A Role to Play by Greg York

A Role to Play

 

One of the things that came with being around Michelle was volleyball (six-person, indoor variety). First as an exceptional player, then as a truly gifted, award-winning coach, her association with volleyball at the collegiate, high school, and club levels has made volleyball a constant part of our lives. Now, I’m absolutely not an athlete—I never had more than three speeds (slow, slower, and slowest) and for some reason my brain works even slower than its normal snail’s pace on a field/court. So, my knowledge of volleyball was virtually nil when I started going to watch Michelle’s matches. I’m still not that knowledgeable (slow learner, remember?), but over the years and the matches too numerous to count, I’ve come to appreciate many aspects of the game of volleyball that go beyond scoring points and winning matches. I’ll just highlight three…

 

For one, everybody on the court has to contribute for the team to be successful. It’s not an option. On every play, if you are on the court, you have a task that is yours to perform.

 

Every player, directed by the coach, has a responsibility on every play.

 

For instance: If the other team is on the attack, when their outside hitter goes up to hit the ball, the middle blocker needs to move over to join the right side player to put up a block. Maybe they don’t block the attack back, maybe they don’t even get a touch on the ball, but to avoid their block, that opponent has to hit away from the block. There is now another player in the back row that is in the position where that hitter will most likely have to hit it if she is to avoid the block. Another player has moved into position in case the opponent tries to “tip” the ball just over the block. Another player has moved to a position adjacent to the block in case the blockers get a touch on the ball, but not sufficient to block it back into the opponents’ court. My description may not be technically precise (remember…slow learner…), but it serves to set up this question:  Which is the more important defender on that play? Trick question: Everyone on the court has to do her part for the court to be properly defended, to keep the opponents’ attack from scoring.

 

We could flip that scenario to a play on offense, but the point remains the same: on any given play, for that play to be successful, everyone on the court has a role to play, everyone on the court contributes, even if they do not touch the ball.

 

It seems so easy in other sports for “stars” to dominate, and there are stars in volleyball, to be sure, but the nature of the game is such that, for instance, a star hitter has standing “behind” her on every play a setter and a passer who did their jobs so that she was in a position to get the kill that brings the fans to their feet.

 

How many of us Christ-followers feel responsible to contribute in some way to the health of this church in our efforts to be an outpost of God’s kingdom? How many of us spend too much time worried about how everyone else is doing? (There is no spiritual gift of “spectating,” by the way, and no listing in the New Testament for a gift of “griping and criticizing.”) How many of us, if we’re unsure where we can contribute seek out someone in leadership to help us find a place to begin?

 

Second, a successful volleyball team is deeply, emotionally invested in each other and in the success of the team.

 

But when I use the words “success” and “successful,” I’m not just talking about wins and titles. Those are hardly the only standards by which success is measured. Wins and titles do not usually come to teams that are not sold out to do their best, but neither do some more subtle things come to “casual” teams: discipline, the ability to sacrifice for the sake of a greater good, the ability to work well with others toward a goal.

 

And when you are deeply, emotionally invested, you value the contribution of everyone on the team and you seek to help them be successful in making that contribution.

 

As Christ-followers, how emotionally invested are we in this project God has called us into—his kingdom, his rule over this world? Is this just another aspect of our lives, or is it at the core of our being, the reason for all else that we do?

 

Third, over the course of a match, a player who keeps working, who keeps focus, can find a way to make an important contribution.

 

One recent match found Michelle’s Heritage Christian Eagles in a tight contest with a team that had beaten them earlier in the season in embarrassing fashion. Varsity matches are best 3-out-of-5 sets, the first four sets played to 25 points (have to win by 2), the final set only goes to 15 (again, have to win by 2), making each point of great value. This match went into the fifth set. Intense is an understatement.

 

One player had had a less than stellar night—a number of passing and hitting errors littered the stats sheet. But, that would not be the final word. In a long rally at a critical moment in that intense fifth set, she’d already had a couple of digs, but then a set came sailing out towards her, a bit wide and off the net. The kind that all night she’d had a tendency to hit long. But not this time. Buried it. Middle of the court. Point Eagles. Momentum Eagles. And a few points later, match Eagles. Now the night is defined not by the rough patch, but by a critical contribution at a crucial moment that made a big difference.

