Everyone knows that maintenance for a car is essential for optimal function of the vehicle. Oil must be changed, tires rotated, filters cleaned and brakes checked. This is not a revelation. We do these things regularly. In the same way, a follower of Jesus should be monitoring and maintaining spiritual life.

If we don’t think twice about protecting our cars, how come we let our spiritual lives go? Why should my Ford and your Toyota get better treatment and more attention from us than our hearts?

As the fall breaks upon us, CBC will focus preaching and teaching on these questions. Beginning Sunday, September 18, we will offer a nine-part Sunday series, focused on the means to inventory your life as a follower of Christ—nine specific questions that pertain to spiritual life, to help you to measure your growth in faith.

We think this is the most basic stuff of Christian life, and we will give you resources to enable you to take steps to tune your walk with our Lord. The preaching sessions will be followed with talk-backs, like those that have become so popular with many in CBC.

We promise you a high-quality experience with this.

In April I listed several priorities for the next 20 months as CBC’s pastor. What we are planning for the fall begins to fulfill one of those priorities. It will make you stronger and better prepared for your future in CBC.

Take this rich opportunity to be better prepared to grow.

Paul encourages believers in Ephesians 5:19 to “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”

Many of us are encouraged by hymns and spiritual songs through CDs, Christian radio, concerts and Sunday worship, but I can’t help but notice that Psalms often get the short shrift in our Christian lives. I have personally always viewed Psalms as rather tedious, repetitive and whiny. In the last year, however, I have been greatly challenged, comforted, rebuked and encouraged by the Psalms; here are three of the major reasons why:

1) The Psalms remind me that the Christian life is far from perfect. You only need to read a few selections from the Psalms to realize that most of them are not written from the great heights of victorious Christian living; they are written out of the great depths of real, human experience. When I’m struggling in sin, battling frustration with my life, slumping in a spiritual funk or being disappointed by people, it is easy to think that I’m some sort of freak Christian (or maybe no Christian at all). Isn’t the Christian life to be marked by victory, purpose, energy and great relationships? The Psalms show me that maybe I’m not such a freak after all. Sure, there will be victory, purpose, energy and great relationships; but there will also be defeat, aimlessness, funkiness and disappointment. If the authors of the Psalms struggled in these ways, then maybe it isn’t so weird that I struggle in these ways too.

2) The Psalms remind me of God’s faithfulness in life’s difficulties. One of the most basic lessons I take from the Psalms is that when I struggle, I need to seek the Lord. No matter what situation, the authors of the Psalms constantly turn to God in their struggles. The psalmists remind me that the Lord sees, the Lord hears, the Lord acts on behalf of his people. My natural response to adversity is to turn inward, to brood on my problems and to fret over how to solve them. The Psalms tell me that my response should be to turn to God. If the authors of the Psalms received help from God in their most trying hours, then maybe I will too.

3) The Psalms point me to Jesus. The New Testament allows us to see Jesus in places where those in the Old Testament only saw shadowy figures. When I see Jesus in the Psalms, I feel like I’m on the inside of a secret which is thousands of years old. I think to myself, “I know who they’re talking about!” More important than simply being on the inside, however, is the fact that when I see Jesus in the Psalms, I see a little bit more of His glory. Psalm 22 depicts more vividly the sufferings of Jesus than any of the gospels. Psalm 16:9-10 depicts the wonders of Jesus’ resurrection. Psalm 2:7-9 depicts Jesus’ authority over all things. If God desires to use the Psalms to reveal His Son to His people, then maybe I should take the time to seek Jesus in the Psalms.

We should certainly continue to use hymns and spiritual songs as a regular part of our Christian lives, but in light of these three reasons, maybe we should include the Psalms as well.

A church was to perform a traditional Christmas pageant, when on the afternoon of the evening’s performance the man who was to portray Joseph called in sick. The director of the play quickly rearranged a few scenes and the pageant went on without Joseph. Afterwards very few people in attendance even noticed that Joseph was missing.

