God's Peace

Back in Seminary my buddy Nate and I followed a common theme.  We always said ‘Peace!’ to one another.  Nate is a super cool pastor who lives in Florida.  One time, much to my mother’s dismay, we painted his Grandpa’s house.  His grandpa lived in Atlanta, and so after vicarage I headed to Atlanta to paint a house for a week.  My mom was not thrilled because it meant I was not coming home right away after being gone for a year.  You can imagine Atlanta in late July--it was blazing hot!  We would freeze drinks just to survive the heat.  The day always ended with a great meal and good conversations with his grandpa and grandma.  Sadly, his grandma just passed away, but the great news is that she is now living in God’s Peace.  One time I told Nate, “I get it, I know why you say ‘Peace.’  You are reminding me to go in God’s Peace.”  Nate was like, “No man, I say it because I am cool.”  Regardless, Nate is the whole reason I write God’s Peace at the end of my emails.  I didn’t want to write Blessings or Sincerely because I wanted something unique that showed that I actually cared what I sent to people.  Don’t read too much into that.  I want people to have blessings.  I am just not sure what blessings before my name means.  Am I saying I’ve got lots of blessings?  Am I making a statement that there are blessings out there so go get them?  Am I pronouncing blessings over you?  You catch my drift.

           

God’s Peace is something I am passionate about.  We don’t receive true peace anywhere else in the world.  There is nothing that can give us peace, but Jesus!  Some of my favorite moments in life are when I am reading Scripture, and I come across the deep understanding of God’s Peace.  We used to do a compline service at Concordia Chicago.  (It was Concordia River Forest in my day.)  During the service the lights were dimmed during the a cappella singing.   Then, in the still of the night, these words were said right before service ended, “My Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.” (John 14:27).  The power of Jesus’ words is always a reminder when I go searching for peace from the world. It’s plain to see, I am not going to find it.  I will find some false sense of peace in money, clothes, a job, a car, or something else, but it will never really give me peace forever.  The only place to find that kind of peace is with Jesus.  He came to restore us and give us His Peace.

           

Lent is a reflection on the deep cost of that peace.  Jesus had to fulfill the law and only through that fulfillment and His death and resurrection do we have peace.  So when my emails say God’s Peace, you know why.   The last thing I want to say to you that is more important than anything I wrote in my email is that I want you to have God’s Peace.  No matter what your situation in life is, God can make it peaceful.  Isn’t that crazy!  I am serious.  People look at me and say, “You have a five, a three, and a two year old?  Your house must be crazy!”  First off, I say, “It’s not that bad.  The boys are about to turn six and four.”  Then I get the eye rolls, along with such comments as, “That’s not that much better.”  But I wish those doubters could just see the picture of us reading the Bible before bed.  Abby comes and sits on my lap, and the boys sit on either side of me.  Most of the time there is peace.  They listen and point at the pictures and hear the story.  And if we get home late, and I decide to just pray with them they ask, “Why aren’t we reading the Bible tonight?”  We just started reading the Bible with Abby.  There was no way I was going to try and get a one year old to sit and listen to the Bible.  But she has been doing well with books lately, so we started.  It has changed the boys’ routine since Abby goes to bed before them, but they are getting used to it.  My point in all of this is that the one place where we can find peace after a crazy dinner, playtime, the fight with jammies, and all the questions, is in God’s Word.  We find peace at the end of the day with Jesus.  I want that for them for the rest of their lives.  And in my heart is the desire that the whole world would know that.  No matter the pain, heartbreak, illness, craziness, God gives peace.  He left His Peace for you so…God's Peace

In Tune

By now, it is no hidden secret that I love music, but in a marriage, it is one of those things that you might forget to monitor with your spouse.  Let me explain.  In the old days, I was one of those people who made mix cds, and mix tapes, but now the current term is making playlists.  Either way, my romantic dating ways usually resulted in a mix of a variety of music.  I remember on one of my early dates with Mindy, we listened to mix CD while we talked.  Maybe at that time Mindy loved the love songs I liked.  Lately, there are the days when my constant music listening is an annoyance to her.  She will say, “Do you always have to listen to music?”  My answer is, “Yes!”  Test this theory out.  Many times, even on Sunday mornings, you can come into my office and still hear music playing, although I may already be in church or Bible study.  It is interesting to me that apparently I was not in tune with Mindy enough to ever think this would be an issue.  I thought, or maybe assumed, she loved music just as much as I did, but as time has gone on, I have realized that this is simply not the case.  Regardless, the soundtrack of my life goes on, and I try to be more in tune to when Mindy is getting annoyed and turn it off.