 

And for us Christ-followers, isn’t the real issue not those rough spots where I messed up “back there,” but how I’m looking to represent Christ well where I am right now, in this moment? Doesn’t looking back just keep our focus off the good we could be part of right here, right now? “…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus,” Paul writes in Philippians 3.13b-14.

 

I’m sure most of you are way ahead of me, but I’ll just go ahead and point out anyway that all of this is incredibly consistent with what Paul tells that fractured group of early Christ-followers in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 12-13 called them—and calls us—to see “church” as a community in which we each have a role to play, a contribution to make, and Christ-imitating love to give. Maybe we could sum it up this way: Working hard to make our contribution is an act of Christ-imitating love.

 

What’s your contribution? What’s your level of commitment to this “team”? What’s your focus?

The String of the Hyssop Plant by Mike DeCamp

The Hyssop Plant
Courtesy of Wikipedia

The String of the Hyssop Plant

Have you ever seen a little string hanging off of the front of your shirt and when you tugged on it, you felt a pull under your arm or on your back?  When that happens, you know that the one little string you see is connected in your shirt in ways you can’t easily fathom, and you better not pull too hard or you’ll end up ruining the thing.  I liken that phenomenon to certain strings of cool connections that I sometimes find in the Bible.  I love it when I come across something like that!  It just does wonders for my faith.

That happened to me again when I was thinking about what to write for this article.  Maybe you’ve seen this before, but I came across another little string that is strung across the web of time, connecting one of the most ancient of Bible stories with a cherished New Testament event, and it is connected in the middle by a classic Psalm.  I hope you find it as inspiring as I did.

We’ll start tugging on the string in Psalm 51.  For background, this is the Psalm where King David pours out his heart in repentance and remorse for the sins he committed in connection with Bathsheba.  He started out by being idle.  That led to lustfulness…which led to adultery…which led to lies and deceit…which led to murder.  This stands as one of the vilest periods in the life of one of the pillars of Old Testament faith, but as we read the following passage he has been confronted the prophet Nathan and his heart is broken:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.  Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.  Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Psalm 51:1-12

I am struck by how low his heart has fallen.  “…my sin is always before me.”  The temptation toward hopelessness.  “Surely I was sinful at birth,…”  He knew he had no argument.  “…you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”  He had lost all joy and desperately wanted it back.  “Restore to me the joy of your salvation…”

One line has perplexed me over the years.  I just didn’t understand it, but I never took the time to dig into it until now.  It just was one of those odd little things in scripture that didn’t seem to have that much significance.  Boy was I wrong.  It is incredibly significant!

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

“Cleanse me with hyssop.”

What in the world is hyssop?  That is the question I asked myself as I started to trace this crazy little string.  I thought maybe it was a plant that the ancient world used as a cleaning agent.  Seemed reasonable.  Then I did a quick internet search and found that it was just an aromatic plant common to the Mediterranean area.  It was sometimes used as an herb, but can have some toxic qualities.  Apparently it does have some detergent qualities also, but that doesn’t seem to be all that significant of a feature.

What could David have meant when he said he wanted to be cleaned with hyssop?

To find that meaning, let’s go back in time to Exodus, to the plague of the firstborn, to the very first Passover:

Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb.  Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe.  None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning.  When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.  Exodus 12:21-23

Hyssop was used to spread the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorframes to keep the destroyer from killing the Israelites, a key moment in history for the Jewish faith and particularly for King David.  Just as the Israelites were saved from the wrath of God by the use of hyssop as a tool, perhaps David is calling on that imagery to ask for God to keep the wrath from overwhelming him.  Could that be it?  Could that be all?

Still though, there is no mention of a cleansing with hyssop.  It still doesn’t fully fit.

