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For Even

March 15, 2013 /

Dear Friends,

“For even.” Two powerful words which express the commonness of humanity and the ordinary mechanics of life. Words which force us back to reality when we are tempted to choose a special status for ourselves.

For even the jewels upon the crown were once dusty rocks in the ground carried by ordinary people.

For even the eagle which soars effortlessly on the currents of the air must stop and sleep.

PigFor even that sizzling juicy piece of bacon basking in the glow of the morning sun upon your plate was once a pig wallowing in the mud. Though truth be told, we may call it mud, we all know it is much more than that. It is months of sloppy horticultural stimulation goodness that when lathered upon a pig for thirty days gives your bacon a flavor nothing short of pure culinary ecstasy.

As Christians our call is to live a life guided by the for even.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45, NIV)

For even the one who holds the universe in his hands used his hands to touch the infected skin of a leper.

For even the one who spoke this world into existence spoke words of forgiveness to a woman caught in adultery.

For even he whose will alone determines the movements of the universe knelt down and washed his disciples feet.

For even the one who existed before time would walk the dusty roads of the Middle East.

For even he who could call down 10,000 angels to come to his aid chose to suffer on a cross.

For even Jesus served and came to serve.

As Christians in the United States we enjoy many benefits. We have built magnificent buildings. We have carved out a Christian culture for ourselves. And as great as the blessings and benefits we relish are, we must never forget the for even.

Our call is to serve not to be served. Our call is to surrender over status. Our example is one of suffering. For even I am sinner saved by grace alone.

Blessings,
Stephen

Waiting and Planning

March 1, 2013 /

Dear Friends,

One of the great challenges for college faculty is figuring out a way to manipulate . . . err . . . motivate students to participate in hours of seemly endless drudgery and pay for the privilege. If you happen to be a student in the religion department at a Nazarene institution, like I was, you can be sure quotes from the likes of John Wesley and Phineas F. Bresee,Breseefounder of the Church of the Nazarene, are certainly going to make their way into the motivational repertoire. One of those I heard frequently was a story of a person asking old Phiney what he would do if he were told he only had ten years to live. Phiney, lowering his voice and fixing his eyes on his poor unsuspecting inquisitor replied he would spend the first five years preparing for the last five. With that men came into the room and carried off the questioner to study in one of the many fine Nazarene institutions of higher learning. From then on no one dared asked Phiney any more questions.

Whether the story is true or legend it illustrates an important principle about the steps we take as a visions grows within our souls.

Building Block #3: Pray for opportunities and plan as if you expect God to answer your prayers.

“New visions die easily. And understandably so. There is little to go on. Praying and planning will help you keep your vision alive. And that is critical. When your vision dies, part of you dies as well. So pray. Pray for opportunities. Pray for the people who could help you launch your vision. And while you wait, plan! Develop a strategy. Dream on paper. Find the one or two things you can do and get busy” (38).

It may seem counterintuitive to pray and plan at the same time but planning is about putting ourselves in a position where we are able to respond to God when the time comes. Nehemiah had a vision for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but he was the cup bearer to the King of Babylon. What are some the areas that Nehemiah would have been able to plan for? He could have planned how he would respond when God softened the King’s heart and opened a door for Nehemiah to travel to Jerusalem. He could have thought about what he was going to need, the letters for travel, the supplies, etc. He might have even looked into just how a wall is built. We know that there were non-Jewish people living in the land at the time. He could have studied their languages, at least enough the ask where the bathroom is at and the directions to the nearest McDonalds. These are just a few.
Even as we plan, we should not be surprised if God uses our plans in a way we never expected.

If the opportunity came today for you to move toward your vision would we be ready? What can you do to prepare?

Blessings,
Stephen

 

Quotations taken from:
Stanley, Andy. Visioneering. Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2005.

Hyperactive Rabbits

February 23, 2013 /

We all want to be hyperactive rabbits lacing up our red lightning bolt jogging shoes, taking our place on the starting line waiting for the moment when the starter’s pistol fires and we can careen ahead to claim the glory of victory.

