Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Easily Distracted

On Sunday, February 17th, I started off my sermon by talking about how I get easily distracted while driving.  I just can't help myself.....I like to check out everything around me!  And for some reason, I seem to get most distracted when Heidi is sitting in the passenger seat next to me.  Those times have lead to some interesting comments from her over the years.  LOL.  Of course, in recognizing this affliction, I've come to the conclusion that my iPhone belongs tucked away in the glove box or center console away from view.  Now THAT would truly be a dangerous distraction.

But there is a not-so-funny story in the Bible about distraction.  The Old Testament book of Haggai, though very short, tells of an important tale of the people of Israel after the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 BC.  Taken into exile by the rulers of Babylon, the Israelites were finally set free years later by Cyrus the Great (after Cyrus - from Persia - overthrew the Babylonian empire).  The chosen people of God were now free to restore the splendor of their once mighty temple.  Woohoo!  Well....the Israelites may have been excited in the beginning....but the giddiness soon faded.  The temple project was fraught with delays and after many years only a weed-infested foundation lay as a testament to their lack of follow-through.  Of course....the question is.....what happened?

Well...in short....they got distracted.  In Haggai 1:4 we find the prophet Haggai delivering a message from God.....warning the Israelites that they should not be living in "paneled houses" while the temple sits unfinished.  This reference to "paneled houses" indicates that many of the Israelites were "movin' on up" (just like The Jeffersons) to fancier and fancier subdivisions.  God's chosen people had become so concerned with their own personal wealth and prosperity that they neglected to finish the temple so that God could live and fellowship with them. The nation of Israel had become distracted by material wealth.

I recently found an article called Standards of Living and Modern Economic Growth by John Nye (professor of economics at Washington University in St. Louis).  The focus of the article was articulating just how much our modern standard of living has increased around the globe - especially in the past 300 years.  The data was astounding.  Never has there been a time when average people, world-wide, have enjoyed such economic prosperity.  As the article stated, "in the most successful countries, the average citizen now enjoys a material standard of living that would have made the greatest king of two hundred years ago turn green with envy."

So here's the big question:

If the distraction of material wealth was a problem for the people of Israel back then, how much more is it a problem today?

There are a number of lessons to be learned from Haggai 1:2 - 11:

  • Without the Holy Spirit we are selfish.
  • Materialism separates us from God.
  • Even after we are delivered from hard times, we tend to get complacent.
  • God wants to be our top priority.
  • Chasing after anything but God only leaves us wanting.

As C.S. Lewis wrote:

And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history - money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery - the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.


Audio Recording of "Easily Distracted"

Sermon Notes for "Easily Distracted"



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Orange Grove in the Press

Associated Baptist Press ran an online article regarding Orange Grove's recent journey with our sister Hispanic congregation.  This link should take you straight to the article.

Aging Pushes Congregations to Fiscal Brink

Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Destructive Power of Self

"The Destructive Power of Self".....fairly ominous and dark title for my sermon on Sunday, February 17th.  Now that I examine that title a little more....it's doesn't sound like me at all....as I'm normally upbeat and positive.  But earlier in the week I had been reading through a flurry of studies that have just come out.....pointing to the dangers that social media can pose for some users.  Made me start thinking about the "self" and how seductive and deceptive it can really be. 

Researchers are now finding that excessive dependence on social media can lead to narcissism and self-absorption....which can then lead to feelings of depression, inadequacy, loneliness and despair.  Perhaps each of us can have too much....."us".  In these articles it was interesting to read how some social media users are creating their own "15 minutes of fame"....concerned not with simply connecting with others but more concerned with building up some type of concocted stage on which to impress others.  In those cases, surely "self" has gotten a little out of control.

But mainly, I had been impacted more by my own preoccupation with self.  Earlier in the week....prior to my sermon, I had struggled through a difficult morning in which I was obsessing and wringing my hands over the direction for my career.  Having left Singing River Health System in November 2012, my attention has turned toward trying to figure out "what now?".  And that wonderment has, at times, been a bumpy ride.  Sometimes I've thought...."am I on the right track?"....."have I made a mistake?"....."what does the future hold?".  Natural thoughts....but when these same thought become a pre-occupation, the "self" grows bigger and more unwieldy.  And on this Valentine's Day morning, "self" had definitely raised its ugly head.  By about 10 a.m. that morning I had had enough and  I prayed that God would but the genie (self) back in the bottle......helping me to look outward....as opposed to inward.  I picked up my iPhone and called each of the ladies in my congregation and wished them a Happy Valentine's Day.  During one phone call I prayed with a member who was struggling with an illness in the family and a number of big decisions in her life.  During another call, I found out a member had a relative in the hospital....and being near the hospital I proceeded to meet with that person.  And then I remembered that one of our members has a brother who is permanently in a nursing home due to a disability.  I swung by Walmart, picked up a Valentine's Card and paid "Don" a visit.  I had visited and prayed with Don before and knew that he had good days and bad days....and this was a fairly rough day for him....legs swollen with fluid....along with the regular list of ailments that continually plagued him.  His sister (our church member) was with him...and so she was able to help interpret Don's speech which was often garbled due to his condition.  I visited....gave him his card....and prayed with him as I usually did.  After we prayed, he said something that I didn't quite understand.  Turning to his sister....I saw her smiling....and she told me he said "I pray for my pastor (me) every day".  In the gentlest, kindest way possible, God had completely chopped me off at the knees.  Through His grace, I was able to turn an inward, self-absorbed, pre-occupation with self into an outward concern for others....at least it was a tiny step in that direction on this particular day.  An in so doing, I experienced the beautiful irony of encountering some else who had been touched by that same grace and was pouring out their own heart on someone else. 

