player on bench-warmer?

I just came in from umpiring a couple of softball games at Logan County. After that I went and watched the Eastwood adult’s team put a “beatdown” on their opponents (it is okay for Baptist to use the term beatdown isn’t it?). During Eastwood’s game I stood over by the dugout and talked to our adults. There was a part of me that said “You know, I could still play this game.” But then I realized that “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (grin). So I have relegated myself to the role of “cheer-pastor”, though Greg Swack may try and get in on my gig.
As I thought of no longer playing and only cheering I was reminded of a true story from a few years back. It was the first day of basketball practice at Wingate High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Coach handed a ball to each player. “Boys,” he said, “I want you to practice shooting from the spots you might expect to be in during the game.”

One of the boys one the team was basically a substitute and would be only used in the event of multiple player injuries or a blow-out win or loss. As the coach instructed them to shoot from where they’d be during the game, this young man immediately sat down on the bench and began shoot the ball toward the basket from there. I’m sure part of what he was doing was to get a laugh out of his teammates and he obviously didn’t expect to play much. But this same thing plays out weekly in the average Baptist Church. There are some people who sit the bench, because that’s where they’ve gotten used to being. They never strive to much more than that, because they don’t believe in themselves enough to put in the extra effort and practice to change their status. With that kind of attitude they likely are always going to “sit the bench”.

In our churches, it’s as if we’ve made Christianity a spectator sport. Many simply want to sit back in the pew, listen to the music and sermons, and never really get involved in the game. With our nation grasping desperately for hope anywhere they can find it, it’s time for Christians today to get off the sidelines and get on the front lines. God has a “position” for all those who are in Christ to play, but you will never discover it as long as you watch “safely” from the sideline. I would rather attempt something great and fail than to attempt nothing and succeed. So let’s put action to our faith and get involved in the spiritual battle that is taking place all around us.

This weekend pull out your playbook (the Bible), head out to the field (church), ask the Head Coach (the Lord) to speak through His position coach (your pastor) to reveal your part of the game plan. So that when He says “Go to the position you expect to play in the game” you will be prepared, and head somewhere other than the bench.

Words of the Resurrected Christ

Many preachers have preached about the “7 last words of the cross.” These were not literally only 7 words but rather the 7 things the Lord said from the cross. They were each words of significance. In these seven statements Jesus said things that because of the message they convey remain important to us today. He made statements like “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing,” “Today you will be with Me in paradise,” and “It is finished.” I thought because we are approaching Resurrection Sunday it might be good to consider the 7 words after the resurrection as I find them equally important in the message they speak.

1. John 20:15 “Woman, why are you weeping?” – It’s interesting that Jesus does not take away the woman’s tears but rather simply asks why she is crying. In this life there will be heartache and the Lord never promises to take those things away that cause us to weep. But He rather says He will be with us and see us through the difficult days of this life, that we can bring to Him those things that break our hearts. But we know a day is coming (Revelation 21:4) when He will wipe away all tears from our eyes.

2. John 20:16 “Mary” – Now you might be tempted to question what’s so important about the fact He calls Mary by name. Here it is are you ready? He KNOWS your name! You are not just a number to Him. You are a person of great value … He was willing to go to the cross for you. And just as He knew Mary individually after the resurrection so I Believe He knows us and we will know one another in heaven.

3. John 20:17 “Go to My brethren” – She was to carry the message of the resurrection to others. That should serve to remind us that it’s the resurrection that makes the difference. Many so-called “gods” have died, but only One came back to life … the Lord Jesus. The resurrection shows there is hope beyond the grave; that this life is not all there is. What a message to carry to a world groping in darkness.

4. John 20:21 “Peace to you” – When the Lord offers peace to us we get peace with God as well as the peace of God. Our sins are forgiven and we are transformed from “children of wrath” and “enemies of God” to joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, adopted into the Father’s family. And because we have the One called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) living inside of us in the form of the Holy Spirit, we can know the peace of God in the most trying of times.

5. John 20:21 “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” – Jesus said in Luke 19:10 that He came to “seek and to save that which was lost.” In Mark 10:45 He states He came “not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for the many.” I think clearly the Lord has sent us to those that are lost to point them to Him as the way out of their darkness. In a world consumed with trying to ascend to the top, let us be the hands and feet of Christ; not looking for folks to serve us but rather for those we can serve.

6. John 20:29 – Is the passage where the Risen Lord appears to His disciples. Thomas, likely verbalizing what many felt in their heart said “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” So when the Lord appears He speaks those exact words and invites Thomas to do just that. Then He looks into Thomas’ eyes and says “Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas in the midst of his doubts met the Lord. I think even when we doubt, if we earnestly seek Him, He comes to us in very real ways and removes all doubt and fear.

7. John 20:29 “Blessed are those who have not yet seen and yet have believed” – This is a word to those of us alive today. We have not seen, but rather we simply come to Him by “faith”. Ephesians 2 reminds that it is by faith we are saved.

