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When Knowing the Answer Is Not Enough

April 21, 2017 by
Answer_2
When Knowing the Answer Is Not Enough

We’ve all known that student in class.  You know, the one who has all the answers any time a question is asked.  Hand raised, answer given, but often in reality, the person is completely unmoved and unchanged by the information so readily available to the mind.

As a pastor, one of the greatest struggles I experience is my inherent inability to make someone take the information they know intellectually and drive it deeply into their bones in a way that transforms.  This is simultaneously one of the most challenging, yet liberating aspects of my role as pastor.  Challenging, because I so desperately desire to see people changed and set free by the gospel.  Liberating, because I’m driven to my knees again and again, to confess to God that I am not the Holy Spirit, and to plead with Him to do what only He can do.

This week, a video from my home-town, Huntington, WV television news station made the rounds on Facebook, illustrating the God-shaped gap between what we know and the transformation that only He by His Spirit can bring into one’s life.

Tim Irr, the anchor of WSAZ-TV was at the Huntington police station, interviewing a woman who had been arrested that night as part of a prostitution sting in that city.  She desperately wanted to share her story on the air, expressing remorse to her family and offering a warning to others who would listen.  The anchor asked in multiple ways whether she had any hope for the future and what it would take for her to walk away from a life of addiction and prostitution.  Her answer broke my heart.  “I’m an addict,” she said resignedly.  “There is something broken in me, and I don’t think it can be fixed.”  The anchor, clearly displaying his own humanity did not want her to settle for that answer.

“What’s it going to take for you to stop?” he asked with hopeful compassion.  And that’s when the disconnect became tragically clear.

“The only way to get sober and stay sober is Christ,” she said.  “Belief in Jesus will save you.”  Irr had a little hope now – a breakthrough, perhaps.  After confirming she’d witnessed Christ’s transforming work in others, this mother of two teens said in a hopeless tone, “I don’t want to walk that life.  Apparently, I chose the wrong road.  I believe, but I don’t want to live the right life.”

What hope is there for this woman, living life with the knowledge of God’s transforming power in Christ, but unconvinced that it is for her?

Only a heart softened by the love and grace of Jesus, a heart that knows not only what Christ has done for others, but that it’s for “me” can be transformed to live for God, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit alone.

In Romans 8:1, the Apostle Paul explains that for all who belong to Jesus, they are no longer condemned, but instead, “the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).  It’s only when we see that by Christ’s finished work, we are no longer condemned that we are set fee by God’s power to have that which we know driven deep into our hearts to live for Him.  The apostle explains it this way:  “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6-7).

My prayer this week has been that God would give this woman and all of us the grace not only to know, but to be set free by His Spirit to live for Him!

Filed Under: Pastor's Blog

Events that Changed the Trajectory of Life

April 13, 2017 by
Surgery
Events that Changed the Trajectory of Life

“Surgery.”  I still remember that day as vividly as if it were yesterday.  21 years ago next month, I sat on the table in a cardiologist’s office, and heard one word come out of his mouth – surgery.  Oh, he said a lot more, some of which I faintly recall, but when he looked me in the eye and said the words few 17-year-olds hear, “You need surgery,” I knew things were about to change.  I had a congenital heart defect that could not be wished away, and one whose treatment I would simply need to lie down to receive.  Nothing I could do would fix it; it was out of my hands.  Two months later, I went under the peaceful sleep of anesthesia, and bringing nothing to the table, but the condition of my heart, I received the treatment only my surgeon could provide.  It was the event that changed the trajectory of my life.

“Exodus.”  That is the word the people of Israel needed to hear and what they needed to experience after nearly 400 years as slaves in Egypt.  Nothing they did could bring about the rescue they needed.  They were of such a condition that only one could do the work necessary to set them free.  In Exodus 12:51 a most anticipated statement is made, “And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”  Only the LORD could provide the treatment necessary to deal with Israel’s condition as slaves, and after years of promises, suffering, and crying out with waxing and waning hope – God brought them out!

In the Old Testament, the Exodus is the great event of salvation for the people of God.  They were a people enslaved with no hope of rescuing themselves, and the LORD God set them free.  It was the event that changed the trajectory of the life of Israel.

“Resurrection.”  This is the Word that all need to hear today.  The reality is that all of us have a heart condition about which we can do nothing, and that is that we are enslaved by sin, bringing nothing to the table, needing the treatment that only God can provide.  The Cross and Resurrection is that treatment that changes the trajectory of our lives.  That is how Jesus came to bring about a new Exodus, setting free those who entrust their lives to him.  This weekend we remember, how Jesus came and suffered in our place, taking the guilt and shame of our sin upon Himself – so that all who place their trust in Him are raised with Him to New Life.