There is so much that went on at the first Christmas from the angelic proclamation to Mary and then to the shepherds much less the bedlam in Bethlehem that it easy to overlook him. Yet his role was critical as the events unfolded in regard to the Incarnation. We do not know a whole lot about this man chosen for such a unique ministry. Did you realize that the scripture describes Joseph as a “righteous man”? (Matthew 1: 19) We can also deduce he was sensitive and loved Mary deeply in that he did not want to disgrace her when he heard she was with child. Many a man would have wanted right away to shame her and embarrass her anyway he could.

Remember like Mary, and the shepherds Joseph too heard from an angel. In a dream an angel convinced him to take Mary as his wife as well as explaining the incredible news of the child within her. His response to the dream was when he awoke “he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him…” (24)

There is a lot to be said for anyone who immediately obeys what God has called them to do. We all have an armload of excuses for our disobedience, but for Joseph whose excuses would at least be understandable he immediately obeyed. May we this Christmas remember this humble obedient man, but more so may we not forget our own obedience to the Babe of Bethlehem.

“What do you want?” I imagine that if you asked this question to 100 people, you would probably get 100 different answers. A middle school student might want popularity or identity. A high school student might want freedom from parents or guidance for their future. A college student might want the time of their life (or for the more serious, a viable career path).

A young adult might want a suitable spouse and a respectable job. A middle-aged adult might want recognition of their faithful service and increased financial stability. A senior adult might want to enjoy their retirement and spend time with their family.

These two wanted the Anointed One of God. They wanted the true Prophet, whose teaching would be a capstone to God’s revelation to the world. When Jesus posed this question to John’s two disciples in John 1:35-42, their response was a bit different than what we might expect. These two didn’t ask for a more successful fishing business or a better relationship with their mother-in-law, “They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ ‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.” You see, these two disciples weren’t seeking an ideal, they were seeking a person. Jesus very well might have asked “Who do you want?” instead of “What do you want?”

In the next few verses we find out who these two disciples wanted. “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).” These two wanted the Anointed One of God. They wanted the true Prophet, whose teaching would be a capstone to God’s revelation to the world. They wanted the true Priest, who would offer the ultimate sacrifice, once for all, to reconcile God’s people to God. They wanted the true King, who would rule His people with perfect justice, holiness and truth.

These two disciples found exactly what they wanted. “And he [Andrew] brought him [Simon Peter] to Jesus.”
It’s easy for us to come to God with a checklist of our wants: a better job, fulfillment, more obedient kids, a better marriage, better health, less stress. I’m not foolish enough to believe that God can’t provide these things for us, I think He certainly can. But I think we may have a lot to learn from these two disciples of John. I think they show us that what we should really want is the Person who is asking the question. “What do you want?”

One of the best ways to get interest of people is by using the word “NEW!” Marketers know this and they have slapped the word on all kinds of products – from cars to brownie mix boxes. If it’s “NEW!” it must be better.

Even Jesus got into the swing of it, discussing and showing his ministry as something “NEW!” He said it was not possible to put “NEW!” wine into old wineskins, because the old skins would tear, and everything good would be spilled.

“We feel a little like this with our newly-designed website.” We feel a little like this with our newly-designed website. It’s very different from what you may remember. From logo to graphic arts, from style to substance, things are quite different. Some things have been added, and some removed. It is a whole “NEW!” look.

If we had a marketing firm, we would want it to let our community know that “NEW!” is a good thing, because it introduces us in a “NEW!” way.

We hope you enjoy it. Pass the word.

One of the great themes in Genesis is the idea that obedience brings blessings. It does, but then again, does it always? I struggle with this as I reflect on my life, on Life in general. It seems to me that there are situations in life that really just don’t get any better, that are really tough and unfair and heartbreaking and will always be that way.

Sometimes things are just plain lousy, and that’s as good as it’s gonna get, period. This “good as it gets” concept has been an important one for me to wrap my mind around. A problem I have with the book of Job is that to some, it may seem as though it’s saying that if you just hang in there and don’t turn your back on God, it’ll all turn out in the end and you’ll get your reward. Or that it will at least get better. Or that in some way, some amazing good thing will eventually come because of all the hardship in your life, some strengthening of character that justifies the suffering. And that you’ll realize it, in this lifetime.

