Dive Right In!

 

     Lately I’ve been reminiscing, as middle aged guys are prone to do, about my childhood.  Guys, do you remember all the rites of passage we had to go through on the way to adulthood? Things like learning to ride a bike, or a skateboard. Remember the first time you did something as basic as climb over a chain-link fence or build a tree house? These were simple things, but they were important to us.  One of the big challenges came when school let out for the summer. Backyard pools were uncovered and the local plunge opened for business. We couldn’t wait to hit the water and almost had to be pulled out of the pool by the ear when it was time to go in.

     Learning to swim was something we all wanted to do. Some of us took lessons, but most of us just figured it out for ourselves. After swimming, learning to dive was the next great hurdle to overcome. Not jumping in feet first, any kindergartner could do that, but diving in head first. I remember one summer when I was about seven or eight. I was at the local public pool with several of my friends and classmates on a Saturday afternoon. Most of the boys my age were already confidently diving from the edge into the deep end. Some of the braver ones were diving from the low dive, and already eyeing the high board. I guess I was a little behind the curve that year because I hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to dive.  A few of my friends were encouraging, which is to say taunting me, to dive in. They began to call out words of encouragement like “chicken! “and “you baby!” and “go back to kindergarten!” This gave me all the incentive I needed and in I went. And you know what? It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. After the first couple of times, diving head first became second nature and something I enjoyed.

     You know, the thing about diving is, it seems so difficult at first, and a little scary. But after you’ve done it, you realize how simple it really is. You really don’t have to do anything. You just stop holding yourself up. You just let go.  It’s all about surrendering to gravity.

     I recall one older boy, who was diving from the high dive for the first time. As he left the board, he panicked and started to flail around and he ended up doing a painful, though hilarious, belly-flop. You see, he had second thoughts and tried to save himself and just ended up making things worse. If he would have just given himself over to the force of gravity, he would have been fine. And you know, giving your life to God is like that. You must be willing to let go completely and rely totally on Him. If you struggle and try to keep some control for yourself, you will end up doing a spiritual belly-flop.

     Here is an example of what I mean from the Gospel of Matthew;

And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 
And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 
Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

Matthew 14:22-33

     Like so many of us, Peter was eager to jump in. But as soon as he looked around and saw his situation, his faith weakened, and  he took his eyes off what kept him afloat.  And when his faith faltered, he began to sink. And what did Jesus do? When Peter cried out to Him, He reached out and pulled Peter back up. This teaches us two things; first, it is okay to ask great things from God. It may seem presumptuous of Peter to ask to walk on water, but Jesus didn’t rebuke him for asking. Secondly, we must strive to keep our eyes always on Christ. Even, in fact especially when things seem darkest and the most out of control. When life’s storms threaten to pull us under, Christ will lift us up, if we let Him.

     Our trust in Jesus Christ must be complete and it must be without thought or reservation. We can’t afford to hold anything back or to try to keep control over some things. If we start to think things through, if we stop to consider what we are doing, we risk losing sight of Christ and sinking below the waves. And Jesus will ask us “why did you doubt?” But even then, He will come to our rescue, just as He did to Peter’s. Always remember to look to God for all things, large and small. The Lord wants to protect and provide for His people. But we must be willing to trust Him.

 

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 

Proverbs 3:5

 

Well, looks like the pool is open for business. Now, where did I put my swim trunks and floaties??

 

Randy Metcalf

 

Feasting on the Word

     With Memorial Day coming up and the Fourth of July just around the corner, summer has almost arrived. Cooking out is something most people look forward to all winter. Folks everywhere have hauled out their grills and barbeques. They’re spending hours cleaning them and making sure they are ready for another season of backyard cooking. They’re buying charcoal or filling their propane tanks, and stocking up on wood chips and marinades. Recipe books come down off the shelf and people can’t wait to try that new dry rub or sauce. I know a lot of guys who would ordinarily be content allowing their wives to do the grocery shopping are scouring the supermarket flyers looking for deals on their favorite cuts of meat. We go to bed dreaming of rib eyes, grilled chicken, and smoked brisket.  Getting perfect grill marks on a steak becomes an art form and a passion. Fish, beef, brats, potatoes, corn on the cob, all find a place on the backyard grill. The sweet smell of charcoal and cooking meat waft through the neighborhood accompanied by the sounds of lawnmowers and ball games on the radio.  No doubt about it, summertime is almost here.