We’ve looked back.  Now, let’s look forward from David’s time:

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”  A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.  John 19:28-30

“…so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

How does Jesus saying that fulfill scripture?  Perhaps Psalm 22:15.  But…however… maybe it isn’t just what he said that fulfills the scripture.  Maybe it is what was done as a result of what he said that fulfills it also. 

“…so they…put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.”

Just as hyssop was used as the tool to spread the blood on the doorframes….so was it used as a tool when Jesus blood was spread on our spiritual doorframes, cleansing us from the stain of our sinfulness.

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

David is the bridge and hyssop is the string.  It ties the sacrificial lamb of Exodus to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God in John, crossing the bridge of David’s sin, guilt, and repentance.  David could feel the depth of his sin, he could recognize the potential wrath of God, and he could prophetically look forward to the cleansing of the blood of the Lamb.

Isn’t God simply amazing?  The layers of meaning in the scripture are astounding.  Across centuries…through varied authors…He ties key points of history together with a simple plant!  Our salvation is made clear in ordinary foliage.

One of my all-time favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 51:10-12.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.

I am a sinful man.  I feel it every day.  I think the older a person gets, the more aware he is of how short he falls from God’s standard.  It can weigh on you.  It can strip you of your joy.  It can cause you to lose your willingness to go on.  Sometimes, I am tempted to allow the discouragement from falling short to get me to throw in the towel…hang up my spiritual cleats….quit.

But, then there is the hyssop plant.  And, it reminds me of the way that Jesus has cleansed me…he has washed that blood all over the doorframe of my spirit, and I am now whiter than snow.  Then, that snowy salvation blows up into a blizzard of joy that wells up in my heart and bursts forth on the lips of praise.

By all means, cleanse me with hyssop!

What is a Bible Class Worth? by Craig Hill

What is a Bible Class Worth?

 

In 1984, I started going to the Alvin Church of Christ in Alvin, Texas.  My wife Regina invited me.  I went to Sunday morning assembly and Bible class, evening assembly, and Wednesday night Bible class.  At first, I was a little taken aback at “going to church” that much.  (I don’t really like that phrase, because we are the church. We don’t go to it.)  But I was going to the church building and I was being taught by very smart, often highly educated people.  Sermons and classes were about the Bible, about relationships, about how to live a good and faithful life.  Classes were about how to act, how to be more self-controlled, how to be more pure in my thinking, etc.

This continued when we moved to the Indianapolis area and placed our membership at Southeastern church of Christ.  And I learned practical skills like how to manage money, how to raise children, and how to be better husband.  I learned about the Bible, how to deal with difficult people, and so many topics that there is no way I can remember them all.

This year I’ve spent a lot of time trying to convince certain people to attend certain classes that I thought would help them in their daily lives, such as how to manage your money.  And I was very unsuccessful in persuading these people to come to these classes.  I kept thinking about how valuable these classes are to people.  And yet I watch them struggle through their week and make mistakes that are really very avoidable if they were to take the class and do half of what was taught there.

And I thought: How does this compare to the hours that go into a college education?  Not the “credit hours”, but the actual classroom hours in a 4 year bachelor’s degree.   So follow me on this:

Most colleges offer a class that is about 3 hours of classroom time per week.  Most people carry a load of about 5 classes per semester.  So the hours are something like this:

3 hours per class  x  5 classes per week = 15 hours per week

15 hours per week  x  4 weeks per month  x  4 months per semester = 240 hours per semester

240 hours per semester  x  2 semesters per year = 480 hours per year

480 hours per year  x  4 years  = 1920 hours

So there is about 1920 hours in a 4 year college degree.

Then I calculated how many hours I’ve probably spent in classes or in sermons since 1984.  Now I must admit that traveling out of town and living in Carmel, we don’t make it to Wednesday night class all the time.  I will spare you all the math on this one, but since 1984 I’ve received about 4386 hours of sermons and classroom time.  And if I was teaching a class, I was still learning by teaching.

We pay about $5000 per semester for Rachel’s tuition at Purdue.   That’s $40,000 for 4 years at Purdue, not counting books, room, and board.

