Hello, 2013!

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

(Isaiah 43:19)

I was quite happy to bid adieu to 2011, and 2012 brought many positive experiences: I was able to travel to several events around the country and see old friends as well as make new ones; I adopted two puppies who have taken over my life; and I lost my job. As strange as that last item may seem in a list of "positive events", it has been an odd blessing for me. I have not felt this relaxed, rested and at peace in years. I have almost zero stress in my life for now, something I would have not anticipated, but gladly welcome.

In two days, we begin another year. What it holds remains to be seen. I posted the rest of this entry a year ago, and said I would post it again if the Mayas were wrong about the end of the world. Well, they were, so here it is.

Obviously, there is nothing magical about turning the page of the calendar from December 31 to January 1 that suddenly changes our lives. It's really just another 24-hour day in a seemingly endless stream of days. But psychologically, culturally, and even spiritually, there is something significant about starting a new year that gives us hope for better tomorrows and cleansing from yesterdays. A new year provides a delineation between the old and the new, the past and the future. On this one day of the year, we get to wipe our proverbial slates clean and start all over. Of course, we get that opportunity every morning when we wake up. Lamentations 3:23 tells us that God's compassions are "new every morning", meaning that He gives us a clean tablet of life to write on every day.

But the new year is a BIG tablet - more like a giant storyboard, where we get to set goals for ourselves (call them resolutions if you want). We plan out a course of action that is designed to make our lives better and more fulfilling, to make us better people and friends and family members, and to give our lives a sense of structure and purpose. These goals/resolutions should go beyond "I'm going to lose weight or stop smoking or pay off my credit cards". They should have a much deeper impact on who we are, not just what we do or how we look.

With that in mind, I present Eight Godly Resolutions for the New Year. This is something I put in my church bulletins every year when I had my church, and I've also shared them elsewhere over the years. They are timeless because they are based on scriptural principles. and can be applied to all of our lives, regardless of our personal circumstances. They are also something that we never accomplish once and move on - they require ongoing work to achieve and maintain - so you'll probably see them here again next January, if Jesus tarries.

Have a safe, blessed and prosperous 2013!

Pastor David

Eight Godly Resolutions for the New Year

 1.    I will destroy all roots of bitterness by forgiving those who have hurt me and accepting forgiveness from others (Ephesians 4:29-32)

2.    I will not be satisfied living on yesterday’s spiritual blessings and nourishment (Exodus 16:13-21)

3.    I will make sure God is at the top of my priority list (Mark 12:28-31)

4.    I will let my closest friends be those that will positively influence my walk with God (Psalm 1:1; Psalm 119:63)

5.    I will seek to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:16-18)

6.    I will commit myself to serving others (Philippians 2:1- 4)

7.    I will ask God for a renewed vision for lost souls (1 Corinthians 9:9-23)

8.    I will ask God for new opportunities to witness to others (Colossians 4:2-6; 1 Peter 3:15)

The Christmas That Never Came

"When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.' " 
(Matthew 2:16-18)

Someone once said, "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." I believe that God's heart was broken on the day that 20 children and six adults died needlessly at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, December 14. Much has been said and written about this horrible tragedy, some comforting and some absolute rubbish.

I learned a long time ago that it is a dangerous thing to put words into God's mouth. My study of the Book of Job informs me that God is not required to give a reason for anything that happens in this world, and we can exhaust ourselves trying to figure out why such events occur when He chooses to remain silent.

I do not know, nor will I venture to guess, why those innocent children had to die that day. Children who most likely were looking forward to celebrating Christmas in less than two weeks. Christmas will never come for those kids. Every time I think about the parents who had to bury their babies this week, I try to empathize what they must be experiencing, and I can only come up with one response: tears. I have never been a parent (the closest I have come to parenting is raising dogs that I consider my children). I have no idea what it feels like to lose a child. What it must be like to look at their empty chair every evening during dinner. To miss the sound of their laughter at play. Not having to get them up in the morning and prepare them for school. Not being able to tuck them in at night and read them a bedtime story. But I do know one thing: there are countless tears, and will be for many years to come. And Christmas will never be the same again for dozens of Connecticut families.

The outrage and shock experienced by our nation in response to this event has me puzzled, however. Yes, it is a horrible thing and should have never happened. But thousands of children die every day around the world from starvation, disease and war. I think that we Americans are so outraged when something like Sandy Hook happens because these things happen so infrequently in our country. But in other parts of the world, childhood death is very much a part of life, and parents bury their babies all the time. Where is our outrage then? Or are we only outraged at the needless deaths of children when they are American? I believe that God weeps over every child that is robbed of his or her chance to live a full and productive life.

