LIGHTS

Tuesday night after our church’s Christmas Eve service, Melinda and I started a new tradition.  Christmas seems to lend itself to traditions.  We have had family ones for decades.  For instance we always read the Christmas story from Luke 2, say a prayer of thanks to Jesus, and listen to Mannheim Steamroller’s version of Silent Night before gifts are distributed and opened.  Year after year, same thing, same order. I am not sure when you can count something a tradition, but I would say if you do the same thing for at least three years you’re well on your way.  So I can’t call this new thing a tradition yet, but I am committed to making it one.  How does this sound?  Drive around looking at Christmas lights while eating Eggnog ice cream from Graeters.   

The light displays are so varied and so much fun to see.  Some streets and neighborhoods are fully lit, house after house with glowing trees lining the boulevard.  There are white lights, blue lights, red lights and multi-colored strands.  There are bush lights and roof lights, lights with patterns and outlines of animals.  Some have lights hanging straight down from 50 foot trees and some have globular lights hanging in the trees.  All cool.

But I realize that once Christmas is over and the lights are taken down, you don’t drive around to look at houses with no lights.  The lights are the draw.  They are why you go.

Jesus came to bring light to the dark night.  He said, “I am the light of the world.”  He was definitely an attraction.  But he also said of His followers, “You are the light of the world.”  Are we as much of an attraction?  “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matt 5:16  

CHRISTMAS TREE

Last night I was sitting on the couch gazing at my Christmas Tree.  It looks different this year.  It is beautiful.  I am amazed that this tree, which in the past looked at best ordinary and at worst sad, can possibly look so good.  I have had this artificial tree for many years now.  It has to be put together and taken apart every year.  It has upwards to 100 branches that are color coded in hopes that when you are finished  the tree looks like a tree and not an hour glass.  It is a challenge to store this beast as it is almost as wide as it is tall.  I have no box big enough to hold the branches.   Each year I begrudgingly set it up, throw on some lights and ornaments and call it done.   It never looked great, and each year during Christmas I decide that this will finally be the year to haul it to the trash when it is time to take it down.  Yet, here it is, up once again.  

This year, however, it looks totally different.  I have a master decorator living in my home.  She saw the tree and what it could become and created a masterpiece.  Old ornaments were replaced with gold and silver.  Burlap garland laced the branches complementing both ornaments and white lights.  A new tree topper gave it the perfect look.  The finished product is breathtaking.  I look at that tree with a whole different attitude.  It is no longer a big old ugly tree that takes up more room than any tree should.  It is no longer a tree that’s “not worth fussin’ with”.    It is a tree I brag about and take pictures of showing them with the pride of a first time father.

What transformed it from a tree that I spoke derisively and derogatorily about to one that I speak affectionately and proudly of?  It was the touch of a master.  I thought about that in relation to my life.  Without the Master’s touch I’m just an unsightly, misfit tree.  But as Eph 2:10 says, “I am His masterpiece, created unto good works.”  He does His best to make us look our best.  I love it.

LOVE AND BLESSING

One truth that thrills me is that God loves me unconditionally.  There is nothing I can do that separates me from his love.  I am His unique and special creation.  He designed me to have fellowship with Him now and enjoy His presence forever.  That is an amazing and comforting truth.  Christmas shouts to us the length God is willing to go to show us His love.  The infinite, boundless, unrestricted God, became flesh and blood to identify with us in our need, and become the one final sin sacrifice for all mankind.

That is an incredible truth.

Yet there is something else that needs to engage our mind.  Though God’s love is without condition, His blessings are not.  Love opens up the door for a relationship with God.  Obedience opens the door to so much more.  Let the love of God, shown by Christmas, open our hearts to more than appreciation of Him.  Let it motivate our obedience to Him.  It is in that posture that the gifts of God flow in greatest measure.  Love and obey.  What a great way to live!!

LOVE WAS WHEN...

Love sightings are always fun.  

To see a couple arm in arm, heads on shoulders, exchanging kisses and realizing the joy that is theirs.  

To see a Mom holding her baby, her child, the look of affection and thanksgiving for that precious life.  

To sit in a photo booth where you get four shots for a buck and shoot silly pics with your best friend.

To see hugs and welcome kisses, laughter and light hearted conversations when family visits for the holidays.

How would you fill in the blank.  Love was when….  How about this one?

Love was when God became a man.  Locked in time and space without rank or place.

We see God’s love in crimson red on the cross of Calvary.  Do we also see it in flesh tones in the cradle in the cave?

God became flesh and dwelt among us.   The beginning of a great love story.

THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

I must admit that much of my life has been invested in finding answers to my questions. I've always been an inquisitive guy and want to know things. Today I pondered the question, "Why are gas prices still using 9/10th of a penny when advertising the cost per gallon?" It is the only product I can remember that uses a fraction of a penny. So questions like that pop into my mind. But though I may have lots of questions, there is one key question that I should be asking myself. It is "Am I asking the RIGHT questions?" There really are some right questions I should be asking that are truly important. "Do I believe in The Lord Jesus Christ? Am I being renewed in the spirit of my mind? Am I walking in the Spirit, not in the flesh? Am I growing in grace? Does my conversation please my Savior? What more can I do for Jesus?" Are we asking the right questions?

GOT PRAYER?

A year ago last summer I received an envelope in the mail.  It contained a yellow wrist band with my nephew’s name and Psalm 91 stamped on it.  Kent was in Afghanistan and his wife, Tara, was enlisting people to pray for him while he was there.  It was a one year commitment.  I wore the bracelet for the whole year eager to be part of those praying for Kent’s safety and health, and that God would use him in the lives of others.

Two months ago we handed out teal colored wristbands stamped with the words “God’s Man, God’s Glory, God at Work.”  Wearing these bands joins us together as a reminder to pray for three things.  The first is the Search Committee - that God would direct them to the new pastor who would lead CCC.  The second is to make sure we remember that all we are and do is for the purpose of bringing glory to our Lord’s worthy name.  The third is to pray for God’s Spirit to empower us in all our ministries so that we can be fruitful as we pursue His mission in our communities and world.

