December 1, 2009
I am blown away by the way Jesus reached into Peter’s life when he was at his worst. Jesus KNEW that Peter would betray Him, denying Him three times. At the time when Jesus needed His close friend most, Peter turned his back on Jesus in every way. Jesus KNEW Peter would but believed in Peter anyway.
Jesus erased the evidence that could have gotten Peter the death penalty when He replaced the guard’s ear.
Jesus prayed for Peter so he would have the strength to return rather than hang himself as Judas did.
Jesus made eye contact with Peter as the rooster crowed signaling the third denial, reminding Peter that Jesus KNEW it would happen and reminding Peter of Jesus’ instructions: 31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32, NIV)
If Jesus had spoken anything, He risked Peter being taken prisoner as well. Mark Batterson states that Jesus’ was not scolding or saying “I told you so!” Rather Jesus’ look said, “Peter, look at Me. I forgave you before you even denied Me. I just want you to know that I haven’t given up on you. We’re still in this thing together!” (“Wild Goose Chase”, Mark Batterson, p. 108)
Following His resurrection, Jesus specifically restored Peter (John 21:15-19) with unconditional grace. And then the Holy Spirit used Peter and others to turn the world upside-down.
UNCONDITIONAL GRACE.
What is it within us that resists grace?
The undeserved, unearned favored position with God that causes Him to pour out His love, mercy and forgiveness without end. We don’t understand it, we can’t comprehend it, we have a hard time accepting it when it is extended and so we try to earn it. Often we reject or try to alter it because we believe it must somehow cost us something.
We grow up believing that you get what you earn; nothing is free in life; “If it sounds too good to be true it is;” there is a cost for everything and if someone is offering you a free gift you better check around for the catch. That’s true in the human world and works well in school, purchases and jobs. Not so good in relationships.
In relationships most of us have experienced conditional love – that if we want someone’s love there are conditions (act right, give back, live up to it, do what I want, etc.) It’s not that our parents tried to love us conditionally; it’s just what the whole human race understands and lives out.
That’s why it is so hard to catch, believe and embrace God’s grace. We have no point of reference for it. We have no experience that prepares us to accept it.
But when we see it, it takes our breath away. It will turn us into a puddle or make us run. Peter was a puddle; Judas ran. There was nothing short of total rejection that could prevent Peter from experiencing the incredible grace of Jesus. All he had to do was stay in the vicinity with Jesus. And grace washed over him like nothing he had ever known. When he expected Jesus’ rebuke, he got His unconditional grace. Jesus instruction was not how badly Peter blew it but was simply, “Follow me!” (John 21:19).
It’s the same for you.
God’s grace really, really, really is free and better than anything we can imagine. It is too good to be true, yet it IS true. For YOU!
I’m a puddle.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sheep Dung or a Burning Bush
November 17, 2009
Interruptions. A negative image. The phone rings… the email alert goes off… an annoying co-worker plants himself in front of us… the pile of laundry threatens to destroy the home… the alarm clock buzzes… Like a child who insists on attention, “Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, MOMMY” interruptions interrupt often and loud.
There is a different breed of interruption.
A neighbor stops by, interrupting your busy day, “C’mon, let’s go. I’m taking you out for some fun.” Before you can object, the friend continues, “I’ve made arrangements for a babysitter and hired somebody to do your chores. The day is on me.” Would you welcome that kind of interruption? In a HEART BEAT!!!!
Those are God’s kind of interruptions. Really. If we open our lives to embrace them. Sometimes they don’t look like it on the surface, but if we give ourselves to what God has in mind (don’t whine, complain, resist) we will experience satisfaction and adventure.
Moses was in a comfortable routine and I’m guessing he didn’t like interruptions any more than we do. I don’t know when his 401K was due to kick in, but it had to be close with 40 years of service at 80 years of age. Then one day God interrupted, lit a bush on fire that kept glowing like a gas light, spoke to him from the bush, told him to give up his security and fulfill his life’s purpose. Moses balked, threw up objections and finally asked to be excused. To no avail. Reluctantly he went on the adventure of a lifetime – of several lifetimes. Never in his wildest dreams could he have concocted what God delivered.
An interruption.
I wonder how many adventures we miss because we refuse to go see what the burning bush is about. That’s all Moses did. Nothing heroic, he simply saw something that made no sense, “Hmm, that’s new,” and walked to where God was up to something. Interrupted. Could have been too zeroed in on his routine to see it. Or if he saw it, been too busy to leave the sheep. Or if he walked to the bush he could have been so enamored by the phenomenon that he missed hearing God’s voice. Or if he heard God he could have simply walked away.
What do you do when God interrupts? Dodging sheep dung or talking to burning bushes? Your choice.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Interruptions. A negative image. The phone rings… the email alert goes off… an annoying co-worker plants himself in front of us… the pile of laundry threatens to destroy the home… the alarm clock buzzes… Like a child who insists on attention, “Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, MOMMY” interruptions interrupt often and loud.
There is a different breed of interruption.
A neighbor stops by, interrupting your busy day, “C’mon, let’s go. I’m taking you out for some fun.” Before you can object, the friend continues, “I’ve made arrangements for a babysitter and hired somebody to do your chores. The day is on me.” Would you welcome that kind of interruption? In a HEART BEAT!!!!
Those are God’s kind of interruptions. Really. If we open our lives to embrace them. Sometimes they don’t look like it on the surface, but if we give ourselves to what God has in mind (don’t whine, complain, resist) we will experience satisfaction and adventure.
Moses was in a comfortable routine and I’m guessing he didn’t like interruptions any more than we do. I don’t know when his 401K was due to kick in, but it had to be close with 40 years of service at 80 years of age. Then one day God interrupted, lit a bush on fire that kept glowing like a gas light, spoke to him from the bush, told him to give up his security and fulfill his life’s purpose. Moses balked, threw up objections and finally asked to be excused. To no avail. Reluctantly he went on the adventure of a lifetime – of several lifetimes. Never in his wildest dreams could he have concocted what God delivered.
An interruption.
I wonder how many adventures we miss because we refuse to go see what the burning bush is about. That’s all Moses did. Nothing heroic, he simply saw something that made no sense, “Hmm, that’s new,” and walked to where God was up to something. Interrupted. Could have been too zeroed in on his routine to see it. Or if he saw it, been too busy to leave the sheep. Or if he walked to the bush he could have been so enamored by the phenomenon that he missed hearing God’s voice. Or if he heard God he could have simply walked away.
What do you do when God interrupts? Dodging sheep dung or talking to burning bushes? Your choice.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Friday, November 13, 2009
When God Shows Off
November 13, 2009
It is incorrect to say “God shows up.” He is “omnipresent” (theological term that means God is everywhere all the time). God is always around us so it is impossible for Him to “show up.”
But sometimes God SHOWS OFF!
There are times when He makes it unmistakably clear that He is present. And it seems to me that He touches every part of us when He shows us that He is showing up when He shows off.
It’s one thing to know it with our heads. It’s quite another to EXPERIENCE it with all our being. I mean, you can “know” that God is in the room because He told us He is and not feel like it. In fact it can feel like God has stepped out for a divine coffee break just when everything comes unglued.
But there are those wonderful times when God shows off. That He is not only in the room but putting His finger on us. This week I watched God show off in our monthly prayer gathering. We sang. We read scripture. I started to share and something happened. I stopped talking (a VERY good thing to do when God is peeking around the corner ready to show off), and invited people to pray.
God reached out to touch our whole beings. Physically some knelt, some bowed, some raised hands toward Heaven and we all felt physically lighter afterwards. Mentally there was confirmation that this is God. In our spirits the Holy Spirit resonated like a singer who makes drinking glasses ring. Emotionally there were tears and laughter. Relationally we sensed a deeper closeness with one another and a stronger commitment to others in our lives.
God SHOWED OFF.
I felt so honored and privileged to be in the room when He did.
Those times cannot be manufactured or forced, but we can put ourselves in a position to experience them when God decides to show us that He is showing up in tangible ways by showing off.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
It is incorrect to say “God shows up.” He is “omnipresent” (theological term that means God is everywhere all the time). God is always around us so it is impossible for Him to “show up.”
But sometimes God SHOWS OFF!
There are times when He makes it unmistakably clear that He is present. And it seems to me that He touches every part of us when He shows us that He is showing up when He shows off.