So I’ve received about 2 college degrees worth of education, or about $80,000 of education, encouragement and downright Godly edification since 1984.

My point?  Go to Bible class on Sunday mornings, go to the assembly on Sunday morning, go to Small Group Bible Study, and go to Wednesday night Bible classes.  Learn what is being taught.  It adds up over the years.

Proverbs 2: 1 to 6

My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—

indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Hmmm.  Maybe that Wednesday night traffic to get from Carmel to Bible class isn’t so bad after all.

Do We have Heart Disease? by Jim Brantly

Do We have Heart Disease?

For almost 50 years I have attempted to diagnose physical illness and disease by examination and asking lots of questions.  Answers to my probing questions helped me to evaluate the problems that caused people to come to the hospital emergency department.  Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are rampant in America and are leading causes of death and disability.  Each of us has been touched by disease or injury as we have suffered personally or with friends and loved ones, sometimes being left disabled or even dying.  As I get older and a long medical career is mostly behind me, I think more about the reality that ultimately the only disability or death that truly matters is spiritual, not physical, and that sin is the only disease that eternally separates us from God.

The diseases of the body are in some ways like sin in our lives. Physical weakness, which can lead to illness, can often be prevented by proper diet, regular exercise, healthy lifestyle habits, and maintaining a healthy body weight. When I relate this to my spiritual health, I realize that regardless of my effort, Jesus is the only cure for spiritual illness.  However, what we feed our minds and the activities in which we participate can either help prevent spiritual weakness and disability or increase our frailties.  A diet of Bible study and listening to God, meditation on His word, prayer, and worship can help protect us from succumbing to the lies and deceit of Satan.  On the other hand, a diet filled with empty calories such as unwholesome music, radio, movies, television, books, or magazines can lead one into sin.  Choosing as our closest friends those who are seeking to honor God with their lives or choosing those whose interests are purely worldly also impacts us for the better or the worse.  There are activities that I would compare to exercise that can strengthen or weaken our relationship with God and our Savior Jesus.  Some strengthening activities might include: regular attendance at Southeastern for Bible classes and worship on Sundays and Wednesdays; involvement with men’s and women’s ministries; being committed to a small group for study, fellowship and service; attending Christian conferences and college lectures; various Bible studies and video series, Christian radio and television; serving in various ways at Southeastern such as teaching, serving at Pit Stop, in the pantry and benevolence, in the nursery, meals and kitchens, building and grounds maintenance, sports ministry, Divorce Care, Grief Share, Arms Wide Open, sight and sound, preschool, youth ministry, mission trips, visitation, Kids Praise, Christian Legal Clinic, and numerous other ministries. These and many other things can help us learn to live a healthy and disciplined lifestyle, allowing God's Holy Spirit living in us to transform us day by day into the person we were created to be.     

Even as we try to do the right things to maintain or improve our health, things happen to sabotage our plans and activities.  Life happens.  Accidents happen.  Like the traveler in the parable of the Good Samaritan, we can "fall into the hands of robbers" through no fault of my own.  I must realize the urgency and importance of my relationship with God.  Perhaps there is a silent killer lurking within our spirit. That is how heart disease, diabetes and cancer work.  No one sees it or knows it is there.  It is hidden, just waiting to disable or kill us.  In our spiritual walk, we can be sabotaged by any hidden sin if we fail to be honest with ourselves, our friends, and God and to be on guard against the schemes of the Evil One.  As I read Romans 7 this week, I was comforted as Paul reminded me once again that although I may often lose some battles, the victory over sin is already guaranteed when we submit to the lordship of Christ.  

Heart disease is often fatal.  Diabetes and cancer can take away our health and lives. We know this life will end.  But the issue that demands our constant and uninterrupted attention is spiritual disease.  Now that's a battle I'm glad I don't have to fight alone!!