These bands are not magic.  They don’t pray themselves.  But they are something to remind us to pray.  Prayer is the church’s first work.  Got prayer?

DEVOTION

There are many words in our English language that make us stop and dwell on them for a while.  Devotion is one of them.  I love the sound of it, the meaning of it, and the value of it.   Years ago The Everly Brothers sang a great song entitled, “Devoted to You”.  Maybe you remember it.  Here are some of the lyrics

Darling you can count on me
Till the sun dries up the sea
Until then I'll always be
Devoted to you

I'll never hurt you, I'll never lie
I'll never be untrue
I'll never give you reason to cry
I'd be unhappy if you were blue

Through the years my love will grow
Like a river it will flow
It can't die because I'm so
Devoted to you

Devotion is such a special thing in any love relationship.  We love devoting ourselves to our spouse, our children, to a dear friend.  We can easily connect with the sentiment of the song.  It moves us.  I trust that will be true in one relationship above all others.  May we say to Jesus, our Lord and Savior, “Through the years my love will grow, Like a river it will flow.  It can’t die because I’m so devoted to You.”

UPDATING

I am getting ready to put my home on the market.  The time has come to downsize and get ready to move.  I have owned the home for 8 years.  It certainly isn’t an old home and frankly I think it has a lot of good features.  It’s very livable and comfortable.   But that’s my perspective.  Outside eyes, like those of my realtor see things differently.   I am discovering that my home is in bad need of upgrades for it to be attractive to today’s home buyer.  

It’s interesting to see how many things need to be updated, not just houses, but restaurants, wardrobes, technology and you could name many more.

I have to wonder if my spiritual life needs an update.  Am I living in the same spiritual state I was 8 years ago?  Haven’t really done much to make spiritual improvements?  Am I increasing in His virtues and disciplines?  Or I am just comfortable with the way things were.  Lord, don’t let me get stale but let a fresh work of your Spirit begin in me.

GRACE

Grace is one of the most beautiful words in the world.  It is found numerous times in the Bible, especially in the New Testament.  When Jesus came to this earth John records that He came “full of grace and truth.”

Paul writes to Titus, “The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men.”   He also writes in Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and not of yourselves.”

As Christians we love God’s grace.  Grace is God, authoring the free gift of salvation to all who would receive it.  Grace is God, paying the full price to accomplish our salvation through His incarnation and atoning death.  Grace is God, throwing wide open the doors of His kingdom to all who want to come in. 

Grace is God, giving to us what we neither deserve nor could acquire, namely, a salvation with an incredible beginning and no ending.

As beautiful as grace is, it can have a dark, seductive side.  It can convince us that God’s love is so great it will never run dry, and no matter how we live, God is always there to forgive.  It can lead us to abuse His grace, living casually according to our own wants and desires.  As long as our ticket is punched for heaven, we live on earth with freedom, liberty and a fairly undisciplined spiritual life.

A proper understanding of grace should lead us to embrace God with a growing affection.  We see His grace as a gift that draws us closer to our God, deepens our love for Him and delights in living fully the life He died to give us.  Grace leads us to want Him more than anything else, to die to self and live for Christ. 

Because of His grace God invested His all in us.  I can’t think of any reason why His grace wouldn’t motivate us to invest our all in Him.  Do you?  See you Sunday to celebrate His grace together.

OUR ALWAYS FAITHFUL GOD

This is it.  The day has come.  It is a time of both culmination and commencement, the culmination of a year of preparation and confirmation, the commencement of a new life with Melinda Temple as my wife.  Sept 28^th is the wedding day.  Excitement grows with the hour as I look forward to life with my new bride.  The happiness in my soul at the joy of loving this amazing, beautiful lady is boundless.  Yet in the midst of all this, there is even greater joy to know that the God of the universe, the God who promised to never leave me or forsake me, the God whose will I want to know and walk in more than anything else in life, has chosen this path for me.  One thing I have learned over the years is the truth of Proverbs 3:5,6.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.  The words that thrill me in these verses are the words “all” and “shall”.  We are encouraged to trust him with ALL our heart, even when our understanding is darkened, and to trust Him in whatever path we find ourselves on, for He SHALL direct our way.  There is great peace, comfort and excitement in humbling ourselves in trust before our Great God, acknowledging our full dependence on Him.  I don’t deserve this great blessing more than anyone else, yet I am deeply grateful for it.  But I also have learned that no matter what my circumstances, when I submit all to Him He will direct me, making sure my life unfolds according to His will.  That is my greatest joy and confidence.  May that be yours as well.

UNUSUAL BUT IMPACTFUL

The story of Paul and Barnabas in the Philippian jail is an amazing story.  One of the most unusual parts of the story is that at midnight, after they had been beaten and placed in stocks in the inner prison, a place of highest security, they prayed and sang hymns of praise to God.

When we experience life’s tough blows we may pray, but do we sing praise?  Our humanness would lead us to pray that God would protect, bring deliverance, get us out of this mess.   The praise part may be harder to come by.  Yet it is in the unusualness of this praise time that the Bible states, “the prisoners were listening to them.”  What the other prisoners were hearing was not normal to their experience, but it was impactful.  Both the prayer and praise time made them desire to stick around, even after the earthquake offered them the opportunity to escape.  It is in the hard times that our unusual response with prayer and praise can impact others the most.  Let’s not miss those opportunities.  Though we don’t sign up for the trials and tests of life, waving our hand to God and saying, “Pick Me!  Pick Me!”, they do come.  When God entrusts us with them, let’s pull a Paul and Barnabas and rejoice in the impact we can have.

