Growing Big People

Growing Big People

Sitting in a meeting recently with a group of young men who were leaders in their home churches, I was impressed that there is a next generation that is willing to take seriously the words of Jesus “to go forth and make disciples of all nations.” In our network of churches we have been encouraging young people to step up into positions of leadership. Not an easy task these days.

The focus of our discussion that day was servanthood. From a practical standpoint, what does it mean to lay down your life to serve the Lord? As different ones shared their life stories, it became apparent that we had an exceptional group of people who were willing to sacrifice much to follow Jesus. There was honest, from the heart, testimonies of God working in their lives.

Toward the end of this sharing time, one person made a statement that really caught my attention. I am not even sure of the context in which it was said. All I heard were these words: “We are not in the business of growing big churches; we are in the business of growing big people.” Wow! I had never heard it said that way before. It made me think.

Interestingly enough, the derivative of the word “big” in Webster’s Dictionary comes from an archaic Scandinavian source meaning “important man.” One who is  imposing, generous, of great importance, outstandingly worthy. All of these adjectives reflect the character qualities of men and women who give  themselves to the service of Jesus.

No one in that meeting was promoting themselves as greater than the others. What was obvious was a heart attitude focused on a desire to serve the Lord. With Jesus there is no room for building my own kingdom, but only laying down my life to serve Him.

 I am reminded of these words from the Old Testament book of Proverbs: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens and influence another through discussion.”

For me, that was a meeting worth attending!

Babies Galore

Babies Galore

I confess that babies are not my thing. It's not that I don't like them. How can anybody not like newborn babies. It's just that I don't ooh and awe at the thought of little ones whose needs are many. I prefer them when they can walk, talk and care for themselves. Sorry! It must be some kind of guy thing.

Recently two families in our church announced that they are expecting another child. In a congregation our size such an announcement gets people excited especially all the moms and grandmas. Lots of talk about when is your due date, do you want a boy or a girl, maybe even twins. We are growing our fellowship the old fashioned way, one baby at a time.

Several days after this announcement, I received a text from my oldest son who lives in Portland, Oregon telling me that they are expecting a baby. Well that really got my attention. I figured that they were a one-child family and no more grandchildren from them. Judy and I could hardly contain ourselves. We were going to be grandparents again.

We were just recovering from that surprise when we got a Face Time call from our daughter and her husband who live in Nashville, Tennessee announcing that they are pregnant. We were speechless, thinking that they were not going to have any children. Once we got over the shock, we were elated that we were going to be grandparents twice more. It doesn't get much better than that.

The Bible has a lot to say about children. Here are two of my favorites: “Don't you see that children are God’s best gift? The fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quiver full of children.” And “Old people are distinguished by grandchildren; children take pride in their parents.”

If all goes well, we will be the proud grandparents of six grandchildren unless, of course, someone has twins! I have to confess I am more than excited; I am ecstatic about be a grandfather.

Happy Brain

Happy Brain

On passing through the kitchen one morning, I overheard a conversation that my wife, Judy, was having with our three-year-old grandson, Ben. She was questioning Ben about body parts: legs, arms, fingers, eyes, and ears. He's a smart kid so he had all the right answers. When Judy pointed to Ben’s head, he answered “happy brain.” That stopped me in my tracks.

I've always associated “happy” with a different body part, the heart, never the brain. I couldn't get this idea of a happy brain out of my head. I wondered whatever made a three year old make the connection between happy and brain. Later I went back and asked Ben and Judy what they meant about this happy brain business. They looked at me as if something was wrong with me.

The more I thought about this the more curious I got. I got my dictionary out and looked up the definition of happy: “feeling pleasure or enjoyment because of your life; being content and not needing more.” I guess that when you are three and all your needs are being met, your brain can get stuck on happy. My brain is usually on overload with life issues that don't have much room for happy.

My problem is that I can't shake the thought that my brain can be happy. Being the kind of person who is preoccupied with getting all his ducks lined up and keeping them that way, there is not a lot of room left room for happy in my brain. Could it be that my brain needs to get a little closer to where my heart is? Maybe Ben is onto something.

Jesus has something to say about this: “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom.”

I purpose to let my heart leak into my brain!

Veritas Caput

Veritas Caput

Judy and I recently returned from a vacation on the Mississippi River with friends. My brother, a veteran of river navigation, made all the arrangements and rented a sixty-foot houseboat. By the time we arrived, thunderstorms had raised the river five feet. With the high water and cool, windy weather we had to make daily adjustments to our schedule.

 Although this was my third houseboat trip, I still had much to learn about the ways of the river. The challenge of locks and dams, ever changing currents, channel markers and river barges made for “on the job” training for this lover of the mountains. The autumn colors, soaring bald eagles and quaint river towns were a smorgasbord for the eyes.

I learned some facts about this river. It is the fourth longest river in the world. Much of our history is connected to this “backbone of America.” Many explorers travelled these waters trapping beavers, encountering Native American tribes and searching for the river’s source. After several explorations, Henry Schoolcraft found the headwaters in what is now north-central Minnesota. He gave it the name ITASCA by combining parts of two Latin words “ver/itas ca/put” translated “true head.”

To really know the nature of things, it is important to discover their source. Just like the Mississippi, which provides life-giving water to much of our country, it is crucial to know the source of our own life. Here's what the Bible has to say about that: “Jesus says: ‘I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You've even seen him.’

Do you know the source of Life?

Apathy

Apathy

As an observer of human nature, I am interested in how people, including myself, behave. As a pastor, I am personally involved in people's lives at the junctures of greatest joy and deepest tragedy. Although I do not claim to be an expert on the subject, I have become an astute student. I don't believe there is a more interesting pastime than that of people watching. I am not a voyeur of human behavior but I am interested in how we act in different situations.

Apathy ranks high on my list of human emotions that reveals the worst in us. When I see people not caring about the needs of others simply because it does not directly affect them, I cringe. In a culture where things hold more value than relationships, suffering increases. When the focus becomes solely me and mine without sensitivity to others, we find ourselves falling into a mire of apathy.

The words APATHY is derived from a Greek word which means “without feeling or emotion.” It carries the connotation of passivity, lack of interest, indifference and numbness to life. Apathy is an emotional cancer that left unchecked turns human beings into the walking dead.

I don't believe that God made us that way. He hard wired us to care not only for ourselves but others as well. I see this often among Christians who profess one thing with their lips but when push comes to shove, we are not much different from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, I find this to be true in my own life.

Here are a few words of encouragement from the Bible to help dispel our apathy.

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard; things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with a thing, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people.” Amen!