     But while we’re feeding our bodies, how about feeding our souls? While we are feasting on barbeque are we also feasting on the word?  Food is important to us, we can’t live without it. But we need spiritual nourishment as well. Food is a frequent topic in the Bible. Some of the most famous verses involve food. Let’s take a look at a few.

     From the beginning, God has provided food for us.  God loves us and wants us to prosper;

29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

                                                                                                                               Genesis 1:29

     God is good! He promises to provide for us abundantly;

 “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 
a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 
a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 
When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.           

                                                                                                        Deuteronomy 8:6-10 

       God wants to give us everything we need; food, water, and materials with which to build.

 

And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.
This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’”

                                                                                                                            Exodus 16:15, 16

    

  But, do we trust in God to see to our needs? Or do we trust in ourselves. God provided manna for the Israelites to eat while they were in the wilderness. But even then, they did not trust completely in the Lord.

Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 

                                                                                                                  Exodus 16:27, 28

    They wanted to stock-up on the manna God gave them, to hold onto some in case the next day, there was none.  Now anyone who has ever gone hungry would understand. But God promised to provide enough everyday for their needs. He told them to take only what they needed for that day. This was not just about supplying physical needs. It was about teaching the Israelites to trust God for everything. Shouldn’t we trust God for our every need, both physical and spiritual, everyday?    

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers.
And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.     

                                                                                                              Deuteronomy 8:1-3

     God offers more than just physical food to nourish our bodies. He offers us spiritual food as well. To the Prophet Jeremiah, God’s word was as good as food.

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”

                                                                                                                            Jeremiah 15:16

     Jeremiah devoured the Word as though it were the best meal he had ever eaten.

     In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us the importance of spiritual nutrition.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 
And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 
And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

                                                                                                                                 Matthew 4:1-4

     This is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible.  Jesus was hungry because the Holy Spirit led Him to be. The Word was His sole sustenance during His forty days in the wilderness. Satan was trying to get Jesus to act on his own to relieve His hunger. But this would have been in defiance of the Father.  Jesus was facing hunger not as God but as man. And He would not allow appetite to control Him.

     In John chapter four, Jesus says to the woman at the well;

     Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

     What a gift we are offered here! Think of it, to never thirst again. The Lord will fill us with living water to sooth our parched souls forever. The things of this world, however sweet, do not last. The Word of God is eternal.

     So get out there and grill those rib eyes and burgers. Make potato salad and roasted corn on the cob and try out that new recipe for baked beans. Tune in a ball game, sit back in your favorite lawn chair, pour a tall cold glass of iced tea, and relax. But remember to thank the one who made it all possible. God has given us food to nourish our bodies and the Word to feed our souls. We are blessed. Now pass the potato salad, would you?

 

    

 

Everyone Needs a Hobby

 

     For centuries, men and women worked from dawn to dusk just to survive. People got up with the chickens, sometimes literally, and worked all day. They would eat supper and go straight to bed. Then they got up the next day and did it all over again.  Few people had time to spend on anything that didn’t relate directly to everyday survival. Gradually, over the centuries, changes in technology, forms of government, and societal conventions brought the concept of leisure time. For many of the world’s people this meant they now had time to spend as they pleased. They no longer spent every waking hour plowing fields, tending crops, or just staying alive.

     Over time, people began to find new ways to fill their spare time. This led to the development of recreation, hobbies, and pastimes. Different cultures around the world have invented many creative ways to use free time. Some early pastimes were hiking, nature walks, boating and canoeing; they were simple and relatively inexpensive ways to spend leisure hours. Later as incomes began to increase, more elaborate ways to relax were found. Activities such as hunting and fishing, once a means of sustenance, became hobbies for many.  Collecting things is another pastime with a large following. Some collect stamps or coins. Others collect old bottles. There are people that will collect just about anything.

 

     Sports such as baseball and basketball graduated from the school yard to become pastimes for many adult Americans. Soccer and other sports are popular in other countries. And Around the world, millions of men and women enjoy a silly little game that involves chasing a small white ball around a meadow and hitting it with a stick. The funny thing about this game, golf I think they call it, is that they hit the ball as hard as they can with the stick and then go after it.  And when they finally catch up to it, they just hit it again. The object, as near as I can tell, is to lose the ball in a pond or in the trees, then beat on the ground with the stick (which they call a ‘club’). Some golfers get so excited beating the ‘club’ against the ground; they keep doing it until the stick actually bends or breaks. I guess this is a good thing because it makes the other players smile and sometimes even laugh.