Fixing Our Eyes on What is Ahead, Without Forgetting How We Got Here by John Wright

Fixing our eyes on what is ahead, without forgetting how we got here

                                                                                                                                                                                               By John Wright

I have lived in Shelbyville for 22 years, and I knew that my Grandfather was buried somewhere in Forest Hill Cemetery. I heard the story when I was young about how he died of TB when my Dad was 2 years old, but for some reason I was not curious enough to ever look for the place where he was buried. A few weeks ago I was suddenly curious enough to go look for the burial site of William Wright. I went to the cemetery with a rough map of Forest Hill that I got from a genealogy that was prepared by my cousin Kenny. I had no trouble at all finding his marker; I stopped my car right in front of the place and walked straight to it. There it was, William Wright 1876-1922 only a stones throw from where my Children, Leah, Amanda, and Jacob attended elementary school. This experience illustrates the way I have lived so much of my life, too busy to notice all the others whom I should know about and appreciate.

            I am reminded of Rom. 14:7 “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.” It is so true that we are connected by God to each other in amazing and unknowable ways. As Christians we know that our eyes are to be fixed on Jesus, but doesn’t God give us peripheral vision and hindsight? I have been absent in too many family reunions, weddings, births, and funerals. May God help me grow into a neighbor who finds time for others in the way that Jesus patterned in His life.

            The Hebrew writer refers to the “great cloud of witnesses” meaning our lives are being observed from the heavens with great interest. No matter how small we see ourselves in the scheme of things, Heaven rejoices when God’s children serve him. There are so many in this Church who had influence on my family by being good and kind to us when we were in need. There were many acts of benevolence provided when I was young, and I am truly thankful. Because we are all so connected, every small act of Christian love are seeds that may sprout in any of the most unlikely places. It’s with one another are we going to get to where the great cloud of witnesses are urging us to go.

"How's your Spiritual Life?" by Mike DeCamp

"How's your Spiritual Life?"

I had lunch recently with a good friend and mentor. I met him at his “office” as I have done many times over the last three or four years…the Bob Evans Restaurant on East Washington Street, here in Indianapolis. He started the conversation as he nearly always does:

“Mike, how’s your spiritual life?”

Have you ever had someone ask you that? I mean, we often ask each other things like: “How’s it going?” or “How are you doin’?” We don’t actually want to know…we are just being courteous. It’s another way of saying hello. My friend’s question, though, will make you pause. It does a few other things too, like….

Make you nervous.

Make you embarrassed.

Make you want to slide down under the table and hide!

The first time he asked me that question, I was caught off guard. Not because I had never before been asked that or a similar question. Rather, it was because it hadn’t happened in a long time, and never since becoming a member at Southeastern. I was caught off guard…and a bit embarrassed because at the time, my spiritual life was less than stellar. When that happens, you have a choice to make: Will I be honest or will I hide? In my case, I was sort of honest. “Sort of.” That means that I didn’t want to really hide…I wanted to tell the truth…but, I was also embarrassed and didn’t want to be completely straightforward. So, I hemmed and hawed…I admitted to some struggles, but I lacked detail. That said, you know, I walked away from that encounter refreshed. I felt better because someone had pushed me to be open even just a little bit with what was on the inside, and my struggles had leaked out some. It felt good to have someone care enough to ask me how I was doing. I felt like I had company on my spiritual journey.

During our most recent lunch, when he asked me that question, I answered like this:

“Keith, I try real hard to be doing really well anytime I’m going to have lunch with you. Don’t ask me about last week, and next week isn’t here yet, but for right now, I’m doing pretty good.”

He nearly fell of his chair in laughter. Never, in all the years that he’s been asking that question, had anyone answered it in quite that way.

But, you see, that’s the glory of great spiritual relationships…especially relationships where there is a sense of mentoring or discipleship. They drive you to be better than you would be otherwise. They influence you to focus on the facets of life that are primary and of highest importance. Like the Six Million Dollar Man, they make you better than you were before. (Children of the 70’s will get that reference.) I am a better man today because there have been a handful of men over the years (along with my wife) who have taken the time to really ask me how my walk with God is doing, and through their influence my life has been changed and continues to change for the better.

Here are a couple of scriptures to emphasize my thoughts:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

To the point of my post, we need to care enough to ASK and LISTEN to one another. We need to show an interest in the lives (interests) of each other.