It’s one thing to know it with our heads. It’s quite another to EXPERIENCE it with all our being. I mean, you can “know” that God is in the room because He told us He is and not feel like it. In fact it can feel like God has stepped out for a divine coffee break just when everything comes unglued.
But there are those wonderful times when God shows off. That He is not only in the room but putting His finger on us. This week I watched God show off in our monthly prayer gathering. We sang. We read scripture. I started to share and something happened. I stopped talking (a VERY good thing to do when God is peeking around the corner ready to show off), and invited people to pray.
God reached out to touch our whole beings. Physically some knelt, some bowed, some raised hands toward Heaven and we all felt physically lighter afterwards. Mentally there was confirmation that this is God. In our spirits the Holy Spirit resonated like a singer who makes drinking glasses ring. Emotionally there were tears and laughter. Relationally we sensed a deeper closeness with one another and a stronger commitment to others in our lives.
God SHOWED OFF.
I felt so honored and privileged to be in the room when He did.
Those times cannot be manufactured or forced, but we can put ourselves in a position to experience them when God decides to show us that He is showing up in tangible ways by showing off.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Get-To’s or Got-To’s?
November 10, 2009
As the holidays approach, let’s serve a helping of honesty to one another.
Who are the people in your family that you “got-to” visit? C’mon, you know the people that empty you of emotional energy. Like human vacuums they suck the life out of everyone in the family. The initiated play “rock-scissors-paper” in the kitchen to figure out who has to sit close. The newbies soon learn (the hard way) to jockey for position so as not to be the last one in the room one on one, captured. You feel emptied and bored by a “got-to” person.
But…
Who are the people in your family that you “get-to” visit? You know, the people that cause everyone to light up and smile? Like a human IV they pour life into all around them. The family collects close to them. When laughter echoes through the house or someone needs a caring touch he/she seems always to be in the middle of it. You feel more alive and energized by a “get-to” person.
You would travel great distances to be with a “get-to” person and (except that you are a person of character) would avoid a “got-to” person if they lived next door.
When you think of your religious experiences, is it “got-to” or “get-to”? When you think of worship, prayer, Bible reading, serving others or other spiritual experiences, what does you gut say? Do you make excuses to avoid or do sacrifice to experience them?
HERE’S THE DEAL: when we experience Jesus, the real Jesus, (not the plastic imitation that some have confined Him to but the REAL Jesus), He is the #1 “get-to” person ever. Ever. EVER!
Boring was never a word those who physically walked with Jesus would even THINK of. He spoke words that resonated with their souls and they walk away ENERGIZED. He put them in adrenalin spiking experiences and they walked away THRILLED. He stirred them to tears when He healed and they walked away HEALTHY and MOVED. Their jaws dropped when He did His miracle thing and they walked away with HOPE. They bent over in gut wrenching laughter when they tried to picture a camel going through the eye of a needle and they walked away LIGHTER.
Jesus has not changed.
Now, back to one of those holiday servings of honesty. How come so many of us have the knee jerk reaction of “I’ve got-to .. go to church… read the Bible… pray… serving… sharing… learning...” Instead of “I get-to be with Jesus by going to church… reading the Bible… praying… serving… sharing… learning…”
Is it possible we have propped up a plastic Jesus in our lives that bores and empties us instead of truly experiencing the life of the party Jesus that the Bible actually describes?
Problem’s not with Jesus.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
As the holidays approach, let’s serve a helping of honesty to one another.
Who are the people in your family that you “got-to” visit? C’mon, you know the people that empty you of emotional energy. Like human vacuums they suck the life out of everyone in the family. The initiated play “rock-scissors-paper” in the kitchen to figure out who has to sit close. The newbies soon learn (the hard way) to jockey for position so as not to be the last one in the room one on one, captured. You feel emptied and bored by a “got-to” person.
But…
Who are the people in your family that you “get-to” visit? You know, the people that cause everyone to light up and smile? Like a human IV they pour life into all around them. The family collects close to them. When laughter echoes through the house or someone needs a caring touch he/she seems always to be in the middle of it. You feel more alive and energized by a “get-to” person.
You would travel great distances to be with a “get-to” person and (except that you are a person of character) would avoid a “got-to” person if they lived next door.
When you think of your religious experiences, is it “got-to” or “get-to”? When you think of worship, prayer, Bible reading, serving others or other spiritual experiences, what does you gut say? Do you make excuses to avoid or do sacrifice to experience them?
HERE’S THE DEAL: when we experience Jesus, the real Jesus, (not the plastic imitation that some have confined Him to but the REAL Jesus), He is the #1 “get-to” person ever. Ever. EVER!
Boring was never a word those who physically walked with Jesus would even THINK of. He spoke words that resonated with their souls and they walk away ENERGIZED. He put them in adrenalin spiking experiences and they walked away THRILLED. He stirred them to tears when He healed and they walked away HEALTHY and MOVED. Their jaws dropped when He did His miracle thing and they walked away with HOPE. They bent over in gut wrenching laughter when they tried to picture a camel going through the eye of a needle and they walked away LIGHTER.
Jesus has not changed.
Now, back to one of those holiday servings of honesty. How come so many of us have the knee jerk reaction of “I’ve got-to .. go to church… read the Bible… pray… serving… sharing… learning...” Instead of “I get-to be with Jesus by going to church… reading the Bible… praying… serving… sharing… learning…”
Is it possible we have propped up a plastic Jesus in our lives that bores and empties us instead of truly experiencing the life of the party Jesus that the Bible actually describes?
Problem’s not with Jesus.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Friday, November 06, 2009
Fort Hood
November 6, 2009
My heart ached as my friend Steve told me about the tragic news of the Fort Hood shooting yesterday. What a waste! What unimaginable sadness for the families! What a heartrending irony!
I awoke to more details of the appalling attack and the efforts of so many to DO SOMETHING in response. But most of us are too far removed to really do anything about such nightmares.
That’s a big part of why these events hit us so hard. FRUSTRATION because we feel helpless as we hear the ongoing news. FRUSTRATION because it makes us feel vulnerable. FRUSTRATION because things like this are not supposed to happen. FRUSTRATION because we want to do something, anything to help others and relieve what we feel inside.
WE CAN. Problem is that the thing we can do is something that we don’t really think makes a difference or we would not be feeling such deep frustration. We have come to believe it is something you do when you can’t do anything else. Instead we should believe and practice it as THE thing to do first… THE thing that makes a difference… THE thing that makes us powerful no matter the distance.
PRAY.
Be honest, if someone looked at your knee-jerk reactions and all the things you do before you pray, would they conclude that prayer is something you do when you can’t do anything else? Yet, it is THE MOST POWERFUL thing we can do. And should be the first thing we do.
We should pray first because it is POWERFUL. Prayer mysteriously moves the hand of God and transforms us at the same time. It is the one most powerful activity a human being can do.
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has GREAT POWER and produces WONDERFUL RESULTS.” James 5:16 (NLT)
We should pray first because it will LEAD us to what we should do that will make a difference. When we act first we often do things that are not helpful or make matters worse. By praying first our actions can be most effective.
Let’s pray for the victims and families of the shooting at Fort Hood. And for all other circumstances. FIRST.
Let’s be powerful.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
My heart ached as my friend Steve told me about the tragic news of the Fort Hood shooting yesterday. What a waste! What unimaginable sadness for the families! What a heartrending irony!
I awoke to more details of the appalling attack and the efforts of so many to DO SOMETHING in response. But most of us are too far removed to really do anything about such nightmares.
That’s a big part of why these events hit us so hard. FRUSTRATION because we feel helpless as we hear the ongoing news. FRUSTRATION because it makes us feel vulnerable. FRUSTRATION because things like this are not supposed to happen. FRUSTRATION because we want to do something, anything to help others and relieve what we feel inside.
WE CAN. Problem is that the thing we can do is something that we don’t really think makes a difference or we would not be feeling such deep frustration. We have come to believe it is something you do when you can’t do anything else. Instead we should believe and practice it as THE thing to do first… THE thing that makes a difference… THE thing that makes us powerful no matter the distance.
PRAY.
Be honest, if someone looked at your knee-jerk reactions and all the things you do before you pray, would they conclude that prayer is something you do when you can’t do anything else? Yet, it is THE MOST POWERFUL thing we can do. And should be the first thing we do.
