Why Church?

June 12, 2013

We are busy. We balance work and family, home projects and recreational pursuits, responsibilities to others & ourselves. It’s website graphichard enough to fit everything in, who in the world has time for church? I have found many reasons why I make time for church in my life. But influence is the one I’d like to focus on today. 

It’s easy to forget the impact other people have in our lives. Our parents, friends, teachers, mentors, even acquaintances are part of the environment that serve to shape who we have become. We have not chosen many of the people who have touched our lives. But it’s the ones we choose, the ones we let “in” to our lives that influence us the most. And yet we too often ignore the importance of these choices in favor of the belief that we are fiercely independent and immune from the influence of others. The church becomes unimportant in such a worldview.

However, there is evidence all around us that we are influenced by others more than we care to believe. In 2011, there were 36 companies in the U.S. who spent more than $1 billion on advertising with the express purpose of influencing your decisions. These companies either wasted their money or they know something we want to ignore. Consider a restaurant study as it relates to how we are influenced… The waiter either brings a sweet mint with the bill or doesn’t. If he brought a mint, the tip was 3% greater. If 2 mints were given, the tip was 14% higher. If the waiter gives 1 mint and starts to walk away, but then returns to give another mint, the tip was 23% greater!

Let’s face it, we are influenced by others. This should be no surprise to any student of the Bible. Satan influenced Eve. Eve influenced Adam. And we’ve been influencing each other ever since. We influence for better or for worse those around us everyday. And we are influenced for better or for worse by those around us everyday. That’s because we are social beings. Like it or not, we need each other. We seek connections in life. Just like the wires in your house need to be connected to an outside source to provide the power you need in your home, you need to be connected with others outside of yourself to provide you with the power you need each day. Loneliness and depression have become an epidemic in this country for lack of meaningful sources of outside connection and power.

Church is simply the term we use to describe how God connects people together to influence one another and the communities in which they live. Bill Hybels has said that “the church is the hope of the world.” I have found this to be true in my own life. It was church that touched my life through the age of 18 when I went off to college. I then attended church, but was not part of the church for several years. During this time I took a journey into atheism as I wanted to deny my need for God or those who follow Him (church). It wasn’t until I was able to settle into a church community in Rockford, Illinois that I found my way back to God.

You will be influenced and you will influence. Who will you choose to be your influencers? And who will you choose to help you influence your community? My advice is to choose the church. Better yet, be the church. God uses the church to bring you hope and He wants to use you to bring hope to others. If you really care about your influence, why not try church?

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Connections, Sermons

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Sharing Your Faith

June 5, 2013

As a kid growing up in the midwest it was considered rude and self-centered to talk about yourself. I could talk website graphicabout the successes of my friends, but not my own. Because of this unspoken rule, not only did I avoid talking about anything that might be seen as a personal achievement, I avoided talking about anything that might be too personal. And so I learned to never share what I really believed… about anything. This included my belief in God as my Creator and Jesus as my Savior.

So how could I accept a call from God to be a pastor when I was a senior in high school? Well, the answer is easy. I saw the command of Jesus in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples as a command to DO, not a command to SHARE. With this mindset, I saw evangelism as an event you attend, not a life you live. It would include such things as a series of sermons to tell you about Jesus and His plan of salvation. It would include teaching you what the Bible says about the end of the world. You see, as a kid I could talk about our family trip to Florida and all the things I saw and the places we went. Similarly, as a pastor I could talk about God by quoting verse upon verse to prove a point without talking about what God had done for me. After all, that would require disclosure of personal information about myself. The very habits I had cultivated to avoid sharing my successes I was using to avoid revealing my failures. After all, a spiritual success has its roots in a moral failure. 