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7

When we hold all our mess inside, are we not hiding in the darkness? 

We need to have folks in our lives that will help us drag it all out in the light. We need to be honest with God, and we need to be honest with one another….and we can then have real fellowship with both God and our friends.

Thank you Keith.

So, to my Southeastern family……

How is YOUR spiritual life?

Rules of the Road by Brian & Rhonda Potts

Rules of the Road

 By Brian and Rhonda Potts

 

One of the hobbies that we enjoy doing together is riding our bikes on the rural roads of Johnson County (or anywhere else we find good scenery and few cars).  It is a great way to share time together while enjoying God’s creation and getting some exercise.  No, this is not a blog on marriage building, but…“recreational companionship” is a great way to strengthen your marriage.  We digress slightly…back to the topic at hand.  One of our favorite topics of discussion as we pedal down the road is what we have entitled “Rules of the Road”.  These rules are guides for a good bike ride as well as for a good Christian life.  We thought we would share a few of these rules of the road with you in hopes that they help you through your “ride”.

 

1.       Aim for where you want to go instead of thinking about where you don’t want to go.  As you are riding along, you don’t always have much time to respond to obstacles in the road.  If you look at the hole in the road and think, “don’t hit that hole”, you will often hit that hole. Instead, if you focus your eyes on a positive direction away from the obstacle, your bike will follow your eyes and you will take a safe path.  Proverbs 3:6  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.  If we keep our eyes on God, our path in this life will be much smoother.

2.       Follow the leader.  Organized rides often have “ride leaders”.  Their job is to point you in the right direction and help you avoid hazards.  Even on casual rides, the standard ride etiquette is for the person in front to point out potential dangers to the following riders by pointing or saying pithy things like “car up”, “bump” or “gravel” (Ask Rhonda about gravel, a major nemesis of all bike riders).  I Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.  With God as our ride leader, we can avoid many of the pitfalls of this life.

3.       Use the right equipment; it makes for a better ride.  When taking a long ride, we are often 10-20 miles away from where we parked our car, so it is essential to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances.  We always take emergency supplies such as an extra bike tube, a pump to blow it up, band-aids, dog spray (not to attract them), cell phone, bike multi-tool and identification cards.  It would be easier to go without all these things, but if you ride long enough, you will be glad you have them.  We also ride with the right clothing and a helmet.  Believe it, those funny looking shorts with the padding in the back really help after 20 or more miles on the bike.  And the first time you hear the sound of your bike helmet hitting the pavement instead of your head, you will never ride without one again (ask Brian about wet pavement).  II Tim 3:16-17  All Scripture is God-breathed…, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  Eph 6:11   Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  Why wouldn’t we take advantage of every piece of Christian equipment that God supplies us with…especially the Word of God and the helmet of salvation.  The devil will throw things at us much worse than gravel and wet pavement.

4.       Don’t ride through poop.  This thought came during a ride through Amish country (think horses on the road).  When you ride though something wet or sticky with your bicycle, the back wheel is very effective at picking up the substance and slinging it off at high speed.  Not only does it go up your own back, but it is thrown out in a fan shaped pattern behind you.  This doesn’t make you very popular if others are close behind.  Prov 4:14-16  Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.  Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.  For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.  II Cor 2:15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  We don’t always realize it, but we are constantly being observed as representatives of God…sometimes good examples and sometimes not so good.  The less mud or other things that we sling, the more pleasing the aroma is that we give off for Christ.

 

Hopefully, these few thoughts will help you in some small way on your ride through life.  We have many more rules of the road, so be on the lookout for part two.

"I'm Too Busy!" by Frank Black

“I’M Too Busy?"   