COUNTDOWNS

Some of the most exciting countdowns I remember in my childhood were the final 10 ten seconds of a space launch, the 24 days till Christmas, the last five days of school.  But I have been in an exciting countdown over this past year.  It is a countdown to a wedding day that absolutely thrills my heart.  Over this past year that Melinda and I have gotten to know each other, the geographical distance necessitated countdowns.  She lives in Florida, I live in Ohio.  So it was “42 days till we get to be together again, 33 days till we’ll see each other again”, and on it went, month by month by month.   Well the countdown in its final stage.  As of today, Friday, September 13, 2013, the numbers are 13 and 15.  Thirteen days till Melinda picks me up at the airport in Wilmington, and 15 days till the “I Do’s”.

The anticipation consumes me because Melinda is such an amazing lady, and an incredible gift of God to me and my family.  I am blessed way beyond my worthiness.  So each day as the wedding gets closer I get more and more excited.

Maybe that’s why God uses the wedding metaphor in talking about the day when we the church, His bride, will be united with Jesus, our bridegroom, forever and ever.  The thought of that should elicit the same excitement in us.  It will be the biggest event in our lives.  God will pull out all the stops.  The wedding feast will be amazing.  Can I encourage you to be like me?  Get excited!!

I DO

Three weeks from today I am taking a life changing trip, and all for the better.  A little over three years ago my wife, Mary Ann, died.  And now in the providential working of God I am taking that life changing trip to the altar of matrimony once again.  The excitement increases with each day.  I love the opportunity to love a wife again, to dream of the future joys that living life with the one you love brings.  To have a soulmate that loves God and family with incredible passion and conviction, and who is open to pursue all God has for us.  It’s all so good!!

When we stand at the altar and say “I Do”, it isn’t just a sign and consent kind of deal.  It is the beginning of a journey together that becomes a relationship of deepest intimacy.  There is no other relationship like it on earth.  And it mirrors the relational heart of God.  So it shouldn’t come as any surprise to us that God wants that kind of relationship with us when we stand before him and say “I Do” to his offer of salvation.  It isn’t just a decision of believe and receive, it is a relationship that begins a journey together and moves forward to greater intimacy and fulfillment.  It never ends, it never stops.  It is meant to continue all the days of our lives on earth as well as in heaven.  It is a relationship of inexhaustible sweetness and joy.

As CCC begins a new ministry year, I trust you will keep going deeper in a growing, intimate relationship with the Lord.  It’s precious and we want to do all we can to help.

A GOOD WALK SPOILED

It was Mark Twain who called the game of golf a good walk spoiled.  If you’ve ever attempted to play the game you might agree.  I enjoy playing but find many ways to spoil a good round.  Monday night I played with some men from church.  On one hole I hit a ball out of bounds.  That was tough enough on the score for that hole, but then I compounded the problem by trying to make up for it with a “miracle” shot, basically a shot that had no chance to succeed except in my dreams.  I put that shot in the creek.  Add another penalty stroke.  Now I’m really desperate.  I need another “miracle” shot.  None was forthcoming which contributed to more shots on that hole than I want to confess.  Sometimes we just don’t know when to get smart.

But the nice thing about golf is that each hole is a fresh start.  You get to tee it up again and a new chance for that par.  You get to screw your head back on straight and learn from your recent mistakes.

As we live life we do find ourselves in the “rough” or “out of bounds” at times.   We’ve made some mistakes that cost us.  But what a joy to know that God’s forgiveness gives us fresh starts and a chance to improve our game.   Don’t let your Christian life be a good walk spoiled.  Keep playing smart.

ROBB'S GUEST BLOG - A FRESH ENCOUNTER WITH GRACE

As many of you know I have recently begun working through a Master of Divinity degree online through Wesley Seminary. A few weeks ago I spent a few days on campus at Wesley Seminary and while I was there I had one of the most emotional worship experiences that I've ever had. The interesting part of my experience is that this particular worship experience had nothing to do with music, other people, or a congregational meeting. For a young Pastor with hair as crazy as mine this might seem odd to you. It did to me too, and honestly I wasn't ready for this experience, I wasn't looking for it, but God had something to show me. and he knew I needed it. I needed growth; God wanted to stretch me and challenge me. And when God wants to get our attention, he will! I needed a bigger view of God---I got it. I need a fresh encounter with grace---I got that too! 

Situated in the middle of the Seminary campus sits an 18th century gothic chapel perfectly replicated to an original design.  Inside sit wooden pews complete with kneeling cushions, Wesleyan hymnbooks, and liturgical catechisms. The chapel is lined with stained glass windows and has a slanted cathedral ceiling which is outlined with wooden beams. The entire chapel directs your visual focus to the front of the sanctuary where a bronze statue of Jesus is situated. And there is Jesus laying on his side in the garden before he is arrested and crucified. His body is draped over a rock, his face is squinting in passionate agony, his hands tightly clasped to a cup raised above his head, his eyes are fixed to the heavens. The inscription reads "Father if you are willing, take this cup from me". As I walked in and sat down my eyes were immediately drawn to this life-like replica of Jesus. 

I sat there for a few moments and then BOOM,  it hit me. All at once, like a ton of bricks had been dropped from the stone steeple 50 feet above. I lost it, I broke, I began weeping and crying in the intense intimacy of the moment. It was worship, and it was as if God was saying to me, look at my son Jesus, look at what he did for you, look at what it cost him, I didn't take that cup from him so that you could rest in the grace he provided for you.. The spirit of the living God was in that chapel that day saying to me: I love you, I love you, I love you---and the grace that I experienced that day will stay with me for a lifetime. I walked out of that chapel changed, refreshed, renewed, washed clean yet again in the glorious grace that only Jesus provides. Sometimes we just need a fresh encounter with God's grace. I pray that you will find your"stone chapel" where your eyes will be drawn to Jesus so that you may have your own fresh encounter with the amazing grace only found in Jesus. 

His Grace Abounds. 

