It's Time To Rise Up O Men of God!

Rise up O men of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength,
To serve the King of Kings,
To serve the King of Kings.

Rise up O men of God,
His Kingdom tarries long,
Bring in the day of brotherhood,
And end the night of wrong,
And end the night of wrong.

Rise up O men of God,
The Church for you doth wait.
Send forth to serve the needs of men
In Christ our strength is great,
In Christ our strength is great.

Lift high the Cross of Christ,
Tread where His feet have trod,
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up O men of God,
Rise up O men of God.

Rise up O men of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength,
To serve the King of Kings,
To serve the King of Kings.

Songwriters: Traditional / Phil Keaggy / Bill Batstone / Buddy Owens

Time For a New String Of Lights

There has been a picture in my head; a scene from a movie lately. What I have been seeing is a very large ball of Christmas lights that are all tangled up and need to be unraveled. 

If you have ever seen the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”, then you will know what I am talking about.

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas; including the perfect decorations and lights on the outside of his house. 

The plan is to install the 250 strands of lights (with 100 bulbs on each strand for a total of 25,000 light bulbs, enough to make the power company turn on their auxiliary nuclear generator…)

But, before he can install them, he needs to untangle massive balls of lights from the last time they were installed on the house. Clark enlists his son Rusty (Johnny Galecki) to help him in this endeavor.

Clark tells Rusty; “Come on, unravel these. You have to check every bulb”

“There’s a little knot here…you work on that!” he continues as he hands Rusty the world’s largest ball of Christmas lights.

“I’ll get the other box.” Clark says as he makes his way back into the garage to retrieve another set of lights.

That picture, along with a recent message I heard on ‘forgiveness’, has been on my mind.

Why, I ask myself, does Clark even attempt (or have Rusty attempt) to unravel that massive ball of lights? Why not simply throw out the ball and purchase another set of lights?

And it got me thinking; There are times in life when no matter how hard you try, you simply cannot untangle the mess that was created in the past.

Sometimes the best thing to do is simply throw out the old and admit that it is time for a new string of lights and go from there.

I will admit that I have lost countless hours, days, and weeks of my life trying to resolve things only to get further away from the end goal of reconciliation.

I will admit that I am hardwired to check every jot and tittle to make sure that every area and viewpoint has been looked at so that both sides can really know that everything has been discussed.

I will admit that I have done all this in an attempt toward reconciliation and so that it will never happen again.

I will admit that I had to come to the point of realizing that sometimes in forgiveness and relationships there are times when it is almost impossible to untangle the minutia and one simply needs to start over in the relationship.

That sometimes the best thing to do is simply do is throw out the old and admit that it is time for a new string of lights and go from there.

In first Corinthians chapter thirteen verse 4-7, the Apostle Paul wrote:

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

One version of the Bible translates verse five as;

“it keeps no record of wrongs.”

In other words; “Love keeps no record”. That doesn’t mean that we don’t remember, but in order to move on we need to stop trying to go over and over every detail. We need to keep no record.

Jesus expands on the seriousness of not letting go in Matthew chapter six verse 14-15

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

I will let His words speak for themselves and add:

Sometimes it is time for a new string of lights 

Stuck in an Elevator Between the 7th and 8th Floor

I was thinking about elevators the other day just before going with Cathy to watch the Minnesota Wild play the Ottawa Senators. I’m not sure why.

I was pondering how some people really struggle with a fear of elevators.

For some it is “claustrophobia”, which is the fear of enclosed spaces. Because an elevator is a small and confined box, it is easy to see how it could cause a claustrophobic reaction. 

For others it is “agoraphobia”, which is the fear of being trapped in a situation in which escape would be difficult or impossible should a panic attack occur.

For others it is the fear of being stuck between floors in an elevator; which has no name.

Trapped, stuck with (seemingly) no way of ever getting out….

As my mind pondered this, I found myself taking stairs at the Excel Energy Center instead of taking the elevators. Cathy probably thought that I was just being healthy by using the stairs.

And yet, did you know that elevators are safer than cars? They really are.

And still many people struggle with this fear.

As I pondered this, I realized how this was an allegory for how people can actually get stuck in real life between a problem and a solution.