Let’s go back to the words of the pre-crucifixion Jesus. I find it interesting that the first words recorded of Jesus were, I’m sure not the first words He ever spoke. For the first words recorded are of a youthful twelve year old Jesus in Luke 2:49. Mary and Joseph have taken the boy Jesus to the Temple and they marvel at His wisdom as He teaches the religious leaders. Luke tells us when they had performed all things that the law required they began to make their way back to Nazareth. So they assume He is in the caravan walking with other relatives and they walk about a day’s travel from Jerusalem before they realize Jesus is not in the group. I can imagine the panic they feel as they hurriedly make their way back to Jerusalem. When they find Him teaching again in the Temple Mary chastises Him asking why He would do such a thing, that she and Joseph had sought for Him “anxiously”. It is here we read the first recorded words of Jesus when He says, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

Now fast forward to John 19:30 where we find the final words of Jesus before He dies on the cross. These words I think are of great importance, especially in light of the first recorded words of Christ. In John 19 Jesus simply says, “It is finished”. Now notice He did not say “I am finished”. I don’t believe this was a statement about His life but rather a statement about His life’s task … the Father’s business. Jesus as He breathed His last breath on the cross told all generations that the Father’s plan for redemption had been completed; that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will now be saved. Thank God “It is finished”. I will see you Sunday as we celebrate the fact He lives!

working out

So 2011 has started (at least since February 1st when we joined the ROC at 1st Baptist) as the year of the “workout”. I have been going at least 4 times weekly to walk 2-3 miles at a fast pace then lift weights. I haven’t seen the weight loss I’d like to, but I think that has more to do with my eating habits than it does my working out. I just finished my lunch hour with a workout and a shower and now am back at the office feeling really well.

I remember that 1st workout in February … I stood in the doorway of their fitness center, and that particular day the center was filled with slim and trim, toned and tuned hard bodies. My greatest fear was that they would all look up at me simultaneously and fall to the floor, laughing hysterically. As I entered I couldn’t help but notice the mirrors on the walls ... they seemingly were everywhere. Guys lifting weights were staring at their arms as they lifted. I carefully ignored the mirrors since I already knew what I looked like.

So I get back to the office today and I started reading in the Word and come to 1 Timothy 4:8 which states, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” So what is the Apostle Paul saying? Is he telling Timothy not to worry about exercise and the care of his body? No. I think it’s similar to when the Pharisees were puffed up about their tithing and neglecting justice, mercy, and faith. Jesus tells them “These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.” So I think Paul is telling us we should spiritually workout toward the end of godliness without leaving the care of the physical body “undone”.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were such a thing as a spiritual workout system with machines similar to those in fitness centers that can zero in on specific muscles you want to develop. My spiritual fitness center would be a place with individual stations where muscles of the faith would be purposely developed, a place where we could be intentional about cultivating spiritual stamina.

So having resolved to work out this year, today I’m resolving to spend even more time than in the past exercising some “spiritual muscles”. I plan on targeting the following areas:
1. My tongue – no necessarily by talking more but rather by harnessing my tongue more. To be quiet when it’s time and to be bold when it’s time and the wisdom to know the difference between the two.
2. My eyes – the bible is littered with characters like David, Samson and even Achan who saw their lives ruined by sins that began with the eyes (which I believe are a window to the heart). So I resolve to train even more my eyes to focus on the things and ways of God.
3. My neck – I remember playing football we’d do many neck exercises to strengthen the neck and hopefully avoid perilous injury. How many times do we find God in His Word calling His people “stiff-necked”? It’s not that their necks were literally stiff but that they were stubborn and proud. So I’m going to exercise my “neck” to help protect from getting stubborn and proud with God.
4. My hands – I can use my hands in service or blessing to others, but the Lord desires that they be “clean” first. James 4:8 says, “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded”. This exercise station will have plenty of towels which will serve to remind me to go “wash the feet” of others by serving them.
5. My knees – I’d also have a station that required a person on their knees in order to fulfill this exercise. It likely would have to be done with a bowed head as well (prayer). Prayer has a way of loosening muscles that are in knots from the strain of worry, pressure, stress, and long hours of work.

Let me close by reminding you of Romans 12:1-2. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your BODIES a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”

This roller-coaster called life

I love what we as Christians have come to call the “mountain top” experiences of our life and faith. Seeing my children saved and baptizing them, going to Israel twice and walking where Jesus walked, and the many mission trips I’ve been on are all examples of those kinds of experiences for me. One thing I have learned about mountain tops is that no one lives on them perpetually. Most of us don’t live on the mountain top but rather in the valley.

As I have thought about this today, I’ve come to believe that God doesn’t really want us to live only on the mountaintops; our times in the valleys is part of His plan as well. And when I say this, I think he wants us to LIVE, not just exist, not just endure until the next mountaintop. Many people seem to believe that God only shows up on the mountaintops, and that those times of their lives where they are walking through the valleys are the barren times “in between mountains”. These folk tend to view life like a roller-coaster, simply a series of ups and downs – times when you are on the mountaintop and times when you are down in the valley, “far from God”. When you live like this, you find yourself longing for the next mountaintop. Then life really becomes like a coaster, going from mountaintop to mountaintop as if life were a game of spiritual hopscotch.