GROWING UP TOO FAST? - REPOST

“They’re growing up too fast!”  Every parent or grandparent has expressed those words.  I got off the phone the other day after talking with my daughter.  Since I’ve last seen my grandboys, Luke and Sam, they are starting to walk and to climb on everything they can get a good grip and foothold on.  They are moving into full fledged boyhood.   I remember when our children were small, Mary would often say, “I wish I could keep them this age forever.”    But if you could do that, you realize you would be keeping them from the fullest life for which they were created.   As we live we want to develop to the next steps.  We want to learn to drive a car, pursue a career, marry, see the world, take big risks, experience adventure, and keep pushing further into the opportunities of life.

It is obvious from the Word that our heavenly Father never says of us who are Christians, “I wish I could keep them small forever.”  He wants us to reach our full maturity and pursue life in His kingdom with the same “want to” that we do in our physical world.  Unfortunately there are many Christians who cease developing, almost as if they are saying, “I want to remain at this age forever,” and rather than continue the hard work of developing to maturity, seem content to remain dependent tykes or adolescents.

None of us want to thwart our full potential.  If we are not there yet spiritually, lets kick into gear again. 

MACHO MAN

I must admit I would rather be strong than weak.  When it comes right down to it we all want to be healthy as an ox, strong as a bull, tougher than nails, have the stamina of a marathoner, and basically be able to do whatever it takes.  We would rather help than be helped because strength speaks of independence, capacity, the ability to accomplish great things.  We want to be strong, for ourselves, for others, for God. 

Sure sounds like a good attitude and pursuit to me, yet I find some intriguing words in Scripture about this.  The apostle Paul made the striking discovery that God likes us weak, dependent on Him.  He says that when we are in that posture or condition, then we are strong.  It seems incongruent to the thinking mind.

I remember as a young man taking the Red Cross Water Safety Instruction course so I could work as a life guard at summer camps.  One of the principles to life saving was that the rescuer would be the strong one and the rescuee would submit to the strength of the rescuer.  How to accomplish that was included in the course. (By the way, swimming rescues were to be the very last resort).  What one discovered was if the drowning person let himself be totally submitted to the instruction and efforts of the rescuer he would find himself back on solid ground none the worse for wear.  It the drowning person fought with his own strength, it endangered both of them.  God is our rescuer.  He is our provider.  His strength is what we need.  He says, “My power is perfected in your weakness”.  

Want to be strong?  Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.   He is so much stronger than us anyway.  It just makes sense.

A FRESH LOOK AT YOUR BIBLE

Jesus was a captivating teacher.  He spoke with authority.  And He said things that people needed to hear.  He knew what He was talking about, because as God, He knew what mattered and how a life pleasing to God should be lived.  In His teaching He turned religion into relationship.  He turned “truth” on its head.  The distorted and corrupted preaching of the times was replaced with God’s kingdom truth.  He came to set truth free from the strangle hold His times had placed on it.  We need that authoritative voice again.

The Sermon on the Mount is life shaping to all who will embrace its truth and live it.  Jesus’ teaching led to life change that left people of His generation in awe.  Love your enemies?  Do good to those who hate you?  Embrace meekness, a humble spirit?  Pursue God’s kingdom above all else?  Don’t worry about the things you need, God will take care of you?

As I read God’s Word, a couple things hit me.  The Bible remains the best selling book in the world.  Over 100,000,000 Bibles are sold in the world each year.  Yet I have to wonder if it has become more a symbol of Christian faith, than the book of Life.  There is a growing disparity between its truth and our practice.  God’s Word is truth and there is NO other book in the world that even comes close to its value.  It is history, theology, prophecy.  It is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path.  It gives wisdom, understanding, strength, hope and peace.  It shows us God, His holiness, His heart, and love for us.  It points us to salvation, and helps us understand eternity.  It is truth and life.  Nothing is left out that we need to know and He has given us His Spirit for power to live it.

Yet I fear that many who call themselves Christian spend little time reading it and even less time letting the Spirit of God change their lives through it.  Yet it is in this Book of Truth, that our best Life exists.  

Our culture is going to continue to drift from God’s truth because that truth is seen as exclusive or discriminatory.  Fairness, acceptance, tolerance will be higher values than timeless truth.  As our culture’s voice gets louder and louder, those not grounded in God’s truth will be susceptible to the various winds that blow.

It’s time to do a little assessment.  If we say we are Christian and believe the Bible to be God’s invaluable Word, what are we doing with it?

GETTING OUT THERE - PART 3

2 Peter 3 speaks about the fact that God’s delay in returning to earth is directly tied to his heart for people’s salvation.  “He is not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance.”  This makes it incumbent on the church to be involved in taking the good news of God’s forgiveness and salvation to all people.  We at CCC want to be witnesses for Christ in the places we live, work, go to school, and shop.  As such we’ve identified ways to connect people to the gospel.  The five areas we would like to be effective in are:

Community Engagement

Support Ministries

Events of Connection

Evangelism Training

International Students

Over the last two weeks we identified things we are doing in the first two areas listed above.  Now on to the third...

To complete the picture we would like to create events that are interesting to people in our community to which our people can invite them.  Events like a Christian Comedian, Christian Illusionist, events along those lines.  We also want to build relationships with international students, kids needing friendship while living in a new culture and setting, away from friends and family.

In addition we all could benefit from taking seriously opportunities to learn to share our faith effectively.  It is well said that competence breeds confidence.  When we feel competent in sharing the gospel message with people it is a whole lot easier to open up spiritual conversations.

As we move into the next 12 months, it is my heart that we, the people of CCC, will move “reaching out to others” to the top of our list of things to be involved in.

GETTING OUT THERE - PART 2

The church is God’s chosen vehicle with which to accomplish His mission on earth, namely, to make disciples of all peoples.  Centerville Community Church desires to be on mission with God, committed to living Christ and sharing Christ in such a way that people’s hearts are open to God’s love, forgiveness and eternal life.