There have been numerous suggestions and discussions on how to prevent another Sandy Hook from happening, but I think those discussions are off track. As long as there is evil in this world, people will do horrible things like randomly shooting schoolchildren or movie-goers, flying airplanes into buildings, and storming embassies. We can pass all the laws we want, but these people don't follow the rules and will always find ways to carry out their crimes.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not taking a fatalistic approach to the problem and suggesting we sit back and accept this because it's going to happen anyway. I just don't want to settle for a knee-jerk solution that really doesn't solve anything. In every mass-shooting over the past several years in this country, the perpetrator had a history of mental problems that were never adequately addressed. The fact that guns are so easy to obtain in this country only made it easier for them to carry out their plans. But guns aren't the problem. The two worst terrorist attacks on American soil (Oklahoma City and 9/11) didn't involve a single bullet. The problem is much bigger than guns and bullets. We have evolved into a society where human life has been devalued, many people live in virtual isolation (how many of your neighbors do you know by name?), and mental illness is still swept under the rug and ignored more often than not.

One of the obscure Gospel passages loosely tied to the Christmas story that is never discussed at Christmas is in Matthew 2, part of which I included above. After the Magi had visited Jesus and his parents, Herod proceeded to slaughter all of the boys in Bethlehem in an effort to eliminate the newborn King of the Jews. I believe that God's heart was broken then just as much as it was a week ago Friday. The slaughter of innocents is nothing new, is always tragic, and always breaks God's heart.

I have a deep sense of sadness and grief this Christmas, partly due to these recent events. But also partly due to the grotesque commercialism that has engulfed Christmas. It seems that this season is all about greed and excess, instead of a time to celebrate God's gift of His son Jesus to the world. It should be a time to gather with family and loved ones and cherish each other during this particularly dark time of year. Christmas was never supposed to be about presents and decorations and parties, but that's what it has become for so many, especially in this country.

Regardless of whether you have children, I encourage you to take some time this week, especially on Tuesday, to let your loved ones know how much you appreciate and care for them. I know that there are a bunch of people in Connecticut who wish they could tell their little ones how much they love them just one more time, but won't have that luxury.

May you have a blessed and peaceful Christmas. And remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Pastor David

Now What?

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
Philippians 4:12-13

On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 I lost my job. No, I didn't misplace it. I was politely informed by the president of my company that my position had been eliminated and my services were no longer required. Just like that, I became a statistic and joined the ranks of the unemployed.

I was last unemployed in 1988, so it's been quite a long time since I had to look for work or be concerned about how I was going to pay my bills or put food on the table. In fact, I was recruited by my past two employers (including the one that just let me go), so I haven't even had to look for a job in 24 years. 

Needless to say, my circumstances have changed dramatically since the last time I was jobless. In 1988, I was 26 years old, rented an apartment, owned a used vehicle for which I paid cash, and only had myself to be concerned about. Today, I am 50 years old, I own a home with a first AND second mortgage, drive a car that I just purchased last year with 42 more payments outstanding, and I have two additional mouths to feed. Plus, I have accumulated a lot more "stuff" and a lot more debt over these past 24 years. In a nutshell, my life is much more complicated now than it was in 1988.

The fact that I am 50 years old and have spent my entire professional career in banking doesn't exactly make my job prospects rosy. For starters, employers prefer to hire younger workers, not because they are better, but because they are cheaper. When you spend over 29 years in your profession, your salary tends to hit the high end of the spectrum. In addition, the entire banking industry continues to compress as more and more small community banks close or sell out to larger regional and national banks. It is estimated that up to 25% of the banks in operation at the beginning of the recession will have disappeared due to failure, merger or acquisition by the end of 2015. That's a lot of banks. And a lot of bankers losing their jobs and crowding the market looking for work.

I am coming to terms with the idea that I may never work in the banking industry again. The bulk of what I did was very specialized, and every bank only needs one of me, or does without the luxury of someone dedicated to those functions. The fact that I own a house that is currently under water due to the collapse of the real estate market means that I am not free to pick up and relocate to another part of the country where my job prospects might improve. Unfortunately, most of the jobs currently available that would provide a comparable salary require skills and/or education that I do not possess.