Specifically, I was pondering how many people, when struggling with area of sin in their life, will head to Romans chapter seven in the Bible.

In this section of scripture, the Apostle Paul deals with the very real struggle of sinning and not sinning. Paul wrote:

 “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” (7:15) “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” (7:19)

Then Paul ends in this great theological question:

 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (7:24)

That is where many people stop reading, concluding that they are prone to sin and are not able to get unstuck. It is as though fear has gripped their hearts and minds and they see no way out of their struggle.

 

And this is where way too many people live; stuck between chapter seven and chapter eight.

But Paul has more to say; in fact, he answers his own question in the very next verse:

“I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25)

But that is only part way where we need to go. Metaphorically, it is like we are “stuck in an elevator between the seventh and eighth floor”.

Chapter eight is filled with great promises of HOPE that our battle with sin isn’t supposed to be fought on our own. WE have a team which is ready and able to help us.

We read in chapter eight that there is no condemnation when we “do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (8:1)

We read that “what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.” (8:3)

We read that he has put the Spirit of His Son in us by which we cry out “Daddy!” to Him (8:15)

We read that we don’t do it alone; “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (8:26-27)

We read that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (8:28)

Paul continues:

 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 8:31-35)

Paul goes on to hammer the point home and get us unstuck between chapter seven and eight by writing:

 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:37-38)

In fact, you should probably read seven and eight in one sitting; I’ve only hit a few of the verses.

So, the next time you are struggling and make your way to Romans chapter seven, don’t stop and get stuck, keep reading on to chapter eight.

This way you don’t have to try to live life “stuck in an elevator between the seventh and eighth floor”.

All Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

"Quit Fighting!"

Hi, my name is Tommy and I am a scrapper. 

No, not scrapper as in "one who hauls away scrap". 

And definitely NOT as "one who does scrap booking"

By scrapper I mean: a fighter or aggressive competitor, especially one always ready or eager for a fight, argument, or contest: the best lightweight scrapper in boxing; a rugged political scrapper.

As a scrapper, I don't know how to quit; it is hard-wired in me.

In hockey I love the corners and will "fight" the biggest guy if necessary to try to take away the puck. I say "try" because I am not always successful. 

I have been a scrapper from time to time and arm wrestled with leadership; especially when I see a potential problem with a direction that they are going or with incompetence.

I have been a scrapper with Cathy in an attempt to fix a problem, rather than following her suggestion to forgive and let it go. Oftentimes she responds with; "Or we could simply laugh it off and move on."

I have been a scrapper with issues of injustice and whenever I see the scales tipped unfairly.

And, sadly, I have especially have been a scrapper with the Lord. And, even though Jacob did that in the Bible (see Genesis 32), for me, that's not a good thing. Jacob may have felt it was necessary to get the blessing from the Lord by wrestling with Him; for me it stirs up a bad side of being a scrapper.

The truth is, Jacob wasn’t wrestling with the Lord as much as the Lord was wrestling with Jacob. The Lord saw Jacob's need and came down to meet with him. The Lord was breaking Jacob, changing him, transforming him. 

Smith Wigglesworth (referring to Jacob) wrote: “Jacob knew that no one could deliver him but God. And there alone, lean in soul and impoverished in spirit, he met with God. Oh, how we need to get alone with God, to be broken, to be changed, to be transformed! And when we do meet with Him, He interposes, and all care and strife are brought to an end.”  

The Lord is calling me to set aside my agenda and to allow Him to be the Lord of ALL of each and EVERY situation of my life.

He is working on my character and wants me to resist my flesh and to die to MY agenda.

I need to get alone with the Lord; not fight Him, and receive the revelation of His infinite grace and of His wonderful purpose and plans for my life.

He wants me to believe and trust and rest and know that He the Lord is in control, and that He sees it all.

He wants me to stop and to smell every flower and chew every morsel of food; and embrace every life; and know that it will all be alright.

He wants me to give it all to Him and for me to quit fighting Him.

He wants me to get to the point where I have no fight left.

"No Fight Left"
It's hard to tell if my eyes are open

When all I see is dark

And it's easy, it's easy to lose my step

To lose my step

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

And I used to dream of a life so lovely

There'd be no room for tears

Now letting go, yeah

Letting go is the hardest part

It's the hardest part

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

Ohhh...

