Engaging Scripture

On taking a sabbatical to get ripped abs… – 1st Corinthians 10:14-22

I debated talking about American Idols in this post. Not the show American Idol, but the idols that we Americans worship, no matter if we are Christians or not. Money, consumerism, material things.

I think it is important to mention those, but I’ve talked a lot about them already. Might there be other forms of idolatry that we need to think about. Admittedly, idolatry can be a bit confusing. We American Christians aren’t tempted, for the most part, to offer sacrifices in pagan temples to false gods made of stone, wood, clay or metal. In our area, those kinds of temples are pretty much non-existent. So when we hear Paul talk about idolatry, as we did in this past Sunday’s sermon from 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, it can be kind of hard to identify with.

What comes to your mind when you think of idols in our culture? Do you know if you yourself worship an idol? I posed this question to some of my pastor friends this week, and I got a number of great responses.

We start with a definition of idolatry. When you can’t point to a statue in a temple and say “That! There is an idol”, you have to look at the principle of idolatry. Idolatry can be a concept and idea, as much as it is a physical statue. One pastor said this: idolatry is so often “When a good thing becomes a god thing, that’s a bad thing”. I didn’t make that up. Can’t take credit for it. But I like it.

There are so many things in our lives that God has blessed us with that are good things. But those things can become gods to us. Lower-case g. False gods.

That pastor said that they knew someone who had idolize movies. Movies are a very good thing. But someone could start to expect more of those movies than they should. They can go to the movies to escape life. The big screen (or better yet IMAX!), exciting filming, intense music, great stories and acting all come together to give you a wonderful feeling. The experience of seeing a movie can be so cool. But we can start to expect more out of a movie than what we should expect. We can put movie in a place of God. For example, we can want it to ease the pain of life, take us away to another place. And for a moment in time it does. But the credits roll, the lights come up, and we walk out of the theater, the experience over, with an empty feeling that slowly seeps back in. We’ve made a god out of the experience. That is Idolatry.

We should be participating with Christ and Christ alone. We should be finding our fulfillment in him alone!

Another pastor friend said: “The Bible, worship service, family, I realize these are all counter intuitive and in and of themselves are not idols but they can become idols when they are substituted for trust in and obedience to Jesus.” That one led to some lengthy discussion in our sermon discussion group! But all those good things can become god things, and that is a bad thing. How can the Bible become idolatry, you ask? Good question. Think about it this way: the Pharisees in Jesus’ day would say that they were dedicated followers of the Bible (the Old Testament for them). But Jesus confronted them strongly, and said repeatedly that they were way off base. Why? Because they worshipped a Bible of their own making. How many times did Jesus say things like “Guys! Do you read the Bible? How is it that you don’t know what it says?” Pretty harsh, but true, words to the religious elite who were supposed to know the Bible inside and out. Instead they were following something that they called the Bible, and maybe that they even thought was the actual Bible, but, as Jesus pointed out, wasn’t anything like the Bible. They idolized their own version. Can you think how we evangelical Christians do something like this in our day? At sermon discussion what came up was Sabbath rules, like forbidding mowing the lawn on Sunday. There are many other more serious examples we could point to, examples of so-called doctrines that Christians are taught to be adamant about, but are not justified when doing serious study of Scripture. I think it would be very helpful to talk more about this, so please feel free to comment.

Another pastor friend said: “The greatest idol is the one looking back at us in the mirror. As long as we keep saying things like “God has a perfect plan for MY life”, the idol gains more power. Once in control, it won’t allow us to even consider the wisdom of humility, repentance, and sacrifice for something so much bigger than “me”. The idol in the mirror must die.”

For me, exercise and body image easily could become an idol. We see pictures all the time, on TV, online, of people with perfectly toned bodies. Here’s where the crazy comes out. I actually had this thought the other day…I have a pouch down there on my belly. I started working out in late 2009, and while I lost a lot of weight, I have done sit-ups days upon days and the pouch remains. It is frustrating, but to be honest, I know what it will take to get rid of it. I read an article about Hollywood actors who get toned in a short period of time. You know what I mean: the ladies who have a baby and three weeks later it looks like they were never pregnant? How do they do it? The article interviewed a famous Hollywood trainer who said, it’s simple…kinda: just work out hard 3 hours per day, eat 2000 calories or less per day, and sleep 10 hours per day. In other words, your full-time job needs to be getting in shape. Who has that time though? If I tried that now, it would be easy to see how a good thing became a god thing and that’s a bad thing.

