the lens through which we must look

It has been a couple days since I blogged (is that a verb?). I would like to say it is because I have been busily helping all the people who are suffering from the effects of the February 5 tornado. It isn't. I have been really busy at work... pretty lame, I know... (many great people from Riverside and the Gassville community HAVE worked and continue to work tirelessly...)

The real reason I haven't written anything in this space for the past week or so is this: I have had something burning inside me that I can't articulate (no, it's not heartburn... I checked!)...

I am going to try to boil it down to a 'less-than-novella-sized' paragraph or two (or six):

Everything we do... everything we teach... every lesson we aspire to share with our friends... has to be viewed through His lens.

In other words, when I am deciding what to say when asked to preach, I should give very serious consideration to what I am going to talk about. When you are asked to teach a Bible class or lead a discussion, you must give serious consideration... and when we are deciding what curriculum and methods we will use to teach our young people's Bible classes, we must pull out the same lens.

The lens to which I refer is 'the 1-thing' lens. A college Bible teacher (Old Testament professor) of mine said it this way:

"I am afraid I have done my students a huge disservice....because I have come to understand that everything we teach or share MUST be taught (or shared) in a way that points to the Cross of Calvary. Because everything.... from the oldest Old Testament story to the latest revelation from the final book of the Bible to my Great-grandfater's experiences to my daily walk.... EVERYTHING... points to Jesus Christ. So, to the degree that I teach for teaching's sake... to the degree that my students (or anyone anywhere) learn for learning's sake... if we fail to connect the teaching and learning to our Savior... it is all IN VAIN!"

So, as I think of what to share... as you think of what or how to teach a Bible class... as you decide how and what to teach in your Bible classes at your church buildings.... we MUST judge the content and method by that standard.... PERIOD!

I grew up in a church-Bible-class environment where knowledge was valued... we would read and memorize and quiz and recite.... but I NEVER heard or learned how any of it connected to the One who gave Himself for me... never.

So for me this is a hill to die on. I resolve to always use the '1-thing' lens. I will not knowingly teach or preach or share without first considering how the subject matter connects to Jesus. I will not be a part of an effort to teach anything spiritual to anyone in any environment without first considering its connection to Jesus Christ. Knowledge for knowledge's sake is worthless.

While it is true that the Bereans were called noble because of their study habits, the text never mentions whether they connected their knowledge (and their lives) to their Savior.

May we always teach our children that the Bible is a story of a Sovereign God reconciling fallen man through a Risen Savior... and that EVERY word in His Word was specifically inspired to continually point us to that '1 thing'!

May God Bless us as we always use His Lens.

fighting for a legacy

As I watch Superstar Pitcher Roger Clemens battle those accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs, I am struck by what I perceive to be going on...

I watch contrived video 'proof' of his incredible work ethic (working out in his home gym with a trainer) and am inundated with the repeating video loop of him walking down the halls of some courtroom... and I believe I am watching an intense battle.

The battle he is waging is not for money, necessarily; he has made his fortune... he is in the twilight of his career... the battle is not for respect, necessarily; I don't think that matters much to him... the battle, quite simply, is for his legacy.

He is intimately familiar (aren't we all) with Pete Rose' journey to restore his own legacy... we have all watched and winced as the all-time hits leader lies and comes clean, only to repeat that pattern over and over...

And the Rocket is trying not to make the same missteps as Rose.

I have my own opinions about HGH and performance enhancing substances... maybe for another time...

But I wonder how many of us are in the same type of battle. How many of us are struggling mightily to restore our credit... or our reputation... or our name.

I know I have made more than my share of mistakes... and I've decided life is, in a way, a continual struggle to preserve and restore your name.

I understand that the Proverb says that 'a good name is better than riches', and we must do our very best to preserve ours.

But the name I want to protect and preserve and restore more than any other is the name of Jesus. For in that name (and in no other) will we be saved (Acts 4:12)...

Last week the local paper told of a guy who had been arrested for writing hot checks... he shares my name. His middle initial is 'S' and mine is 'L', but some folks thought it was me... It was a weird feeling... my name was smeared, at least in the eyes of some...

I wonder how our Savior feels when we, who share and wear His name, bring shame on it? I know He forgives me, and I thank God everyday that He does... but we certainly should aspire to wear His name in a worthy way... a way which insures and enriches not only our own legacy, but His.

just a thought...

Blessings

river or reservoir?

The outpouring of love to the community of Gassville has been unbelievable! People have simply pitched in to help wherever they can... delivering food, helping to put tarp on roof damage, handing out water and hot coffee... all manner of help from all manner of people.

Churches have stepped up big time, organizing efforts to simply help those who need help.

It reminded me of a sermon I heard a few years back... about the difference between a river and a reservoir...

A reservoir collects water while a river, by its God-spun design, delivers it. Water flows through a river but stagnates in a reservoir. As God's people, we are called to be a river. Nothing we have is ours... and we are arrogant when we 'collect' God's gifts. When we hoard while others hurt, we exhibit the baser and more selfish side of man.

It is only when we allow gifts to flow through us that we begin to imitate Jesus.

So think about it: on a personal level, which do you resemble? And at a group level, which would best describe you? Does your church allow God's blessings to flow through 'it', or are you hoarding up His treasures?

As many churches (and individuals) 'store up' things and money as a 'cushion' while others are in need, I implore us all to take a serious look at the reasons behind this mentality.

One church deacon once told me he believed the church should put back 6 months operating capital 'for a rainy day'...

As I think back on that conversation, I now wonder how misguided it is to 'save for a rainy day'...

Have we forgotten Who makes the rain?

