 3rd century of posts (this is #201), I went to AW Tozer's classic The Pursuit of God and thumbed through some of my underlinings. As I prepare for services tomorrow, this one is a true nugget:

"Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of that term. But exposition may be carried on in such a way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in a personal experience they are not better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge fo God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."

AW Tozer, Pursuit of God, p. 10

Enjoy your day at worship tomorrow, but not more than your enjoyment of a personal intimacy that is growing in a healthy, relevant manner with the focus of your worship, God Himself.

Pursuing God,

Mike

Changes: A potential sermon outline

2008-10-07T09:50:00.003-04:00

This is the 200th post at the Open Mike. There is really no need to send cards of congratulations -- just post a comment! :) I trust that this short and sweet post will remind you to always be listening for great ideas and to always read for application (supported of course by good observation and interpretation).

I was listening as one of our leaders taught during the Sr Hi YG last Wednesday. It struck me that she had shared some pretty fascinating insights about the Holy Spirit and His involvement in us to bring about change. Here is the rough outline boullion for a sermon or at least a devotional:

Spiritual changes (individual or corporate) are...

a. part of God's training program --> Trust Him!

b. perfected by God's power and in His perfect timing --> Wait for it!

c. perfect God's people and "team" --> Embrace it!

These thoughts come rather roughly through the verses of Acts 1:1-8. They surround a much more major milestone than 200 blog posts; they are connected to the birth of the church. I hope that God is catching your attention through His Word, His Spirit, His people/church, and His world.

Changing, or rather being changed,

Mike

Your Lights Are On

2008-10-06T11:09:00.004-04:00

Have you ever said this to a fellow shopper as they head off for the market: "Hey your lights are on!" You expect that they will turn and thank you for this courtesy and thoughtfulness. After all, you have just saved them the embarrassment of coming out to a dead battery and a car that is useless. However, the modern auto-maker has turned this common guesture of good will to wards your fellow man into a reverse embarrassment. They have designed cars to turn off their own lights. This causes the more sophisticated car owner to snort in reply (without so much as a glance towards you) "They turn themselves off". This slight leaves you stammering some incoherent apology and an internal promise to never warn anyone of their impending doom again!

Jesus told a parable in Luke 11 about a lamp. Not the car kind -- the house kind. I imagine that either the lamps were being lit nearby or that this was so common an illustration that everyone got the points He was stressing. These lamps were the kind used for lighting the houses of the neighborhood. They were not electric switched kind; they were oil burning match lit kind. Jesus made these points about leaving the lights on:

If the lights were lit, you wouldn't think of hiding them or their radiance. Instead you would elevate them in a prominent location so that they would help people to see as they entered your house. (v.33)
If your eyes are messed up, it really doesn't matter whether there is good light or not. The solution is not to curse the darkness or ignore the fact that you can't see. the solution is to cure the eye and allow the light to penetrate your body. (v.34)
If the lights are not on, or if you haven't allowed them inside the house, it's no use pretending that they are. (v.35)
If the lights are on inside, every nook and cranny of the room will be lit up for all to see. Anyone coming inside will immediately be bathed in the light. (v.36)

I believe that Jesus is picking up the illustration of the body being like a house that he employed in vv.21-26. His analogy was that the eye (I believe the spiritual eye) that allowed the light to come into the life of the everyman. Certainly Jesus had demonstrated that spiritual blindness was just as crippling as physical blindness and that He could cure both! Jesus was challenging the crowd that wanted more light (ie a sign or a signal). Jesus was contending that more light was not the issue -- their lamps were clouded, broken, and "bad". They couldn't see who Jesus was because they were blind. Some were even "blind" beacuse they had their eyes shut tightly against the truth. Jesus was not hiding the light from them -- that wouldn't make any sense. Instead He was putting the gospel on a lampstand so that everyone could see better as they entered into His sphere of influence. Here's what I think he was saying to me (and every believer):

Hide it under a basket? NO! "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (v.33)
Ask for cured, restored, renewed, or focused eyesight spiritually. Ask the Spirit to illuminate you as to the understanding of the text and truth. Allow it to penetrate your life. (v.34)
Forget about pretending to have spiritual insight and illumination. Go back to #2 above! (v.35)
Invite friends into your life (inside your house) so that they will immediately be bathed in the light. (v.36)

So, if the lights are on inside, somebody is home! Therefore, when someone says "your lights are on", turn to them and say with a smile, "yes they are, would like to come inside?" That ought to get a good response and start a very cool conversation with them about Jesus and His parable of lamps. How great would that be if a common courtesy for your negligence in the parking lot could turn into an introduction to your Lord! :)

The lights are on!

Mike

How long?: Curing the Spiritual Blues and Blahs

2008-09-30T14:30:00.004-04:00

This question comes off of my lips too quickly, "How long do I have to go through this discomfort?" It is a bit like spiritual whining! The psalmist takes up the cry in Psalm 13:

"How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long will I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart
all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?"

There is trouble anytime we think that the only counsel that we can find is in our own soul! (v.2)And in case we try to get out of this spiritual funk, there is the enemy "rejoicing when I am shaken". (v.4) Talk about insult to injury! The psalmist realizes that his only hope lies with God. Only He can cure my misery and depression! So the psalmist concludes:
"I have trusted in Your longkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me."

He either a) anticipates the rescue of God is at hand or b) realizes that the misery will last but a moment in comparison to the joy of an eternity with God. Either way, the antidote is a focus on the character and activity of God. He is able to deliver me!

What are you going through today? Does it seem overwhelming? Has it been going on for some time now, with no hope of rescue in sight?
Have you cried out to God or to your friends? Have you slumped into the "slough of despond" and given up ever getting out?
Have you sought to remember God's goodness to you in the past and his promises of future resurrection and salvation? Have you worshipped God in the depths of the dungeon at midnight? (see Acts 16 for this story!)
Have you chosen to forget about your struggles (drop them) in exchange for remembering God's hand of bounty (pick them up)?

God will make a way where there seems to be no way,
Mike

Some Good Antidote to Leadership Idolatry

2008-09-30T13:48:00.005-04:00

Jesus was speaking to a crowd, teaching them about the power by which he was doing exorcisms. He clarified the danger involved when a man is set free from a demon but leaves the front door open for further, even worse possession. Wow! Amazing stuff of angelology/demonology! What a great authoritative teacher.

As I read this episode in the life of Jesus, I am thinking, "You are amazing Jesus" will be the next words spoken about Him. Instead, Luke records the voice of a woman from the crowd.

"Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed."

What?!! Where did that come from? I wrestled with the thoughts that maybe this was supposed to be a prop to his mom. We would say, "Your momma must be so proud of you". A woman would have insight into that proud feeling that a mom gets from seeing her son fulfill his life calling. There is a satisfaction that comes with his success. But then I wondered, is the enemy using this woman and her sentiments to draw attention away from the topic at hand -- Jesus' power over demons. That would be just like the enemy to twist a well-intentioned thought to fit his own agenda. This could be a well disguised demonic attack.

Jesus quickly puts his own spin on the statement to make sure that the crowd understands what is more important here. He crushes the enemy's attack by refocusing on the real blessings -- obedience to the Word of God. In his response he moves away from the womb that bore him (Mary's) and to the spiritual rebirth that occurs as a man or woman hears the good news and recieves the gift of new life. Nicodemus understood that analogy after his conversation one noght with Jesus! Jesus's response moved away from the breasts that nursed him to the milk of the Word that nurses the new spiritual infant and helps him to change and grow. Paul understood that analogy and rebuked the Corinthians for staying in the nursery. In Jesus' way of thinking, the true blessing was spiritual, not physical.

(Please note: I do not believe that Jesus' disliked his mother, Mary. He was simply drawing this well-intentioned woman to the real meat of the conversation -- it's all about the real, personal, life-changing God!)

We need to be careful to do as the Master did in this scenario. When we finish the sermon that moves people to conviction and confession. We may be greeted with "Great sermon, pastor" or "You are a gifted communicator". Warning! This is distraction warfare! The enemy wants to focus the attention on the messenger or the servant, not the message or the Master! Revering Mary because of her service to God is the beginning of idolatry. Focusing all of our attention on the leader is idolatry. That kinid of misdirected praise is what started the factions in Corinth! Our focus must be on the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit; their work and their power make the service powerful and effective.

Refocus people's attention away from you and on to the Lord. Make sure that we ask "What have you heard? What will you be observing as a result of this message?" so that we can be blessed to be a blessing. God never intended to focus everyone's attention on Mary, she was simply the "handmaiden of the Lord". God never intends to focus everyone's attention on me, I am simply the undershepherd. When I lead by hearing and doing the Word of God, I am establishing the proper focus for blessing and growth.

Keep me humbly serving you with power,
Mike

Community of Disciples

2008-09-25T15:09:00.004-04:00

As I may have mentioned to some of you, I have been working through the book of Luke this summer. It has been very refreshing to wander slowly and thoughtfully through some of those familiar passages. The gospels are some of my favorite spots to think Biblically about ministry. I really do want to do ministry the way that Jesus did.

As I thought through Luke 11:1-4, I wondered if this passage that we have been so familiar with (the Lord's Prayer) held another message about discipleship. Here are some things that I have been thinking about in regard to the community of disciples called the church, specifically at Wyoming.

A community of disciples has a praying leader (11:1); Jesus was praying ( I assume that he prayed for the disciples and their ministry, for his own strength to lead and minister, the decisions involving the next steps for his ministry) and they notice the difference.
A community of disciples has a hungry spirit to learn (11:1); the disciples weren't content to have the leader minister or to hear about others growing around them, they wanted to know growth first hand
A community of disciples are kingdom thinkers (11:2); the prayer that Jesus suggested to the disciples was one that included a "seek ye first the kingdom" attitude. Disciples are people who pray for the kingdom to come, to build, to blossom in and around their corner.
A community of disciples are content to allow for God's daily sustaining blessing for their ministry (11:3); they do not try to work it out themselves, co-erce others to give, manipulate the circumstances for God.
A community of disciples practice forgiveness as a way of life (11:4); you will know when you walk in whether this is true or not! They practice the art of forgiving because they remember how great it is to be forgiven! They do not love forgiveness enough to keep on sinning that grace may abound.

What would happen if these were all true of our ministry at Wyoming? What if we could be known as a community of disciples like the first century church? What if we would set this prayer as more than a liturgical form at the front of our philosophy and praxis for church ministry? What if.... what if.

Mike

Praising Power

2008-09-22T08:32:00.007-04:00

Do you remember your reaction when "The Dominator" blew an engine pulling to the finish line in last weekend's tractor pull? While I admit this is definitely a Western NY summer reference, there is a certain element that I believe you can appreciate wherever you live. We love power! Especially raw, unbridled, explosive power! We are men! (insert appropriate Tim Allen-style grunting/growling here) We love "Binford Power Tools", we love stock car racing, we love tractor pulls, we love bone-jarring football; we love power.

As I read Luke 10:17-24 this morning I realized that the seventy that were sent out by Jesus came back to the debriefing circle excited. They had just seen raw power -- the kind that made demons fall flat on their backsides! Jesus was excited with them, for their ministry efforts had toppled even Satan himself! But Jesus' warning in v. 20 was what captured my attention.

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

The temptation was to say "WOW! lookie, lookie what I did! I am an amazing servant of God!" Jesus was suggesting that the word order was important. The word order should have been "WOW! lookie, lookie what God did! I serve an amazing God!" He said that first of all the biggest activity of power was the rescue of sinners, not casting down of demons. He said that the salvation of the servants, not the subjection of the enemies was the best cause for spiritual partying.

Then Jesus did a very important activity -- He led them in Spirit-ual worship. He was demonstrating to the seventy disciples that the power for ministry comes from a person (the Father) by His intentional ministry of revelation to the ministers first. Jesus, being in tune with the Spirit, started a praise session at the debrief time. I have seen this happen first hand a number of times -- it is awesome! But I dare not praise the power of praise/worship, as great as it is, for it is small in comparison with the fact that I can praise a personally known God at all!

May I suggest a few things that we need to do in light of this passage?:

Tap into the power that God has to do the best ministry; "so, forget about yourself and concentrate on him, then worship him"
Remember to include a time of debriefing after ministry and lead it into praise and prayer time celebrating a great God of power, not the power of our great God
Thank God every day for the revelations that He brings to you through His Word and His people; keep living, serving, being by that kind of power

Power-up by the All Powerful One's power for ministry of the gospel,

Mike

Vacations from the Routine

2008-08-27T08:45:00.003-04:00

We are coming to the conclusion of our final vacation time of the summer. We have had a wild one! We have been gone every other week for about 10 weeks! We are ready to embrace the routine again! These vacations and minitry trips have stretched us and refreshed us and encouraged us beyond our wildest imaginations. We have been able to do everything from installing insulation to ministering in NYC. We have visited Atlantic beaches and finger lakes and Civil War re-enactments. We have slept on air matresses and fold-out sleeper couches. We have eaten Chinese with a group of 14 people and we have grilled hobo dinners over a campfire. We have driven a borrowed 15 passenger van and our own mini-van all over the state and have been content to stay at home too.

But the biggest challenge of the whole summer has been releasing people to do the ministry that we normally would do. I hope that those who have helped out this summer while we travelled and ministered and vacationed have caught the vision for their part in the body of Christ. May we not return to the same old same old routine of inactivity and passive church attendance. I am looking forward to many servants blossoming from this break from the routine. It has been a wild ride, but God has taught us amzaing personal lessons and shown us incredible things in the down-time, "whereof we are glad".

Ready to start in on the regular,
Mike

Back with a BANG!

2008-08-19T12:44:00.003-04:00

Hello. My name is Mike and you have been wondering what in the world is going on with me and this blog. Thanks to the impetus of my brother Todd, I am getting back in the saddle of blogging.

I begin to blog once again with this quote, modified only slightly from a statement made by the Sr. Pastor in a message a few weeks ago,

"Indifference to the miraculous, personal revelation of God is worse than adultery, harlotry and sexual deviance."

That quote is a reference to the challenge given by Christ to Capernaum "Woe to you Capernaum! It will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah in that day (judgment day)..." (a loose paraphrase of Matthew 11:23-24).

So how has God revealed Himself to you recently? Did you make the necessary personal adjustments to realign your character with God's? Did you obey or balk?

If you saw a glimpse of God and continued to be the same as you were before, you are in a seriously bad place! I have seen some pretty amazing glimpses of my Savior this summer. I pray that I will never be the same because of them! I will blog some more about them soon, I am sure.

Hope you are being challenged to growth,

Mike

Under Attack

2008-06-10T09:33:00.005-04:00

"The greatest threat to the church is apathy. ... The American culture [especially] is messed up. It's going to get worse. There is an attack [on the church] from the Enemy. ... We are retreating a whole lot more than we ought to."

notes from another Dr. Gary Candlish session

So now observe how helpful the Word of God is to this attack!

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Ephesians 6:13
Stand firm,
Mike

Church Growth The Way God Meant It To Be

2008-06-09T13:03:00.004-04:00

There are many people who are selling the next best idea about how to raise up a church that excels in the areas of buildings, bodies and bucks. It has been called a "Glitz, Glamor, and Glee" gospel or the "health and wealth" gospel. But these things are no different than corporate America. So what does really make a great church?

Dr. Gary Candlish described a church that is growing God's way at a conference on prophecy that I attended a few months ago. Here are some of the points that he made from that session:

A growing church is a congregation of people that are committed to pleasing God "no matter what". We must never allow the culture to dictate what we will or won't do in church.

A growing church must focus on the stuff of the Scriptures, affirming that Biblical truth is not obsolete. We must think outside the box, but never outside the book.

A growing church cannot be built on a diet of spiritual cake and ice cream. We must place a premium on doctrine and serve spiritual broccoli and spinach with great regularity.

A growing church does not use pragmatism as the reason for doing anything in the church. We must never allow faith to be become less important than finances, family, friends, fun, freedom.

A growing church takes the focus off of their own sufficiency and comes humbly to worship and wait before the Lord. We must not draw our approval from the world's criteria for success.

So are we really ready to redefine church growth in Biblical terms? Are we ready to do the stuff of ministry with a focus on discipleship? Are we ready to move beyond surface level results and get God's heartbeat on the matter?

If there's something sickly or dying in our churches, what better place to go for wisdom than to its founder, God. We, as leaders of WyBC, have arranged our focus around a Biblical model of discipleship. We desire to see people built up in Christ through a process of "Come In, Put Off, Put On and Go Out". This construction of God's church through intentional discipleship is our mission.