We should pray first because it is POWERFUL. Prayer mysteriously moves the hand of God and transforms us at the same time. It is the one most powerful activity a human being can do.
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has GREAT POWER and produces WONDERFUL RESULTS.” James 5:16 (NLT)
We should pray first because it will LEAD us to what we should do that will make a difference. When we act first we often do things that are not helpful or make matters worse. By praying first our actions can be most effective.
Let’s pray for the victims and families of the shooting at Fort Hood. And for all other circumstances. FIRST.
Let’s be powerful.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up on the bar to the right or at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Walking to Your Own Funeral
November 5, 2009
Imagine you get the dreaded phone call – your son/brother has been killed in an auto accident. Grief overwhelms you. Relatives go to the morgue to identify the body, glance, turn away, horrified at the brutal injuries.
The next day you stand in front of the casket, tears streaming down your face, thinking, “What a waste! We didn’t even get to say good-bye.” As you mourn, looking at the body, arm in arm with your closest loved ones, you look up toward the door to spot a man walking purposefully toward you. You blink, look at the body, look at the man, look at the corpse, look at the man, look at the dead, look at your son/brother walking toward you!
Your mind struggles to comprehend, “How does a person WALK to his own funeral? Is there a twin you didn’t know about? Is there a clone?”
Flip the story.
Imagine you are driving your truck home from another part of the country. You decide to stop, visit and spend the night with friends. You’re an adult; you don’t bother to call because no one is expecting you home. You get home a day late to discover that your family is at the funeral home. “For who?” you ask. “For you!” Realizing there has been a terrible mistake and your family is distraught (at least you hope), you hurriedly WALK TO YOUR OWN FUNERAL!
“Dead man walking.” True story about 59 year old Ademir Jorge Goncalves, a bricklayer from Brazil.
You don’t have to go to a funeral home to see dead people. They are walking all around us every day. Maybe you are one of them. Hearts are beating, lungs are drawing air several times a minute but they are walking around dead. They go through the motions but have lost purpose, joy, meaning, fulfillment, LIFE! Sometimes they are hard to spot because there are so many of them around. Other times you can see the glazed look and apathy. Maybe you see it when you brush your teeth. The walking dead settle for things that temporarily provide pleasure and then return to living graves.
Jesus said, "I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." John 10:10 (The Message)
Don’t walk to your own funeral. Choose life. Real life. More and better life than you’ve ever dreamed.
Choose Jesus. Not once, but every day. Discover LIFE.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up at on the right info bar or go to: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Imagine you get the dreaded phone call – your son/brother has been killed in an auto accident. Grief overwhelms you. Relatives go to the morgue to identify the body, glance, turn away, horrified at the brutal injuries.
The next day you stand in front of the casket, tears streaming down your face, thinking, “What a waste! We didn’t even get to say good-bye.” As you mourn, looking at the body, arm in arm with your closest loved ones, you look up toward the door to spot a man walking purposefully toward you. You blink, look at the body, look at the man, look at the corpse, look at the man, look at the dead, look at your son/brother walking toward you!
Your mind struggles to comprehend, “How does a person WALK to his own funeral? Is there a twin you didn’t know about? Is there a clone?”
Flip the story.
Imagine you are driving your truck home from another part of the country. You decide to stop, visit and spend the night with friends. You’re an adult; you don’t bother to call because no one is expecting you home. You get home a day late to discover that your family is at the funeral home. “For who?” you ask. “For you!” Realizing there has been a terrible mistake and your family is distraught (at least you hope), you hurriedly WALK TO YOUR OWN FUNERAL!
“Dead man walking.” True story about 59 year old Ademir Jorge Goncalves, a bricklayer from Brazil.
You don’t have to go to a funeral home to see dead people. They are walking all around us every day. Maybe you are one of them. Hearts are beating, lungs are drawing air several times a minute but they are walking around dead. They go through the motions but have lost purpose, joy, meaning, fulfillment, LIFE! Sometimes they are hard to spot because there are so many of them around. Other times you can see the glazed look and apathy. Maybe you see it when you brush your teeth. The walking dead settle for things that temporarily provide pleasure and then return to living graves.
Jesus said, "I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." John 10:10 (The Message)
Don’t walk to your own funeral. Choose life. Real life. More and better life than you’ve ever dreamed.
Choose Jesus. Not once, but every day. Discover LIFE.
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up at on the right info bar or go to: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
GRACE
November 4, 2009
GRACE
He was probably fulfilling a life-long dream, riding shotgun with his friend in a fighter jet! As the plane rolled, he grabbed for something to brace himself. Turns out he did more than brace himself – he fulfilled a nightmare. Instead of the side of the seat he accidently grabbed the eject lever. In a nanosecond he was shot through the canopy 300 feet into the air by his rocket powered seat.
Now, what would you be thinking at that moment? Unless you were very familiar with jets, I believe you would be thinking, “I’m a dead man! I’m in the air on a SEAT with no wings or landing gear!”
After his ascension peaked, a parachute automatically deployed, gently lowering him to earth. Experts say he was lucky to escape unharmed, that if his posture had been slightly different at ejection he could have sustained severe spinal cord injuries or death.
GRACE
How many times in life do we grab what we think will help us, provide security, buffer life’s jarring maneuvers only to find ourselves falling? How many times do we discover too late that the things that promise stability actually send us into helplessness? It’s not that we are trying to get into trouble; it’s just that we have not yet learned what we should be grabbing on to.
God shakes His head, smiles at our confusion, and provides a parachute to get us back to reality safely. There’s still a pretty jolt when we hit the ground, but we realize we survived that which we had no business surviving. Left to ourselves we should be walking away with serious injuries or worse. And He asks, “Now, what have we learned here?”
GRACE
The undeserved, unearned, unwarranted, unmerited, unjustified favored position with God.
What will you do with God’s grace today?
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
GRACE
He was probably fulfilling a life-long dream, riding shotgun with his friend in a fighter jet! As the plane rolled, he grabbed for something to brace himself. Turns out he did more than brace himself – he fulfilled a nightmare. Instead of the side of the seat he accidently grabbed the eject lever. In a nanosecond he was shot through the canopy 300 feet into the air by his rocket powered seat.
Now, what would you be thinking at that moment? Unless you were very familiar with jets, I believe you would be thinking, “I’m a dead man! I’m in the air on a SEAT with no wings or landing gear!”
After his ascension peaked, a parachute automatically deployed, gently lowering him to earth. Experts say he was lucky to escape unharmed, that if his posture had been slightly different at ejection he could have sustained severe spinal cord injuries or death.
GRACE
How many times in life do we grab what we think will help us, provide security, buffer life’s jarring maneuvers only to find ourselves falling? How many times do we discover too late that the things that promise stability actually send us into helplessness? It’s not that we are trying to get into trouble; it’s just that we have not yet learned what we should be grabbing on to.
God shakes His head, smiles at our confusion, and provides a parachute to get us back to reality safely. There’s still a pretty jolt when we hit the ground, but we realize we survived that which we had no business surviving. Left to ourselves we should be walking away with serious injuries or worse. And He asks, “Now, what have we learned here?”
GRACE
The undeserved, unearned, unwarranted, unmerited, unjustified favored position with God.
What will you do with God’s grace today?
Boldly, Herb
To receive blog posts directly to your email sign up at: http://groups.google.com/group/fwgs
To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Sometimes God just doesn’t make sense
November 3, 2009
I’ve heard religious people attempt to refute this, but their reasoning clunks to the floor of the laboratory of life in pieces.
There simply are times when God does not make sense.
Tell me this thought has not occurred to you! Name the situation, the baffling circumstances, the challenging intellectual argument, the scientific deduction, the inexplicable relationship issue. I don’t care what anyone says; sometimes God does not make sense.
What are we to do with that? Let’s think for a second.
Are there things that make sense to you as an adult that did not when you were a child? Sure.
Are there ideas that have cleared up after you got more information? Yes.
Are situations that make sense in hindsight that were baffling when you were in them? Of course.
Even Garth Brooks sings “Thank God for unanswered prayers.”
Here’s the deal: there are some things that make no sense while we’re in them because we are not yet capable of understanding them at the time but make sense in looking back. Because God is timeless He can see the future but it would fry our circuits if He tried to explain.
A second line of thinking… Are there things that make all the sense in the world to you but others cannot grasp? And are there things that you cannot “get” that others seem to understand without trouble? Ever had a conversation with a rocket scientist? My eyes glaze over after about 30 seconds. Yet when I talk about relationships with them, it appears I am talking about, well… rocket science.
