Ordinary People

Recently, I went out hunting with...well...strangers. The morning of the hunt was the first we met. This meeting was a good reminder for us both. A reminder for ordinary people of ordinary people.

Prior to this meeting, we exchanged a few emails. With my signature reading All For Christ, the caution flags were raised on their end. You now...me being one of those church folk.

Me? Well...I often huddle with those church folk. Sometimes forgetting and leaving any outside this huddle. So, if it looks like a goose and talks like a goose, it's likely a goose. Guess at times I'm one of those church folk.

Really kind of sad and silly...how I often huddle with onlookers gaping and wondering. The huddle never growing. The onlookers never knowing. Huh?

In the end --- we learned, laughed, and chatted. And...don't forget hunted. They met one of those church folk and found he's ordinary people. And...the flip for me. It was a blast and a good reminder for us both...particularly me.

For 2010, let's break from the huddle as we know an extraordinary God who loves ordinary people. Until next year. Jed.

Dirty Laundry

A church and a pub just a few blocks apart. How do these worlds interact and intersect? Better yet...do these or should these worlds interact and intersect?

Let's travel back a few posts. Perhaps it's time for a reverse Jericho...with the church blowing their trumpets and allowing their walls to crumble. Sounds poetic. But, what does it mean? What does it mean for this church and this pub?

For some reason, these questions are craving my attention. Jumping up and down and waving their hands within my mind. So, I'm letting my walls crumble and venturing out into the world of what ifs...

- What if my church eliminated the word orphans throughout my county?
- What if my church opened a coffee house, counseling center, or laundry mat?
- What if my church provided attorneys or physicians to those without means?
- What if my church united with area churches on any of the above?

These what ifs engage the community and reach the lost. Take the simple laundry mat. The relationships and opportunities. The life change through simple soap and water. Potentially, bringing this church and this pub together.

Or...providing the attorney or physician to the struggling dad or mom. Helping preserve families and kids instead of despair and distraught through secondhand tales.

My church functioning and operating downtown next to the flower shop and insurance agent. Joining the Chamber of Commerce. Waving at the barber across the street. Loving every chime of the front door.

How much more does uniting with area churches impact and improve these what ifs?

So, what should my church be doing beyond their walls? These questions will likely jump and wave throughout my life. What I do know? Don't glance over. Rather buckle down. Break the rules. Stretch the thoughts. Who knows where God will lead! Until next time. Jed.

The Destiny Of Death

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

The destiny of death provokes emotions, fears, thoughts, and questions. Such as the why, where, when, and what if. However, this handful quickly fades and slips from within our grip. No matter the perseverance or strength. Only fading and slipping with the passing second, minute, hour, and day. So, all fairly irrelevant. Right? But, let's not underestimate the what if. This one only drops and falls. Dropping and falling. Breaking and shattering. Why? Because we simply let go!

What if I continually run from God's calling and leading?
What if I never healed or mended the relationship?
What if I never said I love you or I'm sorry?
What if I was wrong?

My wife's aunt passed away this past Saturday. Wrestling, struggling, and losing to cancer. The why, where, and when fading and slipping from within her grip. But, the what if firmly within her grip. She had the what if nailed. You see...she never let go. She trusted Christ with her life.

Perhaps you're thinking...so what? You're not alone. I know some family thinking the same. This thinking does not change the reality of Hebrews 9:27. Your destiny of death. Your judgment. Your reality. So...forget the why, where, or when. But, let's never let go. Let's nail the what if. Not tomorrow or even later today. Rather, right now! Before the sun sets and the what if becomes a has been.

God Has No Equal

Well…where to begin or end. I’m not sure. This past week is one to remember. Aunts struggling with cancer. Dads flirting with death. Families wrestling with doubt. Friends questioning and wondering. Why? Sound familiar? A lone voice calling and crying out. Why? Why that or why this? God seems to have vanished or at least taken a pause. 2009 is off to an interesting and intriguing start.

We all have a why…and this why may never be answered. What now? Does anything change without this answer? God remains constant as we toil and trod. God does not change! Right?

I’ll keep today’s post short and simple as the Word says it best (Isaiah 40:12-25).

Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?
No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket.
They are nothing more than dust on the scales.
He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand.
All the wood in Lebanon’s forests and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God.
The nations of the world are worth nothing to him.
In his eyes they count for less than nothing mere emptiness and froth.
To whom can you compare God?
What image can you find to resemble him?
Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?
Or, if people are too poor for that, they might at least choose wood that won’t decay and a skilled craftsman to carve an image that won’t fall down!
Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand?
Are you deaf to the words of God – the words he gave before the world began?
Are you so ignorant?
God sits above the circle of the earth.
The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!
He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them.
He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.
They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither.
The wind carries them off like chaff.
“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

So…give your why to God. It cannot be in better hands as God has no equal! Until next time. Jed.

Our House Lost Some Weight

We just had a successful garage sale this past weekend and our house feels lighter. After all...a cleansing or purging is good from time to time. The cloths. The games. The things one accumulates throughout life. At times, these things seem to be closing in. But...a simple garage sale seems to remedy this closing. Now...we have spare change to start the process from scratch. The phrase "Midwest Pack Rats" comes from somewhere. Certainly not us though. :-)
space
Sometimes I wish there were garage sales for life. Is there anything you want to get rid of? It's easy to sell cloths, games, and things. It's not so easy to sell grief, heartache, or unhappiness...the things in life that most carry around.
space
Can you see the advertisement? Slightly used grief, heartache, and unhappiness. $1.50 each or 3 for $3.00. Well kept and maintained. I doubt you would have much success. And...for once, goodwill may turn you away.
space
So...what does one do? Malachi 3 talks of the refiner's fire. A cleansing. A purging. There are garage sales for life. Not to minimize God through a silly correlation...but, God can and will cleanse and purge our life. Say goodbye to grief, heartache, and unhappiness. Stop relying on self and step into the refiner's fire.

space

Cleaning out our basement in preparation for the garage sale produced lots and lots of boxes. I did what every guy loves to do from time to time. Burn them. It was fun. Sitting in my driveway and watching the flames...I began to think of the above and thank God that we are His and His burden is light if only we let Him. Anyone up for a garage sale? Until next time. Jed.