Perhaps this is one reason I did not go into pastoral ministry after college, but rather went to medical school. I could preach a good sermon about God, but I was not comfortable truly sharing my faith. However, as I journeyed through a career in medicine, I learned the value of accountability, transparency, and openness. It was while being a part of “Quality Assurance” committees in various hospitals that I learned the importance of openly sharing my successes and failures. The more accountable we were to one another as physicians, the better quality of care we provided to our patients. It became apparent that improved patient outcomes were dependent upon the willingness of physicians to share openly with one another. This included sharing what worked (successes) and what didn’t work (failures). And so I began to see that the unspoken rule I had learned as a kid requiring me to remain silent about my successes was not only a bad rule, but a potentially self-destructive one.

As a pastor, I have discovered that evangelism is not about preaching, but about living. It’s not about telling, but about listening. It’s not about a public event where I can teach, but about a private event which I can share. Evangelism is a lifestyle resulting from a transformational experience with Jesus. It’s about my faith. It’s about His grace. It’s not about me who no longer lives, but about Jesus who lives in me. Sharing my faith means sharing the life I now live by faith in Jesus. Such faith can only be shared as it is lived. 

In the words of Francis of Assisi, let us “preach the gospel and when necessary use words.”  

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Evangelism, Sermons

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Money Follows the Heart

May 29, 2013

We were in the field behind our house playing baseball with a soccer ball. This is an unnatural amalgamation of website graphictwo sports. However, at the age of 8 it seemed like a pretty good idea. After all, there were only three of us and a baseball travels too far to be practical in such circumstances. It’s difficult to hit a soccer ball very far with a baseball bat. The problem arises when you swing at an inside pitch. Picture a boy swinging the bat for all he’s worth at a soccer ball only inches from his face. This is when Newton’s law of motion, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, is fully demonstrated. The bat bounced back to hit my head causing a split in the skin above my right eye. I fell to the ground with blood flowing down the side of my face. I was taken to the hospital emergency room to get my self-inflicted wound cleaned up and repaired. A strange thing happened to me during that experience: I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be that guy who took a tragedy and made things better.

Fast forward 22 years. My dream has come true. I am an obstetrician/gynecologist serving in the US Navy. The idealism of serving people is beginning to change with the onset of sleep deprived nights, ungrateful patients, and the desire for money. When I entered private practice, the monthly balance sheet became my measure of success. The more money that came in, the more successful I saw myself. The more successful I saw myself, the more money I wanted. Be careful how you define success.

Somehow money has the ability to corrupt anything it touches. Of course, it doesn’t have to be that way. Money is not evil in and of itself. Money is simply a medium of exchange or means of payment. But money is also the measure of wealth and a source of power. Perhaps it is the power that money can supply that makes it difficult for a rich person to fully commit to Jesus as the Source of all power. Jesus warned in Luke 18:24-25 that if you’re rich it will be difficult to enter God’s kingdom. Why? Because a person carrying bags filled with gold finds it is as difficult to get through the gateway to God’s kingdom as it is for a camel to get through the eye of a needle.

I am thankful that God helped me redefine success while I was still practicing medicine. In 1995 we moved to a house in town that was less expensive and closer to the hospitals. This gave me more time with my family and a chance to build the relationships that form the foundation of true success. 

In Matthew 6:19, 21 Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Fortunately, we are not like camels. We can drop our bags filled with money at any time. It’s really a matter of the heart. The only thing causing us to hold onto our bags of money is the love of money. So for the love of God, give up your love of money! 

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Discipleship, Personal Reflections

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Happiness

May 22, 2013

My family went to an amusement park 10 miles east of downtown Cincinnati on the banks of the Ohio River every website graphicsummer. There wasn’t much that was exciting for me in Anderson, Indiana where I grew up. So I looked forward to the 3 hour trip to the land of happiness every year. I still remember the day I was tall enough to ride the roller coaster. My oldest sister, Sharon, and I stood in line together with great anticipation. I had been warned that it was a terribly frightening experience, but nothing would deter me. For too many years I had watched others go on this ride, heard there screams as they took that first plunge, and saw their giddy smiles as they exited the ride. They were more than happy, they were ecstatic. Finally, it was my turn to experience such happiness. It was thrilling. I loved it. I wanted to go again and again, no matter how long the line. I equated happiness with riding that roller coaster.

