Under Construction

As many of you know, I despise road construction. Seriously. Despise. This summer has been especially fun as the entire town of Greencastle seems to be under construction. This morning, while running through McDonalds to get a sausage burrito and large coke, I noticed how the construction workers there have been working diligently on getting that renovation complete. It seems that every time I pass the McDonalds, they have completed another stage of their project. Then, on my way to the office, I pass many detour signs and see quite a few people walking around with yellow hard hats protecting their noggins. Usually, all this construction does nothing but raise my blood pressure and give me a headache. This morning, however, I thought of something different.

The Scripture tells us that, as Christians, we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:18).  This command isn’t just for new believers. It’s for all believers. In the Book of Hebrews, the author confronts the people by reminding them that, by that time in their spiritual life, they should be ready to teach and lead yet, due to their lack of disciplipine, they were still needing to be taught the basic tenants of the faith (Hebrews 5:12-14). In the Gospels, Christ constantly pushed his followers to grow and mature in their relationship with Him. Today, it should be no different. As followers of Jesus, we should go through each day with the understanding that we are “under construction”. We are not finished. We have not “arrived”. Each day we should make more progress in our journey of faith. Each day we should be closer to Christ than we were the day before. And, just like we are able to see the change at the local McDonalds, others should be able to notice the change in us.   

So…from now on when you pass a construction sight and start to get angry or frustrated, just remember that you are under construction as well. God’s not finished with you yet. Use those moments as a reminder to pray to Him and ask Him to continue to mold you and make you into His image.  

Jonah - The Jerky Prophet

Are you familiar with the story of Jonah? God calls Jonah to preach repentance to Ninevah. Jonah runs the opposite direction and jumps on a boat headed to Tarshish. Due to a severe storm, the people on the ship are frightened. Jonah gets thrown overboard and swallowed by a big fish. Jonah repents and the fish pukes him onto dry land. Jonah heads to Ninevah and preaches the message God directed him to share. What a simple story, right?

The four chapters that make up the Book of Jonah are anything but simple! In fact, last night there were three thoughts that I couldn't get out of my head. I thought I would share them with you...

1. Isn't it interesting that Jonah believed he could worship God and disobey God at the same time? Think about it. Jonah 1:3 says, "But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish." Then, a few verses later, Jonah says, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land" (Jonah 1:9). Dear Jonah, are't thou bipolar? What made him think that he could clearly disobey God and still fool others into believing his heart was 100% dedicated to the Maker of Heaven and Earth? You can't call Him Lord and tell Him no! Let's put this in our context. Aren't we a lot like Jonah? We love to fool others into believing that our hearts are totally bent towards God and yet we are openly living in sin without any care or concern of the consequence. Do you honestly think that God is pleased with your fake worship? Here's the deal: If you want God to bless you, you need to deal with your disobedience! If not, you might get swallowed by a big 'ol fish!
2. Isn't it interesting that Jonah turned back to God when he was in a desperate situation? He couldn't get himself out of the belly of the fish! He needed God. As Christians, we often come to God and ask Him to clean up our mess rather than come to Him and ask for guidance and direction in the first place. Think of how much easier your life would be if you simply came to God first!
3. Isn't it interesting how jerky Jonah was? After he preached repentance to Nineveh, they repented. Most pastors would be thrilled to see people respond to their message! Not Jonah. In fact, Jonah got down right rude. Read his prayer: "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live" (Jonah 4:2-3). Wow! Jonah didn't want to preach to the people in Nineveh because he knew that God would forgive them if they fell on their knees and turned from their sin! Isn't that an interesting twist in the narrative? Jonah got an attitude because the people were saved from destruction! Jonah had absolutely no compassion for these people that were far from God. Funny...some things never change! When I look at most Christians today, I see people who have little to no compassion for people who are far from God. How can I make such a bold statement? Simple: If you care about them, what are you doing to reach them? Our words are empty and hallow unless they are supported with our actions. Do you care about the lost? Then act like it!

As you continue through this rainy day, spent some time with God!! 

4 THINGS I LEARNED IN DISNEY WORLD...

Well…Kasey and I just returned from a trip to Disney World. (Yes…we are Christians that like Disney!) For those that don’t know, I’m a people watcher. I love to watch people in places like Disney to see how they will respond to certain situations. (I call myself a people watcher….some call me a creepy stalker!) While watching people at Disney last week, I was surprised at how many little lessons God showed me during the trip. I decided that it might be interesting to jot them down and share them with the Facebook community. Warning: If you get offended easily, this post might not be for you! 

FOUR THINGS I LEARNED IN DISNEY WORLD…

• We pay $28 for two cheeseburgers, fries, and a coke but we freak out when the pastor asks us to tithe. The time during the service when we give our tithes and offerings should not be a burden…it should be a blessing. Some of us need to remember that everything we have comes from God. We would have NOTHING without Him. We aren’t GIVING God anything. We are GIVING BACK what He has allowed us to borrow. Stop being so money-hungry, people! Remember what Jesus says: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24). As a pastor, I have seen people who love their money more than Jesus. Take my word for it: Bad things happen to those that put money above God. God has a way of humbling the proud and arrogant.

• We stand in line for 50 minutes to ride the Rockin’ Roller Coaster but we freak out when the church service doesn’t end on time. Let me share a secret with you guys. On our sign, there is a start time. Cornerstone’s Sunday morning service begins at 10:30am. Last time I checked (which was when I pulled in to work this morning) we do NOT have an end time. This means, for those that still don’t understand, church DOES NOT end at 11:30am. Church ends when Jesus is done! Sometimes this is 11:30. Sometimes this is noon. And, yes, sometimes it has been later than that. If you get bored and want to leave during the service, that’s ok. Just don’t complain when you miss out on God’s blessings because you had to get your table at the Double!  

• We love the great shows that use the latest technology, pyrotechnic, and animatronics but we freak out when the church attempts to remove itself from the 16th century. This is one of my personal favorites!! Now, don’t get me wrong, I am NOT saying that just because something is new that it is necessarily better. At times, tradition can be a good thing. However, when our traditions become more important to us than the Scripture, we have a problem! After all, this is what the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did when they held their law in higher regard than the commandments God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. Right now, the year is 2011. This means that churches are (or should) be ministering to people in 2011. Not 1750. Not 1899. Not 1950. 2011. I have sometimes wondered if churches have invented special time machine doors. Once you enter the building, you are ushered into the 1700’s. When you leave the building, you are back in 2011. We have to reach the culture in 2011 without watering down the Gospel. The message is timeless. The methods we use to present that message aren’t. Using innovative ways to share the Gospel and disciple believers is not heresy—it’s necessary.

• We complain that nothing has changed at the park since our last visit but we freak out when something is changed at church. This kinda’ goes with the previous point but I wanted to have four main points so I separated it! Have you ever become so familiar with the order of service at church that you knew exactly when to sit, stand, or write your tithe check? (PS: Those checks CAN be written before church. After all…it isn’t like we surprise you each week when we collect offering.) Sometimes it is good to “shake it up” with change. We like the status quo because it is expected. I mean…we can fake it when we just have to follow a certain set of rules. When those rules are changed, we don’t know how to act. Our true colors are revealed. Don’t get upset when the pastor changes the service up—just recognize it as an opportunity for spiritual growth!