ONE IS THE LONELIEST?

Some years ago the pop group Three Dog Night sang a song that included these lyrics, "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do."  Having been widowed recently I can understand that sentiment, but there are some "ones" that are really good.  “Ones” in which there is no loneliness, only blessing.  Last Sunday night our church family got to experience the joy of being "one" body during our second Concert of Prayer.  The oneness that results when the body of Christ comes together like that is something special.  Multiple generations and age groups mix.  To hear the heart of God that comes from the old and young while they pray together makes you realize that in spite of worship preferences, race or gender, age or stature, we are one body, committed to one Lord, one mission.  There is an old adage, "The family that prays together, stays together."  The same can be said of the church. 

Our church wide prayer events have this cool side benefit.  Though we meet to encounter God in prayer and seek His engagement in His world and ours, there are other neat things that happen.  One of them is that we get drawn closer together as a body.  Want to really get to know the heart of someone?  A 20 year old?  A 70 year old?   Be a part of our prayer events.  Listen to them pray.  It will strengthen our oneness, really grow our love for one another, break down stereotypes and put a smile on God's face. 

The next prayer event?  Sunday,  August 5th.  These are powerful times.  Put it on your calendar today and we'll see you then.

VACATION

Have you ever looked at the word VACATION?  I am on one of them this week, so my blog entry is going to be neither deep nor wide.  VACATION looks like it might well come from the root word, VACATE...to leave, as in leave the premises, the area, the routine, the daily responsibilities and do something relaxing, refreshing, and fun.  Every time I go on vacation that's my goal.  I look forward to disengaging.  No computers.  No smart phones.  No email.  I look forward to a day totally different from what my normal day looks like.  I want to recharge emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  This year I traveled again to the Big Island of Hawaii.  I'm snorkeling, hiking, enjoying local cuisine, drinking POG, (a delicious mix of passion fruit, orange and guava joices) and spending time at Mackenzie Park, where I enjoy the creative genius of God while reading, journalling, and spending time with my Creator/Redeemer.  Yet its interesting to realize how hard it is to really disconnect.  I have to resist the daily temptation to access work email, get on Facebook, stay connected to
things and people back home.  The fact that I am posting this blog shows I haven't quite succeeded.  VACATING is getting tougher and tougher each year.  Do you think you can go on vacation this year without logging in? Give it a shot.  I have a feeling it will be tougher than you think!

MEN AT WORK?

We often chuckle when we see a sign saying, “Men at Work” and then see five guys leaning on shovels.  Not too much work getting done.  Do we ever wonder if God is leaning on a shovel, not really working like we’d like Him too?  Maybe our view depends on what we are looking for.

I must confess that I want to see bigger things - 4^th of July fireworks kind of things.  I want to see renewal in the church to where its impact on its community sees people coming to Christ regularly like in the book of Acts, where physical healing occurs in response to James 5 prayer.  I want to see radical transformation in lives to where righteousness becomes our passion, marriages are healed, relationships are restored and Jesus is the love of our lives.  And I want to see it in big mass movements where God’s Spirit just breaks in and changes the regular routine of things, washing over lives in big time power.

I pray for that.  We pray for that.  But if we don’t see that does it mean God isn’t working, that He’s leaning on His shovel?  Jesus tells us in the gospel of John that the Father is always working.   The timetable on which God chooses to reveal Himself through the big time epic events is up to Him.  The big splash may be our desire, but we see throughout church history that those times really are up to God.  The Great Awakening of 1858 came after a year of prayer.  Yet we have seen a huge movement of prayer over the past 20 years where nationwide revival was not the outcome.  Our prayers open up the channel for His power for the day he chooses to do the big stuff, but in the meantime, His Spirit continues to work in ways we may call the smaller scale stuff.  He persistently convicts men of sin.  He draws people to Jesus.  He lives in us producing fruit of incredible worth and impact, (Gal 5:22,23), gifts us for service, moves us to prayer and praise, and keeps increasing our maturity and usefulness in God’s service.  The norm is the everyday steady working of God in the lives of people, bringing us to conformity to Christ.  

Over my life I haven’t seen the big stuff, but I have seen enough evidence in the little stuff to know that God is at work, not leaning on a shovel.  Have you?  Especially in your own life?

IS IT NECESSARY FOR A CHRISTIAN TO GO TO CHURCH?

A question was recently posted on Facebook.  “Is it necessary for a Christian to go to church?”  The intent behind the question wasn’t trying to determine if going to church is necessary for salvation or for securing it, because from a biblical perspective it certainly is not.  But the question’s importance is more this: “Should a Christian make church a necessity in their walk with Christ?”  The biblical answer to this one is “yes”.  

Assembling together as the body of Christ is a constant in the Scriptures.  In Acts we see that the early church gathered together for the apostles teaching, fellowship, communion and prayer.  We also read that worship was a high priority for the church.  Praising God for all He was and did marks the church throughout the ages.  