How can a roller coaster provide the sense of happiness? According to Dr. Epstein (researcher from the University of Wisconsin), ”Being totally absorbed is in itself pleasurable. Complete concentration that blanks out everything else temporarily relieves you from all conflicts. Even if it’s scary, its a way to drive out disturbing thoughts. It makes you feel very alive to be so scared. When you react to something that demands your full attention so forcefully, all your senses engage. It’s a very different feeling from being in your usual semi-awake state.”

This is a sobering insight. It’s so easy to live each day in a semi-awake state waiting for the next bolus of happiness to come our way through thrills, adventures, and whatever makes us feel good. We accept our semi-awake state as we wait for the next pleasure sensation in what our forefathers declared to be our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. We settle for this semi-awake state because of our disturbing thoughts, according to Dr. Epstein. These thoughts steal our happiness. The roller coaster works to induce a sense of happiness as long as it keeps your attention away from your inner problems. But as soon as the roller coaster is known by your brain to really be safe, it loses it’s power to satisfy your pursuit of happiness. No wonder a new and better more scary roller coaster is introduced every few years. We have an insatiable appetite for thrills that simulate real happiness.

There’s a better way to find happiness. Jesus has given us the key ingredients to true, lasting happiness. Happiness is so fundamental to human existence that Jesus began His sermon on the mount with instructions on how we can actually be happy as opposed to seeking experiences that make us feel happy. You can read about these steps to happiness in Matthew 5:3-12. If you read this passage, you will find that happiness is an inside job that requires your total attention, just as Dr. Epstein said. Once you recognize your true condition (the first beatitude), there is no external circumstance, not even persecution (the last beatitude), that can take away your happiness. In fact, the foundation of your happiness in both the first and the last beatitude is “the kingdom of heaven.” Yes, when you have the kingdom of heaven in your heart, God has your full attention and you will BE HAPPY. 

 

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Discipleship, Life Lessons

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Is it Wrong to Worry?

May 15, 2013

I must admit that I have done my fair share of worrying in my life. When I was a student, I worried about my grades. When I was a staff physician at my first assignment after an OBGYN residency, I worried about my ability and knowledge to take care of any crisis that might arrive. When I was in private practice I worried about the business of medicine. When I had a slow day I worried about not having enough patients. When I had a busy day I worried that I wouldn’t be able keep up. As a father, I worried (and still do) about my children.

Worry seems to be a universal problem. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 40 million Americans worry so much that they have an anxiety disorder. In other words, they worry so much that they need some kind of treatment to function normally. Many self-medicate with alcohol and street drugs. The medical profession recommends psychotherapy and prescription drugs. What does God recommend?

In Matthew 6:25 Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” This is easier said than done! The Greek word for “life” that Jesus uses here means my inner life, who I am, my whole being. Just prior to this statement, Jesus told His audience they could not have two masters. This is still true today. Jesus tells us we must choose between God and money. Money! Not the devil. Not my schedule. Not my kids. MONEY! There’s something about money that is at the very core of our worry and anxiety.

Could it be that money as used by Jesus represents our desire to control our own lives? If you have enough money, no one cares about your grades or if you even graduated. If you have enough money, you don’t even need to work. If you have enough money, you can buy happiness for your children. If you have enough money, you don’t have any worries. Or at least that’s what the world tells you. But Jesus exposes this statement as the myth it is. When you want to control your own life, money becomes the source of your anxiety and worry! That’s because you can never truly control anything except your choice of masters. When you choose Jesus as the Lord of your life, you have peace because you know He is in control. When you choose to be in control, then worry rather than peace fills your life and money rather than Jesus poses as your god.