I was blessed to receive a reasonable severance package from my employer, so I have enough to live on between that and my savings for about 4 months. After that, I either will need to have a job that provides a decent income, or I will need to start pulling money out of my retirement (something that I really would rather not do for a multitude of reasons).

With all of that said, I see several options:

1) Go back to school and get the education and skills necessary to work in an industry that is stable and/or growing (how to pay for school and my living expenses in the interim remains an unknown);

2) Take any job I can find, which will probably mean that my income will not meet my expenses, and eventually my savings will run out and I either drain my retirement accounts or declare bankruptcy;

3) Start my own business (not sure exactly what, but it would have to have minimal start-up costs and be profitable within a year); or

4)  Win the lottery, which is probably not going to happen (especially since I don't play)

I have been kicking around these options (well, the first three) with a few close friends for the past couple of weeks, and don't have any clear answers as of yet. I'd like to go back to school if I could figure out how to pay for it and still keep my home, but that would take at least two years just to get an associates degree, and then there still is no guarantee of employment at the end of the day. Whatever I do, I don't want to lose my home now that I have two dependents that I have to provide for. If it was just me, I could deal with a drastic lifestyle change. But I have to live someplace where my "kids" can have a comparable quality of life. If you're not a pet lover, you wouldn't understand, but that's okay - God still loves you. ;-)

The strange part about all this is, since the moment I was laid off, I have had an overwhelming sense of peace. I am not consumed with worry or fear about the future. I'm not obsessing about what will happen when the money runs out. I admit that I have had to fend off a spirit of discouragement, but I think God and I are winning that one. I am regularly reminded about Paul's confession in Philippians 4, and can relate all too easily. Before these past several years of plenty, I had many years of need. Yet no matter what my circumstances, God always provided what I needed and I was able to find contentment in them. And if God does not change, then I have no reason to expect that somehow He will fail me this time around.

What lies ahead? I don't know, but God does. My job for the moment is to be patient and wait on Him to unfold the next chapter of my life. There are so many more variables than what I have listed here - who knows what might happen just around the corner.

Normally, my blogs are supposed to provide something uplifting and encouraging for my readers, but today I just felt the need to express some of what I'm going through, more for me than for anyone else. But if you find any comfort or strength from what I have shared, then that is a bonus.

They say that as soon as you stop changing, you die, so I look forward to the changes that I will encounter in the coming weeks and months. I look forward to the surprises that God has prepared for me, waiting to delight me in ways my feeble human mind could never imagine. And I look forward to sharing these exciting events with you, my friends.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David

Lessons My Puppies Taught Me, Part 2

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
(Acts 12:6-17)

In my last post, I discussed some things that I had learned from observing my puppies during Molly's recovery from her spay surgery. A week later, Buddy became very sick with what turned out to be the Parvovirus. In between these two major events, the little monsters darlings managed to inflict near-fatal damage to my laptop (thus the absence of a post last week). Since the past three weeks have been focused solely on my puppies and their world, I have had plenty of opportunities to learn more spiritual lessons from my four-footed children.

1) Sometimes our prison is only in our mind. During Molly's recovery, I decided that it would only be fair to put Buddy in the kennel once in awhile so Molly could move about without him trying to roughhouse with her. The funny thing is, I would close the kennel door and not latch it, and Buddy wouldn't know the difference. Had he pushed against the door, it would have swung open and he would have been free. But in his mind, that's not how the kennel works, and so he never attempted to push the door open. Instead, he simply resigned himself to the fact that he was stuck until such time that I released him.

The story from Acts above tells about Peter when King Herod had him imprisoned with the intent to execute him. The angel came to free Peter from his cell, but Peter thought it was just a vision. It doesn't specifically say that Peter was praying for his release, but I think it's a safe assumption that he was hoping for some miraculous way out of his situation. Furthermore, the believers who had gathered to pray for Peter refused to believe that he was at the door until he showed himself to them.

How often do we think that we are stuck or trapped in a situation with no way out? We pray for a miracle, but in reality, the door is unlocked and all we have to do is walk through it. We become so focused on our problem that we can't even see the path to freedom that God is laying out in front of us. I fear that too many of us are wasting away in a prison of our own making. Jesus tells us that He came to set us free from bondage (John 8:31-36). So if you claim to be a Christian, God's desire is for you to be free. You just have to claim that and walk in His promises.

On a side note, if you're praying for God to do something, let Him surprise you by doing it in a way that you don't expect. Just because the answer doesn't come the way you think it should doesn't mean it's not from God.