Join us this Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the event that changed the trajectory of all of Human History – the New Exodus, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Easter, Pastor's Blog

Missing and Moving the Mark: The Recipe for Growing Guilt

April 6, 2017 by

Missing the Mark

Missing and Moving the Mark: The Recipe for Growing Guilt

Over the weekend, David Brooks wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times, exploring the strange dimension of guilt in a largely amoral society.  Brooks postulates that in a society bereft of absolutes, guilt remains, because “society has become a free-form demolition derby of moral confrontation.”  There is much wisdom and insight in Brooks’ article, but this has caused me to reflect on the nature of sin and what it means to live in God’s world, even if we fail to acknowledge it.

Sin in the Scriptures is a descriptive word from the world of archery.  It literally means to “miss the mark,” and theologically it is to miss the bullseye of God’s standards.  But in order to deal with the guilt and shame of sin, one of the things we have done is simply move the mark.  How?  We shoot the arrows of our own desires and designs, which often change day-to-day, week-to-week, and year-to-year.  Once the arrow is on the proverbial wall, we paint a new bullseye – a new standard.  We say, “this arrow is my standard on sexuality, that arrow is my standard on the value of human life; that arrow over there is my standard on how I handle my money; that one is the extent of my faithfulness to my spouse; that one way over there is my standard on honesty and lies.”  In creating new standards with which I inherently agree, I can now be guilt-free.

But as Brooks observes, creating my own standard strangely doesn’t eradicate my guilt, but may actually enhance it.  In Romans 2, the apostle Paul says that the law of God is written on the hearts of men.  In other words, when we zoom out on the new bullseyes we’ve created by shooting the arrows of our own desires and designs, we discover that God’s standard remains, because we remain in the world He created!  Therefore, our guilt hangs on like a burden that will not fall.

I’m so glad the Easter story gives the answer to the guilt that remains, as Jesus exchanged our guilt for His grace, so that we might be truly set free – not from God’s standard – but from the guilt and enslavement of my own!  May God have mercy on us –  that we might be set free from guilt and shame and made free to desire that which God desires!

Filed Under: Pastor's Blog

God’s Plans Are Better Than Mine

July 20, 2016 by
Mexico Missions Team + Vida Nueva

Calvary Missions Team with Members of Iglesia Vida Nueva, Zihuatanejo, Mexico

God’s Plans are Better than Mine

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”  I experienced this truth first-hand, while traveling for our recent mission trip to Mexico.  Here’s what I wrote on Calvary’s short-term mission’s blog about this experience:

On Tuesday, July 5, sitting on the tarmac in Atlanta, waiting for takeoff, I began to sense that God had different plans than what we had originally designed.  Don’t think I’m a prophet or son of a prophet, I can just read a watch!  Every time the pilot spoke through intercom to the cabin, our departure time was further delayed, and each time, I looked at my seat-mates Jeff and Gwen Wiggs, and smiled, saying, “God may have a different idea about this than we do.”  As it became abundantly clear we were unlikely to make our connecting flight from Mexico City to Zihuatanejo, I started thinking about Acts 16:6-10, where the author tells us that the apostle Paul’s mission team was prevented by the Spirit to speak the Word in Asia and Bithynia, and instead, Paul receives a midnight vision compelling him to go to Macedonia.  I wondered, “What is God up to?”

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Filed Under: Pastor's Blog, Summer Missions 2016

Pray for Calvary’s Summer Missions Team July 5-12

July 1, 2016 by

Mexico Missions Team

Calvary’s Summer Missions Team will be serving in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, July 5-12, 2016.  We will be joining long-term mission’s partners Guillermo and Jennie Salinas, who have been serving as church planters in the 4th largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero since 1996.  Please pray daily for the team through the list below and keep up with the team throughout the week on the team’s missions blog here.

We are on our way!  Would you please PRAY?  July 5th – 12th

That We would 

Glorify God – Psalm 96:2-3 ~ team verse

Love Others – John 13:34-35

Bless Others – Matthew 9:36-38

Be Humble – Psalm 25:9

For our-  

Safety – Psalm 139:5

Health – 3 John 1:2

Flexibility – Proverbs 16:9

Communication – Colossians 4:6

 

The Details

Glorify God – That all that we do while we are in Mexico as well as traveling would bring glory and honor to God.

Love Others – That we would love on the Salinas’, church members where we will be doing construction and the people we encounter when helping with the puppet programs.

Bless Others – That we would be looking for ways to bless others while traveling and during the time we are in Mexico.

Be Humble – For us to make a conscious effort to put others interests ahead of our own. A willingness to learn from others.