           

Jacob, who hears my music everyday of his life, has had more questions about it.  And Jacob and Gavin sometimes hear a song on repeat.  Often this works, and they love the song.  The other day I thought Gavin was saying something to me and I turned down my music and said, “What’s up buddy?” He said, “Turn it back up I was singing!”  But let’s not kid ourselves—there also have been times when they asked, “Dad can we listen to a new song?”  I believe that Jacob has become more in tune with me when he asked, “Why do you like music so much?”  This is an interesting question for a five year old to ask.  Apparently he is trying to understand what his dad is in tune with.  Funny how I missed the mark with my wife on figuring this out, but my five year old is seeking answers to this music connection in his dad.

           

This week Nicodemus, a man of the law who had all the answers, is coming to seek what this Messiah is in tune with.  What are the things that truly bring us to heaven?  When Jesus uses the metaphor that God’s Spirit is like the wind, it is a hard concept to grasp.  How can we ever be in tune with the wind?  The only way we know about wind is found by feeling it.  This is a much different explanation than what Nicodemus was getting from the men surrounding him.  They were teaching him to follow the Law, and that then they could know exactly where God’s Spirit was.  Jesus was teaching that such concepts as being born again, and God’s Spirit being like the wind, are difficult to grasp.  Instead, Jesus taught that His righteousness comes through in such a unique way, and that the Love of God is there by His example and by His fulfillment of giving righteousness to all men.  One of the most famous passages of Scripture is found in John 3:16, but how many times is this passage used in context?  How many times do we realize who is really seeking the answer from Jesus?  In this Lenten season we spend time learning to focus and grow in tune with our Lord and Savior.  And while some things will still be a mystery, the foundation of His love and promise are not a mystery at all.

Know How to Stop

As a teenager at my dad’s house, we used to pick at each other somewhat playfully.  I am sure no one had any bad intentions, but whenever one plays this game, there is usually some unpleasant truth in every joke.  We would hit my dad the hardest for his balding and for wearing jeans with holes in them.  I know this may seem odd to you because you have seen me wearing jeans with holes in them.  (This is where God’s foreknowledge is amazing, and I am sure He finds great humor in this.)  At some point this joke would go too far, and eventually hit home.  My most vulnerable area involved the fine motor skills in my hands.  My dominant right hand is the leader and my left hand will follow.  This is pretty obvious when I scratch.  If I don’t intentionally hold my left hand in place, it will follow the right hand’s lead.  Let’s just say I could never rub my head and pat my tummy at the same time.  It was more a rub pat that turned out to be a double rub pat.  Anyway, I think I took my hits with good humor because I knew I threw them out as well.  I was quick to use my creativity to find jokes that would get my dad.  So when it was my turn to get teased, I knew I deserved it.   

            A few years ago I was working with one of my youth leader friends who said, “Oh, Pastor Will, you and your hands.”  I kind of shrunk back and said, “I know it’s weird.”  They protested, “No, it’s totally you, and that’s unique.”  I realized the pains of my childhood were surfacing from a friend’s comment, even though he had no ill intentions for me.  This past week I went to a parenting session on how to help write a good story with your kids.  John was a lawyer and his session was very detailed and rule oriented, but he brought up some good points.  One of the rules in John’s house is, “Know how to stop!”  He explained further, “We teach our kids to stop horsing around before the other kids do, and then they won’t get in trouble.  They may miss out on 30 seconds of fun, but then they won’t face punishment.  We tell them if they know how to stop, they can enjoy life, but they need to know when to call it quits.”  Had my family observed this rule, some of the heartbreak of singling out our uniqueness could have been prevented.

            A common theme from the Bible is everything in moderation.  Most people have no clue where this comes from.  Philippians 4:5 is the verse; and, no, it does not say it exactly.  But this concept of enjoying things in life, but knowing when to stop, is the thinking behind a verse like this.  Temptation often catches us off guard; that’s how the devil likes to work.  Ben Rector, a singer/song writer once said, “Sometimes the devil sounds a lot like Jesus.”  His point was that something that God intended for enjoyment can easily be interpreted in a twisted way, or by our not knowing how to stop, or that we justify it in our own minds.

            This weekend we spend time hearing how Jesus handled temptation.  This is truly the theme of the Lenten season.  It is a great time to come back and examine our lives.  On Wednesday we said, “Return to the Lord.”  All too often we think we’ve achieved this, and start walking as Extraordinary Disciples who are following the discipleship model.  Lent brings us back to the moment when we need to discover the areas in which God is bringing us back to return to Him, and receive His grace once again.