We, therefore, are committed to pleasing God in every aspect of this growth cycle. We will endeavor to use the Scriptures as our standard of faith and practice at every phase of this cycle. We desire church growth to occur at God's speed and according to God's parameters. We understand that God, and God alone, is able to convict the hearts of men and bring about true heart change and life results. We are building an environment that is designed to offer every person that enters it a chance to begin or build his/her personal relationship with God. With God's help, I look forward to seeing many lives changed into the image of Jesus -- beginning with me!

Changing and growing for the glory of God,

Mike

Isaiah 6 -- When the Music Fades

2008-06-09T09:02:00.002-04:00

I have always enjoyed hearing messages preached on Isaiah 6. This chapter contains a very yielded servant of God responding to the call. This chapter contains an awesome worship event complete with the smoking glory of God, angelic beings and an undone worshipper. But yesterday morning as I sat under some teaching in Sunday School, I saw something else. There was way more to Isaiah 6 than first met my eye. There were a ton of references and connections that began to pop for me from that passage.

1. "In the year that King Uzziah died" the throne was vacant or at least in transition. The establishment of order to the throne room would have seemed to be a high priority. Yet in that same timeframe, Isaiah saw a vision of God on His throne. I believe that God was sending Isaiah a message -- the throne is not empty! I am still in control. I am still sovereign even in these difficult political days. That is a great message for us as we face a transition of leadership nationally!

2. King Uzziah died. Do you remember what he died of? I didn't. In the second book of Chronicles, Uzziah was struck with leprosy as a judgment. This judgment with its consequential uncleanness was the result of Uzziah trying to offer incense before God. That was off limits for him, and people tried to stand in his way, but He insisted on blowing past God's servants, the priests, and offering the incense anyway. It cost him his life! The leprosy that he contracted (supernaturally) eliminated him from even entering the temple from that day forward. That is a great message to anyone who wants to blow past their pastor's proper spiritual leadership!

3. King Uzziah got leprosy from a proud attitude. In 2 Chron 29, it says that he had gained strength and became proud. How easy it is to get sucked into the vortex of power and accomplishment. His sin of pride and arrogance cost him all that he had been entrusted with. His response must come up against Isaiah's response in Isa 6. Isaiah bows in humbleness before God. He anticipated that he would probably die since he was so unworthy to see such a vision of God. He was humble. God, the exalted and high lifted one, reached down to the lowly Isaiah and cast down the haughty Uzziah! That is a great message for leaders who think that this great kingdom (whatever God has blest most recently) is of their own making. There was another king (Nebuchadnezzar) who had a similar mindset and he ended up out in the field like a beast! (see Dan 4 to read about Nebby's vision)

These are just a couple of aha! moments that I gleaned from Sunday School. What a refreshment to hear and apply God's Word. You don't have to be a kid to get something from SS! :) I hope that your study of God's Word yields similar insights and applicable lessons for your world. Drop me a note and let me rejoice with you!

True worship is bowing in humble adoration before my Sovereign who has brought me success and showered me with His favor.

I bow in humble adoration,
Mike

Struggling with Unbelief

2008-06-07T14:51:00.002-04:00

Want another test? :) This time it is your faith!

Whenever doubts creep into your world, check your faith level in these three areas:

God's wisdom
God's love
God's power

When you figure which area(s) that you are struggling to keep focused in, read Scriptures to reinforce these truths and shore up the area of unbelief. Pray and ask God to help your unbelief and to build the faith that you have. With faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains!

growing in my own faith,
Mike

What really ticks you off?

2008-06-07T14:46:00.003-04:00

Here's a test for anyone who struggles with anger.

If you are ever angry with an inanimate object, you are really mad at God.

Test out the theory! When you get angry and kick the washing machine ask, "What am I angry about? What do I think God has shorted me on? Why am I taking my anger out on this washing machine/computer/rainstorm/etc.?"

Working through it myself,
Mike

God's Act of Self-Revelation

2008-05-31T08:53:00.004-04:00

I was reading in Luke again this morning and thought about this quote from the Shorter Catechism,

Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

Look at Luke 1:15-20! And think about these verbs that are used in this discussion of the people as they interacted with the revealed God:

wonder
treasured
pondering
glorifying and praising

As God revealed Himself to those first New Testament believers, the response was overwhelmingly worshipful and extremely personal. But this is exactly what God has called us to do. It is our high calling.

Praise to the revealed God,
Mike

Good Nuggets Found

2008-05-09T09:07:00.002-04:00

Eureka! I've found 'em! (--good nuggets -- not gold nuggets! But they are on a yellow legal pad!) They are statements made during a recent conference that I attended that highlight the power, beauty and influence of the Word of God on our ministry (God's ministry actually of which we are stewards) especially in light of postmodernity!

Appreciate the veracity of the word of God; it can and must be believed b/c it is true! It can and must be presented to a world in search of truth!
We talk about the "high view of Scripture". The litmus test of our view of Scripture is how long it take us to go to its pages for answers. Who do we value higher? We will go there first!
Often cries of "I'm not being fed here" mean "I want chocolate, not vegetables".
Obey God> today, I am going to be like Jesus; Oppose Godlessness> today, I am going to rightly divide the Word of Truth

You probably didn't select the culture into which you were born. You shouldn't hole up and isolate from those who are lost in the culture. You probably won't change the culture. You can be salt and light. You can bring truth to bear on a truth-starved world! Titus 2:11-14!

Mike

Here'e Some More -- Titus 2:11

2008-05-06T10:52:00.003-04:00

Mondays are often a day of "watching film" for football players and coaches. I have found that my evaluative nature causes me to go back over my notes from Sunday's sermons on Monday morning. I jot in the "on-the-fly" illustrations and comments that I made and flesh out portions of the messsage that were weaker or not able to be discussed at length. This editing "after delivery" helps especially when an expositional, "work through a book" hermeneutic and methodlogy are employed. It gets you ready for the next piece of the pie.

This Monday was no different. I just preached Titus 2:11 on Sunday afternoon. I suggested that this verse was a reference to the gracious ministry and activity of Christ as he lived and died and rose again here on this earth. Our ministry, then, ought to bear the marks of such graciousness as well! After all we are disciples, copies, imitators of Christ! The beauty of grace is unmistakable and must be displayed in all of our ministry efforts.

Beautiful, ornamented ministry...
a. Uses both grace and truth to make God known
b. Presents Jesus as the gracious Savior
c. Removes any ungraces that might distort the gospel
d. Lives each day graciously

All good challenges, but there is more! These notes (following) are part of a sidebar that I worked out myself:

1. Jesus came to reveal, explain, invite others to salvation; he wanted to introduce others to a knowing relationship with God. I must do the same.
2. He made grace appear right before their very eyes. I must do the same.
3. No one had seen God before, but they saw Jesus and therefore had seen the Father! I want this to be true of me as well! (ie I have never seen God, but I have seen Mike and he is a spitting image of him!)

Thanks for thinking about incarnational ministry with me. Thanks for doing incarnational ministry with me!

Mimicking my gracious Savior,
Mike

For Rent: Cheap

2008-04-21T11:59:00.002-04:00

Could this advertisement be posted about you and your mind?

"Head for rent, now vacant and unfurnished"

I hope not! Fill your head with the good stuff!

"Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

"But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine." Titus 2:1

Mike

What Makes a Great Youth Group

2008-04-15T11:02:00.004-04:00

The secret ingredients of "a great youth group" may not be what you expected. It really has nothing to do with a great band, pyrotechnic displays, fun games/icebreakers, excellent pizza, lots of teens, couches, cappucino machines, or a separate dedicated youth building. In fact, according to pollster George Barna,

"Two out of three teens are interested in a meaningful relationship with God, yet one-third fewer are geared to be active in church. This is indeed reflective of the youth population's impressions of the local church: It sometimes has something to offer, but what it adds is neither consistent or important enough to justify a significant commitment to such an entity. If they are going to find God, they believe they can find Him elsewhere."

Real Teens, p. 86

So if we want to stem the tide of teens dropping out of church and looking elsewhere for help with dealing with the great issues of life, we had better find out what really attracts people, especially young people. What are they looking for in a youth group?

"What makes being a Christian cool[?] -- [T]he essence of coolness is living as a sold-out, loving, compassionate follower of Christ. Teens possess a sensitive hypocrisy meter that is triggered by counterfeitfaith. Truly living the life of Christ earns the respect of modern teens; talking about faith but failing to live it is anathema to them."

Real Teens, pp.87-88

That is why on two consecutive weeks, when we didn't have youth group at our church, teens from Wyoming Baptist wanted to go visit the youth group meetings of another Baptist church about 45 minutes away. They knew that this group had some on-fire believers who had ministered together with us at summer camp. And we weren't disappointed. We found teens that loved the Lord and loved each other enought to be vulnerable and honest with each other. We found that our teen friends at the other church held us accountable to where we were in our spiritual walk with God. We found that they led in meaningful worship songs that spoke to a deepening love of the God who gave Himself for us! Not just happy-clappy-motions songs! Then we were challenged from God's Word to use the Word and prayer as the last of a string of protective elements in the Christian's armor for spiritual warfare.

Wow! That's the kind of youth group that I want to keep coming back to, time and time again. That's the kind of youth group that we want to have here at Wyoming. That kind of youth group doesn't have to have a huge budget or a flashy, charismatic full-time paid youth pastor. That kind of spiritual genuineness will attract the right kind of flies -- thirsty, hungry teens!

Building a youth group filled with teens who make a difference,
Mike

Putting the Cart Behind the Horse

2008-04-07T10:08:00.003-04:00

I preached yesterday afternoon using an analogy. It was an imperfect analogy at best (so stated by me). I really wanted to help these dear people (who endured the message) to see that character and doctrine were extremely important to the selection/success of leaders for church ministry.

I suggested in that message that character was kind of like the horse of the "horse and cart" illustration. It provided the "go" power and was the result of training for the task. The best kind of GO looks like this:

GO for God, the trainer/driver, not for self
GO every-day-all-day, not in spurts when the mood strikes us
GO through hard times
GO like God showed you in training

The cart portion of the tandem is like doctrine. I realize that we often use this word in a slightly different way (=dogmatic statements of truth), but I tried to broaden the definition to: the understanding and application of God's Word to everyday life. That definition is probably closer to the definition of wisdom.

I wanted to discuss with people the importance of looking beyond the doctrinal statements of leaders to determine whether this man (or woman in some cases) is a good appointee for the role of ministry leader. Doctrine, as a I defined it, must meet certain criteria of it will be a great cart, or vehicle for ministry:

CONNECTION to the power source

CONTAINMENT of the load

CONVEYANCE of the load from point A to point B

CONTROL of direction, speed, etc to reach point B

The stuff of theology (applied doctrine) had better be connected to God's Word, it's ultimate power source and had better accurately reflect the cahracter of God. The horse (me--the leader) has to have character -- the character of God, i.e. godliness, in order to have any strength at all.

By being built according to God's standards for "carts", the vehicle of leadership (ie ministry) is God pleasing and glorifying to Him. A disconnect from God, His Word, His design for ministry, etc. will spell disaster for the ministry vehicle. In Titus, one of the roles of the leaders was "cart inspection". There were some leaders afoot that were not building quality carts -- they were overturning houses!

The load must be moved along by the cart. In order for the cart to have usefulness, it has to take the load to the marketplace. It has to move the load for point A to point B. I suggested that those two points might be the church and the community. We must get the load out there!

The load in this analogy is the good news of the gospel and the Word of God and the relationship offered with God. The world around us needs to hear that message! The load is critically urgent and precious -- we had better build great carts for delivery of such to the marketplace. the design of our carts (ministries) must then be such that the gospel comes through clearly and nothing is lost along the way. We must think about how the carts can convey the gospel to those desperate to receive it. If we spill out the load along the path or if we have nothing to carry the cargo, then those who need to hear it will be without!! To leave the cargo on the loading dock or to leave the cart in the carriage house is unacceptable!

The design of our ministries ought to have a series of controls in place -- a brake, a steering wheel/reins, a throttle, etc. These controls are safely in the hands of God. As we prayerfully listen to the instructions given to us through the Spirit and Scripture, we know best how we ought to pull the load. To chase after the enemy's carrots is a mistake we all too often make! We must find our sustenance and satisfaction in following the lead of the Divine Driver (God). He is too powerful to lose control, too wise to make a wrong turn and too loving to drive us beyond what we are able to handle! Praise to Him!

Analogies all break down at some point. This one is indeed flawed -- as is the teacher. But I pray that it might communicate a little of my heartbeat for the advance of the kingdom through the careful delivery of the goods to the lost and dying!

Would you care to interact with the analogy some more? Jot a thought in the comments section! I would love to work through the idea with you. It's what I enjoy most! :)

Puling for the Kingdom,
Mike

From Disgrace to Grace

2008-04-02T11:00:00.002-04:00

I found another great grace text yesterday as I was reading Luke 1:24-25!

"After these days Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 'This is the way that the Lord dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.'"

God's grace has a way of doing exactly that -- removing disgrace. The favorable look of God (grace) erases the disgrace of men -- or at least its lowered esteem. Elizabeth was excited to see the Lord reach out to her when she thought taht she was done. God had not forgotten her even though she was "damaged goods" in the eyes of the world.

What an amazing grace,
Mike

Cultural Sensitivity Training

2008-04-01T09:34:00.004-04:00

The topic of "sensitivity training" raises the littel hairs on my neck. But maybe there is a Godly kind of sensitivity training that I do need!

Stott writes:

"... there is no such a thing as 'contemporary Christianity'. It is not a new version of Christianity which we are busy inventing, but original, historic, orthodox, biblical Christianity sensitively related to the modern world."

p.15

And so here we are -- bringing the timeless truths of the faithful word to bear on the ever-changing culture around us. Maybe this should be our mission statement for any relevant ministry -- youth ministry, men's Bible study, Sunday School/ABF/OAG/small groups, worship services, VBS, etc.

Seeking contemporary ministry without compromise,
(that sounds missional!!!??? :) )
Mike

The Challenge Before Us

2008-03-31T12:03:00.007-04:00

"Can we preserve Christianity's historic identity intact, without thereby cutting oursleves adrift from our contemporaries? And can we communicate the gospel in exciting, modern terms, without thereby distorting and even destroying it? Can we be authentic and fresh at the same time, or do we have to choose?"

Stott, p. 11

Chewing, tasting,

Mike

The Challenge Before Us

2008-03-31T12:03:00.006-04:00

I read some great stuff in a "rediscovered book" on my shelf, The Contemporary Christian, by John Stott. He is trying to put his finger on the how of living authentically in the world without practicing worldiness. In 1991, when Stott wrote this book, it was cutting edge. Now 17 years later, it is still appropriate -- maybe even more appropriate -- for us as church leaders to examine these possibilities. Chew on this today with me!

"Can we preserve Christianity's historic identity intact, without thereby cutting oursleves adrift from our contemporaries? And can we communicate the gospel in exciting, modern terms, without thereby distorting and even destroying it? Can we be authentic and fresh at the same time, or do we have to choose?"

Stott, p. 11

Chewing,
Mike

Glorying in Grace

2008-03-29T10:11:00.002-04:00

Every once in awhile God will begin to highlight a really key area in my life. Then, so I don't miss it, he will bring a ton of confrontations and intersections with that truth. For me, right now, it seems to be "grace". I know that I have a theological definition of that word and can articulate clearly that "Grace is God's riches at Christ's expense" or "Grace is God's unmerited favor towards me". These definitions are seeming too trite to me recently. They are simple and easy to remember -- maybe too simple.

I hope that your understanding and appreciation of grace is growing as you study and search the Scriptures to understand what God is doing and how the doctrine of grace fits into that picture. The prophets, as they wrote Scripture, understood that God had a still-to-be-revealed plan. They got a whiff of it and couldn't get it out of their systems. They knew that smell -- it was a beautiful fragrance -- it was a scent of hope and empowerment and faith to handle whatever hardness that they might face -- it was "grace".

See if this lexicon definition of GRK charis helps you appreciate grace any more!

grace -- that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
good will, loving-kindness, favour -- of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
what is due to grace -- the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace; the token or proof of grace, benefit
thanks (for benefits, services, favours) -- recompense, reward

Then read 1 Peter 1:13-16 to see how grace affects us:

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

So my definition is growing.
Grace is anything beautiful that you see in my life, which is exclusively the result of God's gift to me because He loves me dearly; I receive more of it every day as I place my trust in Him and He, in turn, conforms my heart towards His and away from my own fleshly desires.