I’ve come to believe this is not a biblical approach to life. God is not just God of the mountaintops; He is God of the valleys as well. Jesus takes us up to the mountaintops, but He also sends us through (and walks with us in) the valleys. His power is there to fill our lives in both places, and His purposes are accomplished in both. The Christian life is not the occasional exciting high surrounded by mostly boring low points. The whole Christian life is one wild ride. Sure there will be high points, but there will also be deep valleys. There will be unexpected twists and turns, dark tunnels, and even some places where your world will be turned upside-down.

How do you keep from freaking out on a roller-coaster? You know that if you are a roller-coaster rider, you have to trust that the engineer that designed the path your car takes knows what he was doing, despite how out-of-control you feel at the moment. You also have to have faith that if you hang on and stay in the car, it will bring you safely home. No one gets aboard a roller-coaster without recognizing that at times the ride will get bumpy but they also realize they have a bar across their lap designed to hold them in the car. For the Christian, that lap bar is called faith. Most of the ride you probably don’t really need it, but when you do need it, it better be there. Emergency equipment is just a nuisance until you need it, and faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding on to.

Jesus was not only the architect who planned our ride through life; he actually became flesh and rode the ride himself. Jesus’ life was filled with twists and turns, high places and low. One moment He was entering Jerusalem as a King, surrounded by cheering crowds and the next He was betrayed, tortured, and crucified. Jesus never got off the track designed for Him. He rode the whole ride with his hands in the air!

When the roller coaster car we are in goes over the crest of the hill and plummets toward the ground, it’s easy to forget about having faith in the roller coaster designer. Our human nature is to scream out and not worry with who hears or sees us. We, at those times try to hang on to the physical things around us and trust in them for our survival. It’s fairly easy to discern who those are who really have placed their trust in the designer … they let go, raise their hands, and enjoy the ride. This is a great metaphor for the Christian life. The next time you find yourself anxious or fearful, simply let go, raise your hands to the heavens and surrender it to Jesus. You’ll be amazed at how enjoyable the ride really is.

As we enter the valleys its natural for us to concentrate so hard on the problems at hand that we are no longer conscious of much else taking place around us. Just like a roller coaster when we grab the safety bar holding us into the seat and stare straight ahead at the tracks below, we can easily become so concerned about our immediate situation that we lose sight of everything around us, including what we call the big picture. Jesus did not intend for us to sit on a bench and watch others ride the roller coaster of life; He intended for us to experience it for ourself.

There’s one stark difference between a physical roller coaster ride and the spiritual roller coaster of our Christian lives. A physical roller coaster begins with the highest peak at the beginning of the ride. As the ride progresses, each peak gets lower and lower while the valleys, or dips, stay the same. That is an excellent picture of a life without Christ. A person without Christ will spend his or her life looking for any way possible to climb above the valleys they find themselves in. As they progress along the track of ups and downs of life, it seems they find fewer and fewer things that lift them up. Those Christians who walk by faith close to the Lord find just the opposite to be true. Each low point is often not as low as the previous low point. But, the best part is how each high point is always bigger and better than the previous high point. As we progress through life’s roller coaster ride we climb higher and higher, making it possible to better visualize the big picture. This in turn makes it easier to keep a strong faith in the fact that God really will take care of everything we need.

So hang on, feel the power, and enjoy the ride. When the ride is over, and your car comes out of the last bunny hop and rolls back into the terminal, you’ll get to praise the designer and tell him how much you enjoyed the whole ride. Now this is important … You and I only get to ride this ride once; there is no “coming back next year”. When the ride is over we have to live forever with the results. When I get to heaven and am looking back on my life, I wonder what my souvenir photo is going to look like. Will I be surprised to find that Jesus was in the seat beside me the whole ride? Today I plan to let go, look forward, and enjoy both the ride and the view.

fun things that made me go hmmmm

So I like to collect these things I call “ponderings” … thinks that make you go “hmmmm.” I know I’m twisted a bit different than lots of folks but I find these funny to read and thought I’d share some of the best of them that I have collected through the years.

• If a robber tried to rob a dance club and yelled, "Everybody get down", would all the people start dancing?
• If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
• If your named Will and you are in the army do you get worried when people say fire at will?
• When you put 'THE' and 'IRS' together, it forms 'THEIRS'. Coincidence? I think not!
• If Dracula has no reflection, why did he always have such a straight part in his hair?
• If Milli Vanilli fell in the woods, would someone else make a sound?
• Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out"?
• How come you press harder on a remote control when you know the battery is dead?
• Do you need a silencer if you are going to kill a mime?
• Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
• Why does your nose "run" and your feet "smell"?
• Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
• Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know you don't have the money?
• Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
• Why do psychics have to ask you for your name? Ever notice how in the 60’s people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and the same people take Prozac to make it normal?
• Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
• What disease did cured ham actually have?
• If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
• Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway!
• Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
• If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
• Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one
talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Final food for thought: Statistics on sanity say that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends … if they're okay, then it's you.