Watch the crazy come come out: so I thought, what if I took a sabbatical to do this? Our denomination suggests that churches give pastors sabbaticals…

But before you start to think that I seriously entertained that suggestion, a sabbatical so I get ripped abs, you see just how quickly a good thing becomes a bad thing in our minds.

What about you? Have you let anything take the place of God in your life?

American idols?

Do a Google image search for “idolatry in America” and the results are interesting. What is idolatry in America?

If we were in many countries around the world today, and I asked a group of Christians that same question, “What is idolatry?” then could walk you out the front doors of the place they were meeting for worship, point down the street to the Hindu temple and say “right down there…they have idols made of wood and metal that they worship.”

Here in the USA we have Hindu temples, as well as other religions that worship idols. In Lancaster, though, those idols are very hard to find. A few years ago I did a ride-along with a local police officer, who wanted to show me some areas in our township where we have section 8 housing that our church might be able to help out with. Just as we were getting into the car, he got a call for a drug bust at a local hotel. After they arrested the suspects, the officer came back to his car where I nervously waited, and he said “Come here, you gotta see this.” With all kinds of police personnel around, I walked into the hotel room and there on the counter was a statue of a Buddha. In Lancaster County I found an idol. Why in the world a couple of small-time drug dealers had an idol in a dingy hotel room, who knows.

But that is rare. I have learned not to be surprised by much anymore, but I would be surprised if I learned that one of you worshiped a statue of an idol in your home. There are, however, many other kinds of idols. And those other kinds of idols might very well be in your homes.

They can be difficult to pinpoint though. But we’re going to try.

A few years ago, I preached a series based on a seminary class, American Idols: Money & Consumerism. I agree that those things could easily be idols. But why? What is idolatry? And is it possible that other things can become idols too? That’s what we’re talking about on Sunday!

How to defeat temptation – 1st Corinthians 10:1-13

What tempts you? Delicious foods? Overindulgence of food? TV shows? Hobbies? Possessions? A new car? Men? Women? You name it.

Temptation in and of itself is simply an invitation. Admittedly, it is a very enticing, powerful invitation that can be hard to turn away from. How do you say “no” to temptation? Is it possible to be strong enough? In 1st Corinthians 10:1-13, Paul says that we need to be careful that we don’t think of ourselves as stronger than we really are. Instead we need to be strengthened by God to stand up under the temptation.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

I love and I hate that image. I love it because it is real. Temptation doesn’t just go away like I wish it would. And Paul is saying that, despite my protestations to the contrary, God doesn’t always just remove the temptation. In fact, it seems most often he allows it to remain. That’s why I hate this image. The image of Atlas holding up the world, or a weightlifter standing up under a heavy barbell. I want life to be easy, comfortable, and temptation is the opposite. I don’t know that I want to be strengthened to stand up under temptation because that means I have to deal with temptation. I often don’t want to deal with it at all. But there is God saying that he will strengthen us to stand up under temptation.

How does that work, though? How does God strengthen us to defeat temptation?

First, like Paul said, we need to be careful that we don’t fall, if we think we are standing firm. Admit our weaknesses. Be honest about it. It will do no good lying to yourself and others. Admit it straight up. The first step toward victory is admitting that you have a temptation. Admit it to yourself first. Then admit it to the Lord. Take it to him in prayer.

Remember the Lord’s Prayer? “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” I love that because it is admission of our weakness, and it is a cry out to the Lord for help! That line from the Lord’s Prayer should be on the tips of our tongues all day long. It says “Lord, I don’t have the strength to be holy like you want to be holy. Would you strengthen me? Would you help me stand up under the temptation?”

Second, talk about it with others. We ALL struggle. We’re not the only ones.

And getting it out in the open with people will do a couple things. 1. Verify that you are not alone, and that you are not the only. It is encouraging when you realize that others are struggling alongside you. 2. It will lead toward accountability.

The internet is one of the most tempting places ever invented. If you are standing firm, be careful you don’t fall. Put internet filters on your computers and on your cell phones. There are a number of excellent options. Write down these names: Accountable2You, Covenant Eyes, and X3. I have X3 on my laptop. We have Covenant Eyes on our home computer. This is for men and women!

These filters/accountability software programs are great ways that you can be strengthened to stand up under temptation.