And yet, this is still probably still too simple. I am willing to continue studying and growing in my appreciation of grace. This is one study that I am convinced I will never grow tired of.

Bathed in grace, the fragrance of Christ for men,
Mike

How to Drink Timmy Ho's to God's Glory

2008-03-26T09:07:00.003-04:00

John Piper has challenged the 1 Cor 10:31 principles to the level of the ordinary. So, my trip to Tim Horton's may be either God-worship or idol worship!

Good challenge!

Mike

The Proof That You Have Arrived

2008-03-25T10:13:00.002-04:00

I just finished reading Yancey's book, What's So Amazing About Grace? He provides a great summary statement in his discussion of "Grace Avoidance" or legalism.

"In other words, the proof of spiritual maturity is not how 'pure' you are but awareness of your impurity. That very awareness opens the door for grace."

Yancey, p.198

This quote, and this book, are good balancers for the lats post on testing your growth in teh area of wisdom. Unfortunately, we can get caught in the pursuit of the quantity rather than the quality. Wisdom pursuit, like humility pursuit, like holiness pursuit is a fleeting chase. As soon as we think that we have achieved our goals, we look and find that there is much work to do from here. Paul said it this way:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-15

Still working at it (exercising my faith),
while the sanctifying Spirit guides/shapes/teaches me,
and until I get obedience of Christ to perfection,
Mike

AMAZING GRACE

2008-03-24T08:42:00.007-04:00

I hope that your Easter was great and that you included some corporate celebrations of the greatness of resurrection. To celebrate our Savior and His sacrifice for us is so central for worship.

At Wyoming, we used the morning to celebrate the changes that the grace of God have accomplished in the lives of two couples. I was again impressed with the variety of the paths that God has led people along in. Each path has a shockingly similar crisis point. And then the paths diverge again. But each story has a common cord woven throughout -- the grace of God!

Then, as if to highlight these things, I finished the day reading "What's So Amazing About Grace?" by Philip Yancey. He discusses a great section of Paul's letter to the Romans (6-7). As Paul talks about grace, he knows that there are some people who are going to try and exploit grace-- to keep on sinning so that more grace can be given to them. Paul responds with some very pointed expressions -- "GOD FORBID!" Yancey summarizes/paraphrases this expressive thought in this way:

"No Christian resurrected to new life should be pining for the grave. Sin has the stench of death about it. Why would anyone choose it?"

-Yancey, p.186

and then

"Similarly, if we approach God with a 'What can I get away with' attitude, it proves that we do not grasp what God has in mind for us. God wants something far beyond the relationship I might have with a slave master, who will enforce my obedience with a whip. ... God wants something more intimate than the closest relationship on earth, the lifetime bond between a man and a woman."

- Yancey, p.190

Yancey then makes a quote from another writer, Clifford Williams,

"Discipleship simply means the life which springs from grace."

Wow. Amazing.

O Father,
Your grace still amazes me. Help me to allow my discipleship to spring from the seedbed of your grace and not my ability.
Amen

Springing up,

Mike

When God Gives You a Boost

2008-03-20T18:04:00.002-04:00

I love it when God gives you an affirmation that you are not crazy. Every once in a while, as I am out doing ministry, I get that feeling of "I wonder if I am heading in the right direction?"

You know, this is the the same kind of feeling that comes with a drive down an unfamiliar stretch of highway, heading for a critical meeting with zero minutes to spare, reading MapQuest directions that you are unsure about. And then you see it, your exit ramp sign or another clue that you are headed in the right direction and are on schedule. "Yes!" you say, and get excited about the trip and the destination all over again.

I got one of those "yep, your right on track" spots today at a pastor's seminar in Watkins Glen, NY. The speaker, Dr. Milo Thompson, formerly president of Baptist Bible College & Seminary, shared some key thoughts about how to navigate the culture around us. Here are just a few of the take-home ideas I got:

1. In many areas, God has said alot about function and not so much about form -- leaving us, and our creativity to figure it out for the people that we are trying to reach.

2. Everything that is healthy grows; not everything that grows is healthy.

3. People only make life change when they hear the challenge given to them in their heart language; we need to learn to speak their language.

4. We are too busy making cosmetic changes and not busy enough making systemic changes; systemic changes are the most important to moving forward in a changing culture.

5. Is it possible that we have become more separated than God is?

6. Contamination is not environmental. The best way to protect against contamination from the world is not isolation, it is vibrancy of yoru relationship with Jesus Christ.

7. A refusal to change or a holding on to the old ways of doing things limits your ministry, the size of its sphere of influence, and the number of people that you can reach.

I want to work feverishly to help Wyoming Baptist be a place of balanced Biblical outreach and ministry. I want to be about the work that God has called me to. I must be an active student of the culture around me -- not just the people who are like me. I am headed the right direction, but there is no road-side rest areas for me until I get to the destination!

Holding fast the faithful Word without compromise,

Mike

Why Do I Serve?

2008-03-17T10:24:00.004-04:00

I had the opportunity to teach this weekend to about 80 people (teens and adults) on the topic of "Service". I taught the seminar 3 separate times. In the first 10-15 minutes of my session I laid the Biblical foundation for a life of full-time ministry for every believer. (Note: not the paid professional kind that I get to enjoy! LOL)

Q. Why should you serve in your local church?

A. It's just what Christians do.

Q. Why should Christians serve?

A. Because Christians are...

Servants -- Because I have been redeemed by Master, I now no longer serve myself; I serve Christ! (Mt. 25:21,23; Ac. 27:23 + Ro. 1:1 (et al); Ga. 2:20)

Disciples -- I am attempting in every way to more accurately reflect the character and actions of Christ, the True Servant. (Mt. 12:18, 20:28; Mk. 8:34; Lk. 22:42; Jn. 13:15-16)

Worshipers -- My life is a continual active praise session to God who is worthy of my loyal service. (Ro. 12:1, 11; Co. 3:15-17)

Witnesses -- By serving others, I am distributing the same kind of grace that I have recieved and building a bridge to those around me who need to hear about my Gracious Savior. (Mt. 5:16, 1 Co. 9:19; 2 Co. 9:12-14; Ja. 1:26-27)

Members of the Body -- God has placed me in my spheres of influence (including my local church) for the purpose of exercising fellowship and connection. (Ro. 12:4-5; 1 Co. 12:18; Co. 2:19)

So, if you are not actively involved in the ministry team of your local church, why not? If you are a Christian, you have no legitimate excuse. If you choose to simply come and sit and soak in the same seat every week without exercising your faith in ministry opportunities all around you, then you are a "Christian cripple", handicapped only by your choice to be uninvolved. Be warned! God is not pleased! Church ought not to be a spectator's arena. Join in the ministry of your local church today! There are no exemptions from ministry.

Actively serving the Master,

Mike

This is Only a Test

2008-03-13T12:07:00.006-04:00

Have you ever fallen asleep watching that all-night John Wayne Movie Marathon and been wakened in the wee hours of the morning by the annoying sound of the emergency broadcasting system check? Drool running from the corner of your mouth, contacts dried onto your bleary eyes, and ears still ringing with that annoying tone (beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep), you wonder to yourself and maybe say out loud "What was that all about? Why did I need to go through that painful experience? Can we get back to the Duke here?"

No one likes to get into painful situations. However, painful situations will happen as you journey. The Israelites hit such a bottom point only three days out from the Red Sea. At the end of Exodus 15, they came to a spot on the map where they were without water and they found a shallow, small hole in the wilderness called Marah. Marah means "bitter" and this drinking hole was the reason for the name on the sign. As the Israelites got to this low spot in their spiritual walk, a couple of things happened:

1. They lost faith in God -- 14:31 said that they had faith in God and in Moses. then 15:24 declares that they complained against Moses. They couldn't see past the bad taste in their mouth. Moses fortunately doesn't join in on their chorus; he prays and talks to God about the situation.
2. God did something miraculous -- 15:25 says that God helped Moses know what to do next in this low spot of intense trouble. And Moses obeyed, thereby opening the floodgates for a miracle to occur.
3. God used this hardship to teach the Israelites a valuable lesson -- This place, Marah was a test point. It was intended to strengthen faith. The faith that was dropped as soon as the way became bitter was not genuine -- it was "blue skies and sunny" faith. The "blue skies" faith is a common commodity -- lots of people have that. The "bitter water" faith is fairly rare. The only way that you get it is at the low, hard spots of life.

The lesson that God was instructing the Israelites on was the standard by which God blesses or chastens his children:

"If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer." Ex. 15:26, NASB

One of the parts I love about this verse is that the LORD gets a new name -- Healer. He is saying that this test will determine whether I have to spank you or not. And if I do have to spank you (you failed the test) I will work to restore you and forgive you and make it whole again. He wants to heal us after He does the surgery necessary. He exposes the needs we have for surgery at the Marah test sites. He shows us that we are still immature or even diseased and then He sets about to bring correction and healing. What a great Physician!

Are you in a Marah location right now? God wants to use it to expose the bitter and make it sweet. He wants to heal the junk that you are carrying inside. Let him make the corrections so that the next time this comes up, you pass the test! Don't be like King Beltshazzar who was weighed and found wanting!

Do your work and then heal me, LORD,
Mike

Praise & Worship in Exodus

2008-03-05T08:07:00.006-05:00

This morning in Bible Study, we read a portion of Exodus 15. For those of you who haven't been studying Exodus with us, Ex 15 is a song/psalm. It is abruptly inserted into the narrative immediately following the Red Sea crossing. The song is sung by Moses and the Israelites with a ladies' back-up tamborine choir led by Miriam.

The singers sang a song that I believe fits in the "Praise&Worship" genre. It has these features:

It encourages group participation (not spectator sport)

It celebrates God's character

It celebrates God's activity on behalf of the singers

It allows the singers to rehearse God's future plans for them and take ownership

It builds, strengthens faith

It calls God by His name (so that there is no chance that this can be a crossover love song)

so....

What is your favorite praise and worship song?

How has God demonstrated his mighty arm in your life recently?

What aspect of God's character means the most to you right now?

What would you say that the difference between praise and worship is? Are they verbs or nouns?

Just remember, the words of this song should have been a great encouragement and a deterrent of any fussing or complaining about anything that might have happened on the path. But only three days later, the children of Israel are all in a knot because the water is bitter. Keep singing the songs of worship throughout the week! Praise and worship is not simply a Sunday activity!

Singing, making melody in my heart,

Mike

Check Out the Rebelution

2008-03-03T08:36:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Todd for the link to a great site about two guys trying to change and grow radically.
Here's what they said that I think bears reprinting:

"But this is where the idea of “working for the Lord and not for men” comes in. We should never be doing hard things for the recognition and admiration of men, but only for the glory of God. Despite the numerous earthly blessings that accompany doing hard things our ultimate reward is in Heaven when we stand before our Maker and hear Him speak the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.”

God knows better than we do what a great reward looks like. He knows those who have already been rewarded by the praise and adulation of men, as well as those who have served quietly — far away from the limelight.

The point, however, is not to seek recognition or obscurity, but rather to seek the glory of God. A heart that longs for the praise of men more than the praise of God — whether prideful in receiving it or resentful in lacking it — does not honor God."

I think that was well said!
Here are some interaction points:

What ministry do you enjoy that is really hard for you?
What is it about that ministry that brings you the most joy?
Are you content to have the glory of God (and the future glorification at that) be the only outcome?
What area needs to be recommitted to the glory of God and not me?

Thanks Todd for the challenge to excellence. I hope others will join with us on this path of humble service given through gratitude!
Mike

Exploration via the internet

2008-03-03T08:26:00.002-05:00

Hey readers (I hope that I still have some). I have been away on a long journey. It has included some really incredible moments and some really difficult moments. But I have been listening and growing and changing as I journeyed.

One of the things that I have learned as I have journeyed is that there is a lot of good stuff to be tapped in the information explosion called the internet. I think that we may have spent so much time railing against the darkness (please do not be hearing me to say that there is no darkness on the internet) that we have not been very creative about the proper and helpful use of the tool!

I have discovered facebook as I have been away from you all here at OpenMike. (Check out my profile!) And I have been dialoging with friends via blogs about stuff like the will of God, fasting, and churchplanting. I have had a music discussion with a new friend/potential ministry partner in Ithaca. I have downloaded podcasts about fasting, worship, etc. I have been involved in my local church and in Bible studies (where we actually turn the pages of the manual!!).

I am indeed a life-long learner! I love to connect ideas and see new insights in old familiar places. I love to make friends and challenge each other. These are a few of my favorite things (I feel a song coming on!!)

Thanks for coming back and checking on me. Thanks for not giving up on learning or growing. Thanks for being a part of the fabric of my life!

Learning, living, loving,
Mike

How Does That Work?

2008-02-12T17:21:00.001-05:00

I am studying for Bible Study tomorrow morning. And I read again the verse from Exodus 14,

"The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent."

Three comments:

I like the first part (God fighting for me). I have trouble with the last part (keeping still/silent).
This verse was first shared with me from a friend. As I shared a concern that I not say too much at a business meeting, she gave me this verse. I listened and watched God bring those comments to fruition. I was silent; God fought for me.
I am still pondering this verse as I get ready for the study in the morning. It seems like a good nugget to chew on as the winter storm rages around us (literally!). [NOTE: There is not a figurative storm raging at my home!]

Hope He's in your corner too,
Mike

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

2008-02-11T22:09:00.000-05:00

"In mirrors I see myself. But in mirrors made of glass and silver I never see the whole of myself. I see the me I want to see, and I ignore the rest. Mirrors that hide nothing hurt me. They reveal an ugliness I'd rather deny. Yow! Avoid these mirrors of veracity!...Oh what a coward I am, and what a fool! Only when I have the courage fully to look, clearly to know myself -- even the evil of myself-- will I admit my need for healing... Mirrors that hide nothing hurt me... The passion of Christ, his suffering and his death, is such a mirror."

Bread and Wine, p.11-12

What is Our Youth Ministry Action Plan

2008-01-25T20:07:00.000-05:00

Greg Stier, author of Ministry Mutiny, wrote a very challenging article "Why Mormons Do Better Youth Ministry Than We Do". It points to the level of commitment that the Mormons expect from their young people and the aggressive pursuit of preparation of these young people for ministry. His conclusion is spot on:

"We need to push our teens. We need to turn them into active activists. We need to build consistent opportunities for service, outreach and training. We need to equip them to share their faith and then go with them, leading the way. After all, we are youth leaders.
Somebody may accuse me of looking at this as some sort of competition. It is. We are in a competition with Satan for thesouls of our young people. And we are getting our rears kicked.
My problem is not with Mormons. It's with us. Let's learn from the Mormons and turn our kids into missionaries. Armed with the power of the true gospel (not some aberrant belief system) our teens could mount a comeback and help us win this thing.
Game on."

I want to win the war,
Mike

Ordering Your Thoughts

2008-01-23T11:02:00.000-05:00

Here's some good reminders about taking our thoughts captive today:

"Ordering our thoughts by guarding our minds against ungodly imaginations is our first defense against the schemes of the enemy. The battle for our hearts and minds takes place in our thought life. We must purpose to think thoughts pleasing to God, filling our minds with scriptures declaring the promises of God."

Life's Ultimate To Be List, p. 25

So...

what good, acceptable, pleasing thoughts are you thinking about today?

what Scriptures are reminding you that God is crazy about you and totally for you?

who is winning the battle today?

Filling up on the Word,

And thereby winning the war,

Mike

What is your WQ?

2008-01-18T20:08:00.001-05:00

It is certainly not IQ that matters. It is wisdom that counts with God. The fourth lesson for WOL year 2 round 2 was a lesson from the book of Proverbs. I specifically went to chapter 9 and looked at the contrast between folly and wisdom.

Chapter 9 is a classic contrast of these two worldviews as they are personified as Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly who both call the simpleton to eat at their table a feast that they have prepared.

Here is the conclusion section of that lesson which asks four key questions that evaluate whether you are in the wise man's camp or the foolish man's camp.

"How wise are you? Is there a test that will measure your wisdom level? The answer is yes! The book of Proverbs not only shows us how to live, it also shows us how to measure our progress in God’s eyes. Here are a few questions to determine whether you are a wise person or a foolish person.