Here’s the deal: there are some things that make no sense to us because we don’t have the education and capacity to understand. Same with God – while we’re in the middle of stuff, it is not that He is incapable of explaining them. We are incapable of comprehending if He did.
BACK TO GOD: Would you really want a God who would make sense all the time. Think about this because it is a trick question. On the surface, we would say “Yes! Absolutely!” However, that would mean …
Our God would not be able to see the future nor would His knowledge be greater than ours.
We could be our own God because He would be our size, no greater than us.
God would not love us any better than our ability to love. (Uh-oh!)
God would not have any greater mercy and grace for us than we have for ourselves or others.
Seems to me that the fact that God sometimes does not make sense, that sometimes we cannot understand Him is actually A GOOD THING.
What do you think?
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
I’ve heard religious people attempt to refute this, but their reasoning clunks to the floor of the laboratory of life in pieces.
There simply are times when God does not make sense.
Tell me this thought has not occurred to you! Name the situation, the baffling circumstances, the challenging intellectual argument, the scientific deduction, the inexplicable relationship issue. I don’t care what anyone says; sometimes God does not make sense.
What are we to do with that? Let’s think for a second.
Are there things that make sense to you as an adult that did not when you were a child? Sure.
Are there ideas that have cleared up after you got more information? Yes.
Are situations that make sense in hindsight that were baffling when you were in them? Of course.
Even Garth Brooks sings “Thank God for unanswered prayers.”
Here’s the deal: there are some things that make no sense while we’re in them because we are not yet capable of understanding them at the time but make sense in looking back. Because God is timeless He can see the future but it would fry our circuits if He tried to explain.
A second line of thinking… Are there things that make all the sense in the world to you but others cannot grasp? And are there things that you cannot “get” that others seem to understand without trouble? Ever had a conversation with a rocket scientist? My eyes glaze over after about 30 seconds. Yet when I talk about relationships with them, it appears I am talking about, well… rocket science.
Here’s the deal: there are some things that make no sense to us because we don’t have the education and capacity to understand. Same with God – while we’re in the middle of stuff, it is not that He is incapable of explaining them. We are incapable of comprehending if He did.
BACK TO GOD: Would you really want a God who would make sense all the time. Think about this because it is a trick question. On the surface, we would say “Yes! Absolutely!” However, that would mean …
Our God would not be able to see the future nor would His knowledge be greater than ours.
We could be our own God because He would be our size, no greater than us.
God would not love us any better than our ability to love. (Uh-oh!)
God would not have any greater mercy and grace for us than we have for ourselves or others.
Seems to me that the fact that God sometimes does not make sense, that sometimes we cannot understand Him is actually A GOOD THING.
What do you think?
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Balloon Boy
October 31, 2009
It ticks us off when we get fooled.
It REALLY ticks us off when someone touches our hearts, gets us to pull for them and THEN fools us.
It REALLY, REALLY ticks us off when someone touches our hearts, gets us to pull for them, fools us and THEN we find out they did it for their own selfish intentions.
That’s what ticks us off at the balloon boy’s family. Thousands of people across the country were pulling and praying for this young fellow and his family, thinking he was frightened to his toes and in danger of losing his life. Then we discover that it was all a sham to get publicity and probably money for his parents. “How low can you get?” was a question being asked.
Sad. What must be going on in their hearts to go to all that trouble, risking everything for a moment of fame that would lead to money?
Same thing that goes on in our hearts. Okay, maybe we don’t send up a balloon claiming our kid is soaring into local flight patterns, but how many things do we do to get what we want at the expense of others? There’s a hole in our hearts we try to fill and we’re blind to it. You and I may never get the United States Air Force in our efforts, but it really is the same issue.
What are you doing to fill the hole in your heart?
Try this from Jesus: Gospel of John chapter 10, verse 10. (The Message) 10A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
And check with someone you trust before you launch the balloon.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
It ticks us off when we get fooled.
It REALLY ticks us off when someone touches our hearts, gets us to pull for them and THEN fools us.
It REALLY, REALLY ticks us off when someone touches our hearts, gets us to pull for them, fools us and THEN we find out they did it for their own selfish intentions.
That’s what ticks us off at the balloon boy’s family. Thousands of people across the country were pulling and praying for this young fellow and his family, thinking he was frightened to his toes and in danger of losing his life. Then we discover that it was all a sham to get publicity and probably money for his parents. “How low can you get?” was a question being asked.
Sad. What must be going on in their hearts to go to all that trouble, risking everything for a moment of fame that would lead to money?
Same thing that goes on in our hearts. Okay, maybe we don’t send up a balloon claiming our kid is soaring into local flight patterns, but how many things do we do to get what we want at the expense of others? There’s a hole in our hearts we try to fill and we’re blind to it. You and I may never get the United States Air Force in our efforts, but it really is the same issue.
What are you doing to fill the hole in your heart?
Try this from Jesus: Gospel of John chapter 10, verse 10. (The Message) 10A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
And check with someone you trust before you launch the balloon.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Just because it's hard or painful doesn’t mean it's bad
October 29, 2009
Our generation has a problem. Well, okay, we’ve got more than one, but a problem that seems to get us into emotional knots is that we have adopted a couple of incorrect life formulae. The first one: pain = bad. The second is not as blatant, yet can be even more detrimental to balanced living is this: hard (as in difficult) = bad. One of the worst parts of that formula is that it lies underneath the surface, unspoken yet driving our lives.
“Wait a minute, Herb,” you might say. “I’m okay with some things being hard.” You’re right. We’re okay with it when we can choose what is hard such as athletics or education. But when we don’t get to choose – relationships, physical heath, financial struggles, (name yours), we default, consciously or unconsciously, to the formula: hard and painful = bad. We want to choose the times when life is and is not hard or painful; we want to be in control. But life (grrrr) somehow doesn’t give us those choices.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Part of the problem is that we have defined “good” as easy, comfortable, pleasurable… what we naturally like. What is your gut response to this scripture?
James 1:17 (NIV) 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Here’s my guess: when you read “good and perfect gift” your kneejerk reaction was “a raise, a promotion, a nicer house, a better car, kids’ success, health…” Am I close? I’m betting no one said, “pain, difficult times, hard things.” Am I right?
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
This week we’ve seen that one of the loving processes of Jesus is to disorient us to reorient us to truth (thanks Mark Batterson for that phrase!). Disorientation, without exception, means some kind of pain – emotional, physical, social, financial, circumstantial or otherwise. It also means it is hard.
Since God gives good and perfect gifts AND He sends us through painful and hard things, the conclusion we have to draw is that pain and hard times are sometimes His gift for our ultimate, greater good even though they cause temporary angst.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Have you noticed that a child who is exhausted, in desperate need of sleep, will often fight to stay awake? She cries, fusses, fights being held or rocked while we adults shake our head in wonder. “Man, I’d like to take a nap!” we muse. Why doesn’t she give in to this wonderful gift of rest? Because she doesn’t realize by trusting the “big people” to go where she doesn’t want to go and do what she doesn’t want to do she can experience something very good. Much better than how she is feeling now.
We are often like that child when we pain or hard things come. We fight against the very thing we need most, pushing against or pulling away, thinking it is bad. We don’t realize that by trusting the “big Person” to go through what we don’t want we can experience something so much better. We must give in to the journey that Jesus has us on even when it feels bad, TRUSTING Him in the middle of the pain and hard things.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
I have a hunch (no Biblical proof), that the storm Jesus and his disciples ran into (Gospel of Mark, chapter four) was Satan trying to keep Jesus away from His destination because even the devil could see the indications of all the good Jesus was going to do there. If Jesus had allowed the painful circumstances or the hard things happening to deter or distract, the good on the other side of the storm would have been lost.
Don’t let pain or hard things deter or distract from the good God wants to do in your life. Ride out the waves, endure the high winds, trust the One Who controls it all because…
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Our generation has a problem. Well, okay, we’ve got more than one, but a problem that seems to get us into emotional knots is that we have adopted a couple of incorrect life formulae. The first one: pain = bad. The second is not as blatant, yet can be even more detrimental to balanced living is this: hard (as in difficult) = bad. One of the worst parts of that formula is that it lies underneath the surface, unspoken yet driving our lives.