2) Grace is more important than stuff. One day, while I was letting the kids run around a little to burn off some energy, I was biding my time on facebook (shocking, I know). Suddenly, they came flying through the pet door and made a beeline straight under the table where I had set up my laptop. Before I knew what was happening, one of them managed to catch the power cord as he/she whizzed by, and the laptop became airborne. I was unable to catch it before it crashed to the hard floor. Needless to say, the laptop immediately shut down. Everything I did to try to restart it failed. My hard drive was toast. I've had this laptop for less than a year, and replacing it really wasn't in my budget. In addition, my last backup was from the middle of August.

Naturally, my immediate reaction was anger. Those stupid dogs! Do they have any idea what they just did? How could they be so careless? What were they thinking? And then I looked at their shocked faces (they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Daddy was not very happy). Their cute little shocked faces. And I remembered that these are dogs, not people. They have no idea what a laptop is (or why Daddy spends so much time playing with it instead of them). They certainly didn't mean to trip over the power cord that I had stretched across their path. They simply did what energetic puppies do - run until they drop from exhaustion. And my anger melted into grace, and I forgave them (because they felt so guilty - not). I still was not too happy about the laptop, but the laptop is just stuff. These two little critters staring at me, wondering what all the fuss is about, are my children (well, as close to children that I will probably ever have). Laptops and "stuff" can be replaced. People (and pets) cannot be replaced.

When we feel we've been wronged by someone, we need to remember that a) they probably did not do it intentionally - most people are not that malicious; and b) they're just doing what people do - messing up and making mistakes. In the Lord's Prayer, we are taught to forgive others the way that we want to be forgiven. Jesus told the crowd that the first person without any sin in his life was permitted to start casting stones at the adulterous woman (no one took Him up on His offer). As Christians, we are meant to be the embodiment of God's grace on this earth. Stuff comes and goes, but the relationships in our lives are gifts from God, and we need to treasure them more than our stuff.

3) God is amazing. Okay, that's probably not too profound, but I want to give testimony to His goodness and mercy. A few days after the laptop incident, Buddy became quite ill. He was throwing up and refused to eat. Now, puppies are notorious for eating anything that isn't nailed down, so I figured he probably ingested a bad caterpillar or something (they both love bugs - enough said). I waited a day to see if this would resolve itself, but it didn't. So I took him to the vet. They couldn't identify anything physically wrong - no blockages, etc. They gave him some fluids and medicine and sent him home, with the instructions to bring him back the following day if he still wasn't eating. The next day was no different, and now he was starting to get listless and had lost a lot of his energy. I could tell that he was not feeling well. I took him back to the vet, who did a Parvovirus screening. The results came back positive. Parvo is a very serious disease that eats away at the lining of the dog's stomach and intestines. Untreated, it can usually prove fatal. Buddy had been vaccinated in June, but apparently he never developed the necessary antibodies in his immune system to fight off the virus when he came in contact with it.

We did more fluids and more medicines, and they sent him home again. The following day, he was no better, and I was very concerned that I might lose my little Buddy. I prayed, and asked everyone I knew to pray. And then the vet's office called. They had contacted the drug company that makes the vaccine, and since the company guarantees their product, they agreed to pay all of Buddy's medical bills up to $5,000. Because of this, the vet wanted to put Buddy in the hospital immediately so he could have aggressive round-the-clock treatment. I gladly consented, especially since I knew that the expense would be covered and I wasn't going to have to sell a kidney or something to pay for it. Buddy went in the hospital Thursday afternoon, and by Friday evening, he was well enough to come home to finish his treatment regimen.

Today, Buddy and Molly are playing as if it was a month ago, my little happy family is whole again, and I am incredibly grateful. Of all the possible solutions to this very scary situation, I would have never imagined that the drug company would pick up the tab to ensure Buddy's recovery. I had exhausted my cash reserves between Molly's surgery and the first two office visits (pets are as expensive as children sometimes) and wasn't sure how I could afford to keep paying for these daily treatments, let alone hospitalization. Only God could have orchestrated this outcome.

Bringing it full circle back to our original story of Peter, never ever underestimate God's ability to do something totally unexpected. If for no other reason, He does it just to make sure we know it's His doing and not ours.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David

Lessons My Puppies Taught Me, Part 1

"If you say, 'The Lord is my refuge,' and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
(Psalm 91:9-12)

For those of you who don't know, I adopted two rescue puppies in May. Buddy and Molly are brother and sister, and will be seven months old this coming Tuesday. It's been 6 years since I last raised a puppy, and never two at the same time. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment at the Cooper residence.