Question 1: How do you respond to correction? (9:7, 8)

When people share how your choices do not match up with God’s Word, do you get angry and ignore them? Then you are a fool. When parents and friends show how you can make better choices and please God, do you thank them for their concern and make changes quickly? Then you are wise.

Question 2: Are you growing “smarter and stronger” spiritually? (9:9)

Are you willing to work hard and study the Bible so that you can know God’s instructions (Proverbs 5:1-11)? You are wise. Becoming better and better at making good choices that always please God does not happen by accident. Wise people aren’t easily tricked by Satan’s lies (7:22-23) because they have studied the truth. Grow stronger as a wise warrior for God (Ephesians 6:11-16) by putting on your armor.

Question 3: Do you have a loving, personal relationship with God? (9:10)

A wise boy or girl hates the things God hates (6:16-19; 8:13) and loves the things God loves (7:4; 8:17)! As you choose to follow God’s ways, you will learn to love God more. As you obey Him, you will grow closer to Him. A wise person doesn’t want to do anything that will not please God. We are most happy when we are living God’s way.

Question 4: Is God blessing your life? (9:11, 12)

Trouble seems to happen more frequently in the life of the fool (6:15). Whenever he chooses the dangerous ways he gets caught! He does not have God to help him. Don’t be fooled. The blessings of God are not just about getting more money! Wisdom is better than all the money in the world (8:10-11, 18-21)!

So are you a fool or a wise boy or girl? God knows which you are, you cannot fool Him! (5:21-23)"

Praying for more wisdom,
Mike

Are You Diluted?

2008-01-17T10:38:00.000-05:00

"Like fine wine poured into a jug of water, Jesus' wondrous message of grace gets diluted in the vessel of the church."

What's So Amazing About Grace, p. 29

I don't have to know too much about wine to get this comment. I want a vintage church (in terms of wine excellence, not in terms of musty fermentation). I want a vintage life! We will serve no wine before its time. May it be said of me, "You have saved the best wine until last".

Mike

Deuteronomistic History

2008-01-15T10:03:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't understand the humor of the title, it's okay. You don't really need to know about the JEPD textual criticism discussion, but if you want to....

Side Bar: For those of you who would like a boost of encouragement today, take a look at what is happening with WyBC teens online. We are engaged in a discussion about the application and lessons that can be learned from a fairly tense confusing passage of Scripture. The teens are doing admirably at their give and take in the conversation.

Back to deuteronomistic history, I just completed a week of writing conference where one of my tasks was to teach the book of Deuteronomy in three lessons for 1st -6th graders. Easy huh? Maybe if you are a third grade teacher. Maybe if you are smarter than a fifth grader.

Here is an overview of these lessons:

Lsn 1: Three Steps to Accomplishing Mission Impossible

A three step process for handling things that seem to hard to handle; look back at what God has done in the past, trust His Word, obey what you know to do.

Lsn 2: God's Top Ten Ways to Love Him Wholly

An overview of the importance of God's Law -- it shows us how to live differently in a broken world. By our obedience, we show the world that God and our friendship with Him through Jesus makes a difference in the way we do life.

Lsn 3: What Does Your Future Hold?

A look at the choice between blessings and cursings; All of our choices have consequences.

It was a good (albeit exhausting and sometimes difficult) week with a great ending. I am always glad that I went and always excited about the product that we turn out. I am sorry that I cannot give you any of the details of the lessons or send you copies since they belong to Word of Life. But if you buy the curriculum, you should see these lessons in 2 years. :) Tell them that Mike Paris sent you! (I don't think that there is a finder's fee)

Thanks for praying,

Thanks for caring,

Mike

BTW -- My second task was to summarize the difference between wisdom and folly.

Lsn 4: Test your WQ (Wisdom Quotient)

A four part test to see if you are really growing in wisdom. See the next post. :)

Prayer and Share

2008-01-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

I am a firm believer in the whole prayer and share stuff. We used to do it in our WOL youth group before we broke up for DIA groups. Here at Wyoming, we do it as a church family in SS and in evening service. Sunday night we had an hour of sharing and group prayer!

This is a coded list so that no one is vulnerable or exposed online, but check out the praises!! :)

CR -- "It was great to be able to share a testimony this morning at the end of the morning service. Thanks for asking me!" CR also mentioned that he had a plan for the next couple of books that he would be reading: It's Not About Me; Little Red Book of Wisdom; He quoted "You will be the same a year from now apart from the people you meet and the books that you read"
NF -- There were some incredible bonds fomed during the practices and performance of the Baggage Claim drama. She was glad to have had her Mom and sister come to the drama when they could have done other things.
CB -- He and his wife had done some visiting at the second night of the drama (they came back to see it again) that had been well received; He was putting into practice something he had studied for SS -- praying and being in tune with the promptings of the Spirit; He had a chance this week to minister to a co-worker who had a car accident -- CB had arrived at the scene within 5 minutes of its happening; God had placed him at the right place at the right time
PZ -- I am an uncle; I want to be a good role model for the baby as he grows
DR -- Praise God for such a clear gospel message presented at the drama
DE -- Had a chance to talk with SD, the school administrator where we performed the drama; SD had been in a Bible study with another one of our ladies in the past.
CM -- had a chance to talk with two people after the first night of drama; one had never thought about God before!!, the other had realized that she had been harboring sin in her life and was planning to change as a result of the drama
GR -- a former co-worker really needs prayer, she stopped in and visited with GR and her husband on Sunday afternoon; GR and her husband were able to witness with another couple to a waitress using the lyrics of the Christmas carols being played as mood music!
JM -- what a delight to hear the prayers of the cast and crew as we worked together to share this drama; it was a total team effort
MP -- excited about seeing the young people getting "it" and using "it" to minister during the drama and Christmas caroling, etc.; his son (age 4) has been praying wonderful prayers thanking God for his gift, Jesus at Christmas time -- thanks to SS teachers who have been pumping the boy full of good stuff! :)
CR -- his daughter and son-in-law were going back into a diffilcut work situation after the holidays, desiring to come back to our area and church
BB -- able to give a Bible to a young boy who rides to AWANA with her; the boy is eagerly devouring the Word, setting as his goal to read through the Bible in one year; the boy and his sister are working on their memory work at home!

And that is just what I wrote down on my prayer notes. There were more and lots of stories being shared. It was a great encouragement to listen to them share their hearts with each other and conclude with prayer at the end of a longer sharing session. Praise the Lord with me!
Mike

The Next Step in the Exodus

2008-01-02T09:26:00.000-05:00

Have you ever turned the corner in life thinking, "okay, now we're on our way" only to find that God was directing you in a round-about trip? If you have (I know that I have), then read Exodus 13:17-18, preferrably from the NIV.

God often takes in an alternate route to build us up and keep us from quitting. And He knows us better than we know ourselves. Even when we think that we are ready for the next step, to do battle with the enemy, God sometimes diverts our plans to keep us from getting crushed in our own strength.

If you are caught in what feels like a scenic route with God, enjoy the scenery! It is the best route for you right now. Just leave the driving to God! :)

With totally no concept of where God is leading me towards, and away from, at the same time, by His strength and presence,
Mike

PS -- for another look at this passage (click here)

The Ripple Effect

2007-12-29T12:33:00.000-05:00

This is not a post singing the merits of textured potato chips. This is about infectious discipleship. The kind that ripples through the church and spills out onto everyone who is ready for change and growth.

We have been reading books as a leadership team. I have watched some of the individuals on our team totally embrace the concepts that are contained therein. Those who get it have incorporated the language into our vocabulary and have talked about it with passion and enthusiasm such that others get excited about it and are driven to read more. Then, the fresh recruits, in turn, share it with their friends and family and then the next wave catches it and gets excited about the concepts and their implementation.

This is about multiplication. The Christian life is not meant to be lone rangerism. It is meant to be a place of accountability and ripples. As I understand God's wisdom better and make successful, albeit hard, decisions, I share it with those around me. Then, the whole thing goes into other circles and suddenly, I am affecting change and growth in circles that I do not even frequent! God is good! He has enlarged our borders even without daily prayers of Jabez!! :)

NOTE: This post is about celebrating the joy of discovery and watching the aha! moments spreading in the body of Christ. These comments are based on a real situation that was just reported to me! :) YES! Remember to share the good stuff withthose who teach you! Gal 6:6

Sharing with you,
Mike

So What Report Are You Bringing Back?

2007-12-27T13:15:00.000-05:00

Do you remember the story of the twelve spies who entered the land of Canaan first? They "scoped out the digs" for 40 days and then returned to give a report on the land before them. They had experienced the promise of God in a limited audience preview. They were the ones who were hand selected to report back on what God had in the immediate future for the nation, the people of God.

Andrew Murray draws on this image as he addresses the issue of the report of a loving community of believers, growing and bearing much fruit for the glory of God, the divine husbandman.

"Is not this [obedience to Jesus' command to love one another] some of the much fruit that Jesus has promised we shall bear, -- in very deed a cluster of the grapes of Eshcol, with which we can proveto others that the land of promise is indeed a good land? Let us try in all simplicity and honesty to go out to our home to translate the language of high faith and heavenly enthusaism into the plain prose of daily conduct, so that all men can understand it."

Abide in Christ, p. 184

What a pity, no rather, what a travesty if we see the love of God, flowing with milk and honey, and report back to others "It's too intense, it will cost you too much to have it, let's just settle for a taste, God can't give that kind of love to us". Or, in my opinion, even worse, report back to those around us -- silence about the greatness of the love of God. It would be the equivalent of the spies saying, "We had a huge cluster of grapes and they were tasty. But we ate them on the trip back from the vineyard and now there's nothing to show to you."

Don't hoard the grapes.
Don't consume all of the fruit by yourself.
Don't miss the chance to use the produce for ministry to others who maybe still don't believe there is a land of promise or a God who has promised it to them.

That I may bear more fruit,
Mike

Falling Into the Abyss

2007-12-19T12:51:00.000-05:00

Friends,

I apologize for the long delay. I just realized that the last post was back in October. (That's not exactly true!) This is December and we are closing in on one of the busiest times of the calendar that anyone should be exposed to. Let me catch you up on some really big stuff that is going on right now in our lives of ministry.

1. A DAD&LAD TRIP -- Scott and I went to Erie PA on an overnight Father-n-Son adventure. We took in some lighthouses, shot some digital photography, ate some Chinese, played in the waterslides, ate some hot wings, played chess and ate Timmy Ho's Canadian Maple Donuts!! Oh yeah, we also had a great conversation about coming of age, becoming a young man, and following after God. We used Proverbs 3 to have a "my son" speech of our own. Scott was pretty freaked out by the whole serious conversation thing. But I tried to tone it down when I saw how spooked he got. It was a great weekend, except for being beaten in chess by a teenager!!! :)

2. A DRAMA -- Sue and I are the husband and wife in a family holiday drama called "Baggage Claim". It is an outreach drama with a great message. The family looks the stereotypical part of four people with it all under control. In fact, my character makes a speech to his son about the world respecting a man who has in all under control, who takes charge of his own life, etc. In the end, all of their internal dysfunction comes out and they leave their baggage in the capable hands of the baggage bellhop character. It is a modern day parable of Jesus Christ and his offer of rescue for today. Very good script, very grueling schedule -- very great results?? We are praying to that end.

3. A SEASON of ADVENT -- our church has included the advent candles/wreath in our worship. We light the candles each week and talk about what each one symbolizes. We use this as a time fo rthe kids to come up front and interact with me around the wreath. The problem is that it is all unscripted. And as Art Linkletter (and later Bill Cosby) said "kids say the darndest things". It has been a good time of focus for Christmas for me and for the kids. We are using the nativity poem and characters from Family Life Publishing called "What God Wants for Christmas". It is really neat to watch them open each box. I hope that they get the ending!

4. AN MP3 PLAYER -- I just bought a Creative Labs Zen Stone MP3 player and have been enjoying downlaoding sermons, books, music and other stuff from off of the web. For a guy that loves information, an MP3 player is a very cool toy. I just listened to four pastors on a Pastor to Pastor intervew series with HB London Jr. on the topic of Church Health. Great stuff!

Well, please keep blogging and reading and growing and ministering, even when this page falls silent. Be assured that I have not laid down or fallen off the face of the earth. I also have been blogging with some other sites as a contributor rather than a host. Why don't you drop me a note and tell me what you are doing?

sites that you have visited in the past 24 hours
books that you have been reading
trips that you have taken, plan on taking for Christmas
ministries that you are involved in
etc.

I hope that you have not fallen into the abyss of busyness and that if you have that you are climbing out. I hope that you will drop me a note letting me know how you are doing,

Mike

What Did You Learn From Your Pain?

2007-10-16T17:14:00.001-04:00

"God uses our suffering to wean us from self-reliance and cast us on himself alone."

Piper, Desiring God, p. 222

So, when I am entering an especially difficult time in my personal life, I must ask myself, "Have I become too self-reliant? Is God attempting to get my attention away from myself and on to him? Why am I trying to handle this myself?"

And when I am in the throes on such a turmultous set of rapids, I must ask myself, "Who has the strength that I need? Am I clinging onto the paddle too tightly, steering us right into the rosks that I want to avoid? Do I need to pray instead of panic now?"

And finally, as I come out into the calm waters below the raging river run, I must ask myself, "How could I have allowed to have more control in that ride? How much better would it have been if I had given him more of the rudder? Did I handle that set of rapids with better skill than the last set (ie did I allow God to have more control)? Am I more confident in my abilities now or God's? Have I praised him for his abundant power, wisdom, care, and control -- after all he did bring you through safely!"

As I tell the story of my extreme experience of suffering, who looks like the hero? Me? or God? Does God get the spotlight or the footnote in the telling of my tale? Am I more or less dependent on Him now than I was upriver?

I want to suffer calmly, knowing that the captain of my ship is not me!

"This is God's universal purpose for all Christian suffering: more contentment in God and less satisfaction in self and the world."

Piper, Desiring God, p. 222
Riding the rapids, learning the lessons, praising the pilot,
Mike

Stuff You Won't See on a BillBoard

2007-10-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

"Human beings flee suffering. We move to safer neighborhoods. We choose milder climates. We buy air conditioners. We take aspirin. We come in out of the rain. We avoid dark streets. We purify our water. We do not normally choose a way of life that would put us in "peril every hour." Paul's life is out of sync with ordinary human choices. Virtually no advertisement slogans lure us into daily dying [to self]."

Piper, Desiring God, p. 220

Suffering for Jesus

2007-10-15T16:24:00.000-04:00

There is an incredibly hard decision point to be made when considering the texts of Scripture on suffering. What are we to preach to an affluent, propserous Christian in the US or Western Europe? Have we experienced real genuine suffering? John Piper's Desiring God has some incredibly challengeing stuff in his chapter on the topic. But I love this statement about all forms of suffering in the life of the Christian (even the US variety).

"All experiences of suffering in the path of Christian obedience, whether from persecuion or sickness or accident, have this in common: they all threaten our faith in the goodness of God and tempt us to leave the path of obedience. Therefore, every triumph of faith and all perseverance in obedience are testimonies to the goodness of God and the preciousness of Christ -- whether the enemy is sickness, Satan, sin, or sabotage." p. 216

So if I weather the loss of a job well, I am suffering for Christ, even if I didn't lose it because of my relationship with Christ.

How are you doing today? Are you suffering well? Are you suffering for Jesus?

Definitely on the easy suffering path,
Mike

My First Beach Wedding

2007-10-02T11:42:00.000-04:00

I just got back from Virginia from a great wedding connected with a pile of firsts.

1. 1st wedding with a condensed pre-marital counseling period (4 sessions in 1 week)

2. 1st wedding on the beach (first attended, AND first officiated)

3. 1st wedding in bare feet (the whole bridal party too)

4. 1st wedding performed out of state (I am now officially registered to perform weddings in VA)

5. 1st wedding with a unity sand ceremony instead of the unity candle (same basic principles)

Overall, it was a great long weekend with Sue at the beach. How cool is that? :) The wedding brought back a lot of memories of our wedding, almost 17 years ago now. We had some good conversation and some special moments together too. Not bad for an old married couple! :)

Still happily married to the wife of my youth,

Mike

Engage and Reflect on the WORD

2007-09-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

May I ask you a question? It is from the study of Colossians that we are doing this quarter (and probably next at the rate that we are going at).

Is spiritual growth possible apart from God or His Word?

