"words of art"

I have had an interesting week in a new online class I am taking. I am learning Greek. It is fascinating to learn how the entire New Testament has been translated from the original Greek to what we read today. Of course, you just don't jump into reading Greek without knowing the alphabet. This is where the adventure begins; learning a new alphabet with letters and symbols which resemble a lot of our English alphabet. It was a little confusing at first, but I began to get the hang of how to make the correct strokes to write the letters.

In a conversation with another classmate about the alphabet, a comment was made about how beautiful the Greek words look when you are reading them and writing them. The term "words of art" surfaced. Even though some of the letters are tough to make look right, they still have a character all their own. I have begun to see these letters that I attempt to write, and the words I try to pronounce, as more than just letters and symbols. I now tend to look at them as art; art created by an artist who selected them to express what he was experiencing in his life. A life that had been changed by an encounter with Jesus Christ, His disciples, His followers, and other believers. Their words have inspired people for generations; changed lives; saved marriages; started churches; and, given us an example of the ultimate love God has for us all.

Through our words, our actions, our songs, and our life, people get the opportunity to see us as art, created by God, to be used to express His love for us......and others.

second hand Jesus

I have been enjoying a little break this summer; a little break from school. I have been taking some seminary classes for over a year and accidentally was presented the possibility to take an 8-week break from school, and I took it. Besides the obvious perks of not being in class; time with family, rest, vacation, and some lazy nights lying on the couch....I got the chance to read some books for pleasure. Right now I am in the middle of a book written by a worship pastor from New Life Church in Colorado; Glenn Packiam. I met him a year ago at a worship conference and enjoyed listening to him talk about worship in everyday life.

His book is entitled, "Second hand Jesus". Yes....I thought it was a catchy title as well. Just out of curiosity, I wanted to know what it would be about. The whole idea of using the term "second hand" when referring to Jesus doesn't even sound right. We, as believers, are taught and encouraged to make Jesus first and foremost in our lives, and here is a book teasing us with a title which could cause people to think of Jesus as a "hand-me-down". Honestly, I was taken back when I read the basis for the book was simply that; people have based their whole understanding and knowledge of Jesus, who He is and what He has done for them, from "hand-me-down" information, or a second hand account.

I know we are challenged, as believers, to share what Jesus means to us and what He has done for us each day when we relate to people. This is not second hand. This is us sharing first hand the gospel of Jesus with our lives. The second hand Jesus is found in the lives of people who say they know "about" Jesus. They have heard about Him. They attend church because they feel like it is the right thing to do. They see Jesus as a type of good-luck charm to call on when things get a little difficult, or after they have exhausted all of their possible solutions. This second hand Jesus is who they go to, look for, and call on after everything else hasn't worked out for them.

I know......this sounds like a ridiculous question to ask, but I'm afraid it could be even harder for some people to answer. Is your relationship with Jesus a one-on-one, personal, first hand experience of His love and grace, or....is everything you think you know about Jesus based on second hand information? Here's a hint....if the only time you think about Jesus is when someone else speaks about Him....you have a second hand Jesus.

Wii Worship

Last night Karen, Joshua, and I went to my parent's house for a visit. You know... the visit to catch up on things that have been going on in each other's life; watch a little Jeopardy; a little Wheel of Fortune; some Braves baseball; and, of course, Wii. Yes, my parent's have a Wii system. It's a lot of fun and it can wear you out if you aren't careful.

I watched from the dining room table as Karen and Joshua played golf, and then they shot some 3-point basketball contest. They were having a good time. It's actually more fun to watch the participants than the TV screen. Anyway, it wasn't too long until I was playing golf and shooting hoops. The amazing thing about the Wii system is, you quickly get to the point where you feel as though you are totally in the game....playing; not just pressing buttons to produce a result, but moving physically to produce a result. You start to focus more on how you hold the controller so your swing doesn't hook, or slice when you hit the ball. You look at the layout of the fairway, the direction of the wind, the sand traps, and the angle of the break on the green as you putt. You forget you are standing in the middle of a living room.

The same goes for the 3-point shoot out in basketball. You sense yourself reaching for the ball in the rack, jumping to shoot, and concentrating on your follow through to make sure the ball swishes the net. The rest of the games are the same way. They make you forget where you are and move you to another place.... a place of just you and the game....everything else is placed aside for this time. At the end of the game though, you are back in reality with all it's distractions, pressures, and struggles....life....real life.