There is no place I can go

Where you don't already know

How to reach right down and pull me out

I need you, I need you, I need you

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all...

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all, yeah

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all, yeah

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

Songwriters: JJ Heller / Dave Heller

I want to Get My Tongue Pierced!

We live in a culture in which tattooing, piercing, and body modification have been the rage. Rarely will you find someone who doesn’t have something from one of these three areas.

To those who are getting them, they seem like the newest thing to do. But this is not new; it has been going on for centuries. King Solomon wrote;

“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV

And there seems to be no area on the human body (exterior or interior) that is off limits for tattooing, piercing, and body modification.

Body modification is a completely strange concept that I have a hard time wrapping my mind around. It is the deliberate altering of the human anatomy or physical appearance. No thanks; I have enough scars and alteration on my body from surgeries that were done to repair my broken body.

My question to those who are thinking of doing this is what happens when you turn forty and no longer feel that it is appropriate to have horns coming out of your head when you walk your daughter down the aisle?

I personally have never have been interested in getting any tattoos. With my creative mind I would probably have to keep getting “one more”…

And because each week my body gets new color in the form of bruises and bumps from playing hockey and from working in my shop or helping someone with a building project, any permanent ink that I would get would compete with my newest bruise!

Also, as a pastor, I don’t want to lead anyone astray or cause them to stumble because of something that I did to my body.

At this point, I feel the need to confess that I do have one tattoo. Actually, it is graphite from a pencil that is in my arm from the time in fifth grade when someone accidentally stabbed me. Still, it is “permanent ink”.

Lately I have been pondering the idea of getting some piercing; specifically in my tongue. I think that this would actually make me a better person and pastor. It is something that I have been working on getting done.

No, I’m not talking about installing some sort of metal in my mouth. If I did, I would probably fixate on the piercing all day like I do when I get a piece of popcorn hull stuck in my teeth!

Nor am I thinking of intentionally causing my mouth to get some holes and to bleed. I seem to do that regularly enough when I accidentally bite my tongue or cheek.

What I am referring to is my speech. I have been reading devotionals in an attempt to work on how I use my words to either build up or to tear down.

The Bible says;

 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

“Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.” Psalms 52:2 NKJV

I’m talking about doing something to stop the destruction caused by careless words, gossip, criticism, sarcasm, etc.

 “A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.” James 3:5-6 MSG

I have the option to bless or to curse:

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 NKJV

Jesus said that I will be held accountable for whatever I speak:

“…For every idle word men speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment.” Matthew 12:36 NKJV

As I have been meditating on scriptures pertaining to the tongue, I realize that I have habits and patterns of speaking that don’t reflect who I really want to be; one who reflects the love of Christ to whomever I meet.

The Bible tells me that I am to use my mouth to impart grace and blessing:

 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29 NKJV

I want to be one who uses my words to speak life and encouragement and hope into those who need it…and that includes all of us!

“Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” Psalms 34:13 NKJV

Simply put; I need to get my tongue pierced. Again, I am not talking about literally even though that would probably be much easier!

I am talking about learning to curb words that tear other down as well as those that can get me in trouble or misunderstanding:

“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” Proverbs 21:23 NKJV

Some would advise to just “bite your tongue” in an effort to not say everything that comes to mind. But I have found that all I get from doing that is a mouth full of cuts and bruises; none of which change my habits!

In fact, the taming of the tongue is harder that we want to admit; which is probably why so many don’t even try to have a filter on what comes out of their mouths.

The Bible says:

“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:8 NKJV

At first that can seem discouraging; but that is only because I am looking to myself to do the piercing. That passage says; “no man”.

I need the Holy Spirit to do the piercing. He alone knows how to do it. I simply cooperate with what He is doing and repent when I get off course.

He alone does a piercing of the tongue that can change how we speak. He alone can stop even the harsh words that we say about ourselves.

The good news is that He wants to bring the change. Our response is to ask Him.

Today, join me as I cry out to the LORD:

“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalms 141:3 NKJV

“Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.” Psalms 120:2 NKJV

“And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.” Psalms 35:28 NKJV

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.