 

 Sometimes a player will lose his ball down a gopher hole. Now they put a flag in the gopher hole to warn everyone, but some manage to get the ball in the hole anyway. The odd thing is, when the ball goes down the hole, they seem happy about it. Sometimes, when the television networks run out of real programming, they will actually televise golf games. I almost watched one the other day, but I had just painted the back fence and wanted to watch it dry. Anyway, golf seems like a strange way to relax, but apparently a lot of people enjoy it.  

     One of the most popular hobbies since the beginning of the industrial revolution is model building. The models were made of wood and later plastic. Airplanes, ships, and cars are the favorites, but you can find models of almost any subject.  Years ago some of the most popular models were sailing ships.

 They were complex and time consuming to build and took a lot of patience. The sails and rigging could be tedious and frustrating, and painting all those little cannon took forever. It took a great deal of dedication and persistence to finish one of the bigger ships like the U.S.S. Constitution. In fact I’ll bet for every one completed, ten sit on a shelf in a closet half built. By the way, if you’ve ever finished one of these, my hat’s off to you!

      One of the nice things about model building is that it doesn’t necessarily need a lot of space, and when you are done for the day, you can put it back in its box and put it on the shelf until you have time to work on it again. If work or life in general gets in the way, you can put off working on your hobby for awhile and it will be there waiting for you to get back to it.

     But what about your faith in Jesus Christ? Is it a hobby you take down off the shelf when you have a spare hour and nothing better to do? Or is it a fundamental part of your life. Do you work God in to the schedule after work and play are done, or is He involved in every aspect of your life from the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night? Faith is not a hobby, pastime, or passing interest. It is so much more than that, and God can be part of everything you do. In fact, God wants to be part of your everyday life. He can guide you through whatever you encounter, whether you are at work or on the golf course or working at some other hobby. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior and to redeem us from our sins. But He also sent Him to be an intermediary and a counselor with whom we can have a personal relationship. Jesus is with us always no matter what we are doing and wants us to share our lives with Him. So go ahead and whack that little white ball all you want to. Build that ship with all the rigging and sails.  Start collecting beanie babies or scrapbooking or whatever you like. But remember to pray to God and walk with God. Spend time in the word and in fellowship with others. Let God into your life always, not just in your spare time. I can’t promise He’ll help you with your back swing or follow through, but then, you won’t know if you don’t ask Him.

 

Randy Metcalf

Teresa’s Testimony

   A year and a half ago, I was just out of jail. I had been in trouble with the law and was addicted to meth. One day I was on my way to the donut shop. I was walking down Bloomington Avenue and as I passed the parking lot of Bloomington Christian School, a voice in my head told me to stop a lady I saw in the parking lot and ask her if a person as bad as me would be welcome in her church. She invited me to come that next Sunday and I did. I found out she was Karen, the church secretary. I still had to turn myself in a few weeks later to finish out my ninety day sentence. I was terrified and pretty much broken.  After I turned myself in, members of the church began to write me letters, encouraging me. God spoke to me through those letters every day. 

     I got out of jail and struggled a few more months with addiction. I started to pray for more help and finally after twenty years of addiction, I felt a desire to get clean. I have been blessed with so many miracles this past year. The Lord gave me back my son after seventeen years. He gave me back my dad after eighteen years. I’ve been blessed with a very big Christian family. And best of all as of March nineteenth, I have been clean and sober for one full year, 365 days. That is all thanks to my higher power and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Teresa Henshall

Shameless

 

No shame in Jesus

No shame in chains

Tho’ suffering

I am alive again!

In Jesus name

I boldly proclaim

I teach without fear

His coming is soon

 Roy Perry

 

Living On Purpose

     There are a lot of conversations today about living with purpose.  These are not bad discussions to be having.  So, by no means am I downplaying the idea that God has a purpose for our lives.  But, in light of Christ’s life, death, resurrection and promised return, we must consider the idea that we need to live on purpose.  If we were aware of God’s presence in everyday situations, wouldn’t the world see the difference between believers from non-believers?  We tend to march throughout our day claiming to do all the things we believe God would have us do.  We work 40-50 hours a week, take care of our families and stay faithfully involved in all the ministries God has called us to inside and outside the church.  None of this is wrong. 