Is it posible for our worship to be like a Wii system? It can be if we only feel like we are worshipping when we are at church on the weekend. We turn our worship on the moment we arrive and the music starts and we begin singing; the moment we leave everything that has made our week a mess behind, and sing praises to our God and listen to His voice in the message speaking directly to us; the moment we feel as though it is just us and God with no distractions, pressures, or struggles....worship. Then, when we walk out the door, we hit the "Off" button and return to where we were before we arrived at church...distacted, pressured, and struggling.

No....worship is not a Wii system, because true worship has no "Off" button. Worship is a life-style; a result of our life in Christ....everlasting....never ending.

june 29th

"Man, you had to be there!" I have heard people say this when they are trying to describe an event they were a part of. It may have been a professional ball game, or a concert by their favorite artist, or an amazing vacation over-seas, or just something experienced by a group of friends. There seem to be a lack of words when it comes to our description of the event, and the best we can do is say, "Man, you had to be there!" Because, if you had been there, you would better understand the impact of the event.

Tuesday night, June 29th, was one of those events for me; one of those unplanned, unrehearsed, unprepared events...at least unplanned in my mind. It would be hard to say unrehearsed and unprepared. As a worshipper, we should always be rehearsed and prepared for times of worshipping God. Whenever we open His Word to read what He wants us to know, we are being prepared for His presence in our life. Whenever we think about how He is working in our life, how He is orchestrating everything according to His plan for us.....we are rehearsing for what He is about to do. So often, we don't plan for Him. Kind of like Tuesday night. Our plan, as part of an after-dinner time of fellowship together, was to play a few songs and have prayer. A very simple plan. Our plan was not His plan for us. We had placed our plan within a time frame, and were focused on our group; staff and spouses.

His plan was so much better. His plan eliminated our time frame for worship. Our plan was 25-30 minutes....He led us for over two hours in worship. Our plan included just us....He included those passing by the building; camp personnel, counselors, and volunteers. Our plan had an air-conditioned room....His plan opened the doors and windows for everyone to hear His worship. I believe what made this event so special was the realization that we no longer had control of our plan and we surrendered to God's plan for us.....to worship at the top of our lungs for however long He led us and to not restrict His plan in any way.

Yes, God's plan affected everyone in the house; all our guests, all the staff, and me. And yes, you had to be there for that event to understand what it was like. But, those events are in every moment of our life. Are you rehearsed and prepared? Whose plan are you using?

seventh step

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of opening one of our planning meetings with a small devotion, and I chose II Samuel 6:13. David, the King of Israel, was having the Ark of the Covenant brought to Jerusalem. (I won't go into all the history right now) This was the second attempt to return the Ark. Their first attempt ended in tragedy because their plans for moving the Ark, were simply that....."their" plans.

"When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fatted calf." What is so important about the six steps that they needed to be recorded in the scriptures?

In the first attempt, David may have wanted to receive the praise from the people for being the one who brought the Ark to Jerusalem.This time, the Ark is being moved in such a way as to honor and revere God. This time....God would be the focus of the praise. And, to make sure.....every six steps....a sacrifice was made to worship God and to praise Him. A reminder to us that God controls every step we take.

Six days of creation....six steps....six days in a week. Seventh day....God rested and focused on His creation. Seventh step...rest and focus on God...praise and worship.

How has your week gone? Have you taken the time to focus on God every six steps? Or, do you feel as though you just need to wait till that seventh day so you can worship God? If so, then those would be "your" plans, not God's. His plan is for us to know Him for who He is and what He has done for us. We should worship and praise Him for every breath He gives us; for every heart-beat; for every time we laugh and cry; for every struggle and every win. Every moment of every day, we should worship and praise God. Then......and only then will we be ready to worship on the seventh day.


What step did you just take?

"challenges"

I know.....I know. It has been a while since I last blogged, and I would like to use an excuse like, "It's been so hectic today....." no, that doesn't work. Maybe, "I've had a busy week....." that doesn't work either. And, "What a busy month?" Let's just say I haven't thought too much about blogs lately. Sorry. No real excuses.

The reminder about blogging came this morning as I was checking out the church's web-site and looking at the changes that have been made. (It's kind of fun just to click and go to each part of the site.) I saw the phrase, "read Ronnie's blog". I then realized it has been nearly a month since I last blogged. I couldn't believe it. Nothing in May? Are you kidding me? May is one of those special months for me. Karen's birthday is this month. Kristen's birthday is this month.

I'm sure you have heard the saying, "Man, it feels just like yesterday when..." Well, that's exactly how it feels when I think about my daughter. It was only yesterday she came into this world. That day has to be one of the life changing moments God has blessed me with over the years. Kristen lit up my world when she was born. I was holding a blessing from God that came with challenges for me. The challenge to be a father; a human rocking chair; a protector; a chauffeur; an involved parent at school functions; a Christian example at all times, not just at church; the daddy who prayed for her as she answered God's call on her life to be a missionary for a summer in Mexico; and, the one to present her to her future husband on her wedding day. All challenges to make me more of who I was designed to be.