When that first vision of what could be, what should be, begins to become clear in our souls it can be like the sound of a starter’s pistol in our minds and bodies. We surge ahead to claim our destiny. But, as we all know, when the smoke clears it will not be the wild rabbit who wins the race but the steady, slow, tortoise.

Rabbit and TurtleBuilding Block #2: A vision does not necessarily require immediate action.

“A vision rarely requires immediate action. It always requires patience” (20). Charging out of the starting gate too early to fulfill, even a God-ordained vision, will always result in failure, discouragement, and disillusionment. While we will talk more about the specifics of what takes place while we wait when we discuss other building blocks, for now I will say that three things happen while we wait for the vision:

First, the vision matures in us. “For a vision to survive it must be mature and healthy before being exposed to the cynical, critical, stubborn environment in which it is expected to survive” (21).

Second, we mature in preparation for the vision. Think about the story of David. He had been anointed the King of Israel. He knew his vision. He knew God’s purposes for his life. Yet he still had many years of preparation and maturing before the vision would be.

Third, God is at work behind the scenes to prepare the way. “Ultimately we are taking part in a massive assault that began one dark afternoon on a hill just outside Jerusalem. God’s vision for your life is much bigger than you. Apart from his intervention and preparation, you and I are incapable of pulling off even our small part of the operation” (24). While the Hebrew people were in slavery in Egypt they cried out to God and it appeared that he was not listening. But with the birth of a baby to be named Moses and even his being sent away for 40 years to the land of Midian, we see that God was at work all the time, behind the scenes, to fulfill a vision for saving his people. For much of the time, though, it appeared as though God was not doing anything.

Blessings,
Pastor Stephen

 

Quotations taken from:
Stanley, Andy. Visioneering. Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2005.

Fight, and you may die. Run, and you will live

February 15, 2013 /

Battle of Stirling

Dear Friends,

Today’s Milk Can continues a series exploring the questions; “What is vision?” and “How do we get it?”

In the movie Braveheart, William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson, a commoner, rallies his people in a war of independence from England. An ill equipped, untrained army stands on a battlefield facing the professional army of England. Fear begins to grip the Scotts when Wallace rides in front of the troops.

“I am William Wallace. And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny! You’ve come to fight as free men, and free man you are! What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?”

One soldier answers, “Against that? No, we will run and we will live!”

“Yes,” Wallace replies, “fight, and you may die. Run, and you will live . . . at least awhile. And dying in your bed many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance—just one chance—to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they’ll never take our freedom!”

You may watch the scene from the movie here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_OpFxCx-A

A God-given vision is bigger than us. A God-given vision will call for you to lay down your life, figuratively, and sometimes literally. But when we reach the end of our days. Do we want to look back with longing for the day when history could have been changed or do we want to be remembered for choosing to truly live? Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25, NIV).

Blessings,
Stephen

Story of William Wallace taken from the book:

Parrott, Les. You’re stronger than you think : the power to do what you feel you can’t. Carol Stream, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 2012. (Pages 172-173).

Building a Vision

February 8, 2013 /

Dear Friends,

Today’s Milk Can continues a series exploring the questions; “What is vision?” and “How do we get it?”

In the book Visioneering, Andy Stanley lays out twenty building blocks for God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision. In this series I will use Andy’s work as a springboard for our learning together.

BlocksBuilding Block #1: A Vision Begins as a Concern.

Psychologists say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The process of forming a vision begins with realizing that life can no longer keep going the way it is going. Whether it is getting out of debt, changing careers, moving to a new place, growing in our marriage, or any number of other areas in our life, change will not happen until we realize something different has to happen. As Christians we believe the prodding for change in our lives, more often than not, comes as a product of the Holy Spirit speaking into our lives.