Another big one that Paul brings up is that the Israelites grumbled. Again, men and women: When things got tough, they got so negative. What about you? How do you handle the difficulties, the difficult people? Do you quickly get negative, grumble, complain? Look over your Facebook posts from the last few weeks. Are they fussy, critical, and complaining? There is a way out. Before you type the words and hit the “post” button, are you evaluating yourself? Do you have someone in your life that can speak honestly to you, if your attitude, your words are negative.

If you need to make a change somehow, then make a change!

Finally, make your temptations a matter of prayer. Paul says that the Lord will strengthen you to stand up under the temptation.

Feel free to discuss below, and listen to the whole sermon here.

Books & Performance Reviews – The Monday Messy Office Report – July 7, 2014

My Friday tidy office is mysteriously messy on Monday! Here’s what I found this week:

1. Two books: No names in the books, no note with them explaining why they are in my office. One copy of Loren Cunningham’s Daring to Live on the Edge: The Adventure of Faith and Finances. And one copy of The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible: New American Standard Version. I have a feeling the Bible is for the missionary project I mentioned last week, but if so, I’m wondering if the Hebrew-Greek Study Bible could be an intimidating choice for a person receiving a Bible for the first time. You ought to see this thing. There are numbers next to three or four words in every single verse. In the back those numbers correspond to Hebrew and Greek words, with the idea that a person could dig a bit deeper to learn how about the decisions the translation team made. Personally, I have been very intrigued and blessed by studying the original languages of the Bible. I sometimes joke that my job is largely working with dead languages. In the last ten years or so I have relied heavily on Logos Bible Software, and I recommend it highly. But I don’t think it would be wise to give original language materials to someone desiring to the read the Bible for the first time! Either way, it was a very nice gesture, and it will be perfect for our missionary to give to someone he knows who would be ready for that deeper kind of study. The Cunningham book looks interesting. Cunningham founded Youth With A Mission years ago and is a respected voice. Since a couple of Ladies are about to revitalize (think resurrection) our church library, perhaps this could be a title for that collection. I’m super excited about their ideas for the new library!

2. Staff evaluations: There were some envelopes with staff evaluations in my office. I get evaluated every year by our Pastoral Relations Committee, and I help evaluate the staff every year. Do you get evaluated? It is not fun. It is also not fun being the reviewer.

Even when the evaluation is overwhelmingly good, the reviewers feel they have to include some kind of critique. And usually the positive parts get talked about for 10% of the meeting, though the positive parts are 90% of the evaluation! So as we begin having annual evaluations, I hope they are honest, helpful, and redemptive! Correcting what needs to be corrected. Affirming what needs to be affirmed. Providing hope and encouragement for the next year. So if you are getting evaluated in your job, here’s a little clip to get you psyched up for it:

Now it’s time to clean up!

Buffets & Temptation

We have a lot of buffets in Lancaster. A Grand Smorgasbord is just down the road one way, and another one is close too. Then there are the Chinese buffets battling to outdo one another in their scope and size.

I’ll admit it, I love buffets.

The idea that you pay one price and can eat all you want is very enticing to me. I walk through row after row of serving tables loaded with food and think that I will beat the system. I not only want to get my money’s worth, I want the restaurant to lose money on me. It is very easy to argue that this is good stewardship of God’s money. If I only pay $10, but I eat $20 worth of food, than I just got a good deal right. I’m laughing inwardly at those stupid restaurant owners who created the idea of a buffet in the first place. Who came up with that proposition to lose money, I think to myself.

As I indulge. Overeat. Stuff my face.

See those words. Indulge. Maybe there is more to the buffet for me than getting a good deal. Maybe there is a temptation. I suspect I’m not the only one.

A friend of mine worked for a company who did some work at the granddaddy of all smorgasbords near us, and he told me that they had a special request for the plumbing when they expanded their building. They wanted extra-large pipes coming from their commodes to avoid the clogging that people were frequently causing in their old building. I wonder why??? Could it be the result of overindulgence?

Today we talk about temptation, how some people were faced with powerful temptations, how they indulged. See 1st Corinthians 10:1-13 as you prepare for worship this morning.

We’ll talk about what it can mean to defeat temptation rather than having it defeat you. Join us!

Full (or Fool?) Marathons & Beating Our Bodies – 1st Corinthians 9:19-27

Running has been an exciting part of my life for the past 5 years. As we continue studying the letter of 1st Corinthians, in the section from this past Sunday, Paul talks about running to get a prize and the necessary training that goes into getting in shape. I started training for the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon which is taking place on my 40th birthday, September 6th. So I get the training part, especially on a crazy humid morning like we had today. And yet, as some of you have found out, there is a joy to be found in training. Your body can grow to like it, even crave it.