I believe that we, as North Americans and US citizens, have a huge deposit of truth. I saw a statistic recently about the % of the world's population that is Christian and the % of that number that were in North America. Staggering! We are truly blessed to have such a comfortable state. Yet has it really driven us to contemplative spirituality? By that I mean, have we thought long and hard about what it means to be a disciple of Christ?

We have been given God's Word in multiple translations with cover choices, study notes choices, color choices and even with our names embossed in gold foil. But has familiarity bred contempt or neglect? Can we truly grow without studying and diving into intense mediattion on God's written special revelation of Himself?

Want a place to start? Read Romans 11:33-35. Then think about this very insightful quote,

"What we know about God is only what God reveals to us. To imagine that we can fathom the depths of God is to posit a God too small.
Paul asserts the infinite distance between human knowledge and God's action. Humans do not counsel God. They can only, in a sense, think God's thoughts after God. God is the source of all knowledge and wisdom."

Then reflect on Isaiah 40:13; Proverbs 8:22-31; Job 38:2-39:30. That should sufficiently challenge you to engage in humble worship and a recommitment to growing in the knowledge of God.

I want to know You more,

Mike

Is God a Manipulative Cosmic Bully?

2007-09-05T09:20:00.000-04:00

As we study in Exodus for the eX-Men's Bible Study on Wednesday mornings, we have discussed and discovered some amazing truths about men, leaders, and God. We have been spending a number of weeks in the 10 plagues. Normally this study would be at most three weeks long. We have been here a long time.

[sidebar: When one of the men returned from an unplanned sabbatical, he inquired about our location and found that he had not missed too much textual coverage. But he had indeed missed out on some great conversations! This study is as much about accountability to get out of bed and study with one another as it is about material coverage.]

This morning in our discussion of Pharaoh and God (and their lively interchange in light of the impending doom of plague #7, hail), we discussed this question:

Is God arrogant? Doesn't it seem that the reading of 9:14 suggests that God is manipulative and using Pharaoh for his own agenda? Is God posturing in front of Pharaoh or trash-talking him or trying to intimidate him?

I believe that this discussion is helpful when thinking about those around us who reject our evangelistic efforts (technically they are not rejecting our efforts, but our Master's efforts to reach out to them). We must remember that God is longsuffering, while at the same time unwillling to wink at sin or rejection of truth. There are some consequences to rejection. Maybe we should add this after the invitation is given and rejected in our gospel presentation training!

God is unwilling that any should perish. But some are bent on it. Out of rebellious and stubborn hearts, they choose freely the way of destruction. Pharaoh is a textbook example of this posture before a patient God. God has exposed the junk in his life and called for submission. Yet, Pharaoh has refused to submit and has gripped his delegated power/authority even more tightly. In plagues #7-#10, God is beginning to unleash the destruction on Egypt. Even the "wise men"/magicians begin to see that this is a losing battle.

How like us! When God calls us to follow there are two ways, God's way (the better) and our way (the harder). Even though God's way may seem harder (requiring more effort against our old nature) it is always better. Pharaoh would have been better off if he had yielded after the pre-plague signs (snakes from rods). The results are the same -- the Israelites are released -- but the paths are different. Pharaoh could have released them willingly, but instead chose to fight God tooth and nail until the end. Then even after being bested by God, he chased the Israelites right into his own watery grave. The end result is also that Pharaoh yields -- he chooses to do it the hard way.

One of the guys commented, "Sometimes we learn better from our mistakes". While there are benefits to learning from failures, I still prefer to learn from successes! It is always much less painful and much more enjoyable. I choose to pursue excellence and growth through the pains of success than through the pains of failure.

God is not a cosmic bully. He is not simply getting his jollies watching Pharaoh squirm. He is not manipulating Pharaoh.

[sidebar: This understanding of the gods being above men's world but pulling the strngs and watching men dance is the Greek/Roman theology. Zeus is seen as a moody god, threatened in his ultimate leadership and defending it jealously with lightning bolts and bullying force. Zeus is so not my God!]

God is demonstrating a longsuffering and a mercy that is "wasted" on the stubbornness of this pagan king. Yet He still shows His character. Even in rejection, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that God is THE ONE AND ONLY GOD. God accomplishes exactly what He intends to do. Pharaoh misses out on a relationship of joy and contentment and gets the teeth of judgment. His loss. God's plan is not thwarted. God's arm is not shortened (except in His own self-restraint). God's promises are not "fluff".

Yield or be exterminated,
(I choose yielding),
Mike

Vacation Pic

2007-08-25T13:09:00.000-04:00

Just to not be outdone by Todd. This is us as we got out at Newaygo after a 3+ hour cruise down the Muskegon River on innertubes!

Kindling for Your Soul's Fire

2007-08-25T12:23:00.000-04:00

Great read this morning from the pages of Piper's classic tome, Desiring God. Man, I love to read this book. (This is my second time through.) His chapter on Scripture is subtitled "kindling for Christian hedonism". That is a great subtitle. It draws a great image up in my mind, especially while on vacation. The campfire at the end of the day is a great highlight and it all begins with kindling.

But Piper's point is that the fire needs to be started at the beginning of the day -- probably an allusion to the cooking fires of a day gone by. As the day begins, we must stoke the fires of the soul and plan to keep it burning throughout the day. The utility of such a fire much be highlighted -- warmth, food, and security. Piper's call is to heaping the kindling on through the regular intake of Scripture.

"If you go without the kindling of Christian Hedonism [the Scriptures], the fire of Christian happiness will be quenched before mid-morning."

Of course in the pursuit of happiness, Piper is talking about the kind of soul contentment that the Psalmist sings of in Psalm 1. This kind of soul satisfaction brings forth fruit in its season and does not wither for it finds the kind of nourishment and irrigation that sustains it through the droughts and troubles of the trees lifespan.

1. What Scriptures are you heaping up in a kindling pile to get your fire rip roaring hot?
2. Who or what has really helped nail this truth home with you?
3. Have you thought about how to pass the fire along to someone else today? (Sing a verse of Pas It On here and think of the bonfire at camp!)

Burn brightly in your happiness friend,
Mike

In the Margins

2007-08-22T20:24:00.000-04:00

Great quote read this morning, during some quiet time at the Lakehouse retreat we are enjoying, from my brother Oswald;

"I indeed was this and that; but He came, and a marvellous thing happened. Get to the margin where He does everything."

He was referring to the "I baptize with water but he will baptize with the HS" discussion that John the Baptist had in Matthew 3:11. My ministry is so pale in comparison with Christ himself. I must decrease and He must increase. The fact that I am striving for impact sometime is nothing more than me trying to "pad" my ministry portfolio and build my self-esteem as a minister. I really want to get people to the margins where He can take over and really do something extraordinary.

We have taken to calling them "WOW" moments at camp. The moments which are unplanned, unarranged, unprogrammed. Real moments is what Greg Stier of Ministry Mutiny calls them. I am reading this book on vacation. I couldn't put it down this afternoon. I was totally drawn into the discussion.

I just love being stretched and grown.
I want to go wider and grow deeper.
I want to be more in love with Christ than with the ministry of Christ,
Mike

Lead Us Not into Temptation

2007-08-17T16:29:00.000-04:00

As Pastor Evans worked through the Lord's prayer (aka the disciple's prayer) on Wednesday nights, he came to this phrase:

"lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"

He read a quote, by an apparently famous person that I should have recognized, but did not, about temptation:

"Temptation excites, gets the blood [and adrenaline] flowing, and enflames the imagination [and passions]."

Wow! No wonder we can't get anyone to resist it. It sounds great! But what is righteous living like? Is it not quite as good as temptation or sin? Is righteous living a drag? If it is then it's no wonder we can't get more people to buy into it!

Pastor Evans suggested that the prayer was a prayer for help; do not allow us to succumb to the temptations; do not allow us to play with sin; lead us away from temptation and its power. I need that kind of prayer. I need to pray the Lord's prayer every day -- maybe not as a rote quote, but in its principle. Will you pray it too?

Deliver me from evil's power,
Mike

A Word from God

2007-07-24T15:53:00.000-04:00

I am not a metaphysical person. I don't buy into the whole "God told me to..." movement. I try, in fact, to avoid such speech! I diligently seek to be clear in my speech about the "impressions of the Holy Spirit" and am not a big fan of experiential episodes as the "proof" that something must be normal.

So it will take you by surprise perhaps that I share this anecdote. It has never happened this way before. As I was reading Joshua 6 in preparation for the sermon that I was going to preach, I had a very clear, very articulated statement enter my mind. Again, I never have that happen, I usually work really hard at defining my propositions. And so I wrote it down. Again, I don't proclaim myself as the new prophet, but I definitely feel that this was a key statement so I wrote it down. It is the thought that has been rattling around in my brain ever since.

"Faith is repeated obedience without evidence of impact or effect."

Send me a note about how you have had to apply this concept recently or how this statement starts to rattle around in your head. I hope that it encourages you like it did/does me.

So keep walking around those walls; keep following after God's divine plan; get ready to shout in victory! Roo-ah!
Mike

Joshua's Stonehenge

2007-07-24T14:44:00.000-04:00

In the course of the summer, even an associate pastor gets to preach. This is a huge blessing and contains no dread for me whatsoever. I have become even more convinced that, quite simply, I love to preach. This love most definitely grows out of an appreciation of good Bible study.

For the past two weeks, I preached through 3 chapters in 3 1/2 sermons. Here are the residual take-homes for me.

"These Stones Cry Out" Joshua 4:1-24
The stones were probably erected in standing stone fashion and may have been assembled in a stonehenge-like circle. These stones were both a sign and a memorial to the greatness of God. Consider building your own rockpile. Note: Lamoka Baptist Camp has begun to follow this technique at the close of camp each year.

"Emergency Surgery at the Wilderness M*A*S*H" Joshua 5:1-12
This sermon was graphic reminder of the build-up of disobedience and the passing on of wrong attitudes to my kids. We also need to circumcise our hearts of the junk before we try to move forward. We must get ready for the next unknown steps by taking care of the known preparation steps. Your kids' spiritual health depends on it!

"Spiritual Victory: Pulling Down the Fortresses" Joshua 6:1-21
Spiritual victory begins with a close encounter with the Lord of Hosts, means following an unconventional divine battle plan, and are won as the result of an obedient, silent march. I must have and demonstrate full acceptance of God's timing and full assurance that God is still on track to victory (bringing Himself glory).

"and the Lord was with _______" Joshua 4:14, 6:27; others
When studying out the phrase, "and the LORD was with" someone, I found that this expression communicated a deep intimate relationship with God. This was more than knowing the theology of presence of God. When God is with you, things go well for you and God can use you for mighty things. 2 Chron 17:3 formed the applicational section of the message drawing out the reasons why the LORD is with me.

The last sermon was a shortened one at one of our series of "Fire n Fellowships" (an outdoor service followed by a hot dog roast and fellowship picnic at a host home). Thus the 1/2 sermon. All in all I was energized myself by the messages that I was able to preached and felt challenged personally first; this makes for the best sermons!

If any of these abstracts catch you attention, I would love to discuss them some more in detail. Until then, keep growing in the Word and sharing your faith 'til Jesus comes to get us.
Mike

My Life's Spiritual Honor and Duty

2007-07-16T11:23:00.000-04:00

Oswald Chambers gave a pretty good challenge yesterday (He being dead yet speaketh! :) ). I, of course, read it this morning as I was previously engaged in regular WyBC ministry happenings yesterday. Nonetheless, this stuff prints/preaches any day of the week/year.

"[in reference to Romans 1:14] Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. ... Every tiny bit of my life that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. ... Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. That is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine."

Again, Oz has some pretty amazing insights or thoughts about how this whole thing called "the Christian Life" ought to unfold. His strong grasp of the total depravity of man has some really great applicational thoughts; it's not about me, it's all about Him! I must decrease, but He must increase. Selfless service for the love of my Lord -- the Mary principle in action.

Which Mary? you may ask. Whichever one that you want! Which principle? Each Mary exhibited total surrender of their lives and assets to the worship and celebration of Jesus. These women demonstrated their love for Christ by their honor and duty.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, referred to herself as the Lord's handmaiden, willing to give her womb and her reputation to the Father to be used for His plan. She pondered these things in her heart and meditated on this babe, not her morning sickness or the public ridicule or the pain of childbirth.

Mary Magdalene, the one in whom there were seven demons, poured out a valuable perfume and cried on Jesus in worship. She knew that there was no way that she even gets close to being a duaghter of God except for Jesus is about to do for her. She prepares His body for death/burial/resurrection. Her debt is no larger though than mine!

Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, sat at Jesus feet and listened intently to the words of truth that were setting her free. She focused her attention and time on being with Jesus even with the price tag of ridicule by her sister, Martha. Jesus called her brokenness and humility the better thing choice. She intentionally allowed her time to be absorbed in becoming more like Jesus.

He means so much to me, how can I remain silent about Him? O God, Give me courage to infect those around me with contagious Christianity again today. I pray that I will focus my attention on the praise, honor, and glory that You are so worthy of. You paid much too high a price for me! Yet You did it voluntarily, so I simply respond with a breathed out whisper, "thank-you for the cross" and "there is a redeemer"!

Spiritual Disciplines

2007-07-12T11:30:00.000-04:00

"Christian discipline can be of three types: enforced or external discipline, such as we use with children and immature people; self-discipline, which primarily consists of adult attitudes and decisions; and Christlike discipline, based on spiritual surrender. ...
All Christian leaders must come to the place at which they take responsibility for personal discipline rather than always needing the encouragement and push of other people."

Coaching Ministry Teams, p.29

Creativity in Leadership

2007-07-12T10:42:00.000-04:00

I was suppposed to get my van's oil changed at the local muffler shop. I had a 9:00 appointment and expected to be in and out with no problems. But I grabbed a book just in case I was delayed. Needless to say, when I got to the waiting area and found that there were no seats, I was worried. But the book that I had grabbed was Kenn Gangel's, Coaching Ministry Teams: Leadership and Management in Christian Organizations. I read portions of it while on internship and figured that it was appropriate for me right now as I wait for a ministry trip to Lamoka in August.

Here are some of the nuggets that I found (or maybe re-found):

"Creative people bring about something unusual... Creative people are dreamers, dissatisfied with the way things have been because there's always the hope they can be better. ... Like leadership, creativity is learned; it often comes down to a restructuring and reforming of
ideas."

Coaching Ministry Teams, p.26

That quote is where I am in my leadership journey. I am so dissatisfied with the status quo that I can barely keep it harnessed. I have a dream, a vision of where the church leadership team could be if we would lift up our eyes and see the harvest fields. If we could catch a glimpse of what it would be like if we got busy about personal spiritual growth, holiness and responsibility, we would all be straining at the reins. And then Gangel did it; he crossed the line.

"Joshua's years of preparation allowed him to enter his leadership role with the important quality of patience, a treasured companion of creativity in leadership." (emphasis by Gangel)

Coaching Ministry Teams, p.26

Oh yeah, patience. It has now officially become my most hated word. It makes my little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I cringe as people use it. I know I should exercise it; but I despise its overuse and the resulting excuse for inactivity. So once agin in the school of pastoral leadership, I am forced to acknowledge my weaknesses. As much as I would like to hitch my wagon to the whirlwind thoroughbreads named Creativity and Zeal, I must keep them attached to the wagon with the riggings of Patience and Timing.

So once again I have to pray,
Father,
Help me to wait upon the Lord to renew my strength, to mount up with wings like eagles and then to run and not be weary, to walk after your ways and not faint in them. Help me to balance the zeal and desire to be passionate about everything I do with the discipline of self-control. Keep me from rejecting and discarding those caught in apapthy. Make me a voice for positive, sensible, Biblical change. Keep me growing personally. Allow me to follow You, as I attempt to lead these dear people that you have entrusted to me today. May my consuming zeal be contagious and attractive inside the fire ring of the Spirit's control and filling. Don't let me be a dangerous uncontrolled wildfire.
Keep me burning til the break of day,
Amen

Great "Get-out-of-bed-hit-the-floor-running" Quote

2007-06-20T12:24:00.000-04:00

Hey! Need a get-you-fired-up-and-ready quote for the day? It comes from a great little book called Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray:

"The branch does not exist for itself, but to bear fruit that can proclaim the excellence of the vine: it has no reason of existence except to be of service to the vine."

