Let's talk about EXTERNAL REFERENCES

At 16, I decided to obtain my pilot’s license.  The lessons I liked least were those spent 'under the hood.'  The flight instructor gave me a strange looking plastic device that went on my head like a  cap with an extended tube on the front. This device did not allow me to see outside of the airplane, restricting my vision to the instrument panel.  

I was learning how to maintain safe flight if I found myself in weather conditions that obscured the external reference points normally used. By scanning those dials and indicators, trusting the data, I was able to fly straight and level and control rates of climb or descent. He would direct me = "Jerry, let's make a turn to heading 270 while descending to 3000 feet."  It was easier to do IF I could see the horizon, the ground beneath me, but weather could develop that would take away those reference points, and my life would depend on being able to fly by instrument. 

We are living in a time when many of the external reference points we replied on for stability are obscured or absent. We are not gathering with friends, are not in church, are spending more time alone, dealing with a deluge of uncertainty.  It is as if we have flown into a bank of fog. There is a real threat that we could lose our bearings, go off course, and perhaps even find ourselves in peril of crashing. In my instrument training, the instructor warned me, time and again, to trust the instruments. “Don’t trust your gut!” he warned.  Are you keeping life steady, flying straight and level these days? Or, are you letting emotions – fear, panic, despair, recklessness – rule?

When we cannot see the future, when the things that kept us steady are taken away, the choice we must make is to TRUST God, to WALK BY FAITH, and to CONTINUE to do what's right. The Word teaches us that our Christian life, in the best and worst of times, is a "walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV)

Know this - we are never truly alone! It may seem to us in a time of crisis that no one knows how we feel, or understands that temptation that is pulling at us, or can grasp how the situation is affecting us. When we slip into what I call the “Elijah syndrome” (“Lord, I am the only one left, the only one who is going through this situation.” See the story in 1 Kings 18 and 19 if you do not understand the reference) there is a promise of the Presence of God that is ours to claim. “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’” (Hebrews 13:5).

If you have lost sight, temporarily, of the external references that keep you steady, trust the things you know from God’s Word.  Stay steady. Love, forgive, trust, refuse temptation, lean on the Lord. I love the invitation of the Psalm that teaches us to "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10, NKJV)  My flight instructor told me that panic kills pilots! “Jerry, if you find yourself lost or in weather that you did not anticipate, do not panic. Trust your instruments and keep your airplane flying straight and level.”  That is sound advice for life, too.

Here is a word from the Word. "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God."  is the cry of the prophet, Habakkuk. (2:4, NLT)  The book of Hebrews repeats his declaration, amplifying it for the disciple. "Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. "For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away." But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved." (Hebrews 10:36-39, NLT)
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Holy Spirit

(a beautiful song, a confession of our need)

There's nothing worth more that will ever come close

No thing can compare You're our living hope

Your Presence

I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves

Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone

In Your Presence Lord

Holy Spirit You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory God is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your Presence Lord

Your Presence Lord

Your Presence

Oh God how we love Your Presence Lord

Let us become more aware of Your Presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness (Lord)

Bryan Torwalt | Katie Torwalt

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Let’s talk about CONNECTIONS

Many Americans are chafing under the restrictions imposed by government. Last week protests were organized in many state capitols by those who want to get back to life and work. Yesterday there were news reports about crowds ignoring the social distancing guidelines on beaches and in parks to bask in the sun. We do love our freedoms, don’t we? Our national ideals are reflected in the stories of hardy Pilgrims who left friends and family to create a new life in the wilderness. The cowboy on the lone prairie is an icon of our self-determination. I, too, am drawn to the ideal of being ‘my own man,’ not naturally a joiner or a guy who naturally seeks out the protection of the herd.

However, there is more to the story of life than just making a place for ourselves. Indeed, the idea that any person is a ‘self-made’ individual is a lie. We are, whether we get it or not, interconnected in this great human family. We must learn to live above the labels – Left, Right, Progressive, Conservative, Rural, Urban, Religious, Non-believer. That is not say that we are all the same, or even that we have identical interests. To insist that is true ignores reality. However, we do share this planet, the well-being of one connected to the health of the whole.

For Christians who love the Word the fact of our inter-connectedness is inescapable. We are called by the Spirit into Christ’s Body. Living as a Christian without being part of the Church is unthinkable. "The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other." (1 Corinthians 12:21-25, NLT) 

Our mutual relationships in the Church, our integral connections with each other, should give rise to a fundamental shift in the way we live.

When we learn to think of ourselves as part of the larger whole, we will no longer seek only our own goals, no longer be driven by our self-interest. As this time of crisis drags on, Christians should be at the forefront of the discussion that seeks the balance of protection for the most vulnerable and the health of our economy. Beyond that, Christians need to cast a wary eye on nationalistic interests that ignore the needs of the wider world. COVID19 has not just struck these United States. The suffering of poorer nations around the world is going largely unreported at this time. The answers are not simple, nor are they obvious. But, we won’t find the highest and best by waving placards in the streets that demand our ‘rights.’ Nor will we be able to discover mutual benefit if we dismiss those who think differently by calling them names.