I am amazed at how we, as believers, shy away from the challenges God places in front of us each day. Those challenges made to mold us into the people He has designed us to be. Those challenges to live a life exhibiting Christ in us to everyone we come in contact with. Those challenges which at first seem impossible, but with God are possible. Accept the challenges......the blessing will overwhelm your life.

Kristen, God used you to challenge and change me. My life has been blessed and overwhelmed. I thank God and you for these challenges.

I love you, Daddy

silhouette

I've always found it interesting how you can look at a simple silhouette and know who it is. Have you seen the ones which have the silhouette of a child on a plate hanging on the wall, or sitting on a stand for visitors to see. The child's name doesn't even have to be on the plate, but you know who it is.

I saw one the other day and it started me thinking about silhouettes I remember from the past. As a parent, all the times you have seen your child from a distance, and the light is behind them, you know them by their silhouette. It doesn't matter what they are doing, you know it is them. I saw a silhouette of my son one morning. He was a long way off. I mean a long way off, but I knew it was him. He was running, like he does everyday, but this day.....I pulled up to the end of our driveway, and as I checked the road for traffic, I saw Joshua running. I couldn't tell which running clothes he was wearing. I don't have eyes like a hawk. I saw the silhouette of a runner coming down the road and......I knew it was Joshua. I recognized his stride as he runs. It was a silhouette, but it was Joshua. It reminded me of when I'd go and watch his cross-country races. No matter how far away he was from me, when I saw his stride....I knew it was him.

What kind of silhouette do we have as followers of Christ? Are we recognizable from a distance? Can we be picked out of a crowd simply by our stance, our walk, our stride? I believe we all need to concentrate on the silhouette we have. We are followers of Christ, children of God. We need to live lives so people know who we are, even when we can't be clearly seen. Our silhouette has been created by the Light of the World, and whether we want to believe it, or not, it is for everyone to see.

We are recognizable. But, what do they see?

months

Last night, or morning, whichever way you look at it, was very difficult for me. I had to make a decision that would ultimately lead me to a place to hear things I knew I would one day hear, but didn't want to hear.

Life will do things like this to us. We are comfortable with how things are going in our life. It's spring, and everything seems new and growing. After it rains, the air even feels cleaner and fresher. Everything is moving along as we think it should. Then in a few hours....with just a few words said.....it all changes.

We always consider life in the terms of years; whether good or bad, we measure a person's life by years. We celebrate a loved one's birthday each year to commemorate another year of life. We measure a couple's love by their years of marriage. Life seems to revolve around years, and we have grown accustomed to that. The biggest obstacle for a lot of us, myself included, is measuring life in months. Our first response is, "What happened to the years? Don't we have x-amount of years?"

Sitting in the ER this morning, I heard the few words that have shifted my measuring of life in years...to months. Daddy is not well. He s declining in health. The Dr. says there is a mass in his lung. It is terminal. We are looking at.... "months". This was harder to type than to hear.

Why is it we don't think about months? They are more important than years......now. Do you realize there are more days than months in a year? I know....... sounds a little silly..... but, how important are the days you get to spend with those you love......... your family..... your friends...
your Savior.... your God.

ready?

Today has been one of those days where I find myself taking a moment to stop and realize all that has happened. So often, like most holidays in our life, the anticipation keeps building right up to the last minute.....and then its gone. In the blink of an eye....its gone. Easter almost took that same path this year. There has been so much going on, construction, scheduling, construction, planning, construction, set-backs, not enough time in the day, not enough days in the week, and let's toss in a little stress......not much, just a little to make it interesting.

Then, on Saturday morning, just when I needed it....I got an email from Brian Duncan (Kannapolis Campus Pastor). His email was a wake-up call to me. I know he sent it to more people than just me, but I know what it meant to me. Without saying a lot in his email, he changed everything for me about the Easter weekend. His email was a warning to me; a warning of Easter possibly being covered up, maybe even missed by so much stuff getting in the way. And believe me, there was beginning to be a lot of stuff on my plate for this Easter weekend.

Was it necessary for me to stress over how the stage looked, how prepared the band would be, how would the songs fit into the service, how many people would show up, how would the worship be?.....No.....but I was stressing just the same. Brian's email destroyed all of that. The one thing I needed to be focused on for Easter was how I was going to worship. Would I be ready to truly worship God for His incredible gift of salvation through His Son? Would I be ready to worship a Savior who was raised from the dead and now lives in me? Would I be ready for Easter, and what it represents in my life?