This past Thursday, I had Molly spayed. That in itself is not particularly newsworthy. However, you need to realize that Buddy and Molly play together like two WWE wrestlers. They don't just play cute little puppy games. They go for blood. They slam each other into walls, doors, their Daddy, and anything (or anyone) else that gets in the way. They race around the yard trying to outrun each other while simultaneously leaping into the air and slamming into each other. They pin each other to the ground and sit on their opponent while mercilessly pulling on ears, tails, legs and any other moving part with their full-sized adult teeth. I regularly discover battle wounds, scabs and scars on them when I'm grooming them. You would think that they are mortal enemies. Nothing could be more false.

Buddy and Molly have never been separated since birth, and are completely inseparable. They love each other dearly, and act like Siamese twins most of the time. I affectionately call them the "Two-Headed Puppy." Needless to say, the morning that I took Molly to the vet by herself was a bit traumatic for both of them. All day long, I had to be the "second puppy" for Buddy so he wouldn't be too stressed out about not having Molly around. We even played puppy games. Needless to say, I lost, and have the gash on my face to prove it.

Given this current environment of theirs, and the fact that Molly will have her stitches for two weeks, it is incumbent upon me to somehow prevent the two of them from engaging in their usual rough and tumble activities. Yeah, right. That's like trying to prevent two magnets from attaching together. So, I dusted off the kennel that they were born in (it came with them), placed it in the house, put some fresh bedding in it, and equipped it with food and water bowls and a few of Molly's favorite toys. Like it or not, this is were she would have to stay during those times that she and Buddy get a little too energetic and can't avoid trying to rip each others' heads off.

To make things a bit more conducive to this temporary situation, I moved my laptop out to the dining table so I would be close by and able to watch Molly (and Buddy), and to reassure Molly that I was still around and had not abandoned her. An unexpected result of this arrangement is that I have had three entire days of sitting and watching these two puppies adapt to their new environment. In the process, I have made some interesting observations. And since I am a pastor, naturally I have drawn some valuable spiritual correlations. So these are the lessons I have learned from my puppies thus far:

1) Sometimes, we need to be protected, even when we don't know it. Judging from Molly's behavior over the past couple of days, you would never know that she just had invasive surgery and that she has a two-inch incision on her belly, held together with eight stitches. She has no idea how much damage she could do to herself by playing with Buddy the way they usually do. And of course, Buddy is just as clueless as to how much of a danger he is to Molly. Neither one of them understands why Molly has to be sequestered in the kennel during their normal playtime. However, I have knowledge that they do not possess, and am doing what is best for both of them. I am protecting Molly from further, and possibly fatal, injury, and I am ensuring that Buddy will have his partner in crime for many years to come.

How often do we get upset with God when our lives take an unexpected turn, and it seems that we've been placed in some sort of spiritual kennel? We end up sidelined and unable to continue on the path we've been traveling, and feel that we're being unfairly punished or cheated out of some enjoyment or blessing. One of the things I learned from studying the life of Job is that God is not required to give us an explanation for the things He does. Just like me trying to explain to the dogs why they are being separated like this, I'm sure God knows that we can't possibly understand the cosmic reasons for some of the things that He does in our lives. I'm convinced that sometimes He makes us take a detour because He alone knows the danger that awaits us if we continue down our usual path.

In addition, sometimes we have things in our lives that need to be healed, and the only way that God can bring about that healing is by setting us aside and forcing us to take some downtime. If you find yourself suddenly bedridden with the flu or unemployed, perhaps it's an opportunity to spend some "kennel" time to deal with spiritual wounds that need to heal.

2) Sometimes, those closest to us will try to thwart what God is doing. Buddy's initial response to seeing Molly in the kennel for the first time was to break her out. He still tries to do so every time I put her in there, until he finally gives up.

Whether out of ignorance or selfishness, our family members or friends may try to "fix" our temporary situation, not understanding what God is trying to accomplish. Not only does this discourage us, but it risks robbing us of the benefit of our "time out" and could put us back in harm's way. If you have people in your life who seem to be pulling you in a direction contrary to where you think God is leading you, you need to distance yourself from those people.

3) True friends will walk along with us through our spiritual detour. Buddy's second response is to try to make the best of the situation. He will play with Molly through the wire openings in the kennel, or he will lay down next to the kennel while she naps. This makes it much easier for Molly to accept her situation and be at peace with it.

