Famous Amos

Famous Amos

There are a lot of famous people in the world. People who achieve fame and fortune. People who's faces are found on magazine covers, movie screens and in the news.  I want to introduce you to a friend who never made star status but he was famous in my eyes. His name is Amos. Even though he has gone home to be with the Lord, I want to share my friend with you.

I first met Amos in the mid 80's when I was pastoring an inner city Episcopal church. Judy and I had moved from Montana with three small children and another on the way. Through friends in the church, I was introduced to Amos. He was an elder in another church some distance from us. My first impression of Amos was that he looked like a gnome: small in stature, balding head and a warm smile. Who was this guy?

For some reason Amos took a liking to me. He began to call me every couple of weeks, asking how I was doing and inviting me to coffee. This was the start of a relationship that lasted twenty years until his death. Little did I know that Amos came into my life for a purpose. The Lord has a way of doing that.

You see, Amos was a seer. A strange gift to say the least. Amos could see and hear what the Lord was saying. His gift enabled him to see what you and I could not. I know that sounds scary but Amos wasn't a scary person. With a gracious heart and a soft voice, he would share what he saw and heard, then ask me what it meant. For some reason I usually knew. At first, I was skeptical but his gentle spirit won me over.

A decade later, after Judy and I moved back to Montana, Amos came for a visit. As usual, he came with a word from the Lord. This made me nervous, not knowing exactly what the Lord had to say. Amos said the Lord had given me a special gift. A gift that was needed in the Church. A gift to pastor pastors and mentor leaders. He showed me in the New Testament how Jesus gave gifts to the church to help the church grow up. Amos said this is what the Lord had in store for me. Looking back, I see how right Amos was in encouraging me to embrace this gift from God. Whenever I am in doubt about who I am and what I am doing, I remember what Amos told me, "God has given you a precious gift. Use it for his glory."

Amos was an ordinary kind of guy. Looking at him, you wouldn't know what was on the inside. It was by God's grace that Amos came into my life. If I hadn't taken the time to have coffee with Amos, I may have never know what gifts God had for me. Amos was often sidelined by church leaders. He never imposed himself on others or demanded to be heard. His quiet manners and gentle spirit made him Famous! Thank you Amos for being my friend.

The Bible reminds us that the Lord is the Giver of all good gifts. Not the kind you find wrapped in pretty paper under the Christmas tree. The gifts from God often come with skin on: a parent, spouse, child, or close friend. They don't come perfect but they do come equipped to bless and love you right where you are. Why does it seem so hard to unwrap these gifts?

Everyone Welcome

Everyone Welcome

The sign out front of the church tells people who we are and the time of service. The sign has been there a long time; weather beaten with fading white lettering. It's been there so long that people driving by no longer take notice. It blends into the muted shades of sage that cover the foothills of Montana. The leaders have discussed doing something about it. But to date it is still there, reminding us that we are in need of a makeover.

At the bottom of the sign in the same fading letters it says "Everyone Welcome." When I look at that sign I wonder if our welcome is fading too. I say that because church is known for its resistance to change. "We have always done it that way" is the mantra holding back change. Was everyone really welcome when the sign first went up? Or was it a religious cliché? Did the church builders want a haven for saint and sinner? Was their intent to provide a home for all who were seeking shelter and solace?

Today's world, even here in Montana, is increasingly diverse. The migration of city dwellers to country living is changing the relational climate of our community. Gone is the quaint western town where people not progress were important. Not all change is bad but it takes some getting used to. For those of us who have lived here awhile, you wonder if the city fathers added "everyone welcome" signs at the freeway exits to the city.

Most of us don't do all that well with diversity. We lean toward hanging around with like-minded people. This is a criticism leveled toward churches. "Us four and no more" fosters an insular attitude to a culture that accepts just about anything and anybody. So, to put "everyone welcome" on a church sign can be a recipe for disaster.

Jesus came to tell humankind that everybody is welcome in the Father's house. He said that the Father's love was not just for a chosen few but for everybody. Church people of that time struggled with that invitation. They were taught that you had to earn your way for the Father's approval. Jesus practiced what he preached by hanging out with those whose didn't measure up. Finally, something had to be done about Jesus.

Can you see why I am a little nervous about a new sign? Someone might drive by and read that everyone is welcome. Maybe even come back on Sunday morning. Then what will we do?

The Day My Dad Died

The Day My Dad Died

 I was in Mexico on a mission trip when my brother called to tell me to come home as soon as possible because Dad was dying. We were scheduled to be home the following evening. I prayed I would make it in time.

Dad was 83 and near the end of a long battle with prostate cancer. The doctors told him there was nothing more that medicine could do. Being a doctor himself, he knew that his life was ending. Hospice was called and the long wait began. Since he was given several weeks to live, I was confident that I would be home from Mexico before he died.