“Wait a minute, Herb,” you might say. “I’m okay with some things being hard.” You’re right. We’re okay with it when we can choose what is hard such as athletics or education. But when we don’t get to choose – relationships, physical heath, financial struggles, (name yours), we default, consciously or unconsciously, to the formula: hard and painful = bad. We want to choose the times when life is and is not hard or painful; we want to be in control. But life (grrrr) somehow doesn’t give us those choices.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Part of the problem is that we have defined “good” as easy, comfortable, pleasurable… what we naturally like. What is your gut response to this scripture?
James 1:17 (NIV) 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Here’s my guess: when you read “good and perfect gift” your kneejerk reaction was “a raise, a promotion, a nicer house, a better car, kids’ success, health…” Am I close? I’m betting no one said, “pain, difficult times, hard things.” Am I right?
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
This week we’ve seen that one of the loving processes of Jesus is to disorient us to reorient us to truth (thanks Mark Batterson for that phrase!). Disorientation, without exception, means some kind of pain – emotional, physical, social, financial, circumstantial or otherwise. It also means it is hard.
Since God gives good and perfect gifts AND He sends us through painful and hard things, the conclusion we have to draw is that pain and hard times are sometimes His gift for our ultimate, greater good even though they cause temporary angst.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Have you noticed that a child who is exhausted, in desperate need of sleep, will often fight to stay awake? She cries, fusses, fights being held or rocked while we adults shake our head in wonder. “Man, I’d like to take a nap!” we muse. Why doesn’t she give in to this wonderful gift of rest? Because she doesn’t realize by trusting the “big people” to go where she doesn’t want to go and do what she doesn’t want to do she can experience something very good. Much better than how she is feeling now.
We are often like that child when we pain or hard things come. We fight against the very thing we need most, pushing against or pulling away, thinking it is bad. We don’t realize that by trusting the “big Person” to go through what we don’t want we can experience something so much better. We must give in to the journey that Jesus has us on even when it feels bad, TRUSTING Him in the middle of the pain and hard things.
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
I have a hunch (no Biblical proof), that the storm Jesus and his disciples ran into (Gospel of Mark, chapter four) was Satan trying to keep Jesus away from His destination because even the devil could see the indications of all the good Jesus was going to do there. If Jesus had allowed the painful circumstances or the hard things happening to deter or distract, the good on the other side of the storm would have been lost.
Don’t let pain or hard things deter or distract from the good God wants to do in your life. Ride out the waves, endure the high winds, trust the One Who controls it all because…
Just because it is hard or painful doesn’t mean it is bad.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Process
October 28, 2009
I love the scene in the movie “Evan Almighty” when Evan’s wife, Joan, and kids are sitting in a restaurant distraught and disoriented after leaving Evan because they believe he is certifiably crazy. The kids go to the bathroom and “God” (looking an awful lot like Morgan Freeman) shows up asking Joan what is wrong. God shocks her by observing that her crisis looks like an opportunity to him. As Joan sits stunned, he continues to ask how she thinks God answers prayer.
"If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If they pray for courage, does God give them courage or does He give them the opportunity to be courageous? If someone prayed for their family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings? Or does He give them opportunities to love each other?"
— Morgan Freeman in Evan Almighty
I’ve noticed that is EXACTLY what God does.
PROCESS. Disorientation to Reorientation. From where we are to where God wants us to be. Painful and thrilling. Frustrating and fulfilling.
When God wants to do something in our lives He takes us through a process rather than zap us. He starts with circumstances that are opposite of what we want, seemingly ignoring or abandoning us. Though we feel that way, it is NOT TRUE! In those moments God is closer than we can imagine, rooting us on to exercise our spiritual muscles to seize the opportunity to experience what we really want. Those feelings are intended to disorient us so that we are open to His reorientation.
Joan Baxter, Evan’s wife, was floored by this truth. Then she pulled herself together and went back to seize the opportunity God presented to experience what she prayed for. (Okay, it is a movie but is exactly what God does!). God is doing the same thing in YOUR LIFE. What will you do?
What are you praying for? What are the opportunities to experience it that God is offering that look like crises? I challenge you to get up and seize the opportunity TODAY!
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
I love the scene in the movie “Evan Almighty” when Evan’s wife, Joan, and kids are sitting in a restaurant distraught and disoriented after leaving Evan because they believe he is certifiably crazy. The kids go to the bathroom and “God” (looking an awful lot like Morgan Freeman) shows up asking Joan what is wrong. God shocks her by observing that her crisis looks like an opportunity to him. As Joan sits stunned, he continues to ask how she thinks God answers prayer.
"If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If they pray for courage, does God give them courage or does He give them the opportunity to be courageous? If someone prayed for their family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings? Or does He give them opportunities to love each other?"
— Morgan Freeman in Evan Almighty
I’ve noticed that is EXACTLY what God does.
PROCESS. Disorientation to Reorientation. From where we are to where God wants us to be. Painful and thrilling. Frustrating and fulfilling.
When God wants to do something in our lives He takes us through a process rather than zap us. He starts with circumstances that are opposite of what we want, seemingly ignoring or abandoning us. Though we feel that way, it is NOT TRUE! In those moments God is closer than we can imagine, rooting us on to exercise our spiritual muscles to seize the opportunity to experience what we really want. Those feelings are intended to disorient us so that we are open to His reorientation.
Joan Baxter, Evan’s wife, was floored by this truth. Then she pulled herself together and went back to seize the opportunity God presented to experience what she prayed for. (Okay, it is a movie but is exactly what God does!). God is doing the same thing in YOUR LIFE. What will you do?
What are you praying for? What are the opportunities to experience it that God is offering that look like crises? I challenge you to get up and seize the opportunity TODAY!
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Storms
October 27, 2009
Storms.
Storms are those times when the waves crash over us and the winds threaten to blow us overboard, never to be seen or heard from again.
They come in lots of forms, but one thing is for sure: EVERYBODY has storms! Financial storms. Relational storms. Physical health storms. Emotional storms. Sometimes they are predictable, but more often than not they catch us by surprise.
We tend to think of storms as bad. And they are painful, no question. But it is in the storm that we see what is bigger… what is most powerful. Or should I say “Who” is.
When Jesus sent his disciples into the storm (Mark 4), He was deliberately sending them into a situation that would challenge their previous understanding of power. He slept while his followers struggled to row toward shore, all the while hanging on for dear life in the teeth of a monsoon. Finally, they shook Him awake, scolding Him for not caring about them. He calmed the storm and asked them why they still had no belief in Him. Their response? They were terrified that their leader had such power. They were so disoriented by the whole deal that they had to think things through in a brand new way.
Mark Batterson contends that Jesus must DISORIENT us so He can REORIENT us. I agree. Jesus must force us through circumstances that get us out of “whack” so that He can align us with what is true. The disciples believed that the devil controlled the sea; Jesus had to show them that He did. The disciples believed the storm was going to kill them; Jesus had to show them nothing could even hurt them unless He allowed it. The disciples believed that Jesus did not care about them; Jesus had to show them He did even IN the middle of the fiercest storm.
Truth is every storm we go through is a gift for future storms. Every time we come through one, having been disoriented enough to be reoriented to Jesus’ truth, we are more capable to handle an even bigger storm. And, believe me, they WILL come. If we never went through storms and discovered that we can survive and thrive, the mildest wind would destroy us.
So let’s not bemoan the storms that come, let’s look for the reorientation that is a gift from Jesus.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Storms.
Storms are those times when the waves crash over us and the winds threaten to blow us overboard, never to be seen or heard from again.
They come in lots of forms, but one thing is for sure: EVERYBODY has storms! Financial storms. Relational storms. Physical health storms. Emotional storms. Sometimes they are predictable, but more often than not they catch us by surprise.
We tend to think of storms as bad. And they are painful, no question. But it is in the storm that we see what is bigger… what is most powerful. Or should I say “Who” is.
When Jesus sent his disciples into the storm (Mark 4), He was deliberately sending them into a situation that would challenge their previous understanding of power. He slept while his followers struggled to row toward shore, all the while hanging on for dear life in the teeth of a monsoon. Finally, they shook Him awake, scolding Him for not caring about them. He calmed the storm and asked them why they still had no belief in Him. Their response? They were terrified that their leader had such power. They were so disoriented by the whole deal that they had to think things through in a brand new way.