Last week I laid out the things we are doing as examples of Community Engagement.  Today I want you to be aware of opportunities in the area of Support Ministries, the second component of our five core foci.

SUPPORT MINISTRIES

Celebrate Recovery – Led by Adam Leigh and a strong team of people who understand the value of this ministry, Celebrate Recovery helps people get healthy from past wounds and addictions.

Divorce Care – Led by Kathy Purple and Dave Gillespie, Divorce Care brings hope and healing to people during the grief and pain of divorce.

Miami Valley Women’s Center – Though not a direct ministry of CCC we have many people involved in bringing hope and help to women and men dealing with a crisis pregnancy.  This Christ honoring and Christ centered ministry is led by Cindy Good, executive director, and through its ministry hundreds of women and men are loved in Jesus’ name and given biblical and practical help.  It is a joy to hear the testimonies of those who have given their lives to Christ.

Those are the ministries we are currently involved in.  We would like to add the following as leaders are identified:

Grief Share – A ministry to those dealing with the grief and pain of lost loved ones.

ESL – English as a second language – A ministry helping people from other countries develop English speaking skills.

Financial Counseling – Helping people create paths to financial freedom and peace through the biblical principles God has given us.

Feel a draw to any of these ministries?  I’d love to hear from you.

GETTING OUT THERE

I know.  The blog looks a bit long, but hang in there with me.  Important stuff sometimes takes a little more room.

We have been talking about getting Messy, taking faith filled risks to get the Good News of Jesus to others.  There is no greater message of eternal hope than the good news that Jesus loves us so much He went to unfathomable lengths to show us that love, even death on a torturous cross.  Yet as believers in Jesus we confess that our efforts to connect to people who are on the outside of faith is often subpar .  In our commitment to be a church that loves God and loves people we want to enter into people’s lives with the heart and love of God in practical ways, thereby opening doors to share His full redemptive love in Christ.

Two Sundays ago I mentioned an Outreach Model that we want to follow.  It includes five different categories that we want to participate in to connect us to people more intentionally.  I want you to get familiar with them, and look for areas of interest where you would like to be involved.    We honor Christ and his death when we do that.

CATEGOROES

Community Engagement

Support Ministries          

Events      

Training          

International Students 

For the next three weeks I want to relay to you what we are doing to keep walking into the lives of people in each of these areas.  The FIRST, Community Engagement.  Here we go...

MINISTRIES

The Castle – Kirk Smith is heading this up.

          A ministry to mentally challenged people who spend week days in Adult Day Care.    

          We provide a Monthly meal for lunch that is cooked up in our church kitchen during Cooking Night.   

Joes Java - Amy Lane oversees this ministry.

A holistic ministry helping underprivileged people in need of food, clothes and spiritual healing.  We provide a monthly lunch.  

Food2Go/Blessings in a Bag - Gina Smith, Bob Clemons are on top of this one.                      

          Providing donated food on weekends for children in need K-6.  

Shoes 4 the Shoeless – Rachel Ennis, Elizabeth Presher, and Lisa Carlin are launching this one.

Coming in June we will be helping provide shoes to children in need who have outgrown the shoes they have, or are wearing worn out shoes.  Look for details over the next few weeks.

Dayton City Mission – Gilbert/McCann Community Group have been faithfully serving.

One of our community groups goes to the mission on a designated Thursday night to help serve food and clean up.

Love Packages – Ralph Bishop has blessed this ministry with his leadership.

Providing Bibles and books for ministry overseas.

Miami Valley Women’s Center -  Served by a number of church volunteers.

Supporting and mentoring women and men who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy.

Here is my dream.  I will serve as Outreach Director overseeing all five major categories.  In addition we would have people from the congregation step up to lead one of the five categories, working with people interested in specific ministries under those categories.  Additional ministries may be added and others may end.  What we do under those categories is fluid.  

So there you have the first category.  Next week you can see what is going on in Support Ministries. 

CLUTTER - REPOST

I was looking at my garage the other day.  Then I looked at my basement.   I couldn’t believe the stuff that has been piling up over these past two years.  Things had been placed orderly and neatly.   Now shelves designed for car stuff, lawn stuff, kids toys, school memorabilia, books, pictures could all be labeled “miscellaneous”.   What happened?  What happened is what we call “clutter”.  

That word clutter is never used in a positive context.   It is saying we have allowed a lot of stuff to accumulate where it really doesn’t belong.   That’s not saying the stuff isn’t good stuff.  It’s just too much of it.  Everything just starts to crowd out the stuff that should be front and center.  It looks messy after a while whether it’s our home, mind or life.  So we have garage sales, or we take things to Goodwill, or bag them up to give our kids (so they can deal with the clutter.)  

Clutter can happen in our spiritual lives, too.  I have bookmarks in four books.  Two magazines are on my desk waiting to be read.  I’m in three Bible studies, involved in two service ministries, in church for worship, (where I hope I can get my mind and heart focused), administrate and lead the church’s mission and vision, meet with staff, give pastoral care. 

Spiritual busyness can cause clutter.  All good stuff, but maybe too much stuff where I lose sight of what needs to be front and center.   

Did you notice something missing from the above list?  P-R-A-Y-E-R!  And it is never clutter.  It should always be front and center.  So keep that in mind when you take inventory of your spiritual life.  Has a lot of good stuff crowded out the best stuff?  Does prayer have its rightful place?  Make sure no “clutter” chokes it out or covers it up.

Lord, keep teaching us to pray!

A LIFE VERSE

Do you have a life verse, that special passage in the Bible that spoke to you so emphatically when you read it that its impact has never been forgotten, it shapes your heart and life, and you keep returning to its truth?  

Mine is II Corinthians 5:14, 15.  “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

I drew from these verses the same things the apostle Paul did.  Christ’s love on the cross, where He bore my judgment in His sinless body and I was given eternal life through His death, was so amazing, so incomprehensible it could lead to only one conclusion, “If He, the very Son of God, died for me, I can do nothing else, but live for Him.”