I challenge each of us, individually and collectively, to be rivers... not reservoirs.

blessings!

in times of Tragedy - Just Do It

So what are we to do when faced with tragedy?

With apologies to the advertising gurus at Nike....

Just Do It!

However, I learned an interesting lesson in the wake of the Tornado that devastated the Gassville community on Tuesday night... there are a lot more people who are happy to tell you how or why something can NOT be done to help than people who will just... help.

I know patience has never been an easy thing for me, but Wednesday I reached the end of whatever little I had....

While we were serving a hot supper to dozens of displaced people and workers... and while others were preparing and using four wheelers to deliver our little care packages into the affected areas... and while still others were making plans for how we were going to continue this aid that night and in the coming days.... in the middle of all that, someone was happily telling us how we couldn't do it that way... he told us how the law enforcement personnel were not letting anyone into the affected areas, yada yada yada...

After explaining that we had already been to all the affected areas providing support and aid and hot coffee, the folks explaining this ran out of steam and decided they didn't need to engage him any further...

And I was reminded of an old saying (one of my favorites, actually): lead, follow, or get out of the way!

So I just smiled and turned away and decided I did not need to listen anymore... and that we needed to continue 'just doing it'...

all this to say... when someone needs help, just help them...just do it! That's all... because standing around shooting down ideas is lazy and easy and worthless...

God Bless everyone who is helping those who are hurting from this tragedy... for the rest: stop talking and take an armload of care packages and hot coffee and wade in... or grab and hammer and help someone cover missing windows with plywood...

OK, I'm better... sorry for the rant...

Blessings!

This is Love

On Tuesday at suppertime, the little town where our church meets was devastated by an F3 tornado. While none of our Riverside members were hurt, one person lost their life in the storm, and dozens of others were injured... A short tour of the devastated area will make you wonder how more lives were not lost...

A favorite Mexican restaurant was completely destroyed while arguably the best barbecue joint in the county lost it roof...

The Riverside building sits just a quarter mile west of the path of the twister (undamaged), and it made sense to organize efforts from our location to try to help the hundreds of families whose homes and lives were torn apart by this unimaginable terror.

Minutes after the storm passed, I was walking down the main street of Gassville... the devastation was unspeakable... there was no power, and the darkness was interrupted only when long flashes of lightning illuminated the surreal scene: 20 power poles were snapped in half along the highway and huge chucks of debris (including large pieces of twisted metal which used to be someone's outbuilding or garage) littered the landscape as it continued to rain sideways...

Hours after the storm, several of us helped set up cots and aid at the Cotter High School gym... this devastated community is pulling together in an incredible display of support... by about 10 pm, a house to house search for survivors was undertaken by local and state law enforcement and, thankfully, found everyone who had been unaccounted for... still only one death... it is nothing short of a miracle that more people weren't killed.

Yesterday, the Riverside family met at the building and put together small 'care packages' consisting of a sandwich and an apple and a snack and a water bottle.... we took our church van closer to the devastated area, set up shop on the front lawn and, by 10 am, were hand delivering hot coffee and the care packages to anyone who needed them. Homeowners were returning to what used to be their homes for the first time to inspect the damage and collect belongings...

It was like every video you have ever seen of such a scene... people milling around in the rubble picking up the occasional special photograph or priceless keepsake...the emotions were as raw as the 5 degree wind chill, and some people simply looked lost.

The small thing we were doing (passing our hot coffee and the care packages) was much appreciated by everyone... those making repairs simply thanked us and put the food in their pocket, while others stopped and spoke about how grateful they were to be unharmed...

Last night we opened our building to anyone who needed a meal or just a warm place to hang for a while...

It is just the beginning... and it is such a small thing... but I think this is what Love looks like...
yep, this is love. This is Christianity. This is God caring for people through his Church.

email bankruptcy

Yesterday on the Today show, I listened to a guest talking about business etiquette… the subject of email came up, and the host asked about how to handle it when you were swamped with emails in your inbox.

This dude had a very creative answer: declare email bankruptcy!

I thought that was ingenious! According to this guy, if you get completely overwhelmed by emails and cannot see any way to get to the bottom of the stack, you simply set a reply to all emails that reads

“I am overwhelmed by the number of emails in my inbox and am, therefore, declaring email bankruptcy. If your email was important, please resend it and I will commit to responding and will do my very best to keep up with my emails in the future. Thank you for understanding”

WOW! What a great idea… For a guy who gets about 100 emails a day (many of my associates receive 250 or more!), that just seemed like a really good idea… for my part, I have never gotten so far behind that it seemed overwhelming… but a co-worker told me just yesterday that he had worked for 4 ½ hours to pare his inbox down from 975 emails to 225, then fell asleep at the keyboard… only to awaken 6 hours later to find the number had exploded back to 437!

So I told my friend about this email bankruptcy thing… and he got tears in his eyes! It was the first real ray of hope he had seen in several weeks!

And it made me think… how much more overwhelmed are people everyday by the weight of the world… how much more stressful is the burden of sin on your friends and coworkers? They need to know about the liberty that comes through declaring spiritual bankruptcy.

It is only then that God can begin to fill us up with Him... when we admit our own inability to cope or deal... when we finally, completely admit our own emptyness.

Blessings!

It feels good to feel good!

This crud that has been going around afflicted Cassie for a few days, and then it hit me! After First Day sang at a benefit event in Fayetteville, I started to feel it, and yesterday was a lost day with fever and aches and coughing, etc... I'll spare you the details... you get it.

Anyhow, thank God for making me feel better...

I just want to encourage you to do something for someone today. That's it... just find someone who needs something and fill the need!

God Bless!