When I arrived at my parents’ home, I saw that his continence had changed dramatically. As our family gathered around his deathbed, I prayed that the Lord would take him quickly so he would not have to suffer. Dad asked me when Jesus was coming to take him home. Chocking away tears I said he would be coming soon.

The following evening the Lord came and took Dad home. Just as he was breathing his last I heard him whisper, “I can see him. He is coming.” He leaned forward a little trying to lift his arms in greeting and died. I am not sure my siblings or my Mom heard what he said but I did.

The next day, my sister Patty and I went to make funeral arrangements. I mentioned to the pastor that my Dad wanted me to be a part of his funeral service. Since I was a former Catholic priest, I knew that was probably not going to happen. Surprisingly the priest asked if I would like to preach at my Dad’s funeral. 

As part of my sermon, I shared an experience I had with my Dad several years before. One day while we were out for a walk, our conversation turned toward religion as it sometimes did. I asked my Dad if he knew Jesus as a person and not as a religion. He said no. I asked if he would like to know Jesus personally. He said yes he would. There we were, father and son, talking about God in a way I never dreamed. We prayed and he gave his life to Jesus. We both wept. As I shared this story it was obvious people were touched.

As the 12^th anniversary of his death approaches, I am blessed to have had that experience with my Dad. I know that there is a day coming when I will see him again. How can I be so sure? Because Jesus says:

“I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”  John 11.25-26 Message

I do!

                                                                   

The Sweet Spot

The Sweet Spot

Golf is my sport of choice. I fell in love with the game as a boy. I caddied at a private country club near our home. Not sure why it was so appealing to me. I was short and skinny for my age, making it almost impossible for me to carry "doubles"( two golf bags) for 18 holes. It certainly wasn't the money. Maybe it was the manicured landscape and the gentleman like atmosphere that drew me to the game. It was the beginning of my love affair with golf.

Although I have played golf for almost sixty years, I am not very good at the game. I never took lessons, thinking I could master it on my own. When I was a Catholic priest, I was a member of a ritzy golf club for several years. I purchased a new set of clubs to improve my game. Increased frustration with my swing and the inability to control my anger prompted me to give it up for ten years. Now I live next door to a beautiful golf course and play occasionally. I love to watch golf on TV.

One of the secrets to golf is to find the sweet spot on the club face. Golf clubs today have large club faces, allowing the golfer to hit the ball on the sweet spot in the center of the club face. If you are a golfer, you know that if you miss the sweet spot, your ball will go in a direction you never intended. Knowing this has yet to lower my score or my frustration.

What does the sweet spot have to do with life? Like golf, when I find my sweet spot, what God created me to be and do, my life goes a lot easier. You see, God hard wires every human being with gifts: talents and abilities. These gifts are specifically designed for the individual to enjoy and share. These gifts are fairly easy to identify because we are already doing them almost unknowingly. Discovering the sweet spot gives life purpose and direction.

Sound a little weird? Well, I have spent a lifetime trying to make sense of my life. Much of my past made little sense until I saw what God was up to. He had a plan to bring me to my sweet spot. Looking back I see how difficult times, disappointments, fears, depression and rejection were necessary to hone my sweet spot. Now I know what my Father has put into me to be. How do I know this? Because I am doing it with joy and peace. Finally I found my sweet spot and it is sweet.

Here is what the Father says about finding your sweet spot:
    "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own.
      Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
      He's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all."  
                                                                                               Proverbs 3.5-6 The Message

God's Office

God's Office

I am very familiar with the principal's office. During my academic years, grade school through seminary, I spend a lot of time trying to explain my behavior to the powers that be. Since I was the oldest of eight children, I was the one who paved the way for the other seven. That accounts for some of my issues, but to say it straight I was a rebel.

In grade school, I was the class clown with a bad attitude. After repeated trips to the principal's office, my father canceled his appointments and came to the school to apply behavior modification to my back side! Even that had little effect on my attitude. Finally I was kicked out of the school.

By the time I arrived at seminary, I learned to curtail my temperament somewhat. Since my goal was to be "a man after God's own heart," I tried real hard to be a compliant student. At the end of my second year, I was called into Rector's (principal's) office and told that my attitude was not fit for the priesthood and don't come back. That was a blow to my pride, but I didn't let it stop me from returning in the fall.  Nothing more was said.

Looking back on those years, I see that behavior modification was not the issue. The real issue was heart attitude. I did not understand that God was after my heart; a heart that needed a transplant. My rebel heart was in need of serious time in the Principal's office.

This past week I found a quote: " God's office is at the end of your rope." I can't tell you how many times I have been at the end of my rope. Trying to be a good man, a good pastor, a good husband, a good father, a good friend has really stretched my rope. My faults, my failures, my rebel heart are the very things that bring me to the Father's office.

The Bible says: "Jesus learned obedience from the things which he suffered." That tells me that Jesus was familiar with being at the end of his rope and needing time in the Father's office. I have a great Father who desires to help me face the fact that I can't go it alone. Daily, I need time in his office.