Abide in Christ, p. 30-31

Trying to grow Vine-glorifying fruit today,
Mike

The Horror Film Plotline in Exodus

2007-06-20T11:39:00.000-04:00

This morning in Bible Study, I was dialoguing with the X-men (eXodus MEN's Bible study) about the plagues. We are currently in the plague of flies. It struck me that this series of events that we affectionately refer to as "the Ten Plagues" is really the stuff of horror films. The plotline is so similar that I can't belive that I didn't see it before:

A. Man is minding his own business out in woods at midnight
B. Man is confronted with scary creature/villian/terror
C. Man runs to place of comfort/security, breathes sigh of relief
D. Man is again confronted with terror in the security of his hiding place
E. Man grabs at anything to rid himself of terror, deals what appear to be a death blow, breathes sigh of relief
F. Man is again confronted with terror after apparently being done with it
G. Repeat cycle to absurdium

Pharaoh is a textbook case. He is confronted with Moses and Aaron who give him a word from YHWH -- "Let my people go". His response was "No" and he went down to the river to settle his accounts with the gods (a method/attempt at security).

Mo and Aaron show up again this time with terror (blood water). Pharaoh runs and hides at court with his magicians who comfort him with a "natural explanation" of the "trick". Pharaoh is secure -- or so he thinks.

He is confronted with Mo/Aaron and more terror.

Do you see the pattern? Again, if we really got the graphic nature of the Bible, we might not be so quick to "dumb it down" to flannelgraphs, finger puppets and coloring pictures. This narrative is really "Nightmare on Nile Street".

The only flaw in the plotline is that God is not the boogey man. He is powerful enough to trump the boogeyman and the monsters on TV and He's watching out for his kids. To those who will receive it, He gives mercy; to the rebellious, He gives judgment.

I wish that Pharaoh had not chosen to keep trying to destroy God. I want to scream into my Bible, "Don't fight Him! You'll only make it worse!". This response is somewhat akin to the reaction of the horror film audience that hoarsely whispers, "Don't go back out there, the thing will get you!" as they watch the protagonist cycle through the plotline.

Where are you today? Are you trying to run from God? Eventually that type of avoidance will kill you. (see Ex. 14 and listen to the hit single that it spawned in Ex. 15) You don't have to live in terror. You can know this God personally and enjoy Him forever.

No longer scared,
Mike

The Finger of God

2007-06-15T12:15:00.000-04:00

In the plague narrative in Exodus, Pharaoh's henchmen make an interesting anthropomorphic conclusion during the third plague (gnats/lice/insects/bugs).

"The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh' s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said."
Exodus 8:16-19, NASB

The finger of God. I believe that the magicians intended for this to be a harbinger of things to come, intended to dissuade Pharaoh from further irritation of this Hebrew God, YHWH. THey were saying, in effect: "We're dealing with a seriously higher power here dude!" or "We are so definitely out of our league on this one." This statement highlights the fact that there was a divine influence in this situation. If the magicians were in charge, it would have only taken three plagues instead of the power of ten. They were ready to release the Hebrews on their own recogniscence. This is a God thing, king! Pull out now while we're still standing here.

Yet, the king in all of his own worldy wisdom allows this episode to further bake his heart into a sun-dried brick! He doesn't take even the advice of his own "wisemen". He is up for a showdown with God, YHWH, the Self-Existent One. That is exactly what he gets. The finger of God writes in judgment of sinful, corrupted hearts, "Mene, mene tekel upharsin" [weighed, weighed and found wanting]. Just like Beltashazzar, Pharaoh was in a serious spot of light shone from the finger of God. Like the finger of the prophet Nathan, the plagues from the staff/hand of Moses, pointed out "You are the man". Yet in the face of indictment, Pharoah demands and maintains his innocence or at least his superiority.

The finger of God is only the wake-up call. It is the tip of the iceberg, the first part of the migty hand of God that has been promised to bring God's people out of the land of bondage. Too bad that Pharoah keeps rolling over and hitting snooze.

Is God pointing out an area that needs some confession, repentance and rearranging?
Are you listening or are you hitting the snooze button?
Are you allowing the hardness of today to soften your spiritual sensitivities and draw you closer to God? Are you allowing them to bake your hardened, selfish heart and drive you farther from Him?

Don't wait for the mighty hand of God; choose to hear the finger.

Paying close attention myself,
Mike

**for further finger of God things, read Ex. 31:18/Deut 9:10, Luke 11:20, John 8:6

Memorizing for More Than Memory's Sake

2007-05-26T10:53:00.001-04:00

Want some help moving beyond the memorization to meditation and application? Try these questions as you are memorizing Scripture:

WHO? who is speaking/writing? who is he talking to? who does this verse apply to?

WHAT? what is happening? what are they doing? what does it mean?

WHEN? when is this taking place? when will this promise be applied?

WHERE? where is this taking place? in a home? in the marketplace? in a garden?

WHY? why should I obey? why should I avoid this activity?

Here's a sample: using John 11:35, "Jesus wept"

WHO? Who wept? Jesus. Who was he weeping for? Lazarus. Who else was around? Mary, Martha Lazarus's sisters and some other mourners.

WHAT? What is Jesus doing? Weeping. What happened to Lazarus? He was dead and buried for four days.

WHEN? When did this take place? four days after Laz had died

WHERE? Where were they? at Laz's house in Bethany, a place that Jesus frequented regularly, the closest thing that he had to a second home

WHY? Why did Jesus weep? Because in all of his humanness, he cared. He was so moved with his compassion that he breaks down in public. He wept with those who wept in keeping with his emotional ties to people. He didn't put on the ministry game face, he didn't quote platitudes, he didn't try to appear "strong for them in this painful passage". He emoted!

Wow! Now the quickie recitation of this shortest verse in the Bible is met with a little more weight. Memorizing is not just for kids. Memorizing is not just for the filling of the skull with useless drivel. It is for life impact and personal edification and worship fodder. It is indeed good for what ails you, so memorize! Just remember to do it with understanding.

Mike (currently memorizing John 15 with the ministry team)

PS -- Thanks to my friend, Karen Lytle for these thoughts (the who/what/when/where/why questions) as part of her lesson prepared for 3rd-6th graders.

Amazing Grace

2007-05-22T09:28:00.000-04:00

What more can be said about grace? Dan P over at Pyromaniacs has an excellent post about grace -- not just saving grace, but sanctifying grace as well.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see!

Simple hymn, complex theme, enjoyed by millions! :) [sing a few bars of it as you read Dan's post.]

Grace to you,
Mike

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

2007-05-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

As the old love song goes, "breaking up is hard to do". The bond between people and pastors in a local church is a precious, sweet communion and fellowship. It has been referred to as a marriage. I want to be careful about using that image as God does not deal in divorces, yet He sometimes moves ministers to other parts of his vineyard.

One of the blogs that I regularly read is that of a pastor in my area in another denomination. He has heard clearly the call of God to move into a church planting role in the south after only two years in "Western NY". You really must read his blog post about the intensity and passion of the ministry through these separation days. Top shelf stuff!

If God were to call me/lead me to another part of the vineyard (as He has at least four other times before), I pray that I would be able to lead with such leadership strength as Paul is demonstrating.

Go in grace,
Mike

Thanks for Holding

2007-05-21T08:32:00.000-04:00

Thanks for holding. Your readership is important to us. We are all very busy here tryng to keep all of the balls in the air. The next available author will post as he is available. Please do not hang up or quit checking this blog. We appreciate your visit.
(musical interlude)
Thanks for holding. Your readership is important to us. We are all very busy here tryng to keep all of the balls in the air. The next available author will post as he is available. Please do not hang up or quit checking this blog. We appreciate your visit.
(musical interlude)
Thanks for holding. Your readership is important to us. We are all very busy here tryng to keep all of the balls in the air. The next available author .....

Hello there. This is Mike Paris, author of the Open Mike. As the prerecorded message mentioned above, I am extremly busy. But I appreciate those that have stopped here to check in on me and my thoughts about ministry.

Let me just say that in the past week and a half I have led an evangelism training seminar, attended a funeral of a young man (58) from our church, led three worship services and a hymn sing, taught two Sunday School lessons on evangelism, attended two board meetings, missed a board meeting, bought a new van, attended a Shop Talk pastors seminar on funerals/cremation, ate lunch with a WOL area missionary, led a ministry team training session on "teamwork", memorized the first five verses of John 15, painted the craft building and 8 cabins at Lamoka, had two very incredible warm-the-cockles-of -your-pastor's-heart conversations with two members of the church, took a two-hr nap on Sunday afternoon, prayed with a man who told me after I said amen, "You are a true friend", and mowed the grass.

Phweeeew! No wonder I feel rung out on Monday morning. But I am looking forward to another great week. I hope to be able to post a couple of the things that I am learning in the process too though. Including a good compassionate wounding given to me by my dear wife. But that is fodder for another post.

I want to leave you with a quote from a book that I am reading,

"There is a big difference between simple and easy. Simple is basic, uncomplicated and fundamental. Easy is effortless. Ministry will never be easy. It is messy and difficult because people are messy and
difficult.... Leadership in the local church is extremely challenging.
Leading a local church is neither easy nor simple, but the church strategy does not need to be complicated. The ministry design can and should be simple."

Simple Church, Rainer & Geiger, p. 16

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me, you can do nothing.

Jesus, John 15:4-5

Minstering passionately,
Yet striving for simplicity,
Mike

The Meaning of Life

2007-05-15T14:34:00.000-04:00

Philosophers are those people who can effectively be efficient with life and can boil it down into a few brief statements. Life is too complex to do such legitimately, but here is the 18th century German philosopher, Immanuel Kant's attempt:

All the interests of my reason, speculative as well as practical, combine in the three following questions:
1. What can I know?
2. What ought I to do?
3. What may I hope?

Immanuel Kant

Biblical Christianity has the answers for these questions. It is a philosophy -- a practical study guide of the stuff of philo (life). If our faith in God doesn't offer the steps to find truth in these key questions of life, then it is of no value.

But it does! We are of all men most blessed! Why not consider sharing the answers to these questions with your friends as they search for menaing and purpose in their days ahead.

You can know that God exists and that He desires to have an intimate relationship with his creation; You can live in full surrender to His sovereign plan for your life, glorifying Him by enjoying Him forever; You can hope (confidently look forward to) a home in heaven when you die, free from the eternal punishment that your sins deserve. These are great truths of good news (gospel)!

Spread the Good News,
Mike

A Great Worship Thought

2007-05-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

This past weekend at Word of Life's Teens Involved (TI) regional competition, I was able to judge the jr. high preaching category. In one of those messages (truly missiles as they were only 10 minutes in length), one of the lads was speaking of the greatness of God. His topic was the reverence and respect that God is due. As he concluded his message he made this great statement,

"It just makes sense to reverence God."
Indeed, it does just make sense, good sense.

Well-said lad,
Mike

New Ideas As a Team Measuring Stick

2007-05-01T21:31:00.000-04:00

We are reading a new book now with our ministry team (Simple Church). In this book, the authors suggest that in an organization of passion, new ideas will emerge.

Where there are passionate leaders and passionate volunteers, there is always an abundance of new ideas. Combine this passion with the many needs that are prevalent in the lives of church members and you have the equation for new programs and special events.

Simple Church, p. 48

If this is true, then we must do something about a staff meeting that concludes with little or no discussion of the next step/course of action (these have occurred a lot lately). No new ideas is a subpar measurement. We can make a couple of possible assessments:

The leaders are not passionate
The leaders are not creative
The leaders are not observant
The leaders are not leaders

Employing the observation, interpretation and clarification method (OIC), I must now move towards clarification. I must engage the other team members in a dialogue that will cause them to shed more light on this situation. I do not want to conclude that the team that we have aren't leaders or observant or creative or passionate. But if they are, what then? We must move them towards those goals. That is the responsibility of leadership! We must set the table to allow them to eat their fill and nourish their hearts on the healthy diet of biblical, simple leadership.

May the cry of our heart be passionate, creative, observant leadership of the sheep entrusted to us as shepherds. May God grow us first so that we in turn may lead others to the same end and that we may say, as Paul did, "follow me as I follow Christ".

For passionate leadership full of ideas,
Mike

The Disciple-Making Change Monger

2007-04-14T10:13:00.000-04:00

Last night in an informal gathering (in a living room and not in the office) our leadership team, the topic of change came up. No, to be perfectly honest, I brought it up. I used a quote from the Disciple-Making Church by Bill Hull to draw the topic out.

"Denominations that change their methods and cast off unproductive tradition will flourish and experience God's power, while those
who insist on the status quo will die a slow, unpleasant death."

The D-M Church, p.11

The immediate reaction was against the idea that change is a good thing. We shouldn't simply change because we're guessing -- i.e. the old shooting in the dark method or fling it up against the wall and see if any sticks. But we must be changing. We must be matching ministries to real needs, not just our shortened list of approved needs. We are not supposed to meet the needs of people that are already well; we must listen, evaluate, and respond to the cries for help going on around us all of the time.

The second response was against the word unproductive. We must not continue to pour resources into a ministry that is not effectively reaching our goals. Underproduction (or even worse non-production) is not just measured by the number of people attending -- unless that is our stated goal. The goal of number of people gathered is too simple a goal; even the world, without divine empowerment, can draw a crowd and hit "numbers in attendance" goals. Our goal is life change or discipleship!

Therefore, our goal might be "number of first time visitors who could hear the gospel message" or "number of gospels of John handed out by the counselling staff in one-on-one conversations" or "number of young people responding to the call for full-time ministry" or "number of verses [truly] memorized". Ultimately it comes down to number of people changed by God through our efforts. These goals are daunting because they are totally out of our hands. But we must never shy away from trying to be the best planters and waterers that we can be.

I am not just preaching to the choir. I have led this type of change already in our Sr Hi Youth ministry. We no longer attend an all-night teen evangelism rally, for example, not because it wasn't enjoyed by our teens, but because they were no longer inviting unsaved teens to come with them. We must not change things so often that it becomes chaotic, but we must evaluate and adjust, adapt, rework, revise and cast off the ministries that do not meet very specific discipleship goals. We eliminated an annual fall event because the schedule was too full. We attend another camp in Western NY for winter camp instead of the one that we support in the summer, because it has a better snow camp program (not just fun either).

We must be innovative and creative and purposeful in our decision-making. We should not let "we've always done it this way" or even "we like it the way that it is" come off our lips until we have given the change a fair discussion. [Please note I am not saying that you may not like something that we do or it is sinful! :) ] The reason for keeping a program, ministry of element must only be that it is the only means whereby we may be effective in the discipling of another believer. We should not let "We haven't ever done it that way before" be any more than an observation of teh totally obvious! It must not stall our attempts at fresh, doctrinally conservative methodology. The church is too important to God to give Him second rate, half-baked left-overs! We must serve with passion and zeal that draws others to hear about the One that drives us on in our growth and service.

"Leaders are disciples you are in touch with God... The discipling church is a community of disciples and their leaders seeking to know God and do His will."

The D-M Church, p. 38-39

That is the call of leadership. It is a call to evaluation and change. It is a call to personal growth and stretching. It is a call to fully functioning discipleship at the feet of Jesus Christ. Be committed to growth!

With my deepest affection,
The Disciple-Making Change Monger
(aka Pastor Mike)

Life is Short... Evangelize!

2007-04-13T16:21:00.000-04:00

Life is too short and the world too compassion-starved for you to keep subsisting in situations that drag you down and curtail your potential to help advance the Kingdom. There's just too much at stake.

Hybels, Becoming A Contagious Christian

p. 73

A Great Set of Quotes

2007-04-11T12:01:00.000-04:00

Two quotes that have made me stop and think today:

The proof that I have experienced crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a definite likeness to Him.

Oswald Chambers

We enter the mission field every day we step out of the door of our homes, whether we live in North America or Africa.... As those called by the Lord, we are always on mission. We are living testimonies to Him.

Gary Fallesen

God's Learning Objectives

2007-04-11T11:14:00.000-04:00

This morning in Bible Study, I had an interesting thought that formed the structure for the discussion of Exodus 6 & 7. I noticed that God's stated purpose for both sides (Israel and Egypt) of the plagues was almost identical:

"...Then you will know that I am the LORD your God..." 6:7

"... By this you will know that I am the LORD." 7:17

God's learning objectives for Moses, Israel, Pharaoh and Egypt were all starting at the same spot. As a result of experiencing this 10-part lesson, the student will:

KNOW that God is LORD (YeHoVaH).

The FEEL or emotional response for each character is slightly different. God desired a heart change in each case.

