Living in faith, hope and Love

Have you ever been accused of living a questionable lifestyle?  Did you realize that’s actually how we’re supposed to live?

Not every follower of Christ is a gifted evangelist.  But we all have something to share.  That’s the whole point behind Jesus’ comments about “let your light shine before others…” (Matthew 5:16)  And as we learned last Sunday, the earliest Christians were encouraged to be able to answer the questions that people would inevitably ask about their life and faith.  The assumption was that their lives would generate questions.  Or another way to put it: they lived “questionable” lives!

Except that we rarely get asked anymore.  Our lives seldom register on anyone else’s radar.  When was the last time someone asked you to “give an answer for the hope that you have”? (1 Peter 3:15)

But all that can change with a few simple habits.  We shared these last Sunday (April 2, 2017).  Maybe you heard them.  But have you tried to live them?  Here’s the list (borrowed from Michael Frost’s, “Surprise the World.”) :

• Bless people – make it a point to bless at least 3 people each week, one of who doesn’t attend Seneca Creek. (It could be through words, through acts of kindness, or through simple gifts)
• Eat with people – make it a point to share a meal (or a cup of coffee) with at least 2 people each week. At least one of whom does not attend Seneca Creek.
• Listen to the Holy Spirit – make it a habit to set aside some time (say 30 minutes) once a week to listen to what God may want to say to you. You could use something like the Lord’s prayer, or the sinner’s prayer as a way of helping to focus your mind during that time.
• Learn Christ – spend time at least once a week (again, maybe 30 minutes) learning about Christ. Start with the four gospels, then move on to other books that are focused on the person of Christ. (See list here).

Four simple habits.  B.E.L.L. (Bless, Eat, Listen, Learn)  Make these part of your life, and people will begin to ask questions.  You’ll be living a “questionable” life.  Then you can share the answer, which is Christ.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. For more details, check out last week’s message here.

P.P.S. For a list of additional resources to “learn Christ,” click here.

My assumption is that none of us is a finished product at this point.  God is still working on me.  And you.  But are we holding up the project?

Similar to trying to force a toddler to eat something he doesn’t like, God can’t really “force” us to change.  We have to desire it.  And then we have to act on that desire.  This is the idea behind a plan for personal growth.  Nothing complicated.  Just a simple, “here’s what I’m working on becoming right now…based on what God is wanting to do in my life.”

Could you take a minute right now and list three areas you want to change or grow in this year?

• It could be anything from reading God’s word to reaching out to your neighbor.
• It could be getting help for your destructive habit or giving away something that God is challenging you to give.
• It could be baby steps toward healthier choices or big steps toward a new career or relationship.
• It could be learning new leadership skills or new parenting skills.

The specifics aren’t important.  But this part is: what will you do to get started on accomplishing that list?

No one else can take those steps for you.  No one else can make the list or lay out the next steps.  Most of us wouldn’t appreciate it if someone else even attempted to tell us how/where to change.

But our God is in the business of helping us grow.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  2 Pet 3:18

Sometimes all that’s missing is for us to take the next step. Sometimes we’re unwittingly holding up the project.  So why not make a plan? Begin to grow again. It’s what you were designed for.

-Pastor Mark

As we turn the corner into Spring, many of us think about planting and growing and gardens, etc. Even if it’s not your “thing,” chances are you still enjoy and appreciate seeing the signs of life sprouting from the soil. But what about your own soil?

One of my favorite parables is Jesus’ description of a farmer going out to plant seed. (Mark 4:1-20) Some seed lands on the path. Some on the rocky soil. Some in with the weeds. And some lands in fertile soil and signs of life start sprouting up.

The question: what makes the difference? The answer: the soil. Here’s the rub: each of us is in control of the condition of our soil.

• Our soil could be the pathway, where the Enemy of God has free reign, and marches right in and snatches the seed. Result: no signs of life.
• It could be the rocky soil, where there is an initial burst of growth and life, but when the scorching heat of difficulty comes long, our lack of rootedness leads to a parched and fruitless life.
• It could be the thorny soil, where “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” choke out the seed, and our life is again a mere shadow of the growth and fruitfulness we long for.
• Or, we could be the good soil, where our life bears fruit, and in this world that is starved for real news about the real God, we could actually be the best news people ever see.

The choice is ours. The challenge is to invest in soil conditioning, of changing our soil from a non-fruitful state to a fruitful and fertile state.