While we are going through our spiritual detour, it's important to surround ourselves with mature believers who will simply walk with us or stand by our side. They don't have to say much (or anything - Job's friends were silent for the first seven days of their visit). Just having them there, knowing that we are not going through this alone, is priceless. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says,

"Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

I'm sure I will learn many more valuable lessons before this episode is over and we all return to our "normal" lives (thus the "Part 1" in the title). However, it's time for me to take my Sunday nap with the puppies - the one time where there is total peace and calm in the house.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David

A Time For Peace

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 
    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

I hate violence. In many ways, I am a pacifist. I don't believe that any good ever comes about from people engaging in violent acts. However, violence is not limited to physical acts. One can speak violence and do harm to another person just as easily as if they had launched a grenade. Unfortunately, our sin nature dictates that such violent aggressions be met with equal or greater violent responses.

Such is the case with the current unrest in the Muslim world over the ill-conceived anti-Muslim movie that was recently posted on the internet. I do not know what possessed the maker of this film to produce it, or what reasonable outcome he expected as a result. It would appear that his intent was to stir up anti-Muslim sentiment and to consciously provoke a violent response. While I am a firm believer in our American value of free speech protections, I also believe that free speech without conscience can be a dangerous thing. This movie is a violent act of aggression against an entire religion. Considering that some adherents to this religion are notoriously anti-American, one could reasonably expect that violent outbursts would ensue.

Sadly, many innocent lives have already been lost in the crossfire. People who had absolutely nothing to do with this movie died simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have no sympathy for those extremist radicals who have perpetrated these deadly attacks on our consulates and embassies, as well as those of some of our allies. There is a right way and a wrong way to respond to something that deeply insults not only your religion, but your entire way of life. This is the wrong way.

Regardless of what many westerners seem to think, the majority of the billion-plus Muslims in the world are peaceful people. Most of them have lived with war and conflict their entire lives, and want nothing more than to live in peace with their neighbors, both locally and internationally. They are not represented by the minority of militant extremists who insist on using any excuse to vilify the "infidels" and wreak havoc and mayhem against them. Whether the initial attack in Libya on September 11 was premeditated or spontaneous, the fact is such acts of aggression are inconsistent with the overall values of the Muslim people. Since that time, there have been pleas from Muslims around the world to be viewed as peaceful people, completely disassociated from these extremists.

As an American, and more importantly, as a Christian, what should my response be to these horrific events that have occurred (and are still occurring)? Unlike some people, my first response is not to shoot first and ask questions later. I applaud our President and his administration for maintaining level heads in the midst of this outrage, seeking to take the high road to whatever resolution is possible. History has taught us that violence in response to violence solves nothing, and will only end badly. I pray for the families and loved ones of those who have been murdered in the line of duty. I pray that calm heads will prevail, and that religious and political leaders throughout the Muslim world will work to restore peace in their midst and to bring the perpetrators to justice. I also pray for the man who is responsible for making this movie. I pray that he will realize his grievous mistake in inciting such violence (how could he not know that something like this will happen?), and that somehow he will find a way to correct his error. I also pray for all Americans, that we will not collectively demonize Muslims in general because of the evil acts of a few.

The wise King Solomon stated that there is a time for everything. We've had a time of killing and tearing down and war. Now it's time for healing, building up, and peace. May God bless us all.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David

Vote For Jesus!

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
(2 Timothy 2:4)

As a general rule, I despise politics. They seem to bring out the ugly in otherwise decent people. This is not to say that I don't enjoy having spirited political discussions with people who actually think for themselves and expend energy researching and analyzing a topic and then espousing an informed opinion. However, most Americans tend to be rather lazy, and simply spout off whatever rhetoric or sound bites their particular political party or biased news source has fed them.

I don't intend for this blog to be a political one, so don't get all excited thinking I'm about to launch some great debate or controversy over who should be the next President of the United States. Frankly, it really doesn't matter to me who wins the election in November. In fact, I just wish it would all be over already and we can all get back to our so-called normal lives.

In case you think that I am some sort of disinterested unpatriotic heretic for what I just said, let me clarify. In some sense, I do actually care about the outcome of the November election. I care about it in the same way that I care about whether it is going to rain tomorrow (a rare occasion here in the desert, and thus requiring a fair amount of attention). The fact of the matter is, I have no control over who will ultimately serve in the White House for the next four years any more than I can control whether it will rain tomorrow. Yes, I do vote faithfully in every election, and yes, I do believe every person's vote counts (in spite of the antiquated electoral college, which is a rant I will save for another day).