We discover great strength, amazing possibilities when we learn to cooperate, when we listen more than we talk, when we consider the health of the whole over special interest.
The enemy of God and good is able to sow the seeds of our destruction when we think only about ourselves. It is quite natural to seek to protect ourselves, especially when we are threatened. Let’s not forget that our true protection comes from the Lord who watches over us.

As these United States prepare to ‘reopen’ my prayer is that Christians will show the love of Jesus, leading in their communities by encouraging hard conversations, by not allowing even a hint of self-interest to color their decisions.  A good friend who is a leader in our Assemblies of God said it well when he challenged pastors to remember that they are called to "balance the civil law, the constitutional liberties, and the Kingdom imperatives in proclaiming Christ in this crisis."  That idea of balanced goals is not just for Pastors.

On this Monday morning, may the truth of the Word bring us wisdom, cause us to think with clarity. Here is a call to connection. "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another." (Romans 12:10-16, NIV)  We will honor our Lord, discover that which is God’s best, if we live those words.

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Abba, secure me in Your love today.

I feel the winds of uncertainty blowing over me and

my natural tendency is to seek my own safety,

to create a fortress for myself.
Teach me to reach out, to listen well,

to be a builder of relationships, a speaker of truth.

Let love be my guide, not in a simplistic or romantic way,

but in a way that boldly, fearlessly, engages the world in which I live.
In all things, may You guide my thoughts, my words, my actions.

Be my Light, my Strength, my Hope, my Security.

In the Name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen

Let’s talk about being REACTIONARY

Think of a pool table and how the balls on that table move. The player sets up a shot, aiming the cue ball to strike a ball that is just sitting there passively. The balls on the table react, moving only when hit. The illustration is imperfect in that pool balls are inanimate objects, but let me challenge you to ask yourself if you are just waiting for something or someone to set you off, bouncing off some remark, moving only when pressure is placed on you?   

God has gifted us with the ability to choose course, to live purposefully, to rise above living a reactionary life to the hits that come our way!

Let me quickly add this. We are not masters of the universe. Many things will enter our lives that we never saw coming. Six months ago who knew that our world would be turned upside down by a pandemic? Six years ago I was just beginning to wrestle with the unimaginable thought that my beloved wife had a cancer that could (and did) ultimately prove deadly. You have your own story about those moments that changed you. What we must know is that we can live purposefully, moving beyond being reactionary. When the hits come, we need not let ourselves be knocked completely off course or destroyed by those unforeseen developments like cancers, viruses, economic collapse, divorce, or disappointments. How can we remain ‘on course?’

We choose to serve God.  Joshua, the leader of God’s people, addressed them at the end of his life with a challenge of choice. "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15, NIV)   

When Jesus Christ is our true God, not just our Sunday god, or the insurance god we keep around hoping for a good life, or the Heaven god that we hold in reserve for the dreaded end, we will set our hope in Him and plan our course around discovering and doing His will. Even when we waver or are pushed temporarily ‘off course,’  knowing that He is Lord brings us back ‘on course’ in due time.

We see beyond the moment.  When we cultivate faith, living worshipfully at all times, devoted to the Lord, there is a core strength created in us. That faith allows us to live the words of Paul- all the time – not just when the sun is shining on us. "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NIV) God has something planned for us that is just ‘out of this world’ literally. We must never let the pain of the moment push that from our mind.

We remember He is always at work on our behalf.  I wish I could see the why behind the what of everything that happens to me, but I cannot, nor can you. Wise people will try to learn from what happens to them, will accept responsibilities for those choices that brought about unintended consequences, refusing to play the victim in life. They will also realize that sometimes the human mind cannot fathom the cause and effect. That does not mean we surrender to fate, becoming like those balls on the pool table, reacting to hit after hit, knocked about randomly throughout life. 

We are held secure in this truth about the sovereign power and will of God.   " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. … As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:36-39, NIV)

Are you spending inordinate amounts of time just reacting to people or situations?

Are you living without a greater vision of who you are in Christ to guide your responses?

Have you, in your reactions, given others the ability to write the script of your life rather than choosing to faithfully and purposefully living in the will of God? 

Paul wrote those words about his single-minded focus of life early in his public ministry. History reveals that he lived them!  About two decades later, he was once again reflecting on the course of his life, this time as he was imprisoned and waiting execution at the hand of Caesar. He had stayed with the God Story for his life so he was not filled with regret or remorse. 

Note the anticipation in the words he penned to Timothy. "As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8, NLT)  I love those words! 

Fought, finished, faithful!  The prize, the crown, now waiting for me!  That is living ‘on purpose.’
Lord help us to live in that way in these turbulent times.

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Lord I Need You

(Pray with Chris Tomlin as he sings of our heart’s need)

Lord I come I confess

Bowing here I find my rest

And without You I fall apart

You're the one that guides my heart

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev'ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

So teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus You're my hope and stay

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus You're my hope and stay

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev'ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

Christy Nockels | Daniel Carson | Jesse Reeves | Kristian Stanfill | Matt Maher

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