So as you drive past the local nursery or garden supply store this month, let your thoughts run toward another kinds of soil…the soil of your heart. And ask yourself, “what kind of conditioning does my soil need this season in order to produce a harvest?” What’s missing? What needs to be removed?

-Pastor Mark

The folks in Hollywood might get the envelopes mixed up, but here at Seneca Creek it seems that’s not a problem.  I’m talking about envelopes filled with cash.
People are using the “Kickstart Generosity” envelopes to encourage their friends and neighbors to contribute to a food bank in need of supplies, to help the homeless, to assist refugees, and even to help other members of the church body.

You can read the stories here.  And hopefully you can add your story to how God is working in and thru you as we become generous people who reflect our generous God.

I have to mention the wonderful experience from Hope United last weekend.  Pastor Mary Johnson and her dedicated team of volunteers helped us celebrate the different countries, cultures, and languages that are part of our community, and part of our church community.  (Almost 50 at last count.)  A huge shout-out to Mary and her team!

If you missed it, here are some pictures that attempt to capture the event.

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This event matters for us because we believe the gospel is about more than a doctrine, it’s about living out the kingdom of God, and that includes breaking down barriers and reconciling people together under the banner of Christ.  It’s a new way of life, of being truly human.  And it’s a harbinger of things to come.  There’s a scene in John’s revelation that follows from opening a different kind of envelope.  Here’s what’s inside:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.  Revelation 7:9

And if you haven’t had a chance to jump on board with our church-wide reading plan for Lent, it’s not too late.  You can join the conversation here on Facebook, and find the “Lent for Everyone” reading plan online, and thru the YouVersion Bible app on your Apple or Android device.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. Important reminders for this weekend: First, set your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night.  And second, don’t miss Sunday morning because Bishop Issangya from Tanzania will be joining us! See you then.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.  Why bother?  Here’s why; it’s a great way to practice dying.
It’s customary to give something up for the season of Lent.  For example, some give up meat, or desserts, or caffeine.  Others give up social media, or television, or shopping.  They idea is to use this time to say “No” to some things in order to say “Yes” to what God has for us.  We say “No” to some of the desires and appetites that dominate our lives in order to say “Yes” to the appetite for God and his agenda.

This is similar to what Jesus had in mind when he uttered these words:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”  Matthew 16:24-26

Jesus’ audience knew what it meant to “take up a cross.”  It meant you were about to die.  But he’s not talking here about physical death.  He’s referring to dying to self.  Dying to a self-directed life.  Putting to death those things that fall under the category of “gaining the whole world.”  Very often that includes the appetites that run our lives.

By giving something up for Lent, we’re essentially taking a step in that direction.  We’re saying “I’m going to remove this thing from its position of dominance, and learn how to experience a better life instead.”  In essence, we practice dying to self and learn how to live to God.

If your routine involves giving something up, then I urge you to also spend time listening.  What is God saying in that space that you’ve just opened?  If you’re practicing dying to self, how are you beginning to become alive to God?  If you’re “losing your life” for Christ, what are you finding in return?

-Pastor Mark

I get it. We’re very busy. Good intentions get squeezed out by urgent deadlines and demands.  But here’s a time-tested way to push back the busy long enough to experience something profound.
It’s called Lent.

Lent is the season before Easter when followers of Jesus have chosen to focus on preparing their hearts, minds, and lives for the celebration of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Wait, wait, wait!  Before you check out, you may be asking, “Why bother?”  You might feel like you’re too busy to bother.  And that’s exactly the point.

We can be so busy, so distracted, so caught up in all the activities and anxieties of life that we miss out on the power of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  We can be so busy arranging the dishes on the table that we never sit down and enjoy the meal.  We can inadvertently crowd God right out of our lives.

Lent is a chance to create a little bit of room.  You probably can’t drop everything for 40 days and get alone with God.  But you probably CAN drop SOMETHING and squeeze God into that part of your life.

• Some people choose to drop certain types of food/beverage, and use the absence of that substance to direct their hearts and minds toward God.
• Some people choose to drop entertainment (like social media or TV) and use that time to squeeze in conversations with God.
• Some people choose to drop conveniences and/or luxuries in order to squeeze God into those spaces.

This year I’m encouraging our entire church to drop something out of their calendar and squeeze in a few minutes to read and reflect on God’s words to us.  We’ll use a plan developed by N.T. Wright, called “Lent for Everyone.”  It’s available online, and thru the YouVersion Bible app on your Apple or Android device.