Yet because we realize our salvation isn’t tied to church attendance we can develop some sloppy habits regarding church.  We live at a time when we have mobility and enough disposable income to take trips and get away on a lot of weekends.  If we have kids, we find that school scheduled activities, especially sports, compete with Sunday mornings.  We have full social calendars that can make Sunday morning an attractive day to sleep in.  

We certainly don’t want to adopt attitudes of legalism or be judgmental, but we do well to remember the admonition of the writer of Hebrews in 10:25, “And let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back again is drawing near.”

“Is it necessary for a Christian to go to church?”   Yes, if we are going to follow the example of the believers in Bible times and throughout history.  Yes, if we allow our church attendance to deepen our worship and love for God.  Yes, if we want to be built up into a deeper faith.  Yes, if we want to be used by God to encourage each other and pray for one another.  In fact to not be a part of our Sunday gathering impoverishes us and others that God intends us to bless.

So how do you view church on your scale of what’s important?  If you were to ask God, would He be happy with your view?

I HATE CANCER!

I remember the day as if it was yesterday.  June 1^st, 2009.  We had gone to my daughters for a few days.  Even though Mary wasn’t feeling the greatest, she didn’t want to miss time with Sarah and Matt.  As the day unfolded, it became evident there was something really wrong with Mary.  We took her to the ER at the University of North Carolina Hospital.  After tests were completed Dr. Germanwala,  a neurosurgeon, gave me the most life shattering news I could have ever received.  “Your wife has a mass on her brain.  It is cancer and she has just months to live.”

Cancer!  I hate Cancer.  It invaded my wife’s body uninvited and insidiously began to take her life until the ugly deed of death was accomplished, May 21, 2010.  Not only did it take Mary’s life it has infiltrated the lives of many of my friends.  Why do I and many others hate cancer?  Because we deeply love the person that has it and we hate to see what it does to them.  

Sin is a spiritual cancer in our lives.  Why does God hate it so?  Because He deeply loves the person who is being destroyed by it and knows what the full consequence of sin will be.  But where we are helpless against cancer, God is not helpless regarding sin.  He did something about it.

Easter fills its lungs and shouts at the top of her voice, “God really loves mankind!”  

We are in the Lenten season.  It is a time to reflect on the passionate love of Christ.  He saw the effects of sin in the humanity He created and did something about it.  His desire to see us free from sin and its effects caused Him to come to earth in human form, die the cruel death of crucifixion, and provide the only cure for our sinful condition.  So many people today live lives far beneath what God created them for.  They experience sins invasion resulting in broken lives, ruined relationships, gnawing guilt, unfulfilled potential, and eternal death.  God sees it all.  He says, “I have so much more for you.  Will you let me bring the cure?  I died for you.  I shed my blood for you.  I offer you life in its fullest and best.  

Are you experiencing that this Easter?  If not, what’s holding you back?  

CLUTTER

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?

Sunday afternoon, April 22 at 4:00 will be the second of four corporate prayer times that will take place at CCC this year.  Put it on the calendar.  Make sure no “clutter” chokes it out or covers it up.  As a church body let’s keep moving corporate prayer to center stage where it rightfully belongs.  We did it in January when about 250 adults gathered to pray.  Let’s do it again.  We want to leave nothing on the table that God has planned for us.

Lord, keep teaching us to pray!   

20/20

In the 1980’s I had eye surgery to correct double vision.  Double vision can be a good thing when you’re counting attendance on a Sunday morning, but it is a bad thing when you’re playing baseball and a line drive is coming at you.  Our vision is important.  We value it.  In fact we may feel it is the most important of our five senses.  

Vision is important to a church as well.  Without vision to see where we are going, we can stumble around and grope our way into the future without a clear sense of direction.

How is CCC’s vision?  I think it is pretty good.  Our vision “EYE CHART” is posted in the front foyer for all to see, but if you haven’t read it lately, see how it reads to you.

WE WILL BE

A CHURCH

OF PASSIONATE FOLLOWERS

OF JESUS CHRIST

COMMITTED

TO HIS STRATEGY

FOR MAKING DISCIPLES.

What does that look like?  Here is what resonates with me and has my commitment.

As a part of the church body:

I will engage people in relationships and by word and deed share with them the good news of the gospel, that God loved them so much He died for them so they may have everlasting life. 

I will continue a lifelong quest to grow in my relationship with Christ to where his character is reflected in my life more and more, and where what matters most to Him matters most to me.

I will engage His mission by using the gifts and talents He has given me both inside and outside the walls of our church building.   I will serve others.

All this will be pursued in the context of loving and caring relationships, and prayer.

It is really not complex.  It is short and sweet, but by focusing on these things our vision will be clear, 20/20 in fact.  Are you seeing things clearly these days?