Crave training? Beating our bodies?

I introduced the sermon by talking about self-enslavement to everyone. Paul starts off the section (1 Cor. 9:19-27) by talking about self-enslavement. Now at the end of the section, he come full circle back to this slave stuff. “I beat my body and make it my slave.” My goodness, Paul. I think this is part of the reason why some people don’t like you.

On one hand Paul is talking about his personal practice of discipleship to Jesus. He wants his body to be in check, he doesn’t want to sin. And we should follow that pattern. Are you a spiritually disciplined person? Is your body in check? Spiritually, physically, emotionally? Disciples of Jesus, Paul is saying, surrender their bodies to a training regimen. Not because we’re into pain. But as he says at the end of the passage: “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

As much as this passage can seem like Paul-crazy-talk, two things he refers to actually turn out to be great blessings from self-enslavement: 1. Reaching others for Christ and 2. Winning the prize.

The prize. Yeah! I want the prize. In marathon training there are a couple prizes. The first is just finishing! When I ran my first marathon, even after having completed the 18-week training regimen, I was still nervous and could hardly sleep, wondering if I would actually be able to finish the whole 26.2 miles. The Baltimore Running Festival includes a marathon and half marathon simultaneously. The full marathoners are given small bibs saying “Full” to distinguish them from the halfers. One of my friends, hurting badly after the race, wondered aloud if those bibs ought to say “Fool”! In fact the odd distance of 26.2 miles has a scary history that could add anxiety to an already nervous first-time marathoner. Check it out on Wikipedia…the very first marathoner died after running. Thankfully the group of us that ran all finished! Just crossing that finish line was a prize.

But when you do cross the line, you actually get a real prize! The finisher medal. If you’re really, really good, you might win your age bracket, or the whole thing. I cross-referenced my score, and I would have won the 55 year old women’s category. So my prizes for the two marathons and one half marathon that I ran in the past three years are finisher medals and I treasure them.

Paul is not talking about that kind of prize; he is talking about the spiritual prize. To hear about that jump back to Philippians 3:10-17. The prize of abundant life in Christ, and eternal life in heaven. That is the amazing blessing that is in store for us when we beat our bodies and make them slaves.

I wonder if there are some untrained, undisciplined, spiritually flabby people who have not beat their bodies, who have not entered into spiritual self-enslavement, and yet who are expecting to win the prize. I think Paul would say that those people never truly knew Jesus. When Jesus made himself a slave for us, we need to respond with joy, with thankfulness, with love and burst out of the gate to become slaves for him. Jesus is the prime example of one who practice self-enslavement, beating his body, so that he might reach people.

This is a challenging section for me.

How is it challenging for you? Are you practicing self-enslavement, beating your body in order that God might use you to share his love with people in your life? Do you know your neighbors? Do you know your regular hair dresser? Barber? Do you know the local market stand owner? How do you relate to them? The people at the gym? The parents of your children’s friends? Are you/Am I willing to sacrifice my comfort, my time, my emotional energy to be involved in another’s life…People’s lives are messy (I know this because I know my own life is messy)…and we become all things (parent, counselor, banker, taxi driver, etc …) at different times to different people – for the purpose of being like Jesus – who gave all and became all for us.

Gift Card, Bibles, Proposals, Letter from Lawyer – Monday Messy Office Report – June 30, 2014

My Friday tidy office is mysteriously messy on Monday. Here’s what I found today:

1. Note about lunch…because of a gift card!: The note was from my wife, Michelle, saying that she had taken the kids to lunch, and I could meet them there. I attended a special meeting of one of our ministry committees after Sunday School, and I would meet them at the restaurant late. For us going out to eat was a treat. First, yesterday was our anniversary. But Michelle and I had gone out for an anniversary dinner the evening before. We went out again because, second, we got a gift card. It came in the mail last week anonymously, along with a super nice anniversary card. If you sent the card, and you’re reading this, we are so grateful!

2. Stack of Bibles: Our church has a decades-long relationship with a missionary based in the Philly. We have regularly spent time with him doing outreaches of all shapes and sizes. From sidewalk Sunday Schools in some of the toughest neighborhoods of the city to Christmas stocking giveaways at Philly schools. We’ve joined him for casual conversations with students on Philly’s college campuses as well as cleaning at a Philly homeless shelter. Later this summer we’ll join him for a new outreach, working with homeless people in neighboring Camden, NJ. Part of the process is that we’re collecting extra Bibles. I already have a stack on my shelf. But this new stack has been donated in the last week or so. Have an extra Bible that you would be willing to donate?