          This is today’s all too common refrain!  It may well be a valid reason at times, but it’s also come to be considered a “valid excuse”.  Have you said this?  C’mon on now; be honest.  Is it a reason or an excuse.  STOP!  // Stop at this point and truthfully evaluate how you actually spend your 24 hours a day every day. This relates to everyone from first grade until retirement – and perhaps beyond.  How do you spend your time?  How much of it is necessary?  How much is purely for your personal enjoyment? How much is “wasted”?  Yes, I’m talking to myself also. - [Television; movies; talking on phone; texting; facebook; tweeting; games [computer or other], clubs, sports, reading for pleasure [as opposed to reading for enhancement or learning]; travel; time with friends; hobbies; the list goes on].  We have so many choices now for ways to use our time.  Most of these are good choices, but of course there are bad choices also.  Chris Shelby, our missionary from Rwanda who visited last Sunday, told me they now have satellite TV and get ESPN, etc.  Even they have to be responsible in their choices and use of time.  Now don’t get me wrong; of course it’s very important to have recreation, relationships and communication with others, and “down time.”  We just need to keep a proper balance.  How is your balance?

         While I’m talking about balance, I’ll put in a word against what I call being “electronically tethered” – being a slave to cell phones, texting, Face book, internet capability, or whatever new ‘creature’ comes along.   It’s improper for them to assume immediate and utmost priority to you [and please DO NOT use them while driving!].  A good general rule is: “Use new technology, but don’t be used [abused] by it.”  I think my grandson, Nicholas, has reached a very wise and functional way to use the new media.  He carries his cell phone with him, but he keeps it on “silent” - checking it about every 30 minutes.  He then responds if the situation is appropriate.  This is his way of using it but not being abused by it. 

          You’ve heard the statement: “Stop and smell the roses.”  We need to do more of this - Pause; reflect; take time to observe God’s wonderful creation; don’t over commit; drop even good things if you’re over committed; have more meaningful communication; read and study to learn;  plan to grow spiritually – through Bible study, books by Christian writers, CD’s, DVD’s, meetings and seminars, web sites, sermons, classes, etc.  There is such a wealth of good information available.  

          My underlying message is for you NOT to say you’re too busy - but to evaluate your lives, how you use your time, prioritize more wisely, make changes where needed, and always leave time to ‘stop and smell the roses.’    

          Let me conclude with this poem by Deborah Ann Belka, entitled:

“SLOW  ME  DOWN  LORD”     

Slow me down Lord;

help me to take the time.

Help me to see You’re more important

than this life of mine.

Slow me down Lord,

sometimes I move too fast.

Sometimes I am too busy seeing others

to realize it was You I’ve passed;

Slow me down Lord,

Help me to stay close to You.

Help me to know You are more worthy

than anything I have to do.

Slow me down Lord;

sometimes there’s too much to get done.

Sometimes it gets too hectic and I can’t tell

it’s Your voice that I shun.

Slow me down Lord;

help me to put You first.

Help me to see when I put things before You,

my soul will always thirst.

Slow me down Lord;

sometimes I am always on the go.

Sometimes I can’t stop what I am doing

to get close to You and grow.

Slow me down Lord;

help me to see that You are all I need.

Help me to know the time spent with You

is time I can’t afford to concede. 

Someone to Look After Me by Dale Robinson

Prior to my mom’s death a few weeks ago, she had suffered for 10 years from the debilitating effects of Pick’s Disease, a relatively rare form of dementia.  At the outset of the disorder, mom began jumbling “yes” and “no.”  A year or two later, she was unable to express herself in full sentences.  Eventually the disease silenced her voice completely. 

Last fall, I found copies of a few letters my mom had written that would once again give voice to her personality and passion.  The letters were to Inez Baucum, ¹ the social worker who handled the adoptions of my brother, sister and me:

            September, 1962

            Dear Inez,

We named the baby, Rhonda Maye.  Dale wanted to call her Baby Moses, but we told him that was a boy’s name, so he agreed to Rhonda.  She has done so well and changes every day.  Dale keeps me posted on what she needs, thinks, etc.  He doesn’t even want to chew gum, preferring to save it until she grows so they can share it.…

About a month later, Mom wrote again:

             Dear Inez,

Enclosed is the picture I promised.  Dale is holding it while I am writing saying, “We love her; we think she is precious don’t we?”  He really listens to what people say about her.  If they brag appropriately, he’ll say later, “Wasn’t that a nice woman?  I like her....”

