​   The sculptor began with a shapeless block of granite.  There seemed little use or beauty in the chunk of rock.  What he saw in it was a mystery to those around who questioned the amount of time and work it would require to make anything useful out of it, let alone something that could be called art.  As the days passed and the dust and chips of stone piled up there seemed little progress and most of those who passed by continued to consider it a fool’s mission.  The sculptor at times would work with a frenzy of activity and at other times he would seem to stand still for hours before making the smallest of strikes against the stone with his smallest hammer.  Few were impressed with progress he made and some even consider that the man was mentally unstable.
   However, as time passed, progress slowly began to emerge from the block of granite.  People would stop and take note of a hand emerging from the stone or features of a face were becoming recognizable.  And in many of those places where they thought the old man was slow or crazy, now were seen to be the delicate details which gave the statue a realness, as if it truly would come to life.  On the day that the sculptor finally finished his work the crowd had now gathered and all declared this was truly a masterpiece of art.
   We are that block of granite and Jesus is the sculptor.  What he is creating in us is his own image and it is a slow and tedious work.  We call this spiritual formation, Jesus forming out of our   humanness the likeness of the creator in us.  At times it may seem we are growing and changing over night, but most of the time the work is slow and may take years to truly see the effect.  Those around us may doubt that Jesus is really doing anything of worth; we may even despair of progress.  But if we are faithful and patient we can catch glimpses of the changes that Jesus brings about.  Then one day as we stand before him in glory the masterpiece that he has sculpted will be on display for all to see.
   “Dear friends, now we are the children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2,3
 
                                                                                             Don

   The movie for our recent Burgers and Movie Night was Jesus Revolution with Kelsey Grammer.  The movie is based on a book by Greg Laurie, who is one of the main characters in the movie about the beginnings of the Jesus Movement in Southern California.   The story and movie are based on his own involvement in the movement and those around him.  The movie also presented the music group Love Song, which was one of the first Christian rock groups, that later became known as contemporary Christian music.  I remember loving their music when I was introduced to it sometime in the mid 1970’s.  I have two of their albums and in fact I’m listening to one of them as I write this article.   It is still as beautiful and meaningful as it was in 1967 when it was released.
    On the back of the album cover (yes it’s a real record) the group shared some thoughts. 
“When we had no tale to tell, it seemed unimportant to join the endless parade of recording artists for any reason other than personal gain.  Then – something happened to us.  In the midst of the confusion and uncertainty in the world today, we experienced the realization of a personal and meaningful relationship with the One who created us all.  No new thing; the same experience which has been known by so many others throughout the last 2,000 years, and is happening to so many now. We are so thankful to God to have the opportunity to share with you on this album, some of that experience; the one thing we know that has the power to change lives, the simple gospel message of the truth of God:  The love of the real Jesus Christ, God’s Son.”   Love Song
    That truth hasn’t changed in 50 years or even 2,000 years.  The world doesn’t need to hear what the church hates; it needs to hear what and who we love.  We still need to be Jesus Freaks.

     Peace,
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        Don

   The 4th of July is said to be about freedom, our freedom.  We celebrate that as Americans we have many freedoms and rights, but with freedom comes responsibility.  John F. Kennedy is quoted as saying, “Privilege is here, and with privilege goes responsibility.”  We love to celebrate freedom, but often turn and complain when there is responsibility attached to it.  This feeling is not lost on our Christian walk either.  Many use Jesus as an excuse to justify doing what they want, after all Jesus sets us free.
   Paul says in Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”  This would lead some to the conclusion that by standing firm on things I feel are infringing on my freedom that I am standing up for Jesus.  In America we have a very individualistic view of our lives and our freedom.  The phrase “Don’t tread on me” makes this point quite clear.  I can do what I want and you don’t have the right to tell me no.  However, Paul goes on to say just a few verses later in Galatians: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  Galatians 5:13  In other words Jesus didn’t give me freedom to do whatever.  He gave me freedom from “self”, from the control of sin over my life, so that I could serve him whole heartedly. 
   Again Paul declares to the Roman church, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”  Romans 8:1-4.  We are freed from sin, something we could not do on our own.  But the goal of this freedom isn’t to put myself first, but to serve in the new way of the Spirit. 
  How should this view of freedom look in our lives?  Instead of turning our backs on the needs of others, we need to reach out in love.  This is a message from Jesus throughout the New Testament.  We see this as responsibility, Jesus sees it as privilege.  I am free from sin.  Paul tells us that before Jesus we were slaves to sin, with a responsibility to our sin nature.  But that person has died and dead men owe nothing to the life they had before, so I am free of my sin nature.  We are alive in Christ, great privilege, with a responsibility to live in and by the Spirit. 
   The freedom we have then is freedom to serve.  Being selfish and self-absorbed in our freedom reflects the old view, my sinful nature.  What that says is that I’m not really free in Jesus but still a slave to my sin.  Once I truly accept my forgiveness and peace with God through faith in Jesus, then I am free, free indeed.
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     Don
 

