Shortcomings

A friend was recently telling me about a job interview and how you always get asked to share your greatest weakness.  As a manager I've heard people answer that question by saying, "I work too hard."or "I care too much."  Those aren't weaknesses.  Those aren't even answers.

When I am asked that question I know immediately how to answer.  I fail to communicate often enough about events.  A wise man once told me, "When you get tired of hearing information, the people around you are just starting to hear what you are saying."  As a pastor I'm surrounded by activity and most of it is really good stuff.  The kind of stuff I want everyone to know about.

When I look at how Jesus lived and led I notice he consistently stayed on topic and communicated clearly.  Even when those around him tried to change the conversation Jesus brought them back to the good news of the kingdom of God.  I've got a lot to learn.  Thankfully God works best where we are weak.

What it Takes to Get There

Before you set out on any journey of significance you need to do some planning.  (Even short trips require some advance work.  Do I have my keys and wallet?)  And yet we seem to think that living a life of faith is as easy as waking up.  Why do we not plan to be open to God's leading on a daily basis? What does it take to become a people focused on Jesus.  It takes work.

Unfortunately, you will not simply wake up one day at your ideal weight or able to play the piano, or speak a different language.  You need to put the time in to prepare for all of those things.  There is a brief, but well done piece on what it takes to move forward once we're serious.  Click on the link below and let me know what you think.

What it takes!

Fall Into Life

Well, I sure didn't intend to take the summer off from blogging, but that is what happened.  

I've been talking with folks about best intentions a lot over the last few weeks.  It is clear to me that a good number of people I know are living life by obligation as opposed to living in God's blessing.  

When you live by obligation there is always something you haven't finished and there is always someone around who isn't living up to their end of the bargain.  This is a frustrating way to live.  Living in God's blessing takes into account the fact that we aren't going to get everything done.  We are broken.  We need help.  And even more importantly we are forgiven.

In the picture above I'm preaching at Christikon in July.  This was the part of the sermon where I sang a mash-up of Bob Marley's Three Little Birds (you'll know the chorus which says, "don't worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright) and Have No Fear Little Flock.  We are not a people of fear or worry.  We are children of the King.  I'm doing my best to remember this daily.  I'm gonna need some help, so sing with me.

A Failure?

In February I decided to read the Bible in 90 days.  It was a big challenge and I thought it would be a cool thing to do.  I made it over halfway through.  (It helped that I took a trip to the midwest with long layovers between flights both ways when I caught up on my reading plan.)  I felt good about getting that far.

Then it happened.  A week went by without making it all the way through the assigned reading.  Then another.  Then another.  I just wasn't keeping up and then I stopped altogether because it felt hopeless to be so far behind.

Today I picked up where I left off, but I'm not going to sprint through God's word.  I've decided to read in a new way.  I'm still going to read straight through.  (I'm almost done with Isaiah now.)  But instead of trying to read huge chunks in a sitting, I'm going to read until a passage strikes me in such a way that I want to ponder it for an extended period of time.  I may read several chapters or just one.  And that is okay.

Too often I'm an all or nothing kind of guy.  God meets us where we are and today He's graciously meeting me as a guy who is learning all or nothing is not the best way.

God Will Run To You

I mentioned in the sermon for Good Shepherd weekend that I had really wanted to play this Nike commercial during the sermon.  Yes, Nike is selling shoes, but I see this also as a metaphor for our relationship with God.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

I Would Run To You - Nike

All The Stories We Could Tell

Recently I've been taken with the idea of hearing as many stories as I can.  I don't mean fairy tales or fiction, I mean the stories of the people around me.  I've been trying to set times to meet with the people of Peace Lutheran and often the response I get when I ask is a questioning look and the worry that I'm going to ask them to volunteer for something.  When I tell them I just want to hear their stories there is a great sense of relief.

How often are you asked to share your stories?  How often do you ask others to share theirs?

The Prayerbook of the Church

I am deep into Psalms these days.  It is a good place to be.  To be able to join in the songs and prayers that God's people have been lifting up for generations is a blessing.

What is your prayerbook?  Where do you go time and again for inspiration and consolation?