The sentiment I expressed toward my new sister probably had more to do with the love my parents modeled for me than any real passion in my young heart.  I joked at the funeral that we never found any letters about my brother, Mike, who came along a few years later!  But one of my mom’s friends shared a conversation she had with Mom when the disease first began to affect her speech.  

“Afraid to die?”  Mom asked her friend, Flo.

“No,” said Flo, “but I AM concerned about leaving my grandchildren.”  

After several moments of silence, Mom said, “Mike!?”  

Flo quickly reassured mom, that even after her death, Mike would be cared for by his church family.  

Mom’s loving devotion to me was reinforced in another story that I learned in college shortly after I met Dana.  Dana had gone to visit her grandmother in Levelland, Texas one weekend and told her all about this new guy she had met.  As it turns out, Dana’s grandmother knew me—and used to babysit me when we lived in the same small town.  She told Dana that I had been in and out of foster care with my parents for a few years before they adopted me, and that plenty of well-meaning church members counseled my parents:  “Don’t adopt the problem child!”  Mom’s response was always the same: “We want to adopt someone who needs us.”

And so it seems, from the first days we three came to live in her home to the last days within her ability, mom loved and cared for us, often at great personal sacrifice.  But she was always quick to add, “with God’s help.”  The truth is, we all need Someone to look after us.  I’m thankful for a mom whose life reflected, modeled, and pointed me toward dependency upon a Gracious God, the Stronger One.

Jude 24, 25:  “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

¹ A tribute to Inez Baucum, http://www.childshome.org/adoptioncelebration.aspx

Re-boot! by Chris Kirby

This is always a weird time of year for me.  I parked the last van for the summer season this past Friday and my body, mind, and soul don’t quite know how to adjust to the changes.  I go from a nonstop summer schedule to a fall in which the teens are in school and I sleep in my own bed almost every night.  Oh how I miss the bunks of Spring Mill…

It has been a great summer.  I was blessed to watch God do some pretty amazing things.  I witnessed eight teens give their lives to Christ and new leaders emerge in our group.  I experienced the process of teens maturing and talents being exposed while our group served selflessly in Murphy, at Spring Mill, and locally in Indianapolis.  I even got to go play at Cedar Point and have a lot of fun with the group at other activities this summer.  It has been a great couple of months, but it is time for a recharge!   If you see me in the next few weeks and I seem to be in a comatose state, don’t worry, I’ll bounce back.  But, it is definitely time for some Sabbath. 

When I give thought about how to find rest, the examples Jesus set comes to mind.  Throughout his ministry, Jesus took opportunities to connect with his Father to recoup energy and sharpen his mind.  If we are fulfilling our call into ministry, whether it is a fast-paced summer with teens, “simply” serving our neighbors, or representing Jesus to co-workers or peers in school; it requires us to take breaks and be refreshed if we want be focused and at our best.  May I present just a few ways that I “fill my cup” when I am empty? 

1-   Dig into the Word.  The Bible can be a rejuvenating book as it reminds us of the presence and nature of God.  It also recommits us to the knowledge and wisdom we gain through the Bible.

2-   Heart-felt talks with God.  He loves to hear what is on our hearts and minds….good and bad.  And, as we talk through things with Him, the Spirit can work in us for peace, clarity, and rejuvenation. 

3-   Escape!  In our culture we are always connected with people and we seldom find time to be truly quiet.  Halfway through a Bible study or prayer time, the phone will beep at us with a text (mine literally just chimed in with a new text as I typed the word “beep”), Facebook update, Tweet, or phone call.  Be willing to shut off the phone and go somewhere for isolation.  

4-   Connect with those who recharge you.  I have a couple of really good friends who I can talk to about anything and laugh a lot with.  It always helps me to feel better when I can unload a few issues onto them.    

I recognize that different people have different ways of reconnecting with God. The important thing is that we find time to take rest and refocus.  If you have any good ideas that work well for you, I’d love to hear about them in the comments section.