Sunday Reflections - August 25, 2016

THE END OF THE SUMMER OPENS THE DOOR TO NEW BEGINNINGS!

This is an exciting time of year for so many people. As the summer ends and the weather turns, it's a good time to re-focus on your goals. Even if you are no longer in school, the beginning of the school year often triggers an ingrained instinct to buckle down and get to work.

For students, a new school year means a new start with new teachers, new classmates, and best of all, new school supplies. I remember the excitement of getting that fresh box of crayons (with a sharpener, if you were really lucky), a new backpack, maybe some new clothes, or a notebook in your favorite color? These are always highlights of the new school year for most kids.

This time of year is also a new season for the Church.  The Staff and I are always anxious to get the flock back again from the summer.  New plans, new classes, new people and new experiences combine to make the Fall season exciting and enjoyable.

While we are thinking about the kids, let me just maximize on the chance to tell each of you what a phenomenal thing you are doing to step out in “Daring Faith” and building a new Children’s Ministry Center.  This is an incredible investment in the lives of kids that can last for years to come.  What excitement and memorable experiences await them as they walk into a place that is specifically designed for them to sit in an environment created just for them.

It’s in this place that they will hear the stories of Jesus, discover new friends, learn about the miracles of God and encounter an invitation to know Jesus personally.

The ministries of Deer Flat are all important, but the children’s arena is especially key.  A place that will create a sense of safety and security — maybe for the first time in their young lives — but a place where we help them develop the skills and emotional resilience they’ll need to become healthy, spiritually grounded adults who are capable of choosing and sustaining great relationships.

Words can’t express how deeply I feel about the Deer Flat family.  The selfless crowd that gathers in the Beet Field is determined to make a difference in the lives of people.  I couldn’t be more proud!  Thank you for your dedicated heart and generous and sacrificial spirit!

A couple of important notes as I close…

City Pointe - On October 31^st we will be closing our City Pointe location.  This was a great experiment and has allowed us to host a number of classes, events, etc.  It also confirmed that there is a desire/need to have opportunities closer to town.  At this time, we feel that it is best to focus our finances and efforts on getting the building project done.  We are working on other options for some of the groups now meeting there and will inform all concerned as we know more. Thank you to all of those who helped make City Pointe possible!

Newcomers Lunch Sunday!  If you’re new in the past few months, stay and give us a chance to get acquainted with you!

Loving You and Him,

Pastor D

Sunday Reflections - August 11, 2016

RUNNING WITH ENDURANCE

Been watching the Olympics?  Have you noticed the cheering crowds?  The role of the crowd plays a huge part in the life of the athlete.  The shouts of the crowds in Rio can be heard throughout the wide spectrum of events, from table tennis and fencing to swimming and beach volleyball events.

While every sport has its own custom for when it is appropriate to cheer and when quiet is expected, none of that seems to apply there. The Rio Games have only just begun, but already the exuberance of local fans has intersected with athletes and officials have had to make pleas for silence.

As you watch and listen, you hear shouts and read signs:

 “Well done!”

“Keep it up!”

“Great running!”  And…

 “Keep your cadence quick! Use your arms to pump you up the hill!”

Or practical, geographical guidance: “Keep going, only one more hill to go, then you’re on the home straight!”

As I watched some of the events, I was reminded of the verse out of Hebrew 12:1   “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…”

A crowd can make all the difference in the world!

In the famous movie, “Chariots of Fire”, one of the film’s most iconic scenes involved runner Eric Liddell. One of the reasons Liddell himself is so famous is when he refused to compete in the Olympics 100-meter heat because it took place on a Sunday. As a devout Christian, Liddell steadfastly refused to run any race taking place on the Sabbath. In the film, this decision is made on Liddell’s journey to Paris from Britain. However, in real life Liddell was well aware of when the race took place several months in advance and planned appropriately, mainly training instead for the 400-meter race.

Liddell was harassed for months about his decision and was even reportedly “grilled” by the British Olympic Committee, particularly because the 100 meter was his best event and his best time in the 400 meter (49.6 seconds) had little chance of winning anything in the Olympics. Despite this, he didn’t back down on the issue.

