When I was in high school drafting class we had an assignment to draw something. I took an HO train engine and drew it. It actually came out pretty good and when I finished, I felt pretty good about my drawing. Mr. Johnson agreed and gave me a good grade but he could never let a drawing go by without adding a few red marks here and there where improvements could be made.
Years later Sherri and my mom and dad took that drawing and framed it along with the HO scale train engine as a present. Today I walk by that train every day as it hangs in our hallway- you'll have to see it sometime. Anyway, that drawing came to mind as I was thinking about 'finishing' about how when you finish a big project you feel a real sense of accomplishment and pride. I remember that feeling with that drawing.
'It is finished'- Jesus' last words. A life perfectly lived. A perfect 'finish' as in a life polished to the highest degree of excellence. A perfect 'finish'- as in a life completed and perfect in all details. These two definitions of 'finish' fit Jesus' life perfectly don't they?
As Easter quickly approaches, we thank God for His perfect finished work- for His cry that 'It is finished'. The red marks on His body demonstrate His perfect love, not mistakes. They show the real cost of Atonement, of redemption. The big project of delivering righteousness to those of us who don't deserve it was finished perfectly, accomplished completely.
What does Easter morning mean in light of 'It is Finished'? To me it means He ain't finished with me! He's committed to finishing with me as well. Brandon Heath sings a refrain that runs through my mind often. He sings:
There is hope for me yet
Because God won’t forget
All the plans he’s made for me
I have to wait and see
He’s not finished with me yet
I love that last line- 'He's not finished with me yet'. Sanctification seems like such a big word just to say 'to make holy, to set apart, to purify'. 'Finishing' sounds much better- like I'm a work in progress. With His work on the cross finished, Jesus has begun a new work in me!
Seems to me sometimes that Jesus' perfect work on the cross might have been easier than the work, the training He does in me- which seems to keep getting lost in my attitudes and actions. Thankfully we have a faithful God who loves us with an Easter passion, an Easter joy, an Easter faithfulness. He won't quit on us- He didn't at the cross and He won't with you. Use His gifts of love and faith and grace to finish your race as He works on you- if you do, you have a shining perfect finish to look forward to.
Blest Regards,
kp
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
You are So WEIRD!!!
OK, here's something Sherri hates to hear me say. When we go to the grocery store and the checker asks, 'Do you want paper or plastic?' I reply, 'Paper. I want to save a plastic tree.' The polite checker smiles and Sherri shakes her head while offering a quiet apology for the bad humor. Then she looks at me and says, 'You are so weird.' To which I reply, 'At least I didn't marry weird.'
This past weekend Mate went to a TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) Retreat. On Sunday evening Sherri and I went to offer our support with other parents for the kids. And the evening had a 1970's Jesus Loves Me feel to it. The leader played some Christian folk songs on his guitar and led a devotional. Kinda odd, maybe a bit weird- but you know what, overall I'd have to say it was pretty good- weirdness and all. And Mate enjoyed the weekend growing in his faith which was the best news of all.
Weirdness- it's something most people want to avoid like the plaque. In a world where 'sameness' is safe, even cool, oddness is to be avoided. But that is not what Jesus did or what He calls us to is it? Take for example our Sunday school lesson this past week. Jesus is eating at the house of a Pharisee when a sinful woman comes in and starts washing Jesus' feet with her hair and her tears. The Pharisee says to himself (in my rough translation), 'Prophet, schmofit, if Jesus is who He says He is He'd know this chick and this weirdness would be put to an end.' Instead Jesus tells a parable with a sharp lesson for Simon and then forgives the woman all her sins.
One definition for weird in Dictionary.com is 'unusual character'. That struck me as a term of dual meanings. Certainly it could mean an 'odd person', but couldn't it also mean a person of extrodinary integrity? To possess 'unusual character' means to love those who don't deserve love, to do the right and ethical thing in difficult situations, to have an unflinching committment to ones principles. A church filled with people of unusual character would be a great thing wouldn't it?