“As my spiritual walk has deepened, I’ve come to the acceptance that this is false thinking. Things may/may not get better, blessings may/may not come in this lifetime.” As my spiritual walk has deepened, I’ve come to the acceptance that this is false thinking. Things may/may not get better, blessings may/may not come in this lifetime. The trick is to praise God even when they never get better, and even get worse. The trick for me (and all mature believers I think) is to glorify God no matter what, regardless of the outcome in this lifetime. There are times in my life when I have prayed for God to “take this cup” from me, but he hasn’t, and so I’m having to come to peace with His will, not mine, and be OK with it. Not an easy struggle. It’s the “okayness” that isn’t easy. I can intellectually accept the “unsearchability” of God’s will, but I really struggle to be consistently joyful about it. My mind wants to keep going back to “surely it will get better, things will improve, etc.” but then I catch myself and say “Yeah, but what if it never gets better? Can you deal with that, Susan, and joyfully praise God and love life anyway?” It’s a work in progress and really does take me deeper spiritually than I would like to go sometimes.

Recently I have been moved and convicted by reading a powerful book entitled The Hole in Our Gospel, by Rich Stearns. This book has caused me to think and even re-think my commitment to Christ and whether it is truly commitment or simply lip service. As we all know it sure is a lot easier to “talk the talk” rather than “walk the walk.”

In his book, Stearns quotes a friend of his with a jarring statement, “It’s not what you believe that counts; it’s what you believe enough to do.” Since reading that statement I have found myself going back to it numerous times and reflecting on its implications in my life.

“Since reading that statement I have found myself going back to it numerous times and reflecting on its implications in my life.” What am I so committed to that I am given to doing whatever it takes to get it done. What drives me to go beyond myself and my own creature comforts regardless of the cost based solely on my beliefs. As a follower of Christ we are often defined by what we don’t do rather than what we are doing. Obviously we are saved by grace through faith and not of works as Paul expresses in Ephesians, yet there is a commitment level that Christ not only expects but demands of His children. Later on the same page of his book Stearns comments by saying, “Jesus asks much more of us that just believing the right things.”

It is much more than a quaint saying but should you and I be asking ourselves the age-old question of, “what on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake?” How are you and I spending our time, our money and talents for the cause of Christ? What sacrifices are we making or are we just looking to be comfortable rather than committed?

I am convinced that Jesus expects more of me! I believe He is expecting more of you too!

“It’s not what you believe that counts; it’s what you believe enough to do.”

The lead story today on June 3 whether it is a news site or a sports program is what happened last night in Detroit. A pitcher for the Tigers was one out a way from throwing a perfect game (27 straight outs without anyone reaching base). However, the last batter was called safe by the umpire on a close play which broke up the perfect game. On further review from numerous angles the call made by the umpire was incorrect and the runner was out and the perfect game should have counted.

All kinds of arguments and debates have ensued with even media and fans alike not only calling for more use of instant replay in the sport but also many are demanding the Commissioner of baseball to overturn the umpires ruling and award the perfect game. Should the Commissioner choose to do this which is certainly in his power, it would be the first time in the history of the sport that it has ever been done which could possibly mar the human element for the game now and for years to come.

One of the underlying storylines here is the umpire (Jim Joyce) who made the incorrect call. He is a veteran umpire having been voted twice by the players as one of the very best umpires in all of baseball and has umpired All-Star and World Series games. After the game and watching replays the umpire admitted he made the wrong call and blew the perfect game.

“It is one thing to acknowledge that people including ourselves make mistakes, however it is another matter all together to not only being willing to forgive but to ask for forgiveness and admit our mistake to the one we have offended.” “It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the [stuff] out of it,” Joyce said, looking and sounding distraught as he paced in the umpires’ locker room. “I just cost that kid a perfect game.” That in and of itself is admirable for him to do, but he went so far to search out the pitcher and apologize to him for his mistake. That shows a lot of class to admit your failure face to face to the one you have offended. We all know that each of us make mistakes but the willingness to not only admit it but to go to someone who was impacted by our mistake is often overlooked or hardly ever done. As frustrated and upset that I would have been if I were a Tigers fan, I hope I would be able to see past the situation to Joyce who publicly admitted he failed and respect him for his integrity and character.

