The Woodell Principle SUX! - 01-17-2006
Man, I really wish God would let me in on his plans. It is really annoying when he doesn’t. At this point I’m feeling rather frustrated.
Let me start by explaining what the Woodell Principle is, then I can give light to my frustration. About 2 years ago (give or take a few months) our church was in the search process for a worship pastor. It was a long process, and finally we had two candidates. These two came and interviewed for the position. In my opinion one of the candidates stood out above the other. His name was Steven Woodell. As a church we voted on offering the position to him and we were excited to have him come aboard. Yet, Steven decided to take on a position at another church, and so we were back to square one. Actually it wasn’t square one because Steven had helped our congregation have a better understanding of the type of person that we wanted for this position. It was only a few months later that we interviewed Good Ole Dave Yarger, the one God had designed for this position.
I will admit during that stretch after Woodell turned us down I was also frustrated. Why would God make something seem so clear, and then take it away? What could he be thinking? What would be the logic behind that. But looking back, we could see that God was preparing our church for brining us Yarger, (as well as preparing Dave for coming to us).
Well, we are back in that frustrating period again. Our church has been meeting in a School for it’s worship services for several years (before even I began here) and we have come to realize that it is time to move out of that space. That is when Faith Baptist Church came up. Here was a church that seemed at first willing to let us share space for a considerably less amount then what we are spending now. It looked like a great opportunity. A few months later and it looks like it is falling through. Many of the ideas and plans that I wanted to do, seems to be falling to the ground. Crash, bang boom!
Why? Why did we go through this 3 month process of it looking like it will work, to now where it all seems to be falling apart around us. Man, I am really frustrated. I really wish God would let me know what he’s doing. I wish that things would just move in the directions that I want it too, because I know what would work. But that’s not the case. God does know, and he will reveal his plans in his time. But, man, I wish he would just show me how things will unfold. I somewhere know that it will all work out for the good. God has used this experience to help shake up our church, but I don’t know what the end result (the Yarger, so to say) is. I want to scream, I want to yell, I want to give up and say forget it, but I don’t. I press on towards to goal. God has a plan, he reveals it in his time.
I don’t know how people like Abraham did it. Waiting 25 years for the answer to God’s promise. He tried another way, but God showed him that it wasn’t right. I guess Haggar was his Woodell.
God, help me. Give me peace and understanding. Help me to trust in your ways. Calm my frustration and give me peace about the future.
Got Wisdom - 01-13-2006
Once upon a time there were Two brothers. One brother studied hard through High School, the other did not. One brother went to Harvard. The other spent a semester here and there at junior college. One eventually became a professor or Russia Litterature, the other ended up working in construction.
Which one is wise? The older one, right?
One day the two brother's father had died and he willed them undeveloped property along the beach. They both decided to build beach houses. The Professor built a large beautiful house that lead almost right up to the shore line. The other brother saw a an area that was extremenly rocky and he built a small but secure house.
Well, I am sure that you know what happens. A huricane comes. Winds, Water, flying debris.
Whose house is left?
I've been doing a lot of reading recently about Wisdom. What is wisdom? What does it mean to be wise? What is true wisdom? How can I gain wisdom?
It all started off one morning readin the begining of 1st Corrinthians. "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perrishing, but to us who are being saved it is the Power of GOD!"
It's funny. I pray for wisdom a lot, and I am not sure if I really understand what I am asking for (Sure, I may hit the James 1 stuff, but not yet). I want wisdom on what car to buy, what to name our daughter, how to do my job effectivly. But isn't this wisdom, just worldly wisdom. God's wisdom is so much higher, and so much different then ours. "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"
I started cross refference this idea of wisdom, that's when I thought about the house on the Rock parable (see modern version above). and I thought about Proverbs "Fear of the LORD is the beginind of wisdom." Then Eclesiasties "even (worldly) wisdom is meaning less, a chassing after the wind (My paraphrase - Move over Eugene Peterson). and James 3: The wisdom that is from above is first pure, the peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, ipartial and sincere.