For Moses; FEEL confident in YHVH's ability to use him in spite of limitations (I needed to hear that one myself!).
For Pharaoh; FEEL hardened by the rejection of YHVH's specific 10-fold call to repentance.
For Israelites; FEEL protected by the hand of YHVH or FEEL valuable in YHVH's eyes (we are His people!).
For the Egyptians; FEEL convinced that YHVH is a better alternative to the pantheon that we are currently serving.

The DO or action items are also somewhat varied according to person involved, but the bottom line result is always the same: to glorify God. All of the parties involved, eventually, whether they accept or reject YHVH's personal involvement in their lives, will bring glory to God (YHVH).

"Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Phil 2:15

God has some pretty specific goal for my education today too. The situations that come into my life are for the intention of bringing me to the knowledge (experientially and first hand) of Him. YHVH is so sovereign and omniscient that He has even sometimes planned the same event to affect different people in different ways. This is the stuff of personal application! But ultimately all of the decisions whether for or against obedience to God's directions, whether right or wrong, wise or foolish, all will bring glory to God! (yes that is to suggest that sin glorifies God)

Think about this some more and post a response! I am in a very humble teachable mood today! :)
Mike

They Are Not Listening

2007-04-05T09:18:00.000-04:00

The story of Moses is fascinating on a number of different levels. One of them is the leadership angle. Moses is counted in the top ten great leaders that Israel ever had. He is in the Leadership Hall of fame if you will. Had he been born a few thousand years later, there would probably be an award named after him: the Moses Award for Excellence in Large Group Leadership.

I do not have a group the size that Moses led. The flock that God has given me for now is considerably smaller. Yet, Mo' faced the same sorts of problems that I face on occasion.

"So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage."

Exodus 6:9, NASB

There are times that people just don't listen to me either. I try to lead and they just don't respond. I have been in this situation and thought about the leadership proverb recorded by John Maxwell (Developing the Leader Within You), "A leader without followers is simply out for a walk". I don't like walking off by myself any more than I like staying with resistant sheep.

The key I believe in this passage is that people didn't respond because they were too consumed with the stuff of everyday life. They were so loaded up that they couldn't hear Moses. They thought they heard him in chapter 4, only to be loaded up even more in chapter 5! It was too much! When this hearing/listening stoppage occurs, there are four encouragements for the discouraged leader.

1. They didn't listen to Moses either. I am not alone; this is not a new development that is targeting me. I have the record of Moses' leadership, even in the face of resistance or outright rebellion, to challenge me to do what I have been called to do -- with or without followers. This epsiode of non-listening did not cost him the leadership trophy!

2. They may not be ready, willing or able to hear me. I may need to help lift their load, or help them rest a while, or plan on carrying them for a distance. More good news! I can be the most eloquent speaker or even the faltering lipped leader and still not be heard.

3. I am not responsible for their response. I only need to take the message to them. I cannot answer for them or make them hear it. I cannot wait to speak the message when I can get the response that I want. I cannot wait to get a message that I like to speak (one that heeded).

4. I must not become short of spirit because of their responsiveness (or lack thereof). The people couldn't hear because they were "short spirited" or discouraged or despondent. If I take on their same attitude (sink to the level of the bleating sheep) then I may also become unable, unwilling, or unready to hear the voice of God through another messenger. Leaders lead by example.

I don't like to be not listened to or ignored. I love it when people are responsive (positively). But God may have me leading a group of people that, for whatever reason, can't or won't listen. Moses was. Oh how much I need a shot in the arm from God to get through the discouragement of non-responsiveness. God gave Moses Aaron to bear his load. God has given me key men to turn to as well. Who has God given to you? Be encouraged to lead in the face of non-response.

Leading whether they're listening or not,
And striving to hear myself,
Mike

Brothers, Keep Away From the Idols

2007-04-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

I would never worship an idol. I am too smart for that. I would pick up the fact that I was praying to a piece of hay, wood or stubble. I would never serve a piece of metal, wood, stone or plastic. There will never come a day when I prostrate myself before a grotesque statue or a foreign/strange shrine. It just won't happen. I'm not falling for that obvious a trick of the adversary.

But Oswald Chambers ask the question(s) in this way, today:

What is it that blinds me in this "my day"? Have I a strange god - not a disgusting monster, but a disposition that rules me? More than once God has brought me face to face with the strange god and I thought I should have to yield, but I did not do it. I got through the crisis by the skin of my teeth and I find myself in the possession of the strange god still; I am blind to the things which belong to my peace. It is an appalling thing that we can be in the place where the Spirit of God should be getting at us unhinderedly, and yet increase our condemnation in God's sight.

I was especially pulled up short by the statement Chambers makes about getting through the crisis and going right back to my old ways. My old ways are often the idolatry -- the things that steal my energy and excitement rightfully belonging to the God. I choose to be in control of my life instead of yielding. I desire my own comfort and pleasure over ministering selflessly. I rush into the temple of my heart, the sanctuary of my life, and brush the Holy Spirit aside so that I can put my own old man statuette on display. Sometimes when my mind is not being renewed, I even ask the Holy Spirit to hold the statuette. I think that since He is holding it I am really worshipping Him. My own hands/mind have fashioned this weak shadow of the real desirable object of my affection -- God.

I am so grateful that I no longer have permanent condemnation with God (Rom 8:1) -- even when I am stupid about avoiding the idols!

My prayer this morning is based on the words of the great hymn, "Whiter Than Snow"

Verse 1

Lord Jesus I long

To be perfectly whole

I want Thee forever

To live in my soul

Break down every idol

Cast out every foe

Now wash me and I shall be

Whiter than snow

Chorus

Whiter than snow

Yes whiter than snow

Now wash me and I shall be

Whiter than snow

Verse 2

Lord Jesus look down

From Thy throne in the skies

And help me to make

A complete sacrifice

I give up myself

And whatever I know

Now wash me and I shall be

Whiter than snow

Verse 4

Lord Jesus before You

I patiently wait

Come now and within me

A new heart create

To those who have sought You

You never said no

Now wash me and I shall be

Whiter than snow

Amen. Brothers keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21).
Mike

Doctrine is Important Enough to Argue About Online

2007-03-31T20:56:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Todd for the link to John Piper's "Desiring God" website. In it, I found a quote about the value of blogging about significant theological issues. [Assumption: the preceding discussion of communion has indeed challenged you and caused you to think. I threw that third link in only to see if you would read it. It did indeed lack depth = it was spray.] Piper contends that this is a healthy thing that three brothers (and ever so seldomly a father) engage in online! :)

"The increasing abandonment of truth and moral absolutes in our culture, as militant diversity threatens all firm conviction, has dramatically influenced the evangelical mindset. The political spin doctors who specialize in deflecting attention away from truth onto feelings and relationships and styles have their counterpart in the evangelical tendency to avoid doctrinal disputes by casting issues in terms of demeanor and method rather than truth. Serious disagreements are covered over, while vague language and pragmatic concerns preserve hollow unity at the expense of theological substance and Biblical clarity and power."

(John Piper, God's Passion for His Glory, p.24)

Soooooo, keep on challenging me for my growth, and listening to my arguments and the arguments of others, and be free enough with your brotherhood to say, "that last one is spray". I need to know that I cannot get by with shotty arguments or "unity at the expense of theological substance" reasoning. That stuff won't fly here! Just remember to do it respectfully and be driven by honest truth pursuit and not one-upmanship or vainglory.

Let us be given to non-vague language and thinking,
Mike

Communion Links for Further Thought

2007-03-31T08:11:00.000-04:00

As I have been thinking about the issue of "why do we do it that way" and reading many of your insightful observations, I have compiled some more food for your thought.

A thorough discussion of the communion issues -- Southwestern Baptist Seminary theologian
A blog detailing my view as "local church only" communion
A simple Baptist "4 reasons" why it has to be this way

My conclusion is that the reason that we practice communion in the local church only is a combination of our caution (a really good thing) and authority of the local church (a really important thing) and tradition (not always a bad thing). You will not find a single passage that says "thou shalt practice communion only in the local church building with only the sr pastor presiding using oyster soup crackers and Welch's graps juice served in plastic disposable cups". It is in fact a combination of principles and practical effects of the church's operation that have shaped our "local church only" communion.

Let's keep discussing,
Mike

A Powerful Communion

2007-03-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

Communion is a regular part of our worship here at WyBC. We partake of this ordinance every month, usually in the morning of the first Sunday. We do it often enough to remember and seldom enough to make it special. But I have never led a communion service outside of that slot.

Last night's youth group lesson was a look at the last supper. The last supper is the communion model that we follow. Two elements representing, in symbolic forms, the incarnate form of the suffering servant given for me. We used some oversized kaiser rolls and some cranberry drink and read through the Luke account. I was struck with some amazing "experiences" as I reflected on this text with the teens.

As we sat on the floor, the change of position generated a lot of discussion and chatter amongst the teens. "oh this floor is hard", "someone's feet stink", "I'm tired" (one boy tried to act disinterested and attempted to fall asleep during the lesson), etc. I waited, saying nothing, smirking and observing these rascals that I love. How like Jesus, I thought. As he made ready for this special celebration of Communion, there must have been some banter going on amongst the men; fussing about the accomodations, complaints of stinking feet, whining about physical exhaustion, etc. Yet Jesus waited and when he had there attention he said, "I've been looking forward to this time for a long time". "Here, here" I heard one of the disciples say. "Let's eat!" (one of the teen girls actually squealed, "what is it?" as she tried to discern what might be in my semi-transparent grocery bags. "oh good! its food; we get to eat!")

I thought how Jesus must have ached as he saw once again that the disciples were on the verge of missing one of the most significant final moments with their Master Teacher. He finished his statement, "This is one of the last times that we will be together before I go to suffer". Silence. The chatter stalls as the disciples heard the seriousness of the man that they recognized as their leader.

I counted my band of "merry men and women"; there were 13 of them. How much like the Savior on that Passover night! This group that I was trying to teach was very similar in size as the first communion takers. How strange to feel that bond with my Lord.

The verses continued, "he took the cup and gave thanks". What did he give thanks for? I am not sure, since the text does not record an .mp3 webcast of the event. But I believe that he could not have prayed "blessthisfoodtoourbodiesamen". He might have prayed through the liturgical thanksgiving associated with the Passover meal. But I belive that he made the liturgy his own, adding phrases and emphasis that the disciples had never heard before. I made every attempt to change this communion service from the somewhat formal (it is about the only high church liturgy that we do in the baptist church) event that we celebrate each month. I wanted these teens to get what Jesus was doing and saying. "This is a symbol of my body which will be broken for you in a few short days".

The teens were strangely silent. I hope that it was that they realized that this was not like any other lesson that we had ever had. I also hope that they were responding to the Holy Spirit's directions to be still. Whatever the case, they listened. I gave them time to close their eyes and think about the significance of this bread and juice and pray silently. "This is my body broken for you/me", "This cup marks the new covenant that I am about to seal with you/with me", now "this do in rememberance of me". I could not chew long enough or drink enough of that juice. I wanted that meditation time to go forever. I wanted teens and leaders alike to savor that moment. I prayed and I listened. I had brought these young people that I love to a communion moment with God. Some of them got it, some did not. "How like my Savior", I thought.

Think on these things at your next communion service,
Until he comes to get us,
Mike

My Ears are Underdeveloped Too

2007-03-28T10:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Oswald made another poke at me without ever having met me. I hate that when coincidentally, something written hundreds of years ago references something written thousands of years ago and it crosses my life at a critical juncture. Oh and it just happens to be on track with my spiritual needs for the day. [Taking my spiritual tongue out of my cheek, I turn it to praise: God's mighty arm is not shortened!]

Here, again, is a profound statement about discerning God's will for me today.

"God has to hide from us what He does, until, due to growth of our personal character, we get to the level where He is then able to reveal it."

Chambers, Utmost, 3/27

So what Ozzy is saying is that if I don't hear what God's will is for me right now, my ears need to be developed? Is he suggesting that an understanding of God and His direction for my life might be based on whether I can handle it yet? Ouch. Oh man. That smarts.

I know that God can show me things that are too wonderful for me to grasp. (Job 42:3, Ps 139:6, Prov 30:18) I know that He can take me there even without me knowing what He is up to (been there, done that, bought the T-shirt). But imagine if He is simply waiting for me to grow up before He can invite me to come up higher or gives me the next piece of the puzzle. Imagine if I am indeed trying to run before I can walk. Imagine if He wants to get me to level 6 and I am stuck at level 1 because I am unwilling to stay at level 1 until my ears are more fully developed?

Almost in response to Monday's post, another chorus rings in my head with a personal twist on the lyrics: (Robert Cull, (c) 1976)

Open MY eyes, Lord,
I want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him
and say that I love Him,
Open MY ears Lord and help ME to listen
open MY eyes, Lord,
I want to see Jesus

Father,
I come once again as a teachable servant. Help me to grow in my personal character today so that I am ready to hear Your next step for me. Help me to be prepared to go when I finally can hear Your directions for me. I am so ready to "hear" what Your plans are for today. I once again am forced to work on personal character in the waiting room while I wait for my next appointment with You. Keep me focused on my homework!
I love You and long to be ready and usable for Your work,
Please grow me first and then advance me,

I desire to worship and obey,
Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening,
Mike

My Spiritual Vision Impairment

2007-03-26T15:34:00.000-04:00

I wear corrective lenses. I do not have enough money to afford lasik surgery. I need help my physical eyes to see properly.

Oswald Chambers wrote his commentary (My Utmost for His Highest) on Matthew 5:8 for today about spiritual vision. His title "Spiritual Vision Through Personal Purity" is an advertisement for spiritual laser surgery.

"Purity is the result of continued spiritual harmony with God. We have to grow in purity. ... If we want to maintain personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean refusing to do or even think certain things. And some things that are acceptable for others will become
unacceptable for us."

I want to be pure, I want to be holy, I want to be clean, and I want to be intimate with my Savior! Paul Baloche has penned these great lyrics:

"Open the eyes of my heart, Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart,
I want to see You,
I want to see You.

To see You high and lifted up,
Shining in the light of Your glory,
Pour out Your Spirit and love,
As we cry Holy, Holy, Holy!

Holy, Holy, Holy!
I want to see You"

Dear Jesus,
The only problem with this desire of spiritual sight is that to get a full force view of Your total and unleashed glory would decimate me. So God, just give me another glimpse. Make me holy so that I can catch another view of just Your train as it passes by! Make my face shine after the time that I spend with YOU in purity. Burn away the junk and give me an unobstructed, unclouded view of the one that I adore. Let me see only You!
Amen

Longing to know Jesus better through a cleansed life,
Mike

Angels Among Us

2007-03-26T14:22:00.000-04:00

Do you remember that old spiritual,

All day, all night,
angels watching over me, my Lord
All day, all night,
angels watching over me.

I do not think about angels. My philosophy for the most part is: "can't see 'em, don't look for 'em, don't need 'em". Have you ever stopped to think about the ramifications of angelology on your every day life? I was recently challenged to do that by the Sr Pastor here at WyBC during his sermon series on the topic of Angels. It caused me to stop and rethink my theology at least in its relevant applications.

My conclusion is that the doctrine of angels does matter. (I knew that it did or it should!) But how? Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject.