Where do you hear the voice of God most clearly?

33% Through

It has been quite a while since I've checked in, but while I haven't written, I have been reading.  I am currently in 2 Chronicles and this has been an amazing journey.

When you read huge chunks of the Bible at a time it is almost like flying over a landscape.  Some things are difficult to see.  You sometimes miss the detail.  What you get instead is a view from the mountaintop. You can see the sweeping themes and changes that are occurring.  You get an idea of the scope of God's plan for God's people.

A real struggle has been with the killing.  There is a lot of killing in the Old Testament.  This was not a surprise to me, but when you are going through 10 chapters a day it can be a bit overwhelming.  What is God trying to say in these passages?  Is it relevant for me today?  How would I preach about entire cities being wiped out?

This is all part of wrestling with the Bible.  The Bible is God's word written down by human hands.  You cannot separate the words on the page from the knowledge that humans wrote this down, collected it, translated it and now we try to comprehend it.  What are the parts of the Bible that are the hardest for you?  (If there isn't a part of scripture that troubles you, then you probably aren't reading closely enough.)

As I'm reading now, the people are rapidly approaching exile.  This is a terrible time brought on by their disobedience.  As I read this I also think about my own disobedience.  Talk about terrifying.

Keep reading and let me know where you are at.

Peace,
Will

Genesis Into Exodus

The amazing thing about reading the Bible in 90 days is just how fast you go through a book.  Genesis took 4 days and Exodus will take three.  Whew!

What also amazed me was what wasn't in the text.  Do you remember all those neighbors of Noah who mocked him for building the ark?  Me too.  And yet, they aren't there.  Why did I insert them?

I love the word of God and it is thrilling to undertake this challenge, and I also look forward to going back to a more leisurely pace of reading. 

What is your favorite part of the Bible?  Today I read the first 15 chapters of Exodus and the promise of freedom that is proclaimed again and again is better than any Tom Cruise action film. 

Peace,
Will

Eat This Book!

One of my favorite authors is Eugene Peterson.  (You may know him as the guy behind the Message translation of the Bible.)  One of his books is called "Eat this Book" and it is about devouring scripture.  I highly recommend it.  

I was thinking about Peterson's book when I decided to take a Bible reading challenge.  I'm going to read the entire Bible in 90 days.  The plan says this works out to about 12 pages a day, which is definitely a chunk and entirely doable.  What is even cooler is my wife has agreed to join me.  I'm going to be using this space to reflect some on what hits me as I read.  

(I'll be reading the Message translation.)

The first day (Feb. 8) we read the first 16 chapters of Genesis.  To go from creation to Abram in one setting was kind of a blur, but there were so many little details that I noticed and even more interesting were the details that I had added over the years.  For some reason I clearly remember Noah's neighbors making fun of the ark construction.  Not in there.  

Even in these first 16 chapters I see the efforts God is making on our behalf.  God created us.  God loves us.  God wants the best for us.  I know I'll be seeing even more of those themes as I journey.

Peace,

Will

The Time is Now!

Mark 1:15 - Jesus said, The time is come, the kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe in the good news.


I am a natural born procrastinator.  If something can wait till tomorrow, I usually let it.  I'm not someone to  miss deadlines or be late for appointments, but I do push the limits quite often.  Unfortunately for my lazy tendencies, Mark 1:15 has been convicting me lately.


If Jesus said, "The time is come, the kingdom of God is near" shouldn't I pay attention?  My natural inclination may be to procrastinate, but I've notice that God is not a procrastinator.  I've  noticed that God constantly surprises me with kingdom opportunities if I'm ready for them.


What kingdom opportunities do you see today?  The time is now!

A New Song For 2012

The Bible is full of songs and people singing.  I think of the psalmist crying out, "how long must I sing this song" to the joy of "sing to the Lord a new song."


So as we enter a new year, what kind of song are you singing?  Is it a song of lament or a song of praise?


A dear friend shared with me Shawn McDonald's song "Rise" and I think it is a great one for a new year. (You can check it out here  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WroRx8vqy8  on youtube.)


I would love to hear what your songs for 2012 are.

Peace,
Will