So next time you begin to worry, stop. Ask yourself, Who is in control? What is the source of my worry? What’s the worst that can happen? And then go to the Source of life. Seek His advice. Yes, use worry a a signal alerting you to PRAY. Is worry wrong? I’ll let you answer that question as I encourage you to consider Paul’s inspired advice:

…do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

 

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Discipleship, Life Lessons

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Power to Change

May 8, 2013

It was time to buy a third car for the family. Sally and Kelsey had their drivers licenses and Eric Jr would be turningwebsite graphic that age soon. I decided a VW Passat would be the perfect solution for our travel needs. I purchased a basic model at a good price. It wasn’t until several months later when driving the car into Chicago that I realized the reason for the “good” price – the size of the engine. I had not noticed the lack of power driving around town. But when I drove it on the highway and needed acceleration to get around trucks and maneuver in the traffic around Chicago, the car’s lack of power was obvious. If you’re going to change lanes in Chicago, you better have the power to do it!

Life is the same way. We too often find ourselves with habits, character flaws, and even addictions we want to change. But when we find ourselves with the power of my Passat, we feel trapped in our lane with everyone passing us by. Without the necessary power, there is no hope to change lanes on the highways through Chicago or the highway of life we are traveling right now. Yes, power is the key to change. The real issue is where you find the power. Do you find it in “doing” or in “being”?

Those of us who want to change a behavior by doing make the fatal mistake of focusing on behavior. This approach leads us to believe that if you simply tell yourself to change, then change will happen. You don’t need anyone else, you can simply change on your own. With this approach, you simply need to do the right thing, do the desired behavior. The issue with doing in order to change is that it ignores the primary issue of stop doing what is causing you the problem in the first place. Yes, in order to change it always involves stopping the undesired behavior. In our car analogy, this is when you stop driving in your current lane. But you need power to cease being in the same lane of life! 

The truth is that you need to focus on “being” if you really want to change. This approach recognizes the power of the unwanted behavior is rooted within your own beliefs. This is because what you believe drives how you behave. Being determines doing! So what you really need is to discover the misbelief you are harboring deep within yourself that is creating the unwanted behavior in the first place. By focusing on “being” you are acknowledging the fact that there is power in belief. This is why Jesus says, “I am the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Discover Him. Be with Him. And you will have all the power you need to change lanes on the highway of life.

I’ll talk about this at our 11:00am (PST) service on Saturday, May 11, 2013. Or you can listen to it on our website, http://www.myrichlandchurch.org by May 13.   

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Discipleship, Faith

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Love Your Enemies

May 1, 2013

He was the new kid in school. I don’t know what it was about this kid that I didn’t like. Maybe it was his name, Robin. This sounded like a girl’s name to me, but I even knew in 6th grade this was not a reason to dislike him. I honestly can’t think of one rational reason why I didn’t like Robin. But the fact that everyone else in the school seemed to love him only made my dislike for him stronger. In fact, I would say that Robin was my first and most memorable enemy. In fact, he is the only person I can ever remember seeing as an enemy. The crazy thing about Robin is that he never did anything against me and never knew that I saw him as my enemy.

My experience with Robin shaped my understanding about enemies. I was ashamed of my feelings toward Robin. He only stayed one year at our little 2-room school with 30 kids in grades 1-8. After he was gone, I realized he was my enemy because of me, not him. It was about 5 years later when I was in high school that it dawned on me that I could live in peace with anyone as long as I had peace within my heart. You see, it was 1972 and racial tensions were high in Anderson, Indiana where I now attended a public high school with 2,000 students in grades 10-12. It seemed as though all the adults around me had an irrational hatred of the Black population in town. They saw the entire Black population in the US as their enemy. They had the same irrational feelings for Blacks that I had had for Robin. I knew then that I could choose to see anyone as a child of God rather than as my enemy. What a revelation. I could be free from hatred! I felt sorry for my parents, my aunts and uncles, and those at my church who seemed consumed with hatred toward Blacks.