3. Pile of proposals: In 2009 Faith Church started a strategic planning process, and yesterday we held a special congregational meeting to vote on one element of that planning process. Leading up to that meeting we made proposal packets so people in our congregation could know what we were voting about. Basically we are changing the way we select leaders. My wife and I receive The Week magazine, a generous gift from a relative. One regular column in The Week is “Boring, But Important” and it is usually something that happened in Congress or the Supreme Court. At our congregational meeting we were voting to make rather sweeping changes to our church by-laws. Very boring. Not nearly as flashy as changing something about worship. Our church by-laws and governance stays pretty much behind the scenes, whereas worship is front and center every week. And yet our by-laws, our governance is inestimably important. I told our congregation after the meeting that if I had a do-over six years ago when I became senior pastor, this is the first thing I would encourage.

4. Letter from a Lawyer: After nearly two years, we finally received this letter! It could turn out to be minimal, who knows. One of our long-time members passed away in September 2012, and afterward her lawyer notified us that our church was named as a 10% beneficiary in her will. At the time, I had been at the church ten years and had not encountered that before. The executor of her estate would have to make sure all bills are paid, and then the money would be disbursed. Two years later! Who knew it would take that long??? Late last week we finally got the letter from the lawyer we were waiting for, the form we sign and have notarized saying basically that we agree with everything. Once all the beneficiaries return their signed forms, the executor will make payments. Two years ago when I first received the letter informing us the church was named as a beneficiary, and now as we anticipate payment, I’m reminder of what a wonderful idea this is. That even in her death, this lady wanted to bless the church. I’ve heard stories recently about people like Sting, Simon Cowell and Bill & Melinda Gates who have purposefully written their wills so their kids don’t have trust funds. So these people are using their wealth to make a difference in the world. And they want their kids to learn the value of hard work. Perhaps we should all think about that in regards to our own wills, giving a portion of our estates away to God’s Kingdom.

Now it’s time to clean up!

Self-enslavement? To everyone?…A good thing?

After a few weeks off from studying for a new sermon, I am back at it, and I have to admit I’m a bit nervous. I almost always look forward to preaching, something that has grown on me over the years. But there are still a few Sundays that I don’t look forward to it. There was this one, for example, where the material was controversial, and I wondered if I was going to tick off people in the church. (Thankfully, in that case, I think it went very well, but, boy, was I sweating!) As I look down the road in the 1st Corinthians series, I see a few more of those coming. More on that in mid-July when we start a long sub-series through 1st Corinthians chapters 11-14 all about worship.

This week though, there is a different reason for my anxiety. Once again it is the material, though not that it is controversial. Instead 1st Corinthians 9:19-27, the passage I’ll be preaching, is intense. Take a look and you’ll see what I mean.

I like the passage a lot, especially because it talks about running, and running has been a exciting part of my life for the past 5 years. Paul talks about running to get a prize and the necessary training that goes into getting in shape. I started training for the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon which is taking place on my 40th birthday, September 6th. So I get the training part. In fact, as others of you have found out, there is a joy to be found in training.

But Paul has some other things to say that weird me out a bit. These are the intense parts that I referred to already. As the title of the post indicates, Paul says that one of the things he did was to practice self-enslavement to everyone. Does anyone else read that and think, “Really?” What does that mean? Self-enslavement. And why to everyone? Isn’t he going a bit far?

In that passage Paul gives us a peak into his heart and mind. We will be tempted to say “Really?”, doubting him, or rationalize in other ways like “Well, that’s nice…for Paul! But not for me. He was special.” That might be fine for him, but not for the rest of us. As you prepare for worship on Sunday, I urge you to read this passage and ask the Lord to help you avoid that kind of rationalization. Ask him to help you receive his word. Believe me, I’m praying that right along with you. This passage has me quaking a bit because it describes a passion for Christ and his kingdom that puts mine to shame. I will be preaching not from a position of saying “follow me” like Paul could say. Instead I’ll be preaching this sermon to myself.

One of the fears I have in a sermon like this is that it will scare people off. Paul sets the bar high. But he also talks about blessings. Is it possible that setting the bar high will lead to blessings? What I mean is this, is it possible that a life of self-enslavement to everyone might actually be better than we think? Join us on Sunday and we’ll find out.