The plan begins next Wednesday, March 1^st, which is Ash Wednesday.  Take some time today or tomorrow to locate the plan on your phone or computer.  Then be sure to join our Seneca Creek Bible reading group on Facebook.  It’s a great way to share your thoughts, questions, and more as you squeeze God into that space in your life.

I hope you’ll join us on this powerful journey with God.

-Pastor Mark

It’s one of the most poignant stories in the Exodus.  With chilling consequences.  I’m talking about a spy story, giants, and transforming people into grasshoppers.

I recently revisited the story of the twelve spies that Moses sent into the promised land.  (Read the whole story in Numbers 13-14.)  It takes place immediately after God delivered his people from Egypt, complete with the mighty plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the Ten Commandments carved in stone.

With all that as the background, Moses commissions twelve spies to go and see what the promised land was like.  They observe a land flowing with “milk and honey.”  A land of fruitful abundance.  Pretty much what God had promised.  But there were some problems to overcome, namely the people occupying the land.

So despite God’s promises to deliver them into the land, the spies gave a bad report.  Today we would call it spin.  The saw all the abundance and fruitfulness, and their report was basically this: We can’t go there, because there are giants in the land, and we are like grasshoppers in their sight.

Here’s the key.  God called them to this challenge.  He promised to provide.  He had a phenomenal track record of doing exactly that.  But instead of stepping out in faith, they spun the story with fear, almost as though God wasn’t part of the solution!  And they started to act like grasshoppers.

“We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”  And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.  We saw the Nephilim there… We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:31-33)

The consequences were enormous.  They completely missed out on the opportunity to enter the land God had for them.  They went to their graves wondering what it might have been like.

God calls us to challenges.  You may be facing one this week.  He promises to provide.  He has a  phenomenal track record of doing exactly that.  We often get a chance to see the abundant and fruitful life that he offers us.  But how many times do we choose fear instead of faith?  How easy is it for us to think that God isn’t part of the solution, and to act like grasshoppers?  And the consequences can be huge.  We can live for years, or even decades wondering, “what would it have been like if I had listened to God and stepped out in faith?”

Whatever your challenge is, whatever God is calling you to do in faith, you have a choice.  You can spin the story with fear and become a grasshopper, or you can courageously step out in faith and follow where God is leading you.

How will you respond??

-Pastor Mark

Ever have that experience where you feel like you’re shouting and the other person isn’t really hearing you?  Like you’re speaking different languages?

It happens frequently in marriages.  It even happens when one spouse tries to communicate love to the other.  Because we often speak different “love languages.”  This concept was developed by Gary Chapman in his book, “The Five Love Languages.”  He lists the following languages:

• Words of affirmation
• Quality time
• Gifts
• Acts of service
• Physical touch

Chapman points out that most of us have one, or at most two primary languages.  We speak and receive the message of love in that language almost exclusively.  In a hypothetical marriage relationship, the husband (who speaks the language of gifts) buys flowers or candy for his wife to communicate his love.  But since she speaks the language of acts of service, the flowers are received as a cheap token, because if he “really loved her he would roll up his sleeves and help with the dishes/cleaning, etc.”  In this case, the message of love was not received.  She blurts, “You don’t really love me!”  And he objects, “Of course I do, that’s why I buy you gifts!”  They’re speaking different languages.

Now think about Jesus’ great commandment.  It is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  What language does God speak?  I want to suggest that he’s multi-lingual.  With the exception of physical touch (he is pure spirit), I think that God hears ALL of the languages.  I suspect God’s love language is a mash-up of all of those, and probably some we’ve never thought of!

Which language do you speak when you express love for God?  What if we learned to be multi-lingual in our love for God?

• There would be words of affirmation, expressed in prayer, worship, and (gasp) even social media.
• The would be quality time, seen in listening thru prayer and Scripture reading and reflection.
• There would be gifts, often understood as our time, talents and treasures.
• And there would be acts of service, done not out of guilt or obligation, but as genuine expressions of love to our heavenly father.

When you think about expressing love for God, which language to you favor?  Which language seems foreign to you?  And what could you do this month to begin to develop fluency in the other love languages?

-Pastor Mark

Good advice is often under-rated until a crisis hits.  Then things like, “a penny saved is a penny earned,” and “don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” make a lot more sense.  Even if you didn’t apply that advice.  So here’s the question: Is Jesus a dispenser of advice?