 

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” –1 Corinthians 15:58b

 

     What is the “work of the Lord?”  Have we forgotten what it is actually like to live on purpose?  Are we aware of the greater will and purpose of God in our everyday lives?

 

“…for it is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose.” –Philippians 2:14

 

     A typical Sunday morning for me is waking up around 5am, grabbing breakfast at a fast food drive thru, eating it in the car, arriving to church before 6am to prepare myself and the worship center for our worship service, and finally welcoming the worship team around 7:30am for a Bible study and prayer time before we practice for the service that day.  Now, like anybody else who is a morning person, when I get up, I get going.  I have my plan and I follow it closely and it keeps me on task all the way through the morning.  It never dawned on me that something wonderful could occur between the hours of 5 and 6am.  Being available to God at any moment is crucial.  It is an act of obedience.  I believe that God calls his people to live on purpose and not haphazardly.

 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

 

     God has a purpose beyond my regular routine.  By being attentive to Him, I found myself participating in His activity on Sunday mornings before I even got to church.  If I was not paying attention, I may have missed it.

 

     I found myself regularly showing up to a local fast food drive in and being attended by the same young man every time.  I ordered my breakfast sandwich, thanked the young man, wished him a good day and zoomed onto the freeway.  This became habit.  Why didn’t I notice the opportunity before?  Was I that unaware?  One morning I decided to engage in conversation for some reason and as I left the drive thru that morning I realized that I had an opportunity that God set before me to share the Good News.  I told God that I would be on purpose every Sunday morning and engage in conversation with this young man.  There were days when he wasn’t there and I was disappointed.  There were days where I wasn’t able to stop by and I wondered if he missed our conversations.  We would talk about his schooling and I would offer to pray for him on that specific matter. 

 

     Well, one Sunday morning I decided, in a response to God’s prompting that I would be bold enough to share Christ with him.  I know that I had been on purpose with building a relationship with him for a few months now.  He knew I was a pastor and he knew I cared about him.  After ordering the same breakfast sandwich I always ordered and knowing he was waiting for me to receive my $1.09, I pulled up to the window with the intent to be bold and share what Jesus has done for me.  I wanted to be a blessing to him but I always wanted him to know the truth.  To my surprise, he wasn’t at the window.  I waited and waited and he did not come.  Another car was behind me now and I thought that we would not get to engage in any conversation that day.  I was starting to get very disappointed.  All of sudden he rushes to the window, opens it open and hands me my food.  I thought it was odd because he had not taken any money from me yet.  He looked straight at me and said, “I hope you have a great day.”  That was it.  He didn’t want money.  The food was on him.  He blessed me.  I was shocked.  I had no words at that moment.  I had no chance to bless him and share with him that day.  But he got to bless me.  I drove away and started to weep and realized one simple truth:  If we are on purpose, the world knows it and they will eventually respond to the love we offer through Christ whether by our words or deeds.  It wasn’t my words but the words that were accompanied by deeds that made the difference.  He knew I cared for him and that I prayed for him.

 

“In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden” -1 Timothy 5:25

 

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions in truth.” -1 John 3:18

 

     My Christian love for this young man was a result of God’s love for me.  Because of God’s prompting and my obedience, I was living on purpose.  God gets all the glory.

 

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. –Matthew 5:16

 

     I had left on vacation for a few weeks so I was unable to visit him.  When I was finally able to visit again, I pulled up to the window to find him very somber.  He looked at me and with a tear in his eyes told me that he had given his two week notice.  I know that the time we spent visiting meant something to him.  He was going to miss me.  He knew the love of Jesus through me.  I looked right at him and told him I needed to know if he knew Jesus as his personal Savior and Lord.  God opened the door.  The rest was in God’s hands.  For one final time we said good bye.  I didn’t know if I would see him ever again but I knew that I found myself living on purpose at 5am in the morning and it made all the difference to that young man who would, “May I take your order?”

 

     I wish I could say that I live like that in every moment.  The truth is that I don’t.  But, I am more sensitive to living on purpose than ever before.  I never saw that young man again and it was a few months before I went back to that drive thru.  However, I have visited regularly again.  A voice comes from the box, “Hello, my name is Irma. May I take your order?”  Irma calls me pastor.  Irma knows I pray for her.  I am living on purpose at 5am again.

 Pastor Mike Seewald

 

Ministry

Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.

Warren Wiersbe