Of course there are mean and hateful people in the world who may even want to hurt you or me. I may even need to say or do things to them that could result in them labeling me as their enemy. But as long as I do not see them as my enemy, I can enforce healthy boundaries, call them into account for their hurtful actions, and even report them to the authorities as needed. And when I do these things in a spirit of love rather than a spirit of hatred, I allow Christ to dwell in me to be His ambassador of reconciliation. (see 2 Corinthians 5:18-20)  I don’t know how God does it, but I trust that He can make “all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

No wonder Jesus says to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Jesus uses the word “enemy” to describe the person who hates me. This person may be my enemy, but in the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus tells me to treat him as my neighbor. Yes, Jesus tells us to never hate, only love. He tells me to be a good neighbor rather than to ask who is my neighbor. And in the final judgment Jesus will say to me, “As you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to Me.” 

In actuality, I am my own worst enemy. It is my prayer that I will love those who see me as their enemy and be a good neighbor to all. 

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Love

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Where Do You Draw the Line When Life is Unfair?

April 24, 2013

I recently received a FaceBook inbox message from a 22 year-old man who is scheduled to have open heart surgery.website graphic He had read FaceBook posts a year ago about my surgery and was seeking advice as he faces the need to have this traumatic procedure himself. This reminded me once again of how unfair life can be. I thought I was too young at age 56 to have such a surgery, especially when I had consciously tried so hard to make healthy lifestyle choices for over 40 years. But a 22 year-old needing this surgery? Of course there are much worse atrocities occurring around the world every day that are completely unfair than people who need heart surgery. But my friend’s question about his need for surgery once again reminded me on a personal level just how unfair life can be.

As I reflected on my experience of a year ago, I was somewhat surprised that I actually see it in a positive light. Though I would not wish this procedure on anyone, and I do not desire to repeat it, I found it to be a transformational experience. It was the first time I had ever taken an extended leave of absence from the daily routine of life. I felt compelled to focus all my energies on healing. My belief that health is more than physical was confirmed during the process as I found the emotional and spiritual components of life to be vital in my recovery. I found my walk with God grew stronger and more personal. And so I could reassure my FaceBook friend that this unfair situation can have amazingly positive results in his life. I counseled him to follow every instruction given by his doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. But that’s not enough. I told him to take the opportunity to focus on God’s presence and the richness of the abundant life He offers. There is something about facing our mortality that brings eternal things into sharper focus. I have never been more acutely aware of the love and support around me than during the time surrounding my open heart surgery. And so in the most unfair of circumstance my friend faces as the tender age of 22, he has an unique opportunity to grow spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. 

I don’t understand why life is so unfair. But I do know that God is always present. And so when life is unfair, perhaps especially when life is unfair, we can choose to experience the presence of God. Paul says it like this in one in of my favorite Bible passages found in Romans 8:38-39… “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When life is unfair, I draw the line with God in total commitment to His will.

 

 

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Faith

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Where Does Prayer Fit In?

April 17, 2013

Have you ever been afraid to talk someone? A few years ago we were seated in one of our favorite Italian restaurantswebsite graphic in Chicago when I saw Jesse Jackson seated at the next table. His table was located a few feet behind my wife, Pam, who was seated across from me. No matter what I think of his political views, the fact that he was famous gave me pause. I sat with Pam trying to focus on our conversation, but I found myself preoccupied with Mr. Jackson; what he ordered for dinner, who he was talking with, and how he interacted with the waiter. In all of my preoccupation, I never seriously considered walking over to his table, introducing myself, and having a conversation with him. After all, he didn’t know or care about me.

When I completed my bicycle ride across America last summer to raise money and awareness for diapers, I had several visits in Washington D.C. that were arranged by Allison, program director for the National Diaper Bank Network. Our first appointment was with the president of the National Women’s Law Center. It quickly became obvious that she was more amused by my ride than interested in talking with me. Her demeanor changed, however, when I explained how I discovered the number one request of young mothers across the country was for diapers. She became engaged as she strategized with Allison for over an hour on ways to help these young mothers. What made the difference in her attitude? I believe it was when she realized I was there to talk about an issue close to her heart. 