Reviewing these verses from time to time help me evaluate how I’m doing.  It helps me make needed attitude adjustments, revise my perspective and priorities, remember what really matters in life, how I am to live.  Having a life verse can be a helpful tool.  It can be God’s chisel that He uses to keep shaping our hearts.

Do you have one?  If not, read the Word and let the Spirit of God connect one to your heart and mind. 

PET PEEVES

I have really been missing out.  I haven’t had a pet peeve for an incredibly long time.  I couldn’t manufacture one no matter how hard I tried.  Maybe it’s the mellowing of older age where things just don’t really bother you anymore.  But then out of the blue a pet peeve stood right in front of me in big bold, letters.  CAN’T PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR CELL PHONES ALONE FOR EVEN 5 WHOLE MINUTES?  You’re in a conversation with someone and a little ding goes off that a text has arrived.  The cell phone has to be looked at.  It’s like Pavlov’s dog.  The cell phone is the stimulus that controls human behavior.  The current conversation with a human being who is looking at you and interested in what you are saying gets put on hold and the cell phone takes priority.  Cell phones, as great a tool as they are, have become intrusive.  We don’t own them, they own us.  They have such a grip on us they entice us to engage in dangerous activity, like when we drive.  So I say, “Hallelujah for the cell phone”.  I finally have a pet peeve.  But I still I say it’s time to say dang to the ding and let the texts wait their turn.  

I feel better now.

HEALTHY

Here in southwest Ohio we are enjoying a beautiful rebirth of creation.  Spring is popping out all over in the form of blossoming trees, golden forsythia, hyacinths, tulips, and lush green grass.

I have made an observation many times over the years.  Every spring there are lawns that are lush and thick without a weed in sight, and then there are lawns that have been overtaken by dandelions and crabgrass.  Personally I much prefer the lush, thick, weedless lawns.  We all realize that lush, thick weedless lawns don’t just happen.  The those lawns get measured fertilizer, timely watering, and loving care.  The others not so much, if at all.

It struck me how similar this is to our spiritual lives.  To have a life where dandelions and crabgrass are minimized requires focused commitment just like our yards do.  The fertilizer of the Word of God, the water of the Spirit in us, and the heartfelt love of Jesus all create a lush spiritual life that keeps the weeds of the world from overtaking it.  It may be a challenge, but let’s be as intentional with our spiritual lives as we are with our lawns.

REACHING OUT

If you have been to CCC recently you have seen a new look in the atrium.  The Center has become a focal point and our mission motto can’t be missed.  It is written in big cursive letters on the wall.

The short motto of CCC’s mission is, “Love God, Love People”.  We believe that the deeper our love for God, the deeper our love will be for His people.  The deeper our love for people, the more committed we are to bring the love of God to them in practical and impactful ways.  So we offer support groups, like Divorce Care and Celebrate Recovery.  We also seek to engage the needs of people in our community through Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets and gift cards.  We ministry to prisoners’ families through Angel Tree, and send shoe boxes with goodies to all parts of the world through Samaritan’s Purse.  In addition, a group meets monthly in the church’s commercial kitchen to cook food for The Castle and Joe’s Java.   We are also involved with providing weekend meals for school aged kids through the Food2Go program as well as meeting kids’ needs through Shoes for the Shoeless.  

Helping the needy and hurting is deep in the heart of God.  Good deeds open up opportunities to share the Good News of Christ’s forgiveness and the gift of everlasting life.  To love God well, we must love people.  So let’s keep reaching out in the name of Jesus and let people know how much He loves them.

MEMORIZATION

As a kid in Sunday School I remember having to learn memory verses each week.  With the encouragement of my mother (being made to sit in a chair at the kitchen table and recite it until I had it memorized to her satisfaction before I could go out and play on a Saturday morning) I memorized a large number of verses during my elementary aged years.  

But I must admit as the years went by verse memorization went by the wayside as well.  One year, while pastoring in Newton, Iowa, a friend from church and I decided to memorize verses and passages of Scripture, a new one each week.  And each week we would recite all the previous week’s verses as well.  Toward the end of the year that was a significant amount of verses.  That was back in the 1980’s.  I have memorized very few verses since.

Is there value in memorization?  Today we really need to memorize very little.  Our smart phones become our memory bank.  All we do is pull a name up and push call.  No need to know phone numbers anymore.

But I wonder if we have lost something with the “memorization is too much work” mindset.  Ps 119:11 reminds us to hide the Word of God in our heart so that its instant recall can guide our decision making and lifestyle choices while increasing our understanding of God and His Word.  Memorization really helps us get intimate with the Scriptures.  And even if we can’t retain verses and passages word perfect the core truths still remain with us. 

I think memorization is a good discipline for the Christian life as well a good use of our brain power.  Who knows but that the exercise thereof may keep us from the early onset of brain shrivel.

EASTER'S LOVE

What we believe about God comes from two primary sources.  One is the creation around us that speaks of intelligent design and power.   The other is the Bible, the 66 books authored by God but penned by the men God chose to put His truth into written form.   God has chosen to reveal Himself to us, and we see in the pages of Scripture a self-description.  In Ex 34:7 God tells us who He is.  “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin, yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.”  

The picture is of a God who leads with His loving heart, affirming His affection for mankind, demonstrating it all the way to the cross of Calvary.  Through His sacrificial death He offers gifts of incomparable grace and worth to those who will believe in Him and put their trust in Him.  He offers forgiveness of sins, His Spirit to indwell us, adoption into His forever family, life without end, an inheritance in heaven that will never be exhausted.   There is no good gift that God will withhold from us.  We are co-heirs with Christ.  Make no mistake about it God loves us more than we can fully comprehend.  

As we enter this Easter season, our hearts should be so filled with thanksgiving and love for our God that worship should burst forth from us like flavor from an Easter ham.  