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  ​We’ve all heard the question, “Whatcha doing?”  Sometimes it’s nice to be able to say, “Nothing.”  Too often though we feel guilty, after all shouldn’t we be doing something at all times?  Well, the truth is some down time is actually good for us and doesn’t mean we are just being lazy.  One of the important points of the Sabbath wasn’t just to have a day for God, but also a day of rest.  In the world of the Old Testament there was no such thing as a weekend, or even just one day off for most folks.  You got up every day and went to work and that was life.  God put into the Law a day of rest, in fact God himself set the example.  He created the world in six days and on the seventh he rested.  In the Law it was specified that it wasn’t just for the Jews, but for all in their households, everyone including the servants, was to have a day of rest. 
  The Sabbath law is no longer a part of the requirements for us to follow.  Paul told the Romans that one person honors one day above the others and another person honors them all.  There is no right or wrong, but follow your conviction in this matter.  That isn’t to say the principle of having time for God and having a day to rest isn’t a great idea.  It still is.  Research tells us that those who lack sleep face many difficulties reduced immune function, poor concentration, feeling tired and fatigue.  Many health disorders such as diabetes, heart disease and a host of others are made worse by a lack of sleep.  Our relationships also suffer when we stay so busy we don’t have time to sit and visit with each other.  We don’t have to always be doing; we need time to just BE:  To be quiet, to be still, to be relaxed.  Summer is a time to begin a practice of rest and relaxation.  Plan some time to just sit.  Find a shady spot in the backyard, or a quiet corner of the house.  Read a good book, read the Good Book.  Call a friend, write a letter. 
  One of the interesting findings that came out of the pandemic, when people were forced to slow down and stay home, was that many people realized how tired they were.  People were working two or three jobs, running all the time and never getting enough rest.  Once they slowed down they realized how much better they felt, how wonderful it was to have time with the kids, and that they had time to think.  Many were hesitant to jump back into that crazy world.  It may be hard to find, but find time in your life for a Sabbath rest, time for God and time for yourself.
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    Don

   It is the opening view that John receives of heaven in Revelation, God on his throne.  This is the perspective that God wants John to have as he reveals to him the future, what must come.  It is the place that God also wants for us to put him, at the center on the throne.  That perspective also is there to give us hope and assurance.  God on the throne isn’t just putting God in charge.  It is knowing that God is in charge, whether we put him there or not.  We pray “Thy will be done.”   But honestly that’s what’s going to happen anyway. 
   When we pray for God’s will to be done, what we really are saying is help me to see it your way God.  When John ascended the throne room of God he was getting the picture from on high, this is how things are going to be so you might as well get on board.  This view of life can be daunting as we consider that all of history is in God’s hand.  However, it should also be reassuring to know that God has it all in hand.  This view applies to national politics and world events, but it equally applies to my own concerns and uncertainties. 
   This isn’t to say that we don’t need to or get to voice our needs and concerns to God.  We are told in scripture to bring our anxieties and petitions to him.  But it isn’t that God doesn’t already know the need, he wants us to know that we can bring it to him and that we need to surrender it to him.   What can’t God do?  There is nothing that is not under the authority of God, but we need to surrender our will to that knowledge and find in him the peace from knowing I’m not really the one who has to make it all work.
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                                                                                                             Don
 

   Would anyone really believe this news that we have to tell?  Does anyone see in this news God showing us his power?  He grew like a weed on a hot dry day, He wasn’t much to look at, at least not one to turn the heads of pretty girls.  He wasn’t likely to be voted most popular guy in school, in fact most of the popular kids just did their best to avoid him, to look away.  Let’s just say he knew what it was to sing the blues.
   He felt the grief and sadness of others; I mean he really carried it.  In fact it seemed like God himself had it in for this guy.  He carried the weight of our hurts, lost dreams, all our guilty regrets, it seemed to crush him.   And yet those around him often found peace and healing because he took on their hurts and pains.   We were the stupid ones, the lost ones, the rule breakers, but he paid the price.  And he didn’t yell back. He didn’t post hateful things about us on Twitter. He just looked on in silence. 
    He didn’t get a fair deal and his life was cut short way too soon.  He died the death of a criminal and was buried in a rich man’s grave.  But God had his reasons for the beat down he received; there was a deeper work being done and meaning in the end.  After the hurt comes the healing, not just of his wounds but of all of us.
   The end of the story, the lesson learned - out of sacrifice comes joy, out of death comes life. Who would have believed it?
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    Isaiah 53 
 