Safety – While traveling, at the worksite and around town.

Health – For us to get rest, stay hydrated, eat safe food, be protected from accidents and avoid infections from mosquitos.

Flexibility – With the schedule, work we will be doing, the food, the travel and our teammates.

Communication – To be able to communicate effectively despite the language and cultural barriers.

Who’s going? – Steve & Nathan Bowyer, Jay Diepenbrock, Tom, Lisa & Nathan Gyori, Ron Hatton, Ginger Hobgood, Mike & Megan Larsen, Jeff & Gwen Wiggs and Nate Wilks.

Where? Zihuatanejo, Mexico to work alongside Guillermo & Jennie Salinas missionaries with Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship that Calvary has supported for years.

What? Construction & helping with the puppet outreach ministry.

When? Depart RDU 9:30 AM Friday, July 5th arrive Zihuatanejo 6:10PM.

Return July 12th leave Zihuatanejo 12:35 PM arrive RDU 11:47 PM

 

Filed Under: Pastor's Blog, Summer Missions 2016

Youth Basketball and Maundy Thursday

March 23, 2016 by

Recently, I helped coach the final game of my son Hayden’s basketball season. I have served as the assistant coach for this team of nine 6 and 7-year-old boys, and a week prior to the season’s penultimate game, I was called upon to lead practice in the coach’s stead. One thing became evident in those 60-minutes of herding cats – I mean, instruction. It was not enough to tell these boys what I wanted them to do. I had to show them, then participate with them, as they dribbled, passed, shot and played something faintly resembling defense.
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Filed Under: Easter, Pastor's Blog Tagged With: ,

9-11 And the Eternity in Our Hearts

September 11, 2015 by
 
 
Today is a day when many of us remember where we were 14 years ago.  9-11 is etched into our collective memories in a way that very few days in our lives are.  I remember getting to work around 9:10 that morning – about 10 minutes later than I was supposed to, and meeting my boss in the parking lot.  He looked unhappy, and I thought I was in trouble.  But as I got out of my car, he said, “A plane has hit the world trade center.  Let’s go watch the news.”  Moments after I walked into his office, we learned that another plane had flown into the second tower, and we soon knew there was an attack on our soil.  Not long after, we learned of the fate of two other planes – one that attacked the Pentagon and the other that crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania. 

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Filed Under: Pastor's Blog, September 2015 Tagged With: , ,

Is Life Really Meaningless?

August 13, 2015 by

Recently, while getting a cup of coffee at a local establishment, the barista, who knew I was a pastor, asked me what I was studying to preach in the fall?  “Ecclesiastes,” I said, curious as to her response.  “Oh.  That’s easy,” she said.  “Life is meaningless…Next!”  Her answer endeared her to me, because sarcasm is my second language.  But, more than that, everything in my heart wanted to say, but wait, there’s more!

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Filed Under: August 2015, Ecclesiastes, Pastor's Blog Tagged With: , , ,

Why is Grace So Difficult to Receive?

June 19, 2015 by

Why is grace so difficult to receive?  Early this summer, I was challenged with this question in a profound way.

As a pastor, I often challenge people from the pulpit to care for their neighbors and strangers, to demonstrate the love and grace of God that has been shown to them.  There are people all around us every day that need to be shown the grace of God through our actions, and God has placed us in their lives for a purpose.

This sounds right, is often convicting, and challenges us to think outside of ourselves.  But, it’s not often that I embrace being the recipient of the love and grace I call people to demonstrate to others.  My weekend experience revealed in my heart an often theoretical understanding of the love and grace of God through the kindness of others, but truly embracing grace means I have nothing to give, and that is a difficult pill to swallow.

My family and I were driving the 450 mile trek from Chattanooga to Raleigh, following a week at our denomination’s annual pastor’s gathering (General Assembly), when the battery light came on the dashboard.  After several days of meetings, I was eager to get home, so I stopped and prayed that it was a fluke and that God would get us home in due time.  God had a different timetable than I did.

As we wound through the mountains on interstate 40, just west of Asheville, our van became less like a vehicle and more like my stubborn dog, when it doesn’t want to be led by her leash.  The harder I pushed the gas, the more noise the vehicle made, but it refused to shift, and my wife said the words I did not want to hear – “You need to get off this exit and find a place to park.”

Soon we found ourselves in West Asheville, NC, sitting in a Subway restaurant connected to a gas station, frantically working the keyboard on my laptop and the keypad on my iPhone, trying to find a mechanic who could see and fix our van at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.  No one was open, and no one we talked to knew of anyone who could do the work that day.  Next step – Find a hotel!

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Filed Under: Grace, June 2015, Pastor's Blog
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