Make sure you thank Him this Easter season for His indescribable love!

LOVING BIG

I live 12 minutes and 22 seconds from my grandboys, Owen and Griffin.  (I’ve timed it).  I have made some observations about myself regarding them. 

Owen just finished his Upward Basketball season.  As a six year old he is learning all the nuances that come with playing basketball on a team.  Offense.  Defense.  It’s fun to watch him out on the court.  In fact when he’s on the court my eyes follow his every movement.  He doesn’t have to be the star, the big scorer, he doesn’t even have to have the ball.  When he is on the court I just love watching him.  I even like watching him when he’s on the bench.  The same goes for Griffin.  If I hear that Griffin is down in the church pre-school area, I go on the hunt.  No matter how many kids are running around, I look for Griffin and love watching him at play.  I can’t take my eyes off him.  It doesn’t even matter how unexciting something may be, I love to watch my grandboys.

It probably seems obvious as to why.  They are my family.  They aren’t just any boys.  They are my boys.  They are related to me.  I am their grandpa.  As such they own my heart and I love and care about them in a big time way.  If you are a parent or grandparent you know what I mean.

I imagine that is how it is with God.  We are family through Jesus Christ.  We are His children.  He loves to keep his eyes on us as we go through life, encouraging, applauding, and letting the hosts of heaven know, “That’s my kid”.  We don’t have to be the super star,  or even in the playing rotation.  We may be on the team, but on the bench.  Easter reminds us of the love God has for us, all of us.  I hope you know how true it is.  As big as your love is for your kids and grandkids, so is God’s love for you!

SO BEAUTIFUL

We had snow in the neighborhood overnight.  And what a snow it was.  8 inches of white stuff that covered everything, driveways, streetways, cars parked in either, houses covered from foundation to roof top, and trees bowing to all the beauty they were dressed in.  White, winter wonderland everywhere.  It was spectacular.  Cameras come out on days like these.  Pictures are taken and you just can’t seem to stop.  They are popping up on Facebook and who know where else.  The beauty is everywhere and it just grabs you.    

There is something about the abundance of white pure snow hanging all over everything that captivates us.  It is so different from anything else in our weather patterns.  It excites, awes and amazes.  It invites play and imagination.  God loves the whiteness of it all, too.  It’s just His way of cleansing and beautifying.  When we are cleansed by our faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, He describes us, by the washing away of our sins, as being whiter than snow.  I like to think that we as Christians have that kind of beauty to where people are awed, amazed and captivated by God’s work in us.

HOSPITALITY

I have often said of my friends in Talca, Chile, that if hospitality could kill you I’d be dead ten times over.  My host family for my stay there earlier this month, was Christian and Carmen Gloria Lopez.  They opened their home to me with wide and grace filled arms.  “Mi casa es su casa” they would say over and over again, making sure I knew they loved having me come and that their home was my home in Talca.  Carmen Gloria knew I like Coke (not Pepsi), and hot chocolate, so every morning for breakfast, I had orange juice, a can of Coke and a cup of hot chocolate with my breakfast.  As I left for the church to work on the construction project, she sent with me a bag containing snack cookies (mango/pineapple filled wafers that were out of this world), a 2 liter bottle of water and a Coke.  They also knew I like ice cream and had some of the tastiest flavors every evening about 9:00.  There were no small bowls handed to me, just bowls filled with enough ice cream to feed an army.  They also gave me their bed to sleep in while they slept on a twin sized mattress on the floor.  (No matter how much I protested and appealed to logic they refused.  Two of them on a twin sized mattress while one of me in a queen sized mattress just seemed wrong).  The folks at the church fed us marvelously, with breaks and meals all pushing some of the best bread in the world.  The love these folks poured out on me was so incredibly genuine and impactful. I came away blessed and challenged.  What part does hospitality play in my life?  How can I increase the love I show people through hospitality?  

Hospitality is a biblical value and though it may be a cultural value in Chile, the joy of Christian grace makes it come from the heart.  Hospitality!  I think it’s time to visit this biblical value once again!

MODERN DAY CALEBS

I’ve always been fascinated by the Old Testament character of Caleb.  He lived in the shadow of the better known Joshua, but Caleb was an amazing man.  He fully followed God and at the age of 80 was still conquering mountains with purpose and strength.

I’ve just returned from an impactful week of ministry in Talca, Chile.  If you were not aware in February of 2010 one of the C&MA churches in Talca was destroyed by an earthquake.  CCC is committed to help them rebuild.  This past week a second work team flew down to Chile to add our support to those volunteers from the church who are undertaking this endeavor.  There were four of us which turned out to be the perfect size for the team.  But an interesting four it was.  All were in their mid-fifties and older. One of our members, as I found out, was 78 years old, and coming off a knee transplant.  One had to wonder why a construction trip, especially one dealing with concrete and its rigors, would have appeal to a 78 year old, but much like Caleb at that age, the mountain of missions had great appeal for scaling.  Bill Considine has a heart that beats for missions, and even at 78 wants to be a part of what God is doing overseas.  He is already looking forward to the next one.

If you are sitting in the pew Sunday mornings and feeling too old, too weak, too timid, too uncertain, about having a role in going overseas to serve on a short term trip, I trust CCC’s own Caleb will inspire you.  Give it some serious thought and prayer the next time a team is formed.  It will actually reverse the aging process.  Just ask Bill.

LIFE

Life – It’s an interesting thing really.  We had no say on if we wanted in.  Just one day in our very early years we became aware of our existence.  We became conscious we have life.  

And then we get old enough to start asking inquisitive questions like, “Where did I come from”, a question that flows from the lips of every child at some point.  Later we become aware of life spans, that people live and die.  But when you’re young death isn’t even on the radar.  Everything is full speed ahead.  The years begin to mount up and you realize how much of life has been focused on “getting there”.  Vacations to Florida.  If you drive, it’s 18 hours.  “Let’s drive through the night.”  “Let’s get there.”