It is difficult to talk with someone who is more influential, intelligent, and powerful than you… unless they know and care about you. It can be difficult for some people to believe that God actually wants to talk with them. After all, He is the most influential, intelligent, and powerful Being in the universe! But what makes Him approachable is His love for us. He invites us to talk with Him. In fact, He has a word for it: PRAYER. We are told in the Bible that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to take the punishment of our mistakes so we could talk with Him today and live with Him tomorrow. In the book, “Steps to Christ” page 93 we read that “Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend.” I believe this is true because in Revelation 3:20 we read that Jesus invites us to sit at His table to eat with Him. What a difference from my experience with the rich and famous on this earth! Jesus doesn’t just happen to sit next to me at a restaurant, but He invites me to HIS restaurant and wants me to sit with Him at His table. Unbelievable!

So where does prayer fit in? Well, let me say it this way… If you want a life fully committed to God, pray. If you want to know His calling in your life, pray. If you want to live the adventure God has planned for you, pray. If you want to love your enemies, pray. If you want to overcome temptation, pray. If you want to receive God’s grace, pray. If you want to be happy, pray. If life doesn’t seem fair, pray. If you’re happy, pray. If everything is going right for you, pray. If you have a great marriage, pray. If you have super parents, pray. If you love Jesus, pray. Ultimately, let’s pray because we all need an influential, intelligent, and powerful friend.

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Discipleship

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Where Do You Draw the Line?

April 10, 2013

Pam and I were in Valencia, Spain visiting our daughter, Kelsey, where she was attending college. After two days in Valencia, we headed to the train station for a trip to Barcelona where Kelsey would meet up with us when her Spring Break would begin. Kelsey gave us detailed instructions on how to get to the train station and what train to take. So we bought our tickets and proceeded to the boarding platform. But we had a problem: there were 3 separate train tracks with 3 platforms and no one to translate for us. So there we were not knowing which train to take. There was only one train that went all the way to Barcelona and we missed it.

In Craig Groeschel’s book, “The Christian Atheist: When You Believe in God But Live as If He Doesn’t Exist”, he describes 3 lines in the Christian walk. The first line we cross is when we accept God’s gift of salvation. We experience the peace that comes with accepting Jesus into our lives. We experience euphoria and excitement that generally subsides as everyday life takes over. The next line we can cross is one in which we choose to commit to God to the extent that it is comfortable. With this 2nd line, we respond to God’s call in our lives as long as it doesn’t interfere with our own priorities. And then there’s the 3rd line. This is the line we cross when we commit who we are, what we have, and where we’ll go to Him.

With the 1st line, I buy a ticket to heaven. I am saved and thrilled to be in God’s kingdom on earth. The Bible calls this ticket “justification” that is the work of a moment by God’s grace. This is a free ticket that I accept day by day. But I’m still on this earth. God invites me to enjoy the ride and cross the 3rd line of total commitment. This is a ticket to the unknown adventure God has for me. I already have the ticket to heaven, but how will I live on this earth? The question that begs to be answered is, Where do you draw the line?

Just like my experience on the train platform in Valencia, I too often get confused with what train to take. I become complacent and lose focus on God while waiting for the train. I then take the train of my choosing rather than His train that I will only take when I cross the 3rd line of total commitment to His will and His calling in my life. We have our own reasons why we are reluctant to cross that 3rd line. It may be a cherished sin, anxiety about money, issues with the church, or just plain worry. What issue prevents you from crossing that 3rd line? I believe this is such an important issue that I have dedicated an entire sermon series to examine the various reasons we become Christian Atheists. You can hear the sermons on our website, http://www.myrichlandchurch.org

May you experience God’s adventure for your life that only comes when you cross the 3rd line…

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