Stanley says that, “A God-ordained vision will begin as a concern. You will hear or see something that gets your attention. A thought related to the future will generate an emotion. Something will bother you about the way things are or the way things are headed. Unlike many passing concerns, these will stick with you. You will find yourself thinking about them in your free time. You may loose sleep over them. You won’t be able to let them go because they won’t let you go” (19).

In the process birthing a vision God will begin to grow in our souls a desire and direction for change that begins as a concern or need that must be met.

In what areas of your life are you feeling tension for change right now?

Blessings,
Stephen

 

Quotes taken from:

Stanley, Andy. Visioneering. Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2005.

Without Vision We Perish

February 1, 2013 /

flood light

Dear Friends,

Over the last several years I have read several books and listened to many talks on the importance of having a vision. We are told people respond to vision. They will follow vision. They will give to vision. They will join into vision. But without it there is nothing. Proverbs tells us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish . . .” (29:18a, KJV) or as it says in another translation “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint . . .” (NIV). Proverbs also says “where there are no oxen, the manger is clean” (14:4), but that is another story.

Now sitting in the office of a new church in a new community I find myself returning to the topic of vision. I ask myself often what our vision is for the community of Galesburg.

Bill Hybels defines a vision as “a picture of the future that produces passion.”

Andy Stanley says to have vision is to have “a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the passion that it should be.”

I belileve vision is essential. Without it we perish. But how is it that something so essential is so elusive to find? Is it really possible to have a vision without eating psychedelic mushrooms?

What do you think?

Blessings,
Pastor Stephen

Birth by Storm

December 16, 2012 /

I sat and listened to Stephen preach today. It was nice—nice to hear Stephen preach—but also nice to just sit and listen. I’ve been able to do more of that lately and it’s really, really good. Anyway, one thing he said really jumped out at me. “Christmas is a birth and a birth is violent.” Stephen’s been there (very much there) for the birth of both our kids, so I’m kind of glad he decided not to use any personal illustrations at this point—but I think most people can add their own. I admit I couldn’t help but think of my first experience giving birth. I’ll save you the details except to say that it was long and painful and drug-free with the exception of Pitocin—and I wouldn’t trade it. And by “it,” I mean the actual process of giving birth. It was painful, but wonderful. Wonderful, but violent. Violent but holy. I’m so, so glad for that experience. Thankful for the child that was born, but also glad for the experience itself—because the pain made me a better, more complete person. I lived in a way I hadn’t lived before. And I came away with a deeper appreciation for the pain Jesus experienced on the cross. Sounds kind of self-focused but hey that’s how it was—for me.

nativitySo what about, “Christmas is a birth and a birth is violent?” Any woman who’s given birth will tell you it’s violent and a baby would too if he could. But what about the violence that came because of Jesus’ birth? Obviously there was Mary’s pain and even the pressure that Jesus must have felt as his tiny body was pushed through a narrow birth canal. But what about the spiritual birth that is made possible in each one of us because of Jesus’ birth, death (violence again) and resurrection? Is that violent? Yeah, I think it is. I think the spiritual birth that is possible in each one of our lives because of the Christmas birth is violent—and sometimes downright painful.

And can I honestly say I’m glad for it? No, not really. But then I’m reminded that “Christmas is a birth and a birth is violent.” And so maybe that violence and the pain I’ve experienced at different points along the journey isn’t wasted. Maybe, if anything, it’s part of a birth—maybe just maybe it’s part of the larger metanarrative of Christmas. And maybe someday I’ll be glad for that pain. But right now “Christ is still being formed in me” and “creation is still groaning as in the pains of childbirth.” But someday, someday the head will crown, Jesus will return and Christmas will be here! And I have a feeling I’ll be glad for having lived the process.

Laura

Facing Change

October 25, 2012 /

What does a group of grown men playing wiffle ball in Kalamazoo, Michigan do when there is a disagreement about a call? They take out their cell phones, of course, and call a major league umpire in San Diego as he is getting ready for a game for a resolution to the argument. Who would have guessed in 1984, when the first cell phone was released by Motorola, costing nearly $4,000 and weighing over two pounds, that it would one day be used to resolve a wiffle ball game?