It is one thing to acknowledge that people including ourselves make mistakes, however it is another matter all together to not only being willing to forgive but to ask for forgiveness and admit our mistake to the one we have offended. I believe it is only in the forgiveness we experience in Christ that we can ultimately forgive ourselves much less go and admit we are wrong to another.

May each of us have the integrity and character of this umpire to admit when we have made a mistake and not blame someone or something else and as well go to whoever we offended and admit to them our error and ask for their forgiveness. It might not ever be the easiest thing to do but we know in our hearts it is the right call to make.

To me it seems that no matter where you go or what age of people everyone feels they are “owed” something. Somehow people have gotten some kind of notion that they deserve or have the right for special treatment and they are not shy of asking much less demanding it.

Scan through your life the past months or even year or so and in almost any situation people are grumbling about what they did not get but believe they were entitled to. From my experience I have seen it in restaurants, malls, sporting events, and stores to of course driving in traffic. I recently spoke with a security officer and commented about this and said it seems like people think that rules apply to everyone but them, he agreed quicker than I could get the words out of my mouth. It seems that people today all think they are “special” and they deserve every break and convenience that no one else should have and they are extremely vocal about their “self-appointed rights.”

“It seems that people today all think they are ’special’ and they deserve every break and convenience that no one else should have and they are extremely vocal about their ’self-appointed rights.’” If my observations are accurate then this “Age of Entitlement” that we now live in will produce selfish consequences that will surface in all areas throughout society. As this behavior continues we could easily see more hostility as people feel their “rights” have been violated and they will not stand for it anymore. Certainly Madison Avenue years ago played on this theme from early fast food slogans of “YOU deserve a break today”, and “Have it YOUR way”.

This got me to thinking that thank the Lord that He does not treat us according to what we deserve. We serve a God of not only grace but also or mercy. These two qualities are almost used interchangeably yet perhaps similar in nature they are not identical. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve, like salvation. However, mercy is not getting what we do deserve, like eternal separation from God due to our sin. Both of these qualities are essential to God’s nature and critical to our salvation. I was reminded of this just today when I read Ezra’s prayer of repentance when he said “What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved…” (Ezra 9: 13a)

Praise Be to The God of Grace and Mercy!

Opening Day in baseball is like an unofficial “holiday.” Maybe that is because every team still thinks they have a chance to win it all or maybe it hopefully signals the end of winter and spring is upon us or maybe people just want an excuse to leave school and work early. Regardless there is a special feel around stadiums on the first game of the season being held at that facility.

Yesterday at “The Trop” was Opening Day. (Isn’t it interesting that they call it Opening Day even if the game like yesterday did not start until after 7:00 PM, they only use the term Opening Night for the theater.) There was plenty of fan fare at the game with special ceremonies bunting hung around the stadium and even a painted logo on the field all commemorating Opening Day.

As an employee we were asked to be there quite early before the game and even the gates opened. Our group of say 75 ushers gathered for a meeting in the stands to anticipate the first game of the season. Totally unexpected the owner and the team president showed up to our meeting to say a few words of appreciation and encouragement to all of us. As I sat there I was impressed for these two men with all of their responsibilities much less the additional ones for this first game to take the time to speak to us. I tried to imagine how many of the 30 Major League Baseball teams owners and or presidents took the time with their part-time employees to come and speak to them. This was one of those occasions that I was more impressed with who was speaking rather than what they said. Not that what they said was trite or dull but to me what stood out was the fact they took the time.

“God does not have office hours or even a receptionist to filter calls. The King of Kings is never too busy for you, He will never put you on hold, you will never get His voice mail.” Now widen your lens and ponder the fact that The God of the entire universe always has time for you! He is totally accessible to you and your needs or praise at any time at any place. God does not have office hours or even a receptionist to filter calls. The King of Kings is never too busy for you, He will never put you on hold, you will never get His voice mail. We should be humbled to know that He loves us so much that He chooses to make Himself available all the time. He knows us by name and never forgets or confuses us with somebody else. May we never take this access much less prayer for granted in light of this incredible blessing.

There are no Opening Days or special holidays with God in that each day has been uniquely designed and it is the day He has made and we should rejoice and be glad in it.

Oh how He loves you and me!