Mark Batterson contends that Jesus must DISORIENT us so He can REORIENT us. I agree. Jesus must force us through circumstances that get us out of “whack” so that He can align us with what is true. The disciples believed that the devil controlled the sea; Jesus had to show them that He did. The disciples believed the storm was going to kill them; Jesus had to show them nothing could even hurt them unless He allowed it. The disciples believed that Jesus did not care about them; Jesus had to show them He did even IN the middle of the fiercest storm.
Truth is every storm we go through is a gift for future storms. Every time we come through one, having been disoriented enough to be reoriented to Jesus’ truth, we are more capable to handle an even bigger storm. And, believe me, they WILL come. If we never went through storms and discovered that we can survive and thrive, the mildest wind would destroy us.
So let’s not bemoan the storms that come, let’s look for the reorientation that is a gift from Jesus.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Friday, July 31, 2009
"I KNOW..."
July 31, 2009
What is the first thing a child does when he gets hurt? Looks around for a parent, grandparent, or caregiver to run to and cry. When our children were younger some days they would return home from school, look for Sheila or me and burst out crying. He fell and scraped his knee. She was called a name. He was left out of a group. She was not invited to a party.
Do you know what they needed? To be enveloped in some big arms and to hear, “I KNOW… I know it hurts. I know what you’re going through. I know it is unfair. I know it makes you feel sad, alone, different.”
They did not need answers. Oh, they would need to talk it through later and get answers to go forward, but in that moment they needed someone to identify with their feelings and emotionally respond. They needed to know that someone bigger, who loved them dearly, could assure them it would be okay. They needed to know they were not alone. They needed to know someone else “knew” their hurt and hurt with them. They needed to know that someone will help see them through. They needed to hear, “I KNOW…”
That is one of the reasons the Bible tells us we need to become like little children, because when we face hurt we need to know the same thing. If we “act like adults,” pretending that life does not hurt, then it bottles up on us and we end up angry and depressed. In reality, we have the same needs as little children – God created us that way. We can “grow up” after we deal with this stuff.
Around 95 AD, the Christians in the church at Smyrna are going through incredible pain. They had been persecuted, their property confiscated or destroyed, slandered for their loyalty to Jesus, facing more pain and possibly death, feeling like they were less than others. They were coming into the house of God hurt and confused. What did they need? They didn’t need answers, they needed to hear “I KNOW…” from someone bigger than it all.
In the letter from Heaven that Jesus dictated while He appeared to the Apostle John, He did exactly that.
Revelation 2:9 (NIV) I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Jesus wraps His arms around His children and tells them “I KNOW…”
We all get hurt. Life delivers pain to us with frustrating regularity. No one is exempt. What do you need, what do I need during those times? We don’t need answers right away, though eventually we will so we can go forward.
- We need to be enveloped in some big arms and to hear, “I KNOW… I know it hurts. I know what you’re going through. I know it is unfair. I know it makes you feel sad, alone, different.”
- We need someone to identify with our feelings and emotionally respond.
- We need to know that someone bigger than us, someone who loves us dearly can assure us it will be okay.
- We need to know we are not alone.
- We need to know someone else “knows” our hurt and hurts with us.
- We need to know that Someone will see us through.
And TODAY Jesus will do that for you if you run to Him. It is most often through another of His children – Jesus’ arms holding us through the flesh and blood arms of a human being. Sometimes it comes through His Word, prayer, or worship. But you can be ABSOLUTELY sure that if you run home to Him, He will be there with arms outstretched, tears in His eyes as you weep, saying “I KNOW… I KNOW…”
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet at http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Lent 2009: Repentance
Repentance
09-3-5
One of the mistakes we make… one of the schemes of the enemy… one of the consequences of busyness… one of the results of focusing on ourselves is to take what Jesus did lightly. To be in relationship with God means that we take God seriously.
The Lent season is a traditional opportunity to take God seriously. It is much more than giving something up. Abstinence from something that we like is a great reminder, but not the focus. Doing without is worthwhile as it causes us to appreciate Jesus’ sacrifices and move toward Him.
Repentance is one of the themes of Lent. It is not another word for asking for forgiveness. It goes much deeper than that prayer and is CENTRAL to having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Repentance is “turning around.” When I sin I am facing what I want and I have my back to Jesus. Repentance means I turn my back on my sinful desires, turn my face toward Christ and walk toward Him. Repentance means I leave my sin behind me and zero in on growing closer to and in deeper relationship with Christ, evidenced in obedience.
Repentance is ESSENTIAL. Without turning around there is no forgiveness, no relationship, no Heaven.
Look at these messages from Jesus Himself to first century congregations.
1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 2:1-5 (NIV)
It doesn’t matter how much good we do if we are not fully turning to Christ and turning our backs on all else to REPENT.
1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Revelation 3:1-3 (NIV)
It doesn’t matter how good a reputation we have if we are not fully turning to Christ and turning our backs on all else to REPENT.
14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:14-20 (NIV)
It doesn’t matter if we have material blessing from God – they do not prove God approves of us – if we are not fully turning to Christ and turning our backs on all else to REPENT.
During this Lenten season, ask God to show you all areas where you have your back to Him, then REPENT!
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
09-3-5
One of the mistakes we make… one of the schemes of the enemy… one of the consequences of busyness… one of the results of focusing on ourselves is to take what Jesus did lightly. To be in relationship with God means that we take God seriously.
The Lent season is a traditional opportunity to take God seriously. It is much more than giving something up. Abstinence from something that we like is a great reminder, but not the focus. Doing without is worthwhile as it causes us to appreciate Jesus’ sacrifices and move toward Him.
Repentance is one of the themes of Lent. It is not another word for asking for forgiveness. It goes much deeper than that prayer and is CENTRAL to having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Repentance is “turning around.” When I sin I am facing what I want and I have my back to Jesus. Repentance means I turn my back on my sinful desires, turn my face toward Christ and walk toward Him. Repentance means I leave my sin behind me and zero in on growing closer to and in deeper relationship with Christ, evidenced in obedience.
Repentance is ESSENTIAL. Without turning around there is no forgiveness, no relationship, no Heaven.
Look at these messages from Jesus Himself to first century congregations.
1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 2:1-5 (NIV)
It doesn’t matter how much good we do if we are not fully turning to Christ and turning our backs on all else to REPENT.
1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Revelation 3:1-3 (NIV)
It doesn’t matter how good a reputation we have if we are not fully turning to Christ and turning our backs on all else to REPENT.
14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:14-20 (NIV)
It doesn’t matter if we have material blessing from God – they do not prove God approves of us – if we are not fully turning to Christ and turning our backs on all else to REPENT.
During this Lenten season, ask God to show you all areas where you have your back to Him, then REPENT!
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Monday, August 18, 2008
When the World Turns Upside Down
The crowd stood on the dock watching the three ships sail west. Some shook their heads, some shed tears, few if any thought they would ever see their loved ones again. Everyone in the world KNEW. It wasn't that they THOUGHT they knew, they KNEW. Scholars knew, scientists knew, theologians knew, paupers on the street knew, even little children knew. It was the truth, undebateable, undeniable, any other thought unfathomable, which is why all thought they were saying good-bye for the last time.
Thus the shock when the three ships appeared on the horizon many months later. Christopher Columbus stepped off the ship signaling that the universe had changed. What was the undeniable fact? The world is flat. Everybody knew that. The maps detailed it, religious leaders defended it, nothing else was ever considered. Yet they had not sailed off of the edge of the world.
The entire known world had been wrong and had to REORIENT themselves to the TRUTH that the world was round and Chris Columbus was a genius rather than a madman.
As I look at the Christianity we know in western civilization and contrast it with what I see in the accounts of Jesus by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as well as the early church in the book of Acts, it appears much the same. Is it possible we have been so inculturated by the American version of Christianity that we think we know, but are missing the truth?
Here are Jesus' words:
John 14:12 (NIV) "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."
If Jesus meant what He said, and He did, is it possible we are missing it just as badly as those who thought the world was flat! Is it possible that the Christianity that we've gotten used to is not what Jesus had in mind? That it is too passive, too powerless, too safe, too meaningless, too boring, too lifeless?
Is it possible what Jesus brought is MIRACULOUS LIVING? That is God engaged in our lives in supernatural ways? Ways beyond the normal "miracles" of birth and love, etc.? The miraculous living of seeing the extraordinary become the ordinary as if we are in a different dimension?