Often times he is; though I would argue that coming to him for advice is going about it the wrong way, since advice suggests we can take it or leave it, and Jesus typically gives instructions not advice.  But many of his sayings are pithy proverbs, memorable and quotable.  Things like “turn the other cheek,” “go the extra mile,” “judge not lest you be judged,” “don’t cast your pearls before swine,” and so on.  In times of crises, these pithy sayings are often thrown about as being the way to survive the difficult times.

The current political/national climate in our country is very unsettled.  Some might even call it a crisis-point.  So I find it fascinating (and a little bit convicting) that Jesus’ most well-known “advice” seems to take on new wisdom and significance.  What am I talking about?

Jesus’ model prayer.  Think about it.

• Our Father – pointing to the bonds we share with all humanity despite our immigration status.
• Who is in the heavens – really indicating that he resides in the space all around us, not far, far away. He has not abandoned us to our own devices, regardless of how dark things may appear.
• Hallowed be your name – That God’s character and reputation be honored and proclaimed, not just with our lips (can you say social media), but with our lives. Was there ever a greater call for this?
• Your kingdom come – not the kingdoms of this world, the kingdoms of violence, of political power, of withdrawal, or of legalism, but Jesus’ kingdom.
• Your will be done – this is exactly HOW that kingdom will arrive, when his will is done by his people, when his redemptive, restorative work is being lived out in lives, families, and faith communities.
• On earth as it is in heaven – Jesus consistently said that the kingdom of God was HERE, meaning in his life, and actions. So as we follow him, heaven breaks into this world in increasing measure.
• Give us this day our daily bread – in humility realizing that we simply cannot control even the most basic aspects of human life, like the crops, the weather, etc.
• And forgive us our sins – a daily reminder that all of us need God’s gracious forgiveness.
• As we forgive those who sin against us – and that if we have in fact experienced forgiveness it will be evident in our willingness to extend it to those around us, especially those who are “least deserving.”
• Lead us not into temptation – Lord, may there be nothing in me that will force you to put me to the test in order to reveal what is in my heart.
• But deliver us from the evil one – recognizing that there is an enemy of God who seeks to bring deception, division, and destruction to all of God’s good creation.

As I reflect on the discourse and decisions that are being played out across our land, I can’t think of more appropriate “advice” for such a time as this.  Jesus, it turns out, was even smarter than we may have imagined.  What a brilliant prayer for us to pray!

So I urge you to take this advice, and spend two minute right now, and each day, praying this powerful prayer.  For yourself.  For your family.  For your church family.  And for your fellow citizens.

-Pastor Mark

Last weekend was certainly historic for our country.  The inauguration was surrounded by protests.  And then the massive march and rally on Saturday gave voice to millions of women who have been treated as somewhat less than fully human.  So imagine my surprise when I read about the first women’s march; and you’ll never guess where it took place.

It’s in the Bible.

Yep. The first place where women acted together to protest the policies and directives of their national leaders was in the Bible.  And they did it in a place and time where there was no bill of rights giving them the freedom to express themselves.  They did it in an environment where their protest could lead to severe repercussions if they were caught.  And they did get caught.  Then they lied.  And they were the heroes.  You probably don’t know them by name.  Their names are Shiphrah and Puah.

I’m referring to the two Hebrew midwives listed in the first chapter of Exodus.  The Egyptian king ordered them to euthanize all the baby boys born to Hebrew women.  (Ironically that was a policy directive driven by fear of immigrants.)  But here’s the phrase that leaps off the page:

“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.” – Exodus 1:17

Technically it probably wasn’t a march.  But it was the same spirit.  The spirit of unified protest.  The spirit of standing up for justice in the face of powerful oppression.  And the connection for us is their motivation: Because they feared God.

Too often the idea of “fearing God” is laced with terror, guilt, and an image of a vengeful God.  But this passage blows away the fog of ignorance and reveals a God who cares about injustice.  To fear God is to care about what he cares about.  It is to align with God’s agenda and his purposes.  It is to stand up to those who are opposed to justice and righteousness.  It is captured in the words of Micah:

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” –Micah 6:8

I leave you with this question: Has the fear of God ever prompted you to take action in the cause for justice?

That’s worth taking a stand, taking action, and even marching for.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. This weekend we’ll take a look at how this topic (the equal rights of women) has affected all of us, especially in our homes.