    The story goes that one day Einstein was writing on the chalkboard the times table for 9.   9 x 1 = 9, 9 x 2 = 18 and so on.  When he got to 9 x 10, he wrote 91.  There was a burst of laughter from the students, the genius had made a mistake.  Einstein waited till the laughter died down and then commented ‘No one applauded me even though I had correctly evaluated the nine questions; nevertheless, when I just missed on question, everyone started laughing; this implies that even if a person is extremely successful, society will notice and relish his tiniest mistake.  So don’t let criticism derail your ambitions; the only person who never makes a mistake is the one who doesn’t try.”
    We live in a world that is eager to point out our mistakes.  People are quick to judge and with the internet often those judgements are public knowledge.  Also these judgements are usually made with little or no knowledge of the circumstances of the person being judged.  Many folks today have been silenced by such judgements too afraid to speak up for fear of being ridiculed.  But as Einstein said if we never fail, that usually means we never tried.  The walk of faith is an unsteady one.  We don’t do it perfectly from the first step on.  We wobble, we stumble, we fall on our faces.  What is God’s response – to laugh and make fun of us or to turn away in disgust over our inability? 
    The apostle Paul expressed it this way to the Philippian church:  “Not that I have already obtained all this (spiritual maturity), or have already been made perfect but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:12-14
    Paul was saying he made mistakes too, but he didn’t let that stop him.  He would get up and keep stepping (often falling again) towards the goal.  When a child is learning to walk, what is the response of the parents?  Do they laugh at the child or point out what a poor effort the child made towards walking?  Of course not, they praise the child for the effort, they encourage the child to get up and try again, and love the child no matter what.  As we look to others and feel the need to judge them remember the words of Jesus, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1,2
    If you really want to change people for the good, judging and criticizing them isn’t the answer.  Meeting them where they are, seeing the efforts they are making and then gently pointing them in the right direction will work much better.
 
​                                                 Don

 

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   The Bible has been described as God’s love letter to us.  Now it isn’t like the letters I wrote to Jacqueline while we were dating, full of things like hugs and kisses, and it certainly isn’t like a romance novel that you would pick up at the Five and Dime (just checking to see how old you are).  A lot of what is in those novels deals with getting what I want from another person, including those hugs and kisses.  The Bible tells us the story of what God is willing to do to have a relationship with us and it isn’t just about what he wants or what we have to do.  It is a story of sacrifice, mostly what God was willing to sacrifice for us.  It is a story of love in action and he is the one doing most of that as well. 

  I Corinthians 13 lays out for us God’s idea of what love should be.  It isn’t found in grand gestures that boil down to nothing in the end like a clanging cymbal or empty promises.  Love shows up every day and does what needs to be done, even if it isn’t front page news.  Love seeks the good of the other person and doesn’t put itself and selfish needs first.  Love isn’t grouchy, but understands when the other person is.  Love always shows up, but doesn’t show out.  In most ways God’s love is just the opposite of what we celebrate on Valentine’s Day.
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   While it is nice having that someone who makes your heart pitter patter it is also nice having that deeper more secure love that you know isn’t going anywhere.  God isn’t looking for a better date or a better deal.   God isn’t just in love with you, but he is committed to you, so much so that he gave us his one and only son, Jesus.  It isn’t a competition to see who God loves the most, God loves us all.  Therefore, I need to reflect that love.  I don’t have to be better than you so that God will love me more.  He already loves me completely.  I don’t have to hate you so that God will know how much I love him.  In fact it is in loving others that I show how much I understand how much God loves me.  So if you want to send God a valentine this year, share his love with those around you (especially the grouchy ones).
 
    Don
 

   Often as I write the newsletter, I’m pulling up an old one and just typing over it.  And so I found myself thinking about what would be important for us to center on as we enter the new year and what came to mind is that we need to be like Jesus.  I even had the scripture in mind, the one where Paul says be like me as I am like Christ.  I pulled up June of this past year and what did I see as my article – Be Like Jesus.  And there was the verse in which Paul told the church at Corinth, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” I Corinthians 11:1.   I even remembered writing the article and as I reread it, I still agree with it.
 