I think so. C.S. Lewis had it right when he wrote,
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. (The Weight of Glory and other addresses, C.S. Lewis.)
Can you imagine how dizzying it was? How the minds of the scientists, mapmakers, rulers of the world were reeling when Chris Columbus pulled his boat to the curb and unloaded his groceries from North America? But the journey into the danger and discomfort and unknown was worth it, changing the world and the destinies of millions of people.
It is the same with us. It will be dizzying for us to take a hard look at what we have long assumed to be true, leave our comfort, risk our reputations, venture into the unknown to live into the Kingdom of God Jesus offers. But the journey will be worth it as Jesus changes our worlds and the eternal destinies of many.
Will you take the journey with me?
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sometimes There Just Aren't Enough Hugs
I’ve come to the conclusion there just aren’t enough hugs, that no matter how many times you embrace a person you love deeply, it will never, ever, ever, ever be enough. It is simply impossible to fill up your heart.
Where did this come from? Sending off my kids to college. (Read: tearing my soul apart by letting my kids grow up, become adults and move away from home).
Sent the first one off and was completely unprepared for the antics of my heart. In my head I knew it was right, he was in God’s place for him, he was ready and it was all-good. Yet my heart was in full-scale mutiny, “Nooooooooo. Don’t let him go, bring him back, spin the clock in reverse, hold him tight, protect him and never let him go.” I’ve never had such a civil war in my body. “Let him go – hold on to him-let him go-hold onto him…” During the long 8-hour drive home my heart won and I sobbed like a baby.
One of the hardest pieces of letting go that first time was my perceived regret combined with the finality of the moment. I wished I had spent more time, done more things, had more conversations about the important issues of life, taught more skills, and on and on and on. And I wished I’d hugged him more. As if that would have made it easier to have him out of hugging range. My son now tells me I did enough of all those things (perhaps even too many of some).
So I determined I would do more of those things with the remaining 3 kids. And I did. Probably to their chagrin. The next one went off to school and it still wasn’t enough. I stepped up the effort with the third, she left, still not enough. One more chance, all out blitz in his final year. I dropped him off last weekend and my head and heart rekindled the war. I’m thinking, “C’mon. What more could I have done?” The answer: nothing. It was not lack of effort, it is a reality that I hate living with and can no longer deny.
It is not possible to fill up our hearts. There just simply are not enough hugs.
No matter how many times, we will always wish for one more hug.
No matter how many times, our hearts will break when we have to say good-bye.
It is not something I did or didn’t do; it is the reality of life that doesn’t make any sense to our heads. There is nothing that can keep us from longing for those we love.
And it is not just hugs. You can replace “hugs” with all the other things we enjoy. Smiles, dinners, walks, ballgames, concerts, touches, laughs, and on and on and on. We think, “Just one more…” Take it from a dad who keep giving “just one more” – doesn’t work. There just aren’t enough to fill our hearts.
There are always regrets. But truth is, it is impossible to do everything we wanted to because it would have taken 60 years of 48-hour days. There just isn’t enough time or resources. So choices are made, and our faulty best really is enough. Better be because there is nothing more.
Hence, the empty nest is here. Sure, the youngest two will come home from college and be with us for a while, but not as children. An era is over. It is right. It is good. It is as it should be. It just stinks that my heart can hurt this bad when things are going the way they should!!! But I’ve realized that if I let myself bawl and grieve it, the memories get brighter, stronger and more meaningful as the loss fades. And grieving allows me to let go in a healthy way, develop an even stronger, healthier relationship with these adults that look an awful lot like the little kids that used to run around our house.
Boldly, Herb
Psalm 30:5 (NIV) "weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
When the Phone Rings
What is your response when the phone rings? All depends…
First picture.
The phone rings, you pick it up and immediately feel a gag reflex. That relative who can make a rock frown and keep a telemarketer from hanging up. You love her but you don't want to take a cross-country trip with her. She goes on and on and on and on. Without breathing. Or pausing. Or listening. You could set the phone down on the coffee table, do your laundry, return in half an hour to say, "uh-huh" and she wouldn't notice. You used to try to tell her your latest news, but get out no more than, "Did you hear…". You love her, but she wears you out. You look at your spouse, who breathes a deep sigh of relief that you picked up the phone, make a horrible face and moan. You hit the mute button and almost shout, "We have GOT to get caller id!" You love her, but you don't want to get caught by her. Three days later, you pry the phone from your ear and collapse in exhaustion. Because you love her, because you know she is lonely, because you are a nice person you refuse to hang up rudely, but it is nothing but a DUTY to talk with her.
Second picture.
In the past year our kids, Amber and Chadd, have both spent time out of the country. Amber in Ireland, Chadd in Thailand. During those times the ringing of the phone signaled a footrace. Sheila was especially brutal at elbowing me to get to the finish line. We longed for the phone to ring because of the limited times when they could call. We'd schedule phone appointments just so we could hear their voices. The few times we missed their calls and we got the message they left on the answering machine our hearts would plunge. We just wanted to hear their voice, to know they were okay, to connect with them in some small way. The house was so quiet, our hearts were empty with their absence. If one of them called and Sheila got to talk with them while I was away, I felt cheated. We reveled in the time talking and the half hour sped by. It was nothing short of a PRIVILEGE. When they returned home, well, you'd thought we'd won the Reader's Digest Sweepstakes!
What was the difference? Same phone. Same activity. All are human voices. All take time. All are relatives.
The difference? the kind of relationship. The needy relative is distant, disconnected and a duty. The kids are our precious, treasured, heart connected loved ones and a privilege.
What is your response when God invites you to talk? All depends…
If you see God as a duty, it will be something like a gag reflex.
If you see God as a loving Dad who fills your heart with joy, it will be a longing.
Tragedy is that the most view God as a duty while He stands by longing to fill our hearts and lives with meaning, joy, encouragement, instruction, protection, wisdom and so much more. Truth is there is nothing like conversation with God. Not duty kind of talking, but real, meaningful, heart-to-heart conversation that connects us with the one Who knows us best and loves us most.
It is time to pick up the phone.
""Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Mat 7:7-11 (NIV)
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Forgiving and Moving On
(This is the cherry on the previous 3 blogs. I suggest reading them first, then coming back to this one.)
I do not make light of the pain some of you have been caused. Some of those reading this have been abused, abandoned, betrayed, cheated, stepped on, and harmed in ways that I can't even imagine. I do not dismiss those offenses or trivialize them. Forgiving those people is even more important for you, not less. For your good, your future and those you love. You are my heroes when you put your full energy in forgiving.
As long as we view forgiveness as a feeling, we will be stuck. Forgiveness is a mental transaction. A choice in opposition to our feelings because we know it is the right and best thing to do. The truth is "forgiveness" can seem "touchy-feely." Nothing could be further from the truth – it is AN ACT OF THE WILL, a calculated decision often made in conflict to our strongest, raging feelings. It requires all the strength of character within and God's strength poured into us.
It takes a real man, a real woman to forgive when all within cries out to give into emotions of anger, hate, bitterness and revenge.
So when we pray, "Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12) it is one of the most courageous, self-sacrificing, strength of will actions possible by a human being.
How do we do that? In previous blogs I described the first steps: realize forgiveness is best and receive God's forgiveness. Once we have done that, here are the rest of the practical steps to choosing to make the willful transaction.
FORGIVE MYSELF. The extent of our acceptance of God's forgiveness and forgiving ourselves determines the extent that we can forgive others. The transaction is the same, I choose to release myself from the guilt of my actions, I pardon myself and cancel the debt. We will always have regrets, but the guilt must be forgiven.
SEEK FORGIVENESS OF OTHERS. Do you know the definition of major surgery? Major surgery is my surgery; minor surgery is your surgery. We tend to amplify the offenses of others against us and minimize the offenses we have done against others. We excuse ourselves and hold others to a high standard. We need to reflect, identify anyone we have hurt, and ask for forgiveness.
GRIEVE THE PAIN. One of the reasons we don't like to think about forgiveness is that it brings the original pain back to us, often in vivid Technicolor. To truly forgive, we need to grieve the pain that was caused and the pain of what will never be. If we lose a leg because of someone's negligence, the leg is lost. Gone. Never to grow back. We need to grieve the pain involved just as we grieve the loss of a loved one until we can come to accept the circumstances as they are, not as we want them to be. (In another blog I talk about living in reality rather than fantasy.)