            The weekends I spent with my dad were often enjoyable, and sometimes our teasing was great fun.  We laughed a lot and created a lot of great memories, but if only we had known how to stop, it could have been a lot better.  This week we stare into the face of temptation.  Is Jesus teaching us to learn how to stop?  Is He asking us to return to Him in any area of our lives?  

Wanna Get Away

These commercials by Southwest Airlines always amuse me.  Recently they had some odd commercials of people racecar driving and performing other events. The company moved from portraying vacation spots and awkward moments to unique experiences.  No matter what happens in life there are always moments from which we want to get away.  There are things in all of our lives that give us pain and struggles.  They are products of sin, and therefore moments from which we want to escape. 

            Just this week I was at Walmart, standing in line to pay, when Jacob reminded me that he had to go to the bathroom.  Because the bathroom was right in front of me, I said, “Just go!  I will be right here.”  As I finished paying, there was no sight of Jacob.  So I looked in the bathroom and could not see him.  I freaked out and left my cart to find him.  I did remember, even in panic mode, that sometimes he goes to the video games if I am in the checkout isle.  And he knows that I am usually able to see him from there.  Sure enough, that’s where I found him.  At that point, my mind eased, but then I started second-guessing that whole situation.  Should I allow him to do things like go to the bathroom on his own?  As we walked out of the store, I was talking to Mindy on the phone about our house when Gavin started running.  I yelled at him just in time to stop him before he was only a few feet away from being hit by a car.  By all means this was my worst trip to Walmart in a long time.  I just wanted to get away.  I thought through all the potential repercussions of both of those events.  Things for the most part seem to be going well in our lives, but I thought about how either of those circumstances could have completely impacted our family.

            On the Mount of Transfiguration, a few of the apostles caught a glimpse of the glory of God.  They immediately wanted to get away from this life, build tents, and stay up there.  It is amazing to realize the glory and forgiveness of God, which reminds us that there will be a final get away to Heaven.  This weekend we reflect on the Mount of Transfiguration and the Glory of God.

Questions and Answers

They asked my friend over and over again about words that rhyme.  They picked everything from dog and cat to root beer and shirt.  There was no real method to their madness.  But it soon became apparent that this was a never-ending game.  As cute as these moments can be, they eventually lose their luster, and at least in my mind, I contemplate when the boys will really understand how to rhyme.  This is not a criticism--more my relational side trying to figure out how we ever learn how to rhyme in the first place.  What part of our brain finally gets this?

The other day we were hanging out with one of my friends when the boys began the rhyming game.

            I wonder if it is this kind of logic that causes us to doubt whether we can ask questions as Christians.  I think at some point in our faith walk–just like in school--there is that fear that we are expected to just know certain things like rhyming, or other skills.  I will not deny any truth in that, but I think the thing about giving Christians questioning permission is that there will always be questions and they will always be ok to ask.

            One of my favorite parts of being a youth pastor was answering questions. For the most part, youth didn’t have this fear that they were expected to know things, so they felt free to ask questions.  It was fun to dig into the different pieces of Scripture.  I am always looking for the part of Scripture where I ponder why God said that. Those are the things that keep blogs and sermons coming with new themes.  All of this type of question and answer is a beautiful and amazing thing with God.  We will never really grasp Scripture in its entirety, or have a complete understanding of Jesus until we are in Heaven.  So until then, we continue to ask questions and seek the answers from our Lord and Savior.

            This weekend Dan Bodin, one of our fieldworkers, will help us think through some questions and answers on a parable.  Hopefully some of those questions will be the ones that we have wanted to ask.  But either way, it will remind us once again that just like two little boys playing the rhyming game, our Father in Heaven always wants us to ask questions and learn more.

Tough Topics

One thing I was constantly stressing over while I was in youth ministry was having conversations on tough topics.  No matter the subject--sex, cussing, friends, drugs, or whatever--these are hard conversations to have.  Often people wanted the youth ministry silver bullet.  They were often disappointed when there wasn’t one.  These issues developed from the pains of sin in this life, and the only way to get through them was to have challenging talks about the growth of the Holy Spirit and God’s guidance.  The more these topics are in the air, the better they are more readily discussed.  Ready discussion is important because it means when the situation arises the person is willing to talk about it.  I realize it is much easier to set up rules, and ways to follow them, and hope they are never breeched.  But the truth is that one way or another a difficult subject will arise, and whether your kid, spouse, or friend is willing to talk to you is the question.  If we portray ourselves as flawless and put up a front, we find that those conversations won’t happen, and will only create a further struggle.