   As I wrote in June, “What does it mean to “Be like Christ”?  I think we can safely hang up our robes, but since it is summer you might want to wear your sandals.  And Jesus came to save us from trying to follow each and every law or interpretation of the law, so you don’t need to carry around stones.  In fact, on that account, even Jesus when he had the chance to throw a stone didn’t, and encouraged others also to not throw stones, but find forgiveness.  In case you don’t remember that one, read John 8.  To be like Jesus means more than following his dress and customs, it means to think and act as he would have.  His attitudes need to be our attitudes.  The way to learn this is to immerse ourselves in the gospels, not just Jesus’ teaching but how he lived.  We may find that many of the ideas and attitudes we were raised with are not reflected in how Jesus lived.  We tend to be judgmental of those who aren’t like us, but Jesus was open and receptive to these people.  We seem to think the best way to influence our society for good is to pass laws making them obey, while Jesus first sought to win their heart.
 
   To live like Jesus is radical, and uncomfortable.  Truly living like Jesus will mean that you will often find yourself at odds with the people around you, out of step with popular media and ideas.  But isn’t that what we are called to do?  Paul said that we are not to let the world press us into its mold, in other words, the attitudes and ideas that are expressed around us.  We are to have our minds transformed by what God would have us know and think.  Many of you are thinking that I’m referring to the liberal media and folks on Wall Street.  Read the gospels again.  Who is Jesus most at odds with?  When the church puts power and politics ahead of mercy and real faith, we are out of step with the one who really matters. 
  
​   Go back to the verse we started with and read the verses leading up to Paul’s statement.  From I Corinthians 10:23 on he is talking about how we should live our freedom in Christ, and it isn’t to please ourselves or to fit into what those around us want.  We are to live in such a way to be Christ to those around us.  Sometimes that will mean putting aside our attitudes and doing what is best for the other person.  Sometimes the best we can do for the other person is to show them the example of Christ.  In all things we are to show love and forgiveness, because that is how Christ lived.”
 
   While I have preached on this often, I am still pulled to the message and the need to share it more.  It seems as I look around the call for the church to be the church grows instead of shrinks.  The world more than ever needs a Savior, needs Jesus to walk among us again, and the only way that will happen is if the church will return to her true calling.  So here we go again, “Be like Christ”.
 
    Don
 

 

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   You may be saying right now, “Hey preacher, you misspelled holidays.”  The origin of our term holiday is “holy day”.  From a spelling viewpoint it’s only a slight change but think about the impact that change should have on the way we view the holidays.  Holidays are fun, hectic, family centered and well secular.  For many people, though we know these holidays have religious origins, we don’t view them first from a religious viewpoint.  Sure having a religious program is part of the activities, but often it’s an afterthought or something we pencil in at the bottom of our list.  The main focus, what we spend most of our time, money and energy on, isn’t any different than anyone in Carthage celebrating, regardless their faith. 
   When we see Thanksgiving and Christmas as holy days, that puts the spiritual aspect of it front and center.  First and foremost I see Thanksgiving as a time to reflect on the blessings of God.  Taking time to not only count my blessings, but to reflect on how God has been there for me this past year.  The turkey and dressing becomes secondary.  The football games can wait while I spend some time with God.  Seeing Christmas as a holy day and not an excuse to shop till I drop shifts priority away from myself, or even family and friends, to the manger – the Christ child. 
How do I make this shift?  It is more than just changing the spelling; it is changing my mind.  Jesus wasn’t just an afterthought of God.  God didn’t say, “Well I guess that whole Law thing didn’t work out.  What should I do next?  Oh, I know I’ll send my Son.”  The whole focus of history is God telling us his love story for us.  From Genesis to the Gospels, we see man’s struggles with sin, with trying to be good enough for God’s love.  God already saw us through the lens of the cross – “For God so loved the world that he gave us his only son.”  Christmas is the beginning of this part of the story.  From the manger to the cross and on to the resurrection, God has put his plan into action for us.  The rest of the New Testament begins the rest of the story, “How will we respond?”  
   Christmas allows me to reflect on this story, but then to ask myself what my part of the story will be.  How will I answer God’s call to new life through his son?  When this is my focus Christmas goes from being a nice holiday to being the most important Holy day.
So this holiday season let us celebrate the HOLY DAYS!
 
   Don