I would be now.

Thank you Brian.......

there

This past weekend, during our worship service at HRCC, I had the pleasure of delivering the message that begins a new series entitled, "Provision". If you were there, you may recall how I spoke about God instructing Elijah to go "there"; that place where God would meet his physical needs; that place where God could give him protection; that place to be alone with God; that place where the presence of God would be.......there.

I am still amazed at how Elijah must have felt when he was told to leave where he felt he was safe, comfortable, and secure. That had to be a very difficult choice to make; not in his original plans for his life; not what he thought God would want him to do; and, it was probably going to be an inconvenience for Elijah.

Do we ever feel like Elijah? We look at our life and we see where we are. Our basic needs are met. We are fed.... clothed.... have a place to stay..... comfortable.... we may be even doing what we think God wants us to be doing. Would we leave where we are if God said His provision was there; a place unfamiliar to us; a place where we might not fit in; a place that may expose us for who we really are; a place where God is our only source for any and every thing we will need; a place where God becomes the most important relationship we will ever have; a place where we feel His embrace each day; where He can comfort the sick, encourage the lonely, bring joy to the hurting, lift up the fallen, restore the marriage, defeat the grasp of addiction, and make us who He created us to be?

If we are not there, then we must still be here.....and according to Elijah....there is where God is...and where we need to be.

See you there.

elevator door

I was talking to a friend the other day and we got onto the topic of how Christians are to live their lives each day. I know most people understand that as a believer in Jesus Christ, we should be living a life that exemplifies who He is to us. We should live our lives in such a way so others will know that Jesus dwells in us. We are to be His hands and feet here on this earth; at the school we attend; on our job with co-workers; when we are with friends, or family. As a believer in Jesus Christ, our life is to be noticeable.

Anyway.....as we were discussing what this life should look like, he made a comment that caught me off guard. In our illustrations of how people might perceive their life as an example of Jesus, and all the ways they may think it should look; everything from tithing, to going on a mission trip to a foreign country.....he says that he wants to be the guy who holds the elevator door. The elevator door?!? How is that.......?

Then I saw what he meant. Too often we think a life that shows people we are a follower of Christ has to be something noteworthy, big, attention getting.....noticeable. I'm sure it can be, if our motives are right. But, to see the small gestures of kindness as being Christ-like....

Maybe we need to re-focus a little on what it means to live a life that shows we have Christ living in us. Maybe we've been looking too high on the "impressive" list. Maybe all people really need is for someone to hold the elevator door for them.

2-4-83

Twenty seven years ago I was blessed to see the birth of my son, Joshua....a beautiful baby boy, and now.....an amazing young man. I can rewind through my memory and see so many things that make up who Joshua is. Everything he is now, I have watched being developed as the days and years have slipped by.

There have been broken bones, school plays, Little League Baseball, Basketball, Wrestling, Track, Cross-Country, High School Graduation, College, MBA, Law School, and then there were the Church Christmas plays, Baptism, Caswell Youth Camps, Mission Trips. I have seen how all these events have been a part of making Joshua who he is, but more importantly....I have seen how God has shaped Joshua's life through all of this. Most people may not see God working in ordinary events of their life, but that is how these events become extra-ordinary.

Of all the things that I have witnessed in Joshua's life so far, I am most impressed when I hear people tell me what they think about Joshua. They may have been friends with Joshua growing up, or attended school with him, or maybe even competed with him or coached him, but they all have had good things to say about Joshua. And as a father......one of the best things you can hear about a child of yours......is not what others say about them.....it is how your child's life has impacted theirs.

That's when you know that their life is extra-ordinary........and God did that.

Happy Birthday Joshua. Your Mom and I love you and we thank God everyday for what He is doing in your life.

seem like 31?

Today is mine and Karen's anniversary. We have been married for 31 years. This morning, as we were headed to the gym to run, walk, ride, lift and sweat......Karen asked, "Does it seem like 31?"

My reply........"No."

It still seems like yesterday that I was standing at the front of the church watching the most beautiful woman in the world walk down the aisle toward me. Even now my eyes will begin to well-up when I picture it all again in my mind. Karen will tell you I had a hard time speaking at the start of the ceremony, and it was all her fault.

WOW!!! 31 years of sharing in a journey that only God could have orchestrated. His hand has been gently guiding us as we began our lives together; as we became parents and raised a family; as we have served in His church. God has blessed me beyond words with the one person that has been, and will always be......the love if my life.

"Seem like 31?......No......But, an amazing moment in time."

Happy anniversary, Karen. I love you.