            A few weeks ago I was preparing for worship with help of a faithful extraordinary servant.  This person looked at me and asked what lesson I was going to teach this week.  The Gospel reading focused on murder, adultery, divorce, and oaths.  The question was asked, “Are you going to preach on those topics?”  I drew back for a second and thought about it.  “Yeah,” I said.  “Wow,” was the response.  It made me think for a minute and second guess myself.

            Growing up we had two ways of responding to many of these tough topics. My dad was “hard nosed and in my face.”  My mom was a “lead by example” person.  I am not sure either of these examples was great, but somehow they created a balance in my brother, sisters and me.  Of course we look to Jesus for the ultimate example—the one who is ready to talk about it, and obviously the one who is ready to lead by example.

            Someone once said to me, “If you set high goals, there is a greater chance that your kids will meet your expectations.”  At first I didn’t agree with that, because of the legalistic way my dad handled many of these tough topics.  But through time and being a father to my own kids, I understand the comment outside of my history.  My expectations are high for my kids, but I also attempt to set my love at a high standard.  What do I mean?   Mindy’s family is a big clan.   A couple times when we have been out to eat with our extended family, Abby has been all over the place and has a hard time sitting.  I realize that she is two, but I know what she is trained to do at home.  I expect her to sit.  The boys know my expectations and have learned to sit and talk with their cousins.  At home, if I find myself spending too much time preparing a meal and not enough time being engaged with my kids, I am critical of myself in the fact I need to make sure I am involved with them.  I say all this because Jesus knew that as we grew in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit would shape us to be His people.  And He was clear about what was and is expected of us.  At the same time, Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins.  His deep love is there to rescue us whenever we miss the mark.  Tough topics make us stronger, aware of our sin; and at the end of the day they draw us to the cross and to Jesus.

Backwards Growth

For whatever reason, Mindy had her shirt on backwards for a few months.  I looked at her and said, “Kris Kross will make you…” She had no clue what I was talking about.  At that point, I realized a key thing in our marriage: Mindy and I have some very opposite ways of thinking.  I love music, and constantly am enjoying the latest artist; curious to see where music will go next.  But you don’t forget an artist who wears his clothes backwards.  Backwards always stands out.  Chris Kelly from Kris Kross died this year.  I am not sure that you can call it backwards growth but he went from being famous at a young age to dying of a drug overdose.  It is odd to me that someone who has the presumed American dream can move in that direction.  I am pretty sure we would call this descent, not growth.

            As a kid wrestling with sin, I think I saw an end to it.  Sure, I knew the truth, but hopefully felt one day it would all be better.  I look at my life in the last six years, and see growth in my drive to be a better husband, father, and pastor.  I watch and listen to how people develop in growth, and I ask myself how I could improve.  I look at the discipline of athletes, friends, and many others to drive myself forward.  Yet, as good as I see what God is doing, there comes a point where I am faced with the same thing I faced as a kid.  I am hoping that one day I can alleviate all of my sinful nature.  Many say that I am constantly critical because I find myself critiquing all areas of my life.  I read this key line in my commentary by Gregory Lockwood, “Christian growth is, in contrast to all other growth, a growth downward in ever-increasing recognition of our own sin, our own guilt, our own death, our own condemnation.”

            Let’s put that in layman’s terms, and make it real.  One day my son Jacob will look at me and say, “Dad, why did you do this…?” He will point out one of my sins and ask me why I did that.  It is inevitable and unavoidable.  Trust me, I am not going to quit trying to not make it a reality, but it will happen.  No matter my hopes and dreams to avoid my parents’ mistakes and be different, I will leave the markings of my sin in this life, the life of my kids, my wife and even in the churches I serve. Before we focus on the sadness of this, the hope in this realization is the growth in clinging to the cross.

            It is here that we find that Jesus is the one who makes change happen in our lives.  And we look different because of the work that He and the Holy Spirit do by guiding us forward.  That is the fun part.  But it’s important to realize that we are going to see our sin, but there is an end to that realization which is called Heaven.  In eternity with Jesus we will no longer look at that sin. This weekend we will dive into the pieces Paul shares with the people of Corinth.  It blends into the Gospel reading of how the Pharisees were blinded by their belief that they could move their good works forward on their own.  Backwards Growth may sound funny at first, but it only brings us closer to understanding the intense need to have Jesus in our lives.