Laura Ingalls Wilder

In the book The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies—a book well worth reading. The author states that Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in the big woods of Wisconsin into a world where information traveled no faster than a horse, a fact that had been true when Jesus was born over 1800 years prior. By the time of her death, the world had entered into the realm of jet travel. While the rate of change and number of societal changes was dramatic in her lifetime, it is nothing compared to what generations following her have experienced and will be experienced by each new generation.

As I look at my children sleeping tonight, it is impossible for me to conceive of the world they will live in as adults. How do you train a child for a world that does not exist? You teach them principles. It is one of the things that makes the Bible so powerful and timeless and gives evidence to the gracious foreknowledge of God.

The Bible provides very few direct solutions to specific situations, rather it gives us the unchanging principles by which we are able to discern how to live in each situation.

The world, methods, society, communication, the church and everything else will change and must change, but the principles of God will remain and endure through it all.

Blessings,
Stephen

Riding the Rails

October 1, 2012 /

Train YardWithout a doubt Galesburg, Illinois is a railroad town. Over 160 trains a day go through downtown. Planning a trip across town requires calculating waiting for the inevitable train, or two, or three. All through the day and night the sounds of train horns can be heard as engines pass the innumerable rail crossings in our city. I have learned engineers have a personality to the way they blow their horns. Some prefer the loud sudden blast. Others choose to let the sound gradually build to a crescendo. Still others prefer to have fun with successions of short blasts. I sometimes wonder if they are trying to play a song.

If you were to come to our town and travel north on Prairie Street, just after you cross a set of tracks, on the corner of North Street you might see a sign which reads, “BNSF Blow that Horn Up Your Caboose.” I laughed the first time I saw the sign and thought whoever sold them their house must deserve the Real Estate Agent of the Century Award. To be able to sell a house in Galesburg without the person noticing they were right next to a railroad tracks or without hearing a train whistle blow takes real talent.

As other days came and I drove by the sign, I began to feel sorry for the person who put the sign up. There could hardly be anything more futile to complain about in Galesburg than the sound of a train horn. Why live one’s life defined by bitterness toward the futile? Galesburg is a great city. There is much beauty to be found. Why allow one thing to destroy everything?

On more journeys across the tracks, I began to think about myself. How many times have I expended energy complaining about things that are just as futile? How many times do I allow myself to get caught up in debates of no value? How often do I allow bitterness to settle into my soul?

The Bible has much to say on the topic. The Psalmist says of the people “. . . they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord” (Psalm 106:24-25). How often do we miss the pleasant land, despising where God has placed us today? Did you catch that their grumbling leads to disobedience?

Paul, in Philippians, encourages the people with these words, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life . . .” (Philippians 2:14-15, emphasis mine).

It seems to me, too often we Christians are more like the house sitting beside the tracks, spending our time complaining about the trains rather than being lights of thankfulness in all circumstances, holding out the word of life.

Blessings,
Stephen

Moving Out

September 10, 2012 /

Dear Friends,

One of my favorite quotes comes from the historian of movements, Page Smith, “The leader with a plan, however inadequate it may finally turn out to be, is at a vast advantage over a systemless rival, however brilliant.” The last few months have certainly tested insight of this quote for us as our plans were not even close to the path we were about to embark on.

In June we packed up our operations and moved them from the land of Mayo Clinic to the land of trains. Lots and lots and lots and lots of trains. It has been a GREAT move. We are now the pastors of Hope Wesleyan Church in Galesburg, Illinois, home of the headquarters for BNSF Railway.

Throughout this season of transition I have been guided by the words from Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God.” There have been many times when I have wanted to try and figure it out for myself and to direct my own paths. In those moments when I have been tempted to become anxious for the future I have had to consciously choose to step back and let God be God.

I have been learning, as we frequently say in the church:

God is good. All the time.
All the time. God is good.

Blessings,
Stephen

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