The Bible is loaded with unusual characters of both sorts. Some folks fit both definitions like John the Baptist. Bug eaters even in Jesus' day were considered weird- even if they also had unusual character. Jesus Himself was thought by many to be weird. Don't believe it? Just two verses prior to the story of the sinful woman, Jesus is called a glutton, a drunkard and one who eats with sinners and tax collectors. That made Him one strange cat- weird!
The origin of the word 'weird' means 'to become' like the Weird Sisters in Greek mythology who controlled human destiny, what people became (and because of their odd appearance we got our modern definition of weird). I like that original meaning of weird- 'becoming'. From our Christian perspective we are all 'becoming' a new creation through God's handiwork. We are God's 'weirdness' if you will, people becoming a new creation of unusual character through His touch.
Let's work on our weirdness this week- love God, demonstrate your love for others, get into the Word, stand firm on your principles- to do otherwise would not be very becoming of you! By the power of the Holy Spirit I pray you will have your weirdest week ever. And one last thing, as you become the person God has called you to be, make sure to always ask for paper, and save a plastic tree.
Weird Regards,
kp
This past weekend Mate went to a TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) Retreat. On Sunday evening Sherri and I went to offer our support with other parents for the kids. And the evening had a 1970's Jesus Loves Me feel to it. The leader played some Christian folk songs on his guitar and led a devotional. Kinda odd, maybe a bit weird- but you know what, overall I'd have to say it was pretty good- weirdness and all. And Mate enjoyed the weekend growing in his faith which was the best news of all.
Weirdness- it's something most people want to avoid like the plaque. In a world where 'sameness' is safe, even cool, oddness is to be avoided. But that is not what Jesus did or what He calls us to is it? Take for example our Sunday school lesson this past week. Jesus is eating at the house of a Pharisee when a sinful woman comes in and starts washing Jesus' feet with her hair and her tears. The Pharisee says to himself (in my rough translation), 'Prophet, schmofit, if Jesus is who He says He is He'd know this chick and this weirdness would be put to an end.' Instead Jesus tells a parable with a sharp lesson for Simon and then forgives the woman all her sins.
One definition for weird in Dictionary.com is 'unusual character'. That struck me as a term of dual meanings. Certainly it could mean an 'odd person', but couldn't it also mean a person of extrodinary integrity? To possess 'unusual character' means to love those who don't deserve love, to do the right and ethical thing in difficult situations, to have an unflinching committment to ones principles. A church filled with people of unusual character would be a great thing wouldn't it?
The Bible is loaded with unusual characters of both sorts. Some folks fit both definitions like John the Baptist. Bug eaters even in Jesus' day were considered weird- even if they also had unusual character. Jesus Himself was thought by many to be weird. Don't believe it? Just two verses prior to the story of the sinful woman, Jesus is called a glutton, a drunkard and one who eats with sinners and tax collectors. That made Him one strange cat- weird!
The origin of the word 'weird' means 'to become' like the Weird Sisters in Greek mythology who controlled human destiny, what people became (and because of their odd appearance we got our modern definition of weird). I like that original meaning of weird- 'becoming'. From our Christian perspective we are all 'becoming' a new creation through God's handiwork. We are God's 'weirdness' if you will, people becoming a new creation of unusual character through His touch.
Let's work on our weirdness this week- love God, demonstrate your love for others, get into the Word, stand firm on your principles- to do otherwise would not be very becoming of you! By the power of the Holy Spirit I pray you will have your weirdest week ever. And one last thing, as you become the person God has called you to be, make sure to always ask for paper, and save a plastic tree.
Weird Regards,
kp
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Git er Done!
Some words just strike me as being important and worth remembering. 'First, and foremost show up. Then do the good that lies nearest.' The words are not Scriptural, they come from the 'Spiritual Memoir' of James O'Donnell entitled, 'Walking with Arthur. But they made me stop and think about the importance of doing.