In 1965 my buddy Jerry and I decided to take a trip out west from Minnesota.  Destination - California.  But we were smart enough to realize that the route to CA offered a ton of experiences and enjoyments along the way, Wall Drug, Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, the Great Salt Lake, Yosemite, the giant redwoods, and events along the way that were just special unplanned serendipities (a blow out in the middle of nowhere with no spare.  Still one of the memories we talk most about).

I know heaven is a great destination, but let’s enjoy the journey of life regardless of the path it takes.  There may be some unexpected and undesired detours or occurrences, but life is rich in experiences, and produces a kaleidoscope of amazing emotions.  Sometimes the journey goes through dark and creepy woods, other times down sunlit ocean beaches, sometimes to mountain top vistas, other times through deep ravines and canyons.  But all are good as the master painter of our lives covers the canvas with a colorful, artful masterpiece.  

He wants us to enjoy the journey.  It’s an amazing trip.

TOUGH CURES

My sister Nancy just finished a year of treatments for Hepatitis C which she acquired some 40 years ago through a blood transfusion.  It reached a level in late 2011 where it had to be treated.  The treatment was nasty.  Month after month the drugs produced side effects that would cause the strongest of us to cry “uncle”.  Nausea was accompanied with flu like systems, body ache and fatigue, mouth sores that screamed every time something was eaten.  Even what was gingerly mouthed tasted metallic and bad.  My sister has lived in the “no fun” zone for a year now, but on Jan 20^th she took her last pill.  The dirty work has been done.  Now comes the recovery time and the longed for return to a healthy life.  

Our earthly maladies require that we are the ones that have to take the cure.  But for the one malady that is most deadly, God took the cure for us.  

We had the sin disease.  Sin is a severe malady, destroying our lives, eating up our future.  Yet God in His mercy doesn’t make us go through the treatment program.  He went through it for us.  He designed the cure.  He took our sins upon Himself, and endured the cure on the cross for us.  The side effects were deadly.  It cost Him His life.  But the treatment was so effective God raised Him from the dead so we could have a whole new healthy and eternal life.

Our sin is taken care of, a malady of consequence far more deadly than Hepatitis C.  I can only thank and praise God for His mercy and grace.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  It is not of yourself.  It is the gift of God.”  Eph 2:8

What a great cure.

DEVELOP-MEN-T

The church of Jesus Christ has grown from a little mustard seed of 12 apostles and a few hundred followers in the city of Jerusalem, to a flourishing plant that shadows the globe today 2000 years later.  Over 2,000,000,000 believers in Jesus Christ are present in just about every country of the world.

A part of the reason for this spread is that God calls pastors and missionaries to lead the expansion of the work of the Kingdom, to keep the gospel of Jesus Christ alive and growing.  Each generation has seen God’s call on men and women.  CCC is no exception.  Many of our young people are serving the Lord in full time ministry positions around the world.

One of our core commitments as a church is to develop our young pastoral leadership.  We are blessed to have four godly, committed and gifted young men on our pastoral team.  As we look to the future we want to help them develop the gifts and passions God has given them to prepare them for their next steps in church ministry.  One of the areas we are committed to helping them develop is preaching.  So throughout 2013 each will preach on Sunday morning at least twice throughout this year.  They are the next generation that will be advancing the Kingdom of God and we are so blessed to have them at CCC.  Pray for them, that their heart and skills will continue to be shaped by God.  I know God will use them to bless us.

LIVING WITH YOUR GUARD UP

Though I’m not an advocate of boxing there is a good principle attached to it.  Keep your guard up!  It keeps you from getting hit by your adversary who is always looking for a way to deliver a knockout punch.  In addition we have all heard the adage, “act in haste, repent in leisure”.  Combine these two and you realize their value.  In a day and age where we can get so tied up with activity, stressed out with demands, pressure build up, and running on empty, we may find ourselves letting our guard down.  It takes the form of a careless word or an inappropriate action and can cause an ugly turn in our lives.  A harsh, condemning word that injures a friend or gets us fired from a job.  An action that hurts, disappoints and creates pain in a valued relationship.  All too quickly spoken or done unguarded moments lead to consequences that allow plenty of time to repent, think and regret.  We realize there is no “undo” button that allows us a do over.  We can find forgiveness from the Lord, but the consequences still remain.  Damage has been done.  How well guarded is your tongue, are your actions?  If we don’t keep our guard up we can find ourselves with plenty of time to repent in leisure.  Let’s keep our guards up!!

LATE CHRISTMAS/HAPPY NEW YEAR

I had a late Christmas with my North Carolina family this past weekend.  My twin grandboys, Luke and Sam, got another round of presents.  One of them was a cool kit of Lego blocks in a plastic container.  The 15 blocks could be made into 4 farm animals.  I thought the contents of the container were incredibly cool and loved putting the sheep, chicken(especially cool), pig and cow together.  Sam, however, saw no value in the contents.  He was absorbed in the plastic container.  He played endlessly with it, waving it around, folding it shut and then pulling it open.  “Sam”, I said, “Look at the cool animals we can make”.  No interest.  He only had eyes for the container.

It seems to happen that way with kids.  So often the package is valued more than the contents.  The box has more intrigue than what’s inside.  That’s okay when you’re a kid.  People think it’s cute that you’d rather play with the box instead of the present, but you get to an age where that would no longer be cute, it would be concerning.  Have we gotten to that age with God’s gift of Jesus?  Hopefully we’ve moved past valuing the “packaging” more than the gift.  Jesus gets wrapped up with a lot of stuff each Christmas, wrappings which are decorative, tasty and delightful.   But the substance of value is Jesus.

I like that Christmas is Dec 25^th.  It lets us end the year being reminded of the incredible, invaluable gift of God’s Son.  That in turn lets us begin the new year embracing that gift and having it enrich and direct our lives.  Have we come of age?  Happy New Year!