There is no shortage of scripture that warns us about the danger of self.  Solomon tried to caution us in Ecclesiastes 2:10.  And the Apostle Paul really went out of his way to do so in at least three of his letters - Ephesians 4:22 - 24, Romans 7:6 and Colossians 3:1 - 15.  For this sermon, I focused on the passage in Colossians.  There are three "biggies" that we learn from this Scripture:

  • Dying to the old self and rising with Christ in the new self is a continual process and not a one-time event.

  • According to Paul, we are not to refrain from living in the world and our body, "but to live a life of heavenly-inspired thanksgiving and praise here and now, in the body and the world."

  • The unhealthy desire to have more and more things for oneself - the pre-occupation with self - is idolatry.

In this passage in Colossians, Paul uses some great imagery that his ancient Greco-Roman audience would have appreciated.  The vision of baptism as a "watery grave"....where we're buried (hidden) and then raised from the dead....buried with Christ...and then re-emerging with Christ in the resurrection.  And then the "putting on" of the new self....a crisp, white baptismal robe covering the dirty rags (after baptism) that candidates often wore as they entered the baptismal pool.  

Even though we, as Christians, die and rise with Christ...taking off our old self and putting on the new self.....at that point of salvation.....we soon realize that making Christ our life (as Paul says) is a lifelong journey.  A process.  We struggle...but we keep trying. 

Below are the sermon notes and audio recording of the sermon:

Sermon Notes from February 17, 2013

Audio Recording of Sermon on February 17, 2013






Tuesday, February 5, 2013

A Call to Perseverance

Given all that has gone on with our congregation...as well as me personally....I felt lead to deliver a message on "perseverance".

And since this past Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday....what better way to talk about perseverance than to offer up a good football-related story about the same subject?  I found such a story in "Inky Johnson".  Inky was a celebrated cornerback with the University of Tennessee Volunteers who overcame incredible odds.....having grown up on the wrong side of Atlanta amidst gangs, drugs, violence and a fragile home life.  And despite his small, scrappy frame...Inky was getting noticed from any number of NFL scouts.  But on an average Saturday during an average (at best) contest with Air Force....Inky would suffer a rare, tragic injury that would stop his football career dead in its tracks.

Now unless you are a die-hard UT Volunteers fan, you have probably never heard of Inky Johnson.  And it would be very easy to lump him together with so many star athletes who fade from the scene after injuries and life struggles.  But Inky's story is remarkable....not for what he accomplished....but for how he faced his circumstances.

I latched on to Inky's story because I wanted a good juicy tale about ...."enduring"....."knuckling down and getting through it"......"grinning and bearing it"......whatever you might call it.  After all, I needed something to fit my preconceived notions....a story that would neatly fit the direction I thought my sermon would take.

But I didn't see any of what I expected in Inky's tale.  I found a young man that always seemed to have a positive attitude.  Who not only endured his circumstances but embraced them.....and used his tragedies to show what faith in Christ really means.  The events in his life allowed his character to be shaped, molded....all the while becoming a better man in Christ.  Perhaps I just didn't understand the true meaning of "perseverance".

As it turns out, Inky Johnson understood the scriptural message of perseverance much more clearly than did I. 

For this particular sermon, I studied four particular New Testament passages on the subject:

Romans 5:1 - 5
1 Corinthians 13:7
Hebrews 12
Revelation 2:1 - 3
James 1:1 - 12

What I found surprised me.  Looking at these passages and taking into account the nuances of the text (with specific focus on James 1:1 - 12).....it seems that God intended perseverance as a means for a good end...not bad or negative....and not something simply to "live through"....but to "live for".  Perseverance is not simply bearing things.....it's turning them into something positive....something glorifying.  According to scripture, persevering is not passive either.  It's an active process whereby believers take something that might otherwise be tragic and turn it into something that honors God and shows others what faith (in action) can really do.  Here the complete notes and audio recording of Sunday's sermon:

Sermon Notes - "A Call to Perseverance"

Audio Recording of Sermon


By the way....after his injury, Inky would go on to finish college, publish a book, speak tirelessly to groups of athletes about his Christian faith...and as we speak....is showing others the love of Christ.

Have a great week!