Angels are real. -- This point may be too simplistic a place to start, but I need an "easy button" here! This point of "like duh" theology reminds me that I can be caught up in the tangible, material world around me. My thinking worldview is often contorted into the world's pretzel shape -- I believe what I can see. But that is not the life of faith. I love the story of Elisha and the servant (2 Kgs. 2:15-17) where the eyes of the servant were opened. I wish that I had the eyes of Elisha or Tim LaHaye to see the armies doing battle. But I don't need to. I know that the battle is real because the Word tells me so. And I have weapons of warfare that are not carnal/fleshly (2 Cor 10:4) so that I can wrestle against spiritual forces of wickedness (Eph. 6:12). APP: Pray= do not let me be sucked into the trap of naturalism, keep me alert for spiritual warfare; Do= believe without sight (John 20:29)
Angels are not to be worshipped. -- Again, don't miss the significance here in this basic building block. The world, especially the postmodern one is susceptible to this phenomenon. They want a supernatural, extra-ordinary experience. They crave new and exciting! This trend is good news for charismatic groups. However, it is an exposure of the finititude of the human mind and body to the power of the occult. This action is not recommended. But lest we think that this a new wave, consider that there have always been curiosity seekers when it comes to spiritual and miraculous things (cp. Acts 8:18-19, 9:13-15). Angels never accepted the worship and homage of men. They always stopped the process (Rev. 22:9) APP: Pray= I worship You alone O God! Do= do not seek an audience with angels or spirit guides, worship and commune with God alone
Angels are on a mission from God. -- I don't need to go looking for them. If they have a message for me, I will see them. It's the old "don't call us, we'll call you" line. I don't need to waste one ounce of energy looking for their activity or even trying to summon it. God is the only one that I pray to. God is the Sovereign, the LORD God of (the angelic) Hosts. I have a hotline right to the commander-in-chief. He will let me know when I need to have an intervention with an angel. Until then, I will continue to speak to Him. APP: Pray= Open my ears to your message by whatever messenger you choose. Do not allow me to be deceived by false witnesses. DO= test the spirits whether they are from God or not (1 Jn. 4:1).
I have something that the angels do not have; salvation. -- My life here on this earth, in the earthen vessel, is significant. It is not the vessel that makes it so, but the treasure inside! The Holy Spirit dwelling on board because of the Savior's substitutionary atonement is something that the angels are excited about (Luke 15:10) and long to understand personally (1 Pet 1:12). But they cannot. This is a gift. APP: Pray= Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift (2 Cor 9:15) Do= Do not take this lightly, tell others how they can have such an awesome gift, true supernatural power in ther life!

So, angels do affect my everyday life. But I don't need to obsess about them. They are there and they are busy about the Lord's work -- as I should be! So, I must get back to work, since I too am a servant/messenger of God! :) Please note that I will not be ordering an angel pin for my lapel or an "I brake for angels" bumper sticker. I might watch "Touched by an Angel" reruns, but not to build my theology of angels. :)

The King of Angels is watching over me,

Mike

Are You Tired of Waiting?

2007-01-06T22:47:00.000-05:00

This is an update from my writing conference. I have been writing curriculum for 1st -6th graders on the assigned topic of Matthew's Life of Christ (the gospel). So I have been studying for that using some books that I have acquired from one of my book sources Ray Roseman. The book is The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim. Ray's name is in the inside flap with the date of '66 ((c) 1965).

There, nestled in the pages, I found this insightful statement regarding the baptism of Christ section. Of course Matthew'w gospel has lots of kingdom language and discussion. Edersheim paints the picture of John the Baptist holding out the last great Israeli hope to those in real need of it -- the Kingdom. He writes:

"The long winter of disappointment had not destroyed, nor the storms of suffering swept away, nor yet could any plant of spurious growth overshadow, what had struck its roots so deep in the soil of Israel's heart."

I was moved by the passionate resolve in the final phrase of deep struck roots. I thought about the fact that the second Advent, the return of the King for the rapture of His church is our next great hope. I wonder, have I grown weary of waiting for the Kingdom? Am I blown away by the relatively temporary storms of life? Or am I like a first century believer -- baptized by the Spirit and watching the skies, fully expecting my Lord's return. Have I lost the passion of a deep struck root, immovable steadfast, always abounding in the work of the ministry. Do I have the drive to make this the cry of heart -- Maranatha! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

With my eyes on the skies,
Mike

I Can Only Imagine

2006-12-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

Do you know the worship song sung by Mercy Me that talks about the incredible nature of heaven? I can only imagine what it will be like. We have such a small sliver of information about heaven. But what we do have is enough to whet our apettite for such a day in the presence of God.

Dan Phillips has written a great blog post at www.teampyro.blogspot.com about the close of our brief lives here on earth that considers what we might imagine about the future in glory.

"Do you honestly imagine that there is any chance you'll regret trusting the Word too much? That you'll regret believing in God too heartily? That you'll regret giving too much of yourself to Him, in His service? That you'll regret having mortified the flesh too much, having walked in the Spirit too much? That you'll regret having been too godly of a husband, wife, parent, child, churchman, citizen? That you'll wish you'd indulged your fleshly passions more, loved the world more, pursued your private agenda more, absorbed yourself in the world's passing distractions more? That you'll wish you'd gotten more things, better things, and given less of your time and energies to the Word and the Lord?"

Well put Dan. Even with our limited understanding of heaven and God's character, we know that to buy the trinkets of this world at the expense of our greatest treasure in heaven is foolishness. Life is indeed short, live well and live wisely!

Choose treasure,
Mike

Caroling in the Village

2006-12-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

Last night we caroled in our village of Wyoming. We had one of the largest groups in our history of mobile minstreling and spent a record 1 3/4 hours on the street. We ministered at 30+ homes and had some unique experiences. Here are my nominations for the WyBC Colden Chorus Awards (somewhat akin to the Grammy's).

For Best Aggressive Doorknockers: Caleb W & Scott P
I really couldn't determine who was more aggressive, so they can share. Both boys were intent on not only being the doorknockers, but also on rousing the occupants to meet them at the door. Both boys had to be warned, just one knock and wait. I think that Caleb actually tapped out a message telgraph style on one person's doorbell. I hope actually that they were not really home! I have to give them the award, because I really need some enthusiastic knockers like that in the future! Don't crush enthusiasm -- simply redirect it!

For Most Vocal Challenge to the Words of the Final Song: Owen E
While this award was previously held by Carrie W, Owen was a surprise candidate. The controversy about the singing of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" was solved until I printed different words in the "new" versions of songbooks. I must not have saved the changes last time and printed the "wrong words". I believe we finally settled on "Good tidings of Christmas" as the penultimate phrase. And Owen did not mutiny -- thanks.

For Best Choreography: Stephanie L
Stephanie decided that We Wish You a Merry Christmas was the only song that needed a little something extra. She took it upon herself to choreograph a little two-count sway with some of her partners. The only problem is that she had no concept of stay with the group! :) To the innocent observer too much eggnog might have appeared to be the culprit!

For Best Scrooge-like Reaction to Carolers: the family that sat at the window and continued their board game
I believe that the non-answered doors were easier to handle. This family looked out of the picture window through a sheer curtain and kept right on playing a game. They refused to come to the window! We still wished them a Merry Christmas in song. They were not the only ones to try to ignore us. However, 30+ people standing in your front yard would tend to get my attention. I guess some people just don't know what to do with carolers.

For Best Tiny Tim-like Reaction to Carolers: the Innkeeper at Wyoming
The new owners of the Inn came out and listened at his door. He invited us all in for hot cider and doughnuts. Walt and Lou S were a close second: these folks were ready with their plate of cookies for us and sent it out to us. These are great reactions and were a super encouragement to me. We are having a positive influence in our community for Christ.

For Best Set Design: God
We had one of the most mild caroling nights ever. It allowed us to stay out for so long this year. We are grateful for the break in weather even though it meant no snow for our trek. O what fun it was to sing a christmas song last night (sans a one horse open sleigh).

For Best Supporting Cast: the 39 carolers (men, women, teens, and kids) who went out
I was really grateful to all that attended the event and especialy for kids and families that make this event part of their holiday planning. There were even some of our neighbors who were looking forward to hearing us again this year -- actually looking forward to us coming! There were also some great comments about "could we please stop here -- I told them we were coming. I really want to minister to these people; I know them through .... "

All in all a huge ministry success. Special thanks to Paula B who would have rather been out caroling and agreed to woman the kitchen front, getting all of our goodies ready for our return. I guess that would be another classification -- "Best Home Front Support". Thanks to everyone who took aprt ion this special holiday tradition of community outreach. 'Tis the season to be sharing the love of Christ in a real and tangible way.

Singing in the Night,
Praising him in the Day,
Mike

Getting Your Worship Buzz On

2006-12-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

My brother Thad has posted an interesting question about worship that has generated some comments from his regular readers. I posted a response, but couldn't leave it alone so to speak. (By the way, this is the sign of a good post in my opinion) So as I was reading the Disciple-Making Church by Bill Hull, I came across this quote:

"With the recent surge in church planting has come an intense interest in creating environment. The lack of a praise environment, not a lack of technical know-how, most hinders the contemporary church. Avante-garde church planters, those on the cutting edge, have begun to ...use drama, special effects, and whatever can be found that will hold the congreagtion's interest. ... However, I do not believe the worship environment they seek can be found through such techniques. These merely simulate a real, Spirit-engendered environment, while their artificial nature highlights the talent and abilities of man. A spiritual buzz based on highly gifted person's presentation will require a long string of buzzes. That, of course, leads to a desensitizing that eventually becomes boredom." pp. 71-72

I believe worship that is not anthropocentric (man-centered) but is theocentric (God-centered) is built on genuine enthusiasm. Hull writes rightly

"Enthusiasm [in the early church] made ministry a natural overflow of internal experience." p. 71.

That is, genuine worship comes from the inside out, not the other way around.

On this basis, how was your worship this weekend? Did it flow from a growing, developing relationship with God or did it wait for the gifted worship team to give you an infusion of their synthetic sugar-coated worship narcotic? Did you worship with the worship leader or watch him worship and draw a vicarious, second-hand drag off of his performance?

Tough questions. But they must be answered. It's time to detox and sober up on this topic.

Striving to be a lead worshipper not a worship leader,
Mike

30 Days of Focus Logo Evaluations

2006-12-06T10:40:00.000-05:00

We are embarking on another "30 Days of Focus" here at WyBC. It will begin on Dec31 and run through Jan 28. This campaign style annual address is a blatant plagarism/borrrowing from Rick Warren's 40 Days of Purpose. While we do not buy into all that Rick has espoused, we do believe that the focused attention as a body on one topic is very helpful. So we will borrow the concept, rename it, rework it, reframe it and serve it up to our flock.

This year's theme is "Service". Its byline is probably "Every member a minister". But I am working on a logo for the 5 Sundays that we will be working through these things. The logo will be on notes pages, slide shows, bulletin shells, wall decorations, etc. But after polling 5 people, I got 5 different sets of input. Go figure. I guess I must be a glutton for punishment, because I am asking you to weigh in on these designs. If you would view the logos attached and then "vote". You answer may be any of the selected logos or a compilation of them. Please tell me what you like and what you dislike. Simply typing a number in the comments section does not help me very much.

Thanks for your help,
Mike
Associate Pastor/Graphic Artist in Residence

Don't Tweak My Tradition

2006-12-06T10:12:00.000-05:00

Can you recite the Lord's Prayer from memory? Did you know that there are two accounts of this model prayer recorded and that they don't agree word for word with each other? I hope that this does not tweak your tradition or rock your liturgical world!

We are working through a series with the teens on the life of Christ. This week, Bethany will teach on prayer and specifically the Lord's Prayer section of Matthew's and Luke's accounts. Something caught my attention in the discussion of the passage. The KJV has a phrase at the end of the Matthean account that is not in the oldest and best manuscripts.

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Mt. 6:13b

So, the thought is that if the older manuscripts don't have it, then it must be an addition. Is it legitimate? Does it have a place in the prayer? Did Jesus say it or not? Does it matter? Is it in keeping with the prayer? Why might a later copyist add the commentary?

I would love to hear your feedback on this topic. Charles and I discussed it this morning at Bible Study, but you weren't there! :)

And finally, I want to put this caveat on this post: I am still convinced that I have the Word of God translated into my own language, that it is inspired and that it is inerrant; I still believe that tradition is okay as long as someone remembers the meaning behind the form; I will still read the Lord's prayer and observe its presented principles of prayer.

I will call upon the Lord
Who is worthy to be praised
So shall I be safe from my enemies
I will call upon the Lord
The Lord liveth and blessed be my Rock
and let the God of my salvation be exalted

Amen,
Mike

Leadership in the Holding Pattern

2006-11-27T11:34:00.000-05:00

I will admit, I do not like waiting. I believe that this is not the first time that I have had to post this message/confession either. Patience is no virtue of mine! Yet Joshua 3 has yielded some really helpful stuff for me as a leader in the holding pattern.

May I suggest some of them to you?

A great leader gathers recon data and makes a decision to move forward, often without giving the data to the people. (note: ch. 2:22-24 is a private reporting of the news back to Joshua; ch. 3:1 begins with Joshua rising early to make the company march to Jericho)
A great leader rises early. (3:1) I wonder if he doesn't rise before the rest of the crew. The morning walks around the camp at Lamoka before the cabins erupt with campers have always been an encouragement to me.
A great leader delegates tasks (especially communication and direction) to his officers. (3:2)
A great leader communicates great vision of the future possibilities to instill excitement in the troops. (3:5)
A great leader who waits for God to exalt him in the sight of the people has a stronger ministrywith them. (3:7) (note: the strength of ministry is not mentioned, but the connection with Moses is; Moses is the standard for great leaders in the minds of the people)
A great leader speaks the words of the LORD to the people with confidence. (3:9) His confidence as a leader must be built on truth. Following a leader is so much easier when he is on track with God. (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1)

The minutes preceding the attack is perhaps the hardest time to lead. You must instill courage and confidence in the men (and women) around you. You must be confident in the decisions that you have made and be committed to seeing them through. You must be ready to lead when the light turns green!

Pray for me as I lead that I will wait for the green light. Pray that I will lead with excellence through the wait and the charge/march into uncharted waters. Pray that I will watch my Leader and not rush ahead or lag behind.

Desiring to leave a leadership legacy like Moses and Joshua,

Mike

Thanks to All Who Help Me to Be Excellent

2006-11-26T15:33:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who are faithful readers of this blog. But again, I want to thank those of you who are alert enough to realize, "Hey I already read that" and comment. I am afraid that it is akin to those conversations like "You've got spinach in your teeth" or "Your zipper is down" -- everyone wants to be told discreetly, but no one wants to be the bearer of the bad news. Thanks to all who are so bold and confident in their relationship with me to tell me that I had posted twice. You really are my friends. I hope to be able to repay you somehow.

Thanks to all of you who are faithful readers of this blog. But again, I want to thank those of you who are alert enough to realize, "Hey I already read that" and comment. I am afraid that it is akin to those conversations like "You've got spinach in your teeth" or "Your zipper is down" -- everyone wants to be told discreetly, but no one wants to be the bearer of the bad news. Thanks to all who are so bold and confident in their relationship with me to tell me that I had posted twice. You really are my friends. I hope to be able to repay you somehow.

Thanks for pointing out my stuttering issues,
Mike :)

Sweet 16

2006-11-25T00:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday marked a great milestone in my/our life. It was our wedding anniversary -- the sixteenth actually. Sixteen years ago on a "black Friday", we avoided the malls and focused on saying we do in an evening service in our home church; black Friday became teal & rose Friday! :) It was a great celebratory event, filled with family and friends.

We have made many more aquaintances along this journey of marriage, but my wife still continues to have them all beat. She knows my most private thoughts and emotions. She can help me recover fastest from a botched, mangled day. She is a very suitable helper, fit for me. After Solomon tried a couple of models out, he came away with this appropriate jewel of wisdom, " He who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing" (Prov 18:22). I certainly have been favored by the LORD.

A rich, rich man,
Mike

Tomorrow

2006-11-25T00:07:00.000-05:00

Do you remember Little Orphan Annie singing this one word over and over in her Broadway hit song by the same title? Her confidence and ability to face a rainy day was in the fact that tomorrow started something new -- the chance at seeing sunshine again. The possibility of a different existence, the start of the next chapter, the freshness of another day all bring a charge of anticipation. Is it possible to plan for tomorrow without stressing over it's vulnerability and risk? Yes. In fact, Joshua gives a great pithy plan to the sons of Israel in Joshua 3:5:

Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among
you.

I do not know if tomorrow will bring wonders for me or for you. We no longer communicate through prophets or audibles or oracles. But I do know that tomorrow holds that possibility. "My God" is the same God that did wonders with the Israelites -- parted the Red Sea and the raging Jordan. He can still do amazing miraculous intervention sorts of acts that totally separate Him from the rest of the field of suitors. That's one of the reasons why I love Him so much.

So if tomorrow is one of those days that he plans to bring about "water division" I want to be ready! I must consecrate or separate myself for his service. I must get up early and pack up my tent and get ready to travel. I believe that I am also called to lead others to do the same thing, so that God can do these wonders among US, not just me.

I don't know if the sun will come out, tomorrow, but I am packing my sunscreen and my Bermudas just in case! :) I know that of God desires me to get to the other side, He will make a way, where there seems to be no way. As I am ready and available to participate with Him, He will exalt me in the sight of others. I want to be there so that I can cast that spotlight on Christ -- the Living God!

Ready for dry ground through the waters,
Mike