But it all comes back to 1 Corintintians. God's ways seem foolish to men, especially when it comes to the cross.
It really does seem like the dumbest thing. God, the creator of the Universe, came down from heaven and became a man. That's a dumb idea in it'w own right. Why? Why would God want to? Why woud God need to? The answer is even dumber- He came to earth, lived as a human, so that he coudl die on the cross. So God came to earth. Became fully human just to die. That sounds dumb. So why would he do that? He did it because he knew that only a perfect sacrifice could free us from the punishment of Sin. But why a sacrifice? Well, That's the system that God set up? Why? Why not something easier on him, so he would not have to com and die? (I could get all theological up in here, but I'll save it for another day) It does seem life a foolish thing. Really foolish, But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise (1 Cor.)
So, God's ideas and ways can be foolish to us, but he has reasons. Reasons we will never fully understand until we see it all unfold from Glory.
OK, I am running long, and I am wondering if anyone will even read this. It's a sermon in the making. Look out world.
Let me just leave you with the passage that started it all.
Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
18For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
Guard the deposit 06-06-2006
OK, I was having some trouble putting this blog on last week. Lets hope it works out this week. I hope you enjoy... and comment.
This morning I was reading the last verses of 1 Timothy. Paul tells Tim to ¡°Guard the deposit entrusted to you,¡± and I started to think of the deposits that Christ has put into my life.
It started out with the basics:
Salvation
Grace
Love
The Holy Spirit
But it soon became personal
My family
My wife Dawn and our marriage: We need to guard the vows we made to each other June 29 2003. To lean on God and each other.
My Daughter Lucy: God had given her to us as a deposit of love and charged us to raise her to know Him and to live for him.
My Passion for Youth: God has deposited in me a love and passion for youth. Some people don¡¯t understand it, but that is the deposit he placed in my (probably since birth, but it came alive when working at Glendale Presbyterian Church in 1997). God has been continually developing that deposit and gives me joys and heartaches as I go along.
My Work: God has given me my actual job at Christ Community Church and wants me to do it to the best of my ability.
God has deposited so much in my life and calls for me to guard it. It¡¯s not easy. I don¡¯t do it very well, but I press on.
What are some of the deposits Christ has made in your life?
Fan the Flame - 05-01-2006
In the game of Survivor, FIRE represents life. Jeff Probst says that through out the game. It is a running theme though out Survivor, but it is also a running theme though out life. Having "fire" does mean you have life.
I was reading in 2 Timothy these past few days the following statement, "fan into flame the gift of God." God has given us the gift of salvation throught he death and resurection of Jesus Christ. It is a gift that should not be taken lightly. It is the FIRE that truly represents LIFE.
I was thinking more about this statement (as I was sitting on the toilet) and I realized that we have responsiblities. God has given us this gift of fire, but we need to fan the flame. We need to work at it and make it grow.
Philipians 2:12 say that we need to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (ESV)" or another translation says, "put into action God's saving work in your lives (NLT)".
Being a Christian and accepting this gift is a call to action. To faning the flame inside you. Our fire is suppose to spread. Not just stay a small spark.
I know that my fire is small. It really is a struggle to fan the flame. I was going to write "hard to fan the flame" but I realizes that it is not true. It is a struggle because there are so many things I would rather do then to "put my faith into action." There are so many great shows on TV. The dishes need to be done. The yard needs to be mowed. I would like to go to Borders.
I don't mind reading my bible, I enjoy is at times. I also can enjoy times of prayer. But do I really need to get off my butt and do something. Isn't my little fire enough. I can puff on it a little durring the morning, keep it lit, but do I really need to fan it. Make it huge.
My God is a Consuming Fire! That is what he wants our flames to be. Pray for me, encourage me. Lets help each other fan our flames! Because Fire represents life, Jesus' abundant life