Of course 'doing' is very Scriptural. James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Maybe you are more familiar with the Apostle Larry the Cable Guy's shorter version of this verse- 'git er done'.
I love the word study James 1:22 presents. What we translate as 'be', really could read 'keep becoming' as in keep becoming doers of the Word. And 'doers' (poiew in the original Greek) can mean an 'agent' but really so much more. Here's a starter list: to be the authors of, the cause of, to make ready, to prepare, to produce, bear, shoot forth, to acquire, to provide. Doing can take alot of forms can't it?
Thinking about this hit home for me as this past week we received our VBS materials. Sherri and I are beginning the process of working through the material to determine what we need and what our Egyptian VBS will look like. Here's the point, nothing we do as a church for outreach in my mind is as important as VBS. It's not about adding members to the church roles either, it's about being used by the Holy Spirit to create and build faith in children and parents. What could we 'do' that would be more important than this?
In my readings this week three different times 'discipleship' was the main point. Each author wrote about the importance of 'doing'. They brought to mind for me a Bible Study where we learned Jesus' disciples weren't interested in knowing what Jesus knew as much as they were interested in being what Jesus was. Their focus was more on 'learning to do' than it was on 'hearing to know.' I think today's church, maybe even our church often reverses that priority. What do you think?
Do you remember when Jesus walked over to a fig for a bite to eat? The tree was full of leaves pretending to be fruitful, but Jesus found none and cursed the tree which then promptly withered. A church pretending to be fruitful is likely to meet the same fate. Leonard Sweet in his book '11' wonders if the only difference between yogurt and your church is that yogurt has a living active culture in it. We need to be about Jesus' call to make disciples. We're gonna have the opportunity to do just that in our VBS this August. I want you to help in this mission of fruitfulness.
I know we are saved by faith- a great gift of God. I also know that faith that flourishes produces fruit. The time has come for us to put our faith in action, to share the Gospel with a church full of kids. The time has come to 'show up and do the nearest good'. The time has come to 'git er done'! See you fruity people Sunday.
Blest regards,
kp
Of course 'doing' is very Scriptural. James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Maybe you are more familiar with the Apostle Larry the Cable Guy's shorter version of this verse- 'git er done'.
I love the word study James 1:22 presents. What we translate as 'be', really could read 'keep becoming' as in keep becoming doers of the Word. And 'doers' (poiew in the original Greek) can mean an 'agent' but really so much more. Here's a starter list: to be the authors of, the cause of, to make ready, to prepare, to produce, bear, shoot forth, to acquire, to provide. Doing can take alot of forms can't it?
Thinking about this hit home for me as this past week we received our VBS materials. Sherri and I are beginning the process of working through the material to determine what we need and what our Egyptian VBS will look like. Here's the point, nothing we do as a church for outreach in my mind is as important as VBS. It's not about adding members to the church roles either, it's about being used by the Holy Spirit to create and build faith in children and parents. What could we 'do' that would be more important than this?
In my readings this week three different times 'discipleship' was the main point. Each author wrote about the importance of 'doing'. They brought to mind for me a Bible Study where we learned Jesus' disciples weren't interested in knowing what Jesus knew as much as they were interested in being what Jesus was. Their focus was more on 'learning to do' than it was on 'hearing to know.' I think today's church, maybe even our church often reverses that priority. What do you think?
Do you remember when Jesus walked over to a fig for a bite to eat? The tree was full of leaves pretending to be fruitful, but Jesus found none and cursed the tree which then promptly withered. A church pretending to be fruitful is likely to meet the same fate. Leonard Sweet in his book '11' wonders if the only difference between yogurt and your church is that yogurt has a living active culture in it. We need to be about Jesus' call to make disciples. We're gonna have the opportunity to do just that in our VBS this August. I want you to help in this mission of fruitfulness.
I know we are saved by faith- a great gift of God. I also know that faith that flourishes produces fruit. The time has come for us to put our faith in action, to share the Gospel with a church full of kids. The time has come to 'show up and do the nearest good'. The time has come to 'git er done'! See you fruity people Sunday.