However, I will not expend ridiculous amounts of effort and energy trying to make sure that everyone I know votes the way that I think they should vote. I will not spend countless hours watching speeches and debates and news commentaries on the candidates, and then filling my facebook news feed with the latest "proof" that my candidate is most fit to serve in this nation's highest office, and the other candidate is Satan incarnate. Most of my facebook friends are Christians, but they also cover the spectrum of political convictions, from the very liberal to the very conservative. What amazes me is that many of them pour themselves into the political process as if their very lives depend on who is in the Oval Office for the next four years.

The above verse from Paul's letter to Timothy reminds me that we are soldiers in the army of Christ. Thus, we have a responsibility to maintain our allegiance to Christ first and foremost. When we get so caught up in the affairs of this world that we can no longer carry out our duties as Christian ambassadors, then we are getting tangled up in "civilian affairs". When my Christian friends become nasty, rude and downright ugly during election season, they are in effect abandoning their posts and going AWOL. They are definitely not acting in a way that pleases their commanding officer, Jesus.

Paul gives us clear direction on how we should view our government leaders:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

If we we truly believe that God is still in control of His creation, and that He really does establish the governing authorities, then we have to accept that, no matter who is elected as the next President, it is part of His divine plan for this country. Our responsibility is to pray for whoever our next President is, so that he will make right and sound decisions and lead this great nation in a direction that will be beneficial to all Americans.

I do not place my faith in the President of the United States, or my congressional leaders, or anyone else in public office. My faith is in Jesus Christ alone. Everything else is temporary anyway. I have lived through (and survived) ten presidential administrations so far. I've seen good presidents do bad, and bad presidents do good. We are electing a government leader, not a Messiah. I do not lose sleep at night because of who is in the White House, or who might move in next January. My rest comes from knowing that I belong to Jesus, and nothing can ever change that.

My prayer is that we Americans can find our civility once again, set aside our political differences, and move forward as a great nation. May God bless the President and the United States of America.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David

God's Remodeling Project

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
(Romans 12:1-2)

I spent this past Saturday volunteering for Habit For Humanity. Our task for the day was to gut an old house to prepare it for a complete remodel. While the work was hard and dirty, it was good to know that our efforts were the first step in preparing a nice, comfortable home for a young family, where their children could grow up in a safe neighborhood.

Judging by the construction materials used in the house we were working on, it is about the same age as mine. As many of you know, I've spent the last ten years gutting and remodeling my own home, and I'm still not finished. Fortunately, the Valdez family will only have to wait three months for their home to be finished!

As I was demolishing 60 years of construction (some not very well done), I thought about all similarities a project like this has to the work that God does in our lives once we accept His gift of salvation. Sure, there are those "Christians" who prefer to have God slap a fresh coat of paint on their lives, and then want no further work done. They are quite content to have the appearance of changed lives, but their interiors are still the old run-down messes that were in place before they got saved.

Just as this house had the imprints of many previous owners, some who obviously thought they knew how to construct porches and patios and interior walls, our lives also have the imprints of people from our past - people who helped construct our attitudes, behaviors and personalities, but didn't always do a very good job. God sees the mess that we have become (far removed from the perfect blueprint he started with), and wants to tear out all of that old inferior construction and restore us to our original condition, before we were marred by sin.

Anyone who has done or seen this type of remodeling work knows that it is a messy process. In the midst of it, everything looks like total chaos. Yet the master architect can see the final outcome, even if no one else can visualize it. I was discussing my remodeling projects with a friend last night, and I told him that even when everyone else sees a gutted room with nothing but rafters, studs and a concrete floor, I can see the beautiful finished product in my mind's eye. I think this is the same with God. All we see is the messy demolition as He deconstructs all the undesirable parts of our lives, while He sees the glorious end result, a life that resembles His son Jesus.

In Romans 12:1-2, the Apostle Paul tells us that we need to become transformed. The Greek word he used is the root of metamorphosis, literally changing (or morphing) from one creature into another. But notice that he doesn't tell us to sit idly by while God does this transformational work. We have to be an active participant in the process. God is a gentleman, and will not override our free will. We have to be willing to submit ourselves to the reconstruction process, as messy and painful as it may be. It's also interesting to note that he tells us that this change happens in our minds first. When we try to become more Christ-like in our actions and behaviors without first transforming our minds, we are simply slapping a fresh coat of paint on an old, outdated, and inferior structure. Sooner or later, the paint will peel, revealing the ugliness that lies beneath. We have to let God strip us down to bare bones and start all over, from the inside out.