TRUST GOD WITH THE PAIN AND JUSTICE. Forgiveness does not mean the other person gets off the hook. Justice will be delivered, but we are not the ones to exact that justice. God will hold them accountable and justice will be given, in His time and His way.
Remember the Old Testament story of Joseph? His eleven brothers sold him into slavery out of jealousy, his master's wife accused him of attempted rape, he was thrown into prison and left there for over ten years. In God's time he was promoted to vice-president of the world (read it, it's in Genesis chapters 39-50), in charge of selling food to the famined world. His brothers come, don't recognize him, he tests them, finally reveals himself, tells them he forgives them, moves the entire family to Egypt and they prosper. Some years later their father dies, the brothers believe Joseph will now get even so they concoct a story to protect themselves, "Dad told us to tell you that you have to take care of us…" Joseph is dumbfounded at their fear. He forgave them long ago. (SIDENOTE: notice how unforgiveness and fear hurts those who hold on to it more than those who forgive? It had left Joseph's mind over a decade ago.) Joseph responds, as we all should as we trust God:
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20 (NIV)
RELEASE THE OFFENDER. Choose to remove the chain of guilt and unforgiveness that binds you to the other person and place it into God's hands. With the chain gone, both of you are free. Even if they never ask. Even if you never see them again. Even if they are dead. How did Jesus forgive us? Completely and before we even knew we needed forgiveness.
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
MAKE FORGIVENESS A LIFESTYLE. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Don't be easily offended. When hurt, release it as quickly as possible. Get some perspective on what is important and let things go. Lighten up.
Most important, pray blessings on those who offend you. It is impossible to hold on to hurt and unforgiveness when you pray for blessings on that person. Jesus knew this.
"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Matthew 5:44 (NIV)
Forgiving others, no matter how hard it is or how deeply they have hurt us, is worth it.
Holding on to hurt and unforgiveness, no matter how it seems to satisfy, is not worth it. Ever.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Monday, June 02, 2008
If Jesus Did So Can We
What is forgiveness? Here's a definition: "canceling a debt, pardoning an offense, releasing an offender from guilt."
Imagine this…
You loan me $2000 interest free because you think I'm a dependable guy and you are a very nice person. You're not wealthy, so it's a stretch. A few months later I do some electrical work on my house and I blow the thing up. I know, I know, I should leave that to the professionals, but I don't. Now I'm in a heap of trouble and have even more financial woes. You decide, again because you are a nice person, to forgive – cancel the debt.
More serious: You invite me to your house I have no place to live or eat, (remember I blew up my house). As I pull into your drive way, I run into your classic car. A car that has all original features from bumper to fenders to upholstery. That dent means it will no longer be original equipment. I have damaged it in a way that can never be corrected – repaired, yes, but not corrected. I can't tell you how bad I feel. I'm devastated as I walk into your house to confess, offer to fix the car and give you the $2000 someone loaned me. But no matter what I do, the car will never be the same because the fender will not be original. I beg you to forgive me. Though you are deeply hurt, you forgive. You forgive - pardon my offense. It does not go back in the past and make it never happen, but you no longer hold me guilty.
Even more serious: Your child is driving when another driver has a mechanical failure, crosses the center line, hits your child and kills him. The most devastating experience ever. Through no fault of anyone, the child is taken from you. The driver comes to you devastated, begs you for forgiveness, sobbing in sorrow. Not because you feel it (forgiveness is not about how we feel), you choose to pardon the offense, to release the offender from guilt. THAT IS FORGIVENESS.
Most serious: Someone sees your child, stalks and targets her for no reason, follows and brutally murders your child. Senseless. Heartless. A child taken from you and nothing will ever make it right. The murderer is caught, tried, convicted. While in prison Christ gets hold of his heart and he is miraculously transformed. He comes to you, sincerely expresses his sorrow and regret and then asks for forgiveness.
"Herb", you might be saying, "What kind of hurtful picture is that?" THAT is exactly what we did with God. We deliberately chose to turn our backs on God, go our own way and the price was the death of His Son. By our sin we brutally murdered Jesus.
Deeper and stronger: Back to the saved, repentant stalker - the time comes for the death sentence to be carried out for the murderer of your child. You meet the executioner and murderer in the hallway to the room where the lethal injection will occur. You stop them, take the handcuffs off the murderer, put them on yourself and walk into the death room to take the murderer's place. That is what Jesus did for us. Not only forgives when we ask, but before we even knew to ask, He took our place, writhing in the punishment we deserved, paying the price for our offense and offering deliverance.
Romans 5:6 (NIV) "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."
Here's the formula of forgiveness, whether it is us with God or with another person, whether we're on the giving or receiving side of forgiveness:
Offense Ú pain Ú responsibility Ú choose to release from guilt
For me and you: An offense occurs (I hit your car) Ú pain follows (for me and for you) Ú someone has to take responsibility (me to fix the car, you to hear out my apology) Ú you have to choose to pardon, to release me of guilt or hold on to the hurt, anger and unforgiveness
For God: we sin (the offense) Ú causes pain for God (Jesus has to suffer and die, we experience the damage of sin) Ú God takes responsibility to pay for our sin with Jesus' death Ú God chooses to offer us forgiveness, pardon, release us from our guilt before we even ask.
So what do we do? Accept it. It is free, but it is not cheap or easy. It cost God everything. It will cost us ownership of our lives. If we truly believe Jesus gave everything for us, the only way to receive the forgiveness is to do the same in return.
I hope you will.
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Friday, May 30, 2008
Forgiveness and the Big White Box
Why do we struggle so to forgive? to ask for forgiveness? to address the problems in our relationships?
Most often it is because we don't want to face the pain.
Picture this:
You move into a new home to find a big white box in the kitchen next to the fridge. You've never seen one before so you don't recognize it. It has a flat surface you use to stack stuff, cut vegetables and set your coffee mug. For three years. Then one day a friend comes to visit. While there he asks if he could make a snack. He pulls out a pan, sets it on the front right black circle of this white box, turns a knob on the back of the white box, pours the ingredients into the pan and makes the best snack of all time. Popcorn. You're amazed, dumbfounded and excited. Not because of the popcorn, but because he was able to make it on the counter you've been using. As you inspect this contraption, you put your hand on the black circle and scorch your hand. Pain, oh the pain! You say not very nice things about this box, the very same one you raved about a moment ago.
QUESTION: For the next three weeks, when you walk through the kitchen and see the stove, what comes to mind? Do you think about the three years you put your hands all over the burners without consequence or the ONE TIME you burned yourself? It's the ONE time, right? You rub your hand, scowl at the memory, creep along the opposite wall. In fact, it may take quite some time before you are even willing to THINK ABOUT using the thing again. Sound extreme? Yet that is what we do in relationships where hurt and unforgiveness resides.
TRUTH: Relationships are what life is all about. But one of the few guarantees about relationships is that we will have problems, confrontations, disagreements and struggles every day. Blame Adam and Eve. Forgiveness is the number one issue in relationships. Of all the phrases in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus chose forgiveness as THE phrase to add additional commentary. Why? Because He knows that hurt, anger, bitterness, grudges and distance are all forms of unforgiveness. Develop a lifestyle of forgiving everyone and many of the relationship issues are quickly resolved.
No one, except people who should be carried off in a special white jacket and locked up in a windowless room, really likes the idea of confrontation because we have in our minds the times when we've been burned. And we HAVE been burned. Like walking through the kitchen with the demon stove, when we think about confrontation and forgiveness we remember the big blow-ups when it did not go well and caused searing pain. Truth is that we actually have relational confrontation daily and have to forgive often but most of the issues are minor or quickly resolved or automatically overlooked because we have learned how to take care of them. Like your friend navigating the stove to your awe. We don't even think of them as confrontations or issues of forgiveness. They are like three years of having the stove in our kitchen without getting burned.
The moral of this story: take on relationship confrontation and forgiveness head on. Quickly, lovingly, with the desire for resolution and reconciliation. Don't back away out of fear or you'll miss the joy of relationships. Relationships cannot be good and strong without it. In fact, they cannot be good and strong without going through it. You'll still get burned once in a while, but it will be worth it.
""Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV)
Boldly, Herb
(To listen to Herb via the internet go to http://www.newsongpittsburgh.org/sermons.htm )
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