Poop Cards, Gift Bag, Projector Box, Christian Junk Mail – Monday Messy Office Report – Vacation edition – June 24, 2014

After 3200 miles, we arrived home last Friday evening from a wonderful vacation in Round Rock, Texas with my wife, Michelle’s, cousin’s family. It was great to get away, see new sights, spend time with family who have become very important to us, and make a road trip memory we’ll never forget. But as with any vacation, you probably know the feeling, I have returned to a very messy office. The weekend and Monday morning were full with family and church events, so I am just now working on clean-up. My email inbox was insane, and that was after filtering out a lot of junk during vacation…

Here’s what I found in my office:

1. Projector boxes: Our sanctuary projector is fixed! Later this week, I’ll set it back up. Think about something with me, though. The bill for the repair was $1929.57. To be honest, that number makes me a bit sick in the stomach. …Uh excuse me a second…knock at the door… Ok, I’m back and this is wild, not making this up. A representative from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church that rents our church on Saturday mornings just stopped in to drop off their regularly monthly rent check, and they included a check to pay some of the projector repair!

2. Father’s Day gift bag: We weren’t here at Faith Church on Father’s day, so I think this is a bit of what I missed. Our Children’s Ministry had a special Muffins with Moms fellowship time on Mother’s Day, then on Father’s Day they had Donuts with Dad. And I missed it! So thanks to whomever still gave me the gift bag!

3. Card made from Poop: I have no idea why this is on my desk. My wife had picked up some of these in Cambodia on one of her travels there with Imagine Goods, but that was years ago and I thought I had used up my supply. Yes, that is a picture of an elephant doing poo. And yes, they literally take elephant poo and recycled paper and turn them into handmade cards. A label on the back of the card says “the production of the paper and cards provides employment for rural Cambodians and all income produced supports the five elephants of Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center – Lucky, Chhouk, Po, Naram & Jamran as they were kind enough to digest and produce our raw materials.” There are few things I can think of that are more awesome than that. Except maybe my all-time favorite joke, courtesy of Monty Python: What is brown and sounds like a bell? Duuuuuuuuung!

4. Christian Junk Mail: When I’m in the office, receiving the mail daily, I guess I’ve gotten used to it, a piece of junk mail here and there. But over the course of 10 days away, it became a formidable pile. Here’s a sampling of the highlights.

Company sending samples of their Gospel tracts
World social agency letter…and a duplicate copy of the mailing from the same world social agency
Church t-shirt company brochure
A Christmas 2014 music catalogue
another ugh…a duplicate of the t-shirt company brochure

Guess how much of this kind of mail we actually open? We get bombarded with it. I have a hard time believing that companies actually benefit from these mass mailings, yet they must. Why else would they keep paying to send them? As I think about it, this junk reminds me of the Evangelical machine, and I wonder how far off track we are. Don’t get me wrong. The world social agency that sent two of the exact same letters to our church is doing some amazing things in the name of Jesus’ heart for justice. Our church has partnered with that agency in the past and may do so again in the future. But when I saw that stack of mail I got a nauseating feeling about it all. I don’t believe I know how to respond, and quite frankly part of my knee-jerk reaction is to avoid dealing with it by throwing all the mail away. With that in mind…

Now its time to clean up this mess!

Guest Speakers: Sarah Thebarge and Bruce Hill

This past week Faith Church has heard from a couple different guest speakers, and I urge you to give them each a listen.

Sarah Thebarge was with us this past Thursday evening. Sarah grew up in Lancaster County, but after graduating from high school, her life’s journey has taken her to California, Yale, New York City and Portland. But more than travels, Sarah tells the story of her battle with cancer, and how she experienced God’s love from a surprising place…Somalia, through the lives of a family of Somali refugees she met by chance in a train in Portland. If you have ever doubted God’s love, Sarah’s story will resonate with you. She talked about the story of Hagar from Genesis 16, and the God who sees. If you have experienced the devastating pain of cancer, you need to read her story. You can purchase her book The Invisible Girls here and you can follow her blog here.

Then on Sunday our Bishop Bruce Hill and his wife Gloria were with us for Worship in the Park. The weather was gorgeous. I love Worship in the Park for so many reasons. Being in the community, the clear picture that the church is not the building, but the people! Bishop Bruce preached a powerful sermon from Ephesians 4. Are you mature? The image that came to my mind when he was preaching was of a full-grown person, except for their left leg. That leg had never grown. Instead it is still a chubby baby leg. And the adult is hopping around on one leg, while the baby leg dangles. Is it possible that is you in your spiritual life? Are you still a spiritual infant in some way?