Long story short, when the 400-meter final rolled around, Liddell defied the odds and won the event with a world record performance (47.6 seconds). A performance usually attributed to the fact that Liddell treated the race as a dead sprint, running all 400 meters as fast as he possibly could. To quote the man himself when asked about his plan for victory: “I run the first 200m as hard as I can. Then, for the second 200m, with God’s help, I run harder.”

There is a role the crowd plays, for sure!  We’ve been considering the words of James, “Consider it joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of various kinds…” James 1:2   If you find yourself in a trial, you sound normal.  It’s a standard part of living in our world.  Listen to some encouraging words of the former Olympian, who went on to become a missionary in China:

“In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.” - Eric Liddell

“God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure. ” - Eric Liddell

Listen to another runner, who ran an amazing race and finished well, but not without times of intense testing.  “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10

Run well!  The crowd of heaven is watching and cheering for you! I can’t wait to see you this Sunday as we continue to look at the words of James.

Loving You and Him,

Pastor D

Sunday Reflections - August 5, 2016

HOW IN THE WORLD CAN WE EXPERIENCE JOY IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS?

That is such a great question. And it’s one that is asked so many times on any given day. “Why me?  Why now? Why this?” Questioning is one of the major ingredients that comes with troubles. Part of the reason that the Bible is as thick as it is, is because it includes many verses of scripture that speak specifically about trials, troubles, temptations and life’s unfairness.

I was reading some interesting remarks regarding trials and found them thought provoking and fascinating. Here’s just a few:

            The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. – Theadore Rubin

            If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire – then you got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. Learn to separate the inconveniences from the real problems. You will live longer – Sigmund Wollman

            Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional – M. Kathleen Casey

           

            A bend in the road is not the end of the road…unless you fail to make the turn.

James says that, “we should consider it pure joy, my friends, when you face trials of many kinds…”  James 1:3   Where did James learn this? How does he know this? Here’s how, and he speaks with authority, JESUS WAS HIS OLDER BROTHER. James had such an encounter with Jesus as his Messiah that he knew in his knower that he knew Jesus would provide the joy in the midst of the journey.

You might not know it, the way we Christians talk. But Jesus Christ says, in essence: “Even in volatile seasons, smile at the future. Laugh at the days to come.”  In John 16:33, he said it this way: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  Only when we see his words in context do we begin to grasp their force. Jesus wasn’t dismissing or minimizing the hard stuff. He was facing the worst head-on, and announcing beforehand, “I have conquered it”.

Here, then, is the context:

The night before his crucifixion, Christ ate with his 12 apostles in an upper room. Then, as Judas exited to betray him, Jesus walked with the 11 to the Garden of Gethsemane. Along the way, he talked. Every word he spoke prepared his followers for the new, volatile season already careening in.

Before entering the garden where he would be betrayed and arrested, Jesus stopped teaching and started praying. He prayed for all his followers of all time (John 17). The last thing he uttered before he prayed – the capstone of his teachings – was this:

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” John 16:33.

Jesus knew what his followers would see as the next three days unfolded. He deeply desired that they also see the greater reality:

•    Because of that pivotal moment in history, God’s kingdom will come. It will arrive in its glorious fullness the day the Lord Jesus returns in glory.

•    Because of that pivotal moment in history, God’s kingdom has come. It’s already here.

With Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the unseen world invaded what is seen. Because he died and rose again, ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, all who confess, “Jesus is Lord,” can also live in two worlds at the same time – the natural world we can see with our eyes, and the supernatural one we can see only by the Spirit.

I can’t wait to tell you more about this on Sunday as we dig deeper into James.

Loving You and Him!

Pastor D

PS:  YOU GUYS DID IT!  YOU ALL STEPPED UP AND HELPED US CLOSE OUT JULY MEETING AND EXCEEDING OUR BUDGET…SO THAT IT MADE UP FOR ALMOST ALL OF THE SHORTFALL OF JUNE!  YEA GOD!  YEA PEOPLE OF DEER FLAT!  I’m spoiled to be able to be the pastor at Deer Flat Church!