Blest regards,
kp
Monday, March 8, 2010
Outsides and Insides
I think I've lost track of the number of plagues I've been through thanks to my cancer adventure. Let's see, there's lost appetite, nausea, loss of energy, some hearing loss, neuropathy, hair loss, loss of feeling in my neck, shoulder issues and now the latest addition- acne. Acne is the most common side effect of my new weekly chemo treatments.
As far as side effects go acne isn't so bad, just a bit annoying. Like hair loss, its more noticeable to others and so maybe I'm a bit more self-conscious about it. The good news is the medicine I 'm taking to clear it up is working pretty well.
Thinking about all this it struck me that the health issues people can see on me aren't the real problems- just side effects. I mean loss of hair and acne aren't really major health concerns. It's the cancer that no one sees that should be and is the main concern. That's why I'm continuing chemo, to keep the cancer from causing any more problems.
And we can apply this same thinking to our own lives- that the cancer of sin lives in each of us and no one sees it. Yet the side effects of our sin do spill out into the open on occasion- anger, poor choices, bad attitudes, harsh words or worse. And maybe these are the things we are most self-conscious and concerned about, the side effects of sin.
The problem is that while we might be able to mask or minimize some of these public side effects, what we really need to do is treat the underlying issue; the sin-cancer. At a minimum we need to have weekly treatments like I get. We need to be in church, getting full doses of forgiveness and faith and grace and hope through God's richest gifts of sacraments and His Word. Adding daily doses of prayer and God's Word to our treatment plan would be even better!
I think I'm bordering here on writing a simple-minded preachy analogy which is something I try to deliberately stay away from. But I don't want to erase it and start over because at the core I think we are all at some level more concerned about outward appearances than what's going on inside us. My point is not treating cancer is a life-threatening choice and not dealing with sin is an eternal life threatening choice. Insides matter more than outsides.
I'm glad my acne is going away- I was looking a little rough there for awhile. But I'll be way happier in a couple months when scans show my insides are clear. This week I'm encouraging a faith treatment for everyone on Sunday, some confession and absolution, repentance and forgiveness. A visit with the Great Physician is always a good thing!
Blest Regards,
Keith
As far as side effects go acne isn't so bad, just a bit annoying. Like hair loss, its more noticeable to others and so maybe I'm a bit more self-conscious about it. The good news is the medicine I 'm taking to clear it up is working pretty well.
Thinking about all this it struck me that the health issues people can see on me aren't the real problems- just side effects. I mean loss of hair and acne aren't really major health concerns. It's the cancer that no one sees that should be and is the main concern. That's why I'm continuing chemo, to keep the cancer from causing any more problems.
And we can apply this same thinking to our own lives- that the cancer of sin lives in each of us and no one sees it. Yet the side effects of our sin do spill out into the open on occasion- anger, poor choices, bad attitudes, harsh words or worse. And maybe these are the things we are most self-conscious and concerned about, the side effects of sin.
The problem is that while we might be able to mask or minimize some of these public side effects, what we really need to do is treat the underlying issue; the sin-cancer. At a minimum we need to have weekly treatments like I get. We need to be in church, getting full doses of forgiveness and faith and grace and hope through God's richest gifts of sacraments and His Word. Adding daily doses of prayer and God's Word to our treatment plan would be even better!
I think I'm bordering here on writing a simple-minded preachy analogy which is something I try to deliberately stay away from. But I don't want to erase it and start over because at the core I think we are all at some level more concerned about outward appearances than what's going on inside us. My point is not treating cancer is a life-threatening choice and not dealing with sin is an eternal life threatening choice. Insides matter more than outsides.
I'm glad my acne is going away- I was looking a little rough there for awhile. But I'll be way happier in a couple months when scans show my insides are clear. This week I'm encouraging a faith treatment for everyone on Sunday, some confession and absolution, repentance and forgiveness. A visit with the Great Physician is always a good thing!
Blest Regards,
Keith
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