When you look at my house today, you can tell that transformation is happening, but it's still pretty unsightly from the street. It's not until you come inside that you can see the beautiful restoration that has taken place. Eventually the outside will reflect the inside. For some people, the transformation is a quick process, just as the Valdez family will have a brand-new house in three months. For others, like myself, this work takes many years, complete with starts and stops and setbacks. God's been working on my personal remodel since 1984, and He's not finished yet. Have I enjoyed the process? Not necessarily. Do I like the work He's completed so far? Absolutely. Unlike me and my remodeling efforts, God never looks at a completed part of me and wishes that He had done something differently. He always gets it right the first time. When will He be finished with me? Only He knows. I wish it didn't take so long, but I guess I am an especially difficult project.

What transformations need to take place in your life? Don't resist the wrecking ball. God knows what He's doing. He's been doing it for a long time. And the sooner you let Him start the demolition, the quicker He can finish the restoration work.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David

Changed Lives

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

    "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

    Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary."

    She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

(John 20:1-18)

The Main Event

The resurrection story is the pivotal event in human history that changed everything. Without the resurrection of Jesus, society as we know it today wouldn’t exist. If Jesus had only given His life as a sacrificial offering, but had remained in the grave, He would have been no different from countless other martyrs who died for what they believed in. After all, what good would it do to have our sins forgiven if we do not have the hope of resurrection into an eternity in God's presence?

I think of this event as a light shining through a prism. On one side, a single bare light shines. On the other, a brilliant display in millions of colors bursts forth. Max Lucado calls this the “Main Event”. From the beginning of recorded history and the fall of man, this moment had been anticipated, if not by humans, then certainly by God. This was the day that God could finally be reunited in fellowship with His created beings. Up to this moment, the world was in a state of darkness and decay. But now, everything was illuminated and alive. The curse pronounced on all of creation in Genesis 3 was now broken, and the restoration of everything that was created to be "good" had begun.

However, in spite of the importance of this pivotal moment, it was surrounded by confusion as it unfolded:

Mary thought someone stole Jesus’ body.

Peter didn’t know what to think of the linen cloths and the folded face napkin.

John claimed that he believed, but he wrote this account and probably gave his own spin to it.

Mary mistook Jesus as the gardener.

We know from the other gospel accounts that the disciples thought the women were crazy.

We look back with 2,000 years of hindsight and wonder what the problem was. But these people had to work through their preconceived ideas, traditions, and emotional trauma. They had just seen their beloved friend and Teacher brutally executed two days earlier. It's no simple thing to suddenly believe that it wasn't permanent. Jesus had to make numerous attempts to convince them that He really had risen from the dead before they finally believed.

Changed Lives

On that first Easter morning, the lives of the people who loved Jesus would be forever changed by the transforming power of the risen Savior. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, this moment is spoken of as one that would bring about profound change. The old order of law, sin and death was replaced with a new order of grace, righteousness and life. Nothing would ever be the same from that moment forward.

As each person comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, their life is changed, both immediately and throughout the rest of their days on this earth. In fact, a person who is not changed by Jesus Christ has probably never met Him. Unfortunately, we humans don't like change. We resist it and cling to the familiar, even if the familiar is harsh, painful and meaningless. We are like animals born in captivity and raised in cages. When the cage doors are finally sprung open, we stare into the great unknown beyond the safety of our confinements, fearful of what might await us. It is only those who venture out of their comfort zone who experience the amazing life that God wants us to enjoy.

Our celebration of this "Main Event" each year should include a time of personal reflection. To do any less is to relegate the day to just another Church holiday or family feast day. So my questions to you (any myself) are:

How has your life been changed as a result of coming to know the risen Savior? What immediate changes did you experience?

What ongoing changes is He making in your life? What changes are you hoping for in the future?

I often tell people who have not known me for very long that they wouldn't recognize me if they had known me twenty years ago. I'm completely changed in some regards, having put aside much of my worldly ways. Yet I have a long way to go in becoming more Christ-like in my thoughts, behaviors and attitudes. I don't particularly enjoy the refining process, but I endure it because I know that it will only produce desirable effects in my life. As the old-timers say, "I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be!" 

Have a blessed Resurrection Day!

Pastor David